Turquoise and Roses

You know last time I said my next post will be about conjunctions? I lied.

Watch this video instead. Because even now, in University, an English major, like me, still find this useful.

On a much random note, I wonder how these people are doing. August is a long time ago. Hope all goes well. You have full support from Turquoise and Roses.

I am so damam.

Today I will write about SEX. Red, hot, mind-blowing SEX! Nyahaha. Did I get your attention? Okay, now that I have your attention, what I really wanted to write about is a much less racy subject which is the difference between CONTINUALLY and CONTINUOUSLY.

Before anyone of you say “they’re the same”, hold your breath because if they are the same, this would be a totally useless post. Now why on *earth* would I want to dedicate one blog post to something useless?

Why I am writing this post really should be a non-issue. I don’t even know why I brought up the subject. I should be deleting this paragraph.

However, yes, CONTINUOUSLY and CONTINUALLY are different words with different meanings.

CONTINUOUSLY (no I’m not yelling!), is when something is done repetitively without intervals. For example, continuous sneezing during Phantom of the Opera.

CONTINUALLY (honest to God, I’m not yelling), is when something is done repeatedly but with time intervals. For example, he is continually harassing me yada yada.

And now for a plagiarised piece  from Dictionary.com to further enlighten this educational moment while simultaneously adding some vague semblance of credibility to this pathetically traffic hungry piece of writing:

These adjectives mean occurring repeatedly over a long period of time. Continual is chiefly restricted to what is intermittent or repeated at intervals: The continual banging of the shutter in the wind gave me a headache. Continuous implies lack of interruption: The horizon is a continuous line.

So yes, now you know the difference between those two seemingly similar words, use them properly. May this post bring you closer to that elusive goal of lexical perfection.

Next post: CONJUNCTIONS.

Hi everyone,

My latest article is already up on the Global Voices Online website. Click here to read it.

Comments are very much appreciated (if not mandatory).

Happy Ramadhan everyone! Happy Sunday to the non-Muslim! Happy mid-semester break for UBD scholars!

*Happy 2 year-ish Anniversary Boipren* (Yes yes, I don’t normally write about lovey dovey sappy stuff (which is probably why I am justifying myself right now), but since he reads my blog now, this is an occasion worth writing about is it not?)

From Surprises at the MIB Forum, The Daily Brunei Resources:

Another surprise awaited for me at the steps of the hall. I was standing next to a Deputy Minister, both of us waiting for our cars to come pick us up, when he said to me something about what you young bloggers are up to nowadays. Apparently he is an avid reader of Brunei blogs. Well, Dato, I am about a dozen years younger, I guess young is relative. To most Bruneian bloggers, I am old. But it is interesting that the Deputy Minister acknowledges the existence of bloggers and so for you young bloggers out there, your serious stuff writings are read by the policy makers. I do know of a few extremely senior people who read my stuffs but on official relationship, I don’t talk about it and therefore we pretend I don’t write blogs. But you will be surprised who else reads your stuffs. That’s an avenue for you to explore.

There, just plain proof that PEOPLE ARE LISTENING. I have been saying this all this while. We CAN make a difference. I know that one day eventually we’ll make enough noise that we can be heard. There, the time has come, now we know someone IS listening.

What are you going to do about it? What are WE ALL going to do about it? Will we let yet ANOTHER chance pass us by?

Happy Teachers’s Day to all teacher-bloggers and teacher-bloghoppers!

On this joyous occasion, and to celebrate the fact that tommorow is the beginning of Ramadhan, which is my favorite month in the Islamic calendar, I have installed Meebo on the blog.

Basically it enables everyone to chat with me through the Meebo box. I’m only trying it out for now, I will delete it if it serves no function for me. I am currently having fun chatting with myself. I am apparently good company.

Ahlan wa sahlan ya Ramadhan~ (yes, yes, I have a terrible accent but IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS)

Seems like God is just giving me a reason to blog.

TODAY I EXPERIENCED A HIT AND RUN. No, I didn’t do the running nor was I doing the hitting. Someone else did. I am the VICTIM here.

Anyway, yes, I had to pick up my sister from Muara because she came back from Labuan. On the way to pick up the Boipren, I stopped at Hua Ho Sengkurong to purchase my favorite shower gel. So I reverse parked my car and went inside.

Then, fifteen minutes later, came back, and found the car looking like this.

Here it is, with mudguard clearly dented with major scratches on the paint, and signal lights broken.

So, after picking up my sister at Muara, we went to the Balai Polis Sengkurong to file a report (supposedly so that we can make an insurance claim).

We were greeted by an exceptional amount of bored looking policemen (I tried taking the picture as clandestinely as I could possibly manage, although, I am not very well known for my subtlety, there was a flash).

This is a photo of my statement being written, and was taken with permission. The police officer suddenly became nervous when I said, I’ll be posting it on the Internet. He asked me where I worked to which I smiled and said “adeler“. Nyahaha, your arms are now famous.

Also in the same room giving statements was a woman with a missing child and a man whose house just got broken into (he lost a Rolex and two gold rings).

No comments on the policemen. Except that, they must write a lot of reports everyday. Nope, no computers. Plain handwriting.

Yes I know I have been neglecting my blog duties. In fact he actually emailed to remind me of that fact. I really am busy! Okay, so here I am.

A few major things in Brunei and around the world have shockingly happened the past few days namely:

1. Pope Benedict’s (who wears red Prada loafers by the way), embarassing and enraging comment on Islam’s Prophet Muhammad which sparked anger around the world. No reason why they shouldn’t be angry. However, no reason why they should resort to violence. Perhaps the Pope was rather, naive for jumping to conclusions based on unreliable texts. Or maybe I am naive, and he’s smart. What better way to distort the image of Islam by provoking them on sensitive issues? Tsk tsk. What I can say is, all this is unneccesary, could have been avoided and resulted in something ugly.

2. The Thai Military Coup in Bangkok: Well this came as a surprise! Well actually not really. I actually think Mr. Thaksin is somewhat cuckoo. He made so many controversial policies I’ve lost count. He’s like, George Bush. Everyone hates him, yet he always wins in elections. Anyway, I can only hope, after taking this step backward, Thailand will zoom towards the future.

By the way, the Coup was blogged:

State of Emergency in Bangkok Coup by Bangkok Pundit, Blast to past by Lynnkiang Soontra, http://www.interlocals.net/?q=node/382#comment-95, http://enda.goblogmedia.com/, http://sloone.wordpress.com/, there may be others but these are the main ones.

If you are unfamiliar with the Thai coup (highly unlikely because it’s all over the place, but just in case), read this.

3. MIB Forum Perdana: Held at the UBD Chancellor’s Hall (which I think should have its own website by the way). There was a live feed of this “forum” on RTB which I actually tuned in to. My comments are it seriously shouldn’t be called a forum. A talk maybe, or public speech, or perhaps lecture. But not forum. My other comment is that, “having a private jet is mighty useful”. I thought the Sultan wasn’t coming since he was supposed to be present in the UN assembly. Then I remembered, he has a private jet and does not have to buy tickets from Royal Brunei Airlines.

4. Brunei Teachers’ Day Celebration: is tommorow. Happy Teachers’ Day to all teacher-bloggers out there. There are so many of you! Haha. Anyway, yes being a teacher obviously is not easy and it has become more difficult over the past few years. People have distorted views on teaching which is extremely regrettable. Hello. This is the only occupation that has its own holiday/day named after it. That alone should tell you a lot. So yeay. Happy Teachers’ Day! Jasa mu bagaikan cahaya indeed.

5. More than 80% of UBD Graduates (excluding SHB Institute of Education and Institute of Medicine, and (update) IM Students aren’t even UBD Graduates anyway) are unemployed: Major reason being? They’re too quiet. During job interviews, they are afraid to speak up and are as a result seen as having no opinion on anything whatsoever.

This is for everyone out there who is still jobless and unemployed: interviews are the arena to differentiate yourself from everyone else also applying for that particular job. It is YOUR time to show off what you’ve got. You need to wake up, strut your stuff and FIGHT for that position! Your qualifications are in your hand: that means YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES. This is your chance to apply all you have learnt and change Brunei into a much better place to live in, this is your chance to give back what the Government has given to you FOR FREE all your life. Don’t ruin this chance. Those people who are interviewing you are merely humans, they don’t bite, they are probably as nervous as you are and are only looking for someone to fill in that job vacancy. But you also need to do your part and show them how YOU are worthy of their time. So yes, CHIN UP, SHOULDERS BACK, and NO FEAR.

6. I have sold my first batch of brownies to a TESL fourth year, and fellow blogger Goose. Hope you like it babe.

If anyone else is interested in purchasing a batch of sinfully fudgey brownies in a personalised gift box (haha), wrapped with ribbons please email me. Of course if you would like to make it yourself, the recipe to the most delicious brownies ever is available here.

Oh my god, will this post ever end.

Alhamdullilah. It seems like this is a month of extreme rezeki.

After weeks of anticipation, Global Voices Online has won the much coveted 2006 Knight-Batten Award for Innovative Journalism!

“An extraordinary site that allows for both editorial gatekeeping and wide access to news and information from underreported parts of the world.”

Congratulations everyone! Plugs for Preetam Rai, my Regional Editor who took me on board.

After keeping everyone on the edges of their seats (can’t a girl exaggerate?), I will now reveal, the surprise.

Yes. I got published. By The Brunei Times. It’s right there on Page 10 above them comics.

However, if my photo (more like a mugshot) is not printed right there you can hardly recognise my writing. I’m sort of bummed about that. But no worries, the brownies. They help.

But yes. Spend $1 and grab a copy of the Brunei Times today.

More updates later today.

And here it is.

My baby. It was a good hair day really! From Page 14 to Page 10. Not bad eh?

Thank you Rano who mentioned me yet again on his blog and did this hot little corner for my article.

And finally! HERE is the original uneditted version of my article and here too, in .PDF form if you are interested.

Hi readers,

Buy Brunei Times tommorow if you love me. Because a nice surprise (and most probably an ugly black and white photo accompanying it) will unfold.

Happy? Why yes.

Following Atul’s post, I (and a fellow TESLer) were intrigued, and went on a hunt for those DVD box sets she was talking about. Lo and behold, my first Korean experience eversince kim chi:

I’m really quite impressed, well not by the short films (because I’ve really only watched one), but by the fact that UBD is in possession of such… nice things to watch. Also, when I was borrowing the box set (I had to go through the counter because it is a DVD not a book), I’ve pleasantly discovered that the nice Malay old-lady librarian reads Korean.

Anyway, these box sets were given to the UBD library by the Korean Ambassador. That is really a nice gesture. I hope France follows suit and buy UBD Library some nice foreign movies on DVD so poor uncultured boors like me have something to watch.

I have just came running franctically from the kitchen after discovering the ULTIMATE brownie recipe here.

*Ask me how I know*

*pause*

Why thank you for asking, Tina. I know, because, I have just sunk my teeth into the most delicious, most fudgey, most delightfully chocolatey bar of brownie ever! It was one of the most, saliva squirting experience I have ever had with brownies because frankly,Bruneian bakeries never seem to do it right! They usually make brownies nice, light and fluffy, which is TOTALLY WRONG because it is supposed to be crunchy on the outside and gooeey on the inside!

Not like my roast chicken, today, I came equipped with pictures! Bad pictures with horribly icky resolution of zero dpi, but pictures nonetheless!

Here it is, with innards all shiny withh fudgey chocolatey goodness and the top all crunchy and crumbly.

Here it is still in the tray. Yes, another body part yet again has made it into one of my pictures. The red fingers are really caused by the extremely hot baking tray. Things I do for my blog.

Plugs out to LIVIEish.org, who is not an organization, but that Bruneian blogger who I never get to meet when she was in Brunei! Next time, come home earlier Livie, like JUNE when I am totally jobless and have absolutely no life!

Hello readers, just want to say that now, my blog is also accessible through http://www.maurina.tk. But, a word of caution, the journey won’t be ad-free.

Another thing, aside from my current email address maurina@gmail.com, you can also alternatively email me through admin@maurina.tk.

Yes, you can tell that I am bored.

I was browsing through the not so new picture archive of Pg Anak Huda’s high-profiled-and-definitely-field-day-for-Protocol-Department wedding and I thought her dress was gorgeous.

Not only that. She also reminds me of someone very familiar.

Observe.

She looks like, the Malaysian singer, Ezlynn!

See! It’s the eyes and the mouth!

Hehe. Well yes, just thought I’d share this. Pretty pretty girl. No wonder some friends of mine spent 4 years having a crush on her. *wink*