Turquoise and Roses

Before I left for work, I switched off all lights at home and prayed no one will break into the house.

While I was away at work, my bestfriends organised their own blackout party, and voted for earth. I love this photo, they all look so beautiful.

I wonder if the world is any different now, post-earth hour.

From here:

“You’ve seen how much fun we had last year on board Nippon Maru right? Well, if you’ve always wondered how we got in, then here is your chance to experience it first hand. Applications for SSEAYP 2009 has just been opened.

If you are a sexy, enthusiastic Bruneian with a larger than life personality and buckets of confidence (unmarried and between the ages 18-30), and if you think you have personalities and characters that represents Brunei’s intelligent and vibrant youths, then this is your chance to prove yourself and others what spunk you are made of!

Be a Goodwill Ambassador of Youth and join this year’s SSEAYP’s batch of 2009! It will be a life-changing decision you will never ever regret making.

You may proceed to Jabatan Belia & Sukan (JBS), Level 3 at the Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia & Sukan, during office hours and ask for the entry form and if you have any questions, you can fill in the contact page here to ask the BPY08.

We look forward to meet 2009’s lucky 28!

The deadline for submission of forms is on the 30th April, 2009.

Tip: Make sure to read the instructions on the form properly, you don’t want to forget to do Clause 15!!!”

I was just nosing around on Facebook, and and my news feeds had conveniently informed me that my long-time friend W had just posted an album online. As it looked interesting I ventured in and as you can imagine, living in a small community as ours, I recognised some faces. Then I recognised some MORE faces, and my boss! I guess that explains why the work place has been in anxious mode for the past few days.

Told you I recognised some faces.

Turns out it was a majorly huge event, going on out there in London, run by a 6-person committee of postgraduate students that was sponsored by the Brunei Students Unit. There were key players from the Brunei’s High Education Orion’s Belt, the Vice Chancellor of UBD, Dr Zulkarnain Hanafi, the Deputy Rector of UNISSA, Dr Hj Mohd Yusop Hj Damit, and the ITB Head of Research (if I’m not mistaken), Dr Hj Supry Hj Ag Ladi.

Well, all I can say is that, this must have been some event. Congratulations and I hope next year more participation can be observed from the Brunei’s youthful bijak dan pandai yang menimba ilmu di negara orang.

For more information obviously not written by me (hehe), there is more after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

But it has gone on a good start so far. Hee. We did this in class today:

The class was an introduction to the listening module I created and the song sparked a very fruitful conversation on the importance of listening.

Same goes to each and everyone of us. Sometimes we should lay silent so we may listen.

They say, we have two ears but only one mouth because it´s twice as hard to listen.

In honour of my newly acquired part time job, here is an example of JANGLISH (Japanese-English) that I encounter so much when in Tokyo.

I miss Tokyo. Such a wonderful, vibrant city.

During our stay there, we stayed for 2-3 nights smack in the middle of Tokyo, at the National Youth Center (which is their version of the Pusat Belia).

Disclaimer: NO WE DID NOT SNEAK OUT LATE AT NIGHT TO ENJOY TOKYO´S NIGHT LIFE.

Hehehe. This is not my room obviously it´s so clean, my window is about a foot wider, but otherwise it looks exactly like this. Ahem.

I can never again look at a bento box without cringing. After about 10 bento boxes with more or less similar contents, you´d start craving for IndoMee too! Can´t believe how much I miss cooking! It was the first thing I did when I finally came home.

I still remember this particular moment. I remember the smells, the colors, the sights, the sounds. It was so different, so surreal.

I´m usually not someone who likes gadgets that much, but smackdab in this huge city, even I am overwhelmed and excited. The technology there is just amazing. Even the little things amused me.

It would be a very long time before I´d ever go to Japan again. But I doubt I will forget the feeling, and the experience of being there like… ever.

All pictures taken without permission from Ariffin! Huhuhu careful what you put on Facebook they say.

Argh! I didn’t see this one coming either! After the BJFA practice session (which is why I look like shit), we had a hangout session and the BPYs surprised me with this cupcake set which had shoes, bags, slippers, blusher, lipstick, eyeshadow and best of all… Nippon Maru! Hahaha. The gang sang Happy Birthday and the Japanese birthday song and I think if I would so indulge them they would probably sing a version of the birthday song in all 11 ASEAN languages. Argh.

Thank you BPYs! More here.

Just got home from an advanced birthday bash! Apparently, my family has been plotting behind my back all this while planning a surprise birthday party. Grr!

Over the years, I’ve somewhat grown to not like surprise parties because argh, I could never pull an elegant “surprised” face for the camera, plus I always feel that sense of “why didn’t I see that coming?” Haha. And because I always plan surprise parties for others, it has somewhat grown rather cliched.

But this one was wonderful! The blueberry cheese birthday cake with what I assumed 23 candles came last! And of course the highlight of the night was that, it was a mini convocation!

There’s the birthday girl still dazed while being dressed by bestfriends in the official BA Education (TESL) robe (coincidentally coloured turquoise and rose)

A mini convocation! I had 2 lecturers, 2 deans, 1 AR, my coursemates (well, what’s left of us anyway), and all that was missing was His Majesty actually giving me my degree certificate! (I sort of wish he was also invited via Facebook, as was everyone!)

With the beloved Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, part of TESL 2004-2008, representative of TESL 2006-2009, Dean of Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences and Dean of Hal Ehwal Pelajar.

I was lured into the trap on the pretense of a quiet birthday dinner with the Boipren. I knew a surprise was waiting when he refused to go into the restaurant first! Hahaha. And yes, there was my darling family, like ALL of them, babies and all, even Tari the maid was in on it.

Here’s everybody! My dad sleepy.

Little did I know behind a cream coloured sliding door my friends, coursemates and lecturers lay in wait (in their graduation robes) to pounce and say “SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (Trust me, it was very loud)

With my bestfriends!

I was speechless! When the crowd demanded a speech I could only concoct like… “………………..mmmmhhhrhhh…………..” or something of the sort. I really didn’t know what to say without losing my composure.

So we sat down and ate over much joy and laughter! Then after eating came dessert!

Two cheesy cakes!

I told you the birthday cake came last. We had loads of fun with Donovan’s magic mic karaoke machine singing idiot and sexually ambiguous songs such as YMCA, I Want To Break Free, Lady Marmalade, Bohemian Rhapsody, and of course the star of the night, YELLOW SUBMARINE.

Much fun ensued later with how-could-we-not-see-that-he-was-a-Queen, Dr Prema’s Gynaecological Clinic, and of course Guiyang stories, and August’s PhD robe and some Oxford tradition to do with lecturers and tails, which reminds me, my “scroll” is still in your robe August.

Thank you all for the mini convocation ceremony! I really really appreciate the effort from the robes and all to the salt and pepper squid. Love, love you all!

To my TESL 2004-2008, Chester, Hane (both there) and Bobby, Faezah, Fifie, Le Rissa and Sera (not present), it has been a pleasure being in the same ship as you lot the past 4 years and I especially would like to mention my quintessential kampong girl, Fizah, who was absent tonight but I wish was there, a person without which my TESL years would have been a lot less fun (and less frivolous).

Oh how fun! BettyConfidential.com has gathered profiles of several women across the continents in conjunction with International Women’s Day. It’s such a thrill to share lives with other women. More often than not we discover, most differences are only skin deep.

Empower yourself (if you haven’t). Take charge of your own destiny. And help other women to do the same.

P/S: Picture I’m holding is the latest issue of BIG Magazine. Great cover!

Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB) is organizing an ITB Information Day (InfoDay@ITB) on Saturday, 7th of March 2009 at the University’s campus in Kg Tungku. The InfoDay@ITB is open to the public and prospective students from 9 am to 4 pm.

The activities during that day are:

• Personal consultation with ITB academics on the range of the 4-year degree programmes available at ITB with explanation on ITB definition of ‘discovery year’.
• Exhibition on few of ITB students’ hands-on final year projects physical displays.
• University’s Engineering laboratories tour.
• HECAS officers will also be available during the day whereby the prospective students can consult them regarding the registration process.
• Prospective students will also be able to register on the day as registration facilities will be provided

The deadline for applying to the University’s degree programmes has been extended to the 15th of March 2009 due to changes in the programme structure.

Suddenly I feel like posting about Bangkok.

One of the more vivid memories of Bangkok that I have is one of Bangkok Port, one metre submerged under the Mekong River.

It was a very windy day, and in my red jersey dress, I ventured outside to take a look. It was already about 10am and we were supposed to have a Welcoming Ceremony down there at 2.30pm.

The reason I remember this moment very clearly is because while deep in my thoughts (actually thinking about how the hell are we supposed to go down there later because the Mekong River doesn’t particularly smell like roses)….

Anyway, as I was deep in these thoughts, another PY (can’t remember who it was exactly) came up from my back and said (near my ear) in a deep manly voice,

“SUCH A DANGEROUS DRESS TO WEAR ON THIS VERY WINDY DAY”

Hahaha. I can’t for the love of me remember who that was, but I was so shocked that I almost dropped my phone into the water. Thank god for phone straps.

These two pictures are taken by BPY08, Fared, one of the babies in the group.

Oh by the way, by 2.30pm the port was as dry as a twig. Apparently the Thais have a magical device that drains the metre of water out, and then somewhat dries up the floor by 1pm. Amazing because… it was a helluva lot of water!

Let me just say hello to my favorite month of the year! Hi March, hello March! One whole month of nothing but pure unadulterated INDULGENCE!