Random Post

5 months since the last post but that will be the norm for now.  I’ll only be posting things that only matter to me.  I’m now all alone in the apartment since the family has to head home when the school reopens tomorrow.  Kind of missing them already especially when I’m totally alone and has nothing better to do than sitting around all day.

Lately we were cascaded of the imminent organisational change which was already giving me a mixed feeling of how are we exactly heading to.  My responsibilities now get bigger and is expected to get the team organised by mid July.  I was actually eyeing for a good break after almost a year without taking any leave.  However, I guess that will have to wait for a while then till this is sorted out.  With so much secrecy involved with the changes, I hope I can cope and fit in the team nicely with the available information at hand.

On the other hand, my project which started off early this year seems to be pretty much in good shape despite being not so optimistic about it earlier on.  It helps a lot that I got one very enthusiastic and hard working team member which I can rely on.  For once I do miss the old days where I prefer to work single handedly and deliver but I came to a realisation that now I really need to manage the team and get them to deliver instead.  Not easy initially but I’m starting to get a good drift of what is really required being a team leader which can gets very frustrating at times.

Time flies fast and pretty soon it’s going to be Ramadhan in no time but I’m keen to know if my new house project will be under way by then.  It’s as always something which keeps my mind excited for non-work related stuff which are peronally close to my heart as well.  Lets see what happens by August and perhaps that will be my new talking points for the coming months.

New Year, New Challenge, New Project Assignment

Last Post in 2010

I think I’ll just give it a go before wrapping up 2010. Life and work have been occupying my entire time that this blog is kind of neglected. At one time I was thinking of just deleting the blog and moves on. But thinking that I’ve put sheer effort into maintaining it for quite a while, it would be an injustice so to speak. I’ll continue to post any random stuff but I’m sure it will no longer be on regular basis.

Nevertheless, things in the office have been getting better towards the very last moment. I can’t take any leave since I’ve lots of unfinished business to attend. Thank goodness most if not all were already sorted out. Practically I can leave the office tomorrow at the eve of the new year 2011 with less worries and I can spend the long weekend duly satisfied with what I’ve achieved thus far. Not quite the time yet to think about next year challenges and honestly I just want to maintain the unusually good feeling till then. They can change in split second and keeping myself very positive should be enough to give me the much needed buying time at least to enjoy life to the fullest during the new year switchover .

WordPress on Android

It has been a while and this is for the sake of testing WordPress on Android .. lol.  Just hope it opens up more possibility of updating the blog on the go. Let’s see how it goes then.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to All Muslims

It was hardly a blink from the last blogpost which by now it is already Day 4 of Hari Raya Aidilfitri.  So many things have  happened over the course of time since the Ramadhan and most notably was the demise of beloved auntie Hjh Maisalamah during the Ramadhan.  We will certainly miss her hospitality and company especially during the Hari Raya but what left are just fond and distant memories of the good times we have cherised with her.  Al Fatihah ….  Unfortunately on the brink of celebrating the Eid,  my parents’ home was inundated with flash floods which literally left the ground floor unfitting for use maybe for another week or so.  Considering that they are others that were even worst off with landslides and sorts, I think relatively our situation was still a lot better.  But regardless,  it should not be the reasons to dampen the spirits to celebrate the Eid this year.  Perseverance is certainly the key to make us more mature in managing these unforeseen things.

I am not taking any extended Hari Raya’s leave this year and giving way to my staff who probably need it badly than I do.  Probably a good opportunity to clear all outstanding work issues before the office normal hustle and bustle sets in when the people are coming back from leave in another week or so.  I am sure the office will be like a deserted place when I resume to work starting tomorrow.

Brief Euro Trips

It was almost a week since our last Euro brief excursions within a hectic 1o days starting from London to Paris, back to London, to Liverpool and Manchester and back to London and home .  Too tight to call but amazingly we managed to discipline thru’ the schedule as planned without any hiccups.  It was cold and wet weather at Liverpool and Manchester with temperature as low as 12 deg. celsius but otherwise London and Paris were just fine to top it off.  Summer sales were very tempting but at the end we have to restrain ourselves to avoid incurring excess baggages and  30 pounds per kg is a lot to not think twice.  We wished that we could have more time but have to be contented anyway and nevertheless it was still a very welcoming break from work.  Probably will consider another revisit next year to other parts of Europe but it will as usual needs advance and upfront plannings.

Some pixs uploaded to my FB :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043249&id=1112754943&l=38e808d575

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043196&id=1112754943&l=a39f6f5c2a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043193&id=1112754943&l=e1bf6036b3

1 Week To Go and Counting ….

That will be exactly 7 days before my UK trips and kind of looking forward for the very much needed break … coincidentally I am spending the whole week at KB till this weekend for my ECC duty, hence it helps me a lot in clearing the office stuffs before my leave.  I do not normally stayed back at work and worked thru’ weekends but this is a rare exception ..hehe.  As much as possible I would like to make it plain sailing to the person who gets the work delegations in my absence.  I hope I get rejuvenated by the time I am back for work but for now I just do not want to get too distracted with so many nagging work issues at the back of my minds.

Unfortunately,  I may be missing the camping trip for one of our expat buddy who is leaving in a month time.  Simply, he was unhappy being offered only 1 year work extension and may be heading to Dubai with better offers at hand.  We will gonna’ miss him being one of our close camping members sharing all the good nature experience since.  One of the exemplary PE that I have also worked together with few years back and wishing him luck and a successful future undertaking.

It’s Another Post 2 Months Later .. lol

Nothing much has changed since then, apart from the time from another blog post is getting bigger each time .. lol  .. and I have changed my layout to something more grungy looking just to spice up the website a lil’ bit.   Time flies very fast and indeed we are already in the mid section of the year without realising it.   I can’t hardly believe that the school holiday has started … and my planned trip to UK/Paris is hardly a month to go and I am yet to get my Pounds and Euros changes handy pretty soon.

My new house building preparation has been progressing steadily although slightly longer but managed to nail down the conceptual design and somehow finalised almost 90% of the likely quoted construction cost.   Hopefully the detail design will be completed and approved by end of this year and construction to start by early next year.   Taking things in smaller steps for now which is less stressful and keeping any unnecessary pressures off limit for now which is working quite well too.   Who does not want to enjoy life and live longer and remember we are now supposed to work till 60 .

It’s A Post A Month Later

That is indeed quite a while since my last post … the blogging seems to be losing some grips now and now sure if this is a sure sign that the intensity is kind of dwindling down for good.  Anyway I finally get to reconnect with some of my boyhood school mates after more than 25 years since losing contact.  I left St Mike after my dad retired and moving back home at Tutong.  Most of them are now in Canada and fortunately they still remember me quite well.  Probably the one good thing that social networking site like FB is able to offer in getting us all connected.

 There was an offer for a reunion at Las Vegas in May which I have to politely turned down becoz’ it really needs ample time to plan for such visit unless you are good at hunting airline tickets which I think I am poor at without sweating for it.  In fact to secure my tickets for the UK trip in July took me more than 4 months upfront booking and was almost on the brink of missing the booking.  No way it can be planned in a short time unless you have the luxury to throw your money literally at will ..hehe.  It is as always that my money has to be well spent with proper planning.  Sometime the luxury of time to prepare is the biggest challenge becoz’ you will really have to make time for it.  Nonetheless,  I have made all necessary arrangements for the UK trip in time for my lil’ brother’s graduation.  Just hope it will turn out to be materialising as plan then.

HTC HD2 For A Change

Finally I decided to make the plunge to change my mobile phone.  Initially aiming to get an iPhone but I guess there are just too many iPhone users these days.  Nevertheless,   I took the time to make the call and stumble upon the less unknown HTC HD2 which I believe is less publicised despite its potential.  I know the flaw lies with the fact that the OS is Windows Mobile and this is probably not my 1st experience with such OS.  I had my O2 XDA IIs prior to my Nokia E90 despite having to be drawn needlessly with the dreaded crash prone Windows OS.  The decision factor was pretty much driven on the built and design but definitely not on the OS.   I feel the opportunity to try out touch screen phone back then was somehow like out of this world experience .. hehe.  I can be a bummer when it come to new technology … and now here we go again …  despite the Windows OS it is still snappy and fast with her snapdragon 1 GHz CPU.   I admit iPhone is better in terms of her GUI and software availability but trying out something different can be pleasantly a surprising experience.  The display screen is bigger than the iPhone, slimmer which I feel one of the few things that this particular phone has shown to be a promising start to making an impression. … simply quietly brilliant HTC …

This week and the Next …

Today is officially 4 days spent in KB for my emergency call out duty and 3 days more to go,  finger crossed hopefully things are plain sailing before the handover next week.  Too bad last night there was brownout in certain areas at KB and it was only very early in the morning when the electricity supply normalised which is a pretty normal occurence to the KBians I believe.

At office I feel that I am outgunned with the workloads with endless meetings which practically leave me with lesser breathing space to spare.  At times I have to miss some intentionally to gain some ground and hopefully that would not piss someone ..lol.  Gosh .. there are just too many stuffs to manage these days.

In another few weeks time, we have plan for a daytrip to KK and that was after missing the first one early this month due to certain reason.  And by sheer luck we finally get to secure the July tickets to UK for my brother’s graduation thru’ the travel agent which was almost $700 cheaper than the online rate. For 6 paxs that easily equates to more than $4000 saving which is a lot of money to start with.  So much with getting the waiting game with online booking that truly backfired on us ..hehe.  It was one wait too much ..lol.  Hopefully other plans would fit nicely then since the main issue that has been bugging us for a while is finally resolved.  Lets see how it goes for now.

Boss “Bust” Day (Priceless)

For a change this could potentially yet be my video of the year … my immediate boss birthday’s celebration hehe … but do not attempt to do this if you are not sure that your boss is able to take it mentally and emotionally haha …

Updates … Updates ..

That was like almost 2 weeks since my last update which just shows how time flies fast these days.  Nothing much really since the last weekend apart from the fact that wifey’s aunty has passed away last Friday.  The usual rituals ensued for three days in a row since then and coming back late at night was very tiresome that I was not very sure if I can deliver on Monday’s department cascade.  With less time to digest the cascade’s materials and only managed to skim through the night before did not do justice to my confidence.  But fortunately it was well delivered and when these feedbacks came from your peers, it is very reassuring at least.  Sometime when you talk about the usual topics, it can get very disinteresting and you will get into the situation where it is no longer a passionate thing to do .. despite you being in the limelight of the audience.

So many things are crossing my minds right now that need to be sorted out pretty soon which to a point can become uncontrollable if not managed properly.  I have not even followed up my house plan sketch which I have initiated for more than a month now.  My work programmes are starting to be jam packed as well and I am really in for a busy year again this year .. phewww …. but I am sure these will fall through nicely athough it can get me nervy for the fact that it is exposing my shameful tardiness  hehe.

Simply Ingenious

My surprise birthday cake at the office ..  but then the ingenuity is even more surprising .. lol .. all for the only reason that the rain is just too heavy to get a proper cake …haha.  Very thoughtful indeed and I finished it off to appreciate their “hard work” ….

The Fourth Kind

I was unsure what this movie is all about initially since we only decided to catch on this one on an impromptu basis or rather an  unplanned one. We were only few seats down to the very front rows and was a lil’ bit uncomfortable but otherwise we were almost within the comfort threshold.  Only get to know that it is another alien abduction movie somewhere at Nome, Alaska.  Look dramatically true but not quite if you know the whole story background.  I mean another faker but looks plausibly real to a point.  However, still a good one, at least to kill your weekend’s time .. lol

So Little Time Yet So Much To Do

2010 is very close approaching and despite securing my leave till next year it was a lil’ bit of an anti climax when I was recalled back to work to sort some important work related issues.  Honestly it was a difficult choice but wifey understands well why I decided to chose work instead.  That was hardly a day into my leave but at least I have started the most important or overdue must do initiative to see our architect to discuss on new house conceptual design at the very least.  The 1st initiative is always the difficult part but that is history now and I would expect better commitments in the coming weeks or months till we are able to finalise the house plan in good time.  Excitement is running high at the moment that you would thought it was plain stupidity for not starting this one a lot earlier.  I am already in dire need of my own house and another long wait is no longer an option so to speak.  I am sure next year will be a very busy year but it will be a very worthwhile journey once the house is built.  That is all for now and this could be the last post of the 2009 …..

Croc Spotted @ Kg Pandan’s Lagoon

Avatar Simply Awesome

Personal opinion really counts and this is by miles the best movie graphics I have seen this year.  It is a 2 1/2 hours long movie but once you start enjoying it then there is no stopping you back.  You got to appreciate the really good works these people have put into producing such a smashing movie. Worth every pennies paying for it ..

Cheap Way to Wind Down

You just need to sit back, play your favourite music (slow one please), hit on the website link (below) and enjoy at will ….  Amazing pictures that literally make you feel like the world is yours at least for now .. lol.  Credits definitely goes to the rightful copyright owners

http://www.flickr.com/groups/yourbestshot2009/pool/show/

Camping @ Teraja – Mission Accomplished

So we finally managed to materialise the plan to nick one last weekend just before end of the year.  It was a lucky shot considering that it has been raining days prior to that and even days after the actual camping.  We were blessed with a dry environment which is very conducive and the most ideal situation that we thoroughly enjoyed this outing compared to the previous ones. So much being very lucky this time around.  Knackered but very satisfied .

More pixs in my FB (link below) … just too lazy to upload them here .. hehe

Camping @ Teraja Nov 2009