BRUNEI | WEDDING | Wedding Gifts ...

...hmmm.. one of the interesting aspects in wedding ... or especially ... in attending wedding is ... perhaps... what gift to give ....

...... don't lie ....

.. it is true isn't it ... .... it has happened to you ... and will happen again... unless nobody invite you to their wedding or function anymore.... then ... if that time comes.... well.. you are a loser .... read my lips ... ( I know u can't see it ... ) ... but yea..... a Big L .... no... not the Big L Lens ... but L... Luan Jua .... LOSER ... ;P

oh well.. perhaps .. in the west ... the bride and groom .. will just make a wish list .... of the things... n stuffs.. they will need ......

........ but in our local culture ... we don't do such list .... thou at these modern days .. and era... some do kinda "subtle" hint of wish lists...... and some not subtle .... like putting it on their blog ... or while chit chatting over their over priced designer coffees ....... or the likes ....

... of course ... some pretend they just don't read their blogs .. ( thou at times.. what they read in from their or other post in the blog do manage to slip in their conversation .. while sipping those tea n coffee .... ) .. while some just can't be bothered ... thou in the back of their mind... still thinking of what to get ....


.. one of the "in-thing" nowadays .... scrapbooking .... nicely framed in a timeless black frame with white mounting ..... and of course.. made with your personal touch .. hand made by you ... ;)

P.S. ... if any one of u r really interested in giving one to someone.. or just for your own purpose... just lemme know ... I know who made that .... ;)

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | Majlis Berbedak ...

.. a typical local traditional Bruneian wedding does not .. and can not be concluded in half a day nor one whole day .... usually ... it will be held in stages... for few days ... which can last for more than a fortnight ....

... Majlis Berbedak .... is one of the functions prior to the actual wedding day reception...

... held in separate days for the bride and groom ... it is usually held during night time ...

.... whereby the family members... especially those senior one ... will take turns .. to "powder" the bride/ groom with a specially made powder .... made especially for the occassion ....

.. well now bringing u the audience .. to a new dimension... where none have ever brought u before... the GF Tangan Angle Shot! ....


.. adorning local traditional wear ..... and accessories ... the family members will then take turn to "powder" the "celebrity" .....

... nowadays ... those powdering the celebs.. will usually be given a gift as a token of appreciation for the honour of powdering the celebs ...

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | The Wedding Day ...

... the actual wedding reception ...


... Congrats ... wishing u lotsa joy n happiness........ :)

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | Even The Photogs Need a Break ...

.. Brunei is quite small of a country .... compare to the neighbouring countries ....

...due to the large extended families ... everyone seems to know anyone ... especially if they are those "know-it-all" person ....

... like .. he's the cousin's of this uncle's wife .... or the grandson of this aunt .... or the cousin's of this cousins ... or even the mum's stepdad's cousin's uncle's friend's housemate's dad! ......

.. eeerr which eventually made them .... eerrmmm... nada ....



.. just like these happy bunch of people .... his lens is related to his flash .... his camera can use a 3rd party lens... so those his lens which can be used to ... eeerr... eh .. what am I saying .... digressing .... oh well.....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | Imam kah.. Spy Kah ...?

bo... in a local wedding ceremony, the guy carrying a briefcase is usually the Imam or the Official appointed by the government to conduct the official wedding vows ....

.. other than that ... a briefcase carrying guy might be someone who is carrying the groom's luggage ... or perhaps... the technical guy ... or perhaps.... hmmm.. what ah ...?


.. the guy with the briefcase .....

.... eeer.... pencil case is case or place to hold pencil .....
.... so does briefcase where the briefs are being stored ....?

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | By Request ... ?

.... yowcch .. it's getting late ... well.. perhaps... just enuff to do one quick post ...

... usually .. in a ceremony ... there are many types of people... those who are camera shy .... those who like to interframe ... those who like to act "like dono" kasino n indro ... waduh gampeng banget deh .... and those who loves to pose for the camera...... as well as those .. whom the camera loves .... ;)


... "Model" of the day ... bah bila lagi ... ;P

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | Another 2 Members....

.... well here is another quick post ....


... hmmm... when I processed this photo... and the previous one.... it was already late night... or perhaps past midnight even....

.. and .. now I think something seems to be not quite alright ....

... do lemme know how the "colours" / lighting / contrast etc looks like on your monitor ....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S&A | Members .....

.. in any events in Brunei ... especially .. those need to be celebrated ... i.e. weddings ... engagements ... or the likes.... families.... relatives.... and friends ... are included in the must invited list ... as they are the one who will make the function ..... ceremony... alive .....

... alive with joys and laughter ..... tears of hapiness ..... and also they are the one who will gonna tease u a lot ..... loads and loads....


.... "The Lady" ... sharing a very happy moment with the members ......

BRUNEI | WEDDING | S & A ....

... congrats on the Nikah Ceremony yesterday ....

..... the couple ...

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'day | THE FIREWORKS 6.0

.. as mentioned on the earlier post ...

... was hoping if only we could conduct all the water taxi driver.. to make some sort of numeral design ... hmmmm.....

... oh well .. while waiting in between the fireworks .... so made this ...



.... 61 .... 61st Birthday .....

... hmmm... I must admit... some people did stare at me for doing ... eeer... whatever it was I was doing .... ;)

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'day | THE FIREWORKS 5.0

... zooming out further ....

... some of the spectators watching ... and enjoying the fireworks display ....

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'Day | THE FIREWORKS 4.0

... one of the limitations in taking photos stuck to one point is that, you are limited to a certain compositions only, especially if the subject is more or less at the same spot...

... this is where having a prime lens have it disadvantages... unless you have loads of prime lens with different focal lengths ......

.. in using a tele-zoom lens...by varying the focal length ... you can have a different compositions .... despite standing on the same location ....



... the photo above shows yet a new landmark .. which is the water village on the other side ...

... those light trails on the water are the lights from the moving water taxi ... which is an art of their own ...

... was hoping that I could conduct their movement... such as those synchronize swimming... perhaps .... this time they could design the number 61 ... hmmmm...... oh well... it only happens in the movie ...

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'day | THE FIREWORKS 3.0

... zooming out .....

... there were so much activities going on that night ... be it in the sky .. or on the water ... the water taxi ferrying passengers from one point to another .... manouvering frantically yet steadily thru the darkness of the night ... thou that night it was lit by the glowing fireworks ...


.. the photo shows another new subject on the foreground ... the structure on the waterfront ...

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'day | THE FIREWORKS 2.0

... the night was showered with the glitters... and glow of the fireworks.....

.. what ever it was fired in the sky ... would then be reflected on the water .... making it a nice show both in the sky and on the water.....


The fireworks... with the Royal Palace .. and the water village on the foreground ....


hmmm..... while we're on this fireworks... or in malay .... "Bunga Api" ... or in Bahasa Indonesia. "Kembang Api" .... perhaps... here are something to ponder...

Banyak-banyak bunga... bunga apa yang panas? BUNGA API!

...bunga apa yang lebih besar dari Bunga Rafflesia?? ..... BUNGA API!

... ada bunga yang harum baunya ... ada yang inda brapa jua... tapi bunga apa yang bau angus? BUNGA API!!

.... selalunya bunga mesti disiram aying ... tapi ada bunga ani.. mun di siram makai aying .. inda pulang baik .....apa nah bunga nya ....? .. BUNGA API!!

.. bunga apa yang inda payah dibagi baja...? BUNGA API!

... bunga apa yang inda kena jual di pasar bunga di Hortikultur Rimba Gadong ? .... BUNGA API!

... bunga apa yang paling lagu time Raya ...? Bunga raya!? salah ! .... BUNGA API!

... bunga apa yang inda dapat dibagi arah gelpren mun kan jalan dating?? ... BUNGA API!! .. ( lain lah mun kan outside dinner ... kan pasang bunga api... atu buang kes...)

BRUNEI | HM's 61st B'day | THE FIREWORKS 1.0

.. I think a single photo would not do justice to that beautiful night.. so I guess... I'll be posting the fireworks series for the next few days....



... the first up ... is the close up ... "full-frame" .. (uncropped) ... image of the fireworks above the magnificient royal palace .... The Istana Nurul Iman ...

GF | Jumping With The Ladies ...

... for some...... the extended weekend might have been spent with the family ..... having some quality time together ..... could also be with the relatives... or friends .... just unwinding ... getting away from the hectic routine weekdays....

... for some .... doesn't really make a difference... some might be working in shifts .... working to earn their living ... or busy ... engaging themselves... in any other business... who knows... doing online business..... investing in shares ..... stocks .... or the "in" thing nowadays... (so they said...) ... FOREX .... hmmmm....

... anyway ... whatever .. u might be doing ... just be careful ... .. take good care of yourself.... esp. your health ... just don't over do it .... :)



... the jumping ladies..... stopping the moment ....

... hmmmm... if only we could hover ..... float in air ... just like those seen on TV .... having extraordinary powers ..... just like Supervisor ..... eeerk... Superheros ..... and what superhero u wanna be ...?

.. speaking of which .... napa Superman ... nda kawin sama Superwoman ....??

... pasal ...........pasal apa nah ...?

.... pasal...... Alum Jodoh! .... mana jua ulah ... nda jua kan dipaksa.... ;)

BRUNEI | HM's 61st Birthday ...

DIRGAHAYU KEBAWAH DULI TUAN PATIK


His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam ... the 29th ruler of Brunei ...

.. was born on the 15 July 1946 ....

BRUNEI | STREET | The Paramedics ....

.. for every event ... involving lotsa participants .... the paramedics will always be on stand by...


... the mobile bed/ stretcher ... with the paramedics at the background ...

BRUNEI | STREET |3 Sekawan Bergambar Ria ...

3 Sekawan Bergambar Ria....

.. silaunya sirna matahari ....
.. tiada mematah jua semangatnya ...
... semangat untuk bergambar kenangan ...
.. meskipun hanya di tengah jalan...
... di bawah teriknya sinar sang mentari ....
... namun riak kepuasan jelas terbayang....
.... sehingga bila tetap dikenang ....


3 sekawan bergambar ...

BRUNEI | STREETS | Waiting For It ....

.... just a quick post .....

.. students waiting along the road for the Royal entourage .....

eerrrmmm... I wanted to post some anecdotes..... but .... hmmm... I guess... next time saja lah ....

RANDOM | Pashmina Shawl ...

.. wow.. I just realised that.. I've left this post as a draft exactly 2 months ago .... ... anyway .....

... Pashmina .... according to Wikipedia ... Pashmina refers to a type of cashmere wool...... and textiles made from it.......

....... the name Pashmina .... comes from .... this young girl called Pasha Hamina Sandhana .... eeer.... nope .... kidding ... ignore that young girl's name .... actually it comes from Pashmineh, made from Persian pashm (= "wool")......

.. Cashmere shawls have been manufactured in Kashmir & Nepal for thousands of years.......... but the Indians never called them "pashmina".............. but they were popularly called Kashmiri wool shawls..........

............the test for a quality pashmina has been warmth, feel and the passing the shawl through a wedding ring........

........ Pashmina accessories are available in a range of sizes,......... from "scarf" (12" x 60") ...............to "wrap" or "stole" (28" x 80") to.............. fullsize shawl (36" x 80")......

hmmm.. whose shawl are these...? .. Don't ask me.... doesn't really matter....



... oh well... here are some more ... of the funny side.... just to get off your stress from work ....

How do you know when a geophysicist is about to say something intelligent?
When he starts his sentence with, "An engineer once told me..."

An engineer, a landman and a geologist got together at a convention and were discussing the relative merits of having a wife or a mistress.
The landman says: "For sure, a mistress is better. If you have a wife and want a divorce, it causes all sorts of legal problems."
The engineer says: "It's better to have a wife because the sense of security lowers your stress and she can be good for your Management career ladder." The geologist says: "You're both half right. It's best to have a wife and a mistress, so that when the wife thinks you're with your mistress and the mistress thinks you're with your wife, you can go out and look at some rocks."

A Geologist and an Engineer were sitting next to each other on an airplane. The Geologist leans over to the Engineer and asks if he wants to play a fun game. The Engineer just wants to sleep so he politely declines, turns away and tries to sleep. The Geologist persists and explains that it's a real easy game. He explains, "I ask a question and if you don't know the answer you pay me $5. Then you ask a question and if I don't know the answer I'll pay you $5." Again the Engineer politely declines and tries to sleep.

The Geologist, now somewhat agitated, says, "O.K., if you don't know the answer you pay me $5 and if I don't know the answer I pay you $50!" Now, that got the Engineer's attention, so he agrees to the game. The Geologist asks the first question, "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The Engineer doesn't say a word and just hands the Geologist $5.

Now, its the Engineer's turn. He asks the Geologist, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down on four?" The Geologist looks at him with a puzzled look, takes out his laptop workstation, looks through all his references, surfs the Web, and after about an hour wakes the Engineer and hands the Engineer $50. The Engineer politely takes the $50, turns away and tries to return to sleep.

The Geologist, a little miffed, asks, "Well what's the answer to the question?" Without a word, the Engineer reaches into his wallet, hands $5 to the Geologist, turns away and returns to sleep.

BRUNEI | STREET | The Ladies in B&W Thru Colours ...

... in transition from B&W to colour .....


... ladies and fans are synonymous ..... rarely u see a guy with a fan ...

.. hmmm.. who invented the fans BTW ... engineers? .... hmmm.. that need to be clarified ...

... with that .... I'll leave u with some quotes ....

Go for civil engineering, because civil engineering is the branch of engineering which teaches you the most about managing people. Managing people is a skill which is very, very useful and applies almost regardless of what you do - Sir John Harvey Jones
(From: Giving advice on University courses to sixth form students on the BBC's Troubleshooter programme)

The engineer's first problem in any design situation is to discover what the problem really is - Anon

The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of their engineers constructed an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, the engineer assumed accountability for his work in the most profound way possible: he stood under the arch - Michael Armstrong

Engineering is the art of organizing and directing men and controlling the forces and materials of nature for the benefit of the human race - Henry G. Stott

The ideal engineer is a composite ... He is not a scientist, he is not a mathematician, he is not a sociologist or a writer; but he may use the knowledge and techniques of any or all of these disciplines in solving engineering problems. - N. W. Dougherty

Engineers ... are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgivable; that they catch them is imperative. Thus it is the essence of modern engineering not only to be able to check one's own work but also to have one's work checked and to be able to check the work of others - Henry Petroski
(From: To Engineer Is Human. Engineers Creed)

BRUNEI | STREET | The Lady & The Drink ..

.... another photo for the Black & White series ....

... a thirst quencher during the hot bright day .... drink plenty of water ... at least 8 glasses of water they said .... but it also depends on your body mass ....


.. the lady and the soft drink .....

.. is the canned drink full..? .. half empty ...? .... half full...?

.. the typical question of the water in the glas .....

.....To the optimist, the glass is half full....
......To the pessimist, the glass is half empty....
.......To the engineer........ the glass is twice as big as it needs to be....



.... BTW ......There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical..... After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired.
.......Several years later....... his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines.
........ They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past..........

.....The engineer reluctantly took the challenge......... He spent a day studying the huge machine.
...... At the end of the day he marked an "x" in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, "This is where your problem is." The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again. ........

The company received a bill for $10,000 from the engineer for his services. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:

One chalk mark..................$1

Knowing where to put it.........$9,999

It was paid in full and the engineer retired in peace.......

... peace u all....

STREET | Amusing News ....

... Sundays ... usually the day to unwind oneself....

..... just lying lazily on the bed .... or watching the telly on your comfy couch or sofa .... under the sun at the beach .... reading your favourite magazine .... ... reading your unfinished books .... reading the newspaper .... or doing what ever u wanna do..... just to take your mind off your daily routine .....

... Mr. Smith ( not his real name of course) ... having a laugh whilst reading the newspaper ... must be something amusing on the paper .... The Telegraph I presume ...

BTW ... have a guess at where (or which country) this photo was taken ... you would be surprised .... ;)

SINGAPORE | The Esplanade @ Nite ...

... hmmm ... I think I just wanna post this up .... just kind of a break from the Brunei Street's series .....

.. The Esplanade a.k.a The Durian .... one of the most photographed icons in Singapore ....
(as always ... do click the image to appreciate a larger image of it)

... more photos & detail can be found here...

.... Selamat Malam Kingsway semuanya ... ;)

BRUNEI | STREET | Eman Manan ...?

.. undeniable ... celebs do come to Brunei .... .. from as near as our neighbouring countries ... to as far as the other continents .. with those international recognitions........ Clinton (celeb jua tu ..)... Michael Jackson .. Whitney Houston .... Stevie Wonder .....Seal ... All Saints .... and such .. ( just to name a few.. ) .. have made their appeareances ....

... some are real celebrities ... some are celebs at their league .... while some are celebs locally .....


... now.. .is he a celebs or not .... ? ... eh celebs kali ah ... :)

... on the lighter side....

Apa yang membuat ia mahal BMW atu?
Huruf "W"! .. pasal cuba kamu ganti ngan "X"

Sate apa yang asalnya dari Jepun?
SATEria Baja Hitam!

Ayam apa yang inda berapa moden?
Ayam Kampung(an)!

.. napa kalau org interview membawa Ijazah ...?
... pasal ....cuba imagine kalau dorang membawa jenazah...kapisan tu eh ...!!

BRUNEI | STREET | Eh Ada Harapan Ni .....

... nah another one.... posing kah inda ni .....? macam tau saja.....

.. " eh .. aku kan bukan jua ni di gambarnya ani .. mun inda .. ngalih ku posing ni ...." ...

.. nah sah tah banar tu posing mister ... :) ...

BRUNEI | STREET | The Freelancer... + Nama Jawa ...

... another local guy photographer...



... the guy with the camera... who need no introduction in the local blogging scene....


... Well now... if on the previous post.. tips about Taxi ... now ... some useful knowledge about names ... emangnya nama orang Indonesia gitu ....

Jika ....

... pandai menanam bunga....... diberi nama ROSman.

.....Pandai memperbaiki mobil...... diberi nama KARman.

......Pandai main golf...... PARman.

...... Pandai dalam menulis surat .......... SURATman.

.... kalau kuat... gagah perkasa............... SUPARman.

.......Berani dan kuat bertany............ Asman.

...... kalau pakar membuat kueh,...... Paiman.

......Pandai melukis... atau dalam seni ..... Saniman.

..... Mun mau lakas naik pangkat ..... Yesman

......kalau mau jadi juragan sate ... Satiman

.. mun semua tah kan kepayahan... ... Sukarman

.......Biar jadi pemain musik ... Bassman

NOTA: Tiada kena mengena dengan yang hidup atau sebaliknya .. cuma rekaan hiburan semata...

BRUNEI | STREET | Eh Banar Kan Tu .... + Taxi Tips ...

... .. another aspiring lady photographer..... or are u sure you don't wanna be a model instead.... ;)



.... hmmmm... .. banar kah tu .. atau sengaja kah tu posing ah .... ;p


TIPS FOR GOING AROUND IN A TAXI ....

1. ... make sure the there are 4 tyres... if there's only 3... then ... it is not a taxi ... it's perhap a Tuk-tuk... if in Thailand .... ... or bajaj if in Indonesia....

2. .... also do count the number of seat... if there are about 17 seats... then perhaps... you are in a minibus ....

3. ... and by the way ... make sure u r already seating on the taxi's seat .... pasal mun inda... mana tau masih menunggu arah kerusi arah taxi stand kah di mana kah ....

4. ... then tell the driver your destination.... to avoid them bringing u back to their home ...

5. ... dalam taxi atu ... jangan tah malu kan bertanya... pasal malu bertanya sasat jalan .... tapi jangan tah jua luan banyak atu... basar kemaluan tu eh ... mun luan basar kemaluan ... payan kan berjalan ....

6. ... do make sure the taxi is using a fare meter .... not a weighing machine or some sort....

7. .... be polite to the taxi driver if u don't wanna be cheated ... but not too polite... otherwise... kena urat karang oleh dreber teksi ...

8. Do NOT .. jump out of the moving taxi .. it will endanger other people ....

9. ... Do NOT sleep in a taxicab ..... or otherwise... not only you will be charged with the taxi fare.. but u might also be charged as if u r in a lodging room .....

10. ... if u are a guy ... and if the taxi driver ask for your name... don't tell them your name is Michael Jackson ... because he don't ride in a cab ....and NEVER ever tell them your name is Michael Jackson .... if you are a lady ... because for sure... the driver will know you are really lying....

11. ... if you are feeling bored about your daily routine..... why not just slap the taxi driver... for sure it won't be your typical daily routine one meh ....

p.s. .. do these ate your own risk ....

.. Good Day everyone ... ;) .....

BRUNEI | STREET | Gadis Melirik Komik ...

.... Reading is a very good past time .... gain as much knowledge as possible ....

.. be it a magazaine .. newspaper.. comics ... fiction... non-fiction .... spiritual books... just any type of readable stuffs.... sometimes.. you will never know what u can find from reading ....

.. especially with the advancement of the internet ... knowledge.. is just down your finger tips ....



... a lady glancing over the children reading the Archie's comic ... hmmm... nope... make it Betty & Veronica.... eeerk... ada masih kah dorang ani ...? .. have they done the movie about it....? ... hmmmm..... btw ... The Simpsons the movie is coming soon .... ;)

BRUNEI | STREET | Another Canon Lady ...

... hmmmm.... another lady photographer ... captured with a Canon ...


... must be something about Canon ....

... because of that ...one might think that ... Canon is the best selling digital camera at the moment .... hmmmm... nope ... they don't .... so must be Nikon .. u might say .... hmmm.... nope ....

.... in fact ..... Nokia is....!! ... surprised???

... well... Nokia currently the world's largest digital camera manufacture....... as the sales of its camera-equipped mobile phones have exceeded those of any conventional camera manufacturer..... so they must be at the top ..... ;) ... inda ja...

... and oh ... while we're on this Nokia thingy ... did u know that ...

.....in Nokia..... the "Ascending" SMS tone is actually ........ Morse code for "Connecting People," Nokia's slogan........

...........the "Standard" SMS tone is......... Morse code for "M" (Message)......

...and ..... the "Special" tone available to users of Nokia phones when receiving SMS (text messages) is actually Morse code for "SMS"..... kewl ain't it .... ;)