PEOPLE | The Art Of Negotiation...

... everyday of a life... whether we realise it or not ... we have to negotiate with something ...

... negotiating our way to work... to school ... negotiating the price of the goods ... negotiating with our colleagues ... bosses ... employers .. employee ... or with just almost everything ...

.. even during the early childhood days..... children do negotiate amongst themselves ...


... negotiating about something ...

.. often .... negotiation eventually leads to compromise ...

.. to compromise .. is another art of its own .... that one needs to learn .. and master .... :)

PORTRAIT | Eh Tangahnya .. Anticipating ni ...

... In English .. we say ... Uncles or Aunts for our parents siblings or their level within .... then ... Sisters .. or Brothers ... but the thing is .. we don't know whether ... he is the older brother .. or younger brother ... or younger sister .. or youngest aunt ... or eldest uncle .. or what ...

.. where as in Malay .. we say "Tua Laki/Bini" for the eldest uncle/aunt .. and the youngest would be "Bungsu" or "unchu" or "usu" .. or the like .. then in between the eldest and the youngest .. in Malay we have .. Amit, Tangah, Iring, Asai, Uda ... hmmm... but not really sure about their arrangement thou .. which one comes first ... as different communities have their own interpretation ...

.. where as .. for older brother ... we call Abang .. or Kaka for older sister ... thou the elderly also use the term "ka" for their elder bro or family members .... whereas for the younger sibling ... we call them Adik .. or Adi ...

.. and to address "stranger" in Brunei .. instead of Mister or Ms .. we say "Awang" for man .. or "Dayang" for woman ....


.. hmmm... eh Mister DJ ... emangnya gimana sih...? ngak mau diputaren lagu eyah ...? ...

PORTRAIT | The Pondering Artist ....

Pondering ...

.. pondering of our future ....
... pondering about our mindset ...

.. why can't some people be so grateful ....
.. why can't they be so appreciative ...

... people .. be thankful of what we have now ...
.. appreciate what we are given now ...
.. you just don't know what you got til it's gone ...

... yet .. one can't just sit still and do nothing ...
.. don't just stay there in your comfort zone... being complacent...
.. venture out ... make some bold moves ...

.. helps to develop our nation ...
.. for the betterment of our generation and the next-gen...



(The hengsem guy above is just for illustration purposes... unpaid ... bagi makan saja.. nyaman tah atinya tu ... inda pun ... bawa nyanyi ....cam banar sulnya ah ... . :P )


Pondering ...
How some people don't even know how to use the 3-lanes roundabout ...
.... the car in the inner left most lane is to exit at the first exit only!

How some people don't know how to use the car's signal/indicator light...
... the indicator was designed to indicate where the car gonna turn and it is free!!! no need to pay

How some people think it is "cool" to use the fog-light when it is daymnd blinding bright!
.. the normal indicator is sufficient for our local road, the fog light is to be used when it is FOGGY!! only ... thr bright red light esp. made it difficult to distinguish either u r breaking or not!

How some people think it is "safe" to drive slow at the right lane, and over take at the shoulder (lane)...
... it is actually dangerous to drive slow at the right lane ... and stooooopeed to drive thru on the shoulder lane during traffic ... unless you are one of the emergency vehicle then that is another case ...

How come there are U-Turn at the highway/motorway ... but no U-Turn at the traffic light?
... tell me and proof me wrong that it is actually safe to make a u-turn at the highway/motorway during normal hours ... but I know and can prove it that is safe to make a u-turn at a traffic light/junction!!

Still so many questions... to be pondered upon ... but I'll just leave it as it is for now... unless u all want more....

.. otherwise.... go and PUNder yourself ...

BRUNEI | Gadong Boulevard ....

... traffic congestion occurs everywhere... especially so during peak hours .. or peak seasons ... and .. even so if it is raining ... like this month ... it's raining almost everyday ...

... and when it rains ... people tend to park their cars as close as possible to the mall main entrance.. if possible.. inside the lobby!! .. eh sadang luan ...

.. one of the reasons why people like to park as close to the entrance is .. hmm... malas ... inda ja... why don't you just park somewhere... be it across the road... get some exercise done will ya ... unless of course.. due to some physical reason .. then that is different story .. but if you are good and healthy .. then why not ....

... and speaking of traffic congestion ... people are always .. complaining about it .. but they don't give any suggestion to ease the traffic .... same cases in other stuff ... people love to complaint ... but don't give suggestion ...

.. well you listen here now people ... if you like to complaint .. then it's ok ... BUT ... do please give suggestion ... don't just complaint or critisize blindly ... give some options.... ok folks ..


.. LOOK at the photo ... notice anything UNUSUAL ... ?? ... it's unusual to be loved by anyone ! .. aiks.. apa kan .. out eh .. lagu Tom Jones ...

... anyway .. yeap ... estate owner ... now I'm giving you suggestion ... a win-win situation in fact .. why ...? .. ok here's why ...
1 ... look at those additional skybridges ... it is not an ordinary bridges .. but inside .... one can place .. mini kiosks .. stalls... and such ...... so that .. people... customer can buy something along the way .... the kiosk obviously be rented out .. thus income to the developer/owner ...

2... due to ease of way .. easier access from one mall to another ... will gain more traffic of customer .... good for the shops ...

3 ... can ease traffic congestion ... because ... people will now .. not really mind .. parking their car from one mall ... to go to the other ... as they can now walk under a fully air-conditioned walkway ... sheltered from rain and sun ....

4.... asthetically pleasing ... some sort of new landmark for the area ... inda ja ...

.. now it is up to you to put it into reality ... if I got loads of money .. I'd do it ...

.... and actually there's another access which can be built to ease the traffic ... but I'll just leave it for now.... unless.. there's someone who is really interested .. then ... perhaps... I can elaborate more about it ....

.. till then .... peace ...

RANDOM | APPLE Wireless ... & Leopard ...

.. the new Mac OS X ... LEOPARD .. has been launched ..... with 300 new features ...

.... although new MAC will be installed with LEOPARD .. but it is also possible to install the Leopard in older Mac ... with the minimum requirements of ...

Mac computer with an Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor

512MB of Memory ... DVD drive for installation ... & 9GB of available disk space ...



.. so any taker for this wireless apple ..? .. wi-fi ...? ... .... or shall I say ... Apple Unplugged .... ;)

PEOPLE | Amusement ...

... in any festive season ... one of the most happening ... or joyous group of people... are the children ...

... photographing them is a challenge ... such that .. they move faster then the lens can focus!! .. eer... unless you are using those super fast expensive lens... then ... that is another story ...


... 3 sweet funny kids .... who love to pose for the camera .... ;)

RANDOM | Grand Sale .. tia karang ..??

... AAAAARRGGHHHHH!!!!! .. I dunno what's happening here... is there something amiss ..?

... is it really a grand sale..?? .. or even close to a sale ..? .. sale banar kah ah ... ? .. do you all think that there's really a sale... or perhaps.. just because of some or few unconsiderate-just-wanna-PUNK'D-the-public-taukeh .. thus affect the whole industry ...?

... I bet .. everyone of you have heard people saying that ..

.." .... apa ni .. time sale mahal tia pulang ... andang dinaikannya harga ..." .. (.... the price's even higher during sale's period ..) ...

.. or something in the line of that ... it does not matter whether it is sale or not ... as the price does not make a difference ... instead .. some of them are getting higher ....

.. but don't get me wrong ... I'm not saying all sale is not genuine ... some DO gives good price during the Grand Sale .... in fact a much better buy ....

... once .. before Sale ... I wanted to get this kain ... which cost about $6.80/m .. so .. since the sale is just around the corner.. I thought .. I'd just wait for the sale ...
... so .. came the Sale .... hmm.. no surprise .. what does the price tag said ... Reduced from $8.50/m to $6.80/m ... what the ...????

... eh sadang luan jua deh kan ngular orang ani ...

.. there are loads of example .... but I just wanna share this one ...

.. I bought a songkok ... before sale ... for $10 ... unfortunately ... the songkok was a bit damage due to exposure from the rain whilst attending a function .... so ... during the sale period ... I wanted to get the same exact songkok ..... from the same shop ..... and guess how much was the price ...... yeaaaaap ..... $10!!! ..... if u want proof ... just look at the photo below ...


... hmmm.... same price before sale ... and during sale ...!!! ... eh sadang luan deh ... napa kan ni ... kan mengaburkan mata orang ramai ani saja ...

... ani baru satu kedai ... kedai lain .. ada jua sama cemani ... jangan tah kan eksen .... sadang luan ...

.... mana tah kan orang kitani inda kan pecaya .... mun cani ah .. baik tah jangan tah kan sale bah .... sadang-sadang jua kan ngambil untung ani ....

.. cana tah negera kan maju ni ... mun udah cani ... eyatah kan membari orang kitani membali di luar negeri ni .. so sapa tah kan di salah kan ni ...?? .. bukan nya salah bapa mama tu lai ....

Hadis riwayat Hakim bin Hizam ra.:
Dari Nabi saw. beliau bersabda: Penjual dan pembeli memiliki hak pilih selama belum berpisah. Apabila mereka jujur dan mau menerangkan (keadaan barang), mereka akan mendapat berkah dalam jual beli mereka. Dan jika mereka bohong dan menutupi (cacat barang), akan dihapuskan keberkahan jual beli mereka

Hadis riwayat Ibnu Umar ra.:
Seorang lelaki melaporkan kepada Rasulullah saw. bahwa ia tertipu dalam jual beli. Maka Rasulullah saw. bersabda: Katakanlah kepada orang yang kamu ajak berjual-beli: Tidak boleh menipu! Sejak itu jika ia bertransaksi jual beli, ia berkata: Tidak boleh menipu!

.. wallahuakalam bisawaf ....

PEOPLE | The Art of Listening ....

.. " .. Baaaaanng .. lakas tah arah kadai menjual kain di sana ah ... abis karang kainnya .." ...

... " ... Bang .. bah udah ada quotation kan membali kereta ani ... lalai karang ..." ...

... " ... Bang kedai sana atu ada sale ... murah ucapnya .. kalah time inda sale ... ia kah? .." ...

.. Well .. I dunno whether you realise it or not ... but ... I think most of the adverts on the local mass media ... especially on the radio .. will have such statement ... the wife .. nagging the hubby to go to this certain bank ... shops .... and events etc ....

... what does that means? ... does the women influence the men in their purchasing power ....? ... Does .. the nagging of the wifey to their hubby .. make a good advert? ...

... what happen to those .. out-of-the-box-that-make-u-think kind of advert ...? ...

... I'm always looking forward to the advert by Petronas especially during the festive season ... every year without fail ... since eeermm so n so year .. they have made a very touching advert ... tangkap lintuk punya .. wa cakap sama lu ... meleleh babe ... oh well.. not me thou ... but the women mostly .... ;)

... they are loads of memorable adverts on telly be it locally .. regional or even international ... just can't list them out here ....

.. but I guess ... an ultimate not-so-nice but annoying advert do cling on your head .. especially if they have those annoying slogan or tune .... like ... eeermmm..

... eeermm.. oh .. I better not say it .... I bet u know some ... eer o loads of 'em ....



.. kampung ayer child listening to his favourite song thru his personal stereo .. eermm.. MP3 ...

.. listening to your iPod or MP3's whilst jogging on the road is actually not a good idea ... in fact it is very dangerous... because .. you cannot hear the traffic ... why not just ditch your MP3 .. and listen to the nature .... that's the only time you can enjoy the natural ambience .. so might as well... :)

... back to the earlier paragraph ... the art of listening .... did you know that ... Listen and Silent both have the same letters! ... so .. in listening ... one should know how to be silent ....

.. especially to the women .... the guy should know .. how to listen to their silent .... ;)

RANDOM | Of Flowers & Candles ...

... bunga dian ... hmmm.. which usually stands for that decorative candle during a wedding function... but Bunga & Dian .. will be Flower & Candle .... hmmmmm... just inserting "&" could make a sentence differs.....

... just like buku lali ... .. and ... buku & lali .... and many other sentences ....



... the red roses ... and the tea candles .... the roses are real btw .... nice isn't it ... :)

RANDOM | The Happy Green One ...

... just a simple photo of a green figurine on top of the roof ... looks happy .... hmmm....


... one leg up .. yeaaaa ... I am the happy green one ...

.. on the other hand ... the 2007 F1 season have come to the finale ... or is it ..? ... Kimi Raikkonen might have won the Interlagos, Brazil race ... but the McLaren team has made an appeal about the fuel issue .. and if McLaren manage to win the appeal ... Lewis Hamilton could win the Driver's Championship title ...

.. it was a thrilling race ... turning wide at the early turn .. pushed Hamilton to the 8th place... and then.. another problem occured ... his gearbox suddenly shifted to Neutral ... hence made him to a near halt.. and loses about 40 seconds... and placed him to the 18th position .... and one car to another.... up to the final lap ... Hamilton manage to take the 7th spot! ....

.... another driver that could do such feat is Raikkonen ... even during his days with McLaren.. he's good at passing from those tight spot ...

.. the Ferrari's team had done a very good yet predictable tactic ... even during the early starting seconds ... Massa and Raikkonen were all over Hamilton ... abis bah di kapitnya... inda membagi chance ... .. eh mana saja tah eh ... abis tia udah... tunggu saja tia dorang punya appeal ...

Drive Safe ... kamu bukannya dreber F1 ....

RANDOM | Lost In Directions...

... Sunday ... today will be the "last" day of raya before the school actually re-open ... where life will be back to normal ... the road will be busy ... packed with car ... especially in the morning Monday ...

.. hence.... because of the last day ... everybody is trying to have open house all at the same time... so don't really know where to go ... confuse ... the more u think about it ... the more confuse u get ... and for sure... u can't just attend all of the invites .... unless... u walk into the house... grab a quick bite... a sip of water.... then go ... i.e. in 5 mins for each house... but then again ... what if your car is block? .. that alone will take about 5-10 mins... then travelling from one place to another... will take about half an hour or so..... especially when one travel to the maze of the perpindahan ..... why did they design the perpindahan in such way????? ..

...can somebody out there enlighten me why...? ... payah jua tu ... why don't they just made it like a grid system ...? .. mush more easier.....! ... ani menyusah kan diri sendiri ... mcm kena puji saja.... I bet .. everybody in Brunei is complaining about it ... tell me sapa yang suka ah ...?

.. even the designer pun got lost jua kali .... hmmm....



... the yellow arrows ...

RANDOM | F1 Climax! ...

... this weekend we will witness the Formula One, F1, highly intense competition since the last 20 over years .... .. in 1982... there were also 3 contenders for the top spot during the final race .. namely ... Alain Prost ... Nigel Mansell ...& Nelson Piquet ...

.. Brazil's Interlagos track had witness the last 2 winnings of Alonso ... now ... Hamilton, Alonso & Raikkonen are still on the run of clinching the "Fastest Drivers" of 2007 ...

... can this be the 3rd win for Alonso ...? .. or Could it be Raikkonen of Ferarri ....? .. or perhaps... could it be the young rookie .. Mclaren's Lewis Hamilton ... who has an advantage of 4 points lead from the rest.... of which .. even finishing 2nd in Brazil will do ... hence to become the 1st rookie to win the F1 ever!!! ...

... in F1 race ... the 1st will get 10 point.. the 2nd .. 8 points then 6 points .. 5 .. 3 ...2 ..1 ... and the Driver's standing at the moment is Lewis Hamilton (107 points), Fernando Alonso (103) & Kimi Raikkonen (100) ....

.. hence .. mathematically ... even if Hamilton get no. 7 position .. he still can win the championship ... as long as Fernando .. and Kimi get the 8 or 9 or further .... I still can lay down all the mathematical probabilities .. but hmmm... I just won't do that ...


... the world famous emblem ... the Mercedes logo ... and the engine .... Mercedes V8 which powers the McLaren's .... made a good combo ...

... eeermm.. oh yea ... what if they have an equal number of points you might ask .... well... the winner will then be decided by .. who got the most number of number one .... then the 2nd ... 3rd... and so on ....

... personally .. I'd love to see Hamilton to win this year's Driver's championship title ... because it is good to witness a history in the making ... the first rookie ever to win straight podium finishes .. as well as to win the Driver's championship title ... otherwise.. we will never or extremely difficult to see such thing happens in the near future ....

... and Renault ... u can get back Alonso if u want to ... and hmmm.. McLaren .. u should get back Kimi from Ferrari ...

... remember to watch the F1 this Sunday .. for sure u don't wanna get out of your seat ...!!...

RANDOM | The Commuter Rush ...

.. the schools' holidays are coming to an end ... this also means that... the raya celebration is slowly fading .... everybody will now be rushing to visit one another... thou "open house" will still be organised til the end of the Raya month ...


... rushing thru the public transport system ....

... eermmm... too late .. can't write much ... anyway ... have an enjoyable weekend .....

AN-NUR | Mushaf UBD ....

... by now I guess... every Bruneian should know that.. we have our own Mushaf .. called the Mushaf Brunei Darussalam..(.. printed .. to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of HM's ascension to the throne in 1992)... that huge green coloured Al-Quran .... which was handwritten from the very first verse to the last ...

... but did u know that we also have another mushaf .... called Mushaf University Brunei Darussalam ... or Mushaf UBD for short ...

... Mushaf UBD is about half the size (about A5 size) of the original Mushaf Brunei ... Mushaf UBD was printed to replace the university's mace "Cokmar" ...


.. the Mushaf UBD can be bought from the Government Printing Department with $12 each ...

SINGAPORE | Behind The Musician ....

.. five days into hari raya... TV channels are still showing entertainment shows ... live entertainment even ... some are very interesting .. some are re-runs ... nevertheless.. at least .. there's always something to watch on telly ....

.... a harmonious musical performance ... live on the street by young talented musician ...

.. hmmm.. should have something like this in the locale ....

RANDOM | Balik Kampung ....

.. for those in the big cities like Kuala Lumpur .... the first few days of raya are usually spend at their kampong .. or home village ... and now .. after few days of raya ... loads of people will be coming back to the city ... meaning .. the road leading to the city .. and the city itself .. will be packed with commuters .... either... private vehicles or public transports... for those lucky one will manage to get their ticket earlier ... otherwise... u need to "beg" for tickets ....



... looking for the right route .. making sure one is buying the right kind of ticket...

... once... nearly midnight .. it was a very long Q to the ticket vending machine .. and it was almost the last train home... and soon as we reach to the vending machine.. the ladies in front mentioned that .. there's no more ticket left .... so no more ticket can be purchased ... hmmm.. nearly frustrated ... luckily .. we still have our used ticket card ( which one can return to get your dollar deposit back) ... so we returned the ticket card back to the machine... and try purchasing a new ticket... and.... waaaheeeeyyyy... we got ourselves a ticket to ride.....

.. so the moral of the story ... keep your ticket card to the last minute... even if you don't use it... oh well.. u can just keep it as a souvenir ... can put it as your scrapbooking material ... and oh... peduli apa ia inda lead free or anything ... so what ... ;p ...

RANDOM | Walking Over The Light ...

... today is the 3rd day of raya .... shops... malls... is still lacking of people... obviously.... people are still celebrating Hari Raya .. why would they visit the shops... eermm.. unless... no one is having "open house" .. or need to get some urgent necessities ...


... (Sekadar Gambar Hiasan) .. eermm.. you often see this note at some home .. or women .. or those mystic magazine ... anyway ... the number of people frequenting the shop can be counted in one hand ...

RANDOM | Shop Closed ...

.. it was a "long" festive weekend... hence loads of shops were closed during the weekend.. even some of the "big" shop were closed as well... I guess... less people will throng the shops during these days... as many people will be busy visiting one another.. instead of shopping at the mall ...


.. double locks ... double grilles..... perhaps.. they will resume business as normal tomorrow ....

.... enjoy the holiday while u can ... :)

WORLD | 01 SYAWAL ... EID MUBARAK | SALAM LEBARAN ...

... Eid'ul Fitri are being celebrated today in many parts of the world ....

.... I'd like to take this opportunity to seek forgiveness to all the wrong doing I might did ... either here.. or there... or where ever.... hope you all will have an enjoyable Raya .. no matter where ever u may be ... on earth .. or those at the Angkasa... like that Angkasawan .... hmmm....


.. feel free to use this photo as it is.... for your eid greeting...

.... sadang sadang jua makan... be safe .... be healthy .... anyway .. enjoy the raya .... :)

RANDOM | Malam Pukul ...

.. "Malam Pukul" .. is actually a local saying for the raya eve .... where people will rush for last minute preparation....and the big taukes will take this opportunity to close their shop late ... might be till midnight or even past midnight ...

... arranging... and re-arranging the house-hold furniture for most people..... trying their new clothes .... and in olden days .. people living in kampung aying ... (water village) ... will get together... and repair any damaged jetties... or wooden plank ....

... making final touch ... or putting the local delicacies in the appropriate setting ...

... baulu .... kuih sapit ... that agar-agar karing ... are the must-have kuihs .. where as now... the must have ... is Kuih Mor ...


.. people rushing for last minute shopping...??

.. and yeap ... many interesting program will be aired on TV ... esp. cable and satellite ....

... so get your finger exercised .. esp. with those new 3 digits number.... hmmm... do make it easier... put your favourite channels .. on the FAV mode ... save you lotsa time ... :)

.... whatever your preparation will be.... please take extra precaution .. of not over connecting the electrical appliances .... be safe ..... :) .... bah bisai-bisai ... lain jua rasa atiku tu ...mun inda..... ahaks...

RANDOM | ... And I Don't Wanna Be Alone ....

... in any festive season .... this is one's terrible nightmare.. being alone.. whilst the others are having fun ... with family.. relatives.... friends .... no matter where .... try not to be alone... it will only make you feel more depress ..... unless u really wanna be alone.....

... or perhaps...no one wanna fren fren u .. because... something about u ... so this the time to reflect yourself......


... thinking of going back home for this festive season or not .... or thinking of attending exam on the day itself....

.. to those trying to book ticket ... today might be too late ... you should have book it early as this is a festive season ....

.. Good luck ...

TRAVEL | Drive Safe ....

.. with the upcoming festive season... people will rush to go here and there.. visiting one another .. ( eh.. one another..? .. inda bertamu tu eh .. tani ngaga arahnya... dorang ngaga kitani ... awu inda bertamu tu ..... di Kianggeh ganya tu mun kan bertamu ....) ....

.. anyway ... please make sure your vehicle is in good working condition ... fill up your fuel ... no.. not the night before raya ..nor the raya it self ..... but ... the day before raya... unless u wanna Q up at one of the long Qs .... then by all means ....

.... it's rainy season as well... so might as well check your wiper blade .... and your tyres in good condition.... make sure got "flower" .... otherwise... like Lewis Hamilton's tyres during the China Grand Prix... issshkkk... which means Hamilton ... Alonso ... Raikonnen still up for the Driver's Championship title in the last series of F1 in Brazil .... I do hope Hamilton win thou ... make it the 1st rookie to win the Driver's Championship Title ever!! .. Great ain't it .... forget about the Constructor Championship already... due to the spy scandal.. for sure Ferrari wins one meh .... eerrkkk.. y the F1 story .. this is raya wat ... hmmm...

... cars on the "starting" grid ... revving up the engine.. as soon as the light turn green... hmmm.. nope... the photo's not edited in anyway ... the lens just got misty .. that's all... hence the fog like thingy ....

.. during the Capital Radio .. Capital Gold era .. people usually will tune in to those radios .. and the only time people will not tune to them is during this festive season .... whereby the public would rather listen to the local radio stations ... listening to those melancholic Raya songs .... .. well nothing beats those raya songs ain't it ...

... the sound of the classics .... Dari Jauh ku Pohon Maaf (Sudirman) .... Dendang Perantau (P.Ramlee) ... Seloka Hari Raya (Hail Amir & Uji Rashid) ...... Musafir Di Aidilfitri (Jeffrydin)..... that .. Anuar Zain & Elina's song ... Ahmad Jais .... D.J.Dave ..... Sanisah Huri ........ Saloma ... Sweet Charity ..... or even Black Dog Bone ... ..

.. and to forget that conuting raya days .... ~ Satu hari di hari raya... dua hari di hari raya... tiga hari di hari raya .... ~ ... well that Satu Hari Di Hari Raya by M.Nasir .... just to name a few....

... thou some are now being sung by new artist ... yet nothing beats the classic original singer ....

... I still remember the 'ol uni life... unable to "balik kampung" for 4 years ..... sekulah lagi tu ... n exam .. I think sekali saja ngam cuti ... oh well...... so we just belt out some raya karaoke songs ... like .. Last Christmas .. and ... eeerr.. oops ... that's x-mas songs ... hmmm ... oh well.... mardaassssss...

... ~....Dalam dingin subuh hatiku terusik.....
....Kenang nasib diri di rantauan....
....Bergema takbir raya menitis air mata....
....Terbayang suasana permai desa.... ~...

.. and for those overseas ... hmmm... apa boleh buat .... sabar saja.... at least now .. ada internet n stuffs.. not so sunyi lah .... ok apa .... jgn tah kan escape class... masuk tah saja klass ... kena antar belayar bukan kan escape.... mun kan escape... baik tah ganti sama orang lain.... ada lagi orang yang kan mau tu ..... .. duit atu pandai-pandai tah belanja .... jgn di abiskan membali brg inda paidah ... branded goods n stuff ..... mun cukup ok lah ... ani krg di komplain .. inda cukup apa endah .... mana jua ... bali itu ... bali ini ... liat org makai atu .. kan mau tah jua ..... apa apa ani ... sadang sadang saja .... mcm lagu dangdut ah ..... yang sedang-sedang saja... and... same goes to those locally .... and nasihat for myself jua ...

... eh better stop now.... before this post become a novel ...

... Salam Lebaran .. Minal Aidil Wal Faizin ...

.. bah bisai-bisai ah .. mun inda ... Lain Jua Rasaku Tu ... ahaks ...

GREETINGS | E-CARD ver 8.5

.... hari raya is getting closer ... loads of people are now making some last minute preparations... worrying whether their new clothes will be ready or not in time for the big day .... despite sending it to the dressmaker long before the fasting month ...

.. worrying whether the curtain .. will be ready or not .... then wondering if the new sofa set will be available for delivery .... and wondering if the kuih raya .. biskut raya .... kek roll raya... or even jalanraya be ready for hari raya ....

.. ishk... don't think too much lah ... according to the Astrologist ..(hmmm.... Astroist is people who love to watch ASTRO ... and ASTROISM is those who study ASTRO ...?) during the Majlis Ilmu ... by simulating their super expensive astrological software .. the new month for Syawal will not be sighted .. because during that said time... the moon will still be below the horizon ..... unless u climb thousand of metres above sea level ..... sapa tah kan naik ... Angkasa1 yang Malaysia atu ganya tu kan naik ke angkasa .... atu jangan dikatakan bulan .... bumi pun nampak tu ... hmmm... so anyone of u kan mau jadi the 2nd one kah ..? .. dapat jua jadi Angkasa2 .. Angkasa3 ... ... macam Chef Wan bah .... ada jua Chef Tu ... Chef Three .. Carrefour .... Channel Five .. eeerrk .. what am I talking about ..... anyway .....


.. trying to get away from the typical greeting card photo ... of mosque .... ketupat..... n such ..... btw .. feel free to use this for your raya greetings as it is ....

.. few years back ... there will be announcement on the radio .. stating when will be the last time to send your greeting cards locally and internationally .. usually 2 weeks before raya for local ... and 3-4 weeks for international ...

... but nowadays ... there is no longer such announcement ... either .... less people are sending the greeting or the postal service is getting better ....

... soon .. mobile phones will be flooded by SMS.. MMS greetings ... E-Mails will be "cluttered" with e-greetings ... thou some still prefer the traditional greeting cards .. but whatever method it will be... it is the thought that counts ....

... Selamat Hari Raya .. Salam Idul Fitri ...... Maaf Zahir Batin ... Eid Mubarak .. in advance ....

.. Pucuk Pauh Delima Satu ....
... Anak Sembilang Di Tapak Tangan ...
.. Sungguh Jauh Di Luar Negeri Atu ...
... Orang Di sini Dilupa Jangan ....

... chiiaaaaaaa......

AN-NUR | ZAKAT FITRAH ...

... one of the 5 pillars of Islam is the paying of tithes .. or alms .. or Zakat ...

....Zakat fitrah or zakat of the body..... can be performed at the beginning of Ramadan..... but the period upon which it is obligatory is on the night of Hari Raya...... and it is encouraged to be paid before solat Aidilfitri....... If it is paid later than that, the act becomes a sedekah..... and haram after sunset of the first day of Syawal .....



In Brunei .... a representative appointed by the Government called Amil .. are appointed to collect the zakat ... according to their respective area....

.... Zakat is then paid via this Amil .. for check and balance ... and a receipt will then issued by the Amil for the payee accordingly ....

.. thou in varies in various countries .... some u can just drop them to a "Zakat Box" ... some can be paid thru SMS ... some can be paid by cheque .... and various other means endorsed by each Religious Council ...

.. the prevailing rate at the moment is 2268g of rice or equivalent to $1.93 (Siamese Rice) or $2.84 ( Fragrant Rice) per person ....

.... Majlis Ugama Islam Brunei (MUIB) menetapkan kadar zakat fitrah sebanyak 2 kilo 268 gram atau nilai wang $1.93 (beras Siam) dan $2.84 bagi beras wangi.....

......Waktu yang dibolehkan membayar zakat fitrah itu ialah dari awal sehingga akhir Ramadan,......... wajib selepas terbenam matahari pada akhir Ramadan, ........ afdal selepas sembahyang subuh pada akhir Ramadan sehingga sebelum mengerjakan sembahyang hari raya aidilfitri.

........Sementara itu adalah makruh......... membayar zakat fitrah selepas sembahyang hari raya aidilfitri sehingga tiba waktu maghrib (sebelum terbenam matahari) dan......... haram selepas terbenam matahari pada hari raya aidilfitri.

... memandangkan ramai orang membeli belah di kedai-madai .. jadi .. adalah dengan ini di cadangkan .. agar Amil-amil dapat dilantik dan ditempatkan di gedung-gedung perniagaan.. pusat-pusat membeli-belah... agar memudahkan ... orang ramai membayar zakat .... dan "tiada" alasan .. nda sampat ... payah kan jumpa Ketua Kampung lah ... time Imam sama kitani inda bertamu lah ... itu lah .. ini lah .... so amacam ... next year ... boleh tu...? Amil di pusat-pusat membeli belah .. yang basar-basar lah .. jgn pulang di kedai runcit ... awu .. atu inda berorang tu ramai ...

.. bah ... kepada semua yang berkenaan... jangan lupa membayar zakat .... share-share lah kitani punya wealth atu sama mereka yang lebih memerlukan ....

RANDOM | The Child ... alone ...

... being alone ... in the huge city .. ain't easy ... so many challenges to get through ... unless we know where we stand ... have our own direction.... and being resilient ... only then we can get through it .... eventually ...


.... a child alone within the shadow ....

GREETINGS | E-Card ver.7.9 ...

... just a quick post...

.....since Syawal is getting nearer ... one might like to send Eid greeting to families... relatives.. friends...... so I made this one to share with you ....


.. feel free to use this as it is ...

BRUNEI | Pelita ...

.. as mentioned in the previous post ... here is the close-up of the "new" old-fashioned gasoline filled "candle" .... or "Pelita" in malay ...



.... I think lighting these up is more soothing to the eyes than those modern coloured lights ... as long as there is gasoline .. or diesel (.. thou it gives out black smoke ... ) in the can .. it will still lit-up .. withstanding the wind and rain ... good to deter the mosquitoes .... :) and u can use it to burn the fireworks .. and those tiny firecrackers ....

RANDOM | Lighting Up ....

... in the 'ol days... the last week of the fasting month is also known as Malam Likur ..... (not related in any way to Keropok Lekor ... ) where people usually .. lit up their premises with those old fashioned gasoline and string lantern ... but those type of lantern can now be purchased at the convenient shops at less than $5 one piece.. the stand is made of bamboo.....

.. but nowadays .. people just light any candle for any event ... to celebrate birthdays ... anniversary .... to set-up mood .... to eermm... to what ever .....


.. lighting up the hall with loads of tea candle .... some candles are scented ... hmmmm.. just can imagine those lavender .... hmmmm......


... a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle ...

.. if u r not lighting any candles... don't complain about the dark ...

... heeei don play play with fire ... small-small like friend... big-big .. aiyooo so scared meh ...

... "Heeeeeelppp.. there's a fire in here....... " "uh where...? " ... " ... there's a fire in my heart ... " ...

BRUNEI | The Simpsons' Feel ....

... whilst having a time out... the topic of having a cultural centre was one of the subject ....

... in our neighbouring countries ... one can go to nice restaurant.. serving local dishes ... and at the same time enjoying the cultural performances ....

... so why can't we have it in Brunei .... ? we can set-up one facing the Brunei River ....

.... at the moment .. we don't have any real fine dining restaurant .. serving real local dishes .... and to top them up ... with a nice cultural performances .....

.. so if anyone of you out there .. have the dosh .... have enough money to set one up ... why not make one...? not only beneficial for the tourist ... but also for the local people ... who love to eat .... and eat ..... and more makan .....


.. looking at this photo .. reminds me of The Simpsons' opening montage ... hmmmm.... " The Siiiiiimmppsooonsss......"

hmmm bah inda lagi bath kan sungkai ni.. sungkai tah .... sebaik-baiknya .. makan lah buah Kurma ..... dan jika tiada.... berbukalah dengan air ...... dan jgn lah kamu melambat-lambatkan berbuka ......

BRUNEI | Handicraft Centre ...

... as the Eid celebration is getting closer ... people would usually buy new stuffs for the celebration ... be it new clothes .. shoes .... accessories... and stuffs...

.. for the men in Brunei ... one of the common new stuff to get are .. the traditional woven clothes for their National Dress (Sinjang for Baju Melayu) .. and also new hat or Songkok ....

... despite loads of those common shops selling these items in abundance ... and in cheap ... yet .. if you are looking for quality item ... a very good quality songkok and sinjang ... one can get them from the Handicraft Centre (Pusat Kesenian & Pertukangan Tangan) in Bandar ... just ask anyone .. where Pusat Kesenian is ... any local will know where it is located .....



... the "high-rise" building at the foreground is the Handicraft Centre .. situated in in Bandar ... next to the Brunei River .....

.. selling not only songkok, sinjang & kain tenunan ... one can also find silverware and stuffs... if u haven't been there... and before u buy those not so good quality stuffs from those roadside shops... or those shops with branches all over the place .... please drop by to the Handicraft Centre ... and see what quality wear are .....

.. eermm.. nope... I'm in no way associated with the centre .. nor have any share in it .... but merely just wanna promote our local products... ;)


.. oh well... here's something to light u up ... just some useless fact ... or useful for some ..

• Most lipstick contain fish scales!
• A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation! ( U can learn how to fast from them ...)
• Thomas Edison, lightbulb inventor, was afraid of the dark! ( no wonder he invent the bulb... )
• The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is over 9000 years old! ( eyeew... imagine chewing it .. jadi batu kali udah ...)
• .. but did u know that ...Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
• In most watch advertisments the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch and make it look like it's smiling. \./
• It is impossible to lick your elbow.... (bah jgn tah di cubanah ...
• The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.
• The ZIP in “ZIP code” means Zoning Improvement Plan.
• American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by taking out an olive from First Class salads.
• The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672 .... and Brunei is 673 !! hmmm.... interesting ....
• The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”.
• Sherlock Holmes NEVER said “Elementary, my dear Watson”, ........Humphrey Bogart NEVER said “Play it again, Sam” in Casablanca,............... and they NEVER said “Beam me up, Scotty” on Star Trek... check it if u want .... :)
  
• Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

... hmmmm...

BRUNEI | TRANSPORT | Railway ....

... thou there's no public railway train in Brunei .... (unless you consider those in Jerudong Park one.. then that's another story ....)...... but there's a remnant of a railtrack .. which was use very longtime ago ... in Brunei ..... not really sure how the train looks like... nor much detail about it thou.....


.. if u look at the very right .. u can find the old railtrack ....

(.. this photo was taken in a fast moving vehicle .. with a very fast shutter )...

... hmmm... would it still be feasible for Brunei to built a railway .. or those Light Rail System....?




Daripada Abu Hurairah r.a : Bahawa Nabi SAW telah bersabda :
" Setiap anggota manusia harus membuat sedekah setiap hari apabila matahari terbit..... Engkau mendamaikan antara dua orang adalah sedekah. .....Dan engkau menolong sesaorang menaiki tunggangannya atau pun engkau menolong mengangkat baginya barang-barang ke atas tunggangnya adalah sedekah, dan perkataan yang baik itu sedekah..... Dan pada tiap-tiap langkah menuju ke tempat sembahyang adalah sedekah...... Dan engkau menjauhkan bahaya dari jalan laluan juga menjadi sedekah. "