Salam. Hello there! Yeah thought I'd get acquainted again with you readers after quite some time.
It's been a while since the I've posted anything to this blog. Let me guess, every time u check, it's the same "Who would've thought?" post keeps coming up. Yeah, it bothered me too :-P
So, what's been happening so far?
For one, things have been back to busy again. After taking some deserved rest, I've gotten back to work for the last few months. And I came to learn of the 'wonderful' surprise that was in store for me.
I'm now in a different department with a much different working environment. New job, new colleagues, new office (had to move twice), new boss, new everything...
Unfortunately everything new does not necessarily mean it's better. Here's a breakdown:
#1: 730 AM daily meetings. This is a tough one. Even though this is the official starting time for work but I've never arrived at this time before (thanks to flexi-hours), let alone having a meeting at this time. But now, with daily meetings at 730, this means having to come to work real early.
#2: Sg Liang traffic. Got a major surprise on the first day back where it takes a good 15-20 mins for a few km stretch in Sg Liang (from Fire Brigade to Masjid Sg Liang). From what I've heard, the background to this was that due to increased traffic on the main road (with Sg Liang Industrial Park and commuters to and from KB), the residents in the area finds it difficult to get to the main road. Eventually, traffic police were stationed at the intersections to let the traffic flow better. However, what happens now is that it's mostly favouring the residents where almost all the cars were let out first before letting the traffic from the main road through. Therefore, setting off from home has to be done much earlier.
#3: New job. Constantly bombarded with new info and new work with things to be closed out. I've started to make a list of things to do on my proverbial plate, and that list just keeps growing as the days go by! Most of the time, I feel like playing catch up with everything that is happening. The words "Chaos management" comes to mind.
#4: New office. This actually sounds better than it really is. I still prefer my old place but I should be thankful to even have an office unlike some colleagues who had to settle for cubicles.
You know the words. The only thing that's certain in this world is change (or something to that effect). I hope all these changes will be good for me. Insya-Allah. Amin.
Before I forget, I'd like to wish all of you Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah 1430 and Selamat Tahun Baru Masihi 2009. May all of us have a blessed year ahead. Amin.
Who would've thought that I'll be able to meet not one but two of my former teachers back in Secondary school both at the same time and place.
It happened tonight where I was visiting an uncle for Raya open house, who happens to be working in the same department with both of them. Yes, the interesting thing is that they are both still working together as well. One was my Form teacher who really knew how misbehaved we were back in the good ole days ;-) The other is the school Principal during the time.
It was really good seeing them again after all these years. We even took a photo opportunity and it was during this time that my form teacher reminded us that this was reminiscent of a photo that we took when we (the students) interviewed the former Minister of Education back in 1992. At that time, we had an interview session with the Minister for our school magazine. Both our form teacher and the Principal were the ones who supervised us during this memorable trip. If I have the time (and the courage! haha), I'll try to look for that picture and post it as well.
I would like to wish them both Happy Teachers' Day.
It's great to see The Fed winning titles again. This time, it's his hometown tourney in Basel.
After the '08 breakthrough in the US Open, the confidence is high again. Will he capture the year-end Masters Cup which will feature only the top 8 players in the world? We shall find out in November.
Reports also suggest that he will be cutting back on his exhibition appearances next year to concentrate on the Slams and Masters Series. This will only be good for him as he chases that golden record of surpassing Pete Sampras of 14 Grand Slams. He needs 1 to tie and 2 to break.
Last night, I've received a priceless momento that I'm honoured to safekeep.
It was a post-card written by my late grandfather sent to my father and uncle, during his journey to the Holy city of Makkah to perform his first pilgrimage.
The year was 1963.
During those days, we were told that all the pilgrims travelled for days by ship with many stop-overs. A vast difference than what we can do today.
Here is the cover of that post-card. The name of the ship was called Kapal Haji Malaya. It was also great to see his own handwriting, which was a first for me.
Would like to wish all the readers of nine-o-five,
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Mohon Maaf Zahir & Batin
To friends and family members abroad, hope you guys enjoy ur Hari Raya celebrations with the gang over there. It ain't so bad celebrating raya abroad. Heheh.
To those who are at home, try to control the food intake :-p
I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Hari Raya. Amin.
So, now I've come to the end of the student life in Manchester.....
This will be officially the final post from Manchester. To be honest it's quite sad to leave this place. Many memories, experiences, meeting new friends and rekindling old ones. The year had it all.
In no particular order and by no means a complete list, these are some of the most memorable moments:
Back in the student life and going through the challenging year with some great colleagues. Will never forget the library sessions (which at one point seemed to last forever! heheh) It was also the place where we formed the Okot Solutions with mis-integration. The global domination has already started with the Venezuela office being highly contested among the male CEOs!! :-D
Got to meet new friends from different backgrounds and nationalities.
Meeting unique Bruneians.
The words "The Gallery" had a new meaning. Expertise in shopping, food, hi-tech stuff and overall funtime!!! It's a happening place indeed. Hosted by Bung T and Jester.
Getting the Gold medals in BruManch badminton tourney.
Watching Wimbledon on Centre court and seeing Roger in action. Involved a memorable overnight camping experience.
Celebrity sightings in Prince Naseem and Carlos Tevez. Autograph sessions from Edwin van der Sar and the Bryan brothers (tennis).
Cheshire Oaks. Enuf said.
Discovery of ebay.co.uk and online retail.
Experienced the real e-speed.
The Rome trip.
The concerts.
The Apple store.
Tennis indoors and in the park.
The Man Utd matches.
The supposed indoor skiing trip which turned out to be "slide down an icy slope on tyres"!
Bitten by the golf bug.
Signed up for a gym membership and let's just say it wasn't exactly a good investment!
The trip down memory lane aka Leeds and Newcastle.
Reunion with the ole gang from Leeds.
Blackness Inn Scottish experience with none other than McManon. Mini Cooper convertible ;-)
Stagecoach and Magic Bus.
Raya open house with a daring first time dish.
Rusholme. Qabily rice in Al Jazeera, Lamb briyani in Saajan, Spicy wings & chips in Pizza Co., Mixed grill and Mango lassi in Kebabish, Lamb doner and chips in Camel One, BBQ wings in Chicken cottage, Chicken and BBQ ribs in Krunchy and Kansas, Faluda in Moonlight, Thai banana buffet, Good ole Jati, Soto from No. 4 in The Gallery and the list goes on....
Honda Civic dark green in colour. The ride that made it all possible.
Writing that down has already brought back some great times.
Syukur. It is with Allah's will that these opportunities have been granted. Alhamdulillah.
Kepada semua pembaca nine-o-five, Selamat Menjalankan Ibadah Puasa di bulan Ramadhan yang mulia ini. Semoga semua amalan kita akan di terima oleh Allah S.W.T. Amin.
In the time that I'm in the UK, an expat supervisor at work will be leaving the office for good after having been working in Brunei for more than 5 years. He has become one of the best supervisor and colleague that I've worked with. His guidance, patience and (sarcastic) humour will always be remembered :-) I would like to dedicate this short clip for his farewell. Apparently has received favourable reviews back home (despite the ballad-y song haha!)
Below is the official review of Blackness Inn Bed & Breakfast (& Lunch & Dinner) in Dundee Scotland.
"Throughout the stay, the treatment was 5 stars. The home-cooked food (as previewed) were delicious and really fulfilling. Desserts were yummy (still miss that bread & butter pudding and cup cheese-cakes). On top of that, the host also turned out to be an excellent malay-speaking tour guide. Not only that, he could also speak Kg Ayer! A rarity in Scotland indeed. Highly recommended!!!"
Thanks again to Sean McManon and Family.
Check out the pics below:
Stonehaven
View from Dundee Law
The ride
The Album cover pose
Pics with the tour guide
Sean McManon (with the all-important "Auto" setting!!)
Been meaning to make a slideshow of Syaza and Fa'iz pictures from Photo Booth but since got the hang of using iMovie '08, I thought I'd just make a mini movie. I've just started to dabble with iMovie '08, and I found out that it's actually quite simple to use.
It's summer sale season at the moment in the UK. So, for members of shopaholics anonymous or otherwise known as Bruneians, it's definitely the season to be excited. Large sale signs of 50, 60 and 70% are pasted all over the stores.
Here are some of the reasons (or more like excuses) that we find telling ourselves to justify of going shopping:
1) "Eh, masa sale ani murah ni. Iatah masanya ni!". But rather than shopping for one item and saving some money, be ganda-ganda pulang barang nya!
2) "Di Brunei nada ni (insert item here) ani, baik tah membali!".
3) "Di Brunei mahal ni (insert item here) ani, baik tah membali!".
4) "Bila lagi ko kemari? Payah jua dapat this chance to shop disini!"
5) "Kalau membali yang steady lagi model nya (yang lagi mahal), at least inda jua menyasal nanti". This is pure classic. There is actually a perambahan for this called "Alah membeli menang memakai."
6) "Ani reward bah ni untukku. Ngalih2 belajar/keraja." Hahah!
7) "Awu lama udah (insert item here) ku atu. I think it's time for an upgrade!"
8) "Eh, ani alum ku pernah tedapat ni barang ani."
9) "Eh, mana tau nanti ke pulau/pantai, dapat jua memakai seluar surfing ani!" or "Eh, nanti kalau ku conference sanang ku jua be blazer!" (Admittedly, this is quite specific).
10) "Lapas ani inda tah lagi ku shopping. Last tah ni!" R-rrrright. How many time have we heard this?
11) This is the ultimate. "We only live once!" or kalau di brunei-kan "Duit atu inda jua di bawa mati!".
Having been back in a studying environment, I'm kind of thrown into the world of examinations again. I think we can all agree that exams are just stressful. All those time spent on revisions, looking through notes, memorising facts and figures (and formulas!).
Some people thrive during exams. Ideally, one would be very prepared, revising all the notes and practising all the past exam papers. Primed and ready to tackle whatever questions that may appear in the upcoming paper.
Some are fortunate. This I call "main target saja". Skillfully selecting only some of the topics and often hoping that the topics that they read would come out in the exam. But this can be a dangerous craft. Kalau yang di target atu keluar, baik. But if not.....
Some are not so fortunate. Even despite the preparations, if the questions set by teacher/lecturer are completely different, this can prove to be difficult to score.
Here are some of the things that I've learned about exams:
1) Preparation is key. Ample time should be made for revision and clarification with the teacher/lecturer about topics that is not quite understood. Kill the enemy called procrastination. This is easier said than done of course.
2) Memorising formulas should be banned. To me, this does not serve any purpose. In the working world, there are always references available to look up for the exact formulas. Knowing which formula to use is actually the key knowledge.
3) Discussions with colleagues/classmates outside the class are very useful. More often than not, this is the time that you actually understand the subject and concepts. How many times do we sit in class and listen passively when the lecturer goes through the notes without really understanding anything? This also includes answering past-year exam papers as a group.
4) Examinations does NOT fully reflect a person's understanding of the topic. First of all, not all the topics covered in one module would be asked. It's a real pity when a student have understood a concept very clearly, but no questions are asked about it in the exams.
5) It's judged based on performance on the day. Since we can all agree that it's stressful, even the brightest student might falter with nerves.
6) Time limitation is a factor. How many times have we heard "I just wish there was more time to answer that question. I could've gotten more marks" ? I guess there's an element of discipline of having a time limit to answer the questions, so as to teach delivering results on time. But there are cases where the time allocated is just too restricting with the amount of questions that needs to be answered.
7) More weight should be put to courseworks and assignments. What's good about assignments is that all they are designed to enhance the understanding of a particular subject. You spend some time to get an in-depth look at the subject in order to answer the questions. Also, unlike exams, most of the topics (if not all) are covered. I would go even as far as half of the weighting should be from courseworks and assignments.
8) The learning process is much more beneficial than the final marks that you get. Of course, in the end some form of quantitative assessment is needed, but overall, it's the stuff that you learn is what you're going to use for the future.
9) Last but definitely not the least, make doa to Allah so that all the efforts may come to fruition. Insya-Allah.
Anyway, those are just some of my views. Feel free to comment.
And what a classic and epic final it turned out to be.
In the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final, the inconceivable looked like to be happening after 1 1/2 hours of play. Roger Federer went 2 sets down 4-6 4-6 to Rafael Nadal. It really looked like it was going to be a straight forward straight sets loss for Roger Federer. This was after having a lot of break point chances against the Nadal serve. It is very apparent that Roger just didn't play well on the big points. Nadal's second serve was scuffed carelessly.... It just seems that he was nervous.
Then the first rain delay came.
When play resumed, Federer looked like a different player. He believed more in his shots especially the forehand. After the games going on serve, Federer took the 3rd set on tiebreak. The fourth set was even more exciting tho. Nadal had 2 Championship points during another tiebreak, one on Roger's serve and another on his serve. Federer saved the 2nd with a glorious down-the-line backhand. He then took the 4th set tiebreak and final was to be decided in a 5th set.
After holding serve for 2-2 and 40-40, the 2nd rain delay came.
Federer again held serve and games went on serve until the 15th game in the final set which Nadal broke to go 8-7 up. Then he held his nerve to hold serve and won the match and effectively became the new Wimbledon champion.
For me and Federer fans everywhere, it was a disappointing and agonizing day. It would have been a beautiful and epic story. To come back 2 sets down and winning his 6th straight Wimbledon title. I think he was even 2 points away from doing it.
BUT, you have to tip your hat off to Nadal. After losing the last 2 Wimbledon finals and losing 2 champion points in the 4th set of this final, he was very tough mentally to stay focussed and going for it. For that, and a wonderful and epic final, we must say congratulations and well done. He deserved the title for playing so well.
It does look like a changing of guard is on the making for men's tennis. But this is Roger Federer we're talking about. A once-in-a-lifetime talent and such a great champion for tennis. Hope he'll bounce back from what has been a difficult year and achieve more greatness and record-breaking moments.
Caught the classic comedy "Coming to America" on tv the other day and came across this advert. I remembered this was brought up in one of the outings with the lunch gang.
A new "App Store" button that enables downloading of softwares.
Overall it's a good move from Apple, especially that price. But looks like it will still be locked to a particular network like last time (i can already hear the "unlocking" bells ringing). It'll be released July 11th worldwide including the UK.
As I write this, Nadal has just won the Roland Garros 2008 title in straight sets against Federer. A very comprehensive display of clay court tennis in which he totally dominated the final. Federer did not play well at all except some flashes of brilliance in the 2nd set. He committed too many unforced errors. Rafa on the other hand is just too consistent and hardly made any mistakes today.
Just wondering when can Roger finally win the French? Will he ever? Realistically speaking, not when the other side of the net stands Nadal. Probably the best player ever on clay.
We can only wait and see. And I for one will still support the Fed and wish that he will capture that elusive title one day. He's just too talented and too great of a player not to be doing so.
For now, congratulations to Nadal. Very well played.
This time it's Roland Garros 2008 and the 3rd consecutive final featuring both players. Have to admit, The King of Clay have never looked so convincing in reaching the final (the Djoker had no chance). In all likelihood, he will be the one hoisting the trophy tomorrow.
But what if.
What if Roger plays his best clay court tennis like everyone know he can - be more aggressive, attack more, come to the net more often, cut down on the errors. He sure has enough experiences playing Nadal on clay. Sometimes it is frustrating to see that he gets ahead in a set and start making mistakes and let Nadal back in the game. This was true during their encounters this year.
Come on Roger. Get this and you will be completing a true Grand Slam. Winning all the major titles on all surfaces. Wouldn't that be good to see.
Congratulations to Ana Ivanovic on winning her first Grand Slam. She beat Dinara Safina (Marat's sister) in straight sets to claim the Roland Garros 2008 title. After having been in 2 major finals before, it's good to see her making the distance. She's also the new world No. 1 player, replacing Maria Sharapova. Here's hoping that she wins many more titles.
Yeah guess so. Been busy with exams for the past few weeks. They're over now. Mudahan semua okay, Insya-Allah. That goes to everyone who are are having exams now and who have finished. Amin.
Even tho exams are over, still got some assignments and reports to hand in next week. So, not out of the woods just yet. That's the thing with CPI. It seems that they never let you off! As one famous quote by one of the lecturers that we kept on repeating, "That's the idea!" haha
I'd have to say there's quite a difference now. Not having to go to classes and the library on a regular basis. It's actually a nice change. But it definitely doesn't help in the current productivity level. Only the realisation of a deadline would be a cure for the procrastination in the past few days.
The fact that the French Open is starting today does not help matters. Don't want to jinx it, but as always, really hoping the Fed would break thru. Good thing that the Djoker is on course to meet the King in the semis where they can "kill" each other. That way, it would be good for the Fed in the final provided that he gets thru with relative ease of course. Man, it's only the first day and I'm already predicting the final. We'll just see what happens. But, go Fed!
TEAM GNR8 have joined 2 badminton tourneys so far and did just okay on average. The 3rd tourney was the BruManch Badminton Open. After going through the round robin with relative ease (hehe, sorry Rip!) we found ourselves in the semi-finals. Then we surprised ourselves by going through the semi and went on to the final. Our opponents were considered to be the best team in the tournament, which means the pressure is on them!
The final, which was played over best of 3 sets, was hotly contested. First set was close, then we made some careless mistakes in the end and ended up losing the set 18-21. In the second set, we regrouped and won by a comfortable 21-16. The deciding set was really intense. The scores were very close apart until we were match point down 18-20. To add to the drama, had a leg cramp! Baik jua ada first aid with some magic spray. Somehow, we fought thru the next two points and got to deuce 20-20. Then, me with leg cramping and all, we won the next two points to clinch the victory and won the gold medal!!! Yezza! Not bad for the "veteran" dark horse in the tournament :-D
We would like to thank our supporters, "The Gallery Fan Club" for their valuable support and cheers! (muka sorang2 pun tense in the final haha). The supporters consists of Momox (from Keele), Physicsbatu (from Liverpool), Mirage268 (from Leeds) and Manchester's very own Mr "Kway Teow" and Miss s***bing.
Here's what they have to say:
"That was a really intense match with a lot of twist...Memang sengaja kali kan membuat ia interesting berabis.... 1st set, really intense and very tight....the set was won by the opposition but it was a really a close one.... and the 2nd set, start tia come back... Especially time deciding set atu with score 18-20, pikir hampa udah psal one of player yang injured, calf muscle sakit.....then after kana bagi magic spray atu, menjadi game atu wah... sakali manang atu, nda sangka2 wah...thats the magic of the underdogs lah.....it also shows the mentality toughness of 'the vets'......."
Momox
"I've been appointed to be the cameraman for the day..It was a new experience for me..It gave me the chance to see the action up close..
The journey for the GNR8 duo started early in the morning..The group was arguably kind to them and they surely didn't take it for granted..They won all the matches and deservedly earned a match in the semis..
Considered as the underdogs..They had nothing to lose..After a well played match they managed to win it as well..Surely no one had predicted it at the start of the tournament..
An epic final was on the cards..David Vs Goliath..Team GNR8 was up against considered the 1st seeded team..A quick change of shirt to bring out the spirit of GNR8..
The first set belonged to "Roy" and fahme..In the 2nd set team GNR8 showed the performance which deserved their place in the final..
3rd set..an intense set..it had all the dramas..it was tight throughout..Trailing 18-20 came the turning point..Championship point..Jester had cramps..We all conceded to defeat..but not the players..After a quick spray to the muscle..They clawed back to deuce 20-20..They all have given their all and the GNR8 team showed their experience and maturity to win it 22-20..
A fairy-tale ending indeed..Congratulations.."
Physicsbatu
"Well being a participant in the same group, i was unable to show mercy. Indeed, in the preliminary rounds I need not mercy as I was "belasah'd" by these 2 duos, 21-5. We also lost to the runner-up of our group, which was a weird, since they lost to another group which we had defeated instead. Putting the shameful past aside, the Duo team went on to the semifinals, having a straight win all the way. Being the "Underdogs", they sure did raise some eyebrows and peoples attentions.
In the Semi finals, 4 teams were put aside against each other. The dynamic duo made it to the finals, having the semi-finalists putting up a futile fight. The finals however was in a totally different league. Donning the Team GNR8 jerseys, they march on to the court with pride. However, Bung Taufik and Jester lost the first set 21-18. Nevertheless, with heads held high, they managed to regain their momentum by winning the second set 21-16. The 3rd set was as epic as the move "300" itself, standing against all odds to the might of the titans. Both teams crept up the scoreboard point by point, inch by inch. to the point where Jester had an unexpected leg cramp (must've been the voodoo i cast on them earlier.....hehe) just as the score went to 20-18. However, with just a magic spray, they fought on and even managed to get into a deuce. By this point, people were starting to chatter their teeths as to who would win this tournament. Amazingly, against all odds they managed to return an explosive smash and score a 1 point lead. In the end, with the might of team GNR8, surpassing the Spartans, they won the game with 2 point lead, winning the gold medal. It was really an epic battle, having the outcome deserving of the performance they had shown today. Now, i'll crawl back to my loser corner, basking myself in the self pity of my own inability........"
It may be late in the game, but decided to go for it and got the iPod Touch 16 GB. Have to say, I'm really impressed with the features and the interface. You can imagine the "krrrrr" sound as you flick thru the list and browsing the web (Some of The Lunch Gang would remember this :-) ).
That's the great thing about this gadget. Even normally mundane tasks such as scrolling and selecting is fun. Apart from the normal music, video player and picture browser (it IS an iPod after all), you get Safari, YouTube, Contacts and so forth. After shelling extra for the January software update, it now includes Mail, Maps and Stocks just to mention a few. Checking e-mails is really convenient. You can even now customise the home screen and re-arrange the icons or add new ones. I'm now going crazy with adding icons for web apps including one for Facebook.
To protect the iPod, went for the Reflect Mirrored case by Griffin. It does add bulk to the iPod but it makes it more handy I think. At the back, there's a rubbery surface which protects the iPod from scratches. With the case, there's even a screen protector included with cleaning cloth which is a nice bonus.
Check out the pics:
Si Boom-Boom as the wallpaper ;-)
At the top and bottom, there's full access to the power button, port and earphone socket.
The home screen
Heard about the term "jailbreaking" which enables the iPod Touch to install and run 3rd party softwares. A bit weary about this and fear that it may render the iPod useless. Any experience out there?
PS- Thanks to Bung Taufik's Canon 400D (and its growing arsenal! heheh) for these pics.
This is the cheaper student-friendly Magic Bus (dedicated to Mr Manon so that he can have a grin on his face - but we'll never know why)
Thought I'd post something about buses or specifically experience of a bus ride. Of course kalau di Brunei jarang jua naik bas ani but here, well let's just say it's part of the UK experience. Haha
Things that you experience on a bus ride:
When you get on a bus, you obviously tend to find the empty seats. Normally the seats would be enough for two tapi most people would tend to occupy the seat by himself/herself. Iatah kalau ada orang baru naik bas atu, sorang2 tah memasang muka 'ganas' or there's a certain "this is my seat, so bugger off!" look supaya orang baru naik atu will not sit next to them. This always amuses me. heheh
Kalau kan reach ur stop, you press the button and you have to make ur way to the front of the bus while the bus is moving. Iatah mahal tu kalau kelurusan duduk dibelakang. Time ramai orang lagi, mesti pandai control movement so that you reach the front of the bus safely and with dignity intact. Kalau bus driver yang suka membrake mengajut lagi. Haha. And even worse, kalau dari upper deck kan turun ke bawah, macam2 handle tah dipigang tu supaya nda lose cool kan turun tangga.
There's a new trend where u get these yobs (gangsta wannabe) with their fancy mobile phones. Duduk tah dorang dibelakang and would play their songs with the speaker on full volume. Kira unofficial soundtrack for the bus lah tu. Kalau lawa bisai jua lagu nya ani. Tapi most of the time.... u just wish that the batteries would run out. heheh
There's this one time where an old guy who's drunk was chatting up an innocent passenger. Hahah, the things that he said. Classics. Ada lagi wink with sound effect tu for good measure before he left.
Wokey (in spirit of Prez's greeting from Nandos era), today is 1st April. April's Fool day. But that's not the reason for this post.
For the next two months, it's gonna be hectic. And by that I mean very hectic. One more design project, assignments, exam revisions and dissertation to start. Just mentioning that is a mouthful. So, funtime's definitely over. Hope all will go well, Insya-Allah.
Just to recap last week: went indoor skiing in Chill Factore. Slight disappointment for everyone coz didn't actually go skiing but went on a downhill ride on "tayar"s. Was fun nevertheless but hope to do the real thing nanti.
Mini-funtime tho: Two more badminton tourneys coming up. Will post on the outcome.
On a different note: the cool cars belong to Rio and Wes. Congrats to the ones who guessed rite. Sorry, "tiada hadiah yang dapat diberikan, hanya sekalong doa..." :-)
On the final day of the tour in Roma, managed to get into the Colossea within minutes of closing. Apparently there was some sort of exhibition later in the evening, which resulted in the early closing. Even though there was a queue for the ticket, the wait was worth it. It’s just simply amazing. The Colossea is huge. The same familiar feeling sets in when you imagine how it would’ve been like when there were tens of thousands of people cheering for the gladiators having a duel with the lions (Note: I’m just taking reference from the movie ‘Gladiator’ since we didn’t have time to listen for the audio guide). It appears that the ground of the arena had already gone which exposes a maze of walls and chambers underneath it. We later found out that the chambers were where they kept the lions in cages.
The final stop of the Roma tour was Fontane di Trevi (Trevi fountain). It was a beautiful and relaxing area. There were big and impressive sculptures with a large fountain in the middle. They say if you drop and coin and make a wish, you’ll have a good chance of coming back to Rome. Banar kah tu? Anyways, just for fun, did it anyway tapi pakai coin pence. Hope the legend doesn’t care for currency ☺ There were loads of people taking pictures around the fountain.
Since we had lots of time left, even managed to look for what is supposedly one of the best gelato in town. The name is gelato di crispino. Finally found it after some effort. I must say the gelato is different from the rest. It was creamier and had a more ‘traditional’ taste to it. Heheh, macam expert gelato saja udah.
Also had seafood spaghetti nearby Fontane di Trevi, which was quite good.
Anyways, this will be the final post from Roma. I must say it’s gonna be quite sad to leave this historic place. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the posts and I wish you’ll make it to Rome one day. Insya-Allah.
Started the day missing breakfast and instead had lunch in what has become the favourite pizza place of the trip. Today, lunch was prawn salad pizza coupled with sautéed mushrooms. Even tejumpa Beard Papa lookalike in a nearby bakery but have to say it’s not the real deal.
The plan for the day was a visit to the infamous Vatican city. Took the Metro (subway) for the first time and must say it’s quite convenient. When we arrived at the Ottaviano stop, it started to rain heavily. Inda lagi membawa payung or raincoat. Sekalinya, out of the blue came an Indian guy offering to sell umbrellas for 5 Euro each. Pandai dorang ani bedagang. Haha. Being bruneians, menawar lagi tu. Mau jua kurang ☺ And then, one thing masa hujan atu tambus lagi tu aying. Heheh. Payung murah tah banar.
Then we started to queue in a long line just outside the Vatican city walls. Another Indian guy (ramai dorang ani sini) offered to join an English speaking tour for 25 Euro with 14 Euro entrance fee. Katanya no need to wait in line and we decided to go for it. He bought us to a café where there was an English lady gathering other tourists for the tour. Then, she led us back to the queue! Kena kelakari rupanya. (Side note: During the queue, overheard another classic American conversation. There was a guy who asked the tour guide whether it’s worth to visit the Trevi fountain. She replied in a mock shock “of course! how blasphemous to think otherwise!” Sekali reply the guy which was classic “hey! a fountain’s a fountain!” Heheh, another one for the books.)
Anyway, when we finally reached the entrance, there were security checks and we got our hearing aids for the tour. Suffice to say, the tour turned out to be good and informative and the museums were very impressive. There were magnificent sculptures, mosaic paintings and golden arches. But the highlight was the Sistine Chapel where no cameras no allowed at all. We were told that it took Michelangelo 4 years to complete the beautiful painting on the ceiling which turned him half blind by the end of it since he was painting it upside down. He wasn’t paid by money at the end of it but was given a bag of gold coins. He was called back later on to paint ‘The Last Judgement’.
Another impressive place in the Vatican city was a big church hall called San Pietro. As expected, the design of the interior was beautiful. Just outside it was the large and infamous St. Peter’s Square.
The last stop was Piazza di Spagna with all the high street shopping. You name all the major fashion brands in the world and they can be found here. The Spanish steps (finally the correct steps!) can also be found in Spagna.
Had salmon pizza and another round of calamari for la cena (dinner). Oh, of course the day would not be complete without another gelato. It was caramel for me today with a side combo of crepe with nutella. Yummy.
That’s a wrap for Day 2. One more Roman day to go. Bye for now.
Am writing this on Day 1 of the tour in Roma. This is my first visit to Italy and I must say it’s been an exciting first day. After arriving in Fiumincino Airport from Manchester and taking the Leonardo express (not “Olympic”!) to Termini station in Rome, walked a good 20 over minutes to via Venezia to Picasso Hotel. Yeah, grand name isn’t it? The hotel ain’t bad actually. I dare say it’s better than the B&B’s that you pay more in central London.
After settling in, went to search for some authentic Italian food. Found a nice place close to the hotel and had a first taste of real Italian pizza! The pizza was thin and crispy with mushrooms and spinach. The “killer” was the generous mozzarella cheese. The taste? Inda lagi nampak telinga bah…. heheh. Seriously, it was that good.
The first tourist spot we hit was called Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II which is next to Foro Traiano. One word to describe the place is Majestic. Not really sure of the history behind it but you have the impression of how much power the Roman empire had just by looking at the sheer size of the place. There were tall columns with huge statues atop. In the centre was a big statue of Roman figure on a horse. I was being amazed by the statue when one American tourist shouted macam inda impressed arah kawannya “it’s a big freakin’ horse”. Found it really funny. Here, there were hundreds of people appreciating the art and then hearing that. Hahah.
Next we went to a beautiful historic area called Arco di Tito and Palatino. It was really a sight to behold. Basically there were remnants of ruins and columns of what must’ve been a vast building landscape. Have to admit, did not really got into the history by getting a proper guide but was really amazed nonetheless.
The infamous Colosseo was next but since the last ticket was sold at 430 pm, did not manage to get in. You’ve seen the pics before but in the flesh, it was more impressive. Will try to write more if I do get in nanti. Insya-Allah.
For dinner, had another pizza, small penne pasta with salmon sauce and fried calamari. Noyce!
One delicacy that is real famous here is the gelato. Yezza. Had 2 helpings so far (nutella and vanilla) and looking forward to more heheh. Check out the flavours from the pics.
Okay, that’s a wrap for Day 1 folks. See you in Day 2. Insya Allah.
PS- Still haven’t found the infamous Spanish steps. So far, have seen 3 different steps but don’t think any of them were Spanish!
The People's Society badminton tourney was great. Exciting to see the highly skilled players in action. To be honest, we had no expectations when joining the tourney. Was even nervous, haha. Mana inda, meliat orang pandai and melatup-latup smash dorang, one can get easily nervous indeed! The format was round robin with 4 teams in one group. So, we played 3 games in total.
The first one was more about battling nerves. Lost to a team with equal level I would say. 16-21 was the score. The next game was more exciting. Our opponents were high on confidence and it showed. Pikirnya kami ani would easily roll over. Sekalinya tekajut dorang when we won 21-19. Yeehaa! That was cool. The victory was even sweeter when we learned that one of them played for the university team! heheh. The last game was against the favourite of our group who ended up going to the semi finals. We just did our best and got a respectable 15-21 against them.
The final was a really good and exciting game between two superb teams. Each team has one player who is very highly skilled. Great smashes, killer dropshots and great defence. One was an Indonesian player who joined some sort of junior scheme.
There's a clip of the final. Will try to post it later. Insha Allah.
On a side note, was even "appointed" as a last minute umpire in one of the matches. Kononnya kan jadi umpire professional lah ni and even announced the scores loudly. Sekalinya, subconsciously, rupanya said "nice shot!" while umpiring! Hahaha umpire bias jadinya.
Pic of the day:
Apparently, the coach for this team is Mr. M. David Shine who taught them this "Cek Mek Molek" trickshot! Team lain pun inda tedapat ni this shot! haha
AH-MAZING!!!!
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So errrrr, I haven't been posting up any updates on this blog for some-time
now.
So i thought, let's post something. The first post in 2011
KABLAMM!!! AD...
GNR8 Cup is back!
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It's been a while. <-- What an understatement
Anyhow, time for another GNR8 Cup!
Tentative date: Saturday 14th May 2011
Time: 7 to 10 pm
Venue: TBA
Get yo...
anuar...piano and you
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amy mastura one of the audience
ahhh my memorable picture
On the 6th feb 2009, i was one of the lucky 450 people who went to Anuar
Zain's concert held at...
alum ku memakai jubah itam. ALUM EYH.
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family fun day was over and they decided to make it a yearly event, so we
know what's comin ahead next year for the family. and next year mesti tah
ku cont...
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
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Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Walillahilhamd.
Kepada semua pembaca 'Sembang-Sembang', diucapkan
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
MAAF ZAHIR DAN BAT...
Unfortunately everything new does not necessarily mean it's better. Here's a breakdown:
