Before the year ends

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?

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.

Back on winning ways

Image from CNNSI.com

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.

Let's hope he does it.

A priceless momento

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.

The post card cover

His signature

PS - Happy birthday sis!

Eid Mubarak

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.

Final post from Manchester

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.

More than words...

Ramadhan 1429

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.

Farewell to a great boss

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!)

Here's to you Mark. All the best for the future.

The review

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!!)

Menu for the weekend

Check out the elaborate and mouth-watering menu for the weekend from the esteemed establishment of The Blackness Inn in Dundee, Scotland.

Courtesy of the hosts, John 'Braveheart' McManon & family.

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The Scottish Weekend

Latha Math and Failte to Dundee, our city in Angus

Friday
Dinner
“The Local Scene”

Roasted chicken
Mashed potatoes
Corn and tuna
Bread and butter pudding

Saturday
Lunch
“East meets West”

Honey chicken
Stir fried bean sprouts
Rice
Cheese cake

Dinner
“Asian Style”

Tom Yam
Spicy Aubergine
Hot and spicy fried chicken
Steamed veggie and chicken spring roll
Rice
Banana fritters

Sunday
Lunch
“Sunday Treat”

Steamed fish
Mixed veggies with oyster sauce
Corned beef
Rice
Faluda Wannabe & Cincau (A Taste of Home)

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As Homer would say, "hmmm....... ffoooodddd"

Can't wait!

Take a break and smile!

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.

Hope you enjoy it.

Justification or Excuse?

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!".

:-D

Okay, kalau ada idea lagi sila tambah.

Presentations clip

Remember my post about presentations? Here's a humorous clip that delivers the point better!

Exams

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.

Wimbledon 2008 final

Image from wimbledon.org

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.

Another Grand Slam final, Another Battle...

... for the two best tennis players on the planet at the moment.


Hope it will turn out to be a classic.

Wimbledon 2008 men's quarterfinal highlights

Here's the (unofficial) Wimbledon 2008 highlights for Men's Quarterfinal between Roger Federer and Mario Ancic.

Notice the 2 spectators in white caps at 00:24 ;-)




PS - Will write more soon.

More comedy moments

Another two classic comedy moments.

One from White Chicks.



And another from There's something about Mary. "7-minute abs".

More Blaine

Part 2 of the spoof series. "What the eff??"