Whatever you do tonight, don’t drink and drive.
December 2007
December 31, 2007
December 28, 2007
After almost 7 months here, it’s time to come back home.
Today is my final working day here. The experience has been great, the people are friendly and the place is beautiful. I have nothing but good memories. Thanks for everything!
Lumut, here I come!
December 26, 2007
To all my government-employed friends, here’s wishing you a Happy ‘Bonus’ Day!
Bila belanja?
Remember to spend wisely and save for that rainy day.
December 26, 2007
Regardless of your faith, here’s wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year!
Hope 2008 is full of prosperity and peace.
December 21, 2007
First of all, let me wish everyone a Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha.
Last week, my family (well, not all of them; it would have been very difficult to ferry 40+ people across the border and down to Bintulu, and imagine how many rooms we would have needed!!; it’s just half of them, which is still a lot!) came down to Bintulu. They stayed for 4 days. I loved it; at least it was a nice change from all those lonely nights in the hotel room; eating dinner alone and practically had no human contacts at all. I really did not mind that noise that the kids made.
The family actually enjoyed Bintulu more than I did. Probably it was because I knew I was there for work, while they were there for a holiday. They basically visited all the bigger department stores. On the way down to Bintulu., we stopped by in Miri to exchange some money and I told them not to exchange too much as there would be nothing interesting to buy in Bintulu. How wrong I was later proven! They managed to use up all the RMs on the second day and had to get some more via the ATM. Which was better than exchanging at the only money exhanger in Bintulu, which gave a lousy exchange rate.
I was happy for the kids as well, as the trip did not turn into a shopping-only trip. They went to Taman Tumbina (Tum is from TUMbuhan [flora] and bina is from BINAtang [animal]); it is an animal + flora park. The kids enjoyed the park very much. There were monkeys, deer, crocodiles, mouse deer (pelanduk! pelanduk!) and a tiger among the animals there. It was the first time that some of kids actually saw tiger and crocodiles right in front of their eyes.
Today, it’s Friday and it is one of the two working days that got sandwiched between the two public holiday (Raya Haji and Xmas) and the weekend. So I decided to take today and Monday off; I’m having a six-day weekend!! Yay! But too bad, I have no plan to do much.
Come next Wednesday, I have only three more days to spend in Bintulu before I come back for good. I have to admit that the past 2 weeks I had not been able to keep my enthusiasm up much. The thought that I would be leaving Bintulu and back to work in Lumut was lingering in my mind most of the time. The past week I spent most of the time clearing off my email inbox and personal folder. I realised that I managed to accumulate s**tloads of emails in just 7 months of working there and more than half of them were not work-related!!
I have got some plans for next week: Wednesday I’m going to clear my desk and empty my file cabinets; Thursday I’ll probably bring some food as a farewell gift and in the afternoon I’ll be visiting a new LNG tanker and I’ll spend Friday saying good-byes to friends and colleagues there.
So how was my training assignment in Bintulu I heard you say…. In general, it was good; I made new friends, established networks, saw different equipment, did some things that I never had the chance to do before, etc. One of the highlights was organising the workshop which happened in early September. The effort put in and being recognised by everyone really made it all worthwhile. As with anything else, there are a few disappointments and frustrations along the way, but I think I prefer not to mention them here.
So what would I take home from my assignment there? Well, I have some ideas of what I am going do when I am back and finally sit at THE seat. But until that happens, no one will know; I’d rather keep it a surprise!
My final day in Bintulu will be on Friday, 28 December and I will be back to work in Lumut on 31 December. Anyway, I’d like to thank all the people who made my stay in Bintulu memorable and enjoyable (upto some extend I think!). Also thanks to friends in Brunei whom I might have bored with my constant emails; your emails made the stay in Bintulu bearable and kept me sane!
I do not know how appropriate this song is, but my feeling at the moment is perfectly captured by the song!
December 17, 2007
Considering that I’ve been spending most of the past year in a hotel room somewhere, I was quite alarmed when I got forwarded the following video.
Now I’ve started taking some precautions, such as soaking my glasses in hot water or bringing my own glass. Call me obsessive compulsive, but I rather not get sick, thanks!
December 6, 2007
Saw this video somewhere and thought it was hilarious….
December 3, 2007
The BWN-SYD flight was horrible; the towel that they gave at the beginning of the flight smelled of cockroach, the food sucked and the personal tv monitor did not work for half of the cabin. It was one of the worst flights that I have ever taken.
Stayed in Sydney at a cheap hotel on George Street, one of the famous thoroughfares in Sydney. It was conveniently located near to the Paddy’s Market, the Central Train Station and Chinatown, and within walking distances to Darling Harbour, the main shopping area of Pitt Street and Circular Quay (where you might find the world famous Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge).
What is a visit to Sydney without going to Bondi beach, where one could ogle on bronzed eye candy and a bit more? The guys were enjoying the boobies, while the girls were enjoying the bulges! And yeah, we took the opportunity to top up our tan (not that we weren’t that dark already).
Food is really expensive here. Expect to fork out more than AUS$10 for a meal at a decent restaurant, such Wagamama, Nando and Kasturi. The last two places were halal. There were also the normal McD, Hungry Jack (Australian brand of Burger King, the ocean catch was served on a baguette, rather than in a bun; I thought it was nicer in a baguette), KFC and kebab shops. And there was also Krispy Kreme. I was a Krispy Kreme virgin before the trip; but somehow I found KK might be overhyped?