It’s now almost the end of the year. The year has seen its ups and downs. The year that saw me grow a year older, but not necessarily wiser. So here’s just a list of some of my highlights and lowlights of the year.
Highlights:
In January, I returned to Lumut after a seven-month work assignment in Bintulu. Eventually in February, I was appointed to my current position.
In end of January, I joined the work visit to Kuala Ingai, Ulu Belait.
The various TM HLP events, including the visit to Pusat Ehsan, the badminton tournament and the fun sports day.
Manchester United winning the Barclays Premier League, the European Champions League and the World Club Championship.
The holidays that I had with friends and family.
Making new friends.
Lowlights:
The times when I felt quite frustrated with work and thought that I was not made for it.
The betrayed trust that you heaped upon someone you thought you could trust.
This disagreement that I had with one of the girls at work, resulting in us not talking to each other until now.
Lastly, I am off for the new year and will only be back on Sunday. Have a safe and enjoyable new year celebration. Don’t drink and drive.
One of the initiatives that I introduced as I took over the post of the Head of Lab was to introduce a voluntary monthly contribution to a fund which would be used for a dinner at the end of the year. Out of thirteen people, ten people contributed.
On Saturday, we had our end-of-year dinner at the Poolside of the Royal Brunei Recreation Club. Unfortunately, one of us could not attend as he was on the duty team and was called in to do some work.
The barbeque dinner at the restaurant takes place only twice a month, i.e. the first and last Saturdays of the month. I had expected it to be busy, but alas, we occupied 2 tables, out of seven prepared. Another table was occupied by a family and another by a couple. At one point, when the chefs came out from the kitchen, I felt that the number of restaurant staff almost equal the number of diners that evening. The range of food was not as extensive as I expected and I would rate the food to be just above average. The soup was salty, despite being sent back to the kitchen to be ‘modified’. Barbequed items consisted of lamb, beef, seafood and chicken. There were some main dish items, such as fried rice and vegetables, but I did not touch any of them. Desserts were forgettable.
There was a live band playing that evening, though I preferred our two most junior colleague serenading us!
We also played secret santa, we all brought unmarked gift, to be exchanged with the others. In the end, I got this set from an ‘anonymous’ person….
Here’s wishing Happy Birthday to my niece, Sarinah, whose birthday falls today. Mudahan sihat selalu. Sorry, I do not have your picture on my laptop, so I will try to post it nanti lah.
As 2008 nears its end, it is probably a good idea to look back and see if any of my resolutions (here and here) were achieved….
I will post regularly….. – yeah, I am now averaging more than 20 posts per month….
I will exercise more…. – yeah, I think I have been exercising more. But I need to do more than just badminton.
I will lose that extra weight…. – hmmm, judging from my last health check, I don’t think I have actually lost weight; I actually gained some more….. Could have done better!
I will improve my photography skills…. I like to think that I have improved, judging by comments I received from people on some pictures that I posted on this blogs and other sites. But I have been quite lazy to pick up my camera lately and that can hardly help to improve further, right??
I will not procastinate at work…. This is something I wished I could improve better. I do clear “my things to do” list but they could have been more quickly done. Done, but could be better.
I will try to be less careless with my religious obligations…. I do not think I have done much headway with this, unfortunately. Must improve……
It’s 27th Dec today and I have a few more days to think of my new year resolutions. Will get back to you on that one soon……
Regardless of your faith, here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Hope it is peaceful, happy and fun.
For some people, today is the start of a very long weekend. Whatever you do, please be safe. Drive with care and eat in moderation. And enjoy the loooooonnnnggggg weekend……
It is always saddening to hear when someone died in a circumstance that you could relate to.
I just heard that a man in his early 40s collapsed after playing badminton this evening at a badminton hall in Kuala Belait. He later died at the KB Hospital. I would guess the most probable cause of death is heart attack.
This is not the first time that I heard someone died after playing badminton locally. At least there were three people who died in a similar circumstance. And there were some well-known sport personalities who died from heart attack while playing sports, such as footballers Marc-Vivien Foe (of Manchester City) and Miklos Feher (of Benfica).
The news made me think: how much sports can we do before it starts to harm us? As Prez rightly asked later: what should come first: good health or exercise? Perhaps, we should do things in moderation.
My thoughts and prayers go to the family of the deceased. Al-Fatihah….
Did you notice something was not right on the front page of today’s Borneo Bulletin?
There was nothing about Brunei at all!
None of the events that happened in Brunei yesterday was worthy to be put on the front page, apparently. Somehow, the ‘national’ debate on the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English in Malaysian schools made it to the front page. Granted, there was nothing particularly interesting happened yesterday in Brunei, but at least put the wonderful story of four students who were being sent to Singapore to further their studies. Or, the news about the mini landslide. Or, just put something, albeit a news snippet.
If you were foreigner in Brunei and were looking for a Bruneian paper, you would forgiven for not picking up Borneo Bulletin today as you might mistake it for a non-Bruneian paper!
Yes Man is a story about a man whose life dooms to be spent at home alone watching rented movies and crying over his failed marriage. After a reluctant attendance to a self-help workshop, he changes his life by saying yes to everything. The movie is based on a ture story and a book by British humourist Danny Wallace. Jim Carrey stars in the movie alongside Zooey Deschanel, whom I last saw in The Happening.
So what did I think of the movie? I did not like it at all. The movie lacked a credible storyline and hence, it did not have much plot. Yes, it was good for the brain; but the movie was practically empty. Jim Carrey was in his usual slapstick mode, which tend to get over the top at times. The movie depended too much on Jim’s slapstick and physical humour to keep its audience riveted to the screen. For the first time ever, I was quite tempted to leave before the end credit rolled, but I sympathised with the couple next to me; they were embracing for most of the movie and I did not want to break them apart if I were to leave.
Reviews were mixed. Check out its review before you decide to watch it. Yes Man? More like no!
Bulgemeister 