Sigh...

I wish I dont have to go back to work tomorrow. Its really a torture to think about it. I havent been at work for more than 3 weeks and I am used to not working, its such a wonderful feeling. But there is no excuse, I have to go to work. So tomorrow is the day. So not looking forward to it, but as the saying goes, good things dont last forever. The holiday is over and its time to be back to normal life.

By the way, happy birthday to my beloved mom, she is 64 yesterday and we all had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday at home. Wish you panjang umur, murah rezeki and happy and healthy always. May Allah bless you with abundance of good health and happiness.

The passing of a great star.

The world is shocked today byt the news of MJ death. I came to know about it when hubby texted me at 6.30am and informed me that he has passed. Then I logged into the internet and read all about it. The tv ran its tributes for the King of Pop all day today. What a shame that he was gone, such a talent. I think he was one of the greatest entertainer of all time. Its so sad. I am not a big fan, but I do love his songs. But he was just like any another, a mortal, when its time to go, you would go.

I watched CNN today and saw his body being flown to the Coroner's office for an autopsy, couldnt help but noticed that his body was shrouded with a white cloth like a muslim. And when his brother held a news conference at the UCLA Medical Centre, he said may Allah be with you always, Michael. So I was just wondering about it. Anyway thats not for us to judge or speculate, its between him and Allah.

Another celebrity died on the same day, although not as famous but she was still very much an icon. Didnt know about Farah Fawcett that much but she was on and off the news in recent time, and being a news freak that I am, I knew whats going on with her.

Anyway, thats life. You just cant live forever. Life is just temporary, so you guys make the most of your life. News like this can have an impact on you, I kind of feel sad today. Very strange. Also reminded me of my recent predicament.

Back home

Arrived safely in Brunei yesterday at about 9.30am. Still tired and groggy but all are well. We enjoyed the trip tremendously. New Zealand was such a beautiful country, amid the fear of H1N1 flu which kept on rising rapidly over there, we managed to have a wonderful time. We couldnt get enough of the place, they were breathtakingly pretty, no words could describe it, you just have to see it yourself. Loved the cold weather too, not a problem for us even when it reached -2 degrees in Queenstown, it was still ok. The ski trip and sailing were amazing, our first hand experience, and it was awesome. For the first time too, I experienced snow falling from the sky. Thats something to remember definitely. Pictures will be uploaded on my holiday blog.

For now, life is back to normalcy, not what I am hoping for sooner or later, I must face the fact of life. Back to the old routine, whether I like it or not. Luckily I am still on leave until next time, so its time for me to catch up on my sleep and get plenty of rest.

Nights will be quiet too for the next three weeks and I am hoping time will fly by quickly so we could be together again. Thinking of you and loving you right this minute, as always.

2nd week in NZ

We are into our 2nd week in NZ. So far the weather flactuates alot. Today the weather is in the 15, not so cold but not too hot either. Auckland is warmer than Christchurch so its better here in terms of weather. Its been raining alot too. But not as heavy as we have in Brunei. Its kind of drizzling a bit but it didnt come down to heavy hardcore rain like what we had in Brunei.

No sunlight today yet, the day is kind of dull. We are planning to visit the museum today which is not too far from here. We went to Victoria Park and the market yesterday. The market receives lots of huha huha but it is really not that great. Anyway, its still a good place to visit.

After more than a week here, we came to realise how expensive the city is. Food is so dear, the taxi charges a lot so we use the buses. There is one bus company which charges NZD1.60 to go anywhere around the Auckland city, thats not too bad. So we use that alot. The buses are comfortable too. And one thing that struck me is how polite the people are. They always say hi and thank you to the bus drivers. The shop assistants are polite, with smile and ready to help us. Soooooooooooooo much different from the shop assistants in Brunei where they always have a sour face to greet the customers.

Its easy to find halal food in Auckland too. There are so many halal kebab restaurants, Indian & Thai restaurant and we also came across one Malaysian restaurants although we havent tried that one yet. But we will. So far no problem with food. At the apartment we have our own kitchen and its near a big supermarket called "Foodtown" which caters for every need you have. So its easy in terms of finding what to eat.

The Auckland city is definitely busy especially along the Queen Street. It equivalent to Orchird Road in Singapore. So many people and too much crowd. They have good rows of shops here with branded items and abundance of other expensive stuff like cameras, mobile phones, hi tech audios and videos, so on and so forth. So for those people who said there is not much to shop in Auckland is just so not true! We definitely can find anything here. Just show them your money.

Anyway, will write more later. My parents went for umrah last night, such a pity we were not there to bid them farewell. Its just a phone call to say von vogage and to ask them to text us when they reach Jeddah. Hope all is well and they will have a safe trip.

So much to update and I dont have the time!

We've been in New Zealand for 6 days already and only now I have the time to update the blog. So far the holiday has been awesome! Unbelievable! This place is just amazing. Full of surprises and we are not dissapointment yet, well, maybe a little. The taxi fare is out of this world. Too expensive, so we will try to hire a car instead.

Just got back this afternoon from Christchurch. Its the best place! It really was. Hubby and I even thought of moving there. Its very beautiful, close knit and very warm and friendly. Well, except for the weather of course, its so cold. But since we came prepared we are well wrapped up and all. So no problem there. The trip to Mt Cook yesterday was amazing. Although its a long journey of 5 hrs but the scenery was really pretty. You all should see the snow-capped mountain. Its so picturaque, you wont believe your eyes!

I am not going to post the pictures here. This trip has a special place in my other blog. There going to be lots of pretty and beautiful pictures there, in time. Will post more pictures when we are back in Brunei end of the month.

For now, we are going to enjoy ourselves immensely.

3 days to go!

Now that we are almost there, everything seems to be rushing away. Suddenly we feel like we have so much to do. Yesterday we went around town looking for money changers. We need to have NZD but it seems that there isnt any. We found the currency in Yayasan but it was way too expensive to buy. Hubby and I decided just to exchange our money to other major currencies so we went on to exhange our money with USD and Pounds Sterling. And we did really take all. We still have some more money to change so looks like we will go around town again tomorrow.

Basically we are set to go. We have done the packing, mostly. I think we need to buy my girls some more pants. So thats need to be taken care of too this weekend.

Time in the office also flies by. Been busy today, I went to Lean initiatives in SCOT, and we got the chance to see the control room which is under renovation. We are there to gather information and data from the operators and technician for the value streaming. We need to be clear of the process before we can apply Lean. Too bad I wont be there for the whole of June so I couldnt join all the fun.

Jerudong Beach Sunset

More pictures on the photography blog.

Fun and busy weekend

Lets see what happened this weekend.

My weekend started with a good hot stone massage at DeStress on saturday. This time I chose May to do the massage for me. I went to her last time, she was really good but not last saturday, I think she lost the rhythm. I would prefer Arissa instead. Anyhow, it was quite relaxing and I feel refreshed and relax. In the afternoon, hubby and I went out for some more shopping but we didnt actually get what we want. He was looking for a thermal shirt and me for a comfortable shirt to wear in the plane. We went round and round but to no avail. Then dinner at Aminah Arif, we had ambuyat for dinner, which is always yummy and one of hubby's fav food. As usual my girl opted for her favourite Kolo Mee.

On sunday we started the shirt hunting again. As usual we went out to buy breakfast at the tamu, and I had my favourite nasi lemak, hubby only had some simple kuih, as usual. Then we went out with my girl in tow and continue our shopping. We went to Manggis Mall since hubby found out there was a Nikon roadshow over there. So we went there and found what we were looking for! I got my so nice Polo Tee shirt and hubby bought a new Nikon flash for B$300! My girl also bought a very nice purple colour Bum Equipment T-shirt. So we were are a happy lot! Lunch at Selera Alam in Delima Square, not too bad, buffet that costed us B$5.80 per person. The cheapest buffet we've ever encountered so far.

In the afternoon, hubby wanted to sedekah to the children in our neighbourhood so I cooked a big pot of sphagetti, with mince beef, sausages and mushroom. We called the children and gave them a packet each. They went away a happy bunch as well.

In the late afternoon, we went to the Jerudong beach to watch the sunset. Its been a long time since we went there, to any beach for that matter. We took some lovely pictures of the beach, the rocks and sunset. They were definitely very pretty. We spent about any hour at the beach, it was really peaceful although there were lots of people there watching the sunset.

Will upload some of the pictures tonight if I have the time. We went home around 7.00pm, had dinner and call it a day. Its a very exhausting but fun weekend.

American Idol

Now this is over, we all can have our peace and quiet, I mean I can now look for a different kind of stress reliever show for a change after a few months of American Idol. It was ok, I must say its a good entertainment and good stress relieving channel, after a long day at work in the middle of the week, then came AI, good to help me to wind down and end the day. And I love the finale, very entertaining and I love all the songs. Thats what I called good taste.

Jalan Sg Tampoi improvement project.

Its in progress and in full swing. Our concrete bridge was demolished last week and we are waiting for a new one which is currently in progress. And we are now using a makeshift temporary bridge to get in and out. Took some pictures of the bridge as it looks like now, hubby said it looked like the bridge was hit by a bomb. It is indeed!

So, flood... stay away!

Makan this week

Set lunch at Kate's in Wisma Yakin Kuala Belait, for $6.00 consisted of soft drink, soup of the day, lamb curry for hubby and chicken for me, and dessert, a piece of cake and one scope of ice cream (forgot to take pic of the soup). Not bad.

Lunch at Delifrance in Miri in the weekend.

Cant wait to get out of here.

Thats not exactly me but symbolises how I feel in the office right now. Too many work to be done, not to mention pending requests from people. I know I can only do so much but some people just didnt get it. This job come with a price and as everyone knows Shell expect the best from people. Thats how we survive but there are times when its so impossible to please everyone especially if you are responsible for over 200 people. I am trying my best in my job. But there are things that are just beyond my control since we have our processes and procedures. Sometimes people are just desperate to get the work done but they oversee that we dont have all the power in the world like magic. That we cannot just rush things and everything is ready and done with the next day.

That is why I am so looking forward to have my long break in 2 weeks. You wont see me for about a month, I will just dissapear into thin air and nobody could do anything about it. You have to live without me for a month!

It will be my first long leave since I joined this department a year ago, and its about time too. I sure need the break away from all the office craps. I will be on my dream holiday with my beloved. Nothing else matters when we soak ourselves in the immensity of the midst of our holiday location. And work and office will be the furthest from my mind, amid temporarily but still it feels so good.

Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers!

Including me.

My girl presented me with 3 cupcakes in purple colour. Each cake represented with the words, I love mom. Thanks my darling, you are the best daughter in the world. And I am feeling so guilty when I lost my temper with you earlier. Its just that being stuck in traffic at your school compound and couldnt reach you by phone although it kept on ringing made me so stressful. You didnt answer my call and I lost it. I scolded you for not answering the phone and you just sat there and cried. Little did I know you had that cupcakes on your lap and you didnt have the chance to give it to me, until we reached home. You said its a surprise for me since its mothers day. I felt pangs of sadness all of sudden and I cried too. I know I shouldnt said all those words that can be hurtful to you but I just wish next time you would answer your phone. There is no point to bring it to school if you kept it on silent mode and you didnt answer. I know I had my point and I hope you understand how important it is for you to answer the calls.

Again I am so sorry. But I am glad that we were ok again, after those tears then came our laughter and we both finished the cupcakes in just a few minutes. I tell you it was really yummy. Thanks dear, for thinking of your old mom. I will cherish all the memories that we share until the end of time. You are so thoughtful and so caring. Love you always and you are the best daughter any mom could ever had.

The HLP blood test.

Gotta blog about this test, so excited with it. Last week we had HLP screening & blood test, as I said a must to all Shell employees, done every 3 years. Got the result today and it was much better than I expected, my sugar level is ok, still within the safe limit, Alhamdulilah. My cholesterol, not so good, a bit on the higher side but overall the result was better than the one I did last Jan. I've lost a few kg too which is ok, not much but better than nothing, thats without exercising, only reducing my food intake. Imagine what I can do if I go for exercise and focus on it. Of course I am still overweight but thats something I am not suprise about, I have been this size as far as I can remember so whats new?

The only vice I need to improve on is exercise. Not an easy task if you have to work too far away, reach home by 6pm, have to rush to shower and pray then think about on what to cook every evening, I just dont have the time. I know thats is so cliche, so I am not going to defend myself, I know I should find the time. There is always not enough time no matter what. I just have to find the time.

We did do some exercise a few months back, we always went to Damuan every weekend, did some brisk walk at OGDC or Anduki Park after work but now its drying off, not sure why. So now I just need to get back on it, and fast...

Happy Birthday to my beloved girl.

Happy 15th birthday Ayang.

Its that time of the year again for you to become a young lady. Today you are 15th years old. My little girl is all grown up. I know you always look forward to your birthday and today I hope you feel the same. Its a beautiful day today, you woke up to a bright and sunny day as always. Since its sunday we are treating you to birthday lunch with the whole family. You liked it but your begged us not to give you a birthday cake, because you are just so shy and dont want the attention. I felt bad since every year I never missed giving you a birthday cake and a birthday party. But this year its different. You didnt want any of that. You said you are all grown up and didnt need all the fuss. And your dad and I respected that. So we only gave you a beautiful watch, with your favourite purple colour as your birthday gift. You loved it when I gave it to you so early in the morning the moment you opened your eyes. Love those glittering in your eyes.

Anyway, to my beautiful daughter... Here is hoping you gonna have a wonderful year. May Allah bless you with abundance of good health and happiness. May all your dreams come true, darling. Mom and dad love you so much and want everything turn out well in your life. I know you are on the verge of all the beautiful things in life as an adult and I do hope you would be able to face life on the face with faith and dignity.

All the best to you my sweetheart. You are in my prayers every day. I said this with tears in my eyes, I know you have been through alot in your life and I hope life will treat you fairly. I hope you would thrive in your life, study hard and be strong. Love you always and forever. From Mommy & Dad.