tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127207612024-03-07T17:02:55.274+08:00A Blog Without a TitleJust the content of liferonckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-4042913440920628472020-02-09T23:11:00.000+08:002020-02-09T23:27:34.599+08:00Coronavirus I am sure most of you by now would've heard about the virus that's grappling the world. Novel Coronavirus (nCoV2019) or earlier known as Wuhan virus (from where it originated i.e. Wuhan, China). As of writing, <a href="https://thewuhanvirus.com/" target="_blank">the death toll is at 815 deaths with 37,600 infected cases and spreading.</a> Thankfully, there are still no cases reported yet in Brunei.<br />
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However, <a href="https://borneobulletin.com.bn/bruneian-tourist-student-evacuated-wuhan-2/" target="_blank">I was extremely impressed with the Government of HM who has decided to conduct an evacuation operation to retrieve two Bruneians (a tourist & a student) stuck in Wuhan during this outbreak.</a> A friend of mine told me that this type of evacuation at the very least would cost about $90k given the fact that an entire plane would need to be chartered. What more, our national carrier doesn't usually fly a direct route to Wuhan. So a lot of diplomatic exchange/communication had to be carried out to rescue two of the country's citizens. Though whether or not there are any costs required to be borne by these two, I am not sure (although highly unlikely). But while following on this piece of news, I've also learned that for American citizens who are stuck in a crisis and require evacuation assistance by the US Government, they are required to reimburse the cost back at a later stage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Google search result on "Do American citizens have to pay for evacuation".</td></tr>
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Thankful to be a Bruneian.ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-23460574844942852702020-01-06T17:29:00.002+08:002020-01-06T17:29:27.003+08:00New Year, New DecadeIt’s that time of the year again where I suddenly feel like I need to post an update on this very neglected site. But maybe this time I’ll actually put in more effort to try and update more because I’ve decided to go on a social media detox.<br />
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Ron? Off social media?!<b> *gasps* </b></div>
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More on that at a later stage to dive into my thoughts on why I decide to do it.<br />
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But another year has arrived! We’ve made it to 2020. A very happy new year to everyone who might happen to come across this post. </div>
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ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-33484418282372651302019-05-10T17:53:00.001+08:002019-05-10T17:53:58.195+08:00Influencers epidemic You’d think at this very stage in our lives where our worlds are so connected through all forms of social media platforms made available, the world would be a closer knit community where friendships grow closer through daily interactions. Friends can choose to be accountable for each other through a simple message. Memories can be shared easily amongst families across Facebook.<br />
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But personally, I feel the rise of the “social influencers culture” is making social media a disease. Everybody wants to be an influencer. Everybody is aiming for the X number of likes targets. Your value as a human being is being judged based on the number of followers you have. The focus on being Insta/Youtube famous is so crazy that people are no longer using social media to actually interact or communicate with each other but to promote themselves and to make a brand out of themselves. </div>
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Nobody has the time to response to messages on Whatsapp anymore because any time that is available are dedicated to coming up with another post on Instagram or Youtube to satisfy followers in return for likes. Otherwise, it’ll be scrolling through an endless feed and double tapping away. People are no longer acknowledging each other’s existence unless you’ve posted something up on your Instagram story within 24 hour. Ignoring each other has now become a norm. </div>
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I feel like I’m already living in an episode of Black Mirror.</div>
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Also decided to post this up here because, it’s been a while. Been a long while actually. Still constantly telling myself one of these days, I’ll dedicate more time to jotting down more thoughts on this site but like the rest of the world, I’m also caught up with Instagram. The need to constantly refresh my feed and tapping on likes, the paranoia of offending people after putting up a post / Instagram story and potentially losing followers. The social pressure of trying to be relevant and keeping up with trends. It’s a daily battle that can really take a toll on your mental health.</div>
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No wonder the number of depression cases are increasing annually. </div>
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ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-28802416927370533532019-01-15T14:35:00.001+08:002019-01-15T14:36:48.334+08:00Happy New Year!A little late but here we are in the year 2019. It’s crazy because I told myself that for 2018, I was hoping to start blogging a little bit more frequently. And now it’s another year. But in all honesty, 2018 for me wasn’t as eventful as I would like it to be. Managed to get back into the workforce in May and pretty much from then on, it was work, work and work.<br />
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So much so that I realized in the entire year of 2018, I did not travel anywhere at all. But for New Year’s Eve, I managed to score some decent flight tickets for Kuching via RB. Since I've never been to Kuching before, we decided it would be a nice little getaway to welcome 2019.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV6hCQSItJ41-OjdvTxCvRkMbEwhVHJxItQvkQkLCuOdZbXCDkzPBZOtTaUQElECuFmXOcDBIDd4HlZ8sfuhEV0bZk8h2YgMtjzjoiR212g78YNkDTLZ8EermcDngznC8sieS/s1600/33835E74-0DA0-4081-9E9A-BFB986FF7F03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV6hCQSItJ41-OjdvTxCvRkMbEwhVHJxItQvkQkLCuOdZbXCDkzPBZOtTaUQElECuFmXOcDBIDd4HlZ8sfuhEV0bZk8h2YgMtjzjoiR212g78YNkDTLZ8EermcDngznC8sieS/s640/33835E74-0DA0-4081-9E9A-BFB986FF7F03.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boarding our flight on New Year’s Eve at 11:45pm. Experienced the most hilarious countdown to New Year on RB flight. </td></tr>
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Got in to Kuching at about 1am, checked in to Pullman and pretty much crashed. We stayed for 4 days 3 nights with Pullman Kuching. Personally, if it’s your first time to Kuching, I wouldn’t recommend staying there as it’s a little out of the way as compared to other hotels that are much more central located. The only thing we enjoyed about our stay with Pullman is the view of Kuching City as the hotel itself is located on top of the hill. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LmVT7mBEcuQhLEktYdA3YSBIE0aHIWYnwrZsFJB2PntFgjzyys8u5eerJqToMH_ZKH3nHYqJQ-72eovvc5IDYEHa0o4tyalUNsbX-m12cJkgUFNPKa0db0O__cmQYkwWiOMQ/s1600/0E64DFDF-A880-49A7-B330-493E159ADACB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LmVT7mBEcuQhLEktYdA3YSBIE0aHIWYnwrZsFJB2PntFgjzyys8u5eerJqToMH_ZKH3nHYqJQ-72eovvc5IDYEHa0o4tyalUNsbX-m12cJkgUFNPKa0db0O__cmQYkwWiOMQ/s640/0E64DFDF-A880-49A7-B330-493E159ADACB.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Kuching from our 12th floor room.</td></tr>
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I find that Kuching is a well balanced mix between Miri and KK. Decent malls for shopping (Vivacity & The Springs) and lots of selection for good food. We didn't manage to try all the street food that Kuching is known for cause I'm not a foodie person and there's only 2 of us but if you guys are into doing those, you'd be able to visit quite a few highly rated stuff as recommended by Tripadvisor. Here are some of the pictures I managed to snap during our trip there.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZpidpguzeyaKuQBE5t2d-bsukPMTExMWD-qZrJ8ZyugcUayuKnc_lo6-Z7gmS03C8-SIcv8_NXPNSKdR-WZEeaBCAU6ljxOD5mbHwpezp6kOcjt7gn1pd75QJdm-RQTTxJk6/s1600/9A905351-D1BE-4D15-ABB9-66062FA0DFAC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimZpidpguzeyaKuQBE5t2d-bsukPMTExMWD-qZrJ8ZyugcUayuKnc_lo6-Z7gmS03C8-SIcv8_NXPNSKdR-WZEeaBCAU6ljxOD5mbHwpezp6kOcjt7gn1pd75QJdm-RQTTxJk6/s640/9A905351-D1BE-4D15-ABB9-66062FA0DFAC.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">We stumbled upon this really chic bar / bistro place for our first night. And it turns out the owner of the place is a mutual friend of ours from New Zealand. Food was amazing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous bridge connecting the north / south of Kuching.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKmNjXorn-7EK0HQUe8W5qhrKYObMzqlSBNgsvLrWXg1tk8HG-40n7ppGtozI9iq2JaLL5ikmiY7JEW42lRvYeVMe0kSbotEVhsVP6fnZ-9uJtsPLXTnPJXoaB_WBVKq8Ug3/s1600/7FF6244E-E95B-496C-AA68-BF51D4536993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKGKmNjXorn-7EK0HQUe8W5qhrKYObMzqlSBNgsvLrWXg1tk8HG-40n7ppGtozI9iq2JaLL5ikmiY7JEW42lRvYeVMe0kSbotEVhsVP6fnZ-9uJtsPLXTnPJXoaB_WBVKq8Ug3/s640/7FF6244E-E95B-496C-AA68-BF51D4536993.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KfSi1y8YC4w21dqSRI3zTnN7LVbbQFFuPZM6CoQGa2Ew7IssMHJVN6DCzKOkb_WJgjCJO81MfcESl8QCsJranCzZVxQL09TFiElet2yql_zkIlbg_zkum_67EEB6EFvI_kdf/s1600/94A4663D-7C26-47A6-9647-CE3C586FF302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KfSi1y8YC4w21dqSRI3zTnN7LVbbQFFuPZM6CoQGa2Ew7IssMHJVN6DCzKOkb_WJgjCJO81MfcESl8QCsJranCzZVxQL09TFiElet2yql_zkIlbg_zkum_67EEB6EFvI_kdf/s640/94A4663D-7C26-47A6-9647-CE3C586FF302.JPG" width="427" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTK7WvfN_yB3MXX2YlLZPfekg2UaNgGB7gR_0qADBOMcN2iwmj61NT6STAvIZCjGxm3Nu6V5BZYcX9LEnsKMBjiXzAHKkiJkaCccr7JqFQk9h8DLDADXQdpQOhS97jo4tSsKI/s1600/1DF391CE-5E81-4CC8-A4D0-29D8499F58AB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTK7WvfN_yB3MXX2YlLZPfekg2UaNgGB7gR_0qADBOMcN2iwmj61NT6STAvIZCjGxm3Nu6V5BZYcX9LEnsKMBjiXzAHKkiJkaCccr7JqFQk9h8DLDADXQdpQOhS97jo4tSsKI/s640/1DF391CE-5E81-4CC8-A4D0-29D8499F58AB.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The city is also filled with really nice artwork too which reminds me of Penang. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpY9jtaFKWLRAzZMIPuzohep5Yj-N1-s8vAgwqLpsbGVsFN5Yx-bSeMnzfwgKXCA3DVtX0a6uuWOg9E4x0cE9nxIzKUSONXaigJs6GzA_nDHfODbtcCD7l0MqdsGNIMzT7ubN/s1600/1432F577-8672-46EA-9FBB-95BD23A7B24A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpY9jtaFKWLRAzZMIPuzohep5Yj-N1-s8vAgwqLpsbGVsFN5Yx-bSeMnzfwgKXCA3DVtX0a6uuWOg9E4x0cE9nxIzKUSONXaigJs6GzA_nDHfODbtcCD7l0MqdsGNIMzT7ubN/s640/1432F577-8672-46EA-9FBB-95BD23A7B24A.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And on our last night, we decided to try this fusion Asian restaurant. It was amazing. </td></tr>
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Considering that now RB has re-launched a direct flight to Kuching, I foresee more Bruneians will soon be making their way there during the school holidays just to get away from the usual KK / Miri trip. The only annoyance I have with RB's direct flight is their timing & the frequency of flights there but hopefully once there are more demand for this flight route, they'll be able to sort it out.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little hop for Cat City that is Kuching!</td></tr>
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ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-86736597706784307422018-03-26T00:55:00.003+08:002018-03-26T20:03:59.354+08:00Back to the workout grind with Aaptiv!<b>I haven't worked out for a full year.</b> No, really. Like I legit have not broken a sweat at all for one full year ever since I started juggling 2 jobs a year ago. Before that, I've always been semi-active incorporating a routine of some sort but ever since landing a part-time job while being a full-time banker, I'd just laze around whenever I get any downtime.<br />
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Let's take a step down memory lane. Here's an old video I compiled when I was extremely active with my weight loss journey which started 10 years ago. Please excuse the mullet hairstyle. No idea why I thought it was a great idea at that time. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx33uldjAbCkG0QNSE_41i9HKvcrO0QhGA6YD-W4vpjoHMqbPVD5mqA9-5LXrpkOqtgroN7K3Wy7yg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I remember the commitment and perseverance with squeezing time in the gym every single day to achieve my weight loss goal. It became addictive. I'd sacrifice my social time with family and friends just to attend a fitness class. The gym became a priority in life. Everything else came second. My routine of squeezing in a workout after work each day and on weekends was untouchable.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Doing a Les Mills Body Attack exhibition at The Mall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxKoIcb2z7zD6KBUbgM0Mb2ZZtEqP4idB7_iS6sfnRGD8Dchmtb_ZEfIjK25PS8Q_bQCaamGqw39Cyvp1gvmrWLZe0f7alpJp5lffRbwixTW3DNR3LHmJsBa4Vy11kjUf0Ist/s1600/2314_55995036113_4707_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="384" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxKoIcb2z7zD6KBUbgM0Mb2ZZtEqP4idB7_iS6sfnRGD8Dchmtb_ZEfIjK25PS8Q_bQCaamGqw39Cyvp1gvmrWLZe0f7alpJp5lffRbwixTW3DNR3LHmJsBa4Vy11kjUf0Ist/s640/2314_55995036113_4707_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">2009 - The day I flew off to NZ. I think I was at 75kgs here.</td></tr>
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<div>
Then I moved to New Zealand. Even before moving over, I've already signed up for a 1-year membership at Les Mills without knowing how far the gym was from my dorm but - I was determined to keep my routine up. Unfortunately, I underestimated how time-consuming it was to be a full-time student and how expensive it would cost me to maintain a membership with one of the expensive gyms in the country - especially when I no longer had any sustainable income. So after my 1-year membership ended, I stopped.</div>
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<div>
And so gradually, the weight started creeping back in. But not immediately as back then, my main mode of transport of getting around was by walking so that help kept my weight at a reasonable level. Plus, I still kept up with doing a couple of runs and hikes every now and then in New Zealand cause some days, you just can't say no to a beautiful weather outside. Not when you're in New Zealand.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5GP2Z4qgFz_MpeYg3Gs2ukdlVH_AjBzA3QHkgXB3dcA_SAE-cQNKM_WLYYXjB4c50huhLNGwzC8j-OHkENLU6gNBlNnLhdgBP-FL9yVO7n8VO0X4AJs_drqyFBaKLX58ybOq/s1600/26938_410953274288_3797364_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="720" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga5GP2Z4qgFz_MpeYg3Gs2ukdlVH_AjBzA3QHkgXB3dcA_SAE-cQNKM_WLYYXjB4c50huhLNGwzC8j-OHkENLU6gNBlNnLhdgBP-FL9yVO7n8VO0X4AJs_drqyFBaKLX58ybOq/s640/26938_410953274288_3797364_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tongariro Crossing. </td></tr>
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</div>
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<div>
Fast forward to 2014, moving back to Brunei. With wedding preparations underway and the effort to look good on my wedding day, I still kept up with incorporating some workout routine without committing to a gym due to financial constraints <i>(and saving up for my wedding)</i>. But I was still determined and that kept me going. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aVI7VC6FAW-gYlT3IT9Ct4LXJ6AK3cAnRn2Z-xnRPQiWmDWrlxXeuAeZ2NdVTUUR2xOtIMJNLfuxIRV3gO7pYpepIzndy3bLTicG8TherdjyXqyfXTAYpFIzrmG5b5__cvFI/s1600/Ron+and+Calla-243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aVI7VC6FAW-gYlT3IT9Ct4LXJ6AK3cAnRn2Z-xnRPQiWmDWrlxXeuAeZ2NdVTUUR2xOtIMJNLfuxIRV3gO7pYpepIzndy3bLTicG8TherdjyXqyfXTAYpFIzrmG5b5__cvFI/s640/Ron+and+Calla-243.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Still looking somewhat dapper on the big day. </td></tr>
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Post wedding - Calla & I started exploring the world of Crossfit mainly due to a lot of persuasion from friends who are already doing it. Committed to doing it for about a year when I realised the weight wasn't coming off mainly due to a bigger appetite from all the intense weight lighting involved. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Crossfit is bad or anything but I personally believe every individual body is unique and different. What works for you might not work for others. The only thing I did gain from doing Crossfit for a year was having a better mentality when I am being pushed out of my comfort zone. There's no greater achievement than hitting your personal record (PR) or getting that additional rep in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhsBKBvAfaV01ppNUmLomXsPA8XZNxmCW52A19ItzhmH2qy7dtjEH7DBkK-bL44VaiAsLgiGZ66jvL6DFe8VnVB960UFF3gExeNNjRbQ5-HjKox9CmKrs8JqvMTtOklEfCGu3/s1600/IMG_9480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhsBKBvAfaV01ppNUmLomXsPA8XZNxmCW52A19ItzhmH2qy7dtjEH7DBkK-bL44VaiAsLgiGZ66jvL6DFe8VnVB960UFF3gExeNNjRbQ5-HjKox9CmKrs8JqvMTtOklEfCGu3/s640/IMG_9480.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Doing the 2016 opens. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV9nDZrwCSAYMx-eiSn0X3b1xuWIbfFPOlxYuC3rS8_cvtQ4r0f9fQiuYirGa76tLNEvhXoTVQFabp_jQZX14PB_v1aSZQXp7gcVRw2Yvg96WWXrkoGnsoLEcAxQHDdutsL4Y/s1600/JSHA0091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV9nDZrwCSAYMx-eiSn0X3b1xuWIbfFPOlxYuC3rS8_cvtQ4r0f9fQiuYirGa76tLNEvhXoTVQFabp_jQZX14PB_v1aSZQXp7gcVRw2Yvg96WWXrkoGnsoLEcAxQHDdutsL4Y/s640/JSHA0091.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Post 16.4 for Crossfit Opens 2016. </td></tr>
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By the end of 2016, I just decided to let myself go. I started putting on the weight even faster without realizing it and constantly told myself tomorrow I'll start eating better and start working out. Then I landed another part-time job as a radio DJ which took up even more of my time. When you're juggling between two jobs, any free time you get, you'd tend to savour it. I find myself lazing on the bed, browsing through social media and playing my mobile games. And this has been my routine for almost a year throughout 2017. I felt miserable, tired and defeated.<br />
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Then it was time to say goodbye to being a full-time banker <a href="http://www.ronaldkkcheng.com/2018/01/new-year-same-me.html" target="_blank">as the bank I was employed with was winding down</a>. Which means, I get a good chunk of free time now and only had a part-time job to sustain me. But excuses started creeping in. One year of stagnation can really drag everything down. And my body has gotten used to it while my mind was just constantly trying to assure me that I'm not <i>that</i> fat yet.<br />
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Everyone's got a turning point when it comes to working out. 10 years ago, I just decided to do it because I hated how my body looked. And that was my drive. Now that all the hard work I've put in is gone, I just gave up. I've started joking with friends that I've embraced a dad body even before I'm a dad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLLGKslJ7AclmQrN3VJ3jVYdgDP8CymRRI-onmrOLXymHeO575wrHDTT-9uZ7v6eFySnGpUyXdlr0W6ID0-AXzc9Ws8xmUzcgYeOjdzMb1kdEE0P0NHusP0YYLYmWPY-hJXtO/s1600/IMG_5753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1280" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLLGKslJ7AclmQrN3VJ3jVYdgDP8CymRRI-onmrOLXymHeO575wrHDTT-9uZ7v6eFySnGpUyXdlr0W6ID0-AXzc9Ws8xmUzcgYeOjdzMb1kdEE0P0NHusP0YYLYmWPY-hJXtO/s640/IMG_5753.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Fat face me taken at the end of 2017. </td></tr>
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Honestly, I just didn't know at what point I will start working out. I was constantly making up excuses after excuses. Mind you, there is also a free gym literally next to the radio station which I did not utilize. I remember pathetically telling myself I'll only start a routine once I get a full-time job with this company. It was only until I randomly received a DM via Instagram from an old friend that told things to my face for a good ol' wake up call.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImVvix1GdSOnlJBbq5VjDjIHDiKjnSu_iz8wr2kL33L2SLLBI-9nXJVc5O0_oA8Qs1SkSbQhwkcZEyUdcQNac0eB5YHqsd9V1uI9FgB94rai3ObpjzTTO28fe7d3JNmh_GQrg/s1600/IMG_1259.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="739" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImVvix1GdSOnlJBbq5VjDjIHDiKjnSu_iz8wr2kL33L2SLLBI-9nXJVc5O0_oA8Qs1SkSbQhwkcZEyUdcQNac0eB5YHqsd9V1uI9FgB94rai3ObpjzTTO28fe7d3JNmh_GQrg/s640/IMG_1259.PNG" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Being told as it is.</td></tr>
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And there I was, defeated. I knew at this point, I've hit rock bottom. I didn't even bother defending myself and admitted that I haven't worked out for a year. But like the saying goes, once you've hit the bottom, there's only one way to go. Up. And so that snarky remark became my motivation again. But where do I start? That was the big question. Just when I was asking myself that, a divine intervention in the form of a random sponsored ad <i>(or more like thanks to my browsing pattern)</i> about <a href="https://aaptiv.com/" target="_blank">Aaptiv</a> appeared on my Instagram feed. Took a good look at it and read a lot of reviews about it. It sounded promising. Plus, they were running a promotion for USD $66.99 (BND $94.20) for a year's subscription. That's pretty much USD $5.86 (BND $7.85) a month for a PT led + music session a month. I bit the bullet and just went for it telling myself I'll get around to using it eventually.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">NO REGRETS. </span></b><br />
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After signing up with <a href="http://www.aaptiv.com/" target="_blank">Aaptiv</a>, it took me another month or so to actually use the app<i> (thanks, Chinese New Year holiday)</i>. I started by making a deal with myself i.e. to commit 30 minutes of my day to do any workout. No excuses. Even if I'm feeling lazy, I need to spend just 30 minutes to sweat it out. Be it a simple walk around the neighbourhood or even 30 minutes of air squats. Just 30 minutes. And that's what got me started. Then I really explored <a href="https://aaptiv.com/" target="_blank">Aaptiv</a> and was blown away by the variety of exercises you can choose from. The workouts range from beginner to advanced with duration of 10 minutes up to 50+ minutes. Best part of it all? You've got a trainer telling you what to do in your ears and there are even different genres of music that comes with the workout. I just did a 50 minutes walk with love songs today. Never even thought that would be possible (working out to love songs).<br />
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Now, this is just the beginning of my 2.0 journey so, unfortunately, no six pack success story to wrap this post up just yet. However, a little humble brag from yours truly here, I've been on a roll for 2 weeks in now. From not working out at all for a full 365+ days to working out consecutively 2 weeks in a row. You bet your ass I'm damn proud of it. Even if I'm not, at least my wife is. On good days, I'll do more than 30 minutes while on my lazy days, I'll just stick with 30 minutes. And I'm already seeing slow progress on the scale. Not big numbers yet but at least it's dropping bit by bit.<br />
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So here's to a renewed mind, spirit and body for 2018! Let's go get it! </div>
ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-37782272974832138292018-02-15T18:01:00.002+08:002018-02-15T18:02:22.870+08:00Christian<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9T1bH0ZG63hh-fG1XdaWD4Pn-Q2nlpzC0iajpb_azjQ5EEEwVid75AyThsa_h-F0h71IgFw8ffimvlZhuGnMDN0esqTYNVR9y1hBBXwQJYhTRPrRK_YFijqzc4JXQBguZ7dO/s1600/IMG_1130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9T1bH0ZG63hh-fG1XdaWD4Pn-Q2nlpzC0iajpb_azjQ5EEEwVid75AyThsa_h-F0h71IgFw8ffimvlZhuGnMDN0esqTYNVR9y1hBBXwQJYhTRPrRK_YFijqzc4JXQBguZ7dO/s640/IMG_1130.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's tomb. </td></tr>
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On Tuesday, my family and I stopped by the Berakas Christian cemetery to pay my dad a visit on the anniversary of his death. 13th February 2017 marks his 11th year after losing his battle with pancreatic cancer. I am dreading the day when I hit the age where I've lived longer without a dad than I have with one. But such is the reality of life as I would tell myself. The more I think about it, it's not death that I fear but more of his existence that will soon be forgotten. Gradually, there will come a point in time where people will just look at the tomb and wondered who Andrew Cheng is. And that sucks. While on the topic of death, I happened to see a quote somewhere that also changed my perspective of it.<br />
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<b><i>"We are all dying the minute we were born."</i></b></div>
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While doing a bit of wiping down on dad's tomb, we were greeted by a furry stranger that seemed lost and tired. She gave each of us a little sniff and sat under the bush next to dad's tomb. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrIkIioi8caANqvZs1BSYcm4oXsGkLoK0syq1jBu70c0UUuBZ0u3dBHD7C2b1YD60xcCuJNeC4TGLOQv729CiDjM11oU7y_7IYMJWyNJ2kk-BMYTaPjHIiNAS1u9lLaTzq9jC/s1600/IMG_1133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrIkIioi8caANqvZs1BSYcm4oXsGkLoK0syq1jBu70c0UUuBZ0u3dBHD7C2b1YD60xcCuJNeC4TGLOQv729CiDjM11oU7y_7IYMJWyNJ2kk-BMYTaPjHIiNAS1u9lLaTzq9jC/s640/IMG_1133.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We initially thought she could be from a house nearby or possibly one of the dogs from the caretakers of the cemetery (though we're not really sure if there is anyone living at the cemetery...no pun intended) but at first glance, she looked exhausted and hungry. As soon as we were done and were about to leave, she started walking with us to the car and that's when we thought maybe she's someone's pet and had gotten lost. Her tongue and teeth looked rather healthy but she was walking with a slight limp. It wasn't really an injured limp but more like she's been walking for ages and her paws are sensitive. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF5r_9hIk85T6JBbC6yv7eswY6Bd5Hdi_535Kx67AQbK0QOPE89x5m-9DeIpEzW_xKUWx3qJx2hXd1FosauaU5A6g2_gyc8d2DluxN3KE1unOAZ6r_Q6msHAoUlPvLEv7mFmt/s1600/SVGA8180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeF5r_9hIk85T6JBbC6yv7eswY6Bd5Hdi_535Kx67AQbK0QOPE89x5m-9DeIpEzW_xKUWx3qJx2hXd1FosauaU5A6g2_gyc8d2DluxN3KE1unOAZ6r_Q6msHAoUlPvLEv7mFmt/s640/SVGA8180.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That face definitely made it extra harder to leave her behind by her lonesome. </td></tr>
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I went into damage control mode and decided to take some pictures and videos to post online hoping that it was someone's pet who went missing. Given her calm and friendliness, she didn't look like a stray to me. After hanging out for a bit, we decided it was probably best to leave her and hoped that someone will claim her from the cemetery but as soon as we got in to the car, she cried a little and that instantly crushed all of our hearts. So we decided to take her home with us to give her a little TLC while hoping for the owner to claim her back. And if that doesn't work out, we were ready to add her to our additional four dogs at home. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivSQs1AP3o36qC5B-50Fuj_-bl0cUNY9VRE_BIj3VEpd_Szinmeh5MwAoe56YRyLv8xhf6vzqBNEX4ZADx1xbeDa7y7EWcDVzIRwIqma0rUEhSrkAcYbFCJayYIOyA1a0sy-5/s1600/FSME4732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivSQs1AP3o36qC5B-50Fuj_-bl0cUNY9VRE_BIj3VEpd_Szinmeh5MwAoe56YRyLv8xhf6vzqBNEX4ZADx1xbeDa7y7EWcDVzIRwIqma0rUEhSrkAcYbFCJayYIOyA1a0sy-5/s640/FSME4732.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was surprisingly calm on the drive back home. </td></tr>
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Now all this sounded really feasible in theory except when put in practice, things got a little chaotic when you have four extremely territorial dogs at home. As soon as we got her home, both Buddy and Coco started growling and barking but after a few minutes of sniffing, Buddy didn't bothered her at all but Coco on the other hand could not handle having another female dog. After a few hours, they've re-established their own 'space' with this new dog claiming the front door to be hers. Of course Coco got a little annoyed as that's her spot but I was rather impressed with both Buddy and Coco for allowing her the space that she needs. But the other two puppies definitely had to be locked away cause each time they catch a glimpse of her, they go ballistic. </div>
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After giving her a fresh shower and feeding her, we could tell she must have been lost for a long time. Her paws were all chipped off <i>(presumably from a very long walk)</i> and she was exhausted. Slept for most of the time and ate to her heart's content. It was definitely hard trying not to get too attached to her. While I told myself to refrain from giving her names as we weren't sure if she was someone else's pet, my mom on the other hand started calling her 'Christian'. Just because she was rescued from a Christian cemetery. I mean really mom, thank God she wasn't found in the drain otherwise she might've been named <i>'Longkang'. </i></div>
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The next day she seemed much more relaxed with her new environment though she still looked extremely fragile. And then I got notified on Facebook that someone is keen to adopt her. Immediately, all of us were relieved but I could tell both my mom and sister did seem hesitant with letting her go so soon. But the fact remained that we already have four dogs and so far, only two out of the four were barely okay with her. So we just kept telling ourselves, it's the right thing to do. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0KMwbOrEU_AkYoTJWnOjDaFDHmEcHx2DCTPgM7UB3kNYXKgZ-fQf469Qy9ChF4yvaRbNlCAMxzyMkub2a5CM1TaU1yczxfYNBzfpmqYx35rhqLjbBAKJ37k7Na0Ix3Yjnvsu/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0KMwbOrEU_AkYoTJWnOjDaFDHmEcHx2DCTPgM7UB3kNYXKgZ-fQf469Qy9ChF4yvaRbNlCAMxzyMkub2a5CM1TaU1yczxfYNBzfpmqYx35rhqLjbBAKJ37k7Na0Ix3Yjnvsu/s640/IMG_1173.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying our goodbyes...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since all these were tentative, we were also prepared in case the new family changed their minds but much to our delight, they came to pick her up today. It turned out to be a beautiful story indeed. Apparently, someone in the family attended a funeral on Monday, just the day before we took her home with us, and saw Christian. After deliberating, they decided they wanted to go back the next day to rescue her if she was still wandering around. But that night itself, one of the family talked to her cousin, who happened to be my friend, about their plans to rescue this dog from the cemetery. That was when I got the notification via Facebook. And while chatting with the family, they told me that the current dog they have right now was also rescued from the same cemetery about five years ago and they felt this one would be another perfect addition. Also the girl that got in touch with me says she's rarely on Facebook and when she went on, her cousin tagged her in my post. If that's not enough, midway through our conversation, my mom just got home and it turns out that the dad of the family is an old friend of mom's. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi8KMfczABYNVCiOB1xIHBVjgQi54Vr4EV-BpSSnFZpuLYCf4z-M1D0uszRyQTCSfokKJDim8s69cnht9q1nAC0o84CystaIg0XO9vnOY2FXIFvy6vKGz1eCwKGd8Y9Xj7orW/s1600/IMG_1174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUi8KMfczABYNVCiOB1xIHBVjgQi54Vr4EV-BpSSnFZpuLYCf4z-M1D0uszRyQTCSfokKJDim8s69cnht9q1nAC0o84CystaIg0XO9vnOY2FXIFvy6vKGz1eCwKGd8Y9Xj7orW/s640/IMG_1174.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to her forever home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Despite having her for only two days, she could easily be a keeper but given our circumstances, we all felt she would be better off with this family. Plus, the random connection and story behind all this just made it even more beautiful for 'Christian' to go with this family cause I personally felt like it she was meant to be for this family. May you recover and live the rest of your doggy days to be a happy and healthy dog! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since we are celebrating the year of the dog this Lunar New Year, here's wishing everyone a blessed and prosperous Chinese New Year! Huat ah!!! </div>
ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-11205796099160594172018-02-12T14:11:00.000+08:002018-02-12T14:23:31.974+08:00What day is it?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iOCF5qMdC8lxJSiXCI9W8mlXHZYDrmPd-6GFGiH2d5ZJloW57NI0h94Kw5zeROAB6lDjA4HgMN9FSCORGWR68HMMdtJlguRahTu_c6vwQjM4NzcXRKWquB800Y9Ywu02sD_F/s1600/Photo+on+12-02-18+at+1.38+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iOCF5qMdC8lxJSiXCI9W8mlXHZYDrmPd-6GFGiH2d5ZJloW57NI0h94Kw5zeROAB6lDjA4HgMN9FSCORGWR68HMMdtJlguRahTu_c6vwQjM4NzcXRKWquB800Y9Ywu02sD_F/s640/Photo+on+12-02-18+at+1.38+PM.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face of an unemployed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Unemployment. </b>The big word floating around the country at the moment. It's been approximately 74 days. Some days I savour every minute just being lazy and unproductive but after a while, doing nothing and lazing does get tiring. I've been meaning to find something productive to tackle with and one of them is to try and re-ignite this site more but I am not going to lie - it's hard to find any inspiration to blog about when all you do is...nothing.<br />
<br />
But there have been a lot of <i>'maybe I shoulds'</i> running through my head. For starter - lose some extra weight. Considering that I have not really been active for more than a year, with all the time I've got, I should just do some form of workout. But (yeah, it's always the but that gets the best of me) I don't have that drive in me like I used to.<br />
<br />
<i>Maybe I should start doing more with my social media platforms like videography or photography. </i>But I don't know what I should capture. I do get a spur of inspiration on some days but not all the time. Like this last video where I decided to capture my mom baking her pineapple tarts. For someone who studied and majored in video production, I'm impressed with what can be achieved by simply using a smartphone and a few apps.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Which led me to my next thing that I decided to take advantage of whilst being unemployed. <b>Decluttering. </b>Over the past few days, I've started going through old stuffs laying around the house and selling it off on Facebook. <a href="http://www.ronaldkkcheng.com/2007/11/nikon-d80yummy.html" target="_blank">One of my prized possession which I held for almost 11 years</a> and probably invested thousand of dollars into its accessories, I ended up selling it for $800.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFVoNlPzu6upNEIt0TdmF19oM6gQO48wq724Ve3tKAlBDla697hEF4ePToo-tr04Vhk4CeqcDA8P5rNxXOHFoI35Y-4MvgpS3DTCMVnaRp40_JZ4aNizJxc8k5H7H-TaQuvyn/s1600/IMG_0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFVoNlPzu6upNEIt0TdmF19oM6gQO48wq724Ve3tKAlBDla697hEF4ePToo-tr04Vhk4CeqcDA8P5rNxXOHFoI35Y-4MvgpS3DTCMVnaRp40_JZ4aNizJxc8k5H7H-TaQuvyn/s640/IMG_0909.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beloved Nikon D80 kit. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This was definitely hard to let go but I've had my fun with it for a good number of years and it's been sitting on the floor for the past 3 to 4 years. So I figured why not just sell it off while there is still <i>some</i> value in it and while it is still in a working condition. I suppose the hardest part isn't really letting go of the items itself but more of letting go of the identity. I think one of the main reason why I clung on to this old kit for so long was because it reaffirms me still being a <i>'photographer'</i> despite not having any shoots for so many years.<br />
<br />
But I still believe photography is an art where it all boils down to an individual's perspective. It is the eye that makes a photographer not the gear. Plus, with smartphones today <i>(in particular the latest iPhones) </i>churning out capabilities as good as a decent camera, I figured it should be more than enough for me to capture pictures which most of the time, ends up on a 4 by 4 frame on my Instagram. So really, there's no need for a gazillion full frame megapixels gear for me. At least not at this moment.<br />
<br />
It did feel good eventually - making some quick bucks from selling off items that you once held on to so dearly. As the saying goes,<i> one man's trash is another man's treasure</i>. Rule of thumb to start decluttering - if you haven't utilised something for the past 6 months to a year, you should probably get rid of it. Give it a try!ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-8761805611205992382018-01-11T19:32:00.002+08:002018-01-11T20:53:06.688+08:00New Year, Same Me. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIV2h0JkGJglsW_BxhzBW-FvUkwQf-R_qHJibunfS3E-0DTOfUcWNhi6PjnklqfGVqUM-Kjy3RqW_4PV88eCWXEZxH2qcG6dYTSVuSCeFLQq5Aw1L8cw2yu_d6crRI3bqzMuw/s1600/IMG_0360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIV2h0JkGJglsW_BxhzBW-FvUkwQf-R_qHJibunfS3E-0DTOfUcWNhi6PjnklqfGVqUM-Kjy3RqW_4PV88eCWXEZxH2qcG6dYTSVuSCeFLQq5Aw1L8cw2yu_d6crRI3bqzMuw/s640/IMG_0360.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year 2018!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And here we are. The year that is 2018. It is the second week into the new year and so far, all I've been up to these days is lay on the bed. And I don't even feel bad (for now). I felt like 2017 went by so quickly that even right now, I'm struggling to think of what my personal highlights were for the year. But I can definitely say, closing the year in Michigan with family was the perfect way to wrap the year up for me.<br />
<br />
<b>How the trip happened is kinda worth sharing.</b><br />
<br />
It all happened right after I had a confirmation date on when I'll be leaving my job with the bank. Right after I had my discussion with our HR department, I started feeling somewhat depressed that I'll soon be jobless and had to start from square one again with job hunting, interviews, first impressions, etc. My mind went straight into panic mode on spending my December with resumes and scouting around for job opportunities. And if all goes well, hopefully I'll be able to get something lined up in 2018.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oqy-RUH5ItGuNbC73mdP3Y2Zw9I7JyUpktGu9ABKkZ4eOPXpdIwdFEL8bcWL7mRPJiEKo5LVpb8NrkSA5Ur_3XxwS7O1c1Li1OFo-O62YL9BU5ORSmml5SYpfykyauujd7Gh/s1600/IMG_6584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oqy-RUH5ItGuNbC73mdP3Y2Zw9I7JyUpktGu9ABKkZ4eOPXpdIwdFEL8bcWL7mRPJiEKo5LVpb8NrkSA5Ur_3XxwS7O1c1Li1OFo-O62YL9BU5ORSmml5SYpfykyauujd7Gh/s640/IMG_6584.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My workplace is no more. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But that thought itself just got me even more depressed. I mean, sure, I definitely needed a job eventually but why not just take some time off and enjoy the holiday season. Calla did mention to me before that if it's possible, we should go somewhere for Christmas since Brunei is constantly in a grinch mode during the month of December.<br />
<br />
So with that, I decided to scout around for possibilities on where we should go for our Christmas holiday. After talking to my colleagues at the office, one of their suggestions was to try South Korea since it'll be winter and the Christmas spirit is alive there. But I thought it might be a little too stressful for both of us considering we've never been there before and communication might be a bit tough. I gave that a pass. Another colleague suggested somewhere near like KK but we've done that almost every year. So another pass for me.<br />
<br />
After a few more brainstorming ideas, I thought the perfect way to spend Christmas with the requirement of <i>at least</i> cold weather and a Christmassy feel, is definitely her hometown. White Christmas. <i>√. </i>Family. <i>√. </i>Plus, who doesn't like to be home for the holidays? But having booked numerous tickets to Michigan before, I expected the price tickets to be somewhat ridiculous considering it would be over the holiday period so I was prepared to scratch this off my list. A quick search on <a href="https://www.cheaptickets.com/" target="_blank">Cheaptickets</a> revealed otherwise. Normally a flight ticket back to Michigan would cost me around BND $2000 - BND $2500 but strangely, this time it was showing me that it's about BND $1200. And over the Christmas period. Shocking, I know!<br />
<br />
Naturally, I got a bit too excited but was hesitant to book it right away without consulting with Calla. So I decided to play around on the website and pretended that we were going home for the holidays. Not sure about you guys but, I've got this strange habit whenever I do any online purchases. I tend to fill up everything...only to exit the window before clicking on the purchase button and I was planning on doing the same thing with this. Except this time, I've got fooled by the website saying that <i>'For VISA cardholders, you will need to enter your VISA verified password to purchase.' </i>I thought to myself,<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>"Ok, I'll click this and then have a good think about this, close the window and sleep over it to see if it's feasible."</i></b><br />
<br />
So I clicked and was expecting a VISA verification window to pop up but instead, I was greeted with a<i>;</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"Thank you for your purchase. Here's your confirmation code." </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Needless to say, I had a minor freak out at the office and said out loud to all my colleagues that I think I just bought 2 tickets to Michigan. Everyone jumped out of their seats, took a look at my screen and started freaking out as well. Given that Calla had no knowledge of this, of course, I just felt like it would also be the perfect Christmas present to surprise her with.<br />
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<br />
So yes, it was an accidental purchase but probably the best one I've made. Of course, <a href="http://www.ronaldkkcheng.com/2017/07/my-most-expensive-mistake-to-date.html" target="_blank">given the last drama encountered</a> with confusing my dates, this time I've got everyone to checked to see if my dates were fine. And to be honest, I only started getting excited about the trip when we boarded the plane as throughout the entire time, I was just holding my breath hoping there wouldn't be another mess up. During our transit in KK, my mind started wondering if there could also be a possibility that I might have been scammed as our flight leaving KK wasn't showing up on the departure screen. And when it did, it was showing that our flight was scheduled to Seoul/Incheon instead of Shanghai/Pudong.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL_ITiR6vUnVF11atghwn07qKoTa6LRIgCfgcXKDXGuEOltbzik8DKNQ1eJi4feLcHFV7BjITUcXKIUe0qUaG8qdZltMSDlXZDbi5pRv9i7DjwtXtT3QDFXYrFHi-_J0ZHrPM/s1600/IMG_7071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL_ITiR6vUnVF11atghwn07qKoTa6LRIgCfgcXKDXGuEOltbzik8DKNQ1eJi4feLcHFV7BjITUcXKIUe0qUaG8qdZltMSDlXZDbi5pRv9i7DjwtXtT3QDFXYrFHi-_J0ZHrPM/s640/IMG_7071.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flight 868 to Seoul / Incheon. Wait, not again?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So you can imagine how nervous I was but as soon as we got to the counter, we got confirmation that the flight is indeed scheduled to Shanghai and the screen was probably not updated correctly. <i>What a troll! </i>Right after our bags were checked in and as we boarded our plane, it was an instant holiday mode on for me. And the video below summarises our 36+ hours journey into 1 minute.<br />
<i><br /></i>
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<i><br /></i>
So there you go. The wrap up of my 2017. As far as 2018 goes, I am currently unemployed and just chilling hence the title; <i>new year, same me</i>. No goals or resolutions have been set but for starter, a shower would do me good right now. I hope it's been a great start of the year for all of you.<br />
<br />ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-16198998183711079482017-08-06T00:35:00.003+08:002017-08-06T21:53:49.858+08:00SAS Diamond Jubilee - 60 Years Anniversary in Brunei: Meeting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Jfjbp_GsFkNEezj7iab_iXbV-k6JIHNNDGaf0PCQpuwOKNj30krewcb4Kaaa70EE-A5NNVWbmUPaEQDITHsFjPMjilTrReF-D4xjrcWC6r09T0hoZm0B8VOXR1OWXGPat7d0/s1600/AEXJ6385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Jfjbp_GsFkNEezj7iab_iXbV-k6JIHNNDGaf0PCQpuwOKNj30krewcb4Kaaa70EE-A5NNVWbmUPaEQDITHsFjPMjilTrReF-D4xjrcWC6r09T0hoZm0B8VOXR1OWXGPat7d0/s640/AEXJ6385.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">St Andrew's School, Class of 1B-6B, 1993 to 1998 with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Still somewhat on a high over last night's event. My former school, St Andrew's School celebrated their 60 years anniversary in Brunei. It's quite a milestone especially for a private school in Brunei that started with only 70 students at a church.<br />
<br />
And what made the event even more special was the fact that we got the opportunity to take a class photo with the His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince and Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah who was our classmate for a good six years during our times at St Andrew's School. How about it happened is definitely something worth mentioning.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtpejIUbgqpLpMBo-KQaifx6TxtWuOsBO13wx6POQfqKWEJfImD4jijiTMgQlzkqsDFs8kcsQvTmIgOrCjNOkw9-qO0yhrx_2_PDanqgf1V64fRr1cFJc3VvsScfQNjVOxBtm/s1600/2284_73294539288_1849_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="604" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbtpejIUbgqpLpMBo-KQaifx6TxtWuOsBO13wx6POQfqKWEJfImD4jijiTMgQlzkqsDFs8kcsQvTmIgOrCjNOkw9-qO0yhrx_2_PDanqgf1V64fRr1cFJc3VvsScfQNjVOxBtm/s640/2284_73294539288_1849_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Class of Primary 6B, 1998. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I think I can safely assume all of us weren't actually planning on attending the event. I feel it's been 14 years since we left school, it's still somewhat too 'early' for any form of reunion. Plus, I still see a few of my classmates and teachers around and have many of them on social media so it doesn't really feel like we've actually lost touch. At least that's what I thought.<br />
<br />
I did try to initiate with my secondary classmates to see if any of them were planning on attending but many of them were on the fence about it so my final thought was to just give it a miss. That is until I got the most random Facebook message from my primary 4 class teacher, Ms Wong, whom I have not seen for at least the past 10 years. When I first got notified via Messenger, I definitely drew a blank with her name. First thought was - I'm pretty sure I'm getting a scam message from some China girl who thinks she could trick me to sending some money. But after checking out her profile picture and realising it's actually my former teacher, of course I accepted the message thinking maybe she wanted some resources or pictures to help with the celebration of the school's diamond jubilee. <i>Boy, was I wrong!</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVJwxi2Tjas_6tBelcLGl4qJAuFjxJEmcHfqGiThHvrG15OqmnaCa3VLrpdsFcigk92cc78grmE2agWO58Xh5lMYUddxPENLfxUmwZWoCbloYVqT-o6SBVcLYxKAV1kJ9nBp9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.21.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVJwxi2Tjas_6tBelcLGl4qJAuFjxJEmcHfqGiThHvrG15OqmnaCa3VLrpdsFcigk92cc78grmE2agWO58Xh5lMYUddxPENLfxUmwZWoCbloYVqT-o6SBVcLYxKAV1kJ9nBp9/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.21.02+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not even a hello, how are you and went straight to the point. Hilarious message from my former class teacher. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyWuvp0y6bupUB1LTZO7rIHh1amJ_ZSkoPX4J5N3BweVIO3WoHIS36Jh8HjOFxSdgGJ1YSHUz-xGSvyTKJrocqMA-9z1CJ5TwexPsLI_lw7-gCThUq9x1np0TcRwG6HPdBWg9/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.22.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="1600" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyWuvp0y6bupUB1LTZO7rIHh1amJ_ZSkoPX4J5N3BweVIO3WoHIS36Jh8HjOFxSdgGJ1YSHUz-xGSvyTKJrocqMA-9z1CJ5TwexPsLI_lw7-gCThUq9x1np0TcRwG6HPdBWg9/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.22.41+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> was scheduled to be on air on Friday nights so by default, I would usually say no to any events of Friday nights but as you can see, my teacher was somewhat persistent. Lol! </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNMp_GRegP-Mj4O2Drise9as_leIKc6FUo_PfaHDsfvzUKeZ_7DI6ZHRzLMSMXgGzrT7vVnNyye4-9IFfLhdBLjHzBTcIqTmmRYZmp1VM55wlN98IJ_34XXYtMJL03bQvd1zN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.25.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="1600" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNMp_GRegP-Mj4O2Drise9as_leIKc6FUo_PfaHDsfvzUKeZ_7DI6ZHRzLMSMXgGzrT7vVnNyye4-9IFfLhdBLjHzBTcIqTmmRYZmp1VM55wlN98IJ_34XXYtMJL03bQvd1zN/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+6.25.35+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Didn't take much convincing for her to guilt trip me into coming. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And so, just like that I went from not attending to attending the event although I was still thinking how was I suppose to get a ticket when school hours coincides with working hours. While trying to figure out the tickets, I decide to contact a few of my former classmates via Instagram and Facebook and told them about the most random message that we might get a chance to have a group photo with HRH Princess Sarah during the event. And just like that, I gotten responses from old friends whom I usually just see as "just another update feed on my social media" and started chatting away and reminisce on our primary years. Within 10 minutes or so, one of my classmates went straight to school and purchased tickets for a few of us.<br />
<br />
Of course given the last minute plan, not all of us could make it but I was pleasantly surprise that we<br />
ended up with 15 confirmed attendees that evening.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GARX9MSGv2NNv0MncXA1M25Z9BFtzc2zVW7JBiNE0yfVR7tpdSMtAxA8Do-KNybQPW3Ym9IUkLrPFzOkNE4rVlW6rux1HphaDgfsktXgljVjuQBNjaOhTDTip1JChTCxGowk/s1600/SICB2951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GARX9MSGv2NNv0MncXA1M25Z9BFtzc2zVW7JBiNE0yfVR7tpdSMtAxA8Do-KNybQPW3Ym9IUkLrPFzOkNE4rVlW6rux1HphaDgfsktXgljVjuQBNjaOhTDTip1JChTCxGowk/s640/SICB2951.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Class photo with our primary four teacher, Ms Wong. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Prior to the arrival of their Royal Highnesses, we were mostly all nerves trying to figure out if we should address our former classmate as 'Your Royal Highness' or just as Sarah since that's how we knew her as. There were also many questions running through our heads mainly if she still remembered us all. So it was quite an exciting moment reuniting with an old friend who is now part of the Brunei royal family, next in line to be the Queen of the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: start;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8eIsYhOMplgdLeDkN0K1q-dwE22MSXch2wKOBM8wuONVpmX9oHdfJaDiCtxZcEQLnYT1XNcHC57sT5u4JtvHXoSq7_BiZHpbzubkAqjW8vkwgSdVqOs7Qv5F-iiwHPnKaUv3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+11.31.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1600" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8eIsYhOMplgdLeDkN0K1q-dwE22MSXch2wKOBM8wuONVpmX9oHdfJaDiCtxZcEQLnYT1XNcHC57sT5u4JtvHXoSq7_BiZHpbzubkAqjW8vkwgSdVqOs7Qv5F-iiwHPnKaUv3/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-08-05+at+11.31.51+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our class greeting Their Royal Highnesses. Picture courtesy of <a href="http://borneobulletin.com.bn/royalty-sas-diamond-jubilee-gala/" target="_blank">Borneo Bulletin</a>. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When I got my chance to shake her hand, the first thing that I remembered was mumbling <i>"Your Royal Highness"</i> and that was it. And much to my surprise, HRH Princess Sarah said;<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">"Hi Ron. You haven't changed a bit." </span></b></i><br />
<br />
To which I just smiled nervously as she moved on and shook the rest of our classmates. I mean what else was I suppose to say to her? My knee jerk reaction was to say <i>"You too!!"</i> but thank goodness I just bit my tongue. Despite not seeing her for more than a decade, we were all still delighted that she remembers all of us by name and even asked about a few of our classmates who weren't there.<br />
<br />
As the evening unfolded, most of us had great chats catching up with each other on where we are in life at the moment. At the same time we were also updating those who couldn't make it that evening in our newly formed Whatsapp group chat with pictures and everyone definitely felt nostalgic. At the end of the night, many of us agreed that we'll need another proper reunion amongst ourselves with more attendees. So that is in the plans for now.<br />
<br />
Towards the end of the evening, as both their Royal Highnesses made their way out of the building, everyone had the chance to take a selfie with them. Given that this is my first time doing this, I was an absolute wreck and completely missed out on my chance to take a selfie with the Crown Prince of Brunei! But I definitely did not want to miss my chance to take a selfie with a former classmate, after all this was what we were here for. As she made her way towards me, I was all jitters and went absolutely blank. All I remembered was giving her a big smile and said<b> "HI!!" </b>to which she smiled and said something along the lines of how our classmates still looked the same.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygi_o4Ky7w3PLvqpz_7Fk7Un57j2-v1zfkC5GL7oViak_XNw-0fZNVL0JGVVlLI8HnqcWSn2zr1TdJohenRpv9kWjsPCyzA28FaGQkEY7tk_-IY-8vvEFovhDIehzoV6Txtjn/s1600/SLTY9656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygi_o4Ky7w3PLvqpz_7Fk7Un57j2-v1zfkC5GL7oViak_XNw-0fZNVL0JGVVlLI8HnqcWSn2zr1TdJohenRpv9kWjsPCyzA28FaGQkEY7tk_-IY-8vvEFovhDIehzoV6Txtjn/s640/SLTY9656.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Back view shot taken by a friend of me and HRH Princess Sarah taking a selfie. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasqdNoKVU35ncx4JmX0doLeTX5MIv_ggl0XR0Q75SiZx27g3mthmg3SjQr8Ei5TYvqw0EyAy6CYVee-kP7-U0dbW6wH1Y3MWg48B_y8QVrilLj9d2XXOt_iaqYT2w7NKL5Sfw/s1600/IMG_4925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasqdNoKVU35ncx4JmX0doLeTX5MIv_ggl0XR0Q75SiZx27g3mthmg3SjQr8Ei5TYvqw0EyAy6CYVee-kP7-U0dbW6wH1Y3MWg48B_y8QVrilLj9d2XXOt_iaqYT2w7NKL5Sfw/s640/IMG_4925.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">I had one shot and this was the result. A blurry shot of me and a princess because my hand just couldn't stop shaking. Epic fail. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I was a wreck. Full of nerves and my hands just couldn't stop shaking as I was trying to tap on the button. Two of my other classmates were there and they just burst out laughing. We re-grouped outside and managed to grab another class photo again with her and this time it was much more relaxed as we were able to converse with her a little more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0eVLzV6FoMImUaOipWkNLEQhbPbUrib4rPjc92eD7LtXMvBp0cxjqqB3K0UbQC92AdSq3IXMQjvE9KpsXBbuExluf3gafZZQsNIp4IT54tboLD0RLq0-HOVarh8pJrS0nG5d/s1600/IMG_4941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0eVLzV6FoMImUaOipWkNLEQhbPbUrib4rPjc92eD7LtXMvBp0cxjqqB3K0UbQC92AdSq3IXMQjvE9KpsXBbuExluf3gafZZQsNIp4IT54tboLD0RLq0-HOVarh8pJrS0nG5d/s640/IMG_4941.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">One for the memory. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of course I didn't want to miss out on my final chance to grab a proper non-blurry photo with her, so this time around I asked another classmate of mine to take a picture. Silly me have no idea why I decide to hold a sign that says <i>'Best Class Ever'</i> when it was only me and her taking a photo.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6f9iruZ2_qkt1Rve1lxOte0bGrOK2cog-pGkEbYdy0J33yh8drfuHKDqfCf1ATr4jpg_jwK87ahXLQpy83BSHrK4OVCf260RTdaYgBuoPn_1Vl387SKIJN1G5SKi2ozCwrX-z/s1600/IMG_4943+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1600" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6f9iruZ2_qkt1Rve1lxOte0bGrOK2cog-pGkEbYdy0J33yh8drfuHKDqfCf1ATr4jpg_jwK87ahXLQpy83BSHrK4OVCf260RTdaYgBuoPn_1Vl387SKIJN1G5SKi2ozCwrX-z/s640/IMG_4943+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">That moment when she asked <i>"Why are you holding a sign that says Best Class Ever when it's only us?" </i>Another epic fail on my part. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Eventually we all said our goodbyes and the entire class a good laugh about the evening. Few of us stayed behind and chatted more, while others decided to hunt down for former teachers to chat and selfie with. At the end of the night, I was actually glad I decided to attend St Andrew's School Diamond Jubilee celebration because the next celebration is most likely going to be the Platinum Jubilee i.e the 70th Anniversary Celebration or possibly the 75th Anniversary Celebration. By then, I'm not even sure if I'll still be able to see my teachers who once taught me. Given that quite a few has already retired and left the school this time around, it was definitely the best last minute decision I've ever made to attend this event.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_RJwrO-PVJX2bFjwtc229uALE3KhtnyhUiEpbCOAPHefuuD6ACInrWeqBfpBA-gewabei4tLkUjS_GqChcdtCscfcOrqv6uQ9zVIlD11vIXAS2Efflmpkmk5VNFSbWpElNXI/s1600/OTHV2060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_RJwrO-PVJX2bFjwtc229uALE3KhtnyhUiEpbCOAPHefuuD6ACInrWeqBfpBA-gewabei4tLkUjS_GqChcdtCscfcOrqv6uQ9zVIlD11vIXAS2Efflmpkmk5VNFSbWpElNXI/s640/OTHV2060.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Ms. Agnes, my Form 1 - 3 class teacher who have not aged. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So on that note - A very happy 60th Birthday, St Andrew's School! Thank you for all the wonderful memories. And here's to all former alumnus near and far whom I've had the pleasure of being friends with. I hope everyone is doing well wherever you are. May we all continue to face the crazy world out there with what the school motto has taught us since the very beginning....<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">"With Courage & With Love"</span></b></div>
ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-8098556240582786332017-07-30T18:50:00.000+08:002017-08-06T21:54:46.170+08:00Flight woe - My most expensive mistake - An update!Here's a little exciting update from the last post. After learning that the flight ticket I originally bought was non-refundable, I pretty much gave up hope that I'll be able to claim for anything in return. I tried checking with my bank to see if my credit card insurance covers any of the missed flight drama but of course, it doesn't because it wasn't due to any missed flights incidents. So after learning that, I just gave up and was ready to bear the entire costs on my shoulder until a little voice tells me to check American Airlines website online.<br />
<br />
And so I did and found the refunds page and read through it. Eventually, I clicked on their 'Contact Us' page and decided to fill up a form anyway knowing full well that it's a non-refundable ticket. I explained what happened in full details and how it was an honest mistake that we overlooked the midnight flight timing, etc and just asked if any leg of my flight is eligible for refund. At this stage, I was just hoping that they could at least refund the returning leg of the itinerary considering that the new tickets bought was also on the same route. It doesn't make sense that I'm still paying for two tickets on the returning flight when only one person is flying.<br />
<br />
<b>So I held my breath and clicked submit. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Within a few hours, I received a response from a customer service representative at American Airlines with this response.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTsszC4xdCdZrzW5pLGx_EZ42LC5FVLhn5iV_MzEPBppdn3CnSk5Km4PksGWNLNCBZTJKaiHWonifD7Wj40baqG7YbragscP-SeB-Otou__XtnwEo-GPyTcTDWWNb5aJZDgVW/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-30+at+6.25.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1588" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQTsszC4xdCdZrzW5pLGx_EZ42LC5FVLhn5iV_MzEPBppdn3CnSk5Km4PksGWNLNCBZTJKaiHWonifD7Wj40baqG7YbragscP-SeB-Otou__XtnwEo-GPyTcTDWWNb5aJZDgVW/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-30+at+6.25.55+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I was estatic. They didn't exactly state how much refund I was eligible for but either way, even if they did refund me a portion of the itinerary, it was still a relieve for my part that I did not need to bear the full costs of my silly mistake. It also did help that I did a bit of an online search for any similar experience with American Airlines and refunds and came across <a href="http://thefireguy.org/2015/11/03/how-i-got-american-airlines-to-refund-my-non-refundable-ticket/" target="_blank">this post from The FIRE Guy</a> who gave a really good breakdown on what he did to get his. At this point, I felt I've got a really good chance. After waiting for about a week, I finally got an email from American Airlines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Te-v6y6U8HB0GN8c_JkrJGSalEFj4GuIuEfI-vp2Xvi94tDCAr2erFQJ8c1kA576LlEqcbB8HNgkht8kahwZ51kuqV1BJhjg4O5TvRh2vdegPlE_1zqyuugP2Ld8b55x24P/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-30+at+6.38.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1372" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5Te-v6y6U8HB0GN8c_JkrJGSalEFj4GuIuEfI-vp2Xvi94tDCAr2erFQJ8c1kA576LlEqcbB8HNgkht8kahwZ51kuqV1BJhjg4O5TvRh2vdegPlE_1zqyuugP2Ld8b55x24P/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-30+at+6.38.32+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
That's right, they refunded the <b>entire itinerary</b> minus the USD $150 cancellation fees. All in all, instead of bearing the brunt of losing the old ticket at USD $1,200 and coughing up money for brand new ticket at USD $1,800, with this refund, I only had to pay an additional cost USD $610. It's still money loss but still way better than paying USD $3,000 for a return ticket on an economy class!<br />
<br />
So an advise to y'all out there, if anything similar happens to you, there's no harm with emailing the company directly and ask politely if there is any way you can get a refund even if you're told that the ticket is non-refundable. Chances are - you might be eligible, <i>unless if you're dealing with a budget airlines. </i><br />
<br />ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-52731370593489053612017-07-13T00:02:00.004+08:002017-07-13T16:11:01.969+08:00Flight woe - my most expensive mistake to date!It's that time of the year again where the wife makes her annual return home to spend time with her family in Michigan over the school break. After doing this for a few years now, you'd think we'd be somewhat of an expert when booking the flight tickets but, <b>we messed up big time this year</b>. Why I put the blame on us is because;<br />
<br />
1. I was the one who booked the tickets.<br />
2. She didn't check thoroughly.<br />
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">So what happened?</span></b></i><br />
<br />
Back in March, I got her return ticket via <a href="http://google.com/flights">Google Flights</a> and scored a decently priced ticket (about USD $1,360+) sold by American Airlines. This is the first time I've bought tickets via <a href="http://google.com/flights">Google Flights</a> as we would normally get it via <a href="http://cheaptickets.com/">Cheaptickets</a>. For flights to the US, we would usually select our departure from Kota Kinabalu International Airport as oppose to Brunei International Airport which brings the cost of the tickets significantly down. And because of that option, we normally would get a seperate ticket from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu. What more, given the experience I encountered back in 2014 with my Brunei to Kota Kinabalu flight being delayed (due to technical reasons), it made me more paranoid with missing flights so with that in mind, instead of booking the flight closest to her next departure, we went with choosing an earlier ones.<br />
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And ever since getting the flight tickets for the missus, she's been looking forward to the end of school term and anticipating her trip back. And coincidently, the week before she's set to depart, I got invited to a friend's wedding in Penang which I was also asked to emcee for so mentally, I was somewhat occupied with preparing for my first wedding gig too. I was set to fly back to Brunei on July 9th, while her trip is <i>supposedly</i> on July 10th.<br />
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With both of us being busy with work; her busy wrapping up with the final week of school and me being away in Malaysia, we didn't really had much time to do a double check on the itinerary. Considering that this isn't our first time doing this either, I just shrugged off everything in my head thinking we've definitely got it all under control - despite the fact that the night before, I remember feeling something was off.<br />
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So on July 10th, Calla left Brunei on a 4:25 pm flight to Kota Kinabalu with her next flight scheduled to depart at 12:30 am to Tokyo.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKGvjEFsYY1l3a-iFt2o9a3xSUSH_5Dg2JfQAUckzb_NwF6lB8bJaperdLVtk0u4iaNef7WFCiqBTX_1YP5uKZEGv9GaO_YLvLnBkuukNU8uGDJE-FcomBkuk_cjyvpZNSalp/s1600/IMG_4572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpKGvjEFsYY1l3a-iFt2o9a3xSUSH_5Dg2JfQAUckzb_NwF6lB8bJaperdLVtk0u4iaNef7WFCiqBTX_1YP5uKZEGv9GaO_YLvLnBkuukNU8uGDJE-FcomBkuk_cjyvpZNSalp/s640/IMG_4572.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Holding hands with RB's international ambassador, Wu Chun before her flight. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Everything went smoothly for her 40 minutes flight, she landed in Kota Kinabalu on time and it was pretty much up to her to kill time there. Now in order to grasp how everything unfolded, I feel I have to share screenshots of our conversations and the time stamp to further dramatize the situation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC_lBu-APq0fuV7juDVY87cxAxaqaX2LcUW_dpVezQJ-y0sHLryJj6qLhZJ4-tOLyqAm7GDZ3lPaYM2vKoDhLQEk1Q-k7iQuFMQfgiiIpbFuES-2J8EAzynGUfx5onzokJytx/s1600/IMG_4624.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC_lBu-APq0fuV7juDVY87cxAxaqaX2LcUW_dpVezQJ-y0sHLryJj6qLhZJ4-tOLyqAm7GDZ3lPaYM2vKoDhLQEk1Q-k7iQuFMQfgiiIpbFuES-2J8EAzynGUfx5onzokJytx/s640/IMG_4624.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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At about 6 pm, I asked her to check with the Malaysia Airlines counter to see what's the earliest time she's able to check in to which she said 3 hours before. Which means for her 12:30 am flight, counter should be open at 9:30 pm. Normally I wouldn't even bother asking her to do that because I know the standard rule of thumb for travelling - all passengers are advised to be at the airport at least 2-3 hours before their flight departs. But for some reason, I just felt anxious and asked her to do so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbetPY5WumfeQrzTA6Q7fY6mQ0UXlPkd1qShyphenhyphenkJcaqNBPWJFg53zytPTHyrnOypiRuUfb5ybuBGuhAXyclRaL34MTKMi14CShkwbXXFnzfJVI-BTrkC1quDpVZWCIMaW2qwUk2/s1600/IMG_4625.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbetPY5WumfeQrzTA6Q7fY6mQ0UXlPkd1qShyphenhyphenkJcaqNBPWJFg53zytPTHyrnOypiRuUfb5ybuBGuhAXyclRaL34MTKMi14CShkwbXXFnzfJVI-BTrkC1quDpVZWCIMaW2qwUk2/s640/IMG_4625.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And it so happened on that day itself, I was on radio shift from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm which again, pre-occupied my mind. While texting back and forth, I was also fixated on getting her to use her <a href="https://en.dragonpass.com.cn/">DragonPass</a> access at the different airports where she's got long transits because I used mine during my transit in KL just a few days ago and it was pretty awesome.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHyDwLSeoh43fTX-WRmkMszUZsK2PNdzcT7T6EV8WQMuylNUeXWBViSQPJdFdmAGbnZo4aIdapyS4yPyAqmqfJkgw3HzTGph2EJ5qgWJGaPf23P11-BVxgB0_YWVK25-mTr6W/s1600/IMG_4626.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHyDwLSeoh43fTX-WRmkMszUZsK2PNdzcT7T6EV8WQMuylNUeXWBViSQPJdFdmAGbnZo4aIdapyS4yPyAqmqfJkgw3HzTGph2EJ5qgWJGaPf23P11-BVxgB0_YWVK25-mTr6W/s640/IMG_4626.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Again, at 8.34 pm, feeling anxious, I asked her if she's checked in. But clearly you can tell she's on a holiday mode with her McDonald's binge. </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHbl2pcp6YweEY3vqKNXHtNWPC4VoGOQHpR88qX6nxKsYFA1M2FB1sb6dBqoYQdDy6k2srHleroAq9rgebP03zUN62H3qJ8N5Lpod0for93qdcAoysleVhYr6dU8c-cV5mXpF/s1600/IMG_4627.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHbl2pcp6YweEY3vqKNXHtNWPC4VoGOQHpR88qX6nxKsYFA1M2FB1sb6dBqoYQdDy6k2srHleroAq9rgebP03zUN62H3qJ8N5Lpod0for93qdcAoysleVhYr6dU8c-cV5mXpF/s640/IMG_4627.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally at about 9:04 pm, she told me she's gonna "get in line to check in even though the counters aren't open yet." Again, throughout this whole time, there was still an anxious feeling within me that kept popping up but I just brushed it off as me being a worried husband with her traveling long distance by herself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyfMX05xDrYFvqlnMd9IsaBfcm0A2Si68pL98ZefBCfHsG2zbd3xjERe2UE_NAiWF__u0MhtgCFKKcwQ7s3Z7hhRULA8ovSEBr_j6IaTko0awNlUMlv8mj7sMkTjVfK_879yf/s1600/IMG_4628.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYyfMX05xDrYFvqlnMd9IsaBfcm0A2Si68pL98ZefBCfHsG2zbd3xjERe2UE_NAiWF__u0MhtgCFKKcwQ7s3Z7hhRULA8ovSEBr_j6IaTko0awNlUMlv8mj7sMkTjVfK_879yf/s640/IMG_4628.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Again at 9:12 pm, I asked if she did an online check in to which she said she couldn't. Here's where I really felt off when she said she tried, but couldn't. And as soon as she said she <i>"thinks she's on the wrong side of the queue"</i>, every alarm bells in my head just went off right away, I whipped out her itinerary on my phone to check on her flight schedule.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHTFyvsdlI-MvLkDVlCKa6NQWj5eRG5a6EkBh4Qo7n-wyf0wguk3cLR-xMQwmWrhm01n_sgSN8nlIcG17wpP7oOiZp6AUiTdV2PwMw87zp9m4UdW7qrc4tLbjyVb8THby7_xU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-12+at+11.20.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1200" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdHTFyvsdlI-MvLkDVlCKa6NQWj5eRG5a6EkBh4Qo7n-wyf0wguk3cLR-xMQwmWrhm01n_sgSN8nlIcG17wpP7oOiZp6AUiTdV2PwMw87zp9m4UdW7qrc4tLbjyVb8THby7_xU/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-12+at+11.20.51+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Every time I see this itinerary now, I die a little inside. True story. </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7XkHLZkVjLTM_kTtxuZQPbhnlK35wl5ecRumAqqPE_zP8zP4vdZU881Y1Bw9mOYKPSXAaOn6O_hg2GkrgnBBQ0e39xnuefrXews91sXXHOYb7WVHVmet-RCTxShZnlvPbNno/s1600/IMG_4629.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR7XkHLZkVjLTM_kTtxuZQPbhnlK35wl5ecRumAqqPE_zP8zP4vdZU881Y1Bw9mOYKPSXAaOn6O_hg2GkrgnBBQ0e39xnuefrXews91sXXHOYb7WVHVmet-RCTxShZnlvPbNno/s640/IMG_4629.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then....<b>ONLY THEN</b>....i realized how shit of a situation this is going to turn out for us. Financially for me, physically and emotionally for her given the time she has spent waiting and anticipating for her flight out. Good thing I was right at the end of my radio show so I was able to head back home immediately and do some damage control.<br />
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In between freak outs and trying to calm Calla down, I managed to call American Airlines to check what could be done. After speaking to an agent about the missed flight situation, they tried to see what other flights are available and if they're able to put her on the next available flight out. I was also warned in advance that there will be charges involved for fare differences and mentally, I was prepared to fork out <i>maybe</i> a few hundred dollars for it. After being put on hold repeatedly while the agent tried to look for options, they told me there was a China Airlines flight departing from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai at 1:30 am where she can meet her connecting flight from Shanghai to Chicago but...it'll cost <i>approximately</i> <b>USD $4,000. </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakeqX1w6SWlYf6sklZ2e3jOR89KkeyJRBg271Wg757lh8iq0SX1nlo0LisMVCxGo27wX-MM9hMBmkCPdtbH87Nv8DDUq8zdOWbMAL2SsQ-FrF-Y6IzUyhcvQh3IX8p17b9FEN/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-12+at+11.32.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakeqX1w6SWlYf6sklZ2e3jOR89KkeyJRBg271Wg757lh8iq0SX1nlo0LisMVCxGo27wX-MM9hMBmkCPdtbH87Nv8DDUq8zdOWbMAL2SsQ-FrF-Y6IzUyhcvQh3IX8p17b9FEN/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-12+at+11.32.29+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me literally as soon as I hear $4,000. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I think the agent over the phone could sense how desperate and helpless I was and just apologized that there was nothing else they could do from their side and recommended me to just get a new return tickets instead. And because she missed the first leg of her itinerary, that meant the remaining of her flights <b>including</b> her return flight is now voided. It also didn't really help that the agent slide it in the conversation that I bought a non-refundable ticket so - I'm unable to claim for a refund. Talk about kicking a man when he's already down.<br />
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So this pretty much left me with two options. Get another return ticket for Calla on the spot right there and then or...bring back an extremely heartbroken wife. When I thought the latter option would not only break her heart but mine as well, I just went straight to <a href="http://cheaptickets.com/">Cheaptickets</a> to look for flights departing the next day from Kota Kinabalu. Luckily, I was still able to get a return ticket at around USD $1,800. I say <i>'lucky' </i>because it could've easily cost me over USD $2,000 or more and/or there wouldn't be any flights over the next few days.<br />
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After sorting out the situation and with new tickets bought, there was nothing else we could do but to wait for her new flight to depart Kota Kinabalu which is now on July 11th, 8:20pm. Thankfully, I've got my brother's friend who's staying in Kota Kinabalu to help us out with the situation. He also came to my rescue when my flight got delayed back in 2014.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYLUWLx6JmW__-7suD0hesD-1PKmzBRnieR3IBpaFmsxZxrfPY37BhvG-kPti9QM6-_uhdGcQUTHVuDDfNgrYpHLrFJbYC05ARUmw7WfC-PY7o6QQMfUpo9_k06K2vjf2Z5qf/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-07-13+at+4.05.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYLUWLx6JmW__-7suD0hesD-1PKmzBRnieR3IBpaFmsxZxrfPY37BhvG-kPti9QM6-_uhdGcQUTHVuDDfNgrYpHLrFJbYC05ARUmw7WfC-PY7o6QQMfUpo9_k06K2vjf2Z5qf/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-07-13+at+4.05.07+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you Tai Chiat for coming to our rescue!</td></tr>
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Even with the new tickets purchased, we were both still holding our breath until she was able to board her flight to leave Kota Kinabalu. It's been two days now since everything unfolded and right now, she's en-route from Shanghai to Chicago. I suppose once she lands on American soil, I can finally sleep peacefully.<br />
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To date, this is definitely the most expensive mistake I've ever made in life. Me burning a cash sum of USD $1,360 (approximately BND $1950) simply because of an overlooked date.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">#FML. </span></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-87173494467125876132017-06-18T19:38:00.000+08:002017-06-19T12:05:02.583+08:00Review: Bellroy Note Sleeve Black Designer's Edition <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE4jyMuPqAdDYc-97ImtipDBDaUTnRYIlsWUdNAT_CKhvATnumZZCErDn0kGAOpiHSkVeJwPomWqLEiWB8MQ2_211WPd40ekhR_efVRrk2LqJx-ZrTNC1PyldNFFqtSnjPv9B/s1600/IMG_4157.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="1156" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIE4jyMuPqAdDYc-97ImtipDBDaUTnRYIlsWUdNAT_CKhvATnumZZCErDn0kGAOpiHSkVeJwPomWqLEiWB8MQ2_211WPd40ekhR_efVRrk2LqJx-ZrTNC1PyldNFFqtSnjPv9B/s640/IMG_4157.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bellroy Note Sleeve First Edition, Second Edition & Designer's Edition</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've been a fan of <a href="https://bellroy.com/">Bellroy</a> products since 2014 when I was looking for a decent slim wallet for an upgrade. Prior to using Bellroy wallets, I was using a knock-off 'branded' wallet given by a friend. Yes, not ashamed because I'm cheap like that. But with my knock-off wallet, what I mainly loved about it was how slim the wallet is.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt4_NVjXK65KrB5du58bDsf9IW8P8rU9BDuNpVt9WY2OPmT8hX5N9DOEqENeSD0shMXpl2W0-PcWmXy5jM-wXi8IPGvYc8nlTwlH7o-JejoL48mkQMn6-JMrlqiZwGFfpqDhv/s1600/GUCCI.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt4_NVjXK65KrB5du58bDsf9IW8P8rU9BDuNpVt9WY2OPmT8hX5N9DOEqENeSD0shMXpl2W0-PcWmXy5jM-wXi8IPGvYc8nlTwlH7o-JejoL48mkQMn6-JMrlqiZwGFfpqDhv/s640/GUCCI.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My knock off wallet given by a friend. According to him this was a Grade A+ imitation. Lol. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-jV-prxniQ5Pjf475DMu55fnBXyd-iXmUMMosOEAtU_rme3vNc3iG996UO4dO9nRJ4Guy-R0CgTAhEZZswqFu6etR_TyiRPypXwBGRWvtA2I_3lCB0wr_WUidJW_62lBm_Gf/s1600/IMG_4155.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1600" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-jV-prxniQ5Pjf475DMu55fnBXyd-iXmUMMosOEAtU_rme3vNc3iG996UO4dO9nRJ4Guy-R0CgTAhEZZswqFu6etR_TyiRPypXwBGRWvtA2I_3lCB0wr_WUidJW_62lBm_Gf/s640/IMG_4155.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 card holder slots and a money clip</td></tr>
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What made me decide to go on a hunt to look for a new wallet back then was because I wanted to treat myself to a decent wallet after working for about a year in New Zealand. So I was on a mission to look for the best slim wallet out there. After spending endless nights browsing the internet, I'm not sure how it came to be but - one of the Bellroy ads with their fancy-schmancy stop motion video really caught my attention. After contemplating for a few days, I decided to give Bellroy a try. And ever since getting my very first Note Sleeve wallet in 2014, I've never looked back and have been stuck with Bellroy wallets.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: Bellroy Note Sleeve (First Edition), Bellroy Note Sleeve (Second Edition) & Bellroy Note Sleeve (Designer's Edition)<br />
Bottom: Bellroy Travel Wallet</td></tr>
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Between all the three different Note Sleeve editions, my personal favourite is still the Second Edition. Mainly because for the price tag of USD $85.95 (SGD $137.95), the leather quality is still top notch and you have more colour options to choose from. Personally, I feel the price of the Designer's Edition at USD $169.95 (SGD $238.50) is a little steep to justify for an upgrade if you already have a Second Edition. Why I chose to upgrade in the first place is simply because of the bloody golden owl which really does make the wallet look a tad bit classy. You won't find that golden owl imprinted on the previous editions (unless you're able to get your hand on previous Bellroy collaborations like the <a href="https://bellroy.com/barneys-new-york">Bellroy x Barneys</a>).<br />
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According to Bellroy's website, here's what the Designer's Edition claims to be;<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: #d3d3d2; color: #2f2f2f; font-family: "pt serif" , "times" , serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: center;">"The Designers Edition signature detailing gives this popular all-rounder added distinction. With space for 11 cards, flat bills and business cards or a few coins, the Note Sleeve DE is for those who love the idea of slimming their wallet and pockets without going to extremes. Here, the minimalism is found in the construction rather than the functionality. Reduced stitchwork, softened edges and meticulously controlled lines give this piece its refined touch."</span></i><br />
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In terms of leather quality, in all honesty, I feel the Second Edition's leather feels more sturdy than the Designer's Edition. However from Bellroy's website, they claim to have use a much more "distinctive leather" for their Designer's Edition;<br />
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<span style="background-color: #d3d3d2; color: #2f2f2f; font-family: "pt serif" , "times" , serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: center;"><i>"We’ve selected unique, environmentally certified leathers that are distinguished by their level of complexity in texture, finish and soft touch. Tanned in The Netherlands, these European leathers are the cornerstone of the range. Where possible, leather pieces have been left to sweep or wrap through the product, rather than cut and stitched. This minimizes corners, maximizes space and enhances the flow of the leather."</i></span><br />
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Not that I know what all that means but I can only tell from the experience of using all the three different editions that the leather quality from the Second Edition feels more sturdy than the current Designer's Edition that I am currently using. Again, this could just be a mental thing for me because having spent USD $169.95 on the Designer's Edition wallet, maybe I'm over-analysing every single detail more with a much higher expectation. But, there's definitely a different softness to the leather on the Designer's Edition that the other two editions which probably explains what they meant by "<i>distinctive leather</i>".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8nUUjUq_B8sbc0wPV4GOvZ8LilgN-7uOdKUZHforHh742b2kK9YOx6ypTB-yIC-UzEN904WfKuGGSRPWdnpLiUpD8yF9W6NC2eHTaQRNbph0EXTmxvuY1XiZomvN4Bp1xgkR/s1600/IMG_4160.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1210" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8nUUjUq_B8sbc0wPV4GOvZ8LilgN-7uOdKUZHforHh742b2kK9YOx6ypTB-yIC-UzEN904WfKuGGSRPWdnpLiUpD8yF9W6NC2eHTaQRNbph0EXTmxvuY1XiZomvN4Bp1xgkR/s640/IMG_4160.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside of the different editions Note Sleeve wallets.</td></tr>
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I initially wanted to give the <a href="https://bellroy.com/products/note-sleeve-designers-edition/leather/black/#image-0">Note Sleeve Designer's Edition</a> a pass when it first got released but when a friend was asking me for wallet recommendations as a birthday gift for her husband, of course I had to point her to Bellroy. That's when she decided to go for the Note Sleeve Designer's Edition. And because I'm easily persuaded and suckered, I thought since I will eventually get the same wallet, I might as well join in and save on the express shipping cost. So after placing our orders, the wallet arrived within 5 working days from their warehouse in Australia. Once we received our wallets, I felt my wallet looked a little more worn out than the one my friend after a side by side comparison so I immediately sent an email to their customer service. After a few clarifications and pictures, they sent me another replacement at no extra cost with a condition that I return the faulty one - which they will reimburse for the shipping cost.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kkNj3IvjlYn80djMcVV-y-idJ19lzkgSusgpQVvsUOQwQSrHknRjZVJJqemX1dfsy0tkcA02yAfsJ60twkBAS3-ZJ7qyeQHaz0IJfnP3VpcdDRH0vohsc5k6cIbAAAS5jvQC/s1600/IMG_4124.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kkNj3IvjlYn80djMcVV-y-idJ19lzkgSusgpQVvsUOQwQSrHknRjZVJJqemX1dfsy0tkcA02yAfsJ60twkBAS3-ZJ7qyeQHaz0IJfnP3VpcdDRH0vohsc5k6cIbAAAS5jvQC/s640/IMG_4124.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparison between my first order and the replacement they sent after my complain. </td></tr>
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I feel the quality for the packaging used on the normal Note Sleeve wallet is superior better than their supposedly 'more premium' Designer's Edition. The paper quality used on the Designer's Edition was underwhelming as I was unboxing the wallet. In terms of daily use of the wallets, with the same number of cards used in both the editions, I feel the Note Sleeve Designer's Edition seems to carry a bit more of a bulk whilst the normal Note Sleeve still maintained its slim-ness. I'm not sure if it's due to the construction of the wallet and a thicker leather used in the Designer's Edition that gives everything a more tighter 'wrap' which makes it feels bulky when all the cards are put in it.<br />
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If you guys do want a slim and premium looking leather wallet, I highly recommend to give their <a href="https://bellroy.com/products/note-sleeve-wallet/leather/blue_steel/#image-8">Note Sleeve Second Edition</a> a try first rather than jump straight into the higher end Designer's Edition. If you're one of those who's really rough with handling leather products, you'd definitely want to give the Designer's Edition a miss because the leather can be easily scratched. But if you're after the luxury feel and look and budget isn't a factor, then by all means go for the Designer's Edition. It is still a really good looking wallet.<br />
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Do I regret buying the Designer's Edition? Not at all. It definitely feels like it's a high end premium wallet with top-notch quality and a sleek minimalist design. While the price is a little steep if you compare between the normal edition and the Designer's Edition, I still think it's an okay range to justify spending on a wallet as compared to other luxurious big brands where it may costs up to USD $500-ish for a wallet? Plus, it's backed with a 3 year warranty so you if you're unhappy with anything, just get in touch with their customer service and they'll work out a solution for you. And that is also another main reason why I keep coming back to purchasing Bellroy products. They definitely have one of the best customer service out there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-41409072002321131812017-05-28T18:47:00.002+08:002017-05-29T08:47:25.554+08:00Jerudong Park 2017<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3xDN7bRFRpCGfSqzPMnjAdXsNRoH7W7osI1z49RpzqoqTgMzJl25MXowUllU8YsgaJZR1FgrUi1Zx__UzuwMdqbG-jZpjzUPT8FJAkutlLHErBivVgqpZvBOqxYMgKjaKKRB/s1600/IMG_3941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3xDN7bRFRpCGfSqzPMnjAdXsNRoH7W7osI1z49RpzqoqTgMzJl25MXowUllU8YsgaJZR1FgrUi1Zx__UzuwMdqbG-jZpjzUPT8FJAkutlLHErBivVgqpZvBOqxYMgKjaKKRB/s640/IMG_3941.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerudong Park, 2017. </td></tr>
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If you've lived or grew up in Brunei during the 90's you'd probably have a few fond memories of spending some time in Jerudong Park. It was the pride of the country back then as we were the only country around the South East Asia region with the largest amusement park. And of course, with it being free for all made it even more enticing for tourists to want to stop by Brunei just to experience what the park has to offer. But being a kid back then, it never really dawned on me how big of a deal this was. And because Jerudong Park has always been free growing up, I thought amusement parks all over the world works the same way - especially Disneyland!<br />
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Unfortunately after about a decade of free rides, things went downhill. I suppose when they announced back in 2004 that they will start charging BND $15 per entry - most people decided that it's no longer 'worth' it to visit Jerudong Park. Gradually, rides started breaking down, most of the big attraction rides were sold to neighbouring countries and eventually the place just deteriorated and became a ghost town.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqFOW_aTUyoSVZSyCjPa-VpyM-CDP2NxCobYKs5mBJWNg7O3Wi5Pd1irmxDTqMT-Ny4koc32TWbJFMxoKLAVyd6So_gZZrrb7FFoSKMlkVtrMb5XPElbAI5VHSkxj-tzBz8Q4/s1600/IMG_4226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqFOW_aTUyoSVZSyCjPa-VpyM-CDP2NxCobYKs5mBJWNg7O3Wi5Pd1irmxDTqMT-Ny4koc32TWbJFMxoKLAVyd6So_gZZrrb7FFoSKMlkVtrMb5XPElbAI5VHSkxj-tzBz8Q4/s640/IMG_4226.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State of Jerudong Park in 2012. Apologies for the potato editing. Thought it looked cool back then. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCsA11eFEX7Erj5MGCiCdENFPSzbaFiejKd2IG6hmSfh0Z221fwKdDKR7bcV8W4rIKLP85Er_tfLOE2LM2XtCzWGIJz8XMOuOHzvFjJ0csV0OJnmlUo08ge7NE2-W9tdXwaJ9/s1600/IMG_4225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1435" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNCsA11eFEX7Erj5MGCiCdENFPSzbaFiejKd2IG6hmSfh0Z221fwKdDKR7bcV8W4rIKLP85Er_tfLOE2LM2XtCzWGIJz8XMOuOHzvFjJ0csV0OJnmlUo08ge7NE2-W9tdXwaJ9/s640/IMG_4225.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closed of section of the park. Pic taken in 2012. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WJ9Bx_zbqlwEBjHKXV3v_nLE5Wn1nJhAWLsm5znn94QacQCIx86SdYY2M7IILdUPFOrw7vPrqPXU2oMs8pbyfOJkTTAA1EXal-hC7vl8dLz0fx2UQ_KNRPlecTaUfOQZUIBo/s1600/IMG_4227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="1399" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WJ9Bx_zbqlwEBjHKXV3v_nLE5Wn1nJhAWLsm5znn94QacQCIx86SdYY2M7IILdUPFOrw7vPrqPXU2oMs8pbyfOJkTTAA1EXal-hC7vl8dLz0fx2UQ_KNRPlecTaUfOQZUIBo/s640/IMG_4227.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned trash. Pic taken back in 2012. </td></tr>
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However, after years and years of trying to relive it's former glory, Jerudong Park finally reopened its gates back in 2014 and with new rides. And I happened to visit that place two weeks ago to relive a bit of my childhood memories and boy was it nostalgic to walk around the park again. Now bear in mind, my last fond memories of the park was back when it was still fully operating, free and filled with crowds of people every single night so it definitely did bring back some memories.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gmxmZtZ_NxggDTj2MOMJjSiNlhXzZOOT4YDA5c1qg0juR-wrPTFF9QqeRkevi7xmJf8xP5euoEspIirzC8cpyfo3U5grGaZXit59_vu649X8s6-Gm3MtssjEbudaAUbiHc52/s1600/IMG_3940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gmxmZtZ_NxggDTj2MOMJjSiNlhXzZOOT4YDA5c1qg0juR-wrPTFF9QqeRkevi7xmJf8xP5euoEspIirzC8cpyfo3U5grGaZXit59_vu649X8s6-Gm3MtssjEbudaAUbiHc52/s640/IMG_3940.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Jerudong Park, May 2017. </td></tr>
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Walking around the park and just taking in all the bits and details of what's been done to it definitely gave me a sense of tranquility and comfort. Especially seeing all the excitement on the kids' faces pulling their parents hands eager to get to the next spot of the park. In a way, I find that it's a good thing that there's still something at Jerudong Park for kids to enjoy and create memories of just like how it did for me. Of course this made me realise how lucky I was also able to experience Jerudong Park when it was at the peak of its time. Is it better than what it used to be? Not right now. But I heard there's more to expect once the phase 2 of the renovation is completed so hopefully, it would bring in more people.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84ZZbpCuhuaNF6ZF86zM1jb-jg8uRhy7IYydcLSNUwN1QuD2W43C2Q5n3AHxN1iNwMulUzaVTQICdsVjg2KorCXTyAddK71cHlcVP32Warkbk74mSOdHrL59KFLdkcWYCYEr2/s1600/IMG_3942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84ZZbpCuhuaNF6ZF86zM1jb-jg8uRhy7IYydcLSNUwN1QuD2W43C2Q5n3AHxN1iNwMulUzaVTQICdsVjg2KorCXTyAddK71cHlcVP32Warkbk74mSOdHrL59KFLdkcWYCYEr2/s640/IMG_3942.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ticketing booth. You can check for prices and opening hours from their <a href="https://www.jerudongpark.com/">official website. </a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upon entering the park, you will be greeted by two horses. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoroma view of the Merry-Go-Round.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry-Go-Round.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ2t87fe4wsvpNYYUzkzqHngqJpEtDgZPJWAdy5mhCiO4_Khw9AOmRnPyU1K3SjgeaylXZWTR_tOn0Hyk7-2DU0nvj4EqXNAl5-sU6SaEIx42OKCSWxP1xqbr0MZuFQ8bh8bt/s1600/IMG_3945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJ2t87fe4wsvpNYYUzkzqHngqJpEtDgZPJWAdy5mhCiO4_Khw9AOmRnPyU1K3SjgeaylXZWTR_tOn0Hyk7-2DU0nvj4EqXNAl5-sU6SaEIx42OKCSWxP1xqbr0MZuFQ8bh8bt/s640/IMG_3945.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferris Wheel which will give you a decent view of the park (though not as decent as the Tower View we used to have back then). </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2VtMzFhhrV5Rq3sBT8Pw-229ar6GFGqY2Vh1pJhh7CuyfNcuGul3DxqaHxiz3SqBXMlkQI1y-zB-lPIZfZWSCoz4TEqPb9dj9NkkOW_9DXISnLsbnH_g5vj7Bsu8vhWRORrR/s1600/IMG_3947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2VtMzFhhrV5Rq3sBT8Pw-229ar6GFGqY2Vh1pJhh7CuyfNcuGul3DxqaHxiz3SqBXMlkQI1y-zB-lPIZfZWSCoz4TEqPb9dj9NkkOW_9DXISnLsbnH_g5vj7Bsu8vhWRORrR/s640/IMG_3947.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 holes mini golfing. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPzHd7__Bf0Gnv9XgUr6pDgw8vEv4ma-_fHALDg3-ouWabr5xbogrbgGwb6-ikjVl7DSmK4SdrLDh30X7Kpldi5S_a_rtk6eRfX0vqolzm7O1HNmTM7pU-RYKIGKZVkIUrU68/s1600/IMG_3950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPzHd7__Bf0Gnv9XgUr6pDgw8vEv4ma-_fHALDg3-ouWabr5xbogrbgGwb6-ikjVl7DSmK4SdrLDh30X7Kpldi5S_a_rtk6eRfX0vqolzm7O1HNmTM7pU-RYKIGKZVkIUrU68/s640/IMG_3950.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food trucks / stalls within the park. This we never had back then I believe. I remember most of us would have to walk all the way back to the food court to eat if we're hungry. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_U-FwUuQlu9FTYbTB8uPNh-HoU1HWjaI5DgZo7BZkGJjfEFIUDb8oiClrSvCuxQlDj7iazw_6YY8Amlf1Go5UH_YLA_RMEtCvsJQixPUVru9ybezN-1QFcHsaeoG2HAt9Kqm/s1600/IMG_3956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_U-FwUuQlu9FTYbTB8uPNh-HoU1HWjaI5DgZo7BZkGJjfEFIUDb8oiClrSvCuxQlDj7iazw_6YY8Amlf1Go5UH_YLA_RMEtCvsJQixPUVru9ybezN-1QFcHsaeoG2HAt9Kqm/s640/IMG_3956.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the most popular ride in the park for both adults and kids. A very short rollercoaster. </td></tr>
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I didn't get to go on any of the rides during my visit there. But I did have my fun just walking around and taking some pictures of what's around in the park currently. There are still remnants of stuffs from the past. A closer observation of little details like the carvings and materials used to build the park back then definitely eludes class. Of course, this was never noticed back then. Surprisingly, besides some of the new attractions there were also old rides that were still holding up.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL2uQt4PkvzVUiSLi6Fpfj245txFMgROSfvTfVzZn0bIVNf5o3imNfzYpAmUOz28A0YjK8Pk2nqRPYOqn-MCqSZPKfKIR6JCFGozbYsiX2THGZDaXBq1IXtqyZToN9miqtAWB/s1600/IMG_3959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjL2uQt4PkvzVUiSLi6Fpfj245txFMgROSfvTfVzZn0bIVNf5o3imNfzYpAmUOz28A0YjK8Pk2nqRPYOqn-MCqSZPKfKIR6JCFGozbYsiX2THGZDaXBq1IXtqyZToN9miqtAWB/s640/IMG_3959.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laser Tag! I remember this back then but was scared to try it thinking it might hurt like paint ball. So I never gotten around to actually play it back then (plus the queue for this one was also super long then.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyM2ZqR7jxA93s9vLKlNAndsG5BgLDvTULBJbxg72mtdNhYGnWDTzrNQ1xZruUh-HnJGW7Fa6cAyacZKe2xdwCGJbTYjQr5Q_AodIcjFAtGkESIimZyXkhqLQPXo5bGLz809M/s1600/IMG_3954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyM2ZqR7jxA93s9vLKlNAndsG5BgLDvTULBJbxg72mtdNhYGnWDTzrNQ1xZruUh-HnJGW7Fa6cAyacZKe2xdwCGJbTYjQr5Q_AodIcjFAtGkESIimZyXkhqLQPXo5bGLz809M/s640/IMG_3954.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first time being inside. Really surprise to see how well the interior is still holding up from then till now. And also the guy in the picture is the first stranger to actually ask me "Are you the DJ from KFM?". So a bonus point from me for being a KFM listener! Haha. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-l_MmDVL-_b8GJWi-llSQVMnelVOXoz0M1JX1vEZ9vzz7Qno9dh-MpWaIw55wAEEAXeX9YhcFFIcx41WLkBq2WDtPZc7L5xJmHEvNWS75zSxMUetkoqlCiQ-aaDeKbxBL46a/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-l_MmDVL-_b8GJWi-llSQVMnelVOXoz0M1JX1vEZ9vzz7Qno9dh-MpWaIw55wAEEAXeX9YhcFFIcx41WLkBq2WDtPZc7L5xJmHEvNWS75zSxMUetkoqlCiQ-aaDeKbxBL46a/s640/IMG_3949.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe this was 'Orbit'. Definitely used to look a lot more bigger when I was younger but not anymore. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Yk82z1U3EhKB4Y3DV-KodnFATeQBY1kUpUHWQvVtarsJW_oWlT7uMwUt93cynty6hF0FTfFZjiDwLxKODL-jxaOaYO5XWI2kqSpEbiGjYtRKBU9b7e_qOVr3ZsDmUqTEd6NX/s1600/IMG_3958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Yk82z1U3EhKB4Y3DV-KodnFATeQBY1kUpUHWQvVtarsJW_oWlT7uMwUt93cynty6hF0FTfFZjiDwLxKODL-jxaOaYO5XWI2kqSpEbiGjYtRKBU9b7e_qOVr3ZsDmUqTEd6NX/s640/IMG_3958.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shooting Gallery. I remember the bottom part used to be an old west theme where if you hit a target, it'll squirt water back at you. Not sure if this was closed permanently or just for the day.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2SJYY1gOlBrBd5-3rKOYhkmKpBcJveWfYzAqcHkeDmMhNKijiMy3S8ge95HAOjeBApFq0eOX36tET61bx5wkQL7RPBg0FzcJq9m5jPt3PagMRW3u2Wa7D6dNWdqdotaYfa97/s1600/IMG_3953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2SJYY1gOlBrBd5-3rKOYhkmKpBcJveWfYzAqcHkeDmMhNKijiMy3S8ge95HAOjeBApFq0eOX36tET61bx5wkQL7RPBg0FzcJq9m5jPt3PagMRW3u2Wa7D6dNWdqdotaYfa97/s640/IMG_3953.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumper Car also managed to stand past the test of time!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Last but not least, the main attraction of Jerudong Park that's bringing in the crowd. The first waterpark in Brunei. This is definitely a must do if you have kids but probably not ideal if you're an adult with no kids. And in case if you were wondering, no I didn't get in the water though it looked tempting especially on a hot sunny day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiSMwjD44E2hp9Bzv1W9ofx99cTdk-UInaCw_SIguZ28qfByAEHiwDOn4Gwksvro9FmTjsYetYebAcy7AH2u9Bof33q6RwZlp3KcJDC9JU66dPOTwOqyZP-wGmK2_ZAjA2fG7/s1600/IMG_3962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiSMwjD44E2hp9Bzv1W9ofx99cTdk-UInaCw_SIguZ28qfByAEHiwDOn4Gwksvro9FmTjsYetYebAcy7AH2u9Bof33q6RwZlp3KcJDC9JU66dPOTwOqyZP-wGmK2_ZAjA2fG7/s640/IMG_3962.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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So there you go! If you're looking for something fun to do in Brunei, I'd say Jerudong Park is definitely worth making a trip now that it's been revitalised. Those who visited the park back thenUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-25850761058638578302017-05-06T18:20:00.000+08:002017-05-07T21:44:33.500+08:00New look...sorta.Just realized I've been using the old template for god knows how many number of years and decided to give it a little change. Nothing complicated, just something much tidier and cleaner. Was planning to just stick with the original template's background picture but decided to change it to a random photo I took back in 2014? That's 3 years ago. <i>Damn. </i><br />
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Also - I recently find myself counting back the number of years a lot. Not sure if that's part of the package you get mentally when you turn 30. Whatever songs that I hear now, I'll look up to see when it was released and I'll start counting how long ago that was. Same goes with movies, pictures, etc.<br />
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Or maybe I'm still in shock that 1997 is....20 years ago.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-10952863800107680322017-04-01T19:40:00.002+08:002017-04-01T19:40:50.212+08:00Birthday month is here....I'll be turning 30 this year. While my wife is trying her best to hype it up for me, I just don't feel like there is a need to. To her, turning 30 is a very very big deal. Actually, every birthday is a big deal for her. I suppose that's one of the very many cultural differences between us. For me, I just feel like it's the same thing every year.<br />
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I suppose why I feel this way is due to a few life events. Me being overseas by myself throughout my teens and early adulthood and having spent a few birthdays by myself have numbed me from being disappointed. Also ever since my dad's passing, I haven't really felt like there's a need to remind myself that I am another year older. I was 20 years old when dad passed. I felt like I was forced to step up and be an adult.<br />
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Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying I am not looking forward to my birthday or I'm being a Debbie Downer for my birthday. I am always grateful for every birthdays as I'm able to live through another year. I just don't like it to make it a big deal because there's so much I have yet to accomplish in life. Making it a big deal will probably make me depressed than happy because for starter, I'm turning 30 and I still live with my momma. I'll probably blog a bit more about that cause that's something that's been on my mind for a while.<br />
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Either way, the day will still come. It'll still be awesome. Because every day is awesome.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-82637555966207901222017-03-18T15:41:00.000+08:002017-03-18T16:22:33.324+08:00I'm now a radio presenter! Well the past month have been rather exciting. I've made the cut and somehow, managed to get a part time role being a radio dj / radio presenter on <a href="http://www.kristal.fm/">KRISTALfm.</a> And to be honest, I'm still pinching myself whenever I'm scheduled to go on air. No doubt, there is a tremendous amount of pressure to know there's hundreds if not, thousands of people listening to you when you're on air where every single word you say is under scrutiny. But so far, I think it's been a great start of a journey in a completely different world for me. A lot of people who found out about my new side career have been really supportive - which I am extremely thankful for. But of course, there's always a pique of curiosity that sets in where I'll be asked...<i>"so what made you apply for the job?"</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMClUjew2iivLV8Aj3aX_1p9VRQaWai9r6Ipfg98SUvoMjzTl0TQ6JsUqYwY8dvwCnSXEEhCGE1we6_xqYApEdHe3GEAMc_JiIB5oiBRIliJRW4SeBRAhx3j6Nk7pee9SDL23I/s1600/RonKFM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMClUjew2iivLV8Aj3aX_1p9VRQaWai9r6Ipfg98SUvoMjzTl0TQ6JsUqYwY8dvwCnSXEEhCGE1we6_xqYApEdHe3GEAMc_JiIB5oiBRIliJRW4SeBRAhx3j6Nk7pee9SDL23I/s640/RonKFM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First day on the job! Image credits: <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/109684302062352301092" target="_blank">+KRISTALfm DST</a> </td></tr>
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Honestly, I don't know either. All I knew was back in November 2016, they posted an Instagram post where they're looking for 3 new part time English speaking DJs. And sometime in the early part of 2016, I had this sudden urge to do something on the side to supplement my income and also to add more fancy-schmancy stuff to my resume. I was tired of being complacent with my usual routine of doing a 9-6 job especially when I'm still in my <i>'prime'</i> years. So that thought, in a way, got me driven to start looking around to venture into something else.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNLY_DQBM_4/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Do you have what it takes to become a DJ on Brunei's most listened to radio station? We're looking for 3 English-speaking DJs to join our KRISTALfm team! If you think that you have the personality and talent to be behind the mic, send in your CV, including a photo of yourself, to the DST Group booth at @thebruneijobfair2016! Visit www.kristal.fm for more information. #kfm #kristalfm #kfmdjsearch</a></div>
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A post shared by KRISTALfm | 90.7 & 98.7 FM (@kristalfm) on <time datetime="2016-11-24T03:34:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 23, 2016 at 7:34pm PST</time></div>
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Prior to this, I also signed up to do voice over commercials for radio advertisements. I thought that was as far as I'll be able to go with getting first hand experience in the broadcasting world. Then, the opportunity presented itself. When I saw the post, I was hesitant to give it a try simply because I felt like I lack the <i>'radio'</i> voice and the fact that I cringe whenever I hear my ad being played on the radio. But I am reminded again by my wife - <i>you'll never know until you try!</i> So try I did. Didn't really put too much hope into it given the fact that there's so many comments tagging other people encouraging their friends to go for it. And me being the least competitive person in the world, I automatically go into submissive mode with the mindset that says;<br />
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<i>"Yeah, no hope already lah so many other people applied. But at least I tried to apply."</i><br />
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Then after about 2 weeks into it, I got an email asking to submit a voice demo about myself. Again, <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*cues self-doubt & low self esteem</span></i> but I decided to submit my demo either way and get it over and done with. Like the wifey said...you'll never know till you try. Eventually, I received a phone call saying my demo was shortlisted and I was asked to come in for an interview and a live audition. For some reason, I always find myself faring pretty well in interviews mainly because I come with an extremeku curious mindset. But when it was time for the live audition where I had to 'pretend' I was live on air and I only had one take, boy that was when I really felt I blew it all. I froze, I stuttered and I gave up hope midway during the recording thinking this is definitely not for me. I walked out feeling disappointed in myself that I got this far only to blow it but still felt proud that <i>at least I gave it a try!</i><br />
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After not hearing back for quite sometime, I kinda forgot about it and moved on. Then came the phone call from HR saying I've got the job, I was confused. Excited...but confused. Reality only set in when I was at the HR office to sign on the offer letter. It's been three weeks into this journey now and I'm still figuring out the "art" of talking out loud to myself. I've been on a few shows with other djs where it's much easier to converse when there's a person to talk to but the real challenge as of date is talking to myself. Yesterday marked my second time being on air alone and boy, oh boy, I still find myself for saying silly stuffs that makes no sense. It's funny how nerves can really destroy your entire grammar and vocabulary.<br />
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Nevertheless, it's definitely an exciting world to venture into. Still feel like I'm not cut out nor worthy to do the job yet but I'm clinging on the fact that I'll just improve myself over time. Nowadays, I also find myself 'practice-talking' while driving so if you happen to see me in my car talking to myself, I haven't quite lost my mind just yet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-4901135728154282962017-02-13T10:16:00.000+08:002017-02-13T10:16:01.307+08:00It's been a decade, dad. Today marks the <a href="http://kangta164.blogspot.com/2007/02/rest-in-peace-dad.html" target="_blank">10th year of my dad's passing.</a> There are still days I wonder how our entire family life would be like if he was still around. Actually whenever my family talk about dad, we always bring that line up.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"If only dad was still here..." </i><br />
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You'd hear quotes about how things will heal in time or time will heal all wounds, etc. That is true. The pain of losing him after 10 years doesn't feel as bad as the day when he took his last breath on the hospital bed. But what no one actually tells you is - how scary it is that time will also erases memory about the departed. As I grow older, there's many things about dad that slowly slipped my mind. How did his voice sound like? What's the cologne scent I usually smell whenever he picked me up from school? What are the other songs did he love to sing along to on the radio? Little details about him just slowly slipping through my mind as time goes by. I actually blanked out briefly when my sister reminded me that it was dad's birthday last month. Dad? Dad who?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bpP8mZ6xHd8RUpU8u8OpH8FDst-khLHA7E4t8Al7Y440oEIdp00cwMdEJlFOHks0NkARbu6JE2YnJU0Vv2FKVUPdAJpfQLFnZkK2loIfoMZ7XgfF5g_GWWq2XyjVPCpfAhHc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+3.50.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="407" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bpP8mZ6xHd8RUpU8u8OpH8FDst-khLHA7E4t8Al7Y440oEIdp00cwMdEJlFOHks0NkARbu6JE2YnJU0Vv2FKVUPdAJpfQLFnZkK2loIfoMZ7XgfF5g_GWWq2XyjVPCpfAhHc/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+3.50.40+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder what he'll look like at 67. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
10 years of not having someone to call dad will also subconsciously remove any affiliation of 'dad'-things/events in your life too. It's never fails to sting just a little whenever I see things like father's day advertisement or videos about father's love etc. A little voice inside my head will constantly whispers <i>"You don't have a dad anymore." </i>Days like these, I'm also actually thankful that I started blogging long time ago. I find myself re-reading <a href="http://kangta164.blogspot.com/2005/07/freedom.html" target="_blank">old posts</a> on events that <a href="http://kangta164.blogspot.com/2006/12/this-is-my-daddy.html" target="_blank">led up to discovering dad being diagnosed with cancer</a> just to see pictures of things then. The only thing I regretted is not blogging about when times were better. When life was cancer-free, happier and normal. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PNu6UiufKR_YTHA8GEMQGyaw0BKpwA0Cm4soZIWcAt8QbgcruHsc9BjOsO6azW7xIWbQ80mQryohhadYmcETWMk0GCZKAv0h69EsMztNPmYr6WtwGZrqrxvp9yy1oxmbzqRr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+6.37.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3PNu6UiufKR_YTHA8GEMQGyaw0BKpwA0Cm4soZIWcAt8QbgcruHsc9BjOsO6azW7xIWbQ80mQryohhadYmcETWMk0GCZKAv0h69EsMztNPmYr6WtwGZrqrxvp9yy1oxmbzqRr/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+6.37.41+PM.png" width="490" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young mom & dad. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qt3rq_V7KvJSoehyKWz5s67l0WbQMD3mvPW9jRE6yB_kPM1RVeQPgLe_dYVXHqWhqZWyMACEuaSmzCEgcYvDveXm_7gZUSEElN_tudseO-m9MOlIrE0yox7lQnUTUvW_P4sX/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+6.37.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qt3rq_V7KvJSoehyKWz5s67l0WbQMD3mvPW9jRE6yB_kPM1RVeQPgLe_dYVXHqWhqZWyMACEuaSmzCEgcYvDveXm_7gZUSEElN_tudseO-m9MOlIrE0yox7lQnUTUvW_P4sX/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-02-11+at+6.37.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese New Year circa 2004 since I wasn't around.</td></tr>
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But I'm still grateful for days where he appears in our dreams. Mom would also randomly mention that she had dreams about dad doing random stuffs but for the past 10 years - with his occasional appearances, we never get to hear him speak. He'd just stand there and smile. My last dream of dad was probably more than a year ago. I was on a boat ride with him heading somewhere and it dawned on me that I haven't seen him in such a long time. I broke down and cried and asked where have he been and that we all missed him so much. He just looked at me and smile without saying a word. And I find comfort in that. Knowing that wherever he is, he is happy.<br />
<br />
It's been officially a decade, dad. 10 years of not having you around. And we still miss you.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-29574081652340184112017-01-22T02:40:00.000+08:002017-01-22T21:06:58.953+08:00Trump is officially the 45th president of the United States of America!<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a non-American and a citizen of a country that does not have democracy, I am in awe of how a businessman cum reality TV star is able to be the president of a country. Sure not everyone is a fan of Trump and have voiced their anger by protesting and practicing their freedom of speech - but yet, what good can come out of it? This man is now the official leader and commander in chief of your country, America! And he has promised to make your country great again! Not only that, he even reminded you during his inauguration speech that you, the American citizens are now in power.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPPzRYyN9rzIqHUhCwChxrtl51Hl1N6yE6gvAOetLXG2BXH4R0VndX-xIuhToC51S3DdXgjlXI06MV-_31broAudubyLIbMZ_wU19ala2TwJNLDH3kTgWFnwzVu4hG4vRK7Y/s1600/1712512_1280x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gPPzRYyN9rzIqHUhCwChxrtl51Hl1N6yE6gvAOetLXG2BXH4R0VndX-xIuhToC51S3DdXgjlXI06MV-_31broAudubyLIbMZ_wU19ala2TwJNLDH3kTgWFnwzVu4hG4vRK7Y/s640/1712512_1280x720.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donald J Trump swearing in as the 45th POTUS. Image credit: Google. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 18px;"><i>Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another -- but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People." </i>- President Donald J. Trump, 2017</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ok, maybe that speech was somewhat a little too dramatic for my liking but my point is this. This man has made an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of your country. God knows why he decided to run for president when he of all people, could've just go about his business running his multi billion organization and host the next few seasons of The Apprentice and then retire in peace. Dude's 70 years old for Christ's sake. The official retirement age for people in Brunei is 60 years old and yet - he's taken one of the hardest job in the world i.e to lead the country. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white;">But even before he started his official duty being the president, a good percentage of Americans out there are already doubting him. And this baffles me. Rioting and protesting won't solve the mounting debt America has accumulated over years. Hashtagging #NotMyPresident won't solve the ISIS crisis the world is facing either. Yes, he may not be the person you voted for few months ago but the reality is this - Donald J Trump is now officially the 45th president of the free world. If I were an American, I would hope for the best that he'll truly make my county great again. If he does, wouldn't that be a good thing for the country? I remember my parents going on their honeymoon to the USA and getting a few gifts that had the tag "Made in America". This somehow gave the impression that the gifts were deemed more valuable than all the other stuffs I've ever owned. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">And that is what Trump wants America to be again. Great! The best of the best! The country that everyone still look up to! So why not just give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that he'll be able to "make America great again" during his presidency? If he does, then good on him and good on the USA. If he doesn't, then make sure he doesn't get re-elected for another term. At least you guys get to choose and do something about it. We, in Brunei can only dream of such things. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;">Disclaimer: I love Brunei and my Sultan. And MIB. Because MIB is life. </span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-34836927986685460992016-11-06T01:38:00.002+08:002016-11-06T01:38:27.571+08:00Thoughts. Sippin' on my whisky while watching a few <a href="https://youtu.be/T1a4gmuCiqU" target="_blank">REACT</a> videos on teens guessing on songs from the 90's and watching them getting so many wrong just made me feel...old.<br />
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Then bam. A sudden wave of thoughts just flowed through my mind. Mainly a lot of uncertainty with life being in this country especially after knowing how a few of my friends are losing their jobs. I really don't know what the future holds for this place anymore. Then again, I also don't know if life is going to be any easier if I were to be elsewhere either.<br />
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Most days I still feel like I'm still that same kid in class back in highshool trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. But here I am - legally an adult and still trying to figure out life itself. What am I doing with my life?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-73569769611968860202016-10-02T21:15:00.001+08:002016-10-03T21:36:24.859+08:00TelBru doesn't care. If you've been following my blog since the beginning, you would've known by now <a href="http://kangta164.blogspot.com/2006_03_01_archive.html" target="_blank">how much I hate TelBru's shitty internet service.</a> Even before it was corporatised to TelBru, <a href="http://kangta164.blogspot.com/2006/06/butt-kicking-showdown.html" target="_blank">I hated it</a>. When they announced they were being corporatised from JTB to TelBru, I thought things may be for the better but nope, majority of the country's population is still being ripped off with their <a href="https://www.telbru.com.bn/homebroadband/" target="_blank">ridiculous pricing</a>. But what else can we do besides having to move on with a <i>'just deal with it'</i> attitude since they are the only internet service provider nationwide?<br />
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I do however give them credit for trying to up the country's internet infrastructure every now and then but the main problem I have with them is the lack of transparency with how they deal with their existing customers. Lately many of the country's internet users have been experiencing sudden internet cut off at midnight with no advance notice given and no explanation provided after. Many vented their frustration online while the rest just suffer in silence.<br />
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For me, I find it unethical for them to continue billing customers when most of the time, they don't live up to their promises with their shitty service and their hidden charges. For example, before my area was upgraded to their FTTH network (Fibre To The Home), I decided to upgrade my e-Speed plan to their 5mbps only because they updated their pricing. But after a few months on it, I noticed the speed of my internet connection gradually started slowing down. Only after filing a complain and some investigation, I was told by their technician that my area "does not support the 5mbps speed" which was probably a lie because the first few months worked fine. But since they recommended to downgrade my plan, I went with their suggestion - only to find out that there's a $50 downgrade charge. I tried arguing with them I shouldn't be charged because prior to upgrading it, they told me that my area does support the speed. And now they're telling me it doesn't. But do they care? Nope.<br />
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Now with their FTTH service, I can finally be on a higher speed. Seeing that I've been paying $98 for the last 15 years or so, I figured it would only make sense to stay within the same expense monthly. So I signed up to their $99 plan thinking it's only $1 less than my budget of spending $100 a month for internet. However, much to my disappointment when my first bill came, I found out there's a $13 additional charge for 'telephone rental' which is ridiculous because we don't even have a phone connected to it. But obviously, there's no point to argue with them because there's no alternative internet service provider to choose from. Hence, they don't care.<br />
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But back to their latest stint of cutting people's internet off without warning and slowing down of speed. Many tried looking up on their website to see if there's any announcement of maintenance work being done but couldn't find any. Neither were there any updates on their Instagram account about their shitty connection but instead, they had the time to post a 'bahasakitani' (our language).<br />
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My first thought to seeing that post was...really? Did I really want to know what <i>'tangkumus'</i> mean? I came to your page seeking answers for my shitty internet speed but here you are teaching me on a Brunei word that I probably won't even use in my life. Shouldn't they be fixing their shit instead? And that pretty much led me to comment on their post...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPecNHUcHrE7PWrDq_PBmhyphenhyphenDfw2SyOMfkColdhW5I0JKSqAMwJmIKkOI0Mj_SohK-ngEEU0aXWvvtFksumiL42Bzb0MifItUk28EofdbyVmuPs02azUj-9pHyD0tkDTwiNzZj/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-02+at+7.12.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPecNHUcHrE7PWrDq_PBmhyphenhyphenDfw2SyOMfkColdhW5I0JKSqAMwJmIKkOI0Mj_SohK-ngEEU0aXWvvtFksumiL42Bzb0MifItUk28EofdbyVmuPs02azUj-9pHyD0tkDTwiNzZj/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-10-02+at+7.12.01+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Much to my surprise, many people found that comment hilarious and was circulating it around on Whatsapp and Twitter too. I thought TelBru would probably delete the comment eventually but they don't seemed too bothered by it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEawYwvP-_nQk-UK_9iNYwFctUGBVjLigNurCjcNtcyn3T1XOqi4GGM_yCShwkf4O-wGTAS5SJBaoVyRJsubq-RzaUF3kdG4uYPBiEPSlvPghbcQWD-b2w-eZENEsRzWzlsei/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-02+at+8.08.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEawYwvP-_nQk-UK_9iNYwFctUGBVjLigNurCjcNtcyn3T1XOqi4GGM_yCShwkf4O-wGTAS5SJBaoVyRJsubq-RzaUF3kdG4uYPBiEPSlvPghbcQWD-b2w-eZENEsRzWzlsei/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-10-02+at+8.08.42+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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In fact, they even reached out to me via DM asking me if everything is ok with my internet connection, which I thought is a nice gesture considering the unexpected burn comment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfO-IGdBPJ5sRvwtOWSZwl4wgSEGlrGLJiSXxJN7T_NXEdfnvX4B0uEKkbHFgBInjdsugAYQrOTzfDQN0_wgagST-qIgjun9v_KFO625G7PpDmTWlquVrh4Wu32gD8YoQyPyF/s1600/14462886_10154526756829289_8869963167358909965_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfO-IGdBPJ5sRvwtOWSZwl4wgSEGlrGLJiSXxJN7T_NXEdfnvX4B0uEKkbHFgBInjdsugAYQrOTzfDQN0_wgagST-qIgjun9v_KFO625G7PpDmTWlquVrh4Wu32gD8YoQyPyF/s640/14462886_10154526756829289_8869963167358909965_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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But what is the point to even address this when I am sure they know something is wrong with their service. In fact, I would even appreciate it if they'll just DM and tell me the reason why the internet is being a little shit. But no, they would rather pretend like all is well and ask me what is wrong! So, instead of wasting my time typing up my complaints, all I did was reply with a screenshot of my problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yx8XYBTJS8J7parkK2wx9bacopU_EtiBCMgFA8RMgoNunkWtJt6CemEcyyNVSMYR9R5Ym9ja6m2_WyM1kOBn0_F6U4Ysi_1-SyAb0IbRui4ayShaCejtpFfXfqsuBJcno5pa/s1600/IMG_1090.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yx8XYBTJS8J7parkK2wx9bacopU_EtiBCMgFA8RMgoNunkWtJt6CemEcyyNVSMYR9R5Ym9ja6m2_WyM1kOBn0_F6U4Ysi_1-SyAb0IbRui4ayShaCejtpFfXfqsuBJcno5pa/s640/IMG_1090.png" width="368" /></a></div>
Of course they didn't respond to that after. Cause <b>TelBru doesn't care. </b>ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-63083017628225008582016-08-22T23:06:00.001+08:002016-08-22T23:06:55.626+08:00"You have a lucky face" / "You are lucky" scam. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Re-posting this from my status update on Facebook which I shared the other day on a rather unique encounter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-- </span><br />
<div style="color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On my way to my car after work today (while doing my Pokestop runs) an Indian fella stopped me on my track and said <i>"You're very lucky. You have 3 lines on your forehead I can see that is luck".</i> </span></div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That obviously stopped me for a bit as he approached me and said "You wanna know how I know? I can tell people's fortune. You wanna know your fortune?" Curious me nodded yes while my brain let out a big sigh and told me <i>"That's it, you're gonna fall for this somehow."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This "fortune t<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">eller" proceeds to make small talks about how I'm happy but I'm only 40% happy while scribbling on his notepad discreetly. He then crumpled up the paper and made me hold it in my first and said <i>"What I wrote in there, you don't know right?"</i> (cues my no shit, Sherlock! moment)</span></span></div>
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<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Then he started asking me to pick a number between 1 to 10, my favourite flower, my dad's name, mom's name, wife's name, no of siblings & no. of kids. As I told him those details (Yeah, gullible me decide to give a stranger all my personal details thinking maybe he could be a real fortune teller) he started writing them down while still holding on to the crumpled paper in my fist. After giving him those details, he brought my attention back to my fist and asks again<i> "You know what I wrote in there?"</i> I shook my head with a polite smile. He then asked me to give him back the paper and did some mumbo jumbo with it, gave it back to me and asked me to "blow" on it. </div>
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And then he showed me on his notepad he has written down all the details I've told him previously but to prove that he was a fortune teller, he would've known it already. And it's written in that crumpled paper which he supposedly "predicted". Then he continued saying I have 3 good news coming next month and whatever he's about to tell me I need to keep it to myself because there are people right now that are jealous of me (yay I've got haters!).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymprVtfZNXl0qtMzU6XfxQ1ItAAIjiHWEWN09xpCgG_7Va-82x7Zf5R6iWZNMumd4KRKXdX5JTJuI3LSjsJf-TKhstWvU0mLEjZ0kQENaV_dw7rmqZqX9q8Ik7ozNNWXBMBK1/s1600/13939482_10154400731884289_2802426236583048177_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymprVtfZNXl0qtMzU6XfxQ1ItAAIjiHWEWN09xpCgG_7Va-82x7Zf5R6iWZNMumd4KRKXdX5JTJuI3LSjsJf-TKhstWvU0mLEjZ0kQENaV_dw7rmqZqX9q8Ik7ozNNWXBMBK1/s640/13939482_10154400731884289_2802426236583048177_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His 'prediction' on what I told him. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Of course for such sorcery, it comes with a price. He then wrote down again saying "Usually poor people will give $50, rich people $100. But money will go to this yoga group <i>*flashes a group photo of a bunch of Indian fellas at some temple*</i> to help them. And then the golden question..."How much you want to give them?"</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I told him I don't have any money on me while looking at his offer of '<b>Poor people = $50</b>' whilst thinking to myself, I must be really poor in his category if I don't have $50 on me right now which is true. He then negotiated and said <i>"It's okay, any amount will do."</i> Here, I would usually just opt to give $10 or possibly more but the problem is - I wasn't impressed with his "prediction" because I knew how it was done. (Hooray for owning a magic store before!) </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Again, he was persistent and said "Any amount can help!" So I just did my 'pretend tap on my pocket move' and said <i>"I don't have my wallet. Got wallet also no money. Sorry!"</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Fella then said "God Bless You!" and walked away. My brain did a victory dance.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">-- </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">Upon posting that, quite a number of my friends commented and said they've also experienced this scam from different parts of the world. A quick <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=indian+luck+prediction+scam&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=indian+fortune+prediction+scam" target="_blank">Google search</a> shows this scam has been going on for quite a while. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsJL1gvnEuoTgOPi7WTCl9luYtBOz_etFzsq4CJzH15W-q7AyoaVne8xtQZvlhl4O1KrFsLPCxjlyegv17zyVxWTbqTOEL8zsUmBsPONCxc12P6DKnQtGv24HJOZmGgGmvykp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-08-22+at+10.36.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsJL1gvnEuoTgOPi7WTCl9luYtBOz_etFzsq4CJzH15W-q7AyoaVne8xtQZvlhl4O1KrFsLPCxjlyegv17zyVxWTbqTOEL8zsUmBsPONCxc12P6DKnQtGv24HJOZmGgGmvykp/s640/Screen+Shot+2016-08-22+at+10.36.30+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just Google 'Indian Fortune Prediction Scam'. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The next time anyone stops you and say you're lucky or have a lucky face, just say thank you and walk away. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-45349560927590780382016-08-20T23:59:00.001+08:002018-03-27T21:00:30.098+08:00Foreigner marrying a local Bruneian. A step by step guide. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Time to put this blog to good use again. Seeing that there's hardly any resources online for what one should do when they have decided to marry a local Bruneian, here's what I can tell you in a quick summary. </div>
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<b>Brace yourself. </b><br />
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Especially when dealing with the immigration department officials and the paperwork requirement. Despite being married for two years now, whenever I have to make a trip to the immigration to renew Calla's visa, my mood instantly turns sour and I just rage mentally. The repetitive paperwork submissions and the waiting time is absolutely ridiculous and if you're unlucky, you'll be greeted with a "<i>Nombor sudah habis</i>" <i>(Out of queuing numbers)</i> just as you arrive at the immigration which pretty much means, screw you - try your luck again tomorrow! And I shit you not, in order to secure a queue number in the morning, one have to start queuing in line by 6 am at the very least while those working at the immigration department is probably still sound asleep at home before their shift starts at 7.30 am.<br />
<br />
For mine and Calla's case, before our official wedding in Michigan, we decided on doing a registry of civil marriages <i>(aka court signing)</i> earlier just to ensure a smoother process when applying for her permanent residency here. In order for her to be eligible to apply for permanent residency<i> (Red I/C as commonly known here)</i>, we will need to be married for at least two years before we can apply for that. But before we get into the court signing part, first requirement by authorities in Brunei is to <i>'seek their permission'</i>. Yes, for some reason you will need to have a letter from the Immigration Department saying something along the lines of <i>'We have no issue to let this foreigner marry this Bruneian.' </i>And to get that crucial letter, it requires a one month waiting period after you have submitted the required documentations. So...I would <i>highly</i> recommend you to plan way ahead of time. We started our process as early as June when we decided on doing the court signing for December. But it ended up being in January to do non-availability of dates.<br />
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Anyway, here's a practical guide for all you foreigners out there who wants to know what are the main paperwork requirements should you decide to marry a local Bruneian.<br />
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOXhWSytAWNxFlKwB1Zy_vSR4OmFiicfl1b3wUd9VIap_QORbiT3I50LuLUY119CdYlse2oObcJ0LVFaBbFf3sH7oNCmgek6PWdbHbW3IbCHJ1tmZCROAPyDC7F8-66WhwEty/s1600/IMG_0768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOXhWSytAWNxFlKwB1Zy_vSR4OmFiicfl1b3wUd9VIap_QORbiT3I50LuLUY119CdYlse2oObcJ0LVFaBbFf3sH7oNCmgek6PWdbHbW3IbCHJ1tmZCROAPyDC7F8-66WhwEty/s640/IMG_0768.JPG" width="411" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checklist of documentations required by the Immigration Department.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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For those unfamiliar with Malay, here's a simplified English checklist of documents required for a local Brunei citizen & permanent resident that wish to marry a foreigner. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>A. For Wife To Be</u></b></div>
<div>
- A letter of application from wife to be - 2 copies (sample provided below)</div>
<div>
- An authorisation letter to marry (from parents or guardian of wife to be) - 2 copies. <i>*note - it does not matter if your spouse to be is 20 years old or 40 years old, as per their required documentations, you will still need a letter by someone from her side of the family to say 'Yes, I allow this person to be married'. Major wtf, i know!</i></div>
<div>
<i>- </i>Identification card and/or passport - 2 copies</div>
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- Passport sized photo - 2 copies</div>
<div>
- A letter from your village head to confirm your spouse is single <i>(another wtf)</i> or a statutory of declaration by court - 2 copies. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>B. For Husband To Be.</u></b></div>
<div>
- Same as the above.</div>
<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
Note: If both the applicants have already been legally married (elsewhere or previously); you will also need to provide the following</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Marriage certificate - 2 copies</div>
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- Divorce certificate - 2 copies</div>
<div>
- Death certificate (assuming if your previous spouse died) - 2 copies</div>
<div>
- Death certificates of parents - 2 copies</div>
<div>
- Authorisation of letter from wife & identification card - 2 copies (this I assume for Muslims since they're allowed to marry up to three wives)</div>
<div>
- Conversion of faith letter (for those who embraced Islam) - 2 copies. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Disclaimer: The process of this application will take a month or more. You are reminded NOT to set any wedding dates prior to receiving any official notification from the Immigration Department. This is to avoid any inconveniences.</i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTCfSBTxNzHf1wXijOPdR7hyphenhyphenLNVc2bGcpQLvoDp7e5TlvN4HVDvxIdEwNYHhP5HBu3SQSJ_mh5igjwyBRkU_jMdl7onYFEPFc8ezrFNq1QZrB_5jv_FbDyGZ-1CFHgXLrS4gh/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTCfSBTxNzHf1wXijOPdR7hyphenhyphenLNVc2bGcpQLvoDp7e5TlvN4HVDvxIdEwNYHhP5HBu3SQSJ_mh5igjwyBRkU_jMdl7onYFEPFc8ezrFNq1QZrB_5jv_FbDyGZ-1CFHgXLrS4gh/s640/IMG_0769.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample letter provided by the Immigration on how to write your letter of application to marry the person. I just copy word for word and changed the names and country respectively.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WrSyEIchiwsEy8kzXEM7g8NBnICQQW2PA28Q5DFpy-EWCZAuVP47No-evAxz4T9VQ9-pOKHI4DRaolbXRj53ILLT8wbJpoASk3Xhcbe5eKgi5TPPMxABmTj58YMQsWnahIIk/s1600/IMG_0770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WrSyEIchiwsEy8kzXEM7g8NBnICQQW2PA28Q5DFpy-EWCZAuVP47No-evAxz4T9VQ9-pOKHI4DRaolbXRj53ILLT8wbJpoASk3Xhcbe5eKgi5TPPMxABmTj58YMQsWnahIIk/s640/IMG_0770.JPG" width="416" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample letter of authorisation from parents/guardian provided by the immigration. If either of your spouse is from a western country, then you can just do a simple authorisation letter in English as long as the required details (name, passport & ic number and country of citizenship) is stated. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Now, for locals and permanent residents, the wtf part of the above mandatory requirement is a letter from your 'ketua kampong' i.e village head. This part I have no idea why it's required but fortunately for my case, my mom knew where our village head lived and the process to get it is pretty simple. Just give him a copy of your I/C and he'll issue you a letter like this. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8e5X6FlQ1q8PFBWKOgt3rLIdhhSBm4dMGukeGv27AO04BSe2IftksJ_Coy7IsPCGQe061XBuC4w4Ivqs6SuN0W-bxcQKHhvdJ8dPlT_Jk7Yzi3AL9KsLV8JyMp9KLH-mlMHqR/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8e5X6FlQ1q8PFBWKOgt3rLIdhhSBm4dMGukeGv27AO04BSe2IftksJ_Coy7IsPCGQe061XBuC4w4Ivqs6SuN0W-bxcQKHhvdJ8dPlT_Jk7Yzi3AL9KsLV8JyMp9KLH-mlMHqR/s640/IMG_0771.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still no idea why there's a need for a random village head to verify that I'm single. I mean really, that's all the letter says. He can vouch that I'm single. I don't even know that guy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once you have submitted all of those, you will be given a date to come in for an interview with an immigration official. If I'm not mistaken, you are also required to bring one witness which for my case I brought my mom along as a 'guarantor'. The interview is really just for the officer to formally go through all the documentations in front of you and to explain on certain immigration rules of the country. Technically, it's also for them to verify and judge if your relationship is legit or not. Once the officer is satisfied, you are instructed to come back in about a month time to collect your letter that states the Brunei Immigration have no issues with you marrying your spouse. My advise is - mark down the date of your interview somewhere and set a reminder to when you need to go collect your letter. Do not rely on them calling you to collect cause that will not happen. For my case, they messed up our letter with typo on my name but thankfully I did not have to wait another month for them to re-do. And it is while waiting for them to re-issue the letter, I saw why it takes a month. The person handling these letters can't type to save their life. From what I could see, everything is already laid out in a template but I guess the struggle is real for the officers to type up different names. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once you have receive an official letter of authorisation to marry your spouse from the Immigration Department, laminate that shit immediately. The last thing you want to happen is to have it smeared and/or torn only to have to go through the ENTIRE process again. And trust me, you will need to provide endless copy of this letter for any other immigration related applications in the future. But congratulations on reaching this far! We have only just begun. For the next step, court signing! Here's the checklist from their brochure which you can retrieve from the Registry of Civil Marriages section at the AGC Building. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHSrXEWm0b8ZW9r4pl5FmuVkbkhMjM5S-676_dFK1nOKRKB0aCvg7Zrv5As7xZQYt7wn-uvwAPvX6EiPTx-2n5osZwBX1aKGS0md1r9u_IEovOw4YDgmQe8JbzExhljY4i1_Q/s1600/IMG_0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYHSrXEWm0b8ZW9r4pl5FmuVkbkhMjM5S-676_dFK1nOKRKB0aCvg7Zrv5As7xZQYt7wn-uvwAPvX6EiPTx-2n5osZwBX1aKGS0md1r9u_IEovOw4YDgmQe8JbzExhljY4i1_Q/s640/IMG_0773.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwwnEQCPAcDl750D86I-yNpEfhNinfwH17wW_zLFgAjVgkH3p_yXq5vdSOJqaPNyioGyI7ipyfGD9FrPPNiwCXkSgZVcxCUV8CFKxkDX9vBHnzblBgP_hCepNRHJ-2VfucQfj/s1600/IMG_0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwwnEQCPAcDl750D86I-yNpEfhNinfwH17wW_zLFgAjVgkH3p_yXq5vdSOJqaPNyioGyI7ipyfGD9FrPPNiwCXkSgZVcxCUV8CFKxkDX9vBHnzblBgP_hCepNRHJ-2VfucQfj/s640/IMG_0772.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back page</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
Dealing with the court is much less complicated since most of them can speak English and the checklist & instructions are pretty straight forward. The only hiccup I had was with providing an official Certified of No Impediment to Marry issued by the Marriage Registry of the applicant's Country of Origin or an Affidavit or Statutory Declaration sworn by the applicant's parents. I initially thought it would make sense to have Calla provide an 'Affidavit of Statutory Declaration' herself done at the U.S Embassy but apparently the court does not recognises that. So we had to get her mom to do it officially in Michigan and Fedex the affidavit back here urgently to secure the date we wanted to do our Registration of Marriage. Once you have provided all of these to the court, then you can officially choose a date to legally be husband and wife in Brunei! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU8_WHSVthIDVFL_VZBw9XbdeyDSunUbNvY9AM2bXHJ5m2cLmJos_a5bnp_cEn7cbewMOid4N7WpQu8TcfN26t7mUx6peprfUZrOZqzvd_asKTf-uvcLaaThUsSb3LH3ZFOKI/s1600/P1000270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU8_WHSVthIDVFL_VZBw9XbdeyDSunUbNvY9AM2bXHJ5m2cLmJos_a5bnp_cEn7cbewMOid4N7WpQu8TcfN26t7mUx6peprfUZrOZqzvd_asKTf-uvcLaaThUsSb3LH3ZFOKI/s640/P1000270.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us after exchanging our 'legal' vows in 2014. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
Hope the above information is of great use to any of you out there. The next step after this is applying for your spouse to legally stay here which is another shitty lengthy process but I shall not go there because that requires a lot of mental strength and patience. Just thinking about doing a post on that entire process is making me annoyed. My suggestion if you prefer to skip the entire above process? Don't marry a Bruneian. If you really have to, then don't get married in Brunei. It's only necessary if you are planning on settling in Brunei for a bit or permanently. If both you and your spouse have no plans, then do it at whichever country you're living (if it's any easier than the Bruneian process). I wish you the very best of luck and <i>may the odds be ever in your favour.</i> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-66350948709146312672016-07-30T16:41:00.000+08:002016-07-30T17:08:14.088+08:00A little over two years later......and I decide to post something up. What's been happening over the last two years? Oh, nothing much. Got married and stuff. No biggie really.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7UodZSUnqt3ERXXmHwrQfdDeEUGEdUaaETDMcqiJ3ViNDbkk7YEs5PgfAMLA2pfDMp6VGxxCt5LhhhO-OCCIg0Afz_yp_UtWsO-6yHLEOua3BsArhxosSNwJZTeV3Cm9Gt4H/s1600/Ron+and+Calla-243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7UodZSUnqt3ERXXmHwrQfdDeEUGEdUaaETDMcqiJ3ViNDbkk7YEs5PgfAMLA2pfDMp6VGxxCt5LhhhO-OCCIg0Afz_yp_UtWsO-6yHLEOua3BsArhxosSNwJZTeV3Cm9Gt4H/s640/Ron+and+Calla-243.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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No idea what made me decide to visit my blog which then led to the thought that I should really post something up. In all honesty, I was planning to delete the entire blog but as soon as I start looking back at my old posts, I realised how much time I've spent on here just typing away. And it's pretty surreal to re-read my thoughts and life from a decade ago.</div>
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So here I am, at 29 years old, sitting alone in the room <i>(no, not separated - the missus is back home visiting family on a holiday)</i> sipping away on my coffee cup while my phone is on my side playing on it's own <i>(note: stay the hell away from this game called <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/summoners-war/id852912420?mt=8" target="_blank">Summoners War</a>)</i> and updating away on my 16 years old blog. Hilarious.<br />
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And for the record, no stones have been thrown, no limbs have been amputated yet in Brunei just in case anyone is wondering. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4Brunei4.535277 114.727668999999993.5222605 113.4367755 5.5482935 116.01856249999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-30720285712048140212014-05-12T01:05:00.000+08:002014-05-12T01:10:03.429+08:00Boycotting Brunei is the new in thing...This was probably something that no one saw it coming earlier, but when Brunei went ahead with the implementation of the Syariah law earlier this month, we've been getting a lot of international coverage. And it started off with <a href="http://www.frontiersla.com/frontiers-blog/2014/04/17/boycott-called-for-brunei-owned-hotel-group-cleve-jones-bruce-vilanch-on-board">LBGT supporters calling for the boycotting of the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA.</a> From there onwards, it pretty much snowballed to a bunch of rich and famous people jumping in the boycotting bandwagon of assets owned by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunei_Investment_Agency">Brunei Investment Agency</a> around the world, particularly hotels under the <a href="http://www.dorchestercollection.com/">Dorchester Collection</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brian-atwood-peter-som-boycott-697936">Hollywood Reporter</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcCbBVMwMHx9nwukeH9T7zUvGAlWONeO09MjLf5kNW6U1YBz2swlm-jHoGvZp2DaHfmdXuvMiwfGXrkovvYow38afqUfE7bwLiqC8GVv_IPZh-7ilVtYmMY9V0VCK77HeAV4p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+3.40.30+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcCbBVMwMHx9nwukeH9T7zUvGAlWONeO09MjLf5kNW6U1YBz2swlm-jHoGvZp2DaHfmdXuvMiwfGXrkovvYow38afqUfE7bwLiqC8GVv_IPZh-7ilVtYmMY9V0VCK77HeAV4p/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+3.40.30+pm.png" height="454" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/05/03/richard-branson-announces-virgin-boycott-of-brunei-owned-hotel-over-stone-the-gays-law/">Pink News</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvl3Nm_MjVPJGAYFvnqcmsLpDnRKsgBezACoJ3H5-o4z0suz1qhmYrWQ2T4yOPdMJM-853a6qAh51bBj1Km5qw6hTk9XtbWzumRhD0gofKsRNs8d2au4YDFRmQNqTzW0SxAPDp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+5.01.32+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvl3Nm_MjVPJGAYFvnqcmsLpDnRKsgBezACoJ3H5-o4z0suz1qhmYrWQ2T4yOPdMJM-853a6qAh51bBj1Km5qw6hTk9XtbWzumRhD0gofKsRNs8d2au4YDFRmQNqTzW0SxAPDp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+5.01.32+pm.png" height="448" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.fashiontimes.com/articles/6716/20140509/kerings-fran%C3%A7ois-henri-pinault-joins-dorchester-collection-hotels-boycott.htm">Fashion Times</a></td></tr>
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Perhaps the video that surprised me the most was this video of Japanese protesters outside the Ambassador's Residence of Brunei in Tokyo, Japan. </div>
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Having born and raised in Brunei, any form of protests in this country is considered very illegal. Mainly also due to the fact that we are still <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Brunei">under a Martial Law since 1962</a>. So to actually see people silent protesting outside an official Brunei premise, albeit it being in a foreign soil, is still pretty mind blowing in a way. </center>
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In a way, all these protests and boycotting about this new law is pretty debatable. I can understand why the western world is outraged about this law because overseas, other countries are working together to give the LGBT community equal rights in society. And here we are, announcing that if you're gay, you'll be subject to punishment if you're caught doing any indecencies in this country. A law that specifically discriminates against the LGBT community just because it is part of their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Islam">religion</a>. The other point to why people overseas are protesting against this law is also due to the inhumane punishment that awaits if one if caught violating it. Amputations, flogging and the ultimate <i>"jackpot"</i> of being stoned to death awaits them. Hence, the whole subject of violating human rights and what not.</center>
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Why I say this is debatable is because, Brunei is neither the first nor the only country that implemented the Syariah law. We're probably the latest country to implement it which is why we're getting all the sudden attention. So, one can easily argue that it is rather biased that Brunei owned assets overseas are currently the only one being boycotted. Why aren't they boycotting assets owned by UAE or other countries that also has the Syariah law? </center>
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Despite all the media attention we're getting internationally, back here in Brunei, people are <i>"uniting"</i> to ward off all the negative attention the country and our ruler is receiving. </center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many pro-Syariah posts circulating and shared among Bruneian on Facebook.</td></tr>
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While some chose to express their thoughts and feelings through simple statements, others decide to go to the extreme of creating their own Facebook page calling Bruneians to unite and boycott the companies that are boycotting against them, which I think it's slightly amusing considering we're only a population of 400,000+ people. </center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AntiBranson">The "Boycott Branson's Virgin over his boycott of Sultan of Brunei" page. </a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWponpF_DxBatPoC5i_NbDqNqOjztraJxFg-yZ-k1xmCYbNCYQpWoyZ-aOUIs56F0LMDSnFzFL5LO8IHwEZ8kF8zy4zseNtRet8t6EMJ4cEKEYSFpzkydCJ9fmkhLVSgFWuaE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+6.53.17+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWponpF_DxBatPoC5i_NbDqNqOjztraJxFg-yZ-k1xmCYbNCYQpWoyZ-aOUIs56F0LMDSnFzFL5LO8IHwEZ8kF8zy4zseNtRet8t6EMJ4cEKEYSFpzkydCJ9fmkhLVSgFWuaE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+6.53.17+pm.png" height="394" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/We-support-Brunei-Darussalam-for-Syariah-hudud-law/516952738409748">The Pro-Syarah Hudud Law page.</a></td></tr>
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As much as I want to applaud our fellow Bruneians who are trying to show the world they're embracing this new law into their lives, unfortunately it seems like a lot of them have expressed themselves in a manner that contradicts what their peaceful religion teaches them. And it's a shame really. Arguments between the pro-Syariah law and the anti-Syariah law people escalating into personal attacks and threats against others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3dCOMKUf-haLA-eFUdaraL0lSxGDh46hinAXbVvcYUcIbsshkeqM8PPwdG7gHZzx4nlmlIG47YDLJ_C1kyHGHuMMcyMHc0L1mCGBVg46Ga1rV5RM2rasrsGMFWmFVMCbUPYJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+11.03.14+pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3dCOMKUf-haLA-eFUdaraL0lSxGDh46hinAXbVvcYUcIbsshkeqM8PPwdG7gHZzx4nlmlIG47YDLJ_C1kyHGHuMMcyMHc0L1mCGBVg46Ga1rV5RM2rasrsGMFWmFVMCbUPYJ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-11+at+11.03.14+pm.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/boycottbrunei/posts/554229864698395?comment_id=554233128031402&reply_comment_id=554365831351465&offset=0&total_comments=81&notif_t=feed_comment_reply">Boycott Brunei Page</a></td></tr>
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It's only been 11 days into this new law and things are looking pretty chaotic in the online world while in reality, the talk of this new law among one another seems taboo. People discuss and voice their opinion quietly and discreetly. The latest sermon at the local mosques instructs Bruneians to "<a href="http://bt.com.bn/news-national/2014/05/10/bruneians-urged-be-steadfast-united-face-criticism">remain steadfast and united in the face of criticism</a>" and emphasises that those who are anti-Syariah law are ignorant and not well informed about the law. While that is a rather good emphasis made, I personally think it's a little premature to start preaching on it because just days ago, the Sultan himself had to make a royal speech calling <a href="http://bt.com.bn/frontpage-news-national/2014/05/06/end-confusion-over-syariah-law">to end confusion on the Syariah law</a>.<br />
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And it seems that's what the situation is still like. Confusion. A lot of people are still misinformed or confused about this new law. Some are saying the law is only applicable to Muslims only but in reality, it is actually applicable to non-Muslims too according to the <a href="http://www.agc.gov.bn/agc1/images/LAWS/Gazette_PDF/2013/EN/syariah%20penal%20code%20order2013.pdf">Syariah Penal Code Order 2013.</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013. </td></tr>
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Those who have had a browse at this code would agree with me when I say that there is definitely a lot of work that still needs to be done in terms of clarifying the Syariah law. The English level used in this penal code is just wayyyy too deep for an ordinary person to understand. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not a qualified lawyer to understand the lingos/jargons used or my English is terrible or simply because the person who wrote up this penal code has terrible English. Here's an example.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7NKix-ma3vbPJ87gsbhJYp1xgBdRX8m6nQZRJJc92XNO3LLBlb33P2ahy0YOJB5xQ49GvUdUT7_gREhh18iHjFiiSb3Cpe7vltluUXjxljLmjmDPQVp7cgn480HcKvVNQKFG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-12+at+12.34.54+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7NKix-ma3vbPJ87gsbhJYp1xgBdRX8m6nQZRJJc92XNO3LLBlb33P2ahy0YOJB5xQ49GvUdUT7_gREhh18iHjFiiSb3Cpe7vltluUXjxljLmjmDPQVp7cgn480HcKvVNQKFG/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-12+at+12.34.54+am.png" /></a></div>
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Either way, I still think the media is definitely over-hyping this law for now considering we've only just recently implemented it. And people both locally and abroad are over-reacting because one side claims to be helping us from a human rights perspective, while the other side is refusing help. And all these dramas are unfolding when there's not even any cases yet. Perhaps the wisest move for all is to educate yourself from both perspectives. See as to why there are people who are against this law and why there are some who are for this law.<br />
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Think logically for yourself and decide for yourself.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12720761.post-89233906626202341712014-02-01T15:24:00.001+08:002014-02-01T15:24:37.514+08:00Today you, tomorrow me. Read something that I thought was totally worth sharing. Someone posted the question "Have you ever picked up a hitch-hiker?" on Reddit and this guy shared a profound experience he had.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">By <a href="http://www.reddit.com/user/rhoner" target="_blank">u/rhoner</a>:</span></i><br />
Just about every time I see someone I stop. I kind of got out of the habit in the last couple of years, moved to a big city and all that, my girlfriend wasn't too stoked on the practice. Then some shit happened to me that changed me and I am back to offering rides habitually. If you would indulge me, it is long story and has almost nothing to do with hitch hiking other than happening on a road.<br />
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This past year I have had 3 instances of car trouble. A blow out on a freeway, a bunch of blown fuses and an out of gas situation. All of them were while driving other people's cars which, for some reason, makes it worse on an emotional level. It makes it worse on a practical level as well, what with the fact that I carry things like a jack and extra fuses in my car, and know enough not to park, facing downhill, on a steep incline with less than a gallon of fuel.<br />
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Anyway, each of these times this shit happened I was DISGUSTED with how people would not bother to help me. I spent hours on the side of the freeway waiting, watching roadside assistance vehicles blow past me, for AAA to show. The 4 gas stations I asked for a gas can at told me that they couldn't loan them out "for my safety" but I could buy a really shitty 1-gallon one with no cap for $15. It was enough, each time, to make you say shit like "this country is going to hell in a handbasket."<br />
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But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke a lick of the language. But one of those dudes had a profound affect on me.<br />
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He was the guy that stopped to help me with a blow out with his whole family of 6 in tow. I was on the side of the road for close to 4 hours. Big jeep, blown rear tire, had a spare but no jack. I had signs in the windows of the car, big signs that said NEED A JACK and offered money. No dice. Right as I am about to give up and just hitch out there a van pulls over and dude bounds out. He sizes the situation up and calls for his youngest daughter who speaks english. He conveys through her that he has a jack but it is too small for the Jeep so we will need to brace it. He produces a saw from the van and cuts a log out of a downed tree on the side of the road. We rolled it over, put his jack on top, and bam, in business. I start taking the wheel off and, if you can believe it, I broke his tire iron. It was one of those collapsible ones and I wasn't careful and I snapped the head I needed clean off. Fuck.<br />
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No worries, he runs to the van, gives it to his wife and she is gone in a flash, down the road to buy a tire iron. She is back in 15 minutes, we finish the job with a little sweat and cussing (stupid log was starting to give), and I am a very happy man. We are both filthy and sweaty. The wife produces a large water jug for us to wash our hands in. I tried to put a 20 in the man's hand but he wouldn't take it so I instead gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl where they lived, thinking maybe I could send them a gift for being so awesome. She says they live in Mexico. They are here so mommy and daddy can pick peaches for the next few weeks. After that they are going to pick cherries then go back home. She asks if I have had lunch and when I told her no she gave me a tamale from their cooler, the best fucking tamale I have ever had.<br />
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So, to clarify, a family that is undoubtedly poorer than you, me, and just about everyone else on that stretch of road, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took an hour or two out of their day to help some strange dude on the side of the road when people in tow trucks were just passing me by. Wow...
But we aren't done yet. I thank them again and walk back to my car and open the foil on the tamale cause I am starving at this point and what do I find inside? My fucking $20 bill! I whirl around and run up to the van and the guy rolls his window down. He sees the $20 in my hand and just shaking his head no like he won't take it. All I can think to say is "Por Favor, Por Favor, Por Favor" with my hands out. Dude just smiles, shakes his head and, with what looked like great concentration, tried his hardest to speak to me in English:<br />
<br />
"Today you.... tomorrow me."<br />
<br />
Rolled up his window, drove away, his daughter waving to me in the rear view. I sat in my car eating the best fucking tamale of all time and I just cried. Like a little girl. It has been a rough year and nothing has broke my way. This was so out of left field I just couldn't deal.<br />
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In the 5 months since I have changed a couple of tires, given a few rides to gas stations and, once, went 50 miles out of my way to get a girl to an airport. I won't accept money. Every time I tell them the same thing when we are through:<br />
<br />
"Today you.... tomorrow me."ronckkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02988008605662537859noreply@blogger.com1