bruneians get under your skin

my housemate (who's also my colleague) were discussing this the other day. even though, it's kinda tough for us here in brunei because we are missing our families, our young colleagues at the office make it all worthwhile. it's interesting to see how they have grown and matured. some of them joined after us, so we could see how they have progressed. bruneians are generally family-oriented and warm people. and they do get under your skin ... in a good way.

off day (hurrah!)

it's finally my off day! can't believe my last post was sunday! yesterday was crazy. didn't sleep just so i could finish writing my piece for the paper. also, managed to squeeze in the final episodes of the hit Taiwan series "You're My Destiny". Really, really funny.

Listen to the theme song here at youtube.

ubaya ubaya

had the tv on while i was blogging. these programme looks interesting. reminds me of some trendy/hip islamic based talk shows i saw on arabic tv (on astro) and in malaysia.

found a website, i think belonging to one of the hosts: zayn sabri

> check it out

procrastination

i am such a bleedin procastinator. hv been back over a week and my bed is still bare. i have not put on the laundered bedsheet as yet. have been sleeping on the mattress protector. argh. so freakin lazy!

gotta do it tonight. sigh.

and clean my room.

i really wish i have a robot maid.

sunday scrambled eggs

actually i haven't cooked the eggs. just thinking about cooking it for either iftar or sahur.

am thinking scrambled eggs with chives and voila! there's a recipe on the internet.

found a few recipes:

chinese scrambled eggs with chives. >more

scrambled eggs with chives and sour cream. >more

alternatively, am just gonna create my own recipe with whatever i have in the fridge. have a whole loaf of wholemeal bread which i haven't eaten!

actually, i'm feeling a bit embarrassed. my housemate washed the dirty dishes last night coz i was soooo sleepy that i crashed immediately after coming home from work - the result of a korean drama marathon. finished watching all five dvds of Cinderella Sister. both housemate and i work nights and normally we get home around 1am, have supper and turn in. my mayte normally wait for subuh prayers before she goes to sleep. i do too but after returning from my recent malaysia hols, my biological changed and i have been waking up early, and getting sleepy by 1am. and actually i like that coz i am really a morning person. so, i'm trying to see whether after ramadhan, i can sleep early, wake up for subuh prayers, write a bit, then take an afternoon nap before work. hmmmm, we'll see.

korea dramas

we are crazy about korea dramas in this household. it's really weird. i don't even have a dvd player at my apartment in malaysia. but here, i had to buy one. we don't have a car, so we hardly go anywhere. so most of the time, we watch dvds, esp korean. LOTS of them. LOL!

right now we are watching Cinderella Sister. ouch. painful.

muara beach

this is the main recreational beach for bruneians, especially those who live in the capital. it's a lovely beach but unfortunately it's full of litter. sigh.

so lazy

am supposed to be going to work right about now ... but soooo lazy. maybe coz later tonight i have to stay back and squeeze the creative juices from my brain. have to write an editorial tonight; due tomorrow. argh.

plus, need to clean up the kitchen. am not fasting today, so i had lunch and cooked dessert for my housemate's iftar/sungkai/buka today.

i've updated ALL my blogs (they are so sparsely written) and hv done my laundry. so you can say i have had a productive day. it's hot outside and if today is anything like tomorrow, i bet it's gonna rain cats and dogs tonight.

my header photo

actually my header photo is of Labuan. i think. heheh. went to Labuan for the first time a few months ago. took some photos on my mobile. i believe this is a view of Labuan before we arrived at the port. we are on the morning muara-labuan ferry. it was a nice trip. hope to go there again soon and i will take more photos.

the process to go to Labuan is quite painless. although it's nicer to get the morning ferry as, according to my friend, you can sit at the upper deck and you can go out on the whatchamacallit balcony type thing, enjoy the seabreeze and take photos.

i got some pretty cheap brooches for my scarves. RM10 for 4. bought lots of chocolates. well, they WERE in ringgit!

we got our friend to drive us there in the morning and we arranged for a private cab to take us home.

how time flies ...

it's already Ramadhan ... and my two-year contract here in Brunei will end in a few months.

have yet to explore all of Brunei. have been home quite a few times and to other countries apart from Malaysia. but have yet to go to Temburong. maybe before i leave.

am hoping they will renew my contract, although i prefer to return to Malaysia. but the money's good. well, in terms of currency. my mother says the situation in Malaysia will get worse in the next two years. sigh. who knows. that's my mum. the doom master.

it's quiet here in Brunei during the fasting month. government offices close by 2pm. it's entering the second week of Ramadhan and it seems most locals prefer dining at home. one of my friends said she and a collegue went to Fratini's for sungkai (that's what they call 'buka' or breaking of fast here in Brunei) the other day and there weren't a lot of customers. ditto at The Mall in Gadong. went there yesterday with my housemate and it was quiet.

i've decided this year to make my Ramadhan a good one. was in Malaysia the first few days. had the opportunity to go for solat terawih. tiring but good. Eid is only as good as one's Ramadhan. really. :-)

anyway, i made bubur barli and sago today (barley and sago porridge). actually, you are supposed to use terigu or wheat but i can't find it at Grand Utama or the shop near our flat. so ...

looks ok. tastes ok. dunno whether i should give some to my colleagues. ha.ha.ha.

how i did it:

boiled some barley in water, add pandan (screwpine leaves), then when it's 'empuk' (done), i added sago, then sugar and a bit of salt, and lastly, santan or coconut milk. you have to stir constantly when you are adding the sago and santan. the santan might curdle.

my porridge is not so sweet. just nice. i think. heheh.

its 2010!

can't believe it's already 2010! it has been more than 10 months since i last wrote in this blog. how time flies when you're errr... not having fun?

2009 was a messy tumultous year for me, here in brunei. i've moved around a few times but now am finally settled in a nice little flat above a restaurant. unfortunately, though, this might be my last year here!