rock n roses

Birthday Girl

2008-10-18T00:37:00.002+13:00

A very happy birthday to my lovely sis, koda. Semoga panjang umur dimurahkan rezeki and berbahagia selalu. I love you. =)

Selamat Hari Raya

2008-10-02T21:34:00.006+13:00

Selamat Hari Raya to all Muslims especially to Babu and Bapa di Brunei, maaf zahir batiin.

The first open house this year was held at the first day of raya at 8b Gowland St. There were 3 chefs in charged. And on behalf of Gowlanders, I would like to thank for those who came and making the first day raya such a lovely day.

Aeda, preparing her nasi goreng.

Busy with the bean sprout.

Of those who first came.

Getting the ketupat.

Aeda at the Mee Kari station.

Peaceful raya.

Just to kill the time with the PSP.

The house is crowded but yet cozy. Aeda is to ask for a house extension from the landlord.

President and VP of BSA.

Ziemah and Aeda.

Nees and Aeda.

Almost everybody.

Batch of 2006.

BSA Sungkai

2008-09-07T15:48:00.007+12:00

BSA sungkai is a yearly event which is held for us to get together. This year, it is kind of different where intead of potluck, Bruneians in NZ cooked for the meal together. An ideal way to strengthen relationships among us. I would say the food was splendid not forgetting the awesome beverage, 'Puspa'.

The Sungkai was held at Clubs and Socs and following that, Terawih was performed, led by our Religious Officer, Mujeeb.

I would like to wish all Muslims 'Happy Fasting' during this Holy month of Ramadhan.

Kitchen 1, this was where they cook Bihun and Vegies.

A thumb up, by the Bihun cook.

The other kitchen, where they cooked the chicken and dessert.

The peeling event.

Shareen cleaning the nibbles.

Introducing Chombee.

'The place where I came from, cats don't like to be man-handled'.

Preferring a woman's affection.

Aeda preparing the awesome 'Puspa'.

Chilling before the breaking the fast.

Zie with the 'Cucur Pisang'.

Voila. Food are served.

Zuh and Mizah, cleaning up the dishes.

Aeda and Nees.

Khai, calling for Isya prayer.

Two man band

2008-09-06T10:26:00.004+12:00

On a Saturday afternoon, we just can't resist looking at a drum and a guitar untouched. This is a two man band jamming session playing the song 'Sweet child O'mine'. We are still looking for a vocalist and two other guitar player =P. We rock.

Badminton Tourney

2008-09-05T00:41:00.006+12:00

The first ever badminton tourney for the BSA was held, and honestly this event is quite popular among the BSA members. It was held last week, and I presume most of my colleagues have posted the tourney's pictures.

4 categories were competed: mens' single, womens' single, womens' double and mixed double. The champions for each category are: Raymond, Sharon, Zie and Shareen, and Dibah and Jon. There was no mens' double due to the limited number of BSA male members.

Thank you for those who participated and congratulation for those who have won.

Among of the spiritual players.

Raymond and Lai, competing to get into the semi finals.

Aeda and Wen, first runner up for their category.

Zie and Shareen, champion for the womens' double.

Shareen stretching up before the finals.

The umpire.

The second umpire.

A bad example umpire; should have concentrated on the game.

Our president, Alai Ragat.

One way to celebrate getting a point.

The pressure was more tense for this final match.

The mens' sinlgle finalist. 'It is just a game', says the loser.

Queenstown, my city..

2008-09-02T00:23:00.006+12:00

These are just some random pictures that we took from the last two days while we were in Queenstown.

p/s: Jaie, bila ko simpan gambar Glitter?

The sky is the limit.

While our feet are firm on the ground.

Pre-check ride.

Some of us are built for speed.

We made our own ice-cream from snow.

Aeda had her tongue stuck on her ice ball. =P

My very own snow angel.

Paraflights, an awesome activity.

600 feet from below.

600 feet from above.

Aeda, training for the rowing Olynmpics 2012.

Batch of 2006.

Pursuit to Olympics

2008-08-31T23:04:00.007+12:00

Inspiration may come from any place, it can come from any time and from any events. For Aeda and I, we are inspired by the Olympics 2008 and our dream is to enter the next Olympic 2012. At the moment, we are concentrating on cycling. Imagination is what drives people to go further.

Aeda and I made a very impressive achievement today by conquering the route from Dunedin to the Peninsular with under 3 hours of non-stop cycling. It is a first step for us, for our relentless pursuit if joining the Olympics.

Aeda, getting the feel of the rented bike.

And after just under 3hrs, we arrived at the tip of the Peninsula, tired and exhausted.

The birth place of the signature Otago bird.

Feels good to be there.

Dunedin is 3hrs away.

Reminds me of 'Finding Nemo'.

With our faithful rides behind.

Our next event to participate for the Olympics, the long jump.

I asked her to pole dance =P

Inspired by 'Vertical Limit'.

Aeda, on our way back to Dunedin.

Nice country-view.

Advertising 'Pump'.

Aeda, racing with the vehicle.

Taking a few moment to appreciate the view.

We conquer.

Finally, arrived home safely.

Ski trip 2008

2008-08-29T14:47:00.005+12:00

Thank you Patricia for organising the Ski trip and the trip was awesome. We went to Queenstown for the trip, with agonising 4 hr of bus journey. But it was well worth it.

There were 12 of us and out of that 2 went for snowboarding. It is just that snowboarding is cooler than ski.

On our way to Queenstown.

Trying out her skiing gears, =P

Just before taking the shuttle to the ski field.

Everyone is just excited to see snow.

Bruneians on parade.

Aeda with her mini snowman on her hands.

She got skills.

The pack of Bruneains.

One of the Bruneains snowboarder.

Lining up like lil' penguins, =P

Dibah preparing to catch Aeda.

Weather won't stop us to have fun.

Aeda's snow angel. =)

View from our chair lift.

Aeda pushing Pei Yee on the ice.

The 'cool' snowboarders. =P

Puteri Laila Menchanai

2008-08-10T16:21:00.006+12:00

A token for remembrance for the performers.

A marvellous evening that was, and the Bruneian Students did a splendid performance of 'Puteri Laila Menchanai' for the International Cultural Night.

Again, big thanks to our conductor, Aeda, for managing the whole play and thanks to those who were involved. The video is a courtesy of Silmi and Elham, and was shot by Shidah.

Please leave your comments =)

Sketsa Dua Cinta

2008-08-02T00:58:00.004+12:00

For one pair, it was love at first sight, for the other it was a forbidden love. But in the end, they were blinded by love and that nothing can tear them apart.

Basically this video was done by four jobless people. =p and yeah, this video is entirely fictitious that has nothing to do with those alive or dead. hehehe. Enjoy!

Please leave comments after watching the video either on my blog or on the utube website =)

Med Ball 2008

2008-07-28T22:46:00.005+12:00

The theme for Med Ball this year is 'Solstice'. Quite a unique them indeed. Med ball was held last Saturday, 26th July. The venue for the ball wasn't bad, it was at the Otago Museum. It was a bit too crowded for such event I guess. Nevertheless, the was still some room to walk around and for some to dance around.

The food was not too good I suppose, but I would give two thumbs up for the chocolate cake. It was two course meal and to be honest it was not worth for the cost. For some, the ball would be for dancing but for some it is the food that matter comparatively. Enjoy the pictures.

Our two lovely ladies.

Our two hot guys.

Would be a nice shot if we have a better background.

The sweet couple.

Nees and Khai.

They call themselves as 'The Bones'.

The band in action.

Tasha and Tika.

The atmosphere of the ball. Awesome venue.

Enjoying the main course.

The two couples; Aeda, Zizane, Tom and his date.

The chocolate cake and Pavlova.

The ladies with their gorgeous dress.

Fijian Cultural Night

2008-07-27T00:49:00.005+12:00

It is the Fijian's turn to show their talent and alongside their performance some guest performers were also invited. It is formally called 'The Fijian culture show'. To describe the evening, it was cheerful and colourful.

Some guests performers were Cambodians, Indians, Pacific Islanders and yours truly, Bruneians. The whole performance were held at the Hutton Theater, Otago Museum. An awesome venue indeed. Bruneians performed the 'Puteri Laila Menchanai'. Enjoy the pictures.

Some food to nibble.

Khai enjoying the chocolate cake.

The 'puteri' from behind.

Our president.

Aeda with the Fijian ladies.

The Cook Islanders.

Showing their moves.

Reminds me of Lilo and Stitch, very cute.

Yours truly, 'Puteri Laila Menchanai'.

A Christian song performed.

They surely are well built.

The colourful Cambodians.

The Fijians, they have the skills.

Singing the farewell song.

The Bruneians with the Fijian flag behind.

A surprise birthday gathering

2008-07-25T00:27:00.007+12:00

A happy belated birthday to Aeda. Aeda's birthday evening was rather awesome and superb. A surprise gathering dedicated for Aeda was organised by Nees. Aeda commented, it was a very pleasant surprise for her and thanked everybody for the thoughtful and sweet surprise gathering.

This is Aeda's last birthday celebration in Dunedin before pursuing her studies in Wellington next year. Enjoy the pictures.

The plate was signed by the 'castlers'.

Nees made Aeda a birthday cake, very sweet of her.

And a sisterly hug from Nees.

Not forgetting a group hug.

He is a walrus.

A rose from the loved one.

Rock and Roses.

Prezzie from Khai and Nees.

A shirt from Patricia.

And a bag from Nees.

They say, birthday girl's face always shines brightly. I think it is very true.

Not one of the prezzie =P

Caslters and Gowlanders.

I took her to a late night dinner.

Birthday for my lovely Aeda

2008-07-20T23:39:00.003+12:00

A very happy birthday to my beloved Aeda celebrating her birthday on the 21st July. A lovely and sweet person if I were to describe Aeda with just two words.

"Diucapkan selamat hari jadi, semoga panjang umur dan murah rezeki serta berbahagia di samping keluarga yang tersayang."

Puteri Laila Menchanai

2008-07-19T23:47:00.003+12:00

A very unforgettable event indeed; Puteri Laila Menchanai. A big congratulation to Dibah and Nees, the president and vice president respectively, for successfully putting a part of Brunei's culture to the eyes of New Zealand.

But let us put our hands together for Aeda for being a very impressive multi-talented conductor. It is not easy I presume, to put things together to create a masterpiece. Here is just some pictures that you can enjoy.

The song is a courtesy of Maktab Duli Choir 97.

Election 2008

2008-07-17T23:47:00.005+12:00

It is election year for New Zealand and for an introduction there are 4 political parties; Labour, National, Maori and Green.

It is a night for medical students to hear why any each of the party should be voted. Lack in general background about New Zealand made me feel spaced out at some part of their presentation. Nevertheless, their points were all solid. There were hot debates among the representatives and also with the students.

I would give Green party two thumbs up.

Representative from the Green Party delivering her solid points.

Representative from National Party has strong and solid views.

The representative from Labour Party responded to the floor's question.

Some of the students who attended.

Birthday Girl

2008-07-16T23:33:00.003+12:00

This post is specially dedicated to my big lovely sis, kebini. Kebini would be celebrating her birthday tomorrow 17th July 2008. Semoga panjang umur, dimurahkan rezeki dan berbahagia selalu. Heheh.. I love you.

Introducing Kebini.

Food Festival

2008-07-12T14:57:00.005+12:00

A very awesome event organized by the OUSA; International Food Festival and for the first time Bruneian participated. First of all, let us give a big hand to the Bruneian food committee who worked hard for the participation. The main dish on the menu was Nasi Katok and also some other side dishes.

I was late for the festival and didn't get to buy the Nasi Katok. I wasn't really that late, the Nasi Katok was sold out for obvious reason for being mouth watering and appetizing. I still got to taste them and it was superb. Enjoy the pictures.

The Union lawn where the food festival was held.

Introducing the Bruneian stall.

Where Bruneain sellers and Bruneian buyers get together.

The 2007's batch.

Juang and Yun.

I'm not sure who's stall but they are selling Barbecue Pork.

Cheap way to get warm.

Reminds me of masa makan di pasar malam.

The President and VP. Congratulation ladies for the success.

One of them is just drunk.

They even have artificial snow for skiing contest.

Puteri Laila Menchanai

2008-07-05T22:36:00.004+12:00

Introducing Puteri Laila Menchanai for the cultural night which would be held on 15th July. The princess would be played by Nees, and along side with our marvellous choir group and the fantastic dancers. Our conductor our very own multi-talented lady, Aeda.

Intensive training and rehearsal are conducted. There was one night which for me is very amusing; the pyjamas' night. Most of the ladies turned in wearing their pyjamas, how cute.

The lyrics to the song.

Introducing our multi-talented conductor.

The ladies with the pyjamas.

Aeda in action.

Even the puteri wearing pyjama.

And there the 'Sultan' went.

The choir group.

Orana Wildlife Park

2008-07-02T23:34:00.008+12:00

They call it the Orana Wildlife Park but we call it the zoo. Seriously, we asked the taxi driver to take us to the zoo, he had no idea. She even said that there is no zoo in New Zealand.

Admission to the zoo itself has a reasonable price, but not for cheetah encounter which costs NZ$200. In the end, we went for the lion encounter which is far more reasonable. Ironically, for the lion encounter, we were held captive in a cage for outside which the lions were free to roam. We were the display material for them.

All in all, we had a fun and exciting day. It was like a school-trip only there were no teachers around. Enjoy the pictures.

Nees said, "Yes, I'm tall enough to go for the lion encounter". =P

This was where we slept when we were in Christchurch.

Aeda , making lunch. We had a tough life indeed.

Introducing llama, for those who couldn't read. =P

Llama.

Random fact, their eyeball is bigger than their brain.

The graceful cheetahs.

Introducing Aeda's bestfriend, the meerkat.

And the meerkat is looking for Aeda.

I think I can feel their chemistry.

This is a black and white lemur.

She shaved that lemur and wears them on her feet.

Aeda, hand-feeding the giraffe.

Nees, doing the same thing.

I would like to have a donkey for my pet.

I told Aeda that she wouldn't be able to do this, her legs aren't long enough. =)

There we are, held in captive. A display for the lions.

Meoooww.

She was staring at Aeda. Aeda is very sweet for her.

Fear is the absence of courage.

Cute.

Hugging the kiwi.

Touring Christchurch

2008-06-29T22:06:00.005+12:00

They say Christchurch is a kind of an English town. I have to admit to that, it does have some similarities. Aeda, Nees and I spent the weekend at Christchurch, just to get a different taste from Dunedin.

Definitely Christchurch was colder than Dunedin but wasn't as windy. Nothing much to say, please enjoy the pictures. I will post some more picture soon.

Just outside our backpackers, they celebrated the black Friday. Some of those balloon contain prizes.

Amongst the crowd, I await for my lucky balloon. Nees was also supposed to be there, but due to lack of height, she couldn't be seen.

Aeda took this picture, a very cute baby indeed.

There they are, figuring the bus time table.

Perfect stranger meeting in Christchurch at the bus stop.

Aeda, with her solitary moment. =P

Our first stop, Nando's.

Took a picture with my Malaysian friends.

And after we had dinner.

Disco On Ice

2008-06-28T00:31:00.005+12:00

It was a terrific evening where 17 people turned up for the ice skating outing. Thanks again to Aeda for organising the event. Obviously the ice was slippery, it is definitely not comparable to the skating ring at the Mall, Gadong.

The evening was actually a disco night, which means musics and disco lights. Some were very good with the ice and the dancing part. All in all, we all did had a good, exciting night. Please enjoy the pictures.

Aeda getting ready to skate.

And the other ladies.

Their debut to the skating ring.

They are quite good with the skates.

I voted him to be the best skater among us all.

Aeda in action.

Lee Shen and Rozana, holding each other to maintain balance. :P

Aeda, giving some tips to Amal,

Our initial train.

Nees and Khai, sweet shot.

Aeda fell twice, I counted :P

Chilling and relaxing the ankles.

We, Bruneians really like the cameras.

The longest train.

And the grand finale.

P/S: Kodaku, bila ktani webcam lagi? miss u.

The Unthinkable

2008-06-26T23:48:00.007+12:00

"There is this place. A place where anything could happen. The unthinkable could happen. A place where 'urang handal jadi inda handal' and vice versa" (Quoted by Aeda). This place is called the Bowling centre at Kaikorai.

Seven of us went to the bowling alley, and I would use one word to describe it; fascinating. All of us have never played before and it turned out to be we played like the pro. Some did spins and curves though I could say, they were not deliberate. Some lost hope but turned out to knock over all the pins, and one could say it was a strike.

We really had fun despite the small number who turned up. Lots of thanks to Aeda for organising the event.

Introducing Aeda with her bowling skill.

One could say that Aeda waited for ages for the ball to hit the pins. I learnt that slow and steady really does work.

This is Shareen. Kept her eyes on the ball.

Nees, I used her camera to get pictures for this post. Lot of thanks.

And there she is, in action.

This is Lai, he injured his bottom.

Introducing Patricia, Lai said to her to think of happy thoughts while bowling.

Khai, he got the funniest skill of us all and a very good bowler.

And not forgetting, yours truly.

Still have to work on the biceps =p

Visit by Bruneian students

2008-06-24T22:38:00.004+12:00

It is a not common for us, Bruneian students in New Zealand to be paid a visit by other Bruneian students. It is a unique experience for us to see unfamiliar faces especially from our kind. There are about 8 of them, and their main aim is to visit us, indirectly, but on a more serious note, their actual aim is to study the geography of New Zealand. I, myself studied Geography at 5th form. New Zealand is a place where pictures are taken to be used for textbook.

I talked to some of them, and they said the field trip lasted for 8 days and Dunedin is their last stop, and apparently they did actually have time to explore Dunedin. We only had dinner with them and took some pictures, enjoy the pictures below.

Aeda on the front right. She had Chicken Kadai.

The thing about this kind of dinner setting is we tend to only interact to three people; people on both our sides and people sitting in front of us.

One of the supervisor for the field trip. He is a Kiwi by the way.

I don't know any of the visitors really.

We come from Japan.

Checking the map of Dunedin.

Aeda with our two new friends.

Aeda complimented my biceps :P

The Bruneians.

Another supervisor teaching Geography in MD.

My days at Amberley

2008-06-24T00:45:00.009+12:00

It is the semester break and it is predicted to snow this weekend. I am not going to talk about the snow. Last week I went to Amberley. It is a small rural town about 1hr drive from Christchurch. The 6hr ride to Christchurch was terrible plus the another sick hour spent in the bus to Amberley.

Not much to say about Amberley, enjoy the pictures below.

Our accomodation at Amberley.

The kitchen area.

Cooked something for dinner.

Walaa, dinner for two.

Dinner with my room mate.

Waiting for the next meeting.

Played with the trampoline and did an awesome front flip :P

Group dinner.

Final night at Amberley and preparing for the final report.

Enjoying Amberley beach.

Enjoying the sun and the camera.

It is very hard to get a perfect jump.

And some even hardly tried. :P

A country cottage house.

Time to leave sweet ol' Amberley.

Otago Museum

2008-06-15T23:47:00.008+12:00

To be honest, I have never been to the museum in Dunedin before, and the trip I would say surprisingly thrilling. It is the Otago Museum to be exact and apparently they are hosting the exhibition for Da Vinci's machine inventions. And apparently they have the tropical garden exhibition. They do have the butterfly farm, which is rather fascinating.

The cost wasn't that expensive, quite worth it to visit especially during this semester break. Here are some of the pictures.

Aeda, with the tourist-like look. =P

Figuring out where to go first.

Spot the anomaly?

Buaya darat. The left one I suppose.

The Vitruvian.

The more good looking Vitruvian.

We have to build a bridge from that stack of woods to replicate Da Vinci's invention.

Two thumbs up.

Our opponent I presume still trying to figure out whether to call a contractor.

Aeda with her bridge.

This is a line by Da Vinci which suppose to mean something.

Aeda admiring the man-made waterfall.

Enjoying the morning shower.

Butterfly carved on a stone.

Aeda waiting for a butterfly to land on her finger.

And finally.

I have been tagged.

2008-06-07T22:18:00.003+12:00

Been very busy lately. And honestly, nothing interesting to be posted. I hope this post is perhaps fascinating. I have been tagged by Aeda, so here goes.

Questionnaires.
Instructions: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged.

Personal Question added:
Number 20.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
27.

2. Tell us something that you think we don’t know.
I think global warming is overrated.

3. What’s your favorite thing to do?
Finding different ways how to disable the smoke detector without being caught.

4. Do you think money can buy happiness?
yes. I love money.

5. If you can have one dream to come true, what would it be?
to make the world a dust free environment.

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?
No.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
At the moment, is my weight. I dont want to lose weight.

8. What are you doing right now as you’re doing this questionnaire?
Listening to Creed, 'One last breath'.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
I did.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you?
She is cute, she is lovely and she rocks.

11. What are the requirements that you wish from the other half?
Cute, lovely and rocks.

12. What type of person do you hate the most?
Hypocrites and sarcastics.

13. What is your ambition?
To buy a Lamborghini.

14. If you can teleport once, where would you go?
Brunei, sniff.

15. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
money. heheh.

16. If you could undo doing one mistake in the past, what would it be?
Eating that prawn during my last roadtrip, had a bad fever and diarrhea.

17. If you have a chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
Akhir bangun.

18. What music have you been listening to recently?
Rock Melayu.

19. What is the one thing you cannot do but you wish you could?
To drink as much as Coca-Cola as I could.

20. Which type of person would you fall in love with? Wealthy or looks.
I'll go for looks.

Tagging: Kebini, Koda and Lai Zed. Bleh buat arah facebook kan. Miss you all.

This is the video from the one of the bands during Battle of the Bands. They are not that good, but they still rock.

Battle of the Bands

2008-06-01T22:05:00.006+12:00

It was my first time to watch the Battle of the Bands here in New Zealand. I missed all the preheats competition due to exams, and only watched the finals. The finals took place last night at 'Refuel'. My partner in crime, Aeda and I came a little bit late. It wasn't as crowded as I would expect, but the speakers were too loud for such a compact space.

However, I didn't stay for the announcing of the winners. I want to say it again, the speaker was just too loud. I wanted to post in the video from last night but my movie converter has expired. Please enjoy the pictures below.

p/s: I miss u koda ku..

Hajat Prayers

2008-05-25T23:11:00.004+12:00

Finally I have got something to be posted. Apparently, it is the exam season and Bruneian Students in Otago organized a Hajat Prayer. The prayers were led by our religious officer, Mujeeb.

The event took place at Evison Lounge last night commencing right after Maghrib Prayer. Surprisingly, Evison Lounge has its brand new carpeting and the curtain is as well has a new make-up. Any event means lots of food for which I brought my potluck-signature-item, a bottle of Coke.

Khai, calling for Athan.

Elham posing for the camera.

Lots of food.

Not in this picture though, but Mizah's truffle (right spelling?) was good.

I really hope we have potluck dinner every night. :P

Saidah and Mizah with Elham at the back.

Enjoying the dinner.

Zuh, Aeda and Dibah.

After dinner, G Ikhwan and Syazwan.

This is Khairul with the Baby air freeze (correct me).

A night with Aeda

2008-05-17T22:05:00.004+12:00

It is not every night that I go out with Aeda. Last night was rather, lovely. We had a dinner at a Japanese food place, craving for Sushi. I came across a review on the web for this restaurant; overall it was not that good. Personally, I would have to give a thumb up for this eatery. After all, I am fan of Japanese food. The portion for my dish is rather satisfying.

We went for a movie as well; 'What Happen in Vegas'. Not a movie critic myself, but B+ for this show. The plot line is, I have to say very original. And Cameron Diaz looked a little bit of having too much wrinkles on her face which simply shows she is just old. Nevertheless, I would recommend this movie to all of you, especially for those who are going for a movie date.

Obviously the eatery we went to was Tokyo Garden.

We had a hard time deciding our dish.

Aeda, still browsing the menu.

While waiting for our food to come, we played around with the camera.

I hope she woudn't mind me posting this picture. :P

Our first dish arrived; KIng Prawn Tempura Sushi.

Then my sizzling Tepan Seafood.

Not long after, Aeda's Chow Mien (Chow Mien ain't a Japanese dish right?)

Getting ready with our chopsticks.

Posing for the camera.

I really wish I can take this poster home.

We even got a Neo Print.

Blood donation

2008-05-14T22:53:00.008+12:00

I don't want to brag or something, but I do proud of myself for doing something noble today. I actually donated 470 ml of my blood. Supposedly, Aeda was to donate some as well. Prior to any blood donation, the amount of hemoglobin concentration is figured. Apparently, Aeda has 99 g/l of hemoglobin which is, the nurse has to say, very low. The nurse even had to redo the test and yet ending up with a low reading. By the way, normal concentration for women is around 120 - 150 g/l. And just for the record, mine is 144 and normal range for men is around 135 - 165 g/l.

I didn't bring my camera, and this is when my camera phone is handy. Aeda took all the pictures though.

Lining up to donate blood. I really wish I am paid for giving my blood.

The room for donation. A little bit daunting for some.

There he is, preparing the bags and needles.

The donators.

Aeda asked me to stick my tongue out :P

The nurse said that there are some who has sticky blood and might be due to eating too much glue.

This is my neighbour.

It took me about 10 min 53 seconds to fill the bag.

And the fastest and the slowest time are given prizes.

The 'fainters' were also being contested.

My blood group is O+ and I am one of the 38% of the population.

So I was given this key chain.

And this sticker too.

Even the soft toy.

The A+ key chain is Aeda's.

This is me about 3 years ago. My first time donating blood in New Zealand.

Angels of mine II

2008-05-12T22:49:00.006+12:00

This post is just some random pictures of the Angels of Mine. I noticed that it has been about 3 years since I owned a picture-taking-device (my handphone). A large difference from Koda within the past years. And not so much from my other sisters.

Miss them so much. Wishing Koda all the best for her exam tomorrow.

This is Kebini; the most recent picture just about before she pursues her studies oversea.

Kebini in 2005.

Most recent picture from koda.

We all like Roses.

The younger koda (not on the right).

Koda looks even younger here.

I like this picture and won't comment further. :P

And even even younger.

On the right is Lai Zed. Haven't met her for about more than 1 year already.

This is her when I just bought my camera. We all Rock.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-10T22:18:00.003+12:00

I would just like to wish my mother a very happy mother's day. Thank you for the love and the sacrifices that you have made for us. We know that nothing we could do to repay but to love you with all our hearts. We won't forget all the times that you have spent to raise us and we promise to make you proud. With loves from Aki, Kaka, Kebini, Koda, Kalai and Lai Zed.

With babu.

That tudung is from New Zealand. :P

I spent $100 to get that hair.

With babu and bapa.

A protest to legalise Cannabis

2008-05-05T22:06:00.006+12:00

It was last Saturday that Aeda and I went to the Octagon, Dunedin. From distance, live music caught our attention and did enjoy the mini-concert. It was a reggae concert. We then realize that people watching the concert were puffing cigarette, cigarettes which has peculiar smell of its fumes.

Only a little while I then realize that they are all puffing Cannabis. Apparently, it was the Cannabis week and that the lots of people were conducting a protest to legalise Cannabis. I am not really sure the full precise details of the protest. Seriously, I have never met a real Rasta in my whole life and this surely puts a little adrenaline for me being in the middle of the protest. This post is not intending to support or be against the protest.

That vehicle is where they supplied the Cannabis

That picture explains the whole thing.

I am really not sure what they want to achieve here.

Is it that they want to introduce Cannabis to all age group?

Aeda, my loyal model :P

Aeda, figuring out the green poster.

'I do not consent to a search'.

This was the Cannabis atmosphere.

People puffing Cannabis.

I should have a better camera to get a better shot of this.

Aeda, looking over the Rasta.

The band.

A short clip taken during the protest.

Patricia's Birthday

2008-05-04T09:56:00.009+12:00

Before I start and continue, Oshin is now known as Aeda (a lovely nickname for a lovely person).

Happy birthday to Patricia - We had an awesome celebration; the place is marvelous, the people are friendly and the food is, I would have to be honest with that, wasn't really bad. We had finger-food by the way.

The theme for that party was 'Dots or Stripes'. I didn't have any dots nor stripes to wear, and Aeda came up with a rather unique idea; to wear my stripes tie just with a long sleeved T-shirt. A fashion disaster for some, a trend-setter for who appreciated.

Again, I would like to say Happy Birthday to Patricia and it was an awesome party. Thanks to Aziemah and Shareen for organizing the celebration as mentioned in Patricia's speech that night.

Awesome place for a party.

Aziemah the temporary bar-tender (No alcohols were served by the way).

Aeda writing birthday wishes for Patricia.

Adibah showing off her spots.

The Castlers have just arrived.

It was just water.

Some of the ladies.

Amal, Syazwan and Saidah.

Lovely ladies posing for my camera.

Aziemah, Shareen, Tika and Nees.

Raymond, Cheng and Aaron.

Kamilah and Zaimah with a nice brown eyes.

Light in the dark.

Food being served.

It was all finger-food.

Watching the slideshow. Nice design on the shirts.

The stripes and one dots.

The cozy atmosphere.

Nice shot taken by Silmi.

Patricia delivering her speech.

I like the bunny ears.

One of the performers; a song 'Growing old with You' by Adam Sandler was dedicated to Patricia.

The empty street when I got home. It was late, or I would say it was early morning.

'More than words' was also dedicated to Patricia. Enjoy the clip.

Nephs and Nieces

2008-04-29T18:19:00.004+12:00

This is just a post of random pictures of my nephews and nieces. Miss them so much.

Quick intro; Got 6 of them, 4 from Aki and 2 from Kaka. And I realized that I haven't had any pictures of my youngest neph (Alai Razi).

Lai Sara showing off her drool.

Lai Danial on far right poking his uncle's eye.

Lai Rayyan blowing Lai Sara's candles.

Lai Arya with her hat.

Wearing mommy's sandal.

Lai Arya.

Playing games on the mobile phones.

I asked her to smile :P

With Pa Uda.

Cousins.

P/S: We will be expecting a new neph/niece in a few months time from Kebini Nasibah. :-)

Expedition 2008

2008-04-28T16:22:00.008+12:00

26th April - We had a little expedition that we planned earlier which is to cycle to the tip of the Otago Peninsula. We depart from Dunedin at 10.30am with full of spirits. We were suppose to leave 1hr earlier but due to unforeseen circumstances, it has to be delayed.

It was sunny and hot morning (it can be deceiving at times especially in Dunedin). No thermals as well as thick hoodies to be brought in the journey.

We arrived at the tip at 4hrs later. Of course, we had multiple stops to enjoy ourselves with the camera and the nice scenic view. We head off from the tip at 4pm and damn, it was dark and cold. Really wished I had my thick thermals. And the journey ended at the hot ladies' crib (Patricia, Aziemah and Shareen) where they had a house-warming party. And thank you for the food guys.

Tightening up the screws and bolts before departure.

Inflating the wheels.

Our first stop.

And this was why we took 4 hrs to get to the tip; we love the scenery and the camera.

The silver bike is mine.

Syazwan and G Ikhwan, Aaron with the camera.

Khairul said he wanted to take this octopus home to make sushi.

But it was too smelly.

Nice shot.

G Ikhwan waiting for the others while enjoying sitting on the grass.

Almost there.

I don't have to explain this picture.

Having our lunch.

This is funny, nice one Khai.

It is not what you think, :P

This is us with our 'deadly' pose.

And this is us with our 'natural' pose.

Heading home.

The ladies' crib. Patricia ain't in the shot.

Signal Hill

2008-04-21T00:17:00.005+12:00

Yes, it is a nice, warm and sunny Sunday. Khairul and I had a little expedition today; to conquer the 600 feet hill with our bicycles. Khairul had a little advantage as he was riding racing bike, how cool is that. One hour of pain and agony, we then arrive to the so called place, Signal Hill Lookout.

Nothing much to say here really. Please enjoy the pictures where we did struggle fighting with lactic acids developed in our thighs.

We were lost initially, such a bad map reader.

Nice view.

I can see my crib from here.

This place is also suitable for family outing.

Khairul and Zizane.

We do like to pose even at 600 feet above see level.

This was his idea, :P

This was mine.

Khairul with his ride.

Malaysian Food Festival

2008-04-19T23:54:00.011+12:00

Big clap of hands for the Otago Malaysian Students' Association (OMSA) for successfully organizing the Malaysian Food Festival this year. Also, a big thanks for them for inviting Bruneian Students' Association (BSA) to take part in that event. Indeed, this is the first time BSA participates in any official Malaysian Events.

Local delicacies were being sold on the event. My favourite, from the Malaysian corner is Nasi Kerabu with Ayam Percik. And from the Bruneian corner, Bubur Chacha (credits to Patricia). If not due to the high cost, I would buy some more for dinner. Nevertheless, the money spent was well-worthed.

It was the night before that they prepared those cuisine. I couldn't come along to give a hand, or at least take some photos of them, due to other commitment. Here are the pictures during the event.

The Menu. I don't know what 'OC' is. I don't think it stands for Oral Contraceptives.

The Bruneian Corner.

Doing some preparation before the arrival of customers.

All trades during the food festival must be done by coupons.

The coupon.

Malaysian corner's preparation.

Nisah and Yun.

Still doing the preparation.

Mizah with her newly bought container in the plastic bag.

Haji Ikhwan just arrived carrying some foods.

Obviously she was a volunteer during the concert to support Autism back in January this year. "Reach Out, Touch A Heart"

Nisah and Dibah; Vice and President.

Our ladies.

Enjoying lunch.

Kek Pelangi (Credits to Zuhrini for the recipe)

Our vendors in action.

Zane and Khai.

Dibah and Tika (our loyal customer, heheh).

Figuring the profits.

We do like to have our pictures taken.

Patricia, Nisah and Oshin.

After everything is over.

Birthdays

2008-04-15T23:00:00.005+12:00

I like birthdays so much, free and yummy food of course. We had a gathering last Saturday night to celebrate birthdays for two of our dental ladies; Saidah and Sharon. It was a belated birthday for Sharon on that night though.

I would just like to say a big thanks for the food, especially the grilled chicken. I have been eating fish for the last couple of days. That night, with the lots of chicken, have certainly satisfied my cravings.

Among of the guests that night

Oshin preparing the wedges

Chilling

The 'pout' pose, this is just the rehearsal.

The deadly 'pout' pose

Bartender ladies

When the wedges were ready, Oshin is the first one to dig in

One of the entertainer for that night

I still want the chicken

I also had the chance to take this shot; their supply for the winter before hibernating season

MOH visits

2008-04-13T23:04:00.007+12:00

10th of April; Brunei delegates consisting of the Minister of Health, High Commissioner officers as well as Medical Officers arrived in Dunedin. One of their aims for the visit is to inspect the well-being of Bruneian students in New Zealand.

On the night of 11th of April, we had dinner with the delegates. Also present, Deans from both Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Dentistry and not to forget Dean of International Student Affairs. Obviously, the food was very good, though the dessert was little bit too sweet. Following dinner, we had a question and answer session with the delegates and that was the end of the event.

The Bruneian delegates with some of the professors of the University of Otago.

Mizah and Oshin, their Baju Kurung are quite similar by the way.

Zizane and Yang Berhormat Pehin.

Nisah, our Vice President.

Siah and Fatul sitting right opposite to me during the dinner.

Enjoying the delicacies.

Everyone are enjoying the dinner.

Saidah in action. Visit her website.

Some of the first year ladies

And the gents.

This is our President (lady in brown), Dibah.

Zizane and Khairul.

Zuhrini and Pei Yee were having a small talk while waiting for the food to be served.

Preshes the Cat

2008-04-10T23:18:00.005+12:00

Preshes is another cat of ours. Actually, it is lai Zed's cat as a birthday gift. So, i actually can remember the exact date when this cat arrived; 27th January 2006. We had a hard time naming this one. An interesting fact about this cat; the naughty neighbours once literally shaved Preshes's tail.

Preshes used to be an indoor pet, but no one knows what happened, this cat became the outdoor type. A fact for cat lovers; a cat yang bulu tabal would certainly has its hairs damaged when kept outdoor, so keep cats (Persian cats especially) indoors.

This is Preshes on the night of 27th January

At this point, he is still adorable

But cats do grow up a bit and invade our sofa

All cats have desires which have to be met, not only for the survival of species. This is its girlfriend.

And few months later, the little Preshes pop out. So much for the survival of the species.

I think he is just not used to the camera

By the way, I was being told that Preshes hasn't come back for days already. Whether to seek the real meaning of its life or being hit by a car, we never knew. If you are reading this, Lai Zed, we also feel sorry for the loss. Looking on the bright side, we still have little Preshes.

Glitter the Cat

2008-04-08T22:34:00.005+12:00

It was August 2007 when this cat arrived to our home. Her mistress is my sister, koda. And as you can see from my previous blog, Koda is cute as well.

One interesting fact about this cat is that she has brother. And apparently the master is Koda's better half; abang Zizil. They named their cats together; ie Glitter and the brother, Sparkle (very sweet of them).

A weird thing about this cat is that, Glitter likes to approach the face when one is lying down especially while sleeping. And I am not sure whether to say it is gross or cute, this hairy little kitty likes to drool its tongue to faces. Miss that cat very much.

Glitter

By the way, this cat has big paws. Very cute.

I always wonder why cats don't like water

At this point, that cat is panting literally.

Playing in Kebini's room

Under Koda's office table

I think she doesn't like the flash from my camera (well, who does?)

Tebuan FC

2008-04-06T22:32:00.008+12:00

On the 6th of April, an indoor soccer tournament was organised by Afrotago (African Students' Association in Dunedin). Bruneian students proudly joined the tournament where as for the first time a team are consisted with all Brunei students. Of course, this is due to the scarce number of Bruneian male not until this year.

We call ourselves as Tebuan FC where Zane is the captain. As I said, it is the first time for us as a team to play in a tournament, so the results were obvious. Out of the 5 games, we managed to win only a game. Looking on the bright side, we came second last in the group. Our team consisted of 7 members; Aaron, Ikhwan, Syazwan, Cheng, Zane, Khai and not to forget Oshin as our mascot. The registration payment are subsidised by BSA (a big hand for BSA). And also a very big hand for all members of Tebuan FC for the spirit. Here are the pictures.

From left; Zane, Cheng and Syazwan

Nice pose

Tebuan FC doing some stretching

Listening a briefing from the organiser

Syazwan (second from left) had an injury during this time

Aaron, our striker with a good ball control

Nice defending Khai

Khai warming up and Cheng chilling

The black jersey are the Taiwanese

Tossing the coin

This shot was taken just before he scored for the winning goal at free-kick

This was our post-winning game

Listening a briefing from the captain and Syazwan (middle) paid full attention

He is just doing some warm up

Cheng with is handphone

Nice shot by Oshin

I like this shot, right in the middle is Khai.

Tebuan FC. Back from left; Zane, Ikhwan, Cheng, Khai. Front from left; Oshin, Syazwan, Aaron.

Harbour II

2008-04-02T22:08:00.007+13:00

This is just the continuation of the previous post. This time I have Oshin as my model alongside the spectacular view of the harbour. It was a nice weather compared to the previous one. Just want to say thank you to Oshin for being a very wonderful and lovely model, hehehe. Enjoy the pictures below.

It is too small too see but there is a man who is windsurfing

Oshin with her 'strike the post'

The formal name of the harbour

Oshin trying to woman-handle the bird

Found this at the harbour

Enjoying the sun and the view

Otago Peninsula

2008-03-31T21:40:00.007+13:00

The Otago Peninsula is worthwhile to visit if you are in Dunedin. Before I continue, I was a bit confused whether to use peninsula or peninsular. I did check the dictionary; peninsula is a noun while peninsular is an adjective, very interesting fact indeed.

The Peninsula is about 50km from the city centre (correct me if I'm wrong). It was last easter break that I went there as a personal satisfactory obsession. I cycled all the way to the Peninsula which took me around 2 hrs of pleasuring pain. Here are some of the pictures that I took.

Reminds me of the seagull in 'Finding Nemo'

Glittering water of Otago Bay

Nice weather for picnic

A seal is right in the middle of the picture

Facing the City of Dunedin

This was where I stopped for a refreshing break

The sort of picture seen in Geography textbooks

Facing the Pacific Ocean

That is the tip of the Peninsula

The receipt for my lunch at the Peninsula

The salmon was very nice

Angels of mine

2008-03-29T22:00:00.004+13:00

Here are some random and cool pictures of my beloved sisters, miss you all. Some pictures are courtesy of Ka Umi.

My beloved sisters

Kebini with her January 2007's hair style

Koda after her bowling tourney

She rocks

We rock

Lai Zed after swimming; note her dark skin

I think she is just stretching her tongue

No comment ;P

p/s: lots of love from New Zealand.

Dandelion

2008-03-26T22:33:00.005+13:00

Original definition of 'Dandelion' came from French which is 'dent-de-lion'. This of course would mean the lion's tooth. Named due to the jagged shape of the leaves according to my reliable source. The scientific name of this plant is Taraxacum officinale (correct me if I'm wrong).

Apparently, there is a lot of Dandelion growing near to Oshin's crib. It is fun to pick them up and i recommend you not to make them as gifts; very inconvenient.

A pleasant surprise? :P

Protecting the Dandelion from the wind which is inconvenient

I just let her blow the Dandelions away and let the wind define their path

p/s: my model likes Dandelion a lot

Treasure hunt

2008-03-24T21:51:00.021+13:00

The treasure hunt was organised by the BSA as part of the orientation programme for the new batch of students. I was informed that the main aim of this activity is to familiarise the new batch of important places in this beautiful city of Dunedin. And also for the seniors, to enjoy the food being provided, drool. The treasure hunt started around 2pm at Cumberland Hall (Cumby) where they were given initially. The hunt ended at 251 Castle St where foods awaited. This post contain a lot of pictures, I need to learn how to convert large amount of pictures into grids for easy uploading that is. Anyhow, here are the pictures arranged chronologically. By the way, best advanced birthday wish to Nees from me and Oshin.

This is what we do while waiting for the 1st team to arrive

Handing the 1st clue

Discussion carried out for the next task

At this point, Bruneians are all over Dunedin

Their task is to eat celery and at the same time sing

We stopped by at the food committee's place

She made all the sandwhich

Me and Oshin are assigned to hold the clue at the post office

And the 1st team to arrive

"If the Adam's family were here, where would they stay?" answer - The Adam's Building

The execs of BSA

A low budget style jeans

This is where the hunt ended; the barbecue

The chix are hot

A surprise birthday party for Nees

The birthday girl on the left with my better half on the right

Jon and Yun after cleaning up the barbecue place

Mizah washing the dishes

i like the balloons too

Arrival of new batch of students

2008-03-22T23:16:00.011+13:00

Friday, 21th March -New batch of Bruneian students arrived safely to Dunedin. From my reliable sources; there are 15 new students where most of them are doing medicine. 5 of the senior students went to the airport to welcome the new students (costs of transportation are being paid by the Brunei Students' Association - BSA).

Big thanks to BSA for the warm welcome on the arrival of new students. Today, the execs of BSA gave the new students a small tour around Dunedin. And for the next days to come, an orientation for the new students would be carried out. These are the pictures of the students' arrival.

Just had their luggages

Off with the taxi

The trailer towing the luggages seem to have a problem on the way

Arrived at the residential hall ie Cumberland Hall

Meeting up with the residential assistance

Some of the execs who worked very hard for that day

Chillin' with photo takin'

This was served for b'fast

I think he is just showing the 'where-is-the-biceps'

And this was lunch, we had lasagne

The day ended with recital of 'Doa Selamat' by Khai

Aeross

2008-03-20T00:13:00.003+13:00

I stopped by at Oshin's house this morning and the mailman appeared suddenly at the door. It was the guitar being delivered where Oshin bought through online. She is a rockstar 'ess' of Dunedin definitely. Here are some pictures taken with my cellphone camera. And by the way, she named her new guitar 'Aeross'. Apparently, she composed a new song recently. I think she would post the recorded version on her blog soon.

Etrusco

2008-03-17T23:47:00.013+13:00

About one week after we arrived in Dunedin, we had a small gathering just to kill time at Friday night. We had dinner at Etrusco; the thing about Etrusco is that it has quite a similar concept to Capers'. So it is like 'all you can eat' kind of thing.

On our way to Etrusco

We had smoked salmon strips as starters and some bread. Damn how hungry I was at that time, and ate starters like there were mains.

This was what remained, there was a bit of salmon left.

The sad thing about this restaurant was the service is very poor. We had to wait for about an hour for the mains to arrive. While waiting, this was what we did:

Taking pictures

Shidah in action

Three cameras are in action in this picture

So after about an hour, the mains arrived. The dishes were a bit too 'green' and too 'red'. The green one was spinach pasta and the red one was I think mushroom pizza. Initially, the pastas were very nice. But I kind of dislike the aftertaste, too much veggies in one meal.

The mushroom pizza

The spinach pasta; note the left pasta which was also merely tomato pasta

Looking at the bright side, the dessert was nice

My last word about Etrusco; it is a very nice place for someone into veggies.

Weekend

2008-03-15T21:54:00.013+13:00

Woke up relatively early today just untuk menyampati ke Saturday market. It is better known as 'Otago Farmers' Saturday Market' and it is just next to the railway station. I just want to get fresh soya bean milk there as being told by a friend of mine. Took some pictures while I was there. The atmosphere was very mouth-watering, with smells of barbecues and stuff.

The reception booth?

There are always entertainment anywhere you go

Even the kids are looking forward to go to the market with mommy

The blue balloon is supposed to be a plane as i was being told

One side of life

Another side of life

Harbour

2008-03-14T23:25:00.008+13:00

I went jogging yesterday in this cold weather of Dunedin. Payah kan fit ani, maju sukan untuk negara. The place that i went to for joggin is kinda nice, my type. I would be posting those pics here. If somehow you go to Dunedin, this place is worth a visit. Just give Dunedin a chance, i know there is not much attraction in Dunedin, but this is one of my top ten in Dunedin. Btw, Dunedin is the city where I am studying at the moment and it is in New Zealand.
I will post some pictures of this place again at another post.

People say where there is water there is fish

A cold day for fishing i guess

You don't see this everyday

second post?

2008-03-12T23:29:00.011+13:00

this obviously is my second post.
Nothing much to say here; just wanna say thank you to Dhiya and people at Cargill as well as Gowland. Had great time that nyte

birthday post

2008-03-11T23:31:00.001+13:00

happy birthday to zizane, daripada orang yang sentiasa menyayangimu. salam rindu dan kasih.