'Me telling the World'

Happy Ramadan!

2008-09-03T23:56:00.002+08:00

Salam to all! Happy fasting and I ask forgiveness from all family, friends and colleagues for any of my wrong doings. I believe to forgive and forget is the best medicine to move forward and live. I cherish this Ramadan more than ever because I am surrounded by my love ones. A friend raised a concern about being lonely. There's no reason to be scared of being lonely because we will never be alone. As long as you're not alone, you'll never be lonely. A generic concept but well said.
I thought I’ll feel different when I’m engaged but somehow i feel indifferent. Other than the occasional mistakes of addressing Fidah as GF, the rest remain the same. Although there's a bit more pressure to hasten the wedding ASAP. Push the brake, and enjoy the still honey. So, work is cool albeit it's never ending. Honestly, it's a lot easier going through fasting while working than schooling. Anyhow, here's some of a.n.fotowerks@gmail.com amazing work. I look forward to post of the other 150s!

22.08.08

2008-08-24T19:33:00.005+08:00

Hey guys, here is a quick post up on my engagement pictures. It was a blast. Ill post my pictures after i get a hold of them from my dearest photographer. As for now, enjoy the ones from Fidah. Thank You to all my families, my babu and babah, my brothes and also to my beloved friends for coming and making it happen and making it the best it can be. I enjoyed the company when everybody rushed to Fidah's and surely is a memory to keep and remember. See you all soon :)

Surprise

2008-08-12T23:37:00.008+08:00

Firstly, on behalf of the "densteadian", we apologize for our absence to the beach gathering. Unfortunately, we had to attend a very important rehearsal for our Graduation Night on the 23rd August. Next time it will us to call the BBQ :D Nonetheless, I hope to see you all and re-live the memories.

On a different matter,

To all dearest family and friends, this might come to a shock to you, as it did to me because it was a sudden decision. As of 22nd August, I will no longer be addressed as Fidah's BF :p Yes my status will change. Tonight I annouce my soon engagement ceremony! How grand will it be? I don't know. Fell free to come by at my place to have a chat and scare the shit out of me as i'm just a step away from adulthood. Also, I welcome envy hehe :p Afiif, you're next.

Oh Rabz, I hope this is juicy enough than my Temburong trip.

Wish me luck and long time happiness :D

Dirty Sunday

2008-08-03T23:16:00.007+08:00

Dirty Sunday. That's what I like to call my Sundays. The day I can care less about anything, including hygiene and especially work. Call me pig, I don’t care. My tushie print on my bed remains visible till the next day to be more accurate. I have to admit I’ve been caught up with work lately and many are not kept. However, I’m dealing with it slowly. Each one at a time till i profess the necessity of multi tasking and multi promises. Since 3 weeks ago, my time is devoted for Uni, work and love ones. I’ve been engaged with dance practices every Saturdays and Tuesdays for my graduation night. Every other day is for work. On Sunday is my dirty day.

As for my trip to Temburong, I owe story details to you especially Afiif! Too bad I don’t have pictures, but i'll get a hold of them some day. My two day trip on the Outward Bound Brunei will be my pride and joy. I survived and came home in one piece. I kayak for 17km, climbed up the Canopy and do my number 2 honorably. There was nothing to complaint about except the unfamiliar bugs and lizards. I could just cringe every time I think about it. Saw a croc on the way back to Bandar. Mosquitoes? Leaches? Takut dorang nyamu! Every hour I’ll spray myself with insect repellant and cover myself with minyak kapak. Honestly, I think they have some sort of sensor that can sense a fully equipped tracker. Inda pulang ku kan cabul, karang kesana ku lagi abis ku kana urungi. To Rabz and Afiif, there's no enough mosquitoes and leaches that can suck me dry! TRUST ME! :pp

Well, I leave you all for now.

Bye

HERE I COME

2008-07-12T01:22:00.004+08:00

OUTWARD BOUND BRUNEI! SHOW SOME MERCY! I'm off to Belalong in couple of hours. Nerbes ku ehhhh! Wish me luck, and pray for me that I'll return in one piece. Half? not an option. Hope the objective is met. Objectively, I'll return with priceless memories, realising my strength, and to build harmonious relationship with others. Or if things turns bad, come back with leaches and bites all over me. On the sunny side, I'll be spiritually connected to mother nature. Get mummy nature to remind me to appreciate the green and rare species Oh my back pack weigh half of me!
Alright! Update you soon!

I'm a REAL ECONOMIST!

2008-07-10T00:59:00.003+08:00

First of all, i would like to express my apology to my reporting chief. I misjudged her during the interview. She turns out to be one of the nicest and motivating individual i have ever met! Work may have been over the top, regardless of the ridiculously low pay, the long hours and eye straining from updating myself with Bloomberg, working more than 10 hours a day undoubtedly is demanding and ridiculous but when you have passion, it cools down the pain and sleepless nights. It's all worth it! I GET to apply assumption knowledge into practice, in full watch of the equity movements and changes in the global market, report daily economic changes and even trade! Though its early to say its all colourful and beautful but i cant wait till it becomes dirty.

i GOT a bit of a review of myself today from me chief officer to mallow down or to notch down a bit on my ego and confidence. She claimed people may perceive it differently. Point duly noted mam! Paksa tah ku becakap be peramba ni sama bekita. The org emphasizes on harmonious environment. So with respect to that virtue, they are sending me off on a 1 day trip to Belalong on Outward Bound programme for team building motives!! O o.. die lo..

Lucky dust works

2008-07-06T01:46:00.002+08:00

Remember when i said I'll strip naked if i didn't get any call back? Well now I don't have to :) HSBC didn't favor my expertise, Standard Chartered called for an interview and BIBD gave a holler that I'm hooked! I'm off the market! YAY :D BIBD you the best! Ahh...finally.

I'm TIRED.

MY 3 LUCKY PIGS!

2008-07-02T01:50:00.005+08:00

My 3 pigs struck the gold prizes and i struck nothing! Last Sunday, I went out under the sun manning my booth, bagging some sold items, serving the society, being all selfless and end up what? Collecting around gross $200. I thought i could brag about it to my 3 friends but nooo theyyy had to be the lucky stars! Jelesssssss~ BUt all and all, i am very proud and happy of their winning moments. To have friends highlighted in the paper for being the luckiest and smartest subsided the jealousy. CONGRATS to Andrea, Chun and Iman for bringing back the grand prizes of which only i and the rest of the world can drool about. To Iman and Chun, you deserve it! and Andrea, You are just plain lucky!!

The winning team, Art Wear, which took home B$2000. Iman and chun won the ultimate prize after being announced for having the best business proposal! they bagged $2000 home! The winning team came up with an idea of manufacturing tattoos that could be worn like clothes. They called their business "Art Wear".Photos: Ben N.

Andrea Tay Yin Cheng interviewed by Jenny after winning the grand draw prize.

I'M SPRAYING MYSELF WITH LUCKY DUST! HOPE I GET LUCKY.

CRAZY SALES

2008-06-29T01:44:00.008+08:00

Yesh Afiiff! I'm selling my junks! My business commences in a couple of hours! I am in desperate for money, not to desperate to sell me body Afiif! Ive been labelling and packing all the items all night. I've earned almost 100 bucks! not bad ya, not even at site yet. Anyway, do drop by at my booth, number 3 and 4, at flat Anggerek Desa. My tent welcomes you from 8am to 2pm. The venue is quite visible from the junction because it will be filled with Ponies and other games. A commotion from the crazy sales will be unmissable. the sound of me ringing a bell to attract attention should numb your ears. CRAZY SALES CRAZY SALES! Ahhh..the thought of it pleases me :P

Ill post some pictures tomorrow :D see me in action!

Call me back!

2008-06-26T01:53:00.004+08:00

Money oh money. You are out of sight but i can smell you from where im standing. I cant even afford lunch or dinner at the moment. Money oh money. You left me alone when i need u the most. So in light with that i decided to volunteer on a sale this Sunday. Selling scrap and old clothes at a fair with hope to actually sell some stuff. heheh i dragged Fidah into it. So wish me lots of luck! I plan to use my personality to charm people buying my old junks and using Fidah's mesmerizing eyes to stop people at our booth. I'll even use the power of seduction and indiscreet body movements. ill rub myself against the poles and pout my lips for effective marketing strategy hahaha karang inda pedah pedah kana ucap inda siuman. I haven't got all the information yet, but i heard there will be pony rides and all. So do stop buy and have a look at me booth! ill be giving away one sweet for every purchase :D

Funny thing, I've attended quite a a number of interviews but never actually got an offer. The bait is caught, but the fish got loose. Whoever is at fault, I don't know. The common response is 'oh it is currently being reviewed'. Something is just wrong. well, i have another one this Friday, if i don't get a call back instantly. I'm gonna strip naked.

Farewell University

2008-06-22T01:04:00.004+08:00

Finally! After much endurance and patience waiting for our final semester result to be released, today marked our day. Today is the public announcement of our independence and the epic of our lives! Today there is nothing more to complain but accept the fact I am a step away from reality and harsh world. Today we must embrace, tomorrow we must wait. We shall not cry because Uni is over but should be happy that it happened. I must learn, quality will no longer be acknowledged with grades but instead in monetary terms. tough but true.

I take this opportunity to congratulate my dear friends and mates for graduating this October. We did it! and we shall be rewarded. We will part and lead separate lives. We will marry and have kids. We will have bills corresponding to our names. Our names becomes surname then our past becomes story. Some of us may be blessed fated to live a glamorous and happy lives. On the other hand, some kalo inda benasib baik, dapat kecelakaan, dapat mertua gila and banyak lagi lah. Kalo inda benasib baik jua, merimpat di jalanan...seperti lagu Peterpan kupu kupu malam. i quote 'Ada yang benci dirinya..Ada yang butuh dirinya...~~~' hahaha

Oh well, did i mention i had to write a report for my job assessment at BIBD? oh yes, i had to write a report on U.S economy. Freaking hard to write to impress my assessor.

Again! Congratssss kamu :))

EXPOSEE

2008-06-20T00:34:00.005+08:00

"Engrossed: Two participants engrossed in their group work during the GET Programme held at the Multipurpose Hall, UBD. Picture: Courtesy of UBD

As alibi to my hectic times, here i post our photo as evidence to my recently hiatus from blogging. All worth it! To Izati and Basit! If you are reading this, i guess you couple aren't cool enough for Brunei Times hahahaha :p

Subprime mortgage crisis

2008-06-18T03:04:00.003+08:00

Subprime mortgage crisis. Does that ring the bells? I believe the crisis is similar to the ASIAN financial crisis in 1997 in which almost lead to the demise of the ASEAN's economic credibility esp investment. I'll do more reading on it then i'll update you guys soon.

hehe boring bah aku ah, nada kan ku tulis :p

Ignorant but subtle

2008-06-17T00:40:00.005+08:00

Lately, i have little to say about the world and mostly said on things driven by emotions. Such emotions had to be spilled in writing to allow me to go above and beyond. Today, I let myself out in public to absorb some human characters evolving around. Some speak about about their dinner plans, some said about what to get at Giant and some just don't speak to each other. i realised communication in Brunei lack substance. Even myself speak about trivial stuff but rarely do i hear friends speak about "real" things like politics, war, economic crisis and such others. Shall I say we are ignorant or subtle?

I say we are in between. Ignorant but subtle. does that make sense? :s Little that we say can make impact to the world that sometimes we decide to ignore things. For instance, if your decision can make a difference in how Brunei run things or even the world, should you stay still and follow? I presume things will turn around from the way it is. For that i say we nil in freedom of choice and speech that lead to such consequences.

A friend from India asked me once when I attended a convention in Manila, he said ' Are you patriotic?' I said, Ya I would die for my country. He then corrected me, he said 'not in that sense! If you are given an option to leave the country,would you? It took me a minute. Apparently, he said in India, they rather not see economic growth than lose their freedom of speech and politics. We, on the other hand, rather have economic growth then earn that kind of freedom. Right? To me, tradition has brought us here today, and one day that tradition may necessarily dissolve for a better future.

He then asked me ' are you happy the way things run? not able to make your own decision and being completely controlled by the government? YES, I'm fat and fully content, aren't i? I rationalised that democratic system will not work here because those aged 15 above amounted to only 300 000 people. Not sufficient to run such system. So beat it and go starve alone. Don't question how my government run things :p

Disgraceful.

2008-06-16T00:25:00.004+08:00

Beside having to posses strong character in nature, sometimes I just had to let my guard down to respect the higher authority. Believe it or not, the interviewer at my last interview,which remain anonymous, was inappropriate and spiteful. I have to admit I am immature in these things, and yet to face with the varieties of questions asked by interviewers. But correct me if I'm wrong, is this question appropriate? Do you prefer to mingle with first class students or others? I mean why even discriminate and choose? And another one, Do you prefer to be different or indifferent? WHAT THE ?? But whatever, the interviewer was rude and obnoxious and it is pointless to argue with her inappropriate remarks.

what i can learn is that why even bother to become a part of the team when the prospective manager has no faith in you at first place. WALOTIA kan mencuba kesabaran, but what's inappropriate will remain so. To announce that I quote 'For an intellectual person with no life plan is mind boggling'. I say the bitch award goes to her.

Enough grudge and i will move on.

:s

2008-06-13T02:16:00.003+08:00

life is super duper busy. I can also expect it gets worse once I embark into working life. At the moment life is fully content with training and various interviews. Aku mau sekulah semulaaaa. sigh, ngalih ku eh.

I'll see u guys soon.

Brunei in heritage

2008-06-10T17:19:00.002+08:00

Today I decided to skip my training program. My intention is to get some rest and actually enjoy my compressed holiday. I will resume my training tomorrow. In light to couching today, RTB2 channel tickle my fancy simply because it was showing some montage of Brunei in early days. What really caught my attention was that Kampong Ayer used to practice Padian, and also most of them travel using sampan and actually paddled their way through places as oppose to today which believes in more efficient solution to travel i.e. fast motor boat ( in kg Ayer lah ah) .Hence, no longer sore arms. I just wished that we could have maintained that beauty and still developed into today’s Brunei. We then have a balance of culture and civilization. Sometimes I feel we have been buried with civilization that we failed to preserve our culture.

Another interesting fact that I have meant to mention in my blog is that the bleaching of new born babies. Not literally bleaching, it is just figuratively speaking. If you observe carefully, don’t you realize the babies today, in Brunei, macam mikin puteh. Literally, all of them or the ones I came across. Even if the mummy and daddy look really tanned but managed to spring out a lighter colored baby. To the extreme one might think that the child is adopted. My assumption goes to the mentally of parents nowadays that pretty ones are those who are fair. So, I assume during the trimester period of pregnancy, mums starts to take more milk and some medication that promise to produce baby yang sangat puteh. My concern is that will we be revolutionizing into fairer society? And dissolve our true colors?

I remember when I was a kid, the mentally goes, whoever is fair would be mixed and whoever looks tanned is pure breed. So, what is in the mind of today’s children? Will it be the other way around? Siapa tanned tia pulang mixed? I guess by then mums will start drinking kicap hahahaha

Bah atu saja.

Ciao!

Interview tips.

2008-06-08T01:21:00.004+08:00

With regards to the latest post on my tag board from an anonymous writer, I here to share some thoughts or words of wisdom to those who are I quote 'panicking to attend an interview'. I share your trembles and I dedicate this post to those who needs that extra hand. Not that I am positive I will get the job, but I did learn from the interview on some grounds. Although, I will not specify all the questions asked just because questions differ and secondly i want you to be more spontaneous than having to write down your answers beforehand. As follows are what I have learned and taught as well in preparing for any interview

Always try to convince the prospective employer that you are up for any job irrespective whether you like it or not. Later then you will decide whether you feel highly suited for the job.
Always learn on the background of the company or the organization to prepare for any unexpected questions with regards to the company's standings.
The most common question is " Tell me about yourself?" Not that they are more interested in who you are, but some are more interested in how you answer that question. So, take a deep breath and show personality in your voice. Start with your name, age, experience, and interest and so forth. The rest you should let god and your conscience guide you.
Be self-aware of what you are capable of and what not. List out the things prior to the interview, rather than try to wing it.
If asked what are your weaknesses, always try to compensate it with a positive traits of yours.
Maintain composure if provoked because they would want to see your reaction to provocation, if you fail to show composure, for companies that rely on customer loyalty shall not find a suitable position for you in theirs. But not entirely true, you can be positioned at back office.
Interview excuse you to brag about your academic achievements, so don't shy away for trying to sell yourself however, with that said, do try to be oblivious in sharing your job experience and academic achievements. We do not want to be seen as pompous at the same time.
Don't try to be a smart arse. Charming is acceptable, but not an arse. A fine line shall be drawn.
Attend the interview at least 30 minutes before set time.
Dress to impress.
Greet as you enter the room, and ask to be seated.
and lastly, don't pee your pants.

I guess that is all I can think of at the moment. So i wish you all the best and pray for me too :))

Get-up programme

2008-06-07T01:31:00.010+08:00

Wow, its been awhile since I wrote my last post. Not that I have lost interest in updating my blog, it's just that I've been following a self-discovery training programme. Yesh at this point of our life, by that I mean on the constant look out for job opportunity and on the verge of poverty, self awareness of oneself is somehow necessary to realise our strengths and weaknesses for best use in finding the most suitable job, I presume. The 'get up' programme that I signed up for challenge people in circumstances that you thought you could handle. I realise, whilst in the programme, that I'm a person that has strength in directing but not so much in taking direction. Hope that means I am destined for great leadership hahaha Butt bear in mind, that an excellent leader shall allow to be directed as well. Also, the four days training programme has allowed me to grow in both skills and personality. I realised that I am motivated only if the working environment is conducive,fun and full of enthusiastic people, and otherwise be demotivated.

Oh HSBC called for an interview, and I did show up looking like a potential HSBC employee. If you observed carefully, pekerja HSBC ani, everyday is never a bad hair day or simply a bad day. Clothes are nicely ironed, tie well fitted and matched with their clothes. Macam senunuh lah dorang ani. Professional begaya lah katakan. Inda tah pernah inda lawa pengliatan ku. Kalo ku keraja sana bah, dua jam kali beusai pagi2. Anyway, the interview, little that I expected, it went a little easier than I thought. I guess the manager showed little interest in me ya and decided to throw one look on me and crossed me out. I'll find out soon if I'm destined working for HSBC, The world's local bank.

At the moment, whatever job comes first, ill take it cause I am this close to seek employment at bandar :p Bukan selling body, bejual di tamu bah.

Eh parpal jua font ku ani.

Job Fair 2008

2008-06-02T02:26:00.006+08:00

Yesh, I have not been writing much lately just because I have been occupied with job hunting, and in attempt to sell myself to as many organization as possible. Coincide with the 'Pesta Kerja 2008', or Job Fair 2008, has given young, fresh, dynamic, and on the market such as myself the opportunity to do so. I have to congratulate the labor department to organize such a remarkable event especially for us whose future is yet to be determined. At the fair, it offers job opportunities ranging from 'O' to University level career advancement opportunities i.e from keraja di hua ho sebagai stock person to BEDB as officers. Bisai lah bagi ku.

Below was a photo taken of Andrea and myslef inquiring Dk.Dina about BEDB on SLA. I think she has seen enough of us. Balik balik bah kami round round booth dorang. Oh, did i say this photo was published on the Borneo bulletin paper today? keke Such a bad angle! Butt hey any publicity is a good publicity. Hope the picture sells. HSBC beware, I'm being poach by BEDB too.

Misdemeanor

2008-05-29T18:44:00.014+08:00

Hahaha i just have to blog about it. After days of dry spell, lack of inspiration to write or even lack of things to say, I finally have something to write about. A case in point would be on my last post. Sorry about that. It was a sudden burst of frustration. Anyway, readers may need parental discretion on reading this indecent post hehe.

Victim: Syami
Perogol: Lulu
Time of incident : 6 50pm
Crime site : My own bed
Case: Molestation.
Submission: Case dropped.

Testimonial:

I was just minding my own business, relaxing on my bed, shirtless. I was reading some article on American economic disaster. On the floor, also minding her own business, there was Lulu (my cat) entertaining herself with a scrunched up paper. I think she got bored, and decided to jump on the bed. Still minding my own business. Then I saw her prowling decently towards me. A Little too close I would say in proximity. I patted her for a bit to show some affection. Eyes still reading on the article. All of the sudden, wait wait..wait a minute...then She SNIFFED MY NIPPLE AND LICKED IT! Uwaa...utterly violated. It was just in split second, but still! Me mama and papa will be disappointed. If i didn't put an end to the lewd scene, maybe she'll stay a little bit longer. Sanity speaks.

But I still love my cat. I'm not pressing charges.

See ya, kan mandi ku, I need a shower.

Tranquility

2008-05-27T06:25:00.007+08:00

Photo captured by Afiif

Awang Cekmat

2008-05-26T23:16:00.000+08:00

Have you been acquainted with Awang Cekmat? Anu bah yang tong gas biru dalam iklan for energy conservation atu. The word Cekmat is apparently a combination of keCEKapan and penjiMATan. Hence, di melayu kan jadi Awang Cekmat. Hence, he is employed to convey the message that energy use with efficiency prevents wastage. Currently, Awang Cekmat is manning the booth at the Mall, spreading "tips for energy saving". They relay the idea that the simplest way to participate in conserving energy is to start at home. I agree. So,
please try to minimise your energy usage at home. Tutup lampung, jangan banyak memvacuum, and kurang kan pakai aircon atu. Honestly, I admire and fully support the Ministry of Energy in attempt to increase the awareness of Brunei society in Energy conservation. I personally will pursue my master closely link to this field as well.

I also agree the fact that they are going at a "soft" rate in curbing the excessive consumption of energy in Brunei such as advertisement and posters. However, I do find their new "soft" attempt to curb energy consumption is plain stupid. It has a few flaw even their reps realise that. Currently, the Ministry of Energy initiate a measure of "Energy Labelled". In a nutshell, the measure is to label the "energy efficiency level" of some appliances. For instance, a Panasonic air conditioner will run with a 8.5 kilo watt/hr, and will be labelled as 5 star efficient (stars range from 1 to 5). Thus, as the watt rises, the star shall diminishes. Since they are in an infant stage, they are starting off with labelling air-conditioner and soon to cater other appliances such as vacuum cleaners and refrigerator. Again, I feel it is a good initiative. For the reason that a buyer who is conscious with our environmental issue shall purchase those products with those stickers with more star i.e more energy efficient.

However, the big flaw of the measure is that it is voluntary. Adui..Basically, the suppliers are just "advised" to buy the stickers which I bet suppliers will not compromise to lower their profit to cover the sticker cost and also will not charge higher prices to shift the cost burden to consumers simply because supplier will lose their competitive edge. Bukan atu saja, the products ani, they need to be assessed of its level of efficiency right, and since Brunei has no experimental lab, all the appliances has to be shipped to other countries to be evaluated, with no cost subsidy. I just don't get it? Which suppliers in the right mind would do such thing? With that said, i just don't buy the concept. The whole concept is utterly rubbish. I see the direction, but it got cut off by a broken bridge.

I am sorry, I don't mean to be cynical about it. But, this is a complete waste of resources. Why create a concept when the end result poorly commit or fail to grasp the energy conservation objective. What I would do is make those stickers compulsory, just like 'no smoking' signs in every restaurants. If the latter can be strictly impose, so can this. Also, get an experimental laboratory already if we wish to take this matter seriously.

Battery for cash.

2008-05-25T02:34:00.005+08:00

I AM NOT COMPLAINING THAT I AM UNEMPLOYED COS I KNOW IT IS JUST TRANSITORY BUTT I have used up my savings to the last dollar today. I could not even imagine how anyone could stay unemployed for even a short period of time. Unless, he has a large bequest awaits him, I guess there's a reason to be unemployed. For people like me, I can't even afford fuel and occasional purchase of ayamku at this current state. People, I am officially broke. Ya Allah, I am even close to my final straw to supplicate for money.

However, asking money from my parents would be unquestionable because I resent myself for choosing the easy way out of such ordeal. Asking loan from my family is only feasible if only I could foresee my future cash inflow sufficient to redeem my debt. Unfortunately for UBD students, our allowance halt at the last month of exam period. In other words, we are being financially cut off starting next month. No more basic allowance. No more liquid cash *choke*. Hence, NO BORROWING either. Hence, kill us now.

Being unemployed and strayed, money becomes scarce. A dollar would equivalently satisfy $20 for the employed. So today, I sort of earned my own keching keching. Collected some scarp at home, and went to a recycle company! Altogether I had with me 2kg of plastic bottles, and three car batteries. Fidah being skeptical doubted I even managed to collect more than $3! hehe Butt butt butt..to her surprise I collected myself a total amount of $22.70! $22 for freaking scarp! That is easy money love! Now I am sort of "$400" richer.

So people, if there's a will, there's always a way. Now, who would want me to clean up their garage?? Just give me a holler :p

Salam

2008-05-23T23:25:00.007+08:00

I'm back, rejuvenated from mental and physical exhaustion. I had a thought to just quit blogging, as it WAS merely an abrupt moment to relief myself from exam scare. But I decided to continue blogging! Just to keep me fingers flicking and to connect myself with you loyal readers! Today's post menu shall not touch on future plans because at the moment the future is just a blurry picture. An abstract art. Until i can afford Nippon Paint, then I'll announce to the world what will be my future plans keke So what is up you people?

I can say friends who are close to me are leaving, or drifting away. Don't put ugly thoughts in your head. I am a dearly person. They didn't leave in a bad note. Its just some left for good, ONE left to KL, and ONE just gone in the thin air. My 3 China friends - Tang, Meng mei and Fang Fang left for good to their hometown, in mainland China. Alhamdulilah, the destruction caused by the horrific earthquake didn't not hamper their hometowns. Andrea on the other hand, had to leave for a selfless cause. I pray for your cousin's health ya. Moreover, Chun is just being Chun * no offence Chun* hehe.

Here is a picture of us together before we all drive away onto our own paths.

Oooh, another random thoughts, is it dumb to just figure out what the acronym NASA stands for? Damn, 23 years and I just figured it out through a t.v show. Kinda make me sounds dumb. Tell me you just Google it the moment I raised this issue? Otherwise I have to admit, I am not smarter than a 5th grader!

Talk to you soon :)

Family ku

2008-05-19T21:58:00.004+08:00

Just a quick post of another family photo of mine!

Nasi katok

2008-05-18T02:42:00.009+08:00

Some say nasi katok does not provide the proper nutrition we need, but hey it all goes out to any other snacks that we eat occasionally or in some cases for daily consumption. Again, what is the proper nutrient implied in this millennium ya? The food in the market we have today seems dubious of its healthiness anyway. Can we blame ourselves for being labelled as the most obese nations in South East Asia? On the bright sunny side, my China friends enjoy the privilege of cheap, fulfilling and apparently over the top delicious food. Beside that, we offer a market for the less fortunate to sustain by living on nasi katok for instance. By less fortunate, it was in reference to the foreign blue collars whom may want to save for their family, and would rather suppress their taste bud for something relatively overpriced entrée.

On a more enthusiastic note, the 18th was such a memorable event as I visited the first nasi katok stall in Brunei. Not exactly a stall, but a proper home. Apparently, it is located in Mabuhai area and still in operation. SHOCK! We stopped by to get some! The obvious reason it's so called "nasi katok" because one needs to knock on the door to purchase nasi katok, which i feel has loss its valuable meaning now. Masa ani, OI BUNG NASI KATOK SATU! Inda payah lagi bekatuk. I swear at one point of time I heard the rumour of the market for nasi bell. Ada ada saja bah ahh..

So, with all excitement, I took a photo of the place, with two of the night cruisers members (Andrea and Fang Fang),ordering two nasi katok original. Pretty good they said.

Knock knock!

Getting off tangent, totally unrelated story, I went to pat a horse today. His name was 521. Purely based on assumptions as that was what engraved on his torso. see photo below. ada tu the number, How could I tell it was a he? hahah pick a "straight up" guess :p he was a little bit "excited"seeing us hahaha

521

Catch up soon!

Family comes first.

2008-05-15T02:25:00.019+08:00

Have you ever come across with this saying?

'It is fine to hate any of your family members, but it's not fine to hate your friends'. The reason behind it underlies on the idea that you come in a package deal, which is your family, and you don't choose to and there's a "free hate pass" that allows you to hate them. On the other hand, friends are built on the basis of mutual interest and likeness. With that said, it seems wrong to hate them cause you choose the people around you.

There was a moment in my life that that reason appears logic and a mere route to find reason to just hate when things just don't go your way. But as I grow up, and many of you I presume, learn that family will always comes first. God gives you this package for reason only he has the answers and you should be able to decipher it once you truly understand them thoroughly, by that I mean spiritually. I learn that each of my family members has their own unique thinking and "style". My dad, being opinionated and rational proves that the elderly are as witty as the young gen. My mum, being an organize freak, proves that details define a person and it matters in gossiping, cooking and filings. She relays the idea that if men are defined by their rationality, women are defined by their details. My eldest brother, being all bulgy, proves that the strongest person is only purely strong if exist in them a pure heart and can maintain composure when provoke. My middle brother, being all successful and stylish, proves that getting a first class isn't everything. It all matters how you carry yourself in the working life. oh, and it doesn't hurt to impress others with your wardrobe collections :p

With all that said, friends are like family too, there's time that there's a need to hate them to appreciate. But to me, it doesn't have to go that way. Appreciation should come naturally. Hate shouldn't be the catalyst to generate appreciation. The reason why I'm wiring on family values is because my brother just sent me our family picture and I realise family should really come first, no matter what are the circumstances.

Strict giller...

2008-05-13T20:11:00.006+08:00

When does examination actually start? The moment you settle your arse on your assigned chair and the moment you have the exam paper 45 degrees down your chin, which will be on your exam desk. What does it do? It tests your ability, knowledge, and analytical skill. Does it care what you're wearing? Nope. It is a known fact. If only suited guys are allowed to sit for exams, the world will only be filled with lawyers.

In University Brunei Darussalam, things get wary even before entering the hall. The "body inspection", I shall say. The eyeing eagle scanning from top to the bottom of your feet, spotting for irregularities and human blood. I thought i would pass the human sensor BUTT a mother eagle sense her prey. She stopped me, piercing her beak on my neck at the main door entrance at the exam hall today. why? For a ridiculous reason.

To the world, yet to know or care of the strictness of UBD's dressing and hair code, get to know it because it's ridiculous. I understand if they give warnings to bar you from sitting for the exam for apparent reasons such as bringing in mobile phones, wearing shorts, sleeveless, too much hair gel, stinky overdose cologne, pony tails for the man and other many ridiculous reasons. On top of the all silliness, a woman "celled" me for reason rambut belakang panjang melintasi collar. What?? I really thought she would stop me for having an acceptable long fringe!

Too tired to bother, BUT for the sake of rightness, I said "kamu ani strict banar. Not only that, its not even long rambut ku di belakang ani, where's your sense of judgment?" .. She stand corrected with her reason "Rambut limpas collar tu" while flashing and urging me to fill up the pink form.

Adui, if I had the time in the world to argue... Did they even consider their measures are ridiculous? Collar as benchmark? Did she even consider if my collar was a couple of inches higher than the normal ones? ... Usulnya paksa tah me gundul ni kalo kan be pesyen be kolarr tinggi. Did she even consider that i had a hair cut 2 half weeks ago, and could have grown by then?.... Balik balik tu eh me begunting..Atu hadir kan usin..kaya salon... Did she even notice its almost the end of the exam week and NOW I'm caught? mesti ada silap ni.. Did she even consider she was a little off the radar? That's it!

Of all strictness and ridiculousness, heads up to her and UBD administrations. Oh to be more specific, the body "inspectionists". Although, I suggest you to review your measures ya :) The moral of the story is terima kasih kerana mengajar saya supaya memakai baju yang mempunyai collar yang pendek atau yang tidak mempunyai collar. Score!

Signing out

Cheers

English was fun

2008-05-11T01:08:00.008+08:00

English paper was..FUN. The paper proved its purpose being "English". An English man shall denounce his race and convert to MELAYU after sitting for that paper. Banar..The article was extracted from the economist journal, which ladies and gentlemen, if you had come across with the journal, it takes awhile to decipher its contents. On top of that, the comprehension section was on risk management and Corporate Sustainable Responsibility, which I feel I am week in the field of business language. Its been awhile since I last did a comprehension. I mean the proper way of answering comprehension. Err, do I start with restarting the question? Err..do I copy paste the answer form the article? Am I allowed to add in my opinion?... Seriously, other obstacles seem feasible, and being 23 becomes bearable. At some point, the idea of kira bulu ekor kambing lingers in my mind, and seems a lot easier.

Check! Check! Two down, and two to go. Not bad for a final year. I pity the first years, doing six to seven modules. Again, I would rather suck the dirt out of a straw than go through that pain again. Trust me that is disgusting and that truly shows my relief not reliving my first years. I came across it once at a restaurant, which apparently reuses the straws. But the least they could do is sterile it before reusing it. Although, I appreciate the effort of some small stalls conforming to sustainable development. But please ah, maintain hygiene. Apa guna tani hidup lama, tapi makan pun betae-tae. There should be a delicate balance with sustainable development and hygiene ya.

Speaking of tae, I stepped on one earlier :S No need mental description ya. Mental karang readers..Alright, need my man-beauty sleep.

Signing out.

Happy Birthday to Babah and Izar!

2008-05-08T23:04:00.005+08:00

Happy 54th Birthday babah! Happy 26th Birthday Izar! May Allah bless you two always :)) and I will always love both of you! Hanya sekalong doa yang dapat ku berikan :) pasal kapih ku. Doa atu berharga tu nyamu.

New journey

2008-05-07T21:27:00.008+08:00

New journey, new book. Writing up a new book, especially to start with the preface should be...perplexing. why? Because the first drop of ink is crucial. The first drop of ink that lays on the notebook shall represent the starting journey of your new life right after graduation. The first drop of ink on it shall pave the path to your future. This means the preface shall be carefully written, once it's written, there is no turning back. The preface shall excite you and others, hence the end shall be promising as well. The dilemma every graduating University student shall face.

I have used up the pages, to the last line, of my previous book that described the journey I've undertaken from my first to my final year. The book that filled with many obstacles, downturns, in high spirit moments and great achievements. Now,the book has closed, wrapped with crossed ribbons, sprayed with the most expensive cologne that you own and it is snugged under your bed until it starts collecting dust. The great thing of "writing" that "book" is that it has an eventual ending. It will surely end the moment we graduate. In fact, the end of the book shall specify the class we achieved.

The question we shall ask ourselves or even myself, what's next? What's the time range of the next book until we do achieve what we really want? What do we really want? and What will be the next goal?

Iman raised an excellent question "If you can do anything you want in this world, what do you want to do? Putting aside the fear of being judged? Even if it is the most demeaning job or the least successful?"

I would say, Gigolo, if i had the body.
At some point, some may pause for a brief moment, to think back and wishing for only you could have known what you really want at a very young age instead of letting the exogenous factors to pave the way for you.

I hope my next book starts really soon, and I shall use the opportunities that falls on me, solely to achieve my one dream. So, start dreaming people, get to know what you really want, and don't despair if its not what you are currently doing. You use the "now job" as an impetus to achieve your one and only dream. Life is short, hence live life to the fullest utility and die with something you greatly have done and not caused.

Sorry eh, sappy sikit :p

History of Economics Thought

2008-05-05T22:01:00.009+08:00

Excuse me Sir! A little panicked when I saw at the right hand corner of my desk, it's just a scribble of 'I hate exam', when there should be an attendance sheet lying flat on it. Excuse me Sir! Quietly i asked, 'Where's my attendance sheet?' A little puzzled expression, then a whisper sounded from my left hand side, 'Syamie, it's on your left hand corner'.. kwang kwang kwang

I survived my three long hours battle, although it was an unjust fight, I left the hall with my head high. Not swollen with pride, but due to neck cramps. I maintained composure even after struggling to bull my way through history. Describe Buchanan's theory of Public choice? Err, i guess he has a problem with private choice. How FAR was Jevons correct in claiming that cost production has no role in determining value? Err, as FAR as I can think of. Whose ideas had major influence on Marx? Err, mamanya and papanya. So you see, I doubt I did well. Well, I am just glad that it is over, I can't take another second pretending I care who influenced Marx. Although, I do wish my ideas will be celebrated one day. I'll be very flattered if my name pops up in exam questions on History of Economist thoughts. Whose ideas had major influence on Syamie Shadan? Feel free to write, you :)

Speaking of free, I have 3 more battles, then I am a free man, a free economic man. By free I mean a literal meaning in economics, unpaid and jobless. I had a thought to do a 'visit Brunei seharian' day. To see the unseen of Brunei kingdom of treasure, get some random photos of kampong ayer, and photo of me flicking the proboscis monkey's snout. I'll see what comes up.

I am a tired man. I will see you soon. Take care and I wish the best to those who are going through the pain I am undergoing now. May your pencil sharpen, and your pen 'ink-en' HAHA

Signing out

Cheers :)

Aww my first 'taggy'

2008-05-03T11:04:00.000+08:00

1. What disappoints you the most?
Being tagged! Check out my last post. Afiif!

2. Where will you go if someone sponsor you a tour ticket?

Thailand, to get my teeth fixed and a first class seat will do. Thank you. On second thought, India. I want to see what's the fuss about with Bollywood and their veranda. And check out if they are actually puteh melapak macam dalam movie.

3. What's your favorite thing to do?
Fidah. I mean dine-in with Fidah :p

4. Do you think money can buy happiness?

Why not? I already said barter trade is confusing.

5. If you can have one dream to come true, what would it be?

To eat food and not get fat. I envy African kids. And to invent a dish named Syamie.

6. Do you believe you can survive without money?

Yes, when I'm asleep.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most?
Me. That is scary ya :S

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?

To have my own freak show, like a circus. The show shall include tigers being slap by my own bare hands on the bum, crocs fighting for a dollar with a clown, and I will pay Afiif
$500 per day, to see her dress like baby, and ride on a tricycle holding a lamp.

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

I did, it turns out well :p

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you?

Afiif is an excellent example of a muslim
Afiif loves stones.
Afiif will dress like a baby, and ride on a tricycle holding a lamp just for me :)

11. What are the requirements that you wish from the other half?
Tiga 'B', Be tudung, Be gigi lawa, Be kaki HAHAHA

12. What type of person do you hate the most?
I'm Don Juan. I'm a lover, I don't do hate.

13. What is your ambition?

To become a chef. So I can feed the hungry, and stuff the fatties.

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

For now, to the exam secretariat office to get a sneak peek on the exam papers.

15. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
My family. My girlfriend. My kuchings. Hi babies!

16. If you could undo doing one mistake in the past, what would it be?
To go left, instead of right. Trust me, it matters.

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

"Morning HAPPINESS" hahaa

18. What music have you been listening to recently?

Orang mengaji. Just to calm me down for exam.

19. What is your least favourite animal?

Cacakkk! eee, I had nightmares! It went into my pants, called his troops, and gathered around my guy :S

20. What would you prefer to be - a man or a woman?

Man, so I can tell the woman what to do. Actually, a woman, so that I can teriak teriak when I see a cacak in my room and not being judged.

bye bye

2008-05-02T06:55:00.011+08:00

Yawn yawn..

Time for a hiatus readers due to work and study commitment. I do predict myself blogging the moment I step out of the exam hall after my first paper, on the 5th may. Yesh, you will have a first hand info on it :)

I will leave you for now readers.

It's been awesome!

kish kish

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOZZZIE

2008-04-30T19:44:00.007+08:00

Just a quick shout out to my dearest pal in Sheffield!

SELAMAT HARI JADI YANG KE 23 TAHUN!

Things are different when you're 23 Dauzie. A quick example, when entering a fancy hotel, the concierge would welcome you with a discriminatory tag-line.. "Please step onto the welcome mat that has the number 23 on it sir! "Things like that. never happened but yah.

Bye Dauzzie :))

p/s Those who wants to convey your birthday wishes, just write them at the 'comment' for Dauzie to read.

Signing out

Bye Dauzzie

Tudung Planet

2008-04-29T07:31:00.000+08:00

My dearest readers,

The time has arrived, the time to pose into genuflect position 24/7 till my eyes pop-out of its sockets. The time to space out all the unnecessary and hose in new reading materials to equip for my last battle. The time when nausea becomes common and tranquility becomes atypical. The time when dreams avert from a place called la la land with bunnies to a hall filled with hundreds of aligned chairs and tables.

Aii, sedih banar jua..

On the bright side, this is my last exam eva! yesh, yesh that's it. A closure that has no door knob. It will remain that way, till i decide to do anything about it. Oh, that reminds me, I was driving by at a school junction, and there were these tiny little kids in school uniforms, wearing tudung 'planet', all happy and 'zit-less'. I gave a sincere smile and said to myself

"tunguu ko, batah lagi perjalanan mu lai lai... karang baru ko bejerawat tu udah banyak ko pikirkan".

Then I drove away,

...and no silly, I didn't step on the accelerator driving over the little aliens

Oh I BET you ladies had undergone the same painful experience ya? being force to 'wear in' the tudong planet... I mean I could imagine mama nya becakap, " bah angkat tangan ke atas lai..kan masuk kan tudung planet mu..." ( I assume that is how you wear it in, right ladies? ) hahahaha

Signing out

with Love.

Patience honey

2008-04-28T13:53:00.008+08:00

I hate waiting. I hate staring at the ceiling, waiting to be seated, waiting to be waited, waiting in queues, waiting for my test result, waiting the day to hit 00 01, waiting for someone to finish his sentence. My god just paddle up and finish your sentence. I simply hate waiting especially with the hot rising weather here. I bet one could not wait outside, without shedding a sweat. In my case, I will look like someone who just fell into a puddle. If i could remember every steps of my life, I am positive i begged my mom to push me out of her womb.

Not to say that I am unreasonably impatient, there are things that are worth waiting for..... I guess I could not think of any right now. I know you'll be thinking what triggered me to share my sudden outburst of frustration?

Ani bah,me suruh bibi si Fidah to goreng ayam. I left Uni 30 minutes ago, and she's still mengoreng..

Frust me...

Oh, Fidah just walked in smelling like Chicken! Yay, Chicken's done, looking crispy golden! I guess this is one reason to be patient ya, the thought of hot crispy and soft chicken thigh slipping down my throat.. HEAVEN

GTG! My chicken is waiting! Patience honey, a proper goodbye wouldn't hurt.

See you another day reader.. :) :) Bye bye ..

Whatever, I'm signing out, sajuk ayam ku!

Toodles,

Look out for PERVES!

2008-04-27T03:47:00.016+08:00

After feeling obligated to informally warn you about 'pervetism', I decided to blog, instead of dozing-off right after driving back home from Fidah's place, not studying, but sleeping on her dining hall floor, stuffed after having 2 bungkus of nasi katok. Not bad, not bad, I usually have four. Not so proud of it, but ya, I am. This morning I had a reality check on how fat I've become. There are many ways ya to identify so called 'fatness factors'. In my case, tonnes emerged as indicators, but I chose to ignore any but this one *remain anonymous* which I FIGURED out this morning, need some chilling to do! So, I decided to cut down on food from today, from 4 to 2 nasi katok, from 4 packs of indomee, to 2 maybe.Oh well, let's see how long that will last, before I start craving for 4 instead of 2.

But I'm not the pervert!

Couple of days ago, after vigorous thrill on finishing up my essay, I decided to blog on it, on which it was posted as 'The End'. To spice things up, I posted it as Al-Khatimah. Unfortunately, being completely illiterate in Arabic language, which I may confuse Ba with BUTT, and Ta with TART. So, to save the embarrassment, I texted the expert.

Texting fidah - click click click click that says

- * Sayang ku... What's The End in Arabic? mwah *

Tutt Send Message.

Apparently, being so champion in texting has its disadvantage, I texted to a slightly wrong number. Couple of hours later I got a text in from that person, very disturbing reply, time was around 6 am, in which most 'healthy men' has something in common in the morning, I called it 'Morning Happiness', . I read it and it says:

Who is the name? :)
You man or woman? :)
You pastii lawa.... :) Oohh...

End text.

Pervert! As a man, I feel violated :S *I was in my pajamas* For a woman, she would feel visually raped, I think.. I don't know, you tell me. All joke asides! It was 6am and that's all he could think of? Does the wife even know? I bet its the morning happiness talking. Kapisan ni bini nya hahaha *wink*. I would have entertained if the text was put in a decent and romantic way hahaha *orgasmic laugh*

BA=Butt NAH!

The moral of the story is...men out there, next time let the big head do the talking, don't let the small head take charge, you might end up texting something that you regret a minute later.

Signing out,

Modern Economist.

A Special Dedication

2008-04-26T16:14:00.000+08:00

I am absolutely positive that in a group of friends,

it has a mixture of singles and couplets. Both with opposing ideas, defending their status qou, noting one is more superior than the other. In my case, I had little opportunity to embrace my life as a single bloke who had too much to drink. Yesh, I am almost in a 7 years relationship, ever since i was 16 years old. The age when dating was difficult and driving was illegal.

Much little exposure have I experienced.

Nevertheless, never will I regret to forgo all those things,

when I know waiting for me is my

sweet cupcake, with her baju kebaya, sown in with

glittering beads.

I dedicate this post to my dearest love, you know who you are.

For 7 years, You have shone light at me with that sweet smile of yours.

You have looked into my eyes with those amazing eyes and sincerely accept me of who I am.

And never once you have looked at me and shown even an ounce of despair or disappointment.

You have been there by my side cracking jokes and together WE share a synchronize laugh.

You have 'unintroduce' me to silence with your laughter.

You have leaned your shoulders for me to lean.

You have given confirmation when our story needs a boost of support.

We have given both comfort, when one is thirsty for hearing those three little words

'I love you'.

However, Never have you cast a doubt saying those three words

You have hold my hands and say everything will be alright when things are off the chart

Never have you said to me my weight is a problem and ask me to lose weight.

You have given me many chances to rectify my mistakes and never thrown me out

in the cold without given me a shawl to stay warm.

You have a pure heart with my name engraved in gold all over it.

You have been there for me in sick and in good health.

You are a conservative yet you let an economist to

hold your hands to be seen by public

The most important thing is.......

You

have define love for me

and

never will I let go.

Signing out

Modern 'jiwang' Economist

Al Khatimah (The End)

2008-04-25T05:56:00.010+08:00

The only word that can describe my feeling now is RELIEF! REE- LIEFF! After two weeks struggling and straining my eyes reading tonnes of articles and books, and the books aren't accessible, it is like reading an old transcript from the 16th centuries! BUtt at last, my essay, it is done to the last dot! It might not be my best work yet, but i shall make an exception for this essay. At the end, what is more enlightening is the effort you have put into it. I guess that is all that matters.

Butt the agony does not stop today, it's revision time to battle the up coming exam in less than two weeks. Oh god, I will be munching more too. You see, 5 months ago people see me, I have this great body for which undoubtedly people have been wondering, eh Syami kah tu? he lose his baby fats! ( Although I am puzzled with the baby remark) I have passed that phase like ages ago, the only acceptable remark would be adult fats.

"Liposuction ni mesti ni mesti"

God, I have to say that I have gained a lot i tell you, for the past few months. Beyond your absolute imagination! So, hint hint jangan tekajut kalo terserempak dengan me ahh..Too embarrass to even go out and seen in public! My face and physique shall not be seen in daylight for NOW! I sneak out at night, to breathe some fresh air and feel some night breeze and dash in back inside. I am so fat one could come up with a silly and yet offensive joke,

"Did u eat your whole family?" No silly, I just ate half of them!

My mum kept on taunting me, Eh baik ko diet after this! You beat up the size of a TONG i.e tong cement. Okay, MOTHERRR ! I will ...geesshh . But ya i know she puts it with good intention. Ya, so treadmill and weight lifting right after exam! A serious make-over people!

Alright,

Singing out,

Modern Economist.

The power of assumptions

2008-04-24T06:02:00.011+08:00

Yesh, i am on the verge of hanging myself trying to finish my last essay for my whole academic life! I was reading this book, it's called Economic methodology and funny how the author included a joke under the footnote. But the joke is really funny, and yesh it might only be seen as hysterical to the economist! cause i tried it on Fidah, it didn't work :S she went huh? So strap on your funny belt people!

The joke was widely disseminated in universities all over the world! awu Banar di UK, di US, d Thailand! and ani me mau disseminated di Brunei. Tani mana buleh ketinggalam joke cani cani kan. I feel the joke is useful in understanding the need of assumptions, disregarding the realism of it. You see, economist 'assume' a lot and it becomes a joke to other field of academics. When this joke popped up, i realise i can twist it to a point that it becomes highly relevant on how important it is to make assumption, to make a simplified end.

Here it is:

“An economist, an engineer, and a chemist were stranded bah sama sama di pulau pilung-pilungan. Sekali inda tia ada makanan, kecuali yang ada satu tin basar ayam Sabli . Tapi masalah nya...nada bah pembuka tin! Cana tah kan tu membuka. Sekali, after various unsuccessful exercises in applied science by the engineer and the chemist aimed at opening the tin, but sadly unable to do so. Lapar tia dorang ani, kriuk kriuk parut dorang. Kan di gigit tin atu, karang sumbing gigi pulang tah nada dentist antara dorang tiga ani hahaha *atu me ketawa tu*. Bepikir dorang kan, eh si economist ani inda lapar kah. So, dorang tulih arah si economist ani who all the while had been wearing a superior smile, looking smart and intensely thinking, ‘Eh jubur, kalo ko apa ko buat?? kami ani dari tadi udah mencuba pakai skill kami ani, ko alum tah menulung nulung. Cuba dehhhh’. *melandih nyamuuu~*

Sekali di jawab nya tia dengan tone yand sedap, ‘Me~~

Masa ani me meng- ASSUME tani ada can-opener’

hahahahaha cali cali~~

I thought it was really clever and funny! but i guess you don't ya?

Anywhooo,

Ani nah yang apa me dapat pelajari...

This is one joke that in a way help explain the importance of assumptions, whether it is realistic or unrealistic. It is however unrealistic to assume that there was a tin-opener, simply because there was not. However, the assumption itself provides many answers which can be answered only through the imaginative power.

My point being is that the economist made a contribution on a future oriented way. The notion that the economist made the assumption entails a great deal of prediction. What happens if we had a can-opener, it will be opened and shared. Rhetorical questions will arise, whether it would suffice for three? Would it be each ones favorite? Would one maximize utility by ‘killing’ the other two? Banar jua kan, all these can be written as what will happen and be prepared for the rainy and desperate days.

In a nutshell~ Assumption is important lah to compact the dynamic and to make possible of the impossible. It provides imaginative answers that yet to be tested but powerful enough to provide answer for economist. Therefore, assumptions are important for prediction and shaping a theory, which may not even have to be tested for realism

So, i hope my lecturer like the idea :S otherwise...Adui...

p/s My beloved course mates, please cite me if you wish to 'borrow' the idea, Thank you!

Signing out,

Modern Economist.

Sata 160GB please..GOO SPIRITT!!

2008-04-22T21:19:00.019+08:00

Ohh my gawdd,

*Maluuu ME lagiii*

You could not believe what happened today!! The worst ordeal one could ever experience! Heart pounding! Armpit sweating! inexhaustable liquid drainage! Whatever pores you could imagine on your body secreting some sort of sweats!

At around 8 30am....

My computer crashed!!

The bad news is I never had a back up! The worst news is I have one unfinished essay stuck in it which needs to be submitted this Saturday, 3000 words to be exact of which i spent the whole subuh yesterday to proof read it... inda fruitful bah mun udah rusak computarrr..

BUTT (thanks Khai and Tajul) believe there is still hope! So i went to Besseller to get it fixed. I went to the service centre and i met Richard and pemalas usulnyaaaa...macam inda mau bah ia kan ngusai. He said he will get it check and call me up in an hour or so.

So, i went off to just wait for his call with the diagnosis! But before i left, I decided to get a hard-disk. Bear in mind, I am no tech savvy and I definitely do not know the name or anything about laptop internal components *NADA* trust me! You could say, if there was an award for it, ME manang kali.

So, I went to the retail, and then I approach a very nice saleslady, and the conversation started off with;

Me: Excuse me, do you sell hard-disk? *malu-malu cause takut salah sabut..Hard-dith, takut sumbing bah nyabut*

Saleslady: *duhhh* is what she should have said. But she's really nice (ia tau ME nampak talur usulnya), so she said

Of course, right here sir! Then she pointed to a section of the glass display...

*Okay, You see to be honest, the last time i saw a hard-disk was early last year, and it has a nice cover. So, the one she showed me on the glass display looked like an electrical conductor and it looked like it was inside out* So bangang berabis... i did not know what to say nor do. Completely speechless and horrid! :S

So i asked

Me: errrr...which one?

Saleslady: Well, this is an IDE 120GB, and this one is an IDE 100GB, and lastly, this one is a SATA 160GB.

Me: *dengan bimbo nya...* But they are all external hard-disk right?

Saleslady: Yes sir *she is probably thinking, si kalur jua anak ani*

Me: *Uwaa me malu*

So I said, I assume the SATA has the highest memory capacity? and obviously more expensive. And do you mind me asking why does it look like it is inside out? The last time i saw a hard-disk, it was pretty, colored and solid looking. This just looks wrong... Are you sure this is an external hard-disk?? * eep, dengan confident nya me mencritic product ani*

Saleslady: Oh Sir~ you must buy the casing separately* Then you fit it in...Then it will look like as what you have described :S toing toing toing

*uhhhhh sungguh malu...patut tah macam electrical conductor...rupanya alum be casing*

So, now i am back on track! Although my computer is selahau masih, but i got all my data back! All the sweating gone! Pores all closed up! Baik jua, i was a bit worried draining all these stuff out of me :S

Anyway, the moral of the story is:

1. Modern economist has revealed that he may not be tech savvy :S

2.Get an external hard-disk, get your work backed up.

I was the type of person who does not believe in such because i thought by carefully maintaining my laptop abstain from such trouble! But after this horrific ordeal, I am starting to back up my work starting now! ni awal ani..nampak kamu?

So, get a Hard-disk, get a SATA!

Piece out!

Modern Economist - tech challenge.

A world without moooney

2008-04-21T03:45:00.016+08:00

Yesh, i bet everyone could have guessed it correctly! A world without money would simply resort to the old school of exchange that is barter trade. For the benefit of those who has never sat for economic courses, in a nutshell,

'Barter trade' means the exchange of goods not with the means of money, just simply direct exchange of goods. The value will be determined by preferences and wants. For example (cikgu ku ni ajar dulu...), 2 apples for 3 pears. So, the price of an apple would be 1.5 of pears. And the problem is finding 'double coincidence of wants'. Baik ku mau pears for apple, mana tau aku mau meja. So, it is difficult to have a double coincidence of wants. You get the picture how that system did not prevail right?.

My point being, have you actually give yourself a minute to think what would happen if we were still in that place?

I did,and i think this is what would happen.

Scenario 1

A world with money:

When you ask your parents for money. You would say mama~ papa~ minta usin and mun kana tanya bali apa, you would either tell the truth or lie. As convenient as that.

Imagine a world without money: The storyline would go a little bit different and shorter.

Mama~ Papa~ Minta sigup~ (NAH NYANGKU kana tampar)..

Scenario 2

A world with money:

If you go to a gas station to get your tank filled. You normally say

*hijau, $10 ahhhh..* bepaluh-paluh tu kalo aku, cos panas bah ia suruh off engine..

A world without money:

It would sound something like this..

*Hijau, errr... mau ko kueh bahulu? * hancur eh..banyak bahulu tu di station atu mun di terima nya..

Scenario 3

A world with money:

An English man walking down at a redlight district in Bangkok. Suddenly, he's craving for some 'meat' *merati merati saja ahh...*.

Then, masuk tia to one of the 'butcher' store *paham paham saja lagi ahh..*.

Yo, how much man? sepuluh $20 $40? laju eh..gitau ku..

See how convenient money is to our 'daily' economic transaction. Life is just so simple with money. You can put a price on somthing and go for it! In this case, MEAT!

Again, imagine the world without money:

The storyline would be..

Englishman: Excuse me butcher~

Butcher *Ia orang thailand kan ni* : Halo, Kapkun ya ya!

Englishman: Apakan si kalur ani.

Anyway, are you willing to accept a pack of cigarette for one piece of 'meat'?

So the the butcher might response 'yes' or 'no'. He might be interested for a pack of cigarettes (murah tu eh) or simply says no!

The problem arises when he says no! why?

Firstly, because the white man ani gitik2 udah kan makan meat. Inda ia sabar. So problem jua tu.

Secondly, now they have to sit and discuss and come to an agreement. Apa ia mau in return for meat ani. Batah jua tu kan..What if ia mau ikan, i mean literally ikan. Payah lagi kan ke pasar kan..Hilang moood yo...

So the moral of the story is....

You see money is the most convenient way to make transactions to occur. Although, some old time economist had figured that out, but i am sure the examples used were not convincing enough(until now) for us to appreciate how valuable and important money is to our contemporary world!

Dengan itu, value paper money okay and appreciate its existence

Cheers.

Modern Economist.

Let us tag along!

2008-04-20T05:01:00.009+08:00

*Malu* Sungguh malu...

Don't you realise anything peculiar about my blog layout? Well, it is practically empty! There is no 'chatterbox', no music box, no hit counts, no tags. There is nothing! *NADA*.. BUTT you see that small little link on your left side? yah that! That was my pathetic attempt to tag someone. It does not look right, does it?

The malu part does not end there, the really malu part is when..i had to ask help from Lydss (a close friend and my former neighbor! :D). So the conversation lasted for a couple of minutes.

Me: Hi Lyds, kacau kajap ah...aku start blogging bah.. *Malu* and i need help :D

Lyds: Hi! awu, i have read your blog!

* See, if i had a hit counter, i probably could have guessed that!* * malu lagi*

Me: iatah kan lyds..cana kan men 'tag' orang ani. Lonely usul blog ku..

Lyds: hm...antah ah...I am not sure jua..You should ask the 'experts' like Apip and Kash (bf nya).

Me: LMAO hahahaha thanx lids!

Lyds: Sure, Keep blogging!

A tag line that i would never have thought to be used on me *eep..*

The moral of the conversation was,

Apip! get home soon! And get your tiny little tut on MSN and share your expertise! My blog is lonely! I read your blog, and it is filled with all these magical gadgets :S *aku envy* Again, have a last look on that small tiny link in attempt to tag people... *sungguh sedih dan memalukan* - tapuk muka dalam bisin...

Cheers,

Modern Economist.

EXAM FEVER

2008-04-19T04:55:00.019+08:00

Tired sungguh tired!

MY SCHEDULE IS FULL. I have lots of stuffs to do and exam is just around the corner lurking *urk*. Unlike in UK, they have Easter break before the exam and it's more than enough time to get everything done. Here, we have a 'revision' week and that's it. Torture to the brain.

You would think you will learn your lessons after 7 semesters ya. I guess being in U.K for a year, and providing they have all the time in the world to study, kinda make me think of how easy it was back then :S Not easy, but manageable. BUT again there are pros and cons. Sana, i have to laundry apa, masak sendiri and at times there was literally nothing to eat. So, i let nature do the job, let them eat my existing fats. Yesh yesh feed on excess fat. Enjoy. That's the secret to my weight loss.

Back to laundry, I always like laundry day, cause it's close to Apip's place and i get to hang out. And sometimes kana bagi makan, and kadang-kadang kana suruh cium saja bau makanan. And i like the smell of clean clothes :S *which happens once a month, so the smell is quite rare* It Makes me want to pile them up and dive into it and comes out smelling like my pink fabric 'softener'. BUTT never happened.

*sigh* Time passes like flash! Final year is finally here and still struggling. The workload is okay, but after 7 semesters, 7 exams, and uncountable lectures, tutorials and presentations, you seem to lose interest in anything. You either what to get it over with and work or...err.. i guess there's no or to that! i just want to work and earn some money on my own! KAYA KU KAYA *bwahahahaha*

Ok that's it, nothing interesting. Just me in 5 30am waiting..just waiting..wayytin..

Don't be a Lohan! So Move!

2008-04-15T15:37:00.021+08:00

(on the red-carpet........)

(Lohan jailed for DUI..after the red-carpet appearance)

Bida bida..

That is not where i am getting at. Saja kan meliat kan her 'bibi' face ya.

Here it comes.

Yes, I have never driven nor owned a Merce (Baby Merce, C-classe, E- class etc). Those who do must have their ego running into their veins. *annoyed*

Yeah Lohan owns a Mercedes convertible. Joyriding it around L.A under DUI. Funny, how desperate celebrities are for more public exposure, or fighting for a full front page cover on Cleo. My girlfriend just bought Cleo, so that is the only magazine that i could think of for now (banar kah inda jua) *SMILE*. Anyway, cheap public stunt becomes a habit for celebrities. But guess what's the habit of Merce drivers here?

As usual, I am always in a hurry for class especially morning classes. It takes at least half an hour to drive from my place to Uni *roll-eyes*. It will take a quarter tank just to reach there, per day. Well, that is beside the point!

Always and always do I come across Mercedes cars on the right LANE! Always always in Jerudong area! Should have snapped some photos! Anyway, move you people! There i was making faces in my car. There they are going around 60km/hr. Cubatah ah...mun kan beinggut inggut, ke kiri tah ah..

But nooo~ it appears to be that Mercedes car owns the 'legal' right to be on the right lane ANYTIME! Going 20km/hr, 30km/hr, 60km/hr, 70km/hr.. It is 'okay' to take the faster lane, because they are driving a Merce! I am not insinuating to all Merce drivers. Let's say caught on the fast lane on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday around 9 to 10am? You tell me.

Excuse my example, i mean no harm, but pointing the obvious. Imagine a low maintenance car (kereta India kan rate off lah ah..) - taking on the fast lane. How will people react? neutral? furious? Honestly, most will just take over to the left and may give a 'finger' or even show some hand gesture ' TO THE LEFT YOU'. and Why is that when it happens to be a Merce, either we just tailed them or wave nicely and take over. Sad very sad.

Bangang ku bangang *pengsan*

So Merce out there, we know you can gather speed by just stepping up lightly on the gas accelerator. But please please be considerate. We, average car owners, are sometimes in a hurry and need to catch a class, or even make money for a living *grin* :) Your leisure may not be ours to care.

Toodles.

p/s: Porsche Cayenne you are excused. Cause i like tailing your rear view *wink*

Modern Economist.

Inflation, tax shift or simply a mark-up?

2008-04-14T03:50:00.011+08:00

My mom went grocery shopping yesterday. As usual she would get the things I need such as ice-cream, ice peach tea, and chicken essence. My usual necessities especially just weeks before exam. Ice-cream would keep me filled, ice peach tea keeps me away from thirst and chicken essence - the mechanism that keeps me awake and focus! Anyway, back to my crucial point, some big corporation (remain anonymous) has marked up the price almost 40% on the ice peach tea per carton!
My god! Inda tah ku minum lagi ni..

Are the relevant authority aware of this absurdity? My mom comes back tetchy realising the prices are mounting. *bising bah bising mama ku* (sian kan ia yang nguarkan usin, iatah ia 'fit' atu). Inflation? Tax shift? Or simply a mark up? Ironically, most big corporations are not being taxed except for Brunei Shell. The government should really step in and look into this matter. Companies should not undermine the consumers intelligence, we do know when there's inflation. As far as I know, Brunei is free from hyperinflation. The thirst for higher profit should be exterminated, unless strictly impose a corporation tax and we can call it even!

Awu eh, macam Hua ho atu bah, setau ku nada bah corporation tax! Laku, KAYA jua udah kan. Cuba deh redistribute kekayaan mu atu. Jangan tah arah aku, ke kerajaan saja.

So mothers out there, these (bukan saja Hua ho ahh..) companies are happy to scrap your money off your pocket. Then, be aware of your spending behavior. Drive around for the best price offered because we deserve our consumer surplus.

Cheers!

Modern economist.

Cosmetic surgery?

2008-04-13T02:57:00.000+08:00

This is 'Me telling the world'.

Yes, my deformity has been questioned for many years. I'll give you audience the benefit of the doubt simply because some are just ill informed. Some take for granted of their perfectly white teeth and pretend the world is under their smelly feet. Some people are polite at times and disregard my differences. Unfortunately, the world is not such a fortunate place to live in *mars is an option*. For me, another day is another adventure, yet to meet these people and explain my deformity. So here I am 'yelling to the world', exposing my deformity.

Yes, it is called 'General Decolorization' which may be inherent or just simply birth deformity. *Still yelling* - No, it is not caused from smoking, it is not what I ate* god can cheezles explain that?* Anyhow, there is no cure, yes I have tried brushing *aiseh defensive lagi bitchie..

I will be graduating soon and soon be embarking into the real working world, where I will be exposed to more 'conventional' and outspoken people. I feel it is about time to turn god's 'gift' into something natural and common. So, I am thinking veneer people!

Dental veneers can be made from porcelain or from resin composite materials. Porcelain veneers resist stains better than resin veneers and better mimic the light reflecting properties of natural teeth. Resin veneers are thinner and require removal of less of the tooth surface before placement.

But what hits me, this god's gift may have mould me to become the person I am now.

And I like! Look out for brand new me! In gods will, and sufficient keching keching. It is done done.

Wouldn't this look good on me?

Signing out.

modern Economist.

Cinderella found her pair!!!

2008-04-12T01:36:00.000+08:00

Thank you Apip! For introducing me to the the the designer! My heart just melted! And I'm definitely saving up for future reference! *Usin usin, mari mari ko mari..*

I quote her " If u bought this sandals, Fidah will love u moreeee~~~!!" mengasut banarr

I guess it'll look gorgeous on a 'gangsa', doesn't it?

Anyway, as promised I would be more expressive in my interest in economics. So let's relate this pair of, I called Cinderella shoes, to economics! Mari tani mencoba mengunik cerita tani ani.

Have you ever thought of how sensitive your consumptions are to prices? asehhh

It appears that designer goods are considered as conspicuous consumptions or luxury goods, and appeared to be perfectly inelastic in price in eye of crazy shoppers (bini bini lah tu ah....). Inelastic in a sense that it's appearance is unique that consumptions becomes irreplaceable and (you and me and all bini bini!!) are willing to pay so much. Even though you either fork our from your saving or keep nagging to your dad to dash his credit card.

BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE IT! In this sense, your decision is simply independent of the price.

However, I do have a reservation to that classical school school of thought. I don't believe that such goods do exist. The written theory by the classical school on perfectly inelastic goods appear to be illogical. Let's say the price of the Zanotti happens to be 500% more than its original price. Will my consumption behavior be independent of price?

I guess, it depends on one's income. For the freaking wealthy people such as Fernandez (Air Asia CEO), if he had any interest on the shoes, would not be affected by price. Because of his insanely huge earned income. But in my case, a no no.

It's simply irrational.

So ladies!

Get your hands on those designer goods! You know you want it! Can't get a boy to buy for you, so start saving up!

Cheers!

Modern economist.

'Me telling the world'

2008-04-11T00:12:00.000+08:00

Hi all, it is such a cliche to start a blog by writing, ' I am just bored to death so might as well write a blog to fill the empty hours'. But again it is such an irony for me to start with that as well **eh malu me eh** *gasp*. However, this is how I'm going to start off.

Helo people,

It's 'Me telling the world' what captures my interest! And maybe at times what my plans are for the future.

Other than trivial story telling, I might set off to a podium to share my main interest. Yes people, it's economics :) My future lies on on the palm of economics! So, I plan to express some issues related to economics and is open for discussion for those with opposing views. Not to refute the ideas but to strengthen our argument. Maybe we Bruneians can help change the world, for a relatively small country, we are capable for many things. We start here, we start now, and we start small, but the impact 'masyaAllah'!!

Peace out.

Modern Economist