when average isn't just ordinary...

Gundams have landed

2009-09-18T00:21:00.003+08:00

Although I'm not a local here in this great country of Brunei... I've grown up here perhaps for the majority of my life...

So I guess part of me will always belong to this small humble country... I mean come on... where else can you get oil prices this cheap and enjoy the peace and stability of a great nation?

But perhaps the most awesomest thing that has happened to me... that makes me love this country even more so is this...

Our very own country featured in a Z Gundam episode!

Watch out Brunei >.> ...

It's raining Gundams! =O

*Picture courtesy of Fadhli. He found this great gem while watching an episode of Z Gundam. Turns out... they weren't referring to "Brunei" as the country... but well as a name for a spaceship o.o

BRID EX 09': Here comes the army...

2009-09-02T13:44:00.000+08:00

I'd be lying if I said that I'm keeping this blog frequently updated. Fact is I'm not, but well there's not much I can do about it with college being my main commitment. So here's a small update on my status before I get into the main content of this post.

Well for those of you who are in the same college as me, you would know that it's exam time once again, and this time it's our mocks (mocks=fake, but in this context we gotta take "fake" seriously" o.o)

I just finished my Biology papers and am left with 2 more papers to go (THS 2 and Physics 2). And since those exams won't be sat for anytime soon (by this I mean the very next day), I've decided to take it down a notch and slide myself into "first gear". Being in "8th gear" till the wee hours of midnight for my exams this pass week has definitely taken it's toll on me, physically and mentally.

College so far has been interesting, and nothing but eventful. Met great new friends who have made the college experience amazing. And during this period of "blogging absence" things have changed around here. Friends have left overseas for further studies (you know who you are ;D) and well it's natural to miss them. So for those of you out there reading this at the moment, I've not forgotten you and am always thinking about you =D.

With that, let's move on to the main post...

***

It was the biggest hype, the buzz everyone was talking about for so long, finally it's here for it's second chapter...

BRID EX 2009!!!

BRIDAL EXHIBITION 2009!!! THIS my friends, is what all them boys in this country have been all worked up for. THE BIGGEST EVER BRIDAL EXHIBITION has come to showcase, in all it's splendour, here in Brunei!

A guy can never be too early to start preparing... weddings are an expensive business after all and it would do all guys good to get researching well ahead to save up enough ;D

So... YOU CANNOT IMAGINE HOW EXCITED I WAS!!! T.T

...
.....
..........

Ofcourse, I'm kidding =__="

What BRID EX really is the BRunei Darussalam International Defence EXhibition.

This is the second year that BRID EX is organized in Brunei, the last one in 2007. The expo basically is a conference and exhibition where participating countries meet and showcase (snob off and show off) their latest in military technology for everyone to see. And of course us being the sakai public we are, who wouldn't wanna go and see things that go boom... and MORE.

I was lucky enough to score a ticket to the event (courtesy of Fadhli).

It was Friday, 14th August. Hung and I met Fad at his house and then we were on our way to Jerudong Exhibition Centre.

It took a while to reach Jerudong, not just because Jerudong is far but because so many people we're going to BRID EX that the road there was jam packed.

Fad

Hung

We hoped to reach there before 3pm, because the airshow would start at that time. We reached the Jerudong Park Playground Carpark, with 15 minutes to spare before the air show, and took a shuttle to the site. (All visitors had to park at JPPC carpark and take a shuttle service to the exhibition space.)

Bouncing like little girls eagerly awaiting the newest Barbie doll, we hopped into the shuttle, hoping that we would be in time to catch the air show.

Our shuttle to the Exhibition Centre.

The first glimpse of the domed exhibition centre.

Now this building, in fact, was built specifically just for this exhibition (if my sources aren't wrong). A domed structure, sandwiched between 2 main exhibition halls and more exhibition space to boast, surrounding it.

This event is HUGE! Throngs after throngs of people swarmed the area by the bus loads...

We were at the main entrance, waiting for Fad's sis when out of nowhere, this ear-thundering sound came from above. An F16 fighter jet was actually flying above us! My gosh, it was so effing loud T.T We screamed like little girls, eager to get in to watch the airshow.

Looks like something out of a space sci-fi movie huh?

When we finally passed security and the H1N1 health check counters, we were on our way to meet up with Fad's dad at the exhibition hall.

That's enough of the small-scale model jetplanes... lets go for the real thing.

THERE IT IS!!! THAT MONSTROSITY OF A MACHINE!!! Burning by the gallons of aviation fuel, showing off its maneuvers and fierce awesome roar of its engines. By the time we got there, we only managed to catch the last few stunts it was performing. Showcasing the pure adrenaline rushing speed of its afterburners, to a steep vertical spiral!!! It was so awesome!

The activities for the day aren't over just yet.

As the air show ended with the F16 making its way back to base, we decided to roam around. Turning around to face the dome, I noticed something rather... peculiar >.>

There seemed to be some kind of metallic material covering up a section of the dome. It looked so... out of place.

Perhaps... they couldn't finish building it in time... so they decided to patch it up with aluminium foil? HAHA!!!

Builder: Eh boss... no more glass... still got big hole? how leh~?
Boss: STUPID KAH U DUN BUY ENUF GLASS!!!
Builder: =X
Boss: JUST USE THE LEFTOVER METAL YOU DUMB@#$%

o.o

...well that's how I would've imagined it >.>

That wasn't the only peculiar thing on the buildings. Over to the left and right of the dome, the roof of the main exhibition halls, black uniformed figures loomed over us, scouting the area... seeing them I went into total WTF condition.

There on the roofs, appeared to be a team of SWAT or Counter Terrorist units.

At first I dismissed them from being real, that they were mannequin soldiers... but well mannequin soldiers... don't move o.o

They were real, and everyone was looking up at them, staring transfixed, wondering what the hell they were gonna do, whether if all this was just part of the lineup of events planned.

After like 10 minutes of making everyone in the vicinity look like stupid ducks with their beaks up and opened, staring wide eyed, they finally did something.

CT-dude~... CT-dude~

Does whatever a CT-dude does~

Look out!~... o.o

Here comes the CT-dude~...

"Awaiting orders SIR!!!"

Seeing a team of counter-terrorists repel down a building was definitely *thumbs up*

Just when things seemed to be dying down, in the distance we heard the emcee, announcing something happening on the beach. Turning around to the sound of whirring blades of a helicopter... the three of us dashed to the beach as fast as we could.

We ran across the courtyard towards the congregation of people at the beach side. I had my bag slung around me, and well... it hindered my running... and let's just say...

...I'm not proud of the way I ran, on the count that it kinda gives an impression that would make others judge my own sexuality >.>

...*cough* no matter... We reached the beach and on one end, there was a team of soldiers readying themselves to storm into a house...

They stormed in, flashbangs first and then a barrage of bullets... it was all so very real.

More helicopters came in to the beach side...

Now, the following scenes are not out of a movie... it's all captured on me camera, and I swear it was so mind-blastingly awesome!

I love these shots, but it came with a price. The helicopters flew really low, so they threw up gusts of sand that got into my camera. I wasn't a happy camper after that. BUT OMG!!! It was like exactly in the movies... but in REAL LIFE!!! How awesome is that?

This scenario at hand, apparently was a drug trafficking bust, where the "drug-gies" are trying to escape with the authorities on their tail~

BUSTED!~

This was followed by a demonstration by the army, as it infiltrates a beach by entry from the ocean. It also showcased the formations assumed during such a mission.

As the army approached us, suddenly out of nowhere...

BOOGAAWOOGAAWOOGAA!!! O.O"

This guy from the sniper unit pops up from under his bush-camouflage and scared the shit out of everyone O.O"

They assumed prone positions, assessing the area...

Things just got better and better...

Up from the sky came parachute after parachute... like flowers falling from a tree...

The army infantry demonstration then ended with the formation of the foot soldiers in their "arrowhead" formation and then the raising of the BRID EX 2009 flag.

It was then, that I was sure that it was over... I mean what else is there left to show us?

Oh... how wrong was I...

There were explosions... real BIG EXPLOSIONS!!! Not them firework kinds... I'm talking about fireball-burning-in-the-air-feels shockwave- kind of explosion.

Yes, I felt the shockwave from aaaaaalllll the way there.

And then, from the right side, out of the trees, rose yet another helicopter. But this one, ain't no ordinary copter...

This was the...

CHINOOK!!!

In it's double-bladed awesomeness~

This copter is already much heavier than normal copters (hence the double blades) but before it left us, ending the demonstration, it dipped its nose into a bow, going almost vertical. O.O

Now, I can assure you confirm-confirm, that was the last of the demonstrations for the day.

However, our day was long from over. The three of us were left awe struck by the technical prowess and skills of these men and women of the uniform, but we have yet to finish viewing the exhibits on display.

When I started this post, I had a goal of posting my entire BRID EX experience here but, I think I'll save the rest for another time...

Till then...

-End of Part 1-

KA-ME... HA-ME... HA!!!

2009-07-26T17:05:00.002+08:00

At the 'coolest' place to hang out in Gadong...

KA-ME... HA-ME... HA!!! o.o'"

Goku just couldn't...

...well, hang on to his dragon balls =S

P.S I swear, I had nothing to do with this =S

Niah Caves Part 2

2009-07-26T00:16:00.002+08:00

o.o

-It's been a long time since I've updated this blog... and it's almost dead. I apologize for the long absence, things have been hectic for me with college life and all so here I bring you an update-

So where did I left off from my recount of the trip to Niah...

Ah.. ok...

So after dumping our luggage at our rooms and carrying with us only what's essential for our trek to the caves, we made our way to the meeting point for a briefing with our Niah Caves guide.

You are here!!!

It was the start to get in touch with nature, as we crossed the field, filled with dragonflies in the air leading to the jetty as they made about with their own business while we crossed.

We were then briefed by our guide on the trail we will be covering as well as on facts of the caves we will be visiting.

Obviously Hazel wasn't paying attention considering she can cover her face in time

Not long after that briefing, we then proceeded to the boats waiting to bring us to our next destination. Me, being very gullible as always thought that it would be a very long boat trip and I got excited about it.

I thought we would travel down the river...

Turned out all we did was cross the river to the jetty a few metres down... =__=""

Our trek through the jungle was a long one, but one that was most enjoyable.

Everywhere you turn to, you're surrounded by nature. It was simply beautiful and relaxing to be able to appreciate nature untouched.

And of course, at every national park there are rules and regulations that must be followed so that the park can be enjoyed by everyone. Niah National Park is no exception.

They even put it in 2 languages for you, to make sure that the message is clear.

And if that's not clear enough... there are diagrammatic representations as well...

"I LOVE YOU!!!"... Park Ranger walks up and cuffs me... o.o... tough love =S

It was still a long trail ahead of us, but one that kept you in awe at your surroundings.

Enveloping you, pricking at your senses, intriguing you...

Our guide working his magic

A small herb, similar to that of Tongkat Ali (Or so I think, from what I could make out from the explanation)

Shitake anyone?

We came across this spot, that I believe caught everyone's attention.

According to our guide, this very spot was where a scene from Jurassic Park was shot. I don't know how true this is, as I for one cannot remember seeing this in the movie.

See the velociraptor? o.o

Then again, Jurassic Park was set in a forest setting, everything looks the same. I mean for crying out loud... it's a forest =__="

Well, if we didn't get to see real dinosaurs, this rock formation was cool enough. See the figure and outline of a face?

Now those are some of the biggest roots, I've ever seen!!! It stands taller than me T.T

We met not only other trekkers on the trail, but some of the local residents as well...

...rather small local residents to add...

As the bugs got weirder and weirder... the mood started to ermm.. well "spice" up as well...

Viewer Discretion is advised.

... no further comment...

We were now close to the caves, but before we entered them there was a souvenir stall where we browsed through and admired some of the very impressive handiwork.

And now, finally the highlight of the trip, we entered the first cave on our trek.

The majestic limestone caverns of Niah, in all it's splendor. The size and feeling of claustrophobia started to set in, increasing as we got deeper and deeper.

The first cave we visited was called the Traders Cave.

A site where trade of weapons, food and many other essentials used to take place.

These structures were built, amazingly without any use of nails or binding material. Based on a design where the frames were held to each other by a 'snap on' technique, where they fit snugly with each other.

I guess the concept of Lego appeared much further back in the past than what we might've thought.

This picture was taken in the next cave, preceding our next destination, much deeper into the caves. Notice those long structures hanging from the ceiling?

Those are stilts, used by the locals to collect and harvest the valuable bird's nests perched high above the cave floor. Altophobics should look away when they see these skilled climbers in action.

Soon we were deep into the caves itself. Deeper and deeper we got, where the bats lived free, now entering their territory... which was as much their toilet as well.

The floor was littered with filth from well... need I explain more? I think you get the picture considering birds and bats fly in and out of these caves. Caps on peeps~

It was really dark in the caves, and when I mean dark... I mean DARK!!!

At the end of our trail, our guide told us to turn off all our flashlights and experience the sheer depth and expanse of the darkness in those caves.

That was indeed an overwhelming experience. You feel yourself being closed in, by the darkness with birds and bats flying above you. Yet somewhat, I felt calm, just simply appreciating the magnitude of the situation we were in.

Experiencing pitch black darkness for 10 seconds was amazing. Doesn't sound much I know, but it really is something.

Now, the reason being why I don't have any pictures towards the end of this post is a simple one...

One, not only was it so dark in those caves that trying to take a picture would be pretty much a failure... but that...

...my camera died on me as we reached the deep caves. Talk about a perfect time to have my camera's battery die on me like that. I resorted to using my phone, but really, the quality wasn't good enough.

So as we made our way back from the caves and back to our living quarters, it was already late in the evening. The trek back was a different one, with the sun setting on us, plunging the forest into darkness.

Tired as we were, we were not dismayed... after all the night was still young...

Part 3... coming soon...

Getting Old

2009-07-01T16:53:00.003+08:00

Here's a very popular game that I'm sure most of you are very familiar of...

You see throngs of people playing it at the arcade, or have it on their PSP. Heck I'm a fan of the game too, but to be honest, I'm not that good at it.

It's so popular that even at our own local arcade, you find a statue of Heihachi, one of the Tekken characters welcoming you at the entrance.

But wait a second...

Heihachi Mishima

Look closer.

Well if it's one thing that Heihachi can't fight off...

...it's old age and a failing eyesight.

He's gone quite senile too sadly, considering that he can't even put his glasses on properly and needs the help of...

In case your wondering, yes the ends of the glasses actually are suppose to go behind the ear and well, not like that =S

... well sticky tape.

At least now, when I pick up a PSP, I'm sure I'll be able to beat Heihachi =P

BUMBLEBEE!!!

2009-06-29T18:12:00.003+08:00

I cannot believe it o.o ...

Not many of us are fortunate enough to meet THE Bumblebee in person. I mean after all the hype of Transformers 2 meeting Bumblebee would be like G.G

And luckily for me... I had the chance to meet his...

well Filipino cousin JOLLIBEE... >.> hey, it's close enough to Bumblebee =__=""

So there I was at a funfair. He was going to perform a dance, but that wasn't why I was taking pictures of him.

I was snapping away because here's proof that Jollibee actually has WINGS!!! If you've been following my blog you would know that I'm on a mission to unravel the mysteries behind the Jollibee's wings.

So whilst the Bee began dancing, busting it's moves like nobody's business... *suddenly someone in the audience shouted out, "HEY YOU SUCKS!!! At least BUMBLEBEE can transform, what kinda bee are you... pfftt~"

Jollibee seeing this as a challenge, was furious at that statement and decided to show this person what he really can do. He ain't gonna lose out to his Autobot cousin, he simply won't stand for it!!!

And so he began to...

TRANSFORM!!! =O*

Ermm... Dude... >.> we've got a problem O.O

...but that didn't turn out too well =S

Halfway through this transformation dear old Jollibee lost his wings.

Luckily for him though, this guy was standing by to lend a helping hand.

And after many attempts at trying to attach the wings back on...

...and Jollibee trying to save the act by continuing to dance (obviously not being very helpful to his dear friend who was trying to reattach the wings)...

only after many attempts...

could Jollibee have the chance to fly again...

And so the show goes on, with Jollibee dancing with wings =P

So if any of you are still wondering if this famous mascot has or has no wings... I can bet you that he indeed DOES, just that it may not stay on long enough =S

On a side note, perhaps that wasn't the only weird thing the audience noticed during this performance...

I think some of them were staring at me wondering to themselves...

"Why the heck is this guy taking pictures only of the back of this mascot whilst everyone else is taking the front of it?" o.o

*Phrases in asterisk are of course purely fictional. But I ain't lying that the wings dropped off =P*

I've been YouTubed o.o...

2009-05-25T22:31:00.002+08:00

Well at least Shaneel has. It's been quite a journey for both of us. Him improving his skills at recording and me in well... procrastinating posts >.< (apologies for that). But since hosting his first song, I've picked up a few tricks in managing a blog and it's all good =D. Since Shaneel started recording his work,now he's even got his own channel on YouTube.

Armed with a HD video camera and superb vocals, you can now watch video recordings of some of Shaneel's work on YouTube.

Loads of great songs there so do check it out.

And talk about great timing...

With the opening of his new YouTube account, I am proud to have www.chengjie16.blogspot.com, host the 10th Shaneel - Just My Keys and I song.

R&B at it's best, Shaneel brings to you for your listening pleasure... Usher - You Got It Bad.

Usher

Without fail, Shaneel has yet again brought to the table, superb vocal control in this recording. Proving that R&B is perhaps one of his strong traits.

With beat-boxing done by himself, and a wicked electric guitar solo (at around 3min 10sec, loved it T.T) this is another song worthy of praise, talent brimming at the edges.

It's hard to believe that it's been about 3 months since Shaneel made his debut on the Internet scene to showcase his work, making this blog his first stage to the world to his musical creativity and talent. Which I thank you, Shaneel, for making this blog your choice ;)

You can definitely see, or should I say hear, the progress and improvement in his work. From the first to the next, improvement upon improvement can be heard. Each song inspiring and beautiful, I only hope for the best in future works to come.

So with that, I shall leave you to the distinctive and superb sound that is, Shaneel. You won't regret it...

You got it bad~

*You know the drill, the song will be hosted on this blog's side bar. Feel free to leave comments and any constructive criticism that will help improve this budding artist's work. Such criticism is greatly appreciated.

Shaneel Update X 3

2009-05-08T15:11:00.002+08:00

Ok...

I know it's been a VERY long time since I last updated this blog. My apologies for the long absence. College life has caught up to me, and week by week, it has been hectic. This of which I hope to update you with if time permits.

So, to compensate for this very long absence, I bring you yet another Shaneel Update...

Comprising of not just one song... not two... but...

THREE!!! (Buy 1 Free 2~)

So here's the first song for today's playlist...

One by Justin Timberlake.

Justin Timberlake

Shaneel is a great fan of Justin Timberlake, and so he combined 2 of JT's songs My Love and This Summer to produce this great remix.

This song yet again showcases great vocals and professional prowess in song-editing by our budding artist. 2 thumbs up for this one.

Going back in time, to when JT wasn't a solo artist but banded together in the group of 5... *NSYNC

*NSYNC

This song is perhaps one of my favourites from the group and Shaneel did, once again an excellent job in doing it justice in his own rendition of This I Promise You...

A song filled with emotion, you can hear it coming out of the melody, gripping you. One of my personal favourites.

Up next is a song from an artist relatively new in the music scene compared to the rest of the work that Shaneel has sung.

The beautiful, the talented vocalist, the one and only... Leona Lewis...

Leona Lewis

Now, this song is the first undertaking by Shaneel to record a song originally sung by a woman. But that's not a problem for him. This song is perhaps one of his best works, recorded with Shaneel's own special touch and stunning vocals.

So there you have it... 3 songs by our budding artist Shaneel... (buy 1 free 2... no deal better than that).

Do enjoy =D

*You know the drill, the song will be hosted on this blog's side bar. Feel free to leave comments and any constructive criticism that will help improve this budding artist's work. Such criticism is greatly appreciated.

Niah Caves

2009-04-18T23:01:00.001+08:00

During the last school holidays, our Thinking Skills teacher organized for us students, the chance to go to the famous Niah Caves of Sarawak.

Although being Sarawakian myself, I have never visited Niah Caves and since the chance popped up I decided to take it up. Not wanting to go alone, I made sure I dragged some of my friends to come along with me. And only when I was sure I had people I knew going, I confirmed myself for the trip.

Come 23rd March, bags packed and passport ready, I made my way to school where the bus that would take us to Miri was waiting. Already in the bus were Hazel and Pau Pei (the friends I dragged along with me). Funnily enough, they both sat far away from each other, one at the back of the bus while the other at the front.

They only realized that the other one was already on the bus when I got on... so that was an *cough* awkward *cough* moment... o.o

After a briefing from our guide from Darussalam Holdings, we departed school at 9am.

And so begins our journey to the great Niah Caves...

The bus we had was a really good one. It was comfortable with reclining chairs and good air-conditioning but best of all, the company was great. My bus buddy was a cool guy named Chee Ming, in front of me were the girls, and around us were the ex-CHMS boys, whom whenever you're around with, you'd always have a good time.

45 minutes into the journey, there was a slight drizzle. We were now close to the Tutong-Belait border. And one can always tell that they're near the district's border when you look around and you see...

SNOW!!!

Well that's what I used to think it was when I was really young, till Geography lessons spoilt the fun and turned it all to boring silica sand... =__=""

We we're soon in Kuala Belait, where the nodding donkeys nod day and night, and the oil refineries flare up the sky in the horizon.

Whizzing by the highway, we soon reached the Malaysian-Brunei border, and not unexpected, there were quite a number of people lining up to get out of the country... I mean visit Miri... >.>

It took a while to get through immigrations on the Brunei end, but once done, the bus stopped at the rest area for a toilet break. Most of us got off the bus at that time.

We were back on the bus, waiting for the driver to get back. Unusually, he took quite a while to get back to the bus although he was the first one off the bus. Who knows what he might've been doing >.>

James attempting to...

Well... yea... >.>

FYI, the purple bus does go all the way to the border.

Not long after, we were on our moving again, to the Miri immigration check point of Sungai Tujuh. (Seven River for those Bahasa Melayu deprived o.o)

It took a longer time here at the Malaysian border immigration, as our bus driver parked the bus outside of the border while our tour guides went to get all our passports stamped.

We were now, officially in Miri, Malaysia. I didn't need to have a sign that wrote "Selamat Datang ke Malaysia" (Welcome to Malaysia) to tell me that I'm back on native soil.

The one clear indicator that told me that we were all now on Malaysian territory was...

Malaysia Boleh!

A duty free liquor store...

Reassured that I was on Malaysian soil, the driver then cranked up the gears and the bus was moving again as our guides were now back with our passports.

Seahorses, a national symbol of Miri Town.

Going over the toll bridge, made me realize something that was different about Malaysia to Brunei.

Toll Station

Perhaps it's just me, and maybe because I was in the holiday mood, but the clouds there seemed to look more serene and beautiful. Casting shadows and columns of light that just make you wonder how amazing nature really is...

We soon hit the city centre, cars bustling during rush hour, students making their way home, buildings and billboards everywhere you turn your head.

The tour guide decided to drop us off at Boulevard for us to have some shopping and have our lunch, before we made our way to the caves itself from town.

Boulevard Hypermarket

So, one by one each of us got off the bus. Having only an hour to have our lunch and shopping, we wasted no time.

With the sun bright that afternoon, we walked into the complex thinking that it would be cooler in there. We couldn't have been more wrong. It was as if the air-conditioning just went on strike, leaving the complex's patrons feeling warm and stuffy.

Ignoring the heat, the girls wanted to grab some snacks for the night so we went to the supermarket first, then walked around the complex shopping arcades.

Don't know why they all shy for what =__=" As if not suppose to be in Miri =P

When we got hungry, we headed to the ground floor to have lunch at Sugarbun before we ran out of our 1 hour period. After which, we were back on the road again.

It was a long ride to the caves from the town center...

Our packed breakfast, given at the start of the trip. Well, at least what's left of it...

...and a bumpy ride as well. But the scenery was relaxing. Seeing nature whizzing pass you is a great break from the bustle of cityscape that most of us are used to.

The Noon Sun.

Palm Oil Trees, palm oil being a major export of Malaysia.

After about an hour and a half on the road, we finally saw a hint of what it was that we came on this trip for.

The sign welcoming us to the majestic Niah Caves...

And then we passed right by it O.O

So here's me and the group of us thinking that well maybe its just a lil' further up. No worries... we're almost there.

...How wrong was my little head...

The driver kept on going and going, more and more the thought that we're actually lost became more and more plausible. It came to a point that he had to stop and get out of the bus, to ask someone for directions. (HWAT THE?!?! =__=")

And at one other point, I thought that we were there already. But that thought flew out of my head so fast, the moment I saw the road that I thought was the way to Niah Caves.

Err.. this is the main road to a world renowned tourist site?

Not only was the road so small, the bus driver was actually reversing into it O.O

Wondering to myself what in the world was he doing, to a great sigh of relief I noticed that he was just making use of this road, or shall I say dirt path, to turn back the way we came.

So now, knowing the way, we then passed the Niah Cave Welcome sign again...

The same sign, which was obviously signaled to us the way to Niah Caves in the first place =__=""

After turning past this sign, in the correct direction, the caves were finally in sight.

Niah Caves in the distance

On the way to the caves, Chee Ming and I then noticed something that was messing with our brains that were tired from the long trip. There were milestones on the side of the road signifying "5 Km to Niah Caves". After we thought "5 km" were over, yet another milestone that said "5 Km to Niah Caves" appeared. This carried on for another 3-5 milestones when finally...

Perjalanan Ke Gua Niah (Route to Niah Caves) - 3 Km

...this sign popped up, which I can tell you was a true indication as to how far we were from the caves, because right after that, we reached the Niah National Park.

Niah National Park

With the bus parked at the parking bay, we got off and started unloading our luggage.

Niah National Park has a number of chalets and hostels for rent, where visitors can come and stay a night to enjoy the natural surroundings and the stunning beauty of the Niah Caves.

Eyes still groggy from the long road trip perhaps?

We were then sorted into our different hostels, boys in one while the girls in another.

One of the hostels in the national park

The hostel wasn't that bad. With a kitchen (unequipped though o.o) and a cozy common area, it wasn't as bad as you'd expect it to be.

The Kitchen

Common Area

We then went to pick out our own rooms for the night, each hostel having 4 rooms with 4 beds. My room was number 4, the room at the corner of the hostel.

"No, not 3... not 3... 'PHOR'!!!"

Furnished with...

Four beds

An electric fan

An Air-Conditioner Magnetic Starter

But no air-conditioning unit o.o

We checked the entire room, ceiling to floor, but couldn't find the air-conditioning unit itself.

Guess there are somethings that are just too much to hope for...

After getting our flash lights, caps, towels and water bottles ready, we then made our way to the meeting point to start our expedition into the depths of the Great Niah Caves...

But that my friends is a story for another day...

Kong - Before

Oh, one more thing. Meet Kong, a great guy I met here in PTE Katok.

Kong - After an ant bite

And for this trip, I would say that he was the first one to get a "bite" out of nature...

-End of Part 1-

Cultural Diversity...

2009-04-08T22:31:00.001+08:00

I was having lunch when I noticed this menu...

And right at the bottom of this menu, was one more interesting add to it...

Erm... yea... >.>

I don't know about you but that's what I call "cultural diversity" o.o

Like it?

2009-03-27T22:00:00.000+08:00

First and foremost, I'd like to wish all students reading this blog a...

HAPPY HOLIDAY!!!

Clearly the picture above has nothing to do with our school holidays and the fact that our holidays are almost over, but hey the penguin says it all no?

Anyway, back to the main point, notice something different about my blog?

Well of course you do =D.

www.chengjie16.blogspot.com now has a new layout!!!

I've searched high and low, experimented with new things I never knew of, and messed around with HTML coding (Programming, something I actually really dislike >.<), just to find the perfect blog layout that would suit my liking and I hope, yours too. I have a few people to thank during the course of finding the perfect layout. Firstly to Ms. Tan Pei Wei =D, for the help and advice in finding the perfect layout, as well as editing one herself, for this blog. And secondly, to Jinsona, the designer of this layout. It is indeed an amazing layout. I throw my hat off to you both.

There are still a few coding glitches here and there, so please do bear with me while I work on it. I am currently swamped with work, but I thought that this blog needed an update urgently. So don't worry, I'll fix those bugs soon (One of the bugs being the menu tabs above... they don't actually do anything so don't bother clicking on them).

With a new layout, comes yet another new song from none other than... Shaneel.

Following, True by Ryan Cabrera, this is yet another acoustic-like song, but with a splash of R&B to it.

So my dear readers, I present to you, Shaneel's version of With You by Chris Brown.

Chris Brown

Shaneel comes up with yet another superb recording of his own rendition of a popular artist's song.

All the music you hear in this recording was performed by Shaneel himself. Vocals getting better and better with each new recording, this one is no exception to the amazing melody that is Shaneel. Showing originality and real emotions in this recording our budding artist yet again sets himself apart from the rest.

So with that, I present to you, With You by Shaneel...

I need you boo~

* Song hosted in sidebar. Comments and criticisms greatly appreciated in "Comment" section at the end of this post.*

Expanding our horizons...

2009-03-21T16:28:00.005+08:00

Here's a new twist to what we're used to listening from artist Shaneel as he expands his range, going over the horizon...

We've heard takes on R&B, love ballads, heck even Chinese songs.

What's in store for us now?

Well Shaneel decided to tackle one very famous love song, which happens to be one of my personal all time favourites.

www.chengjie16.blogspot.com, is proud to present to you, my dear readers, Shaneel's take on Ryan Cabrera's True...

Ryan Cabrera

Now if you've heard True before, you would notice the awesome guitar accompaniment that in my opinion, is what sets this song apart from others.

It is indeed a hard song to learn on guitar (well in my opinion at least as I crashed and burned at attempting it), but that didn't stop our budding artist from trying.

This is Shaneel's first take at recording a purely acoustic song, with nothing but his awesome vocals and the accompaniment of the guitar.

The simplicity of the acoustic set up of the song pulls through so well, that it intensifies the actual grip it has on its listeners. The smooth riffs of the guitar played entirely by Shaneel himself together with the flowing melody of the artisit's voice, they merge together, hand in hand coming together to create yet another amazing song.

If you're listening to the song right now (hosted in this blog's side bar), you would've noticed that it actually is only about a minute and a half long.

Have no worries dear fans, this is but just a prelude to better things yet to come. A full length recording of this song would hopefully be released sometime in the near future.

This is true~

So with that, I present to you, Ryan Cabrera's True, performed by Shaneel.

P.S. As our budding artist is expanding his horizons, so would I. I am currently looking for better blog layouts that would allow pictures to be viewed at a larger size. As you would probably already know, I make it a point to always include pictures in all my posts, and to give you nothing but high resolution pictures. So if you have a solution to my problem, drop me a message =D. Help me improve this blog, for the reading pleasure for all you readers out there.

Apple Delight

2009-03-19T23:49:00.003+08:00

What do you get when you combine...

Eggs

Some white powder...

...of course I mean flour =__=" What kind of white powder could I be talking about =P

And apples

...And together with some of this and that... you get...

Well a huge mess really o.o, but if you bake them together, you'll get an extremely delicious pastry. What is it? Well I'll get to that part later.

So one evening I noticed this long cardboard box on the dining table.

Hmm... wonder what's that

I wasn't sure what it was till I got closer. When I did, I instantly recognized what it was.

This my friend, is a Corica Pastry box. Within it holds perhaps the most amazing pastry that I have ever tasted!

Well anything with that sign on it must mean that whatever's in it is pretty damn important!

And what was inside it sure damn was. Inside this holds the best apple strudel I have ever tasted, I kid you not.

Upon opening it, the strudel that's so perfect and golden-brown in all its glory, it was as if the apple strudel was radiating a beautiful golden glow T.T

If you've never tasted apple strudel, don't worry. I'll try and fill you in on the exact details of what the best apple strudel tastes like.

Just by looking at it, you can tell how rich it is. Corica is indeed generous with their apple chunks and the cream isn't an exception either.

As you bite into the strudel, the sweetness to it is just perfect. The layers upon layers upon MORE layers of thin, oh so very thin, sugary crispy crust gives the strudel a texture that is to die for.

Oh and don't get me started on the cream filling. It is that simply heavenly cream filling that seals the deal for Corica Apple Strudels. It has just the most amazing taste to it, that can't be associated to anything else on Earth. The buttery smell and taste that hits you as you take a mouthful of the strudel, the sweetness of the caramelized apple chunks that balances so well with the cream, eating it is like going to heaven!

For those of you who doesn't know what Corica is, its a bakery found in Australia that is famous for their pastries, one of which is their apple strudel which I am proud to say, have had the privilege to gratefully devour.

Whats that? How did I get an Australian apple strudel, which clearly isn't sold in Brunei?

Here's your delivery...

How else but with FEDEX. Thus the power of FedEx...
.
...
.....
........
..............
.........................

=__=" Ofcourse I'm kidding that a FedEx guy delivered it to me. What really happened is that, a friend of my mum's came back from Australia and bought one back for us. Usually whenever a family friend goes off to Australia, we ask them to get us one of Corica's famous apple strudels.

This was my, if memory serves me right, third time eating the apple strudel and I can tell you that it's still the most delicious apple strudel ever.

So if you happen to be in Australia...

You dont have to get me one of those "tourist-y" souvenirs...

All you need to get me, to get onto my "white list" (racial joke not intended here) is...

Die Die Must Try!!!

One of Corica's famous Apple Strudels!!!

We're Back

2009-03-15T22:10:00.002+08:00

"P.S" (meaning ermm.. pre-script?)

My deepest and sincerest apologies for the lack of activity in the blogging scene for the past week or so. As most of you know, college life for most Brunei students have just begun and I have been caught up with work and a busy schedule. To my faithful readers, I'm very sorry, but don't delete me from your bookmark list just yet. I won't let this blog die =D

It's been a while since I talked about this topic that has frequently appeared as a main subject in this blog... have no fear though cause he's back!

OMG!!! WHAT IS THAT THING!!!

Woops, that's not the right picture... I meant to talk about this guy...

T.T there goes all work on human rights >.>

To clear any further confusion I'm talking about the guy in the picture who's not in a comfortable position... I MEAN situation >.>

Jokes aside now, his next piece of work however is no laughing matter.

His newest song is testimony to his talent... no short cuts were taken in creating perhaps in my opinion a very beautiful song.

By far, in my opinion his best piece of work. His vocals on this song are set on a whole new level, but the key component that makes this song just amazing is the raw emotion that emanates from the song like a raging torrent. But everything comes with a price, and emotions like this that ring through this song, I can tell you didn't come cheap for him.

And so without further a due, I present to you...

*NSYNC

Shaneel's version of Gone by *NSYNC...

"I would like to say my apologies to everyone for not being able to record more songs during the past week or so. The reason behind it was due to me going through a really rough personal hindrance. This song is called "Gone" and was popularized by the group "*Nsync". This song was released in late 2001. By early 2002, the song was number 14 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. The meaning of the song is very heartfelt as it portrays someone being so lost and left alone after his/her other half left them, the song shows that not a day is spent without that person thinking about his/her other half, missing that person ever so dearly, as well as hoping he or she would return. This love song was written and composed by *Nsync's front man, Justin Timberlake. He got inspiration to write it after his, then girlfriend, Britney Spears, left for shopping one day and thought of what would he feel if she had left him. Dear readers, I chose this song because I feel it portrays something that I'm definitely feeling at this moment in time. Thank You very much for reading and listening, I hope you enjoy this song."

-Love is felt from the heart, never from the mind-

- Shaneel

Baby you're gone~

So guys, you know the drill, song's in the side bar. Show your support to our budding artist!!! Also a video was made for this song so if you'd like to view it click here.

I can't believe my eyes o.o

2009-03-06T21:40:00.001+08:00

So it was a Sunday afternoon...

On such Sunday's I'm usually out with my parents for grocery shopping or the sorts.

This particular Sunday we decided to go to Giant at Rimba. Upon parking our car in the parking lot, we made our way towards the main entrance.

Before reaching the entrance, there was this car parked just outside with something out of the ordinary hooked onto it.

Upon closer inspection...

o.o ...

...it turned out to be 2 soft toys. I know that the hook there has it's purpose, but I'm sure that this isn't one of them.

Pushing this aside, I then made my way to the entrance to catch up with my parents. Once inside I turned right.

I didn't think I would ever see this... not until I saw it with my own 2 eyes.

In it's glory...

everyone's favourite restaurant...

JOLLIBEAN!!!

Jollibean ;)

Oh wait a second... we don't have that here... >.>

Ah... That's makes more sense. Everyone's favourite fast food joint, Jollibee.

But really, this Jollibee is perhaps the best among the rest. None of the other branches can compare to this one.

Why you may ask? Well, it's not the food. Nor is it the service that beats the rest.

What sets this branch out on it's own level is that they have...

Welcome!!!

Well this. But hold your horses peeps... look closely at it. Try to spot what's special about this picture. If you don't see why I think this one's special click here or here first, read them and then you'll understand.

For those of you who do...

YES OMG!!! Finally a Jollibee statue with WINGS!!!

I can't tell you how shocked I was to see those wings.

I had to take pictures at every angle I could just to show to you that those wings are real... that this statue INDEED has wings.

Now this statue deserves to be called a Jollibee Champ!

Sitting on a Lotus leaf...

2009-02-27T23:17:00.022+08:00

Since I recently commented on the food scene in our lovely country of Brunei Darussalam, I only see it fit that I do some "research" on the current competition first before I "venture" into the restaurant industry.

So one Friday, I went to I Lotus for dinner with my family. We had this $50 voucher and it was expiring soon, so we had to use it as soon as possible.

The restaurant is housed in well... a house >.>

But don't let this fool you. The restaurant exudes a welcoming atmosphere the moment you get out of your car. Although it was raining that evening, no downpour could have dampened my spirits from looking forward to a hopefully good meal.

Glittering stars welcome you...

We were greeted by the staff at the door and upon presenting our reservation, we were led to our seat. The interior of the restaurant presents a comfortable setting to dine and enjoy your meal, with the lighting set to a relaxing ambience and soft music from the 90's playing in the background, they have indeed done a wonderful job to get you in the mood for an enjoyable dinner.

So as we sat down at our table, we took a look at their menu.

After going through so many choices. we decided on 5 courses for dinner (all at small servings that serve 2-4 people).

Our 5 courses for the night

Order up at table no. 12!

So for starters, we had soup...

Look at all them goodies...

Three Variety Seafood Fish Maw Soup is essentially as the name gives it off... seafood. With squid, fish and fish maw making up the "three varieties" it is a simple combination but that does not necessarily make it a bad one. The soup if my palette does not fail me, is actually made of chicken stock which complements well with the ingredients of the soup. In all, the soup was delicious but sadly nothing special that would leave a great impression.

Next up is a dish that for some reason, I'm not sure why, isn't on the menu but my parents ordered anyhow o.o. It's a simple dish of Bi Ling Vegetables.

Another very simple dish, but cooked to perfection. Stir-fried on a very strong flame, the bi ling was actually pretty crisp and crunchy, unlike the usual soft and limp ones that you would get if cooked on a low heat. A prime example of simplicity at it's best.

The next dish on the list is, Shallow Fried Lamb Chop Mongolian Style.

The tender Shallow Fried Lamb Chop Mongolian Style

The lamb meat was succulent and "falling off the bone tender". The sauce that accompanied the lamb had a peppery yet sweet taste to it, the flavour balanced out just perfectly. The only thing that I didn't like about this dish was the deep fried onion rings that went with it (the round things on top). The deep fried batter of the onion rings were too thick and just didn't taste good at all.

From meat, back to seafood. Next up on the menu was Butter Milk Fresh Fish Fillet.

Tell me your not salivating right now

Now, this in my very honest opinion is the best butter milk fish ever!!! The sauce was so creamy, rich yet not overpowering. It went incredibly well with the fish fillet. A note of advice though, if you can't handle spicy food, make sure that you pick of the small bits of chilli (the green and red garnishing). I, personally can't handle very spicy food, and with the chilli picked out, the fish still had a spicy kick to it. Nonetheless, it's still the best butter milk fish I've ever tasted. A must try!!!

Last but not least, perhaps my favourite dish of the night...

Simply amazing, absolutely delicious... Deep Fried Prawn served with Fresh Mango Salad.

T.T so... gooooood.... X.X

This was my personal favourite. The succulent prawns, so crisp that when you bite into it, the crunch you hear is simply heavenly. In fact you could eat the whole prawn whole, with the tail if you wanted to, which I did. That's how crisp I'm talking about. Hot prawns served with cold mango salad, it was a combination that was absolutely perfect. The prawns were piping hot so with the cold sweet fresh mango salad, it was just so delicious to eat together.

Our dinner was served with plain white rice...

I wish I had more of that prawn T.T

And a nice hot cup of Chinese tea that was great with the dinner.

Tea leaf fortune reader perhaps? Let me know what it says =D

After commenting about the food, another aspect that made dinner at I Lotus a good one was that service was fast, efficient and friendly. To me, although a restaurant boasts that it served the best food in the world, if service sucked, I won't have second thoughts for not eating there. Service is just as important as the food and should never be compromised. And at I Lotus they aced with their service.

Or it could just be that we were the only ones in the restaurant... >.>

"Anyone there? o.o"

To sum it all up, the ambience and atmosphere was set to soothe you into the mood for a great dinner, the food without a doubt is in a class of it's own, and service prompt and efficient you could probably drop a fork, and they might pick it up before it even hits the floor.

I would've gave them 2 thumbs up, but then I would have dropped my camera...

I Lotus, because of you, I now have to reconsider my business plan for the Murtabak Shop >.<

The Third Instalment...

2009-02-26T14:33:00.012+08:00

We've heard from One Republic...

One Republic

We've also heard from Timberlake himself...

Justin Timberlake

Who's next???

Well here at www.chengjie16.blogspot.com you will be the first to find out!

Now, if you were in the same class or perhaps in the same school as Shaneel, during those times after school or at times during school hours o.o ...you would probably hear Shaneel playing on the piano one amazing song that many know of.

Go on, try to figure it out...

Here's a clue, he's not only limited to English songs only...

Oh yes, my friends, think again...

It is with great pleasure and honour to present to you,

Wang Lee Hom

Shaneel's version of Kiss Goodbye by Wang Lee Hom.

When the artist broke to me that he would be singing this for his next song after, What Goes Around Comes Around, I was without a doubt amazed that he dared tackle a Chinese song. For one, considering he's not Chinese and doesn't actually speak the language, he's willing to sing a Chinese Song.

Heck, if I had to talk terrorists out of killing me, and they ONLY understood Chinese, I'd be dead before I could take a breath to defend my life and honour.

Although not native Chinese, Shaneel braves against the language barrier to take on the ropes on Wang Lee Hom's famous love ballad and has produced a simply beautiful song.

A song with such a deep and emotional meaning, he manages to express the raw emotion of the song within his voice, accompanied by the melody of his piano. The simplicity of the composition helps to showcase the song for what it is... as a love ballad that possesses overwhelming love and emotion.

It is after all the melody and the emotion of the song that captures the hearts of the audience. One does not need to understand the lyrics of a song to appreciate what the artist is trying to portray... (And no, this is not my excuse for not understanding Chinese songs =__=").

With that, I leave you to experience the 3rd Instalment to Just My Keys and I, Kiss Goodbye by Shaneel Ruthran Nair...

每一次 Kiss You Goodbye~

Buy 1.... FREE 2!!!

2009-02-23T18:22:00.013+08:00

Now here in Brunei, the food scene isn't as good as it can be.

Sure we have big fast food chains like McDonald's...

Only one branch but well at least we have it...

And local delicacies at our very own Pasar Malam...

"SATAY SATAY!!! MARI MARI!!!"

But perhaps the one thing that I find lacking in Brunei is that...

We don't have a decent Murtabak restaurant. People just don't seem to see the profit potential that this kind of restaurant possesses. Now for those of you who've been living in a shell all this while and don't know what's a murtabak click here.

Aware of this great opportunity, a friend and I decided venture into it and decided to put our heads, time and money together for the partnership of the century!

Together with advanced equipment...

Sony Cyber-Shot W170

...high grade hand crafted props and costumes...

...and a highly trained cast and crew...

Kevin G.

From left to right: Daniel, Me and Jac

...we put together this advertisement to showcase the official opening of our shop.

And with that I now present to you our advertisement.

Oh yes, with this advertisement, I can already see the endless line of customer's in front of our shop... so what are you waiting for?

Come on over to the Murtabak Shop!!!

"Two!!! Two!!!"

*Note: This video was created for fun and entertainment purposes only, and not as an insult to anyone except to the cast and crew of this video.

Hoist them flags...

2009-02-23T16:48:00.010+08:00

It's the 23rd of February. And we all know what that means... it's Brunei's National Day.

Brunei Beaches

Well actually, Brunei got it's independence on the 1st of January 1984, but well we can't have 2 major celebrations on the same day. And since we can't postpone the celebration of the New Year, Brunei celebrates it's independence on the 23rd of February.

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Now, to most of us students, national day has always been associated with flag waving line-ups...

Flag waving...or rather flag posing o.o? **

Or with march passes and field performances...

But really National Day is more than that. It is a day to acknowledge that the nation has reached another year of independence and to acknowledge the achievements of our country. It is a day to remind us to always be patriotic, to hoist our nation's flag with pride and with honour.

Salute to the flag...

Mini flags on cars

Although I'm not local, I feel blessed to live in such a peaceful country, a country not prone to natural disasters, one with great infrastructure, a country with a stable economy and perhaps best of all, the envy of our neighbours...

Oil prices so dirt low, it's cheaper than water...

Happy National Day!!!

MERDEKA!!!

** Respective picture was taken during Sultan's 62nd Birthday Celebrations and not on National Day

Clink... Clank...

2009-02-22T20:13:00.007+08:00

Remember the times when soda was the biggest thing ever? And when it used to come out of the production line in glass bottles?

Well... I sure don't. When I was born, almost all soda was sold in aluminium cans.

But from what I heard from my aunts, uncles and parents, back then getting the chance to drink soda was like a gift from the heavens and it was always very much looked forward to. Not like us now, when we could get it anytime we want. (Yet another example to show just how much we take things for granted.)

And also back then, all soda was produced in glass bottles.

Nowadays, especially in this country for one, you don't get to see soda bottled up. I can bet that some of us have probably never even seen bottled soda in person before, what more drink from one.

For me, well at least I can say that I have.

Back in Kuching during Chinese New Year this year, my uncle discovered this one company that still deals with bottled soda.

Various flavours of bottled soda

This to some of you, may not seem particularly interesting. But heck, this is like a gem stone in the urban city of today.

The soda comes in various flavours of which some are grape, orange and ice cream soda. Also, the soda in it isn't as carbonated as the regular soda you find in aluminium cans so it is actually less fizzy.

The company however, has one special condition when you buy their soda. You have to pay a deposit upon purchase which will be returned only when you return the bottles in good condition.

So yes, I drank from a bottle that probably some other stranger drank from, from which another stranger probably spat in, from which another stranger probably did only who know's what to it. o.o

But of course all the bottles are cleaned and probably sterilized too, before the company refills it with soda once more... or at least that's what I'm told.

Hence, by employing this "return bottles to get your money back" tactic, the company saves money by not having to manufacture more and more bottles.

It was certainly interesting to have come over this discovery. Now the only thing left that I would like to experience from the soda world is...

*Notices sealed glass top* "So how do I open it to drink from it?" o.o

Drinking from this.

I bring you... a Shaneel update...

2009-02-20T20:32:00.017+08:00

Recently www.chengjie16.blogspot.com had the privilege and honour to host a new artist's work that is Shaneel.

"I have a dream! That white people, and black people... and even Chinese people can live together in peace"
Credits to Fadhli for this photo

If you haven't had the chance to listen to Shaneel's version of Apologize by One Republic, don't worry. His first song is still hosted on this site so you can give it a listen anytime.

Now here's some information regarding his first song.

The music that you hear, the ensemble of violins, piano and drums were all created and played by the artist himself. The backup singers? Well its more like backup singer. All the vocals you hear in it were sung by Shaneel himself.

If you think that he's going to would stop there, well you could not be any more wrong.

Late last night, the budding artist just sent me his latest recording. Although my Internet connection wasn't at it's best that night, I waited to download the entire, 7 MINUTES of it. Yes, 7 minutes. After listening to the song, we proceeded to discuss and deliberate the different aspects of it. After countless rounds of coffee and ending up looking like this...

O.O"
Credits to Shannon Wheeler

...we then decided that it was time that the world receives yet another stellar piece of music.

So I now present to you Shaneel's version of What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake.

Justin Timberlake

Although it may be a longer than any average song, without a doubt the hard work and effort put into it is not wasted. His creativity in arranging this song definitely sets it apart from Mr. Timberlake's version. This song showcases the range of skills that this artist possesses. With him striking out notes from an electric guitar, great music arrangement and record editing skills and with 4 voices being sung simultaneously at some parts of the song, it shows the range of possibilities that this promising artist is able to offer.

This was a fun project that Shaneel really enjoyed recording, and I'm sure that you will enjoy this song just as much as he did in creating it for your listening pleasure.

So readers, you know the drill, the song will be hosted in this blog's side bar and can be listened to at anytime. If you have any comments on the song or constructive criticisms on it that can help Shaneel improve his work, do leave them in the comment section at the bottom of this post or in the tag box in the side bar.

So with that readers, sit back, relax, brew yourself a cup of coffee (do go easy on it though) and enjoy the amazing voice of Shaneel Ruthran Nair...

Let's get creative!

2009-02-19T23:34:00.008+08:00

Now we're all familiar with pedestrian crossings, for e,g, zebra crossings.

No, not A ZEBRA crossing A ROAD T.T

Yes, this kind of zebra crossing

Or one as crazy as this which can be found in Tokyo... I'd hate to be a driver coming to this crossing

So back in Kuching, I came across something I'd like to share with you all.

It's Lunar New Year's Eve.

I was on my way to pick up my uncle with my mum and aunts in the car. Near to my uncle's shop we stopped at a junction.

Now what's special about this junction is that...

...well look at it yourself. See those wavy lines? I assume that it's suppose to be a pedestrian crossing or at least some form of traffic marking o.o

As if drivers aren't impatient enough when it comes to waiting for pedestrians to cross. Painters of those markings had to get cheeky and decide to get creative with their work causing pedestrians to do a sort of "weave" across the asphalt.

Scenario
Painter 1: I hate this job =(
Painter 2: Why???
Painter 1: It's always straight line after straight line...
Painter 2: Oh, well... *dips paint brush into paint, madly WEAVES it across pavement, looks at fellow painter o.o*
Painter 1: WTF are you doing X.X!!!
Painter 2: o.o
.
...
.......

Painter 1: *weaves paint brush across pavement too* =D

Well it just goes to say that, we all need a little creativity and imagination in our lives...

"IMAGINATION!!!"

I CAN FLY!!! no wait, I can't T.T

2009-02-18T22:42:00.019+08:00

One afternoon, a group of friends and I went to Fitness Zone, Kiulap for a game of basketball. There were about 14 of us, split into 2 teams playing on a half-court. So you can just imagine how cramp the situation was. Nonetheless, we had fun playing.

Now this, partly has something to do with Wu Zhun (Owner of Fitness Zone)

Back to the main topic...

After our game, we headed down to Seri Q-lap Mall, to kill some time before our cars came to pick us up. And of course after a long session of basketball, we decided to treat ourselves to some food and refreshments. And where better then at...

JOLLIBEE!!!

Home of the red and yellow bee!!!

So here we are in the hot sun, tired after our game, and in the horizon stood ONE BEE, shining like a beacon of hope to all who are lost. Closer and closer we neared and then Daniel, a friend of mine, reminded me of my recent post on the Jollibee Bee . Me, laughing at it, then confidently said, "I'm sure that this statue will have wings on."

Oh how wrong was I.

"Don't worry, there's wings. I'm sure of it =D"

o.o "Are you effing kidding me =__="?"

Here stands another wingless Jollibee Bee. Not only does this bee not have wings, "the thief" who stole it (Scenario 1) or "the assembly man" who forgot to attach it on (Scenario 2), left his own initials to declare to the world that it was his work. You can't blame him though for claiming ownership over his own work, everyone does it =D.

"NHAR"... I can't think of what it could mean. Can you? o.o

Now, some of you may probably be thinking that maybe the Jollibee Bee is meant to be like that. Special in it's own, rather flawed way o.o So here I am, walking into the restaurant thinking to myself, " Well, I could be entirely wrong about this whole thing."

Until i saw this!!!

Jollibee Bee's of the world....UNITE!!!

YES!!! Soft toys!!! Soft toys solved this debate!

Picture was taken at this angle with the sole purpose to end this debate. No other intentions exist. >.>

Here is photographic proof that the Jollibee Bee IS suppose to have wings.

But people, just because their advertisement displays may be flawed, it should not stop you from eating there.

Brian: Yes I would like to order the...

Brian: HAH! Made you look!!! ...erm Yes, I'll have the Pearl Cooler as well.

Jokes aside, Jollibee has good fast food and delicious desserts as well.

Ranging from their famous, oh so delicious Spaghetti, to...

...their relatively new Cheesy French Fries

That said, in my personal and honest opinion, Jollibee's is indeed a great place to hang out with friends and get a good bite of food.

"You gonna eat that?"

Always ready to pose =D

"Murtabak? Two??? Two??? You want two? Yes, we do deliveries" (Inside Joke XD)

All that I have to comment is...

Valuables? Do display wings count too?

That maybe, you should learn to take your own advice before giving it to others.

A Star is born...

2009-02-17T23:45:00.011+08:00

It was an ordinary night...

A night like any other... but what happened on this very night was something simply extraordinary.

A STAR WAS BORN!!!

Birth of a Star!

Now hold your horses. I don't mean some astrological mambo jumbo. Heck, I couldn't even tell what the above picture is o.o

What I am talking about however is something much more great. Now in the music industry, a new light has come to shine!

Now some of you may have heard of him, but for those of you who don't, let me give you a brief description.

1. He is exceptional on the piano and the guitar.
2. He is an extremely talented vocalist.
3. He has a gifted talent in music arrangement.

Who is this guy you may ask?

Is he from Hollywood? -Not even close.

Bollywood? -Erm.. I wouldn't say so...not exactly?...

Let me lay it down to you. He's closer to home than you really think. Why he resides in this very small country known as... BRUNEI!!!

NO!!! IT'S NOT WU ZHUN!!! This guy that I'm talking about isn't even Bruneian.

Ok..ok... I'll kill the suspense. Why he's no other than...

the very talented...

Shaneel Ruthran Nair

Shaneel Ruthran Nair!!!

Or Shaneel for short.

A friend of mine, he's perhaps one of the most talented singers that I know of. And that's my most honest opinion!

And on this very night itself he approached me with a song he was working on and after listening to it, I was simply speechless.

On this recording was his own version of Apologize by One Republic.

One Republic

And if you ask me, I would say that his version is perhaps just as good as One Republic's maybe even better. No disrespect to One Republic of course. Don't believe me? Why listen to it and judge it for yourself then.

I am proud to announce that chengjie16.blogspot.com will be the first to host this song for your listening pleasure. At the side bar of this blog you can stream his song and have a listen to the stunning melody that is Shaneel.

And with that i present to you, Apologize by Shaneel.

It's too late to apologize~

There he goes...

2009-02-17T13:29:00.019+08:00

Singapore...

Singapore Cityscape

The small island just south of the Malaysian Peninsula...

Home of many greats things and people...

Some of the best shopping...

The famous Orchard Road

One great leader...

Lee Kuan Yew

The best yellow boots in Singapore, J.B and some say Batam...

"Don't Play Play!"

And last but definitely not least...

By the way, this is not an advertisement for Jollibee

Augustine Choo...

Last Sunday, our dear friend Augustine left Brunei for Singapore to further his studies and if I'm not wrong to execute his National Service requirements.

I wonder how much they paid Uncle Sam to be part of this Ad Campaign

So on that Sunday afternoon, a group of us decided to send the, as we call "Singapore Kia", off from the airport. Although it's only been 2 years, I wouldn't trade that time away for anything in the world.

"Who wants cake?"

"hehehe!"

So indeed it was an emotional time for all of us seeing you go off but we're all happy for you and wish you all the very best.

August asked us all to capture this moment. No worries Zhen no shame in how you feel =D

As we waited for August to arrive at the Departure hall, we waited at Jollibee for him. Those of you who've seen the stairs leading up to Jollibee, would notice the mascot statue at the foot of the stairs. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here you go...

"Welcome to Jollibee!"

BUT WAIT!!! Something's not exactly right with this mascot...

Hmmm... any guesses??
....
..........
................
.......................
............................

Give up? Well take a closer look near his shoulder's (or "her shoulders" for all i know =/)

This is what's missing...

OMG!!! Do you see it???

For those of you who have never seen a bee >.> ... I shit you not, bees have WINGS!!!

WTF happened to this iconic symbol's wings?? =O

Now that's something you don't see everyday...

Scenario 1
Big Bad Thug: HANDS UP!!!
Jollibee Bee: Ohh don't hurt me *cowers and hugs himself on floor*
Big Bad Thug: Hand me your valuables!!! NOW!!!
Jollibee Bee: I don't have anything >.< style="font-weight: bold;">Scenario 2 (Credits to Fadhli Don for this Scenario =D)
Assembly Man 1: Errmm... What are these? *holds up Jollibee's wings*
Assembly Man 2: I don't know... *puts wings back in box*

o.o"

Sorry about that...

Well back to the main topic, we hanged around outside the back of Jollibee, with August before he left for Singapore.

After delaying enough time before August enters Immigration, it was finally time for him to be on his way.

"No I swear it's a badminton racket not a gun >.>"

"Whew~ good thing they didn't ask me to open it up >.>"

"Don't worry guys, they didn't notice the rifle erm... I mean racket =D" >.>

Bye Choo!

And there goes August, perhaps the most stereotypical Singaporean I know.

2009 version of this picture (http://honggim.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html) - 7 January 2009

Reach for the skies dude! I know you can do it =D

You will be missed =')

Classic 5S2 08' pose... Take cares dude...

Do let me know if you see Mr. Jollibee next to you on the plane. Maybe he's there to catch a flight considering he doesn't have any wings o.o

This post is dedicated to Augustine Choo Hong Gim...

St. Valentine? WHO THAT?

2009-02-16T21:00:00.014+08:00

To show that this blog is not all about jokes, here's something on a tad more serious note...

It's that time of the year again...

When rose prices sky-rocket...

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch you. You want me to pay how much ??" X.X

Restaurants start having special promotions to coax couples to cough up cash and spend their evening at their place...

One of the promotions, "Murtabak?? 2?? 2?? Buy one..... free....2..." o.o

But really how did this day come to be?

Valentine's Day, or rather St. Valentine's Day, is a day when loved ones exchange gifts and express their love to one another, all in the name of St. Valentine. Or rather St. Valentines (yes, the plural).

Why plural? Well there have actually been a couple of St. Valentines back in the day. Today the Catholic church has recognized at least 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. LOL imagine if it was called "Valentinus' Day" instead of "Valentine's Day"

But mystery shrouds who the actual patron saint is and there are a couple of legends regarding St. Valentine. One of which goes like this,

Back in 3rd century Rome, there was a priest named Valentine. During that time, Emperor Claudius II came to the conclusion that men who weren't married and tied down with a family would make better soldiers. So as the emperor of course he could do whatever it is that he wants.

Reenactment of Preceding Events:

Emperor Claudius II: "MEN OF ROME!!! WE SHALL NOW MAKE......................... FERRARI'S AND FERRERO ROCHER'S..... AND WITH THAT WE WILL CONQUER THE EARTH!!!

Men of Rome: "FOR SPARTA!!!"

o.O ..... for sparta?? wth?? ermm...anyways back to the main topic...

What really happened was that Emperor Claudius II actually decreed to outlaw all marriages for young men so as to build his army's potential. Valentine, seeing this as unjust refused to fall under this and instead defied the emperor and held secret marriages for young lovers. When the Emperor found out about this, he ordered that Valentine be put to death. It was with Valentine's undying passion to see to it that young couples be joined in holy matrimony, that led to his death.

Another legend went by like this,

While Valentine was in prison, it was believed that he met a young girl, whom he fell deeply in love. This young girl, presumably the the jailer's daughter, visited him during his time in prison. Just before his death, it was alleged that Valentine wrote a letter to her and signed it, "From your Valentine", that so famous expression used during Valentine's Day.

Although the legends seem murky, and there isn't much proof to the authenticity of these stories it is the characteristics of Valentine, heroic, romantic and passionate as he was that probably led to this popular tradition practiced by lovers year after year.

But should it be just on the 14th of February that the love between 2 people be celebrated and proclaimed?

Why, no. Why go all out and express one's love on this one day, when you can show it everyday?

The Valentine's Day of this day and age is overly commercialized and over rated. If you really love and care for someone you should treat that person with all the love in the world every single day.

And if the person you care about cares for you too, extravagant gifts and expensive dinners would mean nothing to them. For all that's really important is the love and companionship you can offer. (And no its not because I'm being cheap >.>)

Happy "Valentinus'" Day =D

Let it fall...

2009-02-16T17:05:00.011+08:00

It was dark...

Everyone was focused straight ahead...

And then suddenly...

As if it couldn't get any darker..

BOOM!!!

*FLASH*

This was how it all began.

A group of us were at the Mall last Monday, February 6th to celebrate Kevin Cheng's B'day. We decided to watch Pink Panther 2 which was screening at 2pm that day.

For most of us, it was our first time watching the movie and were looking forward to it... well except for Jac who watched it before. A good friend that he is, he still joined us for the movie nonetheless. So as we bought our tickets and got into theater 1, we were all set to watch the movie.

About 10 minutes into the movie, there came a scene where Inspector Closeau (Steve Martin) detects something fishy about his commanding officer's office. He pulls out a "surveillance detecting pen" and discovers that the very room they were in was being watched and their conversation recorded.

OH NO!!! =O.

He then flings his pen like a throwing knife and hits dead center onto a CCTV camera he found hanging in the corner, and at that very moment...

BZZZOOMM!

The entire cinema goes dark (darker than usual), the film stops rolling and then just as suddenly, the emergency lamps turn on. Wondering for just a moment whether the blackout was part of the movie, we were all dead blur on our seats looking around the cinema, trying to figure out what happened. We stayed in our seats, hoping that maybe the movie would start playing again.

Coming to our senses that the movie won't be rolling again, we made our way out of the theater to check what was going on. It turns out that the entire Mall had a major blackout. Instead of getting our refunds for our tickets, we decided to wait it out a bit longer to see if the movie would run again.

OMG!!! IT'S ALL DARK!!!

Jac: Must maintain composure >.<""

Jac: AARRGGHH!!! I CAN'T TAKE IT!!!

And after regaining our composure so as not to have another panic attack, we settled down...

Then about 10 minutes into the blackout, as we looked upon the horizon to the foodcourt...

BZZOOM!!!

THERE WAS LIGHT!!! Light flashed from left to right, sweeping across the stalls. And just as suddenly as it came, the power went out again =__="". wth indeed~

If that wasn't enough, suddenly as we were all leaning against the railings....

WTF IS THAT!!! Out from the ceiling, huge giant plastic canvas sheets descended upon us and those who weren't lucky got their heads bumped >.<

OOOHH! Look at that it's shiny *TOUCH TOUCH* =D

Canvas sheets that failed to deploy properly... EPIC PHAIL!!!

QUICK! QUICK! Take a picture before...

AAARRGGHHH!!!

For some reason, they don't seem to understand the danger to it all =S

See just how dangerous it is???

PHD. man, no mess. And no, not that kind of PHD =.= I mean the one for the head =D

At the end of this "traumatizing" experience, the power finally came back on after about a half hour of blackout. Our movie was rescheduled for 3.50pm and so we decided to catch it again, no extra charge thankfully.

Talk about an interesting birthday experience for Kevin Cheng HAHAH! Surely one that he'll remember...

And I'm sure he's not the only one who will remember that day...

Jac's another one too. Cause not only did he get to watch Pink Panther 2 twice...

He, technically, watched it 3 times...

Two?? Two?? No, Jac... It's 3!

HAHAHAHA!!! Happy Birthday Kevin Cheng =D!!!

the day pigs can fly, dogs will drive motorcycles...

2009-02-16T15:27:00.008+08:00

So here i was back in Kuching at the end of last year...

I went out to get breakfast, and here in Kuching, the best way to have breakfast is to go out early and visit the many coffee shops located throughout the city.

If it's one thing the city is famous for, an no it's not for cats =__="", it'll be the wide assortment of hawker food. From the very famous Kuching Laksa...to the simple Kolo Mee.

Seafood noodles

Chinese Sausages at Jade Pot Teahouse

Pan-Fried Dumplings at Jade Pot Teahouse

Jade Pot Teahouse's Famous Beef Noodles.....drools T.T

With the car parked, we got out and went to order food to tapau back for breakfast.

And there it was...

Those of you with a weak stomach, prepare yourselves, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

There on a motorbike parked right next to the cafe, was a...

...dog... If you aren't laughing at how weird of a sight this was or at how cute this dog looked till your stomach cramps up I don't know what's wrong with you.

HAHAHA!!! Yes, a dog people. Sitting on that motorcycle. If you think this is some kind of photoshop prank it's not, because for those of you who do know me, will know that I suck at photoshop and wouldn't be able to pull off such a picture =D.

So there you go. A dog in it's cool shades, hair tied up in a ponytail, enjoying the slight breeze in the air right next to a coffee shop here in Kuching. And I swear, it didn't look at all scared. It seemed like this wasn't it's first time on a bike.

vroom vroom~

"Who you looking at? psssh... humans" o.o"

What's that? Where's it's owner? Don't worry, he didn't just leave his dog on a bike and took off.

His owner was just sitting next to him, enjoying a talk with the stall holders there while waiting for his order of bak kut teh. When the owner saw that his dog was attracting so much attention, he even got up from his chair to fix his dogs hair with a comb from his pocket, telling his dog to look into my camera. I've never seen such a close and loving bond between pet and owner.

And if you saw the owner's face you would agree with me saying that he looked just like his dog. With long dissheveled hair and beard, they looked like carbon copies of each other. Talk about how dog owner's tend to look like their dogs.

Sadly, when i asked him if he would mind me taking a picture of him and his dog, he politely declined laughing it off, instead taking out his mobile phone to show me his wallpaper of him and his dog smiling at the camera.

Now if that's not an interesting way to start the morning, I don't know what is.

Who says that Kuching is famous for cats?

When it has motorcyle-riding dogs? o.o

P.S. No dogs were harmed in the documentation of this post =D

A new beginning...

2009-02-16T14:25:00.001+08:00

Welcome to chengjie16.blogspot.com!!!

I have created this blog with the intention to update those of you who know me with the ongoing events of my life, as a portal of entertainment and heck, just for the fun of it!

This site will host posts regarding some of the most random and interesting aspects of my life as well as to serve as an update to my peers.

Feel free to visit anytime and comments are always welcome*, and with that I now announce the official opening of...chengjie16@blogspot.com official opening!!!

HURRAY!!!

*Please be advised that this is a site for me to express myself and not one which welcomes unnecessary and negative shots and insults towards me or anybody by the general public.