Life In Lumut, Brunei

Ridiculously Priced Piece Of Borneon Art

Thanks to AirAsia - our favorite budget airline - we got to know Kota Kinabalu International Airport (Terminal 2) quite well.

Imagine being able to travel at a low price direct to destinations such as (so far) Jakarta (Indonesia), Szenchen (China), Singapore, Clarks Manila (Philippines) and etc.

On our recent trip via this airport, my husband pointed out one particular coconut carving at a souvenir shop inside the departure hall. Had he not told me, I would never have thought of giving this carving a second look because it is …. ugly.

While an orangutan may be considered cute and cuddly, it is never a pretty animal - in real life and in carving, no matter how well the carving work was. Here is an example of how a coconut carving looks like.

But the most jawdropping fact about this particular orangutan coconut carving found at this particular shop is its PRICE.

Check it out yourself whenever you are here. It is placed on the top shelf that faces the entrance covered in clingwrap - you won’t miss it.

Just don’t drop it after you see how much it cost.

No To Black Eyed Pea

I could not figure out how to embed youtube video here anymore - so until I do, there won’t be anymore featured song on Saturdays.

But that does not mean that I have not been reading up on music industry news.

One which tickled me today was this : Black Eyed Pea’s concert ban for Malaysian Muslims. The reason is because the major sponsor is an alcoholic drink company.

Personally, even I will not be too thrilled to have my girls attend concerts by such performers. Sure, they have some really fine songs. Really entertaining to listen to.

But I don’t really fancy their image, dressing style and some of their video clips. How great if music clips never existed.

And we do not have to be of a certain religion to have a certain mindset when it comes to modesty and decency.

Country Music Fans

Have you ever noticed how in certain music genre like hip hop, music video clips directors can only manage to produce the sexiest and most provocative? Skimpy clothings, acting out all sorts of behaviour fit only for adults in the privacy of their room.

But have you also noticed how certain genres such as country music, we are often treated to not only beautiful singing but meaningful music clips?

I guess country singers need not cheapened themselves to sell well. They have genuine talents!

Speaking of talented singers, the Country Music Award 2009 will take place this November 11 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. If you are planning to be in the area then, why not make attend this relatively more wholesome and packed with real talents event.

You can easily get your Country Music Award tickets as the ACheapSeat site sells seat tickets for every budget. But if the opera or theatre is your kind of entertainment, then make sure you check out the show listings and get your Boston Opera House tickets or Beacon Theatre Tickets or any other major venues or events from this comprehensive and professional online booking agent.

Traditional Ties

Just the other day, I was asked to buy a “traditional necktie”.

Not being too familiar with men’s fashion, I was a bit unsure on what a traditional necktie is supposed to look like but I thought it would not be too hard. Besides, I am sure it meant a design with muted colours with no funky patterns.

But when I checked the selection at the stores, all those that I thought fits the “traditional look” criteria were dull. Needless to say, it was not easy to decide.

Then I was told that traditional ties meant stripes - and I didn’t even know that!

Perhaps I should have read the men style guide on this particular men’s clothing shopping site before I ventured out. If only the need for the tie was not immediate, I could have just saved myself the traipse to town by browsing their shirts and ties styles - not from one or two stores but tens of thousands of international stores. Imagine the choices!

Never again will I be stumped for ideas and at least, I now know that stripey ties are the traditional look.

Case Of The Missing Postcard

Just before we left our hotel in Jakarta in June, I passed one postcard addressed to Eu to be mailed by the hotel’s stationery store.

The shop assistant simply took my cash and postcard and promised to mail the postcard.

Being given no receipt, I thought that’s the last I’ll see of the postcard. But when I received an online response form from the hotel a few weeks later - and no a sign of my postcard - I made it a point to complain about this and got an apologetic reply from them.

So you can imagine my surprise when that postcard finally arrived - nearly 2 months later!

Eu was delighted to get a postcard addressed to them and spent the whole drive to school deciphering my handwriting.

And I now must write back to the hotel to update them on this.

Online Tutoring

Education system in many Asian countries usually focus more on their exams than a well-rounded curriculum as in other countries. Because of this, extra tuition classes are common and at certain stage of classes, expected.

Although there is a clear benefit to sending kids to such classes, there are times when it is more useful to occupy their time rather than to actually teach them. I remembered disliking my tuition classes as I worked better on my own. Perhaps for such students, especially those who need not be sent to tuition classes because there are supervising adults at home, they can consider online tutoring.

Those needing extra Math help for example would be well served by online Math Tutoring company such as the TutorVista which offers tutoring packages for students in K12, back to school and even college tutoring covering subjects like Algebra, Calculus, Geometry and others.

Their online Math help program is affordable from $99.99 and flexible with a one-on-one system where students and tutors interact using VoIP sharing an interactive white board.

Haze Be Gone

When my brother visited us last week, the first thing that Eu and Qi were very eager to tell him was about Anduki.

The burnt field of Anduki, that is.

The area that we pass by every morning and noon when we send and pick Eu up from school - which Eu always says makes her feel sad. The first time I saw it, I thought it was spectacular - not exactly pretty but the contrast with the surrounding area untouched by the fire was too great to miss.

My brother on the other hand, snorted when I told him that some parts of this burnt Anduki looked like an autumn scene - minus the cold weather.

Of course, there are parts where the sign of devastation was really evident - but I prefer to see the parts where with a bit of imagination and strong cold air-conditioning system, can pass for a September in some temperate countries.

We have blue sky today after days of haze - and let’s hope it will stay this way.

Fashion Shopping

A friend recommended a Malaysian shopping site last week. While it does offer slightly cheaper price (plus free shipping) for a particular item that we both used, the stock was limited.

So unlike many international shopping sites such as one that offers items from about 30,000 stores! Imagine the headache and adrenalin rush that a typical shopaholic will get with this seemingly limitless number of items to check and check-out!

But since we do have a severe shortage of girly goods in Brunei, perhaps there is no harm browsing their range of accessories. I definitely could use more earrings and bangles. Shoes are definitely a must-browse, and I’d like to get one of those trendy wedge shoes.

However, is this still in style? I’d better check this site’s excellent women fashion trend. We don’t want to be wearing something that look so trendy - but so last season to the trained eyes.

Sheryl Crow : First Cut Is The Deepest

During a party that we attended recently, we were entertained by a rendition of songs from a local singer.

One of the song that she thoroughly nailed with her husky voice, was Sheryl Crow’s “First Cut Is The Deepest”. In case you didn’t know, this was actually a 1967 song originally performed by Cat Steven. It has been covered 4 times, most well known being Rod Stewart’s and Sheryl Crow.

My favorite is of course, Sheryl’s and although I like most of her songs, this is one of the best in my opinion.

Sheryl Crow : First Cut Is The Deepest

By the way, the kids’ antics are now moved to another site : Eu, Qi & Baby De.

Thank you and have a nice weekend!

Their Michael Jackson Story

From the blog