As far as I can remember, I started collecting CDs at a very young age. I remember one of my first CD purchase was Michael Jackson's HIStory.  I also remember dragging my mom over to a CD store in KK and pleading with her to buy that CD like it was a matter of life and death. She would always bring that story up whenever she sees all the CDs I have collected since. As I grew older, it has become a habit of mine to shop for CDs whenever I travel overseas. If I feel like I've got nothing to buy, I can walk into a nearby  HMV or Tower Records (RIP) store and walk out with a few CDs. And that would give me a great sense of satisfaction. That would be my shopping fix. Things eventually got worst when I caught the K-Pop fever. For those who are familiar with the Korean music culture, it's all about collecting and supporting your favourite artist's work. The more items you have, the more "hardcore" of a fan you are. And of course, when you have "hardcore...

Brunei is making headlines around the world again. And no, this time it's not about another grand royal wedding. Yesterday, the Sultan of Brunei officially approves the introduction of Sharia law in the country . This is definitely creating a buzz within the people country and also for the foreign media around the world. Not surprisingly, coverage from the overseas media is focusing its report more on the angle about us being possibly stoned to death or amputated. Personally, I think the introduction of Sharia law into the country is unavoidable. Firstly, Brunei thrives itself on being known as an Islamic country. Plus, the Sultan himself is a devout Muslim so it is not a huge surprise that the Sharia law will eventually be introduced and passed in the Sultanate. And having read the recent inaugural lecture transcript by the State Mufti also gave a logical explanation why such law has to be implemented in the country. One of the point, which is also the main theme of t...

Calla and I have officially been back in Brunei for a little over two weeks now. Being away for almost five years have definitely made me forgot how hot and humid living on the equator is. I sure do miss the cool fresh breeze of New Zealand! For the past two weeks, we've mostly been doing a lot of eating and catching up with friends. I on the other hand have been looking around for job opportunities which is proving to be a bit more difficult than I expect despite being told that it will be easy cause I'm a local. So far, I've only found two Communication-related positions while the rest are more of a engineering / skill specific role but like everyone here has been telling me... "Apply saja!" (Just apply!) It's been quite an adventure so far moving back to this little kingdom of unexpected treasures. We did get a few raised eyebrows from friends when we told them we've moved back here while other responses have been welcoming. Both Calla & I hav...

After 3 years and 10 months, I finally 'popped the question' to the girl of my dreams. And everything was perfect. 

Today officially marks my one year of working at Madant Productions . And boy, oh boy, has it been a whirlwind of endless work. It has been a challenging one year experience for me especially coming fresh out of uni and having only so much knowledge of what this industry is like. And within this one year, I did learn a lot on what the media and event industry is like here in New Zealand. Truthfully though, I've been feeling exhausted. Like really exhausted. I'm not sure if it's due to the nature of this industry that I'm in or if it's because I feel like the company I'm working in is extremely  under resourced. While it was fun for me to try out different roles within this company, it does get overwhelming when some days, I feel like I have to juggle a million things at once. And me being me, I'm the type that needs to finish a task given to me before the day ends otherwise, my mind will continue to work on it even while I try to sleep. It's nights lik...

I get delighted whenever my friends make comments about still reading my blog. Especially friends whom I've grown up with and haven't seen for a long long time. It's days like today that makes me feel slightly overwhelmed with how far we've gone through life. Friends whom I grew up with, went to school with are now either engaged, married and some being first time parents. I wish you well, my friends!

Bro and Minn! Yay!! 

My working face look. Something worth saving on this blog. Local news NZHerald  took a picture of the press working at a high profile event which my company organised. Back home in Brunei, family and friends would text or even give you a call to let you know that your face made it to the newspaper. :)

When I'm old, I wanna hang out at Tim Hortons and randomly burst into a musical song with a group of people my age. Just cause.

On New Year's eve, I had a few friends over for a quiet New Year's celebration. Nothing big or fancy just a simple dinner with lots of drinks and chats. We also spent some time reflecting on how 2012 has been to us and all of us agreed that it was a good year. Here are my highlights for 2012. In January, I left my very first job in New Zealand as a part time retail assistant after working there for over a year. Sure, it was just a shoe store but it was also my first working experience overseas so in some ways, it meant quite a lot to me. Team Rockport Despite working there only as a part timer, I also managed to save up a little bit of money which I was able to buy a return flight ticket back home for both Calla & I. No idea how I did it but I did so it was really an accomplishment. Calla finally meeting my family and spending her first Chinese New Year.  And then there was the Jakarta/Bali trip for one of my friend's wedding which was one of the highli...