Jetsetting all over the globe.....

Tomorrow, I'm going to kick-start my annual crazy flight hopping tradition (read : long and tiring flights, totally work-related)..... starting tomorrow afternoon, I'll be flying off from KLIA to Kuantan, then drive up to Kerteh. Wednesday evening, drive down back to Kuantan to catch a nighteye to KLIA.

Friday early morning, catch another flight from KLIA to Bandar Seri Begawan. Saturday night, another flight from BSB to Kota Kinabalu. Sunday morning, KK to KLIA. Sunday afternoon, KLIA to Los Angeles. Sunday midnight, LA to Houston. Thursday night, Houston to Philadelphia. Sunday morning, Philadelphia to LA. Sunday night, LA to KLIA.

Lost? Let me connect the flights up for you...... it's KUL - KUA -KUL - BWN - BKI - KUL - LAX - IAH - PHL - LAX - KUL....... almost half the world in travel distance.......

Anyway, the place that I'm staying in Houston reportedly has a wireless broadband connection..... so the next post would be done in the US...... :)

What a day :(

Yesterday was a very unusual day. It seems like Murphy (as in Murphy's Law) was shadowing every single thing that I do.....

It started when I reached the office early in the morning, when I suddenly realised that I left my e-pass at home (believe it or not, for the first time ever!). So I had to ask for a daily pass. Then after an hour, I drove down to Malacca for a site visit with a colleague of mine. While driving, I got a call saying that I'm needed back in the office to prepare a montage for the big boss. What the bloody bugger didn't realise is that :

1. I'm driving to Malacca for a site visit so it's impossible to turn back;
2. It's damn near impossible to do a montage of 5 min within 3 hours!

More problems await when we reached Malacca. As I left my e-pass, more forms needed to be filled in. Then horror upon horrors, my colleague left the project files at the office! Aaaarrggghhhh! Luckily, I had a copy on my online directory, however it takes a while to download......

Went back to KL and then home. Was preparing dinner using the new microwave oven, then suddenly a plate filled with not-yet-warmed fish slipped off my hands and came crashing on the kitchen floor! There goes my dinner, and my appetite :(

Called my wife, and I found out that one of the maids took our son out for a haircut without our permission! And our baby don't need no haircut; his hair was short! And the new haircut was ugly! So we had to shave his head......poor baby was crying when we shaved his head bald..... that really wraps up the bloody day..... sigh......

Emotions against Logic

Sigh..... today is one of those days where nothing can ease this feeling of loneliness inside my heart..... emotions ran high as I watched two of my friends, one from my high school days and the other my officemate (well, sort of... same company but different locations) married each other yesterday in a simple but meaningful ceremony...... looking at their joyful faces, both sharing meaningful glances with sparkling eyes..... made me realise how much I miss my wife and son....

Logic came crashing in then...... I have to endure this for as long as I have to, due to work commitments..... friends suggested that I should move my work closer to my family, but the truth is, it is not so easy as it seems.......

Anyway, my wife is attending the Muleh 3 Hari ceremony at the Istana Nurul Iman on my behalf, while I'm here, thousands of miles away, watching the Monza F1 race...... for those who are not familiar with the Bruneian Royal Wedding traditions, Muleh 3 hari is held to mark the end of separation between bride and groom after the bersanding ceremony. This separation is held for 3 days for both bride and groom to go back and be with their respective families.

On the F1 races, Ferrari got a one-two finish, with Barrichello in P1 this time round. Trust me, the race was exciting, as at one time, Michael Schumacher was at P15 after a spin! Talk about a brilliant comeback! Oh, and poor Kimi had to retire again...... his 8th retirement this season..... what crap reliability that McLaren car has......

Well, back to work tomorrow....... sigh....... when would I see my wife and son again?

Shopping Spree

I went out early this morning to the service centre to replace a bulb. Apparently the left front headlights on the v6 went kaput. Cost me RM 24 for a bulb, since it's an H4 halogen one.

Zoomed straight to Sunway Pyramid with the intention of getting a microwave oven; however the salesperson at senQ was not helpful at all, even to the point of insulting me for being choosy. Come on, I'm the customer here, so I have the right to be choosy. Sheesh!

Finally I bought one at a shop near my house. It's a Samsung (see pic above); I liked it because it can fit a large-sized Pan Pizza! Handy when reheating takeaways.... hehehe......

Sick and Weary :(

I think I'm catching a cold..... on the flight to the East Coast Wednesday evening, there was this guy sitting next to me, sneezing continuously..... now I'm sneezing almost every 5 mins.....

Came back to KL yesterday nite, all weary and sleepy...... I'm actually supposed to attend the Royal Feast at the Palace in honour of the Crown Prince of Brunei wedding tonite, but it won't be nice if I keep on sneezing at the banquet..... anyway, my wife is attending, with her niece taking my seat at the banquet table beside her...... hope both of them are enjoying it......

Oh, congratulations to the bride..... she is now known as Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah......

Hmm... got another invitation for Muleh 3 Hari.... hope I'm well enough to attend...... :(

[edit] I found this pic on the Net, taken at the Royal Feast....... featuring my father-in-law :) [/edit]

Wedding of the Year

I was lucky enough to be invited personally to the Nikah ceremony between the Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam, HM Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah and his bride YM Dayangku Sarah last Saturday, 4th September 2004 in Bandar Seri Begawan.

It was very grand, to say the least. And I managed to get myself on TV and on the official photo website, since I was seating near the front, facing the Crown Prince himself! ( Talk about making yourself famous....hehehehe! Try and spot me in the picture above :) )

If I have the time, I'll post the invitation card and pics during the ceremony itself here for you guys to judge for yourself.

Oops, time to catch my flight to the East Coast...... cheerio!

p/s : I'm blogging while standing at the departure lounge KLIA now. Just utilising the free wireless connection here..... as they say, they didn't call KLIA an "airport" for nothing.... :)

Joyous News Across Two Countries.....

First of all, my wife, our lil' boy and myself would like to express our most heartfelt congratulations to the Royal Couple of Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and Yang Mulia Dayangku Sarah on the joyous occassion of their upcoming wedding ceremony between 26th August till 13th September 2004. May God bless the Royal Couple!

We would also like to congratulate all Malaysians in celebrating their 47th year of National Independance on 31st August 2004.