Time to unwind.....

Thank God, it's time for me to unwind! Am taking two weeks' worth of leave to spend time with my family, whom I haven't seen since last Aidilfitri.

Anyway, to everyone, have a good holiday! Merry Xmas, Eid Mubarak and a Happy New Year!

*Sigh*

Today marks our 3rd wedding anniversary, and it so happens that this year, I'm stuck in Kerteh (of all places in the world, eh?) and my lovely wife is in Brunei.

This morning, the heavens poured incessantly, although not very heavy. It's so reflective of my mood today *sigh*

Happy 3rd anniversary sayang..... I love you loads, and I'm missing you badly here :~(

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yeah, yeah, this posting is actually late (my birthday is 2 days ago), but I can't help it if I'm stuck in Kerteh with no reliable Net access, can I?

Got these words sent to me over the snail mail for my birthday :

Sagittarius : The Archer
Sagittarians have a positive outlook on life, are full of versatility as well as eagerness and possess an adventurous spirit to expand their experiences beyond the physically familiar. They enjoy travelling and explorations, the more so because their minds are constantly open to new dimensions of thought.

Sagittarians are essentially ambitious and optimistic, and continue to be so, even in the face of adversities. They are honourable, honest, trustworthy, generous and sincere, with a passion for justice, as well as able to balance loyalty and independence with ease.

Hmm..... I wonder if these words do reflect me in real life? Lemme see :

1. Travelling - I do a lot of travelling, so OK, that checks out
2. Open-minded - yup, definitely (agreed by my GM, who was doing my appraisal y'day)
3. Ambitious - can't argue with that
4. Optimistic - oh yeah, big YES to that
5. Honourable - well, I have been described as a gentlemen by a few people, so OK
6. Honest - absolutely, to the point of being bluntly honest sometimes, which can hurt
7. Trustworthy - well, no complaints on this so far
8. Generous - hell yeah! Ask around if you don't believe it.
9. Sincere - of course, why wouldn't I be?
10. Loyalty - I work hard for the company, even tho' sometimes the treatment is rubbish!
11. Independence - see no. 2

Looks like they got it spot on, eh?

Back to the UK

Took the liberty last weekend to fly from Frankfurt to Manchester using Lufthansa to visit a good friend and colleague of mine, Ir. Dr. Marc Pijnenburg and his wife Rose Musah-Pijnenburg. He was working together with me for a good 3 years in Malaysia, flying to-and-fro from Holland. Now he works in the UK, but still flew to-and-fro to various countries.

I haven't seen them for 3 years already, so it was a good trip. Spent two nights in their 4-bedroom bungalow in Chester. It's a huge house by British's standards, with an even bigger lawn.

Marc & Rose in front of their house in Chester, UK

As for me, I haven't been back to the UK since 2000 after graduation, so it's nice to be there, catching familiar sights and sounds of the country.

Also managed to see our niece, Jalwaa, at the airport before going back to Frankfurt. She is studying in Manchester for her engineering degree. Didn't know that in Man Uni they have 60 Bruneians studying there now. Sixty! That's like a lot!

Oh well, back to work in Frankfurt then.....