Selamat Berpuasa!!!

Assalamualaikum,

We here at Bruneians Abroad would like to wish every Muslim around the world a blessed Ramadan. Selamat Berpuasa everyone!!!

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Halal Guide

I found this Halal Guide website. By the looks of it, it seems pretty updated. Besides restaurants, it also lists Markets, Businesses, Mosques & Schools. I've added a link for it on the left navigation. Cheers.

P.s. For my bro in Lao, sorry...no halal eateries yet. But if you find one, you can add it to the site.

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Bernie Mac

OMG!!! I just found out last night. I've been so busy with my family and updating my other blog that I missed the news about Bernie Mac's death. For those of you who don't know who is Bernie Mac(which I find hard to believe), he's one of the funniest comedian to ever appear on Def Jam comedy. He died on 9th August '08 of pneumonia at the age of 50.

Some of you might remember his role as Frank Catton in the Ocean's trilogy. I admit when he does his comic routine, his jokes isn't for everyone. That's Bernie Mac. He says it as he sees it. He says the things that you think about but are too scared to say it out loud.

My favourite skit is when he toured with his pals, the Kings of Comedy. Below is a video from The Original Kings of Comedy.

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Russell Peters

I came across this on youtube. I just love his jokes. I'm a big fan of stand-up comedians and he is on top of my list. I wonder if he'll do a show in Australia...

I came across these two which I have not seen before



and this one from Def Jam comedy



Btw, these are not for your kids to see :)

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Holden Ute

I am just loving this car!!! You see a lot of this in Australia..'cos well simply because it's from Aussie. What is it with boys and pickup trucks? And this is a pick up truck with attitude.

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Updates

Assalamualaikum peeps,

I did some minor/major update on the site. I changed the theme, added buttons and so on. If you find any broken link please leave a comment.

I've also added a download page but it's empty for now. I'll put up some files as soon as possible - Fixed!!. Cheers.

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Alisha's 2nd Week

I don't think I'm gonna post every week about Alisha. Or else I'd end up with a dozen of post on just her by the end of the year. Not that I'm complaining... So here are some pics of us.

She really wasn't in the mood today. It was a bit difficult to get her to stay still.

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Alisha Dhaniyah

I might as well start of my blog with the latest addition to our family. Being away from our country hasn't been the highlight in our marriage. But the arrival of our daughter has made life a bit more bearable and being a stay home dad does have its benefit, I get to spend more time with her.

Having my wife work here has also been a blessing in disguise. I say this because of the medical facility that was available throughout her pregnancy up till the birth of our baby. Not that I have any experience in this area, but my brothers have kids if that counts.

Normally, in Brunei, during labour only the husband or maybe the mother are allowed to go in the labour room. My wife had me, my sis-in-law and a friend of the family by her side. It was so cool!! To all the would be fathers out there...do not miss your child's birth. It's a beautiful experience. I cried when the baby came out (whoscares!)

Though, there was duh moment on my part when the baby came out. I forgot to ready the bloody camera(wait)...and then while running to get it on the nearby table, I stood there fixated on the umbilical cord attached to the baby. It's like one of those things that even when you see it, it takes a few seconds for your brain to accept what you're seeing. And I wanted to take a pic of the umbilical cord instead!! Gross? Not really. The moment my eyes saw Alisha, I forgot about everything in that room. A sense of euphoria if you will. :)

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Aldi

Aldi is just one of those supermarkets that you just gotta love. The reason is simply because it's products are cheap. I'll be honest with you. It got me thinking how they are economically able to do it amidst a society with a high cost of living. So I tried comparing Aldi with its giant counterparts like Coles and Woolworths.

So I've summed up my observation, in case they're any aspiring supermarket entrepreneurs in Brunei reading this. :)

• SIZE matters: Aldi supermarkets are 1/3 the size of its rivals. Smaller shops smaller rent.

• Simplicity: And I mean this in the most literal sense. Aldi has the simplest layout I've ever seen in any supermarkets. Lets put it this way, if I was talking about movies, our local Indian supermarket would be a Blockbuster movie and Aldi would be a low budget independent movie. Really, renovation is kept to a minimal and shelvings are almost non existent. The only shelves you would see are up against the wall. In between the aisle the just put the goods on wooden pallets. But guess what...it works.

• They CHOOSE the products: Let's say your looking for a Dishwashing liquid. You go there and find it but wait...there's only one brand. Is it the brand you want? Who cares, it's cheap. Let's face it, when you go to your local shop, you see 5 different brands of dishwashing liquid. Despite the fact you have a fav. brand you would also notice the cheapest...Aldi simply does that for you.

• Quality: Just because they choose the cheapest doesn't mean they forgo quality.

• Shopping trolleys: Reduce the no. of shopping trolleys and use coin operated trolleys. Ok, maybe the latter is more to benefit the community so that we return the trolleys to get our coin back...but it's better than trying to park your car to find that a trolley is in your way.

• Reusable shopping bags: I know for us it's a bit drastic. You should have seen the look on our faces the first time we shopped at Aldi. Imagine a cart full of goods only to find out that they don't provide plastic shopping bags. They do sell tote bags(which at the time they ran out). So, imagine pushing our trolley back to the car and chucking our stuff in the backseat. But not providing plastic bags, your reducing cost while being environmentally conscious. I saw some at Supasave a few months back. If you see it, buy one and use. Refuse plastic bags.
  

In a nutshell, their concept is simple and effective. Cut cost wherever you can, lower your overheads so you can sell your products at a lower price.

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Tahlil & Doa Selamat

My mother in law's sister passed away recently on 14th August. So we decided to hold a Bertahlil ceremony and makan 3 hari. Coincidentally, 1 year ago today, my beloved brother passed away. It reminded me of a video I made sometime after he passed away.

The video is here. To all that have gone before us, Al-Fatihah. Semoga Roh mereka di cucuri rahmat. Amin.

On a lighter note, we also held a Doa Selamat for Alisha.

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Full House

My parents, my mother and brother-in-law arrived today. This means two things...lotsa food in the kitchen(yummy) and some breathing space for me and the missus. Then again I get bored easily...and as it turns out, I've become one of those parents that likes to edit/photoshop pictures of their kid. Simply because I have a lil' bit of time to spare...so sue me. *LOL*

I just couldn't help myself

This is my fav

I found an online photo editor. So come now...don't tell this isn't cool...hahaha.

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She's Here!!!

Yeah!!! Our baby is here. We're both overjoyed. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly and the staff at John James Hospital were excellent.

Meet Alisha Dhaniyah binti Md Azmi Yusran

Shhhh...

Special thanks goes to Dr. Huda Younis, Stephanie and to Titin and Ka Hjh Hasmah for being there. The 3 of us loves you loads!

Gtg now and be a dad. :) Thanks for all the wishes peeps.

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Heroes In A Box

We just got news from our friends at House of El that "Heroes In A Box" has officially launched their website. For your info, it's in Brunei!!! :)

These guys provide and we quote:
"Our products are genuine and have real collector’s value - none of those mass market kiddy stuff you see in big department stores. We are the first and only specialized action figure online store in Brunei.

We strive to bring you true value with our carefully selected range of collectibles deliverable directly to your doorstep at the speed of the Flash!

So go on; treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself."
- Heroes In A Box -

So you guessed it. They sell Action Figures!! How cool is that? None of that low quality crap you'd normally see in the shops. Great news for action figure/comic collectors. Go check out their website(we know you want to).

(click on the pic)

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Weekend Blues

There's not much to do on the weekends. Especially in the evenings. So the missus, her sis and myself usually resort to these 3 games to kill time.

UNO - classic but still a fun game

Monopoly - Aussie version of course

Nintendo Wii

But it can get to be a bit dull playing it over and over...so...we improvised. Monopoly + Minigame of UNO (concept of minigame taken from Mario Party)

Mono-Uno.

The rules are simple. You play monopoly, after 5 rounds of throwing the dice you stop and play UNO. The person to win the UNO minigame gets $$. I wanted to throw in a GH3 battle for the minigame but I got vetoed. Hehe. It's fun anyway...so try it!

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My Guilty Pleasure

This is something for my pal, Shaq. I know I told you I intended to get the Superman/Doomsday collectors set...but this was on sale ok :)

I'm a sucker for robots

Especially one with a big gun...apakan...

We were at Canberra Shopping Centre(again with the shops..my blog entries seem to centre around it) and I went into Target. They were having a toy sale...how could I resist? Anyhow, something else happened while I was waiting for the missus to do her shopping. I was sitting outside the shop on one of the benches when I happened to look up...Guess what I saw?? UPSKIRTS!!! So to show I'm not selfish I'll share it with ya...Enjoy!

And something for the ladies, this shop was having a sale...why can't Brunei shops have a REAL SALE like this?

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Canberra Mosque

My first impression of the Canberra Mosque is that it reminded me of a huge tent.

The Main Entrance


A view from the side


Sorry about this pic...I wasn't trying to be artistic. I was walking and taking the pic at the same time. Plus you can see people sitting outside the mosque(this means I'm late *LOL*).


After Friday prayers there are some people selling food(white van)

Our Islamic brothers...

A little insight into the history of this mosque:
"The Canberra Mosque was built in 1960 by the diplomatic missions of Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. The registered body, which owns the land and the mosque, is the Canberra Mosque Inc. The land was a perpetual grant to CMI by the Commonwealth Government at 1 shilling per annum rental. It is situated at 155 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla opposite the site of future Iranian embassy." - From the Canberra Islamic Centre

My personal experience so far, I was taken aback from the way the Imam did the Friday Sermon. Half of the sermon is done in Arabic and the other half, the translation in English.

He's also very direct in his approach. Since I guess the Islamic community is small, he can put in one or two announcement before starting the sermon. E.g. about the lecture that will be held that evening after Maghrib prayers and that people should come because they want to in the name of GOD, not because they want to be seen by their peers. :)

Once, in the middle of the sermon he noticed that someone was wearing a shirt with animal pictures. So he calmly said that it is better not to wear shirts with people or animals printed on it to the mosque and he coyly added..."Not that I am pointing at anyone in particular" I just smiled(while at the same time checking my shirt)

One thing I can't deny is that he is very sincere in what he does. Now I'm kinda used to how he operates. Which brings me to the question, should our Imams follow suit this kind of approach? Only GOD knows.

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