Sunshine

My kind of toy

Hong Kong

I know, I know. This post is long overdue. But do bear with me. I had my semester break but I barely had time for myself. I don’t have any more classes. I have exam in a week. Crazy uni life is crazy! But I have amazing friends!

We didn’t spend much time here, which was kinda a regret. Only spent one day and hell that wasn’t enough. We were kinda unsatisfied with the travel agency since you know how awesome Bruneians are when it comes to shopping.

Departed from Shenzhen early in the morning, went through immigration and what not. We had to say goodbye to our tour guide in China because we were in Hong Kong and he can’t work there. So as soon as we arrived there, we were brought to this place for some photo taking. It was quite foggy so it was a little hard to take pictures of the surrounding.

The tour guide then brought us to Majid Ammar & O R Sadick Islamic Center. They were renovating the place so it was kinda dusty. We saw some Bruneians and Malaysians there. The masjid was in the building, and they had a canteen there. So we had our lunch and our breakfast (on the next day. Hong Kong Dim Sum man!) there. To be honest I love the food. The food in China was kinda.. not healthy. Sure there was a lot of vegies but.. fried ones. And they always serve eggs, and sometimes macam too much bawang! Ugh.

It was like the only time we had a proper food during the trip. Banar tah. And it was nice performing Zohor there!

We were brought to this jewelry place but it wasn’t worth mentioning so I’ll skip that.

After that, we went to Stanley’s Market and Victoria’s Peak. It’s not exactly necessary to go to Stanley’s Market since the stuff sold there are pretty much the same like Lady’s Market, just a little bit expensive, but the surrounding is nice although going there was quite a pain in the butt because the place is located at… I don’t know. Like you have to go through a reeeealllly long journey, going around the hill, using car of course, but it was so scary. Although the view was worth going through the pain.

Yes we pretty much spent every single day buying and enjoying fruits!

We went to Lady’s Market in the evening. There’s more stalls (more like bazaar-ish) here compare to Stanley’s, and definitely cheaper. You can get a lot of cheap souvenirs here such as keychain, magnets, t-shirts.. and super crowded too!

We went to another muslim restaurant there, and a lot of Malaysian artists went there – saw pictures on their wall. The food was so-so.

And stayed at Regal Oriental for the night – and went back to Brunei the next morning (the flight was super delayed, for about 2 to 3 hours, turned out there was VVIP in our flight).

And that’s a wrap. My last trip for my gap year. All pictures here taken either using my Samsung Galaxy SII or Lomography Fisheye No 2.

And the only reason I have time to blog now is because I just downloaded Windows Live Writer in my new laptop. So yay!

Bah. Till then. Adios.

Guangzhou, China.

Before I start my travel log, here’s a link to my short article published on Lomography’s website on my trip to China with my Giggle. And visit here to view all the pictures using my Fisheye.

Being old Miiksy, I shall now try to refresh my memories on my visiting trip with the help of the memo I saved in my phone. I’ve been either lazy, busy, tired from work or.. just lazy. Can someone invent a device that enables us to mind blog? Like seriously?

Anyway, my vacation started on the 10th of June. That’s like a decade ago. Kidding. My flight was around 10 am in the morning. It took 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach Hong Kong. Oh, bear in mind that I was in a tour group, so I had limited shopping time but at least I get to know where to shop and such when we go there on our future visit. When we reached there, we took a bus for about 45 minutes to go to Shenzhen Bay Border, that’s where we finally cross to China. There we have to get off the bus, check out from Hong Kong border and enter China’s. If you’re lucky enough, it will take you less than an hour. We were lucky to have another counter open for us at China’s border but what’s crazy was the officer took at least 10 minutes for each one of us, just analyzing our photos, and probably spelled out our difficult Malay name one by one. And had a hard time with the lady since we have different tudong styles now. And we had the most bangang officer.

After we passed the passport checking and all, we had to go outside and get on our bus. But our bus parked around 5-10 minutes away walking, around half kilometer away or more. There’s a place specially for bus to park but I have no idea why the driver parked on the other side. We had to cross the road, and the traffic and what not. It takes about two hours to reach Guangzhou by bus. So by the time we reached Guangzhou, our tour guide brought us for dinner at a Muslim restaurant called Abdullah. We have no idea how to order if we ever go on the trip on our own because they hardly speak English in China (except famous shopping places like Luohu, where some of them even speak Malay). So when we arrived, all we know is eat as the food is already ready. Since all of us were already tired from the crazy long flight, we went to our hotel to check in. We stayed at Euro Asia Hotel. They have wireless at the lobby. And please bear in mind you’ll be super lifeless there with no Facebook and Twitter. So all I had was Instagram. You can use those in Hong Kong though 🙂 The next morning….

They gave breakfast vouchers to us. And please be noted, most hotels do not have halal food. So the only you can eat will only be… boiled eggs, bread.. well you know it yourself lah kan. So it’s safer to bring some snack, cup noodles and such. Karang ada yang menangis kelaparan. We went for a city tour around Guangzhou. Our first stop was Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.
Above picture taken using my Fisheye 2. Next stop was the Five Ram Statue which we didn’t actually go up the stairs to see the statue because it would be tiring, it was almost raining and all we wanted was shopping. One thing our tour guide advised us is not to buy anything there, or at least don’t use any big change cuz there’s a possibility of you kena tipu and get your money changed to a fake one so you ended up having all fake money. Better be safe than sorry.

We went to a jewellery place next. The owner’s son was there and was able to speak malay since his mother is Indonesian. Ha gave each of us a jade – which I now use as my necklace – and gave crazy discount. Like this ring which cost around $4000 Brunei Dollar, he only sold to us for $800. The cashiers were scared but all he said was “it’s alright. I will sign later and pay the rest!” We went for lunch after that at a really nice new Arab restaurant called Al Bustan.

The food was not bad and they have a freaking wireless! I went crazy with Whatsapp and Instagram there. Sigh. The life of a social addict.

Next stop was Great Mosque of Guangzhou, where we arrived just in time for Zohor prayer. I love how the mosque looks like! There’s halal supermarket and restaurant along the road.

Our next stop was the Chen Clan Academy where we only did a super quick half tour and just shopped for jewellery there.

Our next stop was…….. SHOPPING! We went to Shang Xia Jiu Guang Chang. It’s a long street full of big and small shops. You can’t bargain at big shops of course but the small ones, you must bargain AT LEAST half of the price they gave you. Please be memajal as you can because they will eventually give you the price you asked for. The rate is about 6 Yuan for B$1. Here you can get a lot of jewellery, tops, jeans. Everything. As long as you know where to find and bargain. And most of them do not speak English. Calculator and body gestures will be a help. They kept speaking Chinese to me and it’s probably the most in my life saying “No! English! English!” They did tried their best to speak English to my parents but when they turned to me, they still spoke Chinese to me. So.. Uhm.

After that we went dinner to the same restaurant and I did get to take pictures of more Engrish on their menu. You can view on my Facebook album if you have mine.

There’s always small, mobile vendors selling fruits outside like lychee (I miss this the most! Super nyaman!), berries, chestnuts, peach. And please do bargain.

And to end our day in Shenzhen we went for a cruise. No picture. We had a long ride that I almost fell asleep there. Went back to hotel and packed up as we moved to Shenzhen the next day.

Till the next post! Sorry for the low quality pictures as all are taken using my phone and I spent more time taking pictures using Giggle 🙂

Oh June

When was the last time I updated this little baby of mine? It’s been a while ah… I’ve been busy. Well, been making myself busy. Work from 6.30++ till 5pm, gym right after that till 6.30pm. Home for dinner after that and sleep right away.. Or filling it with one or two episodes of series then sleep. And the cycle just goes on and on and on….

Also a lot of things had happened when I was away from here. He’s back, again. Not sure how it will go this time but I’m hoping for the best.

Also… I’ve crossed off another one from my wishlist… Got myself a Pink Fisheye No 2! Wheeeeee~

A lovely girl, isn’t she? Now Baby Sunshine (my Diana Mini En Rose) has a little sister! Her name is Giggle. Because it makes everyone giggle whenever they see her 🙂

Also do expect an update from me by the end of next week. This lady and my Giggle are going for a nice gateaway. I am going to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhao. Will be restocking my films to bring there. And of course, digital camera is a must bring. Hah! It’s gonna be a visiting trip rather than shopping trip but I am still excited. Giggle gonna take a lot of precious shoot there! And I miss shopping in Bandung already!!!

Bah.. Till the next update. I miss blogging! And sleeping all day long and do nothing productive!

No reasons.

Diana Mini En Rose
Film: Fujifilm Superia ISO 200

Hiatus.

I’m going for a temporary hiatus, at least for the next few days, or a week or two. I need to handle some stuff, going to school and such. I need to cross off everything from my to-do list first. I’ll be back in no time 🙂

Diana Mini En Rose
Film: LOMO ISO 100

Farewell.

Salam. It’s been awhile, isn’t it? I’ve lost my passion for blogging, thanks to the existence of our dear micro-blogging site, Twitter.

2011 is almost over, and I believe it’s time to reflect back to what happened this year, what I’ve achieved and whatnot.

It won’t be listed accordingly though, simply according to how.. I remember it.

2011, the year that gave me joy, gave me so much new experiences, and yes, a lot of breakdowns, happy moments. Met new people, lost some. Drama, seems like a must every year. In fact, 2011 has been a rather busy year for me, especially since I had my A Level Exam.

I will never forget the fact that I got the opportunity to be part of PTEK’s Student Council 2010/2011. Also, joining Choir club and meeting awesome people from the club, and joining the preliminary round, although we quit the final due to our exam. I’m also glad that I had the opportunity to lead Newsletter Club, although I wasn’t really a good leader, yet I am still thankful.

2011 also taught me to be thankful to everything I have, thanks to joining SMARTER’s Oddy’s Quest back in May. I now know how to appreciate things even more. I learn how to cooperate more, I learn how to communicate with the kids better. I am glad that I took part in the musical gala night, and yes, I am joining the sequel, again, as the backstage crew. Because of this, I am also now part of SMARTER PALS.

Following the night, we had an appreciation night. Although the kids were not around, spending time with the founder, the teachers, staff, volunteers and friends was worth the night.

And it doesn’t stop there, we went to their JP Outing as well! I will never end my support for SMARTER. ♥

What started all these? It was PTEK’s Sociology Charity Race for SMARTER. And that marked my first contribution to SMARTER.

I also went for a trip to JAPEM and Pusat Bahagia! Another fun experience, to be honest.

2011 also marked the year I started to be extra conscious with my body. I lost several kilos, and joined a walkathon, HSBC Walk Run Cycle as well as Standard Chartered’s Fun Run on my birthday.

I also made a new hobby. I now own a Diana Mini En Rose and you can see my albums on facebook – if you have mine – album 1, album2, album 3. I plan to buy a FishEye 2 Pink, InsyaAllah in 2012.

What’s 2011 without my birthday? Yes, I turned 17 this year. And I have about less than 7 months until my 18th.. until I’m finally legal! Had a surprise party by the girls -LMJ.

2011 also marked the 1st birthday for Waiz. And kid you not, he had two parties! First party and Second Party.

And what’s 2011 without a little adventure? Us girls went to Bandar, and spent the day there. We only got to visit our very own Royal Regalia. I hope there will be a part two in this adventure. One day.

And to be honest, the highlight of 2011 is… winning. I won five times this year. BruneiTweet+HSBC Photo Competition for the HSBC WRC, brunch vouchers at Season’s from UBDfm, BMobile goodies from UBDfm, BMobile Recharge Card for BMobile Twitter Competition and… recently, a Mini Chopper, the grand lucky draw I got during Jumanji’s Annual Appreciation Day.

I also got the opportunity to work alongside my Media and ICT Team during the 46th SEAMEO Council Conference and 6th ASED Ministers Meeting Cultural Night.

I was also featured in motivationmy’s website! And… my favorite blogger’s blog, The Asian Bimbo!

I also went to Jerudong International School to attend Shakespeare Day (album by Jeah). It was an honor! I love Shakespeare, to be honest. And yes, I own the complete edition of his artwork!

I was also in a play, alongside my Literature classmate, performing The Importance of Being Earnest. I screwed up the first part.. Everything went well but not the last act though. We successfully screwed up the last part. HAHAHA. It’s my first play after years not acting. I was definitely active acting back when I was part of Brownies.

Despite the fact that I’m no longer in high school doesn’t stop me from meeting my girls. We had about three gathering this year, or was it two? I’m looking forward to meet all of them again. Soon, InsyaAllah.

2011 also marked the year where I crossed off another thing from my bucket list. Going for audition. Lynnie and I went for the audition. Sure, we didn’t make it to the final, but I’m glad we had the courage to do it (although we did it twice) and we did Korean song! And no practice at all. Just a quick one in the car.

Although I wasn’t really a Kpop addict, only liking the song, and fangirling over SHINee.. it changed this year. Lynnie made me a total fangirl, especially over INFINITE. And yes, I still love SHINee.. and MBLAQ, but to be honest, I’m head over heel over INFINITE. So, I’ve been spending most of my days listening to their songs, watching their shows and such.

As much as I would like to think I’ve had only joyful things going on, I know I can’t deny the fact that many dramas had conquered me completely. Like.. finally getting in touch with my long lost bestfriend who ended up ditching me again. It was hard for me to take at first, but I guess I’m over it. It’s time to move on.

I also broke my iPod. Which is not even a year old.

And.. if you read my previous posts, yes I was in love. I thought after taking a break after 3 years, maybe I should give it a try again. I guess I was wrong. Love is blind after all. And that, I shall leave all that behind, along with all my 2011 memories.

2012, may it be a better year for me, for all of us.

Although I promised myself to blog more in 2012, I know I can’t keep the promise. Even my January is already packed with a lot of travelling, wedding and rehearsal with SMARTER for Oddy’s Quest II.

I’m excited. I wonder what 2012 will bring me 🙂

I guess that’s enough for now. And sorry for lack of pictures.

Loads of love,

Miiksy.

October.

I just left this blog for about a month + and already a lot of changes been done by WordPress. And my blogstat definitely went downhill.

Hello readers! How you’ve been doing?

It’s finally October.. my A Level Exam starts in 9 days.

Sorry that I don’t update here that often anymore. I update more on my tumblr though.

So.. what did you miss? I don’t know really.

But… Guess what? I bought a new baby. Yes. Another baby. Here’s some trivia for you who don’t remember who my babies are. I have Rayyan (Nokia E63), Love (iPod Touch), Travie (my hard drive), Summer (Canon Powershot E1). If you’ve been following me on twitter, or Tumblr.. or stalked me on Facebook, I’m sure you know what’s my new baby. So here it is, let’s welcome my new member, Sunshine, a Diana Mini En Rose & Flash.