Off to Atwood Falcon

Just got a call yesterday from my coordinator .... will be boarding a chopper to Rig Atwood Falcon 11.00 am later .... previously was at Rig T6 for 3 days ..... all of a sudden, there is so much to do but there is so little time .... now waiting for my company driver to arrive to fetch me to the helibase ....

Will blog again once i'm back on land :-)

Teh O Limau (Con't)

This morning after jogging, i went for breakfast at krokop. Milo Ice now cost RM2.00 ......

Expensive Teh O Limau

This evening before i joined my friends to play badminton at Curtin University, we actually dropped by a coffee shop for a drink. I ordered a "Teh O Limau Ice" and to my surprise it costs me RM1.70. Personally i really think it is a bit too much, how can Teh O Limau cost the same as Milo Ice that i usually buy for breakfast at Miri???

Ever since i first step foot at Miri, i immediately feel the impact of the price of goods here. Even for a person like me that does not bother to compare prices, the difference of price of goods between Miri and KL is way to significant to be ignored. An average of 15-20% difference, i just wonder is it that expensive to transport goods over here to Miri??? Even fruits at Miri are much more expensive ......

Last year the government announced that our inflation rate is 2.o-2.5%, but as far as i know my expenditure has gone up to almost 20% since 3 years ago. My favourite breakfast mee kolok was RM1.00 three years ago, now RM1.20. Milo Ice was RM1.50 then, now RM1.80. Petrol price increased for 30 cent for the past three years. Most of the essential items that i used like groceries and toiletries at least hike about10% compared to last year. Eating out also the same scenario. After doing the math, i am quite impress to know that our country inflation rate is only 2.0-2.5%. But i do know that LCD TV price is getting cheaper :-P

Everything goes up expect our salary ......

Good Gardening

The great art of gardening .....

New season of Formula 1

Finally the much awaited Formula 1 season has started, and this year our Malaysia will be hosting the second round. Last week Formula 1 race in Australia was full of tragedy, only 7 out of 22 cars finished the race. I was lucky to have catch the race on TV, thanks for my housemate who brought his TV out from his room to the living room. Initially the TV was there for election viewing, but somehow it stays till now ... :-)

Hamilton won his first race of the year .... not so much to cheer about .... I'm not a fan of him ... but no doubt McLaren has prove to be very strong this year .... 1st and 5th place for the first race tells it all ....

Ferrari also look very promising this year .... even tough a disastrous outing last race .... just sheer bad luck i think .... but after the FIA removed the traction and launch control and some other "driver aids" .... it seems that a lot of drivers out there still getting used to it ... maybe that is why it translate into so many accidents over the weekend .... even experienced driver like Massa and Raikkonen can spin off on their own ..... what can i say

I was expecting Renault to be strong this year .... but as what Alonso said .... they dun have the car to win races yet .... well it definitely shows on last sunday race .... average performance from Renault ... even Alonso manage to secure a 4th placing .... but that is in expense of many accidents that happened .... maybe not so lucky the next time ....

Both BMWs, Sauber and Williams have been achieving good results over the weekend. They definitely have a good car, but as usual i still doubt the teams capability to actually challenge for the championship. Well, i hope i'm wrong but as of now this is what i feel ....

I hope to see a strong race this coming weekend at Malaysia .... can wait .... and some driver out there please beat Hamilton !!!!!! haha ....

No PORK !!!!

Just for laughs .... haha

Tutu Fish at Berkenu

Just came back from a sumptious dinner at Berkenu. A famous place to eat Tutu fish, at least this is what the local people called it. According to the locals, Berkenu is famous for breeding this kind of fresh water fish. Selling at RM80 per kg (including cooking), apparently it is the cheapest price available. If i remember properly, it used to sell at over RM100 a kg back at the west Malaysia.

We drove all the way from Miri, a solid hour to reach Berkenu. As we started to depart only at 6.30 pm, we drove in the dark most of the time as there were no street lights along the road. So much effort to get there yet actually, we can get the same thing at Miri for about the same price. Dun ask me why as i am just following the crowd ... :-P

Old looking restaurant

Restaurant Name

Steam fresh water prawn

Fried fresh water prawn

Famous Steam Tutu Fish

I am not an eating expert but overall, not bad and worth a try.

Alex's wedding at Bintulu

26 jan 2008 yet another memorable day .... but not for me haha .... for my buddy and colleague Alex Sia and his wife .... a humble yet meaningful day when both of them finally tie the knot .... congratulations again !!!!!!!

It's been almost 2 years since i visited Bintulu .... the last time is when i did my 6 months offshore training .... well, it's good to be back .... especially for such a meaningful occasion

I must admit that i am very lucky to make it to their wedding .... no offshore call ... went to bintulu a day earlier so that i will be able to attend his wedding ceremony in the morning ... my first church wedding experience ....

A very fun day altogether, even tough the "chi muis" did make our life a little bit difficult at first. Get to know some great people and basically there is no other better day that i can ask for :-)

I hereby wish the newly wed couple a happy and meaningful new life ahead.

Alex and the milk bottle


Superb duet from the couple


Lovely couple & lovely cake


Wedding dinner at Bintulu

***Special thanks to Alex for allowing to share this special moment.

Wind of Change??

Malaysia - It's almost a week since the breath taking election ..... and guess what ??? Our stock market took a set back and the present government & opposition is still busy squaring of with each other. I guess a 63 seats in the parliament doesn't really give the government enough mandate to really look into welfare of our people and to at least inform us the direction of our economy at this very crucial point of time.

Equally dramatic incidents have emerged from both government and opposition after the election, but i guess something is really missing. Something that i guess we Rakyat have been hoping for after the so called "wind of change", which is for the government and opposition to realize that we are desperate for a change. Not changes in parliament candidate nor changes in the state government, but most importantly a positive change in our economy and social lifestyles. But we aren't see much effort yet on this matter.

There is so much to be done, but instead on the ground level issues like racial sentiment, power squabbling and never ending blaming are on the picture right now. Probably it is just a week after the election, the government will need some time re-evaluate itself while the opposition still taking some time settle down on their new coalition. But i hope all of this will be over soon and the federal and state government can start to work hand in hand to address more important national issues that have been affecting the Rakyat all this while. I hope that this is not too much to ask for.

While we always proudly tell the world out there that we can peacefully live in a multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi religious Malaysia, i hope the government can really lead the way to show us how it is done. Let set aside our differences, forget about the past and start to strive for a better tomorrow. There is still another 4 years to come before the next election ... so what is the fuss all about ??

Women's words

Well man, this is some important women's very own vocabulary that you never find in Oxford dictionary .... so take note ....

1.) Fine
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes
If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4.) Go Ahead
This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh
This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6.) That's Okay
This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks
A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome.

8.) Whatever
Is a women's way of saying F@!K YOU!

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it
Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to #3.

Facebook Anthem

Check it out .... very true description of facebook .... :-)

Cervical Cancer

Today, i attended my company's monthly HSE meeting. At the end of the meeting, there was a presentation by a specialist from Columbia Asia. An interesting topic on cervical cancer. I believe that there are still some lady out there are unaware of this, like some of my colleagues. Even though there is nothing to do with me ( as a man), however i think i should share what i have learnt today about cervical cancer.

Apparently, this cervical cancer is caused by a virus named HPV. There a lot of type of HPV around, and only a cluster of them can potentially lead to cervical cancer. Only woman with active sexual life will possibly to encounter with HPV, as the most common tranmission mode for this virus is via sexual activities. Good news is that this virus will only take about 3 years to fully develop into cancer, so regular check up on it almost certainly will help in early prevention. The most common test done is PAP test and according to the doctor, it wont cost much. Anyway, there are also vaccination available, 3 doses for around RM1500. But according to the doctor, it's painful .... OUCHHHH !!!!!!

well ... i hope i can write more but too bad i'm not an expert in this matter ... :-P

here are some websites that you can check out to find our more:

http://www.tellsomeone.com.my/ts_cervical_cancer/what_is_cervical_cancer.htm
http://www.nci.com.my/cervicalc.html

Miri International Charity Fair

1th March 2008, woke up early in the morning and head towards KRP (Kelab Rekreasi Petronas) to help out IEM G&S to setup their booth for the Miri International Fair. A very quite morning, started with setting up the IEM Banner at the booth. The strong wind doesn't help at all, so all i do all morning is working with the banner. Around 10.00 pm, the whole place is already full of crowd. So our little games booth also start operating. Next to our booth is the Shell G&S booth :-)

IEM Sponge Toss "Target"


RM2 for 3 toss ...


Food stall


Innocent charm ...


Any idea what are they doing??


Face painting


Multi-racial, multi-cultural Shell


Fire in the hole !!!!


Performance by the under privilege


IEM G&S + prize winner - me

Overall, IEM G&S managed to accumulated about RM 500++ ... not bad at all. Thanks to all the cute and young kids from Shell ... pouring a big amount of money to participate in our game. I came across a blood donation campaign .... donated my B+ blood after a lapsed of 2 years not donating. Conclusion .... a meaningful and enjoyable fair ... :-)