A Blog Without a Title

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-24T21:36:00.001+13:00

For all of you who didn't have a great start to 2012, here's another chance! May the lunar new year of the dragon bring everyone great health, wealth and prosperity! I'm thankful for family and friends to welcome me back home.

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

My 2012 resolution

2012-01-06T17:14:00.003+13:00

Like every year, i would always name out a list of things i wish to achieve for the year. I guess my last year's resolution did not go as well as planned but that shouldn't deter me from making resolutions for 2012. I think i've only achieved 3 out of my 8 resolutions which is pretty sad. But nevertheless, 2011 was another memorable year so time to look forward! Now, what am i hoping to achieve for 2012?

1. Be a fully independent working man
Now that i'm officially done with university, i guess it's time to put what my mom invested in me to full use. I'm hoping to score a full time career with any video production company seeing that my major is in television/video production. At this stage, i will be staying in New Zealand for another year since i'm entitled to apply for a graduate work visa so hopefully, it will be another fruitful time. Sorry RTB, my plans to take over you have to be put on hold. :P

2. Attend church more frequently
It's been pretty hard for me for the past 3 years to get settled down in a church for several reasons. This year, i'm going to try and put in more effort.

3. Healthier lifestyle
Just like every year, this will have to be part of my new year's resolution list just to keep myself in check. While i haven't really lost much weight from last year, i'm equally glad that i haven't gained as well. But hopefully, this year will be more promising for me to achieve what i really want - the look good, feel good factor.

4. Start posting more photos / videos
Over the past three years of juggling between my part time work and uni, i haven't really been doing much shooting. But hopefully this year i'll be more active with my camera gears instead of letting them sit around in my room. At the same time, i'm also hoping to start printing out some of my best shots. I do miss the feeling of seeing and feeling photographs in your hands and whipping out a photo album to reflect on the past.

5. Have more confidence in my capabilities
I'm always doubting myself whenever it comes to photography and filming even though i should be confident in what i have learnt. I guess over the last few years of getting "constructive criticisms" and not enough acknowledgements have shattered my self esteem with what I love doing.

6. Continue to be positive
Just like last year, i'm hoping to continue looking at the positive side of life. Smile more, laugh more, love more and live more.

That's about all i can think of for my 2012 resolutions. It's not that many but i'd rather have it that way than to list out a whole lot of stuffs and not even achieving it. Always good to keep it simple.

So what's going to happen on 21st December 2012?

2012-01-04T04:13:00.000+13:00

So we're finally in 2012. The year that's suppose to end. Or the year that might end. That's one of the first few things that crossed my head when the world was welcoming 2012 with cheers and alcohol. While most people i've talked to would immediately assume nothing's going to happen on 21st December 2012, it doesn't quite convince me about the possibility of it not happening. That thought was triggered right after watching this video.

©viralvideocenter.com

That was 100 years worth of war, killings, natural disasters and significant moment. And towards the last 5 to 10 years, you can see there's an increase of natural disasters globally. While it has been a great blessing being born and raised in Brunei, a country that is quite free from natural disasters (besides the occasional flooding due to rain and poor sewage system), I cannot help but wonder how petrified I'd be if I were to be caught in any of the disasters.

A friend of mine also made an interesting comment which i found to be alarmingly true. He said "Back when you were younger, you hardly hear news about natural disasters. Today, you hear news about earthquakes and other disasters almost every day and finds that normal." In all honesty, i have never read, watched and heard so much information about earthquakes since i've moved to New Zealand. While I cannot imagine how it'd feel to live in Christchurch and experience tremors on a daily basis, I definitely remembered my heart pounding like mad after experiencing just only a 2.9 magnitude earthquake in Auckland last year. Lol!

And then there was the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami that wiped out over 300,000 people. That's like wiping out almost the entire population of Brunei.

And of course the very recent tsunami that struck Japan's Sendai last April. This really got me thinking hard that it is just that easy for nature to wipe us out in a heartbeat. One day you wonder what accessories you wanna get for your new Macbook Air, the next thing you know, none of that matter.

And then, God knows why i ended up watching this documentary this afternoon.

©History Channel

While i myself at this stage is sitting on the fence, I'm intrigue by the whole phenomena and am always up the hear what others think about it be it science, religion or even logic discussion. What do you think will happen on 21st December 2012? And suppose if you found out the end times is real, how would you live your life right now?

What a way to start a 2012 post huh?

Here's to 2012!

2011-12-31T17:41:00.001+13:00

It has indeed been a big learning curve for me so ultimately this has to be the highlight of my 2011.

Ronald Cheng (BCS).

And the big question right now is what's in store for 2012? At this point, I honestly have no idea. But God has been faithful throughout the entire of my degree journey so i will let Him decide.

Wishing everybody a safe New Year's eve celebration and may 2012 be a more fruitful, exciting and most importantly a healthy year for all of you!

Jason Mraz "You Are Loved" Live in Auckland 2011

2011-11-19T21:26:00.005+13:00

Imagine if you’re a huge fan of Jason Mraz, attends his concert and holds up a banner that says “Please sing Lucky with me!” The next thing you know, he sees your and banner and calls you up on stage.

That was what happened with one lucky fan that evening. An Asian girl by the name of Esther scored big time when Jason Mraz saw her sign and invited her on stage to an impromptu duet session to cover Colbie Caillat’s part for the song “Lucky”. As nervous as the whole audience in Civic Theatre was for Esther, she definitely surprised everyone including Mraz himself with her steady vocals. Of course, after the show i managed to find out that she was Korean. And we all know one fact for sure...Koreans can sing. Well, not all at least.

I actually didn’t know that Jason Mraz was performing in Auckland until my flatmate (who is a harcore Mraz fan) told me about it. While I have to admit that i’m not a massive fan, i do enjoy his music and know that he’s a great entertainer when performing live- especially after watching several live performances of his on Youtube over the years. And it was worth spending that $150 for a pair of tickets because Mraz definitely wowed the crowd with his performances and his sense of humour.

Mraz sharing a joke with the audience

This is also by far one of the simplest concerts i’ve ever attended with no stage props and crazy lighting effects. Just instruments and mad talents by Mraz and his side kick, Toca Rivera. No opening act, no breaks in between songs, no costume change, just two of them having fun on stage and serenading the crowd for 2 ½ hours straight. In fact, they were so good that at one point during the show some random guy in the crowd yelled out “Jason I’m so horny!” In return, Mraz dedicated one of his songs to “that guy who is horny on the balcony” which got everyone laughing.

Despite having released three official studio albums already, about ½ of the songs he sang that night were unreleased or new songs from his upcoming new album. He did sing a few of his hits like You & I, Life is Wonderful, Plane, Love For A Child and the overplayed hit “I’m Yours” which got everyone excited when he strummed the first two chords.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening for some of us wasn’t during the show but after it. Both Calla & I decided to try our luck and see if we can get a chance to see him closer. We were only expecting him to drive by with his windows down and waving at us for a few second (like most glam celebrities) but after waiting patiently for an hour or so looking at the car park exit, we got an unexpected surprise.

Jason Mraz coming out of Civic Theatre!

Then we got our hopes a little high up when a guy (presumably his manager) came out and said Mraz wanted to meet all of us but in order to do so, there are some "ground rules". No crowding or pushing around him otherwise, the night is gonna end very soon. And patience definitely did pay off.

Us & Jason Mraz

With Toca Rivera

I’m not sure if both Mraz and Rivera stayed until the last fan left but everyone who was waiting around managed to get pictures, signatures and even a quick chat session with them. Their down to earth personality and friendliness definitely left everyone star struck as all of us went back home with huge smiles.

Jason Mraz "You Are Loved" is definitely a show worth catching if he’s performing in your town!

RIP Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011.

2011-10-06T17:56:00.000+13:00

Today, the world mourns as the genius behind Apple finally lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. As much as i want to blog about how much Jobs have revolutionize not just only Apple but technology all around the world, i also think it's about time that there should be an increase awareness with pancreatic cancer.

Truthfully, it's not only the fact that i own a couple of Apple products that makes me feel saddened by the passing of Jobs but also because my dad lost battle to the same cancer four years ago. I still cringe each time i hear people being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer because i know it's only a matter of time before their time is up. As of today, the chances of survival is still very slim despite how advanced medical technologies are.

I remembered the days when my dad finally came to accept the fact that he was dying, he said "No matter how rich and famous you are, once you've got pancreatic cancer, it's like you're given the death sentence." And of course, over the years we've heard big names like Michael Landon, Patrick Swayze, Luciano Pavarotti and now, Steve Jobs all becoming victims of this dreaded disease.

While it is true that pancreatic cancer is dubbed as the fastest spreading cancer or the "silent killer"(as the symptoms are vague), the average person may only live up to either a year or a little bit more after being diagnosed but Jobs on the other hand managed to live through another six more years. And through that six years, we've seen him proudly delivering all the iPods, Macbooks and iPhones into our lives. That itself speaks volume about how tough he went through life juggling between the disease and making sure all the Apple products we have sitting in our rooms now are up to his standards.

Pancreatic cancer may have taken away one of the finest genius to ever walked this earth but at least i am glad to have lived in the same era where Jobs brought us the future. May you rest in peace, sir.

Thank you, Mr Jobs.

For more information and support about pancreatic cancer, visit Pancan.org.

9/11: Lest we forget

2011-09-12T13:41:00.001+12:00

Keeping the memories of those who were lost on that fateful day alive.

New Zealand haka - Ka mate!

2011-09-08T12:00:00.000+12:00

Rugby World Cup 2011 officially starts tomorrow!! Despite being here for a little more than two years now, i'm still not into the sports. But on the bright side, i did have my share of fun back in 2009 when i volunteered to help run a rugby workshop at Pat Lam Academy. These kids are just crazy about rugby!

Anyway, to join in the hype of the RWC fever, i compiled a video of the kids doing the haka led by a few of the guys from the All Blacks team. Excuse the terrible video quality because i was still using my Sony Ericsson W980 then. Yes, i still remember the model. Lol!

Go All Blacks!!

Retail job sucks...

2011-09-06T00:08:00.002+12:00

I think retail is by far one of the most ridiculous job out there. Then again, anything that involve dealing with customers directly is pretty ridiculous. It's been more than a year now that i've been working part time as a sales assistant in an ~~overpriced~~ shoe store. And to think that i have not served any "interesting" customers since last year would be an understatement because on average, we get at least one or two "interesting" people coming in to our store every few weeks with either a complaint or some sort of negotiation.

There's this funny thing about customers here. For some reason, they get the impression that whatever they purchase comes with a lifetime warranty. And worst of all, if something happens to it, they demand a full refund. And we're talking about shoes that's been bought and used for more than 6 months. For some - a year! I recently had a customer who came in and asked if she's able to get a refund or a compensation because she bought a pair of shoes few months ago and have only "wore it a few times at the office" before the heels broke. I thought to myself, well if it's only been worn "a few times" it should be repairable or possible replaceable but when she took out her pair of "hardly worn" shoes out of the bag, i almost cried.

Hardly worn shoes

Broken heel on the left

I have no idea which part of this is hardly worn because if 'hardly worn' represents a casual sex person, this pair of shoes right here - is a prostitute. Not only did it look so worn out, you can still smell some strong feet odor as though she just took her shoes off minutes before entering the store.

This is how a brand new pair looks like...

I'm not sure if it's just me working way too long in retail that's driving me crazy or if this is part of "customer rights" but I personally would find it strange demanding for either a refund or a replacement of any product if i used it for about half a year to a year. Unless if it's electronic gadgets or something that's really expensive. But shoes? The only time i'll return to a shoe store to get an exchange or refund is if i get the wrong shoe size or if i break my leg wearing their shoes NOT when i wear the shoes every single day for the next 6 months and claim it's a crap pair because something's worn out or broken after using it every single day. Try going back to a department store to return a pair of underwear you bought a week ago with a little brown stain on it and say "Oh hey, i bought this pair from you about a week ago and wore it only a few times, yeah i guess i'm not actually a size 'S'."

Jackie Chan says no

You know work is driving you a little psycho when you suddenly develop the skills to smile at a customer and apologizes (for her own purchase!) while in your head, you're sarcastically ask loudly if she has tried losing some weight before climbing on those heels instead of blaming the shoes.

#fml

Racism in European football

2011-07-17T19:38:00.000+12:00

After my last post, i've received a few encouraging messages from friends and even people i do not know who were victims of racism and discrimination. I thank you for sharing your stories and advices with me. Although what happened to me might not be "too big of a deal" for some, as a blogger, i still feel there is definitely a need to blog about this unfortunate experience.

One of my friend also sent me a link to this short video that really shows the severity of such shameful acts in the world of European football. Definitely worth watching.

"Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color." ~Author Unknown

My first asian racism / discrimination experience in Auckland...

2011-07-10T19:21:00.003+12:00

I've heard stories about it. I've read about them on the newspapers and seen it on the television before. But i've never encounter it personally. At least not till last night.

Last night after a quick night out with a bunch of friends at a club, we decided to stop by a hot dog stall for a feed while we were on our way to the car. As I wasn't feeling too good after a long day at work, my head was screaming for me to go to bed. I decided to pass on grabbing a bite and stood next to the stall while waiting for my friends to get their feed. As i was waiting, I took out my iPhone and used the front camera to check if my face was looking any red from drinking and quickly put it back in my pocket before someone starts thinking i'm some vain freako. Just as i put my phone away, i noticed there were two girls sitting in front of me, facing towards me and eating their hot dogs. One of them saw what i was doing, leaned over to her friend and muttered something.

All of a sudden the other girl looked at me and yelled out rudely saying "You better not be taking pictures of me!" which caught me off guard. That was when i realized her friend might have misunderstood my actions. But because she was being rude to me, I replied her in my most "you are not hot at all" tone saying "No, why would i wanna do that?" to which she gave a smirk saying "Yeah, you better not you f-ing asian c*nt". When i first heard the racial slur came out of her mouth, i was offended because i felt it was totally uncalled for. But seeing that she was a girl and possibly drunk, i decided to ignore her remark and waited on my friends to finish their food. A few seconds later, she continued her verbal attacks again only this time more personally, commenting on my jacket and my scarf finishing each sentence with the term "f-ing asian c*nt" and then proceeded with insulting my friends saying we're a whole bunch of asian invasion. All these remarks while she was in the middle of eating her freakin' hotdog.

I was furious. I didn't know how to react because at this point, my head was just pounding but really, what else can i do? The only logical thing i can think of was to walk up to her and smack her half eaten hot dog out of her hand. A girl with a filthy mouth like that certainly does not deserve to be eating a Fritz Wieners hot dog. I wanted to retaliate with an insult but couldn't think of any because it dawned on me that i was experiencing my first case of asian discrimination. My friends however did not take it too well when they heard what she said and started questioning her remarks which led to a start of heated verbal insults thrown back and forth between her and my friends. I just stood there feeling confused because she started threatening us saying "Do you want me to call my boyfriend!?" Halfway through the drama, out of nowhere a friend of the girl walked by and she suddenly stopped everything, gave her a hug and a kiss on her cheek, said hello and proceeded to tell her friend that we were the ones here being racist. At this point, we just walked away and headed home because clearly, we don't see a point here arguing with intoxicated ignorant teens.

What started as an honest misinterpretation of me whipping out my phone to check myself out ended up with a case of racist insults being shouted back and forth. Today i woke up and tried to replay the short drama that happened last night in my head. I'm not going to lie but the derogatory insults from last night is making me feel kinda blah about my day today. I know i shouldn't be bothered about this because it was simply a mixture of alcohol and an ignorant stupid teenage girl. But really, if you're wearing an outfit that can barely cover your body on a cold windy Saturday night and sitting out in a public area, shouldn't you be worried about something else like getting a cold, falling sick and then dying of hypothermia instead of asians taking your picture?

Like it or not, racism is still a big issue not only here but everywhere in the world. Although what i've experienced for the first time last night was not really an "extreme case" of racism, it still was racism. Sure there were no fights or physical confrontations (i cannot imagine what the outcome would be if she did call her boyfriend or IF she even have one to begin with) but it was one of the most distasteful experience i have ever been in hence why i decide to blog about this. This also reminded me of a short but powerful clip i watched a few weeks ago on Morgan Freeman giving his view on racism in America.

And just for the record, her face was definitely a #fail because i cannot remember how she looks like.

Two years :)

2011-07-06T01:16:00.000+12:00

Two happy years. Here's to more. I love you. :)

Apple MacBook Pro RAM upgrade for dummies...

2011-06-20T23:20:00.002+12:00

I'm not really a tech person when it comes to computers but when it has something to do with money, the super asian side of me will try and find a way to minimize any unnecessary costs. I've been using this current MacBook Pro for about a year now and not long after i purchased this model (2.66ghz Intel Core 2 Duo) about a year ago, Apple announced the release of their MacBook Pros with the new Intel i5/i7 chips in it. If you're an Apple user, you'd probably have the same bittersweet relationship with their products just like me. Just when you thought you've got the latest and fastest product, lo and behold, Steve Jobs will suddenly announce the release of a better and faster product than what you've already have.

Ever since the release of the new models, I've been eyeing to upgrade my 2.66gHz MacBook Pro to one of the models with the i5/i7 chip in it simply because I (insert whatever reasons i can think of). But thankfully, the sensible side of me knew that i couldn't afford to do so. And then i thought to myself, well if i can't get the latest and fastest model, maybe i'll feel better if i can upgrade the specs of my MacBook Pro. So i went on Apple's website and looked at the costs of upgrading my ram.

Not funny at all...

Like i said, i'm not really a tech person but really, $640 for two pieces of ram? That's worse than daylight robbery. I was thinking if i am going to pay $640 for it, it'd better be some super magical Apple branded ram. Me being me, i love doing a lot of research before making a purchase so i went online to see if there's any other cheaper options for ram upgrades. After reading a few forums, i was surprise to know that Apple does not produce their own ram. In fact, most Apple computers/laptop use a third party brand for some of their components. If you own a MacBook Pro, chances are you either got a Samsung/Hynix/Micron ram running inside. I also happen to stumble upon Macrumor's website guides to buying Mac ram which was really informative.

So, after reading around i managed to narrow down to buying my ram from Macimprove.com simply because they ship overseas and they sell the similar ram brands that Apple uses. Most people would opt for a slightly cheaper ram brands such as OWC and Crucial which are well known for compatibility but i decided not to take the risk simply because i'm paranoid it might void my Apple Care warranty in case something happen. I spent around USD $120 (NZD $150) for a set of Samsung 8gb ram including "standard" shipping but little did i know the "standard" shipping took only 4 days which was an unexpected pleasant surprise!

But how did i actually change my rams on my MacBook Pro? After watching this tutorial video, i found out that it was really simple.

The only problem i faced was not having the proper screwdriver to use so i had to make a little hunt around the city. The perfect screwdriver needed to open up a MacBook Pro would be a "Philips Head #00 screwdriver" and i would really suggest getting the ones that comes with a rubber grip. There were a few people mentioning that it was hard to get their screws off but for mine, it didn't take much effort at all. It took me approximately 10 minutes to get mine done and after that...

Ba-da-bing...i save me $500! If you guys do plan to upgrade your ram by yourself, make sure you buy the correct ram specifications for your MacBook Pro model. Most of the websites selling ram on Macrumor's buying guide page have listed the specific type of ram that suits your MacBook Pro so it shouldn't be too hard as long as you know which model you have.

Kaipatiki Project

2011-06-05T23:50:00.002+12:00

Ladies and gentleman, this is what i have been keeping me busy for the past few months. After days of shooting and endless nights of editing, i am proud to present to you my very first corporate video masterpiece!

Although i'm so proud of what i've done, i gotta admit i'm already sick of watching this thanks to the endless hours of re-watching and analyzing clips over and over again. Lol!

Added on 08/06/11: After giving a copy of this video to my client, i got a call from the manager of Kaipatiki Project asking me if i was a Christian. I told him yes. And then he asked if i'm okay with him swearing. Not going to lie but my heart skipped a bit thinking that i might be in for a scolding. He then said "I just watched the video not too long ago and i think it's f**cking awesome!". Phew!!

#1 reason why i do not want to fail any subjects...

2011-05-11T17:08:00.000+12:00

My tuition fees for 2011.

I'm not gonna lie but whenever i see the amount of fees i'm paying, i feel extremely guilty that my mom is spending so much on my education. I know i was the one that said i wanted to do a degree in the first place two years ago and knew it was going to be an expensive experience but it still makes me feel awful seeing the amount that's being 'invested' in me. I am enjoying my course and learning a lot of new skills which i hope will land me a career in the future but right now, with no one working in the family, i feel like spending this large amount of money on me is just so...wrong. Especially when that amount can sustain my family's expenses for the next three years or so.

Dad, i hope i'm making you proud.

Customer service in Brunei...

2011-05-02T00:21:00.000+12:00

I just had a good read about this lady's experience of getting an iPad 2 back in Brunei. Needless to say, those who have stayed and shopped in Brunei can easily relate to her frustration especially when it comes to customer service. Having the experience of being trained in the hospitality industry, running a retail store back home few years back and currently working part time as a retail assistant over here in New Zealand, i can honestly say the customer service back home is a little behind. And i'm not referring to only retail stores. This is for those involved in the service industry back in Brunei.

Since i haven't been back for a little over a year, i am not entirely sure if the customer service in Brunei is still as bad as how it was when i left. But based from the experiences i've gone through and learned from being in the hospitality and retail industry and as a customer, i can easily share what i've learnt that might be useful for those back home who are involved in the service industry.

The main important thing that i've learnt after being a part time sales assistant here for almost a year now is not to judge your customers. Yes, some might be a pain but that does not give you any right to treat discriminate them and give them a mediocre service. Having said that, i know we in Brunei tend to discriminate people base on their race, status and appearance. Whether you like to hear it or not, this is sadly true especially on the race factor. If you're a Filipino, Bangladeshi, Indian, Thai or Indonesian residing in Brunei, the first thought that cross our mind is you're either a maid or a laborer. Yes, majority of these people are working as a maid or laborer but not all. Regardless of what they do for a living, why would most of us feel like there is a need to treat them differently as if they do not deserve the same service like everyone else?

A few months ago, a group of Filipino customers walk in to the store where i work here in Auckland. Having trained to greet anything that walks in the store within a few seconds, i'm not going to lie but i did felt like my attitude suddenly changed the moment i picked up their strong accent. First i told myself in my head that they're probably just window shopping. And then suddenly, one of them decide to try on a pair of shoes. At this instance, the Brunei side of me felt confused cause normally it's the other way round. They should be providing me with the service not me serving them. Then the other part of me just bitch slapped my prideful Bruneian ego and screamed "Go do what you're paid to do and serve your customers!" Eventually one of them ended up buying a pair of shoes from me and was happy with her purchase. After this experience, i've started analyzing why i felt what i felt that day. Again, it is sad but it leads back to what how we view and treat others back home. In our mindset, we Bruneians always want to be superior than the minorities back home to a point where we start treating them differently to show our superiority. Some do it openly but some do it discreetly.

"Aku orang Brunei kali ah. Kuning I/C. Ko apa? Hijau?? Balik tah!!"

But even among those holding Bruneian citizenship, you will find arguments trying to prove who are more legit Bruneians. I'm not going to go into that direction since it's a totally different topic here. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not bitching about my country or people here. I love Brunei and the people because i think we genuinely have nice caring people - but most of time only towards each other and tourists. If you're a tourist or an expat residing in Brunei (specifically if you're white), you'd probably find us treating you like you're Charlie Sheen or something. Everything you say and do are...

I remember a while ago, while paying for my electric bills back home, i got the moodiest lady serving me like as if i was the main fault she's missing out on her morning tea while behind me, a white guy was queuing waiting to pay his bill too. The minute i got my receipt and stepped away from the counter, the lady behind the counter stood up, smiled and greeted the guy with the nicest, friendliest "Hello!" that could've make Lionel Richie beam with pride.

Another problem why customer service in Brunei is slacking is because we simply do not appreciate them. Sure we'll feel good about ourselves when we've been served properly but we'll just end up walking out and forgetting about these people who did their best to provide a decent service. To put it bluntly, we think we are supposed to be treated like kings and queens. Yes, as customers we have rights (at least it most countries...not sure if there are such rights in Brunei! Lol!) and we deserve good service but that doesn't mean we should start treating them like servants first. Growing up in Brunei, i know it's quite a rare to compliment stranger or people you barely know. Even among friends, we tend to compliment each other sarcastically. In the long run, these people who work hard to provide the service would probably give up and not try anymore since they might feel unappreciated. Once that happens, then we'll start complaining about how crappy the services in certain places are. The next time you feel like you've been served properly as a customer, try tipping them if it's in restaurant or just telling them how great of a help they've been. This can easily make their day.

I'm sure if there is a lot of potential for the service industry in Brunei to brush up on their customer service skills. I've experienced a few favorable moments before. To name a few, i remember TelBru did a really great job when they ran their customer service month few years ago. Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and HSBC Bank are constantly on top of their game when it comes to providing customer service for their banking customers. The now defunct Zunic Wellness was always welcoming whenever i stepped out of the elevator in Plaza Athirah which made me full heartedly commit to coming almost everyday for a year to workout.

There are so many different ways the service industry in Brunei can do to improve their customer services. Over here we have mystery shoppers coming in every month to mark us on our service skills, proper training by management during the very start of employment, weekly feedback from the employers, etc. But most importantly, the change will have to start with the individuals themselves that are involved in the service industry and also with the customers not mis-using their rights. If we treat others like how we expect others to treat us, i'm pretty sure customer service in Brunei can be...

If coffee and energy drinks can't keep me awake...what can?

2011-04-29T03:21:00.004+12:00

It's 3am right now. I'm typing this entry while lying on bed praying that I can fall asleep anytime soon. It's been a long day for me today and I know I'm physically and mentally drained but the problem is...I just can't fall asleep.

Same case happened to me last night. As a result, this morning while crewing for my friend's shoot, I roamed around the set like a zombie. I thought I had a restless night of sleep and assumed I had one of those sleep where you close your eyes for 8 hours but you're still awake the entire time. So after a restless night, I thought I would be able to fall asleep easily tonight but for some reason, I'm still wide awake. Then I started tracing back on what I've took in the past few hours that might possibly keep me awake at this time.

In less than 5 minutes, I discovered the culprit.

My cup of tea...

When I'm sleepy, I can sleep through anything. As far as I knew, caffeine got nothing on me. I can normally drink a mug of coffee and still fall asleep if I'm tired. Same thing with energy drinks (except for Mother cause that's a brutal energy drink that'll even kick DiCaprio out of his limbo). As far as tea goes, this is the first time I realized it's keeping me awake.

I normally have a cup of tea before I sleep especially when it's cold outside. Tonight was one of those nights except that I forgot it wasn't the usual green tea I was drinking. I bought this tea that has a combination of "Pu Er" tea (also know as black tea) and Chrysanthemum in it. I never really cared for the different type of teas cause I thought they were all the same. The only reason why I bought this one was because I thought it has more Chrysanthemum flowers in it. Turns out it's just super strong "Pu Er" tea with a teeny bit of Chrysanthemum flowers. Ironically, i also realized i had a cup of that last night as well.

I should really start brewing this tea for lectures and save some money from getting my usual latte and V.

Ah China, you never fail!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I frequently think about death...

2011-04-25T16:38:00.000+12:00

I'm not gonna lie but since young, i've always been thinking about death. Not that i'm suicidal or anything but the thoughts are usually filled with curiosity. Sometimes whenever i think too much about it, i tend to scare myself and end up getting sweaty palms and an increased heart rate. Plus, the topic about death itself is pretty depressing so it's not ideally a topic to talk about with your friends nor is it an ideal table talk discussion over dinner with family. Imagine if your dad comes home, sits down on the dining table and instead of asking you how your day was, he asks "So, what do you think about dying?"

What about death do i normally think about? There are a few thoughts that i constantly think about and they are mostly linked to each other. Let's start of with the first one; the feeling of being dead.

Not my question...

We all can feel everything right now. But what happens when we're dead? Can we still use our senses like how we normally do right now? Some people say that when you're dead, the feeling is exactly like you're in a deep sleep. But of course, no one know for sure.

The other part thought that normally gets my heart racing is thinking about how the world will just move on after you're dead. So you're dead, buried and your friends and family mourn for you. But probably for few weeks or months only cause after that, they'll get on with their lives. And then day by day, months after months, people eventually forgets about you. After years, those who once knew you will eventually die themselves and then the knowledge of your existence eventually vanishes into thin air. All that is remained of you in this earthly world is a tombstone with your name engraved, skulls inside the ground but no one will know who you were, what you did, who your friends / family were, what you've been through, etc unless if you were once a megastar like Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson.

And then comes the thought of being left out with what else the future has in store. We're enjoying what technology has to offer right now. The latest iPhones, comfort of the internet, amazing computers, realistic games, Facebook, riding the latest cars, going to the newest theme parks, going on holidays in different places and more. I'm sure in 10 years time, there's gonna be more cooler stuffs that has yet to be invented, new places that has yet to be explored, better games to experience. The thought of dying today and not knowing what i'm going to miss out on tomorrow is just too...sad.

But of course everyone has their own views on death. Some people don't like thinking/talking about it. Some people think it's stupid to even address it. Some let religion do all the talking. Others just laugh at it.

Truth is we will all die eventually even though some of us wish to live forever. So while you're still alive, why keep frowning now and get all depress over little things that really don't matter? There's so many things to look forward to. Let us all live life to the fullest and laugh our way to the end.

Bruno Mars: Doo Wops & Hooligans tour live in Auckland

2011-04-19T13:15:00.005+12:00

Bruno Mars' last stop for his Doo Wops & Hooligans tour ended with a bang in Vector Arena, Auckland! This will definitely be classified under one of the best concert i've attended to. Aside from knowing the fact that this dude can REALLY sing and was recently caught for possessing cocaine, i didn't have much expectations. But after walking out of the arena tonight, i'm amazed. Well, partially cause he spent six minutes singing "Just The Way You Are" and kept repeating that i'm amazing just the way i am.

Bruno Mars fans..

The crowd was filled with enthusiasm as well despite the cold weather tonight. Thankfully, we didn't have to queue as long as how we had to for Adam Lambert's concert. Once we got inside the arena, we were in for a treat. We saw Bruno Mars walking around freely.

"Bruno ~~Mars~~ Jupiter"

Lol! This guy had people turning their heads for a second cause he did have a bit of resemblance to Bruno Mars himself on top of the outfit he chose to wear that night. But upon a closer look, my friend said he's probably a Bruno Wang or something.

Diafrix

The opening act for Bruno's concert was Diafrix that came from Melbourne. I'm not a huge fan of hip hop music but a few of their tracks reminded me of the 90's style of hip hop which is pretty mean. Apparently they say they've performed in many different states within Australia and claimed that the crowd in Auckland are the best they've ever performed for. I'm sure it's a performer line to please the crowd and what not but i kinda screamed back to them "MOVE TO AUCKLAND!!!"

Crowd anticipating Bruno Mars' appearance

Not entirely filled...

Bruno Mars starting performing at about 9.15 pm shortly after Diafrix ended their performance. The entrance theme to him and his band coming in was over exaggerated in a funny way. He used Also Sprach Zarathustra's "Sunrise" or those who's familiar with WWE would know it as Ric Flair's entrance theme. But that definitely did the trick to make the crowd go wild.

He started off the concert by showing off his drum skills (he's really good at it too!) and then belting out to the first half of "The Other Side" which he did a duet with Cee Lo Green on his album. After that part i was convinced that this is going to be another awesome concert. I still can't wrap around my head hearing him said that he used to play in bars every night just making quick buck and it's always been a dream for him to sing inside an arena. Before he ended his concert, he asked everyone in the audience to sing along to "Just The Way You Are" just for his pride and ego pleasure. Of course, a guy like Bruno will always gets what he wants. With a voice to die for and his mad James Brown dancing skills, women that night both young and old, married and single were dying to be Mrs Mars. Lol! It's really hard to put into words for his performance but i managed to record snippets of most of the song he sang and compile it into a video so i'll let you be the judge.

So my verdict for Bruno Mars: Doo Wops & Hooligans tour live in Auckland? In the words of Philip Lawrence (his backup vocalist) that night doing "The Lazy Song" it's a definite OH MY GOD, THIS IS GREAT! If you do have the opportunity to catch him live around your area, you definitely do not want to miss out on it. He'll have you strip down naked. That's how good he is. Lol!

The Road by Road of Resistance.

2011-04-17T01:19:00.001+12:00

I just turned 24 years old. If you didn't know, i'm currently majoring in video production from my Bachelor of Communication Studies. I'm hoping with my major, i will put all that i have learnt into producing documentaries. Documentaries for a cause. Any good cause that the mainstream media does not have time for.

And for my birthday wish this year, i want all of you to spare me 45 minutes of your time and watch this clip. After that, all you need to do is grab the link and share it on whatever social networking website accounts you are on.

THE ROAD from Road of Resistance on Vimeo.

Honestly, it's docos like these that inspires me so much. Hidden stories that the world really needs to know and be aware of. For those of you who breathe sighs of relief after hearing horror stories from the past (such as Hitler and the Nazis and the Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupation era) and think to yourself saying "thank god that was in the past", you need to know those events were real and sadly, they are still happening right now...inside Burma. They're rarely being reported on mainstream media. These are people trapped, tortured, raped and murdered in their own motherland, Burma. No way in, no way out just running in circles for the rest of their lives...

A thought for you that will temporary burst your little perfect bubble world and let you hit hard on reality.. Imagine if your whole life you grew up living in a life that is constantly on the run from people that you know once you're caught will torture, rape and murder you and your family. The worst part is you do not know when. It can happen any time and any where.

What would you do?

Leave some comments after watching this and let me hear some thoughts.

Review: TruePower Inc's ThinSkin for iPhone 4

2011-04-05T22:35:00.000+12:00

If you own an iPhone 4, chances are you are either using a case of some sort to protect your precious phone or you're using a bumper. Me? I prefer mine naked...well, maybe not entirely naked but i'd say with an underwear on. Like Superman.

Yes, i like to exaggerate. :)

While it is a risk for me to go "commando" with the iPhone 4, i felt with my last 3GS i actually spent so much time making sure it's well taken care of and it'll always be in a hard case so in the event of it being dropped, the phone will still look good as new. After a year of being careful with my phone, i eventually sold it off (for a pretty good price too, mind you!) and upgraded to this. And the cycle continues. After getting myself this, the first thing i did was to jump right into getting all sort of accessories to protect this phone.

Although this time, i find most accessories for the iPhone 4 not too appealing
as compared to accessories for the iPhone 3GS.

But barely after a week of getting this phone, i find using any case with the iPhone 4 kills the hard work Apple has put into designing the phone. It's like working out so hard in the gym to get yourself the six pack you've always wanted only to end up wearing baggy loose shirt every single day. So for the first time ever, i've decided to use the phone as it is. Of course, a few days into taking that leap of faith with my phone, i ended up dropping it on concrete...

Another interesting thing about being an iPhone owner is you'll tend to keep an eye out for accessories regardless of how many thousand of cases you have sitting at home. At least i have that sort of habit. Before i decided to go 'commando' on my phone, i was looking for all sort of accessories and tried avoiding getting the usual bulky cases. Since there wasn't any concept of using bumpers for the 3GS, i was more keen on trying it out with the iPhone 4 but unfortunately, there wasn't many that caught my attention mainly due to how much it bulks out the stainless steel section of the phone and the colors were either too typical or not too attractive.

Then i accidentally stumble upon TruePower Inc's ThinSkin.

Upon the first glance i thought it was some sort of professional paint job for the iPhone 4's stainless steel band but after clicking around a bit, i realized it's actually a 'skin'. To be honest, i was a bit skeptical as the precision as advertised looks too good to be true since i've tried a few 'skins' for my 3GS and my iPod but another part of me was tempted to give it a go because you gotta admit, it sure does looks good. So after contemplating for about a few hours looking at more ugly cases and bumpers, i ended up placing my order from their website and hoped my iPhone is going to look just as good as the advertisements.

When my ThinSkin finally arrived, i wasted no time in putting it on and boy oh boy, it was such a pain. The material used for this was so fragile that if you stretched it just by a little force, you'll lose the precision the skin on your phone. After fiddling for almost half an hour trying to get it on, i gave up and threw it away. At least this one came with a set of two just in case shit happened to your first try like what happened to me, you can still give it another go with the second piece. But i wasn't ready to take the risk. What if i mess up again and wasted USD$20? I felt cheated. I felt like i could have easily went to a stationary shop, buy myself USD$20 worth of Sellotape and wrap my whole phone in a red 'skin'.

So i decided to email the company and vent out my frustration. I complained about the quality and the fragility of their product and wanted a refund. Now, normally i wouldn't be too anal about getting a refund especially if the stuff i buy can be use even if it breaks after a few days of using it. At least there's the satisfaction of using it for a short while but in this case, i only went as far as trying to put it on. After sending the complain letter, i was prepared to get either a normal money sucking corporate respond by saying they sympathize with us but can't do anything about it or worst, a no reply at all.

Within a few hours, i got an email from one of the staffs with this reply.

I'm glad you emailed us. I was just reading your post and trying to find your email address.

I appreciate the feedback on both sides, good and "bad" because feedback helps us improve the product. There are hundreds of films we could use for ThinSkins all with pros and cons. The thinest sexiest films are the hardest to apply but look and feel the best. The thicker films are more resistant to stretching and make application much easier but by the time you get them on the phone they look and FEEL cheap and horrible! So what to do?

We are launching a new film at MacWorld which is thicker and easier to apply, more durable and hopefully not "too" thick. To be clear the result we are trying to achieve is to make it look like the color ThinSkin you chose was literally painted on.

That being said we have the new red coming in a few weeks and I would appreciate the opportunity for you to try ThinSkins again. We are committed to building the best product we possibly can. We pour over the smallest user experience details during our R&D and we use the most premium films we can find to create the best user experience we possibly can.

The new films we will be using are made in Germany and were specifically designed for Mercedes. I think you are going to like them.

To what address can I send your ThinSkins to? Would you like to try a second color for free? If so, please name it.

Thanks again for the feedback. It really makes a difference.

TR

I was confused. Just like a young boy getting his first wet dream confused. Corporate people aren't supposed to be nice and friendly. They're supposed to be money sucking and nasty. Seeing that he was offering a free replacement and on top of it with a friendly reply, i decided to give it a go. Despite that, i still felt rather disappointed with the overall product and gave them an honest 2 stars review on Amazon. Few weeks later, i got an email from the company again.

We want to thank you your purchase of ThinSkins in Cardinal Red!!!

That being said, we would also like to apologize to you. You see, the first rev of Cardinal Red ThinSkins were horrible. Fragile, too thin, hard to put on, etc. All bad.

That being said we would like to offer you a FREE replacement for your rev 1.0 Cardinal Red ThinSkin with rev 2.0 ThinSkin. Interested? Just email us back to let us know you even care and we will send you a really great rev that we are really proud of.

Thanks!

Without hesitation, i decided to give ThinSkin another try since this one it's a replacement and the best part is it's free. I replied and told them i was interested and again, the same person, TR who replied my original email wrote back again and said he'll dispatch the new one immediately.

The new rev 2.0 ThinSkin by TruePower Inc.

And now my iPhone 4 looks cooler than yours. The new rev 2.0 upgrade of the ThinSkin is definitely way much more better than how the first one was. Application of the skin took me about ten minutes and this time, it's not as fragile as the rev 1.0 version.

I honestly cannot get over how gorgeous my phone looks now just by having that simple dash of red right around the phone. Did i mention that the precision of the skin around the iPhone 4 stainless steel band is almost 100%? (I don't wanna say it's exactly precise cause you and i both know that's just bullshit...might as well use a paint to paint it over!)

Well since they've literally won me back with their new upgrade that promised to be better, i decided the only decent thing i can do is to give them another revised honest review of their new product. On another note, I wouldn't put too much hope on the protection part of this product because i'm sure if i drop this phone with the skin on, it is definitely going to leave a mark. But let's be reasonable here since it is after all, still a piece of sticker like material. But in terms of cool factor, this is definitely something you wouldn't want to miss if you want to pimp your phone to make it look unique without covering the elegant design of the iPhone 4.

I'm a third generation Dusun...sort of?

2011-03-27T23:48:00.001+13:00

Recently, i had to come up with writing a non-fiction script for my TV writing class assignment. The topic we were given was to write up an interesting story of someone over 60 years old from my family or someone of that generation. So i decided to write up a story on my family specifically my mom's side as i realised now how unique her culture is.

As much as i dreaded this TV writing assignment, during the process of doing this i got my sister back home to dig up old family pictures of both my mom and my dad and upon looking at the picture of my mom's family, it hit a soft spot inside of me seeing how she looked like when she was younger. The part that i love the most about my mom's family portrait was my grandparents. Within a glance of the picture itself, one can easily sense that there is a strong cultural history behind this image.

My late grandparents with my mom and her siblings.

If you didn't know, my grandmother from my mom's side is a Dusun. Dusun is one of the ethnic / indigenous group that is mainly found on Borneo Island. They're one of the four tribes in Brunei that are like the Maoris of New Zealand or the Aborigines in Australia. I knew for a fact that since i was younger that i've got some Dusun blood in me but i never really grew up living the way my mom used to live so i never really cared much about that fact. I just know that anything that has to do with my grandmother is really kampung-ish (village-ish). Sometime last year, i was required to do a compulsory "Intercultural Communication" paper as part of my Communication Studies course that teaches pretty much everything you need to know about cultural differences. It is only after that paper, i managed to grasp how rich and important a culture can be and what it can mean to someone. Of course since i'm in New Zealand, we had mostly discussions about the Maoris and Aborigines but in the back of my mind, i thought to myself if this was discussions about Brunei, we'd definitely be discussing about the Dusun, Iban, Bisaya or Kedayan people. That was when i realised how big of a deal culture is and how many of these rich historical cultures are dying.

Now normally, after completing an assignment i would always get a feeling of accomplishment but for my TV writing assignment, i didn't get that usual feeling. I was feeling more relieved upon completion (i had to tweak a few of my facts my storyline) but the other part of me felt more...proud. Not proud of the fact that i finished my assignment but proud to be reminded of the fact that my grandmother was a 'rakyat jati' back home in Brunei. That's as Brunei as it can get. My grandfather on the other hand was from China (i'm pretty sure even Stevie Wonder can tell from that) but seeing my grandmother dressed up in her traditional sarong, with my mom, aunts and uncles barefooted and all just put a smile on my face. I'm just glad that my sister manage to find this picture of my mom's family because if it wasn't for this simple family portrait, i wouldn't be this grateful for my own culture. Sure, people can always argue that i'm not really a pure Dusun but that's not what i'm trying to claim here. I admit i know very little about my grandmother's history and the language itself other than a few words which i used to learn from both my mom and my grandmother when i was a kid like manju (shower), manuk (chicken), ani monchoi (not good), gayuh (big) and tali (penis) but i'm just really proud of the fact that my grandmother was a true traditional indigenous Bruneian.

I still do have relatives back home that could possibly be the very last generation of the Dusun tribe while majority of us here are pretty much westernized. If it's the one thing i regret, i wished my mom would've taught us more of the language so at least i can converse fluently in it. Some of my cousins still can which i'm envy of. Until today, I still get very fascinated hearing my mom conversing with her relatives in her native Dusun language.

Today, i had an interesting dinner session with my friends and we were just sharing a bit on our culture. I ended up showing this picture to them and felt really proud for once that part of me has a strong connection to the history of my country. One of my friend looked at it and few minutes after adoring the rich cultural history there is to this picture, he pointed out another cool 'potential fact' he saw in the background.

I could possibly be a stoner by blood. Hahaha!

Like father, like son...

2011-03-26T20:22:00.000+13:00

This is my dad back in 1980, seven years before i emerge victorious in securing the first place for my mother's egg.

Dad, 1980.

And this is me, last year being stupid at a youth camp.

Me, 2010.

I think i know who's responsible for my sense in hairstyle. :)

My recommended workout songs...

2011-03-24T21:29:00.000+13:00

Whenever i do my workout, be it gym or running, i NEED music. Without music, i feel like doing any form of workout or exercise is 10x harder. No wait, working out itself is already 10x harder for me so without music, maybe it should be 100000000000x harder. Having said that, i always set aside a playlist in my iTunes for my workout session. Even within that playlist itself, i realized that there are certain genres that gives me the extra boost when i'm running while when i'm doing a bit of weight lifting, i enjoy another different type of genre.

Now allow me to share a few of my personal favorite tracks with you. Hopefully some of these selections might be the solution to give you that extra boost whenever you're doing your workout. Most of the recommendations are based on either the tempo of the track or the crazy beat the song has that gets my adrenaline pumping. The ones with a (*) are my current overplayed favorite.

1. Limp Bizkit - Take A Look Around
2. Marilyn Manson - mOBSCENE
3. Rob Zombie - Demonoid Phenomenon
4. Rob Zombie - Superbeast
5. Rob Zombie - Dragula (*)
6. Ke$ha - Blow (*)
7. Kid Rock - American Badass
8. Darude - Sandstorm
9. Criss Angel - MF2
10. BoA - Hurricane Venus
11. ShiNee - Lucifer (*)
12. Eminem - Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)
13. Dr Dre - I Need A Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey)
14. Alter Bridge - Metalingus
15. Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
16. Ozzy Osbourne - Let Me Hear You Scream
17. Rihanna - Only Girl In The World (*)
18. LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
19. Drowning Pools - Let The Bodies Hit The Floor (*)
20. Nickelback - Animals
21. Aqua - How R U Doin?
22. Metallica - Enter Sandman (S&M album)
23. Linkin Park - One Step Closer (feat. Jonathan Davis) from Underground album. (*)
24. Metallica - Fuel (S&M album)
25. New Boyz - Backseat
26. P.O.D - Boom
27. The Jacksons - Can You Feel It?
28. Alter Bridge - Isolation
29. Chris Brown - Yeah 3x
30. Far East Movement - Like A G6 (*)

If you enjoy running and hates the little empty gap in between songs, there's a podcast you can subscribe to. It's mixed by DJ Deekron, (he calls himself the Fitness DJ...pretty catchy nick!) and you can subscribe for free over at Motiontraxx. Quality of the songs are pretty decent and he normally mix his tracks according to the bpm you plan to run.

That's as much as i can recommend for now. If you noticed, most of my recommended songs are either 'angry' or electronic/trance-ish like songs. If you guys enjoy the same genre of workout music like i do, then most of the songs should go well with your playlist. Not sure if i've actually ever met anyone who runs or workout while listening to Susan Boyle or Marvin Gaye. Speaking of electronic songs, I realized lately most artists are going into that phase. Even the classic group Aqua is returning to the music scene with a really catchy song called "How R U Doin?" and i personally think it's pretty good. I'm just waiting for Dr Bombay to make a comeback and we should be back in the good ol 90's era again.

If you guys have your own favorites, do leave a comment and share some great tracks.

Who is Rebecca Black?

2011-03-18T01:18:00.002+13:00

In case you've been internet deprived for the past week and have no clue why everyone is so excited about Friday all of a sudden, you probably didn't get the invitation to a fun fun fun party that was at Rebecca Black's place. Who's Rebecca Black you ask?

Be warned: You will hate yourself after watching this clip...

Yeah, Justin Bieber is so yesterday. Friday is the new tomorrow. What's next?

Saturday, of course!