View from outer space

2nd April 2011

I was experimenting with my wife's new iPhone (my present to the lovely Mrs for our 8th wedding anniversary, ahem!) and tried out the application known as MobileMe. It's basically an application that allows owners to search for their iPhone using GPS tracking system.

I was amazed when I see the satellite image shown on my computer. This is the first time that I see our home in a satellite view! All this while, I could only access an outdated version with the land still covered in trees with no home in sight. Thanks to the updated technology, now we know how our home looks like when zoomed in from outer space! Hehehe...

Mini sunflower

24th January 2011

I have mentioned before that during our trip to Australia last October, my wife and I bought some packed seeds, which include herbs and flowers. One of them is called "Dwarf Sensation" which is actually a dwarf version of sunflowers.

We are very amazed at seeing a mini sunflower plant growing healthily at our own home. Sunflowers itself is uncommon in Brunei, and to have even a mini version of it is equally satisfying. My children love to look at the plant every morning when they wake up and in the afternoon before night falls.

So far, my wife only planted 4 for trial and error and we'll definitely plant some more during our spare time soon.

More planting

16th January 2011

With the kindness and favour portrayed by our neighbour in giving us free stones for decorating our yard, my wife and I did some more planting today. We have more saplings of soursop and mangoes that needed to be transferred out of its pots and as such we took opportunity of the cloudy weather to do some hard work.

In addition to that, we also needed to "rescue" a turmeric plant (courtesy of my parents-in-law) that was always overlooked by our garden mowers. We cleared up the plant area and put some stones circling it. My wife harvested some and used it for cooking a delicious lunch for us. You can't get any fresher than that!

These mango saplings were planted directly from seeds. It only took about 2-3 months for it to grow that tall. However, my mother-in-law says that cloned saplings (pokok kahwin) are better since they bear fruits faster and do not normally grow extra tall which makes picking fruits easier. Nevertheless, we are still hoping that we can taste the Australian mangoes in a few years time. We'll just have to wait and see.

Bruneians start the new year with the welcoming of a princess

7th January 2010

~ Photo courtesy of [infofoto] ~

We humbly present our congratulatory message to His Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (the Crown Prince) and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah on the birth of a princess

Her Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah
born on Sunday, 2nd January 2011.

We would also like to express sincere congratulations to the family of uncle Pg Hj Salleh Ab Rahaman on this occasion.

New year gardening spirit

2nd January 2011

Yesterday was a wonderful morning and the whole family was in the mood for a bit of hard work under the sun. Our project of decorating the yard is still an ongoing progress as expected ~ taking into consideration the large area to be covered.

Our new year day project was decorating the front yard by planting along the edge of the concrete pathway and enhancing the palm trees. It was also a lucky day for us that our contractor neighbour agreed to give a lot of large to medium sized rocks for free. We delightfully arranged them circling each tree.

By noon, after much sweating (and sun burn), we were done.

Welcome 2011

1st January 2011
(1.1.11)

Especially to family, friends and blog followers / readers
Let's all make this year better than the years before, filled with love, warmth and care towards each other. Together, we can make this world a better place!

Fixing the flag pole

23rd December 2010

A couple of weeks back, the flag that I had put up fell to the ground. It was first noticed by my brother-in-law who was at home at that time to help prepare for my daughter's birthday party. Apparently, the rope fell off from the tip of the pole and the only way to fix it is by calling in some help.