We have finally moved in

28th June 2009

Wow... talk about busy... I couldn't really find a spare time to update the blog. Yes, we have moved in, finally, after my parents-in-law arrived back in Brunei after their 10-day trip to West Malaysia (and thankfully they are all well and healthy).

On 25th May which is a Thursday night, we started our historical journey from my in-laws place during dusk (Maghrib) and were greeted by already waiting family members at the new house. Once stepping in, we were brought straight to the master bedroom for a special prayer recitation by my wife's cousin who is a former Imam.

Then, we performed a group Maghrib prayer in the prayer room and recited some prayers. While waiting for Isya' prayer time, we had dinner thanks to my mother-in-law's cooking expertise. After performing the Isya' prayer (and some house-touring of course), our guests bid farewell and then began our first night at our own home.

But, we were not alone. My two sisters and their families as well as my nephew decided to sleep over to accompany us and the house was dedinitely filled with cheer and laughter with their presence.

The following night, we hosted my son's birthday as planned, and we had an enjoyable dinner. We are very grateful that the moment we had been waiting for all this time had come.

Here are some pictures of the new home, courtesy of my sister's camera. Most of these pictures were taken during Syafi's [birthday celebration].

First update from the new home

14th June 2009

Oppsss... Don't get me wrong. We haven't moved in yet. The initial plan was to do that this week, but we decided to wait until my parent-in-laws return back from their trip to Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Kelantan). Another 10 days wait surely wouldn't hurt, and of course we also want to make this historical transition the right way.

Thankfully though, we are in the final process of touching up and cleaning. Hehehe... Now we realise that it's such a big house that it takes up a whole lot of time cleaning! My wife took a week off from last Monday but apparently that wasn't enough. But no worries, we'd definitely finish everything within these 10 days so that we could move in finally, in time for Syafi's birthday celebration on the 26th.

Anyway, here are some more pictures took recently. Enjoy!

Syafi officiating the jacuzzi bath tub.

The stainless steel railings at the first floor balcony already installed.

Recent landfilling works at the back of the house. Hopefully during their next visit, my family will have more peace of mind driving around the home.

Large chandelier revealed... We definitely made the right choice...


And finally... a personal request from my sister-in-law. Jay, this is the master bed that we told you about. Hehehe...

Let there be light!

27th May 2009

After an agonising wait, finally electricity was connected to our new home last Monday. It was a dream come true for us to be able to look at it at night, and test out all the chandeliers and lights. My wife and I even took a slow walk around the house to see the effects, and we are both pleased with our choices. The warm lights especially creates a cosy feeling... we now cannot wait to move in!

Unfortunately, our camera has been sent for repairs. So, for now we hope you enjoy these pictures taken using our N95 Nokia phone.

In case you didn't notice, we also now have a custom-built main door frame.. thanks to the craftmanship of our hired carpenters.

It's cleaning up time!

Occupation Permit finally approved

12th May 2009

Finally, after a long wait, I was delighted to receive a call yesterday confirming that my application for the Occupation Permit (OP) from the government has been officially approved. Actually, I did receive the good news last week through the phone, but I was still not at ease until I receive an official letter regarding the approval. Hehehe... Typical, it has to be in writing!

The next step is applying for the electricity supply connection, and fortunately they managed to squeeze in my interview at the Electricity Department within this week. I really hope that all goes well.

~ Patience does pay off ~

As a side note, a big thanks to the whole family (including my father) who came by to visit our home last Sunday afternoon. It was our largest group of visitors so far; if I'm not mistaken there were 15 adults and 5 children 'on board' all at the same time (excluding us, of course)! Thanks guys, you are all the best!

More pictures to admire...

30th April 2009

No, we haven't moved in. But to pass the waiting time, we have taken more pictures in admiring our new home. Hope you enjoy looking at these...!

Hehehe... Testing out the new grating.. The blacksmiths assured me that even heavy trucks can drive over it without causing damage... hopefully!

Now below are pictures of the master walk-in closet, taken from different angles...

To enter the walk-in closet from the bedroom, we enter this corridor through my favourite custom-built door...

And this is the master bathroom door...

The children's cabinets are quite the same as the master's, and what's left now is to start filling them up with clothes!

Syafi's dressing mirror

Hehehe... Safiya eager to hang her clothes in her own wardrobe


And finally, presenting the latest look of our main entrance foyer!

Another setback

28th April 2009

It's true when people say that buiding a house requires lots of patience. After our application for an occupation permit from the government was turned down once, it recently happened again. This time, their reason was that we have not created proper drains in front as well as on the side of our land.

For that, we had to incur additional costs since it was not included in the construction contract. Thankfully, my contractor was quick in mending the situation and this time let's hope that there will not be anymore setbacks! Our furniture companies now keeps on calling us now and then asking when we want our stuff to be sent to the site... ironic isn't it?

Anyway, whilst waiting for the permit, my wife and I decided to add some more highlights to our fixtures, specifically the installation and spray painting of our sliding door frames. I had even got one door custom-built by our carpenter.

Below is the custom-built door that I requested, separating the master bedroom with the master bathroom and walk-in closet area.

This one below is the door separating the master walk-in closet from the study room.

And prsenting the finished spray-painted doors and door frames separating the formal living area and the dining room. My wife and I really like the hint of gold paint which goes well with the chandeliers and fans.

31st March declared "Adat Istiadat" Day

Excerpt from the [Borneo Bulletin] at brudirect.com:

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince, yesterday declared March 31 as "Hari Adat Istiadat" or Customs and Traditions day.

The Crown Prince, who is also the Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, announced this during the launching of the Adat Istiadat Diraja Brunei (Brunei Royal Customs and Traditions) book at the International Convention Centre.