Our very first Hari Raya celebration

26th September 2009

This year marks our first Hari Raya celebration at this new home. It's a great experience and we are grateful that everything went well. As for the decorations, we keep it simple in order to avoid overspending. To mark this special event though, we had a dedicated display table especially for the Hari Raya cards from some of Brunei royal family members to share with others.

During the first two days of Raya, we spent a lot of time visiting family members to convey greetings and as such the house was closed to visitors. My wife and I started working on the third day of Raya and as such receiving guests was delayed a few more days.

Our first "openhouse" was on Thursday night as a special request from a few of my close friends. On the menu was rice with crispy fried chicken and cabbage, corn soup as well as my wife's delicious wet noodles. To all those who came (you know who you are!), thank you and we really enjoyed your company.

To all family and friends, we wish you Selamat Hari Raya!

Eid Mubarak 2009

The guest bedroom

4th August 2009

Last Sunday, my father and step-mom had their first sleep over. My wife and I made a little preparation in the morning before they arrive to make sure that our respected "guests" have a delightful and pleasant stay. My wife took some pictures of the room, celebrating another achievement of having our own home. Being a host so far is definitely something that we love to do, and more sleep overs is expected next week.

Enjoy these pictures:

Zikir & Doa Selamat (Thanksgiving)

30th July 2009

Alright, this update is definitely way overdue. Last 19th July, we organised a Zikir and Thanksgiving ceremony in conjunction with our moving in the new home. Approximately 350 guests came and we are very thankful that the weather was nice and sunny, despite heavy rains the days before.

However, everyone was in shock when a sudden gush of wind blew, lifting one of the tents set up at the side of the house. Luckily, the guests were quick and got hold of the tent before it flew up and probably damage some cars parked nearby.

Apart from that, everything went smoothly. On this note, a special thanks to my parents-in-law who sponsored 'daging salai' (smoked beef stew), rice and 'sayur umbut' as part of the main menu. Thanks as well to my family, and lastly a special appreciation to my sisters [Liza] and [Ain] for the great pictures.

The zikir team invited from the Pulaie Mosque. Zikir is the Islamic way of praising and remembering God and Prophet Muhammad which is put beautifully in a variety of melodies.

Hi-tea buffet exclusive for the Zikir team

Male guests

Female guests

My sister also took some pictures in the house. Hehehe... one benefit of having a sister who loves photography. Thanks sis!

The play room... supposed to be messy!

Our little princess's bedroom

My prince's bedroom. The baby in this picture is my nephew, Syahmi.

Our study room. After the ceremony was over we realised that Syafi and his cousin Adam were playing computer games the whole time.

His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei turns 63

15th July 2009

"Sembah Tahniah & Ucap Selamat Hari Puja Usia"
Sempena Hari Keputeraan

Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan
Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddien Waddaulah

Presenting our versatile kitchen

10th July 2009


I have promised someone to publish pictures of our kitchen(s) on this blog for some time now. Thank you for the patience, and here it is...

The design for our dry kitchen was produced after much deliberation and thoughtful thinking. I still remember myself sketching on scrap paper and then emailing the result to my wife who was at that time still studying in Brisbane. Oh yes, that was quite a while ago and the reason why it took a long time to be constructed is because it was hard to find a carpenter who can follow the design.

You see, the cabinets comprises of an L-shaped counter with hanging wall cabinets, plus two separate counters in the shape of a crescent (or U-shape to be exact) and a circular one that fits into the first one. Another detail; these two are movable. Even a famous kitchen custom designer declined our request. We were frustrated until Mr. Lu was introduced to us. He is also the one responsible for our bedrooms and study room built-in cabinets.

We are really grateful now that our dream kitchen has become a reality and safe to say, an original one too! Since the two counters are movable, we can change the settings any way we wish, and here are 4 options to show you.

Option 1 - The crescent is adjoined with the fixed cabinet with the round counter forming extra space at the other end. This is our everyday setting.

Option 2 - The round counter is merged with the crescent to act as a serving preparation area while guests sit at the bar stools for a rather informal setting. I can imagine my wife preparing any of her delicious menu while the kids and I sit, watch and wait. Hehehe...

Option 3 - The round counter used as an island, while the crescent one forms a serving "bar".

Option 4 - Both merged as one to function as a serving area. This way, we can arrange our foods in a buffet style and guests can sit for an enjoyable meal in the adjoining dining room.

Not only was Mr. Lu able to follow the design, his price quotation also included granite counter top, a panel for my wife's oven and a tv panel as well. The drawers used are complete with absorbers (so that they don't bang when shut) and corner shelves ordered from Germany. We are very satisfied with the end result.

We also requested for a custom-built dining table with high-back long chairs (like those in restaurants). It's still in the making, and I'll definitely publish pictures of it once it's ready. Temporarily, we use a foldable long table.

The wet kitchen on the other hand is smaller, but enough for day-to-day cooking. Thankfully we bought a large and deep basin for all those dish-washing and another basin dedicated for the in-sink erator. The built-in cabinets are also part of Mr. Lu's touch. The cabinets here are handle-less.

By the way, I was asked about the difference between a dry and wet kitchen. Suffice to say, the wet kitchen is where the "rough" cooking takes place; frying and strong-smelling cooking which are quite common in Malay cuisine. The dry kitchen is for mild cooking (such as preparation for baking) so that the whole house doesn't end up smelling like food.

A tall pull-out drawer for convenient storage space.

For extra working space, we bought this IKEA foldable table. It also acts as a table for our maid when enjoying her meals.

There you have it... Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

First guests from abroad

9th July 2009

Last night, the House of Syafi Safiya received our first guests from abroad; Australia, Malacca and Singapore to be exact. My stepmother's relatives were in Brunei for a short visit and we were delighted when she called me to inform their intention to drop by for dinner.

Apparently before arriving, they went to the Pasar Gadong night market to satisfy their crave since it was their last night in the country. To our amazement, they came with a large quantity of food (imagine coming back from the Ramadan bazaar during the fasting month) and all the food filled up two long tables!

According to them, all the food sold in the market are unbelievably cheap. I guess the thought of buying rice complete with chicken and sambal for only a dollar or a rice set with five large prawns for two dollars never crossed their minds. They tried to compare the price, and estimated that the same food would have been sold at least for $2 to $5 each back in Singapore. So people... be grateful with what we have now... Hehehe...

Here are pictures from last night. We really had a wonderful time...