Coming Up Next

My blog was not the only thing that went through a make over. Stay tune to see what I did to my room after weeks of living in a manmade jungle

PC FAIR

I need a date this weekend! Anyone wants to go for PC fair?

Featured Video

A tribute to one of Malaysia's finest director. Famed for her unpretentious works that promotes harmony and racial unity. Her achievements includes the series of Petronas commercial which will be dearly remembered. RIP Yasmin.

I'll be Home for Christmas

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:16 AM 0 comments
Heylo peeps! I finally made it back home just in time to celebrate Christmas, but I'll proly be heading back to KL before the new year so that I'll make it in time for my internship. I guess I can't have the best of both worlds, but so long as I'm able to spend some quality time with my family and friends, I think I'll call it a year. Gosh... I'm so tempted to end this post right now lol... Why do I always find myself out of words when I start typing? sheeh..

Okay lets talk about my life as a 21 year old shall we? Being 21, I encountered many 'first time' in my life. I meant those notable ones. These 'first time' events that occurred ranged from really eye opening to down right embarrassing moments, all of which I have come to cherish. Sadly, none of them was anything close to the subject of love ahems... Nevertheless, it was an emotional roller coaster to begin with, maybe because being 21 also marks the last year of my life in college. All I can say is that I'm very grateful to have met so many people with colorful character throughout my college life. These people are the ones who I spent late nights with trying to meet assignment datelines, talk about the best places to eat in town, share a boat ride down the Mekong river and stroll together aimlessly at the weekly night market. I'll definitely miss these bunch of people dearly as I have to accept the fact that everyone has to move on. Having said that, there is another set of people that I wouldn't know what to do if I had not met them. These people are the ones that I could be honest to, exchange secrets with, but most importantly they are the ones I share my life with. Best of all, I think I'll never have to move on from this relationship known as 'family'. What else can you ask for as a more precious gift? Merry Christmas.


There is a Christmas tree for everyone somewhere in the universe.
| edit post

Not Ready To Be Nice

Posted by Ivan Lee On 4:30 AM 0 comments
I'm so f*cking pissed at some people. Why can't they just be more considerate? Am I being too accommodating that they start to take me for granted? On some other days I might have given this situation a pass but it just so happen to take place today. This f*cking day that I have so many things to worry about from pending rental issues to dumb school that don't pick up phone calls. To think that I have at least 1 week to spend in my hometown, now it seems like I might have to stay back to settle all this dumb problems. Why should I do everything and let people take me for granted? I'm just so tired of this shit.

I'm tired of smiling when I really meant to say f*ck off!

I'm tired to say it's okay when I really meant f*ck you!

Most of all I'm tired of trying to be nice when I actually want to f*cking bitch slap someone.

Maybe I'm not supposed to be nice? I don't feel like being a "nicer" person actually helps in my case as people often start to take advantage. Let me make this clear! I'm nice not because I need to, it's because I want to! Not to say I'm the "nicest" person but at least I'm trying to be as nice as possible. I don't know how long I can last. Seriously... I really hate being a B*TCH but sometimes being one makes us stronger. At least I think so. I'll admit that I actually felt happier when I'm not nice. How could this be? Like they say, the nice one always finishes last... I need time to think about it. For now, I just want to dump this shit to this blog. NO! This blog ain't a shit hole. Gowd... I feel so much better now. Well, so much for a Birthday cum Christmas post...
| edit post

Dawn of a New Day

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:30 PM 2 comments
Alright, I still can'tdecide
whether I should design
myown backdrop or just
use a blogger template
for my new layout so I
decided to go ahead with
blogging before the cows
come home lol... To be honest
I have no idea what I should blog about right
now. Lots of random thoughts are going through my
head. Ah... okay, here goes... As most of you know(referring
to my friends,just in case there are some random readers :D), I just
completed one of the most grueling task of me life... well... okay it's debatable. That's not the point. Point is... What the heck! I think I have
no point lol... I don't know what's happening actually.Just feeling emotional these couple of days.I guess it just hit me that me life in college is officially over. The sad thing was I didn't get the chance to actually say goodbye to my friends since I was busy meeting a dateline. I know I should be feeling light hearted right now since everything that I was worrying about the last few weeks had gone with the wind but is this really the end already? The people that I use to go to college with on a daily basis... Friends that I had my meals with... Lecturers that I complained on seeing very too often every semester... All I can do now is miss them and with time... probably these memories will slowly fade away, replaced by new ones. There are a few of my friends who are still going to be here, but I don't really know if I have the will to catch up with them. The truth is, I don't really know if they felt the same way about me. Am I just another person that walks pass their lives without really leaving any visible footprints? I think I would rather leave it as it is than to find out the truth. Besides, I'm not really good at handling emotional stuff... Heck, I rarely even show my emotions. Aside from being a b*tch at times... ahem... Sometimes I think it's hard to really connect with other people, aside from my close friends, because they will never really know me... It'll take a lot for me to open up to someone. Maybe that's why I hardly ever have personal conversations with most of them. Case in point, I remember when the last time I saw one of them it was raining <----(seriously) heavily<---- (dramatic effect). For privacy purposes lets name the person X <----(so generic I know). Okay stop captioning words Ivan! Back to the topic... X asked me a personal question reminding me that we've been friends for two and a half years so I should be honest. It was probably my last chance to make that connection but instead I told X I will send my answer via postage when I get home <---- (yeah rite). So there goes... story of me life. Cursed to keep everything to meself. Wishing people could read my thoughts without me having to convey it to them... Well at least I know my life isn't completely doomed. God has been gracious to me in many ways. During my countless crazy days, I have people who were there for me when I needed help most and these "angels" *laughs uncontrollably* comes in a form of close friends. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have helped me in so many ways... Some who helped me source for research materials, one who have stayed up till late nights proof reading my work, slotting in some nonsensical chats in between, that was probably one of the factors that kept me going on lol... and also my loyal reliable "house elf" haha... I'll give you my laundry when I get back home so you can be free! So on Saturday, I managed to complete my thesis at 11 a.m.. Just an hour ahead of the dateline. It was one of the most crazy feelings ever, having to race against time to complete what was termed as the most important subject in my academic life. I took a cab to save some time as I still haven't printed my work at that moment. Printing was exceptionally fast. I felt like kissing the auntie for being so efficient but I didn't want to risk getting a tight slap on my face. When I got to the staff room it was practically empty accept for one lecturer. We chatted for a bit. Mostly about "The Lost Thesis"... I told him I was actually contemplating on quitting at some point but decided against it. He told me that I shouldn't and I made the right choice for continuing. At that point I told meself everything I went through was worth it. I mean I knew it was worth it but I just needed someone to tell me that and it meant a lot to me that he did. Furthermore, I have a lot of respect for this particular lecturer, so there... value added to his words. I left my thesis on my subject lecturer's table but I wanted to thanked him for giving me the benefit of the doubt during my ordeal but when I get to see him I gave some lame excuse that I wanted to fill in the plagiarism form. I don't know why but I just felt like he was distancing himself from me? No longer that warm? Maybe it's all in my head. You can't really blame me right? I was practically deprived of sniffing my "dirty pillow" for so many nights because I either take short snoozes outside the living room or I fall straight asleep without quality time with my pillow. Whooh.... what a relief! I finally got everything out. Now I can move forward. Actually now is probably the best time to start a new chapter. Wait... make that another book... Yeah, that's more like it. Chapter one: Ivan noticed a hint of wrinkle on his forehead. He yelled, "OMG" only to be reminded by his consciousness not to use God's name in vanity... or was it
vain? Arghh... whatever... I totally suck at writting essays... Happy 22nd
anniversary to meself, I guess it's just me and my dirty pillow tonight.
| edit post

Shipwreck

Posted by Ivan Lee On 12:46 PM 2 comments

I can't wait for December as it is probably my favorite month. Free of assignments and obligations, well most of it. It's a time where you just sit back and enjoy life doing anything that pleases you without having to feel the guilt of doing... nothing? Weird huh? A little contradicting but I think it kind of make sense. Sadly, that could be true for only one last time. I officially finished my last academic semester on the 26th of November after taking my final exam paper which means that there's only one thing left to do, work. I remember a few months ago I was so into starting a new life that I was anticipating the end of college. I had all these things planned up in my mind, tons of missions and goals which I want to share with you guys some other time. However, something happened recently that led me to reflect on my life, my laptop crashed.


What's the big deal right?
Everyone's laptop seems to go through this phase sometime in their lifecycle right?

Well, it just so happened that mine chose to crash at the most strategic time which was right after I lost my thumbdrive. You see, my thumbdrive was where I kept copies or backups of everything which are important, including my dissertation. Noticed the connection now?


Laptop Crashed + Lost Thumbdrive = No Dissertation = No Honors

(Conspiracy Theory)


It was one of the most hardest(redundancy to emphasize on the severity) things to digest and most likely the worst thing to happen to me this year. I used the the phrase 'most likely' as the year has yet to end, not that I'm looking forward to something even "BADDER" happening to me of course (okay, I should stop jinxing myself). As I said, it happened at the most strategic time because I just lost my thumbdrive not long then and did I mentioned my exam was on the following weekday itself? I was so depressed that I kept asking myself why does it(my laptop) have to crash at this time? I started to blame it on so many factors. Heck, I even went to the extent of blaming technology for conspiring to ruin my career. I tried to be rational after sometime as I needed to concentrate on my studies but my mind just wasn't ready to accept the fact that my 6 months of hard work was going into the drain, just in a snap. After contemplating on the various ways to solve this problem, I decided that I just can't go through this whole crap alone so I called dad who in turn called a technician who ended up calling me... sigh. I was then informed by the technician that my data will have a high success rate of recovery if I managed to convert my laptop into a portable hard disk by pressing some buttons which I did and was successful. I was then told to bring my laptop to the nearest service centre which was in The Gardens@MidValley for the technician to retrieve my data. Hope, I thought to myself. As luck would have it, the technician was on leave so I was told to leave my laptop for further diagnosis when he is back.

Hope can sometimes be cruel. As easy as someone may come into possession of it, it is also as easy for it to vanish into thin air. After all, hope is something that is intangible nonetheless powerful.

The next day, right before I sat for my second paper, I got a call from the customer service confirming that my data was officially gone because my hard drive was totally kaput. Again that news couldn't had came at a more strategic time. So much for the well wishes... That night I thought about the incident for a very long time until it hit me that because of one research paper my life was in a total mess. Is this it? Is this my life? So much emphasis placed on wanting to excel in studies, to have the best career and recognition? Not that all of it isn't important but I shouldn't have based my life on something so fragile that once it was gone I was left in the dark. This last semester was so messed up and everything was done in such a competitive atmosphere, I didn't have the chance to slow down and realize that I didn't sign up for this course to win the "best student of the decade" title. I remembered that I enrolled in this course because it was simply my passion, something I could relate to. People who know me well know that I sucked at nearly everything related to science, or nearly everything related to our country's education system. Simply put it this way, I'm not booksmart! Therefore, my course was more or less the most suitable path for me as it was more to creativity, logic and analysis rather than the plain old memorizing facts that I loathe. However, because of my self impose "competitive" nature, I kind of lose the gist of my choice in this course.

Come this January, my life as an intern will commence in Hilton, KL. In the mean time I've got lots of changes to do in terms of setting my life missions and goals. Life in general is so predictable, first you graduate then you work and build your career, popped up a kid or two then you retire and wait for your turn to decompose. I for one do not want to be stuck in this repetitive cycle of life. I want to devote more time to my family, friends and god. I want to do something different and unexpected. After all, I am by nature.. different.

That night itself, I recalled what my father told me. He asked me to pray that everything would be okay as god works in mysterious ways. I guess he was right. I was able to recover my transcripts through e-mail and my lecturer granted me an extension on the dateline. I even found extra info for my research that I might have overlooked if I had not lost my original copy. Most importantly, the incident gave me a new perspective on life. I know now who to build my life on. Now I just need to move my lazy ass and start making some changes.

This will be my last post... before I change my layout duh... Hence I'm ending this entry without wondering about anything because I think the picture is clear, I managed to find treasures amongst the shipwreck.

Barack Obama's Infomercial

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:18 AM 0 comments
Heylo readers. I'm on my usual break from insanity again hence I decided to post up some videos I came across on youtube few days ago. Well ok fine I did not "came across" this video. I purposely went hunting for it and boy must I say it was pretty inspiring... for me. Nevermind on his (as some said flawed economic policies) truth be told, he can win this election based on his passion and charisma. I longed for the day when Malaysia can be as politically matured as what's been portrayed by this guy. Enjoy...



Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4


Will be back with my normal entry after Nov 17 till then I couldn't help but wonder, will Obama be the next tenant of the White House?
| edit post

PARIS FOR PRESIDENT

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:57 AM 2 comments
Hey u guys.. I've been very occupied with assignments these few weeks. In addition to that, I've like 17 days left to submit my dissertation and I haven't even set an appointment for the interview. I'll post about Vietnam some other time cause I'm not really in the mood for a long post. I will, I promise (pinky swear). Life sucks at moments like this. I really wish I can finish my research in time or it'll be the end of the world for me, figuratively as I'm not the type that commit suicide because I'm kiasi. Speaking of the end of the world... look what I've found while taking a break from work..




Well, I got to admit with some people that she have better policies than that old dude.. what's his name again.. ah.. Mc Ain't... He's so.. behind time. Furthermore, to think of Palin as the president of U Ass should anything happen to him *nauseous*...

With all the election frenzy going on I couldn't help but wonder, what if Paris does become the commander in bikini? Now that's hot... maybe not.
| edit post

Bygones

Posted by Ivan Lee On 9:28 AM 4 comments
I figured I better compose something before this blog goes on hibernation mode again so here goes... Logged in to Friendster just now out of curiosity to see if there was anything new after such a long time. I'm really not a fan of these types of application especially Facebook! It's so damn complicating... Blame it on my utter incompetency in handling complicated applications haha.. Maybe I just couldn't be bothered. Well, the truth is, I just hated the concept of making friends through an application. However, like it or not we still need it. Why? because nowadays people are just much more techno driven. Sigh.. it's like when you greet them in school it's not enough to strike up a conversation. You need to actually add them or accept their invitation in these applications so that they know you "like" them. I sure hope this does not become part of our culture in the future. Okay to be fair, this just applies to some people. Anyways, back to Friendster. I was clicking through my profile and there it was, a button that says "view blog". I just couldn't resist clicking it and the next thing I knew, I was reading every single entry. It's not so big a deal trust me. Just 11 entries from the whole blog... well actually a little bit more but some went missing (god knows why :P) I missed my old blog so much! I realized that the way I blogged was a bit different back then and all those entries sure did stirred some emotions. My last entry dated 31st December 2006 was when I was 20 years young :) So much had happened since then. Yeah I sure did move on but I think I might want to transfer all my post from Deep Down Under to this current blog if I find a way. Moving on but not letting go hehe... so contradicting. Looking back, I regretted that I had not blog a little more. Ahems.. I know I'm not blogging enough but at least it's better than the previous blog right? Alright, that about sums it all for now cause I'm gonna have to wake up at 8 a.m. for dim sum with a bunch of "tai tais"... haha... Promise to post something more interesting next time. Many things are happening in my life right now but it's just not the right time to share my thoughts. That's why I couldn't help but wonder, do I need another blog to keep my current thoughts?
| edit post

2008 Olympic Games: Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni

Posted by Ivan Lee On 8:53 AM 3 comments


Architectural Wonder a.k.a. The Bird's Nest

I'm sure most of us are aware of the Olympic season which is currently taking place. The event officially kicked off on the 8th of August 2008 at 8.08 p.m. which was considered an auspicious moment not only for the Chinese but for many other races as well. Speaking of the Chinese, being one myself albeit not "made in China", I couldn't help but to feel a sense of pride knowing that the land of our ancestors is hosting this celebrated event for the first time ever (hopefully not the last). Having been deprived of telly since moving to my current den, I was accepting the fact that I might not get the chance to join the millions for the live telecast of the opening ceremony until the very day itself when one of my classmates invited a bunch of us over her place for a "gold class" seating for the premier of the Summer Olympic 2008. I must say, it was with no doubt a breathtaking opening ceremony. No, I meant literally! I wonder what's the air quality like after they released those tons of fire power into the atmosphere lol... Anyway, it was a sight to behold. I think China had somewhat made it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with, an emerging economic powerhouse that is envied by a handful of developed country particularly the US. With controversies fueled by political motivated intentions, it is far too early to predict if the Olympic Games would actually work in favor of the People's Republic. Having said that, I'm all out for China to accumulate the most overall medals in the Olympic despite the fact that they'll be facing though competition from US and the land down under. 


Olympic Mascot a.k.a. Fuwa which literally means good luck dolls

On a lighter note, while I was watching a friggin number of 204 countries parading by (take note that some of my friends had already fell asleep at 50), something caught my attention. It was the uniform of the athletes. Suddenly, the "Bird's Nest" turned into a giant runway. The lights were on and the athletes were voguing their stuffs. The critics had their claws out and they coined the term as (read in slow mo) "Olympic Fashion". There were many types of uniform (duh..), some were in their ethnic masterpiece while others opted for a modern approach blending classic with the current trend. My top three favorite countries has to be, in declining order, Great Britain, US followed by France. France stood out where the women's dressed was concerned. They were donning wide belts cinched around the jackets which was described by critics as a must have of the spring season fashion. 

Fashion forward French

Then comes my second favorite uniform coming from the US. Who are they wearing? It's none other than.... *drums rolling*


Ralph Lauren! O.O

Every inch personally tailored for that classic American look.

Leaving the best for last, the British, who went for a simple clean cut look...


Impeccable style. Gorgeous. Love those slip on sneakers... and the jacket!

Below are some of the highlights of that night:

Don't they remind you of that DIGI yellow dude! But look how they transform themselves below...



The Globe

The Olympic Flame

Perhaps one of the most unforgettable moment of the night as written by some blogger was when Yao Ming, tallest player in the NBA, walked side by side with a nine year old boy who saved the lives of two of his classmates during the disastrous Sichuan Earthquake. A gentle giant with an innocent child. A sight to behold...


As I end this post I couldn't help but wonder, will Malaysia ever get the chance to host the Olympic?


| edit post

Beginning of The End

Posted by Ivan Lee On 2:47 AM 6 comments
Heylo fellow netizens. Sorry for the delay. I've been trying to find some time to update since coming back from Brunei but to no avail. Life had been hectic since I missed my official first week in school due to work. There was a lot of catching up and decisions to be made owing to the fact that this is my last academic semester. Wow, it just hit me while I was typing that this is it. After this it'll be hello... reality. No more financial support from parents. I fondly remember when I first set foot on KL that it was a gush of fresh air, a new chapter in my life. A lot had changed since then. One thing for sure is that I'm more certain about my goals and what I want from life right now compared to say... couple of years ago? Anyway, there are still 4 more months before I finish my current semester so lets get back to the present day shall we? For this semester I'm taking 5 subjects plus a dissertation making it the last and the hardest semester of all. Imagine that I'm presently at the middle of my second week and the workload is as heavy as the middle of last semester. Some of the subjects are quite dull in the sense that it's more to theoretical applications. Nevertheless, to balance it up, I'm thrilled to be taking one of the most exciting subject in the entire course. It's none other than, International Tourism Development. Let me draw you a brief picture on what I'm having for the current semester aite...

1. International Tourism Development
2. International Marketing
3. Strategic Management
4. International Human Resource
5. Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions (MICE)
6. Dissertation a.k.a. Thesis a.k.a. Final Year Project for some.

Now what so interesting about this International Tourism subject? Hmm... the fact that we get to travel duh... After taking into consider the budget and the visa problems due to the fact that our class in an MNC, Multi National Class, we were given 5 places to consider for this trip which were;

1. Yogyakarta, Indonesia
2. ChiangMai, ChiangRai (Thailand) & Laos
3. Macau, China
4. Medan, Indonesia
5. Ho Chin Minh (Saigon), Vietnam

My personal favorite would be the latter, Vietnam followed by Thailand & Laos. If everything would to go as planned, including Bangkok by the end of this year, I would've visited 4 different countries! I'm thrilled and thankful to have this chance to travel before I start working which will definitely spell the end of my freedom to travel lol... As for my dissertation, I'm thinking of sticking to my previous title which is 'To Investigate The Economic Value of Prewar Buildings In Relation to Sustainable Tourism Development In Georgetown, Penang' since my research proposal had been approved. The school had also assigned a supervisor for my title so I doubt I'll have any chances of abandoning ship.

As this chapter of my life is reduced to a mere few pages, I couldn't help but wonder what's life like once I've been emancipated from my beloved parents?

PS: Below are some preview pics that I promised. I'll delete them in a few days time due to the protocol that we're not suppose to post pictures of such in any websites. Hence I'm doing something illegal muahahaha... Btw the pictures have nothing to do with the palace. It's just some VIP houses that MJ and Vanessa Mae used to occupied during their visit.




Non illegal pictures which are places where we visited...










| edit post

Triple A's

Posted by Ivan Lee On 5:45 AM 2 comments
One more day before I leave for Brunei and I still haven't pack a single bit so I'll make this a short post just to make up for my absence in the following week. Today I went for window shopping in One Utama instead of concentrating on packing up things from my list of essential items. It was there that I experienced three different events that specifically relates to Ah Long, Air Force and Architecture.

First incident happened either at the opening ceremony or the anniversary of Monsoon-id where I bump into the star from Ah Long PTE. Um.. what's his name... Ah yes.. Mark Lee. Well, that's about it. Nothing particular in terms of celebrity sightings.


That's Mark Lee with Fann Wong

Next was a musical medley by the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific. It was held at the atrium and I must say, I'm impressed! The batch that performed called themselves 'Top Covers' and boy did they lived up to their name. The objective of the event was to foster goodwill between Malaysia and the US therefore there were some performances from our Royal Air Force as well. Halfway through the performance, the band dedicated a song to their bassist as it was his last performance with them if I'm not mistaken. I don't know why but the act itself coupled with the song which I couldn't remember the name struck a chord with me. Lucky my friends went back earlier or they might be thinking that I went psycho or something. Gosh.. I think there's something emo going on with me this few days haha... All in all, the performance made my day.


This is them performing My Country This of Thee in another place with a few different members from the ones I saw in 1 Utama.

As I was heading for the exit something took my attention. It was an exhibition of architecture models build from recycled items. I've always wanted to build one of my own haha...

Build from cardboards

These are from UTM. Doesn't it reminds you of something?

Certainly does for me. It looks like those shop houses in Georgetown.

Speaking of Georgetown, as of 7th of July 2008, the historical sites of Georgetown has been listed under UNESCO's World Heritage List along with Malacca as historic cities of the Straits of Malacca. I'm exhilarated with this news. I've been waiting for them to announce the result as they had mentioned it would be made known on early August. I guess they can't wait to share the good news haha... I'm so gonna boast about Penang to my classmates tomorrow! With this renowned title that Georgetown is holding right now, The Chief Minister had better do something about the conservation of the grand old lady, Georgetown. This is to prevent Georgetown from getting stripped off it's title as the granting of heritage sites by UNESCO is unique in the sense that it is not a permanent title, at least not for sites that has been below par. It would be a shame if that happens. Imagine Miss Universe getting her title stripped off now multiply that with a thousand. That's how humiliating! Alright, a tad too dramatic but still it make sense. Alan, remember I told you about making a blog together on the heritage of Penang? This must be a sign from the divine being that advocates this idea lol... Maybe we can get a few more of our friends to join in seeing that there were so many posts regarding our dear alma mater. So guys, please do help make this coming blog a success! Anyone?

Did I mention it's gonna be a short post? Screw that! Here's a random picture I took before snacking on those yummilicious Tau Sar Phneah. Okay, it's not really that random. Anyway, I'm dedicating this to none other than our very own TSP not forgetting all my other friends. Share share la...

Virtual Tau Sar Phneah from Hold That Thought

Today, I met someone. It was just a glance through. I was quite surprised to have seen what I saw. It was one of my BFF's crush. What I learn is to never judge a book by it's cover even the content page! I guess we got it all wrong. After this incident I couldn't help but wonder, what if I got mine wrong too?
| edit post

A Royal Affair

Posted by Ivan Lee On 10:24 AM 3 comments
First of all, I'm not involve in any hanky-panky with the royal family. I think Malaysia's political scene has seen enough of these similar theatrics with all those drama queens accusing, backstabbing, playing the "victim" and acting like dumb blonds. Seriously "girls"! Enough cat fightings and superpoking each other (pun intended). Straighten up your acts or just send your resume to Hollywood.

Slightly off track haha... Straight to the point, I'm going to Brunei The Abode of Peace!

I think you know what flag is this... right...?

What's it got to do with the title above? Simply put it this way, it's the Kings 62nd B'day! Yes, it's Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaula, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam's phews... big day and I'm one of the 16 chosen by my college to attend His Majesty's extravagant gala. To prove how grand it is, they even created a damn website for the event. Sadly, I'm not going as a VIP sighs.. We will be there for the sole purpose of assisting in the royal banquet which will be held at the Nurul Iman Palace! What's so "pah pai" about this palace? According to Wikipedia,

"Istana Nurul Iman contains 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and a floor area of 2,152,782 square feet (200,000 m²). Amenities include 5 swimming pools, and an air conditioned stable for the Sultan's 200 polo ponies (Is he like a fan of 'My Little Pony'?), a 110-car garage, a banquet hall that can be expanded to accommodate up to 4,000 guests, and a mosque accommodating 1,500 people. The palace was built in 1984 at a cost of around $1.4 billion USD and has 564 chandeliers, 51,000 light bulbs, 44 stairwells, and 18 elevators. It is also a home to a car collection that includes custom-made Ferraris and Bentleys as well as 165 Rolls Royces. Istana Nurul Iman is indisputedly the world's largest residential and administrative palace currently in use for state functions, and at 2,152,782 square feet, Istana Nurul Iman certainly has more building floorspace than any other palace in the world".

Partial view of the palace with golden dome. Notice the houses are like the ones in our own Jetty area build on stilts. It's also a tourist attraction.


Bird's eye view of Nurul Iman Palace. It looks like the shape of a mosque!

VIP Seatings

VVIP Seatings

The Royal Banquet Hall

Now that's kick ass cool! However, there are restrictions on where one can or can't go as everyone involve in the function will be given a palace pass which is as sacred as a passport. In the event that it is stolen or misplaced, one will be required to lodge a police report. Another fascinating fact is that ladies are required to wear a headscarf, in local terms "tudung", while in the palace regardless of race or religion! I'm so gonna have a Kodak moment with my female companions teehee... By the way, I'll be there for 10 days starting from the 9th till the 18th of July. Which means I'll be back just in time to celebrate another "Royal B'day" lol... In addition, my trip will be at the expense of my college yeehah... On top of that, I'll be fulfilling another lame childhood dream of mine which is to fly on an airplane. I hope we are flying with MAS although I'm all for Tony, you go girl! Oops... i meant, you rock! As icing on the cake, we are gonna be paid. I'm not sure how much but some inside source suggested that it might be close to RM 1000! I'm starting to see Bangkok on the map lol... if I do get paid at the amount stated that is. Did I mention we'll be serving with equipments and cutlery made of PURE GOLD that might weigh up to a deadly 15 KG! I couldn't help but wonder, am I gonna cause a royal disaster?
| edit post
    -
      -

      About Me

      George Town, Penang
      Born and bred in Penang, my one and only home. Currently on a journey of self discovery to find a constant in life. Love my family, love my friends, but still looking for someone to love :P I'm a hopeless day dreamer (includes nightime) To know me better, follow me as I post up bits and pieces of my life in this blog... that is if I manage to update it -.-"