Majlis Berbedak

Bila cuti sekolah hujung tahun, banyak la jemputan kenduri kawin.
I received an invitation to three events. Walaupun orang Malaysia dan orang Brunei ni dalam rumpun bangsa yang sama, tetapi banyak budaya dan adat yang berbeza yang diamalkan.
Contohnya jemputan yang I dapat ni.

1. Majlis Berzikir dan Berbedak
2. Majlis Menerima Mas Kahwin dan Akad Nikah
3. Walimatul Urus

Disebabkan beberapa faktor yang tak dapat dielakkan, I managed to attend only majlis berzikir dan berbedak. It was interesting since this majlis tak ada di malaya. Acara menyambut jemputan oleh tuan rumah bermula dari pukul 8-8.30 malam. Majlis berzikir dimulakan. Bacaan doa-doa dan zikir oleh sekumpulan wanita. Ala-ala berzanji la kot. I don't really know pasal di kg. kota, majlis berzanji ni pun tak ada. Lebih kurang pukul 9.30 majlis berbedak bermula.

Ini la bedaknya. Very colorful. Celupkan jari manis dalam semua bedak tu.

Kemudian calitkan bedak tadi ke tangan pengantin yang cantik jelita ni :)

Lepas majlis berbedak tetamu di jamu dengan hidangan nasi bersama kari daging, sayur campur, ulam, sambal belacan, kelupis (makanan brunei. macam ketupat dakap di kelate tapi tawar) dan buah rambutan.

Semua tetamu dapat door gift gula-gula. For those who pergi calit bedak dapat extra gift. Perempuan dapat tudung, lelaki dapat sejadah. I got both. tuan rumah sangat baik hati bagi dua-dua :)

My Memory - Lebih Tiga Tahun Dulu (Part 1)

Masih segar dalam ingatan tarikh 29 May 2009. Hari Jumaat. Itu la hari pertama menjejakkan kaki ke negara Brunei Darussalam untuk memulakan tugas disini. Dulu tahun 2000 pernah datang ke Brunei berjalan-jalan.

Penerbangan dengan airasia, 5.55pm dari LCCT. Luckily, I have a very supportive family. Ramai yang nak hantar sampai ke Brunei. Jadi macam holiday trip when five of us met at LCCT that evening. Five of us were me, my elder brother, my younger brother, my youngest sister and my niece.
Kami mendarat di lapangan terbang antarabangsa Brunei lebih kurang 8.30pm. I have booked our accommodation for that night at Mohd Yusof Apartment at Jalan Tutong, Bandar Seri Begawan. It is an apartment with 2 bedrooms that cost us BND120. We took 2 cabs from the airport. Each cab cost BND25. Kalau convert to Malaysian Ringgit memang expensive la for 10 minutes cab ride from the airport to the apartment.

We reached the apartment around 9.15pm. We asked the guy at the reception where can we go nearby to have our dinner. Dia cakap semua kedai makan dekat-dekat situ dah tutup, but we can get something to eat from the supermarket below the apartment. He warned us to be hurry because the supermarket will close at 9.30pm. So me and my younger brother cepat-cepat turun bawah. We manage to get some maggi mee, fruits, bread and biscuits untuk alas perut.

Esok pagi kami bersantai-santai kat apartment, breakfast dengan makanan yang dibeli semalam. Around 10am I received a phone call from the office. Somebody will pick me up at the apartment. Come this young guy name Aziz drove me to the office. Di office, berkenalan dengan semua orang, which at that point memang I cannot remember their face or their names. I have the keys to my apartment rented by the company. Aziz brought me there to show around. Lepas tu dia hantar balik ke apartment Mohd Yusof and promised to pick me up at 2pm untuk angkut barang-barang. Aziz is a very kind person. He drove me to DST mobile to register my Brunei mobile number. He helped us punggah barang-barang. At last we settle down at my apartment.

signboard yang unik di Brunei

I found many unique signboards in Brunei.
Here some of it :)

Laluan gembira :)

periuk panas kecil. jaga-jaga ye :)

Ini pulak kedai anak beranak besar.

mama besar/big mama (sounds familiar? hehe..)

papa besar /big papa

anak besar

Most of the signboards, they put direct translation. Memang funny bila baca :)

Weekend Trip

My weekend trip back to kl today.
Got cheap flight ticket. Thanks to Airasia. Return all in only BND65.
Kalau convert to RM lebih kurang RM160.

Will be attending few hari raya open houses.
Tonite at my nephew's.
Tomorrow at my friends house.

Will be back to kg kota for Hari Raya Haji.
Looking forward :)

Dari kg kota ke brunei

Dari kg kota merantau ke brunei.
Pejam celik, pejam celik dah 3 tahun lebih disini.

Brunei is ok. Small and safe country. Crime rates very low.
Apa yang best kat sini? Dua benda je. Petrol murah, 53 cent/liter & seafood cheap and fresh. This two factors make me stay here, beside the exchange rates la :)

This is ambuyat, Bruneian favorite food. For me, ambuyat is a no no. hahaha...