There is definitely something about Middle Eastern countries, something pretty intriguing. Rather, sometimes I am not amused. The last time, I blogged about wearing of the veil and abaya in the public. Well, guess what? Today I happened to be in Dubai's airport on my way home to KL. I wonder... would the husband of a wife covered up in abaya and face veil let the immigration officer identify her and match her face on the passport???

Since this is my second time flying out from Dubai, I am accustomed to their check-in lobby's nonsensical shenanigans... Can you believe that there are 5 rows of long check-in aisles, with counters on both sides, and there isn't a single display board assigning a flight to each counter??? Yes, there are 5 plasma TV panels, but they only display departing flight and gate numbers!!! What a dumb-ass system! This is just bl**dy unbelievable, that I have to proceed from Row A to B, onwards to C, D and E just to find the Malaysia Airlines check-in counter. Who's the f**ker who designed this lobby anyway???

Another piss-me-off encounter was a huge middle eastern family checking in. They queued right in front of me, but boy, was I infuriated. More than 12 persons on the other queue passed and they haven't move a spot! Guess what? A dispute on 'too much luggage being too heavy'. They left all their crap on the conveyor belt and argued, discuss and disputed over it. I mean, what the F**K - which part of 'baggage limitation' don't they understand??? If it's your father's cow caravan or camel, I am sure there's no problem to accommodate all that shit... but this is a plane. If you want to crash and die, by all means, load it up with it all!!! Imbeciles...

That episode sent my blood boiling, so much so that I totally forgot to take out my bottle of Evian from my checked-in baggage. Dang, now there's 0.5 kilos of French Alps spring water flying back to KL...

It has been quite a bad start for me here yesterday, adding to the fact that I am still trapped here in Dubai. Very aimless indeed. Still, time passes and I was busy fixing up my own breakfast in the staff house when I hit my head on a protruded end of the ventilator hood on top of the stoves! Dang...

Later part of yesterday, I discovered that the collared t-shirt I bought a few days ago, had a hole in it after one wash (don't buy Giordano)! I spent most of the day strolling and browsing in Dubai Festival City, one of the hippest newest mall in town. To my disappointment, the cinema is not opened yet, since I was game to watch 'Wanted'. The mall isn't fully opened yet as I found out later.

Being in the middle east for most part of this year, really made me question but accept their culture. One of the strange one is that women when going outdoor need to be covered up. Okay, I can come to term with that, but some cover up fully with face veil. Now, I am wondering: if all women wear a black abaya and have their face covered, how can the husband tell who's his wife??? Doh...

It is also observed that the working class expats in Dubai, be it westerners, south Asians or far easterners like myself - their wives 'park' their husbands around the lobby area with sofa while they shop. That is because most of this 'park' husbands brought along their PDA phones and notebook computers to Wi-Fi!!! Well, another culture I guess...

Yippee! Just got my wi-fi router access code and I can get on the internet here onboard Noble Mark Burns jackup rig!!! So happy...

Well, to me, the internet is more important and useful than having a TV. Now I can blog, check e-mail, get on forums, read news, bank etc.

Pak Lah, no wonder is also know as Phack Lah (pronounced with an 'F'). Reason being he cannot be trusted as all!

Today's headline is that he urged fellow Malaysians not to panic and buy into the rumor that the country and government are unstable, and that army and police are planning an emergency rule scenario.

"Rumours here, rumours there. It is as if rumours are lording over us. I am not so wrong to say that Malaysians are very gullible."

Abdullah: Govt stable, don’t believe in rumours

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is safe and stable, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said as he calmed jitters over the country's political outlook.

Bollocks to him! The last time he dismissed two issues as just rumours, they turned out true! First, he denied that he was dating and will be marrying his second wife. It turned out true. The second is when he denied any hike to the petrol price before August 2008. It makes total sense that we need to call him either Phack Him, or Bodohwi.

Note to government: citizen are not always as gullible as you think! You may choose to believe so, thinking we are easily manipulated but we are not those people who still live under trees, and you are only lying to yourself! Cheat us once, shame on you, cheat us twice shame on us! I will see to your demise next general election!

Hey y'all, have been back on solid ground since last Sunday, from the brand-new spanking jackup rig Maersk Resilient. Now doing menial office chores like preparing final logs of the last well for the client. It has been a good few days, having opportunities to check out the office, a bit of a social life with some fellow colleagues and not to mention catching up a few good decent meals and cuppa joes at the local caffeine joint. Still missing home for the family, food, friend, wife (not in that particular order dear in case you're reading this)!!! But before this hitch comes to an end, I gotta bust my ass by going out there again to Noble Mark Burns to grind balls to the wall for another 2 weeks. It's gonna hurt...

Three weeks I am home, growing more and more frustrated I am with the condition of roads in Kuala Lumpur. I have yet to travel more than a kilometer without sinking wheels of my car into either a pothole or an uneven surface! Public works, be it involving water piping, underground telcommunication cables, sewerage or electrical lines incurred massive excavation all over the city; leaving behind pissed-poor quality of repair and resurfacing of the road. They are at best: UNEVEN! If you're hearing my deaf government, IF YOU CANNOT REPAIR BACK THE ROADS BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION, THEN DON'T DIG!!!

It is her hobby as well... counting $$$! Beer on the other hand, is mine (Hoegaarden, what a find in TESCO)! The red truck is my other friend's company, spotted it on the road the other day...

This is a short one about my disappointment with top-notch brands of electronics and their retail outlets such as Harvey Norman and Panasonic. First, let me start from way back...

Way back was March 2008, when my new home in Taman Midah completed its remodelling. My room was humongous, and nothing suits it better than to have a home theater system with a monstrous 42" plasma telly. I was in the market for one, and I picked Panasonic TH-42PV70H, made in Singapore, from Harvey Norman in Ikano Power Center - BIG MISTAKE! I mean, for both Panasonic telly and Harvey Norman which was having their Hardly Normal sale campaign.

To begin with, their sale has nothing to shout about - thus I am still figuring out what is so hardly normal with them!!! SenQ, and subsidiary of Sen Heng sold this model back then for RM4500 with 1+3 years warranty, 1 year from Panasonic and the other 3 from them. On the other hand, Harvey Norman can only offer me 1 year warranty at the price of RM5000! Worse yet was when I call up their sales manager, they are reluctant to match up with SenQ's deal!

Oh, yes - then came the Panasonic telly - a month down the line, after watching 3~4 DVDs, the HDMI input/output board gave way and was incompatible with a generic HDMI cable to begin with. This is indeed a very rare problem because HDMI cable is supposed to be inter-compatible, generic and non-proprietary. You do expect USB cables and devices to work with all computers, right? How come the HDMI cable provided with the purchase of my Pioneer DVD player doesn't work with this blasted telly??? Beats me, but the problem was isolated down to the problem after Panasonic service technicians visited me twice to troubleshoot the matter.

Traumatic consumer experience eh? But in general, I am more pissed with Harvey Norman than Panasonic. At least, when Panasonic were called through the phone, they do take action. Harvey? They just F**K around...

p/s: National Geographic Channel is inviting all prolific producers in Malaysia to submit their proposals for a Malaysian documentary to be made in High-Definition. Well, I guess the only video right now we need in high-definition is the Lingam-gate clip!

When it comes to dining in Malaysia, especially at scenes such as those 'sarak makanan' or food-court style of restaurants in shop-house setting, it is usually a drag and somewhat of a turn off to some.This is because Malaysians having their meals have to put up with a steady bombardment of approaches by beggars, promoters, charity fund raisers and peddlers pushing all kind of S**T such as water-chestnut kuih, pens, donations, pirated DVDs, lottery tickets, novelties, snacks, fragrances and a whole plethora of other unimaginable wares. Beggars of course, are so upfront, they extend their hand at you while not even bothered to look at you!

It is just fascinating since in a place like Kuala Lumpur, it is impossible to finish a meal without a single encounter! Mind you, after all the exposes revealed by the local press of bogus charity organizations running fund-raising activities at local eateries, these guys have yet to give up! I have arrived to the point  where I have devised some bold and proactive way to respond, and I am more than glad to share them with you.

You should just tell them off straight in their face by beginning like this:

• Read my lips - I DON'T WANT...

And if they are really persistent, counter them with a:

• Which part of 'I DON'T WANT' don't you understand???

And lastly, if they're beggars...

• Extend back your hand at them!

Otherwise, it is also a good idea to take along a DND (Do Not Disturb) sign with you wherever you dine! But be forewarned that it should have at least 4 languages (Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil), and the recommended text are:
I really wish they can leave me alone while I am having my meals. Oh by the way, what do YOU think about those arse-holes collecting money for you when you park your vehicle at a free public parking area???

It's already more than 10 days since I got back to KL, and it has been fantastic and wonderful - except for the part that it is also too exciting and tiring for a guy like me touching 30 years old soon! Still a part of me doesn't grow up, making me have the interest to visit my old school very frequently (photo).

There has been a recent trip to Pulau Ketam, with my wife Mindy and her cousin and sister as well. I have to confess, there wasn't much things to see for us there. Total duration spent on island: less than 2 hours! And in fact, most of the 2 hours were on lunch in a restaurant anyway! We quickly hitched a ride on  the returning ferry to Port Klang, step on the gas and get ourselves to The Curve and Ikano Power Center - and yes, we did spent MORE time there!!! Talk about planning a day trip (an entire day) to Palau Ketam... haiz... Now

Recently, also completed unpacking and moving into my new home in Taman Midah. It's fabulous, since the toil and labor is over! Mindy and I whooped our own asses to get this done See the pics! One great disappointment however is the plasma TV made by Panasonic. Barely 3 months old but the HDMI input is giving a hell-lot of problems with a Pioneer DVD player. All this while, I thought HDMI cables are supposed to be generic just like a USB cable, but NO. Panasonic tries to be fancy!!! Now, I really resent that brand.

Here's some photos of my room and of my wife's new best friend (a JLC Reverso Lady). There is a new album for the trip to Pulau Ketam also, take a peek! Until next post, adios amigos!

It's the day for me to go home!!! After 6 weeks of pure hell, most of it without internet connection, especially the last 2 weeks offshore Dubai with an imbecilic first hand FSE. Finally, get to enjoy some quality time home, get to enjoy the fruit of my labor... Here's some pics of Dubai... Take note of their public bus stops! They are boxed-up and air-conditioned! I also had to pass by The World (onboard a helicopter), Burj Dubai, Burj Arab and Mall of Emirates (with that snow-dome). That mall is so ludicrous, it has a DeBeer outlet that have multi-million dollar (per piece that is) jewellery!!!

Heading out tomorrow, Fateh Field on a helicopter!!! Offshore again - Noble Mark Burns jack-up rig this time. Signing off...

Things on my to-see list in Dubai: Burj Dubai, Burj Arab, The World, The Palm, maybe a bit of downtown, Jumeirah, corniche beachfront... So much to see, so little time... Come back soon, I will try to post some pics! Got my flight tickets confirmed for tomorrow, 12:55 pm from Doha... Oh by the way, this is what I got Mindy for this year's anniversary --- bling bling...

Haiz, not going home yet. The job is done, we packed up and rigged down, but guess what? I am heading to the next job in Dubai... sigh!!! More info later, if I have internet access that is. You just never know how remote you will end up...

Today is very hazy, quite a sign that dust storm days are back! I am bracing myself, where's my face mask??? Dang, I have none...

Three more weeks to go until home time, but I have my Snicker bars and Nestle instant cuppocino with me... Sweet!

Yup, grease man is still drilling...

These past 2 weeks was definitely not a usual oilfield experience. It was a truly memorable and remarkable hitch, working at Ras Laffan Industrial City, 35 km north of Doha, in Qatar. Ras Gas, the client put me up together with my colleagues at a fancy hotel nearby for nearly two weeks, and I wrecked up a bill totalling RM 12,000! Hmm, meals, mini-bar ransacking, internet connection really compound up... Well, now that the job is finished, it's back to the shabby container sleeping units... sigh... DEPRESSED LAH!

Here's some pics of my new place in Taman Midah, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. A huge bedroom indeed, housing a shut-eye area (king-size), a study area for two, a theater place, walk-in wardrobe and WC. Nice to have so much in the same room, can't complain. Still in the process of unpacking loads of junk, and some final finishing touches...

Beezee Beezee making my nest... Next update will have some photos of it completed, but right now it is still in-progress. Still cannot believe it that I have already blew RM20K+ on it...

Seriously it has been some time since I last wrote anything on my blog. Today is a good cause to make an entry. After being home (Kuala Lumpur) for about a mere 2.5 weeks from Germany, I was called for two quad-combo jobs in Qatar. Interesting stuff: loading and unloading nukes (radioactive sources, gamma and neutron), and performing formation pressure tests. Got no choice but to go, and in the process missed both Chinese New Year and my own birthday at home. The job turned pretty draggy and here I am 6 weeks later: Dubai Airport on my way home and just in time to cast my vote in Malaysia's General Election on 8 March 2008. In some ways, I was excited to go home but in some ways, I am not. Not sure what to say, but for any reason that I won't be glad being home, one of it strangely is home: my new home. It is in a BIG mess... MIGRAINE...