Engagement ceremony in Brunei custom

23 August 2008

Last night in Brunei, daddy attended an engagement ceremony of his cousin (that makes her our aunt, right?). It's not the usual "Will you marry me" type that we always see on television (however that might have happened between the couple). In our tradition, the family members of the groom-to-be usually comes to the lady's house to meet up with her family and ask for her hand in marriage. The number of family members depends on prior arrangement between the two families; some prefer to hold the ceremony in private, while some others like to share the happy moments with more relatives. In last night's case, it was a moderate size ceremony, with around 100 people altogether (both families).

The family members (it's unusual that the groom-to-be comes along) brings with them two rings, one as a 'pembuka mulut' (literally translated as mouth opener), and one as the official engagement ring. Together with each ring is a sum of $100 each. Sometimes, the wedding date is fixed on the same day, while some prefer to have it open to future discussions.

Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that nowadays, most couples know each other first (being in a relationship, that is) before deciding to get engaged and consequently marry each other. From what we gather from our elders though, in the old times, arranged marriage is widely practised, and the bride and groom practically falls in love with each other after marriage. Amazingly, these arranged marriages always last a lifetime!

Anyway, here are some pictures of last night's ceremony. To aunt Fidah, congratulations... and you looked stunning, as always!

Members of both families sit together to discuss about the engagement proposal. Some guests sit on the sofas/chairs and some prefer to sit on the floor as is our tradition.

The bride-to be (wearing all pink) capturing the happy moments with her family members.

A good one and a half hour walk

21 August 2008

It's Thursday, my school day as usual. After sending me, nini laki and mummy together with Safiya went for a walk around mummy's university surroundings for a mild exercise. Actually, I am quite familiar with the route that mummy and nini laki took today, thanks to nini laki who never grow tired of taking us for strolls in the mornings.

Nevertheless, it's a new experience for mummy, and as such mummy took a lot of pictures. More pictures of the university will be posted in the future. For today, we would like to show you the Eleanor Schonell Bridge and the university lake. You'll sure enjoy the pictures!

The Eleanor Schonell Bridge, also known as the Green Bridge, is a 390 metre (1,280 ft) long cable-stayed bridge which crosses the Brisbane River between Dutton Park and the University of Queensland's St Lucia campus. Its deck is 185 metres long, 20 metres wide and around 18 metres above the river's surface. The bridge was opened on December 17 2006, and is the first bridge in Australia exclusively designed for buses, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as the first public transport bridge built in Australia since the early 1900s. - Information obtained from Wikipedia

Nini laki and Safiya walking on the bridge

Only buses, cyclists and pedestrians on the bridge... isn't that amazing?

Mummy and nini laki did walk the whole way across the river!

Breath-taking views from the bridge


Afterwards, mummy and nini laki walked back to the university and went to the university lake. With the mildly cold weather and beautiful surroundings, mummy said that it reminds her of Hyde Park in London during autumn. It's also amazing that there are varieties of birds species at the vicinity of the lake... even Safiya decided to get off the stroller and enjoyed a brief walk, at least until she got scared of the tame birds... hehehe...

What a beautiful picture, with all the yellow trees in the background

Good pose, Safiya!

Uh-ohh! The bird is getting closer... Time to get on the stroller again!

Some ducks relaxing and enjoying a swim

Really interesting, these birds... they tend to approach us.. I think they were expecting treats, but we didn't bring any food to feed them.

A nice picture with nini laki

There was also a pelican

A blue-coloured bird... that's new!

Some more birds with long and sharp beaks

This lake is man-made, and it's amazing to see an island in the middle. Nini says it's like looking at the 'Lumut Lunting' island on the Brunei river

At last ... after one and a half hour, finally approaching home

More products from the kitchen

18 August 2008

In about one week time, more products has emerged from the kitchen. Here are some pictures of the new dishes. Yummmmyyyy...

GRILLED BEEF CUTLET

When it comes to cooking, I believe no one is better in the kitchen than nini bini (hehehe... even mummy admits that!). Here is a picture of a large grilled beef cutlet with potatoes which we had for dinner last Friday. Mummy was especially delighted to have a delicious dinner after a full day of class (from 9am until 5pm) that day!


DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

This double chocolate cake was made by mummy last Thursday, meant especially for my tea time at school the next day. It's a simple recipe: Sift together 2 cups of self-raising flour and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Stir 185g of butter, 100g chopped dark chocolate and 3/4 cup caster sugar over low heat until melted. Combine 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk in a mixing bowl. These mixtures are then combined with the dry ingredients until just combined (avoid overbeating). Bake in a 180 degrees C oven for about 45 minutes.


GRILLED CHICKEN

Another menu created by nini bini. The chicken parts is coated with seasonings, ground garlic and ginger, and is grilled on a grill pan over moderate heat for about 25 minutes. Yummmyyy!


WET NOODLES WITH OKRA AND CHICKEN

A few days ago daddy showed off his LUNCH to us. One of our favourite places to eat in Brunei is Gripps Cafe and wet noodles is always on the menu. We got a bit jealous, so mummy made some for us. We didn't have many ingredients at home, not even cornstarch (the idea of wet noodles is the thick soup), but Okra ("kacang bendir") did the trick!

We were in a mess enjoying the noodles, and mummy captured some of our silly looks! Hehehe...

Birthday celebration in a new style

Last night, daddy sent us some pictures. It was Ngangah's birthday on the 14th of August, and since she was still admitted at the hospital, the celebration came to her instead. Looking steady and beautiful (despite after 3 days of a C-section birth), Ngangah was happy to cut her birthday cake. I guess the most interesting part is the birthday song ... the singers are in Brisbane! Hehehe... Good thing about advanced new technology! We were not left out from the celebration, although we are thousands of miles apart!

In all, it was a successful celebration... even baby Nazrah was a superstar that night, she cried a little bit, but I think she was actually singing a birthday song for her mummy.

My cousin, Adam, wearing his favourite T-shirt. We gave it to him last June, but the colour almost wears off. Hehehe... Need to buy a new one for him next time!

"Happy Birthday Ngangah"

Ohhh... look at baby Nazrah... cute!

Daddy's in the newspaper ... again!

16 August 2008

Yesterday in Brunei, daddy was appointed as the emcee at an appreciation and prize-giving ceremony to mark the successful completion of the Brunei SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineer) National Student Paper contest 2008. It was held at The Empire Hotel and Country Club, the luxurious and most renowned hotel in our country.

We're proud that today, the news made its debut in the local Brunei newspaper. Congratulations daddy on the success of your group's project. More news on this? Click on the newspaper links below.

Borneo Bulletin

The Brunei Times

My unique nini bini

Generally, a person is either right-handed or left-handed, but have you ever heard of a person being both? Hehehe... That includes nini bini! She is generally right-handed, but when it comes to peeling and cutting fruits and vegetables, her left hand will come into action. Even more amazing, she uses a peeler or a knife! I can assure you, these pictures are not modified in any way ...

Now try and imagine yourself doing that, using your other hand. Do you think you can do it? Hehehe... love you nini bini!

New creations in the kitchen

14 August 2008

In the past couple of days, mummy has created delicious meals in the kitchen. To daddy, don't worry, I'm sure mummy will cook these for you when you come back to Brisbane next month. Hehehe...

SOTO BRUNEI


Now, that might not be presentable... but it's always our favourite! "Noodles with beef soup" is exactly what we understand about Soto Brunei. Of course, usually there are condiments that go with it, like chopped spring onions and coriander leaves, cut chillis, fried shallots, beansprouts and so on. But then again, being far from our home country, anything will do! Hehehe... Thanks mummy!

POTATO AND SHRIMP FRITTERS

It's actually the usual 'Bergedil', made from mashed potatoes. However, mummy coated the fritters with breadcrumbs to minimise the usual oily texture of these delicious finger foods. Mummy says that's a tip from Malaysia's renowned Chef Wan. They are delicious, even for myself being not a big fan of potatoes! Hehehe...

BREAD AND BANANA PUDDING

In the afternoons, mummy and nini bini watch one of their favourite cooking shows: Huey's Cooking Adventure. Yesterday, there was this pudding recipe. It's simple, and takes around 8 to 10 minutes inside the microwave. Just arrange buttered toast and bananas inside a baking dish, and pour over it mixture of milk, eggs and brown sugar... and that's it!

Well, that's it for now from our kitchen... but I'm sure there are more creations to come!

Our baby cousin has a name

13 August 2008

Amongst the choices for the baby's name was "Darina" which is actually the name of a flower

Announcing the name of our new cousin...

NUR NAZRATUN HADRINA
("Nazrah" for short)

On this note, special thanks to mummy's officemates who helped suggest the name to us... Love you very much cousin!

Never too early to learn

Anyone around us usually notices that Safiya is very brilliant and clever. At under 2 years, she can properly make herself heard, using sentences that can be easily understood. No baby talk for her, she speaks like an adult would. Mummy says I was like that too when I was a bit younger. Another good thing about Safiya is that she is kind and helpful, and always let others come first. When she eats, she usually shares with me without asking ... hehehe... I sometimes can't help but take advantage of that!

Last night, Safiya on her own took my blanket and spread it on the floor. Then she took her scarf and asked mummy to put it on her.. Apparently, she was getting ready for her prayer. I guess looking at everyone at home performing Muslim prayers 5 times a day make her understand that it is something that she has to learn. Good for you sis!

And not to mention ... she's pretty too!

Our long time prayers has been answered!

11 August 2008

At last, after 3 years of marriage, my lovely Ngangah has given birth to her first baby. We are truly happy with the great news. Ngangah as I know is always loving towards babies and children, and it's about time she is blessed with her own.. That baby is lucky to have Ngangah and Ngangah laki as her parents. We can't wait to meet you cousin!

To Ngangah Hasrina & Hadanan
Congratulations!