Visit to Brunei - First Destination to Borneo !

10:03 Unknown 0 Comments

It is the first time I visited Brunei though since young it has been mentioned that Brunei has been a rich nation due to its huge reserve of oil and gas. I was being tasked together with my boss for an last minute assignment to visit some customers in East Malaysia and Brunei is our first stop. Arriving at the airport in late afternoon, the airport seems to be quite empty with people and I can see children playing around at the airport.

Soon after someone picked us up at the airport, he was bringing us to some Japanese restaurant for lunch and during the journey, we passed by a majestic palace which was said to be the residential location for Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The palace is named Istana Nurul Iman, located on the banks of Brunei River which is only a few kilometers south of Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. (Tried my best to take a good photo of the palace, but what do you expect if you are sitting inside a moving vehicle ?)

The palace has been recorded into the Guiness World Record being the World's Largest Palace, spanning over 200,000 square meters of floor space. Be more surprised at the numbers I am going to show regarding this palace;
  • Contains 1,788 rooms, including 257 bathrooms
  • An expandable banquet hall to accommodate up to 5,000 guests
  • A mosque accommodating 1,500 people
  • 110 car garage (not carpark)
  • An air-conditioned stable for Sultan's 200 polo ponies
  • 5 Swimming pools
  • 564 Chandeliers
  • 51,000 Light bulbs 
  • 44 Stairwells
  • 18 Elevators
We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant somewhere along Jalan McArthur and right behind was a waterfront lined up with water taxis ferrying passengers to cross the river over to the Water Village or Kampong Ayer.

These kampong houses are built on stilts above the Brunei River for fishermen to gain easy access to open water. Don't be surprised if the fishing industry is actually one of Brunei's largest contributors in revenue. With their strategic coastal location, it is ideal for commercial and subsistence fishing.

Done with our lunch and it is time to cross the border to Miri ! Please note that Miri is actually part of East Malaysia. Believe me, the checkpoint are even closer than Woodlands checkpoint between Singapore and Malaysia. Sadly, I did not managed to take any photos during my trip in Miri. Those that are interested in the Japanese restaurant I went, below are the information.

Kaizen Sushi Japanese Restaurant
Waterfront Yayasan Complex
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Tel: + 673 222 6336

We travelled by car back to Brunei the following day and after visiting some clients, we are ready to go for our next destination in East Malaysia, Bintulu.

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Singapore Fibre Home Broadband Chart - Who is the Cheapest?

10:15 Unknown 0 Comments

Starhub

100Mbps - S$ 39.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 49.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 69.90 per month
1Gbps - S$ 395.90 per month

*Free Wireless AC Dual-band Router (worth $299)

Singtel

Fibre Home Bundle

200Mbps - S$ 49.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 59.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 79.90 per month

*Free Wireless Modem ($249) + Home Digital Line with unlimited local calls

Fibre Entertainment Bundle

200Mbps - S$ 69.90 per month
300Mbps - S$ 79.90 per month
500Mbps - S$ 99.90 per month

*Free Wireless Modem ($249) + Home Digital Line with unlimited local calls + mio TV (50+ channels)

M1

200Mbps - S$ 39.00 per month
300Mbps - S$ 49.00 per month
GamePRO 300 Mbps - S$ 55.00 per month

MyRepublic

Ultra 1Gbps - S$ 49.99 per month
Gamer Ultra Edition 1 Gbps - S$ 59.99 per month

*Have to purchase router range from $69-$259 (after $100 discount from the voucher)

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Finally, I Have Reach Las Vegas, The Casino Resort City

09:05 Unknown 0 Comments


The plane has touched down safely at the Las Vegas airport and it is also the end of the tormenting hours of transit and flight from Singapore to Las Vegas. Upon exiting the arrival halls, you will feel alive in the Casino City, with Jackpots machines litters across the luggage collection point.


Something new which you will never see in Singapore, a 24-hour fresh flower vending machine! However, I could not really figure out why would a vendor place this machine at the airport while everyone is rushing to the casino city. The price is stated from USD 10 to USD 20 per bouquet and I would think it is overpriced compared to Singapore (except during Valentine's Day).


Without any further delay, we quickly exit the airport to look for transport to our hotel, Planet Hollywood. Instead of getting a van or bus, we booked an limousine for 2-hours to take the entire group of six for a short tour around in the Las Vegas Strip before sending us to the hotel. The rates is USD 75 per hour if my memory did not fails me. However, the more important task is to get a local sim card for mobile internet and local phone usage. Funny enough, the driver recommended us a local big electronics superstore which we found out that they ran out of sim cards for sale. How can that be ? Thinking back about it, the airport was actually spacious enough to accommodate at least one or two stalls, why no one is selling sim card at all ?

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Falling in Love with Volvo, But XC90, XC60 or V60 ?

09:52 Unknown 0 Comments

If given the choice to choose between these three Volvo models, which one will you choose ?


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