Laser Surgery on My Eyes

The time had finally arrived for me to leave for KL (26/10/12) John was picking me up and I was to stay at his apartment. It was really good seeing him again as especially I was now in his new domain and not back in CHCH. Once he picked me up we dropped my bag off at his place and had a couple of beers. We went down to have a late lunch at Chinatown and a few more beers. I was able to buy a football strip for Liam and a Ferrai top for Jordy. Not enough time to buy something for me or Amanda!. We went back to his place and then went out to meet up with some of his mates. It was really good to go to a pub with live music, however quite smokey.
Saturday came around and we went out for breakfast before I was due to get my eye examination at optimax. Once finished I walked to optimax and John went home. I was at optimax at 10am and they were absolutely brilliant. I had a 2 hour exam and then waited for about 30 odd minutes before my laser surgery. I had lovely pink, yes pink surgical pants and top to put on as they seemed to be the largest and even they were a bit tight. It was not the most pleasant feeling a doctor playing with your eyes and at times it was very uncomfortable but not painful. Once finished I waited for an hour with my eyes really irritated and crying the whole time. The girls were amazing looking after me and they went and got me some lunch aswell. Once I got my check up John was outside waiting so we went back to the apartment were my eyes were slowy feeling better. Had a rest for about 30 minutes and my eyes were a whole lot better. We went out for tea before John went out for some drinks with his friends. I probably could have gone but I didn't want to risk anything. Next day I was even better and John drove me the airport for my flight back to Brunei.
I really enjoyed seeing John again and was good to catch up for a beer, he really went out of his way to help me for the weekend.

End of season- Cricket

Well it was the end of the season on the 20/10/12 and we were to take on another Indian team in 20/20 again. We were lucky as this time the field was dry, some weeks we have players playing in football boots while fielding as it is extremely wet and slippery. With our record standing at 100% (loss) we were hoping for some inspiration especially since we just lost by 8 runs in the previous game (against another Indian team). We did find it, but it came in the form of one of their opening batsman who use to play for the Pakistan under 19s. My god he smacked us around!. They ended up with 197 far too much for us to chase, but we gave it a good go. I was batting at 4 and had scored always in the high 20s so wanted to get a big score this time. Our openers went out in the first 2 overs and then I was in, a little earlier than I thought. It was warm probably about 38-40 in the middle but Amanda was fine in the shade under a tree. I ended up with 35, 2 sixes, 4 fours but I was running out of partners and went for 1 six too many. Oh well maybe next year we will win. We ended up with 126.
Amanda does not like our lilac tops but we do stand out in them. It was really good seeing Liam in the nets playing cricket with one of his friends as this is not a popular sport in Brunei so he never gets the chance to play apart from with me on the drive. Jordy enjoyed the morning playing with another Jordy.

I am wearing the grey hat, it is hard to tell as so far away!

International Day at ISB

ISB (International School of Brunei) celebrates international day every year for the Primary School children.  There was 49 nations represented with some very spectacular costumes from many nations.  The kiwi kids looked very traditional, all in their black t-shirts!!!  It is only then you realise how laid back our culture is. The day started with a parade of nations around the school (similar to the opening ceremony of the Olympics) followed by culture performances from some nations.  Jordan and Liam performed the Kapa Haka on stage for everybody.  There were dances and songs from Indonesia, India and France.  Still waiting for something from the Australians!!!  This was followed by food stalls from various nations, then traditional games and activities for the kids.  A great way to spend the last day before mid-term break.

Batu Caves

Having read mixed reviews on Batu Caves we decided to make our own opinion, we had the morning to visit before flying back to Brunei later in the day.  It is another attraction that we can tick of our list of places to visit but not one we would revisit.  It has become very tourist orientated with the bottom of the caves full of shops and cafes.  The view from the top was spectacular and once again the fact we are now used to the heat definitely came into play.  There is 272 steps to climb to reach the top, Liam asked 'is that it'.  Jordan was so busy talking to Aaron upon reaching the top then asked 'so where are the steps we are going to climb!'.  We did however pass several people who were struggling with the heat and humidity, (they were sitting down resting on their way).  The monkeys are very used to the visitors and perform readily for the camera.  Having monkeys outside our house daily in Brunei no longer makes this quite as interesting for the boys.  The golden statue is magnificent so maybe worth the visit to see.
Please click on the youtube links below:
http://youtu.be/DvrGE5gJ7I4

http://youtu.be/Vqh4KejaBhQ

 

 

Sunway Lagoon

We promised to take the boys to Sunway Lagoon, it is a theme park with waterslides, adventure rides and a wildlife park all in one.  With expectations high we set off to spend the day.  Unfortunately it was not as good as the theme parks we have already visited in Australia.  We did manage to spend the whole day from 10am opening until almost 5pm so the boys still had an enjoyable time.  The park is very well laid out and the facilities (lockers, food etc) do exceed those in the Australian theme parks, just the rides are not as exciting.   With the weather being a barmy 33degrees, getting wet is enjoyable and also you are able to wonder around in your swim wear without getting cold!!  It is almost a relief to get wet again on some of the rides.  Overall an enjoyable day out but not a place we would probably visit again. The pirate ship was the only ride Liam couldn't go on due to height restrictions, however Jordan and Aaron went on and enjoyed it. The ship ends up doing a 360 degree rotation. I could hear Jordan from the ground say "I want to get off!" Unfortunately for Jordan as it was swinging and halfway through the ride he had no chance.