Meeting Mr Step - Missing Part

Interlude - iPhone unvealed!!

I posted about this in November of last year and also posted a couple of pictures of what the iPhone would look like. All was revealed yesterday. I read about it last week and a friend of mine, Mr Atos now working in Iran asked about which iPod to get for his wifey. I explained that it depends on what kind of user she would be and probably watch out for the iPhone. He saw the unvealing on BBC and sent me the link to this brilliant 'iPhone'. My Fiance has hinted that she wants one of these babies. But Eci told me even if anyone buys it early they can't use it here unless you can unlock it. Reason being the phone uses 'Edge' and not your regular 'GSM' bandwidth.*edited* Eci explains that "actually you can use it here because it also is quad band gsm, except as stated you need it to be unlocked. what i meant about edge is you can't get 'high speed' internet with just gsm and the current iphone uses only edge which is not available in brunei yet. of course you can stil use wifi." *edited* So don't go off rushing to buy it online. You will just waste a lot of money. So Eci and Myself will be hoping - more like praying - that Apple will come up with a 3G version of the iPhone and then we can all go on an iPhone frenzy Hahahahaha. To read more about it click [here] or for a summerised version you can read about it on Eci's - Fragments of Memories.

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The answer to yesterday's riddle, which was;

'Can you tell how to tell/say three days in a row without using Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday?'

Corrrectly answered by Anonymous - 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'

Mr Step - the new French teacher in my school - also talked about how fast time flies. He was mentioning about how a few weeks ago, during Christmas, he was sitting in the living room talking to his mother telling her about how he would be moving to a new school and moving to a new house. And there he was sitting in the canteen talking to me and he felt as if it was only yesterday he was speaking to his Mother in Derby.

He was on the flght back to Brunei on the 30th and arrived on the 31st. Went back to KB to finish packing up. Got his movers to send his stuff to his new crib in 'River Root' on the 1st of January. Unpacked by the 2nd and on the 3rd started working at his new school.

In a matter of days his life has changed. He feels the adventure only happening yesterday and here he is today and god know what it would be like tomorrow.

Does that feeling ever happen to you? I think I have experienced that sometimes. Usually after a vacation or a working trip. One day you wake up in this lavish hotel on the most comfortable bed in the world and the next time you realize you are back at your own bed. 'Holiday Blues' is what I would call it. But really time just flies by so fast nowadays.

You wonder how Tiger Woods feel eveytime he is away on a tournament or Championship. One day he is at home with his family and the next day he's some golf course in Shanghai. Some would say he would love to go on trip like TW but maybe on somedays TW himself would rather stay at home and spend time with his family. Thumbs up to him for skipping the first cup of the season to spend more time with family. Now that is a good role model for many aspiring golfers and 'husbands' alike.

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On a different note:

Yesterday my football team KFC - Knightz FC had a match at Belapan Field Vs. Saidina Ummar Al-Khattab Secondary School. I have moved up the ranks from playing right back to center forward. I am still trying to adjust to it. I can score goals playing futsal but on the pitch it is a totally different level. My inspiration, Andy Cole.

I disrupted the defence and managed to distract the central defence to create chances for my teammates. Half time was 2-2 and I had wasted a few chances with my poor first touches. But I hope to improve again in the next match. I played the full first half and gave way to the other subs to have a run out in the second half.

I think the other team ,which included my cousin, Az Boy and they also imported my younger brother, Tenno and they both man marked me [hahahaha] has under estimated KFC and got caught out a couple of times and conceded some goals. We dominated most of the second half and conceded a freakish goal after a miscommunication at the back.

It was a good run out for us and it was the first friendly match for KFC for 2007 and what a way to start the year. Next match maybe next month Vs. my old teammate / Captain and bestfriend and part of Barang Dapur - Sambal's team. Plus I think KFC needs new jerseys.

Meeting Mr Step - Part Uno

A cool day it was today. The grey clouds providing perfect shades from the bright sun. I was sitting in the canteen stirring my hot cup of coffee and chatted away with my friend, Mr Chicks, about our cars. He drives an Evo and I drive a slighly smaller turbo wagon with an Evo Engine.

Then came along Mr Step (not real name) who has just transferred to my school from Kuala Belait. He is an expat and has been in Brunei for just over 5 years. He is the new french teacher as the former french teacher was transferred to the Sixth form Center in Lambak Kiri to accomodate the 'A' level French classes.

Mr Step hails form the land that provides us in Brunei the best nights of Entertainment. Yes I am referring to English Football. I had only greeted him once on the opening day of school which was also his first day in a new school.

Still waiting for my coffee to cool down a bit more, I asked him random questions about where he was from and all. He was born in Derby, United Kingdom. I did not have the courage to ask his age as he looks quite old. He told me his Mother still lives in Derby and he usually goes back to visit every christmas.

He asked me if I had been to London recently and I told him I did last year in May before heading to the Bahamas and before heading back to Brunei. He looked surprised when I mentioned I went to the Bahamas. Then we started talking about travelling and asked me if I had ever been to Australia and I answered I two years ago in December. I went to Brisbane with my Fiance's family to attend my future brother-in-law graduate. I told him the best time to go to OZ was in december as the weather is more or less the same as Brunei. One thing I realize about our expats from the UK is that they love the sun. So I knew he would love the summer in December as it usually is cold and miserable in December in the UK.

He then told me he has relatives in Perth and he always wanted to go and visit but could not seem to find the time as he usually goes back to UK for Christmas but he will be planning a trip this year he hopes. Because he siad this is the first time that they have lived so near to Australia and they do not want to go back to UK and not go to OZ.

He started telling me that he once went to teach in Africa for a couple of years and then went back to the UK and went around the country to teach. Then the opportunity came and his wife and him decided to go on an adventure and head to our beloved Abode of Peace and he was thankful that his stay has been a most pleasent one.

Sipping my warm coffee slowly, I asked him some more questions. Since he thought french I asked him what is 'Thank You' in french and its 'Merci'. 'Merci buku (excuse my french spelling) means 'Thank You very much'. I then asked what about 'Gradsi' and he said that was italian and 'Gracias' is Thankk you in Spanish. I told him I remembered 'Gradsi' as the way Maltese people say Thank you and told him went to Malta two years ago in November to attend a conference. Again he looked surprised.

He had never been to Malta and asked how it was. I loved Malta and I loved the weather. The people are friendly and the city itself was full of history. But the only draw back was the currency exchange. I told him 50 british pounds could only give me around 30-ish Maltese Lira. I told him I met friends from all over the world. Friends from Gibralta, Soloman Island, Tonga, Tuvalu, Jamaica, Barbados, St Lucia - I mean I met a lot of people.

By this time I had already finished my coffee and was just accompanying Mr Step finishing his 'Teh Tarik' and beef burger.

Then we started talking about football as I asked him if he supported Derby. We talked about the Ian Rush Era as I mentioned I started out as a Liverpool fan. Apparently he knows alot about football in the 70's. Then I told him it is actually amazing how huge the influence of English football is in Brunei. How we have the Liverpool fans and the Man Utd fans and the other team supporters as well such as Newcastle Fans, Arsenal fans, Nottingham Fans and other clubs as well. We live in seperate parts of the world yet we adore and follow the English game so closely.

Students started showing up in numbers to let us know that it was breaktime and we headed back to the staffroom to prepare for the next lesson.

I wish Mr Step an even more happier and memorable stay in our country and enjoy teaching at his new school.

I am missing a chunk of the story as I will use it as another post tomorrow. So come back and this chunk fits right after my Malta story and finishing my coffee. The blog will be related to this riddle a colleague once asked me.

'Can you tell how to tell/say three days
in a row without using Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday'

You may guess the answer and all will be revealed tomorrow. Cheers.