It's Tonemaru

I like R&B/HipHop and Soul Music a lot. I admire Black American Singers/Artists. They are so talented. Their voices are so beautiful. I cannot find any words to describe how good they are. My favorite R&B/HipHop singers/artists are for example Jay-Z, 50Cents, Snoop Dog, P-Diddy, Missy Elliot, Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and Usher.

However, recently on TV, there are so much news about Korean singers and Chinese singers (only Taiwan and Hong Kong). I admit that they are good. Some of them are really damn excellent such as Wang Lee Hom, Jay Chou, Rain (Korean), J Lim (Korean), and Se7en. Of course, these people are in R&B/HipHop Music. These artists are getting popular not only in Asia but they are invading USA, the world largest music industry market and the second of course Japan.

Wang Lee Hom was born in USA. He's Taiwanese-American. He is really talented. He is good at singing Chinese and English songs. He did bachelor degree and master degree in Music. He learned music when he was a child. He can play Violin, Drum, Piano, Guitar, ErHu (Chinese Violin), and so on. He is also a good songwriter and music producer. He has two Homeboy Music Studios in Taiwan and USA. He is considered as one of excellent songwriters in SONY BMG.

These singers above are the symbol of East Asia. We, Asians, should give them support, not because they have the same race as we do but they are really talented.

One day one of my friends from my class at Monash University, Australia told me that he and his girlfriend will get married on 26th December 2007 and I am invited. I am so happy for them. The groom to be is Irwin, a Singaporean man. The bride to be is Michelle, a very nice and beautiful Singaporean woman. Irwin, Michelle and I used to be housemates for a year. They are very nice people.

At first when I was told that I am invited for the wedding in Singapore, I was so excited. At some point, when I am thinking of the times that some of my friends from SSEAYP (Ship for South East Asian Youth Program) invited me to their wedding receptions and I could not go due to several factors, I feel sad. I could have had a chance to do so.

Well, to assuage the sadness, i think, is to make a trip to Irwin's wedding at the end of year and then visit friends in both Singapore and Malaysia.

My plan is to go to Singapore, Malaysia, and (perhaps) Brunei.

My rough schedule is

1) On 22nd December 2007, Leave Laos to Udon Thani Province, Thailand and then take AirAsia to BKK and stay over night in BKK in order to catch up with Thai friends.

2) On 23rd December 2007, Leave BKK for Singapore with AirAsia. Then Catch up with friends and tour around city.
3) On 24th - 25th December 2007, Tour around city, do some shopping, and others (unsure)
4) On 26th December 2007, Irwin & Michelle Wedding.
5) On 27th December 2007, Recovering from being hung over from the wedding :D hehe ... and Leave Singapore for Batu Pahat Johor, Malaysia to visit B.S. Lam, a friend from SSEAYP.
7) On 28th December 2007, Depend on B.S. Lam's plan.
8) On 29th December 2007, Leave Batu Pahat Johor for Malacca to visit Calvin Hoh, a friend from University and my ex-housemate.
9) On 30th December 2007, Visit Malacca.
10) On 31st December 2007, Leave Malacca for KL. Stay with Khimming Liew, a friend from my class and my final year ex-housemate.
11) From 1st Jan 2008 to 4th Jan 2008, Visit around KL, meet up with friends from university and SSEAYP.

12) (Maybe) Fly to Brunei to visit my foster family from SSEAYP and visit a friend in Pulau Labuan.

13) Fly to BKK and stay a night or 2 there to visit friends and relax.

14) Fly back to Udon Thani province. My dad will pick me up from there then travel back to Laos.

I will have few more days or a week break before going back to the mine site for another working roster.

However, there are still contributing factors that may prevent this trip. These are:

1) My colleague is quitting his job to pursue his master degree in electrical engineering in the States. Well, he is my back-to-back electrical engineer. This means that when I am on break, he will be on site and vice versa due to 24-7 operation mine. If he is gone, my roster will change.

2) I may be sent to Australia to work on 2-3 projects in Brisbane, Australia.

3) Possible emergency thing happens. The most certainty is uncertainty.

Well, I still have high hope It will come true.

Keep my fringers crossed !!!! :)

My mum arrived in Laos on 07/04/2007 from Sydney. She went there for my cousin's wedding . She left Laos on 24/02/2007. My cousin had 2 wedding ceremonies. One was Lao Traditional Wedding on 03/03/2007. The other one was Australian Style Wedding on 31/03/2007.

I called her up today (08/04/2007). She got a lot of things to talk but she will wait until I go back home in May 2007. She said she took a lot of Kangaroo meat. I replied "No thank you, mum". I do not like Kangaroo meat.

I have been back to work (Sepon Gold/Copper Mine, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR - www.oxiana.com.au) for 2-3 days after I had 18 day break.

There were 300+ emails awaiting for me. Although I can check work emails online, I do not tend to do so because I am on break. Am I right?.

My colleague told me that He will stop working for the company by the end of May 2007. This is because he needs at least 1 month to prepare before he starts his Master degree in Electrical Engineering in The US in July 2007. It seems that my office will be more quiet if he leaves. Oh Well ... every one has his own destination.

More work is awaiting for me. For example, preparation work for Copper Plant Shutdown for Maintenance and ongoing Plant Control System.

However, there were activities that i have done

1) I played Tennis with friends. Unfortunately, it's been a week that I've got backache so I have not played Tennis since then.

2) I went to Australian Development Scholarship Alumni at Australian Embassy Residence. I went there to catch up with friends graduated from Australia.

3) I went out to have cocktails with friends at Sticky Fingers and Jazzy Brick. My new favourite cocktail is "Sex On The Beach"

4) I was interviewed by Sarah Sim (Australian-British-Singaporean girl) for her master research on the impact of Australian Graduates on Laos or Lao PDR.

5) I had lunches with BUDDY gang friends from High School. We went to Udon Thani, Thailand for shopping.

6) I went out with friends from MUFY 2000 - Monash University Foundation Year 2000 (only for those who took MUFY in Vientiane College, Lao PDR).

7) I had meal with Jason Lee, who born in Malaysia but raised in Perth Australia. He claims himself as Australian born chinese man. Knight Pe'sold where he is working for used to send him to Sepon mine to work on a project. Now, Jason has been sent to Phu Bai - Phu Kham mine (in Northern Laos) to work on a project.

8) I worked on my Australian Permanent Residency Visa. I am kinda relieved now because I just submitted it. The only thing to worry is "whether or not I will get accepted".