BIBD Debit Card

Few days ago, I read in the Borneo Bulletin (for those who is outside of Brunei: Borneo Bulletin is an English medium newspaper published daily in Brunei) about the new debit card from Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD).

Unlike credit cards, spending using debit cards will not cause you to be burdened by interest rates which will result in accumulating debts if you can't settle the monthly credit repayment.


I find this debit card to be very attractive and convenient in its potential to be used for commercial transaction locally or internationally. BIBD is trying to introduce a new way of conducting business by using e-currency as another form of legal tender, meaning: we don't have to bring physical money in exchange of goods and services.

I'd apply for BIBD's debit card because it is directly connected to a BIBD bank account. For example, if I saved my money in BIBD, I can just use this debit card to pay for anything without going to the ATM to withdraw money.

Since, it bears the MasterCard logo, we can use it to for our online shopping spree or anywhere else that accepts MasterCard. If you're planning to buy something in Ebay or using Paypal as your payment processor, you have to verify the debit card with Paypal in order to remove the spending limit imposed by Paypal for unverified cards. Therefore, make sure to verify your card first to prevent an abrupt stop to your online shopping marathon!

Stolen this Mastercard logo from pycomall.com

For now, I'll just stick to Standard Chartered Bank's eCash card. The only thing that bugs me while using this cash card is the absence of a card statement. No way of checking it online or on paper. The only way of checking your card is by calling the Standard Chartered Bank's card centre. Yes, you can only hear your card statement and not see it. Why is that?! Is it troublesome to provide a card statement? I don't think so... They've done it for the credit cards, why not do the same for debit cards (SCB calls them "eCash"...)? Lots of questions gone unanswered.

Enough about that, I'll stop here. My fingers are getting tired from the typing!

Durians

What is a "Durian"?

Well, just to be simple and straightforward, durians is a fruit that have a pointy texture spines all over the exterior of the fruit which have a foul smell but with a distinctive great delicious taste. It can be found and mainly consumed in the South East Asian region.

Durian (image taken from Wikipedia)

There is a recurring phrase in Bahasa Melayu about this fruit, "Durian adalah raja segala buah". Translated to English, it literally means "Durian is the King of fruits".

Those who have never tasted durian before will not be able to understand why it is termed as "the king of fruits". So, if you're curious, why not take a bite of durian and try to reflect to the phrase above. I know that the smell of durian is what makes most people turned off by it, but if they actually tried it, they'll be forever in love with the creamy taste of durians!

Now, don't think that durians come only in one flavour... They're many types; each with their unique taste, colour and textures. I don't know how many types are there... I haven't tried all! But, I know one thing that they have in common, spines! Hahaha... In Malay, spines are called "duri", that's where durians got its name! Because it is wholly covered in spines or "duri-duri".

If you see these durians laying around, don't be afraid of it! Try it! You might just make durians as your newest favorite fruit!

My Boss, My Hero

Okay... Now, I'm going to write about a very funny, lively and excellent Japanese drama which was broadcasted in 2006... Yes, obviously, the title of this blog post is the title of the drama (even
though the title is in English... It's in Japanese, trust me...). I was not into Japanese drama before... But, after watching this drama, my life was changed! I'm into Japanese drama now... Hahaha..

Right, continuing on...

This drama is about a yakuza gang heir who is too dumb to get a simple job done. Being fed up by his son's failure, the gang boss enrolls his son into a high school to continue his studies, with a promise by getting a diploma to guarantee his position as the next in line. This means that he have to endure the school life for a year in order to graduate with a diploma. It sounds simple, but is it that simple?

Please watch this drama! I guarantee you that this will be the best drama that you will ever see!
Thanks for reading... I hope you'll like the drama as much as I like it. :)

Mobile phone

Today, I am going to write about "Mobile Phones"...

I got this picture from technabob.com (sorry!)

Ok, what is a "Mobile Phone" exactly? That's easy! It's a phone that is mobile, a phone that is not physically connected to any fixed line. That's just about it, nothing else other than that it's a portable phone. This simple definition was sufficient years or decades ago, but now, it's more than "just a phone".

Let's check for the definition from wikipedia,

• A mobile phone or mobile (also called cellphone and handphone) is an electronic device used for mobile telecommunications (mobile telephone, text messaging or data transmission) over a cellular network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone

 So, that was precise and elaborate explanation... My definition is what people call "crap". Never mind about that! Mistake was made, and now, I will vow to take serious care of definitions from now on (by searching from the net...).

During the old times, mobile phones were not really portable. They seem to be resembling a brick. Not only that they were heavy, not many people could afford to buy one. It can only call people, so what is the big deal? Nothing... I was just saying my thoughts.

Due to the technological developments in the past decade, mobile phones transformed into another type of phone, it is called "Smart phones". These smart phones are the Swiss army knife in the form of a phone; yes, they can do more than just call people. They can also do things like, internet surfing, gaming, hearing music, photography, video taking, sending messages, etc... A lot of things can be done at the press of a button (in case your phone is a touchscreen, "at the touch of the screen..."). People who were proud of their "expensive brick mobile phone" will be ashamed if they knew what is about to be invented. I feel bad for them, though. The technology was still not developed as the present back then. Computers too, was as big as a classroom that can accommodate 30 students. Classic times...

Enough about that! I guess I'll stop here. Thanks for reading!

If you want to buy a new smartphone, please do a research first before deciding to buy them! Just an advice to save you from regretting of buying a new phone at the wrong time.

First post

Well, this is my first post... I don't really have anything to say at the moment. Life's have been good for the past few years. It was a mix of love and hate daily situations.. Nothing that I want to share.

Hmm... What should I write about for my first post? Oh yes, let's talk about a branch of comic that is known as "Rage comics". I started to see this type of comic few years back while I was stumbling the net. I found some good ones which I like because I can connect my everyday life with it. Rage comic is a way to tell a story of our frustration which we can laugh at. We can't be serious all the time, right? So, that's why rage comic was invented!

Rage comics are usually drawn using MS Paint, but now you can use rage comic maker to easily create rage comics without any difficulties. Previously, you need to search the net for a specific rage face that's suitable for your comic. Thank god for that certain someone who has the bright idea of putting all the rage faces into one place.

Well, I created a short story of my frustration that I kept on encountering at my workplace (many times!). I think I am getting the hang of it... I like how simple the comic is, there's no need of being a good artist to create rage comics. Without further ado, here's my first rage comic!