EmmaGoodEgg

Polo Fashion

Fuck.  The dress code for ladies at the Cartier-SPC Polo Tournament Finals is "chic with your most elegant hat" and I don't have a hat (although chic I can do)!  I live in Brunei for friggin' sake, there is no occasion where I would need to wear a hat, with or without exotic plumes.  All I have is my beach straw hat, and if I tootle along to the SPC with it, once the tournament is over and the picture galleries are up, there'll be a picture of me with the caption "A Chic Padi Farmer".

I am freaking out.

Maybe I can just hang out with the boys near the horses and look after Iz's sticks, instead of sitting primly with my hat and drinking pims and eating cucumber sandwiches with the bourgeoisies and royals.

12 樹葉上的安全帽

12 樹葉上的安全帽, originally uploaded by jimmy1979.

I don't know what that means either...but I'm guessing it says, LadyBug...on a leaf. Its beautiful though and if I could have a tattoo, I'd have one of a ladybug on my right hip bone.

Home Sweet Home

It's so nice to be home from work, blogging in bed with my laptop on my knees, with one eye on the television and one on Iz swimming outside...and tomorrow is public holiday!  Something to do with the Anniversary of Royal Brunei Armed Forces and their Blackhawks and Bells.  My Iz loves the Blackhawk...you should hear him describe the Blackhawk to me...he sounds like a little boy, all excited and in awe.  If I had gazillions, it'll be the first thing I get for him.  That, and a 911, all the kings horses, Amanresorts, and a goose farm from Gooseville so we can have free foie gras, the town of Champagne...and oh, Aoki.  But I don't.  So he'll have to contend with simply my love and idiosyncrasies :)

Anyhoo, I am starting to enjoy Flickr, with its myriad of swell photos from all over the world.  Even Mandy Moore has her own Flickr account (it seems like her, but I'm not 100% sure...)!  I read about her Flickr a couple of months back, on a blog somewhere, but I can't remember the blog to link it now.  If you want to, you can see her pretty face here.

I'm also enoying playing poker online with fake online currency.  Its not the same thing of course, because all you feel like doing is bet bet bet or raise raise raise, finish your money and register as another user, but I get to hone my poker face.  Hawhawhaw.  I play at PacificPoker, its a downloadable program and addictive as hell.

Poor Gwen Stefani, who has given birth to baby boy Kingston James McGregor last Friday and was completely overshadowed by Angelina and her sprog Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (that name is beginning to grow on me...).  Gwen Stefani is married to Gavin Rossdale of Bush (*giggle) who already has a 16-year old daughter from a previous marriage to Pearl Lowe of the group Powder.  Pearl is now married to Danny Goffey of the British group SuperGrass.  There is no mention about Gavin in this article on Pearl Lowe, but only refers to the existence of one:

Back then, at 23, Pearl had a four year-old daughter and lived with her mother. Now the daughter has grown up and is soon to be following in her mother’s footsteps modelling for Vogue (Pearl was on the Agent Provocateur books).

I had noeyedeer that Gavin has a grown-up teen called Daisy!  Thank you the BBC News for this little enlightenment.  And EOnline has had a story on in since way back October 2004!  Where the hell was I?

Just Jared even has picture of Daisy Lowe in this posting on the Rossdales.

Gav.

Gwen.

Pearl.

Plumas

Plumas, originally uploaded by bom_de_ver.

One of my photos of a wooden carving post at Puro Mangkunegoro was a favourite of this Flickr photoblogger. I am so chuffed.

ps. I don't understand a word he/she is saying...but I think plumas means plumes. Lovely plumes.

Central Java Quaked

but hopefully Merapi does not boil over...

I've been to Central Java and Yogyakarta twice (once for my hen week in 2004, where us B5ers stayed at the Losari Coffee Plantation) and another time earlier this year, with the husband and Myuzim.  Central Java is definitely one of my favourite places to visit.  Borobudur, the Javanese culture with their Keratons and Pangerans, Prambanan Temples (the Ramayana outdoor ballet is a must-see) and the verdant greens of the countryside, are a wonder to behold.

The quake (measuring 5.9 on the richter scale) rumbled through Central Java 3 days ago and currently the death toll has reached 5,000 and left 200,000 homeless.  My symphathies to those who fell victim to this terrible disaster.  The Javanese are the nicest kind of people, and please dear God, they don't need Merapi to erupt as well.

And its good to know Borobudur, Sean Flakeler and the staff at Amanjiwo are unharmed.

My boys & Amanjiwo.

Borobudur, from Dagi Hills.

Dagi Hills, from Borobudur.

Going Strapless

I am so fond of the strapless dress...although how often I wear one usually depends on whether I need to go on a diet or not.  Strapless dresses are a bit difficult to wear if you're a booby person, cos your bosom in a strapless will make you look like a voluptuous minx and its kinda difficult to converse with people if all they do is stare at your chest. 

Despite currently being in my booby phase, I still covet this Goddess dress by Diana Von Furstenberg.  Gorgeous.

And if I had it in my wardrobe? 

I'll have to get these slippers from Bottega Venetta too.

I need to go shop.

Soul Patrol Busted!!

Poor ol' Taylor Hicks.  The media intrusion in your life starts now. 

What did I find when I opened my gmail today?  Jazzy sent me an article from The Post Chronicle about how Taylor likes the cheeba :)  Apparently he got busted in 1998 for possession and DUI but the case got dismissed for want of prosecution in 2000.  Lucky for us, for Taylor turned out to be the American Idol for 2006 and just cheered the hell outta everyone, whether you voted for him or not (don't lie).

And then there's the Taylor tales coming out of the woodwork from his "pal" Emily.  Nice way to get your name in the news lady.  I think that the fact that Taylor played a gig at The Playboy Mansion will elevate his status..at least with the men (and me).  And so what he likes to fly?  It's better to smoke and fly than to drink and drive anyways.  And yes yes I know, he was also driving under the influence, but have you been in car whose driver was flying?  My God its like old people make love.  Reeeaally sloooow.  Hehehe.

I am still a Soul Patroller.  In fact, I wanna join Taylor on the beach so me and him can smoke up some cheeba and sing us some soul tunes.  And while we're at it, you guys can come and join us on the blanket cos Taylor's got the numbers of some hot babes from the Mansion.  What fun!

Queen Rania Wears No Burqa

From the Times Online:

Rania, 35, the privileged daughter of a paediatrician, educated in international schools, has never worn the veil, nor will she. “In Jordan we believe there should be no coercion under Islam,” she says. “Unfortunately, people think of the Middle East as a monolithic whole, but each country has its own characteristics, its own level of stability and security and its own level of openness for women.”

As a 36-year old Muslim woman living in conservative predominantly Muslim Brunei, I understand the moral difficulty in whether to cover or not to cover.  Although I did cover my hair during a difficult time in my life when fitting in was comforting, nowadays I don't usually unless a religious occasion warrants it.  Despite this religious shortcoming, I do most things a good Muslim woman is expected to do and I still think that I am a good egg.  In Brunei a majority of Muslim women wear a form of head/hair cover called in malay, the Tudung.  My mother wears it, my mother-in-law does too, some of my friends have to wear it for work, or choose to, and most muslim girls in school wear white ones.  Although I understand why women use the Tudung (fear of God, husband, mother-in-laws, parents, father, government, school administration), it is a personal choice for me to make and I may just start in my old age, when more modesty is expected of a woman...

Flowers In Their Hair?

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker is the new single by Sandi Thom, the 24-year old who grew up in Banff on the north east of Scotland.  Whilst, I still don't get the flowers bit cos this is how a punk girl would look like (as illustrated below and found at this site), and the beat is more KT Tunstall than Sid Vicious, the song is still good fun and catchy.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, newly born to parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in Namibia, Africa (read the Independent Online article on why Namibia) on Saturday night the 27th of May 2006. [cnn.com]

Shiloh Nouvel joins 4-year old brother Maddox and 15-month old sister Zahara, who were previously adopted by Jolie.  Pitt is also in the process of adding his moniker to their name.  He and Jennifer Aniston (currently seen canoodling Vince Vaughn) divorced last autumn.

The world awaits the first pictures of baby Shiloh with bated breath.  And if the science of genetics can be trusted, she is widely expected to be the most gorgeous girl ever.  Congratulations to the Jolie-Pitt family.

  Angelina & Maddox

Brad & Zahara