Lost habitat

The 2 acre plot of rectangular land behind my was recently cleared, apparently a local oil and gas support company will be constructing a three storey building on that land.

Coming home for lunch yesterday, I was surprised to see a unique grasshopper (will long antenaes) near my service door and looking at the fence adjacent to the cleared land, i saw scores of grasshoppers seeking refuge, after their natural habitat was destroyed. I feel sorry for them, but I can only offer some shade, although later that afternoon the missus told me that birds fed on them in the afternoon. Well, its the circle of life.

before the land was cleared

this is taken at noon yesterday, 2.5 days after they started

grasshoppers and other bugs, seeking refuge from the hot midday sun

one that rest on our sliding door

more grasshoppers

Unfortunate visitor

Last couple of weekends we had an unfortunate visitor: a beautiful green bird - which I suspected is a Dove (please correct me if I am wrong).

I found it near our garage and thought it was dead as it was motionless with the eyes opened for the 30 seconds I observed it. However my maid saw the eyes blinked but couldn't even fight to break free when the maid held it in her hands. The maid immediately rushed the bird to the cat cage and let it rest in there, and fed it small pieces of fruits and rice. Immediately? Well we have two playful cats at home and they could have just 'played' with the unfortunate bird.

Alhamdulillah it recovered two days later and flew off to the trees behind our house.

Architect & Contractor contact details

I have long promised this to my friends as well as the architect and contractor. Their contact details are shown in the box on the right.

To those who are familiar with Kuala Belait, my architect's office is on the top floor above Mum's bakery. Freddy is creative and love to capture your ideas and put it into perspective shot, so you can see how it's like when its completed. He is also very patient, especially as we had to take our time to finalise the drawings owing to the birth of our youngest child 'Aaeeshah. And lastly he has very good network with the government offices that allows us to have the drawings reviewed and approved at the earliest possible time.

As for Henry, to use his words roughly, his quotes are not cheap BUT it comes with quality materials and workmanship. I have to agree to that! We didn't approach other contractors for quotes, however we went to a couple of his previous constructions and were quite impressed. He invited us to his home to explain on the quote, line by line, telling us why the choice of tile and wood floorings are expensive, and options of the roofing materials as well as the window frames. He even have his own carpentry factory which allows him to ensure the quality of the furniture and fittings.

Tips: Before you call Henry, send him an SMS and tell him he is recommended by a friend (Pg Azmi). No, I do not get commission, but that's how he is. He will not answer the phone if he is not familiar with the number. We had to do the same when we first approached him. I am happy to say so far I have a couple of friends building their houses with Henry, due for completion by the end of this year. Good choice.