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Hey, whassup? For the first time in ages, I managed to get a project complete by its deadline. Of course, the deadline itself has moved forward for a number of months, so it is a somewhat muted cause for celebration.

Since my last update, my monthly salary has been cut, due to the fact that no money has come in, through our recent inability to complete work on time. However, the boss decided to make 'a new start' and ask us to turn the office upside down, and chuck out rubbish and old kit. Certain items were cast aside for a staff raffle, with prizes ranging from gargantuan scanners and printers, to a 'fully working PC.' Guess who got the latter?

I tried using it yesterday, only to find that you cannot seemingly use a mouse on it. This means being forced to use Windows via a keyboard, which is anything but easy.

Ramadan is upon us here, so my Malay Muslim colleagues are sleeping a lot, and generally trying to conserve energy. I would have fasted except that you cannot even drink water during the day. As a man of UK climbs trying to cope with tropical heat, I considered this as suicidal. Conversely, for Muslims in the UK, it must be extremely hard during this time of year. Clearly, the night must be spent eating considerable amounts of food, in order to survive the winter. As for Afghanistan, I cannot even begin to dwell on what conditions must be like there.

Since my last entry, the images of New York have faded into memory. The death toll has reduced considerably, although many months lie ahead before ground zero can be fully cleared for future progress.

At my current rate, it will be Christmas before I get another chance to add an entry. So in case I don't, have a Merry Christmas / Hari Raya.

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