Confetti is FUN!

Happy 18th Birthday AKI!

570 to 632 AD...

In conjunction with the Maululd celebrations, Saffron will be giving away FREE Doner Kebabs from 11am this morning until stocks run out (Maximum of 2 per person). So come on down to Saffron to enjoy your free Doners!

Kshara Purusha

Happy Fifth Birthday Little Nina!



Pictures from the Yoga Flow session at
Bukit Shahbandar Recreational Park last weekend...
Click play... Relax... Ommmmm...

How old are you now?

Nina the Bartina turns five tomorrow... Tonight we had a little cake cutting ceremony for her in conjunction with her grandparents return from Umrah. Happy happy birthday my little pixie! I can't believe you're five already! And guess who else is five? Uncle Pablo's son Funboy!! Happy Birthday Funboy!

Oh, thank you Simpur.net for choosing anakbrunei.org as this week's featured Blog of the Week. Its an honour indeed :)

Return of the Prodigal Son...

Today's gibberish is brought to you by AndrewDavidson.com

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We apply the proverb "A barking dog never bites" not only to our TQM but our ability to facilitate.

Young Echo...

Taken on the set of Young Echo, a show that discusses current issues that matters to our youth from politics to business to leisure to human interests. I was there with her and him. We had a nice chat on air with the show's host, Dean, about the internet, n-generation, virtual communities, blogging, and cyber-crime among other issues...

Reflection...

More here, here, here, and here.

The one that didnt get away...

Pics above taken during this morning's "Maitah Mengail",
a fishing event organised by Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

In preparation for my participation in an episode of Young Echo which was looking at the cyberworld and its impact on young people, I revisited Don Tapscott's work, "Growing Up Digital". Here's an interesting piece on the net-generation, i.e. our kids, for thought:

The Ten Themes of N-Gen Culture

Strong Independence. The typical N-Gener has a strong sense of independence & autonomy. N-Gen's unprecedented access to information also gives them the power to acquire the knowledge necessary to confront information they feel may not be correct.

Emotional and Intellectual Openness. When N-Geners go online they expose themselves. They will maintain online journals and post their innermost thoughts on a Web page or in a chat room. A strong online example of N-Geners' openness is The Diary Project where young people around the world contribute their thoughts, feelings, experiences and aspirations.

Inclusion. N-Geners are moving toward greater social inclusion with technology, not exclusion. Their creative processes show a move toward global orientation in all of their activities. Check out a virtual community of about 30,000 N-Geners at Freezone.

Free Expression and Strong Views. Being exposed to a lot of information on the Internet is to their benefit, insists N-Gen, and is a key element of the Internet's appeal and usefulness. This issue is discussed in The Generation Lap.

Innovation. N-Geners live and breathe innovation, constantly looking for ways to do things better. These expectations of constant change and the ability to build or construct experiences have implications in our discussion of N-Gen Thinking and the education of N-Gen in N-Gen Learning.

Preoccupation with Maturity. The changing nature of childhood makes itself most obvious when N-Geners are contrasted with the baby boomers who, as a generation, have spent their lives obsessed with being youthful. N-Geners insist that they are more mature than adults expect.

Investigations. When it comes to technology, N-Gen's initial focus is not how it works but how to work it. It is important for children to understand the assumptions inherent in software and to feel empowered to change those assumptions. When the Internet first became popular, one of the joys of surfing was never knowing what site you could end up at next. Search engines like Yahooligans have contributed to ending that level of mystery and uncertainty.

Immediacy. Interactivity and the speed of the Net have greatly increased the process of communicating. What used to take days or weeks, now takes seconds.

Sensitivity to Corporate Interest. N-Geners feel that much of the broadcasting material they see on television is there to satisfy corporate agendas. However, on the Internet there has been such a flurry of creation involving so many people working in home-grown cottage industries, that there is even more intense sensitivity to corporate interest.

Authentication and Trust. Because of the anonymity, accessibility, diversity, and ubiquity of the Net, children must continually authenticate what they see or hear. Many sites provide inaccurate, invalid and even deceptive information. Pranksters spread false rumours. Who can the child trust? What sources of information are valid? Authentication of everything is required to establish trust.

The proliferation of Internet hoaxes spread via e-mail has often been used to emphasize the inherent weakness of the Net. Don't Spread That Hoax! is one site that gives credence to that question.

Mercy, Mercy Me...

I covered the International Women's Day event this afternoon and aside from catching up with several high profile women friends including my dear ex-principal from sixth form who is now a deputy permanent secretary (I was so thrilled that she remembered my full name and my employment history!! heheh!), I had the honour of listening to the keynote speaker, Dr Jemilah Mahmood, President of Mercy Malaysia or Malaysian Medical Relief Society.

Frankly I had never heard of Mercy Malaysia until today and it certainly opened my eyes! One of the questions Dr Jemilah asked of the audience was when we think of humanitarian aid agencies, does any asian organisation come to mind? I must admit, the only one that came to mind was CARE Australia... hardly asian.

The other question she asked was, if tonight your sleep becomes an eternal one, and the maker asks you what have you done with your skills, education, intellect, wealth, influence etc to benefit your fellow human beings? How would you answer? Her objective was clear. To put everyone in a state of perturbation. And perturbed I was! She ended with a deep and meaningful quote from Martin Luther King Jr., "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Food for thought: What can I do to help these organisations directly or indirectly aside from donating cash and supplies? Something to do with photography perhaps?

b-Mobile 3G ada di sini...

Its been more than 18 months since the successful commercial launch of Brunei's second mobile service provider. One can't help but ask the question, how's it doing really? In terms of penetration, has it really gotten any traction in the market? What is 3G being used for aside from as a modem to access the web? Is there a killer-app out there? Can anyone shed some light on these questions?

The Andaman Experience...

Seems like the theme of the month is food heheh, but thats ok, I haven't done enough of those for some time. Anyway, da missus and I decided to immerse ourselves into the Andaman experience after reading all the good things that have been said here, here and here.

Read the rest of my review here

Check out my other reviews:

Check out da Vans!

Blogs: The evolution

Sometime in 1971 - Stanford's Les Earnest creates the "finger" protocol.

December 1977 - The finger protocol becomes an official standard.

January 1994 - Swarthmore student Justin Hall begins compiling lists of links at his site, links.net, and continues adding to the site for 11 years.

January 1995 - Early online diarist Carolyn Burke publishes her first entry for Carolyn's Diary.

April 1997 - Dave Winer launches Scripting News, which he calls the longest-running Web log currently on the Internet.

September 1997 - Slashdot begins publishing "News for Nerds."

December 1997 - Jorn Barger's RobotWisdom.com site apparently becomes the first to call itself a Web log.

Sometime in 1999

• Brad Fitzpatrick launches Livejournal, which he calls his "accidental success."
• Peter Merholz of Peterme.com declares he has decided "to pronounce the word 'weblog' as 'wee-blog.' Or 'blog' for short."
• The word "blog" first appears in print, according to dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.

August 1999 - Three friends who founded a San Francisco start-up called Pyra Labs create a tool called Blogger "more or less on a whim."

January 2001 - First crop of blogs nominated for the "Bloggies" award.

October 2001 - First version of Movable Type content management software becomes available.

February 2003 - Google acquires Pyra and its Blogger software.

May 2003 - First official version of WordPress open-source blogging software released for download.

October 2003 - Six Apart releases first version of its Typepad blogging service.

January 2004 - Boston-based Steve Garfield launches his video blog, considered one of the first such "vlogs."

October 2005 - VeriSign buys Dave Winer's Weblogs.com. Around the same time, AOL snaps up blog publisher Weblogs Inc.

February 2006 - Veteran blogger Jason Kottke abandons his yearlong attempt to live off of micropayments through his blog.

January 2007 - Members of the Media Bloggers Association are among the first bloggers to receive press credentials from a federal court.

February 2007 - Freelance video blogger Josh Wolf becomes the longest-serving journalist behind bars in U.S. history, on contempt charges.

Excerpt from CNet Asia. Read the rest of the article here.

Corned Buff?

I read this bloke's post on locally manufactured sauces and immediately decided to take the family down to the local product fair at Huaho Mall in Manggis to find it. Found the elusive Tahai Chili Sauce and I'm a happy camper. I think these sauces are bound for Japan looking at the Kanji script on the labels. Cool!

While browsing around, I came across "corned buff" being sold at one of the stalls. Yeah, corned buff, it stands for corned buffalo. Should've seen that one coming! Anyway, that reminded me of one of the associations that have been struck off the Registrar of Societies' list, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes.

I wonder who did the registration and how many members it had. Does anyone know anything about the history of the Brunei Lodge?

Early morning stroll...

Took this just before I went for my swim at JPMC early this morning. Feels good to swim again after a long break. Had a nice jacuzzi after. Too bad the steam room's broken :(

Suburbia...

Not Another Brick in the Wall

Over the weekend, Studio Scene had its inaugural annual concert entitled, "Not another Brick in the Wall 2007". I was there during the dress rehearsal and the first performance on Friday night. The concert is a collaboration of all the genres of dance taught at Studio Scene. Performances ranged from Jazz Ballet to Modern Dance to Salsa to Hip Hop.

Hats off to the organisers and crew of the concert on such a superb production. But a special salute to the kids from Studio Scene who put up such spectacular performances in front of a thoroughly thrilled audience! I found myself clapping enthusiastically with the crowd after every performance as well!

I certainly look forward to next year's extravaganza!

A meal not soon forgotten...

Congratulations to HRH the Crown Prince and HRH Princess Sarah on the birth of their son!

"Saffron is a plant having purple or white flowers with aromatic pungent orange stigmas used in flavoring food."

Tonight, da missus and I dined at Saffron, a well-known upmarket eatery with a pan-asian menu ranging from the mughal inspired kurmas and koftas to the nachos with an asian twist to the middle-eastern grilled meats served with pita and refreshing salad. The specialty however, is the desserts, among them, pavlova, cheese cakes, chocolate cakes and a chocolate torte to die for!

The owners, A and F were kind enough to dine with us and with four of us dining, we embarked upon our gastronomic journey...

For mezzos, we had hummus, followed by the nachos which were served with cheese and a lightly spiced sauce. We also tried the kibbeh, lamb balls served with garlic sauce. Finally, we had the rice crisps with a special sauce which you eat with a basil leaf on top... simply delicious.

The mains consisted of the Saturday special, roasted duck served peking style with pancakes and a beautiful hoisin sauce. This dish has made a name for itself among Saffron afficionados eversince it was introduced. It reminds me of the peking duck at Trader Vic's at the London Hilton.

Since the promo of the month was the mughal inspired food, we ordered one of each, vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The non-vegetarian set had lamb, chicken kurma, and fish kofta, while the vegetarian set was made up of a lovely home made paneer or cottage cheese dish, aloo gobi, and a mushroom curry, all served with fluffy white rice.

A then decided to order the mixed-grill, another Saffron favorite which is basically good-sized pieces of lamb, chicken, and fish served on skewers with pita and a gorgeous white sauce. It surely went down well with us meat lovers!

The highlight of the night had to be the desserts! Starting with a heavenly pavlova, followed by F's legendary chocolate cake which was exactly that, LEGENDARY, and then a butterscotch eclair which was so smooth it made da missus shudder when she ate it.

At our journey's end, we were then treated to F's latest creation, a tremendous chocolate torte, which sent the taste buds on a round-trip to paradise and back. Truly a wonderful creation and a must try! All these sweet delights were washed down with a robust arabic coffee. Mmmmm... lovely!

Kanyang brabis! A truly satisfying meal enjoyed in a cosy setting and in the company of the ever gracious F and A. Two thumbs up from me! F, you truly live up to your motto "Quality is our passion". It shows in the quality of the meal, especially the desserts!!

Check out my other reviews:

Look closely...

Coming up: Stay tuned for my review of Saffron Restaurant...

CIMB Islamic Fund Launched

The CIMB Islamic liquidity fund, which was officially launched yesterday, is the first-ever Islamic Public Fund to be domiciled and registered in Brunei. It is a Syariah compliant, open-ended investment instrument that was approved by the national Syariah Financial Supervisory Board in February this year. Bank Islam Brunei Berhad is the custodian bank for this fund.

From The Star Online:

CIMB Group has started an Islamic fund in Brunei that will invest in US dollar assets, the first such fund in the country, to increase its business in Asia.

The CIMB Islamic Imtiyaz Liquidity Fund USD would invest in investment-grade Islamic commercial papers and bonds, certificates of deposit, mortgage-backed securities and repurchase agreements, CIMB Group said in a release.

The fund will be offered to investors in Brunei and overseas.

“We aim to meet the growing regional and global demand for Islamic investment products,” said Badlisyah Abdul Ghani, group head of Kuala Lumpur-based CIMB Islamic.

“In doing this, you can be rest assured that Brunei, undoubtedly, will remain high on our shortlist of possible bases to domicile some of these products.''

The bank wants to lure new investments and tap rising demand for Islamic financial products in Asia, where more than half the world's 1.3 billion Muslims reside.

The minimum investment in the Islamic fund, which is benchmarked against the seven-day dollar deposit rate, ranges from US$100,000 to US$1mil. The average maturity of the investments is three months or less, CIMB said.

A peek through the brick in the wall...

Today has been one loooong day for my trusty 350D. The results however put a smile on my face from ear to ear. These are pics from the full dress rehearsal of "Not another Brick in the wall". A dance concert production by Studio Scene which will take place at Jerudong Amphitheater over the weekend. Looks set to be one heck of a show!

Update: For those who'd like to watch this spectacular production, you can purchase programs for B$5.00 only at Studioscene in Kiarong (just above Top Bake). These programs come with four tickets. Studioscene is open today (16/03/07) from 8am to 12am. You can also turn up at Jerudong Park amphitheatre from 6pm onwards and buy the programs at the gate. So come on down and enjoy these kids' performance!

See you upstairs Part Two...

See you upstairs part one here.

An evening of meat and photography...

The Sharpshooters descended upon Sheraton Utama Hotel tonight for a feast of meat and photography. Present were the Sifu, Ber, Zadm, Shai, Ucingitam, and newbie Rena, and our two lovely models, Aniza and Xaralee who was accompanied by her S.O. Eleanor made a guest appearance and so did Bald.

What a night it was. Great food, excellent photoshoot, and a very interesting philosophical discussion to cap it off. Thank you all for joining in and making the evening an enjoyable one. Thanks especially to Aniza and Xaralee for being the subjects of our cameras' attentions! Thanks also to George from Sheraton for organizing such a lovely setting for us to dine in. Can't wait for the next one!

Giant comes to town...

192,000 sq ft of sheer shopping bliss complete with indoor amusement park?
a location away from the madding crowd of G-Town and Q-Lap?
500 job opportunities?
Two thumbs up from me!

Give them nothing... but take from them... EVERYTHING!

After several rainchecks, da missus and I finally went to watch 300 last night. No need for me to review the movie as heaps has been said about it here, here, and here. Heck even Mr Brown and his sidekick Steve have done a podcast about it here! It's an excellent movie, and I could go on and on about the cinematography, style, graphics, color, etc, but 'nuff sed.

I would however like to make a small point about R-rated movies. There is a reason why movies are given R-ratings, i.e. the content of the movie is not suitable for viewing by those under 18. If you look at the trailer above, the first part (green screen) clearly states its an R-rated movie.

Last night however, I saw quite a number of people who brought their kids to watch the movie. Obviously this is not the first time I've seen this phenomena. I was distressed to see these parents bringing their kids along, but during the course of the movie, I became more and more perturbed by the fact that these kids were watching this movie which was filled with lust, blood and gore.

An 8 year old boy would have probably got his first hard-on looking at the "Oracle" scene. A shy 7 year old girl would have seen for the first time what a human head looks while its being chopped off. Another 13 year old boy would have learnt about how women, power, and a uniform are the most desirable things in life, even worth betraying your king and country for. I just hope their parents have an explanation (a tad more than just, "atu wayang tu lai") for all the things that their young kids saw in this movie.

Perhaps I'm being overly reactive, but I still think these kids are better off not watching a movie such as this until they're much older. In the end, its all about parental discretion. Perhaps the authorities can consider doing random checks as to whether these ratings are actually being adhered to, and if not, try to educate these parents regarding the ratings of the movies. Easier said than done? Well, its worth a try in my book.

End note: Before anyone accuses me of getting on a high horse, let me say I've watched my share of R-rated movies in my childhood too so this post is not intended to be condescending in any way. It's just something for us all to ponder. (",)

Selamat Pengantin Baru... Series II

Did I mention before that on Sundays, we attend weddings?

More wedding related posts:
Pics from Majlis Bedak Mandi
Pics from Majlis Berpacar
Pics from Majlis Bersanding

Datsun Triple S

Almost everyone got the similarities between the two Bruneians in my previous post. On the left is Sheikh Abas, a prominent businessman and intrepid explorer. He has been on several 4x4 expeditions to China, Malaysia, and even London. I can only imagine what it feels like to arrive in London having driven all the way from Brunei and be waving our national flag in my own four wheel drive on the streets of London :)

On the right is Norhayati Abu Bakar, a prominent Bruneian woman explorer, who is about to embark on an expedition covering the African continent as well as Europe and Asia. Previously she led a team of Bruneian women climbers in conquering the 5,895-metre Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.

So what is it that these two adventurers have in common? A larger than life personality and an infectious zest for life and what it has to offer outside of the realms of the normal and ordinary. We need more of them...

Kembara...

What do these two Bruneians have in common? The answer in the next post. Stay tuned...

How to REALLY enjoy a meal...

Order two ambuyat sets for three even when there's only four of you. Devour said food for six. Order another helping of ikan goreng and the gooey stuff and devour with remaining cacah or dip for good measure.

Check out my other reviews:

Gas to Liquid Technology?

During the recent Brunei Environment Rountable organised by Asiainc Forum, many topics were discussed from the reduction of emissions to the use of alternative energy to the green heart of Borneo initiative.

During my reading in preparation for the roundtable, I came across something called gas-to-liquid technology or GTL which basically involves converting natural gas into diesel. I wanted to know from the representatives of our oil and gas sector why GTL was not considered as a means to reduce flaring, i.e. burning off excess gas like the furnaces that have been burning like giant candles 24/7 in Lumut eversince I can remember.

The response I got basically touched on the emission of CO2 and the prohibitive cost. Somehow this didnt tally with my reading. Below is an interesting excerpt from IHT on GTL efforts in Qatar :

Gas-to-liquids, provides an alternative to oil as a transportation fuel. Gas-to-liquids essentially transforms natural gas into diesel liquid that can be transported and sold using existing tankers, refineries and gas stations. Diesel is much more commonplace in Europe than in the United States, where consumers still think of it as a major polluting fuel for cars. Two German scientists, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, developed the process in the 1920s after first discovering a way of converting coal into a liquid fuel.

Energy analysts say gas-to-liquid plants become competitive when oil prices climb above $30 to $35 a barrel, as they have in the last two years. And gas-to-liquid producers contend the fuel might attract a premium in countries looking for alternatives that reduce toxic diesel emissions. A report by the California Energy Commission recently recommended blending gas-to-liquids with existing fuel stocks to meet stringent fuel standards.

"One key aspect of the fuel is its low smog formation," said Andrew Brown, Shell's country manager in Qatar.

---- snip ----

Gas-to-liquid projects are taking off in Qatar above all for one reason. More than any other gas-rich country, Qatar has aggressively seized on new ways of monetizing its natural gas. And its model is likely to be studied in a world that has more natural gas than oil, with global gas reserves expected to last 67 years compared with 41 years for crude oil, according to BP, the British energy giant.

"Qatar is in a unique position," said Wayne Harms, ExxonMobil's country manager for Qatar, "in that it has a large field that's accessible, a politically stable government and a good vision of what it's doing." (Large field? Politically stable? Sounds familiar?)

Perhaps more knowledgeable readers would care to comment on why we are not adopting GTL in Brunei because it makes a heck of a lot of sense to me instead of just burning it off :)

An evening of meat and conversation...

Update 9th March:
Check out The Sax Player's review of the Sheraton Steak Promo!

Pic borrowed from Rano's Review
(cos it turned out much nicer than mine heheh)

I went to Tasek Brasserie together with da missus and the rugrats last night to sample their much talked about $12 T-Bone Steak promotion. We were joined by Wena and George who graciously agreed to dine with me. I was told that the first order of meat for the promotion was about 120kgs and it went within the first couple of days! We Bruneians sure love out meat ey!

It made me smile when George was kind enough to help one of the waiters out by taking our order since he was busy with some room service orders. The Sheraton team spirit never fails to impress me.

Da missus, Wena, George, and I all ordered the steak while the rugrats had the fish n chips and spaghetti bolognaise. The steak was served with a nice thick gravy, a dollop of mustard and a wonderful cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and fresh salad. The steak was 300gms of prime aussie beef and it was very tender and well marinated which meant it was nice and tasty! Just the way I like it!

Purists will argue with me on this till the cows come home (pun intended! hehe) about how steak should be flavoured just with salt n pepper but I've even done mine with curry powder!! So a nice marinade will impress me anyday :)

So, did I enjoy it? Well, the pic above shows me about to attack my SECOND helping! So hell yeah I liked it!! Its a no frills, good ole steak of which you can enjoy seconds, just cos, well, just cos its a no frills value for money meal! I mean, twelve bucks for a t-bone steak in the company of the lovely Wena, and dapper ole George? How can you go wrong! Promo goes on till 15th March. I'm definitely coming back for more before then!

Perhaps a small point, remember to serve the bread rolls next time round k guys? :)

My rating:- 3.5 out of 5

Check out my other reviews:

Ridha & Jenny - The Video

Pics from Majlis Bedak Mandi
Pics from Majlis Berpacar
Pics from Majlis Bersanding
Imeanthesnakes gig pics

Bellamy does Brunei

It's been a mighty long day...
My thoughts on the roundtable tomorrow.
PLUS: An evening with George and Wena... stay tuned.

The Big Day...

Ridha and Jenny, this post is specially for you. Congratulations on your blessed union, and I wish the both you wedded bliss now and forever.

Remember, "A great marriage is not when the 'perfect couple' come together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences" - Dave Meurer

Pics from Majlis Bedak Mandi
Pics from Majlis Berpacar
Pics from Majlis Bersanding
Imeanthesnakes gig pics

The Gig

Henna and Rock Music

The talented boys from imeanthesnakes stole the show tonight for sure.
These boys are going places! ROCK ON!

Pics from Majlis Bedak Mandi
Pics from Majlis Berpacar
Pics from Majlis Bersanding
Imeanthesnakes gig pics

Faces - Part 7

Today's post was inspired by this post.

Congratulations to R & J, and also to S & D on their respective nikahs today. To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage - Lao Tzu

Check out this interesting site done by Baldylocks and the three Hairs. He was born at an early age - in fact he was two at the time. He also started composing at an early age… and decomposing shortly after... :)

Mommy's Magic Ring

One in gold and one in silver...

Calendar Updates

Latest update (01/03/07): Congratulations! The winners of the exclusive photographic prints from Bruneian's collection are: 1. Pg Datin Paduka Hjh Masrainah 2. YAM Pengiran Ratna Wijaya Brig Gen (RTD) Pg Haji Hasnan bin Pg Ahmad 3. Shaikh Khalid 4. Dr Dzulkarnain Hanafi 5. Hjh Yani (AGC) 6. Kamariah Abu Salim 7. Shaikh Fadilah Please email Bruneian at bruneiforever@gmail.com to claim your prize! Latest update (27/01/07): The anakbrunei.org charity calendar project comes to a close at month's end. I have collected the remainder of un-claimed calendars from BIT Computer and will be e-mailing the respective buyers to collect them at SMARTER center in Sengkurong. Latest update (19/01/07): There are still some orders at BIT Computer which have not been collected. For those who placed their orders online, you may collect the calendars at BIT Computer in Kiulap (next to Lemongrass Thai Restaurant) anytime from 9am to 7pm on weekdays. The fabulous Mamalobengs has taken up the challenge to sell the calendars! Good luck Mama-Lo and thank you so much for doing this! Bless ya! finished selling ALL of her calendars in a record 30 minutes!!! Wow! Gila kaliiii! You should be selling used-cars woman!! is doing fantastically well with calendar sales! I have just delivered a second batch of calendars to them! Way to go Swensens! Calendars are available for purchase NOW at @The Mall. For every calendar sold there, Swensen's will MATCH the equivalent amount! Now that's what I call generous! Terima kasih banyak2 to the kind folks at Swensen's! Many thanks to Bizzie Lizzie for featuring the calendar project in BB. And to Rano as well for the mention on his site. That will go a long way towards promoting the calendar. Thanks also to my symbiotic DJ buddy from Kristal FM for mentioning this project on her shows. Suddenly my target of 1000 pieces doesn't seem so impossible after all... Thank you to Sheraton Utama Hotel for a generous order which I just delivered this afternoon. Calendars are now ready for collection at BIT Computer store in Kiulap (A9, Urairah Complex, Kiulap). Many thanks to BIT Computer for their support! If you haven't ordered one of these EXCLUSIVE Calendars, click here to order!

In my language...

Today, I handed over the part proceeds from the anakbrunei charity calendar to SMARTER Brunei. I was glad to be able to help an organisation which is always "just under the radar" of the RELEVANT authorities due to ignorance and apathy in my opinion. Thankfully the online community is helping build awareness on autism issues. Check out Pablo's post.

I could sense the frustration in the words of the president when he spoke about how the bureaucratic system makes you jump through hoops in order to receive assistance. I think a constant sum of say $5,000.00 per month is a mere pittance for our national coffers but it would go a long way to sustaining the center.

When I spoke to him about how we could use ICT to help their kids, he was keen but made the point that SMARTER was not a dumping ground for used or discarded equipment. This is something I will certainly bear in mind for an upcoming project...

The president also told me the story of Amanda Baggs, part of a new generation of adults with autism. Amanda Baggs has severe autism. She didn't cry when she was born. She had to be taught how to nurse. As a little girl, she rocked her head back and forth but could speak. As she grew, she would go longer and longer without speaking, until her spoken language disappeared altogether.

Below is a video of her "speaking" in her language. Watch it to the end and it will open your eyes to the "world" of an autistic person.