anakbrunei

Above are pictures of my Canadian biker chick friend Vanessa and her gang. Vanessa is an old friend from the early days of #Brunei on IRC. How she ended up in channel #Brunei I have no idea, but she did, and she won the hearts of many of us by being a regular on the channel. In fact, she was one of the early channel #Brunei operators. I actually visited her when I was in Montreal for work. On her apartment wall, she had a list of frequently used Bruneian malay terms in the channel which she translated into French as a reference list which allowed her to carry out a conversation in Brunei malay with anyone on the channel! She actually came across as being Bruneian! Amazing stuff! See you at the i-Center tomorrow nice and early! Good night...

Many thanks to the Canadian High Commission for inviting me to the Canada Day reception this afternoon. It's great to see so many Bruneians with links to Canada in one way or another, including yours truly, with mainly family and business links. Academically however, my ties are stronger with Australia. Incidentally, the Brunei-Australia Alumni Association will be having its annual gala dinner this Saturday. Quite a number of members have not picked up their FREE tickets yet. So if you are a member, or you know of someone who is a member or oz alumni, please pass the word along. Also, this Friday, the BEDB will be holding its follow-up to the teh tarik sessions . If you have a tech biz idea and are not sure what to do next, THIS IS YOUR EVENT . Dont miss it!

My friend Rags always sends me these really thoughtful emails. Below is an example: The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement ham-shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it: I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about ...

In a moment of inspiration, I re-did the original slide-show with Tamyra Gray's version of "Dance with my father"... SMARTER Brunei Car Boot Sale Date: Sunday 1st July 2007 Place: Sengkurong Health Clinic B$20.00 for a spot Call 2661830 for details!

This man is a mobile phone salesman from Port Talbot, South Wales

Old school photo manipulation... All analog... None of that adobe photoshop digital crap. This was taken circa 1977 (waaahhh THIRTY YEARS AGO!!!) in Penang, I think. You could choose which special effect you wanted and the photographer would ask you to pose accordingly. For this airborne shot, I had to pose on a bench with my arms outstretched and legs up just so. It had to be precise as I remember the photographer constantly coming over to adjust my position.... As u can see, the result was nothing short of spectacular!! So real one!!! I really believed I could fly! Nathan Petrelli , eat your heart out! Today, with sophisticated software like Photoshop, it took me less than 10 minutes to do what the photographer probably spent hours doing back then. Below is an example:

Just a quick reminder for those who are interested to attend the BEDB THINK BIG Workshop next Friday to REGISTER EARLY! There are limited places (around 30 to 40) available for open invites, therefore applicants will be prioritised based on their demonstrated interest in developing their ideas and also considered on first come, first serve basis.

From DST corporate website : What began as a response to His Majesty's Government's call for the privatisation of the communication services in Brunei Darussalam has turned out to be one of the nation's success stories. Formed in April 1995, DataStream Technology Sdn Bhd (DST) has become a shining example of the Government's privatisation programme. As one of the country's leading private enterprises, we affirm our continuing commitment to giving our customers the best communications products and services available. A keen understanding of our clients' needs enables our dynamic, proactive and dedicated personnel to deliver efficient, top quality service. Our role as a network operator, service and entertainment provider for comunications, DST Group is fully committed to the process of nation building and the improvement of life in Brunei Darussalam. As envisioned, we are today a dynamic and responsive organisation fully committed to meeting the needs of our coun...

Congratulations once again to the anakbrunei SMS Quiz Grand Prize Winner, Md Abdillah Hj Awg Damit (beaming chap on the left). Enjoy the tunes on the MP3 player mate!

Life's Mirror By Madeline Bridges There are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave, There are souls that are pure and true, Then give the world the best you have, And the best will come back to you. Give love, and love to your life will flow, A strength in your utmost need, Have faith, and a score of hearts will show Their faith in your word and deed. Give truth, and your gift will be paid in kind; And honor will honor meet; And a smile that is sweet will surely find A smile that is just as sweet. Give pity and sorrow to those who mourn, You will gather in flowers again The scattered seeds from your thoughts outborne, Though the sowing seemed but vain. For life is the mirror of king and slave, 'Tis just what we are and do; Then give to the world the best you have, And the best will come back to you.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. Especially to my dad: A father and a dad are not the same: One can be a dad and not a father, Or one can be a father and not bother To earn through love the more endearing name. Some find fatherhood a bit too tame, Leaving all the details to the mother, Or dumping the sweet burden on another Man with just a passing twinge of shame. You have been our dad so many years That you've become the landscape that is home, The mountain that we look to from afar. No matter where we go we're not alone, For you remain within to still our fears And be the word that tells us who we are...

First word that came to mind when I saw this pic...

Following from the success of the TEH TARIK SESSION , the BEDB is organizing a workshop for bright young sparks who registered their interest to be part of the i-Centre on Friday 29th June 2007 at the i-Centre in Anggerek Desa . This'll be an opportunity for participants to learn the basics of writing a business-plan and I think there will be a session on Intellectual Property Rights as well among other topics. The workshop is also open to those who missed out on the first session or were unsure whether to register during the first session. You will need to register FAST as limited seats will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis! More details on the BEDB website.

Seria Kway Teow is a relatively new [edit: compared to Jing Chew hehe] institution in BSB which, as its name suggests, originated from my hometown, Seria . I think the original stall in pasar malam Seria is no longer there as the pasar malam has been relocated to the new food court at the old seria market site. I have not visited that food court and so do not know if the kway teow stall has moved there as well. The one in BSB, for those who don't know, is located opposite Jing Chew . Jolly good place to enjoy a breakfast of old school fried kway teow with beef and bull's eye on top washed down with a glass of milk tea :)

The ice-cream cakes at Makcik Bakeshop are really good. Price also very reasonable at B$11.90 for a 1 pound cake (after discount). Today we tried the chocolate flavor and its just as good as the vanilla one we had for Nia's birthday , in chocolate of course. The birthday girl enjoyed her cake and so did everyone else! Selamat Malam!

Tuuuu nah yang sebalah kiri sekali ah... buffday nya ari ani! Happy buffday Neesha! Hope you enjoy your movie party today! I Love You!

I absolutely love our Bruneian traditional songs especially when performed by really good musicians like these gentlemen in RED . I found myself tapping my feet and humming along to their renditions of alus jua dindang, sungai berunai, and kampung ayer. Man I wish I could play like these boys... Which brings me to the winner of the anakbrunei.org SMS Quiz grand prize, who comes from a family of musicians similar to the lads in RED . Congratulations to Md Abdillah Hj Awg Damit on being drawn as the winner of the MP3 player! I'll be in touch with you shortly with details on the prize-giving ceremony. Congratulations mate! To all who participated in the SMS quiz, thank you so much for your support! And there will be more chances to win in the next round which I'm hoping to start in the new month :) Thank you also to the sponsors of the SMS Quiz, Badin and Ropin of MVision Cinemas and Mach Telecommunications Systems . Terima kasih banyak2!

Ok fess up all you aussie grads! Did you know there exists a Brunei-Australia Alumni Association ? and if you do, are you a member yet? If not, well, now is a good time to join! Cos we're having our annual gala dinner on 23rd June at i-Lotus restaurant. MEMBERS get to come for free*! So if you're wanting to socialize and network with fellow aussie alumni, this is the time! You can sign up either during the Annual General Meeting on 22nd June or on the night itself. Go on mate! It'll be a blast! Fair dinkum!

Best wishes to Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Majeedah Nuurul Bulqiah and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Khairul Khalil Pengiran Syed Haji Jaafari, on your wedding day! From anakbrunei.org