anakbrunei

Feels like your visit's been too short me old mate. But I understand the need to get back to your life in Vancouver. Its been a heck of a buzz having you around man! As always, when an old buddy visits from afar, its a catalyst for the ones who are nearby to get together. This is what my old buddy and neighbour Louis (the dude far left in the pic) had to say in my guest book: 5th September 2007: Truly a pleasure seeing you and your family during my visit. Its amazing that although its been 23 years, it felt like time has stood still picking up from where we left off. May the years ahead be filled with great joys and perpetual blessings. Your friend & always your neighbour! Louis.

How bout that huh? A menu from celebrity chef Bobby Chinn's restaurant in Hanoi signed by the man himself! Many thanks to the Shimster for getting Bobby to sign the menu and for bringing it back to Brunei safe and sound! You da man! Oh, and Bobby, if you're reading this, thanks muchly! When you come to Brunei, I'll buy you breakfast at Jing Chew !

The Brunei Adventure Race 2007 mini teaser this morning was a resounding success. Over 80 people turned up to try out the race and I think they got what they came for... ADRENALINE! It was totally action-packed from start to finish! Age was definitely not a factor this morning cos a team of 40 somethings actually beat many of the other younger teams to grab fifth place! Congratulations to the BAR 2007 team on a job very very well-done! I can't wait for the actual race in November!! Much more pics here .

Went walkabout yesterday at Kiulap while waiting for my students to turn up. Came across Sapphira Cake House which I'd been meaning to visit since it opened two weeks ago. The trays were empty when I got there, which means sales must be brisk. The lovely young lady at the counter informed me that a new batch of kueh would be ready in about an hour. She took me on a tour of the shop, and introduced me to Mdm Sapphira herself, who happens to be Mdm Tiff's sister, which means they're related to the Don Diegos . Small world. I loved the classic decor and ambience of the place, esp the funky looking office, with its black and red color scheme. I had to rush off as it was time for class, and when I returned 2 hours later, I was too late, cos the trays were empty again! I shall return again hopefully when the trays are full. Thanks to Suzie and her mum for showing me around. See ya soon!

S yarikat H aji M etali dan A nak2 had been around for a long time and is a well known institution in Brunei, especially for their cendol . Even His Majesty himself tried the delighful sweet green dessert when he visited SHMA in Serusop during one of his visits around the area some time ago. For me however, SHMA will always be the place where I go for a serve of Nasi Goreng Beef Steak, a delicious combination of fried rice with slices of beautifully tender beef with a dark, tangy, savoury sauce. Yesterday, SHMA marked another milestone by opening a branch in the busy Gadong area, adjacent to Super Kleen and a couple of doors down from that other institution, CAM or CA Mohamed. The place is cosy with simple, clean decor. I liked that they had separate areas for smokers and non-smokers. Just the kind of place to drop in for a quick teh tarik or cendol, or perhaps a nasi goreng beefsteak (didn't spot it on the menu though)? Certainly an alternative to CAM after some f'oo was smok...

Following my earlier post , I finally got to interview the folks behind one of Brunei's most progressive and creative music production outfits, Projectunes early this week. Formed by Adi Rani and Diana a few years ago, Projectunes now produces a number of extremely talented young artists, Azeem , NJ (who sadly was out of town on that day), Feez Madea , and of course, Adi Rani, and Diana. The first thing that came to mind when they turned up for the interview was, "Gee, what a nice bunch of kids." But beyond the chummy exterior was a group of seriously talented and committed young individuals who have a burning desire to stand up and be recognized by the world! And when you listen to the g-funk stylings of Azeem's "Just Believe" and "Home" , and the pop musings of Adi Rani's "Bila Berdua" and "Satu" , and the masterful "mixtering" behind NJ's "Bliss" , you somehow know... these kids are gonna mak...

Stay tuned for my interview with the folks at Projectunes which hopefully will take place later today. Cool bananas!

This here is Rajoo (not his real name) the bro wif da flow. I call him machaa (tamil for brutha). He da man cuz without him the roti kawin and the seama kway teow don't get served! Keep it real machaaa! For those going to the Phantom of the Opera Gala Dinner tonight at Pantai, see ya all there and don't forget to wear your best smile cos you might get snapped by anakbrunei !

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Lim on your triple-7 wedding today! It was an honor for me to cover it. Now, go forth and multiply... Oh, and it was nice meeting you AND your RED Nokia E90 , d3x .

4th of July , to all Americans signifies their Independence Day. But to da missus and I, its the date we tied the knot. Looking through our wedding album, I can't help but think what the album would've looked like had we tied the knot at the present moment, with the prevalence of photojournalistic style and such wonderfully creative photogs in the market :) Happy Anniversary Cinta... I Love You Ooodles and Oooodles... Relevant posts: Masa.. ditaja oleh TAG Heuer Tribute to the woman I love Happy Birthday Cinta

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!

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:

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.

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!