anakbrunei

... In the past, hadrah was only performed during weddings, but now it is performed in open events, to greet honoured guests and more significantly to signal the arrival of His Majesty in various events... ... Brunei youths nowadays have done well in preserving the heritage and have even enhanced it. Back then, competition involved only beating of drums and chanting. But now performances are choreographed to make it more attractive and interesting... ... hadrah could be further promoted in Brunei if there is a national association of hadrah set up. "We have a national team for silat and gasing (top spinning), but not for hadrah. We cannot just rely on mukim and schools to promote the activity, it has to be done at a national level... -- The Brunei Times

Yesterday while sending my old buddy Louis off at the airport, I met Charlene Bong and her family who were off to California where Charlene is due to begin her studies in Physics at Stanford University . Her dad (who's a fellow St.Margaret's Alumni) and I are friends and I could see the joy in his eyes when I spoke to him. I couldn't help feeling so proud of her for being the first Bruneian scholar to be awarded a scholarship to study in the US by Brunei Shell . Her long list of accomplishments include representing Brunei in the Asian-Pacific Children Convention in Fukuoka, Japan in 2000, SEAMEO Maths Olympiad in Penang in 2005, and the International Physics Olympiad in Singapore in 2006. Charlene was first featured in the Borneo Bulletin in 1989 for being the first baby to be conceived in Brunei through the IVF treatment. Charlene is one of the earliest IVF (test-tube) babies born in Borneo and her birth in December 1988 at Panaga Hospital was particularly significant at ...

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.

What was your weekend like?

The boys and I have been friends since primary school. Thats more than thirty years of friendship. We've all followed our own paths. This gathering was brought on by a visit from one of us who has not been back to Brunei for nearly 20 years.

From wikipedia : Paintball is a sport in which participants eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with paintballs (spherical gelatin capsules containing primarily polyethylene glycol, other non-toxic and water-soluble substances, and dye) shot from a compressed-gas-powered "marker". Insurance statistics show that paintball is one of the safest sports in existence, even more so than tennis. A game of paintball usually involves two opposing teams seeking to eliminate all of the other team's players or to complete an objective, such as retrieving a flag, eliminating a specific player, or other paintball variations. An average, non-professional game of paintball usually lasts around five minutes to half an hour. Since its inception, paintball has drawn a crowd of both casual and serious players. From here : Paintball is currently illegal in Brunei, as the markers are considered firearms under Brunei law. There are paintball games, though, affairs held on private land ...

Learnt a lot, photography-wise, over the Brunei Cup season. It's tough shooting fast motion sports especially when lighting is low and all you have is a 24-70mm 2.8 lens. Made do, and here are the results:

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