Makan in Singapore

The city where food from East to West, North to South converge... You wouldnt starve in Signapore thousands of food outlets available almost everywhere in the country

Ikan Pari with Sambal

Laksa

Sweet and sour fish with fried squid at the back

Never fogetting Burger King when going to Singapore (coz Brunei dont have it)

Then again, this kind of food is not good and there's a time when i get fed up of looking at the French Fries (or "freedom fries as some Americans would like to say it) - its fat fat fat

:-P

There's a law against....

Wasnt there a law in Singapore saying that you must give your maids off day at least once a week?

This advertiser seemed to be quite daring isnt he?

Garden Festival III

Singapore Garden Festival II

Hey, there's one entry from Brunei Darussalam! I dont really know that person is but the fact a participant from Brunei joined the event was quite significant.... heheh... Good attempt though but hope that more participants from Brunei will for the next Garden Festival to be held every 2 years thereafter...

Singapore Garden Festival, December 2006

Wanting to get more pictures of the "Festival", however, i was dissapointed with my 3 years old digital camera which i need to upgrade soon, since the battery doesnt last long - just like 10 shots!... the digital camera is apparently is already "old" hence finding the battery is a bit difficult and expensive (according to the shop, the manufacturer dont sell the battery anymore, so a imitation was sold).

Is it real?.... it looks like plastic!... but its really real

Holiday in Singapore I

The new shopping mall in Singapore, Vivo City

Supposedly the largest mall in Singapore?

I dont see how bigger it is when compared to Suntec City

Page One, the new Hong Kong (?) bookstore in Vivo City.

I still like the book arrangement at Koniya, Takashimaya, Orchard Road

Scenes at the entry of Vivo City on Sunday

Christmas mood, even the plate cleaners are waring the distinctive red hat

The Immigration Checkpoint in Miri

Usually you would encounter the "foreigner and local" lane in international aiports but now, in the Malaysian border at Sg. Tujuh, they has put up signboards to differentiate drivers and tourists alike. More queue for Bruneian cars this December then...

(Note: Exchange rate is B1 = RM2.30)

Of trains and "gifts" in Brunei

Trains

Countries build railways – specifically, LRT or MRT because there are demands for it and the traffic jams are unbearable, such as those in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong.

Several years ago, people talk about the possibility of building such train in Brunei, but its no so practical to built one. Whose going to finance such project has always been a main economic concern (note that the Pulau Muara Beser project as suggested has no real backers).

Transportation in Brunei is cheap, cars are cheap, locals don’t use the buses claimed some and taxis are charging high fees since no Bruneians would use them. So, to build a LRT or MRT, is not economical. It’s a nice dream but its not practical.


Gifts That Spell Evil
A gift is not always just a gift when given to an officer or a senior Civil servant.

The value of such a gift gets excluded from its real purpose, as it would be given with the idea of expecting something in return.

Religious leaders here called on the Ummah to be cautious when accepting such a gift from someone, as it could be categorised as bribery. - Borneo Bulletin, December 9th, 2006

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From many experiences of the public, its always the public servants who wanted the gifts and some even specified such gifts to be given to them. The worse is during Hari Raya...

Who are willing to give anyway? Why always blame the public when its those in authority who asked for it, or else all things wouldnt get done. Having TPOR does not mean anything to some public servants...

Interesting News From Indonesia...

News from Indonesia, Thursday, 7th December 2006 (Jakarta Post)

Insulting the President No Longer A Crime
- As well as burning the picture of the president and vice-president (this is insults) and where previously violators faced a maximum of 6 years in jail

- These Dutch inherited colonial legislation was scrapped by the Constitutional Court

- Former critics such as Sri Bintang Pamungkas, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, was jailed for 34 months for insulting Soeharto while addressing a seminar in Germany in 1995 and Fakhrur Rahman, 21, a student from Jakarta's State Islamic University, is the latest activist convicted of insulting the president during a protest against the Yudhoyono administration, welcomed the Court’s decision. The latter was sentenced to three months in prison

Indonesia may extend ban on polygamy for civil servants

The government's plan to extend the ban on polygamy for civil servants to cover all state officials could end up helping in the fight against corruption, a prominent Islamic scholar says.

Azyumardi Azra said widening the ban on polygamy, which is stipulated in the 1974 Marriage Law, would mean less male officials stole money from the state to keep their wives happy.
Currently, men are only legally allowed to take a second wife if their first wives are an invalids, terminally ill or infertile. The letter of the law, however, is rarely enforced and the practice is becoming more common among Muslims.

State Minister for Woman's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono said Tuesday the 1983 law prohibiting civil servants from practicing polygamy -- passed reportedly under pressure from the wife of ex-dictator Soeharto -- could be expanded to cover ministers, lawmakers and governors, regents and other officials.

The minister announced the plan after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The move comes after charismatic Muslim preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar publicly admitted to taking a second wife. Aa Gym, who had a strong female following and often preached about family harmony and values, has had to weather a storm of criticism since his admission.

Masdar Farid Mas'udi, a leader in the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdhatul Ulema, said that every man was polygamous by nature.

"Islam only gives a standard of fairness, but it never prohibits it (polygamy). The perception that polygamy only benefits men is not right. Polygamous institutions actually fulfill women's desires and reproductive rights," he told The Jakarta Post.

"Not every man is up to being a husband, unlike women (who make good wives). Therefore, polygamy is nature's way of balancing the supply of women wanting to be wives, with the demand of men who are up to being good husbands."

The ban if implemented, argues legislator Misbach Hidayat, it would make infidelity more widespread and in turn increase prostitution.

Legislator Yoyoh Yusroh from the Prosperous Justice Party said as a woman, she believed polygamy was allowed by Islam to overcome social problems.

"Polygamy is better than infidelity. Think of a 25-year-old widow -- she will need a husband to finance her children. If polygamy is banned, things would only get worse for her," she told detikcom.

Meanwhile, Din Syamsuddin, who chairs the country's second-largest organization Muhammadiyah, thought it would be better not to talk about the subject at all.

"There are many more important problems faced by this nation. Polygamy is a matter of religious interpretation. The government should not develop this into a political issue and religious figures should not give responses (to the idea)," he told the Post.

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Hmm... Can Brunei do this, banning polygamy I mean... :-)

How to Change?

Cabinet wants religious status of dead man verified

BY SYED AZHAR. The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has directed the Attorney-General to look into the case of Rayappan Anthony to confirm his religious status, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

He added that the Cabinet had discussed the issue and had agreed to hand over the case to the A-G as it was important that it be resolved.

“We want the A-G to find out his religious status, and if he is not a Muslim the authorities should hand over the remains to Rayappan’s family,” he told reporters after launching Malaysian Bio Industry 2006 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here yesterday.

Rayappan Anthony Abdullah was asked to comment on the issue of Rayappan, 71, who died last Wednesday, and whose body is caught in a tussle between the Selangor Islamic Religious Council and his family members.

Rayappan converted to Islam in 1990 following a second marriage, and was said to have converted back to Christianity in 1999, and subsequently confirmed his profession of the Christian faith by way of a statutory declaration before a Commissioner of Oaths.

The relevant documents prepared by a lawyer and executed by the Commissioner for Oaths were submitted to the National Registration Department, which accepted the declaration and reinstated Rayappan’s religious status to Christianity.

It was also said that the MyKad of the deceased (issued in 2003) had “Christianity” printed below his name.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday that the family of the late Rayappan Anthony should go to the Syariah Court and give evidence.

“They are being asked to give evidence. There is a precedent in the case of Nyonya Tahir; the family went to submit evidence. My personal view is that they should do this if they want a solution,” he said.

Nazri expressed optimism that the Syariah Court would be fair to the family of Rayappan and did not foresee any problem.

“It is clear he had gone back to his earlier faith, and the identity card does not state that he is a Muslim,” he added.

AG Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said all parties must respect each other's religion and should sit down and discuss the matter to reach an amicable solution.

“Let us sit down and discuss the problem. Solutions can only be found if all parties sit down and look at the problem in a fair and equitable manner.

“Everyone must respect each other's religion and try to solve it amicably without immediately taking any stand. I will be meeting with several Islamic religious bodies including the Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS),'' he said, stressing that he could only advise the religious bodies as he has no jurisdiction over the Syariah Court.

Abdul Gani said his role was to see that justice was done based on the law and facts and was sure the parties concerned would listen to good sense as was in the case of Nonya Tahir

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The problem with SIRC was that they took the body away, even though the deceased already took a statutory declaration before a Commissioner of Oaths to declare his religion and again, restated this in his Identity Card (IC) that he's Christian, SIRC still thinks he's Muslim.

I wonder, what is the HUKUM for those who bury a non-Muslim as Muslim and if one already state that he had already changed his religion and doing things against his previous religion, what is the HUKUM to those who insist that that person never changed his religion and insisted to bury that person as Muslim?

Foreign aid

The Philippines was struck by Typhoon Durian (or "Reming") and may have killed 1,000 people. Singapore sent US$50,000 in aid while Malaysia sent A C-130 transport aircraft with eight officers from the National Security Division, Foreign, Finance and Defence ministries and some 12 tonnes of aid, consisting of food supply, medicine and blanket.

Being a good ASEAN member, will Brunei send anything?

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Note: A new storm is brewing on the Pacific and maybe strengthened as a Typhoon and looks that it will hit the Philippines, again (!)

Brunei court air-con problem...

Sweating It Out In Brunei High Court By Ignatius Stephen

Bandar Seri Begawan - There was "hot" news in the Brunei High Court once again yesterday as the judge, lawyers, the two accused in the dock, the court officials and those in the public gallery sweated it out.

The "sizzling" scene unfolded during the long drawn out trial of Brunei's ex-development minister and a contractor both accused of corruption. The hot air was not generated by the lawyers but for yet another day, the court's air conditioning packed up.

Technicians said the cooling tower had gone bust. Some months ago it was the compressor that was replaced eventually. Without air conditioning the atmosphere was unbearable in the afternoon.

Furthermore, proceedings came to a grinding halt later in the day as the necessary court interpreters could not be found. A temporary interpreter attempted to help but the place became too hot and apparently he became drowsy and dozed off momentarily.

The court could only sit in the afternoon because the official interpreter is a teacher and he had to attend classes in the morning. So, for the past three days nothing much happened in the Brunei High Court during this high profile trial for which top lawyers from Malaysia and Hong Kong have flown in.

Under these circumstances the case was adjourned till the following day. In the dock are ex-Development Minister, Pengiran Dr Ismail Pengiran Damit, and contractor Wong Tim Kai who ran Ted Sdn Bhd. They are pleading not guilty to the charges while Chief Justice Dato Mohammed Saied is hearing the case.

Prosecuting on behalf of the Attorney-General was Andrew Macrae, a senior council from Hong Kong, assisted by DPP Aldillah Mohd Salleh and Maggie Wong. Defending the ex-minister is Ahmad Basuni Abas while Wong has Balwant Singh Sidhu and Rudi Lee as legal counsels. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin.

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Hmm.... still can't sort out the problem on the air-condition? Why cant they just replace the whole damned thing and stop all these embrassing problems from occuring again. Afterall, we have foreign top lawyers coming in for the case, this is not a good image that oil-rich Brunei would want to project.

Interpreter problem has been there for years and they still cant solve it. I'm sure its because of no budget to get a permanent staff but it would be good also to part-timers since they should be cheaper and you can replace those who cant really interpret. Its a cycle...

High-profile case and yet why only this ex-Minister was caught?... hmmm...

The Problem with Brunei's Immigration Form

The above immigration form belongs to Singapore while the bottom one, belongs to the Brunei immigration.

Has anyone even bothered to change the form so that its bigger, just like the Malaysian and Singapore immigration form? Bruneians may not care because they dont have to fill it in, but I invite Bruneian travellers to take a look on how "terrible" our immigration form is and hope that the relevant authorities would issue a bigger and clearer so that visitors dont have to write small and take out their eyes to read the fine prints.

And what is with the Ministry of Health form? all passangers have to fill it in, but other Asian countries are not even using, why should it be there? Too many being printed is it? Maybe they should use that form as a model for our new bigger and clearly printed immigration form :p

Christmas Mood in Kuala Lumpur 2006

Christmas Tree at Berjaya Time Square, Kuala Lumpur

Christmas Tree at Petronas Tower

Scene at Sungai Wang Plaza, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur

My meal back to Brunei via AirAsia - the famous Nasi Lemak costs RM7 (even though in the menu, it was stated RM6) and the the mineral water costs RM4.

I was tempted to buy the miniture AirAsia Airbus plane model, but at RM49 each, it did stop me and make me think twice. I wish Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) has it so that I can start collecting :-)

Sites and scene of Orchid Garden, KL

The view from KL's Orchid Garden that overlook KL Tower


Above: Some orchids to be sold to the public

Orchid Garden, Kuala Lumpur

Below is the orchids sold at the Orchid Garden by orchid vendors
One ang-moh was so peeved that the Indian taxi drivers at Kuala Lumpur's Bird Park wanted RM15 for a ride to Damansara... not that I know where it was. I was charged RM18 from the Bird Park to Universiti Malaya.

I think if one stopped at Abdullah Hukum's station rather than Universiti station, one could go to Universiti Malaya faster... maybe next time...

5 Things I Dislike About Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Just back from KL recently and here's what I've got to say... The authorities better clean up their act before attracting tourists for the 2007 Visit Malaysia...

1.The dishonest taxi drivers - why cant the authorities do something about the taxi drivers who purposely block the taxi lane infront of the Bukit Bintang Plaza, and wouldn’t use the meter to take customers?. Usually when their mouth open, they would say more than RM15+++, even for a trip around the corner! What will be tourists impression of KL when encountering these dishonest drivers? Are the authorities powerless against these errant drivers?

2.The darn LRT transport – why cant those urban planners plan properly and link all the stations to one another? For example, from KL Sentral, if you want to go to Bukit Bintang monorail, you have to cross over a road and get your tickets before you can board the KL monorail. By the way, whose idea is it for the line to be curvy? I was scared when there were too many passengers, the cabin might overturn!

3.The lack of aircon in many of the shopping malls and food court. Even if one is installed, it wouldn’t be cool (nada service kali)

4.The cleanliness of the city and the food is not cheap!


5.The darn traffic jam!


P.s. Malaysians told us that they don’t use the taxi because they know the drivers are “highway” robbers. They say they feel more happy to board a taxi in Singapore as they wouldn’t be forced to pay unreasonable price.

So, Malaysia need to learn more from Singapore in terms of urban planning. What’s the point of being jealous and critical of everything Singapore does, when what you do sucks? Singapore is clean, reliable and whose transport system not only connects but are also CLEAN!

We saw someone fighting near Bukit Bintang area, and asked the vendor, are the police around. According to the Malay vendor, only when there are chairs, tables or plates are broken, only then the police will act, otherwise… tunggu lah…

Interesting speech from Raja Nazrin Shah

All-round backing for Raja Nazrin's views (27 Nov 2006 - NST)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Raja Muda of Perak’s statements on national unity have been described as a "wonderful injection of fresh air" which should be strongly supported by the public.

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, chairman of the Centre of Public Policy Studies of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli), said the statements from Raja Dr Nazrin Shah were positive and constructive.Navaratnam, who is also a member of the National Unity Panel, said the country could not afford to let the "silent majority", as Raja Nazrin put it, be hijacked by those with a narrow, extremist view."

If possible, legal action should be taken against those who go against national unity. There is not much point in criticising them without making them accountable."

Raja Nazrin has said that having a dominant race does not guarantee unity. This is the heart of the problem preventing us from achieving national unity.

"No race or religion should feel they are dominant. Neither should they want to override the other races and religions....Malaysia is a country for all races and religions. There should be a place for all under the Malaysian sun. Without this, national unity will remain only an illusion," he said.

Navaratnam said everyone, especially politicians, had a role in ensuring national unity. Sadly, he added, in recent times some politicians allowed racism and religious bigotry to "show its ugly head".

Professor Emeritus Datuk Khoo Kay Kim also shared Raja Nazrin’s views and agreed that the silent majority should not allow the country’s unity to be annexed by anyone.However, he felt that the silent majority did not understand what was going on and when this happened, they tended to look only after themselves.

Khoo said it was not enough to merely identify the problem but urged everyone to act by finding the appropriate solutions. He believed that the ultimate antidote to cure polarisation and disunity was to completely overhaul the country’s education system by making it more dynamic.

"The current system is neglecting the cultural aspect of education, stressing too much on science and technology. Malaysia’s greatest strength is its cultural diversity."We should be leading the world in terms of cultural diversity," he said.

Khoo warned that if Malaysia’s education system continued to be examination-oriented, the country would lag behind in 10 years time compared with neighbouring countries like Thailand and Indonesia.For Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin, her position in the university had given her the platform to instil the importance of unity in the students, who are the country’s future leaders

"My job is made easy as the student leaders themselves have singled out unity as what they want to work on."I truly welcome the idea, and we will be putting down plans to execute this to the masses soon."

Sharifah Hapsah believed that national unity could be boosted through a common goal.She wanted her students’ education to be a total experience of sharing."I want them to work together. I want them to play together. I want them to celebrate together. I want them to cry together when they face failures. Education is more than about being theoretical."

She believed that national unity could be attained once the people, especially university students, were aware of its importance and made conscious efforts towards it.

The best bookstore in Kota Kinabalu

One of the best, if not the best book store in Kota Kinabalu is the Borneo Books shop, located at Wisma Merdeka. The ground floor shop is called Borneo Books and another shop on the 3rd floor, Borneo Books 2 is its "subsidiary" shop.

This book shop specialiazes, as the name of the shop says it, books on Borneo. One of its widest collection of books is the books published by the Natural History Publication (Borneo).The book store not only sell brand new books but also 2nd hand books.

So for those who likes books and planning to go to KK, do drop by the book shop :-)

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The Natural HIstory Publication (Borneo) website
http://www.nhpborneo.com/main.htm

Journey to KK

The questions which is in the mind of travellers from Brunei and East Malaysia are

a) When will the Brunei government build another immigration and customs complex to replace the existing building which is inadequate to meet the demands of travellers in and out of Limbang. The Limbang is already building a huge immigration complex and expected to be completed by next year or so...

The border between Lawas and the State of Sabah

The immigration post at Lawas District, called Mengkalap

(Note: all immigration posts and ferry stop operation at 10pm)

b) When will the BRunei and Malaysian government build a bridge separating the Limbang and Temburong districts. Instead of the ferry, both government can collect the bridge tax as both served the same purpose.

c) When will the Malaysian Government going to build a bridge that separate Lawas District from Brunei's Temburong district (Labu side). If the bridge is built, the traffic will indeed be faster.

NOTE: When going to Limbang, where's the place to eat? KFC, Sugarbun? Boring already lah....

For non-Muslims, try the newly renovated Seaview Restaurant, located in Limbang town, facing the river. Its on the 1st Floor and the food there is good and instead of rushing back to Brunei, we stopped by and have our dinner before joining the queue at Kuala Lurah to go home.

FYI: The exchange rate in Limbang was B$1=RM2.335 while in Kota Kinabalu, its B$1 = RM2.330

The Journey to KK

The journey to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (East Malaysia) was not hard actually. The road from Brunei, all the way to KK is good (with the best road stretching from Temburong’s Puni all the way to Brunei’s immigration post at Labu). However, the most frusturating part of the journey are the

a) Brunei/Limbang Kuala Lurah Immigration post
b) Brunei’s Puni immigration post (only one officer in charge of people coming into Temburong and out of Temburing)
c) The ferry that bring cars crossing Limbang towards Temburong
d) The ferry that bring cars from Labu, Temburong to Lawas road

Depending on how fast you drive, u can actually reach Kota Kinabalu in just 3 to 4 hours from Lawas.

However, it take the same amount of time (worse if its Friday, Saturday and Sunday) if you’re from Brunei as the queue can stretch for 2 or 3 kilometres just to reach the Brunei Kuala Lurah immigration post and that can take up to 2 or 3 hours of your time. It takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to cross Limbang from Kuala Lurah towards the river that separates Limbang and Temburong.

The 300km Journey to Kota Kinabalu (I)

The Limbang Immigration Post in Limbang Town
The Brunei Immiration Post at Labu, Temburong
The ferry that connects Labu, Brunei to Lawas, Sarawak

It cost RM10 to board the ferry

52,450 Granted PR Status In Brunei Since 1958: Perm Sec

Bandar Seri Begawan, 22nd November 2006 - From July 1, 1958 until today, a total of 52,450 applicants have been granted Permanent Resident status in Brunei Darussalam.

The figure was revealed by Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Yusoff bin Hj Ismail, Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Home Affairs as guest speaker during the talk, "PR Application: Impact on the Business Community", organised by the French-Bruneian Business Association (FBBA) at Sheraton Utama Hotel, yesterday morning.

The permanent secretary gave an in-depth explanation of the main functions and responsibilities of the Department of Immigration and National Registration, one of the departments under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Brunei.

He outlined the various acts the department is responsible in carrying out, namely Immigration. Act and Regulation (Chapter 17), Passport Act and Regulation (Chapter 146), Nationality Act and Regulation (Chapter 15), National Registration and Regulation (Chapter 19), Birth and Death Registration Act and Regulation (Chapter 79), Adoption Registration Act and Regulations (Chapter 123) and Tracking and Smuggling of Persons Order, 2004.

Dato Hj Yusoff added that another function of the department is the issuance of Entry Permit (Permit Resident Status), which is in accordance to Section 10 of the Brunei Immigration Act (Chapter 17).

He said a `Permanent Resident' is defined as a person to whom a Residence Permit has been issued under subsection (1) of Section 67 of the Immigration Enactment 1956 (Enactment No 23 of 1956) or to whom an Entry Permit has been issued under subsection (2) of Section 10 of the Immigration Act (Chapterl7). Permanent Residence status is accorded to those who possess either foreign nationality status (foreign passport holder) or those without any nationality.

Meanwhile, Awg Zainal Abidin bin Dato Paduka Hi Ahmad, Director of Immigration and National Registration, outlined the various categories of eligibility in applying for Permanent Resident status. If a woman marries a Brunei Citizen, two years of marriage and staying in Brunei is required;

a) if a woman marries a Brunei Permanent Resident, five years of marriage and staying, in Brunei is required;

b) for children whose mother holds Brunei citizenship, the requirement is two-years of age and having stayed in Brunei Darussalam;

c) While children whose father holds Brunei Permanent Residence, the requirement is two years and 6 months of age and having stayed in Brunei Darussalam.

He also touched on the new categories for Permanent Resident status (as of May 15, 2006), which consists of applicants who contribute to the economic growth and development of the country (business), professionals who contribute to the economic growth and development of the country and husbands who marry Brunei citizens.

--- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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I wonder what is the regulations regarding citizenship, especially when foreign bride marries local men? How long will that take?

Municipal Department Has Right To Kill Strays

Under the Dogs Act Paragraph 60 Chapter 5(2), the Municipal Department has the right to get rid of disowned pets including stray dogs if found not wearing the metal label or badge issued by the Municipal Department upon registration.

This law has already been in force in the country for more than a decade, but has not been widely publicised.

The Municipal Department in a press release yesterday stated that it is an offence for dog owners who fail to register their dogs at the department under the Dogs Act Paragraph 60 Chapter 4 and 5, which could lead to a fine of B$250 or 14 days in prison. Subsequent offenders could face a fine of B$500 or a month in prison upon conviction.

It is also an offence for dog owners who have already registered but failed to tag the dog's collar with the metal label or badge issued by the department, and offenders face a-fine of $250 or a month in prison.

However, this law applies only if dogs are found wandering within the Municipal areas. In Bandar Seri Begawan the Municipal a1ea encompasses a strip of land half a mile wide on each side of the BSB/Tutong road extending from the boundary of the BSB Municipal Board area to the fifth milestone from BSB along the said road; a strip of land half a mile wide on each side of BSB/ Kota Batu bridle path extending from the boundary of BSB Municipal Board area to Kg Pelambayan inclusive; and a strip of land half a mile on each side of BSB/Berakas road extending from the boundary of the BSB Municipal board area to the junction of the said road with Jalan Muara.

Meanwhile in Kuala Belait, the area covers land between Sungai Bera and Sungai Belait to a distance of half a mile from the foreshore. Dogs found outside the Municipal territory are exempted from the provisions of the Act.

The Dogs Act further requires owners to properly chain or cage their pets and release them in a restricted area within the compound of the owners' houses.

The department has urged dog owners within the Municipal area to annually register their dogs of over three months old, every February 1. And registered dogs should at all times wear a special metal label or badge issued by the department. The cost for registering a dog is B$3 while each metal label or badge costs $5.

The law is also aimed at curbing stray dog bites that could result in victims contracting rabies. The issue of stray dogs has been in the news with many dog lovers calling for shelters to house the strays.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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Well, this statement is not unexpected... Though laws are known to change as society moves towards "modernity," however, it comes to things which considered to be "haram," there's no way out unles the dog lovers are willing fork out $$$ to pay for the animal shelter.

Easy Enticing Brunei

By Cheche MoralInquirerLast updated 00:40am (Mla time) 10/22/2006

Published on page D1 of the October 22, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

OUR HOST SAID IF HE threw a stone across the room in a busy dim-sum restaurant in Brunei where we were having lunch, chances were whoever it would hit was related to him. If not, he added, pretty soon they’d be related.

He was kidding, of course, but with Brunei having a population of roughly only 350,000—just about as many as the inhabitants of several buildings on Ayala, jested one Filipino companion—quite likely he was right.

Its modern capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan is said to have one of the highest human-to-car ratios in the world (a liter of gas is about Brunei$.50; Brunei$1 = P32), though for us who live in frenzied Manila, its roads seemed like lonely empty highways.

It was imagined visions of the gilded ostentation of palaces of one of the world’s richest men that had us going when Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA), the Brunei Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia brought our media group on a twin-city tour of Brunei and Kota Kinabalu in the Sabah state of Malaysia.

It was dusk and drizzling when our plane landed in Begawan, and even in the falling darkness, the lush foliage below was visible from our plane window. Nestled among them were sprawling abodes that would make Manila mansions seem humble in comparison. This petroleum-rich sultanate, after all, has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. It’s a state-subsidized, tax-free society.

While its Asian neighbors have long been vying for their share of the tourism market, the affluent sultanate is only now just beginning to promote itself as an alternative destination for its traveling neighbors.

“Very little is known about Brunei,” said Hj Rozman Hj Junaidi, RBA’s VP for corporate communication. “Not many know that it’s only a two-hour flight from Manila or Singapore,” and not in the Middle East as we thought.

Ideal haunt
Brunei Darussalam has a total land area of 5,271 sq km, 70 percent of which is rainforest, making it an ideal haunt for ecotourism. In the eastern part is the Ulu Temburong National Park, a vast unspoiled forest that has attracted nature lovers and scientists from all over.
Getting there is an experience in itself. A 45-minute ride aboard a water taxi, or morbidly called Flying Coffins, takes you through Kampong Ayer, the Old Brunei where some 30,000 locals still reside on houses on stilts. (The gold dome of the royal palace can be seen from here.) Thick mangroves line the water highway.

After a yummy welcome of roti and rendang at a local eatery, a short drive will take you to a pier where a motorized banca awaits to transport you on a 20-minute ultra-speed ride upstream to the park. Beats the roller coaster any day!

Don’t be surprised if you suddenly hear someone from outside your group speaking Tagalog. Brunei has some 20,000 Filipinos living or working there. (Yes, they have Jollibee, and many locals are fans of Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales soaps.) Our guide, Lilian, for one, is an Ilongga married to a Bruneian for the last 17 years. In this former British protectorate, locals speak English, Malay and Chinese. (The nation boasts a literacy rate of 92 percent.)
Make sure you’ve logged months of training on the treadmill if you take this trek. Elderly Japanese tourists we met on the way up put us to shame for not breaking a single sweat!

It’s over a thousand-step uphill climb amid centuries-old trees to get to the foot of the canopy walkway, and another 50-meter climb on the steel structure that affords a breathtaking bird’s eye view of the virgin forest. Not for wusses, sure, but if you can muster enough guts your wobbly knees are justly rewarded.

Our home in Brunei was perhaps what best approximated the lavish images we had of the sultanate. The Empire Hotel and Country Club (www.theempirehotel.com) was built in 2000 to house the dignitaries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference. It’s a six-star beachfront hotel that has over 423 rooms and villas; three cinemas; a full-service spa and gym; and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course, making it the ideal getaway for families, honeymooners and diehard golfers. (Brunei has four major golf courses.)

The Empire’s magnificence is underscored by its high ceilings (the atrium soars over 12 stories from floor to ceiling), gold fittings, Italian marble columns, walls and floorings, and stair railings inlaid with semiprecious stones. Its presidential suite alone has its own lap pool and costs about $17,000 a night, or equivalent to the cost of a small house! Late-edition Porsches and Lexuses line the clubhouse’s driveway at any given day.

Royal reception
If your visit falls on Oct. 26 at the end of Ramadan, make sure to join the queue at Istana Nurul Iman, the residential palace of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. (Trivia: our National Artist Leandro Locsin designed the palace.) This is the one time of the year when the royal family opens the palace to well-wishers.

The Sultan and other male members of the family hold an audience with male guests. Her Majesty and the rest of the female royal household receive the women guests. (RBA offers Hari Raya tours for Oct. 25-27. For other packages, call 8973309, 8953545, 8996290; visit www.bruneiair.com/philippines. RBA is the only airline that flies to Brunei directly from Manila.)


But if, like us, you end up in the sultanate at other times of the year, you can make do with a visit to the Brunei Museum, where you get a glimpse of the royal trappings, including His Majesty’s coronation carriage and the gifts received from other heads of states (including a salakot and a kris from two Philippine presidents). Encased in glass are the coronation finery made of gold and precious stones, among which is a gold life-size replica of an arm, palm facing upward; our guide said this was where the royal rested his chin during the long ceremony. Soak it all up with your eyes as no picture-taking is allowed within the museum.

Also a must is a visit to the mosques. One of the main and newer ones is the 26-gold-domed Jamé Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. The Sultan is the 26th ruler. As in any visit to a mosque, women are asked to dress modestly; an abaya, a long black robe, is provided for female visitors.
Don’t expect to find great shopping in Brunei like you would on a trip to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or even Manila. While it has its share of malls, BTB officials say the population is too small that they would likely not sustain bigger retail activities.


Bruneians prefer to go abroad for their own shopping. This is also why RBA is offering twin-city tours, which can be a choice of Manila-Brunei-Singapore/KL/Hong Kong/Jakarta jaunts.

http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=27984

Street Lights

Brunei's street lights (pre-Amedeo 1998 crisis) were very good and bright, however 8 years on, the maintenance of these lights aren't.

There are some sections of the main road (such as the road towards Gadong as well as government building at Jalan Airport Lama, then at Jalan Muara) where the street lights area sometimes switched off. Whose responsible for replacing the light bulbs or even switching on the street lights?

Yes, it is expensive to swtich on these street lights at night (it runs up to 12 hours per day, hence costs $ few hundred thousand dollars per month maybe), but what is the alternative?

Wind, wave, nuclear or solar energy? Many have said that solar energy is expensive to install but in the long run, since Brunei is in the tropic where the sun is hot all year round, the possibility is always there for this technology can be imported or made locally? Didnt Australia recently built the world's largest solar energy panels in its desert that could tap millions of watts of electricity?

Oil is not going to lasts forever, so alternative solution is important for sustainable development. Otherwise, in future, we have only nice streetlights with no lights on....

Is Brunei worth visiting?

The Sunday Times opens its travel clinic on a daily basis to answer your holiday queries.

Today: visiting Brunei

Email the Sunday Times with your travel queries
November 15, 2006


We are planning to visit Darwin, and have found some good fares flying via Brunei. Not having been on this route before, is Brunei worth a stopover?

Tracy Cummings, London A Sunday Times travel expert responds: While Bandar Seri Begawan – yes that really is the name of Brunei’s capital – isn’t another Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore, it is a very manageable and friendly place to break your journey to Australia.

And as you don’t know when you’re next likely to be in the neighbourhood, I’d say it’s well worth a visit. The population of the whole country is only about 300,000, and while there’s not a huge amount to see in the oil-rich mini-Sultanate, you can fill a few pleasant days here.

It’s fun to take a boat trip around the Water Village, where about 30,000 people live in old wooden houses are built on stilts, incongruously with satellite dishes and other mod cons. Then visit the magnificent central mosque with its 52m high golden dome, followed by a tour of the Sultan’s official residence; an orgy of opulence, with 1778 rooms, and over 500 chandeliers.

The city also has good shopping. For more information, visit www.tourismbrunei.com, or Royal Brunei Airlines (www.bruneiair.com). Lonely Planet and Rough Guides both have good sections on the Bandar Seri Begawan in their guides to ‘Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei’.


http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18409-2452926,00.html

Proposed Beachside Restaurants

The "recovered" section of the Jerudong Beach should be made into a tourist and local attraction alike by the authorities allowing stalls or restaurants to be set up in the place. It would be a prefect site for people who want to relex and enjoy the beach breeze.

I've been thinking and can't help wondering why the area is not developed for restaurants? Maybe there's too many restaurants in the country, but this is near the beach... There's no GOOD restaurants in this country which currently sited near a beach - (pls exclude Empire's Pantai Restaurant or the Serasa Beach Restaurants which one is not successful and the other only members can enter), where any tom, dick or harry can go... and which does not cost a bomb just to eat the food...

Brunei's Current Corruption Case

Well, its revealed that Ted Sdn Bhd asked for a 5 acre TOL land for their business and yet the Land Department dragged their feet to do the necessary paperwork for them. They applied since 1991 and in 1993 and got the land in 1994 after the ex-Minister intervention...

That show's how slow the Land Department is when doing things and somehow, from what the media has printed, I think its valid that the Minister intervene and asked Land Dept to approve the land. Afterall its only TOL land, which the government can take back anytime. The reasons for the 5 acre land is justified because with Ted's growing machinery, 1 or 2 acre land is just enough to build a workshop for their company... maybe.

ITs quite surprising that the Land Dept under TOL or whichever section that deals with it, sometimes give large tracts of land without anyone knowledge and yet, how do these people get it in the first place? How come there's no query or complaints? Basically people dont know who are being "awarded" lands since their operation is shrouded in secrecy. And the fact that their frontdesk staff need some customer-clients manners... been there done that...

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Ohh.... I forgot... Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends and to all Muslims residing not only in Brunei Darussalam but also all around the world who are celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

Be careful when driving to visit family and friends and take care of the amount and type of food consumed by all - cookies - too much sugar hence fats, open house - cooked food - too much fat as well... heheh... karang heart attack payah lagi.. ;-)

The New Seria "Pasar" (Market)

After years of waiting, the new Seria pasar was opened and all the old stalls located near the telecom tower was moved to the old old Seria pasar location (that was the exact location of the old pasar during the 1960s - 1970s).

At first impression, the pasar looks very big and its good that the authorities allowed Chinese and Muslims to do business in the Pasar, although the Chinese i guess are not allowed to serve pork.

However, as I was just back from Miri that day, and urgently want to go to the toilet, I was horrified to know that there's no toilet in the new pasar! How can this be? This is the 21st Century and all the architects I presumed will be "foreign" educated, how can they missed an important feature of a "pasar" makan - the toilets!!

How in the first place can the building be approved? The Municipal Board could have tendered out the cleaning of the toilet to some cleaning company and entry to the toilet must be paid, to ensure its always clean. Sigh.... any architect who want to design a food court better study the Singaporean style since in Singapore food court part of the country's building design...

One has to go to the Seria Plaza to go to find the nearest toilet and even there, the condition of the toilet is quite appaling.

We used to enjoy the cool breeze whenever we eat at the old pasar, but now with the building being designed such a way, there's no more cool breeze....

But one thing which is maintained, the quality of my favourite "Seria Keow Tiaw" is that, it still cost $1.50 to eat and the portion they give is huge man.... Thanks Mr. Seria Keow Tiaw.... heheh...

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Ps... . Govt should not allow architects to design building without putting a limit on the amount or price of a particular government building. Architects always build things more grander, hence this will make it more expensive. With more expensive buildings, the more higher the architect fees (5% to 10% of the total amount of the whole building).

And how can Govt be sure that the specified materials are the ones used? There are many cases where contractors change to cheaper materials so that the costs can be reduced and some $$ are given to ....... ahem... orang orang tertentu...

Orchid Garden of Singapore... A disappointment

The national flower of Singapore, since 1981, is the orchid Vanda Miss Joaquim. However, when you arrived in Singapore, you would not be able to see Miss Joaquim in the airport or the streets of Singapore, as she can only be seen and is "not so well preserved" in the Singapore’s Orchid Garden at the Botanic Gardens of Singapore.

I’m disappointed to see the orchids are not well maintained in the Orchid Garden (hey, the fee was $5, I thought I would be seeing something more). I wanted to take picture with the Vanda M. Joaquim, however, there was none which was beautiful enough to take picture with!

Ok, blamed it on the rainy season… but hey, this is Singapore, you would have thought that things are done smoothly here and the fact that Orchid Garden was officiated by the Minister Mentor, one would assume that someone there would really take care of the place.

Sadly, this is not the case. Me and a few foreigners wondering around were probably wondering what happen to the maintenance of the garden since we all expected something more than what was actually displayed. Even outside market has more flowers than what the Orchid Garden can offer… Hey, Brunei should have one Orchid Garden as well… since many Bruneians love orchids…. we can attract some tourist money in this area.....

In Singapore, it seemed that only outside the Raffles City Plaza (?) can one see some orchids being part of the the landscape but not around Orchard Road... maybe the tourist agency could look into replating more Miss Joaquim so that younger singaporean knows more about their national orchid... as for us Bruneians, the bunga Simpur can porbably be found at your backyard and if you still dont know that our national flower looks like, go the roundabout at the airport and you will see on there displayed.... :P

Swensen Restaurant – A disappointment…

We went to eat at a Swansen Restaurant branch in the west of Singapore recently and it was really a total disappointment. Not knowing what to order, we just thought of trying the “chef’s” best – ie – fish and chips and one baked curry rice. Why a disappointment ...

Firstly, though we arrived first, however, we were one of the last to be served. I had to wave the menu on the air to capture the waiter’s (or manager’s attention) and only then the waiter rushed to take our order. (Serves us right for sitting at the back for the nice comfy chair)

Secondly, I ordered the fish and chip – when it arrived, it’s sooo miserly served. I mean compared to the fish they served, I think I can eat a better portion served at KFC's Fish burger!

Third, the baked curry rice. Gosh, even I can do this dish! How? Well, get your canned YEO'S chicken curry and then dump all the curry in the rice and then baked it in the oven for about 10 minutes – and wala… you have your own Swensen’s baked chicken curry rice... Its great that the restaurant support local curry manufacturer, but when I taste it, i dont that that rice should cost more than $2!

Fourth, ohh.. waiter… don’t blame me for not signing you the tips – the service that day was bad and I was having a bad day - :P

ps. Taxi fare went up, the weather's hot, all the walking is really killing me.... argghh... No wonder Singaporeans are peeved...

Happy Teacher's Day 2006

This year 16th annual Teacher's Day celebration was brought forward to Thursday, 21st September 2006, because of the possibility of the 1st Day of Ramadhan - [and by now we know that Puasa (fasting) does not start until Sunday, 24th September 2006]. This could also be the first time that primary schools students went on holiday on that day. During my time, Teacher's Day was still schooling days for us. :P

Teacher's Day should actually be celebrated on 23rd September, on the occassion of the birthday of the late Sultan's father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin III, the 28th Sultan of Brunei. The last Seri Begawan had contributed a lot to the Brunei's education system during his reign.

I guess one of the most important event for me was that, this year's Teacher's Day was that 2 ethnic-Chinese teacher were honoured, namely Mr. Haidon Lim Beng Guan (Mathematics)and Ms. Shim Guek Lan (Home Science). This should be the first time ethnic-Chinese Bruneians are rewarded as such. Congratulations! And to all Teachers in Brunei - Happy Teacher's Day

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By the way, today (in Chinese Calender) is also the day that the Gate of Hell was closed after being opened for 2 months... But according to the Chinese calender, tomorrow, would be the worst day of the month, so people should be extra careful.

The Legislative Council Building....

Progress on the Legislative Council Building... September 2006

Durian Kura Kura...

Its non-sticky and its great to eat!

Raja Nazrin Shah's Speech in Brunei...

Raja Nazrin extols virtues of a ruler

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei: The role of monarchs should not be merely symbolic, restricted to carrying out ceremonial and traditional duties. In making this observation, the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah said a king was not “a frozen decorative monument without life.”

“A king should exhibit a firm, intelligent and just character, be rich in knowledge and experience,” he said yesterday at a special forum on the Muslim Malay monarchy system in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. The forum was held in conjunction with the 60th birthday celebration of the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

Raja Nazrin said a king should be able to bridge the old and the new and bring about reforms as well as retain traditions and be ready to institute changes by allowing modernisation to take place without discarding the richness of inherited customs.

For the king to act wisely, intelligently, fairly and equitably, he must have officials and advisers who are knowledgeable and do not have hidden interests, he said.

“A king should never feel pressured and should not have to give his assent if any advice presented contradicts the spirit of the Constitution, contravenes the rule of law and is in breach of the global principles of justice.

“A king should never favour actions that do not symbolise justice or accede to actions that do not reflect the truth,” he said.

Raja Nazrin said administrators appointed to govern a country must prove their loyalty to the king by carrying out their responsibilities honestly, sincerely and with full determination and commitment.

“A king falls because of the collapse of a country, and the country crumbles because of the people's anxiety. Weak governance causes the people to be anxious. Defective governance damages the country and, in the end, weakens the king,” he said.

The strengths and weaknesses of a king, he added, were dictated by the strengths and weaknesses of those entrusted to be his officials and advisers.

“Those given the trust and responsibility to advise the king must speak the truth however bitter it may be,” he said.

Raja Nazrin said a king should not underestimate the role of the media, which was becoming more open.

“Managing the media is an art that requires skill, charm and prudence,” he said.

He suggested the creation of a website on the monarchy to allow the world to understand the institution of the monarchy from the palace's perspective.

Raja Nazrin also said monarchs had the responsibility to help overcome terrorism.

He said they could, for example, initiate inter-religious and inter-cultural discussions, enhance the understanding of Islam, voice humanitarian demands and help those who were suffering, especially in Palestine, Afghanistan and Lebanon. –Bernama

- The Star, 21th September 2006

Note: Well said... I'm sure a lot of people is looking for the text of HRH speech