Relationship with Computers

You know it is time to reassess your relationship with your computer when.... You wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning to go to the bathroom and stop to check your email on the way back to bed. You turn off your computer and get an awful empty feeling, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved one. You decide to stay in college for an additional year or two, just for the free internet

What do you know about Rice in Brunei?

The other day, the Head Honcho of Information Technology told me that there is no way Brunei can be self sufficient in rice. Even if we cultivate the entire surface area of Brunei, we still do not have enough land to grow rice sufficient to feed the whole country. This is assuming every single inch of Brunei is cultivatable. If you were to take that there are parts of Brunei which nothing will

Unadventurous Bruneians

We Bruneians take our country for granted. We don't appreciate what we have. We have so much to savour, so much to enjoy. Many people would pay the earth to get what we have. Yet we complain about Brunei, we complain that there is nothing to see and nothing to do in Brunei.My wife and I were guests at the Japanese Ambassador last night for dinner. I won't describe the dinner but the usual

The Perils of Marrying Much Younger Women

I got these two short notes off slate.com, my favourite online magazine and I thought it's worthwhile sharing - the first is especially dedicated to my dear colleagues and fellow senior Bruneians who are contemplating something similar; and the second to younger Bruneians. Both are written by William Saletan based on actual studies conducted by scientists.Older men are more likely to produce

Nothing to do in Brunei?

Many people who do not know Brunei say there is nothing to do in Brunei which I thought was a bit shortsighted. Let me describe my Sunday yesterday which was a very hectic day. In the morning was a round of golf at the Executive Course at JPPC in Jerudong. Some derisorily called it the kindergarten course. It's not as easy as some people say though this is the first time in about 6 weeks of

Does oil come in barrels?

One of the interesting thing you find about Bruneians is that a lot of us don't know much about oil which is the lifeline of this country. Practically everything we touch in Brunei owes its existence to oil. And yet there is so much about the oil industry that we don't know. All we know now is that the world oil price is about US$70 per barrel. And yet ask this question - how do we export oil?

Questions Confusing Mankind

1. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"2. Who was the first person to say "See that chicken there....I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta it's butt."3. Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?4. Why is there a light in