Modern Circumcision in Brunei

My just turned 7 years old son was circumcised during the school holidays. He was scheduled to have done it together with a few of his cousins and anak buah last December but missed it as we were on holiday in KL. So this March, we had ample time to prepare. There is normally a fairly long queue at RIPAS, so it is best to book a time early. There are also a couple of private clinics which offer

Memukun - Brunei's Unique Tradition

I was staring at the computer last night raking my brain for today's topic when I heard someone being interviewed about 'memukun' on Rangkaian Nasional. Rangkaian Nasional has a program where people can actually sing through their telephones - a duet with another singer in the studio. I remembered in the 1980s when 'memukun' first appeared on national radio. A number of people who were trading at

Languages in Brunei

I haven't done a Brunei book review for quite a while. I thought I will do one on the many books that have arrived over the last couple of months.This book 'Language Use and Language Change in Brunei Darussalam' I thought was particularly interesting to people who study languages in Brunei. We take our languages for granted but apparently according to language researches, our beloved country

The Brunei Fort at Kinarut, Sabah

I was in Kuala Belait yesterday, and my brother-in-law who used to be the Chairman of KB/Seria Municipal Council told me that there is a road called Jalan Dakula in Seria. Dakula is the name of Sultan Hakkul Abdul Mubin's son who was raised by the Suluks in the Philippines/Sabah when his expecting mother was captured during the battle at Pulau Cermin. A grown up Datu Dakula came back to Brunei

Brunei in World War II

I was showing my old photographs collection when the topic of the second World War came up. Brunei as did many countries around the region suffered just as badly. A lot of our elderly Bruneians talked about how difficult life was. Unfortunately there were not many photographs available of Brunei during that war. Some of the few that I have are as follows (taken from the exhibits at Brunei Museum)

Pulau Cermin - Brunei's Historic Island

Since I was already on the water visiting the Jong Batu at one end of the Brunei River, I thought I might as well go to the other end and visit the other historical site of Brunei, Pulau Cermin.Pulau Cermin as many Brunei historians know it is the site of the temporary palace of Sultan Abdul Hakkul Mubin, the 13th Sultan of Brunei and is the site of the only civil war in Brunei History. Sultan

Jong Batu - Brunei's Rocky Ship

Even though I can swim (preferably on waters where I can see the bottom), I avoided doing anything on water. I have had my fair share of water travel. When I was a little boy, my father was the Temburong DO and we travelled about twice a week to and fro Bangar. I have even gone on the sea cruise with the Japanese SSEAYP program and a few other boat trips. But never ever on the water taxis. All