What I discovered on Sunday

I am seriously tired. I haven't had my rest and I have been struggling to write my blogs over the last few days. I sometimes wished I could be like this kid in the photo. Just lie face down without a thought in the world.

My apologies - the recent topics have been very contrived and not very flowing - I know, and yes, I am going through another bout of bloggers block. By the way, thank you to all for the comments and welcome to all the new readers (a record 1,080 visitors on 17th July 2006) that came my way the last few days. I do deliberately open up topics so that readers can challenge my views and come up with much better ideas and thinking. We, you and I won't be learning anything new otherwise.

Yesterday was again a very tiring day. After watching the colourful presentations on the padang, I spent the whole morning walking around our capital with my colleagues while waiting for His Majesty to complete his rounds with the rakyat. We had santap at the Lapau at about 2pm before going home at 3pm. It was a rush job and I had to run all the way to my uncle's place at the Beribi VIP housing for my cousin's besuruh ceremony. And then rush home to get ready for an official dinner at the Empire. My whole Sunday seemed to flash before my eyes.

During the Santap, I was sitting with all my colleagues and I was chatting with the DPS for Home Affairs. We came from the same kampung and I asked him how did the name Lambak originated. He did not know but he told me that the actual Lambak is just a small place and was not originally the name of the village. In those days, what is known as Kampung Lambak today was made up of a number of small clusters or communities. So each community live within walking distance of each other and actually named the places that they were staying in. So if one was to drive from the traffic light that separated traffic going straight to the Lambak Kanan Resettlement area and the traffic going to Berakas Kem, you can begin to name the previous placenames for the communities that used to stay there.

Just after the traffic light would be Sungai Tupan (where the Religious Affairs Minister's private house is), up the hill (Rumah Hj Daimon - house with yellow, white and black stripes and cars too) will be Bukit Chuping, down the hill and on the flat ground will be where the original Lambak is and then straight on to Supatir (I presumed before the Berakas Kem area). If you turn to the right (behind the old Supa Save building) that area will be called Langung-Langung. Opposite that on the left hand side of the area would be Pantai Pulang Hari, go inside will be Pulau Bahar and then going out again will be Baak. The international cemetery area is known as Bayut.

Two forests are also named as Hutan Haji Jihan (location unknown) and Hutan Badaras (near UBD). According to legends, Hutan Haji Jihan - if you passed by it, feels and one can hear as if the place is 'bejelama' or actually has people staying there - you can hear people talking but see no one. Another hill called Bukit Tegiuk which is now located in the middle of the resettlement areas has an interesting ability. If you go there, the chances of you being lost or disappearing would be very high indeed.

Brunei is such a rich place with many former communities. But unfortunately in our modernisation drive, we are losing many of these original names and the characteristics of our country. Some have argued that we have to progress and some are in favour of retaining the old. I guess we have to balance them somewhere in the middle.