The Daily Brunei Resources

Not many of this blogsite readers would have read this particular journal published bi-annually by our Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka. This Malay journal contains many articles about the literature of Brunei and those of Southeast Asia. I have read it on and off but the other day during the Book Fair, I decided to buy many of the previous back dated editions - one is that Brunei books and journals printed by DBP are very very cheap and when you consider the amount of knowledge in those books and journals, the prices are ultra cheap; two is that I have not known about many of the things written in the articles. Some I do know but the depth and breadth that some of these articles go to amazed me. For instance this 2007 journal contained a book review about Menyuruki Syair Rakis (two of them), a symiotic (not even sure how to spell that, let alone know what it is) about the use of Pak Hassan icon in a book entitled Hari-Hari Terakhir Seorang Seniman, about Syeikh Yusuf, about buri pu'o (ada...

If you are looking after something more serious this morning, I have to apologise. For a change, let me talk about something more down to earth. I want to talk about hard boiled eggs. My favourite is a hard boiled egg for breakfast. Unfortunately, I have been medically forbidden from eating too many eggs. So whenever I get the ocassional egg from bunga telur from berzikir ceremony I would get some 'kicap' and eat it. Ahhh.... My better half shared with me this email which she received yesterday about an interesting tip about how to get consistent results when it comes to hard boiled eggs. We tried it this morning and would you believe - it does work! Let me share the tip with you:- +++++ Cooking hard boiled eggs can be a hassle because you have to 'watch the fire' and 'watch the air'. My dear friend was kind enough to share this method of cooking the eggs whereby you don't have to worry whether they are over-cooked or under-cooked. Here's how:- 1) Place ...

Last Sunday, at about 5 in the late afternoon, I heard a very loud sound. I was not able to come out and see for myself but I knew that sound. It was a jet engine and a very loud one and very close overhead. On Monday, our MOD DAF who lived in Tanjung Nangka told me he saw jets. It was not until yesterday that I finally learnt that 2 United States jet fighters made an emergency landing in Brunei last Sunday due to a technical glitch. Brunei Times reported that a U.S. embassy official in Brunei confirmed that the two F-18 Hornet Navy jet fighters had to make an unscheduled stop en-route from Japan to Thailand. One of the planes developed a slight technical glitch in Brunei air space and had to make an emergency landing at the closest alternate Brunei International Airport. The two planes were carted away to the Air Force base in Rimba, Gadong after they landed with Brunei's permission. The planes were being repaired at the Rimba Air Base by U.S. technicians and were expected to fly ...

If you have been a regular reader of this blogsite and of my column in Brunei Times, you would notice that I have several constant or regular references which I always refer to. This includes the Syair Awang Semaun and the Batu Tarsilah or Genealogical Stone Tablet. Sometimes I refer to other classical works. I don't know about you all but I personally have been curious whether out there lies some sort of primer about Brunei's classical works. A primer in American parlance is an introductory but always comprehensive introduction to some principles and major techniques or tools etc. I remembered when I was in the States doing my Masters, the one textbook which I needed to master was 'A Primer for Policy Analysis' written by Edith Stokey and Richard Zeckhauser. My minister still raved about these two professors when he did his a couple of years earlier before I did. Anyway, I am digressing. Last Sunday, I found this one book by accident and I am recommending this book to ...

During lunchtime yesterday, I spent it by visiting the book fair again. There are lots of bargains to be had, new books to be looked at and interesting educational stuffs. This is about the only time that we have such a concentration of books to be at least the quarter of Borders. The books I have to admit looked much better, even our local ones. I guess there is much progress in terms of book cover and book design. Anyway, I am not talking about books. I saw this on the cover of an older Pusaka, the Brunei History Centre publication. I seemed to have missed out on the 2007 edition as I thought I had all the 16 Pusaka editions. The cover had a photograph of a Lanjang, a big Brunei copper pot. This pot can be used to cook rice or ketupat or I guess anything that requires boiling and simmering. This particular pot is a community pot. Back in 1941, in the days when not many people can afford a Lanjang, the villagers of Kampung Kiulap decided to pool together an amount equal to about $4 ea...

600 years ago, Brunei was at its height. It controls all of Borneo Island and extending it as far north as southern Philippines and as far south as some say even some parts of the Java Island. By the end of the 19th century, Brunei had lost almost everything except the rump of today's Brunei. Even Limbang was lost that Brunei found itself split in two. Sultan Hashim made an agreement with the British to turn Brunei into a British protectorate state and to accept a British Resident technically as Advisor but in reality the de facto governor. That saved Brunei from extinction. After the end of the Second World War, Brunei once again faced its greatest test of whether it can survive as an independent nation. Whatever development had taken place since 1906, Brunei virtually lost it all when bombarded by the Allied Forces in their efforts to get the invading Japanese out. Britain with its East of Suez policy wanted every country that it once help administer to administer and managae the...

I was at the bookfair today at the Indoor Stadium. I was quite surprised to see a huge tent next to the stadium. I thought at first that tent was for additional activities. I did not realise that this year many book and educational exhibitors took part compared to previous years. The huge tent had more booths inside it. I was told that there are more than 120 booths featuring both local and international books from countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Canada and Taiwan were made available to the Sultanate's public at this years's Brunei Book Fair 2009. The book fair, organised as part of Brunei's National Day Silver Jubilee celebrations, is currently set to run for 10 days, till March 8. And the fair is open from 8.30 in the morning to 10 in the evening. There are many books about Brunei being sold there. Both Dewan Bahasa Pustaka and the History Centre are promoting local content books. But our own authors are now doing their own promotions. One of our directors whose da...