Pusat Ehsan Charity Bazaar 2009

Please come by and support the Pusat Ehsan Charity Bazaar 2009!

Date: Sunday 9th August 2009
Time: 8.30AM-5.30PM
Address: Simpang 66-38-60, Kampong Bengkurong

It'll be a fun day filled with lots of activities - flying fox, pony rides, lucky draws, ghost house, food stalls, face painting, garage sales, game stalls, bouncy castles and many more! See you there!

must see, must listen, must read

I have a soft spot for musicals and theater so I was curious about FOX's new TV show, Glee. The show centers around a group of high school students in a glee club/show choir. I guess you could say it's like a grown up, funnier version of High School Musical with your usual jock, cheerleader, over-achiever, geek, loner, etc. with their struggles to fit in and conform to the norms. I watched the pilot episode on Sidereel and by the end of it, I was cracking up big time and singing along to all the songs. I loved all the performances on the show and its understated humour reminded me of one of my favourite comedies, Arrested Development. So Glee deserves a BIG THUMBS UP. The new episodes won't be out til September, I can't wait!! :)

Here's their kick ass rendition of Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing'.



Also, give a listen to Zee Avi. I stumbed across her video on YouTube's main page and was stunned to see that she hails from our neck of the woods, Miri Sarawak! This talented lady is signed to Jack Johnson's record label and for a 23 year old, she sounds hella-good. Her self titled album 'Zee Avi' is a little bit jazz, a little bit indie. If you like Jack Johnson, then you'll definitely like her. Oh and one of her songs on her album is even partly sung in Malay which I thought was cool. Lol. MELAYU!

This is the video for her first single 'Bitter Heart'. The song is as cute as a button and features a cameo from Matt Costa.



My must reads for the summer are 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte - I am embarassed to say I have yet to read this book. It's an all time classic love story gone wrong. Haha. I was also recommended to read 'The Lathe of Heaven' by Ursula Le Guin and 'Replay' by Ken Grimwood, two classics of the science fiction genre - a genre I've never ventured into but the synopsis' look mighty interesting. Apparently, these two books are good reads for those who are Lost geeks like me and have to wait 9 freaking months for Season 6 :P

mish mash

This is got to be one of the best mash ups since Jay-Z and Linkin Park. Click the video below to see the beautiful arrangement of Taylor Swift's 'Love Story' and Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' by composer Jon Schmidt on piano and Steven Nelson on the cello.

What did I tell you? AWESOME. Now forward this to all your friends please! :)

"Edu-ma-ca-tion" continued

Just read this on BB Online:
American universities beckon Brunei students

Yay! Think about it kids! Broaden your prospects :)

As for me, Georgetown or Tufts please. One day, hopefully!

The push and pull

Do you watch Lost? I admit, I’m a bit of a Lost geek. Have been hooked since Season 1 and have been watching ever since. Kind of bummed that the last season is next year but can’t wait either. Can’t wait to get all the answers!

Lost is an incredibly intelligent and intricate show that has many references to pop culture, literature, history, philosophy, science fiction, physics.. and every show leaves me thinking, questioning about the big questions of life.

How can one show do that you ask? Well, time travel has been a big part of Lost since last season with our Losties traveling through time and trying to change things around. However, the idea that “whatever happens, happens” is reinforced time and time again. The notion that however many times one tries to change the future, the outcome will still be the same no matter what.

I am a big believer of things happening for a reason and having balance in life. That a succession of events will lead the way to your eventual path in life. And it’s true. Think of about it. Imagine if your grandparents hadn’t met, your parents wouldn’t have existed and thus you wouldn’t be here reading this blog :P And balance? Well, lets just say you can’t really have everything you want in life. It is really a matter of give and take. Yin and yang.

So if everything is meant to happen, why doesn’t everybody just sit back and relax? Well now if you did that.. you wouldn’t be living a life worth living now would you? I feel as if I’ve lived a lot of lives. Even if I’m not old. I wouldn’t have learnt my life lessons without living each phase of it in its entirety. As they say, you should learn not to regret your mistakes because without it you wouldn’t be where you are today.

I believe in chances at happiness, irrespective of your faults and errors along the way. Before the characters of Lost stumbled onto the Island, they were quite literally lost in their own lives. Not knowing where to go, what to do, who to love, who to forgive. Their experiences on the Island have reinvigorated their zest for life and their instinct to survive. And from it, the characters have learnt to atone and find happiness again.

P.S. From what I’ve read, the debates going on at this year’s session of the Legislative Council seem to be very interesting. Kudos to all the representatives for asking the much needed questions and thank you to the ministers for giving the much needed answers. All the topics that were discussed seem to be based on issues that are on most Bruneian minds today.

So what's next? Trying to get through the global financial crisis somewhat unscathed and turning that deficit into a surplus. Getting the Limbang issue sorted once and for all. Introduce alternative forms of energy. Think green. Start installing solar panels! We get more than enough sun in Brunei and it’s about time we benefit from it :D Increase the amount of tourists coming to Brunei. Although at first instance many might not know where Brunei is, it’s time the world learn about our Kingdom of Unexpected Treasures. I’d love to see our tourism ads airing on CNN. That would be so awesome. Supporting DPMM and making sure they kick arse in the S-League. Lol.

BTW, have you been bitten by the twitter bug fellow bloggers? I have yet to sign up but I think I'd be really cool if bloggers like him, him and him had their own twitter pages. Haha.

XOXO

You're it!

Tagged by Tina!

1. What’s the relationship of you and her/him?
Both part of the "Bruneian blogger bredren". Hehe.

2. Your 5 impressions towards her/him? 3. The most memorable things she/he have said to you. 4. The most memorable things she/he had done for you. 7. If she/he becomes your love, she/he has to improve on: 9. The most desirable thing to do on him/her is:

Have yet to formally meet Tina so i'm a little short on impressions and can't answer some questions, sorry! Oooh but I thought I did see her that one time in Nyonya Yayasan. (I know, i know.. can you say stalkerific? Haha)

5. If she/he becomes your lover, you will:
Apologise profusely to her bf? Lols.

6. If she/he becomes your enemy, you will:
Stop reading her blog? 0:)

8. If she/he becomes your enemy, the reason is:
Because I really did stop reading her blog?

10. The overall impression of him/her is:
A relatable person.

11. How do you think the people around you feel about you?
I am told to be quite intimidating when you first meet me because I don't smile as often as I should but once warmed up to, I apparently can't stop talking!

12. The characteristic that you think you have, is?
I have been described by friends as a "smart blonde". Hahaha. So yeah, I can be quite ditzy. Like, totally!

13. On the contrary, the characteristic you hate of yourself is?
Jealousy.

14. The most ideal person that you want to be is?
The best person I can be. A person, who people I love can be proud of.

15. For the people who care about you and like you, say something to them:
Well, if you are somehow reading.. I MISS YOU ALL! Moyangs, kambings, ogres, panda's, butches , to-be barristers and solicitors, and the other half of Geebus&Frank/Paul&Mary i miss you the most! :(

16. 10 people you tag:

1. MicroBandits
2. Cookie Dough
3. AnakBrunei
4. Ranoadidas
5. Affy
6. Kurapak
7. Senor Pablo
   
8. Mr. B-R
9. Maurina
10. Emma Good Egg
    

17. Who is No. 2 having a relationship with?
I have noooo idea!

18. No. 3 a male or female?
Male.

19. If No. 7 and No. 10 were together, would it be a good thing?
I guess? Hehe.

20. How about No.5 and No. 8?
Hmmm.. perhaps.

21. What is No. 1 studying about?
One's studying figures, numbers, business, finance, etc. The other is studying politics/international relations.

22. Is No. 4 single?
I'm not sure.

23. Say something about No. 6?
He funny!

I'll be doing a lot of traveling again so expect another blog sometime in mid January. Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah, Merry Chrismukkah and a Happy New Year. May 2009 bring all you readers health and happiness :)

xoxo Roxie and the gang (wherever they are :p)

Edu-ma-ca-tion

Is it just me or are university bound students in Brunei reluctant to go beyond the UK, Australia or Malaysia to pursue their higher education? I may just be stereotyping but it is a shame if it is indeed true.

But who am I to talk? I picked an English university. It just seemed like the natural thing to do, you know? All the benefits were there (minus the dreadful weather of course). Prestigious universities, a high quality of education, a direct flight to and from London and BSB, wouldn't have to learn a new language, most of my friends and cousins were going there or were there already, a big Bruneian community if you ever feel homesick, Halal meat easily available and the list could go on and on.

However, venturing outside the UK never even crossed my mind and now that I look back maybe I should've given more thought to going to the US or other parts of Europe or Asia for uni and I hope other Bruneian kids do too. The last thing you wanna do is feel like you don't have a choice or don't have a say in your own education. You're the one that's gonna spend 3-4 years of your life there.

I believe that our country can get many advantages from a workforce that gains experience from different people, different cultures and different styles of teaching. That way, we all bring something new to the table. We start to think out of the box in solving problems or creating new ideas. I'm glad the Ministry of Education has opened up to this idea, sending students to Korea and France and I assume that fellow bloggers Mr. B-R and Cookie Dough would be proponents to this as well, seeing that they both studied in the US. (So jealous! :p)

The only real problem is the lack of information to students about their choices. I think it'd be really helpful to have an education fair where countries like the US, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, etc. could provide information about their higher education opportunities. For example, bet you didn't know that National University Singapore (NUS) is ranked 36th in the world, Les Roches in Switzerland is the place to go for Hospitality Management studies and Paris Sorbonne is the best place to learn French. Don't even get me started on US universities.. Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Princeton! Seriously, WOW. Who wouldn't wanna go there? Hehe.


So, kids. Do some research. Go on the net. Ask the uni/college to send you a prospectus. Go to Embassies or High Commissions and ask questions. Give yourself options. It's only your future we're talking about here.. :)