Where There's Smoke...

I was feeling a little light-headed that morning.  I almost didn't come in for work.  I was already contemplating where to get my MC, but just the thought of the sheer hassle of it all, I dragged my dizzy head to work anyway. On time, at that! 

I was lucky that my day didn't turn out too busy after all.  People were still reeling over the Tawau tragedy that just transpired the day before.  It was only the 1st day, of the 2nd month of 2013.  And this was the day after. 

As the day progressed I was feeling better, except that my room in the office felt strangely hot.  My room usually feels like a walk-in freezer for me to function normally.  No, I kid. What's that they say in those weather forecasts?  It's actually 18 C, but it feels like 8!  Yea, that.  But that whole day, it was uncomfortably hot.  Ah well, time to call the air-con maintenance people.

So I had taken off slightly early on the pretext that I wasn't feeling 100%.  One of the staff commented that I was looking a bit pale.  So yea, I had an excuse. 

Then the Whatsapp pictures came in.  What? A fire drill? After working hours? Are you kidding me?  Why would they go to great lengths to fake the smoke just for the sake of a drill, especially when no-one was going to be there?  But this was no drill.  There was indeed a fire, in my block, right by my room.  Oh shucks!  From the pictures the fire didn't seem that big at all. At least I didn't think the damage would be too bad.

And so I thought.....

 

Thankfully nobody was hurt, as most of us had already left by the time it happened and luckily the Fire Services & Rescue Department was just a stone's throw away. However, one of my colleagues who was still there was one of the first to see the smoke.   And his room was at the opposite end of the fire.  Mine was right next to it!  Ironically though, my room was virtually unaffected, except for smoke stains on the ceiling and wall.   So I assumed, I guess it's business as usual then on Monday!

 

I couldn't have been more wrong.  There was obviously no electricity and repairs would involve the entire block.  It was expected to take 1 month to complete.  It's now been three weeks. And we're still counting.  After the first few days of cleaning up, wrapping up and moving stuff out of our rooms, we have had to work out logistics on where to actually work.  We're playing "musical chairs" at the moment, taking up rooms wherever and whenever available to keep the services going.  It's going to take a while to get some form of normality going on again.  We just hope the public understands and be patient while all of this is in progress.

 

So yes, it has been an interesting year so far.  To say the least.  Let's just hope the rest of the year has better things in store for us.  Amin!

 



Another Year, Another Snake

 

Well this is shaping up to be quite an interesting year already. I, at least, deserve a prize for writing my first post for 2013....in February. Still. It could've been worse.

I've flirted with the idea of shutting down this page. Or maybe disappear from the online world. Is that even possible? Is there any way to completely erase our digital footprint? Just as easily as things are wiped out from our memory. Memory as in brain. Not memory as in bytes. Numbers, places, people. All can be forgotten.

In the blink of an eye.

Back to December...Again

I'm pretty sure I've used this title before.  Just when I thought this year couldn't drag it's feet any slower, December creeps up on me and bites me in the a**!  It's an achievement that I still have this blog.  Even a bigger achievement if anyone actually sticks around to read it. That's read. Not spam.

It's been a crazy couple of months.  Good crazy.  To save a few backdated posts that I had told myself (and procrastinated royally) I was going to eventually write,  I'll just keep things up to speed here. 

In a space of 2 months.......

I had a blast at the much-anticipated (not to say controversial) Gala Night, that our team had tirelessly prepared for, and spent many a night in endless meetings (not the sit down round-table kind, but rather the WhatsApp group-chat kind).  It amazes me how much we can actually get done without having to go through weeks and weeks of meetings! 

In between after-hours' practice and rehearsals, I managed a quick work trip to China, which itself was an experience.  I will never take the internet for granted ever again!  And food. And speaking English.

While in China, I got news that my dearest brother finally got the big break he had been waiting for.  Alhamdulillah.  A long time coming, but well-deserved!

Then came November.  What is it with November? Work-wise, it was probably my busiest month this year.  It's the catch-up month before the holiday season.  Back-to-back lectures to prepare and present, meetings, paperwork, deadlines.  Oh, the deadlines.

I was so caught up with everything that I had probably forgotten to take care of numero uno.  It's been a while since I've been really sick.  I usually just brave it off, put on my game face and trot off to work.  No game face. Not this time.  Down and out!  Workmates were actually starting to get worried that I hadn't shown up for more than 2 days!  All I could think of was, "Did I miss a deadline?"

But I think I needed it. What's the point of working like a horse if you're not 100%?  Time to recover and reload.

'Cos the New Year's bound to throw more surprises!

Bring it!

Salam Syawal

Ramadhan came and went and we shall be missing the Holy month again for another year.  Insya Allah.

And now it's time to celebrate.  You would think that the excitement of Hari Raya is lost on us as we get older.  Well, maybe the excitement, yes; but there's nothing quite like the feeling of self-accomplishment of fasting for a month.  And there's nothing like listening to the Takbir on Raya eve that brings you to tears for every reason imaginable. Somehow all your emotions erupt that moment you hear the soothing sound of "Allahu Akbar".  Maybe that's just me.

We're ever so thankful for the newly announced 3-day public holiday for Raya, instead of the usual 2, starting this year.  That one extra day sure means a lot. If not for an even worse post-holiday "hangover", though.  This year, it didn't make a difference for me, 'cos I had taken the week off anyway.  Good to know, though, for next year.

So here come the open house invites, family convoys and expanding waistlines.  It's all good!  The gym membership starts next week!

Here's wishing all Muslim friends & family, wherever you are,  Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.  Enjoy & be safe!

Run, Brunei! Run!

Maziah Mahusin's triumphant run to the finish

Brunei's still giddy from witnessing our athletes compete in the Olympics.  Did we win any medals? No. Some may be snickering at all the fuss we're creating.  Well, why shouldn't we be excited?  After the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, my friends asked me why hadn't Brunei sent a team, and that they had actually announced our "non-participation" during the opening itself. For some reason I had missed the live opening, but did watch the rerun later that evening, or the next day, or whatever time zone I was in.  I'm sure all of us Bruneians, particularly us overseas at the time, just wanted to play it down, and promise to send out a team in the next Olympics.

London Olympics 2012.  4 years later.  3 Bruneian athletes. Yes. That's right. 3.  Considering our experience in the Olympics, or lack thereof, and our small population, I think 3 is a good start. Anderson Lim to compete in swimming, Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Rositi in athletics and Maziah Mahusin,  our first Bruneian female Olympian, also in athletics.  Maziah had already made headlines prior to the games, so naturally the focus was on her.  The defining moment was seeing her and the Brunei flag on the track for her 400m heat.  No, actually, the defining moment was when she crossed the finish line.  Beating her personal best AND national record too.  Brunei was brimming with pride.

Not to shield the limelight from the other two athletes, just as much buzz was well-deserved by Anderson Lim & Ak Hafiy.  I'm guessing people were probably less aware of the schedules and timings of their heats (I'm guilty of having missed Lim's 200m freestyle).  

Ak Hafiy congratulating Bohlee at the end of the heat

Ak Hafiy too beat his personal best and indeed it was another proud moment for Brunei.  3 seemingly unknown athletes who came out of nowhere, suddenly became national heroes in a matter of seconds.  59.28 seconds in Maziah's case.  This is proof enough that with enough time, energy and effort invested in these young individuals, Brunei can actually achieve something greatness.  We shouldn't worry that we finish last, or that we're a small team.  Representing Brunei this year means a whole lot more to us than getting close enough to sniff a medal.  It's a start. And a good one indeed.

Bruneians were once again brought together for the right reasons.  Can you imagine watching the Olympics without social media?  Oh, that's right.  We actually remember it!  Though it probably wasn't so bad in the Beijing Olympics, try thinking back at all the other Summer Olympic Games you've ever seen.  My personal memory goes back as far as South Korea in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, though the last 3 were a blur to me.  Our version of "social media" at the time was probably catching up on it at school/uni/work the next day!  The closest thing to any real-time self commentary would probably have been the text message.  Then Twitter came along. And erased all sense of mystery (and restraint) in our self-monologues.  You'd have to be living in a cave to not see or hear about the Olympics in this day and age.

I have a natural love for athletics, as it takes me back to the rush of sprinting in the hot sun back in the day.  Even watching the athletes getting ready on the starting blocks gives me butterflies. (I always hated those blocks!)  The semi-finals and finals are on tonight.  19:45 London time. Are you kidding me?!  It's gonna be a long sahur.  I wouldn't want to miss Usain Bolt & Oscar Pistorius (how amazing is he?) burn the tracks.

See you at the finish line.....

A Sigh of Relief

Phew! My heart stopped for a second there when I thought I had completely lost this blog. Forever! And there I was thinking I was ready to say goodbye. Who was I kidding?  I've lost my domain though. Temporarily, at least, For 75-100 days to be exact.  Yea, so apparently once a domain has expired, there's a grace period of 40 days in which it can still be renewed, but after which it goes into a redemption period, or some other jargon, that stretches on to 75 and then 100 days until when I may be able to reinstate my domain.  Too complicated.  I'm guessing Google's confused with the change of address & account details, and so they're putting my renewal "on hold". Whatever.

It's Ramadhan again.  Alhamdulillah.  It's always such a peaceful month of calm and reflection.  It also happens to be the time I rant the most. Only 'cos I'm quieter than usual out of respect for the holy month.

Recent events have moved me to write again.  Just last Friday, on the eve of Ramadhan, the country was shaken by news of a tragic army helicopter crash that claimed the lives of 12 army crew & officer cadets and left only 2 survivors.  Even before the news was broadcast, it was all over the social media, just in its usual sketchy unconfirmed form. But this is Brunei.  12 may seem like a small number, but being in Brunei, we're bound to know, or at least know of, at least one of them, know a family member, or know someone who knows someone.  We're all connected, somehow.  At first the rumours said only 4 had perished, then with each hour, and each tweet, the number climbed.  Nobody got a real handle of the real situation, until we all saw the news and read the papers. That weekend, it was as if the whole country was crying for them, for their loved ones. Everybody's still taking stock of the whole tragedy.  All I can think of  is what their families must be going through. Grieving is one of the hardest things anyone can experience.  It helps to know that everyone feels for you.  We couldn't be more blessed with His Majesty's empathy for the people.

Facebook had turned into a tribute page for obituaries.  Pictures were posted leaving us a crushing feeling of despair for these young, vibrant citizens who had  dreamed of serving the country.  And serve they did. As fallen heroes.  May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones have the strength to remember them as they had lived and how much they were loved.  Al-Fatihah.

That same Friday night, another shocking event unfolded on the other side of the world, in Aurora, Colorado. It was initially reported that 12 had been killed.  I don't understand the gun laws in America. I just don't.

Not to draw any coincidences from these 2 very isolated events, but how sad was it that such grave tragedies could happen on the same day?

It just stops us in our tracks and reminds us: Life is short. Take nothing and no-one for granted.

Have a blessed Ramadhan. Ramadhan kareem!

As the Sun Sets

Maybe it's time to take a bow. Draw the curtains.  Throw in the towel. I have succumbed to the sudden wave of all things visual, and words don't seem enough anymore. 

Maybe I'll come back.

When words become sexy again....