Brunei representatives off to Commonwealth Youth Forum

TWO youths will be representing Brunei at the Seventh Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) in the Caribbean in an eight-day forum organised jointly by the Commonwealth Youth Exchange and Commonwealth Youth Programme this coming November 21 to 27.

The Brunei Times had the opportunity to meet the representatives — youth activist Ak Kamal Ghadafi Pg Hj Suhaimi from the Department of Youth and Sports and UBD undergraduate Abdul Qawiy Hj Abdul Khani — prior to their departure via Singapore and New York to their destination.

"This year's forum will be special as it will be the first time that all 53 youth representatives of Commonwealth will be attending. We will also have the opportunity to meet up with the Heads of Government to discuss youth matters," said Ak Kamal Ghadafi.

The objectives of the event are aimed at the development of young people's understanding of the Commonwealth and its values; the creation of a platform for young people to contribute to Commonwealth and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) agendas; and the promotion of networking and interchange between young people and their organisations.

"This isn't merely attending the meeting. We'll be very involved in the discussions. Knowing Commonwealth, there is no such thing as sitting down and listening to the talks," said the youth activist.

"The final communiqué from the forum will be circulated at CHOGM and presented to the Commonwealth Secretariat, thereby giving the young people of the Commonwealth a chance to have their opinions heard by the Heads of State," he added.

The theme for this year's forum is "Invest in Youth, Sustain the World". Various topics will be discussed during the forum such as peace-building, economic issues and climate change.

Ak Kamal Ghadafi said youths could benefit greatly from participating in the forum and on his part, he hopes that he would be able to apply the input, ideas and experience he acquires from the Commonwealth youth participants at the forum to Brunei.

The eight-day forum will be held separately in three areas in the Caribbean; the island of Tobago, on board a cruise ship Queen Mary, and finally in Trinidad. The Brunei Times

What are the origins of the word "Okay" (ok)?

1839, only survivor of a slang fad in Boston and New York c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases with deliberate, jocular misspellings (cf. K.G. for "no go," as if spelled "know go"); in this case, "oll korrect." Further popularized by use as an election slogan by the O.K. Club, New York boosters of Democratic president Martin Van Buren's 1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his nickname Old Kinderhook, from his birth in the N.Y. village of Kinderhook. Van Buren lost, the word stuck, in part because it filled a need for a quick way to write an approval on a document, bill, etc. The noun is first attested 1841; the verb 1888. Spelled out as okeh, 1919, by Woodrow Wilson, on assumption that it represented Choctaw okeh "it is so" (a theory which lacks historical documentation); this was ousted quickly by okay after the appearance of that form in 1929. Okey-doke is student slang first attested 1932. Greek immigrants to America who returned home early 20c. having picked up U.S. speech mannerisms were known in Greece as okay-boys, among other things.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term…

H.L. Mencken once described "O.K." as "the most successful of Americanisms," an estimation verified by U.S. troops during the Second World War, who reported encountering the phrase all over the world. Of all the scores of theories (and sub-theories) as to the origin of "O.K.," the most widely heard traces "O.K." to the "O.K. Club," a political committee supporting Martin Van Buren's unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in 1840. The "O.K.," it is said, was short for "Old Kinderhook," Van Buren's nickname.

It appears that this theory is not so much wrong (the "O.K. Club" certainly existed) as it is incomplete. Chances are good the Van Buren's partisans would never have named their club "O.K." had the phrase not already been widely known as an abbreviation of "oll korrect," a humorous misspelling of "all correct." American speech in the early 1800s was awash in similar abbreviations, two of which, "N.G." ("no good") and "P.D.Q." ("Pretty Damn Quick"), are still heard today.

Ironically, while "O.K." didn't save Van Buren's campaign, the campaign gave "O.K." a new lease on life -- until then, it had never been as popular as a competing phrase, "O.W." (for "oll wright"). (By the way, before we start feeling too superior to the cornball 1800s, is "oll wright" really any worse than the "excuuuse me!" or "not!" fads of a few years ago?).

http://www.word-detective.com/back-q.htm…

OK is without doubt the best-known and widest-travelled Americanism, used and recognised even by people who hardly know another word of English. Running in parallel with its popularity have been many attempts to explain where it came from — amateur etymologists have been obsessed with OK and theories have bred unchecked for the past 150 years.

Suggestions abound of introductions from another language, including the one you mention. Others include: from the Choctaw-Chickasaw okah meaning “it is indeed”; from a mishearing of the Scots och aye! (or perhaps Ulster Scots Ough aye!), “yes, indeed!”; from West African languages like Mandingo (O ke, “certainly”) or Wolof (waw kay, “yes indeed”); from Finnish oikea, “correct, exact”; from French au quais, “at the quay” (supposedly stencilled on Puerto Rican rum specially selected for export, or a place of assignation for French sailors in the Caribbean); or from French Aux Cayes (a port in Haiti famous for its superior rum). Such accidentally coincidental forms across languages are surprisingly common and all of these are certainly false. Many African-Americans would be delighted to have it proved that OK is actually from an African language brought to America by slaves, but the evidence is against them, as we shall shortly learn.

more........

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-oka1…

Source: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090902015822AAuKEzJ

Dialog Belia Islam Dunia Melayu (Dialogue for Muslim Youths in the Malay Archipelago)

Below are the pictures from the Dialog Belia Islam Dunia Melayu (Dialogue for Muslim Youths in the Malay Archipelago)which was held from the 21st to the 22nd of November 2009. It was organised by the Brunei Youth Council with the cooperation of the Islamic Dakwah Centre, Ministry of Religious Affairs Burnei Darussalam. Present to be the guest of honor was His Excellency Pehin Jawatan Luar Pekerma Raja Dato Seri Utama Doctor Ustaz Haji Awang Mohd Zain bin Hj Serudin, Minister of Religious Affairs and the ex President of Brunei Youth Council, whom also delivered the main paper entitled 'Mengenali Diri Identiti Sejati'.

Among others to to attend the event was the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, Permanent Secretaries of Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Religious Affairs, Directors from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Deputy Preseidents of Brunei Youth Councils, invitees from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and youths from the four districts Brunei Darussalam among others.

Among others that presented their working papers are by Ustaz Nor Azamir bin Alias Deputy State Mufti of Negeri Sembilan Malaysia, Pengiran Haji Bahrom bin Pngiran Bahar,Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs Brunei Darussalam and Shofwan Al-Banna Choiruzzadd from University Indonesia.

In the News

"Bruneian youth activist raises bar"

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, September 11, 2009


A BRUNEIAN has been nominated by the ASIAN Youth Council to represent Asia at the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) Youth Advisory Committee.

Youth activist Ak Kamal Ghadafi Pg Hj Suhaimi, a staff at the Department of Youth and Sports (Youth Unit), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, will be representing Asia during the upcoming UNAOC meeting in Brazil next year.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, the 29-year-old said that one of his main priorities was to change the mindset of youths in the Sultanate.

He said, most young people these days were more concerned about themselves. "For example, people tend to think that going to school, getting a degree, a good job and getting married is enough." While it is not wrong to want to aspire to this lifestyle, he said more can be achieved for the betterment of society but "people are not (looking outside the box)".

Although Brunei is a small country, young people in the Sultanate should be able to compete with youths in other countries including China, he said.

Youths in Brunei, who are classified as aged between 15 to 40, should be encouraged to take on leadership roles and be proactive in nation building, he said.

"Our youths have achieved a lot in terms of technical abilities and we have been successful in producing academics over the last five years. However, they still need to be more active in society and economics," he added.

"We cannot get to every youth, but my aim is to at least reach out and target 45 per cent of youths in Brunei," he said.

Speaking of his experience as a delegate at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) congress in 2006, Ak Kamal Ghadafi said, "Youths from other countries were vocal and were discussing things, but only two youths from Brunei participated in the discussions. That was heart-breaking because I just felt that we (Bruneians) could not express our issues," he said.

In that regard, he said that history should not repeat itself during the next forum where nothing was achieved upon returning home. He highlighted that Brunei needed to have more leaders, not just in the nation but on a regional level, instead of being followers.

"We (youths) need to open our eyes and wake up, not just sit down and enjoy what we have but to be independent and explore by having a change of mindset," he said.

Highlighting youth issues is one of his passions. His activism has caused certain parties to take notice and was a reason for him being offered the UNAOC position. He said, "As a youth activist, I blogged about youth activities in Brunei. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports noticed me and sent me to represent Brunei for the Commonwealth Youth Programme. From there, the Asian Youth Council nominated me for this post in June this year."

Regarding the position, he said, "I was waiting for this for the past few months and I am very happy to continue my family legacy. My granduncle and father were also youth activists before."

The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations is an initiative formed by the UN Secretary-General which aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions, and to help counter the forces that fuel polarisation and extremism.(RTM1)

The Brunei Times

Norizan Sharif and Spouse visit to Brunei

Norizan Sharif is an old friend of my father that had together worked in the youth field for many years, Norizan Sharif is a TV personality, always has been invited to give his views for his neutrality in the political arena of Malaysia, he is always been invited by Bernama TV. He is a social and political analysis, youth leader and business man. He is also the Executive Secretary in the Asian Youth Council of which i am the Deputy Secretary General. Here are some pictures taken during his visit with his wife, they were celebrating their 25th Marriage Anniversary.

visit Mr Norizan's blog at: www.nobisha.blogspot.com

In the news

Perceptions about today's youth

By Ak Kamal Ghadafi PHS

As a youth leader, I do not escape the question that is always playing in the minds of other youth leaders; sometimes I questioned myself, what do youths of today want? What do they need? What are the strategies should we take for the better of the youths?

Will I succeed in leading them for their future and the future of my next generation of youth leaders? Sometimes I am just afraid to just think about it. Youth leadership is not an easy matter, youth leadership is not just a practice, but it is a responsibility given to individuals that shows good leadership qualities and potential.

Looking back in history, do you know that the term youths were not even recognised until after the Second World War? Remember that the term youth was not even used, it was the term 'teenagers' that was widely used. These show that understanding youth development is still at a young age, but at a rapid development. Youth as a period of transition from childhood to adulthood is now widely recognised.

So what does the youths of today want for their and their next generation's future? That is rather a rhetoric question, something that only the generations that lived in that time period will understand. But we cannot escape or rather stop the stereotyping of youths in the ever changing world, we sometimes feel that youths need to be given a chance and to let them do it by themselves, but how many of us would really agree to that? I am not talking about this at the regional or the international level, but rather at our level, the mindset of us in Brunei Darussalam. The question lingers; how do we see the youths today and what do the youths think about it? Have we really ever asked youths that question? Or do we just point fingers at them and say that their actions are pre-mature? We should understand that youths are going through a period that are really challenging, it is just the same as our parents going through a phase when they were young, the difference may be in the environment that the youths today are experiencing.

Exposed to the influences of materialism, youths today are thinking more of finding financial stability, some succeeded in their hunt and some are left behind in the race.

These are not rocket science, more often we can see that youths today are changing mobile phones when a new model appears in the market, they thrive to get the best possible laptops that the market can offer, a sporty car, higher internet speed, more money, more comparisons, more and more. Are these the things that the youths really need, or just the necessities of the up market trend? Are we the victims of marketing professionals, or is it just the market that we favour? Youth development should not be judged by the way how smart your attire is in society or how presentable they are, but rather by actions, results and mindset.

But it is not just us that felt the effects of the changes in the lifestyle of the youths today, in many east Asian countries, youths have induced new lifestyles; famously known as the '6Cs' which stands for 'car, credit card, condominium, corporate job, charisma and cash', these had been the new life goals for youths today, which most experts in the field agree that these are signs that youths are continuously in search for status, identity and attention.

As youth leaders, we do understand the potential that youths can contribute in the area of socio-politics and socio economy. There are still many ways that we can unlock the dynamism for social change, development and reconstruction. In order to utilise the creative energy of the youths, we have to construct creative outlets for their utilisation. We have to interact more with the youths to understand their needs and wants, to be in their shoes rather than being sympathetic and judgmental of their actions and impatiently side lining them in the every day decisions that will or had affected them.

just for laughs, ahahahah

This is the reason I am not going to a 5-star HOTEL

Question : "What would you like to have ..Fruit juice, Soda, Tea,
Chocolate, Milo, or Coffee?"

Answer : "tea please"

Question : " Ceylon tea, Herbal tea, Bush tea, Honey bush tea, Ice tea
or green tea?"

Answer : " Ceylon tea "

Question : "How would you like it? black or white?"

Answer : "white"

Question : "Milk, Whitener, or Condensed milk?"

Answer: "With milk "

Question : "Goat milk, Camel milk or cow milk"

Answer : "With cow milk please.

Question : " Milk from Freeze land cow or Afrikaner cow?"

Answer : " Um, I'll take it black. "

Question : " Would you like it with sweetener, sugar or honey?"

Answer : "With sugar"

Question : " Beet sugar or cane sugar?"

Answer : "Cane sugar "

Question :" White, brown or yellow sugar?"

Answer : "Forget about tea just give me a glass of water instead."

Question: "Mineral water or still water? "

Answer : "Mineral water"

Question : "Flavored or non-flavored?"

Answer : "I'll rather die of thirst.

Public lauds Sultan's titah By Azaraimy HH

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's titah yesterday criticising the rationale and purpose behind the campaigning for cash donations for royal birthday celebration received overwhelming public support.

His Majesty voiced his disappointment and disapproval of relying on private cash donations for his birthday celebration and called it wastage.

His Majesty also asked why under the new SPN21 education system, the religious subject is not included amongst the core subjects like Bahasa Melayu, Mathematics and Science but included as options along with Music and Drama.

The ruler also called for more proactive efforts on the nation's food security such as in rice production, and added that officials shouldn't have waited for him to officiate before enhancing efforts.

In response to the titah, an anonymous caller reached the Bulletin hotline and said His Majesty's titah was spot on. People have been waiting for this, especially the call to end collecting donations for Sultan's birthday celebrations, he added.

He said requesting huge donations from the private sector sends a wrong message as it is prone to misuse.

"We love our monarch wholeheartedly. We Bruneians are born as subjects of His Majesty the Sultan and proud citizens of Brunei Darussalam, and as His Majesty had beautifully put it in the titah, it shouldn't be measured by the amount of cash donation," he added.

He said we all love His Majesty the Sultan as much as others do. But donating cash during a campaign to earn favour in whatever form is wrong and will send out a wrong message.

Other members of the public also gave similar views like the first caller.

They said the royal celebration is a joyous occasion and just like what His Majesty said, it shouldn't be used as a "medan" or arena to show how much cash you can give, and use it for something else, such as gaining favour from the government.

"It is not only anti-competitive, more importantly it could send wrong messages," a caller said.

The Bulletin learnt that some donation requests were also sent to SMEs in the country for their contribution during a campaign-style lobbying.

Source: http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/tue/jul14h2.htm

Sultan frowns on series of faults and failures By Azlan Othman

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam expressed his unhappiness on many issues and made pointed queries during the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) meeting at the Fire and Rescue Department at the Old Airport yesterday.

Also present was His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office.

His Majesty clearly made his dislike known on the initiative by government agencies in lobbying for donations for the monarch's birthday celebration.

The monarch questioned why the Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) is not among the compulsory core subjects in the new Sistem Pendidikan Negara 21 (SPN21).

The ruler wanted to know why low ranking officials travel alone to attend meetings while big groups accompany high-ranking officers when they travel abroad.

The Sultan also expressed his unhappiness as the initiative to boost self-sufficiency in food supply kicked-started only after the monarch himself repeatedly mentioned about food security in many of his titahs.

His Majesty said in his titah that the NDMC should be forward thinking in looking at events that have not happened but could occur at any time such as terrorism, tsunami and earthquake in the country. His Majesty added that he prays to Allah for the nation to be free from such calamities.

"What are the steps taken or our preparations? We should not laugh at this matter. In Brunei, we hardly see big floods and landslides. But recently such phenomenon (big floods) occurred and the flood reached a level hardly seen before and landslides damaged many houses, buildings and also claimed lives.

"These remind us to be cautious and not to wait for such calamities to happen. This is not right. Now, we are facing Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, a scary global catastrophe where many social activities have been affected including celebrations in Brunei marking the birthday, which have been postponed. However, I believe the celebratory atmosphere and spirit is still in the air," His Majesty said.

Touching on His Majesty's celebration, the monarch thanked all parties who were involved in making the preparations. The celebrations are organised by the government, private sector and individuals and the monarch appreciates such efforts.

"But I want to comment on the initiatives taken by the government all of which don't please me, as they seem to burden the people. The organising committees make big plans by lobbying earnestly and ask the public to donate. Big companies are the main target.

"Those who come forward to donate would be given publicity, and gatherings would be held to accept the donations. It did not end there. Electronic and print media publish the news where the minister or high ranking officials appear to accept the donation as if the celebration is used to lobby for donation," the Sultan said.

"What I want to question here is whether such lobbying or campaigning for donation is appropriate and for the public to rush to donate for the celebration. In other words, the celebration becomes a tool for the public to donate in a swarm.

"I am convinced that in the name of celebration and with such a tagline, the response could be overwhelming. But the question lies in whether all people are sincere or are they forced to donate. This should be looked into and scrutinised and not be made into an annual routine or trend.

"Frankly speaking, I don't like the celebration to be used as a tool to attract donations or to accumulate donations. Is the budget not enough or is it not joyful enough?" His Majesty asked.

"I don't encourage wastage or to burden the people. What is more important, the celebration runs smoothly. We organise the event in large scale. In some other instances, we do the budget allocation and then calculate from it. Once the project runs, we demand a company to pay, and on some occasions the company is incapable to pay. The government in turn ends up paying for it. Is this not a disaster? A disaster in burdening the government and bringing misery to the people," the monarch added.

Touching on the Influenza A (H1N1), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it as a pandemic on June 11, requiring all countries to take precautionary measures against the spread of the virus. Brunei is no exception. From time to time, the nation has and will take preventive measures, but the cases continue to rise with one death already recorded.

"Our preventive efforts are to advise the public to maintain cleanliness, reduce social activities and to quarantine travellers who have just returned from abroad for a period of seven days.

"All these are just advices. The most important preventive measure is to temporarily prevent Bruneians from travelling to the affected areas, especially to countries worst affected. But this is not being carried out or thought until a circular was issued by the Prime Minister's Office on July 7, 2009.

"However before this, there were ministries or departments that sent their officials overseas including to the affected countries, even though the officials asked others to refrain from going abroad as the virus could spread to other staff or the individual himself/herself or the family.

"Such officials travelled as instruction was yet to be issued by the PM's Office. This is what I did not like to hear. The Heads of Department work just like a robot with no discretion or common sense.

"They just wait for instructions. If there is no instruction, they will not take any steps even though they are mandated to make certain considerations and take logical steps, especially relating to the safety and welfare of the staff," His Majesty said.

"Whilst we tackle H1N1 through health measures, we also recite doa with 'Qunut Nazilah' or Hajat prayer. The more the better as it is a commendable spiritual weapon in Islam especially when we are running out of options particularly when physical control seems to be ineffective as H1N1 cases continue to rise.

"Is it not appropriate for such spiritual efforts to be multiplied? But as I can see, there is no effort to upgrade this. Hajat prayer at mosques on Friday is not as intense as we would expect.

'Qunut Nazilah' is only confined to Friday prayers when it could be extended to other prayers. In addition, there is no guidance or encouragement to the public to recite 'doa' or 'Zikir'. We have many religious officers but not even a single officer is seen handling a special programme, be it on television or radio to inform and lead the public on the importance of 'doa' and 'Zikir' in an effort to protect oneself from such pandemic.

"We hardly see on TV any guidance or information such as 'Doa Wirid' or 'Zikir' which are good to be read and so on. Do you also have to wait for my order to do that?" the monarch asked his Cabinet Ministers.

"Schools have now reopened but there is yet any initiative to ask the students to recite 'doa' before learning to seek for Allah's blessings. Is it difficult to do, when religious officials are aware that children's 'doa' or prayers are swiftly answered as they are free of sin. Can't you think about this?" His Majesty asked.

"I wish to highlight another example of a big disaster, which is lack of food resources. We have been independent for a long time, but the self-sufficiency of rice production is just 3.12 per cent. It's like nothing has been done. Has anyone ever thought of it seriously?

"Has anyone ever mentioned or highlighted such a 'magical' (3.12 per cent) figure among the ministers? No one," the Sultan said.

"Why is it not highlighted? Is it because we are scared to plan until I myself mention it repeatedly? Imagine if the supplier stops supplying us due to this crisis or other causes. I wish to mention a neighbouring country as an example whereby their self-sufficiency is 70 per cent. But they still continue and plan to go for 100 per cent self-sufficiency.

"After I repeatedly brought up this matter, the concerned ministry answered the call and praise to Allah, I am now glad to hear that in 2010 we will achieve self-sufficiency of 20 per cent and 60 per cent in 2015. This is the way to prepare and counteract disaster in the form of shortage of food supply and this is the way of looking at matters and not just with a 'wait and see' attitude.

"Six months ago, I attended an Islamic Religious Council meeting where I brought up the issue of a huge balance of 'Zakat' money, which reached over $100 million. What puzzled me was that why such a huge balance existed. What was the meaning of such balance?

"Is it right that there are no more eligible recipients to receive them? In this context, I emphasised three categories of recipients namely the poor, needy and debtors or 'Al-Gharimin'.

"Is it true that there are no more poor, needy and 'Al-Gharimin' categories in Brunei? The answer is, they still exist. So, if they still exist, how come such a huge balance existed? Why I raised this matter was, the issue of poverty, if left unchecked, would lead to disaster," said the ruler.

"Haven't we heard of people committing many criminal activities due to poverty? People kill due to poverty, people change religion due to poverty. Are these not a problem? This also goes to those who are in debt.

"Praise to Allah, the Islamic Religious Council has settled dues of 190 people under the 'Al-Gharimin' category for those under the national housing scheme, landless scheme, Kg Sg Bunga and Yayasan housing schemes amounting to two million, three hundred and seventy seven thousand, five hundred and seventy five and fifty four cents, ($2,377,575,54). Money that is still left unspent is around $50 million. Disaster is not just confined to flood, landslide, H1N1 but also many others," His Majesty said.

"In the field of administration and management, the Islamic Religious Council has outlined a guideline to send officers and staff overseas. There are instances whereby some ministries and departments are not aware of their staff welfare when sending them overseas.

"An officer travels alone to attend meetings, seminars and so on. This matter only happens to low ranked officers while directors (and above) as well as ministers, deputy ministers will be accompanied by many officers and staff and possibly with the diplomatic staff for consultations and discussions.

"Aren't there any similar needs for low ranked officers? The officer travels alone and possibly travels without the knowledge of the diplomatic staff. Is it a right approach or is the idea mature enough?" His Majesty asked.

"I believe it is not a mature idea but an idea that is selfish, an idea that doesn't show concern towards the subordinates.

"I do not see the rationale behind sending an officer alone. In addition, there are risks should the person need any assistance, whom to consult or should the person fall ill. These are the disasters faced by the officer who travels alone.

"If an officer is sent, then whom will he or she refer to in order to exchange ideas should the matter relating to policy arises. The managers and administrators should look into this matter.

"Another issue is when the travelling officer is a woman or when male and female officers who have no legitimate relationship travel together. This is worst in the context of religion, which could jeopardise the family," opined His Majesty.

"Several months ago, we were busy with SPN21. When I look at it, there is an obvious weakness. I found that Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) is not in the compulsory core subjects along with Malay, English, Mathematics and Science.

"It is astonishing to note that IRK sits together along with other subjects including music and drama. It is surprising to see IRK along with music and drama and not with the four compulsory core subjects.

"Why Malay subject is part of the compulsory core? Maybe, it is because it is mentioned in the Constitution as the official language. What is lacking in Islamic religion? It is also in the Constitution," His Majesty asked.

"In my opinion, it is more than just a compulsory core as it is the religion from Allah that is obligatory for all Muslims, which otherwise would become a sin for them," the monarch said.

"If the religious subject is taught along with drama and music, the latter (drama and music) would certainly be popular, highly in demand than the former (religious subject) in the context of mankind's psychology. Is this not a problem?" asked His Majesty.

Source: http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/tue/jul14h1.htm

Another pandemic spreading in Brunei: IGNORANCE

Have you heard? Oh, by the time you're reading this, you should have been told ( or heard about it) that the AH1N1 cases in Brunei (by the time i'm writing this) has topped 93 cases and 1 death, yes that's one death already (maybe more when we woke up tomorrow morning). I bet that you began to see a lot of people started to wear those masks all around Brunei, erm, nope, i was out tonight and there are people who, maybe, erm, i don't know, cared less about the cases? I was wearing a mask as a precaution and people were looking at me as if im a crook! i just can't believe it! i was thinking that maybe they are just ignorance or are just really spoiled to be uncomfy with wearing the mask, or maybe, just maybe, they can't bear smelling their own breath while breathing when wearing the mask!?!?

What is it with us Bruneians? I still remember last time when the air was sickeningly smoggy, people were also ignorant and just don't want to wear the mask! And now with AH1N1, some people, erm maybe, a lot of people, still thinks that it is still ok not to take preventive measures,like WEARING A MASK WHEN YOU ARE IN PUBLIC! Come on people, cooperate and please, (im begging u!) to at least don't be ignorant!STOP THE PANDEMIC OF IGNORANCE!!

My opinion counts!! :)

I was invited to be a judge for "Whos Got Talent" Competition, representaing my company Urban Touches Entertainment, the event was organised by Relentless Entertainment and held during the b.mobile carnival at the Mall Gadong. Thank you to Mardy of Relentless Entertainment for inviting me as a judge and congratulations to the winners!!

b.mobile's 'Who's got talent' ends in big applause By Ben Ng

The b.mobile "Who's Got Talent" competition ended in a loud applause last night drawing a huge crowd who came to watch contestants belt out popular all-time favorites.
Co-sponsored by HSBC and held in conjunction with the b.mobile Loyalty Club Launch last month, the first-time event drew an overwhelming response from the public, a spokesperson from b.mobile said.
According to the spokesperson, some 100 contestants signed up throughout the audition that ran for three weeks, all aiming for the grand prize of $1,500.
DJ Zura from Pelangi FM hosted last night's event that saw a panel of judges oversee the performances before reviewing them for score. Mardi from Relentless Entertainment, DJ Izan from Pilihan FM, Diana Latip of Project Tunes,Ak Kamal from Urban Touches Entertainment, and Andie Asmad from Brunei Press Sdn Bhd were the judges.
The night of activities also included a treasure hunt, an art competition, and a mobile lifestyle competition. People were also treated to a meet the fans session with Kangan Band and Feby Marcellia from the group Mama Mia.
Reality TV host from Indonesia, Reyman, was also present to promote the Loyalty Club event as well as b.mobile's new Elegance and Zoom packages.

Hahaha, how can the world be smaller than this?

BIBD's Cabaran Anak Brunei 2009

The BIBD's Cabaran Anak Brunei was successfully organized today at various locations with 60 teams vying for the grand prize. I was involved as the 'teacher' of one of the challenge, playing Brunei's traditional musical instrument, the gulintangan. The venue of the challenge was at Haji Tarif School, Tamoi Village, located at Brunei's world famous water village.

So how does it feel to be a Country Representative?

Most of the times, people congratulate me for my appointments on being a Representative of Brunei Darussalam to the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Deputy Secretary General of Asian Youth Council and Head of Teachings and Trainings of the Brunei Youth Council at a young age, given the chances and being at a level yet to be achieved at a young age and most of the times people ask me how does it feel to be a Country Representative?

Well, to tell the truth and the truth be told, its an achievement that I am very proud of, and very proud to continue my father’s legacy and the family’s legacy, being the 5th generation that leads in Brunei’s youth work, my grand uncle’s were the past Presidents of the Brunei Youth Council since the establishment of the council. Why? Because we all believe that youths are the main components in nation building and neglecting them is an unforgivable sin. But I do believe that despite all the attention I get from people for being here, people do not know how does it feel, it feels great and lonely, its lonely being up here, I think this is why most would not jump into this ‘hobby’ that have turned serious.

Many youth leaders would not tell you this, many leaders would not tell you that they cried in the middle of the night, many leaders would not tell you that they have heart breaks in this field, that they worked hard unlike nobody else’s, that they overworked the night, that they are tired, that they are exhausted, that they walked on the dwindling road, that they are taking the risks, that they put this work more than their families, more than their love..that they push their selves sometimes to the limit..

It hurts to know that sometimes, most of the times, nobody believes in your cause, locally not known but created waves outside the country. Recognized as an important dignitary outside your country, but just a normal human being on the land you lived in.

Sometimes I hate it being here, but most of the times I enjoyed it, I enjoyed disseminating informations that I gather through my meetings and the programs that I attended or involved with, getting together with ministers, business leaders, youth leaders, professors, directors feels great and gave me the satisfaction, so much so that I forgot what I left behind..families and friends, love one and love..lost a love being here, despite my success, despite all the issues that I solved and help to solve, my own girlfriend cannot keep up with me, hence the pressure of being there, and the pressure for knowing of the comparison of me being up there and she walking beside me.it hurts, but that’s what I left behind for what I believe that she didn’t. I left behind for what was the diamond in my heart, the soul of the very being I am and the hatred that we did not resolved.

Sometimes I feel lost in my cause, but got back up again, sometimes not knowing what people want from you, but what they expect of you, expectations, how does that became a word that I hate to hear? Missing promotions at work, yes, despite of what I am doing and what I am representing, who I am representing, who appointed me, I missed two promotions, because in my employers eyes, this is a personal activity, not regarding work. Unbelievable? It happens and I am not the only one going through it. Sometimes I feel, gone are the days that I enjoyed being alone, because that is my nature, most of the times, I prefer to be alone, to think up of all the things that is playing in my head, assembling and rearranging the puzzles that is there, the thoughts that I am bestowed by God, but now, is the time to be hand in hand together with other colleagues that believe this cause, no more time for me?

Most people say that I have someone beside me to share my success, I don’t, so there’s something missing in my life, achieved a lot of things, but my heart feels empty. Do I have a weak heart? No, I am stronger than most are, expressive? Yes, that’s how this article surfaced..now I know how it felt for all the leaders that were up here, and above me, achieving so, so much, but losing much more. Most of the times, that what it felt to be a representative.

But despite all this, I love being here; I will work hard to present all of you in the international and regional arena. Despite the consequences, I love it. Do not forget what my grand uncle said: “Work hard, study hard and fight for your generation..” so how does it felt reading this?