EmmaGoodEgg

Screenshots Of Mine

A Return To Blogging (Even If Its Via Screenshots Of Mine)

Screenshots Of Mine

Seek parallels if you wish.

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Brunei Times Screenshots

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...in the fifth paragraph they missed the gist just a tad. I am quite sure that during the course of the telephone interview I said that Brunei has a small community, so we tend to know who the bloggers are. And that blogging about issues is better than posting anonymous comments.

The Director's Cut

It's not too bad this time, but like I've said, I like my Emma-isms.

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Citizen Participation 101

By EmmaGoodEgg

The Malay term “gotong-royong” means to share a burden or help one another to accomplish a certain task. There is no neat phrase in English for it. Traditionally it is a strong social obligation to help those in need with your time or resources, and knowing that when woe betide your turn came, the same people you helped will readily reciprocate. In the old days, the villagers gave any excuse to have a “gotong-royong”; be it to build new shelter for a neighbour whose house burnt down, or Awang Bungsu needs a new roof because his is leaking after the December rain, and everyone merrily chips in the time and effort. Everyone is your neighbour.

The most apparent benefit of a “gotong-royong” may be in Awang Bungsu’s case a new roof, but an intangible product of goodwill is the creation of better citizens. In the context of citizen bloggers, some wax lyrical or write with interest on the failings of the nation. This form of involvement does have its benefits as one could say it encourages debate and stimulate action. However, it is heartening to note that some of us go a step further than just posting about it. An admirable example that comes to mind is when Brunei resident blogger BorgKingKong rallied photobloggers (http://borgkingkong.blogspot.com/2006/12/calling-all-volunteer-photographers.html), to help in a project for Pusat Ehsan, a day centre that cares for the needs of individuals with physical and mental disabilities. The Paraplegic and Physically Disabled Association run Pusat Ehsan, better known to those in Brunei as PAPDA. There is no doubt we are a caring nation. This is evident in the numerous non-government organisations (NGO), societies and charities in Brunei Darussalam dealing with various social issues involving women, children, youth, drugs and special need and citizen volunteers like BorgKingKong and those like him. A selfless involvement in these endeavours has always been encouraged. When one has undertaken an unselfish concern for the greater good the subtle changes in character is not easily measured, but it is there.

The most important thing is to get off your backside and get involved in your community. As residents, we must take responsibility for our society and encourage the spirit of “gotong-royong”. In December 2006, many reported on a Brunei Marathon that ended in disarray and confusion. However consider that many worthwhile endeavours are often easier said than done. Perhaps those who complained the loudest were the ones who did not participate. Anonymous incendiary comments that were made about the Marathon are laced with defeatist attitudes; the feeling that it is not worth striving because the fight is lost for sure. A lesson learnt is that the marathon organizers could benefit with better support from the community and government.

Our way of life has changed considerably and traditional modes of interaction have given way to new ones such as online communities. Less and less people live in a traditional kampong structure. We form bonds and associations away from the physical place we live. Extended families are spread out, we associate more with people at work or in schools than our neighbour. I for one feel that I don’t take enough interest in my immediate space. I believe it is not just me, I’ve asked around and no one seemed to know the name of their Ketua Kampong.

One opportunity for more participation in your locale is the election of the Ketua Kampong or Village Head. According to the information available on the Ministry of Home Affairs website (http://www.daerah-brunei.gov.bn/objectives.htm) one of the key roles of the District Office is to support Penghulus (Head of a Mukim) and Ketua Kampongs promote closer links and more effective communication between the Government and the people by evaluating their complaints and requests. Should this not mean that when residents feel that their kampong road needs sidewalks because it gets pretty hairy for those who jog or walk because they dangerously teeter on the roadside, the person they should really speak to is their Ketua Kampong? The website does say that the Ketua Kampong bears the responsibility to relay your needs to Government and to act as a go-between.

Returning to participation how many of us have taken an interest in the process of selecting our community representative. It is a point to ponder that actually offering one’s self for the post of Ketua Kampong is a good thing and produces a sense of responsibility quite unlike posting about it or reading the newspapers.

I should add that the nominees for the Ketua Kampong must be between 30 – 60 years of age, and male. However, because it is gives us a chance to have a certain amount of control on who represents us, one should invoke the old adage “bloggers can’t be choosers” and focus on the ability to participate in our communities.

To offer what little free time you have may just be the best thing for Brunei. Remember we may be small, but we strive to be perfectly formed.

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Screenshots of Mine, But Not The Title

The Director's Cut

I like my Emma-isms.

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LIFE IN A SMALL TOWN

By EmmaGoodEgg

According to the latest figure online Brunei Darussalam’s population stands at approximately 360,000 people in 2004. That is roughly the population of one of the larger HDB New Towns in Singapore, or the entire population of Bristol. Sometimes as a result of a small population we suffer from ‘cabin fever’. There is nary a day when you do not get recognised for being a “half-second cousin on your grand-uncle’s side” or your parents’ child. This is because when everyone is connected, in one way or the other to everyone else, the community can get too close for comfort. Sometimes we find our numbers debilitating and suffer for our smallness. A relatively small purchasing power means one business opens and another closes. A jury system would be a hard sell. When a competitor comes from beyond the sea and within in the form of Kristal Astro, state entities like Radio Television Brunei react with a lukewarm desire to improve because no one really watches anyway. (Unless of course, you happen to be on it). Perhaps RTB could use our small population to its advantage. By getting every one on TV, maybe then every one will watch.

When I was younger the media that we preferred to digest was mostly from abroad. Those who stayed in Kuala Belait benefited from the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) Radio that played the latest UK Top Of The Pops every Sunday for the British army stationed there. We watched ‘Top of The Pops’ videos, or listened to ‘NOW That’s what I Call Music’ cassettes, from uncles, aunties, even parents, who studied abroad. We bought our reading materials in the shape of teen books, comics and magazines from bookstores like Booker International. During those days, we watched television series like The Greatest American Hero, Dynasty, Dallas, and many others, religiously on Radio Television Brunei. We listened to the radio as well. In the 80s, DJ Hishamuddin had a large teenage fan base. I know because I was one of them. Then came the satellite channels and Capital FM. When we came into the 90s we knew how the rest of the world was entertained but paid little attention to what was happening in our small sleepy little community. Because when it comes to the local media, ours is a tough market and the audience tougher.

Incidentally, those who did not have a chance to visit foreign cities, or study abroad, stayed true to the local media. Some of us, who were fortunate enough to spend some time abroad, got too big for our boots. Dayang ‘X’ London (e.g. EmmaLondon) was a name given to those who, despite being Bruneian, became terribly anglophile.

When the lease ran out on Capital FM on the 1st of December 2005, the local radio stations were granted a new lease on life. Perhaps we resisted at first, but our radio DJs and newscasters were heard. Bruneians take to technology well and the Internet spread like fire in our small community. Slowly our voices grew online, friendly in IRC chat rooms, posting comments that are, more often than not, malevolent on Have Your Say, Bruclass and the mother of them all – Brunei Talk. We took to online communities like ducks to water. We knew everybody.

The young cottoned on swiftly, as the young tend to. While most will agree that Mr. BR at Brunei Resources (www.bruneiresources.blogspot.com) is the Grand Master of the local blogging scene, the kids were there first. Snixxx (www.somethinghantap.net) was only 17 when I came upon her blog in 2002. Now we see bloggers and DJs have become the best of friends. Take for example Anak Brunei’s (www.anakbrunei.org) recent online food critic transition to a radio food critic with the help of DJ Jenny and Kristal FM. The community and the media have a thriving symbiotic relationship.

Most local bloggers participate in online endeavours that like Mr. BR, who describes the purpose of his blog Brunei Resources as such, ‘create a better informed Brunei Society’. It is a worthwhile undertaking, and the abundance of local presence online is heartening. I partake in a cosy eclectic community of gifted bloggers from Brunei, from the young and the more matured, those far and near, those local, and those who simply live in Brunei. To name a few (for there are many) like Jewelle (www.jewelle.blog.com) a housewife from Sabah, who lives in our country and posts from and about life in Lumut. Widarchitect, (www.widarchitect.blogspot.com) is a Bruneian student in London, her nostalgic words and stunning pictures make a former student miss the student life there. Zippy (www.zmgreprezent.blogspot.com), a young local, posts about a life in Brunei. One day I shall leave a comment on one of her posts that Booker Prize Winner Arundhati Roy started in similar fashion, but in India. But out of a list of blog links that I favour, Pynk (www.pynk.flawedperfection.net) is the link I click on first. Until recently, an honour reserved for City Rag’s tales of New York. By the way, Pynk is not a singing American, but a 21 year old Bruneian, expertly juggling studying and singing in Melbourne. She is the funniest person I read. Her blog is mostly about her life in Melbourne, and her writing is peppered with Bruneian and Asian colloquialism. I think this is why I find her posts side-splittingly funny. She is a homegrown comic.

Young LSM (www.ourlocalstyle.com) believes that in order to encourage a society that is inspirational we should take the word “talent” out of every description used to describe an above average performance. I say let the young have their high standards. I also say that for a society to be inspirational, we have to encourage an education system that embraces thinking for one’s self and less spoon-feeding. We should cultivate a high level of commitment to not only academics, but also sports, on stage and in music, in voluntary work and other creative activities. We must teach our children the value of a reasoned, well argued, less incendiary point. That we must also learn to listen is a given.

When we speak or write about our likes and dislikes we initiate debate, formulate constructive criticism and pave the way for a welcomed change. Unless you’re Dorian Gray, it is generally accepted that change is inevitable. His Majesty’s decision to reconvene the Legislative Council whets the country’s appetite for a change of mind set. When The Brunei Times, Brunei’s first broadsheet newspaper, acknowledged our voices on the World Wide Web the various forms of local media and our society became more vibrant and stimulating like no other time in my memory.

We may be a small community but I believe we are a well-educated community. Our smallness becomes an advantage because it makes it easier to adapt to change. Let this be the generation that took this thought and ran with it.

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Screenshots Of Mine, But Not The Typos

Screenshots Of Mine