EmmaGoodEgg

Cool Runnings

If I owned a DVD store, (which I don’t, and if I did it would be closed by now, but that’s a different story) the weekend of the 27 July 2012 at the start of the Summer Olympics I’d have these 3 movies on a special promo; Chariots of Fire, Cool Runnings and Munich. All three movies share the same Olympic theme.  I’d do it simply to participate as best I can towards a world event.  Even more so because my country is not only participating in the Opening Ceremony by taking part in the traditional march past, but will also be sending possibly 3 athletes, which includes for the first time, a woman, 19 year old 400m athlete Maziah Mahusin.

Out of the 3 movies, Cool Runnings is a favourite of mine and embodies the true spirit of the Olympic games.  A Jamaican bobsled team taking part in the Winter Olympics in Calgary 1988 is inspiring in its simple message.  An endeavour undertaken to be among the world’s best.  It doesn’t matter that your country is one of those whose athletes reign supreme, or those that are prop up the bottom of the results table, the Olympic games is not all about the medals, but it about participating and experience, striving for excellence in whatever you do.

Our athletes will most likely find it difficult or impossible to meet Olympic qualifying standards, given their lack of international experience. But the I.O.C. has long granted participation under special conditions to athletes from developing nations.

According to Wikipedia in 1988 Brunei’s first participation in the Olympic games was limited to the Opening Ceremony Parade with the lone official but no athletes.  It wasn’t until the 1996 Games in Atlanta, USA that Brunei started competing in Olympics, and then every games since (except for 2008) then with a single athlete.  In Athens 2004, Jimmy Anak Ahar competed in the 1500 meters and finished last.  Time Magazine has a wonderful story from 2004 on the ‘finished but not beaten’ participants of the 2004 Olympic games in Athens and stressed that the Olympics is not just about large countries with juggernaut proportioned sports institutions churning out platoons of medal winners, but the fact that small nations can turn out and strive to be the best that they can be. Times found greater dignity in the unfancied athlete doing his best than in the sometimes shady world of win at all costs. 

The other thing about the Olympics is that it is a great celebration of sporting diversity, athletes come in all shapes, sizes, forms, races and nationalities, all with essentially the same purpose, to do their best.

The best thing for us in competing is the human development, because no matter our results, we would have sent our boys and girls to do their best. It is the simple fact that they have devoted themselves to doing something well that is a shining beacon to future generations to excel. 

I think we should therefore take pride in our own Olympians, they just go to show that just because we are small, it doesn’t mean that we can’t strive. 

@emmagoodegg

Photo from Time.com

For the online version click here.

Sustainable Civilization: Not The Hunger Games

The Guardian’s Book Blog recently wrote about a man who posted on one of these gaming forums about how he had been playing the computer game Civilization II for the past 10 years.

The game's objective is to "Build an empire to stand the test of time". It plays for single players only who create their own civilization in a virtual world.  You start the game in 4000BC with a small settlement and then expand and develop your little settlement into an empire through the ages from the ancient era until modern and future times, building things up, searching and competing for resources with other civilizations. 

In June 2012, the man posted details of his decade long game. He found after years of game play, a world in a perpetual state of conflict, where three major civilizations have been in a constant war. The lives of the inhabitants of these civilizations are not really that much better than when the game started at 4000 BC, living in constant fear of violence and reprisal in a totalitarian dystopia much like George Orwell’s 1984. 

The man says that he is trying to find a way to end the war and to “rebuild” the world. The writer in the Guardian blog wonders whether this is how the game creators programmed the game to end, or whether this is how it will always inevitably end, when the “game” is all about competition for scarcer and scarcer resources.

Which brings us nicely to the World Oceans Day observed last week, and the announcement that Brunei is set to join the Coral Triangle Initiative, a grouping of governments who have committed to ensure that the coral reefs within their maritime boundaries are preserved and looked after.

At first sight the preservation of coral reefs may not look like much of an effort, but to really consider what it means, one will realize that looking after the reefs requires a great deal of commitment and effort, especially considering Brunei’s own efforts to industrialize and develop. The foresight of the Government in signing up to this is thus admirable.

Brunei has signed on to the Heart of Borneo Project to preserve our rain forests, and this has so far succeeded spectacularly. Look at Google earth and you will see the deep emerald green of our forests, in stark contrast to the state of the jungles across the border. But the preservation of the rainforest is relatively easy - you simply don’t touch them.

Looking after the oceans and coral reefs however, is a different kettle of fish. To start yes, it is a question of hands off - one has to insure that unsustainable practices such as the use of poison and explosives in fishing are eradicated. Then there is a need to change other fishing practices, for example to avoid overfishing and to ensure that only fully grown fish, who have had an opportunity to breed, are harvested, to rely and develop on aquaculture.   

But it’s in looking at the larger picture that one understands the deep changes that will have to be made in the way that we live and approach development in order to truly protect the marine environment.  

Coral reefs and ocean eco-systems are very complex and very sensitive to pollution from human settlements. In order to allow reefs and ocean life to flourish, coastal populations will have to think carefully about what goes into their drains, sewers, streams and rivers. The waste that goes into the environment on land will sooner or later find its way into the sea. We cannot continue to simply think that activities on land have no bearing on what happens to the oceans. As such, development has to go hand in hand with environmental awareness.

Then there is global warming. The first casualty of warming oceans are the reefs, even small changes in ocean temperature substantially effects the reefs. In order to really think about looking after the oceans, we need to consider our carbon footprint, to truly encourage the use of renewable energy and to discourage waste and inefficiency.  

In a sense, the sustainability movement follows a great deal of what our Government has been stressing of late - an individual must always consider ones’ actions, and at all times be guided by a sense of equity fairness and compassion (for others and for the environment). Avoid waste and over-consumption. Seek to live healthily.

At the end of the day, maybe if such simple messages can be communicated, there is hope for the environment and humanity yet.  

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

Wrestling With Coco

I am wrestling with Coco Chanel, she with her chic black bob, cool elegant demeanor, classic black skirt suit and twin set. Not just wrestling, but, in my mind we are having a full on eyes gouged, manicured taloned catfight. Yes she is the bane of my existence, but also my guilty obsession. It is a love-hate relationship. She is Scarlet to my Rhett.  

Gabriel “Coco” Bonheur Chanel was a French designer, founder of the famous luxury brand “Chanel”. In the 1920s she rose from being a simple milliner to a designer who revolutionized women fashion. By replacing the corset and other frippery with the comfort and casual elegance of simple suits, dresses and trousers, she freed women of the time from the constraints of the home and of fashion that dictated that those who could would not work.

Chanel is also known for chunky costume jewelry in gold and pearls, the musky scent of Chanel No. 5 and exquisite leather goods like the Chanel Classic Flap handbag.

The House of Chanel is one of the most enduring and well-known brands in fashion. Its stores are located in the swankiest shopping addresses across the globe. Its wares are noted for their beauty, craftsmanship, design and elegance. They are also eye wateringly expensive. Part of the mystique to me is the utter aloofness of the shop assistants. I think they have special training on Parisian “attitude” which also includes a sixth sense, so that they can tell at a glance whether you are “just looking” or “dropping thousands”.  It is part of the marketing, the selling of unobtainable dreams.

After her death in the 70’s brand Chanel took on a period of hiatus. The classic items sold reasonably, but it was considered your grandmother’s clothes shop. Karl Lagerfeld took over in the 80’s and energized the brand, giving it street credibility and at the same time not alienating its core clientele, the ones who would regularly spend thousands of dollars on a skirt and jacket.

Chanel fans range from tai-tais, ladies who lunch, Hollywood starlets, captains of industry to office workers and mistresses in tight leather. Chanel is what every grown up girl aspires to.

And that is my problem. I consider myself grown up - career, weekend column, kids in high school. But, I have never bought anything from a Chanel boutique, ever. Not even the perfume.

I have always prided myself on my quirky “alternative” tastes in fashion. My preference is for one-off designs, and outside-of-the-mainstream designers. This has suited me well in the 20 years since school.  

Is it peer pressure? One goes to a function these days, and every one has a designer bag, even the girls fresh from university just starting up their jobs. Work is taking me to London in a few days and my sister-in-law is nudging me on the bargains to be had at Chanel, Heathrow Terminal 3, and the fantastic exchange rates.

Well I don’t know, and this is the reason why I wrestle with Coco. Give in, and purchase a beautiful black leather temptation? Or stick with my alternative, and much easier on the credit card, fashion preferences? 

I would dearly love one day to bamboozle the sixth sense of the Chanel shop girls, it is one of those things that need to be ticked off the list.

But we will see. As Scarlet O Hara said to Rhett Butler, at the end of “Gone with the Wind, “tomorrow is another day…” 

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

Rasa Sayang, Speaking Kapal

Melbourne-based band consisting of David Smith and Hamish Hutchinson (of former Brunei bands MOTA and Plan The Exit) have just recorded their punk-rock cover of 'Rasa Sayang'.

It's kinda like seeing the sixth form geography teacher from New Zealand sweating in a purple baju melayu, but not quite.

 

and on soundcloud.

@williamjhague: Selamat Pagi Brunei

Last Friday the Brunei twitterverse received a tweet from none other than the UK Foreign Secretary @williamjhague bidding all a “Selamat Pagi Brunei”. Mr. Hague was in the country for the EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministerial meeting held at the ICC, where he and other dignitaries would hobnob with others from around the globe.

Savvy in social media, in the days prior to his visit to the region, William Hague used LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to pose the question to British businesses in the region, “How can the UK grow trade with SE Asia? Tell the Foreign Secretary”.  The answers he received in return included - focus on health care; aviation and aeronautical sector; education arts and culture. 

Just before coming to Brunei he tweeted, “Friendly debate with acting FM of Singapore: #Facebook v #Twitter: which is better tool for communicating? He said Facebook, I said Twitter”. He even got Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore to write on his Facebook page.

So, some of us online folks were lucky to have a tete-a-tete with William Hague at the Residence of the British High Commissioner, just before his meeting at the ICC. He was obviously interested in how we use social media in Brunei.

Before our chat Mr. Hague and Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education, officially launched the "BUBA Awards" Schools’ Competition, an essay writing competition amongst the sixth form colleges in Brunei.

According to the press release, BUBA stands for the British Universities’ Brunei Association, and is made up of forty-eight British universities and colleges with a track record in the Brunei market. In the past, BUBA has focused on maintaining levels of customer satisfaction in Brunei. Now, in response to the Brunei government’s focus on economic diversification, the knowledge economy and research, and the emergence in Brunei of strong partners for British universities, BUBA aspires to a more strategic role. BUBA’s members seek to involve Bruneian academics and institutions in their own research networks. The “BUBA Awards” are intended to advertise that opportunity amongst future generations of Bruneian researchers; and to encourage collaboration between educational institutions of the UK and Brunei.

I understand that it has been many years since the last tour of Asia by a British foreign secretary, but the word is that Britain is now looking east to do business.

Though in Brunei, British influence and presence has never really diminished, as we are still one of the youngest states in Asia, and defence cooperation is quite apparent. In the rest of Asia, the Brits have over the years, been seen to retreat strategically back to Europe. There was a recent editorial in the Singapore papers that questioned the British strategic ability to project real power and influence into Asia, given their economic preoccupations and straightened defence circumstances. While Obama may be able to back up economic talk with the “walk”, so to speak, of the Seventh Fleet, the Royal Navy is not what it once was. But at least they have Will and Kate.

I think that following on from the responses received on line, the British export to Brunei that would provide the most mutual benefit is education.

I read with interest an article in the London Times that investigated the rise in foreign admission, especially from Russia and China, in traditional English public schools. Apparently the oligarchs and champagne communists can't get enough of an exclusive boarding school education.

But for us, its not just cold showers and wintery cross-country runs. Though any time spent in education abroad is bound to broaden an individual's experience, be it from taking the bus or riding the tube, finding a halal butcher or living on a diet of instant noodles, it is the kind of education that encourages independent thought and acquisition of knowledge that is the greatest value. 

We in Brunei would like to encourage creativity and innovation. The past week has seen a great deal of press and official statements to this effect, especially in relation to the creation and protection of patents and other intellectual property. I believe that in order for us to be truly innovative, or to arrive at ideas and solutions that are unique and useful, we would need not just technical knowledge and skills, but the ability to exercise independent thought and reason. To defend one’s views, and not to accept things on face value.

After all, in order to create a patent, one needs an original idea.  

@emmagoodegg

For the version that I mistakenly sent to my editor click here.

 

Rabbit Time

A couple of days ago there were reports in the newspapers about the decline of Brunei’s annual birth rate. According to the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE), Brunei's annual population growth rate was at 1.7 per cent in 2011 down from 2.5 per cent in 2001.  As a general guide, a country’s birth rate should be above 2% in order to maintain a constant population, in order to keep a “replacement rate”, that is, births keeping up with deaths.  

On the other hand, the figures also show that the total population, including foreign workers, their dependents and permanent residents increased over the ten years from 2001 to 2011, to 393,162 from 332,844.  This suggests two things, people are living longer (births outnumber deaths), and that the population has increased as a result of immigration.

So, as one would expect, on-line, every smart aleck had an opinion on how to increase the birth rate/population. It was last weeks’ running joke. 

Firstly, and obviously from the guys - make it easier to marry four, nay, encourage it! Given that men outnumber women by 3%, it means that you would have to import the extra brides.  On-line the choice seems to be from Venezuela, Bulgaria, and Thailand. Obviously that one won’t fly with me, or the rest of the female population. It would also make for a colourful, tall and Spanish speaking population in the second half of this century.

Then there is financial incentive for more children. The problem is, what more do people need? We already have a substantial welfare structure in place. Would you give allowances for the third child and above? - yaaawn enough already with the spending, and also, you might end up with the wrong kind of people trying to take advantage, and therefore having the wrong kind of population.  

Some suggest more “rabbit time” – perhaps we could organize rolling blackouts and a cut of satellite and Internet transmission in the evenings? Legitimize “Valentine’s day” every month?

How about physiology? Mass deep breathing exercises could be encouraged. Ban tofu and tight spendet for men.

But seriously, there are some who view a global trend towards a decreasing population growth rate as a good thing. Substantially more people on this earth means greater competition for scarce resources and a strain on the environment. A decrease in the global population over time may be said to be beneficial and environmentally sound.

For us in Brunei, it can be said that a decrease in the birth rate would be in fact expected and a natural consequence of better living standards and education. As women especially, gain greater education and opportunities in the work place, they will put off marriage and children to later on in life. They would prefer to concentrate on first getting their careers on track.  As our life styles have changed – you now don’t need 10 children to work the fields - couples have made an economic choice to have fewer children. People would prefer to concentrate time and resources on fewer children than to spread them over more.

There may be a view that a smaller population for Brunei is a good thing. It means that there is less demand for state resources, making existing welfare arrangements sustainable.

I don’t believe that the issues can be taken lightly. Policy makers will probably need to grapple with these over years to come, as they will affect the future cultural and social make up of the nation.

As stated by the JPKE, one needs to consider that a small population will not be able to support any real kind of industry or commerce. At the moment, it is not a pressing issue, but as every one says, the oil and gas industry may not be able to keep up with existing expectations.

A point to be made is that as neighbouring countries prosper, the supply of cheap foreign labour may be constrained. People may not want to work for a low income in Brunei when job prospects and incomes are similar back home. 

So where does that leave us? We have a strong sense of national identity, but this should not lead us to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, and particularly neighbouring countries. In order to trade effectively I believe we are going to have to be more accepting of outsiders. More able to allow them to grow and have a future alongside us. In a sense, so that all can grow together. 

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

Smash Hits

“Ayam Penyet”, literally translated as smashed or flattened chicken, was until six or seven years ago a pretty unknown dish. It is now a lunch or dinnertime staple as popular as “nasi katok”.

There is nothing unusual about this Indonesian dish. Its components are straightforward: fried chicken, ‘ulam-ulaman’ (vegetables, usually raw cucumber and blanched cabbage), plain rice and ‘sambal’. Some would want to jazz it up with tempe, a sprinkling of ‘uras’ (golden crumbs left at the bottom of the deep fry strainer) from the batter or crackers. It is a simple dish, but as everyone knows, the greatest meals are not necessarily multi-coursed, multi-sauced feasts but simple homely dishes prepared with love and care.

You used to only find Ayam Penyet in insalubrious locales without a Rampaian Licence but its popularity as a cheap and cheerful dish has grown. Now everyone has a favourite Ayam Penyet place and I thought I would try to sample a few.

I started my research of Brunei-Muara District’s favourite penyet places as I do when needing an answer to a burning question these days: ask Twitter and Facebook. I enlisted my beloved and we set out to review the most popular choices, those with three votes or more. We paid for our own meals and I list them in order of consumption.

The first place we went to was the newly opened Ayam Penyet AP, located at Units 20 & 21, Ground Floor Block B, Gadong Central. It is a franchise joint – a sign of how far this dish has gone; like burgers, pizza or fried chicken (wait a minute, it IS fried chicken). It is a Malaysian enterprise that has been given the “license” from the Indonesian Government to use the name “Ayam Penyet”. So in other words, Indonesia owns this part of culture but the Malaysians reap the benefit.

Anyway, this place is run with modern tick-the-box stick-with-the-manual industrial efficiency. It had laminated menus with glossy pictures, snazzy drinks with at least three ingredients and stylish furniture. The menu had a wide variety of new fangled penyets aside from the normal chicken: beef and duck and ironically, Skate, a flat fish.

It was busy at 9pm on a weekday night and generally delivered a clean, efficient dining experience, far removed from the sidewalk gerai origins of this dish. Ayam Penyet cost $5.10 and drinks, mocktails especially, were pricey.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 2/5 Not a big helping. Lacked zing. 

Sambal: 3.5/5 Strong but to the point of overpowering the tongue.

Rice: 2.5/5 You had to pay extra for rice.

Chicken: 3/5 Nice enough, but not moist on the inside.

Service/Ambience: 3.5/5 Zippy.

Total: 14.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this place was a diplomatic incident, it would have been won by the Malaysians.

The next day for lunch we headed to Pondok Sari Wangi, 1^st Floor , Unit 12 and 13 Block A, Abdul Razak Complex Gadong, a popular Indonesian restaurant that has been around for some 22 years. We went to the Gadong branch. The Ayam Penyet and its accouterments came in a designed round white plate lined with banana leaf. It is accompanied with tempe and a few crackers thrown in for good measure. This is a more full-blown restaurant than the first, with a full menu of Indonesian delicacies, and service to match. Ayam Penyet was $5.00, lime juice was $3.00.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 4.5/5 Fresh. Crispy blanched cabbage and flavourful cucumbers. 

Sambal: 4/5 Light in colour, but the heat was clear, as was the taste of fresh tomato. 

Rice: 4/5 Moist.

Chicken: 4/5 Fresh, still succulent inside.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 MTV at lunch.

Total: 19.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this Ayam Penyet was an item of clothing, it would be a classic Chanel handbag, reassuringly expensive.

In the evening we went to Taman Selera, opposite the Sharia Courts building in Bandar. Stall Number 4, Gerai Selera Damas has dining alfresco, indeed there is no inside eating. This gerai is within a large food court, which is quite lively in the evenings, with large families feasting and a few tourists tentatively picking at the live seafood offerings. Damas seems to cater to those in the know; indeed an old school friend was seated at the next table. After a while, he simply went into the kitchen, cut his own vegetables and fried his own fish. I asked him if he had any ownership interests, he said that he was only a regular. 3 orders of ayam penyet came family style, $3.00 each and $1.00 for a drink. The economy option.    

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 2.5/5 Cucumber and cabbage.

Sambal: 4/5 2 types hot and medium. The medium was balanced and had a deep tomato flavor.

Rice: 2/5 No portion control.

Chicken: 3/5

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 Street cuisine.

Total: 14.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this gerai was a night out in any other city it would be a Dangdut Club playing Inul Daratista karaoke.

We tried Arzy Restaurant’s Ayam Penyet next. Formerly located on the 2^nd floor PGGMB Building and now at the food court of Wisma Setia on Jalan Pemancha. I have to thank Arzy for getting me hooked on Ayam Penyet. The service was familiar and cheery. You dine in a food court filled with a mix of office and manual workers. Ayam Penyet was $4.00, Coke $1.00. Recommended for lunch only.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 4/5 Cucumber, cabbage beans and kenikir ferns.

Sambal: 3/5 Less tomato, more belacan. More rock than keroncong.

Rice: 3/5

Chicken: 3.5/5 Properly smashed, skin flavourful.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 I like being greeted like a long lost friend, but minus points for cleanliness.

Total: 16.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: For me this place would be like a favourite piece of clothing, a comfortable and familiar pair of jeans that have seen better days.

Gerai Makan Ayam Penyet Tanjung Nangka is on Simpang 1626 just beyond the Jerudong turn off on Jalan Tutong. This received the most votes. We first went when it was a wooden shack over a monsoon drain. Now it has proper parking and its own concrete building. The proprietress, an elderly lady from the kampung, still lords it over the cash till regardless whether it was in a wooden shack or in the new comfortable surroundings. Her golden bangles like Wonder Woman’s cuffs of power. Ayam Penyet was $3.50, lime juice was $1.00.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 3/5 Muang beans!

Sambal: 4/5 Mild, balanced.

Rice: 4/5 Local short grain.

Chicken: 4/5 Flavourful local bird.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 Functional.

Total: 18 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this Gerai was a football team, it would be the Brunei Under 21 National team, the local contender.

Our final Ayam Penyet epic was completed at Gerai Mak Siti, on Simpang 178-16, Kampong Kiarong. It can be seen from the highway, on the left as you pass RIPAS before Jame’. The Gerai is in someone’s garden, with twinkling fairy lights and an absence of fluorescence. Seating is in a cosy wooden structure. It is, if anything, a gerai for dating. Ayam Penyet was $3.00, Coke was $1.00, economical.  

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 3/5

Sambal: 3/5 Two types again, the hot was hot, and the mild was sweet.

Rice: 4/5

Chicken: 3/5 Smells good.

Service and Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Total: 17.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this restaurant was a P. Ramlee song, it would be “Getaran Jiwa”.   

 

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

The Mute Liberal

It was a dark and starry night and everyone was minding their own business. I was sitting on the balcony surfing the world wide web looking for some interesting news. After checking in with The Google and after skimming many sites I came across a post on a forum that highlighted the average GDP growths of several ASEAN countries, including Brunei. The picture that was painted about Brunei was hardly flattering, rather depressing and ominous, but the basics seemed accurate. It produced some IMF statistics that stated that our GDP growth was, as compared to neighboring countries, unsustainably low and essentially that not quite enough was being done to diversify the economy. I pondered about sharing it with the world. Now in a melancholic mood (you would be too if you read the post) I argued with my beloved about why I shouldn’t or couldn’t, but finally decided against it. The fear of retribution a choke-hold on my liberal sensibilities.

It got me thinking why this is so. 

You open the local papers or websites these days and you are bound to find some radical who foams at the mouth to all and sundry, just one stop short of incendiary in any other circumstance. They demand the regulation of this, the prohibition of that. Greater subsidy, more aid, more assistance, greater benefits, larger packages. Just because you are loud doesn’t necessarily mean that you are right. 

I will have to admit my general outlook is liberal. Those three of you, (thanks mom, dad, husband) who regularly read my weekly submission, may have an inkling of this.

It may be my social circle, but my understanding is that generally there are many people around who share a similar outlook: liberal,  but not radical. 

I think that there are quite a few of us who simply wish to lead life simply, peacefully; without imposing on others, and without being unduly imposed upon. People who want to go about their business in a reasonable, self reliant manner, not to take unjustly - to do no harm and to give more than they receive. 

This stance could not, and should not, be taken in any way as radical or threatening. 

Unfortunately, we do hear voices in local media, both in print and online, that would appear to harangue all and sundry in the name of and with the justification that it is for the preservation of culture and “conservative” values. Sometimes these are in fact more radical or more disruptive than anything else. 

Generally, the problem with a liberal bent is that you end up not speaking up for yourself, because after all let’s live and let live. But then your views are not heard, digested or considered, to your (and possibly others) detriment. Sometimes I feel bullied. 

Have you ever met a radical liberal? I thought not. Their voices are generally muted. 

But no more. 

I am liberal, hear me roar...or rather, type reasonably and politely on my mac.

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

The Hunger Games

The most memorable piece of television for me of recent years was the sight, on the Amazing Race Season 3, of the elderly American couple Teri and Ian parading their disposable underwear while getting into the Dugong enclosure at the Singapore Zoo.

Reality TV has become the not-so-guilty cultural obsession of the early 21^st Century. Shows like “Big Brother” and “Survivor” started it all. We now have “Akademi Fantasia”, “American Idol”, and “Keeping up with the Kardashians”, amongst others. It seems that there is nothing else on television these days, including a set of super competitive cooking tweens rustling up mushroom risottos on “Junior Masterchef”. It is the mixture of “normal” and “everyday” people in competitive situations, given a shot at stardom, and a satiation of our voyeuristic tendencies that makes this type of television so compelling.

“The Hunger Games” is the first part of a popular trilogy of books written for young adults by Suzanne Collins that has been adapted for the big screen and was recently released worldwide to much acclaim.  Rotten Tomatoes, the online film critic, gave this film an almost perfect score.

The trilogy is set in the future, in the fantasy land of Panem, in which the urban elite, based in the capital city, imaginatively called “The Capitol”, lord it over the disenfranchised rural poor. The rural workers live in 12 districts, toiling at manual jobs providing basic necessities such as coal, wheat and steel for The Capitol, whose residents appear to live in lavish and decadent luxury. 

Every year, 2 teenagers, a boy and a girl from each district are chosen by lottery to become tribute to The Capitol, to participate in, “the Hunger Games”. These Games are meant to be a reminder to the residents of the districts of the suffering that came about after a rebellion against The Capitol some 75 years previously. The 24 “tributes” participate in a deadly form of reality television, a mix of “Survivor”, the “Truman Show” and  “Akademi Fantasia”, in which they are pitted against one another in a fight to the death for which only one can emerge victorious, rich and covered in glory.  

The heroine of the piece is Katniss Everdeen, played with vulnerability and toughness by 23 year-old Jennifer Lawrence. Katniss starts the film yomping through the woods, catching her own food with a bow and arrow and sporting a pair of photogenic knee high leather boots. Katniss bravely volunteers to take the place of her younger sister, Primrose, for the Hunger Games.

The second act of the film depicts the media hype and build up before the actual games, much like the early part of an American Idol Season, where the viewing population is introduced to and chooses their favourites. It is in the part of the film that clearly, the hair, make up and wardrobe departments had their day. The musician Lenny Kravitz, plays Cinna, the District 12 stylist who himself parades shimmering golden eye shadow.  The Capitol is depicted as a cross between Ancient Rome and the movie The Fifth Element.

The actual games take place in a camera-laden forest where events can be manipulated and different factions and alliances are built. It is rather bloody, but never breaches its PG -13 rating.

All in all I would agree with the critics, it was a good adaption of the first novel, and I look forward to the next two films.

But my main reason for enjoying the books and the movie is Miss Everdeen,  the reluctant hero who should be a hero to girls everywhere, who protects her family and manages to overcome obstacles and gets out of the woods without needing the help of a handsome sparkly vampire.

The Hunger Games opened in Brunei cinemas last Thursday.

@emmagoodegg

Photo from The Brunei Times cos Cuboi's got a mental block for this one :)

For the online version with the sensational title click here.

 

Life Is A Game, Football Is Serious

Its been a long twelve years since we have seen a National Football team succeed as the Youth team did on last Friday night’s tournament success. As everyone now knows, the Under 21 National Football team capped an amazing run of success by seeing off a strong Indonesian side, 2-0, in a superb showcase final. Thousands of fans in yellow for Brunei and red for Indonesia braved the possibility of rain and warmed the seats of the National Stadium, filling it to capacity, bringing great colour and excitement, with wave after wave of the Mexican variety. Thousands more sat outside, and on the Belapan football pitch, a plastic bottle throw away, watching the match on huge mounted screens.

On the way to the finals of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy For Asean Youth Football Championship 2012, Brunei's young team beat traditional heavyweights like Malaysia and new footballing power, Myanmar. The lads’ road to success was not one without drama. Reports surfaced online about some bad behavior amongst the fans marring the semi finals match between Brunei and Myanmar.

But that's the thing about football matches; they sure do elicit strong emotions.

A number of posts, pictures and tweets concerning badly behaved Bruneians at the Semis went viral. It was all that anyone could talk about it seems. Everyone had something to say, but many were ashamed at the atrocious behavior of some of our bad apples. There is a particular photo that showed the queue lines for the Brunei fans and Indonesian fans. Orderly for the Indonesians and not so much for us. If anything, this has shown me, with proof, that Indonesians know how to queue better than Bruneians.

There is also a You Tube posting of fans of both Red and Yellow outside the Stadium throwing plastic drinks bottles at Brunei fans inside, having had bottles dropped on them from above in the first place. A twisted case of ‘have (ticket) and have not’?  I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It doesn't and it shouldn't take anything away from our lads who played well and with grace and determination emerging as first time winners, lifting the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy towards the stars that evening. Credit has got to be given for the hard work that they put into preparation, and the sportsmanship and good nature exhibited by these young heroes on the field should be an example to all of us off it.

For some of us who have been keeping up with the current Legislative Council debates, there were a couple of things that made one sit up and take notice. Least of not were the rumblings about the ownership of land through powers of attorney and trust deeds by permanent residents of Brunei and foreigners.

Whilst it is understandable that measures need to be taken to encourage ownership of landed property by citizens, and that they are not priced out of the property market, what caught the eye was the statement that existing trust arrangements (some of which may have been in existence for years) are to be converted into leases. 

This type of retrospective action is to say the least, unusual. As I understand it, these types of transaction had in the past not been viewed with the same sort of severity. In other words, they were seen as acceptable. To now, with a stroke of the pen, invalidate these, or entirely “rewrite” a contract is not seen as something that is done in a just or civilized nation. 

This kind of thing will not, in the long run, give investors very much confidence. It would have been healthier to have had discussion and notice first. Perhaps even a form of registration and a system of land and capital gains tax that would discourage these types of interests moving forward could be considered. There are after all, many ways to skin a cat.

For a small country, we don’t do as well as we should in the World Bank ease of doing business survey. The beauty of a small jurisdiction should be that it is easy to get things done. Shocks to investors' confidence such as this will not continue to help.

It should be noted that there have long been calls for a clear system of what can or cannot be registered at the Land Office rather than having an opaque system based on “policy”. It is hoped that confidence will quickly be restored, and that clear rules will emerge. It is all too easy to feel emotional about issues concerning the security of investments in the motherland, as it is when watching the football finals.

I hope that we can all strive towards climbing the World Bank Rankings, as we have done with the FIFA rankings.

And all that remains to be said is Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.