Screenshots Of Mine

Comments

[EmmaGoodEgg]

I thought so too elmno, and the mistake is not mine. Although it must be said I'm no grammar freak :) xx

[elmno]

Well written article. Except for headline. Shouldn't the correct grammar be "Are Good Manners.." and not "Is Good Manners.." .

[Fei]

Emma, I love this article! :)

[nadd]

superb article! kudos to that!

[Widarchitect]

Is it possible to post a copy of BT this neck of the jungle? :D That was such a thought provoking article, and very relevant to what exactly I'm doing here in London.
Its very true that our social guides and rules of conduct are generally very well adhered to in terms of being 'Brunei(an)' (sticky subject here I know, but bear with me) although as we all know manners in a certain community or culture are that exactly. That is, individual to that place.
'Culture' can be losely defined as shared meaning. The case in point being Raya, where it is widely acceptable to arrive unannounced and without prior warning at a friend/relative's house. In another society it would be almost unheard of, and considered, in fact, quite rude.
However, in an increasingly highly educated population we have to take into consideration that the world is larger than our humble borders, and that influences- being from the insitutions which we attend, the middle east and neighbouring countries- diversify our understanding of manners and the norm. So, in teaching our kids we should not only tell them to walk in a bowed position when crossing the path of an elder, but also that its unnacceptible and inconsiderate for them to jump the que at the buffet. Good manners are universal and have their place in every culture.

A story I thought I'd share: Last year was Kyle's first Raya, so we went to Istana, dressed up to the nines. Me in my baju kurung, him in a smart blue baju melayu complete with sinjang and songkok. A middle-aged lady, who too, was visiting the Istana, confronted him and asked him what he was doing in our palace as though he had no place there. She then proceeded to interrogate him about who he knew in Brunei. As a finale to her display of blatant ignorance, upon asking him whether he was 'melayu' and hearing a no, she goes 'so? why you wearing that baju then?' and didn't stay to hear his rebuttal. *sigh* Maybe the world was right, maybe we are just jungle folk parading in our Pajeros. xxw

[lizzie]

great work there ;)

[lizzie]

great work there ;)

[AnakBrunei]

Very timely article Emma. This festive season is when its particularly important that we exercise good manners not only for ourselves, but also for our kids. I've been to some open houses where the parents just let the kids run amok (obviously not with the objective to kill heheh but u know wat I mean).

Ada cases where sampai pacah memacah indah2 tuan punya rumah. Two ways of looking at this. One way is the parents of the wayward children should have exercised god manners by not bringing their little terrors with them. The other view is, the owner of the house should have anticipated this and child-proofed their home. So which is it? Good manners and courtesy should be something that is taught dari awal2 lagi for sure lah.

Anyway, great article and keep it coming! I agree with Kij, they should do this twice a week instead! Incidentally, met Bobby at Bakky's open house this evening. Didnt see you though, assumed u didnt come along :)

[Maurina H]

Yes, LSM, finally! :)

Coincidentally, I will be giving a presentation tommorow on politeness! Haha.

Lovely article love!

[LSM]

Hey! The BT is finally displaying the ENTIRE BlogSpeak article! Sweet!

Oh, and nice job on the article. And no, I really don't mind if you guys call me LSM ;)

[Danura]

*applause* well said. I think it all starts with parents and teachers. Being role models to our children. Educate them into being courteous, respectful citizens & adults.

[Kij]

A great read - gentle but tactful. Looking forward to more of these each month.

Maybe the BT should be publishing these twice a week. It's not like the paper's too full already..

[Annie]

Very thoughtful article, Em. I hope people take notice of the important message.

Bloggers with a purpose!

Keep it up =)