EmmaGoodEgg

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Ramadhan Specials @ Simpur

Just what we need during the fasting month, a listing of restaurants in Brunei and their Ramadhan Specials!  Click here to satisfy your cravings.

Have A Blessed Ramadan Everyone

GBN 2007 (If I Didn't Get Off My Fat Ass And Post About It The Girls Would Never Forgive Me)

Sometime in November I got an email from Maurina asking whether I would be interested in hosting the Girly Bloggers Night ('GBN') again. Even though I have been a sporadic blogger all this year and quite possibly did not fit the description of a blogger, the idea of hosting another GBN appealed to my frivolous soul. Last year the GBN was held at the Bijou Bungalow, and the GoodEggs have since moved home to The House Across The Hedge so there will be more space for the girlies. And everyone knows I love a good party. Incidentally, most of my friends on Facebook have voted that "I'm Most Likely To Party Like A Rockstar". So yes, why not, why not indeed. The website Girls In December was set up, a lot of things were organised behind the scenes by the indomitable Maurina and the girls (although I quite miss the endless emails we had last year preluding the event!), and before I knew it, December 22nd came.

So GBN 2007 was held yesterday evening at my home. We had 21 girly bloggers (plus 1 girly non-blogger in the shape of my sister E), the boys who came and did the fab BBQ and served us drinks, Eyan who was the official GBN Photographer and RA who well, turns up everywhere. There was perkiness in the air, smoke from the BBQ pits and laughter abound. Good ol' girly fun was to be had by all. Although those who know me knows I don't do perky, even I have to admit that some perkiness is good for the jaded soul. My ears were still ringing and I was still smiling thinking of the girls when I went to bed last night.

I don't have much by way of pictures (since we did have Eyan merrily clicking away for us), all I have are these:

Picture of the girly bloggers, courtesy of RA

The Orange Verandah have never seen so many girls...

Tina's Fab-O Fondue set was really the life of the party!

Girls in various state of poses.

The girls at my table: Izzati (who HATES the colour/word/fruit Orange with a passion you can only dream of and still survived the Orange Verandah!), Ghasidah, Lisa, Intaniz (HR person extraordinaire who spent the evening scoping people up for jobs!), Nonnie, Tina, Sas, Dee, Kewpuss, my3rdeye and E

Sas (in her swell top) and Dee with the cute name tags that Nonnie made for all of us.

Nonnie, Intaniz and Lisa

Sri Azdiniee Boutique, Jangsak sponsored the GBN aprons the BBQ boys wore.

You can read more about GBN 2007 here.

Till next year girly girls.

Love, Emma xx

Dear Everybody

Brunei Darussalam Aids Council - HIV/AIDS Awareness "Walk For Life"

There will be an HIV/AIDS Awareness Walkathon this Sunday the 27th of May 2007. The Walkathon is organised by the Brunei Darussalam Aids Council in an effort to raise the level of awareness about HIV/AIDS in our country.

So to all you able-bodied people out there:

1) Wake up bright and early on Sunday morning to be at the starting point by 6.30 am;
2) Wear something RED; and
3) Head over to the Taman Sir' Muda Omarali Saifuddien (right smack in the middle of town) to partake in some exercise whilst doing your karma some good.

The 6km walk will start and end at the Taman.

For more details please contact:

The Brunei Darussalam Aids Council
c/o D'Anggerek, Kg Luagan Pulaie, Bandar Seri Begawan BB4313, Negara Brunei Darussalam
Tel: (+673) 234 5573 - Admin Office
Fax: (+673) 234 5380
Emails: [email protected] (Support & Admin)

Click HERE for FAQs on HIV/AIDS

Special Olympics Walkathon & Fun Carnival

The GoodEggs braved the blistering heat at noon last Sunday to partake in the merriment at the Special Olympics Carnival. The Carnival was held at Tasek Lama (translated into English as 'Old Lake'), a rather swell park right smack in the center of town that folks frequent every day to indulge in some exercise. I have not been to Tasek Lama for a few years since I don't exercise as much as I should (if I do, I tend to exercise my eyeballs) and was pleasantly surprised at how well the park is looking, with its walkways and wooden resting areas, and not to mention that gushing waterfall!

There was a walkathon at 7am that ended at Tasek Lama and the Carnival began. We missed the Walkathon, but RA made it and you can read his report here. Anak Brunei's report of the Carnival is here, and Maurina's blog report here.

I have some pictures.

The entrance to the Carnival.

There were tents that housed various games for the public to play.

Activities such as rock-climbing, toe-dipping and fox-flying at the 'Tasek' (lake) and waterfall area.

The Flying Fox!

Bobby and Zimmie bought some coupons and took part in the "Shoot The Football In The Mouth", but didn't manage to win prizes but instead rolled the football into the river.

Bobby saving the ball.

From left to right, girlie bloggers Atul, Anneesa, Maurina and Pynk spent the day doing good for the community.

If you are ready to Compete, Coach, Volunteer, or Donate, please contact:

Pengiran Datin Noraini, Program Board Chair
Adanan Bin Musim, Program National Director
Rose Lim, National Secretary

at

Special Olympics Brunei Darusalaam
Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam
Simpang 66-38-60, Kampong Bengkurong
BF 1920, Negara Brunei Darussalam

+673 265 5245
+673 265 6380 / 223 1846 (fax)
[email protected]

Happy Mother's Day

See Ability...Not Disability

It's heartening to see how our society is developing into a more charitable one, rather than one that is always expecting a handout.

Find out more about this damn good cause by clicking right HERE.

Stay The Course, Don't Give Up

I completed my first full 42 km marathon on Sunday.

I limped in 15 minutes before the end of the 6 hours allowed, at 5 hours 45. Blistered, sun burnt, cramped and sore, I was pretty much the last person to finish.

The starting line was hard enough, I thought. All the other runners looking quite slender, confident and "long distance". I worried that I was not quite ready. At the horn, everyone sort of sprinted off, leaving me behind to sort out my iPod. Anyway, I eventually jogged off with the rest of the pack disappearing in the distance.

The first 25 km or so were easily done. There were also quite a few other runners around, involved in the other distances. The weather was thankfully drizzling and overcast.

As the run progressed, the number of other runners thinned out and the day grew hotter.

The final u-turn for home was on the Mabohai-Mentiri highway, on the Salambigar turning, about 16 km from the finishing line and 3 hours into the run. This was when things started to hurt. In the final 10 km, every step started to become painful and any real stretch of the legs resulted in a cramping of the muscles. Running became a challenge of the mind, to try to will the body to move, when it simply did not want to.

I was most appreciative of the presence of Em, my Folks and Michael at various points on the course. It is surprising how far a wave, a smile; a pat on the back can carry you.

42 km is about the distance on the Coastal Highway from Tutong Town to Berakas. For the average runner, there is no prize money to be won, and no glory.

I am left with a rather dull looking medal and florid blisters. The nail on my big toe is slowly turning black.

So why bother?

Perhaps, simple vanity? Over the years I have found myself a little rounder and heavier. Signing up for the marathon provided some motivation to get out of bed early to get the training in.

Training really only started in earnest 3 months before the race and consisted of gradually longer runs of up to 20 -30 km. After a while, the running becomes quite addictive, and you come to look forward to the long runs. The biggest benefit was losing a couple of inches from the waistline, which cannot be a bad thing, along with a new found relish for climbing stairs.

It is really the day itself though. I guess it is simply to be able to say that it has been done, that it can be done. That there is the certainty that things can be completed so long as you continue to put one foot in front of the other.

The marathon day itself simply provides to many people the opportunity to challenge themselves physically and mentally, to meet them and overcome them, whatever distance is run.

This may not sound like much, but it should be valued.

I understand that there were problems with the marshalling on the route, though I encountered no such problems, perhaps for being so slow.

The armed forces and police did a wonderful job at keeping the roads clear. I would say perhaps though that the organizers could have briefed us all a little better. I did feel that we participants and volunteers at times were simply left to fend for ourselves.

On the whole I think that the Marathon is a good thing for the community to have and I hope that the organizers and sponsors will take the most important lesson to heart. Stay the course. Never give up.