From Wikipedia: Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance. More specifically, it refers to an individual’s ability to make informed judgements and effective decisions about the use and management of their money. Raising interest in personal finance is now a focus of state-run programs in countries including Australia, Japan, the United States and the UK.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) started an inter-governmental project in 2003 with the objective of providing ways to improve financial education and literacy standards through the development of common financial literacy principles.

In March 2008, the OECD launched the International Gateway for Financial Education, which serves as a clearinghouse for financial education programs, information and research worldwide. In the UK, the alternative term “financial capability” is normally used: the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK started a national strategy on financial capability in 2003. The US Government also established its Financial Literacy and Education Commission in 2003.

Can I use some of the pictures that you posted here to put at out site? Of course we wont edit anything and It would be still under the property of anakbrunei.org

We did ask for pictures from other journalists but sadly no reply from them.
Looking forward to hear from u soon.

Thanks Reeza.

you might/might not remember me but im from the wall climbing gang you met back in…2006 i thinkkkk…

i was there on the platform side of the restaurant the night you went to SR @ Delima, didnt get a chance to say hello though as i was busy indulging =)

just want your honest opinion about the food & more importantly the service that you experience while dining there…very much appreciated

terima kasih bro, dmna pusat pengurusan bencana kebangsaan ani ah hehe

Tolong gtau eh dmna memohon special budget atu sir please do sms me at 8864650, na ku tau g dmna kan minta tolong

I'm no reporter but here's an interesting, simple, answer on qualities of a good journalist from wikianswers.com which my journalist friends may or not agree with heheh!

To be a good journalist you have to be confident, but not over confident of course. You have to be good at literacy and have to think of good headings for your piece of writing as the headlines are the main thing that attract readers to read your article. Secondly you have to have the passion for writing and finally you have to have a good story. To get that you have to watch every move and watch it carefully. And remember always carry a pen and paper you never know when you see a shocking event!

People usually became a journalist, because they love writing. And good ones remain a journalist, because they love people. A good journalist has to be out for the truth. Always. She/he is ambitious, passionate. A good journalist is a thriver. Good journalist always keeps learning because when we have an Internet, there's no excuse for ignorance.

It is a change we have to get used to. but slowly it will be normal for us.

Then it is a good opportunity for bandaran to implement LRT stations where people will connect to shopping centres with LRTs.

Good luck bro!

http://anakbrunei.org/2009/02/20/how-do-you-find-...

As the region’s economies prosper, lifting more people out of dependency on the state, the role of government becomes less central to citizens’ lives. It may remain important, but it becomes just one amongst a number of other important elements such as family, work, leisure.

So the region’s more developed countries, with their higher internet penetration and larger number of net-savvy citizens, face a particular challenge in reaching out to them.

Like elsewhere in the world, there are more government web sites, blogs and online services in Asia than ever before – but government’s share of the internet continues to decline, both in terms of volume of content, as well as number of visits.

More at http://www.futuregov.net/articles/2008/aug/01/why...

The spirit of visiting muslim cemetaries can be seen across the country this month. Children being brought by their parents to visit cemeteries are a normal sight.

It is a wonderful to witness how our future generation are nurtured and taught these honorable values. I mean these children may one day visit our grave soon, offering prayers in helping us from two both very different worlds before judgment day.

Yes we are taught to utter prayers not only whilst visiting cemetery of our dearly departed mother/fathers/grandfather/grandmothers but also during our prayer for them.

But one thing we need to note and bear in mind is how to practice and honour some rules while visiting graveyard. There were instances where visitors smoke (maybe not puasa), being noisy, not wearing proper attire and being disrespectful. Children were let playing as if the graveyard is a children's playground.

Some regulations must be followed such as:

- Wear proper attire according to our aurat – especially to women.
- First thing you do before stepping into the graveyard area is utter prayers such as "Assalamualaikum Ya Ahlil Kubur" (do correct me if I am wrong or do add more if you have better doa suggestion).
- Visitors – no smoking in the graveyard area.
- Children are advisably to be not let alone roaming the area. Teach them to sit down and utter word of prayers to the grave you are visiting. That is the purpose of the visit right?
- Advisable to talk less, especially talking rudely among yourself or raising your voice. Speak only when necessary.
- Not advisable for visitors to leave fresh flower bouquet at the grave. This is not the way of the Bruneian, of different culture thus considered, unislamic.

Perhaps some people can add more points to ponder about etiquette if visiting the cemetery during Ramdhan.

Let our deed and prayers for the departed be accepted. But do not neglect the need to remember the etiquette of visiting graveyard.

1. Better planning needed on closing the roads. For the Sheraton's exercise perhaps it would be better to close the roads at points further away e.g. not allowing cars to enter the main road at the SOAS/Pasar Ular Junction toward the large advertisement screen and redirecting them toward STPRI and for those using Jalan Kebangsaan (between SMJA and Tasek) toward Bandar be advised to make u-turn.

2. Psychologically, the police personnel minding the road blocks and redirecting the traffic should avoid joking among themselves as if the exercise was a festival. Members of the public who were already trapped in the traffic jams, with hungry, thirsty school going children onboard etc, may not appreciate what is so funny about the situation.

3. It was also annoying that some members of the public were stopping at the road block points to ask the busy police personnel what was happening. This caused the traffic to move even slower.

4. Once an 'emergency' has been declared, why were radio announcements not made to advise people who were on the way into the city centre to make a detour. This would have helped ease the amount of traffic. These are some of my main observations and are only meant to provide some helpful input.

me: hello, is this the other office
them: yes, this is the other office cafe n bistro
me: oh, i'd like to have lunch at your cafe, where is the location?
them: location? the other office……
me: ???

baik jua ada another lady helping out and guided me through heheh, though didn't end up there as the launching was at 4.

Greetings from the beautiful city of British Columbia !

How are you doing?

I was browsing through the internet when I came across your website. Your website is awesome ! It speaks of your passion and who you are…Congratulations !

Warm regards to your family and Mr. On & his family !

Thess Unite Montemayor
(Ex PJ Staff)

Having a small kid help you is one thing, it is another case altogether when these kids are wandering around town in the late hours.

Assalamulaikum & Salam sejahtera,

From my point of view, dorang kanak-kanak bejual-jual atu okie ajer, as long as their parents guide them in a right way, kitani inda tau how desparate they are. mungkin to some people yang begaji tinggi inda dapat merasakan apa yang bisdia rasa + bejual beli ani andang pekerjaan Nabi Muhammad SAW tapi bukan secara meminta-minta.

Let me share something, as for me, masa me damit dulu, my parents pun suruh me and my other brother bejual-jual jalan-jalan di kampung, jual kerupuk, jual gula-gula, jual nasi bungkus and sebagainya, mula-mula sagan-sagan jua tapi sudah biasa imuntia and we enjoy it sangat-sangat. Tujuan my parents bukan apa. Ia mau kami belajar bedikiri start dari kami damit and socialize dangan orang-orang kampung..

Okie atu saja dulu yang kan me kongsikan terima kasih daun keladi kerana sudi mambaca

cheers & regards,
Mr.Kurapak
http://www.kurapak.com

Nisbah 1:10 apa tu?

Let me explain. Demand and Supply. Why are the kids selling in the first place? Because there are actually people buying from them or in some cases, giving them money. If we really want to stop this, I think we should stop buying from the kids (also stop giving them money). When the kids find that they are not making any money (no demand), from the law of economics, supply will certainly decrease. So if you want to help the kids, please don't but their stuff. I know this sounds cruel but I am pretty sure they will not be selling at night again when everyone is ignoring them.

Assalamulaikum & Salam sejahtera,

From my point of view, dorang kanak-kanak bejual-jual atu okie ajer, as long as their parents guide them in a right way, kitani inda tau how desparate they are. mungkin to some people yang begaji tinggi inda dapat merasakan apa yang bisdia rasa + bejual beli ani andang pekerjaan Nabi Muhammad SAW tapi bukan secara meminta-minta.

Let me share something, as for me, masa me damit dulu, my parents pun suruh me and my other brother bejual-jual jalan-jalan di kampung, jual kerupuk, jual gula-gula, jual nasi bungkus and sebagainya, mula-mula sagan-sagan jua tapi sudah biasa imuntia and we enjoy it sangat-sangat. Tujuan my parents bukan apa. Ia mau kami belajar bedikiri start dari kami damit and socialize dangan orang2 kampung..

Okie atu saja dulu yang kan me kongsikan terima kasih daun keladi kerana sudi mambaca

cheers & regards,
Mr.Kurapak
http://www.kurapak.com

Other than that, I have seen a family that feeds their toddler "aing gula" instead of the usual milk just because they can't afford it. it was pretty sad to witness it. just think of all the nutrition that this little kid is missing. This lack of nourishment will probably stunt the child's proper development and kids like this usually lag behind in academics. I sure hope something will be done about this. And if there is i would be more than glad to help.

1. Selling is not wrong! .. but using the children are..

2. I've been on the donating side, gave them $ without taking the goods, maybe they can sell to someone and get more money and help out with their finances. And I've been on the declining side — I thought to myself, am I actually making a difference? Helping? or am I making it worse, making them dependent on donations??

3. We need to ask "why" this has to happen in the first place? And get to the root of the problem. True, maybe its a harmless reason, like their family come from sellers, their nini are sellers, desperately need money, but children under 10?? Child labour, .. human rights issue

my 2 cents. ingin banar ku bejumpa indung nya ni.

Dont say it attitude!!!
Toleh kiri kana deh… Gaji yg diterima bulan2 cukup kah? Yg mampu nada tanggungan boleh lah.

Mencuri market… kana bagi sedekah? wow baru jua kana sedakahi $2-$3. Yg amal mengunakan kanak2 specific kana dermakan 2-3 ribu nda salah ah… muskil jua ku tu? (opps my bad… derma mana sama dengan sedekah)

My husband's friend lagi tah, ia nada usin pacah ($1.00) kan beli keropok pisang atu. This small boy said ada…he went out of the shop and terus menghilang with the $10…

Kalau akulah…if drg benar2 susah, i'd rather get them a sack of rice….but do you think they want the rice or the money?

Oh my god don't their parents even care about their children? My mom said she has seen their father sending them and fetching them using Kijang. This matter must be brought up by some authorities. It's not just it's disturbing for the public but it's for the sake of these kids' future. If everyday they're doing direct-selling so when will they have the time to study and do their revision.

Not only that, most of these kids wander around the shops like scavangers. I really feel pitty for them. Seriously. If they keep doing this, later they might be mischievous children. And believe it or not when i was in Serusop area, when this kid came to us my mother asked that child where does he live and he said in Sengkurong. Don't you think it is very far for his dad to send him form Sengkurong to Serusop just to sell few snacks that most people won't buy? Oh please do something to wake up their parents thoughts.

Seriously, these kids need to get help before this matter getting more big. Their future are our future as well. If they are trained and educated in a proper way, later in the future they'll be our assets too. Remember that today's generation will brought up to tomorrow's generation.

I have 'sources' claiming that the items they are selling, are not even things they cook at home but the things they buy at the gerai. They are always accompanied by an older brother, who watches from around the corner, thinking we can't see them. Half the time, people don't even buy the items they are selling and just give them sedekah, sometimes $1, sometimes $5. You know what? I can confirm that these sedekah they get from us, do not go into their pockets, but the pockets of their brothers hiding in the corners. I've seen them giving sedekah money countless number of times. Infact, they are expecting that. Hence why half the time, they don't carry much stuff in their bags. If they try to keep the money, their brothers will search their pockets, which is what they eventually do anyways, just to make sure these kids do not keep the money to themselves. If not, they get beaten.

It used to be an honest business, but people eventually manage to twist it for their own benefit. Maybe the Govt should consider investigating all this.

Other than that, most of what we asked for on the menu that day were not available and my husband's hotdog was soggy and looked like a typical pasar malam ones or might be even better. As a matter of fact, I seldom go to CheezBox as I dont find the food that tasteful but because of your latest post/promotion on the cheesecakes, we decided to give it a try..but it was a total disappointment and a total waste of our money!! I hope CheezBox management reads my post.

Good luck!

I don't think there should be any age limit. Just have categories for different age groups! That way everybody who wants to join events of these kinds, can take part …. not only the "youth" but the youthful minded and youthful bodied. Age is but a number! There is a growing proportion of active people in Brunei who are still very fit into their 50s and 60s. (60 is the new 40)! The organizers of this event and similar events should bear this in mind in future.

-Rai-

Manjaro is going to be a regular pilgrimage. I also heard raves about the Neptune seafood buffet nites, but they keep eluding me. >.< I think between Manjaro & the Palm Cafe by Teresa, the 'lap is definitely looking up!

Glen

Happy birthday!! May the coming twelve months bring more sucess to you and the whole family. Amin!

i guess good health care comes with a price here. i have come to accept that anything offered by government services leaves you feeling dissatisfied mostly – whether it be medical or official matters. most government workers love "makan gaji buta". that is until a complaint is made where they will fuss over for a while then revert to their former workstyle – unbothered! HM needs to be made aware of what is going on – that's all i have to say.

This is such a great article and great expedition by a Malay woman! Do you think is okay for me to republish at my website, Gempamelayu?

Thank you.

Hospital ward are not exactly the kind of places you wanna bring small children or infants. There's a higher concentration of germs or bacterias which can be potentially dangeroud to young ones.

The bad side.
1. We've been to ICU and Jaundice room. It's really dirty. Only part of the floors had been mopped and the cleaner don't even moved the chair or clean the under beds. Also very crowded and smelly.

2. After my son's minor operation when he was 1 yr.old. He was admitted in the ward together with other patients who have had major operations and suffering from lung diseases. So my son got pneumonia and since then we transfered to JPMC. True it's low cost and most of the time is free (especially medicines) but the long term health will suffer.

3. I myself have observed the procedure at ICU and I just do not want to say in detail but I think nurses there needs to be more gentle especially in handling babies or kids. In some hospitals outside brunei, the nurses and doctors are very friendly to children and they even wear special uniform with some cartoon characters to give joy to the patients. They always smile and talk to parents with proper tone. I think medical practitioners outside Brunei love their jobs and they really want to help. I do not know here.

Cleanliness is always an issue. There are also some doctors and nurses who never wear gloves. I've read same complain from Borneo Bulletin last 09 May 2009 that nurses never even change the ear plug of thermometers and they use them to many patients in a day.

4. The place itself is a MAZE. The parking areas are worst. First timer will surely get lost.

5. The emergency room/area is not really for emergencies. I think they need to put nurses and doctors there who are willing to deal with emergencies and will never choose who the patients are.

6. Many believed that every person's character lies on its name and so with the businesses and establishments. I always hear bad reputation to RIPAS including laying out of its acronyms as "Rest In Peace After Surgery" and "RIP AS_" add another 'S'.
Seriously, what is the real meaning of RIPAS?

I think they should allow 2-3 family members rather than just one.

Reason: What if the person taking care of the patient want to go to the washroom or buy stuffs or pick up some stuffs in his/her car and there's nobody there to take care of the patient when the patient needs somebody.

The reason why visiting times are adhered to elsewhere, for example, in Britain, is because hospital management are take consistent measures, emphasize and outline their rule and ACTUALLY implement them.

In my hospital, the ward has a 'buzz in' system (buzz only heard at nurses station) with camera. So outside of the visiting hours, no one can enter except for hospital personnels. And the visiting times are moderate. A few hours in the morning and late afternoon. When there's ward rounds, only parents are allowed to stay. There is no need for security guards. More cost effective and proven to work.

But in RIPAS, sadly at administration the higher officials do not go about bringing on such measures. For them it is evident that they work the minimal hours possible, take 'minum' the most they can and count the days til the next 'cuti' PATHETIC.

General Ward…. no space inside. They "lepak" at the corridor outside spreading the tikar. sampai payah kan melintas.. Numbers of family bulih lah dikatakan panuh jua semeja KEM sewa ah…..

AND ONE MORE THING … VISITORS d RIPAS atu yg SMOKING outside the wards… WHEN clearly ada "NO SMOKING" sign posted there … sheeesh. BABAL, mun d ucap inda bersekolah, marah ia.

Anyway, I do agree with the patient's right to recuperate in peace. I cringe everytime a family lets loose one of their brats to run around disturbing others. It's not that family members can't visit a sick relative, but be reasonable, follow the rules, and everyone should be able to recuperate in peace.

I just can't believe that in this day and age, our people's rudeness and sense of entitlement is still pretty much apparent.

Talking about the SECURITY.. hmmmmmmmm didn't see much they can do about it.

agree with hdm says
"tapi orang kitani BRUNEI ANI JENIS INDA MAKAN SAMAN. Orang menagur, org di bawa nya kelahi. (SOUND SO FAMILIAR – TYPICAL ORG BRUNEI)."

Cheers G Naning

Cheers
G Naning

Tapi ya, filemnya baik juga tapi, bukunya lagi harus dibaca. Harus seharus-harusnya – bukan hanya orang muslimin tapi juga sangat indah untuk dihayati orang-orang bukan muslim yang berfikiran terbuka. Ya, untuk lebih mengerti apa sebenarnya Islam, diterangkan dari cara yang sangat menarik hati.

Jadinya, ayuh deh, ke Perpustakaan Awam, pasti ada bukunya di sana. Baca ya, pasti nggak menyesal.

lisadragon: so did the workshop recharge yr mojo?

sarahdee: thank you very much

Those interested to join the ” Charity Walk ” please contact this number 8743777 ( Malai ) , 8734427 ( Hajijah ), 8865646 ( Major Talip ) 8769264 ( Edwin Chong ) , 8732046 ( Hj Yusuf ) …

You all can join the walk from one stop or another on 2 May or 3 May . Walk for Charity …8 stop altogether the shortest being 3 km only …Reeda you can join the last to GIANT ..

Thanks

HBK: awu membari kuatir jua keadaan tiang letrik atu ah…

Sarahdee: We did go beserk but in our own quiet way

Thanks…

Also, love the last pic. She’s so pretty ya?

Thanks for the great pics.

Thanks for the shout out/link and for the coverage of Doug’s demo. Hope this can grow into great fun and sport for my Brunei friends.

Hope to bring in some teams soon for some friendly matches.

You da’ bomb, my friend.

Daud

You bet I will. Always look forward to all your postings. There is nothing like a good read to wind down the day. Keep up the good work.

ivfdad

ps: Red-velvet cupcakes anytime soon? hehehhe

That was really fun…

-From the Girl who gave away Free Kebabs…. hehehe

Reedz, I steal my photo.