It has been a while since I got on that flight, ushering in Aidil Fitri somewhere over the Middle East, bound for a city I had only read about in a prospectus. Looking back at it now, from this distance, the Chevening year sits differently than it did when I…
Society & Culture
Fifty-Nine Years On, What Does ASEAN Mean to You?
Today marks the fifty-ninth anniversary of ASEAN, and if you’re in Jakarta there will be a proper ceremony for it, the anthem, a video presentation, remarks from the Secretary-General, a message from the Philippines as this year’s Chair. The theme this year is “Navigating Our Future, Together.” It’s also the…
Brunei & Governance
AI In Schools, And A Debate Over Ethics Rules
Two things happened at this LegCo sitting worth knowing about separately from the economy talk. AI is coming to your kid’s school, officially now The Education Minister stood up and laid out the plan. The idea is called “Sovereign AI”. Basically, Brunei wants to decide how AI gets used here,…
Brunei & Governance
What This LegCo Sitting Actually Means For You
I have been reading through the actual hansard from this LegCo sitting. Not the press releases, the real transcripts. Here is what matters if you are just trying to live your life in Brunei right now. If you are waiting for government housing There are 1,092 civil servants on the…
Personal & Family
The Tired Ones Weren’t the Ones Working Hardest
I spent this past week just walking around. Not with a clipboard, not really with an agenda, just showing up where the work happens and paying attention. Sitting in on conversations. Watching people do the same thing they do every day, except this time I was actually there to see…
Faith & Reflection
The Loneliest Man in the Room
I watched Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey yesterday. Like most people, I expected breathtaking visuals and larger than life battles. They were all there. But they weren’t what stayed with me. What stayed with me was the loneliness. Odysseus is surrounded by people throughout much of his journey. Warriors. Sailors. Allies….