Back in 2010, I interviewed a young Bruneian PhD student studying Genetics in the UK.
At the time, Ihsan spoke about her passion for science, cancer research, scientific literacy and her hopes of contributing to Brunei’s development one day. She was curious, driven and excited about the future.
A lot has happened since then.
Sixteen years, to be exact.
Careers have been built. Families have grown. The world has changed. Social media became part of daily life. Artificial intelligence went from science fiction to something many of us use every day.
Recently, I found myself wondering what happened to some of the people featured in those early anakbrunei interviews.
So I decided to check in with Ihsan.
Rather than revisit the same questions from 2010, I asked her current self a different set of questions about life, success, adulthood, Brunei and the lessons learned along the way.
When you read your 2010 anakbrunei interview today, what goes through your mind?
So cringe.
Hahaha.
Poor baby Ihsan, so naive and optimistic.
Looking back, what did your younger self get right about life and ambition? And what did she misunderstand?
Back then, all I knew of the world was my studies. I wasn’t particularly social, so my world revolved around studying and therefore all I could see of my future was having a “successful” career.
But now, I know there’s more to life than working your butt off for an entity that may not even miss you when you’re gone.
Growing my own little family was part of that, but I also have developed many friendships with colleagues at work. I also have a friendship which is almost 40 years strong now.
They are the ones who will miss me when I’m gone.
They are the ones who matter.
How has your definition of success changed over the years?
Continuing on from the previous question, this doesn’t mean that I’m saying don’t work hard at all. Of course we should work hard, to the best of our ability.
But it’s not the end all be all. If you have how high you get up the career ladder as your measure of success, then good for you and don’t let me change your mind.
But for me, having a stable job where I am fairly respected, enjoying my job most of the time, and having my children look to me for comfort when they need it, I’ve succeeded.
Alhamdulillah.
It’s perhaps a bit cliché, but it’s cliché for a reason honestly.
What has surprised you most about adulthood and life after those student years?
Definitely how much so-called adults are ALL playing it by ear and figuring things out as we go.
As a student, I thought for sureeeee that people in their thirties and forties knew what they were doing.
Now I know, we just fake it till we make it.
Have your priorities changed compared to who you were in 2010?
Absolutely. As a fresh PhD student, I was focused on discovering new knowledge and proving myself to the world.
Now, I mostly want to make sure people understand science in the first place. Misinformation and pseudoscience seem to be everywhere now, amplified by social media.
As a scientist, I feel a responsibility to help the people around me build science literacy and critical thinking skills. It matters more than ever with AI everywhere, because we can’t outsource our thinking and expect to keep our judgement.
What challenges or lessons shaped you the most over the last 16 years?
My biggest lesson is that you don’t have to learn to do everything, and not everything has to become something to earn.
It’s okay to pay people to make things for you. You don’t have to learn every craft. You can do things just because they’re fun, even if they don’t “expand your mind”.
And if you’re good at something, it doesn’t have to become a side hustle; it can stay just for you.
That last bit is to all the people who have told me to sell my bakes haha.
By the way, I am proficient enough at cooking now, but I excel at baking.
Also, I still love fried chicken.
Do you think Brunei has changed since then? In what ways?
In some ways, very much so. Social media and globalisation have changed how quickly information moves.
In 2010, things felt more private. Today, even a casual opinion can become “content” and people feel they must respond to discourse online. Everything feels more public.
From what I’ve seen, especially on Threads, even a minor issue can snowball into a “national conversation” pretty quickly.
But Brunei is still Brunei. We still have small-community dynamics where everyone knows everyone, or at least knows someone who knows someone.
Some social expectations remain strong. Globalisation has changed many things, but Bruneians are still staunchly MIB. We shouldn’t lose our culture.
But it does mean people have to be more careful about what they post.
You can delete a post, but screenshots last.
What gives you hope these days?
I worry a lot about the future, so I wouldn’t say I feel hopeful all the time. The world can feel noisy and heavy lately.
But I do see hope in the people who keep showing up anyway.
Teachers who still care.
Colleagues who try to do the right thing.
Friends who check in.
Parents doing their best.
The world can be exhausting, but there are still small acts of decency happening all the time.
We just need to find them.
We have to trust that not everything meaningful will be visible immediately.
Lastly, if you could say something to your 2010 self, what would it be?
Don’t twist yourself into someone else’s version of who you should be.
Hold on to your values.
Hold on to your principles.
You’ll survive.
Sixteen years ago, I asked Ihsan where she saw herself in ten years. Life, as it often does, had other plans. The scientist is still there, the curiosity is still there, and the desire to contribute is still there.
Only now, it comes with sixteen more years of perspective.
