Today’s khutbah was about work culture, which is not something you expect to hear from the mimbar, and it has been on my mind since. It talked about safety in the workplace, looking after mental health, speaking to each other politely and clearly, getting along with colleagues, and not letting…
Category: Society & Culture
Observations on Bruneian society, culture, and social issues
Society & Culture
Why Dangdut
People ask me this more often than I expected. Why Dangdut? A man my age, with my background, humming Rhoma Irama in the car. The truthful answer is that I don’t really know. I can’t even tell you when I first heard it. It feels like it was always somewhere…
Society & Culture
The Anatomy of a (Online) Mob
I have written about the dog post before, twice now, a decade apart, in 2014, right in the middle of it, and again in 2024, looking back after ten years. I am writing about it again now because I have been asked to give a guest lecture on Digital Media…
Brunei & Governance
My thoughts on elderly care in Brunei
Just read Malai Hassan Othman’s (MHO) latest piece, “When Mum Can No Longer Be Left Alone,” and it hits close to home. I see the real struggles families here are going through with this, and it has made me think hard about how unprepared most of us are for this…
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…
Personal & Family
A Building of Two Chapters
This building brings back a lot of memories for me. Some really good ones, and some I’d rather forget. For months now I’ve driven past it nearly every day, on my way to and from Print Plus, watching the refurbishment come along quietly in the background of my daily routine….