How Green are We

This photo was taken by Zimah of two baby birds on one of our mango tree. It is so nice to see that we are living in harmony with all the animals around us, even to the point that we sometimes hardly ever had the chance to taste our mango fruits because of the ever clever and quick primates that live in the nearby forest.

Talking about primates, the proboscis monkey came to light. Lately a stretch of pristine mangrove forest had to be cleared to allow for widening of a water channel to prevent flooding upstream. What might be a perfectly good reason, the lack of other basic effort and eco planning could come into question. The point is whenever a housing project or shopping buildings are built; the first thing that is done is to cut down trees in a wholesale manner and to flattened the whole land. That is the current unfortunate trend of developers, this is then followed by the growing use of treeless fields.

There is no eco-planning or any visible sign of sustainable development implemented. Prove me if I am wrong. It is so much so that our shopping complexes are very dull and a ring of hard concrete, unwelcoming and always hot with hardly any trees for shades or beauty. Just walk around in Kuilap, Serusop or any shopping places to prove the point. Perhaps if only planners and developers alike could just consider the planting of proper trees. It is amazing to discover what difference a tree could make to reduce noises or throw shade to reduce heat especially from the afternoon sun. Everyone will agree that a single shade tree can also make a very great difference in the comfort and beauty of a place.

And here we are proud of our vast undisturbed and pristine forests. And yet every day we are chopping down and destroying our eco system, many still hasn't got a clue what recycling is all about, and we are amongst the highest user of energy per-capita. Are we the right people to inherit this piece of earth's paradise?

Not Just any Starchy Food

It's our way of living. Most people love it. We normally take it at our family's home, but just last week we wanted to try out at a well known restaurant which has a branch in our home town reputedly to be amongst the best around. Well, it better be as this is the true homeland of the food. The restaurant got a Grade 'A' under the restaurant grading programme recently, the programme that encourages food operators to maintain the cleanliness of their premises and also the hygiene of their staff when handling and serving food to customers.

The starchy food in question, ambuyat, is unique to Brunei. Normally it is something that is taken almost in impromptu especially during lunchtime and mostly on Friday or Sunday afternoons. As in the restaurant, it is not eaten in a small group but really in a big company of families and friends. It is a unique Bruneians way of living. As somebody said it stages the true togetherness of families and friends, the sharing, the harmony, the loving and the welcoming of real Bruneians.

Going for a Dip

The blog has been quiet over a period. Spare time is a real commodity nowadays.

One thing that we have picked up lately is swimming. A new swim facility has just been opened recently in our place and is such a bit hit with the local masses. During one of our afternoon outings, we counted about 160 swimmers in the pool! And barely a month since opening the place has generated so much in gate receipts that the amounts were never heard off in other better known places in the country.

It just shows that given the right facilities, everyone especially teenagers will take a worthwhile activity rather than wasting time loitering around in shopping malls and other places.

The main pool is an Olympic-size pool, great for doing lap swim. As always with too many in the pool, doing a complete lap without being interrupted is quite a challenge.