A couple of years ago - around the time I first got my internet subscription from the then JTB (now TelBru) back in 1997 - I received an e-mail with more or less the same subject as above. It got me curious...I read..and some of it (alright! most of it) are true. It's quite funny to read it and most of them are not so bad! After all it does reflect on us.
What prompt me to write a post about it? Well, I was browsing through the internet (what else!) and found a very resourceful website - bruneiresources.com - it contained a lot of cool stuff about Brunei, and any Bruneians out there who want to be more knowledgeable about our country, I suggest this is the best (maybe one of the best) online resources to date. Back to my post, it catches my eye that the list of the 'You know you are a Bruneian when...' has grown to a whopping 116 items to identify if you are a Bruneian...(it might not be true for some people, but what the heck, its fun to read).
Well, what I am gonna do is:-
1. Not to list it all out
2. To write a short commentary (or I might go overboard) of the 'kenapas' (the whys) such item is considered as a possible indication that you are a Bruneian
3. To have fun writing about it and
4. To relate (or at least try to relate) such item to my own personal experience heheheh
Without further delay, I will feature the first item
What prompt me to write a post about it? Well, I was browsing through the internet (what else!) and found a very resourceful website - bruneiresources.com - it contained a lot of cool stuff about Brunei, and any Bruneians out there who want to be more knowledgeable about our country, I suggest this is the best (maybe one of the best) online resources to date. Back to my post, it catches my eye that the list of the 'You know you are a Bruneian when...' has grown to a whopping 116 items to identify if you are a Bruneian...(it might not be true for some people, but what the heck, its fun to read).
Well, what I am gonna do is:-
1. Not to list it all out
2. To write a short commentary (or I might go overboard) of the 'kenapas' (the whys) such item is considered as a possible indication that you are a Bruneian
3. To have fun writing about it and
4. To relate (or at least try to relate) such item to my own personal experience heheheh
Without further delay, I will feature the first item
You know you are a Bruneian when...
1. People ask where you're from and the easiest explanation is saying that it's next to Singapore
This is particularly true, Bruneians often find it difficult to explain to other people outside the ASEAN region about the location of Brunei. So we Bruneians tend to resort to our internationally famous neighbours to give a vague idea where our country is. Most often we will describe it to them,
- it's on Borneo island, and then the person asking will still look a bit lost
- then we will tell them somewhere below Malaysia...we're fortunate if the person asking will have a positive response.
- However if the person is still clueless, we will try to remember our Geography lessons way back in primary one till secondary 3 (or for some, form five or six) that it is near Singapore...
"ahhh...I know where Singapore is" said the person
we might as well give them a brief description of Brunei, being the smallest country but bigger than Singapore. Rich in oil. No taxes (except for road taxes)...then (being uninformed that we are) we will try to change the topic -to avoid further embarrassment (not because of our country, but just because we are not a very good conversationalists)
why so? why do we Bruneians need to do this? why?
I am not sure why. Sometimes I am even surprised that some of our neighbors do not know where Brunei is. I met one girl from Singapore who does not know where Bruneian is. Well she knows it is in the ASEAN region, but not the location of Brunei. I can't exactly recall what she said but I remembered it wasn't near Malaysia and not on Borneo Island (Gasps!).
So weird eh?!
I suppose Bruneians are well taught to exactly know where other countries are. But is Brunei that insignificant to the eyes of the international community? I don't think so.
Perhaps, we need to infiltrate other countries' media more. Infiltrate meaning, we need to advertise more about Brunei to other country. I suppose this issue has been addressed by relevant government agency in our country and probably we all need to help them as well. Not just put it on their shoulders. :)
I remembered when I was sent to China, I was bored in the hotel room. Out of that boredom I flicked through the channels on the TV and I saw a Malaysian advertisement...about how good it will be to travel to Malaysia, and I was kinda waiting for a Bruneian advertisement of similar concept. But there was none!
anyways, this lead to another "You know you are a Bruneian when..."
2. People are still clueless about where Brunei is and then you mention how the Sultan of Brunei was once the richest man in the world and everyone instantly remembers.
Hey, this actually makes me a bit proud and smug! ahaha I have to have some misgivings. :P
but I don't have lengthy comment on this. It true that our beloved Sultan is the richest man in the world (once the richest man in the world). BUT STILL RICH!
Well I guess that's it for this post about You know you are a Bruneian when...
there will be more!
ehehhe
p/s: pardon my english today...i think it's kinda out of sorts. hehe
note:
this post is not in any ways intended to degrade any Bruneians.
To any of my readers (if i have any) please feel free to give me any suggestions or complaints or just a plain comment.
thank you :)
1. People ask where you're from and the easiest explanation is saying that it's next to Singapore
This is particularly true, Bruneians often find it difficult to explain to other people outside the ASEAN region about the location of Brunei. So we Bruneians tend to resort to our internationally famous neighbours to give a vague idea where our country is. Most often we will describe it to them,
- it's on Borneo island, and then the person asking will still look a bit lost
- then we will tell them somewhere below Malaysia...we're fortunate if the person asking will have a positive response.
- However if the person is still clueless, we will try to remember our Geography lessons way back in primary one till secondary 3 (or for some, form five or six) that it is near Singapore...
"ahhh...I know where Singapore is" said the person
we might as well give them a brief description of Brunei, being the smallest country but bigger than Singapore. Rich in oil. No taxes (except for road taxes)...then (being uninformed that we are) we will try to change the topic -to avoid further embarrassment (not because of our country, but just because we are not a very good conversationalists)
why so? why do we Bruneians need to do this? why?
I am not sure why. Sometimes I am even surprised that some of our neighbors do not know where Brunei is. I met one girl from Singapore who does not know where Bruneian is. Well she knows it is in the ASEAN region, but not the location of Brunei. I can't exactly recall what she said but I remembered it wasn't near Malaysia and not on Borneo Island (Gasps!).
So weird eh?!
I suppose Bruneians are well taught to exactly know where other countries are. But is Brunei that insignificant to the eyes of the international community? I don't think so.
Perhaps, we need to infiltrate other countries' media more. Infiltrate meaning, we need to advertise more about Brunei to other country. I suppose this issue has been addressed by relevant government agency in our country and probably we all need to help them as well. Not just put it on their shoulders. :)
I remembered when I was sent to China, I was bored in the hotel room. Out of that boredom I flicked through the channels on the TV and I saw a Malaysian advertisement...about how good it will be to travel to Malaysia, and I was kinda waiting for a Bruneian advertisement of similar concept. But there was none!
anyways, this lead to another "You know you are a Bruneian when..."
2. People are still clueless about where Brunei is and then you mention how the Sultan of Brunei was once the richest man in the world and everyone instantly remembers.
Hey, this actually makes me a bit proud and smug! ahaha I have to have some misgivings. :P
but I don't have lengthy comment on this. It true that our beloved Sultan is the richest man in the world (once the richest man in the world). BUT STILL RICH!
Well I guess that's it for this post about You know you are a Bruneian when...
there will be more!
ehehhe
p/s: pardon my english today...i think it's kinda out of sorts. hehe
note:
this post is not in any ways intended to degrade any Bruneians.
To any of my readers (if i have any) please feel free to give me any suggestions or complaints or just a plain comment.
thank you :)
2 comments:
banar tu sai.. hehehe
aku AGREE 100%... =p
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