..and we're off!

My blog absence has been mainly because quite frankly I haven't felt I have had anything really all that interesting to share and how wonderfully drama-free and quiet has my life been for the last 8 months? Also, because I often stop myself as I write as I hate the idea of being so self-indulgent that I must share with the www my daily thoughts/mis/fortunes/favorite things.

..But I'm totally over that now.

So here is my first (short) installment for Chandeliers and Onion Rings 2010 (albeit near the middle of the year but hey, I'm trying). With which I'll be updating the artwork on this page hopefully soon. While I'll be writing here, I'll try to leave the archispeak out and write over on http://kitchentablearchitectureclub.blogspot.com/ instead which both K and I will be updating. Enjoy!

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Brunei is the kind of place you get used to. Some of us who have spent some years abroad come back and fit right back in to where we left off. Others take a little more coaxing. But whatever the case, there is a grace period during those first few weeks/months.

During this time common symptoms include constant nausea (heat/food/airconditioning related or otherwise), frustration - by far the most common symptom though in most cases causes range from family frustrations to road rage, rapid weight gain, speech inconsistencies - accents american/english/australian/bruneian/otherwise get jumbled up and shopping related withdrawl symptoms appear among others. Most people just stick through it, with a couple of friends, the tansition is made much smoother.

Which is why, as we pack our bags to set off once again, I'm sad to be bidding farewell to Brunei. Good friends have been made even better ones as we have all been adjusting to living in Brunei together.. just to do it all over again in my new city as of tomorrow. Still, we pick up and move on, and look forward to catching up again in the near future.

I have always maintained that the best thing about here has always been the great friends and family. But there are a few things I shall not miss. The symptoms as shown above come to mind (esp. the rapid weight gain!), Bruneian drivers who tailgate and don't signal, bigoted behaviour even among our well educated and young, rubbish customer service and the lack of interesting shops/museums/cafes etc. Apart from that, everything is just peachy.

So as we leave headed for the Lion City tomorrow, only to begin the settling down period again lessons learned this time round have been:

1_Ensaymadas from Bakerlyn will make you fat. Don't kid yourself.

2_Be an opportunist: Receive chances given to you and run with them.

3_There's always time for fish farm.

4_No really, put that ensaymada down.

5_Don't dive and fly. Or at least don't realise you're going to fly when you hit -15m!

6_Never take anyone/anything for granted. Never be taken for granted.

7_Sunsets sunrises clearwaters waterfalls diving swimming fishing farming friends family photos scubing kareoke-ing barbeque-ing boxing bluecheese burgers bukit shahbandar shisha border-runs deliveries crabs yoga bullfrogs blazing sun heavy rain..all make Brunei a pretty neat place to live.

Turrah Booners, til next time.
xxw