Brunei Oh Brunei!
At the moment, I am writing to you from Brunei Darussalam, a small and sleepy oil-rich country on the map at the tip of the Borneo Island. Someone from France asked me earlier today as to why I'm here. Simple. I grew up here.
Since I arrived on Sunday, I have had the chance of spending quality time with family and catching up with old friends. I also had the opportunity to see my friend's adorable newborn son Nigel. How time flies. Just not too long ago (though it's been over a decade now), Ming was still a classmate of mine in an international school. The very next moment before you know it, I attended her wedding last February and visited her son on Monday! See how time is just an illusion? It didn't even feel like a decade had passed you by.
We celebrated my mother's birthday today by the riverside. The view of the river from the restaurant was so serene. Brunei is indeed a beautiful country. Everything is so calm and quiet. Brunei is such a family-oriented nation. It is an ideal place for family members to spend time together. Driving on the roads of Brunei is also a pleasure. Being a tax-free nation, you will see all types of different imported cars crawling the roads of Brunei. Perhaps, "crawling" isn't such an accurate term to use. With hardly any traffic on these roads, the cars here actually 'rocket' through on them (without the ignition effect from the back), countering the slow-paced lifestyle of this nation.
Having gotten used to driving compact cars in Malaysia (including my 1968 Volkswagen Beetle), it took awhile for me to readjust to driving full Sedan cars back home. One has to estimate the space quite differently when driving a Sedan car when compared to driving a compact one. Both my Toyota and Honda are full Sedan cars while the Suzuki is a four-wheel drive, all of which are my dad's pride. The Suzuki is the one I mentioned before in my previous post about how the steering capability on my 1968 VW Bug was better despite the absence of a power-steering feature.
Having been back for only 3 days, I have driven all the 3 cars and it is a no-brainer as to which one I loved driving most. Maybe I am just not a four-wheel-drive kind of person. Unless it was necessary, I would not want to touch a four-wheel drive. Just like how other preferences change through the course of time, this preference may too in the future. Who knows? Never say never.
It is nice to escape the hectic traffic on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Only KL-ites will understand what I mean. Although I did go through a minor heavy traffic on my way to Sengkurong the other day, compared to the traffic one has to endure in KL, that didn't qualify as 'heavy traffic' at all.
Though I grew up here, I never visited The Arch near the Gadong roundabout (but I've heard alot about it throughout the years). This time, I did. Seated on a curved-single settee, I enjoyed watching the rain trickle down the window as I sipped my hot chocolate bit-by-bit.
The reason I was at The Arch was because of a good old friend from a previous newspaper I used to work for. It's funny to think about it until today how we never even talked when we went to work at the same place every single day, but formed such a close friendship only after leaving the place. This is the mystery of life. What was distant yesterday may be close today. What is close today may be distant tomorrow. Nothing is ever permanent and life is absolutely unpredictable. All one has to do is to just embrace life as it is.
An enthusiastic young man, he is. The lad is definitely an idea magnet and has a roaring spirit to be successful, which I am sure he will. This young man does not sit around to wait for success to rain upon him, but goes out to work upon the ideas he has. With such a strong and disciplined character, I am sure he is bound to achieve his goals sooner or later. Our meeting comprised of discussions about investments, discipline, brainstorming ideas about how to improve the quality of living and goal-achieving. For those who know me, it is difficult for me to sit through an aimless conversation. Speaking to this lad was different because his enthusiasm is what I wish to see in every youth out there.
Although I've taken this trip as an excuse to skip working on the book, I definitely had a few more ideas on books that I will be writing in the future. The ideas were not non-fiction books however. They would fall under fiction although the books are written more as parables, which have symbolic meanings behind the stories told.
Tomorrow will be another day-off for me as I will be travelling to another state - Kuala Belait to be exact to visit a former Yoga student. I would then have to travel all the way back to the capital to meet another former colleague, also from the press, for dinner.
Let's see if I can get any writing done tomorrow night. Coping with a disciplined writing schedule isn't as easy as others think especially when you are a frequent traveler.
This is going to be harder than I thought... I've repeated the same statement to another close friend few days ago and all she had to say was:
"You always achieved what you've set your mind to all these years. So I'm not listening!"
Just like that and we changed our topic of conversation. Pressure mounts even more with her statement as it suggests that there can be no chance for failure to meet the goal. In their eyes, I've always been a person who never failed to keep true to my words. Despite my occasional grumbling about how tough a task can get, they have somehow gotten used to it being just a passing cloud. I wonder if this is a good thing or bad thing? So much for being the positive motivator of the group... people don't take your concerns or challenges seriously. They don't see how difficult it is for you to jump over that fence. They just bid you goodbye and say "I'll meet you over that fence!"
The ten books are just like the ten wooden ducks one has to shoot down at the local fair in order to win a prize. So far, the ten wooden ducks are still dancing in front of me. The goal of this game is to shoot all the 10 ducks down; all 10 ducks down or you get nothing at all.
People may ask, "What do you have to lose even if you don't shoot all the 10 down? I think shooting 4 or 5 is good enough."
They could not be further from the Truth. Once you have set your mind to do something, you MUST do your very best to fulfill it. Otherwise, your willpower is weakened and a weakened willpower will cost you many more things than what meets the eye. Each time you fail your willpower, your willpower fails you even more for the next task you set in mind. On the other hand, every goal you set and achieve will strengthen your willpower. This provides you an inner boost whenever you set your next goal in life. The strengthening of one's willpower is akin to the upgrade of one's internal engine power to keep you moving forward.
Love and light,
Genevieve
I could almost imagine the scenario when I read this - They just bid you goodbye and say "I'll meet you over that fence!"
ReplyDeleteOMG! SO FUNNY!!
It's like yeah yeah.. yeah right Genevieve. You're doing it again.. I can't hear you. Just meet you there. blah blah blahhhh...
I'll be your cheerleader Genevieve! Gambate
Thanks mate!
DeleteSo they just walk over the fence and wait for you there while they expect you to jump all alone? Awwwwwwww.. Where is the jumping with you bit??? Friends these days!!!
ReplyDeleteShall we use the pogo stick and jump together? ("."/''''')
DeleteI would if I knew who you were!!
DeleteI think it's because you appear too strong for a woman.. for all the years I've known you, I don't remember you not achieving anything that you've set your mind to too. ever!
ReplyDelete@phil: You're pretty much a strong man yourself.
Deleteyou said you wanted a bug, and you really got yourself a bug! and a very good one too just exactly like you said before!! it speaks for itself doesn't it? you seem to create magic everywhere you drift.. i'm not saying go. i'm saying drift because you don't walk like us. you drift. ahahaha!! one moment you're in the big m. the next moment, you're in brunei! girl do you float.
ReplyDeleteHad she floated, she'd have taken ages to reach Brunei!
Deletei meant it metaphorically. without a trail. it's been so quiet and you see her attending a wedding in seremban and all of a sudden, heyyy.. you see an update the next day - she's in brunei!! maybe teleport is a better word to use!!
DeleteI wonder why I'm not surprised. lol
DeleteI fall under that category too. I'm ashamed of myself. I'm a terrible friend. tsk tsk tsk
ReplyDeleteWhen will you return to Malaysia Mother?
ReplyDeleteMother is in Malaysia already brother.
Delete