Symbolism of flag:-
The coat of arms is as follows: a crescent (symbolising Islam) joined with a parasol (symbolising monarchy), and two gloves on both sides. Below the crescent is a ribbon. On the crescent and ribbon are Arabic inscriptions translating as "State of Brunei, Abode of peace" and Brunei's motto, "Always in service with God's guidance"
In Southeast Asia, yellow: colour of royalty
Black and white stripes: Brunei's chief ministers
Yellow: Sultan of Brunei.
The flag and umbrella: royalty
upturned hands: benevolence of the government.
The coat of arms bears a crescent symbolic of the Islamic faith, and the central mast is a symbol of the state. The national emblem was placed in the center in 1959. The Arabic motto on the crescent translates as, Always render service by God's guidance.
Geography:-
Map of Brunei
- North-west of the island of Borneo
- 8.2 times the size of Singapore! (5270 sq km)
Physical Features
- Western part predominantly hilly lowland below 91 metres, but rising in the hinterland to about 300 metres.
- Eastern part of the state consists predominantly of rugged mountain terrain, rising 1,850 metres above sea level at Bukit Pagon. The
- Coast has a wide, tidal and swampy plain.
Climate
- Just like SINGAPORE!
People
148,300 (41.4%) persons are below 19 years
201,500 persons (56.3%) at the working age group of between 19 and 64 years
8,000 persons (2.2%) are over 65 years of age.
Malay, Kedayan, Tutong, Belait, Bisaya, Dusun, Murut 66.3%.
Chinese 11.2%
Other races 11.8%
Iban, Dayak, Kelabit 6%
Demographic Indicators (2004 estimate)
Crude Birth Rate per 1,000 : 20.2
Crude Death Rate per 1,000 : 2.9
Natural Increase Rate per 1,000 : 17.3
Infant Morality Rate per 1,000 live birth : 9.5
Life Expectancy At Birth (Years) : Males 74.4, Females 77.4
Total Fertility Rate : 2.1%
Labour 2004
Total Labour Force 160,500
Culture
Apa khabar semua? Saya tidak tulis dahulu kerana saya terlupa dan malas. Pada minggu pertama, 6 November, kami (pelajar Bahasa Melayu) pergi ke RELC untuk ujian lisan. Ujian itu tidak susah, saya harap saya dapat mencapai markah yang baik. Hari depan, saya pergi ke kelas matematik. Murid-murid menengah tiga mengajar kami untuk menyediakan kami bagi ujian matematik pada hari Sabtu. Bila saya ada masa lapang, saya membaca buku perpustakaan dan bermain komputer.
Okay, so I'm back from hiatus. Armed with a new blogskin.
Anyway, yesterday we went to the Peranakan Museum, for the understanding Southeast Asia seminar. Whoo (: I had great fun there. So, once all the schools came (RGS, RI, ACS(I), VS), we all congregated at the foyer to have a short briefing and introduction to the seminar.
We had a talk by Ms. Ho, PM Lee's sister-in-law (wow), about the RSP. She was a fluent speaker, without referring to a script. She said how privileged we were to be the pioneers of this programme, and I agree with her.The MOE is seriously investing in us plenty of money, to get us to know more about the region. And this would come in handy when interacting with people from neighbouring countries, being able to understand and respect their culture. Respect was another thing she covered. In learning more about our neighbours, we would know how the lifestyle/customs of others were different from us, and appreciate the rich, albeit different, culture. "Singapore, being a small (and therefore vulnerable) country, we would need to have good relationships with other countries. Resilience would get us through it, as Singaporeans are known to embody the 'never-say-die' spirit, and how our country prospered from independence." -summarised version of what Ms Ho said after that. YES, I AGREE. Isn't that why RSP was set up in the first place? So that we would become ambassadors of Singapore, and possible diplomats who knows the situations of our neighbours.
Following that, we were split into 3 groups (A,B,C) and went to different venues. Our group (C) went into the lecture room first, and I expected a long and dreary talk on Peranakan culture. Therefore, I was surprised when I found myself in a rather small room, with food and beaded art pieces on display. We first went to the cook
ing area, and Mr Philip Chia (the chef), taught us how to make curry meal from scratch. This picture shows him dry-frying the spices for the curry powder, and after a while, there was a fragrant aroma coming from the pan. I would love to blog more on his cooking and the food, but this post would then turn irrelevant. (I'm going to write more about the Peranakan food)
Peranakan cuisine is heavly influenced by Singapore, Malaysia and sometimes even Thai food (for Penang). The food is the result of blending Chinese ingredients and wok cooking techniques with spices used by the Malay community. It uses plenty of coconu
t milk and leaves like pandan, lemongrass, kaffir lime and laksa. An example of their cooking is otak-otak, which is a mix of fish, coconut milk, chilli paste, galangal and herbs wrapped in a banana leaf! We also got to sample the Peranakan kuihs during the tea break, like the nine-layer kueh, tapioca and kuih serimuka. They tasted sweet and sticky.
Anyway, yesterday we went to the Peranakan Museum, for the understanding Southeast Asia seminar. Whoo (: I had great fun there. So, once all the schools came (RGS, RI, ACS(I), VS), we all congregated at the foyer to have a short briefing and introduction to the seminar.
We had a talk by Ms. Ho, PM Lee's sister-in-law (wow), about the RSP. She was a fluent speaker, without referring to a script. She said how privileged we were to be the pioneers of this programme, and I agree with her.The MOE is seriously investing in us plenty of money, to get us to know more about the region. And this would come in handy when interacting with people from neighbouring countries, being able to understand and respect their culture. Respect was another thing she covered. In learning more about our neighbours, we would know how the lifestyle/customs of others were different from us, and appreciate the rich, albeit different, culture. "Singapore, being a small (and therefore vulnerable) country, we would need to have good relationships with other countries. Resilience would get us through it, as Singaporeans are known to embody the 'never-say-die' spirit, and how our country prospered from independence." -summarised version of what Ms Ho said after that. YES, I AGREE. Isn't that why RSP was set up in the first place? So that we would become ambassadors of Singapore, and possible diplomats who knows the situations of our neighbours.
Following that, we were split into 3 groups (A,B,C) and went to different venues. Our group (C) went into the lecture room first, and I expected a long and dreary talk on Peranakan culture. Therefore, I was surprised when I found myself in a rather small room, with food and beaded art pieces on display. We first went to the cook
ing area, and Mr Philip Chia (the chef), taught us how to make curry meal from scratch. This picture shows him dry-frying the spices for the curry powder, and after a while, there was a fragrant aroma coming from the pan. I would love to blog more on his cooking and the food, but this post would then turn irrelevant. (I'm going to write more about the Peranakan food)Peranakan cuisine is heavly influenced by Singapore, Malaysia and sometimes even Thai food (for Penang). The food is the result of blending Chinese ingredients and wok cooking techniques with spices used by the Malay community. It uses plenty of coconu
t milk and leaves like pandan, lemongrass, kaffir lime and laksa. An example of their cooking is otak-otak, which is a mix of fish, coconut milk, chilli paste, galangal and herbs wrapped in a banana leaf! We also got to sample the Peranakan kuihs during the tea break, like the nine-layer kueh, tapioca and kuih serimuka. They tasted sweet and sticky.I shall stop blogging here, and would be followed up soon on the other cultures of the Peranakans.
Labels: food
Just some time ago, Mr Azahar showed us a video on kuda kepang. It is sort of a malay traditional dance, which started with the women dancing with 2-D horses made of pleated bamboo. (And thus the word "kuda") The music sounded like gongs or malay drums, I'm not too sure, and it had a regular beat. The dancers wear colourful traditional Javanese clothing.
After that, it was the men's turn. It was basically the same at first, just that after a while, they had to inhale in certain fumes that made them go into a trance. The men became somewhat "possessed by the spirits" and then were literally... tortured. D:
They willingly ate grass and glass, stepping on glass shards too. What's more was that they were whipped by men. Oh the horror. Just looking at this made me feel slightly sick and scared. They really seemed to be as if a part of the horse, and did not really react much. But fortunately, they could not feel anything as they were in a trance. WOW. (Imagine doing open heart surgery without anaesthetic. o.O) And these possessed poeple would chase after you if you were wearing red too. So check your attire when watching Kuda kepang.(:
Then after a while, they were brought out of the trance with a man somewhat "massaging" the guy on the horse. Rather forcefully in fact. This was to drive out the spirits in his body. The video clip ended here. After this, we discussed about the video, and then all of us finally realised that the men were in a trance. 'Cos I was thinking, "why would people willingly make themselves get tortured?!" Watching this video gave me a slight headache. ._.
Anyway, such dances usually happen in weddings. I personally believe that it should be forbidden, as it might cause hurt to the dancers and the spectators. The more normal traditional one should be preserved, however this form is just plain gory. The dancers are not supposed to draw blood from these acts of stepping on glass, but if it not done properly, he would ooze blood. I wonder how people can actually do such things without getting bodily hurt, it's just not scientifically possible. If not, is pain and hurt relative? Or does it happen only if you anticipate it?
I haven't seen any of such performances live, and there is much controversy over whether it should be banned. That's 'bout it, and I'll try to blog at least once per week. (:
Labels: Culture
Hello to all blog readers, this is my RSP blog, aka blogfolio! (: Watch out for further blog posts on the RSP session and out-of-school events. I might also blog about certain issues in southeast asia that interest me.
(Sorry for the lack of design on the blog ><)