Just when I thought I could finally get some sleep, I realize there is no getting it anymore. With anika’s erratic sleeping habits, the tons of books that i need to check, and the sickies that my body are trying to fight, I would be really lucky to get around 4 hours of shuteye.

This is the reason why I’m trying my best to come up with ways to fight the drowsiness especially when I’m in school. And so far, the most successful is a combination of strong coffee and some dance music in the background. Unfortunately, this entails bringing my laptop to school daily, which is not exactly the wisest thing to do.

You see, I don’t have a car so I walk to school armed only with an umbrella against rain or intense sun. If i bring my computer to school, my laptop would be at the mercy of the elements plus the wear and tear of travel. That’s the reason why I’m currently considering getting a Lecteurs MP3 player to replace my laptop’s music library. It’s lighter, less expensive, and tougher against travel and beatings of the elements. The next problem though is, how do I convince andrea. hehehe!

Just like most other Muslim countries, Brunei is also an alcohol-free country, or at least it’s trying to be. There are no stores in Brunei that sell alcoholic beverages. Most of these drinks come from other neighboring countries and find their way here through declared baggages (in very limited amounts too).

However, what I was surprised about was the fact that even rubbing alcohol is prohibited. The only place where you can get such alcohols is the pharmacy. Heck, even alcohol-based perfumers are not allowed. Strict, right? Damn right it is. But, at least it works for them. I guess that’s why there are no drug facilities here in Brunei like those los angeles detox rehab centers.

Fortunately for us, andrea and I are not really alcohol-lovers. So as far as the alcohol free scheme goes, keep it up! Hehehe!

Brunei is a hot pot for a various number of cultures, races, and ideologies. With a huge number of expatriates in the country, it’s not surprising to see so many  different types of clothing, religion, and of course, people.

Just walking in the mall, for example, can already be a visual treat for anybody. In fact, inside the mall, it’s not unusual to see people (kids and adults alike) still wearing hip hop clothing, cowboy getups, or attires that almost completely cover the whole body. It’s also common to see Caucasians, African Americans, Latinos and Latinas walking alongside Asians and other races without any worries or discriminations. It’s a country that fosters mutual respect for differences between people (or at least that’s what I’d like to think).

Garage sales are an excellent way to get your hands on some really inexpensive items, from television stands to mattresses and even to automobiles. Especially here in Brunei, people are always on the move. Many expatriates enter and leave the country on a regular basis.

The only trick is being vigilant enough to catch word on when and where the next sale is going to be, and having the means to get there before the others do. I’ve seen quite a few here already in my nearly 4 months of stay. I’m sure we’ll be seeing one again soon. I just hope I have a little extra when that happens. hehehe!

With the work that I have to carry home, and the two adorable but handful kids that andrea and I have to care of, we rarely get time to get out of the house for some quality time together.

So, what do we do for fun?

Well, we have no other choice but to watch. Every once in a while, andrea downloads a movie or two to share with mateo and anika. In fact, last week, we watched the latest Narnia movie, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and a not so recent flick, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. We didn’t exactly have bad ass home speakers, but the laptop speakers were adequate enough, at least for those movies. Plus, I prepared some nice crackers to set the mood.

I guess until anika is old enough for a movie house, andrea, mateo and I would have to bare with our laptops for the meantime. Thank goodness for excellent torrents.

The last few months have been a real eye opener – a bittersweet one, but an eye opener nonetheless. First realization I got, Brunei is rich even beyond my wildest expectations. Citizens, permanent residents, and those born here are all looking at a very secured future with the country’s stable economy (and I’m not just talking about a Blue Cross short term insurance, but a lifelong security). Aside from the fact that the Brunei itself is a competent oil producer, the country’s principal leader, His Majesty, the Sultan, is an aggressive businessman. According to business articles, Brunei’s leader earns around 54 million euros daily from his collective businesses. That’s an awful lot of zeros for such a short time.  Can you just imagine the monthly or the annual total?

Second, i hate to say this but it seems like a very stable support system also has its own disadvantages. You see, because the people here receive generous amounts of help from the government, the competition and the urge to better themselves seems a few notches behind those of people from the developing countries. Complacency is a quickly becoming a very real and imminent threat. You can see this with the number of expatriates and the difference of attitude of these fortune-seekers from the locals.

So, I guess there really is no perfect world, is there? The question is where would you risk raising your family?

For the past few days, it has really been a struggle. Anika’s sleep schedule is making a mess out of everyone else’s. You see, she’s been sleeping soundly in the morning and sometimes, all the way to the afternoon.

At night, she wakes up at around 11PM and stays awake until 4 or even 5 in the morning. Andrea and I are alternating turns taking care of her during these unholy hours.

It’s only during the weekends that we get to do other house chores like cleaning the bathroom sinks, laundry, and other general cleaning activities.

Oh, I sure hope anika’s sleep time changes again soon. Otherwise, I would be forced to find help. huhuhu!

When I first came to Brunei, a lot of fellow expatriates (not just those from the same country where I came from) always warn me about clashing with the locals. Apparently, as with every country I suppose, authorities are inclined to believe the statements of their own countrymen over those of others. Never, they’d say, no matter how good or logical you are at arguing, will you win against them.

I just had a first taste of that last week when a parent of mine came to school and gave me an earful of nothing more than nonsensical rants.  His arguments ranged from racial discrepancies to just plain lack of brains. And to top it off, he goes off and tells a co-teacher of mine that he considers me lucky to be in school. Otherwise, he would have hit me if we were outside. Yeah, right! (Oh, did I mention that this is a local and a fellow educator too).

That’s how some of them justify their actions, with baseless arguments, threats of violence, and a very proud “This is Brunei”. I guess it would be of no use even if I was a Texas truck accident lawyer, for as long as have no purple Identification Card. Oh well, good luck with that!

Despite having almost completely settled already. Andrea and I have decided to keep our eyes and ears open for new vacant houses. No, it’s not that we don’t like our place now. We do like it a lot. However, once andrea’s sister comes, our place is gonna be cramped.

You see, at the moment, we have two bedrooms. The one that’s supposed to be occupied by andrea’s sister is now being utilized as my son’s play area as well as our walk-in closet. Since we don’t have any cabinets, most of our clothes are there in her room, separated into luggages which we decided to place on her bed for easy access.

Also, since mateo is already old enough to start having a room to himself, we might as well start considering the possibility of a bigger house, and hopefully a place with cleaner water so we can retire the water filters.

I know it may not be that easy to find one. I just hope we do get one before it’s too late.

Rains in Brunei are not as predictable as the ones in the Philippines. Usually, in the Philippines, it takes a few hours for clouds to accumulate enough water to form rains. These clouds would loom overhead and become darker and darker until droplets start falling. But, by the time they do start to fall, everyone would have been prepared for the impending downpour.

Here in Brunei, clouds take only a few minutes to darken heavily and drench the land. Sometimes, the day may start really bright but then it can quickly change to cloudy to rainy by noontime; and then to sunny and bright again in the afternoon. It’s a real pain especially if you have clothes to dry outside. Rains here come and go really quickly regardless of how light or heavy the downpour is.

I guess this is the reason why most houses in Brunei have large roof extensions outside the house. It’s the only way to dry the clothes without having to keep watch the whole time. Good thing we’ve gotten used to it already.