Some of us hide it better than others. Some of us patch ourselves up with busyness, with success, with jokes, with prayer, with caffeine. But scratch the surface, past the polished LinkedIn posts, the Instagram smiles, the “Alhamdulillah I’m okay”s, and you’ll find cracks. Fractures. Battle scars from grief, rejection,…
Brunei & Governance
Healthcare Reform, One Year On: What’s Changed Since
A year ago I wrote about the healthcare reform that ended free treatment for permanent residents and foreign spouses in Brunei. It felt like a big shift at the time, and honestly, it still is. But a lot has happened since, so I thought it was worth revisiting where things…
Faith & Reflection
The Second Time Around
Last November, damissus and I performed our second Umrah. This time we brought the kids along for their first, all except Arief, who had school and couldn’t get away. It’s a strange thing, standing in front of the Kaaba a second time. The first time you’re just trying to take…
Faith & Reflection
Small Mercies, Counted Slowly
There’s a particular kind of tiredness that has nothing to do with sleep. You wake up rested and still feel behind. The to do list refreshes itself overnight, somehow longer than when you left it. I’ve noticed that on those mornings, my mind goes looking for what’s wrong before it…
Brunei Darussalam
AB Rewind: Catching Up With Ihsan, 16 Years Later
Back in 2010, I interviewed a young Bruneian PhD student studying Genetics in the UK. At the time, Ihsan spoke about her passion for science, cancer research, scientific literacy and her hopes of contributing to Brunei’s development one day. She was curious, driven and excited about the future. A lot…
Brunei Darussalam
The Problem Was Never AI
A few days ago, someone shared one of my cabinet reshuffle articles on Reddit. Predictably, the discussion eventually drifted toward AI. Some people objected to the use of AI. Others rolled their eyes at yet another AI-related discussion. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised something….