driver licence

To buy a car I need a few bits and bobs including a local driver licence. Okay, where to start? I ask around and find that I need to photocopy my passport, visas, identity card and Abu Dhabi licence, then take the copies and originals down to the Post Office. So I set off with all that I've been told - with the full expectation that they'll tell me that I also need a photocopy of X.

However, it's never the snag that I anticipate, it's always something else that gets me. Turns out that it's not the Post Office that I have to go to. I have to go to Land Transport in Gadong. Fair enough I say, where's that? Well, no-one at the PO can explain it to me. Never mind, I'll ask someone else. So after asking several people, I finally figure it out. Next day I head off there and am amazed that it's easy to get a park and there are no queues. I walk in wondering what will go wrong, take a ticket, sit down and am called up within a few minutes. I hand everything over to the woman at the counter who starts making cryptic gestures. Oh, not here? Next room? No, not next room? Next office? Next building? I give up the game of charades as I'm clearly not very good at it and ask at reception.

Turns out I have to go to Land Transport on Jalan Moura. Now that happens to be a very long road so I try to narrow it down. I drag out a map and after pawing over it for 25 minutes, the well-intentioned officer at the counter points to an intersection just before a round-a-bout and tells me it's on the left. So I set off there. It's a 20 minute drive away, but when I get there, there's not a Land Transport office within coo-eee. Next day I ask around at the hotel, but everyone is dumbfounded. They tell me either that I have to go the Post Office or that I have to go to Land Transport in Gadong. So I ask at work and get the same response until I finally find someone who has recently got a licence. She pinpoints it on the map for me. Hallelulah! Turns out it's not on Jalan Moura at all. It's on a different road on the left before a different round-a-bout! Next day I set off.

I find it without much fuss, but there's nowhere to park. Never mind, I've learned by now that an illegal park is just as good as a legal park. So I park illegally, head into Land Transport, ask at reception where they give me a ticket for counter number one. Twenty minutes later my turn rolls around, I march in with my photocopies, hand them over and hey, presto, it's all done. I just need to come back in a couple of days to pick up my shiny new licence.

Another task ticked off my long list of things to do!

well, it's laugh or cry

I want to buy a car in Brunei. I thought it involved checking out the dealers, identifying the cheap / bottom of the range car that called out 'Me, me! Take me home!' and then sorting out whether to pay cash or go with a loan.

Well, that naive notion was stymied at the first opportunity. We headed off to the Toyota dealer to see how much they'd want for a Toyota VIOS, a popular small car here in BSB. They were quite happy to engage in conversation for 30 mins before telling us that the VIOS in the showroom was only an illusion. They didn't actually have any in stock. No, they didn't have Corollas or any other small cars in stock either. Nor any medium cars. It was all the fault of the floods in Thailand apparently because that's where most of the cars are sourced. But, all was well, because the wait was only expected to be 3 - 4 months.

The next thought was, well we had a Ford Focus in Al Ain and it served us well. Let's see what Ford has to say. "Yes, there are many colours. Yes, they are available now. You just put down a deposit. Delivery in three months maybe. Or you can take the Mondeo. We have one Mondeo in stock." There seemed to be at least a bit of equivocation on the meaning of the word 'now.' The story there was that there were so many cars in Brunei that there were restrictions on how many dealers are allowed to bring in. I have to say that 'no cars' is a pretty small number to be allowed to bring in!

Floods in Thailand? Restrictions on numbers?

At Diahatsu they have a few Terioses / Teri-ii / Teriosi, only in black or silver, but they are available now. Yes! Problem is, the warranty is rubbish. One year - and we have to pay parts - and labour depending on the issue. It also seems to be a rather 'chunky' car for a tiny 1.5 engine. So question mark on that one.

Other dealers had 7 million car-seeking customers' cars lined up out the front, we couldn't even get a park. So we set aside the 'which car to choose' issue to follow up finance issues. No joy there either. Amongst other problems, we need to get our local d/l first and a range of other certification.

So I'm imagining a pretty mauve car sitting out front in our parking lot. It's brandless, featureless and existenceless, but I like it.

:)

home is where the grunge is

Should I remind people of who I am? Let them know that I’m not worthy? The housing officer has been showing us houses over the last couple of days. I’ve been left sockless – they’ve been totally knocked off. We saw a palace today – six bedrooms, all with ensuite, magnificent entrance, separate maid’s quarters, beautifully landscaped gardens with water features (maintained by Singaporean owner), outside patios off huge lounge and dining, separate building with large covered sitting area downstairs and enormous rumpus room upstairs. The Canadian Ambassador lives next door and other notables are nearby. As K pointed out, all we have to do is say ‘Yes’ and it’s ours.

Okay, there is a downside to the palace - it won’t be available for several months and it’s a bit of a hike to uni at peak hour apparently. However, another tantalizing mansion is just 15 mins to uni and 10 to the city and to Gadong (large shopping / business area). We weren’t able to see inside, but it looks lovely on the outside, the area is gorgeous and a range of high (-er than me) flyers live opposite and on either side. It should be available in a couple of months.

My socks were firmly back on my feet as I drudged back into our grungy two bedroom hotel suite realizing that it will home for a while! Ah, well.

Mystery solved

I got to work and immediately solved a mystery that had been on the minds of staff for many months. My name has been emblazoned across my office door for over a semester. There had been an extended drum roll followed finally by speculation that I was a no-show . . . and suddenly there I was. New rumours began immediately. People in the corridors were heard speculating that you could no longer get a job at UBD unless you were tall. Perhaps so.

Rumours and mysteries aside, I can factually report lovely views from my office over greenery and out to the ocean.

Operation Brunei

As I look out my window I see the green of Bandar Seri Begawan all around me. The mad rush and comedic mishaps of the last two weeks seem as though they are from another life. Bottom line my cheque came through and is safely deposited in the bank (though it is in a UAE bank, so maybe I'm counting chickens) and I managed to say farewell to most of the nutters, crackpots and other varieties of dear friends I made in Al Ain. My goodbyes were said with great sadness. I enjoyed the Al Ain chapter of my life, and now it has passed.

Brunei was a long time coming. I've already learnt that nothing happens quickly here and I've learnt that things happen the way they happen, so it's best to just go with the flow. Never mind that after you've spent 40 mins in the queue to get through the first security check at Dubai Terminal One and a further 40 mins standing in the Royal Brunei queue only to be told "Karl's visa is not valid." We got nowhere pointing out that the Brunei embassy had arranged the visas and tickets. After much discussion a solution was found. We had to go out of the immigration area and buy an exit ticket from BSB. So we left, bought a ticket and argued and pleaded our way back through the immig queues carrying a ticket from BSB to Bangkok. In all the hooha we were suitably entertained for 3 hours and got to the gate at boarding.

On arrival in BSB the immigration folk were rather pleasant, but they insisted that we hand over 40 Brunei dollars. Thinking that the embassy was taking care of us, we hadn't checked requirements and weren't told about the 40. Of course we didn't have the Brunei dollars, but even worse we didn't have sufficient dirhams to exchange at the money changer. Sigh! So Karl was escorted outside Immigration to an ATM where he withdrew some cash to pay for the visas. It's all fun and games really!

The next instalment of Operation Brunei was the shabby chic hotel we were taken to (after having kept the people meeting us waiting for an hour! Sorry about that guys!). Well, to be honest, the hotel lacks the second part of my description. Let's just say it is adequate and has nice views.

So that's my life up to the present moment.

Brunei

I've just sent my medical results to UBD. It looks like death isn't imminent, though one never really knows, does one? Endless days still stretch before us in Al Ain. Bandar seri Begawan is an eternity away.

writing woes

When I started researching this current paper I knew exactly where I was going and what my arguments were. Now that I've read a gazillion articles, I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. I've realized I know zilch, nichts, nothing. The only comfort is that I'm a cliche, this is exactly what is supposed to happen. Problem is that the due date for the paper is looming . . . And I'm clueless.

How do we adapt validity arguments in assessments in the light of multimodalities?

Sigh! I'll sleep on it. That'll work, no?

keeping records

I had no idea when I embarked on this doctoral path that it isn't about ideas at all. It's all about clerical work - finding materials, synthesising them and keeping records.

It's the latter that has had me busy for the last few days. Over the years you do a bunch of reading, write reports and essays and then pat yourself on the back for a job well done. But a doctorate is quantitatively different because it's a much longer term project. If you read something today, you may need the information in two years time, or four or five. When your memory has a lot in common with a sieve, how are you supposed to manage that? Solution ... I downloaded EndNote after a nudge from my supervisor. Of course I'm expecting that it will record the bibliographic information, find materials, synthesise them, pop out relevant material at the press of a button and do the dishes. One can only hope.