SCB Run for a reason

This morning I took part in a 10k event, organized here in Brunei! The first one with proper timing chips and everything for the 10k and Half-Marathon runners. It was the Standard Chartered Bank Run For A Reason race.

In hindsight I'm not quite sure why I signed up for this one. I haven't been running for ages, my last proper run was two months ago, and before that... I don't even remember... My last running training was two YEARS ago when I completed the 10k races in Hong Kong and Singapore.
I guess I got sucked into it by the enthusiasm of the other 12WBT girls! Most of the group was out running one distance or another this morning, and all with outstanding results!

My alarm went at 04.45 this morning and I picked my friend Kim up at 05.30. We were in good time for the start of the race which was scheduled to 06.30.
I must say I'm really impressed by the organization of this race, there was big signs everywhere to get yourself in the right direction and every distance started on time, just as planned.
Here are a few blurry iPhone shots that Kim took pre-race:

Head-to-toe warm up:



Kim in a squat!



It was a sea of blue and green at the start, nearly everyone wore the free race shirt. I purposely had chosen my yellow race shirt, to stand out a bit (also I had asked to get the race shirt in a size 44/XL?? I'm not that size, and have never been actually. Not sure what happened there?!) - and I sure did!







And off we went! Still smiling!



I actually did pretty well on the first half of the race. I have this secret dream to run the 10k under an hour (which wont happen until I do some proper running training, intervals, hill sprints etc and actually speed up...), but at 5k today I was only at 27min30ish, and I thought to myself - I got a small chance of making the hour!
But once we got to 8k, I got a stitch, and was out of juice completely. I nearly gave up and started walking but thought I better keep moving, even though it was very slowly... Kim passed me with a huge smile at 9k and sprinted into the finish line, me not so much.

See the pain on my face, just after having finished?



Well, although she did a fab time, Kim didn't look all that either, ha ha...



And - the after photo, not so smiley anymore! :)



Even though I didn't crack the hour (this time, and I'm not sure it'll ever be a next...) I did do a personal best though! A minute plus faster than my last, so not too shabby after all!
(Thank you Yvette for the photos!)

The never ending love

Linnea has had a penchant for face paint ever since she was all tiny. It seems like it's a never ending love story for her.
Today we went to the Yacht Club for their annual Easter Fun Day (yes, just the girls, the boys preferred to stay in front of the TV, go figure...) and of course she got another beautiful face painting! (You can see last years bunny face here.)

Happy Easter everyone!

Fail

Linnea and her Year One will be following an IPC (= International Primary Curriculum) unit of work this term on the theme of ‘Toys’. It's based around specific learning targets focusing on History, Science and Technology.

As part of their ‘Entry Point’ activities they were to organize a fundraising toy sale where all the money raised would be donated to the Junior School Special Education Fund. Us parents were asked to send unwanted toys, books, games etc in to school for this sale. So I went through a bit of the toys and put a bag together, checked with the kids there was nothing they wanted to keep and off it went to the toy sale.

Yesterday they got to bring a couple of dollar in to then buy something from the sale, and Linnea was all excited - there had been a huge donation of different things.
She came home with a book, but not just any book... one of our books that we had donated... Because she "didn't want to sell it anyway"... :)
Fail.

Pimping the guest room

No, we haven't had an enormous amount of visitors out here (sadly...), but there has been some. Even though the spare room is mostly used as a bike room - occasionally it gets used as a guest room too.



I thought it needed something more though, to make it a bit more welcoming. Before Mormor and Morfar got here, I used some cool wall stickers to spruce it up a bit; and after my last visit to IKEA it's now even more cosy for the next set of visitors - it's got a carpet too!





Anybody welcome!

Rock n' roll

Sitting at the pizza restaurant with the Foxes the other week in Singapore, somehow our conversation led into being polite and having manners. Lucas was asking why you need to be polite all the time, and I answered him because it's nice to be around polite people.
I took the example of when one of his class mates had met Mormor and Morfar at school one day at pick-up, he stretched out his little hand and said:
-"Hello, I'm George. Nice to meet you".
Very polite - and very nice! Especially from an 8-year old!

Lucas sighed and said:
-"Ah George, well he's English. Why does the English have to be such gentlemen all the time?"
Nathan then said:
-"Well, Jason is English, and he just farted!"
Lucas responded, without even looking up from the iPad game he was playing:
-"Jason is just too much rock n' roll".

We all had a huge giggle about that and do I have to add that the comment made Jason's... week? :)

Ride like the wind

Lo and behold, look who was out on a bike ride this morning!



It certainly has been a while since last time even though I had the best intentions of making this a regular thing; and I was just as unsure about the whole thing as last time.
It didn't make me any more comfortable that we decided to go up Jalan Muara before hitting the coast road (to pick up Will), but it all went well and the motorists were actually really considerate.





I spent most of today trying to learn which switch controls which gears and I actually think by the end of the ride, I got it all sussed!
I'm still not 100% confident but I did really enjoy my ride today!

Moshi Monster Madness

The Moshi Monster craze has captured Brunei! First the kids all got hooked on the social online game with virtual pets. Now it's the collectors cards.
Nearly every kid at school has a Moshi Monster binder, and they take them to school and trade to get full sets.

Although, when they are young like Linnea and her peers, it's a bit tricky understanding all the rules of trading... so they often get rolled... Hence the mummys has to get involved sometimes! :)



Our two are actually not allowed to take their binders to school anymore, there was just too much drama.
So they are left to trading with - each other. That works too, as they often spend their pocket money on new packets of cards.

Ditch the workout, join the party!

Zumba Fitness is getting really, really popular here in Brunei!
It's like a Zumba Fitness wildfire that is spreading fast, more and more people in Brunei discover the fun with Zumba Fitness and considering Brunei is a small country - Zumba Fitness is huge!



From just one person teaching it in one gym a few years ago when it first got here; there are now several outlets where you can try this fab form of exercise, many licensed instructors (and a few that are not...) are taking classes in many different locations.

My friend Susan opened her 2nd Studio today and Linnea and I went along for the soft opening. The Studio is all shiny and new:





We helped cutting the ribbon, the press was there, lots of yummy food and mingling. We both had a great time with our Zumba friends!





Linnea and her friend Alexia doing silly faces, there were good at that! :)

Easter in da house!

Time flies. Again.
The holidays are over and school is back tomorrow. We have regrouped and re-energized after having had visitors for a few weeks; and - I realized it's Easter, already next weekend!
So today the decorations came out, here are some snaps:

The Cult has got a new Easter "house", thank you Mormor!



Very old and worn out little inherited chicks that I cherish a lot. The kind of decorations that have huge emotional value:



Another new addition. A big Easter rooster!



From new to old - my oldest Easter deco, it's been with me for as long as I can remember as you might see, it's quite worn too.



And then I found this crazy chicken!

Primavera

When Mormor and Morfar got home the other day, their crocus had nearly finished blossoming already. I've been reading about the arrival of spring in Sweden in my blog roll the past week, and it's been making me homesick. It's such a lovely time of the year, when the flowers break through the ground, the shops start selling soft ice and you can start wearing your fabric shoes again!


(Photo borrowed from fotoakuten.se)

Today they've had snow in the most part of Sweden, even the south, and have had to dig out hats and mittens again.

Oh, how it's so much easier living in a country where the temperature is constant, and warm!

Fun to be a Watson!

I have been writing this blog now for 4 1/2 years. Having a blog normally means lots of "one-way-communication". Friends and family can follow our life and see what we are up to, but unfortunately they often forget to keep in touch themselves... While they know how we are doing thanks to the blog - we have no idea how they are!

Having this blog also means I get quite a few emails by people interested in Brunei, as there is not much other information to find out there on the internet. Very often I get contacted by people about to relocate here, and I always try my best to answer all their questions and queries. Some of these email conversations have even led to friendships!

My blog has also received some internet awards, it has been listed on expat blog rolls, I've been asked if I would mind getting quoted and I've been contacted to do little interviews about things related to blogs/traveling/Brunei etc.

Of course I've also had my share of odd and rude comments - but that comes with having a public blog I guess.

This week though, I got this really nice email that really made me smile, from a reader in Indonesia. This is what she wrote me:

"I just want to tell you that your blog is amazing and I love your family, it seems really fun to be a Watson :D I've never been at Brunei, and neither leave Java Island (except on school trips to Bali, of course) and I found that Brunei is a really cool place. Even though it's small, but very well-organized and fun. I'd like to visit Brunei one day."

Well Chelle, while I'm dreaming of someday going to Bali, I hope you make it to Brunei one day - I'm sure you'll love it here!

Relaxed last day

Mormor and Morfar left Singapore Wednesday night (we left the hotel 24 hrs later than they did, but still they only got into their door at home an hour before we got into ours... It's a long trip!) and we met up with the Foxes for dinner.
I managed not to take one single photo though! Shame on me! They took us to a great Italian restaurant for a scrumptious pizza and wine evening. Yum. We had such a nice time, good to see them!

As I said we had an extra day in Singapore as Nathan was off anyway so we were in no rush to get home. We took our time at breakfast:



Piggy-pig-pig:



Then we met up with the Roses for lunch and some (more) shopping, had to do a quick stint back to Orchard Road for some specific purchases. Finally we chilled out at their apartment before going to the airport.



They live on the 23rd floor and have a great view out over the coast line:





It really is quite high...





Also a nice view over town, especially at sunset and when all the lights come on:



Kids got to have their dinner outside on the balcony. How nice?

Shopping time

Wednesday was a bit of an open day. We decided it was time for some last-minute shopping, as Mormor and Morfar was leaving that night. You can't go to Singapore without going shopping, really!



Nathan and Lucas took Morfar back to Sim Lim while the girls got a head start in town; then we met up for some lunch before we continued to walk and shop all the way up to the top of Orchard Road.



Outside Ion Orchard:





Wheelock place:











Result of the day: a handbag each for Mormor and me; 3 pairs of trousers, a skirt, one pair of ballerinas and one pair of wedges plus 4 tops for me; some books for Lucas, some Moshi Monster cards for both of them, a USB stick for Morfar, some H&M clothes and Lego for Linnea and no new bike for Nathan.

Chicken rice

Tuesday night got finished off just around the corner from the hotel, at a busy local food court. Some of us went for "western" food (steak and chips), some of us chose the more authentic Asian "chicken rice" for only a few dollar!
Our kids sure prefer their Asian food, rice and noodles over potatoes, pasta and fries any day! "Chicken rice" is always a winner.