From Your Local Correspondent #1

I am sorry for not updating you with news about the local scene as I have somewhat promised you. During exam preparation days I usually do stuff at my own pace and I wouldn't be bothered by other stuff.

The supposedly hot news should be the fire gutting 3 shops side by side along Jalan Pretty, Kuala Belait. namely KFC, Pustaka Remaja and the chicken rice restaurant on Tuesday morning, the 13th of October. I haven't been to Kuala Belait town for more than a week. Haven't seen the remains of the shops.

In the next paragraph you will read words like might, most probably, possibilities... I have to use them because the facts below, from newspapers, seem feeble because maybe these people are not sure of the accuracy of their statements.

I don't know exactly where the fire started, but it might have come from KFC's store room or the KFC staffhouse (on top of KFC) or the floor above the chicken rice restaurant (maybe a staffhouse too). Possibilites of the cause of fire include an unattended iron or washing machine, or a refrigerator wiring fault. The fire was most probably noticed at around 6am Tuesday morning. What I can recall from the papers is, the Fire Department received a distress call at 6.08am and they rushed to the scene. As usual, firemen from the BSP Fire Brigade came too, and astonishingly two fire brigade water vehicles (boats) were dispatched too. Dispatched for what purpose and where they were told to station themselves, I don't know. No one got injured, but of course there was a great loss incurred. Pustaka Remaja has estimated a $100,000 loss. They've just got new stock in recently, their stockroom was on the first floor, above their shop, burnt in flames. The water that was used to extinguish the fire had wet the books downstairs and voila, double trouble.

A couple of weeks back (as far as I can remember) there was a serious blackout that affected nearly the whole country; it happened two days in a row. On the first day some houses didn't get the power supply and some still got it, on the second day the ones that did get the supply the previous day didn't get the power supply, and vice versa. Call it exchanges. If you get me. On both days the power went off for some 4-8 hours. It went through till night time. Shops were out of candles. Went for a ride at Pandan 7 area on the first day of blackouts and it was pitch black (Beverly Hills included) except for Soon Lee. I think they've got generators to get the power running and to prevent looting. The Department of Electrical Services has said that there was a 'technical fault' at Bukit Panggal or Gadong, or both of them, not really sure, I didn't read the papers properly on that one.

This month, there's an Oktoberfest in Germany, a 16-day fair, held annually in Munich, attracting 6 million visitors, including people from abroad, as far as Brazil, and lots and lots of beer poured (and drunk) during it (read up Oktoberfest on Wikipedia if you don't know about it) and guess what, we have the Ford October Fest up in Beribi. First things first, name says it, it's sponsored and/or organised by Brunei's sole Ford dealer. Well, in Brunei's October Fest there isn't any beer... They've got 3 main events: the FORD Tug of War Challenge, a Ranger Strongman: Man Vs Truck Competition and a Ford vehicle exhibition. I don't know much about this fest, just put it here for the sake of news.

One last thing. The shop near SMSA, Metussin's Groceries, re-opened sometime during the Raya season.

Hope you find this informative. Enjoy your studies. I will update after the 16th of November (the day of my last A-level paper), one month from now.

Office Boy a.k.a. Brunei Correspondent