People of Belait reach out to HM
Sunday, July 22, 2007
TAMAN Jubli at Belait town was abuzz with frantic activity yesterday when thousands of people turned up to enliven the atmosphere in welcoming His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.
Many approached by The Brunei Times had rave reviews with the organisation of the gathering ceremony between the royal family and residents of Brunei.
Marco Weisser, 41, complimented on the field performances because "it comes from the heart." He added that the show was "1,000 times better" than they expected. The pilot who is posted in Anduki, said that he brought his family to witness the celebrations early in the morning to secure a good viewing spot.
Chupapan Jaruwan, 39, said that she could not understand the songs because they were all sung in Malay but commented that the costumes were colourful.
"Brunei and Thailand are similar. We celebrate our king's birthdays just as grand," said Chupapan, who hails from Thailand.
She said that her husband brought the whole family to Brunei two months ago and found the country to be incredibly peaceful and full of friendly people.
"The performances were better than last year," said P Venngopalan, originally from India.
He said that there were new dance performances, but added that the highlight came when he shook hands with His Majesty.
"I would definitely come again next year," said the father of two working in Belait.
"It's a beautifully colourful affair," Norzurina Hj Assim said. The assistant headmistress of Pengiran Setia Negara Pengiran Mohd Yusof Primary School in Seria felt that it was good that there was a focus on multiracialism as different types of dances and people from various communities were involved.
Practicing for over a month, the students were "difficult to train" but she was pleased that they did well. However, she felt that it was overcrowded and the lack of parking spaces posed a problem.
One of thousands of performers on stage, seventeen year old Md Azim Md Dini said that this year's celebrations were a lot more festive due to the upbeat music.
A group of four secondary two girls from Pengiran Anak Puteri Hj Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah Secondary School in Lumut were enthusiastic as it was their first time performing for His Majesty's birthday celebrations. "We especially loved the finale," they said. "It was enjoyable to watch".
Nur Faizah, a secondary one student from Perdana Wazir Secondary School said that although this was her second time performing in front of the monarch, it was her first time to shake His Majesty's hand.
"I feel so happy!" she exclaimed.
An onlooker, 18 year old Harris, a sixth form student from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School said that he had never attended previous gatherings.
"I did not manage to catch the performances though because I was caught in the excitement of meeting my old school mates," he said.
13-year old Nur Diyana, from Chung Ching School, said that this year's crowd was bigger but remarked that last year's performance was much better.
Holding a mini flag in one hand, Sharul, a nine year old primary five student from St John said, "It is my first time to see the celebrations and it was hot, but fun."
The Brunei Times
Many approached by The Brunei Times had rave reviews with the organisation of the gathering ceremony between the royal family and residents of Brunei.
Marco Weisser, 41, complimented on the field performances because "it comes from the heart." He added that the show was "1,000 times better" than they expected. The pilot who is posted in Anduki, said that he brought his family to witness the celebrations early in the morning to secure a good viewing spot.
Chupapan Jaruwan, 39, said that she could not understand the songs because they were all sung in Malay but commented that the costumes were colourful.
"Brunei and Thailand are similar. We celebrate our king's birthdays just as grand," said Chupapan, who hails from Thailand.
She said that her husband brought the whole family to Brunei two months ago and found the country to be incredibly peaceful and full of friendly people.
"The performances were better than last year," said P Venngopalan, originally from India.
He said that there were new dance performances, but added that the highlight came when he shook hands with His Majesty.
"I would definitely come again next year," said the father of two working in Belait.
"It's a beautifully colourful affair," Norzurina Hj Assim said. The assistant headmistress of Pengiran Setia Negara Pengiran Mohd Yusof Primary School in Seria felt that it was good that there was a focus on multiracialism as different types of dances and people from various communities were involved.
Practicing for over a month, the students were "difficult to train" but she was pleased that they did well. However, she felt that it was overcrowded and the lack of parking spaces posed a problem.
One of thousands of performers on stage, seventeen year old Md Azim Md Dini said that this year's celebrations were a lot more festive due to the upbeat music.
A group of four secondary two girls from Pengiran Anak Puteri Hj Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah Secondary School in Lumut were enthusiastic as it was their first time performing for His Majesty's birthday celebrations. "We especially loved the finale," they said. "It was enjoyable to watch".
Nur Faizah, a secondary one student from Perdana Wazir Secondary School said that although this was her second time performing in front of the monarch, it was her first time to shake His Majesty's hand.
"I feel so happy!" she exclaimed.
An onlooker, 18 year old Harris, a sixth form student from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School said that he had never attended previous gatherings.
"I did not manage to catch the performances though because I was caught in the excitement of meeting my old school mates," he said.
13-year old Nur Diyana, from Chung Ching School, said that this year's crowd was bigger but remarked that last year's performance was much better.
Holding a mini flag in one hand, Sharul, a nine year old primary five student from St John said, "It is my first time to see the celebrations and it was hot, but fun."
The Brunei Times
Business Besides Oil
