Everyone has a Story
ProjekBrunei.com - Everyone has a Story
What do you do?I am a chartered accountant by profession. I trained and qualified in the UK, and I'm the first Brunei-Malay to be admitted as an Associate member of the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales). I recently relocated to Singapore and I work for Deloitte.
You're a chartered accountant working for an international organisation AND you're the first Brunei-Malay to be admitted as an Associate member of the ICAEW. Very inspiring. Care to share any advice for local or returning graduates?
Firstly, persevere! Remember this quote from Batman Begins: "Why do we fall? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up". You must learn that it is not about never falling - but it is about never failing to pick yourself up after you fall. Secondly, go abroad, be involved, and get active! Please do not go to the Brunei job market, confident that you'll easily get a job with your shiny new degree. The bar keeps going up, and these days having "just" a degree only is kind of "meh". Thirdly, go get some valuable work experience overseas if you can. The impact on your CV is significant, and employers look at candidates with global experience differently. And there are plenty of opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge overseas.
Describe yourself in 3 words.
Articulate social geek.
You are a blogger (Relevance Found) too. What do you blog about mostly?
My two main interests: business and technology. Some of my recent blog posts covered things like: personal financial planning, presentations that I've given on behalf of Infocom Federation Brunei, Brunei e-Government progress reports by the UN, the “Too Big To Fail" debate in the financial services industry, my guest post on Re: The Auditors, Google's Nexus One smart phone, job postings in the banking industry, Lost and the adoption of new International accounting standards in Brunei.
1. My gym bag, stuffed with exercise gear! Stranded on a deserted island is a great opportunity to train for that half-marathon and improve my 10km run. My gym bag has my trusty sneakers, a change of clothes and all the necessities for some hardcore deserted island training!
2. A light-saber. (You did not say they had to be real things right?) Important for those times when during deserted island training sessions, when you happen to come across polar bears, smoke monsters, boars or just general traps set by the Island's previous inhabitants.
3. And of course, while only hardcore deserted island training sessions, wielding my light-saber, there may be opportunities to take photos and tweet them for my friends to see. So I would bring a solar-powered satellite phone with internet uplink. My tweets would be like: "Gone for a run up to the highest point of the island", "Found a hatch in the ground, now opening it with my light-saber", "Strange black cloud seems to be following me around. Meh. I got my light-saber, bring it on."
Name your favourite restaurants, and which dish do you recommend?
Brunei: Excapade Sushi of course – reasonable value for money and kid friendly. I like to order the “Ten Cha Soba" but I think it might not appeal to everyone! And you can’t go wrong with ordering the salmon sashimi!
Singapore: Jumbo Seafood for the famous Chili crab! Order with those little fried bread buns so you can mop up the chili sauce with the bread and om-nom-nom. Spicy!
Name a 'must-visit' place in Brunei, and why.
Pelong Rocks for you swimmers! Bring fins, snorkel, mask, sun block, sandwiches, drinks, underwater camera and your friends. Then after snorkeling for a couple ofhours, kick back and chill out at the spit. I don’t remember the name of the spit, but they cut a channel through the spit so that boats can pass through. The part of the spit that is unconnected to the main land is quite a cool hang out spot, with a lovely sandy beach and great waves.
What do you hope to achieve in three years' time?
In three years' time I would have furthered my career with Deloitte, developed a steady portfolio of clients, improved my CV with some exceptional client assignments and have mentored some of my more junior staff through to their first career promotions. Also, in three years time my daughter and my son will be: 7 years old and 5 years old. I hope to have taught my kids how to swim and rollerblade by then - so I would have some company on the weekend going snorkeling, going for a run or blading.
Editor’s Note: According to http://firstfollower.com, @izamryan was @BruneiTweet’s first ever follower! Izam and his wife Ummi Abdullah, together with their two children now reside in Singapore. Izam works for Deloitte, Singapore, and in the Assurance and Advisory service line. Deloitte is one of the world's largest professional services firms with annual revenues of $26 billion, providing audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Also, in case you have not yet figured it out, Izam is a HUGE fan of Lost. Read more about him on Relevance Found, or follow him on Twitter - @izamryan.
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Having spent time away from home outside of Brunei Darussalam, Delwin Keasberry has learnt that, to know a country is to know her people. Delwin launched Projek Brunei in June 2010 and the site (currently) welcomes over 95,000 page views each month. ProjekBrunei.com is known as the go-to place to rediscover Brunei Darussalam through the 