People are genuinely happy here. Just today we found throngs of people picnicing on the beach eating rice and chicken for 50 cents and poking jokes with friends laughing from the tonsols of their throats. Are they happy? These people have absolutely nothing – no iPods, no cars, and no fancy clothes. They’re just roughing it and it seems from their outlook on life, they’re living a “good” life with friends, work, and family.

In America, we want more, more, more. Here, they have less, less, less and it’s working for them. All I remember from America is stress from work, stress from bills at home, stress from traffic, and stress struggling against the wake of mainstream being a Muslim. For me it’s truly more relaxing living here in Southeast Asia where you can be yourself and live a simpler life within a more wholistic society that possesses a balanced and blended value system.

I will upload past journal entries since the beginning of January along with pictures as soon as I get proper www in this country. Facebook is banned in Vietnam by the Viet Kong. Yes, they still exist and they stole my lunch money! Just kidding man.

Amazing it is the more you remove from your life the more powerful you become.

Like soldiers these trees stand in attention by the thousands on these picture-perfect hills. Implanted on the banks of the river you can spot feather-fragile huts fringed on cheap wood and hope from above. Lower in the shallow waters men poach the gentle passing stream for the catch of the day. People have a strong connection with nature here in Laos and rely on God’s primitive resources to afford daily sustenance. It’s a humbling life whose reigns are never in your hands. When a farmer or fisherman realizes his fate is not exactly in his control, this is called subjugation to God; he attains a calm and balanced temperament- something burnt out in the hearts of citizens making a living in the big city.

When goods and services are sold for more than what consumers are willing to pay, the market adjusts itself to accommodate; in a nutshell, an economic devaluation occurs.

The parallel that I am drawing is when the world gets to be too much to bear and you are consistently giving it your best, you have to get away and control your worldly desires. Turn away from life’s demands to “collecting things” and society’s imposed fear of poverty and get back to the basics. You can enhance your spirit by traveling to achieve a holistic self again – your equilibrium must not be neglected. Enjoy the childish things in life and do what makes you feel special again, even if it is foolish. This is what I learned today.

This speech was delivered at his funeral sermon. It is indeed hard to believe that a short man dressed only in a loin cloth could lead an entire nation to take on the mighty British Empire using non-violent means. Yet, that is what Mahatma Gandhi did. Most famous Gandhi quotes bear testament to the fact that this man was truly a Mahatma or Great Soul. More than half a century after his death, Gandhi continues to be an iconic figure.

Gandhi was a revolutionary hero and a “game changer” that introduced a new way of resisting oppression; this redefined war from its traditional terms of guile deception, elimination, and humility to transparency, benevolence, and a benign heartful humility. He showed us the meaning of self-sanctity and human respect through nonviolence. Innovative in his genius simplicity, he serves as a unique example for us on how to appeal to humanity and win hearts and minds of the masses with swift paradigm shift mechanics, leveraged by simple the ingenuity of passive resistance. My hero!

There was a big buffet of course, then we prayed Maghrib, we continued talking, then we prayed Isha. There were enough people to pray Taraweeh because of the sheer number of people we filled the dedicated room they set up as a masjid next to the dinner hall. We then cooled down to this surprisingly extra delightful chai that was mediocre enough to be fantastic with a nice nutty flavor twist.

You know, I came to this restaurant before and the funny thing is there was nobody eating there. Absolutely not a soul haunting this graveyard. I wondered how does this place make enough money to pay the rent and get way?

My reasoning was all wrong and out of locale. First of all, people don’t rent here, they own. And when they own, they own 100% and there are no extraordinary “holding fees” such as insurance, property tax, etc. like America. Second of all, when you have family…you don’t need outside business. Since the family gets along, they can afford to probably split the expenses and provide all the customers in return, so it’s a full circle of supply and demand.

This is the beauty of family in Islam, most beautifully demonstrated this evening. I am proud to be part Bruneian by geography. Islam is so right here. Simple and balanced in proportion. It fits so natural like eating grapes or drinking water. It’s nice to live in an Islamic state that does things right. This may be the old true Islamic empire left in the world. I’m glad to see the Prophet’s legacy duly appreciated and applied on this remote island. The truth will set you free!

Not enough web cred/exposure has been given to this little piece of earth so I’m going to spoil it for you. Actually, when I was moving to Brunei I searched Google, Facebook, Flickr, Youtube, and people’s blogs to get the scoop. I got noth. Nothing more than a miser few images of the big golden masjid.

The only thing the world knows about Brunei is from some over-popularized documentary by National Geographic on the sultan’s riches and opulent taste in gold and oil. Zero intel on the web other than that. What a great way to keep people away, ministry of tourism. They have however done a good job keeping people wildly enthused by the myth that the Sultan is the richest man in the world and that everyone here is filthy rich. Well, it’s all relatively true but not exactly.

Where I live, on the quiet Western side of the microscopic country in the District of Belait, you can spend frankly a year here like I did and never hear anything about Obama, the Middle East, or MTV. Completely removed. Suspended in motion. One hundred percent peace and the closest ever conservative social utopia. Politically, geographically, religiously, militarily, socially, and economically amputated from the rest of the world. For all intensive purposes, Brunei is like a small neighborhood within greater Malaysia on the Borneo Island, which is the third largest island in the world.

Brunei is rich, yes, but that’s purely relative to its economic scale and its local GDP. Brunei has a population of a handful 380,000 and the wealth can be spread thickly across this small nation. The infrastructure is simple and easier to manage and the people enjoy luxuries that neighboring countries like Malaysia and Philippines do not, such as maids and grants from the government. Can you believe, once a married couple spend eight years together they are given a house by the Sultan? I asked and the equivalent is about a 3 bedroom house worth roughly $150,000USD. Not bad, American economy.

Altogether the cost of living is a small hike more expensive than Malaysia and the cost of groceries and clothes takes the biggest bites. Singapore is still a lot more pristine and expensive. This economic gap in a small area combined with an expat community creates an economic bubble very strong for price-fixing/gouging where renting a house can easily cost you near $2,000 a month. Ouch! That’s what you get for not getting married and bringing your 3 kids here.

And that’s your secret to happiness here because this safe and green-laden rainforest land is made for families, or so I hear. Ok, let’s talk about the social elements of life here. It seems there is zero western influence here so no bars, no clubs, no chain fast food stores, and no malls save a few multi-story bazaar shops. You open a travel guidebook and it suggests you check out the wet market. So now you get my point. Really not much to do except visit the world-acclaimed 7-star resort in Bandar (The Empire) or trek the jungles and rainforests with consist of 75% of the country’s real estate.

I live on the beach of the South China Sea. It’s beautiful for sunsets but nothing more as its trodden with Jellyfish, crabs, sand-flies, oil tankers, and it altogether possesses some eerie qualities not too appealing to swim in. But hey it’s a beach and just sitting at the peace watching the sky do amazing colors at sunset and hearing the crashing waves still does it for me. Now for me working here I have come to enjoy the expat lifestyle going to the social/recreation club and taking up sports I never tried more than casually before, including soccer and boxing.

For entrepreneurs, the virgin economy is ripe for business venture in even simple service markets. And you can make a killing here if you set up shop.

Brunei is not a good place to visit for tourists at all. Don’t come by choice. But living here can be quite pleasing if you have a position here at an oil company. Actually, the lack of social structure here can be very peaceful for certain personality types and can harness some great creativity for maybe an author writing a book, a freedom seeker looking for asylum, or a thief looking for sanctuary where people wouldn’t bother looking for you or envy you for anything at all. Though infinitely boring, in Brunei I have found true peace and a people void of misconduct and bad intentions. Much like Oman, Brunei is in a world of its own.

I like the direction my life is going, for the most part. I am in charge of my life. I owe it to God for my success. I am full of ambitions. I am lavishly blessed. I am a bashful individual. I am proud of what I have. I am confident that only with the help of God will I prevail. I am devoted to helping my community rise.

I possess a high tolerance for pain. I watch more than I talk. I am introspective. I am in touch with my feelings. I am a good listener. I sometimes have a hard time understanding people. I enjoy learning. I enjoy applying what I learn more. I admire smart people. I like to read biographies of successful people. I love my mom – she is the perfect woman. I love my brother and he is my role model.

I am full of contradictions. I strive to thoroughly understand myself and the world around me. I am a pragmatist and a dreamer. I am an artist and an engineer. I am passionate and I am passive. I am talkative and I am quiet. I am simple and I am complex. I end up enjoying advanced things yet I always admire people who live a simple life. I believe I can live with few things.

I am wasteful. I am self-serving. I consider myself generous. I have a hard time making decisions. I like to take my time. I like to listen to my voice mails before sending them. I like to perfect my sales pitch. I like to learn and share knowledge. I sometimes have a hard time working in a team. I work better as an individual sometimes.

I love my hobbies. I have great friends. I am a proud Muslim. I am a proud Syrian. I love my culture and my country. I am also an American. I want to make a deep impact on Earth. I believe in the power of one. I believe it takes one person to make a difference in this world. I pray that God helps me and protects my family. I pray for forgiveness and guidance. Allahu akbar.

Her name is Noura…but of course! (What else would her name be?) She is a vibrant character and a very good listener. She’s a very simple girl. Almost anything I say now could be too judgmental so I am just going to ask you to make duaa for me. She seems like a wonderful person. I like her smile, her mom, and especially her Dad. He’s quite an accomplished man. Her family is quite put together and her siblings are young and fun, yet respectful. I’m really happy. I ask that Allah guides me and helps me carry forward. Ameen.