Back in Brunei

 Assalamualaikum (Peace be upon you),

I've been back in Brunei for a few months now. It's great to be back, if at all to be near family and friends, as well as the peace and tranquility of Brunei. In short, it's home. If you've followed me for some time, I'd also like to share I am edging towards the end of my PhD journey, with the finale being the congregation this coming winter. Alhamdulillah. 

I've had people congratulating and calling me 'Dr' and all that stuff, but I'm not sure what accomplishments I've done. Yes, in the university, there's a certain 85,000+ word document embedded in the e-theses network, but what does it mean? So what? I do acknowledge it's a contribution of sorts, and I've learnt some research bits, as a research apprentice. The logical conclusion is naturally to use those bits to contribute to research in my field.

So here's where I'm at, at the moment; amidst the conversations about doing post-docs, undertaking administrative roles and doing collaborative research, I'm tentatively interested in pursuing a pilot project based on my thesis, which generally translates to 'Can financial planning work for the poor?'.

I'm working on writing a proposal for the pilot project, to share with interested stakeholders including research collaborators and funders perhaps, but I feel that it would take time as it's a solo effort at the moment and I'm still trying to ascertain the optimal way to get the proposal in its best shape and form. And in trying to expedite the process, I'm also locating or attempting to locate and reach out to clusters dealing with poverty and finance in Brunei, hoping to learn more along the process. What frustrates me is that this proposal bit is slow-going but better to get it done right than face key issues in the pilot implementation stage, I feel.

I'm also toying over the idea of setting up an online presence of sorts, a proper website, for all things poverty and finance related aspects, especially related to Brunei. I think it would expedite locating all the researchers, students and other interested individuals, current and future ones, in a centralized online platform. But I'm not sure yet if it adds value, or that I have time.

Anyway, these are my thoughts since I've been back. Take care all.

Peace,

Umar