I was at Kaula Belait to conduct a workshop.  Kuala Belait, an Oil and Gas Industrial Area, is the second largest town іn Brunei, after Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital. I stayed at Swiss Apartment Hotel, in the midst of Kual Beliat Town.

The hotel is situated at Jalan Pretty, along a long stretch of shops, facing another stretch of shops. It takes about 20 minutes to walk past both sides of the shops if you are not buying anything.

I have not been in such a small town before, and so I experience quite a different feeling, when standing in the middle of the street, I was able to view entire stretch of shops.

There are zebra crossings that extend from one side of the street to the other side. The considerate drivers stopped at the Zebra crossings and casually waited for pedestrians to walk by. It was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Singapore’s streets.

Most of the shops close at about 8pm, with only cafés having extended longer hours. As usual, I sat in one of the Cafés watching people. Only a few tables were filled with people.  I saw a few non-locals reading newspapers and magazines while dining. A few locals were dining and chatting away. What struck me was the fact that nobody was holding or checking their Smartphone, in stark contrast to Singapore’s dinner scene. People were sitting down next to each other, interacting and connecting, which really added that extra personal touch to their relationship.

So that was the beauty of the town!  No cars were horning, there weren’t any noisy bikes driving down the streets, and not a single hint of pollution. It is a very clean and quite town, tucked away in a peaceful and tranquil corner of the world. What I gleaned from my time here was an important lesson in personal interaction.

Let us begin a year focusing on building better relationship with personal interaction.

Cecilia Sim

Strategy Training Partner, Facilitator and Consultant