Team captain of Vanguards, from Universiti Teknologi Brunei receiving rugby kit from Fergus Lim, the Managing Director of Spectre. The hand over ceremony took place at Fitness Zone.

The men’s and ladies Vanguards

A local rugby team, Vanguards, from Universiti Teknologi Brunei, had a major boost as they secured two big sponsorship from Fitness Zone and Spectre Development. The former will provide access to the Vanguards players to use the facilities as Fitness Zone in preparation for the upcoming touch rugby tournaments while the latter, Spectre, have sponsored the team rugby kits as well as registration fees for the tournament.

For your info, Spectre is a land development company that specialises in developing residential properties in Brunei Darussalam. It’s still a very new company as mentioned by Fergus Lim, the Managing Director of Spectre. The company focuses on providing quality houses within their budgets. The reason why Spectre offered the sponsorship is because it’s one of Spectre’s missions to encourage the youth of the nation to lead a healthier lifestyle.

For more updates, you can follow them on their instagram @utbvanguards.rfc @fitnesszonebrunei @spectre_development

Representing the men’s Vanguards team

Representing the ladies’ Vanguards team

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD handed out certificate to Nuriskandar Hassan

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Ajeerah Firdausul Bulqiah

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)’s 30th Convocation Ceremony saw 1,543 graduates from the sixth batch of its distinctive GenNext programme celebrating their success at the Chancellor Hall of the university last Wednesday.

Gracing the event was His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD.

Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Pro-Chancellor of UBD.

His Majesty was greeted by Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman and Vice-Chancellor of UBD Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz upon arrival.

The ceremony commenced with the recitation of Al-Quran verses, followed by welcoming remarks by the vice-chancellor who highlighted several development initiatives implemented by the university since the previous convocation.

“Focussing on lifelong learning, UBD has expanded flexible programmes to enable the students to further enhance their knowledge and skills without leaving their job. The Centre of Lifelong Learning, which was established last year, offers several lifelong learning programmes,” she said.

She informed that almost 1,700 students are studying in the campus of UBD-FPT Global Centre in Da Nang, Vietnam, and thanked for the awarding of 50 scholarships to the ASEAN Community for five years which saw 35 students receive scholarships and complete their English Language programme from the centre.

The vice-chancellor hoped that the graduates will strive to gain knowledge and adapt themselves in ensuring that they will always be competitive and stay relevant.

The 1,543 students who graduated yesterday comprised 37 PhD graduates, 355 Master’s degree holders, 1,136 Bachelor degree graduates and seven Advanced Diploma and eight Diploma recipients.

Also receiving the graduation certificate was Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Ajeerah Firdausul Bulqiah, the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah.

The morning session saw PhD and Bachelor degree holders (Engineering, Arts, Business and Health Science) receiving their certificates while Master’s, Bachelor of Science, Advanced Diploma and Diploma recipients received their graduation certificates in the afternoon session.

Prior to leaving the ceremony, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah toured an exhibition featuring operating businesses and technology and patent-based start-ups UBD entrepreneurs and mingled with the fresh graduates and their parents. Story by Wani Roslan of Borneo Bulletin.

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Hj Hamzah bin Sulaiman, Minister of Education, handing out first class honours to Joanne Yen. She said that she dedicated her time for studies and paying attention in lectures are important. She’s also happy with the lecturers and the facilities. Image taken by James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Ivan Ninan is also one of the first class honours recipients of the Chester University. Image taken by James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Laksamana College of Business (LCB) recently held two graduation ceremonies, one for the University of Chester UK degree students and the other for BTEC Programmes, University Foundation Course and Kensington College of Business (KCB) Programmes Students. A total of 103 graduated from the Chester University courses while over 400 students graduated from the other courses in LCB.

The first graduation ceremony was graced by the Minister of Education, Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Hj Hamzah bin Sulaiman. Also present were Mr. Ian Pirie, Principal Director of KCB/LCB, Awang Hj Suhaimei bin Hj Awang Besar, Director of LCB and Mr. Sivarajah Subramaniam, CEO and Deputy Principal of LCB. The second graduation ceremony was graced by Datin Seri Paduka Dr. Hjh Romaizah bin Hj Mohd Salleh, Deputy Minister of Eduction.

In the Chester University program, 11 students received first-class honours.

Ian Pirie mentioned of a new programme during his welcoming remarks. In September, LCB will open a new culinary school and launching to new degree courses in Hospitality and Tourism. Speaking of culinary, there will be a first Brunei young chef competition. Interesting. These courses are introduced due to the rising demands.

He also mentioned of new Masters and first degree level courses in Computing, Finance and Management in response to the increasing need for computing staff.

He believed the LCB Student Council has played an important role for the institution. They have assisted in the Graduation ceremonies and also LCB 15th year anniversary celebration apart from the sports and social events. He thanked both Zara and Saufi, outgoing President and Vice-President of the Student Council for their contribution.

So LCB has been impressed in building their reputation. Ever since year 2003, they have over 4,000 students who have graduated and completed their courses at LCB. I remember visiting the premises when it only had limited space and now LCB have expanded and upgraded their facilities to cater to the growing demand of students.

LCB is definitely a good college and I have a few friends who are currently studying in Laksamana. There is perhaps room to register for September intake. You can visit their website for more details and also follow their IG @lcb_brunei

Datin Seri Paduka Dr. Hjh Romaizah bin Hj Mohd Salleh, Deputy Minister of Eduction (4th from left) as the guest of honour for the second graduation ceremony

Mr. Ian Pirie, Principal Director of KCB/LCB giving his welcoming remarks

One of the graduates

One of the graduates

Happy graduates of LCB

Over 400 students graduated last Friday

The anticipation is over

The waiting game

Congratulations to all the graduates

Congratulations to @malsdaud who will be continuing her courses in LCB

Parents, families and friends witnessed the graduation ceremony

Feeling relieved after receiving the certs

Click image to apply or register

Another milestone as LCB celebrated its 15th anniversary last weekend

@malsdaud dressed in all white for the special celebration

Ramona J. Smith from District 56 (Texas, USA) on finishing first place in the World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 87th Annual Toastmasters International Convention

The top three speakers in the World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 87th Annual Toastmasters International Convention

Congratulations to Ramona J. Smith from District 56 (Texas, USA) on finishing first place in the World Championship of Public Speaking® at the 87th Annual Toastmasters International Convention, held in Chicago, US recently.

Sherrie Su, District 88, and Anita Fain Taylor, District 47, finished in second and third place respectively in the World Championship of Public Speaking®. Congratulations to the top three speakers!

This is an annual event where Toastmasters International Convention culminates in the final round of the International Speech Contest, where the World Champion of Public Speaking ® is chosen. In this exciting event, 10 contestants from all over the world deliver 5 to 7 -minute speeches that are evaluated by a panel of experienced Toastmasters. After a year of competing in club, area, district and semifinal competitions, these contestants have advanced for the chance to win this prestigious accolade.

It’s like winning a World Cup trophy and once you become a winner, everything changes depending on how you plan yourself. Some champions become guest speakers in toastmasters’ conferences and other conferences outside toastmasters context.

I had the privilege to invite two World Champion of Public Speaking ® Dananjaya Hettiarachchi (2014) from Sri Lanka and Darren Tay (2016) from Singapore to Brunei back in 2016 for the Brunei Toastmasters Convention. Also that came to Brunei was the Past International President of Toastmasters International (2014-2015) Mohammad Murad who has such a lovely personality from Dubai.

Back in 2014, I had the honour to witness the Annual Toastmasters International Convention in Kuala Lumpur, the first time it was held outside America. It was my first ever toastmasters conference and I was just a new member then. Around 18 toastmasters from Brunei flew to Kuala Lumpur to support the convention as well as one of our club member who made it to the semi-finals of International Speech Contest, Chris Woo. He won the semi-finals and made it to the finals where he was up against the then champion, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi.

World Champion of Public Speaking ® 2014 Dananjaya Hettiarachchi was in Brunei Darussalam back in October 2016. He called Aziman Nasir, the current President of Brunei Speaker’s Club, to the stage during his educational session.

One of our Brunei Speakers’ Club member, Jidun Dollah, has been a toastmasters for over two years. He has accomplished himself being the first Pidato speaker and now a featured comic on Bruhaha Comedy show, entertaining hundreds in the audience. Toastmasters have definitely made him a better speaker.

Clovis Lai, the co-founder of Brunei Speakers’ Club (founded in 2001), Farhan Jafar Ali, past President of the Brunei Gavel Club and Stuart Lee, former President of Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers Club. Stuart was also a Humourous Speech champion and mentored many speech champions.

The time when Toastmasters International turned 90 years and we celebrated it back in 2014

Allen Ang (centre) is one of the leaders for toastmasters in Brunei Darussalam. During the Brunei Conference 2016, he won the Humourous Contest. He has been an active member for The Brunei Advanced Speakers Club and currently holds the position as Club Growth Director for Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia for the term 2018-2019.

World Champion of Public Speaking ® 2016 Darren Tay was in Brunei Darussalam and it all began when I FB msg-ed him hours after he was crowned the champion. The rest was history.

Chris Woo made us proud for Brunei Toastmasters where he became the only toastmasters from Brunei to be featured in the finals of World Champion of Public Speaking in Kuala Lumpur in 2014. His semi-final speech “Listen” still lingers in my memory. Such a powerful speech!!!

The time I joined the Toastmasters International Convention when I signed up as a member after a few weeks

It has been a while since I talked about toastmasters on my blog. People always think that toastmasters is just about public speaking. I would say that it’s only 50-60% of the component of toastmasters. Everything else is about leadership and building a support system for members to grow as an individual.

It’s always nice to hear incoming guests sharing their positive feedbacks on what they have learnt during our weekly toastmasters meetings. It’s also nice to see recurring guests which show their interest in wanting to improve their communication and leadership skills and not many associations provide these soft skills on a weekly basis like toastmasters do.

Being a toastmasters for four years have shaped me to be a better speaker and articulating the right message especially when you are giving feedback to another person. This is a huge lesson for me, giving authentic feedback and not offending the receiver even if I think my message conveyed is considered polite. Toastmasters allow me to redefine the tone of my message to a more receptive manner and this will help to bring a more supportive relationship among members and guests.

My biggest milestone was being the organizing chairperson for the Brunei Conference back in October 2016. It was rewarding but never short of challenges. The conference itself was a huge success. On a side note, it also tested my leadership skills and even friendship matters were also being challenged.

To be honest, I wasn’t keen in leading a team. I had my shares of bad experiences when I was a President of Western Michigan University Twinning Program Council back in Sunway College and I ended up creating more enemies than friends. It took me many years to once again revisit the fear that I’ve kept under the rug – to lead a team. This time, I would say I handled it much better than my college stint. A few bumps here and there but after two years, my friendship with my committee is still intact and never compromised.

I really thanked toastmasters that opened up my self belief and also to the friends who have been an awesome support system for me.

As I gained more confidence, I courageously took up executive roles as the Vice-President of Membership and Vice-President of Education, the following term, to further learn the ropes of being a leader. Being a procrastinator, I was able to shift that habit and learn to be more discipline and most of all, to plan and execute. I won’t say that I am totally out of the procrastinating habit but I have become more aware and able to make wise decisions and take actions swiftly.

I have been a toastmasters member for the Brunei Speakers’ Club since August 2014 and it is the best decision and the best investment I have made this decade. Now my goal one day is to be an educator (giving entrepreneur talks and maybe, being an emcee for an event).

So if you are keen to be part of toastmasters, you can drop me a line 8677773 or 8387773 or you can Direct Message us on instagram @bruneispeakersclub or visit our official website or simply attend our weekly meetings, every Tuesday 7:30pm at Seameo Voctech.

One reason why I reconnected and rejoined toastmasters. Thank you, Seng Yee, for believing how I can really grow as an individual.

A mentor who believed in me and supported me unconditionally. He pushed me to newer boundaries and I am glad I am more courageous than before. I miss you, brother, and you’re always in my prayers.

Toastmasters is not about communicating and leading. It’s also about bonding among members and friends and we do outside activities as well.

One of our guests, Zaki Mohiddin, who appreciates the toastmasters session

A workshop which is priceless and do sign up. Allen Ang always gives a good presentation/workshop 😀

Kumon Diligent celebrated its 3rd Advanced Student Award Ceremony held yesterday

Caley Lim, Chief Instructor at Kumon Diligent, delivering her welcoming remarks

Kumon Diligent welcomed over 300 parents and students at its 3rd Advanced Student Award Ceremony held on Sunday August 26, 2018 at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel & Country Club. Students working on material up to five years above their current school grade level were presented with medals and trophies by Mr Hiroshi Abe, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the Embassy of Japan to Brunei Darussalam and Awang Sofian Erwan bin Mohammad, Acting Head, Private Education Unit, Ministry of Education.

As Brunei’s first and largest Kumon Centre, Kumon Diligent has worked with more than 350 students since 2015. “We have seen the Kumon Method transform children into more confident, motivated and independent learners. A number of our students are also on track to finish the Kumon programme and become Brunei’s first Kumon Completers! Students have to persevere through and conquer innumerable challenges during the programme. This becomes particularly apparent as they tackle material above school grade level that they have never learnt; for example, a Year 1 student solving simultaneous equations. By this stage, we believe we’ve equipped them with life and learning skills that are applicable outside of school and for perpetuity,” shared Caley Lim, Chief Instructor at Kumon Diligent.

Having reached its 60th anniversary in 2018, Kumon is the world’s leading after-school enrichment programme for students from pre-school through university. Kumon enables students to actively develop their self-learning skills rather than passively receive instructions from Instructors. Kumon students study independently at a level that is appropriate to their ability. By progressing in small steps, they gain the confidence and knowledge to solve challenging problems. This individualised self-learning method has effectively improved the study skills of millions of students worldwide, maximised their potential and nurtured them to be the best they can be. As of August 2018, over 4.3 million students have been benefitting from Kumon study in 50 countries and regions across the globe.

Kumon Diligent is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and is located at Unit 31, Ground Floor, BT Complex, Kg Jaya Setia, Bandar Seri Begawan BB2713, Brunei Darussalam. Kumon Diligent can be contacted on 719 3231, by email at kumondiligent@outlook.com or through its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @kumondiligent

Guests and parents during the ceremony

The team and facilitators from Kumon Diligent

Cheong Kok Liang and Michelle Charlene Basir conquered Stok Kangri which is 6,153m above sea level

Bruneian mountaineering couple Cheong Kok Liang and Michelle Charlene Basir summits Stok Kangri. Standing at 6,153m above sea level, Stok Kangri is the highest mountain in the Stok Range of the Himalayas. The mountain is situated in the Ladakh region of north-west India.

Their 8 day self-funded expedition began in Leh, a high-desert city in the Himalayas, in India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. The duo summited at 05:41hrs (UTC+5:30) on 21st August 2018.

This is the couple’s 4th and the highest mountain summited together so far. Together, they have previously summited Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m) in 2012, Mt Kinabalu (4095m) in 2015 and Mt Rinjani (3726m) in 2017. You can follow their IG @life.on.the.verge on their adventure.

Five teams from schools with BIBD

Five teams from five different schools selected for the final round of the 6th BigStart competition for secondary schools and colleges yesterday each received BND200 capital to run their business for eight weeks from August 18 until October 22.

The five teams are; Mahad Islam Brunei, Masin Secondary School, Chung Hua Middle School Kuala Belait, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Secondary School and Seri Mulia Sarjana School.

Guest of honour, Head of Government Relations Section and Special Projects at the Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Haji Mohammad Yusri bin Haji Wahsalfelah presented the cash to the teams.

The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah followed by a remark from Acting Director of Co-Curriculum Education Mohamed Jais bin Haji Abdul Rahman.

This year’s theme ‘Innovation – Ideas For Progress’, he said, forces the young entrepreneurs to be more creative and progressive by thinking outside the box.

“Innovation means challenging conventional ways of how things have been done before and bringing new ideas.

“Some of the criteria of being innovative are by fulfilling unmeet consumer needs, offering new ways to accomplish goals, make lives or tasks better, more exciting or more productive. Hence, innovation is one of the key to any successful business,” he added.

Through this opportunity, Mohamed Jais hoped that the students will be able to experience “the taste of running a real business” and after the competition, they will still sustain their passion in entrepreneurship and will choose it as their career path.

The event ended with a group photo session and a recitation of Doa Selamat.

The BigStart competition is one of the entrepreneurial project held annually in accordance to SPN21 to expose the students in the field of entrepreneurship.

The objectives of the project are to enhance creativity within the participating students in planning their projects and to strengthen their innovation skills and their risk taking in achieving their goals. Images courtesy of BIBD and story by Syazwani Hj Rosli of Borneo Bulletin.

The Audi Q5 won the compact SUV category in the Vehicle Dependability Study, the largest German car driver survey

The annual customer satisfaction studies from international market research institute J.D. Power, which have also been conducted in Germany since 2002, are well respected in the automotive sector. 

The Audi Q5 won the compact SUV category in the Vehicle Dependability Study, the largest German car driver survey.

The team from J. D. Power assessed 66 model lines altogether. Around 15,000 people who have been driving their automobile for around two years were interviewed online on their experiences in the three categories of quality/reliability, attractiveness, and running costs. 

All the ratings were weighted and incorporated into a ranking which singled out the brand with the lowest frequency of problems as the winner. The prize-giving ceremony was held in Cologne in mid-July.

The All-new powerful Samsung Galaxy Note 9 now available at Incomm

Noorlelawati Haji Talip is the first customer who bought from Incomm. She also received extra goodies from Incomm for being the first customer.

Today saw the launch of the all-new powerful Samsung Galaxy Note 9. The launch took place at Incomm at Gadong outlet and enthusiasts made their way to the counter to collect their pre-orders online. The advantage for the pre-order customers is that they are able to enjoy a free upgrade to 512GB internal memory and an extended 3 months warranty (a total of 15 months warranty).

Among the pre-order customers were the Standard Chartered customers who enjoyed extra privilege where they were given BND 120 off the deal. Almost 100 SCB customers signed up for the deal and one of my friends said that it’s definitely the best deal in town and cheaper than regional countries.

Kudos to Incomm for the exciting pre-order promotion they had as they managed to secure more than 100 pre-orders.

Customers checking out the demo unit while waiting for the queue at Incomm

Minul sold his iPhone X 256 for BND 1,300 and he used his SCB card to get the awesome pre-order deal from Incomm

The second customer of the Galaxy Samsung Note 9

The queue earlier on today

Customers over the counter

Accessories for the Note 9

Accessories for the Note 9

So what’s the big fuss about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9? Let’s see what the specs are according to the website and marketing materials. It definitely has the biggest screen to date and what’s new is the stylus which now has a remote capability. As for capacity, it has the largest to date as well if you choose the 512GB edition. The standard one is 128GB. It has the biggest battery life too, 700mAh better than the previous model, beefing it up to 4,000mAh. That’s quite handy for a person like me, a high user of social media which technically drains the battery on my phone.

These are just some of the quick takeaways I can mention for now until I get to play around with the demo unit which will be arriving pretty soon in Brunei waters. Gone are the days when the Note 7 caught into trouble but now with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, it has redeemed itself and ready to give a good challenge to the iPhone X which has been a huge success worldwide.

According to the reviews on certain websites, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is definitely the benchmark of all smartphones because of its battery life span and also its super high memory ram of 6 to 8G (amazing). The only thing now is for those with the Note 8 if they were to upgrade to a Note 9, would it make a huge difference? I do believe those who haven’t own a Note would definitely appreciate this powerful phablet.