Hey peeps.. by now, you would know that I'm in Singapore right now and spending my weekend here with the family and also catching superstar Russell Peters this Monday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Apparently there are a lot of Bruneians showing up here as well to catch the gig.. Awesome!!

I won't be posting much stuff but I will do my best to post from time to time. Have a great weekend and enjoy Earth Hour tonight.

I want this Brunei passport.. I was "sakai-ed" when I saw my friend holding this.. Normally I see the Brunei red passport. Anyway, the system of the biometric system is faulty at the immigration so even with this passport, you still need to do it the old conventional way

The only problem when I enter the BI flight that late, I will miss on the newspaper on the tray. So sometimes I will look over my neighbor in front of me for the headliners *hoho*

Royal Plaza on Scotts is under going some facelift.. Well, not the room area but some parts of the dining area

Yay!! I spent some quality time with my lil sister Ejah and she had some of my bubble tea drink from Gong Cha..

Ohh by the way, happy 39th Birthday to Royal Plaza on Scotts. Congratulations on the milestone

After only three hours in Singapore, the family headed for Johor and did our usual shopping. And now my mom is pretty active on instagram where I managed to learn more updates on my family on her instagram *lol*

Now back in Brunei, it's pretty busy.. We have the RTB Carnival, Japan Festival and this photo was taken at Airport Mall for the ongoing FIFA challenge as part of the KFC event. Thanks Devon for the pic.

I so want to catch this movie…

Tan of Megafoto at Far East Plaza posing and do you notice that the shop had a minor facelift?

Apparently he sells the nano sim cutter for less than BND 30 but it's out of stock

Ideal for iPhone 5 users but not for my soft hands :(

Let's do this Brunei :D

RB showing their support for Earth Hour tonight

Thank you, Rainforest Gallery

I jogged this morning and I passed this :D

Guess what? I had this morning - Sausage McMuffin with Egg… and by Monday 25th, Brunei McDonald's will be serving this.. Woohoo!! Finally!!!

Royal Plaza also showing support for Earth Hour

Meanwhile in Brunei, the Earth Hour official event will take place on the Budiman Walk. By the way, the official t-shirts are for sale at BND 15

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RB flies twice to KL


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 Oil & Gas Career Roadshow



Career day for next week

 

The charity fundraiser event is being approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs and it will be happening next Sunday 31st March 2013 and it will be held at Fun Bee Park, Batu Surat. There will be activities and games to be carried out during the one day event which begins from 10am to 5pm.

The organisers are also looking for volunteers who can help out during the course of the event. The booth spot are also available and it's free with a $50 refundable deposit. Those who are selling items, 80% of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

For more details, call 245 7729 or text 717 8232. Let's give something back to the community. Your contribution will make a difference.

 

Norainah binti Ghani (center) the winner of the Toyota 86 with her family and Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD

It was the perfect all-family affair for Norainah binti Ghani, as she became a proud owner of a brand new Toyota 86, the grand prize of the 3rd Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Blessing Rewards lucky draw at the Airport Mall last Friday.

There was no shortage of excitement and anticipation as 10 selected finalists were shortlisted for a unique opportunity to win the perfectly engineered sports car with the iPhone 5 a guaranteed prize for four consolation winners.

After the 10 selected finalists were announced and introduced to the public, each customer was invited to pick out a piece of paper from an enclosed black envelope.

The finalist who picked out the right envelope with a picture of the grand draw prize advances to the next round while the journey for four finalists ends.

Mohamad Syah Nizam bin A Hidup, Haji Soffery bin Haji MT Akut, Abdul Hadi bin Metarshad and Saaherefah binti Matassim each walked away with a brand new iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 was the consolation prize for the seventh to tenth place winners, indicating the level of quality and attractiveness of the prizes in the draw.

The mini adventure continued for the six remaining finalists in the penultimate round and an opportunity to drive home a Toyota 86, one of the popular car models in the Sultanate in recent times. Each participant, in numerical order, then cut off a rolling banner which decided their fate with two spots up for grabs in the final round of the lucky draw.

Hj Muhd Amalul Arifin bin Hj Sulaiman won a Samsung package consisting of a Samsung NX11 kit in sixth place. Rosli bin Hj Masri won an Apple package comprising top range of products in fifth while Norlela binti Mohammad Alli will enjoy countless trips via Air Asia after accumulating 1,000,000 Air Asia BIG points. Third place winner, Norzainah binti Hj Moksin, won a Samsung household electronics package.

Tonney bin Muslim got off to a rolling start after his banner displayed the orange-coloured Toyota 86 with Norainah who completed the final two spots to begin what was a dramatic showdown.

The two remaining participants then had to try to start the car by choosing the right key and sound the horn to confirm that the car’s engine is switched on. Tonney went first but the car engine did not ignite so the opportunity fell to Norainah.

As the whole crowd waited in anticipation, Norainah attempted to switch on the engine but, like Tonney’s first attempt did not start the engine leaving Tonney to have another chance to select the right key.

However, his attempt to win in his second chance was not fruitful and with three sets of keys left, the margin between winning and losing was too close to call.

The excitement boiled down to the final two keys with both finalists getting a 50/50 chance. It was Tonney’s final chance but he missed out on the grand draw leaving, by default, the right key to a joyous Norainah, who shared her moment of triumph with her jubilant family members. It was still a perfect getaway prize for Tonney in the end, who won a travel package to either perform Umrah or tickets to Melbourne for two.

Norainah told the Bulletin that it was the first time she had won such a luxurious prize in this magnitude.

Tonney bin Muslim won a travel package to either Umrah or tickets to Melbourne for two

Norzainah binti Hj Moksin won a Samsung household electronics package

Norlela binti Mohammad Alli won 1,000,000 Air Asia BIG points

Rosli bin Hj Masri won an Apple package comprising top range of products

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of BIBD, Javed Ahmad, in a speech said that the BIBD Blessings Rewards is a highly prestigious promotional campaign in its third year.

“We are very pleased for the winners of the current Blessings Rewards promotion, which is perhaps the biggest promotion in the banking industry in Brunei with the number of quality of prizes that are unprecedented by any other bank. We have given away attractive prizes and packages to our customers. Insya Allah (God willing) we will continue to improve the BIBD Blessings Rewards going forward,” he said.

“It really is an occasion as a way for us to show our ‘thank you’ for their support and trust in us. We will continue to look after their needs and continue to improve the service,” he added.

The BIBD Blessings Rewards campaign ran for four months from early November last year to the end of February 2013.

BIBD customers who sign up for any of BIBD’s eligible financing or deposit products covered during the promotion are eligible to enter. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

It was a tense finale between Norhainah and Tonney

The top 6 finalists

The top 10 finalists before they were shortlisted by a draw

There was so much anticipation from the audience

 

DISCOVER the authentic taste of Malacca cuisine at I-Lotus Restaurant. The “Taste of Nyonya” lunch theme buffet will be ongoing until April 15 where diners can enjoy an array of Nyonya’s all seasoned and flavourful delicacies.

Popular dishes such as the Nyonya Rendang Chicken, Pineapple Prawn with Coconut, Nyonya Five Spice Meat Roll, Nyonya Turmeric Squid and others will be available at the I-Lotus Restaurant from 11am to 2pm (lunch time only)

There will also be a noodle counter for those who would like to taste the spices of I-Lotus’s very own curry noodles as well as an array of appetisers with various selections.

Patrons can also indulge in the hearty meal of its Nyonya temptations with the addition of the sweet taste desserts to end the meal with a choice of Kueh Kosui, Kueh Puteri Sarlat, Pulot Inti, Onde-Onde and Kueh Genggang, amongst others, served in a buffet-themed counter.

The “Taste of Nyonya” promotion is priced at $16.80 per adult and $11 per child. VIP members will enjoy 10 per cent discount. Check out their Facebook page at I Lotus Restaurant.

Try out their Nyonya Lunch Buffet at i Lotus restaurant

This for me is the best dish - Nyonya Chicken Rendang

This is also a nice dish - Sambal Belacan Pakis

The noodle stall

.... and they are serving curry laksa

Some of the menu dishes at the Nyonya Buffet line

You should try the Nyonya Popiah

For desserts, I recommend you this

Promotion ends 15th of April

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RB flies twice to KL

 

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Career day for next week

 

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It's happening soon.. Brunei has been actively a big support of Earth Hour. I won't be in Brunei again for the 3rd time *lol* Last year I was in Melbourne and surprisingly the city didn't practice too much of Earth Hour. I know the team in Brunei did a tremendous job every year and the awareness was just growing year by year and even gets support from the relevant government agencies.

Yesterday a press conference was held (why no call me? :p) at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf hosted by the Earth Hour representatives to official announced that Brunei will be joining Earth Hour which will take place this Saturday 23rd March. The main event will take place at National Stadium along the Awang Budiman Walk unitl the grand staircase (nice) form 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

The organisers have created an interesting gimmick with the theme "I will if you will" challenge. One of the participants is Microsoft and Kodu Developer Brunei where they are collaborating with schools. They will be creating environmental related games.

Secondly Kristal FM DJs have been doing their own pledges on instagram.. And all you do is like their photo on @Kristalfm and should it reach a milestone of 1,000 likes, then the respective DJs will do something out of their comfort zone. Do check out their instagram for the pledges.

The third challenge will be from Zumba @ Fitness where they will give zumba session for free with a Zumba teaser which will be previewed on the following day. The other challenge also involved the Heart of Borneo where the representatives will be going to Melilas, part of the Heart of Borneo, to document some of the plants and animals.

If you want to know more about Earth Hour Brunei, do click here.

Earth Hour Brunei is supported by Energy Department at the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Department of Electrical Services, STEP, Heart of Borneo, Forestry Department, Orchid Garden Hotel, Bruneitweet, Asia Inc Forum, JASRA, Rimba II Secondary Schoo, Kodu Developer Brunei, Google Developer Brunei, HSBC, Green Brunei, Kristal FM, Pelangi FM, Borneo Bulletin, Brunei Times, Media Permata, AnakBrunei, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Armtrix Enterprise, the Ship of Southeast Asia Youth Programme (SSYEAP BPY 38th) in collaboration with FuhReakZ for Zumba Fitness, ITB, UBD, Brunei Polytechnic, Maktab Duli and Intelligent Power Management Plus (India).

Press conference held at The Coffee Bean. Image courtesy of facebook.com/earthhourbrunei

Press conference held at The Coffee Bean. Image courtesy of facebook.com/earthhourbrunei

Jenny's pledge

Daffy's pledge

Idham's pledge

 

Career day for next week

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The article that caught me by surprise this morning

This is something that I don't really understand. It's a simple sport. A national sport - football. Yes, there can be politics in most organisations but sometimes it has its limits. I don't know what's the fuss with the Brunei national team. In today's The Brunei Times, it was reported that Brunei has pulled out of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in the Philippines from March 22-26. The reasons were not stated as it just had the reasons due to the "unavoidable circumstances".

We should be grateful that our football body or association has been reinstated by FIFA after the former association (BAFA) was being suspended and furthermore, BAFA was de-registered by the Registrar of Society. Now people has been asking what's next after HBT 2012 where Brunei U-21 team unexpectedly defied the odds and lift the trophy. They have been comments and also on opinion page in the papers where the public wanted to know the vision and plans for the Brunei team. Reporters find it difficult to communicate with the right parties when it comes to the Brunei team. Local clubs and of course, DPMM FC, was a much easier task to gather information and people are able to be updated on the local football scene. However, when it comes to Brunei international team, it's hardly being reported or shared.

Today was a sad moment to know that Brunei won't be participating in the tournament. They could have improved their ranks by participating at least. They were supposed to take on Philippines, then Turkmenistan and Cambodia. The AFC Challenge is the counter-part of the Asian Cup and it is a biennial event for emerging footballing countries in Asia. Now ain't that a good way to revive back our national sport in the international scene? This will make our country look bad and even complacent. I can tell you that the players are hungry to play for their country but I guess it was not meant to be.

What boggles my mind is the involvement of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports. I'm kinda wondering if the Brunei national team affairs is solely handled by National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam or is the Ministry also have some decision making powers in handling the national team. Why I bring this up is because of the article that was written today in The Brunei Times. The statement was issued by the Ministry and not NFABD. I'm quite confused as a supporter. Will this again bring the situation back to square one? I hope not. Maybe the agencies might feel like I'm talking rubbish here but the truth is there is no transparency and no one wants to be accountable when it comes to interviews (based on the reporters who are trying their best to get information). There was even an article written in goal.com where players feel the frustration of the situation and there have been loads of comments on the DPMM FC facebook group as they vented their frustration on Brunei's absense. 

The public needs to know what's going on with our national sport and what is the progress so far. Our football scene is so dominated with DPMM FC and the DST Super League (which is just over). This is the time for the football association to take charge and just follow the one great intention of bringing back the passion and pride once again to our hardworking national players and also the pride of our nation. Your thoughts?

His Royal Highness Prince Sufri Bolkiah was the newly elected President of NFABD

NFABD committee with officials from FIFA

Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman (2nd from right) was the former president of NFABD and he stepped down before the 5th Extraordinary Congress

This is what the fans have been missing for a long time.. Our players representing our country, Brunei

Did you know the Simunic is the head coach for Brunei national team?

 RB flies twice to KL


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RTB Carnival: From 22nd to 24th March 2013

Concepts Computer also participating at RTB Carnival

 

The car sticker that created a lot of interest among Bruneians. I belive this is the first of its kind and it has been on the road for quite some time. Click image to read comments

If I were to do one, then a 5 size photo and duck tape might be just sufficient for me *lol*

 

The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) have partnered to organise a ‘30 second Informercial' Competition to mark the World Intellectual Property Day 2013. The World IP Day is a global event celebrated every April 26th by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to commemorate the importance of IP and the role it plays in our everyday life. On this occasion, Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), including Brunei Darussalam, celebrate the World IP Day with activities around the globe to discuss and demonstrate how IP works to contribute to the development of music and the arts and to drive the technological innovation that helps shape our world.

The BEDB's ‘30 second Informercial' Competition will run from March 11 to April 15, 2013. The Competition is hoped to increase awareness on the protection of Intellectual Property (IP) whilst encouraging innovation and creativity. The Competition is open to residents of Brunei Darussalam and is divided into two categories, the ‘Open Category' and ‘Students Category'. Contestants wishing to enter the competition will have to film a ‘30 second Infomercial' on the importance of IP protection based on this year's World IP Day theme: ‘Creativity - the Next Generation' and should submit their video clips and register their full details at the Patent Registry Office (PRO), Block B26, Knowledge Hub, Anggerek Desa (next to the iCentre).

Speaking on the BEDB's hopes for the ‘30 second Informercial' Competition, Shahrinah Yusof Khan, Deputy Registrar and Head of the Patent Registry Office (PRO) at the BEDB reflected on the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Chairman of the BEDB Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Apong's speech at the launching of the BEDB's Creative Arts Facilities (CRAFT) earlier this year where he acknowledged digital multimedia to be part of the creative industry and a potential area for innovative start-ups to generate economic growth in Brunei. In line with the theme for WIPO's Intellectual Property Day this year, Creativity - the Next Generation, she strongly urge students and young entrepreneurs to use their imagination, knowledge and enthusiasm to become part of a new generation of innovators.

A panel of judges comprised of the BEDB, TelBru and the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) will judge the entries on creative thinking and production skills based on the title chosen as well as effectiveness in getting the message and theme across. The winning entries will be announced in a prize presentation ceremony on the World IP Day on April 26th at the iCentre in Anggerek Desa. The Gold entry will win a cash prize of BND$1,000 while Silver and Bronze entries will receive BND$700 and BND$500 respectively. In addition, a consolation prize of $200 will also be awarded for each category. It is anticipated that the winning entry will be published on WIPO's World IP Day Facebook on April 26th and will be used by the BEDB's Patent Registry Office (PRO) in its public awareness initiatives. All shortlisted finalists will also receive a basic training course in the field of Animation sponsored by the Creative Arts Facilities (CRAFT) which will be facilitated by an expert in Autodesk and Side Effects software.

For more information on the competition, please contact the Patent Registry Office (PRO) at telephone numbers 2380965/2380966 or visit their website at www.brunei-patents.com.bn.

 

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RA says hey peeps.. it has been weeks since I posted the Ugly Truth and I'm just lost for words and direction to what should I bring up on my blog. There are simply so many talking points here and mostly it kinda put our country to shame. Perhaps the biggest incident that has been getting people's attention is the local video which captured the confrontation of the youths and an Indian shopkeeper. So what it is, here is my 2 cents of my point of view.

Firstly, I'm kinda appalled by the content of the video and it's kinda sad to see our youths reacting in such behaviour. This really shows how the family upbringing have influenced them. In actual fact, no one has the right to react in that manner and regardless if you are the customer or the salesman or anyone for that matter.

Secondly, I'm against racial discrimination. Yes, sometimes it's a normal that we use "kaling" in our daily conversations without being aware that it is actually a discrimination and racial one. This is the point that I want to raise. People seem to use it like it's a normal thing to say. That word is ban word in my vocab and I do hope parents and friends also stop using such word to describe an individual.

Thirdly, the Indian shopkeeper is in a tricky situation where he ended up not pressing charges against the youths. Normally in a case like this, foreigners might think twice to take action. The same case when the Filipino guy was beaten up by local lads a few weeks ago too and he didn't want to press charges. If the victim is a local, it would have been a different story. I would understand why foreigners find it difficult to find to take such actions for their own protection.

Fourthly, despite the fact that no charges were taken from the victim, the Attorney General's Chambers are looking into this matter and possible action will be taken. Prior to this, the Royal Brunei Police Force have already brought this matter into investigation and they have identified four male youths aged 25 to 39. The video itself has received more than 75,000 hits in a space of 10 days and that's quite a huge growth for Brunei. It was also one of the videos that has more dislikes than likes too.

Taken in today's Borneo Bulletin

Now the responses have been mixed as of late. There was further development after the video went viral. The locals were starting making memes to poke fun at the youths and even the Indians. Yes, it may seem funny to read it but when you look deeper and when the memes become too overpopulated, this situation may just blown out of proportion.

The t-shirts are being pre-ordered

There is one SME actually cashing in on this popularity of the memes and the famous tagline has been "Keluar Eh Betumbuk" and that has been the talking point among the locals. There are even pre-order t-shirts with an icon with the wordings Keluar Eh Batumbok. Yes, it's catchy but it may also backfire in a sense that we are idolising such incident that represents our youth or even our country. I won't buy this t-shirt for the record.

Taken from Airil Shamril Event Management Facebook page. Click image to read comments posted on my Instagram.

Another situation that caught my attention is one of the event management company who dared to invite the Indian guy as part of a kids carnival event at Tutong. In my opinion, such gesture is already going overboard and why would you want to have a meet-and-greet and secondly why at a kids' event? It was blessing that it didn't happened and the comments on my post were 100% not in favour of the meet-and-greet gimmick. You can check out the comments and replies here.

I do hope the culprits are punished for their misbehaviour and let this be a lesson to all that our society don't tolerate such behaviour. I also do hope that the relevant authorities also look into the matter of the racial language that was used by the youth. It's about time that such word should not be tolerated especially in the football scene where it's commonly used.

Even Dj Daffy had a photo opportunity with the Indian shopkeeper

Ok, I got this off whatsapp and I believe this photo alone is inappropriate hmmmm....

 

Check out the four speakers this Thursday on the seminar: How to create Apps and this seminar is part of UBD Career Forum Series. The invited speakers are Rongen Roble, Project Brand division, ThreeGMedia Sdn Bhd, Andy Lai Boon Ho, Creator of the app "mypaypass", Ak Mohd Khairi, CEO of PHMD Publishing and Khairul Anwar, Marketing Executive of PHMD Publishing and owner of Fanboy Infinite.

This is a good platform for those who wants to learn the steps on what is necessary to make a mobile app. This is also ideal for future mobile apps developer. I hope I'm able to check this out.. It will take place at The Core Theatre Hall, UBD on Thursday 21st March at 2pm.

 

They are getting ready for Thursday's launch

If you can't make your way to Japan, the next best thing is a visit to the Japan Festival.

Organised by Times Square Shopping Centre, the festival will be held at the atrium of the shopping centre from Wednesday, March 21 to Sunday, March 24 from 10am to 9pm.

The Japan Festival will showcase traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, technology and lifestyle, which include Wadaiko (Japanese drums) performances, martial arts demonstrations (Kempo, Kendo, Aikido, Karate), cooking demonstrations, Origami (the art of paper folding) and Furoshiki (the art of cloth wrapping) demonstrations, Japanese toy games, and Cosplay, among others.

Various high-quality Japanese products will also be on sale at the festival. Kitaro Restaurant, Misato Restaurant and Sno Food will showcase healthy Japanese food products; Royce will be selling Japanese chocolate, THA and Multitrons will display Sharp and Sony electronics respectively; and if the festival has whet your appetite for more, Pan Bright Travel Service will be on hand to help you plan a fascinating trip to the country. Tourism information will also be available at the JNTO exhibition booth.

The event is supported by the Embassy of Japan in Brunei, the Japan Foundation, the Japan Tourism Organisation (JNTO) and the Brunei-Japan Friendship Association (BJFA) Universiti Brunei Darussalam Chapter.

For more information, please call Times Square at 2338208 or the Embassy of Japan at 2229265.

The festival brochure, with a detailed schedule of the programme, can be downloaded at the Brunei Times Square Shopping Centre Facebook page.

The seats for the cultural performances are free, but are on a first-come-first-serve basis, so don't miss this chance to immerse yourself in all things Japanese! Text courtesy of The Brunei Times.

 

Danny and Harrisman at the Rome Marathon 2013

Two representatives from Team GT (Brunei) participated in the full marathon (42.195 km) in Rome, Italy yesterday and I believe there are the only Bruneians there participating in the famous Rome Marathon 2013. It started and finished at the Colosseum and guess what, it's a self proclaimed event that is the most participated sporting event in Italy.

Danny and Harrisman did Brunei proud by participating and they finished the race and that was their target though they were also targeting their personal best. According to the Danny, it was a great adrenalin rush at the starting line where they played the famous gladiator song to psyche up the runners.

Rome was surrounded by seven hills and that was the challenging part for them. Also making it challenging was the chilling weather with temperature of 3-6 degrees and they had some brain freeze moment too. Apart from that, the scenary was spectacular and they were fortunate enough to explore the inner and outer skirts of Rome.

Their intentions were met nonetheless and that was to finish the race. The final kilometre was a special moment for them where they carried the Brunei flag which was a great exposure for Brunei in the city of Rome (Hmmm they should have requested sponsorship from the Brunei Tourism Board).

They had people coming to them and asking which flag the country belongs to. So that's a good sign that people are willing to find out more about Brunei. So guys, I don't know how you did it but well done on making a successful run in the city of Rome. Not many will have the privilege like you guys. I'm still struggling to practice for the SCB 10k run which is less than a month's time *lol*

Below are pictures courtesy of Danny and Harrisman during their participation in the Rome Marathon 2013.

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