Hilarious, fabulous, 3 thumbs up. These words werent enough to describe the JUMP event. They were so much buzz about the event ever since the advert came out in the papers. The tickets were FREE so most of the tickets were snapped up within a few days. I was fortunate enough to get some formal invitation from the Korean Embassy (Thanks, Kim). However, there was a moment of panic because the crowd just kept on coming and there weren’t enough seats to cater the rest.

So the organisers had no choice but to allow the remaining guests to stand up during the show. I actually spent the whole time standing up and there was a moment where I had a toe cramp from standing too long *lol* I had to take off my shoes to wiggle and relax my toes. Great thing the lighting was low and plus the audience were glued to the stage.

Back to the show…. JUMP… Ok, this musical/martial art show is a non-verbal performance. Who says you need verbal communication to get the message across? Most of the performance were based on body movement/language and sound effects. There were many great “spots” and it was so difficult to recall because there were plenty. But once I recalled it, I would just laugh with my mates, recapping the funny moments.

I believed most of the audience really enjoyed the show. Even those standing won’t mind a single bit while watching the whole show. According to the organisers, almost 2,800 people turned up last night and it was probably the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel. Even parking was a hassle. But all those tiny hassles didn’t stop us from enjoy the show.

I thought it was only a few hundred people turning up. I was wrong

He was nice enough to address the crowd situation and funny too

I think someone spotted me taking a shot

Sometimes I wish the screen was at a certain angle

Jefri and Lisa really enjoyed the show, judging from their expression

Anais Maro and Mark sawers were there too

I’m glad I brought these ladies over

I managed to interview one of the casts, Yoongab Hong (who plays the father role). He shared his experiences and he has been a cast for JUMP for seven years already. Sometimes I wonder how much they get paid since it’s a full time job for them. Their only break is during summer vacation and the rest of the year, they will be touring to different countries. To date, they have traveled to 40 countries and performed 8,000 shows… Wow!!!

Actually, having martial arts skill is not necessary as they will be trained over-time. For Yoongab’s case, he loves acting hence you can see why most of the funny gestures came from him last night. He does have some background in taekwondo to start off with. Before JUMP, he joined another martial arts show and he was proud that he was accepted a cast member of JUMP later. He loves the heart of Bruneians and he talked about the peacefulness of the country.

I do hope they get invited back again to Brunei and thank you once again to the Korean Embassy for inviting the crew of JUMP to Brunei. These guys really rock and even my buddies Sophia and Winnie were so into them and we managed to take some shots with the casts. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year – Awesome!!!

Ash Sha, did you spot me again? haha

Korean Ambassador addressing a short speech

The audience were truly entertained by the performance

…. and the laughter couldn’t even stop

It was so packed that some of them sat on the floor

It was happening at The Grand Hall last night

Great speakers, great learning experience. That’s what I gained from Asia Inc Forum Think Big Innovate 2011. Inspirational speakers such as Derek Sivers and Ann Burgraff and I’m super impressed with Joon Yeng Hew, a technopreneur who developed the Pigeonhole Live (a progam ideal for Q&A especially in big conferences).

This was one of the best Think Big forum that I’ve attended in recent years and I enjoyed almost all the sessions. The final session on Social Media, Brand and Entrepreneurship capped off a great day which of course led on to the first Brunei Online forum the following day.

Now I’m already looking forward to next year’s Think Big Innovate 2011.

Big crowd at Asia Inc Forum/iCentre Think Big Innovate 2011

Shaun asking a word or two for Derek Sivers’ advice

A few students were also invited to the Think Big Innovate 2011

The Pigeonhole software that I was talking about earlier on

Birthday boy Keeran Janin asking the panel

Hello ladies from the Asia Inc Forum and a cool guy from Borneo Bulletin *lol*

Ann Burgraff (in pink) was one of the attendees at Think Big Innovate 2011

Delwin aka @bruneitweet talked about the impact of Social Media

Derek Sivers, Joon Yeng Hew, Azhani Daniel and Delwin Keasberry during the final session

I asked this question through Pigeonhole and the reply was “Yes, it did affect the newspaper advertisement print as RBA also made use of social media to market themselves”

Hiro of Social Deal, Reeda Malik of AnakBrunei, Jayden Sia and Marul of BIBD

THE Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011 ended with a bang for QAF FC ‘B’ last night in more ways than one. The hosts were down 3-2 to Malaysia’s LTS FC in the last 30 seconds of the final match and needed a draw to finish as champions.

The tension in the air was palpable, and in a series of controversial events which turned the game on its head, Mardi Mirza Abdullah was fouled by LTS FC’s Mohd Fahmi Mohd Yusoff.

Twin brother Hardi Bujang retaliated with a punch, and needless to say, it soon turned into a fracas involving both teams. When met later the referee surprisingly claimed he just saw Mohd Fahmi’s misdeed which was why he only sent the Malaysian player, and not Hardi, to an early shower.

Long story short, Mardi went on to equalise through the ensuing free-kick and steal the title at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Text by Jason Thomas of The Brunei Times [Click here].

HRH Prince Hj Sufri, the Honorary President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam with QAF FC the champions of Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

HRH Prince Hj Sufri, the Honorary President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam with LTS team from Malaysia, 1st Runner-up of Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

LTS scored from penalty for the lead but only for QAF FC to score the equaliser with 30 seconds left to play to win the tournament

It was a tough match with a LTS player being sent off in a heated final

QAF FC coach trying to calm his players down after the final whitsle

Hardy was the top scorer of the tournament

The winner of the Samsung II of the lucky draw from Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

The winner of the flight ticket of the lucky draw from Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

Some of the ladies that helped out during Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

This is what I see in Brunei.. There is a lot of fear whenever she senses something physically wrong with her body especially relating to breast. I attended the Jerudong Park Medical Centre Public Breast Cancer Awareness Forum to learn some pointers about “Breast Cancer” last Sunday.

Dato Dr. Babu Sukumaran talked about the risk factors and getting the early detection of breast cancer. He shared that there is a higher risk among Asian nations lately due to our changes in diet (more Western intake) and this can be a factor that lead to cancer and heart diseases.

He advised the ladies if you notice anything unusual. Check out the changes you should be aware of:-

a) Change in size – one is bigger than the other
b) Nipple inverted
c) Rash
d) Discharge from one/both nipples
e) Puckering or dimpling of the skin
f) Swelling under the armpit or around the collarbone
g) A lump or thickening in the breast
h) Pain in one part of the breast or in the underarm

So if you have any of these changes, I suggest you pay a visit to the National Cancer Centre, JPMC or call 261 0222/ 261 1433 ext 2510/2515. It was mentioned by Dato Dr. Babu that some women are shy when it came to this and they rather try traditional methods which is the wrong move as the cancer can spread as it wasn’t treated properly when detected earlier.

I was moved by Ms Masjuwita, President of Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group (BCSG) and she has been very active in promoting awareness in Brunei with the help of her friends in the support group. She shared her experiences as a breast cancer survivor and how she dealt the situation when when she found out that she had breast cancer. It was her strength, determination and will power that made her through the pain and fears. She is a role model for many and don’t be afraid to ask her anything as she’s very open-minded about this issue 🙂 You can join their facebook [Click here]

Also present during the Public Breast Cancer Awareness Forum were Dr. Hj. Muhd Syafiq, Executive Director of National Cancer Centre, Dr. Chitra Karat, Head of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department, JPMC and Mr. Todd McPherson, Psychologist, JPMC.

The forum was part of Breast Cancer Awareness month which falls in October. Lots of the attendees were wearing pink to create awareness of such cause.

Want to know more? Join them on Facebook.. Click image to find out more

Dato Dr. Babu talked about what you need to know about breast cancer

The attendees that attended the forum last Sunday

The attendees that attended the forum last Sunday

Ms. Masjuwita, a cancer survivor and the President of Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group

I should be trying this out for once 😀 More on the LEAP program and it’s highly recommended for start-ups

Click image to enter Facebook page

Are you fan of CNBlue? or for this case, any Korean band? I watched some of their music videos and they are pretty good. Now you guys get a chance to watch CNBlue at Bangkok in mid-November and the catch is you have to purchase Holika Holika’s Garden Recipe Set and fill in the form for the lucky draw.

Did you know that the Brunei partner Braun On of Holika Holika will be bringing 30 WINNERS…. Yes, 30 winners to Bangkok to catch CNBlue… Now that’s a big sum and it’s a good chance for shoppers to stand a chance to fly to Bangkok.

The entry forms are available at any Holika Holika branch at Times Square, Hua Ho Yayasan, Hua Ho Kiulap and The Mall and the last day of entry is 6th November 2011. The draw itself will take place on 8th November 2011.

The 30 winners will be awarded to a three-day two-night trip to Bangkok, along with hotel accommodation, concert tickets, spending money, and a chance to meet the band in person. Now that’s what I call an awesome promotion.

Will both Denise and Sim Yuan win a chance to fly to Bangkok?

Some of the products at Holika Holika

Denise sending her form for the lucky draw

The lucky draw box will be drawn on 8th November

Carol also tried her luck to catch the Korean band

So do shop at Holika Holika at The Mall, Times Square, Hua Ho Yayasan and Hua Ho Kiulap

Convergence 2011 is a start-up event in Brunei. Convergence 2011 will take place at the BMW Brunei Showroom, Beribi on Saturday 12th November 2011 from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. It will be a sponsored dinner event, and will feature three speakers who will engage in dialogue to the theme “From Success to Significance”.

It will be a private by invitation-only event purposed to Inspire, Challenge and Motivate the following segments of Brunei’s Next Generation: Students, Fresh-Graduates, Entrepreneurs, Visionary Executives, Start-Up’s, Members from the Local Creative Industry and the Innovators of Brunei.

About 100 of Brunei’s Next Generation will hear from three speakers: Nor Alizulrainee Ali Yusop, an education officer at the Special Education Unit (Ministry of Education); Dato Hamdillah, a local entrepreneur with interests across a number of industries; Lai Pei-Si, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Brunei.

According to Lai Pei-Si, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Brunei: “We are extremely delighted to be part of this brand new initiative. At Standard Chartered Bank, we believe in making a difference to the communities in which we operate and we hope that we will make a positive impact through this opportunity to share inspiring stories alongside other key speakers.”

This start-up event will also allow for lively networking opportunities set in the backdrop of the BMW Brunei Showroom, Beribi. Convergence 2011 is hosted by the people behind ProjekBrunei.com and is proudly sponsored by BMW Brunei, Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and The Brunei Hotel. The event is also supported by the Brunei Halal brand.

For more information, please email Delwin Keasberry at convergence@projekbrunei(dot)com [Text courtesy of @bruneitweet]

Delwin speaking to the media yesterday at the press conference

Delwin Keasberry of projekbrunei.com, Lai Pei-Sei, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Roger Fletcher, General Manager of QAF Auto

CITIBANK kicked off its sixth annual Global Community Day on October 22, 2011 where more than 45,000 volunteers from Citibank around the globe are coming together to make a positive difference in their respective communities.

Here, the event kicked off at Ward 3 of Ripas Hospital. Citibank Managing Director, Terence Cuddyre gave an opening speech where he spoke about Citi-volunteer events that are going on in the Asia-Pacific region today. The guest of honour, Hjh Siti Mariam Hj Md Jaafar, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, then presented a certificate of appreciation to Cuddyre.

The highlight of the event was the official launching of the Child Protection Facility in Ward 3. It is hoped that it would help to facilitate and care for the children’s needs and welfare. One of the wards that was visited as well was the new Paediatric Haemato-Oncology Unit where Cuddyre and the guest of honour gave toys and gifts to the children.

Citibank also collaborated with International School of Brunei (ISB), where 35 students including their teachers volunteered to spend time. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times

There was mascot entertaining at Children’s ward

ISB students playing with the children

The facility that Citibank contributed at the children ward at RIPAS

Yenny talking to Furqan about his hobby

Furqan has this room since he was 1 years old. He is now 8. I really like his room

Singing to the kid at the Children ward

Citibank taking photo opportunity with Mickey and Minnie

Terrence Cuddrye, Managing Director of Citibank Brunei, with the ISB students

So if you have encounter problems with acne or dry skin or even the sun ray, you can call the skin therapists from Dermalogist Beauty Therapy 234 2928 or 871 6680and yes, consultation is FREE too.

The products from Dermalogica. Do find out which one suits you

Get your skin analysied and try their facial treatment

It’s open from Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6:30pm