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Churrasco at Radisson Hotel

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BANK Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) recently held a media appreciation night to express its gratitude to the members of the press at the Royal Brunei Recreational Club in Berakas.

Members of the media were treated to a scrumptious barbeque buffet and participated in a cook off. The night started with a welcoming remark by the Managing Director of BIBD Javed Ahmad.

The event was a good opportunity for the management and staff of BIBD to get to know the media in Brunei in an informal outing and at the same time thank them for their continuous support.

The night was followed by a series of cooking games where members of the media had the opportunity to show off their culinary skills. Some of the dishes the media had to make were omelets, perfect three-quarter boiled eggs and ambuyat. They also had to show off their roti canai spinning skills, cake decorating and ‘teh tarik’ making skills.

The media appreciation is an annual event for BIBD. Text courtesy of Anwar Hj Rosly.

A simple but symbolic flag-handing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) yesterday for Fauziah Haziz, who also goes by the name Ogy — as she flies the Brunei flag in the Sepang 1000km (S1K) endurance race to be held from Dec 1-3.

Datin Hjh Adina Othman, the Deputy Minister of MCYS was present to do the honours of handing the flag over to Fauziah, being the country’s sole representative in the three-woman team who will compete at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“I’m proud of what she (Fauziah) will do. For the second time, Brunei will be part of an all girls team! It just shows that the females can perform in this sport,” said Datin Hjh Adina Othman.

The 26-year-old will be part of the Red Bull Rookies Racing Team 2011, together with Malaysia’s Puteri Ayu Jasmin and Emmiline Ang of Singapore. Fauziah will be replacing Noradzlianayati Abdul Razak and Meline Jaidin who represented Brunei last year.

The Sultanate’s sole representative for this year’s edition of the Red Bull Rookies Racing team will be driving behind the wheel of a 1,600cc Proton Satria Neo in Class 2, a lower class but with more action. Earlier in the month, she managed to improve on her fastest recorded time. She managed to complete the track in Sepang International Circuit in 3:00:5s. Click here from more update from Dennis Lim of The Brunei Times.

Ogy aka Fauziah receiving the Brunei flag from Datin Hjh Adina

Group photo with Datin Hjh Adina and Ogy

In conjunction with the upcoming Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol movie special premiere screening on December 15 at The Empire Cinema, TelBru customers are invited to enter the lucky draw for the TelBru Movie Night for a special prize – a limited edition MI4 T-Shirt, a movie ticket to watch the premiere, and a complimentary drink and popcorn.

To enter, customers only have to “Like” TelBru’s official Facebook page and follow TelBru’s Twitter account and send their name, identification card number, Facebook and Twitter name tocc.unit@telbru.com.bn.

In a press conference yesterday, the General Manager of Media and Communications at TelBru, Muhammad Reeda Hj Malik stated that, after five years of establishment, Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) will now utilise social media to uplift and promote its products and brand.

“In conjunction with the premiere of Mission Impossible 4,100 prizes will be up for grabs for our customers, where winners will be chosen at random by TelBru management,” he said.

Winners will be announced on December 5 via TelBru’s Facebook page as well via the respective winners’ email accounts. Winners will gather on December 15 for the special premiere screening at 7.30pm at The Empire Cinema. Text courtesy of Borneo Bulletin.

Reeda Malik of TelBru briefing the media 

The local presss asking questions regarding the event

Reeda Malik holding an IOS with TelBru Twitter feeds. So join @TelBru and stand a chance to win MI4 tickets

Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website and you might win a ticket to the same destination when you book from 26th to 30th November

Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) has teamed up with Amadeus Altea Customer Management Solution to launch its new online booking system, with the aim to increase efficiency in handling customers.

The Altea suite will provide Royal Brunei Airlines with a “next generation technology”, to allow the airline to remain competitive, both regionally and globally, and will equip the airline with the tools needed to improve business efficiency and performance, including reducing waiting time at airports and improving customer service.

John Chapman, vice president of the Airline Group from Amadeus Asia-Pacific said that liability and security is of “major importance” to the company. He gave a presentation of an “airport of the future”, which showed how smoothly an airport should be run with the increasing number of travellers and crowds. “Airports are becoming increasingly crowded and there are more travellers everyday,” he said, adding that airlines movement can increase their efficiency and security while decreasing their costs. For more updates, please click here from Debbie Too of The Brunei Times.

One of the Royal Skies member receiving a token of appreciation from Dermot Nannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines. Image courtesy of Jan Shim.

As part of Royal Brunei Airlines appreciation to their top Royal Skies members, they were rewarded with a 16GB 3G iPad2 with their names laser engraved *wuuhuu*. Image courtesy of Jan Shim.

The top Royal Skies Members with Dermot Nannion. Image courtesy of Jan Shim.

Storm Troopers with Ahim Rani and Jan Shim. Image courtesy of Jan Shim.

This was a funny moment during the launching of the service. I just realised how strong the presence of iPads in Brunei compared to other tablets. Even Pehin Abdullah mentioned the word “iPad” as a generic word for tablets and not mentioning other brands.

DST-National Football League 2011/2012 will kicks off on the 3rd December 2011, Saturday, at the Berakas Sports Complex, 8.00 pm. DST Group of Companies is very supportive in sponsoring the leagues for season 2011/2012.

There will be 32 teams competing in group stages. The teams are divided into 4 groups namely Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D. Each group will consist of 8 teams. The teams will play in a one round robin competition in each group.

The Champion and Runner-Up in each group will automatically promoted into the DST-National Super League with another 2 teams will be selected from the best 3rd placing in the groups. The DST-National Super League will consist of 10 teams. The teams in the DST-National Super League will continue to compete for the National Super League Trophy for the inaugural league competition.

The rest of the teams will be in the group of National League 1, National League 2 and National League 3. So for season 2012-2013 there will be National Super League, National League 1, National League 2 and National League 3. The venues of the leagues will be Stadium Negara Hassanal Bolkiah, Berakas Sports Complex, Balapan and Padang Field. Other venues will also be used once approval is obtained.

Every team must enlist at least 1 player who is 23 years old and under in their starting line–up. The aim is for the selection process of potential players to undergo national football training and be selected to represent Brunei Darussalam in age-level football competitions organized by AFF, AFC and FIFA. The leagues are also to indentify and select players to be in the Brunei National Football Team.

Apart from the DST-National Football League and DST-National Super League, the DST-FA Cup will also be organized and the format will be a sudden death competition. There will be at least 64 teams competing in the FA Cup competition. NFABD also wish to express its gratitude and appreciation to DST as the Title Sponsor, the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, Radio Television Brunei, local news agencies etc.

There will be cash prizes for the champions, trophies, medals, Fair Play award, Best Player award, Top Scorer and Best Goalkeeper award.

So, we all invite all football supporters and lovers to come and cheer their teams and hope the teams will show great sportsmanship, high level of skills, teamwork and motivation. Text courtesy of NFABD

Mochi is a local brand and not a franchise. It’s now officially open to the public and it’s located on the ground floor of The Airport Mall. Lately there have been a lot of frozen yoghurt business popping here and there. It’s the in-thing now

Mochi is having a special opening discount until the end of December 2011. This is a good introductory price promotion to encourage shoppers to try out Mochi

Vanny and Carol are big fans of Frozen Yoghurt. Surprisingly I’m not a fan of yoghurt *lol*

You should try out the flavour of Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt and don’t forget the choices of toppings especially their home-made mochi

The other flavour is the original one and the pearl look-alike are pretty tasty too. They compliment well with the frozen yoghurt.

There’s a sitting area for customers too.

They had quite a strong crowd during the 1st day of the opening last Saturday. You can find them on facebook by simply searching “Mochi” and do Like their page :))

Johnny Leong Man Theng from Hair Cut City Salon and Yvonne Chai Yit Khuan from Kathy Chai Hair Studio were named winners at the final round of the Obsidian Hair Cut Competition in the male and female categories respectively, earning themselves the grand prize of a tour to Korea, along with trophies and cash prizes.

The competition’s preliminary round held earlier last week saw 23 professional hairdressers in the male category and 33 in the female category from salons nationwide competing for the final cut last Saturday night.

The finals, held at Times Square Shopping Mall in Berakas, saw the top 10 making it to the finals in the male and female categories. The competitors battled out their haircut techniques and skills in front of professional judges from the Obsidian team in Korea, Mr Yang Han Hong and Ms Kim Ji Myung. Judging criteria also covered aspects of creativity and design, general presentation and hair styling. On top of the judges’ marks, members of the public could also vote for their favourite hairstylist, adding an extra 10 per cent mark.

Walter Comania from Cutting Crew Salon and Peggie Kiew Suh Chi from Ago Go Too Beauty Salon came in as runners-up in the male and female categories respectively, also earning themselves a tour to Korea.

The competition was organised by Yun Ho Trading Company, which is the local distributor for Obsidian Professional Hair Products. Obsidian has been maintaining cooperation with LG Life Science ensuring innovation and efficiency of all product research and development procedures. Text by Hakim Hayat of Borneo Bulletin.

The finals took place at Times Square and it drew quite a crowd last Saturday

One of the finalists for the Male Category

Johnny Leong (left) of Haircut City Salon is the champion for the Obsidian Haircut Competition

The ladies category was next after the male category

Walter Comania of Cutting Crew came 2nd place among the 10 male finalists

Hairstylist Yvonne (champion) and model Lily watching the male category

Peggie Kiew Suh Chi of Ago Go Too Beauty Salon was one of the top 10 female finalists and she came 2nd place.

The ladies category was a crowd puller later that night

The 10% of the hairstylists overall score came from public votes

Ms. Kim Ji Myung was one of the invited judges from Obsidian team in Korea

Johnny Leong – Winner (2nd left) and Walter Comania (3rd from right) – runner up with the their models and the judges from Korea

Yvonne Chai – Winner (3rd left) and Peggie Kiew Suh Chi (right) – runner up with the their models and the judges from Korea

The group photo of all the finalists of Obsidian finals. Click image to enlarge.

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Having problems of buying things online? Have you ever come across a situation where items can be delivered to Brunei because of delivery restrictions? Don’t you worry as Suite Lola can help you ease your challenges to buying items online. If you are buying things from the US, the UK, Canada and Singapore, then I highly recommend you to try out Suite Lola.

The steps are pretty straight forward and once you get use to this service, I can assure you that you will be spending more time shopping online *lol* I normally buy my books online and other clothes too but now with Suite Lola, it has widen my scope of variety in terms of shopping online.

Below are quick steps on registering as a Suite Lola member.

1. Register as a Suite Lola Member for FREE. You will receive your own personal address in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore. Oh yeah, you will need to bring photo your IC and also any utility bill to confirm of your delivery address for security reasons. You can drop by Home Suite Home at Regent Square to send your details.

2. Shop directly* on ANY U.S./U.K./Canada/Singapore website and then have the retailer ship your purchases to your personal U.S./U.K./Canada/Singapore address.

3. Email us your invoice and we will ship your purchases from your personal U.S./U.K./Canada/Singapore address to Brunei at competitive international shipping rates.

* If the U.S./U.K./Canada/Singapore site does not accept a Brunei-issued credit card, you can use our Concierge Service to buy the goods on your behalf.

For WWE fans, you can now get your merchandise at your doorstep. I know some of the items don’t deliver to Brunei as I tried before. Now with Suite Lola, this is now made possible 😀

Hmmmm perhaps I can also make use of Suite Lola to buy some Adidas stuff from the UK

…And depending on the delivery period, you can collect your goods at Suite Lola office or get it delivered to your home

For your info, Suite Lola will also be running a FREE tutorial session and you can take full advantage of their services and benefits offered by Suite Lola.

Topics to be covered?

(1) How do I initiate a Self Service or a Concierge Service order with Suite Lola?
(2) Where do I find discount vouchers or coupons for online retailers?
(3) How do I estimate shipping costs from the U.S./U.K./Singapore/Canada to Brunei?
(4) How do I save on shipping costs from the U.S./U.K./Singapore/Canada to Brunei?
(5) How do I redeem or send a Suite Lola Gift Certificate?

Each session will be approximately 15 to 20 minutes long and will be offered every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the month of December. This hands-on tutorial is designed for the novice online shopper who is seeking to expand his/her retail options. If you are interested in attending a tutorial session, please contact us to reserve a date and time in advance. You can email customerservice(a)suitelola.com if you are interested. Members have been notified via email of the sessions but for newbies, you are more than welcome to learn more about Suite Lola services.

THERE is just two weeks left before the start of the semi-finals of the Who’s Got Talent Competition (WGT) organised by B-Mobile and managed by Relentless Entertainment. A press conference was held recently at the B-Mobile headquarters where the top 20 contestants were announced.

A number of 16 contestants were announced, thanks to the SMS votes by members of the public as well as another four contestant who were called out and got through thanks to the votes of the judges of the competition which finalised the top 20 contestants of the semi-finals of WGT.

The lucky four who were voted back were dance group “Persistence Crew”, singer Ak Khairul Ikhwan Pg Irwan , Dancer Felicia Luah and Magician Achmed Nadzri.

Speaking to the press, Relentless Entertainment’s Amy Chung said, “This was the surprise that was hinted over the past two weeks. We thought of informing people early but then the element of surprise was a good twist in order to bring more excitement to the competition this time around.”

“Every year, auditions are done differently so this time the semi-finals and finals performances will also be (different),” she added.

For the semi-finals and finals contestants are not given the free choice of performing what music or song they want but instead will base their performance from the shortlisted range which have been selected by the organiser.

The Top 16 that was listed in the finals but now there is an additional four contestants – “Persistence Crew”, singer Ak Khairul Ikhwan Pg Irwan , Dancer Felicia Luah and Magician Achmed Nadzri

Dancer Felicia Luah was voted back by the judges

Magician Achmed Nadzri was voted back by the judges

During the press conference, all 20 contestants were briefed on what has been planned for them leading up to the competition. Participants will have special session on tips for stage performances which will be led by Adi Rani of Project Tunes, a beauty and hairstyle talk conducted by Tony Moly, an interview session with local radio Djs.

The Senior Manager of Public Relations B-Mobile Nurul Haniah Hj Jaafar announced that the competition will be held at the Airport Mall on December 10 and December 11, 2011 in conjunction with B-Mobile’s mini road show. The top 20 cheered as the prizes of the top four winners were announced during the day.

Winner of the first prize will walk away with $3,600, a winning trophy and a hotel satay at Ming Garden Residence, vouchers from Mr Baker worth $100 and a B-Mobile phone package.

The second place prize includes $2,000, a trophy, a Tony Moly Beauty Hamper, a Mr Baker voucher worth $100 and also a B-Mobile phone package. The Third prize winner will walk home with $1,500, a winning trophy, a Tony Moly hamper, a voucher from Mr Baker and also a B-Mobile phone package. Fourth prize winner will receive $600, a trophy, a hamper and also vouchers and goody bags courtesy of B-Mobile. Text courtesy of Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Mentorship by Adi Rani of Projectunes, Juju and Dayat for the finalis of Who’s Got Talent. Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

Group NQB being mentored by the local artist. Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

Maizurah getting some tips from the mentors. Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

Faizal Irrawandy is one of the finalists for Who’s Got Talent 3. Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

Shameera is one of the finalists. Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

Will Cheenyca Ong be the champion for WGT 3? Image courtesy of Relentless Entertaiment

BRUNEI Shell Marketing (BSM) recently held a Customer Day at Jerudong Park and Riding Club and this was the first of its kind as normally BSM would send out survey forms to their clients for feedback. This time, BSM wanted a more engaging dialogue with their clients to appreciate their support and dedication as a client and also BSM’s role as the provider.

Managing Director of BSM, Mohd Sufri Sulaiman, made a welcoming speech and addressed the clients on certain issues that was brought up during the feedback. There were some concerns with regards to the delivery of petrol to the retail stations. Though the matter is not an overnight solution, BSM understood the clients problems and they will do their best within their jurisdiction to make the situation less of a hassle.

The guests were also given some goodies for answering pop quizzes on BSM.

In this exclusive interview, Mohd Sufri explains why he couldn’t give an immediate answer and what BSM will be doing to alleviate the problems that the clients are facing. For more of the exclusive interview by Debbie Too of The Brunei Times, click here.

Mohd Sufri Sulaiman, the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Marketing, opened the session with his welcoming remarks

The Q&A began between the clients and BSM

The invited guests during BSM Customer Day

Representatives from BSM who ran their presentations on their respective department

The pop quiz lighten up the mood halfway through the discussion

There was an overview model of BSM’s role to the community

Group photo with clients of BSM. Click to enlarge

It was a new milestone for Royal Brunei Airlines as they launched their “New Generation Technology Suite” with the implementation of the Amadeus Altea Customer Management Solution and Amadeus e-Retail internet booking engine. I didn’t know that Aamedus handles more than 100 airlines worldwide so this shows the great reputation of their services and it came no surprise why Royal Brunei Airlines collaborated with Amadeus.

The event was graced by the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah and also attended by Royal Skies member.

RBA’s partnership with Amadeus, the provider of advance technology solutions, will give a better customer experience especially for Royal Skies member. Did you know that many manual tasks will be automated? Hence, customers will enjoy a more streamlined passenger experience.

RBA is also working to re-brand the airline to further promote the qualities that make up Brunei’s distinct and warm culture. I kinda like the idea that RBA is also embracing the social media as they are on Facebook as well as Twitter (@royalbruneiair).

There was another interesting announcement though and it was the new collaboration between Royal Brunei Airlines (@royalbruneiair) and iCentre (@icentre_brunei). Nothing concrete was mentioned on how but one for sure that they will be involved in the iCentre ThinkBig Innovate according to an insider. There is also a possibility that Royal Brunei Airlines will be engaging some of the incubatees of iCentre for website collaboration and even animation. So more on this once I get some information from the relevant parties.

Mr. Dermot Nannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines welcoming Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdullah, Minister of Communications, at the launch of Royal Brunei Airlines’ New Technology Suite

The welcoming party for the guests last night featuring air stewardess and storm troopers

Pehin Abdullah expressed his gratitude towards RBA for inviting him as guest of honour. He was very delightede that RBA is gearing towards a more innovative adventure and this is also in-line with the vision of the Ministry of Communications. He also spoke of Brunei Darussalam being a “Sophisticated Society by 2017”. He used examples of Bill Gates though he was also mistaken for Steve Jobs.

Mr. Dermot Mannion spoke the highlights of RBA’s Next Generation Technology (enhancement of RBA’s online engine such as clear fare options, detailed booking display with price breakdown, weather forecast of selected destination) and the collaboration between RBA and the iCentre.

I haven’t opened this souvenir from RBA. Looks classy too :))

The guest of honour launching the “New Generation Technology Suite” using the iPad… *Woohooo!!*

The event took place at Indera Sumadera Hall, The Empire & Country Club last night. Congrats RBA!!

Some of the Top ten Royal Skies member of Royal Brunie Airlines were invited to dinner and they walked away with iPads too :))

John Chapman, Vice President, Airline Group, Amadeus Asia Pacific, explained the new features on RBA’s online engine

They had a short role play to give a better feel on the differences using the “old school method”

When Amadeus integration is implemented, passengers will enjoy a smooth transaction especially during the checking-in process

One talented friend we have and today is her special day. Live your life to the fullest and keep on shining!!

Date: 27th November 2011 (Sunday)
Venue: Brunei Hotel (Lobby)

0900hrs – Start of Registration and collection of competition apparel
0930hrs – Annoucement of Theme 1 and commencement of competition
1700hrs – Annoucement of winners and prize presentation (subject to change based on judging process)

1. The Canon Photo Shoot Out Brunei 2011 (“Event”) is an event open to all.
2. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis subject to receipt of a valid registration.
3. All information including personal information submitted by the participant to Interhouse Company. (“Organiser”) in connection with the event shall become the property of the Organiser. The participant is deemed to have given the Organiser authorisation to use such information for any purpose (including market research, planning, data-processing, statistical and risk-analysis, research, fund-raising).
4. The Organiser reserves the right to cancel the event at any time without notice. In the event of such cancellation, the Organiser shall use reasonable efforts to inform the participant prior to the date of the event.
5. The stated event timings are subject to changes.
6. Participants must abide by the competition rules, and by any decisions made by the Organizer.
7. Participants under the age of 18 must obtain parental consent
8. The Organiser reserves the right to use any submitted photograph for any purposes without compensation to the participant.
9. The Organiser reserves the right to disqualify any participant who has infringed any of the competition rules.
10. Decisions by the Organiser and competition judges are final. No queries will be entertained. 11. All nationalities are welcomed.
12. By participating in the Event, the participant is deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.

Competition Process

1. Participants will receive Theme 1 at approximately 0930hrs on 27th November, 2011 at the Event Venue.
2. Participants must submit ONE picture deemed suitable for the Theme before the assigned deadline.
3. Theme 2 will be announced immediately after the deadline for Theme 1 submission has lapsed.
4. Theme 3 will be announced immediately after the deadline for Theme 2 submission has lapsed.
5. The Top three prizes will be awarded for each Theme.

Competition Rules

1. All participants must wear the Canon apparel provided during the event.
2. Participants can use any digital camera during the Canon Photo Shoot Out, Brunei 2011.
3. All photographs submitted MUST be in JPEG format and sized to approximately 5MB.
4. Storage format accepted are CF / SD / MMC / XD / MS formats. Participants using other formats must supply their own relevant adaptors / drives for use during the submission of entries during the event. The Organizers will not be held responsible for the inability to read / download images.
5. All photographs will be judged based on the following criteria:
– Relevance to theme
– Creativity in theme interpretation
– Use of colours and light / shadows
– Composition of photograph
6. All submissions for each Theme must be completed before the announced allocated deadline. The Organiser reserve the rights to reject any submission once the deadline has lapsed.
7. All submitted photographs must be taken on 27th November 2011.
8. Submitted photographs must not be altered by any editing software.
9. Participants must submit their entries personally. No proxy submission by any participant is allowed during the Event.
10. The Organiser will not be responsible for providing photographic equipment including camera, spare batteries, lenses or additional memory cards. All participants are expected to come prepared with all their photographic equipment.

Today 26th November is the finals of the Obsidian Haircut Competition organised by Yun Ho Trading Company who holds the local distributorship for Obsidian Professional Hair products. There are 23 male participants and 33 female participants that signed up for the competition and only top 10 male and female will be chosen as finalists.

The judges for the preliminary rounds were Mr. Ken Taira and Mr. Adam Chhooi who are professional judges from Malaysia. They are looking for a variety of hair designs and the hair style must also suit the shape/structure of the person’s face as well as the skin tone.

The top winners for male and female category will get a chance to tour Korea, win a trophy as welll as $300 cash prize. The finalists will also get consolation prizes depending on their ranking in the finals.

Top 10 Male

1. Andy Law Ming Seng
2. Boyet G. Bactaad
3. Buff Ooi Boon Pin
4. Gilbert Wee Lip Joo
5. Loius Poh Lu Yee
6. Mohd Zulfedhilli B Harun
7. Roman Sii Toh Hung
8. Walter Comania
9. Johnny Leong Man Theng
10. Loo Wengsan

Top 10 Female

1. Emily Loo Young Huey
2. Ivy Teo Lion Poh
3. Leoninda Sanao Nakamura
4. Peggie Kiew Suh Chi
5. Ngan Lee Pheng
6. Mary Grace C. Perez
7. Shirley Tan Ping Ping
8. Vivi Chong
9. Wong Leh Mee
10. Yvonne Chai Yit Khuan

So do come to Times Square later this evening (Saturday) 7pm to find out who will win the Obsidian Hair Cut competition :))

Yvonne Chai Yit Khuan of Kathy Chai made it through the finals

Shania of Ago go Too Beauty Salon missed the cut

Vivi Chong of Cutting Crew was chosen as the Top 10

Shirley Tan Ping Ping of Ago go Too Beauty Salon made the cut too

Some of the models during the earlier session of the female category

Ken Taira and Adam Chhooi are the judges for the preliminary round and the finals too

The hair models for Thursday session and their hairstylists made it through

Sim Yuan briefing the hair stylists for Saturday’s finals

Group photo with the hair stylists, models, judges and representatives from Yun Ho Trading Company

Too bad the same models can’t be used for the finals

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 Churrasco at Radisson Hotel

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LANEIGE Broadway Musical is back again this year to be held on tomorrow, Saturday, 26 November 2011. The responses from secondary schools have been very encouraging. There are 20 secondary schools that are going to compete in this charity competition performing some famous scenes from popular Broadway musicals like The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Sound of Music, Mama Mia, Oliver, Wicked, Grease, High School Musical, etc.

This is the 2nd year that LANEIGE co-organizes the competition with the Department of Schools, Ministry of Education. It was a remarkable, educational and meaningful occasion in 2010. There were great opportunities in discovering young peoples’ talents, energy, imagination and leadership skills. These were recognized in their contributions to each performance. There was a variety of development and creativity in music, communication, teamwork and culture exchange. Students were able to be part of and enjoy a number of musical performances within the local arena and this had never been experienced before.

On another level, LANEIGE and the Ministry of Education wishes to emphasise that the main objective of organizing this charity competition within schools is really to raise the awareness in the public to look after those who are less fortunate. Through this charity competition, LANEIGE and the Ministry of Education wants to particularly encourage a wide spectrum of our youths today on the need to be more caring and compassionate. Our youths are our future: they would be the ones to continue to look after and manage the country. This charity competition is at the same a way to provide a platform and to expose students’ talents and creativity.

Another important reason is we to give an opportunity to students to communicate, perform and develop artistically in English language. With the continuous support of Ministry of Education and generous sponsors including: HSBC, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Jasra Harrisons Sdn Bhd, Milo, Royal Brunei Catering Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Shalim (B) Sdn Bhd, Nyuk Lian Printing Company, Ranoadidas, Red Dot Studio, CFBT, Studio Scene and Brunei English Language Teacher Association.

In addition, there will more to explore during the event, delicious irresistible foodies will be available on the day at the event like Bunny’s Yummies, Scoop Frozen Yogurt, Chicken pie by RBC, and many more food surprises to be arranged by the kind support of Brunei Food Bloggers.

The LANEIGE Broadway Musical Charity Competition 2011 will be held at the ICC Main conference Hall on 26 NOV 2011 at 1pm. Tickets are now available on sales at all LANEIGE branches (the mall 2428222, Kiulap 2232282, K.B. 3347217). 100% of ticket sales would be donated to KACA and Pusat Bahagia. To enjoy a meaningful and enjoyable afternoon of Broadway Musicals,for a good cause, get your tickets now for a wonderful afternoon with family and friends.

So peeps, have you bought your tickets yet? It’s not too late. Expect another spectacle.

Get em’ tickets or you will miss out :))

You may have read at The Brunei Times on the upcoming Rainforest Gallery bazaar this Sunday and they will be featuring a wide variety of interesting items ranging from art pieces, books and handicrafts. This will also be the first time that some Facebook freelance businesses will be participating in the bazaar.

So there will be other things such as cup cakes and other delicacies. There will be 15 booths according to the press release and one of them will be from the Children’s Cancer ward from RIPAS (they are a wonderful bunch of kids too).

There will be face painting, henna and according to the manager of the Rainforest Gallery, Denise Chhan, there will be having two artists to show their work in paper cutting (wuuhuuu..) and paint and ink drawings.

The Rainforest Gallery Bazaar will be held on 27th November at Rainforest Gallery (Kiulap above Vincci) from 10am to 5pm. Add them on facebook.

Take note of this for Sunday

I’m proud of my friend who has so much talent and happy advanced birthday to you.. I love your artwork :)) By the way, click on the link to enter her new website – timelessrealm.com which will go live tomorrow.

I still want the Elton John sock toy!!!! Anyway, you can find more of them this Sunday at Rainforest Gallery and they also come with a story board.. Interesting!!

Cecilia Lee of IA Salon/Fun Bee Park/Polly Transport brought in a famous motivational speaker from Taiwan, Dr. Dai Chen Zhi where he shared his experiences with the audience and also sharing some pointers for the benefit of the guests. The workshop aimed to help them to overcome self-doubt and lack of focus and to identify the steps to reach their potential goals.

The attendants were mostly staff of IA Salon, Polly Transport and Fun Bee Park. This is a great idea by Cecilia to bring in motivational speaker to give some morale boost for her company and bring more confidence and awareness to the individuals. The guests were later treated to food & refreshment after the motivational talk.

Dr. Dai Chen Zhi spent the whole morning delivering his motivational talk

Invited guests taking down some notes

Guests sharing their positive thoughts to the attendees

Fen and Rachael of Fun Bee Park were inspired by the talk

Fun Bee Park staff taking down notes during the sesison

Cecilia Lee is proud of her team and she hopes her staff will shine and be inspired

His books were selling like hot-cakes and the guests wanted signatures on their books

In other news, Fun Bee Park will be holding a December Holiday Camp. The children will have the chance fo have fun and play with craft toys, games, drama activities and many others.

Children aged 4 to 7 years old have a choice of 5th to 6th December or 19th to 20th December 2011. For children aged 8 to 12 years old, they can choose from 7th to 8th December or 21st to 22nd December 2011.

This Sunday there will be a Princess Tea Party exclusively for girls while for the boys, there will be a Cars Party. So do sign up for this Sunday, 27th November 2011.

You can call 717 8232 or 246 7729 for more details. Fun Bee Park is located behind Red Canopy Cafe at Batu Bersurat (also near Happy Star).

Cecilia Lee and Dr. Dai Chen Zhi posing at the counter of Fun Bee Park. Don’t forget to call Fun Bee Park at 717 8232 for upcoming activities in December and also this Sunday

Fun Bee Park is also having a small booth in front of The Face Shop on 3rd Floor, The Mall (today and tomorrow)

Awwww… Ain’t he cute? 😀 Do come visit their booth and see some clay modeling and batik painting demo (today and tomorrow)

Standard Chartered Bank played host to over 300 of their Priority Banking customers at an exclusive dinner at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall of the The Empire Hotel & Country Club.

On hand to greet the esteemed guests were Lai Pei Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, and Judith Lee, head of premium banking, as well as senior managers of the bank.

“We are hugely committed to all of you, our Priority Banking customers, and this year, we have further increased our Priority Banking relationship manager to meet your increasing financial needs and growing demand for overall banking solutions, enhanced level of service, access and convenience,” said the CEO. [Click here] Text and images by Adib Noor.

Lai Pei Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (Brunei) in her welcoming adress

Zul F performing during SCB Dinner

< Some of the dance performances at SCB Dinner

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The good old days.. I came across my old images from my hard drive and these bring back the memories of my journey as a blogger. The pictures below are from Year 2005 and some Year 2007. Sometimes I look back and see how things have really changed for the better, of course.

My lil sister reading both Buyer’s Guide and Grab It!! Both free magazines were making their names in Brunei and they survived through means of advertisements. The business model didn’t pull through and now the only notable free magazine that’s worthy is BIG Magazine

Hmmm… This was a huge hit back in 2005. Blogs were “mushrooming” and Facebook hadn’t impact Brunei just yet. I remember there were more than 1,000 bloggers listed in Simpur Blogging Nation but now it has left in the stagnant stage after the influx of Facebook and Twitter

This is one of the reasons why RA had a huge surge in traffic – women’s football. I remember the rivalry of Sirens FC and Dragonfly FC made every tournament interesting. Women’s football then faced its darkest hour as it was banned in 2006.

The good old days before “Superfriends” were born, the clique “RA6” was formed among my peers! I was nicknamed Randy for a reason. Keeran (left) was known as o’Murphy for his Irish blood *lol* and this was taken during one of our trips to Singapore back in 2005. The far end was Bambi and Godfather who were catching up with their sleep

When softball was revived back in 2005, it became popular once again. However, bringing new blood was a tough transition as it was the seniors who dominated the softball scene. Robin (below) of Black Arrows is a dedicated softball player and man, you looked slim before

This was the last public performance by a foreign artist. I wouldn’t say the last but these were troubled times where approval for concerts and foreign artists became strict. The AF stars were the main draw for The Empire’s New Years celebration coming to 2006 and they were the last foreign act to appear for The Empire’s new year celebration.

Blitz FC came about a little late when women’s football was picking up

This was one of the costume parties held at the Baze back in 2005. I was dressed as the Riddler and I had to improvise by using my Baju Melayu to good effect *lol*

This was one of the turning points where I managed to create a culture of Winning Eleven/Pro Evo tournaments in Brunei. I had mini tournaments at Crowne Princess Hotel, The Empire Cinema, The Orchid Garden Hotel and finally Brunei Cyber Games at ICC. This was taken at The Empire Cinema cafe and we had 40 entrants then. Now we are averaging at 200 to 300 participants. How things have changed…

One reason why I enjoyed watching the ladies softball team was the presence of Izzah of Comets. She was a good batter and also an efficient catcher. Comets was one of the strongest team then.

Woww… This is a classic picture with Sharon and Fidz. I can’t even remember where we took this pic.

This was Jenny’s big day and for first time, my RA hits tripled as readers were interested to see pictures and updates of Jenny’s wedding. Interesting..

This was another ladies football team that was pretty active in tournaments

Remember the big flood… Well, this was five years ago and the car couldn’t see the road properly and ended up in the drain.

This is super cool idea to have an account dedicated for savings for Haj and this was made possible by TAIB. Yesterday marked a new milestone for TAIB as they unveiled the new “Akaun Tekad Haji”. Apparently it was introduced back in 1994 and now they have added new features to enable individuals to financially plan ahead for Haj.

The event was officiated by the Minister of Religious Affairs who is also the Advisor to TAIB Board of Directors. The welcoming speech was delivered by Yusof bin Hj Abd Rahman, the Managing Director of Perbadanan TAIB.

New features include lower initial amount required for account opening (as low as BND 10) and now it’s open to all ages. TAIB will embark on awareness campaign by having roadshows at Kiulap branch 25th and 26th November abd Tanjung Bunut 9th and 10th December 2011.

Congratulations to TAIB on the relaunch and this system will hope to encourage all generations to save up for Haj.

Minister of Religious Affair (r) launching the new Akaun Tekad Haji while Managing Director of TAIB (c) looks on

I love this kid’s voice.. very soothing 🙂

Aren’t they such a cute bunch?

Nasyid performance after the launch of the account

Every applicant will get this book to keep track of his/her savings

HSBC Retro night looked like a blast!!! And too bad, I wasn’t there last weekend to be part of the spectacle. It was quite cool to see loads of people from the lcoal press dressing up for the occasion too. Last year, it was the Fright Night theme. Let’s hope I won’t miss the next one. For more pictures and story, you can click here (courtesy of AnakBrunei).

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Churrasco at Radisson Hotel
 

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Today 23rd November, the male category for the preliminary round took place at Yun Ho Studio. The competition is organised by Yun Ho Trading Company who holds the local distributorship for Obsidian Professional Hair products. There are 23 male participants and 33 female participants that signed up for the competition. Tomorrow will be the preliminary rounds for the female category.

The judges for the preliminary rounds are Mr. Ken Taira and Mr. Adam Chhooi who are professional judges from Malaysia. They are looking for a variety of hair designs and the hair style must also suit the shape/structure of the person’s face as well as the skin tone. The judges have been impressed with some of the results but only 10 male will be chosen for the finals which will take place this Saturday at Times Square.

The top winners for male and female category will get a chance to tour Korea, win a trophy as welll as $300 cash prize. The finalists will also get consolation prizes depending on their ranking in the finals.

So do come to Times Square this Saturday 7pm to find out who will win the Obsidian Hair Cut competition :))

The preliminary round that took place this afternoon at Yun Ho Studio

Loo Wengson of Haircut City hopes to reach the finals this Saturday

Will his creativity be enough to warrant him in the Top 10 spot?

Ken Taira and Adam Chhooi (the judges) examining the outcome of Johnny Leong’s effort

Four contestants with their respective models. So far 20 participants took part in the competition