Singapore Food Festival is back to The Airport Restaurant for the fifth time. The popular Singapore delicacies begin from 27 February and will last till 11 March 2012.

Come and meet Chef Skuter who has flown all the way from Singapore to present you the authentic Singapore specialities authentic Singapore cuisine including the popular Singapore Ponggol Chili Crab, Nyonya Popiah, Singapore Chicken Rice, Singapore Mee Rebus, Mee Siam A la Singapura, Ayam Pongteh, Itek Sioh, Daging Bakar Cincaluk, Rojak Geylang and many more choices.

In the previous Singapore food festivals, the most popular dishes included Ponggol Chilli Crab, Singapore Chicken Rice, Mee Rebus, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Mee Siam and Ayam Pongteh. The food festival was launched on 27 February 2012 by the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Yang Mulia Awang Haji Mohd Rozan bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yunos and witnessed by the High Commissioner of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Joseph Koh, Attending the launching ceremony were special guests, representatives from government sectors, Singapore High Commission, co-business and promotion partners and RBC.

RBC General Manager, Haji Omar Ali bin Haji Mohd Daud conveyed his gratitude to the High Commissioner of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam for their great support to this food festival. Special thanks to RBC promotion partners for this food promotion including Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Baiduri Bank, Yamaha BM-Supply Motor Sdn Bhd, Sedap Corner and Fish & Co.

Tuan Hj Rozan sharing an account of his injured hand to His Excellency Joseph Koh before the launch of the Singapore Food Festival

Chef Skuter aka Bob appeared after the launch of the Singapore Food Festival. Present was also the RBC General Manager, Hj Omar Ali.

Exchanging of souvenirs between the Singapore High Commission and Royal Brunei Catering as Tuan Haji Rozan looked on

This will be the third I’ve bumped into him. You should pay a visit to his restaurant in Singapore if you happen to be there 😀

Wantan Mee with Char Siew Chicken

The Lucky Draw prizes are contributed by Grand Hyatt Singapore and Singapore Airlines. Our new business partner, Fish & Co provided sponsor vouchers for quizzes on Kristal FM. Baiduri Bank made great contribution to the promotion and extended Exclusive Discounts for Baiduri Cardholders. Singapore Tourism Board provided marketing collaterals and Yamaha BM-Supply Motor Sdn Bhd supported the display of scooters at The Airport Restaurant during the promotion.

During this promotional period, all dine-in guests are entitled for the Special Draw to win special prizes including Two Return Air Tickets to Singapore with complimentary accommodation of 3 days 2 nights at Grand Hyatt Singapore.

The Exclusive Discounts for Baiduri cardholders are 15% discounts for Infinite & Platinum with additional 10% discount upon presenting RBC Dining Privilege Card; 10% for RBA Amex Card and 5% for Gold, Classic and Debit Card.

Great News for Baiduri cardholders as Chef Skuter will be conducting cooking classes for invited cardholders.

His Excellency Joseph Koh said Singapore must be a food paradise of unexpected pleasures and “eating out” is part of Singapore’s culture, heritage and national identity. He also spoke of a website HungryGoWhere which is very useful when he wants to hunt for food. Apparently he also keep up to date with the Golden Legacy written by Tuan Hj Rozan in The Brunei Times.

Guess who was present there during the Singapore Food Festival? Celebrity Bront Palarae, the famous star from Ombak Rindu, though he moved to the coffee house since the buffet wasn’t officially opened yet and he had to catch a flight

The famous rojak was there too.. Yum yum!!!

Any of you a crab lover? I’m one but I stayed away since it will be a mess if I had one *lol*

This is beef chinchaluk

I managed have an photo opportunity with Ombak Rindu stars

The Daily promotion Buffet Lunch is at $19.90 per adult and $10.00 per child served from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm. The Buffet Dinner is at $29.90 per adult and $15.00 per child served from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. For reservations, please call 233 1853 / 233 9207.

Make sure you don’t end up like this before heading to the petrol station. It happened to me a few times *lol*

Fuel supply in the Sultanate is enough for domestic use, said the Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sendirian Berhad (BSM) in a press statement released yesterday. This followed rumours of that there will be no stock at some petrol stations across the country, particularly in the Brunei-Muara District.

BSM would also like to clarify that “there was a sudden hike in the demand for fuel since Monday which has resulted ‘stocked out’ situation in some petrol stations, particularly in the Brunei-Muara district”. It added that this “further congested the operations at the Muara Terminal which delayed the deliveries to the respective stations”.

In response to this situation, “BSM has extended its operations in Muara to 24 hours to ensure continuous delivery of fuel to the retail stations”.

For further information, please contact Brunei Shell Marketing directly at telephone numbers: 2229323, 2244739 or email at CSC-BSB@shell.com. BSM said it “assures the public that the nation’s stock of fuel is adequate”. Source from The Brunei Times

Actually, one of my friends who manages a petrol station said that the shortage of petrol in certain petrol stations are due to the miscalculation by the petrol managers on the “petrol stock” and they didn’t predict the sudden hike of demand during payday last Monday.

Fans who waited in the airport caught a glimpse of the famous celebrity Maher Zain who arrived Brunei Darussalam this morning. Maher Zain with his record label Awakening Records are in Brunei for his upcoming concert this Saturday at the Jerudong Amphitheatre.

More on Maher Zain tomorrow after the press conference later this afternoon.

Maher Zain and his manager at the arrival hall of Brunei International Airport

Maher Zain bumped into one of his fans from Brunei

Maher Zain with the local organisers NMHQR Studio Production

Fans trying to get his signature

They were pleased that they managed to get his signature

A bit of traffic congestion at Kiulap Roundabout last night because of the man with a katana. It could be a police exercise for all you know. Image courtesy of Anakbrunei

[8:00am] It was pretty rare sight to see a person walking around the Kiulap roundabout with a Katana (sword used by Samurais) which was sighted last night when 1/40 of the population was watching Brunei vs Vietnam match. One of my SocMed buddy happened to be there and saw the commotion which was mentioned earlier on.

From the comments on the photo, apparently a few of our peers also witnessed what was mentioned – a guy sporting a black attire walking around with a katana. And there was policeman chasing the person on the scene as well.

But to worry, peeps… Well, the local media has warned the public that there will be a police exercise known as “Security Control Basic Phase 1/2012” from 29th Feb to 1st March (today). It was mentioned that several areas including government buildings and places such as areas of Kota Batu Museum, Malay Technology Museum, Royal Regalia, Arts and Handicrafts Centre, Kampong Ayer Exhibition Gallery, Language and Literature Bureau in BSB, Jame’ ‘Asr Hassanil Bolkiah, Brunei International Airport, Marine Police, Royal Brunei Police Golf Course, Indoor Stadium, National Stadium, Yayasan Jetty, Bawang Jetty, Old Customs Jetty, Tasek Lama, Bukit Shahbandar, Jubilee Park, Tamu Kianggeh and the night market in Gadong.

Other buildings including Orchid Garden Hotel, The Mall shopping complex, Gadong areas, Yayasan Shopping Complex, Hua Ho Manggis Mall in Jalan Muara and Port View Yayasan Restaurant will also be involved in the exercise.

So guys…. Don’t be panicked when you see such commotion. Hmmmm… then again, what if the so called bad guys do their stuff today? *lol* I wonder what other scenario they will conduct during their exercise. I wouldn’t mind taking a few shots 🙂

[8:55am] Ok, according to my media friends who covered the commotion last night that the incident was not part of a police exercise. So I’m not pretty sure if this is true that last night’s incident was real. Hmmmm.. Let me do some further investigation on this matter.. 

[9:41am] Newsflash. After a few calls to Borneo Bulletin reporters, it was learned that the culprit with the samurai wasn’t part of the police exercise. *Holy Cow* What a coincidence and the Chinese guy took advantage of the situation. Apparently it started from town area and he walked all the way to Kiulap roundabout and he caused some commotion on the road as well. This was one reason why my Twitter and Facebook feeds were talking about this particular person.

According to Borneo Bulletin, the Chinese man was apprehended at one of the convenient store behind Taurean The Arch, Kiulap. The incident is still under investigation and it’s not known what the motive is yet.

So today’s headline mentioned “Two hours of chaos in capital”. The irony here is the commotion lasted two hours. But the most important thing is no one was reported hurt or injured during the 2-hour ordeal.

[12:10pm] Latest update. It has been confirmed by Royal Brunei Police Fore, PR Unit, Pg Hj Abdul Salam that last night’s incident was not part of the “Security Control Basic Phase 1/2012”. My friends were involved in the chase and one of them was chasing the “samurai dude” from Tamu Selera until the Kiulap Roundabout. At one stage, the armed (and dangerous) dude tried to stop my friend’s car on the road whilst being chased.

According to my friend, more than 10 police officers were involved in the chase too, some on foot, some on bike patrol, some on wheels. Though the man was apprehended, my friend said it was the weirdest coverage he ever did. He summed it up by saying, “A leap day drama”.  

The guy with the katana was seen, interrupting the traffic flow near Kiulap Roundabout

TigerLim denied it was him and he said he ain’t that slim. Image by Bahyiah Bakir of Borneo Bulletin.

The aftermath taken at the convenient store where the samurai guy was apprehended at last

Guess who will be making a special appearance during the Nissan launch —> Nora Danish, a Malaysian celebrity

The promotional poster for Maher Zain

Maher Zain is one of the most popular artistes in the international Islamic music industry and finally he will be performing live this coming 3rd March 2012 at the Jerudong Amphitheartre. He is due to arrive Brunei on 1st March 2012 which is actually tomorrow. This will be his first concert in Brunei after his short appearance two years back at Plaza Athirah.

Also performing during the concert will be Irfan Makki (who has a vocal similar to that of the legendary Michael Jackson) and there will be performances by our local artistes Fakhrul Razi and The Seeds.

YAM Pengiran Anak Qayyum, the event manager of the concert said that it’s a privilege to bring Maher Zain to Brunei again and his songs are very inspirational and Islamic and this also promotes the MIB culture in Brunei.

Tickets are sold at $120, $90, $70 and $40 from KFC Mall outlet, KFC Plaza Athirah outlet, KFC Belait outlet, KFC Lumut SPARK outlet, Deejay Home Video outlets and NMHQR Studio Productions (on the sixth floor of Plaza Athirah building) and part of the ticket sales will be donated to Pusat Ehsan and SMARTER Brunei.

You can contact 224 1777 or 815 1118.

Sheikh Jamaluddin of Brunei Tourism, YAM Pengiran Anak Muhd Haffiz, co-event Manager of NMHQR Studio Productions and YAM Pengiran Anak Qayyum, co-event Manager of NMHQR Studio Productions.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets. I will be heading there too 🙂

You can buy your tickets at KFC Mall Outlet

The Body Shop Brunei National Day promotion was started last Feb 23 and is extended until March 4. The mechanic of the promotion, entitled, “Show Your Patriotism”, is to bring a Brunei Flag to show their patriotism for the country in all the Body Shop stores and they can get 28% off in any one of the product of their choice. It can be a physical flag itself, in their cellphone wallpaper, a key chain, a shirts with Bruneian flag or anything as long as the flag is visible and clearly recognize.

Not Brunei Investment Agency but Brunei International Airport and the passengers pick-up point will be shifted to the airport’s P2 car-park area. Please refer image below for details.

The arrival hall will also be affected as the renovation works will be conducted. Yes, BIA will be going through a major facelift to give a more modern, vibrant international feel.

Now the tricky part is routing the cars to P2 car park area which will take some time for the public to get used to. But I’m pretty sure there will be signboards to lead drivers to the correct parking area.

However, the departure drop-off routes remain virtually unchanged.

Yesterday Lee San San, Project Manager of Brunei International Airport modernisation project, briefed on the three year project which should be in completion in November 2014. This will include a new terminal, new car park, a more efficient baggage handling system, a new check-in facility, a new arrival corridor and flight transfer area.

This project is a collaboration with Brunei Economic Development Board and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) of Ministry of Communications and last October 2011, it was given the royal consent by His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to initiative the BIA Terminal modernization project.

For more details of the BIA’s development, you can click here.

The new parking area at Brunei International Airport

Brunei International Airport Aerial View (Taken from BEDB’s website)

Brunei International Airport’s departure/arrival hall (Taken from BEDB’s website)

Brunei International Airport’s departure lounge (Taken from BEDB’s website)

Brunei International Airport’s baggage claim area (Taken from BEDB’s website)

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) organised an ‘Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Competition 2012’ at the Sungai Basong Recreational Park, in the Tutong District. Two local amateur radio clubs, the ‘Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association (BDARA)’ and ’Persatuan Gemilang Daerah Tutong’ jointly support this event.

The ARDF competition allows participants to compete and show their skills in amateur radio direction finding. It requires the skills of orienteering and navigating of radio direction finding in locating hidden transmitters called ’beacons’ or ‘foxes’ within an area using the bearings of the transmitted signal in pedestrian mode.

Ten (10) teams participated in the ARDF and every team consists of three (3) members with at least one person in the team holding a valid amateur radio station licence. The ARDF competition started at 7:45am and lasted for two (2) hours. During the competition, each team also displayed their capabilities in the design of their home-made directional antennas.

Winners of ARDF will be announced during the seminar on “Awareness on Amateur Radio Usage” which will be held at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club, Jerudong, on Sunday 4th March 2012. Images courtesy of AITI.

Through the ARDF Competition, AITI hopes to achieve the following objectives:
• To create public awareness on amateur radio licence, its rules and regulation , and its ethical use.
• To promote the use of amateur radio service in Brunei Darussalam.
• To create harmonies and network among radio enthusiasts.

During the fox hunting competition

Group photo after the competition. Click image to enlarge

A team developing an innovative financial learning application emerged as this year’s champion at ThinkBig Ignite 2011.BruInnovEdu, helmed by Shavon Hon and Vincent Wong, returned home with the biggest prize money from the competition worth $20,000 under the competition’s ICT Open Business Plan Category, putting them among the ranks of the competition’s past winners such as Crescent’s Online Education, Infindo Technology, LoveFoodHateWaste and GoHalal, among others.

The team also won the Outstanding Rookie Award and the AITI (Info-communications Technology Industry) Multimedia Award in the competition.

The awards were presented to the winners yesterday by Minister of Finance II Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Abdul Rahman.

ThinkBig Ignite is an initiative of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) to encourage entrepreneurs to develop business ideas in the field of Information and Communications Technology and bring these products or services into the market. [Source: Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times].

Outstanding Rookie Award – BruInnovEdu

AITI Multimedia Award – BruInnovEdu

DST Mobile Application Award – Socialdeal

Islamic category Award – no awards

Open Category Award
1st place – BruInnovEdu
2nd place – Socialdeal
3rd place – Nollybook

College and University Category Award
1st place – Bright Beginners Day Care Centre
2nd place – ETakaful
3rd place – Nur Qaseh Salon and Boutique

Guest of honour of THINKBiG Ignite 2011 Awards giving his welcoming remarks

Nollybook receiving third place in Open Category

Nur Qaseh Salon and Boutique came 3rd in College and University Category

The big winners of the day – BruInnovEdu, winning the Open Category, Outstanding Rookie Award and AITI Multimedia Award. Sharon Von and Vincent Wong holding their trophies

He was super excited after knowing that his team came first in College and University Category

… and 20 minutes later, he’s holding the big prize

Consolation prizes for the international participants from Malaysia

One of the rising technopreneurs, Socialdeal, who bagged 2nd place in Open Category

Group photo with the winners of THINKBiG Ignite 2011

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This was a recap of what happened last weekend when Brunei snatched a last gasp winner against Cambodia in a 3-2 thriller at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Goal hero Md Najib Hj Tarif said that it was the best goal he ever scored. It was from a freekick attempt which gave Brunei a vital 3 points to kick off their campaign in the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

Brunei will take on Vietnam tomorrow at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium and this will be their second game. Vietnam drew against Malaysia and beat Cambodia 2-1so far in the group stage. This is another must win game for Brunei if they want a realistic chance of entering the semi-finals of the HBT 2012.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam officiating at the opening ceremony of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (HBT) at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium and his presence with the royal entourage gave a lot of encouragement for the young lads.

So guys let’s give some morale support to our local lads tomorrow at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The organisers of HBT 2012 would also like to thank all the supporters (14,000) who turned up last Saturday to witness the match against Cambodia. As the slogan goes, “Tanpa Biskita Siapalah Kami” — “Without you, who are we” which is dedicated for the supporters and the citizens of Brunei Darussalam.

Tomorrow’s match – Brunei vs Vietnam at 8:15pm, 29th February at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Don’t forget to collect your tickets too and yes, it’s FREE entry to all. Images below courtesy of Ahim Rani.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam officiating at the opening ceremony of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (HBT) at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium

The march pass during the opening ceremony of HBT 2012

The ladies on duty during the opening ceremony

The little boys warming up themselves

What a beauty goal it was!! This was Brunei’s 2nd goal

Brunei celebrated their 3-2 victory over Cambodia last Saturday

Attractive fares from the upcoming 7th Belait Travel Fair this weekend. It is organised by Royal Brunei Airlines and Abacus Brunei which will take place at the Oil & Gas Discovery Centre, Seria. So what’s the catch with the travel fair there? You can enjoy great prices during the two-day fair.

You can also stand a chance to win business class return tickets to Melbourne, Shanghai and Manila. So what are some of the attractive fares that will be available during the fair?

Check out the fares below.-

Melbourne BND 777 (which will fly daily by Mid-March)
Dubai BND 888
Singapore BND 411
Bangkok BND 443
Bangkok BND 413 *t&c applies*
Jakarta BND 452
Kuala Lumpur BND 369
Hong Kong BND 509

The rates are not inclusive during holiday periods (March and June) if I’m not mistaken. And the cheaper fares are also subjective to availability and what I have given you is the lowest that Royal Brunei Airlines and the respective travel agents will offer and the seats are also subjective to availability.

In addition to the promotional fares, Royal Skies will be giving away Royal Skies Miles to lucky Royal Skies members through the “Spin The Wheel” activity and have the chance to win attractive prizes sponsored by Royal Skies partners – Saffron Café, Fratini’s Restaurant, Standard Charted Bank, B.T. Forwarding (TNT), Charcoal Barbeque and Grill, The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Rizqun International Hotel, Royce, Excapade, and Martha Tilaar Spa.

Aside from Royal Skies, Royal Brunei Holidays will be promoting attractive holiday packages to various destinations including Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta, Melbourne and Dubai. For bookings made at the Travel Fair, customers are entitled to a discount of BND25 per person from the selling price.

Group photo with representatives from Abacus (Brunei), Royal Brunei Airlines and Baiduri Bank

Do click image to check it out

Jati Transport Sdn Bhd celebrated the 25th anniversary of their appointment as the Mercedes-Benz General Distributor in Brunei on Saturday with the launch of their new showroom in Beribi. Wow.. I never realised it has been that long but prior to that I wonder who brought in Mercedes in then because we still have the classic Mercedes back dated in the early 80s.

The newly renovated showroom incorporates the latest Mercedes-Benz styling by Daimler AG, Germany. The bright open tiled display with floor-to-ceiling glass walls includes luxurious waiting lounge with seating for customers, complimentary refreshments, LED television, wifi, an internet computer screen and luxurious Mercedes-Benz clothing, watches and other accessories on display.

An extended service center equipped with state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz equipment has been built to Mercedes-Benz standards. An additional heavy truck bay has also been added.

Mr. Holger Lindner, Chief Financial Officer of Daimler South East Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, signing the plaque with YM Pg Anak Hj Ja’afar, Executive Chairman of Jati Transport while Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport looked on

Cake cutting ceremony to officiate the new showroom

During the launch, Jati Transport proudly announced that over 60% of their staffs are locals and more than 50% of all their employees have been with Jati Transport for 10 years and more than 15% over 20 years. These are hard to find these days – local but committed.

On display were the latest Mercedes-Benz models including the spectacular new SLK 55 AMG. Guests were treated to a tour of the new facilities and catering by Radisson, Villa Mauri and Excapade.

On hand to officiate at the launch of the new showroom was Jati Transport Sdn Bhd Executive Chariman, YM Pg Anak Hj Ja’afar Ibni Almarhum Pg Pemancha Pg Anak Hj Mohd ‘Alam and the Chief Financial Officer of Daimler South East Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, Mr. Holger Lindner.

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Jati Transport Sdn Bhd presented donations of $5,000 each to five charities, namely:
1) Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans
2) Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam
3) Jabatan Pembangunan Masyarakat Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia & Sukan
4) Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Cacat (KACA)
5) Tabung Anak-Anak Yatim Daerah Brunei-Muara District

Group photo with the representatives from the charitable foundations

Mr. Holger Lindner (c) with the management of Jati Transport

New arrivals at Lawa Lawa which is located at Batu Bersurat behind TOP Happy Star. Shop operates everyday except for Monday (9:30am to 8:30pm)

I’ve never hear any of their songs even minutes before the concert. However, I was a different person after the concert *lol* What I meant to say was that I was amazed by the performance and their energy on stage. The lead singer vocal was pretty amazing too and this is a sign of a true artiste who can shine on the big stage (which is pretty rare nowadays).

I will talk more of the experience later on but for now, I’m gonna post some pictures with you during the CN Blue Concert (25th February 2012). Thanks to Holika Holika (Brunei) for inviting me to this event. It was definitely worth my trip.

She tried to get CN Blue to sign but we didn’t manage to go back stage

Our ticket pass was made of a solid card.. Awesome souvenir 😀

I never realised Tina is such a big fan of CN Blue. She even made a specially made chocolate for them as a gift *aawwwwwww* and Tina was totally in her own world throughout the concert.. Coolies!!!

Rashidah bought some merchandise of CN Blue though one of her items were not allowed to be brought in

Group photo with the Brunei group that caught CN Blue (Thanks to Holika Holika Brunei for making this possible)

Some of the merchandise bought went wasted as the security didn’t allow some of the items to enter the concert area

CN Blue fans were everywhere.. Amazing!!

Azim and Sim Yuan did enjoy the concert

These ladies must have waited for the queue since morning

Many restrictions which were a turn off for me *lol*

I was impressed that they have tons of activities prior to the concert

They were giving out limited edition CN Blue compilation

Two of my cameras had be stored *boohoo*

This is very likely for those in the standing area.. The fans were screaming like mad then.

Their merchandise (the official and the unofficial ones) were selling like hot cakes

The fans were taking photo with this dude.. Not sure who he is though

CN Blue props were everywhere

Thorough check up by the security too

I even brought my lucky bunny to the concert

The camera men only allowed to take the first three songs

It was such an epic crowd during the 2 hour show

One lady was bored half way but she then came alive in the last three songs

Sim Yuan starting to love CN Blue

There was still strong demand after the concert

Pang Ze Yuan (left)was one of the Holika Holika winners for the CN Blue concert but it was her mom (right) who was more of a CN Blue fan and she bought the standing tickets too

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I’m back in Bangkok and it has been two years since my last trip here. My peers might have the wrong assumptions that I travel to Bangkok a lot but this is actually my 2nd trip to Bangkok *lol* It’s a great city but I have yet to explore much here in Bangkok.. I have at least one and a half day to spend at Bangkok and one of my pitstops will be the Adidas store at Siam Paragon (if it’s still there).

My trip was supposedly back in November for the CN Blue concert but the concert was postponed due to the floods in Thailand. Hence the concert is scheduled tomorrow in Bangkok and 30 winners of the Holika Holika promotion in Brunei were also flown to catch the concert. Cool, aye?

Anyway, more updates later on.. For now, I’m gonna spend some time and chill in Bangkok..

The management of Holika Holika from Brunei and the winner of the Holika Holika’s CN Blue concert taking a group photo at Airport, Bangkok

My neighbours Leny and Hil on my flight on @royalbruneiair to Bangkok. Enjoyed the great service and flight :))

I like the fact that this sim card is iPhone ready. So if you happen to be in Thailand, get DTAC simcard and it’s so so so so freaking cheap.. I got this sim card for 49 Baht only which is more or less $2 and the 3G data is fast too. Amazing!!

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Last minute grooming before the National Day march pass

I’m loving today’s The Brunei Times Supplement for some reason. Maybe it’s the angle they took instead of the predicted content of supplement by other publications. It’s great to see different local individuals being featured in the National Day supplement and how they contribute to the country.

I highly recommend you to get today’s The Brunei Times and this could be also a good research study for students. Well done, The Brune Times. Reading the content makes me prouder to be a Bruneian. Happy National Day everyone!!

Md Ridzuan Abdullah of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Ahmad Taufiq Murni, Brunei’s Pool National player in today’s The Brunei Times

Rising star Aziz Harun @jambul212 was also featured

Jewellery designer Sarah Ibrahim was also in today’s paper

Woowww my buddy @WinnieSia also has a page.. Awesome!!!

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On the occasion of celebrating Brunei Darussalam 28th National Day on Thursday, 23rd February 2012.

Let´s celebrate to honor our history and heritageby posting a Yellow and Black themed photos by using the Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag ” #kuninghitam2012 ” in Instagram which is also representing the patriotic colour of the Brunei Darussalam flag.

This is also an opportunity for us to reaffirm our shared hopes for the future and redouble the effort to work together to meet the challenges,seize the opportunities of the 21st century and echoes the spirit of patriotism, nationalism and unity.

There will be an InstaWalk among the members in conjunction with the 28th National Day and of course everyone is welcome to join us. The meeting point will be at the Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan 7am – 730am.

Theme: Yellow & Black
Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag: #kuninghitam2012 & #brunika

InstaWalk:
Meet up point: Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Time: 7am – 730am
Lets Instagram, Brunei Darussalam!

This was taken at Rig Reef, Brunei’s signature Reef. Picture courtesy of Oceanic Quest

BruCupcake Brunei Darussalam 2012 in conjunction with National Day. Brought to you by Greenfrog

Brunei National Day Cat Show 2012 in March

There are many headlines about the tropical storm Washi that struck the Philippines in Decemvber 2011. I recently attended a press conference organised by the Filipino Association Brunei (FAB) and managed by Prismworks Event Management with the support of the Philippines Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.

The press conference was to highlight the upcoming charity events – Golf Tournament (25th and 26th Feb) and Charity Dinner Concert (26th Feb). Present during the press conference was Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat. Also present were the President of the Filipino Association Brunei, Edel Bartholomew and Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management.

The charity golf tournament will be held on February 24 and 25 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) golf course. The categories for golfers are: the men’s open (A, B,C division), the VIP category, and the ladies category. Registration fee is fixed at $110 and all the proceeds will be donated towards Washi humanitarian fund.

Let’s not forget also the charity dinner concert on Sunday 26th February at Centrepoint Grand Ballroom where the ticket will cost $50 per person inclusive of dinner. The celebrity will be Filipino crooner Richard Poon and there will be some opening acts by local artistes too.

Those who wish to participate in the golf tournament, or/and attend the charity dinner can contact 7169286 (for those in Brunei-Muara) or 8775112 / 8789344 (for those in Kuala Belait).

Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines and Edel Bartholomew, President of the Filipino Association Brunei at the press conference

Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat with the organisers of the Golf and Dinner event this February

Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times interviewing Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Did you know that more than 1.5 million people are affected from storm Washi? More than 1,200 lost their lives. More than 50,000 houses damaged and it was reported that the cost of damages is approximately BND 50 million.

The priorty needs are such as Meals-Ready-To-Eat, Non-food items (blankets, folding beds), temporary shelters, generators and school supplies for children.

The Humanitarian Fund for Victims of Tropical Storm Washi-Philippines was established in Brunei with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and was launched on 04 January 2012 by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hajji Hazair Hajji Abdullah,in his capacity as Chair of the Humanitarian Fund National Committee

It aims to alleviate the suffering of the Washi-ravaged Philippines and fund collections for three months (from 04 January to 03 April 2012) to allow the public to donate money and various organizations to raise funds through charitable activities.

Effective 1st March, Kristal Astro subscribers will enjoy new packages at very affordable prices. The new packages will start from $24.95 a month (Ruby Package) which offers more than 38 channels with new channels including NatGeo Wild, Arena, ESPNews and Star World HD.

With the new packages, all sports channels will be offered as premium where subscribers have to pay for additional fee of BND 10 per month. According to Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group, it is imperative for KRISTAL Astro to offer sports as premium in view of continued cost pressures, including escalating global and Astro content costs and sports broadcast rights. DST Group is actually absorbing extra cost for the benefit of the existing subscribers and continue to do so with the new packages.

Two additional channels will be launched in March 2012 will be Star World HD and Discovery HD World.

Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager of KRISTAL Astro, Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group and Ramlah Haji Rabaha, Senior Manager, Business Division, KRISTAL Astro during the press conference

Matnarudin Ibrahim explaining the new packages to the media

KRISTAL Astro will be providing FREE viewing for all existing chanlles commencing 23rd February to 29th February 2012 prior to migrating to the new packes which will take effect on 1st March 2012. The kind gesture is also in conjunction with the 28th National Day of Brunei Darussalam.

Effective 1st March 2012, Movie package customers will be migrated to Ruby Package, World Package to Sapphire Package + Sapphire Sports, Movie World package to Jade Package + Jade Sports Package. But this is another important point for existing subscribers that you can unsubscribe to the Sports Package if you don’t wish to subscribe it because effective March, the Sports package will be automatically added. So I assume that not all subscribers will want a Sports package.

These are the old packages or the current ones that we are entitled to right now. All of these packages will be revamped effective 1st March 2012

Now the new packages start from $24.95 which is very affordable for Bruneians

Another great offer from KRISTAL Astro is that subscribers will enjoy a 50% discount on their subsequent subscriptions so in fact you will be saving costs for multiple sets. The only condition is that the subscribers must have the same address. So this could be a share address among a big family and this will be useful for me since my siblings also have their Astro in their rooms.

So just refer to the illustration below on the discounts for multiple users. By the way, the 50% discount only applies if you signed up for the same packages. For eg. all set must be Ruby to enjoy the subsequent 50%. So you can’t have Ruby and Jade packages at the same household to enjoy the 50% discount. 

Now this is ideal if you have multiple users in the same address. Good move by KRISTAL Astro and only in Brunei

KRISTAL Astro’s effort is also to entice “illegal” subscribers to join ship with KRISTAL Astro as they are reasonably cheaper and the illegal ones won’t have the special packages offered by KRISTAL Astro. Currently, there are 30,000 subscribers of KRISTAL Astro in Brunei Darussalam and it was mentioned that there are a handful of illegal subscribers of Astro in the country.

But not to worry to all the “illegal” subscribers as KRISTAL Astro is opening arms to you guys to subscribe with them.

And to the current existing KRISTAL Astro subscribers, if you have an old decoder (not Astro Beyond), you can trade in your old set for an upgrade and not pay the full price. This is another good initiative move by KRISTAL Astro and you can drop by their roadshow at The Airport Mall this Sunday from 10am to 10pm to find out more.

If you have this Astro card, then this is a legitimate Astro set you are using

Wanna catch Maya Karin of Ombak Rindu this Sunday at The Airport Mall. More on this soon!!

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Long stretch of jam around JP area.. Image courtesy of Nazeeb

Another long stretch of jam heading to Bandar through Mabohai. Image courtesy of @marul69

Royal Brunei Airline guys also participating in the march during National Day rehearsal. Image courtesy of @royalbruneiar

Taken by Zul Fadly who’s also participating in the march

Great view from the top. Image courtesy of @d_estralita

So will there be an airshow too? Image courtesy of @izan21

Taken this morning courtesy of Hasfaleela Hasnan

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

My media pass today collected from Info Department

Well, I’ve never come across an SME from Brunei that has a global reach up to Africa. Last week, I was invited to a signing ceremony between Crescent Sdn Bhd and ABG Multimedia Services (from Nigeria) and this means Crescent will provide its online Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance course in Nigeria. Awesome!!!

Now how did this all happened? It was from a trip organised by United Staes Embassy last September 2011 where they select 25 entrepreneurs globally from Muslim countries to participate in the Obama initiative. Hajah Salma Latiff, Managing Director of Crescent Sdn Bhd, was selected and she met Dr Musa Bawa Garba, Managing Director of ABG Multimedia Services from Nigeria.

The signing ceremony, which invited the Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali Haji Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), as the guest of honour. In his opening speech the deputy minister said that the signing “marks an important milestone for the local company” and its journey to venture overseas.

Congratulations once again to Hjh Salma on making it global and she also won the Asia Pacific ACT Awards (APICTA) last year where it was Brunei’s first win in the competition in 12 years.

The signing ceremony took place at the iCentre

Hjh Salma of Crescent said that they are fortunate to have a partner who believe in the importance of Islamic finance and appreciates that its implementation in Nigeria is a necessity for the country’s economic progress and development

Dr Musa Bawa Garba said he sees Islamic banking as a form of ethical investing, or ethical lending, where no loans are possible unless they are interest-free, and this offers a balance between extreme capitalism and communism and he was impressed with Crescent’s highly structured, interactive and innovative distance learning programme, the Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance

Dato Paduka Ali Apong was delighted with the SME joint venture between Crescent (Brunei) and ABG Multimedia Services (Nigeria) and he believed that BEDB has the “capability, capital and connectivity” to guide SMEs globally through innovation

Now they can load on Twitter, Instagram.. you name it

The handover of documents between Dr Musa and Hjh Salma with Dato Paduka Ali Apong as a witness

Graceful Lace, a group of 8 students from Year 2 National Diploma in Business and Finance from Sekolah Perdagangan is organizing an event which is the The Wedding Expo 2012 from 24th up to 27th February on the 1st and 2nd Floor Atrium, Hua Ho Manggis Mall from 10am to 10pm.

The main purpose of the event is to expose the SME’s especially the home based wedding service provider as well as the established names in the industry in which through this event, the various service provider could promote any of their new ideas, products and services to potential weds to be who are still looking out for the right wedding attire, wedding dias, wedding door gifts and many more. The participants joining the event are Nurhayana Enterprise, FM Bridal, Cits Cake, Zaren Chocolatier, Simply Sayang, DD Gmin Bridal Gallery, Kitchen Essencia and many more.

For your information, the event is sponsored by Hua Ho Department Store ,Insurans Islam TAIB, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, BIBD At-Tamwil, Orchid Garden Hotel, Aneka Rasa Restaurant, Kristal FM and Ranoadidas.

It would be really grateful that the public (especially the weds-to-be) to come and visit the expo at the same time support the students’ event.

For enquiries, please contact :

Farouq Al-Qastharie Haji Abdul Aziz, Graceful Lace General Manager : +673 8689749
Nor Iman Mohd Isham, Marketing department : +673 7140803
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