Perhaps the unique part of the National Day Special Promotion is the special local dishes that will be made available on the ala carte menu and buffet at Airport Restaurant and Seasons Restaurant. Some of the dishes are normally cooked at home and hence this will be the first time a few dishes will be introduced.

The National Day Special Promotion, which will run from Feb 20-25, will showcase a number of mouth-watering local delicacies such as Kembayau cream soup, Jackfruit cooked with prawn and Belutak fried rice with deep fried chicken and crackers. Other items on the menu are Mambangan Mousse served with fruits and sauce and Deef Fried Seabass Liking.

They will also serve ambuyat and the grilled items are only available during dinner buffet. Both Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Demi Chef Azizul Abdullah made some trials and see what’s good to include in the food promotion. Chef Azizul is probably known for his Kembayau soup where he once taught a short demo on how to make one.

Check out the poster for prices and mind you, the lunch buffet at Seasons Restaurant is fully booked for now on the 23rd February (National Day). So that really says a lot about the food promotion.

Deep Fried Seabass Liking served with steamed rice and sambal “mambangan”

I love this pakis dish

Nasi Goreng Belutak served with local sausage and deep fried chicken and crackers

Chef Azizul, Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Seasons Restaurant Assistant Manager Oscar Abrera

I’m not sure what is the jinx for SAFFC. The army outfit from Singapore has yet to beat DPMM FC in six attempt after their 2-1 loss at their home ground. SAFFC is one of the favourites for the S-League title and they are still pointless after two games played.

SAFFC scored from a set piece when Tatsuro Inui scored from a free kick to cancel out in-form striker Basiru Osman’s goal. DPMM FC played the same starting line up against Tampines Rovers. Both goals scored from DPMM were from set pieces and this showed the lack of concentration of SAFFC’s defence when it mattered the most.

Perhaps the highlight of the match was Shahrazen’s first competitive goal which is a good morale boost for the DPMM striker. He’s back to full fitness and his support from Basiru Osman and Ghral well be a force to be reckoned with.

What DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic said – “Inside our hearts, we always trusted that we could come here and win,” claimed the Croatian. SAFFC are the No.1 team in Singapore, eight-time champions. Maybe there are some people who want us to get spectacular results, but we have to respect them, so I am happy with this win.

“We have had no football for three years, and it would not be logical for us to come to Singapore and become champions right away. But in my heart, I am always hungry for trophies, and I will transfer that spirit to my team.” (Source: Tam Cheong Yan of S.League)

DPMM FC’s first win is a good birthday present for the Crown Prince who celebrated his 38th birthday a few days ago. Well done to DPMM FC and I won’t be surprised that their t-shirt merchandise will increase in sales. Images below are courtesy of S.League Facebook page.

Rodrigo Ghral of DPMM FC in action against SAFFC last night

Wardun, DPMM FC’s keeper, did a great job behind the line and he hardly gets picture taken in DPMM FC matches too. Kudos to the photographer.

As usual, Basiru Osman will always be fouled and when this happens, you know such player is a threat. DPMM FC’s best signing so far

Just read the caption *lol* DPMM FC celebrated their first victory.

iCentre’s iMMerse programme series, dubbed the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge”, ended with a prize presentation ceremony, marking another initiative by the organisation in identifying local talents in the Sultanate’s multimedia industry.

The second challenge carried the theme “My Brunei Forever Green”, where participants created a poster that showcases the richness, lushness and majestic environment of Brunei Darussalam, including how Bruneians coexist with nature in a greener and brighter world for today and tomorrow.

The ceremony began with an opening remark by Jeremy Chua, Multimedia officer from iCentre, who stated that the programme is aimed to nurture and grow a diverse community of untapped potential in Brunei’s Multimedia industry.

“Our upcoming challenge is the 3D animation challenge, which will take place in the coming months, followed by the short film challenge, and finally the web/mobile interface challenge,” he said.

Officiating the prize presentation was Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA). The top winner of the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge” was Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, whilst second place went to Rommel Oliveros. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines, talked about the iMMerse programme

Kwok Leong of KR Consulting, 1st prize winner Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, 2nd prize winner Rommel Oliveros and Aji Puteh of RBA

Chronicle (2012). A very mixed reviews from my peers. The guys love it while the ladies thought otherwise. Maybe it’s not meant for the ladies, aye? I love the direction of Chronicle and the formula paid off especially the genius work of video capture as the audience saw the movie through the lens of V-cam throughout the movie.

The movie is pretty dark though and the ending might not be everyone’s cup of tea but to me, it fits the bill. Sometimes I feel that the scenario of the relationship among the three friends portrayed in the movie can be relate to most of our daily lives in how we deal with close friends. Sorry ladies, I don’t agree with your ratings for this one. One of the best movie this month. Verdict: 8/10.

The Descendants. I could feel the energy from Cuterabbit and lilmopiko when we watched this flick. Halfway through the movie, they felt restless because they lost interest *lol* This melodrama movie is definitely not for everyone and I was pretty curious on The Descendants as it was nominated for Best Actor (George Clooney) and Best Picture for the upcoming Oscars.

I have to say I quite enjoyed The Descendants but it’s somewhat depressing as the story depicts a father played by George Clooney who tried to pull his family together and facing reality on their dying mother with obstacles along the way. The movie also reminds me of the classic Little Miss Sunshine which I personally enjoyed more than The Descendants. After watching this movie, I’m still questioning how this flick was nominated as Best Picture. Verdict: 7/10.

Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace in 3D. I caught The Phantom Menace when it premiered in Australia back in 1999. Did I enjoy it? Well, despite the great visuals and fight scenes, I was pretty bogged down by the confusing plot which talks about politics. I am a fan of Star Wars series but I preferred episodes 4 to 6.

Now fast forward to the present, the producers have enhanced the movie in a 3D version. Was it worth it? All I can say that I was more impressed with the trailer of Titanic 3D (which was shown) than my 3D experience of The Phantom Menace. I noticed some scenes weren’t not rendered to 3D. I highly recommend this 3D movie for hardcore fans and also to those who didn’t get the privilege to watch The Phantom Menace. Oh yeah, Jar Jar Binks really spoiled my movie experience *lol* Verdict: 6/10.

There was a small gig for Brunei 501st Legion appearance during the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D premier at The Mall Cineplex

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Perhaps one of the movies which I had low expectations for two reasons – 1) first movie really sucked 2) Nicholas Cage?? I was more bemused by the outcome of some scenarios rather than the action. Some just didn’t make sense and I felt like drilling the director with my 2 cents opinion. Ghost Rider is comparable to the Green Lantern and it’s not a movie that will burn its way to the box office. It only opened at USD 22 million while the 1st Ghost Rider raked in USD 52 million back in 2007.

Ok, enough rants on Ghost Rider the sequel. I won’t say it was an improvement because I didn’t really enjoy both movies. I just hope they will stop making Ghost Rider movies as the producers are losing their investment in this particular movie. I love Nicholas Cage in Con Air, The Rock and Face/Off but his latest strings of movies (Drive Angry, Season of the Witch) were total failures. Even the comfort of the $20 VIP sofa seats didn’t save my movie experience. Sorry Ghost Rider. Time to put the flame out. Verdict: 5/10.

Safe House. This is one gripping thriller not to be missed. Denzel Washington is one actor that can’t go wrong when he’s on screen though not all movies I necessarily enjoy but he always does his best regardless. Ryan Reynolds also starred in Safe House and he suits playing this kinda of roles.

It was a better momentum after watching The Descendants two hours before. There are some flaws and some credibility issues that I kept me wonder at some points. However, the great chemistry between the co-stars and nicely paced action kinda delivers the movie to my expectations. I just wish they directed the suspense level to another level. Still a great watch. Verdict: 8/10.