Last Friday, Total held an open day session at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Times Square, for potential students to apply for the Total scholarship. The Total Education Scholarship Scheme 2012 is a cooperation wieth Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV and the Energy Division at the Prime’s Minister Office and supported by PetroleumBRUNEI.

Also present that day was Ambassador of France to Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Louis Le Vert, who also spoke to the students during the interview.

Now you have two days left before the deadline for the submission. The requirements are 3 Grade A’s in ‘A’ Levels, Brunei Darussalam citizenship, and Credits in Bahasa Melayu and English Language. Those successful will be pursuing petroleum courses and related fields such as Geology, Chemistry and Engineering.

Applicants should send in their Form 4, 5, 6 school transcripts (in English), birth certificates, ‘A’ Level results (or provisional results for 2012) and send them to: Organisation and Human Capability Unit, Energy Corporate, Energy Division, Prime Minister’s Office, 5th Floor, Bahirah Building, Jln Menteri Besar, BB3910, Bandar Seri Begawan. The closing date for the application is on Saturday, April 14 before 3pm.

The Ambassador of France to Brunei, Mr. Louis Le Vert, talking to students

There are some interests for the scholarship during the open day

They also have openings at Total

More students turned up in the evening

FREE registration for ADSEM 3-Aside Football Tournament this Friday, Saturday & Sunday at the Airport Mall. Registration starts at 10 am. Teams that reach the Quarter Finals will receive a set of higher tier ticket for the EPL Masters Football Brunei Cup 2012. Any team who registers for FREE willl also be entitled to purchase the EPL Masters Football ticket for $20 off. FREE to join. More to gain, nothing to lose.

So turn up to the Airport Mall this Friday and it will be part of the b.mobile Final Roadshow event too.

The venue for the 3-Aside Football Tournament this Friday

Football Kickoff finals, Win a Golden Ticket, FIFA PS3 Finals, 3-a-side Football showcase and many more at b.mobile final roadshow at The Airport Mall this weekend

Check out the latest Audi Q3 at T.C.Y. Motors new showroom at Kiarong

Not sure where is the new T.C.Y. Motors showroom? Look at this map for directions

Alliance Francaise de Brunei (AF Brunei) raised the curtains on the much-anticipated French Film Festival 2012 last night, bringing hopes of providing a platform and inspiring local film enthusiasts in the Sultanate to explore the beauty of French films through various activities during the week-long event.

The launch of the French Film Festival 2012 was held last night at The Bare, The Empire Hotel and Country Club with a short film promo called “ST.A.T Episode 10” by local film director, Adam Groves of Visual Dimensions Production.

The ceremony continued with the screening of five critically acclaimed short films from different genres – The Little Dragon (Le petit dragon), It’s Sunday (C’est dimanche), Madagascar – Diary of a Journey (Madagascar – carnet de voyage), Master Plan (Schema directeur) and Ten (Dix).

For more information, follow AF Brunei on all social media or visit their website at www.afbruneidarussalam.com.

Interested members of the public may also call their headquarters at Jalan Dato Ratna, Kampong Kiarong at 2654245. Admission is free for all public screenings. Text courtesy of Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

This was a pretty nice set up at The Baze

Some of the guest attended the opening of the French Film Festival at The Baze

The Guest of honour giving his speech with the Director of Alliance Francaise (Brunei)

They screened a few short films for the guests

Only two more days left for French Film Festival in Brunei

A sneak preview for tonight’s (Thursday) event which is the CSI Investigation Role Play which will take place at the Alliance Francaise and it’s $10 upon registration. This should be interesting 🙂

Epicenter of earthquake off the coast of Northern Sumatra. Image taken off CNN website

A massive earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a tsunami alert for the Indian Ocean.

The quake struck about 434 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province, and had a magnitude of 8.6, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It took place at a depth of 23 kilometers.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said it had issued a tsunami watch for the entire Indian Ocean, and the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it had put up a tsunami warning.

To read more, click here.

This is another milestone for Concepts Computer as it celebrated the release of the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 retail pack with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its headquarters in Kiulap last Monday.

SMB Lead of Microsoft (B) Sdn Bhd, Andrew Tan and Account Executive of Tech One Global Limited, Ahmad Tarmizi DP Hj Yusoff were the guests of honour at the event, and they joined Concepts Computer General Manager Vincent Pao to officially cut the ribbon, which was placed in front of a large replica of the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 box. Vincent Pao said that “as the first company retailer recognised as a Microsoft Reseller, Concepts Computer has always put great emphasis on making Microsoft Genuine software easily available to the public at a highly affordable price so as not to exclude a large portion of potential customers who are willing to use genuine software but are unwilling to spend lavishly.”

The Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 includes Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Excel 2010, Microsoft Powerpoint 2010, and Microsoft One Note 2010.

“It is very cost-effective and affordable because the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 retail pack will provide three licenses for three PCs at only $160. It also includes a half-day training session conducted by a Microsoft Certified Trainer at Tech One Global and a free Microsoft sling bag,” said the general manager.

Zul Abd Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer said that a large portion of customers who have problems with personal computers stems from having used non-genuine and pirated software. For more information on any products from Concepts Computer, visit their nearest showroom or call 2233551/2/3 or 2448102/3. Text by Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

Officiating the launch of the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010. Image courtesy of Vince Hong.

Vincent Pao and the invited guests signing on the replica of Microsoft Office Home and Student box. Image courtesy of Concepts Computer

And so did the media…. Image courtesy of Concepts Computer

You can see this huge replica by the road side near Kiulap Roundabout

Click image to enter website and start shopping

Football Kickoff finals, Win a Golden Ticket, FIFA PS3 Finals, 3-a-side Football showcase and many more at b.mobile final roadshow at The Airport Mall this weekend

Click banner to find out more

I attended the session called UBD Local Flavours which was held at The Cord, UBD last Saturday. The local gig was organised by Sociology-Anthropology Class of 2012 with the collaboration with UBD FM. It was part of their final project and their theme is to promote youth humanitarianism through means of music.

It was an event that acts as a bridge for better understanding of how the music scene is in Brunei. This gave a platform for local artists to showcase their talents and at the same time to expose Brunei’s youth-defined music culture to UBD students.

As mentioned before, the event is part of the final assignment for the 4th year Popular Culture and Mass Media class supervised by Professor Dr. Wan Zawawi who also performed in front of the audience to a warm reception.

The event was sponsored by Artly Design and supported by UBD Corp., Projekbrunei.com and RA. Also present were Anakbrunei, Cooltones and a look-a-like Mr. Kurapak aka Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

Notable mentions: Director – Amalina. Floor Manager – Areena & Nur Sheha. Sound Technicians & logistics – Nazmi, Nagib & Zulina. Event Coordinator & Marketing – Khalil, Areena and Amalina. Information Manager – Ziah, Alina, Khalil & Zulina. Security Manager & Ushering – Nagib, Zawanah, Nora & Nana. Refreshment team – Hidayati, Nora, Zawanah & Aloh.

The official poster of last weekend’s gig

Hans Anuar kicked off the gig

Another local talent Ina, a student of UBD

Erwan, a student from UBD, performed an acoustic melody

Former P2F winner Dayat showcasing his talent

Erne Zainal, another UBD student, entertained the audience

Harm & Qielah belted a duet

Another popular artist Zul Faden brought some smiles from the crowd

This is one interesting music from Prof. Dr. Wan Zawawi.. Impressive

UBD students, Zulina and Alina known as The Lins

Juju sang two songs for the audience

Rara, former UBD FM, is a big fan of 5.10am

Fakhrul Razi is such a great entertainer

Perhaps the most unique performance of the day by Aliff and Edabrig

UBD FM and the local artist thanking the audience

Sociology Anthropology Class of 2012 were behind this project

UBD FM deejays Jordine and Jaz were the emcees

The group photo with the organisers and the artists. Click image to read more from UBD FM’s entry.

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) recently announced their AITI Next Innovation and Multimedia Award for Sustainable ICT Industry (ANIMASI) Pro-Digital Animation Challenge 2012 as one of its latest initiatives to support the development of local ICT industry in the field of digital media.

The ANIMASI Pro-Digital Animation Challenge is aimed to identify and support local businesses’ creativity in producing Brunei-made digital animations, as well as to facilitate the growth of the local digital media industry by recognizing and nurturing our Bruneian talents. This program is in line with one of AITI’s roles and functions to encourage, promote, facilitate, invest in, and assist in the establishment, development and expansion of the local ICT industry.

According to the Chief Executive of AITI, Tuan Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, the ultimate outcome of this Challenge is to have the local talented digital media businesses to collaborate with international players in digital media co-productions in the near future. Last year, AITI signed an MOU with Malaysia’s Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to work hand-in-hand in developing Brunei’s creative digital media industry.

In addition to this, the Challenge also offers the best overall winning entry an AITI grant of B$25,000 minimum to further develop its winning animation clip. The best winner will also be eligible for a mentorship program with well-renowned international players in this field. The top three best entries will also be given a prize money of B$10,000 each.

This Challenge is only open for ICT businesses and production houses registered in Brunei Darussalam. Interested participants of this Challenge are required to submit two different entry forms – the Phase One Entry Form (for pre-production and production phase) on 21st May 2012 and Phase Two Entry Form (for post-production and pitching) with the final animation clip on 28th June 2012. Challenge participants are also required to present their submission works to a panel of industry professionals and experts for the two phases on 28th May 2012 and 9th & 10th July 2012 respectively.

Interested participants are encouraged to attend a briefing and workshop on Creative Digital Animation on Wednesday, 18th April 2012 at 8.15am at Seri Kerna Hall, Block B13, AITI Office, Kg. Anggerek Desa. Amongst the topics covered will be Guidelines for the Challenge Submission, Fundamentals of 3D Animation Design, International Collaboration Opportunities, International Benchmarks and Experience, and Broadcasting Standards. The public are also welcome to attend this briefing and workshop.’ Text courtesy of AITI

It was a successful event last Sunday. The Brunei Times, Prismworks Event Management and Filipino Association organised the Tulong Mindanao Charity Auction and Bazaar held at the Indoor Stadium.

The guest of honour to grace the event was HRH Prince Haji ‘Abdul ‘Azim. Thousands of dollars were raised last Sunday for the victims of the Typhoon Washi.

I love their concept of the auction of the donated items from private companies. Royal Brunei Airlines, The Brunei Times, Toys R Us, Fitness Zone, Interhouse Company and TheFaceShop to name a few sponsored their products and services and the price list will be shown to interested parties where they can start at a minimum bid.

For instance, The Brunei Times annual subscription is $174.20 but the minumum bid starts at $20 or $30. Now ain’t that just a great deal and plus the money earned from the bidding goes to charity.

Perhaps the one of the highlights of the auction was Royal Brunei Airlines’s business class for two to Melbourne. The minimum bid began at $1,200 and there were only two bidders and they were so fortunate to get the tickets for only $1,450 for two business class tickets.. Awesome!!!! For your info, the estimated value is $8,000 for business class tickets.

Now the other interesting part of the auction was a special session with Wu Chun for a 30 minute gym session and also an one-on-one basketball session with the celebrity. Read further on for the actual price bidded for Wu Chun’s session.

HRH Prince Haji ‘Abdul ‘Azim (C) taking a tour of the venue with Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman (R). Picture: BT/ Quratul-Ain Bandial

Did you know that The Brunei Times have video feeds on their website to make the news more interactive? Interesting.. Click image to see some of the videos

Quratul-Ain Bandial is one of the faces of The Brunei Times’ TV

The settings at Indoor Stadium last Sunday

Cosplay gathering also took place that day

Sheikh Jimmy was targeting the Toys R Us voucher

The bidders taking their seats

The guy who won the bid of BND 1,450 for the business class tickets to Melbourne but his tickets were eventually bought by another party at a higher price

Guest what?? Two fans spent USD 6,500 on Wu Chun’s 30 minute gym session and one-in-one basketball. On top of that, Alis Lau, an online bidder from Hong Kong, donated USD 1,010 after she lost the auction

A note from Wu Chun: I really appreciate MCYS (Brunei’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports), the Philippine Embassy and The Brunei Times because such charity event always becomes more influential when there are big names coming in and it’s such a blessing to see so many charity events coming up in Brunei.

I was influenced by my mother since I was young to help others and be involved in charity work. Right now, I want to use my own ability to influence more people to be involved in charity. Internationally, I do such projects with my fans and in Brunei, I try to get Fitness Zone involved in more charity and community projects with a big help from my very supportive members.

Honestly, it doesn’t have to be cash contributions. As long as you have the heart and desire to help others, a word of mouth action can be very influential too. I always tell my fans not to give me presents even during my birthday and advised them if they really want to buy me presents, the best gifts will be a charity donation receipt or a certificate of their involvement in charity work.

It’s just a two-day auction and a total of close to BND10,000 for two 30-minute workout sessions with me is just too expensive! I really feel guilty but at the same time I’m hoping that this amount can really help those in need in the Philippines.

With the help of my knowledge on health, nutrition and fitness, I am going to make use of these 30-minute sessions to try and change the life of the persons who have made the donation worthwhile because I always believe prevention is CHEAPER than cure.

I bidded for a Canon printer after learning some tips on bidding from the rest earlier on… and I won the auction in the end *woohoo*

After a successful event of the 3-on-3 basketball challenge, there was no doubt that KFC and Fitness Zone working together for future projects. Last Saturday, KFC (Brunei) and Fitness Zone signed a Memorandum of Understanding for their partnership in promoting a well-balanced and healty lifestyle together. This is also in conjunction with the upcoming World Health Day.

Del Goh, General Manager of KFC Brunei signed the MoU with Wu Chun, Managing Director and owner of Fitness Zone. Present also during the signing were Jonathan Bong, Marketing Manager of KFC and Mike, Fitness Zone’s Operations Manager.

In the MoU, both KFC and Fitness Zone will be organising fitness classes between Fitness Zone and KFC. That’s not all as KFC will be looking into developing a healthy meal. KFC Brunei also announced that Wu Chun is the KFC Brunei’s “Sogood” Will Ambassador *Awesome*

Mike, Operations Manager of Fitness Zone, Wu Chun, Managing Director of Fitness Zone, Del Goh, General Manager of KFC Brunei and Jonathan Bong, Marketing Manager of KFC at the press conference last Saturday

Wu Chun is appointed as KFC Brunei’s “sogood” WIll Ambassador

Wu Chun and Del Goh exchanging documents of the MoU

During the Q&A session for Fitness Zone and KFC’s collaboration