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Surprisingly I have never entered this building. This is the H & M building and previously this was California Fitness.

After a two month wait, I finally managed to catch Raid: The Redemption movie which blew my mind completely. I almost caught it in Melbourne back in April but the timing didn’t allow me and Brunei didn’t bring the movie too. Verdict: 9/10.

I had another meal with Fina and Marianne and it was a pretty good steamboat meal at Ion Orchard

We had a four hour tour to Polytechnic Nanyang and IDA. Representatives from AITI, ICT vendors, iCentre incubatees and BEDB representatives also joined the tour.

Did you know that there’s an MRT stop now at Marina Bay Sands? It’s at the Bayfront stop. You will need to change platform at Marina Bay stop to go to Orchard MRT 🙂

Sometimes it’s a good reason to wake up in the middle of the night to catch Euro 2012 while blogging 🙂

The big day is today and the organizers AITI and the 9 invited exhibitors were busy preparing for CommunicAsia 2012 yesterday at Marina Bay Sands convention. I shall be covering the event this morning for the official launch of CommunicAsia 2012 and three companies will be launching their services/products where the Minister of Communications of Brunei Darussalam will officiate the launches of the respective companies.

The guys setting up their booths for the four day event – CommunicAsia 2012

Hui Nee and Jo looking very busy

Coffee lovers in Brunei will be able to indulge in premium and top quality beverages as Australian coffee house Gloria Jean’s Coffee finally opened its doors to the Bruneian market at Citis Square yesterday.

This was made possible following the business role of MyFranchise, a subsidiary of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad, which is responsible for the Brunei and Malaysia operations, through Wonderful Lifestyles Sdn Bhd.

Joining allegiance in the successful opening of Brunei’s latest coffee store were the Australia Trade Commission and the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam. Gloria Jean’s Coffee is internationally recognised especially in the Asean region and popular among Bruneians who visit neighbouring countries. The owner of the Brunei outlet who is responsible for its daily operations is Pg Hjh Jamilah Matarasat.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee – one of the world’s top gourmet coffee retailers – has outlets in 45 countries, with approximately 1,000 stores worldwide and 470 stores in Australia. It is not only renowned for its genuine and distinctive taste and flavours but it is meticulously focused on the art and techniques of coffee-making to ensure top quality standards.

Awg Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (3L) with Mr Wes Knight, the Acting Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam (2L) and other distinguished guests during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Image courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

Following the opening landmark in Brunei and adding an alternative to the healthy Bruneian market, Datuk Hj Ahmad Shalimin bin Hj Ahmad Shaffie, Chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffee Malaysia said that yesterday’s opening was the first outlet for Brunei Darussalam.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee is also a registered member with Rainforest Alliance Certified. “It means that we only buy coffee from the farmers that follow the standard operating procedures of coffee farming,” Datuk Haji Ahmad Shalimin said. Gloria Jean’s Coffee’s long extensive line of coffee products contains Rainforest Alliance Certified beans.

“The hero for the brand is the coffee itself and the beans are specially blended according to their recipes and directly comes from Australia. In terms of making coffee and the whole technicality of making the coffee, everything is handcrafted and we pride ourselves in making sure that our baristas actually learn the right and proper way of making coffee,” a representative of Gloria Jean’s Coffee said.

“As coffee drinkers, we are critical in the coffee we drink and for the market overall, the market is moving towards more places (for people) to hang out but at the same time provide good quality food and drinks,” he added.

The investment and training in coffee professionals and baristas are well documented to ensure the highest level of professionalism and quality in Brunei coupled with the varied taste which ranges from one-dimensional to the rich and complex flavours.

“We also have a training centre in Kuala Lumpur where we call it Coffee University. So all the baristas will be sent to our centre not only for the coffee but also the SOP of the whole store,” he added.

He said that the local staff in Brunei also received training in Kuala Lumpur. Gloria Jean’s Coffee in Malaysia also expertly looked at the convenience of the location.

Originally started in the US in 1979, it was brought over by the Australians in 2005, which considered the brand as an Australian brand ever since.

Meanwhile, Mr Nabi Salleh, the Executive Chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffee International said, “We’re incredibly excited about being able to provide the local Bandar Seri Begawan community with the high quality coffee, outstanding personalised services and vibrant store atmosphere that Gloria Jean’s Coffee is famous for.”

Present as the chief guest at the launch was Awg Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Also present at the event were Mr Wes Knight, the Acting Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam; Dato’ Mohd Ali bin Abd Samad, Member of the Board of Directors of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad; and other distinguished guests. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

Image taken from Gloria Jeans Brunei Facebook page

The winner of the 5km Fun Run @ Tasek Lama last Saturday

The Surveying Division of the Young Surveyor’s Group, under the Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA), held the ‘Fun Run @ Tasek 2012’ event yesterday morning at Tasek Lama Recreational Park.

Present at the event was Permanent Secretary (Professional and Technical) of the Ministry of Development Hj Suhaimi Hj Gafar, PUJA Brunei Chairman Hj Zulkipli Hj Abdul Hamid and PUJA Brunei Surveying Division Chairman Hj Hanafi POKDGSDRDLU Hj Abd Rahman.

There were three categories at the event: the Student Run, 2.5km Run and the Overtime 5km Run. The event began with a flag off for all the runners, which was then followed by a ‘Student Treasure Hunt’.

Apart from raising funds for SMARTER and Pusat Ehsan, the fun run also aimed to give the participants a better understanding of the quantity surveying profession. At the event, members of the public got the chance to interact with quantity surveyors and those in the construction industry, and learned more about the profession

A prize presentation was held at the end of the event for the winners of each category. A ceremony was also held to hand over the donations to SMARTER and Pusat Ehsan, with each organisation receiving $2,500

Representing the benefiting charities were Malai Hj Abdullah Hj Malai Othman, president of SMARTER and Dato Paduka Alimin Abd Wahab, acting chairman of the Board of Trustees for Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam.

The Fun Run @ Tasek event was held in conjunction with the 16th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors Congress, which will take place from July 7 to July 19 at the Empire Hotel & Country Club. Text courtesy of Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times.

The winner of the 2km Fun Run @ Tasek Lama last Saturday

Donation handed to Pusat Ehsan

The warm exercise before the event led by Edgar

The flag off for the 2.5 km and 5km Fun Run

It was a day of heroes, as many rolled up their sleeves to donate blood at the RIPAS Blood Bank on Thursday, June 14.

The event was called the ‘Hero Blood Donation Drive’, where donors came dressed in their best superhero costumes and donated their blood.

Organised by GetFitCrossFit and the Health Promotion Centre (HPC), and supported by the Department of Laboratory Services, the event saw more than 200 people show their support for the cause and a total of 129 successful blood donations received.

The event, which coincided with World Blood Donor Day (June 14), was one of many ‘mega drives’ all over the country on the day.

“It’s much more than just a donation drive. It’s something inspiring and you feel like a hero by doing this,” said DJ Faye from Pelangi FM.

According to a press statement from HPC, the reason behind making the event a fancy dress was to show potential blood donors, especially young people, that blood donation can be fun and social.

It was hoped that potential blood donors would be inspired to set up their own events and donate regularly in the future. By making the event social, potential blood donors would overcome their fears by having friends and family supporting them. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times. Images courtesy of HPC Brunei Facebook and Stephanie Liew.