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Ranoadidas.com | Brunei's No 1 Social News » 2012 » July

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Archive for July, 2012

31
Jul

Carbo-less

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Have you signed up for Reebonz?

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Another cause for celebration


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HSBC – Home loan needs




Pazzion promotion at The Mall


 

Oppein is now in Brunei

This is just a perfect timing to open a well known brand for kitchen and wardrobe. The Brunei outlet is one of the 3,000 showrooms around the world. So don’t worry about the quality as Oppein does deliver to your expectations. I had a quick peek last Sunday on its soft launch and I’m quite impressed with the kitchen display they have.

Just a bit of history that the kitchen cabinet is that Oppein has been in this line for 17 years and their idea is to create a modern kitchen through industrialization production. I won’t spare too much details on the strong points of Oppein but it’s environmental and user friendly too. Just drop by the showroom and the sale assistants will be able to consult you.

It’s also affordable with superior quality. Oppien also bring the world famous brand hardware uch as Blum® of Austria, RENOLET® and HETTICH® of Germany.

For soft opening, Oppein Brunei is offering a special price for all the show room display set (30% to 50%) for the first 10 customers only. It’s located at Unit 5, Ground Floor, Bagunan Majid Mohammad, Spg 235-7, Jln Pasar Baharu, Kg Kiarong BE1318, Brunei Darussalam. (behind The Arch)


This is located behind The Arch (Gadong)


Check out LFHW


Click image to enter site


Congratulations to Andy and Janet


Andy Law and Janet Chan officiating the opening of the salon

AL Professional Hairstylist Group opened its outlet at the Airport Mall last Sunday. It caters to both male and female patrons and they will be treated by professional and certified hairstylists.

Business partners Andy Law and Janet Chan made this possible and now they have created a modern feel for the comfort of their patrons. Have a space at The Airport Mall is such a good timing as almost all the spaces are taken up and the traffic crowd is pretty good as well.

For appointments, you can call AL Professional 220 1119. Congratulations once again to Andy and Janet on the launch of AL Professional Hairstylist Group salon.


Andy Law and Janet Chan with the hairstylists


Nursyasya Kain Rack


Check out the “kain” at The Airport Mall


A very clean, bright look at the store


Per metre is $10 and you can buy a roll too


Suitable for both male and female


This costs $25 and ideal for Hari Raya


Senjang costs around $25 too


It’s located on 2nd floor, The Airport Mall… Call 880 2653 for more details

29
Jul

Maziah feeling the goosebumps

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Have you signed up for Reebonz?

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Another cause for celebration


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HSBC – Home loan needs



b•mobile Bfit challenge


More information for Bfit soon


All eyes on Maziah Mahusin


Brunei’s flag bearer Maziah Mahusin with Ak Hafiy Tajuddin and Anderson Lim

It’s not about winning but about being represented for a country. Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia made history as they finally have female athletes competing in the Olympics. Though she may have not met the Olympic qualifying time for the 400 metres, she was given a wild card by the International Olympic Committee “concept of universality” which grants her participation.

She was recently interviewed by TIME magazine on her adventure to London 2012. She claimed that it has been a lonely journey for her because she doesn’t have a sparring partner to work with. Instead she trains with male athletes which is more challenging due to the difference in stamina and endurance.

Anyway, let’s now focus on Maziah Mahusin’s progress in London 2012. Yes, you may have heard that she’s down with a bug and she’s been recovering ever since. This may have been caused by being acclimatize to the different environment (London). She will be competing in the 400m in August 3 and this is a historic moment for Brunei and the Olympics when Maziah burns the track this week.


Maziah tried her best to overcome the viral and continued training


She did some laps recently on the track

I was fortunate enough to get hold of Maziah who’s currently resting in London and thank you for your time to reply emails and the pictures.

RA: I heard that you have been hit by a bug or viral.. What was the cause? and how has it affected your preparation?

Maziah: The doctor said it was because of the weather here (in London). Sometimes it’s too cold or too hot and I’m not used to this kind of weather yet. Hence, I won’t be able to train for a while and resting is the only best recovery. But now I really have to force myself to train, just ignore and tolerate the pain. I have been preparing for this for a long time and I don’t want this to put to waste.

RA: What was the experience like to walk in front of thousands of people and holding the flag and being watched by millions on TV? Was it the best goosebumps ever for you?

Maziah:My heart kept beating faster and faster! My teammates and I were so excited! I felt goosebumps once I entered the stadium and yeah, it was the best goosebumps ever! [Laughs] I was too happy and I was just waving at the camera. I will never forget that moment.

RA: So you had a photo opportunity with Usain Bolt.. Did you guys had a talk? and what was it about?? Who else did you come across?

Maziah: Well, at first, one of my teammates had taken photos with him at the dining hall and he showed it to me so I was so jealous and asked him whether he was still there. So I sprinted down to the dining hall to see him and he was still there! I grabbed my opportunity to take a picture with him. However, we didn’t talk because he was surrounded by a lot of people. I met a lot of world class athlete like Michael phelps (8 gold medalists in swimming in Beijing 2008), Sanya Richard-Ross (400m runner, Bronze in Beijing 2008), Allyson Felix (4x400m runner, Gold in Beijing 2008), Kirani James (400m runner, Gold in 2011 World Championships) and many more.


Maziah with one of her idols, Sanya Richard-Ross, also a 400m runner

RA: You have many fans here in Brunei (including me) haha.. I was wondering if you have a Twitter or Instagram or a Fan page for people to follow. If you don’t, are you gonna create one?

Maziah: [Laughs] I’m sorry I don’t have any of those and I don’t think I want to make one.

RA: Name a few things that have happened recently in London as in your experience..

Maziah:Training on cold weather (until I got sick :/ ) and meeting a lot of world class athletes and of course, I have been interviewed with a lot of western media – ESPN, CNN, BBC and a lot more.


Maziah has been receiving a lot of attention from international media.. Awesome!!!

RA: Many of your fans have been praising a lot about you.. How are you feeling right now?

Maziah: I’m really happy but I just want to say to all my supporters that I’m not gonna aim for any medal. I hope they understand that I’m competing under the “concept of universality” given by the OIC and this is the Olympics! I just want to focus on my run and my performance. Representing Brunei for the olympics is already a gold medal for me and whatever good or bad things that will happen during my event, just please keep on continuous support for me and the Brunei athletes. And thank you very much to everyone who has been supporting me. I feel proud and overwhelmed.


Maziah sitting on a sofa made of tennis balls


b•mobile Ramadhan promotion


Awesome deals from b•mobile


It’s back again!!


Nasi Briyani Amal from OGH. Proceeds will be donated to Pusat Ehsan

28
Jul

Maziah makes history

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Historical moment for Maziah


Brunei’s flag bearer Maziah Mahusin holding the national flag as she led the contingent in the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium. Image taken by Mike Blake, Reuters.

Wooww!!! Just wow!!!! Last night was a historic moment for Brunei Darussalam as Maziah Mahusin becomes the first female Bruneian to participate in the Olympics. Though this is considered as a big hurdle to make the cut, Brunei’s participation was already a huge bonus itself. Who would have thought our 19 year old will be representing Brunei in track and field?

The name Maziah has been echoed through various source of medium and perhaps the most obvious medium is through social media. She has been grabbing headlines in the newspaper and she was also interviewed by BruneiTweet. Though there are three representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Maziah’s presence has been taking the limelight and perhaps the historical moment for Brunei as she becomes the first Brunei olympian.

It was also announced a few days before their departure that she will be Brunei’s flag bearer for the athletes parade during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. How awesome is that?? I can tell you that there were a lot of Bruneians who actually stayed up to witness the Brunei march and it was pretty evident as my instagram and Twitter feeds were mentioning her presence on TV.

I’m a proud Bruneian and it was a honour to witness the historic moment that lasted 10 seconds which overwhelmed the disappointing opening ceremony (my take 6/10) and let’s hope we can catch the Brunei athletes in action.


Maziah with her family and the British High Commissioner before heading off to London and thanks to @royalbruneiair for sponsoring their flights too


She had the opportunity to meet up with Olympic champion Usain Bolt.. Awesome!!!


The instagram feeds which happened right after she appeared on TV


The instagram feeds which happened right after she appeared on TV


My (cheesy) message for Maziah *huhu*


She was even a trending topic among the locals in Brunei and also featured in international tweet feeds. You go girl!!!


Ultrabooks from Concepts Computer


Check out the Ultrabooks from Acer at Concepts Computer


Reasons for congestion yesterday

It wasn’t just pay day yesterday but there was also an extra income for those in the government sector known as Elaun Sara Hidup (ESH) or in English, cost of living allowance and I tell you that the traffic congestion was pretty terrible to begin with especially in Gadong and Kiulap area.

There was also an accident at the major roundabout which even cause a bigger congestion. With the quick showers, pay-day and the accident, it was a bad idea to be on the road in the first place. Even petrol stations were pretty packed and that’s normally the case before Hari Raya *lol*

Oh yeah, a word of advice though.. Do not leave your belongings in your car. One car was reported broken in during Terawih prayers and the other happened at Gadong pasar malam at broad day light. So be mindful and aware of your belongings. It’s already desperation measures for these culprits.


It was quite a long queue and I suspected it was due to the accident at the roundabout. Image courtesy of Rafis.


The rain didn’t help to smoothen the traffic. Image courtesy of Rafis.


The accident at the major roundabout. How the car flipped I’m not too sure. Image taken from an anonymous source.


I posted this on my instagram and it created a few commotions through the messages because some were judging them on how they should have spent on their extra monies. This was taken at DeeJay where the crowd was mostly targeting the SIII. It’s rumoured that the price will drop by Monday. So it’s worth the wait!!


Even billionaire Bruce Wayne gonna check if he received his ESH *lol*

27
Jul

Make that change

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Have you signed up for Reebonz?

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Another cause for celebration


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HSBC – Home loan needs




Check-in online for extra allowance


Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website

Following a successful system migration Royal Brunei Airlines has re-activated its online check-in services for flights departing Bandar Seri Begawan starting from 15 July 2012.

Online Check-in services will also be available from all Royal Brunei Airlines’ destinations excluding Dubai, Jeddah and Surabaya.

Royal Brunei Airlines’ online check-in service is open from 24 hours up to 60 minutes before the scheduled departure time of each flight, excluding London and Melbourne where the online check-in service is open from 24 hours up to 180 minutes before the scheduled flight.

Passengers can access online check-in via www.bruneiair.com.

Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines stated, “We are pleased to re-introduce online check-in services to our passengers in Brunei. The service will allow passengers, including those travelling with checked baggage, to check-in online and create a smoother travel experience.”

From 15 to 31 July 2012 Royal Brunei Airlines is also giving an additional 5kg excess baggage for passengers who check-in online.

Passengers may visit their travel agent or www.bruneiair.com to book their flights.

 A Royal concern


His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah (R), the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam speaks with one of the staff on duty during His Majesty’ visit to the air control centre Division of Civil Aviation, Brunei International Airport yesterday. Image by Yusri Adanan of The Brunei Times.

It was a surprise visit to the Brunei International Airport’s Air Traffic Control tower by His Majesty the Sultan and the monarch’s purpose was to find out more about the recent Royal Brunei Armed Forces Bell 212 helicopter incident which happened last week.

His Majesty later departed the Air Traffic Control Tower to make his way to Raja Isteri Pengiran AnakSaleha (RIPAS) hospital where he visited Ward 10, holding two of the survivors.


His Majesty visited Bell booth last year during the BRIDEX 2011 event

From the press release today from The Brunei Times, it was said that there will be a special investigation on the recent RBAF Bell 212 helicopter crash in Ulu Belait. The investigation team comprises of international investigators from the United States and Canada and the Royal Brunei Air Force. This statement was release by the Ministry of Defence and the investigations have already begun last Saturday with the supervision of RBAirF.

It also stated that a preliminary report has been “submitted to the highest level of Board of Inquiry” which is led by First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Abd Halim Hj Mohd Hanifah, Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy.

There have been many stories with regards to the crash and they were based on unqualified information which led to many versions of the stories. Sometimes people tend to lash out of anger and frustration and that’s quite natural of human beings. But it’s better that we take a deep breath and calm ourselves down and just wait for the official report. For now, let’s give our prayers to those who lost their lives and move on to our daily lives.

According to the press release, The Brunei Times did engage with representatives from Bell Helicopter and they expressed their condolences to the families. Bell Helicopter’s Corporate Public Relations Manager William Schroeder said, “Bell Helicopter is standing by to provide whatever technical assistance necessary to understand what may have caused this accident.”


Coming soon – Bfit


Good luck to our Brunei team


HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah (2nd from left), the president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, YAM Pg Muda ‘Abdul ‘Aleem (left) and the national contingent attend a Team Welcome Ceremony held at the Olympic Village in London yesterday. Image courtesy of Infofoto.

Things are going smoothly after the Brunei contingent landed safely in London on Tuesday for the 2012 Olympics.

The first flight to arrive saw six members including national runners Maziah Mahusin and Ak HafiyTajuddin Pg Rositi from Brunei via Dubai.

The second flight which arrived an hour later saw national swimmer Anderson Lim Chee Wei together with his personal coach coming from the United States.

The contingent was received by Chef de mission Hj Mohd Zamri Dato Paduka Hj Hamdani upon arrival before heading to the welcome centre of the Olympic Village.

Maziah will be running in the women’s 400-metre event at the Games and her best time is 1:00.32 at the 19th Open International Athletics Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, earlier this month.

For Ak Hafiy Tajuddin, he will run in the men’s 400m and his personal best is 49.23 seconds which he set at the 2012 Taiwan Open Athletics Championships in May.

As for Anderson Lim Chee Wei, he will swim in the 200m freestyle event and the current national record holder clocked a time of 2:05.19 just last month. Source: Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.


Be part of SCB’s team


Searching for System Support Analyst for Standard Chartered Bank (Brunei)


Sin Hup Huat Hari Raya promos


It’s happening at Times SQ

The Times Square Ramadhan Fair 2012 has kicked off to a great start on Thursday, 26th July 2012.

Home to the fine replica of the Silver Jubilee Bandar Seri Begawan monument right in the heart of the shopping complex, the Ramadhan Fair consists of more than 20 booths offering a wide variety of products and services.

Among the exhibitors include United Motors Sdn. Bhd., the main distributor of Proton cars in Brunei Darussalam. Shoppers are eligible for Instant Lucky Dips and Free Soft Drinks with every purchase with United Motors.

All Seasons Restaurant is offering their exclusive Jumbo Curry Bread, the first of its kind in the country. The first 5 customers, who purchase 2 Jumbo Curry Breads, will be able to get 1 for Free from Thursday to Saturday, 26thJuly to 28th July 2012. They also offer a lot of other choices such as dimsum, char kuey and many more. Also in the festive Fair is Kitchen of Jasmine, who has Sungkai Delights at $9.00 per box for their Ramadhan Specials. Their festive treats include Mini Red Velvets, Mini Lasagnes, Mars Bars CheeseCups and so much more to satisfy your sweet tooth.


The Silver Jubilee BSB momument replica at Times Square


The management team of Times Square

Zéll-V, the No.1 Swiss Technology to combat against aging, is offering Free Professional Health Care Consultation and the first 50 shoppers to visit the booth will receive a Mystery Gift. Zéll-V is having a special Ramadhan Festive Promotional Package. Please visit their booth for more information.

One of the highlights of the Fair is the Times Square Ramadhan Best Family Photo Contest, where shoppers can win cash prizes worth up to $700.00. The Contest starts on 27th July 2012 and will end on 27th August 2012. To participate, LIKE the “Brunei Times Square Shopping Centre” Facebook Page, snap a photo of you and your family with the Silver Jubilee Bandar Seri Begawan monument at the Atrium, and then email the photo tobruneitimessquaremarketing@gmail.com with your full name, contact number, and Identity Card (I.C.) number. Then, get your friends and family to LIKE the photo on the Facebook Page. For more information on how to participate, please refer to the “Brunei Times Square Shopping Centre” Facebook Page.

Exhibitors of the Times Square Ramadhan Fair 2012 also include Venere Enterprise, Viisa Enterprise, Eklesia, Sin Han Kee Trading, FHL Enterprise, Current Enterprise, Freezedom Company, WR Electronics and Car Accessories, LiveWIRE and Thaibadap.

Head on down to Times Square this Ramadhan, and bring along your families and be a part of the festive celebration! Times Square Shopping Centre, an innovative and family-orientated shopping centre is constantly finding new and more ways to reach out to the public, making it “A Place for Everyone”.

26
Jul

The borderline

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News



LoveFoodHateWaste update


Have you ordered your Tapak Kuda from M. Hana Bakery? Click image to find out more


Now they have Durian Carnation and Qistina Rainbow Cake


London almond & biscuits, oreo chrunchie chocolate, crunchy nutella and ever popular nutella white chocolate. Click image to find out more.


One of the most anticipated macaroons in Brunei – MADbites.. Find out more about them in the upcoming newsletter next week.


You should try MADbites scones too..


Ahh… one of the highlights at CheezBox – the lamb!!!! Must try!! Posting on LFHW tomorrow.


Check out the coverage on Kimchi Restaurant. Click image to see more


Kitaro Japanese fans can enjoy 25% discounts on their menu. Click image to see more.


RBA sponsors the athletes

The Brunei Darussalam are sending three athletes to London for the 2012 Olympics Gmaes a few days ago. Athletics will be represented by Ak Hafiy Tajuddin bin Pg Rositi (Track 400 metres) and Maziah binti Mahusin (Track 400 metres) and Anderson Lim Chee Wei (Swimming 200 metres).

The flag bearer for Brunei Darussalam will be Maziah binti Mahusin who has been grabbing a lot of headlines in the sports section for the past few weeks. A big shout out to Royal Brunei Airlines for sponsoring the athletes to London. The group is led by Hj Muhd Zamri bin Dato Paduka Haji Hamdani, Chef de Mission of the Brunei Darussalam Contingent to the Olympic Games.

Maziah is very excited and she felt very honoured to represent Brunei in the Olympics and the 5 years really paid off. The Olympic Games will start on July 27 and end on August 12.


Sin Hup Huat promotion


New arrivals at Deseo, Regent Square


The trio to trek Mt Kilimanjaro

THREE women from Brunei, Huwaida Ishaaq, Michelle Charlene Basir and Anggie Jong, are planning to climb Mount Kilimanjaro from October 22 to 29 to raise funds for the less fortunate children in Africa via Childreach International.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Huwaida Ishaaq said that they have chosen to support ChildreachInternational as part of their ‘big hike’ to add meaning to their journey.

“Childreach International (a London-based international development charity) has been doing a great job to raise funds in countries like Cambodia, Bangladesh and Nepal,” she said.

“In Cambodia for example, they have helped pregnant mothers gain better access to health and medical support,” she said.

“While in Nepal, this non-profit organisation provides special support to bring health to children, particularly in the areas of hygiene and giving them medical support, whereas in Tanzania, they help provide clean water to those in need.”


Huwaida Ishaaq, Michelle Charlene Basir and Anggie Jong, who will be trekking Mount Kilimanjaro October this year. Image courtesy of Diyana Ibrahim of The Brunei Times.

For Michelle, her reason to participate in the fundraising hike was because of one difference between Brunei and Africa: “We grew up as very privileged kids, all of us in Brunei especially,” she said.

She said that “education-wise, everything is free and everything is subsidised” in Brunei. So because of this, she said she wanted to help the less fortunate children in Africa.

For Anggie, the climb is also a way for her to remember her friend who passed away earlier this year.

“Life is short,” she said. “Two years back, (we) hiked Mount Kota Kinabalu (together). (Both of us) had actually planned to go to Kilimanjaro.”

The trio agreed that the challenge that Mount Kilimanjaro presented was not so much about overcoming fear of heights, but about reaching the peak without catching altitude sickness.

“We have to be careful of this because altitude sickness is (unpredictable),” she said. “We can’t know who (will be hit) and how it will hit.”

For those who are interested chip in, they can go to https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/huwaida, where “what has been donated will straightaway be used towards charity”. For more of the interview, click here and the image and article courtesy of Diyana Ibrahim of The Brunei Times.

25
Jul

Catching it again!!

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Third time lucky?

Last week, this image of an impersonator was published in Borneo Bulletin and The Brunei Times. A day later he surrender himself to the police which actually saved them a lot of trouble (search wise).

Reading from the articles, Sambari Hj Abu Bakar (pic inset, taken from The Brunei Times) is no stranger to this kind of things. In 2010 Sambari was sentenced to two years in prison by the Magistrate’s Court for impersonating a high-ranking police officer. Back in 2004, he served 18 months in jail for posing as a member of the Royal Family. Now he is awaiting his sentence for his current charge for impersonating a police inspector to con and receive money from an establishment.

According to the article in The Brunei Times, the defendant had done a few con jobs here and there and freeloading at guest houses and driving rented cars. I have to say that this guy hasn’t learnt his lessons from his previous convictions.

He will be sentenced next week (Tuesday) and perhaps after his previous cases and imprisonment, he could face a longer jail sentence.


Shop, Dine & Drive


Participating outlets – QQestore, QQ Mobile Shop, Gripps Cafe, CheezBox and OhMyCard


Tahlil for the victims


Dato Paduka Dr Hj Zulkarnain(C), vice chancellor of UBD present during the recital of Tahlil for UBD alumni, Md Azhar Sulong, who was one of the officer cadets who was killed in the heli crash held at Universiti Brunei Darussalam mosque yesterday. Picture courtesy of Yusri Adanan of The Brunei Times

I’m still shocked over last week’s incident and condolence messages have been non-stop ever since. This is how much we really care for the people of Brunei especially those who are ready to defend the country. Last week, 14 Bruneians lost their lives in the helicopter tragedy at Ulu Belait on 20th July. Only two survived.

Massive tahlil and prayers have been ongoing on different places and I’ve yet to attend my relative and my friends tahlil functions as I was away on my recent Singapore trip and plus I’m quiet tied up with my LFHW coverage too. IsyaAllah by the weekend, it will be smoother and I will be able to pay my respects and prayers to the families involved.

On another note, yesterday’s article in The Brunei Times was a good wake-up call to many social media users. Sometimes we are not aware on the uses of social media even with a good intention. Last Friday, a list of those involved was circulated through social media platform such as Twitter and Facebook and that itself had already caused a lot of commotion because the information given was pretty sensitive and also unverified at the moment of time.

For Nurudin Hj Lamat, whose son Corporal Mohd Mahdenie Nurudin was killed in the accident, the rumours were “hurtful.” A list was passed on social media and Nurudin read the list where his son’s name wasn’t included and he felt relieved. But it wasn’t to be and hours later he found that his son was among the list of fatalities. This caused distress and confusion for Nurudin who wasn’t happy on how the false information was circulated. So peeps, do be mindful on what you post, share or tweet. I did see the list on my Twitter feed but I know it would be unjust to simply retweet or share the information to my followers.

Another incident that I wanted to highlight is the lockdown on my chatbox. It has come to my attention that some readers have been quite insensitive to the helicopter incident and posting unwanted and distasteful comments. Hence, I had no choice but to filter the unnecessary comments and also to respect the family of the victims.

We should be united as a country and give our prayers and move on to a better future.



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Awesome Dark Knight


The Dark Knight Rises advertisement outside Orchard Cineleisure in Singapore

Awesommmeeee!!!!! What a finale!!! The flight was worth it. I flew to Singapore last Friday and one of the primary reasons was to catch my most anticipated movie of the year – The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR). It was simply superb from the beginning and I love the opening scene of the movie already (If you can’t remember, it was involving a plane :p)

I knew Christopher Nolan (the director) will do wonders with the final installment to the Dark Knight trilogy. It was quite good that there was even a comparison between The Joker and Bane as who was more of a “badass”. In my opinion, both have their uniqueness and it can’t be said that Bane would even come close to be nominated for the Oscars like the late Heath Ledger was (and he won it too).

The pacing of the movie was great and it didn’t feel draggy though the movie was running pretty long. There are some bits that I felt that could have been executed better but then again, that’s my high expectations wanting more from The Dark Knight. Yes it’s true when you have these factors involved – the finale, Christopher Nolan, Batman and Bane. So I was afraid of leaving the cinema feeling short changed as I have raised the bar for TDKR.

Now you must be crazy thinking why would I want to travel all the way to Singapore just to catch TDKR. So here you go.. I actually did and it was in IMAX because I believe that such movie of its calibre deserves to be watch in IMAX.

I was also hoping it to top The Avengers in the opening weekend of the box office. The Avengers broke the opening weekend record of USD 207 million and TDKR managed to rake in USD 160 million, making it the third highest opening in history. Though it won’t match The Avengers in terms of the opening weekend, I believe TDKR have the strong legs to push it to the USD 500 million mark in the next few weeks. It’s a bit sad to know of the Colorado incident at the cinema. I don’t think so such incident would have made a difference in the box office numbers.

Is TDKR a better to watch? If you are ask me, I would reply by saying “This deserves a second viewing”. TDKR is no 10-er but ranks among my top movies of the year – Cabin in the Woods and Raid: The Redemption. Verdict: 9/10.


I booked the tickets weeks ahead of the show and thank you, Shaw Theatres


It was so packed that Friday night and the IMAX shows were sold out that weekend


@cuterabbit84’s first experience in IMAX and she loved the movie too


There’s a special queueing line for IMAX audience


Recap: Hj Shamiah wins Lexus


The winner of the BIBD Blessing Rewards II was Hj Md Shamiah who won the grand prize – Lexus IS300

Rewind back to last Thursday, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam hosted the finale of the BIBD Blessing Rewards 2 and the winner went to Hj Md Shamiah Zuhorin bin Hj Md Salleh who drove home a new Lexus IS300.

BIBD Blessing Rewards 2 was a sequel to the immensely successful Blessing Rewards campaign that BIBD ran between September and November of last year.

Ak Mohammad Ali bin Pg Masshor won a state of the art 60” Samsung LED Smart TV as the second prize. Mohammad Alimman bin Saiman won the third prize comprising of an Apple Macbook Air, iPad 2 and an iPhone 4S. The fourth prize went to Hjh Hindun Bte Dato Paduka Hj Noordin represented by her daughter Siti Haziqah binti Marzuke, winning Apple products – an iPad 2 3G and an iPhone 4S. Mohammad Aizuddin bin Hj Sarbini came in fifth, winning an Apple iPhone 4S.

Present as the guest of honour was BIBD’s Chief Financial Officer Hjh Noraini bte Hj Sulaiman. The most awaited presentation ceremony was held at the Indera Samudra Hall, Empire Hotel and Country Club.

According to BIBD, most of the entries came from BIBD’s customers who signed up for BIBD’s Debit Card and BIBD online. For your info, more than 280,000 entries were generated ever since March. Now that’s a good record indeed.

BIBD products or services that were eligible included BIBD Rumah Plus, BBA Home Financing, Home Improvement Financing, Education Financing, Ar-Rahnu, BIBD Debit Card, BIBD Online, Remittance, Term Deposits, new account opening, new Perdana World Banking customer and assignment of salary to BIBD amongst many others.


The grand prize for BIBD Blessing Rewards 2


The top 5 winners for this year’s Blessing Rewards 2


A new method of find who was the winner


Hj Md Shamiah couldn’t believe that he will be driving a Lexus home


Hjh Noraini, BIBD’s Chief Financial Officer, with the top 5 winners


Before the handover of the Lexus, BIBD associates enjoying the comfort of the Lexus


Special packages for ZÉLL-V

In conjunction with the festive season of Ramadhan, ZÉLL-V (Brunei) would like to urge all to join them in the magical cell therapy to cleanse from inside out for a new self!

Below are the packages ZÉLL-V (Brunei) are offering right now:
Package 1 : 5 Boxes of Zell-V with FREE 3 Zell-V Travel Pack + Sheep Mascot
Package 2 : 8 Boxes of Zell-V with FREE 6 Zell-V Travel Pack + Sheep Mascot
Package 3 : 36 Boxes of Zell-V to enjoy 20% discount and Life Time VIP Membership and get VIP Birthday Voucher
Package 4 : 3 Zell-V Phytocell Serum and 2 Zell-V Wonder Cream with FREE ONE Zell-V Wonder Cream OR Zell-V Phytocell Serum
*Sheep Mascots are available while stock lasts!

I haven’t taken my ZÉLL-V for quite some time now *lol* and maybe that’s one reason why I get so tired before evening. I have been taking it four months straight and I’ve seen some improvements on myself (internally and externally). It’s about time to stock up again and buy more bananas to help me go through the swallowing part 😀 Word of advice: Just take one soft gel before Sahur to help improve your mental awareness and maintain your energy level so you can stay active throughout the day! Try it to experience the Zell-V Revitalisation and Rejuvenation process to combat against aging!

ZÉLL-V Brunei is located on the first floor of Rizqun International Hotel. Kindly contact their professional health care consultant at 8219221 (Hotline) or 2457668. They are offering FREE CELL CHECK, so do drop by our store.

They will be offering FREE PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CONSULTATION at The Ramadhan Fair at Times Square Shopping Mall from 26/07-18/08.


It’s about time to stock up again and make sure I remain consistent in my consumption


Sheep Mascots of Zell-V

22
Jul

Silva breaks his duck

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


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Review: Annie the musical


My tickets to Annie the musical

After months of waiting, I finally had the opportunity to catch Annie the Musical at the Sands Theater, Marina Bay Sands. I didn’t realise that Annie had two movie versions (82′ and 99′) but nothing beats the original movie Annie (1982). I remembered watching Annie on VHS during my spare time when I was still in primary school.

Now I had the privileged to catch it live on musical and the songs are all coming to me as it reminded my memories of Annie. As for the musical play, it was quite entertaining but I was as engrossed as the “Wicked”. I didn’t have that kind of goosebumps even that short burst of adrenalin rush during the performance.

David McAllister who played Oliver Warbucks had a huge role to play with the main star Annie. I somehow felt something was missing here as I was more familiar with the actual star of Oliver Warbucks in the 82′ version of Annie. In that movie, he portrayed himself as a stubborn billionaire and it took some nudging before he opened up his heart and cared of Annie’s feelings. Here in the musical, it didn’t show that challenge.

Well, to tell you frankly, there were a few changes in the musical play and I preferred the original version. The vocals were good but there were no breath taking moments where I experienced from Wicked. Annie the musical was slightly a tad down from Wicked. My highlights of the show were the props as well as this six year old Chloe Choo who played as Molly, one of the orphans. It’s not good to have a show stealer playing a minor role and out-staged Annie because of her cute antics. Verdict: 7/10


Waiting for the show to start and as usual, no photography allowed


This was taken during the break and apparently my seating area was only half full


Annie (right) was the star of the show but Molly (left) had her moments on stage too. Click image to see SuperAdrianMe’s review.


Ahh… Mr. Warbucks (center) dancing away in one of the scenes. Click image to see SuperAdrianMe’s review.


DPMM FC bounced back in style

It was the first time I have been to Bedok Stadium to catch Geylang vs DPMM FC last night. It wasn’t such a crowd but it was still fun to watch. I realised how much different the atmosphere here in Singapore compared to Brunei where thousands will turn up to catch their home team. I guess the locals in Singapore are not that keen in football or perhaps the culture has faded in the S•League.

Anyway, it was a pretty good match for DPMM FC after coming off a few consecutive defeats. Three to be exact. Their last win was back dated in May and prior to the match, the coach Vjeran Simunic was pretty worried as Shahrazen suffered an unexpected injury right before the match. DPMM FC was already handicapped with captain Rosmin’s suspension. It’s not known how serious the injury is.

It was the first time also I’ve seen Patrick Roberto Daniel Da Silva in action and he came to live in the second half by scoring two quick goals in the 51st and 53rd minute. His first goal for the club was right off a counter attack and he finished it with style. The second was off a rebound after the Geylang keeper failed to hold on to a thunderous strike by Adi Said. DPMM FC opened the deadlock on the 30th minute as defender Tales Ricarte dos Santos scored the first.

DPMM FC is now ranked 3rd in the league with one game in hand with 32 points. Albirex Niigata is now league leaders with 36 points.

DPMM FC coach is very happy with the match but still unhappy with the referee’s decision especially the penalty given to Geylang late in the game. He said that DPMM FC’s target is to be in the top 5 and he expects Albirex and Tampines Rovers to face off for the S•League title. He regarded Geylang to be a tough team and he even labeled Geylang as the Real Madrid of the S•League during their high periods.

Simunic was also pleased on how the young lads performed last night. Adi Said was given his first start for DPMM FC to feel in the shoes of his older brother Shahrazen. It will be another test for him when he gets another shot in the first team. The Croatian hopes DPMM FC can continue their momentum in the upcoming league cup this weekend.


Simunic being interviewed by the Singaporean media after the game


Yay!! We also have some DPMM FC fans at Bedok Stadium


This guy was having fun while catching the match. I wasn’t sure which team he was supporting.


The ball boys from Singapore are older compared to ours


The fanatic drummer for Geylang


The new import player Silva (who replaced Rodrigo) scored twice last night and it was his first goals for the club


I watched the match with @cuterabbit84 last night. Thanks for the company :))

21
Jul

Al-Fatihah

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Deepest condolences to the families


His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of BruneiDarussalam and the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, paid a visit to the survivors of the helicopter incident last evening. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

I’m still over this sad news that my relatives and friends were involved in the helicopter incident last night. I’ve been hearing different information from time to time but I wasn’t able to get the right information too. We all always hope for the best news and it was such a tragedy this thing happened.

According to the press release from The Brunei Times, 10 out of 14 military personnel were reported to have been killed in a tragic helicopter accident in Belait yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure how it all happened but one of the helicopter Bell 212 of Royal Brunei Air Force crashed. I won’t go too much into details. If you want to read more info, you can click [here] and [here].

Today I want to dedicated this post to the late Captain Mohd Ismail bin Dato Sei Setia Hj Samid (JJ Samid) and Farhana Hj Zaidin who were among the deceased from the helicopter crash. My heart goes to the families of JJ and Farhana with deepest condolences and they are in a better place right now. Our prayers for you. Al-Fatihah.


JJ is a relative of mine and the highlight of our friendship was back in the early 2000s where we cooked his speciality – nasi goreng corn beef – during Ramadhan and donated the food to the mosque. That memory keeps lingering in my head whenever I bumped into him in public and that memory will still play in my head from time to time. I miss you, bro, and your kindest heart. Al-Fatihah.


A hero. A soldier. A loving husband and father. An awesome lad.


This was the final picture of JJ Samid and the rest before they took off on the Bell 212. His best friend Farisan Metassan (center) posted this picture on Facebook.

19
Jul

Can Dark Knight Rises top The Avengers?

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


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Special deals at Radisson


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The Dark Knight has risen


LOL… Taken from KFC Brunei Facebook Page


A review from my friend, GeekInWhite


Another thumbs up review from Fidah


Amni also enjoyed it 😀


I’m catching this tonight in IMAX… Can’t wait #EPIC


Have you been to Bandar yet?


I bumped into my friends at the perayaan in town


There’s a huge tent and they are selling most clothes and shoes. The plus sides are that it has a shelter and also air-conditioning


Hmmmm they don’t look original to me when I looked at the quality and it’s pretty cheap too


Want some t-shirts from WWE? You can find them here.


Thanis Lim was recently in the newspaper for this feat. Click this image to find out more.


Great stuff for the kids and family


I noticed that balloons are the most sellable item in town and some costs $4 each. Good business indeed!!


Want something refreshing?? Try the orange juice!! I love it!!!


I beat Phia to this *lol* (inside joke)


Want to wear something IT related? :p


Jeesssiieeeeee…. thanks for the company around town..


Unicorn Mix Netball Tournament

Champion – Nads Thunderbird

2nd place – Revival

3rd place – Havox

4th place – Revo 69


Champions Nads Thunderbird


Group photo with the winners

19
Jul

LFHW 2012 edition

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


5 chosen as TOTAL scholars


The Minister of Energy (c)witnessing the agreement between the scholars and Yves Grosjean, TOTAL E&P Borneo B V’s General Manager. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi.

TOTAL E&P Borneo B V will soon be sending its first batch of Bruneian Scholars to France this year under the company’s education scholarship scheme, following the signing of agreement between the scholars and the firm last Tuesday.

Yesterday’s signing ceremony, which was witnessed by the Minister of Energy at the Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar, Energy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, will see the Sultanate’s scholars to undertake their higher education for the French energy giant.

In his welcoming remarks, Total General Manager Yves Grosjean yesterday said that the Total Education Scholarship Scheme is a result of the cooperation between Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo B V together with partners to the Commercial Area Joint Venture and the Energy Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, along with the support by PetroleumBRUNEI.

Under this scholarship programme, he said, the students will be given the opportunity to undergo their undergraduate studies at top universities in France, continue their postgraduate studies, and eventually offered an international working experience.

“The six-year programme will include a one-year intensive French language course, followed by a five-year undergraduate degree and post-graduate programme in a country well known for its excellence in engineering education,” he said.

He also said that the scholarship will allow successful candidates to gain international work experience in some of Total’s global offices or any other organisation related in their field.


Yves Grosjean spoke on his welcoming remarks. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi.


Heather Lim received her award. Image courtesy of fmBrunei


Mohd Abd Malik Mahyuddin received his award. Image courtesy of fmBrunei


All the five TOTAL scholars. Congratulations!! Image courtesy of fmBrunei


Group photo with the guest of honour, TOTAL and the scholars. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi

Total introduced its first scholarship scheme for Bruneians earlier this year, where five candidates were successfully chosen out of a pool of about 30 applicants by a panel comprising various organisations and agencies, including the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The candidates are Mohd Abd Malik Mahyuddin, Mohd Aizat Hj Hamidun, Chantelle Phung, Heather Lim and Chua Yi Sern all of who are aged 19.

Grosjean said that granting the scholarships to Bruneians also enhances the ties between Brunei and France, and between Total and Brunei.

Speaking with journalists following the signing, YB Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin lauded Total’s initiative towards human capital development and also providing career opportunities for local talents.

Sharing how the scholarship came about, the Minister explained during an official dinner in France, when the President of Total Asia Pacific Jean Marie Guillermou had a conversation with MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) scholars studying in a top French university, that Guillermou was impressed with the scholars fluency in French.

“Guillermou then approached me and asked if we could bring produce more Brunei scholars in France, and that Total will be providing scholarships to give opportunities to young Bruneians. Since then we have been discussing about the scholarship with Total,” he said. “So we can see that there are a lot of young talented Bruneians that can do well internationally. We have proved it with the MINDEF scholars, and there’s no reason why we cannot prove it with new scholars under Total which we have just signed an agreement with.” Text courtesy of Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times


This was taken a few months back when TOTAL announced the scholarship scheme


The open day was held at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf few months back


Muhd Aizat attended the Open Day and now he’s a scholar


Spot, send & win


You should try this out


LFHW to kick start this weekend


The photo shoot session took place at Jen Studio

Brunei’s leading online food directory for Ramadhan, LoveFoodHateWaste (LFHW), is back again!! Today, the team has grown bigger by involving a few key players to make LFHW more exciting than before.

When LFHW (http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.org) was introduced in Ramadhan three years ago, the response was overwhelming and to date, the website has generated 1/4 of million hits. Co-founders of LFHW, Pg Syahreen Metassan and I, believe that there will at least a 10-15% increase in readership from last year.

LFHW also have other team members to assist during Ramdhan – Angel Choo Tze Hui, another food enthusiast and another popular blogger, Reeda Malik of Anakbrunei.org. br />
The idea of the food directory is to make browsing easy for the public with regard to the available choices of delicacies offered by restaurants and cafes throughout the country which is updated regularly. Readers can also post constructive comments to further improve the food service and quality of the respective restaurants and cafes.

LFHW will be issuing two editions of LFHW’s newsletter. The first edition will be released by the 1st week of Ramadhan while the 2nd issue will be released on 3rd of week of Ramadhan. This is the first time that a newsletter edition is being introduced and this is to cater to those who prefer hard copies for reference. In the newsletter, there will be advertorials and advertisements of some restaurants and cafes as well as listings of the restaurants at the back of the newsletter.


We appeared in today’s The Brunei Times


Mr. Kurapak giving some pointers


During the press conference for LFHW and thanks to all those attended especially the local media


Group photo with the sponsors and partners for this year’s LFHW


I can’t wait for coverage of restaurants and cafes this year. This picture is taken from the new ice bar in town – Shinobu


M. Hana Bakery is already having orders for her Tapak Kuda. Click image to find out more!!!

There will be competition for readers to win prizes. This will be conducted through quizzes and social network – Instagram and Twitter. Winners can win complimentary sungkai vouchers, Oh My Card membership cards as well as electronic gadgets sponsored by Netcom Computer House.

The official bank for LFHW is Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam while the main sponsors for LFHW are b•mobile and Netcom Computer House. Other partners are Oh My Card, Social Deal, Pentagram Design, Laqvin Boutique, Jen Studio and Silver Wings Services.

UBD FM is the official radio where listeners can win Sungkai vouchers.

For any interested parties who wants to participate in LFHW, you can email at ranoadidas(a)gmail(dot)com or call 8677773. You can follow their updates through Twitter @lfhwbrunei and instragam @lovefoodhatewaste

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