Promotion at Tasek Brasserie

Alan Inspiration

Are you ready to plan your trip?

The opening ceremony today of Travelmania 2012 at BRIDEX

Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, joked that this is the time you can find a job (job fair next door), booked your ticket and go for a holiday/honeymoon

Guest of honour at Darusssalam Holdings

Visit their booth for awesome deals and extra benefits

They are four banks at the Travelmania but the official bank is Baiduri Bank

Such a huge crowd for the morning itself

Malaysia Airlines also have great deals and they also recently celebrated their 40th anniversary

Wanna plan your trips?

Selangor Tourism is also making their presence felt and you will be amazed the kinds of place of interests that Selangor can offer

Guest of honour at Tourism Malaysia booth

The guys from Tourism Malaysia

Those who wants to know more about Taiwan, do visit here

Brunei Tourism booth is the biggest of the lot

The delegates of Brunei Tourism

Get your balloons from them as well

Standard Chartered have games of their own

BIBD also showing support for Travelmania 2012

A local SME also participating at Travelmania

Fitness Zone was also there

Coffee Bean are selling their CBTL machines at the fair

The Empire Hotel promoting their packages and food promotion

Royal Plaza on Scotts are having special promotion rates for Brunei passport holders

They were holding goodie bags for the guest of honour

You will come across these too

Human traffic as usual

I parked at the back.. I’m pretty sure it will be more unbearable because of the clash of two events – Job Fair and plus a wedding this Sunday

bFIT – A healthier tomorrow

Wear Pink today and create more awareness of Breast Cancer. If you can’t find anything pink to wear, then put on something in pink like this badge or wear a pink ribbon. Let’s spread the love!!

Check it out at BRIDEX from 7th to 13th October

Thanks for all the support, dude!!

Idris Vasi, CEO of DST, talked of LTE/4G, network congestions and Nano-SIM cards at today’s luncheon with the local media

It was officially announced that LTE (long term evolution) or 4G will roll out early next year 2013 *Awesome* It was mentioned by Idris Vasi, CEO of DST, in today’s luncheon with the media at Dynasty Restaurant. Another interesting to note is that there will be new “Policy Control” mechanisms as they will help to offload and reduce the congestion currently being experienced by subscribers. This has been a burning issue from the local community as voice calls have become more challenging. More on this later..

The final announcement that was shared by Idris is the availability of the Nano-SIM cards which is only applicable for iPhone 5 users. The nano sim-card will be available hopefully by end of the month (October) from DST. This would mean that you don’t have to cut your already small sim-card into a nano shape and risked it from getting faulty.

I had a good conversation with Idris and asked him about the so called network congestions that the public have been voicing out. Idris and the DST team are very aware of the public’s feedback and yes, they have taken measures to counter these problems.

“Since January this year, DST has recorded a significant increase in Data traffic usage by upwards of 70%. People are accessing the internet using mobile phones in Brunei and these factors are also because there are in an increase of smartphones, tablets and notebooks. Hence this is causing strain on mobile network,” said Idris

He also shared how the Global Mobile Data Traffic has increased by 133% last year and Brunei is no different in terms of usage.

How the Nano-SIM card looks like

TigerLim was also in attendance

Idris addressing to the media during lunch

As for the solutions to counter the congestion, DST have invested in 50 additional capex (base stations) to accommodate the high increase of usage. So don’t expect it to be an overnight solution as the implementation is currently ongoing. Give it a few more months and you will notice a more efficient connectivity on DST network. Another thing that DST have done is creating a dual carrier (voice + data and voice) on the base stations so this will ease the congestion as well.

I believe the introduction of 4G will be the most awaited event. I, for sure, will upgrade my current service to 4G once available. For now, they have been doing trials at certain areas. However, don’t expect that 4G will have an extensive coverage once it rolls out as they will be going by stages. For 3G and 2G users, don’t worry as DST have also invested in these network infrastructure for the benefit of subscribers.

Brunei team heading off to Myanmar a few days ago. Image by Jake Ten of Borneo Bulletin.

Can Brunei qualify for the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup 2012?

Twenty players and eight officials will be travelling to Myanmar, along with two National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) officials. The 11 Brunei DPMM FC players that were called up to the National Team retained their places in the final 20 players, whilst Majra FC duo Md Maududi Hilmi bin Kasmi and Md Azri bin Zahari also made the trip to Myanmar.

Md Haizul Rani Metusin, Affendy bin Haji Akup, Hamizan Aziz bin Sulaiman, Md Afi bin Aminuddin, Md Azwan bin Ali Rahman, Md Nurikhwan bin Othman and Md Aminuddin Zakwan bin Othman complete the final 20.

Speaking at the Departure Hall of the Brunei Darussalam International Airport, Team Manager Haji Feisal bin Haji Eusoff chose to play down the expectations surrounding his side ahead of a tough round of qualifying matches in Yangon.

“We will do the best that we can, for the sake of the country,” declared Haji Feisal. “I hope that the players are in good condition, and that there are no injuries, especially in the starting 11,” he added.

The list of the final 20 players were only confirmed the day before the team was set to depart, but despite this, Haji Feisal insisted that his team has their eyes set on qualifying for the final round in November.

“We aren’t focussing on which group we want to be in, but just on qualifying for the final round,” explained Haji Feisal.

Brunei’s qualifying campaign kicks off on October 5 against hosts Myanmar, with their four-game campaign coming to an end against Timor Leste on October 13. All games will be played at the Youth Training Centre in Yangon. Text by Jake Ten of Borneo Bulletin.

The Times Square Home and Lifestyle Exhibition 2012 has kick-started on Wednesday, 3rd October 2012 and will consist of a wide array of booths and activities throughout until 7th October 2012.

For the 2nd year running, Times Square has organized their Home and Lifestyle Exhibition 2012, offering the perfect one stop for those sourcing for the best home and lifestyle solutions and is the ideal platform to address any of the public’s renovation, refurbishment and decorating needs for those looking to buy their perfect dream house.

With the presence of various exhibitors offering a vast variety of products and services ranging from property and real estate firms, banks, insurance and so much more, as well as several exciting activities and highlights, the Exhibition aims to be a must-go this weekend.

The Exhibition is packed with activities such as the Best Eastern Build your Dream House Contest, where contestants in teams of 2 will be given illustration boards for them to build and decorate their very own 1 foot 3D house and win amazing prizes, such as Best Eastern gift vouchers. Contestants are required to bring their own decorating and building materials. Interested individuals are to submit their registration forms with a receipt of $20.00 and above on Derwent products from Best Eastern outlets at Times Square, The Mall and Mabohai.

Aside from that, there is also the Doughworkz by Pastamania program, a program customized for children from ages 6-12, providing them with the opportunity to have hands-on experience in making pizza and to learn more about the fun facts or pasta and pizzas, as well as getting to know the equipment and its usage. Be it a get-together or a birthday celebration, Doughworks by Pastamania will be a memorable and enjoyable experience. For more information and participation, please call 8992579.

The crowd yesterday at Times Square. Image by Sabrina Mahmud.

Burger competition yesterday at Times Square. Image by Sabrina Mahmud.

Burger competition yesterday at Times Square. Image by Sabrina Mahmud.

Best Eastern Build Your Dream House contest. Image by Sabrina Mahmud.

Burger competition yesterday at Times Square. Image by Sabrina Mahmud.

Meanwhile, Rentokil Initial Brunei (RIB) is offering promotions on their innovative second generation termite solutions called Colony Elimination Profressional Program (CEP²). This innovative termite baiting system, acts as a radar or a security system. Rentokil Initial is also providing a discount up to 35% for their CEP² solution and shoppers of Times Square Shopping Centre will get a chance to win 3 prizes in a lucky draw, which includes 1 Free CEP² Solution worth up to B$5k, and 2 Free General Pest Control.

They are also providing free Personal Hygiene Awareness Talk (PHAT) in order to highlight proper washroom habits, by providing demonstration on proper hand washing steps and hand sanitizer usage to show the importance of good hand hygiene to prevent the Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. Pest Awareness Talk (PAT) will also be provided on 3rd, 5th and 7th October at 7:00pm, in order to educate home owners on the behaviors of pest which also includes the prevention of pests in order for home owners to have a peace of mind in their own home. The Talks are all open to public. For more information, please call 8220088.

There will also be yoyo performances by Yo! Splinter during the weekends; local yoyo enthusiasts who have made quite a name for themselves by gracing many parts of the country with their impressive yoyo skills.

The public is encouraged to bring along their families to visit the Times Square Home and Lifestyle Exhibition, especially during the school holidays. With everything under one roof, and a cinema in the making, Times Square Shopping Centre is ‘A Place for Everyone’. Press release from The Times Square.

During the opening ceremony

One of the vendors of the exhibition

The Audition for Stardom Quest 2 has started. For your info, Stardom Quest is a singing competition which bring our locals Bruneians together and different group of ethnicity. The shows theme and aims is to bring everyone together which is “One Music, One Family, One Brunei”. The age group is from 12-40 years old and you can choose Chinese, English or Malay song to perform. Contestant can also register online by going to the facebook Page, WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/STARDOMQUEST2 or visit our sponsors and partners to get the registration forms. They are still accepting participants too.

Recently on 29th September 2012, the first audition started and 40 participants showed up for the three hour show. Only 13 contestants made it through the audition. There were contestants who used their own composed songs which wowed the judges.

This Sunday, the team are going to Kuala Belait this Sunday to carry out the next audition at KB Town Bandaran Dewan.

The show would not be a success without the sponsors: Fitness Zone, IA Salon, B-List Media, Jen Studio, Kingston, Hui Huang Enterprise, The Faceshop, Deseo, Aewon, KFC, Aiking Trading Co Sdn Bhd, O3, The Airport Mall, Cantik Beautyline, Sri Lembayung, Radisson Hotel, SONY Music and Imagine Music SG.

One of the contestants

One of the contestants

One of the contestants

One of the contestants

Group photo with Danny and the judges and those involved

The hosts for Stardom Quest 2

Devon carrying one of the drinks from the sponsors

It’s happening today at JPMC and it’s FREE!!

Hulkie demands an answer…. #bruneilego #lego

Are you ready for next Sunday?

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) would like to bring to the attention of registrants of Charity Expedition for ALAF that the Race Entry Pack Collection (REPC) venue has been moved to the Orchid Garden Hotel.

Participants can collect their Race Entry Packs from 7th until 9th October (Sunday to Tuesday) between 1.30pm and 8.30pm.

Also, this Sunday, October 7, one of CE-ALAF’s supporters, GetFit CrossFit (GFCF) will be conducting a CrossFit Demo and fitness clinic from 2pm until 5pm for members of the public especially registrants of CE-ALAF. It will be held at the parking lot between the Orchid Garden Hotel and the Anggrek Desa Swimming Pool. Interested participants are advised to come in their sports attire.

The aim of the clinic is to demonstrate certain stretches and workouts individuals can do before going for a run or cycle. It is also to showcase that anyone and everyone can do crossfit workouts.

Charity Expedition for ALAF or CE-ALAF is a first of its kind charity drive that gives local runners and cyclists the opportunity to play a major part in helping underprivileged children stay in school.

The ALAF programme, which is short for “Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future”, is a BIBD CSR initiative that seeks to support the nation’s aspiration to build a well-educated and highly skilled human resource pool by providing opportunities of educational progression to underprivileged students.

The Charity Expedition, carrying the tagline “One step, one pedal, one education’, will consist of running, cycling and a charity bazaar, will be held on October 14 at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium. The event will feature five different sporting events – 2.5km Fun Run, 5km Run, 10km Run, 21km Half-Marathon and a 53km Cycling Expedition.

The 10km run and the 21km half-marathon are competitive races in which runners can win marathon packages to Melboune, Hongkong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. First, second and third prize winners will also receive an exclusive winners T-Shirt, together with winning medals.

Ok, it has been months since I started training… Will I be fit for next Sunday?

Join the Club 20 at The FaceShop starting tomorrow onwards

I bet when you are in Changi Airport (Singapore), you like to do last minute shopping, right? Transiting in Singapore just became more attractive with the launch of the Changi Transit Programme. From now to 31 March 2014, eligible Singapore Airlines and SilkAir customers transiting at Changi Airport will be issued S$20 worth of Changi Dollar Vouchers (CDVs) each.

The CDVs are valid for one-time use at all retail, food and service outlets located at the transit and public areas of Terminals 1, 2 and 3, excluding outlets in the Arrival Baggage Claim Halls. They can also be redeemed for one-time access to the Ambassador Transit Lounge at Terminals 2 and 3 for up to three hours. Lounge usage includes showers with basic toiletries, light refreshments, free flow of non-alcoholic beverages, local and international reading materials, as well as complimentary WiFi.

With more than 280 retail, service and food and beverage outlets in the transit areas as well as amenities such as movie theatres and themed gardens, travellers have much to experience when transiting through the award-winning Changi Airport. A convenient Skytrain transport system allows passengers easy access to all three of Changi’s terminals.

To enjoy the Changi Transit Programme, customers must be travelling from Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the US and Vietnam. In addition, customers’ Singapore-bound flights must be on either Singapore Airlines or SilkAir.

The Changi dollar vouchers. Image courtesy of jemmawei.com

Eligible customers should present both their electronic ticket and boarding pass of their Singapore-bound flight before collecting their CDVs. This can be done at all seven Information Counters in the transit areas of Terminals 2 and 3. Issued while stocks last, the CDVs will expire on 31 March 2014.

Mr Peh Ke-Wei, CAG’s Vice President for Passenger Development, said, “We are pleased to work with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir in offering the Changi Transit Programme. With the exciting line-up of transit experiences on offer at Changi, we would like to encourage passengers to explore our airport and enjoy the Changi Experience during their layover”.

Mr Sheldon Hee, Singapore Airlines’ Senior Manager Marketing Communications and Development, said, “With this promotion, our customers can look forward to a transit experience in Singapore like no other. They will be able to enjoy the great variety of retail, lifestyle and dining options that Changi Airport has to offer before continuing on their journeys”.

In addition, transit customers can enjoy even more privileges and discounts by presenting their Singapore Airlines or SilkAir boarding pass at participating stores, under the Boarding Pass Privileges Programme. The CDVs can be used in conjunction with the Boarding Pass Privileges at participating outlets at Changi Airport.

So if you planning to book your flights at the Travelmania 2012 this weekend, there’s a good reason to fly via Singapore Airlines and grab this opportunity.