Hello November

The awesome spacious leg room will be much appreciated for movie goers

Guess what? All that constructions at Times Square paid off. The much awaited cineplex at Times Square is almost ready for business. News are slowly spreading on social media on tonight’s screening of Skyfall which is the only movie showing so far. So it’s kinda like a soft or dry run for the new cinema – TimesCineplex.

The first show will be showing tonight and you can call 234 1122 for bookings if I’m not mistaken. But for now, the escalator is not operating just yet so the only access is going through Times Hotel lift and go to the 4th floor. I will be catching Skyfall later at The Mall Cineplex and will pay a visit to TimesCineplex after my Bali trip.

TimesCineplex will make it the 5th Cineplex in Brunei Darussalam and I believe competition now will get stiffer, considering the Cineplexes between Seri Q-Lap Cineplex, The Mall Cineplex and TimesCineplex is only a 5-7km radius. Well, competition is good and by the looks of it, I like the atmosphere at TimesCineplex and the seats as well. Looks like The Mall Cineplex and TimesCineplex will have my thumbs up.

Not sure when will the escalator will be in operation

Shahrazen Said can end the Singapore League (S-League) season second in the goal-scoring charts but the striker insists it won’t mean a thing unless DPMM FC beat Tampines Rovers FC for the title in tomorrow’s season-ender.

The country’s only professional club is gearing up for its biggest match in history, facing Balestier Khalsa FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas tomorrow night in a must-win match if they are to lift the S-League trophy for the first time.

Defending champions and league leaders Tampines take on Malaysian national Under-23 side Harimau Muda at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore in the night’s other game, and a slip up from the Stags combined with a DPMM FC win will see the Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League trophy travel across the South China Sea. Click here for more of the article written by Jason Thomas.

This picture is a special memory for Sairol who made his first appearance in DPMM FC colours during the Malaysian League. The familiar faces are Wardun, Rosmin and Subhi.

So peeps, another great reason to come and watch DPMM FC this Friday 2nd November is because you will stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 and the management are giving away two of those *Awesome* Other great prizes are a Macbook Air, a huge flat screen TV, PS3 console, Samsung Galaxy III and other cool gadgets.. Now aren’t these awesome incentives for you to come and watch DPMM FC play their final game at home grown and furthermore, even a great chance of lifting the S•League title? There’s also a sponsor who will be giving away 200 DPMM t-shirts as part of the lucky draw. By the way, the tickets are only on sale this Friday starting at 9am at the National Stadium.

Guest of honour Awang Mutalib distributed the sacrificial meats to needy members

Guest of honour Awang Mutalib distributed the sacrificial meats to needy members

AITI held a korban ceremony at the AITI premises, Anggerek desa. The sacrifice is an annual ceremony, which is the third that has been practised by AITI. This is done in remembrance of the religious significance of the sacrifice that Nabi Ibrahim was willing to do to show his loyalty to Allah SWT.

The Guest of honour for the function was Awang Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusof, Acting Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and also in his capacity as the acting Chairman of AITI last Monday.

The function was also attended by the management and staff of AITI. The function began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Mohammad Erman Bin Nassar. This was followed by takbir hari raya led by Sheikh Abd Hamdani Bin Dato Paduka Sheikh Haji Abdul Gani. A talk on the benefits of korban and aqiqah was also held, given by Ustaz Haji Suhaimi bin Mohd. Noor from the Pusat Da’wah Islamiah.

Two buffaloes and two lambs were sacrificed for the ceremony. 15 AITI staff and family members took part in the sacrifice. The sacrificial meats were distributed to 10 needy members of the community and also to the 75 staff of AITI.

Thanksgiving Doa Selamat was read at the end of the ceremony by Mohammad Erman Bin Nassar. Press release by AITI.

Have you tried the cuisine at Caliente? First opening its doors in the month of April of this year, Caliente which is located in Regent Square has satisfied its patrons with its Spanish cuisine.

Spanish cuisine has a rich and cultural history drawn from a mixture of European and North African food and even a slight greek influence.

One popular food item is tapas which was originally used to refer to a piece of bread used as a lid to cover drinks. Today tapas is the most acquired Spanish cuisine owing to the versatility and ease of its preparation, Caliente offers its patrons this versatile experience drawing from the best loved tapas enjoyed all over spain which could either be a perfect appetiser or even a complete meal.

Spanish tortillas, chorizo, prawns mackerel and anchovies along with the simple yet scrumptious patatas bravas are all featured in Caliente’s hot and cold tapas selection.

The owners stated most of the ingredients used in spanish cuisine are olive oil based and uses fresh green vegetables. Some of the ingredients are even specially imported from Spain such as the case for the flour used to make Caliente’s nachos and many more. Soon they will be bringing another European chef.

Caliente now has new promotion such as the Tapas specialty selections and spanish corn dog and they also have the executive lunch set. So a good reason to give Caliente a visit.

It is located on 1st Floor, Regent Square at Kiulap. Call 223 4549 for reservation. Oh yeah, I’m quite surprised that not many know of Regent Square at Kiulap.. Maybe they know of the building but not of the name of the area. You can also visit their Facebook to look for updates.

The Bandar Run 2012 event is an event held in celebration of commemorating the 42nd Anniversary of changing the name Bandar Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan. In 1970, Bandar Brunei was renamed as Bandar Seri Begawan in commemoration of Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien as Seri Begawan Sultan.

The event is organised by Municipal Board and supported by Armtrix and Cityneon. There are 2.5km, 5km, 10km and 21km runs available and it’s happening on the 25th November 2012 at Taman SOAS. Participants will get a T-shirt and also a finisher medal except for fun runners. The last day of registration is on 8th November 2012 and you can download the form here. For more inquiry, you can email info@larianbandar.com. Another awesome thing is that they have awesome lucky draw prizes ranging from iPhone 5, Macbook Pro and many more.

Bandar Seri Begawan with an estimated population of 140,000 is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei.Seri Begawan was named after the Sultan’s late father Omar Ali Saifuddien on 5th October 1970, it’s original name being Bandar Brunei or Brunei Town. Begawan is a name given to Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, originally coming from the Sanskrit word for “god”. Seri also comes from the honorific Sanskrit and originally means “port” or “heaven”. In Malay bandar has taken on the meaning of “town”.

Click image to enter official website

The number of family members welcoming the return of the 400 Brunei Haj pilgrims on November 1 and 3 will be reduced, because of the limited capacity of the facilities at the Brunei International Airport which is undergoing its modernisation project.

Several measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and comfort of the pilgrims, their family members as well as other travellers, said Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Services, Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), in a media conference at the Brunei International Airport yesterday.

One of the measures include opening up the P1 parking at the airport which was closed for upgrade works since December 15 last year. The parking area is expected to be completed on October 29, three days before the arrival of the first flight carrying 135 pilgrims. The group is expected to arrive at 9am.

The second flight carrying the remaining 265 pilgrims is expected to arrive in Brunei on November 3 at 4.55pm. The Arrival Hall and the interim ‘Meeters & Greeters’ area will also be closed for several hours during the entire duration of the Haj pilgrims arrival.

Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Services, Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) briefing to the media

The closure will take place 45 minutes prior to the arrival of the Haj flight, said Abdurahman, and will reopen when all the pilgrims have moved to the designated area at P1. The airport’s departure hall, Abdurahman said, as well as pick-up and drop-off point for passengers at parking area P2 that houses the taxi stand, parking payment counter will not be affected.

However, only passengers will have access to the departure hall via the arrival hall, he added. Upon arrival at the airport, the Haj pilgrims will exit to the designated area at P1 via a temporary 150metre passage. The passage will be equipped with two emergency doors and air-conditioning to ensure the safety and comfort of the pilgrims.

Temporary tents with basic facilities (such as portable toilets) will also be set up at the P1 parking area for family members. Abdurahman said family members can pick up the Haj pilgrims at the designated area the P1 parking area, located near the airport roundabout.

Entrance to the parking area P1 will only be allowed for cars with the passes issued by Haj Affairs Management one car pass for each pilgrim. Parking passes can be collected from the Haj Affairs Department on October 29 and 30 between 8am to11am, and 2pm to 3.30pm. Abdulrahman said: “We hope members of the public will give full cooperation to the relevant authorities.”

The Assistant CEO also assured the public that there will be enough parking spaces – more than 400 – for the families and officers on duty so there “is no need to rush”. Members of the media were brought to the site to inspect the progress of the modernisation project as well as the facilities to be set up with the arrival of Haj pilgrims.

The press conference was attended by senior officials from Haj Affairs Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Civil Aviation Department, Ministry of Communications and BEDB. Text by Rasidah HAB of The Brunei Times.

The overview map to show the flow