The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Hmmmm Peter, Peter, Peter…. I totally love your Lord of the Rings trilogy and I have watched it over and over again because the cinematic experience was awesome on each series. The Hobbit’s first installment was another much anticipated movie in this festive season and I felt that I didn’t have that same experience as I had with LOTR. It reminded me so much of the Star Wars where the prequel kinda lack the mojo too. Don’t get me wrong. Visually The Hobbit was freaking amazing though I thought it was too “real” because of the new frame technique deployed by Peter Jackson. And yes, I caught this is an IMAX 3D and I have no complains on the visuals and the cinematography. However, I would still give the visual award to Ang Lee’s Life of Pi for now.

Movie wise, it has some good moments, some maybe draggy moments and a few flaws here and there. I know some movies have their flaws but when it comes to Peter Jackson, my expectations are higher. One big thing I felt was missing was the depth of the characters of the dwarves. I’ve actually read the Empire (film magazine) and it has descriptions of each of the dwarves personality. However, the movie failed to translate that knowledge I had on the screen. The direction could have been stronger and I felt the movie was kinda long. Well, LOTR movies had the same duration but it didn’t feel long for me. I think you get the gist what I’m trying to say. Needless to say, I still enjoyed the movie but it was surely not an epic. Now wonder The Hobbit only scored 65% on Rottentomatoes while LOTR movies averaged at 92%. Verdict: 7/10.

Bacherolette. I saw the poster at the cinema in Singapore and the first thing I saw was Kirsten Dunst. I used to adore her in Spider-man movies and ever since, she hasn’t been in many movies or maybe I have been ignorant.. Hmmm this movie was just an average romantic comedy movie. I won’t spare so much on writing this review. Frankly speaking I wish this was the first movie of the movie marathon I had yesterday with A Werewolf Boy which was one of my top movies of the year. There were tons of profanity though and one scene where Dunst was hmmmm ahem you know haha which is kind rare. Finally I realise how “green” Dunst is but me likey likey. Sadly, the movie was a letdown. Oh yea, Fat Amy is there as well. Verdict: 6/10.

Argo. Woww!!!! One thing I have to salute about Ben Affleck is his ability to direct and also being part of the movie. He did it with The Town and I really enjoyed that movie. Now he came up with Argo which is based on a true story that happened in Iran and it was superb from beginning to the end. I’m not a big fan of political movies but I have to give this an exception. It’s one of the movies that will keep you to the edge of your seat and the experience is much more rewarding after every obstacle they went through each scene. It was a bit weird to see Affleck sporting a hairy beard *lol* and he pulled off a great performance too. I doubt this will be showing in Brunei and I was glad it was still showing in Singapore. Keep it up, Ben. Looking forward to your other upcoming movies. Verdict: 8/10.

A Werewolf Boy. Gosh… I went to this movie with no expectations and I didn’t see any preview or even read the summary of the movie. Of course the title suggests that it’s gonna be a thriller horror perhaps and if it was a Werewolf movie by Hollywood, I would think twice about catching it. Yes, this is a Korean movie and I’m a big fan of Korean movies for the past few years. Boy oh Boy… this movie was surprisingly good from start to the end.. I never thought such movie would make me intrigue all the way.. It was humorous, touching, edgy and most of all, I ended up crying.. I meant weeping in the final third of the movie. Wow!!! I was invested in the two main characters that I was emotionally drawn. A great score too for the movie that also made the difference. This is one of the best movies of 2012 and after googling it, A Werewolf Boy is the 3rd biggest box office in Korea. I highly recommend you to catch this and I don’t know if this will be shown in Brunei. It’s been a while since I really enjoyed a Korean movie. Oh yeah, there’s a good message about commitment and compassion and it’ quite powerful. Verdict: 9/10.

Life of Pi. There were so much expectations on this movie as people were drawn to the spectacle trailer months before it was released. Ang Lee has been quite in the Hollywood scene but he was well known his hits such as Hulk and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even Brokeback Mountain. Now with Life of Pi, he attempts to create that emotional value with the audience. So did he succeed? For me, it was a yes and no situation. The ending was also an open ended situation which was doable for Life of Pi. I was hoping for more an adventure rather than spending more time of the main character Pi connecting with Richard Parker the Bengal tiger.

Visually I have to admit it was amazing though I thought the best parts were already shown in the trailer so no surprise or wow element moment there for me. One thing that kept me wondering why wasn’t Coldplay’s Paradise song included in the actual movie but it was a good score in the end of the preview trailer. I was hoping for that song to appear but it didn’t. I have to salute Ang Lee though for turning this challenging novel into a movie and if anyone can do, he’s the right man for it. Yes, I expected more in terms of the “fun” factor and lack of emotional drive. Well done on being nominated as the Best Picture and Best Director in Golden Globes Award. Verdict: 7/10.

Wreck-it Ralph. I also came into the movie with high expectations though I didn’t see the trailer for this. The feel I had for this movie was similar to that of Pitch Perfect. I was simply amazed how creative this animation was and I believe Wreck-it Ralph was a saviour for Walt Disney Pictures which has been struggling to produce enjoyable films. Well, it was a huge success for The Avengers also under Disney but other than that, they are recovering from a slide.

This movie is equally entertaining for adults and kids and it was probably more rewarding for adults since it reminded us of the gaming industry back in the 80s and 90s. The translation of a video game into reality was witty and creative and alone has earned a point or two for me. Plot wise it was good and lessons can be learnt from it which is good for the kids and even adults 😀 I suggest parents bring their kids to watch Wreck-it Ralph and you will definitely enjoy the ride. I don’t mind watching this again really and there are still tons of screens showing this at The Mall Cineplex. Verdict: 8.5/10.

 

 

I lost track of how many shabu-shabu restaurants are they in Brunei. I heard a lot of good reviews about Yugo BBQ. Located at Gadong Central. Image taken from Yogu BBQ Facebook page

Image taken from Yogu BBQ Facebook page

Sharon and Dayah having their meal at Yugo. I shall try this out soon.

Click on the banner to enter

It was another great outing with the family and after months and months of waiting, the wait is finally over. Supposed I was to suppose to head over there with CR but she beat me to it *lol* Legoland Malaysia has been the talk of the town in terms of places of interest especially during the holidays. Quite a lot of Bruneians have stepped foot on Legoland located at Johor.

For your info, LEGOLAND Malaysia is the sixth LEGOLAND built around the world and also being the first in Asia. If you happened to be in Singapore, then you can go across the border over to Johor Baru and pay a visit to LEGOLAND.

Mind you there are still other phases that are yet to be completed. There are tons of visit around LEGOLAND and I had a good time though the weather was challenging. My siblings didn’t have enough experience and wanting more. Well, there’s always a next time 😀

Just check out the pictures I posted.. Sorry for the lack of captions!!

Royal Brunei Catering (RBC) brings back the famous $10 buffet breakfast at Seasons Restaurant located on the second floor of Centrepoint Gadong. The buffet promotion started from December 1 and is ongoing until December 31, 2012. Breakfast starts from 6.30am until 10.30am daily.

The spread is a combination of Continental and Local breakfast such as Nasi Lemak and porridge for its local delicacies and vegetable pie and baked beans for its continental dishes.

A live stall or Egg Station will prepare eggs of your own liking such as Sunny Side-Up, Omelette, Scrambled Eggs and many more. Other individual stalls serve chicken noodle soup and Nasi Lemak with all its condiments.

Seasons Restaurant Breakfast Buffet serves about 10 main dishes such as Pineapple Fried Rice, Fried Mee Hoon, Pancakes and Spring Rolls.

For those who like to start their day with porridge, it will not be a disappointment as the porridge station comes with all the necessary condiments to make it their own.

Delectable fresh pastries such as Chocolate Filled Croissant, similar to the ones served on Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) flights, are ready to tantalize your morning taste buds complimented with hot coffee or tea. Also available to help quench your thirst is a free-flow of orange and apple juice.

The Breakfast Buffet is priced at $10 per adult and $6 for children aged six to 12 and children under six years old can join the buffet for free. For reservation and further inquiries, Seasons Restaurant can be contacted at 2422291 or 2422292. For more information about RBC visit their website at www.rbccatering.com or like them on Facebook/royalbruneicatering for the latest updates and promotions.

All the dishes served at Seasons Restaurant are free of MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) and are only cooked with natural products. Text by Ammirul Adnan of The Brunei Times.

 

For the past few years, I have yet to attend one of their events because I’m always outstation and this year, I’m gonna miss it again *boohoo* This year’s TFF EACON 2012 looks impressive with many activities going to take place.

There will be a cosplay competition as usual and there will be a gaming competition organised by Counter Attack. The games competed are Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition 2012, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Persona 4 Arena and Mortal Kombat 9. Also part of the event is FIFA 13 and the slots are almost fully booked from the looks of it. Do check out their Facebook page for updates on the activities at TFF EACON.

There will be also a variety of anime figures on sale at TFF EACON by YESZONE too. So peeps, I think it’s better you visit their Facebook page event as all the details are there. Good luck to all the participants and the tickets are available. Not sure how much the tickets are though. Kudos to the organizers involved. Something to look forward to in December.

 

Try out their wagyu platter at Deals

Sorry for the late post on this awesome platter from Deals. Hui Chiet and I went to Deals to try out the latest food promotion and this time, it’s the wagyu deal. The wagyu will be served on a platter where there will be six portions from the different parts of wagyu. You can see clearly from the image above on the parts that are being served.

I love the wagyu Cheek and Armidillo. The portion is just nice for one or you can have it as a share entree for two. Well, we had as our entree before our main course. By the way, Deals also have new menu for the lunch and you should try them out too. For reservations at Deals, you can call 2244272.

BBQ Wagyu Sirloin with Onion Marmalade

Shot of Vietnamese style wagyu beef soup with ginger flower

Pickled Wagyu Topside with sweet cabbage and mustard

Seared Wagyu beef shine with horseradish cream

Hui Chiet getting her ready for her lunch

Slow cooked wagyu cheek

Fried Wagyu Armidillo stuffed with swiss cheese

The wagyu platter

Wagyu beef burger

Grilled black cod with clam risotto

 

HRH Crown Prince with the committee members of APICTA 2012

It was a great week for the Brunei contingent as they received a winner award and four merits. One of the winners was Chung Hwa Middle School for the Secondary category which I’ve posted recently on their mobile app “Brunei Treasure”. It was an award dedicated to His Majesty the Sultan as it was his kind words and motivation that inspired the students to put more effort into their project and the efforts paid off.

Among the 59 merit winners, Brunei had four in the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2012 and the all the merits and awards were presented by His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.

So who won the Merit Awards? The first was ZimacSilicon Technologies (ZST) for their Merit Award for “iCLID” in the e-Government category. Mas Idris of ZST was very proud of the achievement and he thanked this team (Tay and Khern) for investing a lot of effort for the APICTA presentation.

MediaHikmah which won the BICTA 2012 trophy also received the Merit Award for their “Let’s Pray” app in the e-learning category. Hadi of MediaHikmah said winning the Merit Award is bigger than this award at BICTA because this is an international event and this will motivate him further to shine.

Liam Janin of MeSixty also bagged the Merit Award for their product “Chatworthy” under the Tourism and Hospitality category. It was also his first time presenting to the APICTA judges while his brother, the founder of MeSixty was away. John Harith Technology also won the Merit AWard in e-Logistics and Supply Chain Management category for their EPCIS Halal Food Traceability system.

So well done to the Brunei participants and there were also other participants from Brunei and great job to them too.

Pei-pei was awesome!!!

The winners lining up to receive their awards

Liam Janin receiving the Merit Award for “Chatworthy”

The winner for the Tourism and Hospitality category

MediaHikmah receiving the Merit Award

ZST receiving their Merit Award

The winner of the e-Government category

John Harith Technology receiving the Merit Award

Some of the committee of APICTA 2012

Brunei represent yooo!!!

 

Check it out at AV Electronics

 

Love your hair, Love Cityhair. Located at Gadong Central.

The vouchers at Cityhair Studio

The lucky draw dip during the opening ceremony

RVP scored the winner though he had a quiet night against Manchester City. Now Manchester United have 6 points lead over Manchester City.

Messi beat Gerd Muller’s goal by scoring his 86th goal in a year calendar. The last record was back in 1972. He is definitely a phenomenal player and how I wish he plays for an English club before he retires.

 

RA saysWhat a weekend!!! I managed to cover the Red Bull Rookies event last Saturday, caught a bit of Thirst at Sepang then flew back to Singapore in time for Zoukout event at Siloso beach and it was a spectacle. Now I’m having my sweet time and not worrying about coverage this week as I will be in Singapore till the weekend and taking time off. So if you want to reach me on my Brunei line, tough luck mates.. You can reach me via email if you want to get hold of me or those who have my contact, you can still whatsapp me.

Yesterday I covered a gaming event at Marina Bay Sands and it was similar to my version of Brunei Cyber Games but this one which was called Licence 2 Play was 10 times better than the one I normally organised. Judging from the props and set ups, they must have fork out a fortune and plus they have tons of sponsors to fund the event. I did have a good time and I got whipped in FIFA 13 by a Malay guy in a friendly game.

By evening, I was contemplating whether to catch Argo (the movie) or nap in time to catch the pulsating derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City. I opted for the latter and wow, someone realized that I had dark circles around my eyes. It must have been the lack of sleep for the past few days and even last night’s sleep wasn’t enough because my body clock normally is 7-8am.

I’m planning to catch Jersey Boys and maybe.. just maybe The Jackson’s Unity Tour this weekend. Oh yeah, I will be heading to Legoland with the family this week. So something to look forward to 😀 With a week left, I can still take my sweet time and just enjoy my time in Singapore. I have yet to catch anyone in Singapore though I bumped into some friends here and there at Zoukout. Last year, I failed to bumped into any familiar faces. However, it was a different case last weekend and the crowd was just massive (40,000 people at least) at Siloso Beach.

So do bear with me with my relatively moderate to slow updates on RA. Have an awesome Monday and of course, throughout the week!!!

Security check at the entrance. I was pretty sneaky because I cut the queue which was at least 500 metres long.. Shhh…

The DJ lined up at ZO

I loved the lightings

Calvin Harris in the house. Definitely the highlightt of ZoukOut 2012

They have upgraded the lighting effects and it looks wicked

The crowd and the atmosphere were pretty crazy

Meet the drum guys!!

Glow sticks were selling like hot cakes. I didn’t get one for myself though.

Everyone going nuts when it was time for Calvin Harris

Loads of human lifting too

I bought some merchandise from ZO

High demands for recharging your smartphones. However, signal is very poor because of network congestions

I kinda like Nina Kraviz

The mini fireworks by 2am

ZoukOut 2012 was a blast indeed!!

I love DJ Porter Robinson

The scene at Siloso Beach

There were some games for the public to play

Such a bad idea to have this game, don’t you think?

A-Trak was not bad.. Apparently the Star Stage didn’t have as much of a crowd compared to the Moon Stage

The great thing about carrying an SLR, they keep asking me to take photos of them 😀

So did these ladies…

Brunei represent yo….

The ushers killing time as the queue died down.. Well, it was almost 4am that time

My final pitstop before heading back to the hotel. My cab charge was $50 then.. but I was just wanna get home without the waiting for so long

Melissa Huang of Singapore and Zira (Siti Zirwatul) of Brunei will be representing the female Red Bull Rookies Racing team today in the Sepang 1,000 endurance race at the Sepang International Circuit

Last year was Ogy. The previous year were Liana and Mel. This year, Zira grabbed the headlines for representing Brunei for the Red Bull Rookies Racing Team. According to her friend, she came across the Red Bull Rookies application through my blog and now her dream came true in racing against the big guns and more importantly, representing a strong brand Red Bull.

Yesterday during the qualifying, Zira clocked 2 minutes 55 seconds which is her personal best and it was also an improvement of three seconds. However, the real deal will be on the race day which is happening as I’m typing this entry. At the moment, Melissa and Zira’s car is in 22nd place among 32 cars.

Perhaps the main aim is to finish the race and not to worry about finishing on the podium. However, there’s a new twist to this as Red Bull has created a new incentive for both male and female drivers of Red Bull Rookies. The winner between the two gender will win a grand prize of RM 10,000 so there’s a lot of stake here within the Red Bull rookies.

I’m quite happy to see Melissa Huang representing the female and she’s also the female anchor driver for the duo. Apparently two other drivers missed the cut due to unforeseen circumstances. Though it’s a numerical advantage for the guys (4 drivers), there is still some pros and cons with having more team members driving the car and mind you, it’s a 1,000km endurance race. So anything can happen.

For me, I just hope Melissa and Zira can finish the race and to win the battle of the sexes will be an added bonus. Good luck to two 😀

The female drivers with Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage & Creamery Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Red Bull in Brunei

Melissa Huang getting ready for her drive on the track

Don’t play-play ah.. Zira is also a traffic police officer

Cool sticker 🙂

Zira and other Red Bull crew monitoring Melissa’s progress on the track

 

 I’m back!!! in Singapore

RA says I’m back in Singapore after a 3 month absence and I’m here for a 10 day break to cap off a fulfilling year for me. And yes, I needed the break as well. I realized that I tend to be a workaholic back at home because I would feel restless if I don’t do anything at all. I would be at different places throughout the day, meeting clients or friends or covering events. I’ve been ignoring my books at home because by the time I have my free time (again my choice), it was time to snooze. So yea, it’s great to be away from Brunei and just take my sweet time and don’t focus too much on work.. And plus it’s December….

Good thing my family is here in Singapore as well so it gives a good chance to spend time with them especially my little siblings. I know they are already in their own world and maybe just think that I’m their elder brother but we hardly connect or carry a conversation. Maybe it’s me judging myself that I can’t be a good communicator as a bigger brother. Well, I’m getting there and I won’t force myself. My siblings really have grown up and I feel like I have to catch for loss time. Hence, being in Singapore will give me that opportunity once again to spend time with my family.

I’m currently at Terminal 1, Changi Airport waiting for my departure to KL for the coverage of the Sepang 1,000km endurance race. Why I’m there is because I will be doing a coverage on our Brunei racer Zira who will be racing under the flagship of Red Bull Rookies. She will be partnering with another racer from Singapore, Melissa. So yea, I’m pretty exhausted because of the early morning flight and I had to leave the hotel by 5am and I’m barely 24 hours in Singapore *lol*

Another thing that I have put myself into is accepting a 12 hour trip to KL before heading back to Singapore, just in time for my other coverage and the most anticipated event in Singapore’s calendar – Zoukout 2012. I was there last year and it was also my first time too. This would mean that I will be heading straight to Sentosa right after my arrival from KL later tonight. I shall be posting later.. Time to catch my flight and have a nice weekend peeps!!

My siblings trying out their new bed for their room last night at Park Mall
 

 

The Sketch Club brought to you by Coldbrew Studios

The first session successfully kicked off last night at a studio at Jalan Telanai. It is a drawing workshop organised by Coldbrew Studios and those who have the passion on drawing or such, then this is a good avenue to learn especially those with the same interest.

The drawing sessions will be a weekly thing every Thursday from 7:30pm onwards. For adults, it will be $15 and for children, it will be $8. I was told that the next Thursday’s session will be a live model as the subject for drawing.

For more info, you can call 813-7474 or email sketchclub@coldbrewstudios.com

The participants last night at the Sketch Club

The participants last night at the Sketch Club

Now I know why the bear was rushed from Gadong last night *lol*

Almost a year ago, I caught the actual musical play of Wicked at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore and I was impressed. Last week, I saw a local drama production under SEEDS Brunei and boy, I really have to salute the whole team involved for putting up an awesome show. One of the characters that caught my eye was Elphaba, the Green witch, and the role was played by Dk Nurazyyati Pg Hj Mulek and she was amazing – the acting, the vocals, a good whole package I must say.

Another main character was Glinda, the Good Witch of the North played by Nuroul Naqibah Nooaradin and both the characters have a good chemistry presence on stage where the audience, I felt, was emotionally invested. Thumbs up to Syaf the director/producer of the show and the people involved are mostly students from the actors to the lightings to backstage and props. Their handwork and teamwork paid off and I see a lot of potential in our local youth. We have the talents and it was the perfect time to showcase it to the audience. You guys deserved a big pat on the shoulders.

The whole production was led by SEEDS students and SEEDS stands for School Extracurricular and Educational Drama Society. You can follow them on twitter @seedsbrunei and Facebook for updates. Keep up the good work, fellas!!

The Musicians for the play

Glinda and Elphaba

Syaf of SEEDS Brunei – the director/producer of The Wicked Witch

His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, presented the APICTA award to Chung Hwa Middle School in the Secondary Category at last night’s APICTA 2012 Awards held at Indera Samudra Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club

I remember last June they won the BICTA awards and they showcased their product “Brunei Treasure” during the BICTA 2012 to HRH The Crown Prince. A few months later, the students presented their project to His Majesty the Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan at Chung Hwa’s 90th anniversary. From there, His Majesty gave his word of encouragement to the team to win the APICTA 2012 awards and surely this movitated the students to do so. Last night their project was awarded the best in the Secondary School Project category.

Angeline Cheng Lin of Chung Hwa said that they revamped their concept by introducing a mobile app for their Brunei Treasure. Previously it was a computer based software where they presented for BICTA 2012. Hence, they improved their prototype by creating a mobile app for Brunei Treasure. So far, it’s available in Android market and they will be hoping for an IOS version, pending approval.

Derby Teo Nyet Win is the newest member to the team and she couldn’t believe that they won the award. They were able to answer the judges’ comments during the presentation. They thanked their mentors, teachers and those involved in APICTA and BICTA for making their idea a success.

I’m very proud of their achievements and to win an award at APICTA is something huge because you are competing with 11 other countries for the trophy and you guys did Brunei very proud indeed. I hope your victory will inspire more younger generations to follow your footsteps that anything is possible if you believe in your ideas.

Angelien Cheng Lin, Wong Chun Lynn and Derby Teo Nyet Wen with the APICTA Awards last night

The winners with the teachers and mentors from CHMS

Angelien Cheng Lin and Wong Chun Lynn showcased Brunei Treasure to HRH the Crown Prince back in June 2012

 

  

 

Sending off Zira to KL for the 1,000km endurance race

Red Bull Rookies will see Siti Zirwatul Iradah Awg Adinin race in ‘The Battle of the Sexes’ 1,000km endurance race at the Sepang International Circuit She left for Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

During event set to take place from today till Saturday, a men’s team and a women’s team will be battling it out for the RM10,000 grand prize and also to determine which gender possesses the most skillful driving ability.

Zira, as she is affectionately known, is also the sole Brunei participant, chosen over a thousand candidates from Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore to represent the Sultanate. She is also the third racer to ever represent Brunei since the search was inaugurated here in 2010.

This also marks the first time in six years that the Red Bull Rookies have fielded two teams who will compete against each other and solve the age-old question of which gender is the better racecar driver.

Present the Brunei International Airport yesterday to bid farewell and hand over the Red Bull race helmet to Zira was Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage & Creamery Sdn Bhd, the distributor of Red Bull drinks in Brunei. Images and text by Nazirul Hakeem.

Zira with Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage & Creamery Sdn Bhd, with Zira’s family at the airport yesterday