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Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

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RA says It has been a while since I wrote about the Ugly Truth. Well, honestly speaking, there isn’t much that ticked my mind that’s worht bringing up for now.. Maybe there are a few bits and pieces that of importance.

One of the things I want to highlight are the popular “purple buses”. I do applaud the public bus proprietors for their initiative for rebranding the public bus service with the full support of the Ministry of Communications. Yes, now the buses are colour coded. I came across a pink one on the highway with yellow interior seats. Well, apparently it was quoted as Magenta and not pink in the paper but the pink effect registered as my first impression of the bus.

Anyway, the upgrades that were done were mostly the “cosmetics” of the buses and now the said public buses have seats for the handicap, request stop/flag stop buttons and of course, the refurbished interiors. The only question that spurred my mind is who will benefit in using the public buses in Brunei? From my quick observations, majority of the bus passengers are foreigners. They are the so called expert in using the bus services and for them, this is an added value bonus for them for having new facilities and upgrade on the buses.

Interesting colours that have caught the eyes of the public but it’s not enough to encourage us to depend on buses just yet
 

The Minister of Communications said that there must be continuous upgrading for the public buses
 

Now with these upgrades, will it entice us locals to change our mindset that the buses are a good recommendation to take us to Point A to Point B? The answer to this will be obvious. I have ridden in public buses in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia and why I take them is because of the system in place. The bus information is well placed at bus stops with all the routes and timings and the buses will only stop at designated bus stops and not simply stop at the will of the bus driver to pick and drop passengers.

These like these do matter to me and I can guarantee you that those who have never been on a bus, that will be a tough sell to encourage them to even get on the bus and give it a go. I guess it’s our mentality as well that we will be judged by others if we are caught seeing using a public transport. However, if you look at it differently, you can also be proud that you are willing to make use of the public buses and not many will have that courage to follow that footsteps.

The other question that I want to bring up is the maintenance of the buses. Last year October, I hopped into one of the purple buses for the first time but not for a ride experience but to check out the conditions of the buses. Well, purple buses have been around for many years but I was appalled by the conditions of it and it will definitely make me think twice even though this is one of my bucket list to ride on the public bus. So this is something that needs to be looked at as we do take hygiene pretty seriously. I remember coming across a bucket and a mop which was placed at the back seat of the bus as I was wondering about the stench once I stepped inside the bus. To top that up, the seats of the buses had different colour shades (and I won’t go into details of my assumptions *lol*).

I saw a mop in one of the buses and I’m not sure if this applies to all the buses. This was taken last year October 2012 so I’m not sure if things have changed for the better.

So these factors I believe influence our mindsets and it will take some level of awareness and education to change the mindsets. With a better bus route system with appropriate schedules would probably have more impact in the public’s decision to hop on the bus.

The Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies have done studies apparently and this plan falls under the 2008-2017 Strategic Plans of the Ministry of Communications. I still feel we are off the mark with only 4 years left to reach such milestones especially urging public transport usage and tackling car dependency.

Oh man, I didn’t know I was gonna type this long for a single topic. You can check out some comments from the public here and here. Ok, why don’t I just leave it here for my UG moment. If you have anything that you feel like expressing or be opinionated about, feel free to email me at ranoadidas (at)gmail.com and have a great week ahead, guys!!

Oh before I sign off, I want to highlight one titah that His Majesty delivered yesterday in conjunction with His Majesty’s 67th Birthday celebration. Just refer to the image below and you will know what I’m talking about. This would be mean more enforcements from the relevant agencies especially from the Ministry of Health and perhaps the Royal Customs. It will be interesting how this will unfold.

Taken from the paper’s this morning. Cigarettes will be hard to come by in the next few weeks or so.

Are you ready to go crazy on AirAsia’s website this midnight?

 

Another Time Out with Liz episode this September

“With the successful pilot launched on the 31 Aug 2013, the public now can look forward to a different type of Saturday night entertainment at the end of each month.

“Time Out with Liz” provides a platform for local talents of all kinds and inspiring people to engage, entertain and connect with the public. This month everyone has the opportunity to get close and personal with Jenny Malai Ali, find out more about Fakhrul Razis’ story thus far and enjoy a live cooking demonstration by one of our local food blogger and food enthusiast, Thanis Lim.

Registered audience will also walk away with this months giveaways and much more. So be a part of the live recording audience by calling or texting 8826013. Limited seats available.

Kevin Lo, co-host with Liz. Image courtesy of Wanee.

The audience from the Liz’ debut talk show

Liz giving out freebies

A happy camper with a souvenir from Liz

Kevin Lo with his version of scrambled eggs

I see my buddies there supporting Liz’ talk show

One of the guests was Eia

Zainal thrilled the audience with his comedic antics

Thanis was also a guest on the show

Reunited with my friends from Brunei. It has been a while

This is my second trip to Bali in less than a year and it’s still a freaking awesome place to be at.. This time, I traveled with my group of friends.. well, it was a clique that revived from the defunct RA6 and now it’s a groupie self named “SuperFriends”. Don’t ask me why how that that whole episode came about but that’s how it materialized a few years ago.

I missed out of a day and an half from the five nights trip planned back in March 2013. For the record, we haven’t done our annual trip since 2011. Previously the chosen destination was KK and we just raised the bar a little by choosing Bali for this annual trip with supposedly 20-21 people but only 16 people ended up going.

Anyway, I missed a few activities such as sunset by the beach and the Waterbomb theme park but I still managed to get some fun out of the the remaining three nights at Bali. There are other things that I would recommend you to go that we didn’t manage to do or visit – Shop at Legian street at Kuta, go water rafting near the mountains (did that last year) and do try out the Coffee Luwak which is also near the plantation and mountains.

This time round I went to places that I never been before such as the Rock Bar, hot spring water and the most talked about Potato Head. These places are so interest and I do highly recommend you to visit these places if you happen to spend some time in Bali. I know of a few of my friends heading there soon in a week or two 😀

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and I will posting more pictures from my bali trip soon. You can also check out my instagram @ranodidas or hashtag #sfbalitrip for more photos. Ah, Bali, I’m missing you all over again and thanks to my buddies for making such a great experience and notably my friend @laislabonita for the logistics and the arrangement of the whole trip since Day 1. I’m very much appreciated. See you guys back in Brunei. This is RA, reporting from LCCT, KL.

A quick pitstop at Havianas factory outlet. It’s cheaper slightly than Singapore

This is a cool VW Havianas van parked outside the store

I can’t remember why I was having this big smile

Posing with the classic VW van

We arrived to early for Rock Bar at Ayana Resort and Spa. So a lot of photo taking as usual

Cahaya and Nazlee

While waiting for 2 hours, we had a late lunch at Ayana’s restaurant. Food was pretty impressive!

Kadi posing by the pool

It was quite a long queue at Rock Bar and we were waiting for at least 30 minutes under the hot scorching sun…..

A lift was needed to get down to Rock Bar. It wasn’t a cable car initially as we thought it was

The view from the top at Rock Bar

This was around 4pm and it was freaking hot. Umbrellas came in handy.

All of us were using umbrellas too provided at Rock Bar

There are many seating to choose from at Rock Bar. You will be spoilt for choices to choose your seats.

Some of the rocks by the beach at Rock Bar

One of the reasons why Rock Bar is awesome is because this lady DJ was spinning some cool lounge tracks.. I only managed to get one song from Shazam haha

Ain’t this just gorgeous at Rock Bar?

The beautiful sunset featuring… guess who…

@laislabonita was finally satisfied by the sunset

The gorgeous eye of the sunset

Another rock!!

Rupert trying to engage with the statute

Actually this Ayana Resport and Spa is pretty packed with tourist. I won’t mind staying here one day and hotel guests will have privilege entry to the Rock Bar too.

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

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I am once again abroad for the …. ok, I lost count but you get the drift. This trip was planned back in March and it was one of our ritual annual “SuperFriends” trip which we haven’t been doing for the past three years. So now it has happened.. Our 11th to 15th September Bali trip materialised though I was the last person to join the group as I was busy covering the 25th UBD Convocation yesterday morning.

I have to say though that I won’t be updating as much for the next two days or so. One reason being is that the villa that we are staying in has unstable wifi connection. I will post more about the villa we are staying in – Happy Umalas Villas at Umalas itself. So apologies to my readers and my clients if my updates will be slightly slower than usual. Not to worry as I will be back in full gear coming Monday.. Woohooo!!!

Getting ready to fly through AirAsia.. Great connecting flights from Brunei to Bali btw. You can still fly the morning or afternoon and still reach Bali on the same day 😀

The villas are pretty good actually

Trying to do my work but man, the internet speed sucks. A good time to appreciate the TelBru services 😀

Breakfast is served every morning

SF enjoying the sunset by the beach

Awwwww… sweet love

 

Press conference with the CE-ALAF team few days ago

BIBD today announced the closing for the enrollment for its CEALAF (Charity Expedition for Advocating Lifelong Learning for an Aspiring Future) Midnight Marathon, which will happen today at 5.00pm (13th September). The CE-ALAF organizing committee is pleased to share that they have received an overwhelming response from enthusiast runners for this category.

The BIBD Midnight Marathon, making its first appearance on the BIBD CE-ALAF roster, is a full 42km marathon run that represents a more goal-oriented aim for contributions towards the ALAF programme. Selected participants will be running a sponsorship programme whereby corporate organizations and individuals will have the chance to sponsor, instantly contributing towards the ALAF programme, for every kilometre taken by these runners. It is reminded that only a group of 25 local participants will be selected from an open registration system. So far there are more than 40 registrants which is more than BIBD expected. However, only 25 runners will be chosen for the full marathon.

The registration for this category of the BIBD CE-ALAF was available on the website for a period of two weeks and selected participants will be chosen via an internal selection process, which require the participants to answer a short question; “Why do you want to run the marathon for the BIBD CE-ALAF?”. The selected 25 participants will be notified and their details will be posted on the BIBD CE-ALAF website, whilst the remaining group will be prompted to join the other categories on offer.

Furthermore, these selected participants will be trained and coached by BIBD’s own Marathon Des Sables (MDS) runners, Hamsul Sulaiman and Ahmad Fathi Junaidi, who ran the toughest footrace on earth earlier in the year. The MDS was held over seven days and six stages, enduring 155 miles (250 km), which is equivalent to running 5 1/2 marathons. They will advise the selected 25 runners in their mental and physical preparations for the 42km run.

The coaches will also provide run clinics on a weekly basis to further help in their training for the BIBD CE-ALAF Midnight Marathon. This will provide them with an avenue for the runners to share their weekly report on their progress, converse and gain invaluable experiences with the MDS runners.

For further information regarding or any enquiries on BIBD’s CE-ALAF, please visit their homepage at www.bibdcharityexpedition.com, email the BIBD CE-ALAF team at info@bibdcharityexpedition.com or call the BIBD CE-ALAF hotline at +673 8222110.

Ahmad Fathi Junaidi and Hamsul Sulaiman will be helping with the training and they will also be the pacers for the 42km during the actual event. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

 

Drive home a Mercedes Benz C180

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

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Ahhh… this is so overdue… I was supposed to upload these photos last week but never had the time to go around it. So yeah, I will be posting tons of pictures taken at this year’s STGCC 2013 which stands for Singapore Toy Game Comic Convention and I have to say that I was super impressed with the event. It was way better than last year and I will mark again in my calendar next year for STGCC.

They have reached a milestone that will be tough for another repeat for next year’s WCOPA 2014. To recap, WCOPA stands for World Championships of Performing ARts (WCOPA) and we were fortunate to have Bruneians to represent the country in this year’s edition which took place earlier in July.

Our local heroes – Fakhrul Razi, Kevin Lo and Maria Grace Koh – brought some medals back during the competition and this shows that we do have talents to shine on a bigger stage. This time round there will be a WCOPA concert on the 21st September from 8am to 10pm at the Jerudong Amphitheater featuring all the said artistes.

Fakhrul will be belting 5 songs but the song I strongly felt is his original work “Senyuman Gelapmu” which has been playing on my CD player while I’m driving. It’s just a fantastic piece and boy, FR does have a lot under his sleeves. He hinted that a new album is slated for a November release and some of his songs will be downloadable on iTunes. Awesome!!

Kevin Lo had a fantastic outing from the WCOPA event. He didn’t just bagged medals but also scholarship offers from the agencies from the States. He will be performing in a 30-40 minute act from the “The Crucible” and an excerpt from “My Fair Lady”.

Last of all, Maria will be singing four songs including her original composition “You”. She’s another talent with such soothing vocals and she was a former swimmer, representing Brunei on a few occasions. Perhaps the unexpected exit from the Beijing Olympics was a blessing in disguise and I’m glad Maria is happy with her recent exposure to music and even having her own songs made available on iTunes.

Representatives from WCOPA organizers with Setia Motors representative and Kevin Lo and Fakhrul Razi during the press conference last Saturday

Kevin Lo will be performing with his teammates for half an hour next weekend

The artistes with representatives from Setia Motors (Hyundai) the sponsors

Kevin Lo with his teammates gearing up for “The Crucible” and My Fair Lady

The concert tickets are sold at $30, $20 and $10. You can find them at participating partners – The Body Shop, Armtrix Enterprise, Laily’s Boutique, Mr Baker’s Bakeshop, Muffins N Co, Sapphira cake house, DESEO Boutique, BATA Shoes, Pet Link, Pet Vision, Kimchi Restaurant, Paddington House of Pancakes, Pho Real Restaurant, Virtuoso School of Music, Studio Scene and Vision Care in Kuala Belait.

For more inquiries, you can call 723 6243 or email info@ prismworksbrunei.com or follow @officialwcopabrunei on instagram. The event is organized by Prismworks Events Management.

Anyway, for those interested to join the audition for next year’s event, you can send in your submission of applications on the 21st September and send your application at the JP Amphitheater from 12pm to 6pm on the 21st September. The audition is open to actors, instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers and variety acts.

Who knows you will represent Brunei next year in WCOPA 😀

 

LOL. Do bear with me with the number of photos that are being posted below. It was more of the pending photos that I have yet to post on RA and I’d better do it soon. So how was your Hari Raya this year compared to last year? Mine was just so-so and nothing much to shout about either.

Now Brunei is gearing up for the celebration of His Majesty’s birthday which will begin on 15th September and following that month will be the chairmanship of Brunei for the ASEAN Summit which will being mid October. So a lot of things to look forward to now for Brunei and there are quite many small events happening as well. I shall keep you posted on that.

For now, enjoy the pictures taken during my rounds of Hari Raya last August and early September.

 

United Network Entertainment is a Bruneian based company that aims to raise creative awareness in the fields of arts, performing arts, music and sports, in Brunei, and bringing together the youths in our nation, that love doing the things that they love, and giving them the opportunity to create, and in the future, make a living out of doing the things that they love.

They aim to provide for local artists and youth in our nation with masterclasses and avenues to reach their fullest potential. We believe a creative individual should grow and learn in all fields possible, so that every individual develops in their own unique way and in turn, prove beneficial to the nation in their own fields and specialty.

They also provide high quality industry standard creative services in the fields of animation and visual development to Brunei and the International Industries.

For your info, the spots are on a first come first served basis.. and to quickly register before spots fill up. Refer to poster below or you can check out their Facebook page. Good luck 😀

Click image to enter website

 

Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah with members of BLGA and official event sponsors

Haji Osmar bin Duraman and Almas Syadzwanie bte Kamis were the Men’s and Ladies’ Gross Overall Champions of the Patron’s Charity Fund Golf Tournament 2013 last Sunday

Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah attended the prize presentation for the tournament, which was held at the Royal Brunei Golf and Country Club. Hj Osmar and Almas Syadzwanie claimed top honours with their scores of 72 and 85 respectively over the three-day tournament.

In the Men’s Division ‘A’ Nett (Handicap 0-9)category, Ali bin Hj Rashid was the winner with his score of 72, followed by Lt Col (B) Hj Brahim bin Jumahat in second with 74 and Hj Khairul Hj Jamaluddin in third with 78.

Seruji bin Hj Setia is no stranger to success, and he topped the Men’s Division ‘A’ Gross category with a score of 75. Tony bin Hj Karim and Gajendra Gurung finished in second and third with scores of 79 on-count-back (OCB).

Hj Muhd Hanafi PP Hj Ahmad won the Men’s Division ‘B’ Nett (Handicap 10-18) category with a final score of 67. Hj Patera Hj Madil followed closely in second with 68 and a further stroke back in third was Hj Jalaluddin Hj Ghazali.

Meanwhile, in the Gross category, Hj Omar bin Hj Baha led the pack with 78. Hj Md Shahreen bin DP Dato Hj Hamzah (81) and YDM PDLR MG (B) DPS Hj Halbi Hj Md Yussof (84) completed the top three.

The Men’s Division C (Handicap 19-24) Nett category was won by Hj Md Shukri Hj Rahim with a score of 68. Shamsul Nahar Hj Idris (71) finished second, followed by Hj Said bin Ahmad (72). Minuddin Hj Md Daud claimed the Gross category after scoring 91. Cynta Raw finished one stroke behind in second, whilst Harris Aliamin’s score of 95 earned him a bronze-medal placing.

YDM Maj Jen (B) Pehin Dato Hj JMD Jaafar was the winner of the Senior Men’s (60 and above) Nett category after finishing the course with a score of 71. Hj Abd Lafip bin Hj Ghariff (74) and Dominic Chong (75) completed the podium.

The Gross category was won by Hj Rojer bin Abdullah, who scored 79, followed by Hj Abd Aziz bin Abdullah (82) and Alfred Shim (85).

Pg Hjh Zubaidah bte Pg Hj Mohammad won the Ladies’ Division Nett category by a margin of seven strokes with her score of 72. Hjh Asmah bte Omar and Hjh Azizah bte Ahmad (81ocb) finished in second and third respectively.

Dora Madai pipped Joan Chin to the Gross category title after both ladies finished the day with a score of 94, but OCB, it was ruled in the former’s favour. Almas Akalili bte Kamis (106) finished third. In the Senior Ladies’ (60 and above) category, Hjh Zainab bte Hj Ali topped the leaderboard with a score of 77, followed by Dolly Hj Rahman (78) and Daisy Yeoh (81).

Norintan Hj Shahreen was the junior (18 years old and under) (Boys and Girls) Nett category champion after blowing the rest of the field away with a score of 67. Md Irwan Hj Ismail finished 10 strokes behindin second, and Ryan Chee a further three in third.

The biggest winners, however, were the An Nur Harapan Foundation and Brunei-Muara District Red Cresent Society, who received donations of $12,600 and $8,400 respectively. Text by Jake Ten and Bahyiah Bakir of Borneo Bulletin.

HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah presenting a trophy to Hj Osmar, the Men Gross overall champion

HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah presenting a trophy to Almas Syadzwanie, the Ladies Gross overall champion

HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah presenting a donation to Brunei Muara District Red Crescent Society

HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah presenting a donation to An Nur Harapan

HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah receiving a pesambah

 

Forward thinking… well, so-so for me

I wonder how many gadget addicts were up last night watching the keynote address by Apple on the launch of a few things – iTunes Radio, iOS7 and of course, the most anticipated ones – iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s. There were no announcement on tablets or the smart watch. However, with the power of internet, we kinda knew what was coming ahead for the models of iPhones but of course, the juicy parts (tech specs) was revealed more during the keynote event. I have to admit though there’s no one at this moment that can run a charismatic key note than the late Steve Jobs. Even Ashton Kutcher can’t even portray the character of Jobs in his latest biopic (which was a huge flop in the box office).

I won’t go too much into the specs but if you are more concerned about the specs, you can click here. I’m just gonna highlight the major ones. Firstly, it has a Touch ID, a fingerprint identity sensor which I think it’s a cool for unlocking your phone rather than using the passcode or swipe. I’m not sure if it’s optional though hmmmm.. It has a 64-bit chip but not really interested to know in depth. Let’s just say that IOS apps developers can make full use of it compared to the previous 32-bit technology.

Hmmm not something I look forward to but I will treat it as a bonus

The battery has slightly improved by two hours on talk time. I did a spec comparison from the iPhone5 and the iPhone 5s. So even a slight increase, maybe it didn’t excite me as much and battery has always been a downside for me. You should see me carrying a casing power pack and a battery pack in my pouch wherever I go. Hence, the battery news was just old news to me.

I’m not too concerned with the new colours – space grey, gold and silver. For me, I’m more into what the phone or the technology can do. You also can choose the different colours for the iPhone 5c. Anyway, back to the iPhone 5s specs, it uses a A7 core processor. The current iPhone 5 uses A6 I believe. Phones have improved in the processor department that I couldn’t tell sometimes even if they said it has improved like 4 or 5 times faster. But when the iPhone 4 was introduced, I could feel the difference between 4 and the 3Gs. So let’s see what kind of feeling when I get hold of the iPhone 5s one day.

The only thing that I’m looking forward to the iPhone 5s is *drummm rooollllllll* ….. the camera… Ok, I am a heavy user of the camera on my iPhone 5 and I recently even buy a wifi SD card so I can transfer the images from my SLR camera to my iPhone so the pictures would look sharper on my instagram postings.. So there you go, the only selling point for me to upgrade to the 5s is the camera. I don’t really care about the other specs even the finger ID thingy (since I don’t lock my phone.. ok, that’s not even advisable) or the colour skins.. but maybe the battery life minor improvement might tickle something in me but the drawing factor here is the camera on the 5s.

I’m loving the new camera features

The f/2.2 aperture is something I look forward to

The price of the iPhone 5s taken from Apple Singapore website

So what’s so good about it? It has a larger sensor and aperture. The aperture is f/2.2 which is totally awesome because it can be as good as taking photos off my SLR camera. Of course, the best would still be with outside lighting or natural daylight to get the best out of the photo without the use of flash. They have this new slo-mo function but it’s not my cup of tea. I did download a 3rd party app for that before and I hardly use it. So I don’t see the big deal about it. Ok, perhaps the zooming part while recording a video will be handy for me since I post a lot of videos on my instagram. I could have gotten closer video of the “trike” riders at the roundabout last Sunday *lol*

So there you go. Just a quick summary of my view of the iPhone 5s and I don’t want to go over the other specs. It’s just nothing exciting. The same goes to Samsung Note 3 and the Samsung S4 when it was announced. Nothing really that sets a new bar for smartphones. The same goes for Blackberry, HTC and the underwhelming Nokia Lumia. I believe a new unknown player one day will come up with a disruptive technology for smartphones and wake up these giants battling specs that are not foreign but merely an upgrade.

But I have to admit it was a way better keynote than when it launched the iPhone 5 last year. Oh, regarding the iPhone 5c (read specs here), I won’t be talking much about it either. Yes, it’s a plastic feel iPhone 5 and it’s a cheaper version too to make it affordable for those who wants to own an iPhone. I’m pretty sure this will boost the sales and even the shares of Apple which had a turbulent year (or the past two years) after Samsung’s dominance in the smartphone category.

My overall verdict for the 5s is a “B” which translates to a 7/10. Maybe because the technologies used have not broken any barrier. The Touch ID thingy is a nice touch (see there, wordplay) but it’s not something that excites me. The only reason for my upgrade is the awesome camera features and maybe, just maybe, the slight improvement of the battery life.

The other iPhone 5 that was introduced – the “C” model

The price of the iphone 5c taken from Apple Singapore website

Ok, I can’t wait for OS X Mavericks.. I just hope there won’t be many bugs when it becomes available

iTunes radio.. Maybe I will play around with it soon

Click here to view the Keynote event by Apple

 

The month of Syawal is in high spirits in Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI). An open office was held to celebrate Hari Raya with all of the stakeholders of AITI last week. The event took place at its premises at the AITI Building, in Anggerek Desa.

The Guest of Honour for the open office event was the Minister of Communications, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Ministry of Communications. Also in attendance was Yang Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communications as well as Chairman of AITI.

Also invited were Foreign Ambassadors residing in Brunei, Deputy Permanent Secretary from Ministry of Communications, Directors and staff under the umbrella of the Ministry of Communications, companies who are registered under AAB and ICTAB, TelCos representatives, ICT Industry Players, Amateur Radio clubs, Dealers, Media partners and other stakeholders of AITI.

  Other activities that took place were AITI InterHouse singing performances and also live band to entertain the guests throughout the whole event.

  This is one of AITI’s way of saying Thank You to all stakeholders whom have worked closely with AITI, and to media partners who helped to highlight AITI in any form of publications and organisations that has collaborated with AITI.

 

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) renewed their cooperation in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) last week with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI and Mr. Leong Keng Thai, Director General (Telecommunications and Post) and Deputy Chief Executive of IDA.  The signing ceremony was witnessed by Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohamad Yusof, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and Chairman of AITI.

AITI and IDA first established working alliance with the signing of a MOU in October 2007. Since then, both regulators have conducted bilateral exchanges, trainings, consultancy and secondment of experts to assist in e-Government and Telecoms Regulatory projects. Under the past MOUs, both organisations have achieved the following: 

• Review of Brunei Darussalam’s e-Government Strategies and Roadmap which was endorsed by the E-Government Leadership Forum (EGLF) in 2009.
• Telecoms regulatory training and workshop for AITI officers in May 2010.
• Secondment of IDA officer since 2010 to assist AITI in Telecoms Regulation, ICT Industry Development and International Relation Development.
• Bilateral exchanges between AITI and IDA on Corporate Services, ICT Industry Development and Infocomm Secuirty since 2010.
• Completion of Brunei’s Government Enterprise Architecture Phase 1 and 2 and Design of One Government Network in January 2011.
• The creation of a framework for the Domain Name System registration and administration for Brunei Darussalam.
• Industrial Internship Program for students to Singapore ICT companies undertaking ICT related Higher National Diploma.  Four ITB students started the industrial internship program in July 2013.

Signing ceremony between AITI and IDA witnessed by Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohamad Yusof, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and Chairman of AITI

Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI exchanging documents with Mr. Leong Keng Thai, Director General (Telecommunications and Post) and Deputy Chief Executive of IDA witnessed by Awang Abdul Mutalib

Media frenzy doing the signing ceremony at AITI venue

The renewal of MOU today reaffirms the commitment made by the communication ministers from Brunei and Singapore during CommunicAsia 2013 to renew ties and technical collaboration between AITI and IDA.  The new MOU further leverages on the existing co-operation framework and aims to cover new areas on training and assistance for AITI on high-speed broadband network and services, collaboration in internationalisation programs for Brunei-based info-communications start-ups to understand market dynamics and connect with key stakeholders in selective emerging markets, public service info-communications projects and other specific telecommunications regulatory issues.

“I am happy that the AITI and IDA collaboration over the years have produced concrete achievements.  I am delighted that we will continue to strengthen the close working relationship with the MOU signing today and collaborate on new ICT initiatives and projects as we tackle the fast changing ICT landscape in our respective countries”, said Haji Yahkup bin Hj Menudin at the MOU signing ceremony.

Mr. Leong Keng Thai, IDA’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post), said: “Today’s signing of the new MOU between the AITI and IDA marks another milestone in the close and longstanding relationship between Brunei and Singapore in the field of information and communications technology. This MOU will further deepen our bilateral engagement to deliver mutual benefits to our people and businesses. We look forward to continuing our co-operation with AITI, and growing our collective strength for the betterment of our economy and society, through information technology.”

Movie reviews. Today my focus on this post will be movie reviews and I know I have many pending posts for my blog.. Soon, guys, soon 😀 But for now, it will be my reviews on some of the movies that I caught in Singapore and Brunei lately.

Anyway, a few background about me and my love for movies. For those who follow me on my instagram and twitter handle (@ranoadidas), you will see a summarised version of my movie reviews before I post them on my blog. Writing reviews do take up a lot of my time and I use to write them religiously right after I watch a movie. Now I will take my time and slowly compile them before publishing them out on my blog.

Because of my love for movies, I started my own movie podcast after being inspired by David Chensky’s podcast on slash filmcast and it took me a while to get it going and I’m thankful that I have friends, Del Goh and Leo Kassim, who are willing to be part of my movie podcast which has yet to be named.

Finally the time has arrived that we delivered our first movie podcast hosted on soundcloud. We are still at experimental stage so do bear with us as there are some minor tweaking that need to be done. I do apologize if the quality is not as great and we will definitely continue to improve on the technical side of it.

We are open for feedback as well. We have a few comments from our peers. De No Goh, Han and Jason did highlight that our latest episode was pretty long (running at 70 minutes). I do agree that it is pretty long especially for us as first timers. Our actual target was 30-45 minutes max and fitting in at least 10 movies (as we are reviewing the hits and misses of Summer movies), it’s not as easy feat either. So yeah, I thank you guys for that comment and do expect a much more concise timing on our next podcast next week 😀 For your info, the slash filmcast podcast averages at 70-80 mins per episode but then again they are professional podcasters with a great following.

David had a good suggestion which I already have thoughts about it and that is having a female voice in our podcast. A female guest is already in the pipeline but as for now, there won’t be a lady host just yet as the podcast team has just started. Once we all have settled and familiarising ourselves as time goes by, there will be opportunities for a female co-host. I had a very interesting chat with Amy Wong on movies today and I’m amazed with her take on movies especially the under rated ones. 

So guys, do give your comments to ranoadidas(8)gmail on our podcast and if you haven’t listen to our latest episode – Our Top 3 Summer movies of 2013 with Rano and co-hosts Del Goh and Leo Kassim, you can click here and I hope you enjoy our conversation and at times, random topics.

Click on banner to listen to our Top 3 Summer movies podcast featuring Del Goh, Leo Kassim and I

Kick-Ass 2. Whoooaaaa… I’m jus totally turned off by a lot of things from this movie alone. Don’t get me wrong. Kick-Ass was a great cult movie when I first saw it on the big screen and it was also in my Top 10 movies of 2010. I remember giving this movie a solid 9. Now how can a movie of that magnitude and charisma failed to live to my expectations on the sequel? Well, shit does happen and this movie turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments right after Man of Steel.

I’m just wondering about the messy plot and many of the scenes were very unnecessary and some of the minor roles didn’t pay off as they were ignored after appearing once or twice on screen. What’s up with that? Perhaps one of the highlights of KA2 is the onscreen presence of Jim Carrey and that again, he was under utilised in this movie and maybe he has his reasons. If you had the shock value in the first one, you won’t find any surprises here. Yes, some argued it was funny but I expected more than just the humour. I want some ass kicking movie. Not a rubbish sequel. Verdict: 6/10 Tiffany Yong 9/10 Rottentomatoes 29%

Riddick. Ahhh Vin Diesel. He has a great year, hasn’t he? Well, he only had two movies this year but who doesn’t know him as the iconic driver on Fast and the Furious. The movie has excelled into the box office success and let’s see if he can deliver the same feel on his own movies. I was also disappointed with Riddick. It’s like watching a b-grade film but with a higher budget. I don’t know how to explain but I guess you will get the picture.

The fight scenes were mediocre at best and it’s one of thoe movies that you don’t need to bring your thinking caps on. I’m not too sure what the big deal with Riddick but this might some viewer’s cup of tea. Some cheap humour might lighten the mood and Vin Diesel is as good as he gets playing his role as Riddick. If you don’t mind these kind of gimmicks, you probably enjoy Riddick more than I did. Verdict: 5.5/10 Del Goh 6/10 Rottentomatoes 58%

We’re the Millers. Watching the trailer, I really wanted to catch this comedy flick and I had a feeling that this was gonna be way better than Grown Ups 2 and surprisingly it was way better. I remember rating GU2 with a very low score and it’s quite rare that I gave a poor rating for a comedy. As for We’re The Millers, it was hilarious and I didn’t mind the sillyness of the premise and it was quite refreshing though unrealistic.

This has the potential to be a classic comedy but it’s not one of the best with the ranks of Bridesmaid. But the most important thing is that I truly enjoyed it and the jokes weren’t as dumb and pointless like in GU2. It’s consistently amusing from start to finish but it can get a bit draggy and it’s quite lengthy too for a comedy. Sadly, this movie is banned in Brunei because of some themes that are not appropriate. I was fortunate enough to catch this in Singapore. Verdict: 8/10 Rottentomatoes 47%

 

New and bigger things at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

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Introducing the 787 Dreamliner. Coming soon!!

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It has been a while since I had a head massage. I love head massages. It soothes my head as well as my thoughts and I become less stress and get slightly recharged too. Anyway, I came across Scalp Trichocare Hairspa and what’s interesting about this place is the treatment and services they provide. Have you ever heard of a hair spa before? It’s a new interesting concept and I can guarantee you that this is the first place in Brunei that offers such services because I’ve been to different hair salons and their services are not same though some procedures are similar. Oh, they don’t do hair cutting of those sort. It’s merely focusing on hair/scalp treatment on a different level.

I was wondering about it myself since I am concerned about my hair and my scalp. I’m not embarrassed to admit of the sensitive scalp and my receding hairline (I have an M hairline shaped now btw and it’s not easy to recover). Before the procedure, Raymond, one of the consultants of Scalp Trichocare Hairspa, briefed me the procedure and also making sure I feel comfortable and plus he’s pretty truthful about the outcome. We as customers tend to be misled by hair salons especially those with hair/scalp treatments, thinking that our hair can be restored in matter of weeks or months. I won’t spare too many details on that but perhaps on my later post.

Scalp Trichocare Hairspa is located at Gadong Central, Unit C35, 2nd Floor Block C, same building as The Boxx, Mr. Bakers Cafeteria and Sushi Tei but at the far end. I know parking can be a troublesome but it’s worth the effort especially if you are going for a hairspa 😀

Scalp Trichocare Hairspa is located at Gadong Central. Do call 242 8143 or 723 5273 for more info and reservation

They have two of these types chair for treatment

They also have VIP private rooms just in case you are a bit shy. There’s no extra charge for this too.

At the Scalp Trichocare Hairspa

There are quite a few treatment and services they provide but I will highlight the one that I tried – Signature Herbal Hairspa. Well, honestly this is one awesome treatment and it lasts at least one and a half hour. All you have to do is lie down and let the expert do his thing. So for $68 (pretty reasonable), you will go through 5 processes :-

Scalp & Hair analysis
Spa Wash Deep Cleansing
Hair Loss Defense Scalp Therapy + 30 mins Head Massage
Hair Botanical Therapy
Water Therapy + Blow dry

So for all that for $68, it’s a good deal and plus you will be enjoying the comfort of their service for the next hour or so. For my readers, if you mention “ranoadidas”, you will be entitled to a 10% for the $68 treatment. This treatment is called the “Rejuvenating Signature Hairspa with Water Therapy.

First step. To clear the scalps pores so that hairs are free to grow. Our scalp is perhaps one of the areas that we always take for granted. We don’t realise how other oils, pollutants and even shampoos and other cosmetic products can affect the condition of our scalps. This can create plaque that clogs the pores and our hair follicles will not be able to grow. So this process will help to remove the layer so that the scalp is free of excess oils and dead cells. This also helps stimulate the blood circulation and allows the hair follicle to flow freely on the scalp. Hence, the detoxication and deep cleansing is quite important. I kinda enjoyed this process.

I had a scalp analysis and it’s obvious that I still have sensitive scalp but I’m happy that I have new baby hair growing 😀

This is an interesting process. My scalp was continuously poured with a mixture blend of herbal tea to open up the clogs in my scalp. I think they have different blends for this procedure. You can choose what you want.

Second step. Ahh the 30 min head massage. I seriously could have fall asleep during this process. Maybe I was just tired from the whole week or maybe it was just a very relaxing head massage that I enjoyed every much. Before the massage, Raymond applied some in-house blend cream (very cooling) with Chinese herbs that helps to energize and rehabilitate the scalp around the follicles. For me, this is the best part of the massage 😀

Raymond applied some cream paste and it’s quite cooling and soothing

Who doesn’t love a head massage? 😀

Third & four step. This is the scalp and hair botanical therapy and the Water therapy stage. Well, this is the ozone therapy with hot and cold mist. So why this process? I even had to wear a shower cap structure that hooks up to a small machine. With this process, the herb nutrients could be absorbed deeply at optimum into hair roots. the ozone kills bacteria on the scalp, reduces itchiness too and also applying ginger conditioner to help repair split ends and moisturize the hair.

It has been a while since I wore a shower cap *lol* but this process is for ozone therapy which lasts for 15 minutes or so. It reminds me of my perming days too.

Fifth stage is the hair will be blown. Well, there’s nothing much on my scalp right now as my hair is growing after the Go Bald charity event two weeks ago. The blow dry is only partially done to minimize damage by the heat to the hair and to allow better absorption of the herbal paste (done in the 2nd stage).

Since my hair is growing, not much to be blown *lol*

Before heading off, Raymond gave me a Scalp Air Tonic dosage, a Legitime product. It’s not part of the package but this product is more like a hair scalp care system for the improvement of damaged hair. How to use it? Soak the hair and apply appropriate amount of tonic to the scalp and hair directly. Then massage the scalp for 2-3 minutes with fingertips. Rinse with water. For better result, repeat this procedure twice.

Just press it on the head and you will get the cooling effect on the scalp

Some of the recommended products for scalp care

So from the one and an half hour experience, I began to learn more about scalps in general as Raymond was explaining it *thanks for that knowledge* He went through an intensive 6 months course to learn about scalp and hair treatment because he himself was suffering from hair loss like me and now he has new baby hair after using the right product and treatment. So sometimes it’s a plus if someone actually experiences a problem and going through many problem-solving situations until he or she finds an appropriate method. But this time, he took a step further and learning and undergo training so he can also help others with similar problems.

It’s never too late for this and most of all, I simply love the treatment and the service they provide and it’s not surprise that I bumped into a mutual friend who is a loyal customer ever since her first visit because of the positive result it has done to her hair. I’m definitely coming back again for my 2nd treatment.

For reservations, you can call 242 8143 or 723 5273. You can also check out their Facebook page. Furthermore, if you mention ranoadidas, you will get 10% discount of the the “Rejuvanting Signature Hairspa with Water Therapy” which last for 90 minutes. It’s about time you pamper yourself.

A customer and one of the staff from Scalp Trichocare Hairspa

 

Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance cum Chairman of BIBD launched the branch of BIBD in KB

BIBD launched another fully fledged branch in line with the signature image that the bank has embraced.


The new branch, located at Lot 1300, V Plaza, Jalan Sungai was launched by Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance cum Chairman of BIBD. 


Also present were BIBD Board of Directors,  senior government officials, Perdana and corporate clients as well as  members of the Belait Municipal Board, community leaders and Awg Haji Harris bin Osman, The Belait District Officer.

To bless the event, there was a recital of the Al-Fatihah along with prayers, which was followed by a speech from Javed Ahmed, BIBD Managing Director.

“BIBD recognizes the importance of developing local entrepreneurs. With the dominance of the oil and gas sector in the Brunei economy, we also believe that the best way to nurture entrepreneurs is to work on the Local Business Development initiative of the Government of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang DiPertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam,” he said.

“Among our custmers, we have about 1800 SMES. We recognize that our future success depends on the success of these businesses in making the Brunei economy both vibrant and robust,” he added. The new KB branch replaces the previous branch that was located in Jalan Pretty, which served BIBD customers since 1983. Now, at the new branch, customers can get their banking needs served six days a week, excluding public holidays, from 8.45am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and to 11.15 am on Saturdays.

The new fully fledged branch houses dedicated Corporate and Consumer sections, offering all services similar to other BIBD branches, such as account transactions and enquiries, financing requests, BIBD account openings, E-Banking services, BIBD card collection, along with general services provided by BIBD service Executives, Service Ambassadors and Personal Bankers. The new corporate division is represented by four dedicated Relationship Managers, embodying the bank’s belief in it’s role as a stellar partner in the development of local businesses.

The launching of the new KB branch, follows in the footsteps of BIBD’s newly adopted corporate image that highlights uniquely Bruneian values that signify the Brunei and Islamic visual canvas. The upgrading of BIBD’s branch network is in line with strategic efforts on its transformation to be a bank that is truly “Bruneian at Heart”, which signifies commitment to Bruneian aspirations and values, as well as its roots in Bruneian and Islamic values.

Guest of honour officially launched the new branch

Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD with his welcoming remarks

Image taken of Herman’s IG.

 

Le Doux Patisserie is located at No. 1, Block C, Ground Floor, Sempurna Complex Jalan Batu Bersurat

Regular readers of LFHW know that I am a great fan of dessert and all things sweet. Let’s be honest.. who isn’t? I know there’s nothing more pleasurable than a dessert that overwhelms your senses and leaves you feeling sweetly satisfied.

So when I was invited to see Le Doux Patisserie, of course, I leapt at the chance! I was pleasantly surprised to discover this gorgeous bakery and cake shop, which is located at Batu Bersurat, in the area of Happy Star and the same row as Red Canopy.  Stepping inside, it was like Wonderland of cake and pastry!

Le Doux specialises in making authentic halal French desserts. Their lovely and friendly chef was trained in none other than the famous Le Cordon Bleu school of Culinary Arts. The meticulous details and artful design of the French art of pastry is evident in each of the beautiful cakes on display. I was even more amazed by the rows of petit fours, even spotting some of my favourites such as eclairs, profiteroles and mille feuille in the refrigerated cases. What’s even more amazing is how fresh all their products are. They start work daily at 5am to ensure that all you see in their cases is newly made that day.

Although they have been open for about a year, Le Doux’s reputation has preceded them, attracting customers from as far as Miri to order their specialty cakes. And it’s no wonder why, with their wonderful service; after booking a cake design, you get to sit for a tasting of different flavours, so that everything is as you wish.

What separates them from the rest is not only the authenticity of their products, but the determination to be different. Although many customers have approached them to do similar items like those already in the market, Le Doux maintains their originality and integrity by specialising in what they do best. I tried their Phoenix cake, which I believe was a strawberry and kiwi confection.. which really tickled my tastebuds with the contrast of tart and sweetness. Their tiramisu was soft and pillowy in the mouth, the coffee and chocolate cutting across the delicious caramel and sweet notes.. simply delightful! My next target is to try their macarons and profiteroles!

This year, they have come out with a line of specialty cookie hampers, decorated in gorgeous shades of lavender and green for Hari Raya. Prices for the hampers start at $48 and come with a variety of 6-10 cookies, depending on the hamper size.

If you’re looking for a lovely cake to be the centrepiece of your dessert table during your Open House, Le Doux would love to be able to serve you with one of their perfect confections. Even the pastes and purees, are made inhouse to ensure quality and that all their ingredients are halal. Written by Aliya Zin.

Le Doux Patisserie is located at No. 1, Block C, Ground Floor, Sempurna Complex Jalan Batu Bersurat, Kampong Gadong, B.S.B. BE3519, Brunei Muara, Brunei Darussalam. You can call them for more info at +673 245 7722 or visit their website at www.ledoux.com.bn

Oh La la! Le macaron! 

My favourite cake in the whole world is that Black Forest Gateau.. so I had to stop myself from climbing into the cake case and moving in with all these sweeties!

This cheesecake makes me want to weep of envy from its sheer beauty

Mini Black Forest Gateaus! And friends!

On the left a fruit eclair, on the right.. Opera cake.. in the middle, I’m not sure.. but DOES IT NOT LOOK DIVINE???

A close look at one of the cookie hampers! 

LOOK HOW PRETTY THEY ARE! It’s a perfect gift for your boss, customer.. or even your favourite food writer… *wink, wink*

I really love how the colours of this are purple, blue and green. If you spend over a certain amount, Le Doux will even set up the custom display for your cake, as you see here!

 

Zul And Rahman of Concepts Computer holding the new Western Digital HDD at Concepts Computer branch in Kiulap

Aaah, such pain typing this article out as I’m still devastated about my Time Machine where I’m trying to retrieve at least 1.6 TB of data from it *lol* That’s like my database of 2012 and I hope most of the data is still recoverable.

Anyway, the focus here is Western Digital Hard Disk Drive. Now they have newer models – the Ultra. For the affordable one, you can go for the WD’s My Passport Essential. It’s now 3.0 USB ready which is faster than 2.0 in terms of transfer rate and it also has a password protection. You can get a 500GB for $88, 1TB for $118 and 2TB for $288. Customers will also get a free casing pouch if you purchase the WD HDD from Concepts Computers.

As for the Ultra (My Passport Ultra), they are priced at $108 for 500GB and $138 for 1TB and the best part is that you can save your data via cloud storage. The HDD are also quite durable and have higher shock tolerance. So hence, you are paying extra $$$ for the quality and options.

All the new WD HDD comes with a casing pouch and also a 3-year warranty which makes this a pretty good deal. Western Digital products visit Concepts Computers’ nearest showroom or call 2233551/2233552 or 2448102/2448103.

The Western Digital My Passport Ultra HDD

The older models of Western Digital HDD

The free casing pouch that comes with the HDD, only at Concepts Computer

Love the numbers on them

The Ultra is the one I would recommend

New and bigger things at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

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Introducing the 787 Dreamliner. Coming soon!!

 

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’Izzadin Waddaulah the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam graced the launching of Brunei’s very own Online Supermarket ‘SocialMart.com.bn’ during the Royal tour of the ICT Gallery at the Hari Raya Banquet Ceremony hosted by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at the International Convention Centre on 27th August 2013.

Accompanying His Majesty during the event was His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at Prime Minister’s Office, His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Malik, His Royal Highness Prince Sufri Bolkiah and His Royal Highness Prince Hj Jefri Bolkiah.

Hiro Tien, founder of SocialBuzz was among the few ICT companies selected by the AITI to present to His Majesty on their company’s latest achievements and contribution to society through technology as a whole. SocialBuzz currently has 10,000 members and its growing steadily.

Speaking to the press on the Royal visit’s experience, founder Hiro Tien mentioned: ”During the Titah at the banquet, His Majesty gave extreme recognition and high emphasis on ICT themed competitions and grants such as the BICTA, Ignite, LEAP Grant by BEDB & AITI Grant for digital & multimedia industries among others, for their contribution in spurring innovation within ICT industry in Brunei. When we put up a slide of the company bagging awards in BICTA & nabbing champion at Ignite recently, His Majesty immediately recognized them with huge smiles. It was a mind-blowing experience to us!”

”We shared about how we were able to leverage on the strong internet penetration and widespread 3G deployment in Brunei Darussalam to channel collective purchasing power on the web. We also shared the fact that more than 300 local & regional SMEs have benefitted from the social commerce marketing experience by SocialDeal” said Hiro Tien.

“We went on to share a little bit about our recent Ignite & AITI Grant winning project, The Gigland, and its grand vision to bridge talents & vocational skills via location-based technology given that Brunei has massive counts of undiscovered talents in arts, music, speakers and others”.

Socialbuzz showcased their latest product – SocialMart (http://www.socialmart.com.bn) – an online supermarket in Brunei. The product was launched by His Majesty and he grasped the concept immediately and was excited about what it can do to the public, further commenting: ‘People are getting busier nowadays, and its great that you (provide online services that) delivers to them!’

His Majesty the Sultan launched the SocialMart product two weeks ago

HRH Prince Jefri with Hiro and his team

So how does the SocialMart works? Well now you can order grocery and get them delivered on the same day. According to Hiro, if a shopper checks out (an order) before 12pm noon of any day, they have the option to receive their orders on the same day from 2-8pm. If a shopper checks out after 12pm noon of the day, the latest delivery slot is the next day, 2-8pm.

It is mentioned that Buyers also have the privilege to opt for delivery anytime within the next seven days shall they wish to.

In regards to how the great savings are even possible with groceries, Hiro mentioned: ‘‘It’s simple. Without cashiers, sales attendants, parking lots, aisles of shelves, rental and many other traditional retailing expenses to pay for – we are able to sell cheaper when we do it online!”

It is understood from the new red color themed website that every midnight at 12am, 3 selected products from the range of food and beverage, household, personal care and baby products will be ‘knocked down’ drastically in price & shown at home page.

“This is possible by leveraging on the PWP model (purchase with purchase) widely practiced in supermarkets. Since SocialMart operates on a membership and minimum cart amount checkout of B$30 – which department stores can’t really implement on daily basis – we’re able to go about with prices not seen before in Brunei for some items since the minimum order condition is always a requirement for orders” explained founder Hiro Tien.

The online supermarket currently delivers to Brunei Muara District only, with very near term to open up for other districts within the year. SocialMart charges a flat-rate delivery fee of B$5 throughout Brunei Muara District and offers free delivery for orders above B$75.

SocialBuzz is a 2year old startup company currently incubated at the iCentre. iCentre is a successful initiative by the Brunei Economic Development Board to grow and nurture tech startups in Brunei Darussalam. AITI supported the launch of the company’s latest product via the ICT Gallery Showcase at the ICC during the Hari Raya Banquet Ceremony hosted by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah on the 27th August 2013.

SocialMart.com.bn is managed under locally registered company SocialMart Technologies.

www.SocialMart.com.bn’s first delivery starts on 9th Sept 2013. Stay tuned to their facebook page at http://facebook.com/SocialMartBrunei too for knockdown announcements!

How the SocialMart looks like

How the SocialMart looks like

How the SocialMart looks like

 

Sometimes it’s the priceless moment to see a person’s reaction whenever he or she wins a grand prize such as a car. Yesterday Baiduri Bank gave away a Toyota Vios 1.5 as part of the Sungkai with Baiduri’ dining promotion. The promotion was applicable for Baiduri cardholders and they had choices of restaurants to choose from during Ramadhan.

All you have do is spend $50 and above and you are entitled to a lucky draw. The other consolation prizes were Samsung Galaxy Camera, an Apple iPad Mini or an iPod Touch 5th Gen.

So yesterday was the prize presentation for the Sungkai with Baiduri’ dining promotion. Present was Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank who gave away the prizes.

Hajah Hasnah binti Mohammad won the grand prize, the Toyota Vios 1.5 while the runner up was Mary Teo Bee Li who walked away with a Samsung Galaxy Camera.

The third place went to Rasool Beevi Salahudeen who won an Apple iPad Mini and in fourth place was Nurul Nabilah binti Osman who walked away with an iPod Touch 5th Gen. The prizes were presented by Ti Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager, Retail Banking and Branch Network Division.

Hjh Hasnah couldn’t believe it when she won the Toyota Vios

She’s now a proud owner of the Toyota Vios

Mr. Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank talking to the grand winner

Mr. Pierre Imhof with Ti Eng Hui with Hjh Hasnah and her daughter

The press covering the event

The top winners with Baiduri Bank’s CEO and Deputy General Manager

 

A sum of $53,633.35 was raised during the “Be Bold! Go Bald!” head-shaving campaign held as part of the recently concluded Asean Year Consumer Fair for the Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group (BBCSG).

Datin Hjh Norlina bte Dato Haji Abu Bakar, the wife of the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya, in her capacity as the guest of honour presented the mock-cheque to Datin Hjh Sahaidah bte Awang Taib, the President of the BBCSG.

A total of 67 individuals comprising 22 women, 39 men and six children (under 12 years) signed up to be sponsored for their heads to be shaved on August 25 in a show of compassion and solidarity with breast cancer awareness. Direct donations to the support group were also made via the donation box set up before and during the fair.

Datin Hjh Norlina bte Dato Haji Abu Bakar – the wife of the Minister of Industry and Primary Respurces, presents the mock cheque to President of the Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group, Datin Hjh Sahaidah (L), as Dato Danial and Managing Director of Sunlit Advertising, Jackson Ting looks on

A group photo with the guest of honour, organisers and shavees for the head shaving campaign

In his welcoming remarks, Managing Director of Sunlit Advertising, Jackson Ting stated that the company was very pleased to able to help spread awareness of breast cancer by organising the activity for the BBCSG and to donate all proceeds of the activity to the support group. He also noted that several Sunlit staff members also made the bold move and shaved their heads.

Meanwhile, Datin Hjh Sahaidah also expressed her gratitude in tears of joy for all “shavees”, organisers and the generous individuals who donated to a good cause. She prayed to Allah the Almighty to repay the good deeds from all those who have made the event a success. Top show her appreciation the BBCSG President also presented certificates to the event’s organisers Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd and the event’s partner, IA Saloon.

Also present at the ceremony were representatives of the charity event’s activity partners, the BBCSG and IA Salon, who provided the hairdressers to shave the participants.

The “Be Bold! Go Bald!” charity head-shaving campaign became one of the main highlights of the Asean Year Consumer Fair held from August 21 to 25, at Bridex Hall in Jerudong. Text and pictures above courtesy of Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

Teddy Wong was one of the participants and he even announced that he’s giving one scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream to those who shaved their heads. Cool!!

Bee Yee being interviewed by the Brunei Times

Jenny Yap with her son also shaved for the occasion

Gavin and Ivan also braved themselves for the cause. Thumbs up!

Cecelia Lee of IA Salon (in kebaya) was in vibrant mode

We were the last ones to be shaved off

Jackson Ting donated $1,000 for both of us to be shaved. Awesome!!

Almost there..

Thumbs up from Cecelia Lee

A great successful event. A good start and who knows next year it will be bigger.

 

The Audi A8L. Always first class.

 

Yet another remarkable achievement for the Find It Fast contest at the recent CF12 held at Bridex Jerudong.

Md Qhairul Azrul B Alik was able to clock an impressive 7.81 seconds to win over other participants. He has won himself a voucher worth B$2000.00 of home décor. 

Participants of the contest were asked to locate the required answer from the YP app at the shortest possible time. The aim of this contest was to show the public the features of the app, it’s convenient and easy usage to look for business contacts, subscribers listing and addresses.

The 1st runner up Mr Yung Yun Khiong took home a shopping voucher worth B$1,000 of furniture while the third prizeXavier Lee An won a voucher worth B$ 500.00 of interior décor.   15 other winners bagged meal vouchers worth B$20.00 each.

Our main aim of this contest was to encourage all to download the YP app.   All names of winners for FIF contest version 2.0 are posted on our website www.yp.com.bn Text and image courtesy of YP Brunei.

James Lee, Managing Director of Yellow Pages (Brunei) with the winners of the Find it Fast contest

 

In continuation to DST’s Ihsan Kasih Raya Celebrations with Special Needs Children, DST on Friday 6th September 2013 continued its Hari Raya celebration at the final week of Syawal to 880 special needs children from Temburong and Brunei Muara district. The celebration in Temburong kicked off the festivities in the morning at the Bumiputra Phase 2 Building in Bangar, while the final celebration which hosted over 2000 invited guests commenced in the later part of the day at the Indoor Stadium in Berakas.

In the Temburong District, DST’s Ihsan Kasih Raya Celebration welcomed the children, the families and members of staff from Pusat Bahagia and KACA. Leading the DST Ihsan Kasih Hari Raya Team was Awang Haji Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager of DST Group Subsidiaries.

The four-district festivities ended in the Brunei-Muara district marking the final DST’s Ihsan Kasih Hari Raya Celebration with special needs children. With the collaborative effort between DST and Community Development Department (JAPEM), up to 800 special needs children, their families and the staff from Learning Ladders, Pusat Bahagia, Pusat Ehsan, Smarter, and KACA filled the Berakas Indoor Stadium with enthusiasm. Present as Guest of Honour for the event was Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Awang Haji Hussain, Chief Executive Officer of DST. Images courtesy of DST.

Haji Suhaimi bin Awang Haji Hussain, Chief Executive Officer of DST presents a DST green packet and goodies to one of the children during the celebration in Brunei-Muara District

Hj Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager of DST Group Subsidiaries presents a DST green packet to one of the children during the celebration in Temburong District

DST Staff in a group photo with Head of Pusat Bahagia, KACA and some of the recipients during the Hari Raya celebration in Temburong

Click image to enter flyroyalbrunei.com

 

The country’s potential in producing highly academic and intellectually exceptional students capable of competing in the global arena was deepened further as two gifted students who were nominated by the Special Education Unit at the Ministry of Education (MoE) achieved top awards at the 5th Apec Future Scientist Conference in Changwon City of the Republic of Korea. It was held from July 22 to July 26.

Their achievements were praised by Choi Byung Koo, South Korean Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam who hosted a luncheon for the gifted students and the lead teachers at his residence in Jln Muara.

Lim Chai Tze of Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (MSPSBS) won a gold medal and a Best Presentation Award for her research work during the Poster Competition while Dk Umi Kalthum binti Pg Hj Muhd Sazali from Jerudong International School (JIS) received the bronze award during the Team Project Competition.

South Korean Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Choi Byung Koo with the gifted students and lead teachers in a group photo.

During this period, five research articles written by gifted Bruneian students have been selected for publication in the prestigious Apec Youth Scientist Journal including Converting Harmful Gases released from Factories into Useful Substances by Awg Muhammad Hazman bin Muhammad Iskandar (2010), Cyanobacteria: Solutions to Global Warming by Law VI Yen (2011) and Solar Distilator: The Solution to Water- Related Deaths? by Sum Yi Ren (2012).

These amazing achievements reflected strong commitment of the Special Education Unit of MoE in ensuring that exceptional Brunei students were provided with opportunities to attend internationally gifted programmes and competitions which further extended as well as challenged their abilities while developing excellent leadership skills within international fora.

Meanwhile, gifted Bruneian students also demonstrated an impressive level of accomplishments and standard parallel to their regional and international counterparts at the 2nd Asean Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (APTJSO) in Busan at the Republic of South Korea.

The Special Education Unit, in its endeavours towards realising Wawasan 2035, has selected gifted students to represent Brunei at various international gifted programmes including the Asean Plus Three Teacher Workshop and Student Camp for the Gifted in Science 2, Asean Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (APT JSO) and the Apec Mentoring Centre for the Gifted in Science. Click here for more of the article. Text and image courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

Winners of the Hari Raya Promotion 2013 by Cooltones

Cooltones held a Draw & Prize Presentation Event for Raya Promotion 2013 at iCrave Kopitiam in iCentre building, Berakas. Eligible winners were those who ordered Raya Tones from 1st August 2013 till 31st August 2013. Only Active Users of Cooltones were drawn.

  Representatives of B-Mobile Communications Sdn Bhd and Cooltones were Iskandar Haji Zulkifli and Haniah Haji Hamzah respectively.

  This draw is in conjunction of Cooltones 6th Year Anniversary and Raya Celebration where Top 10 winners will stand a chance of Hampers and Top-Up cards worth of $10.00 each. Following are the winners’ name;

   1. Pg Noorhanani binti Pg Sabli
   2. Abdul Aziz bin Hj Ahmad
   3. Mahani @ Nur Badri binti Denian
   4. Md Sahlan bin Hj Ruslan
   5. Rosnah Hj Othman
   6. Pg Halimah bte Ph Mohiddin
   7. Nasyran Musyrif Warid bin Salleh
   8. Dyg Sarinah binti Hj Aisa
   9. Nurainah binti Mohammad Noor
   10. Muhammad Danial Melintang
  
  

 

David Biggs with the dolphin by the beach. A rare moment indeed. Image taken from TBT and courtesy of David Biggs.

What are the chances of us seeing a dolphin just by the beach? Rare, right? Two expats came across the dolphin as it was stranded by beach at Seri Kenangan Beach. Both of them were jogging when they noticed an unfamiliar object at the shallows of the beach.

So they guided the dolphin as it was trying to swim back to the sea. Eventually it did after reaching the deeper water level. The Ministries and relevant government would be pleased to know of this. Scott Cassell, Luminox brand ambassador would also be a happier being if he reads the news. I myself is amazed by this. Kudos to both of you.

 

Few nights ago, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) hosted dinner in conjunction with awarding the top local travel agents in Brunei Darussalam. They are being awarded best on their achievements and milestones. 11 travel agencies attended the function which took place at Rizqun International Hotel.

The guest of honour was Teo Beang Soo, MAS Area Manager (Singapore & Brunei) and he appreciated the agents in reaching the milestones and hopes for a much stronger tie. Also present was Zainal Abidin, District Area Manager of Malaysia Airlines (Brunei) and Zurina Abd Samad, the new director of Tourism Malaysia (Brunei).

Ken Travel & Trading, JJ Tours & Travel, Darussalam Holdings, Anthony Tours & Travel, Southern Cross Travel and Continental Tours all received Six Tall awards.

PGGMB Travel earned the Highest Revenue Passenger Growth award. Century Travel Services, Pan Bright Travel and Straits Travel Agency earned the 1st, 2nd and 3rd million dollar award respectively. The big winner was Freme Travel Services for the RSVP award.

Teo Beang Soo, MAS Area Manager (Singapore & Brunei) giving his welcoming remarks

Teo Beang Soo and Zainal Abidin with representatives from travel agents

Freme Travel earned the biggest award of the night

Mindful of enthusiastic travellers who may not be able to make it the travel fair, Malaysia Airlines will also be offering these promotional fares through the airline’s website www.malaysiaairlines.com, Malaysia Airlines’ ticket counter in Bandar Seri Begawan or participating travel agents from 2 until 13 September 2013.

All adult and child passengers travelling on Malaysia Airlines will enjoy 30, 40, and 50 kilograms free baggage allowance respectively for travel on economy, business and first class.

 

First prize for Open category (primary level). Image by Sim.

First prize for Regular Category (Komodo Island). Image by Sim.

First prize for Open Category (secondary level). Image by Sim.

I saw this once when STEP joined the Consumer Fair a few years back. STEP stands for Science, Technology and Environment Partnership Centre under the Ministry of Education and their role is to give opportunity to students to have hands on experience on creating mechanical robots using Lego Mindstorms products. So it’s up to the imagination of the individuals on what kind of mechanics they can create from the resources given.

The Brunei Robotics Olympiad (BRO) competition ended two days ago followed by the prize and certificate presentation. The guest of honour was Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Nawi, Acting Director of Curriculum Development Department, MOE. He toured the exhibition and gave the certificates and prizes. He was accompanied by Sarimah binti Abu Bakar, Acting Head of STEP.

The event took placed at Sekolah Rendah Perpindahan Kg Lambak Kanan, Jalan 10, and it was my first visit there too. According to the press release, there were 51 teams from primary and secondary school that took part. The idea of this competition is to challenge the students to come up with their creativity in overcoming obstacles using Lego Mindstorms products. By the way, if you are interested to get hold of Lego Mindstorms, you can contact Pentagram Design Sdn Bhd who is the distributor for Lego Mindstorms.

In Batik Challenge category, Deceptikons, the 5th’ team from Muhammad Alam Primary School was crowned as the champion, whilst in Borobudur Challenge category was won by Dazzwary team from Pengiran Isteri Hajjah Mariam Secondary School, Serasa and in Komodo Island Challenge, Ms-x3 team from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan took the first prize.

In the open category, the winner for secondary schools went to SMB ONE team from Berakas Secondary School whilst for the primary schools; the award went to Anak Warisan PSN from Pengiran Setia Negara Pengiran Mohd Yusof Primary School, Seria.

 

I’m impressed with what ICON Design Store came up with – the Double Dutch Lounge Sofa. It came about through a brain storming session from the guys behind ICON Design Store and a lot of thoughts have gone into the design and I like the finished product. According to Gert of Icon Design Store, the sofa is more flexible, it’s modular and interchangeable without compromising the feel and the looks. If you are into L-shaped sofas (and you want to impressed your love ones *lol*), then this is a good sofa to invest in.

Let me explain more about the Double Dutch Lounge Sofa. It is all in the design of being able to interchange the L-setting to be either at the left or right whenever your mood tells you to. Available in a range of great colours and materials to suit every taste. And the beauty of it all is it does not stop at the L-shaped sofa; soon 3-seaters, 2-seaters and a single sofa will be added to the Double Dutch Lounge Collection. All available in leather and cashmere wool and linen.

The new Double Dutch Lounge Sofa is another great reason to visit the ICON Design Store on Jalan Batu Bersurat. 

ICON Design Store’s latest design – Double Dutch Lounge Sofa. You should check this out 😀

I asked Gert to show how the sofa is interchangeable

This can be done in matter of seconds or less than a minute

It’s not that heavy, right, Gert?

Before it was on the right side and now it’s on the left 😀

Ahh.. I’m in love with this sofa already

Comes in black too or you can have your own design and texture

Mixing top designers from all the greats like Eames, Jacobsen, Wegner, Bertoia, Yanagi, Noguchi, Corbusier, it’s like visiting a furniture museum where you can sit on the classics, talk to knowledgeable staff (you should meet Gert in person) and then take the exhibits home with you.

Come and visit the ICON Design Store for a test drive of the new Double Dutch Lounge Sofa. And the very first owner will also receive a complimentary gift. ICON Design Store is located near Fun Bee Park at Batu Bersurat. They have taken three or four units I believe so it’s a pretty big store. They also do interior consultation work too and they come up with quality work.

You can also browse their Facebook page and also their website (tons of European furtinure to choose from) for more information.

Some of the items at ICON Design Store

Gert working hard on his current interior design project

ICON Design Store at Batu Bersurat

Haji Suhaila bin Haji Abd Karim, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education and BSP’s Human Resources Director Hj Kamaludin Hj Bungsu with the new BSP scholars last Tuesday

This is a yearly thing for Brunei Shell Petroleum to hand out scholarship to promising and potential students. Yesterday was the signing ceremony where 42 students were awarded scholarships for their outstanding merit achievements and it’s not that easy either to be selected for the scholarship. The students will have go through a thorough process and there are three stages before they get chosen.

The guest of honour was Haji Suhaila bin Haji Abd Karim, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education) at the Ministry of Education, who was accompanied by senior officials from BSP and government.

BSP Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarship in Brunei and this gives the students the opportunity to study abroad and be exposed to a lot of things that will be foreign to them. I was once studied abroad and it definitely changed my character (of course, for the better) and it will give you another perspective as well.

During the speech by the guest of honour, he highlighted the success of their ministry’s (education) collaboration with BSP in scouting and producing talents that will help to boost the competency level in the energy industry and also contributing towards Vision 2035.

Also present was the BSP’s Human Resources Director Hj Kamaludin Hj Bungsu and I do agree with his speech that we shouldn’t forget our cultural roots. From what I observed in the past years, this can be easily be muddled with western influence and slowly we forgot our national identity and culture. So if you happen to be studying in the UK, do get involved in the students’ society or club and there are tons of them too.

Congratulations to the 42 students and I wish you all the best. I still wish that I could continue my studies. Age is never a barrier. It’s more of my dedication and determination and I always use “other commitments” as my excuse *lol*

For your info, the BSP Scholarship and In-Service Sponsorship Contract Signing Ceremony was held at the Royal Berkshire Hall of the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club in Jerudong. The signatories were witnessed by a parent or family member and the guest of honour.

Muhammad Ali Mahdan, student representative of the BSP Scholarship. He expressed his gratitude towards BSP and parents of the scholars. He ended with a quote from Sayidina Umar Al-Khattab, “Do not be an arrogant scholar, for scholarship cannot subsist with arrogance”

With two scholarship students, Noor Adeena Natasya binti Haji Azlan and Mohammad Yazid bin Dato Paduka Hj Mustafa. Congratulations you two 😀

In the recent interview, both BSP scholars Noor Adeena Natasya binti Haji Azlan and Mohammad Yazid bin Dato Paduka Hj Mustafa were very grateful for the scholarships. One found it from an exhibition and the other was recommended from a family member. Both expressed how it’s not that easy the process that they had to go through in order to be qualified for the BSP scholarship.

Noor Adeena Natasya is pursing her studies in Architectural Engineering in Cardiff University. She’s very happy to receive the scholarship after three intensive months (work experience attachment). The former Maktab Sain student will be flying off pretty soon, 20th September to the UK. She hopes to have the technical knowledge once she graduates. She also thanked BSP for being at one of the roadshows, otherwise she wouldn’t have known.

Mohammad Yazid bin Dato Paduka Hj Mustafa will be doing 2 years in ITB followed by 2 years in the University of New South Wales. He will be pursuing in Chemical Engineering. He hopes to gain more confidence and independence as well. Yazid thanked BSP for all the support especially during the 3 month period.

 

Pelangi represent yooo…

What an awesome night from Baiduri Media Appreciation Night!! The theme was African Safari and I was contemplating if I should dress up for the occasion or not and I ended up dressing up 😀 This is another annual event organized by Baiduri Bank in appreciation to the local media and advertising agencies in making the local bank one of the best in Brunei and the bank has also won awards regionally in the past few years.

Their recent launches of the Baiduri Smart Executive Programme, Baiduri Student Account (4U Value Pack) and the recent Baiduri Deals mobile app have shown that they are expanding and giving more benefits to their loyal and new customers.

Baiduri Bank’s CEO, Mr. Pierre Imhof, was very pleased with the great turn out last night at i-Lotus and yea, it was pretty packed too. And great job to the organising team in creating this fun-packed event.

The biggest winners for the games were Brunei Press guys where they won four out of five games *lol* I have they say they are the benchmark for most of the media appreciation nights as they have won many games they participated in. The funniest moment for me is Fadil and he was so into the game and it’s just his body language that made it super fun.

Marul won the grand prize for the lucky draw and he can now fly to Redang for a holiday. Livie and I won best dress for the event. Thank you Baiduri Bank for another superb evening and also for the welcoming drink – Gong Cha 😀

CEO of Baiduri Bank Mr. Pierre Imhof

With two hot safari chics from The Brunei Times

Imhof with Baiduri associates

Dj Zura with the SuckMed guys

Piñata ready to be mauled

The watermelon game

Hello Zura 😀

Queueing up for dinner and man, I forgot to have my dosage

The memorable dance for many reasons *lol*

Great turn out last night

They had to mimic a monkey

Azrol and his team dominated the games year after year

The elephant team

The elephant performance

Fadil was the main entertainer of the night

Imhof talking to the media

The tribal dance

Brunei Press in hot form

Jane won a lucky draw prize :p

Group photo

Kristal FM represent…

Marul won the grand lucky draw.. Woohoo

I think I was slightly off the costume but I am the poacher

I was rewarded for my costume btw 😀

Maurina looking at the vision of Baiduri Bank