Guess what? I won first place for the Best Photo for the ASEAN Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt 2015 and my team mate Faiq Airudin came 2nd while Johor Kaki came third in the competition. I won myself a new Samsung S6 Edge and now it has become my camera phone 😀

RA’s travel log. The much awaited post of my travels during the ASEAN Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt 2015 back in October. I’ve been wanting to post this but waiting for the right time. But for those who have been following me on my social media platforms (Instragram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat), it won’t be a spoiler for you on the course of our journey during the ASEAN Media Bloggers Tourism Hunt 2015.

I shall post on different sections of the journey during my trips on certain locations. The locations that I wanna highlight are Port Dickson and Malacca. I’ve not been to PD for a very, very long time. I was still a little kid then and I couldn’t recollect how it looked back then. One of the tasks that we had to do as part of the Tourism Hunt was at the PD Ostrich Farm. Oh, before I proceed, my double partner for the Tourism Hunt was Faiq Airudin of The Brunei Times while the other Bruneian team was Aziz Idris and Pg Fairol.

So at the PD Ostrich Farm, we were given three tasks 1) to feed the ostrich 2) to catch an ostrich egg in a compound full of ostriches 3) to catch a goose in a given specific time (5 minutes). I knew this was gonna slightly easy but I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of catching the geese as they could get feisty. If both of us managed to grab the geese in less than 2 minutes, full marks will be granted and we clocked it below one minute. The fastest group achieved it in 15 seconds. I couldn’t remember which team.

The tasks were achievable and I believed almost all the teams had full marks with the exception of those who had troubled containing the geese *lol* We were treated to an exquisite lunch meal at the PD Ostrich Farm and even tasted the ostrich omelette and satay. If you want to be adventurous, then go for the ostrich burger 😀

There are many things you can do at the PD Ostrich Farm such as riding the ostrich and even race against the ostrich which some of our friends did. So if you happen to be at Port Dickson, I highly recommend the PD Ostrich Farm and kids will definitely enjoy this.

This was my winning shot taken during the ostrich race at the PD Ostrich Farm

I was actually hoping this shot won the competition but the image above was selected

Team Sarah and Running Suplado in action to catch the geese. Were they successful? Yes, but they lost points due to exceeding the time limit

We did it in less than a minute. I fell down and had a small cut on my leg though 😀

Singapore columnist had the privilege to order an ostrich burger

Another place of interest is at the Mini Malaysia & ASEAN Cultural Park Melaka. It’s an hour’s drive from Port Dickson and a few kilometres outside Melaka, near the town of Ayer Keroh. I kinda like this area because it’s educational and imagine it like a one-stop centre to learn the different cultures of Malaysia. They have some cultural performances and you will have to check on the timings and they will capped off the cultural show with the Tourism Malaysia music theme.

They have dozen of huts to represent the different states in Malaysia and each hut will have a specific cultural theme. We had the privilege to try out batik painting and even playing “Gasing”. To me, I have always wanted to play the real “gasing” and this takes a lot of practice and concentration. It may look easy but once you master the basics, it will be a breeze indeed. Faiq was the best among the group and he executed every attempt to perfection. Awesome!! Yes, my team had full marks for gassing but not so much on Batik Painting and Coconut crating *lol*

So do google on Mini Malaysia & ASEAN Cultural Park Melaka. A place I would pay a visit next time since I didn’t have the chance to visit other huts. You can visit the website for more details or contact +606-234 9988/234 9989.

The cultural show at the Mini Malaysia & ASEAN Cultural Park Melaka

Rochelle had good points on her Batik Painting

This was the effort of Faiq and I but we only had half marks

Aziz Idris blowing the top so it will spin more *lol*

Crating the whites of the coconut ain’t easy. We lost some points here.

I want to visit the different huts on my next visit

Next up was the tasks given at Jonker Street of Melaka and the Muzium Samudera. Honestly, I love to walk down Jonker Street and the little streets around the area. There are simply many interesting eateries out there and let alone they are super affordable when comparing with the Brunei currency. I’ve been to Melaka or Malacca a few times already in the past few years. It’s very lively in the evening by the Melaka River and you will easily spot neon-powered rickshaws with built-in sound system (don’t play-play oh).

It was the first time I stayed at Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences in Malacca. This hotel is quite new and I quite enjoyed my two night stay at the hotel. It’s spacious and it has a great modern to feel it too. The good news is that I won myself a voucher for my future stay at the hotel. Woohoo!! Next to the hotel/apartment is the new shopping mall called The Shore Shopping Gallery. You will notice big names such as Nandos, Chatime, Sakae Sushi and Tangs to name a few. For families, you can bring your kids to bring them to Oceanarium.

Next up was the tasks given at Jonker Street of Melaka and the Muzium Samudera. Honestly, I love to walk down Jonker Street and the little streets around the area. There are simply many interesting eateries out there and let alone they are super affordable when comparing with the Brunei currency. I’ve been to Melaka or Malacca a few times already in the past few years. It’s very lively in the evening by the Melaka River and you will easily spot neon-powered rickshaws with built-in sound system (don’t play-play oh).

It was the first time I stayed at Swiss-Garden Hotel & Residences in Malacca. This hotel is quite new and I quite enjoyed my two night stay at the hotel. It’s spacious and it has a great modern to feel it too. The good news is that I won myself a voucher for my future stay at the hotel. Woohoo!! Next to the hotel/apartment is the new shopping mall called The Shore Shopping Gallery. You will notice big names such as Nandos, Chatime, Sakae Sushi and Tangs to name a few. For families, you can bring your kids to bring them to Oceanarium.

One of the eateries that I would recommend is the Melaka Nyonya Village. They have awesome local food and even a cultural show to showcase the culture of the Baba Nyonya. Ah, I already miss Melaka and no denying that Meleka has one of the best eateries in Malaysia.

Driving towards Melaka with my soft toy companion

The Shore Shopping Gallery in Melaka

The room at Swiss-Garden Hotel. Me loves.

It was quite hazy during our stay at Melaka. Now it’s already back to normal.

During one of our hunts, we had the privilege to be ridden on a rickshaw around Melaka

The clues given to us. My team only lost one point here.

The Jonker Street at Melaka. Must visit area.

The ASEAN candidates posing for the camera

We also posed outside the Muzium Samudera

Ah, the food was delicious at Baba Nyonya Village Restaurant. Highly recommended.

The delicacies.. Just nice and not too sweet

We had the privilege to catch the magic show at the Baba Nyonya Village too

The management of Concepts Group of Companies with Eric Tang, Sales Manager of Epson Malaysia (4th from right) at the unveiling of Epson signage at Concepts Computer outlet in Kiulap this morning

Worldwide, Epson has made a mark and it continues to provide an extensive line-up of easy-to-use printers and it’s no surprise the Epson printers are doing quite well in the Brunei market. They provide multifunction photo printers, business printers and now they are known for their ink tank printers. Epson’s latest office inkjet printers feature the newly developed PrecisionCore print heads which boast a significantly large number of nozzles in each row, resulting in high-speed, high-quality printing.

In the projector line, Epson has been in the No.1 Worldwide Projector Market leader for the past 13 years. It employs the 3LCD technology which allows projectors to accurately project images that are bright, natural and easy on the eyes. It can be used for education, business and even at homes.

Today Concepts Computer proudly unveiled a new signage of Epson, a rolling type gimmick to catch the attention of the eyes of the public. Unveiling the Epson signage were Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, Alice Chan, Finance Controller of Concepts Group of Companies, Pao Jia Wan, Business Development Executive of Concepts Group of Companies, Eric Tang, Sales Manager, Epson Malaysia with the associates of Concepts Computer.

Unveiling the new Epson signage

A doa to bless the event

The canvas paper actually rolls every 15 minutes

The most popular Epson printers among teachers – the L220.. Highly recommended

Check out the deals on Epson printers at Concepts Computer

Christopher Tan, Manager of Franchise Department for Pepper Lunch Management Division, Suntory Food & Beverage International (in white), Howard Hii, Managing Director of Universal Food & Beverage (3rd from right, back row), Chewng Yee Kiat, Area Manager, Operation Department for Pepper Lunch Management Division (right, back row) with the staff of Pepper Lunch Brunei

The Pepper Rice beef

A new franchise in town. It has taken Brunei by storm. When anything new opens in Brunei, there’s always a huge interest especially when it comes to franchise and strong brands. Pepper Lunch is one of those brand and it’s originated from Japan. For your info, this is the 211th outlet in Asia Pacific region and the Brunei franchisee plans to open another one in the near future.

The soft opening happened last weekend and it was no surprised that it was a busy weekend and even this week as many thronged to taste the new flavour in town.

In town was Christopher Tan, Manager of Franchise Department for Pepper Lunch Management Division, Suntory Food & Beverage International (based in Singapore). He was in the Sultanate to make sure the outlet opened smoothly and trained the local staff in order to reach the quality required as a Pepper Lunch franchisee.

Howard Hii, Managing Director of Universal Food & Beverage (Brunei) and also the master franchisee for Pepper Lunch (Brunei) was excited with the new adventure in the F&B business. He had undergone intensive training to learn the ropes of running and managing the outlet as well as learning the SOPs of Pepper Lunch. His biggest challenge was working in one of the outlets in Singapore where it served 400 pax in a day during his training period recently. Of course, he is a big fan of Pepper Lunch and I could tell the passion and dedication from him to bring the franchise to Brunei.

I had my first taste of Pepper Lunch last year with Ciara and her friends at One Utama food court area (Kuala Lumpur) and I was already impressed then. My favourite dishes so far are the Cheesy Omelette and my combo of Premium Beef and Hamburg with the Japanese curry sauce. The signature dish is definitely the Pepper Rice (beef, chicken and salmon to name a few).

For your information, this is a sizzling concept where you have to cook the meat by stirring and mixing on the sizzling plate while it’s still…. well, sizzling until the meat is cooked and ready for consumption. This is Do-It-Yourself concept and it won’t take that long actually.

The first outlet is located at the new area just next to Regent Square, Kiulap. The building is at Setia Kenangan 2 (don’t get confused with the original Setia Kenangan building). It opens from 10am to 10pm daily. You can follow them on Pepper Lunch Brunei Facebook Page or instagram @pepperlunchbn for more updates.

Winnie enjoying her first taste of Pepper Lunch

The tasty Cheesy Omelette (must try)

One of the available side dishes or you can have it as your combo set meal

Loo having his first Pepper Lunch meal in Brunei

My favourite combo meal – Premium Beef with Hamburg.. Yummy..

The popular sauces for Pepper Lunch – Honey Brown sauce and Garlic sauce

The interior of Pepper Lunch outlet in Brunei

Listen to the podcast review of The Good Dinosaur with special guest Pranika Lama

During the Singapore League Awards last week. Image courtesy of S•League

Azwan Ali Rahman won Young Player of the Year award. Image courtesy of S•League

Steve Kean won Coach of the Year. Image courtesy of S•League

The season has concluded and DPMM FC and the management have worked their socks off for a wonderful season and winning their first ever S•League title. Now they are on a mini-break for a few weeks before they are back training again.

Recently DPMM FC won a few accolades including Coach of the Year (Steve Kean) and Young Player of the Year (Azwan Ali Rahman) feted at Singapore League Awards last week. It was a well deserved award for Steve Kean as he missed out last season. As for Azwan Ali, he has been very consistent with his performance all around and week in, week out, he had made an impact to DPMM FC.

Two years ago, Azwan Ali was in a difficult position as his former club Indera FC was reluctant to let him go. In the end, he made the right choice to join the only professional club, DPMM FC, in Brunei Darussalam and his adventure started with a bang. Let’s hope for better things for Azwan Ali in the new season.

Now the biggest question will be the current import players of DPMM FC. With the new ruling of allowance of three import players, this will put a dent in Kean’s strategy as he has trusted the five import players throughout the season. All of them are instrumental in bringing the first ever S•League title to the club. Now it boils down to Kean and the management of DPMM FC on who will be sacrificed for the next season.

My pick would be Paulo Sergio, Rafael Ramazotti and Boris Raspudic. However, according to DPMM FC’s website, Rafael has turned down an offer to extend his contract with DPMM FC. It remains to be seen who will be the chosen one to replace Rafa. The club have renewed the contract of Paulo Sergio and Brian McLean for the next season. This means that Boris Raspudic and Joe Gamble are being released.

A few days ago, DPMM FC had a meet and greet session for the fans at The Mall. It was organised by I Lyke Toh Entertainment and the players and fans had a great time together. It was another way to appreciate the fans for supporting the football club.

Having fun with Beracun on stage

DPMM FC fans gave token of appreciation to the team

Move it, move it.. @wards25

It’s the last time we will see Joe Gamble as a DPMM FC player. Thank you for your contribution.

The Zumba move

DPMM FC players worried what was next when Beracun controlled the stage

Some DPMM FC players hiding away from Beracun

Another promotion back by popular demand for BIBD customers

The winners and contestants of the DJ Mix Competition with the organisers, sponsors and representatives of Jerudong Park management at JP Amphitheater. Image courtesy of @kurapak

DJ Jakey crowned the champion for Rookies with DJ Leiley. Image courtesy of @kurapak

DJ Amad winning the competition in the Open Class category. Image courtesy of @kurapak

It was the first time I attended a DJ competition in a very long, long time. I remember back in the early 2000s, I was involved in the team that brought international DJs regionally and it was also showcasing the local talents that we have such as DJ Felix and DJ Leiley to name a few.

Fast forward to now, it’s a whole different landscape with stricter rules and regulations that the Bruneians have to follow when it comes to local entertainment. The talented musicians have to find alternatives or be more creative in showcasing their talents without crossing the line (of the laws). If you think about it, to make a music showcase possible, then it shows that we have to be a step ahead and be more creative to make things happen.

Hence to have a DJ Mix Competition is already a great start despite the limitations to the organisers and the public. The seasoned DJs shared their vision in helping the young blood (DJs) to learn about mixing music and one avenue is to have competition. The three day event also involved a DJ Mix workshop (on Sunday) to give more knowledge on mixing and the techniques to the local DJs. One of the DJs, @leiley_lim shared that Brunei DJs have the best equipment regionally but lacking the avenue to share their talent to the public.

The organisers and the partners were happy with the overall competition and workshop as it was a successful one. It was also great to see the DJ Mioy, DJ Leiley and DJ Felix working together for the benefit of the community in a longer run.

Below are the winners and ranks for the respective categories.

Open Class Category:
Winner : DJ Amad
1st Runner-up : Jimmyroll
2nd Runner-up : Fiiz The Shiiz
4th : DJ Izra
5th : Aeros
6th : Mask

Rookies Category:
Winner: DJ Jakey

DJ Jimmy Roll took 2nd place. It also came 2nd in the previous competition

Fiiz The Shiiz came 3rd place. Image courtesy of @kurapak

Ammirul was the emcee/host for the finals last Saturday

It was good to see all the seasoned DJs working as one

DJ Aeros spinning for the crowd last Saturday

@Kurapak taking great shots with his trusted Fuji film camera

Behind the scene

DJ Amad stole the hearts of the audience and judges

The back shot

DJ Leiley playing his track Radioactive and hopes to make it big with a record label down under. Good luck, buddy!

DJ Mioy showcasing his talent to the delight of the crowd

A welcoming remark to the Filipino community

In collaboration with the Embassy of The Republic of The Philippines, The Jerudong Park Medical Centre held a blood donation drive, open to the Filipino Community. The objective of the blood donation drive was to raise awareness on the importance of donating blood, in saving lives and contributing to blood banks in Brunei Darussalam.

“Blood banks always need volunteering blood donors.” said Romeo Tabios, JPMC’s blood bank nurse. “Giving 15 minutes of your time by donating blood can help save lives.” Blood donation not only gives back to society, but also provides physical and mental benefits to the donors’ health. Donating blood helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as burn calories.

The drive was held at the Philippines Chancery, Embassy of The Republic of The Philippines from 3pm – 5pm, and received a total of more than 30 interested donors, who contributed to a good cause.

Before donating blood, donors were interviewed on their brief health history and screened for basic physical health. Donors were made aware of certain factors to consider, such as pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, cholesterol, and haemoglobin levels. Blood donors were also screened for infectious diseases.

The Jerudong Park Medical Centre hopes for future collaborations to aid the blood banks in the country. Images courtesy of Jerudong Park Medical Centre.

The Filipino community showing their support

Taking a blood sample

The blood donors last weekend

Baiduri Bank will be ending the year on a high note after it received its fifth award this year, the much sought-after Bank of The Year award from The Banker magazine. For 90 years, The Banker has been the world’s longest running international banking publication and leading monthly journal of record for the banking industry.

The Banker ‘Bank of the Year Awards’ is often regarded as the “Oscars of the Banking Industry”. This year’s The Banker Awards 2015 was held at Hilton London Bankside, London on Wednesday, 2 December. Mr Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank was in London to receive the coveted award at the annual awards ceremony.

Baiduri Bank is a ten-time recipient of the ‘Bank of the Year for Brunei’. The recognition of being named Bank of the Year in the country by The Banker is testament to the strong management, sound business model and prudent risk approach of the bank. Speaking on receiving the accolade, Mr Pierre Imhof said, “It is a wonderful feeling to end the year with this achievement. For the tenth time since 2002, we are proud to be awarded as the Bank of the Year for Brunei.” He further elaborated, “At every one of our milestones, there have been three common factors – our faithful employees, loyal customers and partners and it is with their support and confidence that we are the bank we are today.”

Mr Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank, receiving the award in London

The Banker Awards Ceremony is attended by representatives from over 120 banks across the world, which is a reflection of the importance which banks put on winning The Banker’s ‘Bank of the Year Awards’.

Baiduri Bank has also received four other international awards earlier this year, the ‘Domestic Retail Bank Brunei 2015’ and ‘Mobile Banking Initiative Brunei 2015’ from the Asian Banking and Finance magazine, the ‘Best Banking Group 2015’ from World Finance magazine and ‘Safest Bank in Brunei 2015’ from Global Finance. Baiduri Bank is proud to support and be associated with some of the leading international banking awards.

Arun Ravi Kumar, Timothy Lim, Zen Sii and Md Nurul Andi Hambali in a group photo at the 52nd Brunei ITF Junior Circuit at the National Tennis Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas last Tuesday. Image courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.

This is the 52nd International Tennis Federation Junior Circuit Group 5 and I’ve been attending the matches especially in the mornings. This is the time you will witness high level quality of tennis and I wish how I could like them one day. They are least 25 years younger than me and so much stamina indeed. I don’t think I can even last them on the court for a set.

As for Brunei representatives, we are still far away from reaching the level of other regional countries. It has to go down to grass root levels if Brunei were to make an impact in the international scene and judging from what I see, we don’t have the resources to provide that opportunity for the young players. The ITF Junior Circuit ranges from age 15 to under 18 so I would believe that other regional countries will have dedicated youth academies to train when they are still a kid.

The closest talented young star that Brunei has produced in recent years is Aiman Abdullah who made his mark when he was 14 years old. Back in 2010, he made Brunei history as he made to the 3rd round of the ITF and no other Bruneians made it that far. Now he is a full time coach under the Brunei Darussalam Tennis Association and also helping out with the current ITF tournament held at National Tennis Court of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex.

This year, none of the Brunei representatives made it past the first round. The closest result was Arun Ravi Kumar who lost in 3 sets to Ryan Lee of Malaysia. Arun shared that the heat conditions played a factor in his gameplay. As you can see, none of the players trained in such hot conditions as most of the training happens in the late afternoon. Furthermore, all of them are still focusing on their studies which makes it difficult to train so they condition their bodies to accommodate the heat.

Another Brunei representative Timothy Lim failed to capitalise as he lost 6-3 6-0 to Jimmy Liong of Malaysia. I could see that Timothy was struggling in the second set and this is due to his fitness level. His first serve slowed down gradually and his opponent punished him, quickly ending the match. Other results, Zen Sii and Md Nurul Andi Hambali lost to Lin Guangzian of Chinese-Taipei and D Giritharan Devendiran of Singapore 6-0 6-0 respectively.

Tomorrow will be the semi-finals for the Boys and Girls Single and followed by the doubles championship matches. The matches will start at 9am tomorrow at National Tennis Court of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex and you are more than welcome to witness some great tennis.

Both players negotiating on points in their match recently

Mi Ryung Gwak surviving the heat and she won her first round match

Cholis H of Indonesia seeded 15 reached the last 16 before losing to the No.1 seed Soomin Kim of Korea

Ming Rui tabulating the results on the board

Timothy Lim of Brunei returning the ball. He lost in straight sets in the opening round.

Arun Ravi Kumar coached by Aiman Abdullah did quite well in the first set but eventually lost in rubber to Ryan Lee of Malaysia

Dunlop is the official ball for the ITF Junior Circuit

Elisa Hirn of Finland lost to Hadiati of Indonesia in the first round

One talented kid, Christian Didier Chin of Malaysia rose up the rank but he is still lacking in mental strength, losing 6-2 6-0 in the last sixteen to Shinji Hazawa yesterday

Vacancies at Concepts Computer – Office Assistant, Sales Assistant and Service Co-ordinator

Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Mah Siew Keong (3rd R) presents the ASEAN Green Award 2015 to BruWILD President Liaw Lin Ji (3rd L) in Kuala Lumpur recently. Image courtesy of Bernama.

This is something I wasn’t aware of or perhaps it’s my level of ignorance to be blamed for. Apparently the local media has highlighted the existence of BruWILD. BruWILD is a registered non-government organisation, formed by a group of trained biologists and conservationists. They dedicate their time and efforts to discovering, investigating, and learning nature’s wonders. Yes, I have heard of other NGOs in Brunei but not so much on BruWILD.

Recently, Liaw Lin Ji the founder of BruWILD, participated in the ASEAN Green Award 2015 and her project won the award. Read more what Bernama wrote in the article a few days ago. Congratulations, Liaw Lin Ji.

From Bernama. Bruneian Liaw Lin Ji, 27, the founder and President of Biodiversity and Natural History Society (BruWILD) was announced the winner of the ASEAN Green Award 2015 which came with USD5,000 ($7,044) cash.

Liaw beat nine other young green technopreneurs and young contributors for the Green Growth Development in the ASEAN region.
BruWILD, promotes the preservation of the natural beauty of Brunei, besides building a sustainable future has more than 20 trained biologist and conservationist working together in educating the public to advocate the importance and functionalities of the ecosystem in their daily lives, she told Bernama after receiving the award.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Mah Siew Keong presented the awards.

Liaw, a biologist set up BruWILD in August 2013, and has been providing educational support to local schools, institutions, nature groups and wildlife enthusiasts.

Chanamon Leknamnarong, the manager of Earth Home Thailand won second place and USD3,000 (3rd from right) and Malaysia’s Dr Sumathi Sethupathi who won USD2,000 came third place (3rd from left)

Local graduate in Biological Sciences at the university, Lin Ji Liaw, explaining the research on the intriguing relationship between insectivorous bats and carnivorous pitcher plants. This image was taken earlier in July when she was being interviewed by Borneo Bulletin’s reporter Azaraimy.

Meanwhile, Chanamon Leknamnarong, the manager of Earth Home Thailand won second place and USD3,000  for promoting ecotourism in her village in Chiangmai.

Through the family’s homestay Maejo Earth Home, Leknamnarong, 29, promotes natural resources construction materials, sustainable living, organic farming to the local community and tourists.

Third place was won by Malaysia’s Dr Sumathi Sethupathi who won USD2,000 for her research in converting solid waste from the fishing industry, such as shrimp, cockle and crab shells to value added products used to remove oily residue in the wastewater generated by the palm oil industry.

Sumathi, 37, who is assistant professor at University of Tunku Abdul Rahman, is now moving on to research on solution for air and noise pollution.

The award, launched in 2011 by the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) and the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), was to recognise outstanding technopreneurs and contributors to green growth development under the age of 40.

Finally after a month of showing my support for #movember, I had a clean shave yesterday. It should be back in 2 weeks’ time 😀

The junior participants of the 50th Brunei International Tennis Federation Circuit with the committee of Brunei Darussalam Tennis Association at the Brunei National Tennis Centre. The tournament kicks off today and the finals is slated for Sunday, 6th December 2015. All are welcome to watch.

 

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Press release. Mercedes-Benz has maintained its lead in the readers’ poll “Auto Trophy 2015 World’s Best Cars”: the brand with the star secured first place in four categories. Like last year, the C and S-Class won the categories “Best mid-size car” and “Best luxury saloon”. In addition, Mercedes-Benz was voted the world’s best brand and the brand with the fewest complaints in the “Quality Trophy”. The award was presented last night at the Cruise Center in Hamburg-Altona.

Readers of the car magazine “Auto Zeitung” chose the C-Class and the S-Class for the second time: like in 2014, this year, too, the Mercedes models won the categories “Best mid-size car” and “Best luxury saloon”.

The Mercedes-Benz brand also took two first places in the Auto Trophy 2015:

The Stuttgart automotive manufacturer won the category “World’s best brand” and the “Quality trophy for the brand with the fewest complaints”. This innovation prize was jointly awarded by international editorial teams and the technical inspection agency GTÜ.

In 2015 the Auto Trophy took place for the 28th time. Readers were able to vote on 441 different models in 23 categories and numerous brands. A total of almost 75,000 readers and online users of Auto Zeitung and international car magazines from the Bauer Media Group participated.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

 

The Brunei Neuroscience, Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC) Executive Director Professor Datin Dr Uta Meyding-Lamade (2nd L) and stroke survivor Hj Noorkhan (2nd R) presenting a mock cheque to BIBD ALAF representative. Image courtesy of Izzati Jalil of The Brunei Times.

The Brunei Neuroscience, Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC) donated $9,705 to Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam’s (BIBD) Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme on last Saturday.

The amount was from the proceeds of the ticket sales of the centre’s recent musical, “Sebuah Perjalanan”, featuring stroke and cancer patients.

Present to hand over the cheque to BIBD ALAF representatives were Executive Director of BNSRC at Jerudong Park Medical Centre, Professor Datin Seri Laila Jasa Dr Uta Meyding-Lamade, and a stroke survivor who took part in the musical, Hj Noorkhan Hj Ahmad. Also present were representatives from sponsors and supporters of the musical.

In a brief speech before the handover, Professor Datin Dr Uta Meyding-Lamade said that Brunei has one of the biggest neurology and rehabilitation centre in Southeast Asia, and could be the future ‘hub’ for neuroscience and rehabilitation.

The Head of Rehabilitation Department at JPMC, Vivian Suk Kee Tie said in her speech during the ceremony held at Universiti Brunei Darussalam that the proceeds will go to the students under BIBD ALAF’s care. She also presented a medal to Hj Abu Bakar Bin Md Salleh, who was a patient with the centre since 2013, and participated in all the therapeutic group activities with great enthusiasm and motivation.
On her social media account, Vivian thanked all the sponsors, supporters, the inspiring patients and their families and lastly her wonderful colleagues from the department. She shared that it won’t be possible without the contribution from the said parties. They have shown that to the community that the word impossible is truly two words “I’m Possible” where we work together towards a brighter future.

Group photo with the organizers and sponsors

Professor Datin Dr Uta Meyding-Lamade

Vivian Suk Kee Tie presenting a medal to Hj Noorkhan Hj Ahmad, a stroke survivor and also a participant in the “Sebuah Perjalanan” musical

The recent musical that took place last November

Vivian the lady behind the project. She has a great team and I applaud her for her dedication and passion in realizing the possible within the “impossible”. Keep it up!!