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Author Archive

06
Feb

OD

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


DPMM FC ready for first match

DPMM FC is ready to rock (gegar) the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium this Sunday, 12th February. The match was slated for 9th February but it was rescheduled to Sunday instead. Last Saturday, DPMM FC had to go through a fitness test where all S-League players had to pass the fitness test mark of 13.1 and 8 players failed to pass the fitness test.

Two players of the eight players are notable key players according to coach Simunic. They are left back Yusof Mohd Salleh and right back Shahrulrizal Hj Abd Rahman. The coach was still very happy considering that DPMM FC players have not played competitive football for more than two years. Nonetheless there is another fitness test this Friday and hope that both players will be able to pass the fitness test.

The eight players include defender Suhaime Md Yussof, Ampuan Mohd Nurul Azami Ampuan Hussin, midfielders Abang Norsilmy Abang Hj Taha, Mohd Hanafizal Helman Hanafiah and striker Md Zulremi Hj Zaini and Brazilian striker Rodrigo Gral. Let’s hope all DPMM FC players will be available for Simunic’s disposal after Friday’s fitness test.

As for the fans, the tickets will be only available for sale on 12th February from 9am at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The match will be between DPMM FC and defending champions Tampines Rover at 8pm this Sunday. Ironically DPMM FC’s last match in the S-League was against Tampines Rover.


The DPMM FC quartet who will be featured this Sunday against Tampines Rover. They are also wearing the new DPMM FC kit for the S-League. Image taken from Sairol’s Facebook.


The home and away DPMM FC Jersey for 2012. The home jersey is sold out and the new stock will be arriving at FES Retro Times Square. The away jersey is still available in all sizes. I will be running a quiz on Twitter @ranoadidas so you can stand a chance to win the jerseys. Around 80 plus home jerseys were sold within 3 days. Amazing!!


Though the official home jersey is sold out, FES Retro still have stock for DPMM home supporters top


This is for DPMM FC away supporters top and it is also available at FES Retro

Premium online shopping facilitator


Click image to enter website and start shopping


CNY promotion at Radisson


Click image to enter Facebook Page


RBA special promotion


Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website

Education exhibition in February


Click image to enter website


Movie reviews so far

Viral Factor. Ah, another eye candy movie for the ladies.. I’m not a big fan of Jay Chou when it comes to his HK movies.. Why? Because he seriously needs some acting lessons (Don’t scream at me, ladies). Slam Dunk and Initial D were pretty disappointing too and prior to the movie, I didn’t know he was the main star in Viral Factor until I saw the trailers while getting my tickets.

Sometimes people complain that there is less action in movies nowadays. This movie won’t disappoint if you are seeking this kind of genre. However, I’m sorry to say that the action scenes are a total mess.. In fact, there are just too many that I was turned off at one stage. The pacing is poor indeed. The only good point was that the film was most shot in Kuala Lumpur and it didn’t seem to “Malaysia-like” apart from branding positioning by AirAsia and The Pavilion.

Jay Chou miserably failed to change my mindset of his movies. I’m sure your fans will think otherwise. Verdict: 5/10.

War Horse. As I quoted on my status on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the horse “Joey” is the main star of the movie and it was another great direction by Steven Spielberg. It’s a journey of horse that when through different episodes during the 1st World War. I’ve always love Steven’s work though Tin Tin didn’t appeal to me as much.

I’m not sure if War Horse will be everyone’s cup of tea (or popcorn movie) but there are one or two good massages from my experience yesterday while watching this. I read on The Empire magazine that there are lot of tear jerking moments but surprisingly I didn’t feel that much but nonetheless it’s still a crowd pleaser and mind you, this is a 140-minute film.

Did you know War Horse is one of the nominated films for Oscars 2012? This movie is inspiring at some points but I expected more perhaps. Verdict: 7/10.

Haywire. It’s another Steven Soderbergh movie. He’s well-known for Traffic and Ocean’s Eleven trilogy and his previous hit was Contagion. I caught this during my short trip to KK with De No. I’m actually drawn by the lead role played by Gina Carano (Mallory) because of her physical on-screen presence.. But I have to say her acting was kinda cheesy though she made it up with her dynamic fighting skills especially her hand-to-hand combat (thumbs up).

If you have seen Salt (Angelina Jolie), this is another similar movie of this genre. This movie does has its style and this something different coming from Steven Soderbergh. If I was to compare with Kill Bill, Uma Thurman still gets the nod for me. Lots of room for improvement for Gina especially in the acting department. Otherwise this is an okay movie. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Verdict: 6.5/10.

Ah Beng: 3 Wishes. Oh my…. I wonder how much this movie made in Malaysia? I totally enjoyed Nasi Lemak 2.0 and I had similar expectations for Ah Beng. However, after I saw the trailers of Ah Beng a week before, I was totally turned off. I still ended up watching because Cuterabbit asked me to tag along with her friends.

Having lowered my expectations, I knew it was still gonna be a torture that lasted less than two hours. Humour was flat and the moral of the story was totally misaligned though I know what the massage they were trying to portray. End of the day, everything about the movie didn’t have any plus points that I want to talk about. This was perhaps the worst movie I’ve seen this year and in many months. I’m not sure if it is a politically driven movie as the Prime Minister of Malaysia went to the official premiere of Ah Beng. Verdict: 3/10.

The Great Magician. I had high expectations watching this movie because Tony Leung is inside. The movie started great as I would expected it to be. Well, I even thought it was a serious movie to begin with especially with the presence of Tony Leung whom to me is in the A-list actors. I was expecting in the lines of The Prestige or The Illusionist but nowhere close. Only a quarter through the movie I realised it’s more of a comedy and that totally ruined my movie experience.

The script was pretty mediocre and the movie seemed to lost its magic along the way. Even the dual-relationship of Liu Yin the beautiful captive of the General was so messed up, I couldn’t be bothered to know what happen next. Sorry, Tony.. This movie was a letdown though I still have my good share of laughs. Verdict: 5/10.

The Grey. Ah, this movie scored well in RottenTomatoes and I was planning to catch this movie nonetheless. Sometimes it’s good not to watch a trailer or read the movie info and enjoy that element of surprise. And surprised I was. Liam Neeson is superb once more and he played his role to (almost) perfection. I’ve always admired his onscreen presence and he is probably one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood.

I have to say it’s not advisable to catch this movie if you planning to fly the next day. Well, I did *lol* and that shook me up a bit. The opening scene caught me off guard (quite frightening) and the movie was all about survival. Many have mixed reviews about the ending (I won’t spoil it for you) but I was quite moved by the last three minutes of the movie. There are many talking points in The Grey and we can emulate that into our everyday life as well. Not advisable for young children though. Verdict: 7/10.

Should this be practised as well?


This was taken at Golden Screen Cinema at Suria Sabah. The ticket counter person can refuse issuance of movie tickets if he/she is still underaged

I recently watched two movies at the Golden Screen Cinema at Suria Sabah and 1 Borneo. I came across the label over the ticket counter (see picture above). But I’m not sure if such rules are being enforced where the ushers will have the right to stop underaged children from watching movies that have “18” rating. This doesn’t really apply to Brunei but this is a debatable topic nonetheless.

Sometimes it’s good to have such rules so it makes easier for parents to control watch their kids are watching. This also eliminates the awkwardness where kids will be watching inappropriate material in the presence of their parents. I know back in the old days, my mom will ask us to shut our eyes *lol* These days it’s hard to monitor or keep an eye on children especially in movies. I remember watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn I and there were little kids (behind me) who had to watch the endless kissing scenes with the presence of their parents. Awkward, aye?

I’m also against families bringing babies/infants to the cinema. Why oh why? This happened yesterday when I caught War Horse and the baby (behind me) was playing with a plastic bag for five minutes, ruining my concentration of the movie and sometimes the baby will whine or cry which can be a turn off for me and other cinema goers. In my opinion, a cinema is not an environment for infants and it’s the responsibility and common sense of parents not to bring their baby/babies to cinemas. To me, this can be annoying than a phone that rings randomly.

Anyway, back to my first topic on age restriction, do you think such rule should be implemented? This is indeed an interesting thought for the viewers and also cinema operators.

Self explanatory on Social Media


Image courtesy of @douglaswray of Instagram

InfoDAY @ ITV

Chewy Cheese at KFC

Brunei Bike Week in March

05
Feb

Wanna watch Euro 2012?

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Wanna fly to Euro 2012?


Oh yeah, it’s a good deal to buy Samsung Galaxy SII from b.mobile as it’s cheaper and it’s also inclusive of 6 months rental fee. And plus you get a golden ticket – a chance to to fly to European Championship 2012.

03
Feb

KK via MASwings

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Sunday Funday at Radisson

IT’S A SUNDAY FUNDAY!

Have a relaxing brunch at Tasek Brasserie

while the Mutiara Ballroom is transformed into a place your kids have to be on

Sunday, 5 February 2012!

Dubbed the ‘Mutiara Playground’ this Sunday,

Mutiara Ballroom will be complete with a kids buffet with all kinds of snacks,

fun family movies playing and a bouncy castle to keep your kids entertained!

Make a reservation now at 2244 272!

Openings at BAG Networks


Click image to see BAG Networks website and follow them on twitter @BAG_bn

Soul Calibur 5 at ETA

My experience on MASwings

For the first time, I flew on MASwings on my flight to Kota Kinabalu and so far, it was a pretty good flight. I’m not big fan of forker or smaller planes because of its light nature but half an hour won’t bother me much on a smaller plane (ATR72-500) via MASwings. The flight took an estimated 35 minutes from BSB to KK and vice-versa. The flight was smooth (maybe because of the perfect weather) and the ATR72-500 doesn’t really fly high up the sky either. So you will indeed experience bird-eyes view from the plane.

This is good for those residing in Brunei and Sabah as they have alternative times and services apart from Royal Brunei Airlines. This also would mean better economic growth in terms of tourism between Brunei and Sabah. MASwings will also be revising their prices after their promotional fare of $116 (KK return) in order to keep up with the competition. So do be scared for the moment when you see the prices in May is fairly expensive on MASwings website.

I attended the press conference and the welcoming dinner hosted by the Sabah delegation in commemorating the inaugural flight of MASwings. Also present was Sheikh Jamaluddin, CEO of Brunei Tourism Board. He spoke off the synergy between MASwings and Brunei Tourism Board and both parties have come up with five-year masterplan pending the approval of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. Now that should be interesting.

Thank you to MASwings for inviting me for the inaugural flight between KK and Brunei.


Our media passes given by the organizers


Did you notice the difference in sizes?


The motto of MASwings – Wings of Love


I was getting ready to board the flight. By the way, no bridge was used to board the passengers as the plane was pretty small


District Area Manager of Malaysia Airlines (Brunei) bidding farewell to the passengers


Pretty good leg room too


Our Tourism Board CEO was also on board


I didn’t realize De No was that tall (for the ATR72-500)


They even provide snacks for the 30 mins flight


I was taking photos with my phone half way through the flight and amazingly someone was trying to call me but I didn’t pick up *lol*


Great view from above


Upon arrival, we were created by the Sabahan performers


Group photo with the VIPs after landing


This pose reminds me of Titanic


I haven’t been to Tarakan before


The press conference held last night


A welcoming remarks by CEO of MASwings at the dinner reception last night


A few representatives from Brunei were present too


Jenny Malai Ali was the emcee for the event

02
Feb

KK here I come

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Premium online shopping facilitator


Click image to enter website and start shopping


CNY promotion at Radisson


Click image to enter Facebook Page


RBA special promotion


Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website

Education exhibition in February


Click image to enter website

Chewy Cheese from KFC

BITE into KFC’s “chewy cheese” and see how far you can pull the cheese before it breaks!

This special and limited product is KFC’s one of two new menu items available at all its Bruneian outlets in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.

The “chewy cheese” is mozzarella cheese with a crispy coating, and can either be purchased from the ĂĄ la carte menu at $3.60, or the Chinese New Year celebration bucket, the establishment’s second new item.

The celebration bucket comes in two choices: Combo A, at $34.80, includes a bucket with nine pieces of chicken, five chewy cheese, one zinger burger, one colonel burger, one large whipped potato, and a bottle of Pepsi; whilst Combo B, at $44.80, includes a bucket with 15 pieces of chicken, 10 chewy cheese, one large coleslaw, one large whipped potato, and a bottle of Pepsi.

And to add to the CNY spirit, both buckets will also include an “ang pow” packet, specifically gift vouchers. These vouchers can only be used from February 6 to March 31, so KFC is encouraging customers to take advantage of these promotions while stocks last. Text by Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

Awareness on Amateur Radio Usage


Click image to enter website

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) is a statutory body established on 1 January 2003 by the AITI Order 2001. AITI is responsible for:

a. Telecommunications and Radiocommunications regulation,
b. Radiofrequency spectrum planning and management, and
c. Promotion of ICT industry development

AITI will be organising the two events, the ‘Awareness on Amateur Radio Usage’ Seminar and the ‘AITI Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Competition 2012’. These events are jointly supported by Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association (BDARA) and Persatuan Gemilang Daerah Tutong.

The objectives of these events are to:

‱ provide education and knowledge to amateur radio licensees and the public on its rules and regulations, and ethical use.
‱ serve as an event to promote the use of amateur radio service in Brunei Darussalam.
‱ harmonise and network among radio enthusiasts.

The seminar will be held on Sunday, 4th March 2012 at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, Empire Hotel & Country Club.

AITI will be inviting a speaker from the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 3 who will be presenting on the Code-of-conduct of Amateur Radio. There will also be representatives from AITI and local clubs presenting topics related to local and international amateur radio activities including licensing, etiquette and its technical aspects.

Whereas the ARDF competition will be held on Sunday, 26th February 2012, at Sungai Basong Recreational Park, in the Tutong District. The competition is also known as “Fox Hunting” among amateur radio enthusiast and the participants have to find the hidden ‘foxes’ or beacons. For radio enthusiast interested to join the competition, each team must have (3) members and one of them must hold a valid amateur radio licence.

Registration forms and terms and conditions for the above event can be downloaded from AITI website http://www.aiti.gov.bn/amr_awareness2012.

For further information, please contact Haji Hadi Iskandar bin DP Haji Muhammad at 2323232 or email iskandar.mohammad@aiti.gov.bn.


The guys from AITI were on Pilihan to create more awareness on Amateur Radio Usage


This cool is a cool antenna ideal for the upcoming “Fox Hunting” competition


Even the measuring tape can be used as part of an antenna

This is the first time that AITI is organising an event regarding amateur radio. This is because there’s a growing demand among hobbyists and hence it’s important that the licensed holders of amateur radio are aware of the rules and regulations and these also apply to those interested in acquiring amateur radio.

Did you know there are more than 1,000 amateur radio licensees in Brunei Darussalam? And that’s not a bad figure. Hopefully with AITI’s awareness campaign on amateur radio, it will encourage owners of amateur radio to register themselves through AITI. The fee per radio is $25 which can be renewed annually.

I used to own one with a scanner back in the early 90s *lol* and this was way before AITI was formed. I didn’t know it was illegal back then to own one unless you registered the device. Well, this seminar on the 4th March is good way to understand the dos and the donts and a speaker will be invited to present on the Code-of-conduct of Amateur Radio.

Gearing up for BGIC 2012

Training sessions at International School Brunei (ISB) began Saturday 28 January 2012 in preparation for the 10th ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference, to be held from 9-12 March 2012 at The International Convention Centre (ICC).

The student-run conference is organised by ISB in collaboration with HSBC, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and BLNG. Over the years, this conference has attracted various local enterprises that have sponsored and supported ISB BGIC, promoting intercultural understanding and fostering close working relationships between local and international student participants.

The theme for this year’s 10th celebratory conference is “Seven billion people; one planet”. This annual high profile conference brings together three hundred secondary students will participate in this year’s conference, from 18 local schools in Brunei Darussalam and 3 overseas schools from Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong.

The special guest speaker at the 10th ISB BGIC opening ceremony is 2004 Young Australian of the Year Hugh Evans, Co-founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project. Hugh is also the recipient of the 2005 Junior Chamber International Young Person of the World and a leader of the biggest anti-poverty movement in Australia, the “Make Poverty History” campaign. As a humanitarian and internationally renowned development advocate, he aims to motivate and inspire student participants to contribute more actively to society.


Abdul Hakim, ISB student leader, conducted the training last Saturday at ISB


Students taking notes during the training session

ISB BGIC is a Model United Nations (MUN) style simulation where student participants represent countries to voice their views on real world issues, promoting international understanding and cooperation. The conference aims to develop students’ skills in public speaking, research and communication. This year’s topics include the question of rising global energy and food demand because of the growing global population, the question of the effectiveness of international long-term humanitarian aid with regard to natural disasters and war zones, and the question of massive financial debt worldwide.

The 10th ISB BGIC Secretariat welcomed all local school participants and gave an introduction about the conference procedure. ISB student leader Abdul Hakim bin Haji Ahmad Zakaria is serving as Secretary-General this year and he recently attended The Hague International MUN (THIMUN) conference in Singapore. He said, “I am very passionate about debating world issues and promoting the voice of the youth here in Brunei Darussalam. Next week I am heading to Qatar to attend a university-level MUN conference; I think it is important that we strive to be responsible and caring global citizens who represent our countries fairly and work collaboratively towards achieving common goals”.

“This year, we are very pleased to welcome so many participants from Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Mutadee Billah; Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan; Maktab Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meragang; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Tutong; Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri; Sekolah Menengah Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam; Sekolah Menengah Berakas; Sekolah Menengah Masin; Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna; Sekolah Menengah Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja, Mentiri; Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, Serasa; Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina ‘Othman, Tutong; Sekolah Menengah Perdana Wazir, Kuala Belait; St. Andrew’s School and Jerudong International School.

We also look forward to welcoming school teams from overseas: Bangkok Patana, Thailand; Kolej MARA Banting, Malaysia; and Victoria Shanghai Academy, Hong Kong;” he said.

A total of five training sessions will be held on Saturdays from February to early March, offering a chance for all local participants to interact with each other and prepare for the upcoming conference, under the guidance of the ISB student leaders. Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the conference at the ICC from Saturday 10 March 2012 to Monday 12 March 2012. Details are available on www.isb.edu.bn


The guest speaker of this year’s 10th ISB BGIC is 2004 Young Australian of the Year Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project


ISB BGIC 2012 Secretariats

Final Fantasy at ETA

BICTA Roadshow at iCentre

It’s good to see AITI being pretty active this month with Amateur Radio Usage awareness and also the upcoming BICTA. At the moment, AITI is conducting BICTA 2012 roadshow and yesterday they showcased to ICT industries and private education institutions such as Lakasamana College of Business. Around 50 people showed yesterday and they were engaged to a discussion on ideas to improve BICTA.

As part of the initiatives to inform potential participants for the upcoming BICTA 2011, AITI will facilitate this roadshow throughout the month of February. The roadshow is conducted with a committee consisting of members from Ministry of Communications (MINCOM), AITI and Infocomm Federation Brunei (IFB). One of the latest features that will be highlighted for the upcoming BICTA competition is the Identify, Design and Develop (IDD) workshop.

The two day workshop will be held on 22nd and 23rd March, AITI building, Anggerek Desa. There would be renowned oversea speakers who would share with the participants on how to identify, design and develop their products/projects.

The registration for the workshop can be done during the roadshow or interested parties can contact the BICTA committee directly through email or go through the BICTA website http://www.bicta.gov.bn .

Another highlight of this years BICTA competition is the PATRON award, which is given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Royal Patron award will be given away to the best amongst the first place winners in all categories; the award is awarded only once in every 2 years.

This year Brunei Darussalam will be hosting the 12th Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards event. All the 16 economies that are participants of the APICTA award will come to the country to compete for the prestigious APICTA award. The APICTA award will take place in December 2012.

The BICTA roadshow will be held throughout the month of February 2012. Any interested schools and institutions may contact the BICTA representatives at 2323232 or via email at bicta@aiti.gov.bn or visit the BICTA website at http://www.bicta.gov.bn

Recap: CNY Open House visits

01
Feb

Run for a Reason :)

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


MASwings debuts in Brunei

This is great news for Bruneians and those residing in Brunei as now we have the opportunity to fly to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching after MASwings made its debut this afternoon on their inaugural flight from Kuching and KK.

A press conference was held at Airport Restaurant where the CEO of Malaysia Airlines was present as well as the CEO of Brunei Tourism Board and other key players involved in making MASwings a possibility in Brunei.

I will be flying over to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow for some press coverage and it’s been a while since I’ve been on a smaller aircraft and it will be the first time I will be flying on MASwings.

Congratulations to Malaysia Airlines and MASwings in creating new routes for the Brunei market. If you want to check out promotional prices, do click here.


The press conference was held for the official launch of MASwings. As usual, all the questions were asked by the foreign press *lol*


The cake cutting ceremony. Now I wonder what’s the flavour of the cake. I realised sometimes that the cake is only used for cutting but not for consumption.


The uniform of MASwings stewardess. The green and the blue.


KK and Kuching flying to Brunei


Brunei flying to KK and Kuching

Run for a Reason

This has brought a lot of interest already among the social media scene.. I posted this on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and there’s already a huge buzz on the upcoming Standard Chartered Bank Run which has a new motto – “Run for a Reason”. According to Lai Pe-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Brunei, every individual has his/her reason to run for the event. Some would run for fitness. Some would run to better their personal best. Some would run for fun. Some would run of a good cause. So the reasons are endless.

Yesterday SCB officially announced that the “Run For A Reason” will take place on 8th April 2012 (which also coincides with my Mom’s birthday). A press conference was held at Mutiara Ballroom at Radisson Hotel and from the looks of it, there are additional sponsors and partners involved for the much anticipated run. I’m actually looking forward and I hope my SocMed buddies will be up for this too as we are gonna go full blast in promoting this good cause.

Lai Pei-Si also extended her thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Athletics Association for collaborating for the exciting event. Also involved in the event are TelBru, TOTAL, Borneo Bulletin, Media Permata, GetFit CrossFit, MixMediaWorx, Radisson Hotel, Royal Brunei Airlines, Suci, Sunlit Advertising and 100 Plus.


Nora Abd Rahman, Head of Corporate Communications Corporate Affairs, Telbru, Natasha Abdullah, Youth and Sports Officer, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events, Yahya Sirat, Secretary General of Brunei Athletics Association, Lai Pei-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei, Jennifer Kang, Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing of SCB Brunei and Harina Ramlee, Head of Human Resources and Corporate Communication of TOTAL


Jennifer Kang addressing a few words


Group photo with the organisers, sponsors and partners


Harina Ramlee and Zulhilmi Rambli of TOTAL with Lai Pei-Si. It was the first time TOTAL being involved in SCB’s charity run as they believe in the principle that Brunei is a very collective community which brings everyone together and it’s also part of TOTAL’s Social Corporate Responsibility initiative and what a better way to collaborate with SCB’s run in April 2012


Another partner of SCB Run for a Reason is GetFit CrossFit and they made a good impact last year where the members came in numbers to support the event. This picture was taken last year


Around 2,180 runners participated last year


This year SCB is targeting 5,000 participants which is an achievable goal. This shot was taken last year July.


He was the winner for the Best Costume last year. Who will it be this year?

The interesting addition to the race is the Half-Marathon which will debut this April. Timing chips will be used for runners in Half-Marathon and 10km categories. The organisers have also brought in an expert, Ranier Beimans, Director of Dirigo Events, in organising such an event and he briefly explained the routes for the Half-Marathon.

Categories for Run are:

21km (Registration fee $40)
10km (Registration fee $30)
5km (Registration fee $25)
2.5 km Fun run (Registration fee $20)

So forms can be downloaded from this website www.scbruneihalfmarathon.com and you can also register online by the 9th February 2012. The deadline of the registration is 18th March 2012.

The categories are capped at 500 participants for the 21km category, 1,000 participants for 10km category, 1,500 participants for the 5km run and 2,000 participants for the 2.5km category.

31
Jan

Hungry and hungrier

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Premium online shopping facilitator


Click image to enter website and start shopping


CNY promotion at Radisson


Click image to enter Facebook Page


RBA special promotion


Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website

Education exhibition in February


Click image to enter website

Inspiring, potential entrepreneurs

Last Sunday I paid a visit to Business School as they were organising the Business School Business Project 2012 and every year they have risen the bar. It was a two day event though I only dropped by for a bit on Sunday but I saw great efforts from the students of Business School. Perhaps one of the exciting things organised was the Nerf gun competition which was held at the field. I expect the nerf gun era to rise in popularity since paintball is still not approved in Brunei. Well done once again to the students!!

Daily flight Down Under

Royal Brunei Airlines is increasing services to Melbourne and will be offering daily flights at the start of the Summer Schedule on 25 March 2012. The enhanced scheduled was announced by Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, Mr. Dermot Mannion in a press conference at the Crown Metropol in Melbourne on 30 January 2012. It was attended by Victoria Tourism, Melbourne Airport Authority, local travel agents, Brunei Tourism, members of RBA senior management, and more customers.

The same-time daily services will also improve connections and journey options for passengers travelling between Melbourne and London, Dubai, Manila, Bangkok, Sabah, and Sarawak.

Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, Mr. Dermot Mannion, stated “Travelling to and from Melbourne, the cultural capital of Australia, has never been easier. With our standardised timings coupled with our daily services, it is now just a hop, a skip and a jump away to travel to, and experience the culture of, Brunei – the Green Heart of Borneo and beyond.”

Minister for Tourism and Major Events in Victoria, Louise Asher said she was delighted Royal Brunei Airlines had decided to increase services from four times weekly to daily starting next March. She stated, “The burgeoning relationship between Victoria and Royal Brunei Airlines is going from strength to strength and I look forward to continuing this mutually beneficial relationship. South-East Asia is one of Victoria’s fastest growing markets and these additional Royal Brunei Airlines services will enable greater tourism and trade linkages and opportunities across this valuable growth market.”

Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chris Woodruff stated, “As Royal Brunei’s only Australian destination, we welcome Royal Brunei’s increased services to Melbourne Airport. In addition to a link to Brunei, Royal Brunei’s extensive Asian and European networks support Melbourne two most significant long haul markets, China and the United Kingdom.”

Flights from Melbourne will depart on daily at 12:25pm and arrive in Bandar Seri Begawan at 05:35pm. Return flights will depart Bandar Seri Begawan at 11:50am and arrive in Melbourne at 08:45pm.

During Daylight Savings periods – 25 to 31 March and 07 to 27 October – departure and arrival timings in Melbourne will be one hour later, while departure and arrival timings in Bandar Seri Begawan remain the same throughout. Passengers may visit their travel agent or www.bruneiair.com to book their flights.


Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, Mr. Dermot Mannion, (3rd from left) unveiled the daily flights to Melbourne

Barely There: Clearance Sale

I won’t spare much details but Barely There is having their clearance sale up to 70% on certain items. If you are interested, you can visit the shop located at Tanjung Bunut (Hua Ho shop lots) and it’s the same building as TAIB. For more info, you can call 824 8680 and the opening hours are from Monday to Saturday 10am to 9pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm.

For more info, you can check out CR’s page here.


Barely There is located on 1st floor at Tanjung Bunut shopping lot


20% off for all Angel Flame. These are cool candles btw


For Hello Kitty fans, there’s a 30% discount


For Hello Kitty fans, there’s a 30% discount


Oh, this is not for sale *lol*

30
Jan

Let's get ready to Rumbleeeee….

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


One month gone

RA says: Yess…. I kinda took my sweet time today and relaxed because I haven’t been treating my Monday like my Sunday where you take time off and do the things you want to do. That’s what I’ve been missing in the past few months.

Yesterday was an epic Sunday where I had numerous pitstops and I’m sorry for those open house invitations that I didn’t manage to attend due to time constraints. My CNY visits have been eventful to say the least and the weather has been slightly wetter than previous year.

Speaking of CNY, it has been mellow in terms of CNY celebration and some of you may have been aware of the 3-day ruling for Lion Dance performance last week. It brought some mixed reviews from the pubic especially from the Chinese community but I won’t indulge into that further. Let’s just be appreciative that the relevant associations were given the opportunity to perform lion dance in the limited time period.

January has been an awesome month.. There were tons of talking points and I’m very appreciative of my friends who have been supportive and engaging at the same time. My surprise birthday gimmick was the highlight of the month, so thank you once again guys!!! Also a big thank to my Mom and my siblings for the wonderful birthday celebration two weeks ago. I believed everyone had a blast that night too.

So what’s in store for February? All I know that I will be traveling to a few destinations – KK, KL and Bangkok with Singapore still a tentative trip. My KK trip is because of the inaugural flight of MASwings which will commence on 2nd February. This will be another alternative flight to KK apart from Royal Brunei Airlines. My KL trip is because of the upcoming Social Media Summit and also a FAM trip organised by Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia (upon confirmation) while my Bangkok trip is the overdue trip for the CN Blue concert was re-scheduled from November 2011 to February 2012 and I will be flying with the Holika Holika winners from Brunei.

I won’t be posting any stories of my coverage today (and I’m feeling lazy as well). I want to share a little of a newly acquainted Malaysian friend who resides in Melbourne. He is currently labelled as the Malaysian whiz kid Fong Wai Hong who runs OzHut which wows Aussies. He’s one great role model for upcoming young entrepreneurs.

We had the privilege to attend an “anti-conference” forum type at Fleur-de-lys this afternoon hosted by Asia Inc Forum where Wai Hong shared his stories on his successes and failures as an entrepreneur. I shall post of him soon and if you want to know more of him, just google OzHut or search it on Twitter. Amazing individual 🙂

Be right back peeps 😀


Photo opportunity with a young millionaire @waihonger the founder of OzHut who shared his story among the local entrepreneurs at Fleur-de-lys this afternoon

29
Jan

Twice??

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Premium online shopping facilitator


Click image to enter website and start shopping


CNY promotion at Radisson


Click image to enter Facebook Page


RBA special promotion


Click image to enter Royal Brunei Airlines website

Education exhibition in February


Click image to enter website

Sunday Pitstop 


Healthy campaign at Citis Square officiated by the Minister of Health


This was kinda of a cool way to work out (or body bump). Taken at the National Hockey Field at Berakas and conducted by Fitness Zone


I was quite impressed with the students from Business School. This year’s carnival was quite happening. More details on that later and it was also good to see some dedicated students too. I’m a sucker for young entrepreneurs *lol*


Thank Carol You Zhen Lim for the quick breakie at Countrypatch. I realised Countrypatch is always popular from Friday to Sunday hence no reservations can be taken during the weekend


Today’s the final day and it will last till 6pm. Plenty of baby clothes too which are selling pretty well.


I have been stocking up bananas for my Zell-V supplements. Don’t ask me why. It’s self-explanatory *lol*


Well, this is where I’m updating my post for today and also the first half of my pitstops.. So do catch me on Twitter @ranoadidas and instagram for updates 😀


Congratulations to Izzy (Iskandar) and Rina on their Bersanding event. Sorry I couldn’t make it to your evening function and all the best to you guys


A stopover at iLotus Restaurant to catch up with Sarina at her mom’s Open House function


I was quite impressed with Sweet Garden Tea Party at Rimba. It was full house and do expect this concept to happen on a monthly basis and this also depends on the weather


I admire these two ladies because of their dedication to sustain their branding and food product at the same time. This is no easy feat but both these ladies are great examples for the rest to follow. I headed off to Berakas to pick up some brownies and cupcakes 😀


A visit to Lai Pei-Si, the CEO and Head of Consumer Banking of SCB Brunei (left) and accompanying is Jennifer Kang, Head of Corporate Affairs of SCB Brunei.


CNY Open House among the families of the Sius as it was their turn to host. It was also a celebration for Alvin Siu’s birthday which falls on Monday (tomorrow). Enjoy the ukelele, dude!!

Info day on upcoming BICTA

Authority of Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) conducted a BRUNEI ICT AWARD (BICTA) 2012 INFORMATION SHARING SESSION for Principals and IT teachers from secondary schools, Tertiary institutions and Higher institutions.

The event was opened with a welcoming speech by Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI. Followed by speakers from the BICTA committee which elaborated upon the background of the BICTA 2012, BICTA 2012 Road Show Schedule Guidelines and Roadmap on BICTA and APICTA 2012, Information on Identify, Design and Develop (IDD) workshops, and to Identify potential ICT projects in your company.

This year the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) competition was successfully launched on 14th January 2012 by Dato Paduka Haji Awang Alaihuddin bin POKDGSLDSU Haji Awang Mohamad Taha, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications. This national annual competition, in its 8th year, is aimed to nurture and unleash the potential of individuals, students and local ICT players. The competition is open to participants in 3 categories, Secondary Student Project, Tertiary Student Project and ICT Industry. Winners stand to win up to the top prize of B$ 3,000, B$7,000 and B$ 10,000 in each of the respective categories. Furthermore, BICTA winners get to represent Brunei Darussalam to participate in Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2012, a prestigious international ICT competition which our country will proudly host in December, 2012.

The event ended with a Q&A session, in which several of the participants gave inputs on how to make the upcoming roadshow more effective. The BICTA working committee will incorporate the feedbacks into the program in hope to enhance the effectiveness to the upcoming sessions with students.

This year the APICTA Awards will hosted in Brunei Darussalam. The BICTA roadshow will be held throughout the month of February 2012. Interested schools and institutions may contact the BICTA representatives at 2 323232 or via email at bicta@aiti.gov.bn or visit the BICTA website at www.bicta.gov.bn


Chief Executive of AITI, Hj Yahkup, briefing during the morning workshop

Last day for Giveaway at The Body Shop


All you have to do is spend $69 above and you get a jute bag and beauty set worth of $34 (items while stock last)

The Body Shop staff holding their favourite Body Shop item

The Body Shop staff holding their favourite Body Shop item

The best seller product, Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Puree, is having a $9 discount.. Awesome!!!

28
Jan

b.mobile made EPL Masters II possible

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News

Education exhibition in February


Click image to enter website

EPL Masters is back!!

Yesterday marks an important day for EPL Masters Football tournament. With the success of 2011, EPL Masters Football Tournament Brunei Cup is back once again this year to Negara Brunei Darussalam.

This year, Masters Football will be presented by the mobile service provider, B-Mobile Communications Sdn Bhd and is scheduled to awe the audience in about 3 months time. Masters is a 6 a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 are chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a English Premier League club which they played for.

According to Idham Abas “Masters Football has enjoyed tremendous success over the past 3 years; it has established itself as quality tournament offering excellent corporate benefits with staggering coverage. The Masters Football as a brand, is growing and its success has been recognised and fuelled expansion. It’s developed into a star studded annual event in the corporate sports calendar. In 2012 the Masters Football is heading out into countries around SEAsia, including Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore.”

A signing ceremony was held at The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Members Lounge yesterday between the organizer, Adsem and B-Mobile as the Presenting Sponsor. Signing on behalf of B-Mobile was its CEO, Mr Lim Ming Soon, witnessed by his Deputy Mr See Wei Kie. Representing Adsem at the signing was Idham Abas, General Manager witnessed by Jenny Malai Ali, Sponsorship Relations Manager. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Guest of Honour, Sheikh Jamaluddin Bin Sheikh Mohamad the CEO of Brunei Tourism Board.


Nurul Jaafar was the emcee of the signing ceremony. Notice the irony? (hint – look at pictures below)


Sheikh Jamaluddin Bin Sheikh Mohamad the CEO of Brunei Tourism Board gave his full support on events that have global reach


The local press also attended the signing ceremony


Idham Abas, General Manager of Adsem exchanging documents with b.mobile CEO, Mr Lim Ming Soon with Sheikh Jamaluddin witnessing the signing ceremony


Group photo with Adsem, b.mobile and Brunei Tourism Board

When asked why B-Mobile was interested in supporting such event, CEO Lim Ming Soon commented “In view of last years’ event, we believe this Masters Football event is indeed a high profile event and a good avenue for us to continue supporting. Not only are we associating B-Mobile with a renowned brand, it is also an opportunity for the company to give back to the community, a community that seems to be very well in sync with the football sports. Meeting these football legends here in Brunei marks a memorable occasion and B-Mobile hopes to give the community and especially the B-Mobile customers that privileged experience”. He also said “Football is more than just a sport; it’s a lifestyle and a healthy one to add to it. It is an activity that should be encouraged and fostered to promote interest in healthy living amongst the community especially the youth.”

CEO of B-Mobile further added that “The tremendous support we have received from our customers have also made us supporting this event possible. Our marketing team have worked hard in preparing a variety of campaigns and activities for our post paid and prepaid users. Over the coming weeks until the month of April, B-Mobile will be promoting on how our customers can win tickets to watch the game, to even a close encounter meet and greet with some of their idol and other football legends to other great and exciting prizes including an all expense paid trip to watch the much anticipated football event EURO 2012 in Poland. We just started one campaign with our prepaid users giving them an opportunity to win tickets to the EPL Masters Brunei Cup when they top up $10. Post paid users will also be enjoying some campaign benefits when they pay their bills or subscribe to some of the available SMART plans.”

The EPL Masters Brunei Cup 2012 presented by B-Mobile is set to happen on the 21st April 2012 on a Saturday night and tickets will be sold February onwards and B-Mobile will also be selling some over its branches. More information on this event or campaigns conducted by B-Mobile will be posted in detail on the website www.bmobile.com.bn 1st February onwards or customers can simply call 177 for further info or contact Adsem at 8231333.


Rumours have it that Roy Keane will be featured in this tournament


Dieter Hamann will also make his way to Brunei soon

PS VITA from ETA

Garage Sale Saturday & Sunday

Address: No. 8, Spg. 627, Kg. Beribi, Gadong

Time: 9am-6pm

ITEMS: blouses, office wear, pants, baju kurongs, jeans, bags, accessories, watches, shoes, etc.
BRANDS: Zara, MNG, Esprit, M&S, Forever 21, DKNY, River Island, FCUK, Top Shop, Cotton On, Accessorize, LV, Prada, etc.
SIZES: uk8-20, S-XXL


Some of the items on garage sale


Some of the items on garage sale


Some of the items on garage sale

From AV Electronics

27
Jan

Black out period

Written by Rano Iskandar. Posted in RA News


Special give-away at The Body Shop


Have you tried Zell-V?

Everyone yearns to lead a quality lifestyle filled with excellent health, vitality and beauty. Such a desire is possible through Zell-V with its anti-ageing products; although such a product is not the first of its kind, the store boasts to be the “first image store in Brunei”.

The grand opening of the store yesterday was commemorated with a festive performance by a lion dance troupe, followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei, Dato Abdullah Sani Omar and his spouse Datin Adeda Rahimah Ahmad, along with international artiste and Zell-VAmbassador, Rosyam Nor, Zell-VMedical Advisor Dato Dr Nor Shahidah Khairullah and KFCManaging Director, Nelky Goh.

The event was held at the store’s premise on the first floor of the Rizqun International Hotel at the Mall in Gadong. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the event continued with a tour around the premise and a health talk presentation entitled “How To Defy Ageing With Zell-V Cellular Therapy” by Dato Dr Nor Shahidah Khairullah.

She touched on the product from an aesthetic to a medical point of view; essentially on how Zell-V works, how it is effective in defying ageing, and how people can benefit from it.

Rosyam Nor, a Malaysian celebrity and spokesperson for the product, also shared on how the product has helped him keep fit, be energised and focused on his everyday work in the entertainment industry.

Other highlights of the opening included a free cell check (live blood analysis) and health consultation by two medical specialists. Text by Anwar Rosly and some images courtesy of Vincent Hong.


Rosyam Nor (2nd left) is one of the spokeperson for Zell-V as he came for the official opening of Zell-V outlet at The Mall


The outlet is located at Rizqun International Hotel on the 1st floor, next to Tourism Malaysia office and Hush Puppies


I had a chat with Elliot Pang, Business Development Executive, International Sales of Ruyi Marina Bay Pte Ltd (Zell-V) a few weeks ago


I didn’t know the icon for Zell-V is a sheep

Wholesale Price from SHH Co

I’m craving for one

Celebrate Prosperity. McDonald’s has brought prosperous times back for Bruneians with the all-time favourite Prosperity Burger. Enjoy your favourite Chicken Prosperity meal now and is available for a limited time only.

“The Prosperity Burger is a Malaysian creation and its phenomenal popularity has been making waves in the region. The secret to the great-tasting Prosperity Burger lies in the quality ingredients that we use. We do not compromise on food quality and maintain strict quality and safety standards from sourcing for ingredients right up to serving the finished products. When it comes to our food, our values are one of our most important ingredients, and we focus hard on delivering only the best to our customers,” said Dk. Kemariah Pg Hj Duraman, General Manager of McDonald’s Brunei.


Now I’m craving for this. It has been a while 😀

Similar to the Beef Prosperity Burger, the Chicken Prosperity Burger is made of a juicy tender chicken dipped in aromatic black pepper sauce and topped with slivered onions in a sesame seed bun for an appetizing meal. Also making a special appearance as part of the Prosperity meal is the Twister Fries, made from the best Umatilla Russet potatoes, perfectly seasoned and cooked to golden perfection. While the Prosperity McFizz, a combination of 100% orange juice and Sprite, is the perfect beverage to complete the meal.

The Chicken Prosperity meal is priced at $7.18 and Beef Prosperity meal is at $6.78 for medium and just add 60 cents for large meal.

Double Prosperity is also available. Visit McDonald’s for your next meal or call 244 9669 for McDelivery.

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