Click image to enter website

Click image to enter website

This is a good awareness initiative by Public Works Department (JKR) under the Ministry of Development. Did you know that we in Brunei has the highest water consumption in the region? Maybe because we take them for granted or perhaps the water is pretty cheap as compared to other countries. Brunei records the highest water consumption of 450 litres per person per day as compared to 250 litres to other regional countries. That’s pretty high I must say and this may be attributed to a lot of factors which I won’t go into details. But the most important thing is that we are aware of this and even His Majesty the Sultan highlighted in his titah recently about Brunei’s consumption on water.

So this is a pretty good cause by JKR’s latest project – JKR REACH which is also a charity event. This is actually a run, exercise and cycle event which will take place on 27th October 2013. The launching of the campaign took place a few days ago with the Director-General at JKR, Hj Marzuke Hj Mohsin, officiating the campaign and he was also the first registrant of JKR REACH 2013. The word reach stands for ‘Run, Exercise And Cycle for Health’ and this event is jointly organised by Brunei Association of Surveyors and Engineers and Architects (PUJA) and JKR.

The event itself is in conjunction with World Water Day 2013 and it will take place at the Old Airport Road.

Do refer to the website for more details and the closing date for the run, cycle and exercise event is on the 3rd October. The cut off participants is 5,000. You can download the form here and register at the counter at JKR building during office hours.

Weekdays (Mon to Thurs): 8:30m to 11:30 and 2pm to 3:30pm
Friday and Sun: 8:30am to 11:30am and 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Saturday: 8:30m to 11:30 and 2pm to 3:30pm

The final registration is 3rd October 2013.

Registration for the event. Check the timings above for registration. You can’t register online but you can download the form.

The guys at the registration counter

Some added value for the participants

 

Get your tickets now and enjoy this play based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice happening this Saturday

It’s happening this Saturday. The much anticipated play by Maktab Sains PSBS in collaboration with Politeknik Brunei will be showing live this Saturday at JPCC Amphitheater. Tickets are available at Fitness Zone, Showcase Advertising and Aulait Cafe. The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Maktab Sains PSBS and Politeknik Brunei. This has been in the news for the past many months and in just a few days’ time, “Pride and Prejudice” (by Jane Austen) will be performed by 25 cast compromising of students from five government institutes of learning Maktab Sains, Berakas Secondary School, Sayyidina Hussin Secondary School, Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School and Lambak Kiri Secondary School.

The main aim for the play is to promote reading and presentation of classics to improve reading and speaking skills. The play is directed by Witsy Matthew and the project manager of the “Pride and Prejudice” is Dr. Malai Zeiti Sheikh Abdul Hamid, Head of Media and Resources at Politeknik Brunei.

There will be a press conference later for the said event. For now, you can see the details at the poster and also do view their promotional video on Youtube. It was definitely well produced and kudos for them for making an interesting video to promote the event.

Do check out their official website for more details too at pnpbrunei.com 🙂

Some of the celebrities that shown at the promotional video. Click image to view video.

One of the leading cast for Pride and Prejudice

One of the leading cast for Pride and Prejudice

Lucky draws to be won as well

 

Craig Bartlett (left), a world class mini golf designer from Australia talking to a JPCC director on the development of the mini golf at JPCC Playground

A Doa Selamat ceremony was held last Friday, 20th September 2013 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) playground to mark the first in a series of projects to revitalize Jerudong Park Playground. Do you remember how it used to be so packed with families and friends? And it was one of the hose places that I will pay a visit almost every night back then. So it’s good to see that the management of the JPCC are initiating new things to revive back the magic at JPCC Playground.

The project includes the construction of a mini golf attraction, featuring a landscaped 21 holes designed by Craig Bartlett, a world class mini golf designer from Australia. I’m not sure if it’s miniature golf but judging from the photos, it seems it’s like one. This will definitely be ideal for families and this is just one of the phases that will be introduced at JPCC playground.

Other future rides and attractions will include a mini water park, ferris wheel and junior coaster. Furthermore, there will be new Double Decker Carousel, Bumper Cars and children’s playground equipments to replace the current attraction. Other existing rides will also be refurbished.

Other playground facilities will also be upgraded, including the food kiosks, a merchandise shop and other conveniences to cater for the needs of visitors.

The management of JPCC yesterday held a blessing ceremony for the project. Present were JPCC General Manager Asmad Hj Abd Rahim, JPCC directors and invited guests. The renovation work is scheduled to take place in stages and only affected areas will be closed. Therefore, the playground will still be open to the public.

However, visitors are advised to keep safe distance from ongoing construction works. The revitalisation project is expected to be completed by mid 2014. New operating hours and admission fees will be announced at a later date. Images courtesy of JPCC.

How the mini golf will look like

The future phases to be done at JPCC Playground

Craig Bartlett and JPCC General Manager Asmad Hj Abd Rahim

 

‘flick!’ is an Instagram Contest in conjunction with the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship. Fencing is one of the oldest Olympic sports and is also known as the physical chess. We often associate what we see in the movies to the modern sport, movies such as Princess Bride, Zorro, Puss In Boots and obviously the Three Musketeers; also we stereotype the sport, assuming it is a sport for only the elites. ‘flick!’ derived from a fencing move and also carry hints of photography, the contest name was picked by a group of local creative individuals.

The contest aims to bring fencing to the public and demonstrate the true beauty of this fast-pace and exciting modern combat sport. Public are invited to come to the venue, watch the competition, learn more about the sport and take part in ‘flick!’.

The prizes for the contest are provided by Athos Fencing, 365estore and KFC Brunei.

Please take note of the following rules:

1.    The opening date of the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship – flick! Instagram Contest is on 28th Sep 2013 and the closing date will be on 29th Sep 2013, midnight.

2.    This contest is open to all residing in Brunei Darussalam. Participations have to ensure their Instagram profiles are not set to private.

3.    Participants can submit as many photos as they wish to and include both hashtags #athosfencing and #hyundaibrunei. Fencers registered with the Brunei Darussalam Fencing Federation are automatically disqualified.

4.    Prizes to be awarded include
  • Grand Prize – Galaxy Camera x 1
  • Second Prize – Nokia Mobile Phone x 1
  • Third Prize – Portable HDD x 1
  • Fourth Prize – 3G USB modem x 1
  • Consolation Prizes – Basic OhMyCard! x 5
  • Participation Prizes – KFC Meal Vouchers x 4

And they must attend the prize-giving event on Sunday, 5th Oct 2013 at Athos Fencing Studio at 2pm.
   
5.    The images shall be shared on Athos Fencing’s facebook page and winners announced via Athos Fencing’s facebook page.
 
6.    Images must be taken between 28th and 29th Sep 2013 at the contest venue (Bola Bola Indoor Futsal Court, Times Square). The subject must be fencing related. Instagram Video entries are allowed.
   
7.    Images/Videos must NOT express any forms of profanity, sexual and/or racist elements. Image/Videos must NOT incite religious hatred and/or phrases that may be deemed inappropriate to other races.
 
8.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing reserve the right to reuse any photos that are submitted to the official hash tags of the Instagram Contest.
 
9.    Upon submission, the owner of the photo will no longer have rights to use the photos upon submission and after the contest for personal or professional use, giving Setia Motors and Athos Fencing sole rights of the photographs in an unrestricted, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty- free license to use, reproduce, display, publicly perform, transmit and distribute such photographs.  

10.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. Decisions made by the judges are final and no forms of communications will be entertained at any time.
 
 

‘act!’ is an ongoing campaign carried out by Athos Fencing to raise awareness for the sport of fencing. ‘act!’ refers to ‘action’, to get out of comfort zone, to explore and in this context, to learn more about fencing.

In conjunction with the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship, Athos Fencing will be conducting free introductory classes for 15 children between age 8 – 11 and 15 teenagers between age 12 – 15. At the competition venue there will also be sign up sheets for upcoming introductory classes open to all in Brunei regardless of age group.

Participants of the free classes during the championship will receive a free limited edition event t-shirt, complimentary of Aewon Brunei and a bottle sports drink provided by Pokka.

We encourage the public to come down and witness modern sword fighting in 3D and get to know the sport of fencing better.

Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship starts on the 28th September 2013 and ends on 29th September 2013. Individual events on the 28th starts with preliminary rounds at 8am and finals commence after 4pm. Team events on the 29th starts at 9am and finals commence after 4pm. Entry is free.

Let the game begins!!!

Fencing Introductory Class for Teens
• 28th September 2013, 8pm to 9pm
• Bola Bola Indoor Futsal Court, Times Square
• Wear sports attire with indoor trainers (shoes)
• 15 slots available for teens between age 12 – 15
• Registration via athos.fencing@gmail.com
• Please indicate ‘act!Teens: your name’ in the email title
• In the email body please include your full contact detail
• First-Come-First-Serve basis, ONE participant per household
• Free t-shirt only applicable for participants who sign up and participate in the class

Fencing Introductory Class for Kids
• 29th September 2013, 8am to 9am
• Bola Bola Indoor Futsal Court, Times Square
• Wear sports attire with indoor trainers (shoes)
• 15 slots available for teens between age 8 – 11
• Registration via athos.fencing@gmail.com
• Please indicate ‘act!Kids: your name’ in the email title
• In the email body please include your full contact detail
• First-Come-First-Serve basis, One participant per household
• Free t-shirt only applicable for participants who sign up and participate in the class

The trio – Kevin Lo, Maria Grace Koh and Fakhrul Razi

Finally we had the opportunity to see our three superstars live in action at the JPCC Amphitheater last night. The trio of Kevin Lo, Maria Grace Koh and Fakhrul Razi delighted the audience with the WCOPA performance sets they did in Los Angeles back in July. Among them, they won a dozen of medals for Brunei and the best part is they bagged the “Best in Team Spirit” among all the participating countries.

Maria Grace Koh belted a few songs such as “At last”, “Somewhere”, “Wide Awake” and both of her songs “Master of disguise” and “You”. She will be recording her next song in the US next year which is something she’s looking forward to. We also now get to know that her mom is known as “Hollywood Mama” awwwww…. Maria is the youngest of the lot and she bagged a few silver medals during the WCOPA competition.

Next up was Kevin Lo with the cast of the Crucible. Kevin played the role of John Proctor in The Crucible and he was supported by a dozen of actors and actresses in the short play. Kevin also performed a piece from My Fair Lady. It was just a pity that there were some technical glitches with the sound system that made it difficult to listen to their dialogues but they still gave their best performance. I wish it was more of Kevin’s solo effort on stage with his other 3 performances that wasn’t showcase last night.

Last but not least is Fakhurl Razi. Ok, this was a suiting finale to have Fakhrul closing the performance with six songs and what a performance he delivered despite down with a cold. I was anticipating for one of the original work – “Senyuman Gelapmu” which he performed with great emotion and passion. Oh yeah, he surely know how to entertain the crowd and shows that sometimes it takes more than talent to woo the crowd. You must have that X factor to win the audience and he got what it takes to be one.

Well done to the organizers and a big shout out to Jeff and his team for all the hard work and I’m very honour to witness the stars in action and shining on the world stage and also on our own local stage. So guys, what are you waiting for? Make your dreams come true and be part of the WCOPA for the year 2014.

I can’t wait for the 787 Dreamliner

Check this out!! What the new windows are capable of doing. Click image to watch video!

 

Click image to enter TPP podcast website

Check out our episode today of The Popcorn Panel and it’s our 3rd episode to date. It was more like an unplanned recording but we feel we really need to highlight this especially for movie goers. This episode is pretty interesting as we were discussing topics on the don’ts while watching movies and these are pretty common in Brunei too. The podcast was headed by myself with co-hosts Del Goh and Leo Kassim with special guest “Puffy Lawrence”.

I won’t be talking much details here just yet because I prefer if you would listen to our podcast episode here and hear us out.

Our next movie review will be on 2 Guns and Internship this monday for The Popcorn Panel. There might be plans for prizes for the listeners of our podcast show and I’m still thinking of the grand prize. Perhaps an iPhone 5s or the S4? So keep listening to The Popcorn Panel podcast weekly and we ail be announcing some gimmick soon.

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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Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website

I miss Potato Head

Wahhh… I’m so in love with Potato Head Beach Club. You will them in pictures through Google or Trip Advisor but my oh my, you just have to be there to experience Potato Head at Seminyak, Bali. This was the final outing of our #SFBALITRIP at Bali before we headed back to Brunei. So don’t be fooled that I’m in Bali right now. This was actually taken last Saturday weekend and I can say that pictures don’t do justice. If you happen to be in Bali, this is a must visit place.

The cuisine is Asian, French and International. This place is ideal for dining, chilling with friends and it has that romantic feel to it too because it’s by the beach. There’s wifi too and I noticed that we were pretty busy on our smartphones to update pictures of the venue on our instagram since the wifi at our villas were hopeless *lol*

It can get pretty noisy because it can get pretty packed after sunset. The service is pretty good as well. You can check out more reviews at Trip Advisor here. I’m so in love with this place. By the way, I’m still torn between this and Rock Bar but then again, both have their own niche. I still love both 😀

Potato Head’s entrance.. There’s a boutique store but it’s kinda expensive

The walkway to the Potato Head Beach Club

This is one awesome view!!!!

Totally inseparable hahaha

The place was great and of course the company too 😀 Miss you guys!

Our friendship has gone way back 14 years ago and still kicking!! The trip has brought back the lameness in me.

Don’t you just love the seating arrangements?

We were more than satisfied 😀

Group photo before heading off

We had too much juices, right? :p

INOA products from L ‘Oreal Professional now being used at IA Salon

One thing I salute for IA Salon is their drive for new innovative things or trendy things when it comes to hair style or hair care. Few days ago, a representative fromL’Oreal Malaysia came down to Brunei to showcase L ‘Oreal hair product call the INOA. Well, in a nut shell, INOA is hair color and it’s also been dubbed the “hair color of the future”.

The great thing about INOA product is that it’s ammonia-free and it’s odorless. They have more than 20 patent colors to choose from. According to Linda Hah, the Technical Commercial Manager from L ‘Oreal Professional’s Products Division of L ‘Oreal Malaysia Sdn Bhd, she said that the INOA products are “halal” and customers can view the website to check their halal status.

Why the INOA is recommended is because of its oil based nature that is able to strength the color of the hair even from the roots. It also has lower quantity of alkaline agent. Apparently this product is already out in Malaysia for a few years but only being introduced in IA Salon recently.

Linda talking to the media before the demo

Linda from L ‘Oreal Professional (Malaysia) training and briefing IA Salon’s hairstylists

Linda from L ‘Oreal doing a demo of the Steampod

The difference on INOA products

Cecilia Lee, Manager of IA Salon

The other product demo that Linda showed to the hairstylists of IA Salon and the local media was the Steampod from L ‘Oreal Professional. This product came about in 2012 and I was quite amazed what it can do to one’s hair (thought it won’t benefit me …duuhh…). It doesn’t only keeps ur hair straight or even with curly ends, it smoothens your hair and even make it looks glossy.

The Steampod has five temperature settings suitable to all types of hair and the cool part is that it has a water filtration system which produces steam to rehydrate and nourish the damaged hair. So now you can enjoy this service at IA Salon and Linda’s short visit in Brunei is to train the IA Salon hairstylists on the INOA product and the Steampod as well.

To find out more, call IA Salon at 2423232 or visit the salon at No G32 Ground Floor, The Mall. Before I end, I want to highlight Cecilia Lee’s charitable cause which is for the Breast Cancer awareness and she hopes that the public supports the cause by donation at the donation box at IA Salon as well as Fun Bee Park. October month will be Breast Cancer awareness period and she hopes they can collect as much donations as possible until 18th October. The proceeds will be donated to Brunei Cancer Support Group (Brunei).

Need to put the water in the filtration system for the Steampod and it works wonders

This Steampod is quite awesome actually. I just checked the website. It’s selling for at least 120 quid.

And the demo begins!!!

It can give you an instant curl with one or two attempts

It can also straighten your head instantly

Don’t forget to send your donations for Breast Cancer

Group photo at IA Salon

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

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

 

Click image to enter facebook page

 

Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website to register

This is a good awareness initiative by Public Works Department (JKR) under the Ministry of Development. Did you know that we in Brunei has the highest water consumption in the region? Maybe because we take them for granted or perhaps the water is pretty cheap as compared to other countries. Brunei records the highest water consumption of 450 litres per person per day as compared to 250 litres to other regional countries. That’s pretty high I must say and this may be attributed to a lot of factors which I won’t go into details. But the most important thing is that we are aware of this and even His Majesty the Sultan highlighted in his titah recently about Brunei’s consumption on water.

So this is a pretty good cause by JKR’s latest project – JKR REACH which is also a charity event. This is actually a run, exercise and cycle event which will take place on 27th October 2013. The launching of the campaign took place a few days ago with the Director-General at JKR, Hj Marzuke Hj Mohsin, officiating the campaign and he was also the first registrant of JKR REACH 2013. The word reach stands for ‘Run, Exercise And Cycle for Health’ and this event is jointly organised by Brunei Association of Surveyors and Engineers and Architects (PUJA) and JKR.

The event itself is in conjunction with World Water Day 2013 and it will take place at the Old Airport Road.

Hj Marzuke Hj Mohsin, Director-General at JKR giving his welcoming remarks

This is such a high consumption of water in Brunei alone

The invited guests during the launch

The one unique thing I like is the registration for run because they have an optional choice if the registrants want a golden number/s (single or double) for their bibs. Interesting indeed and I can tell you as of now that the single and double digits are all taken up in less than a day. Amazing!!! Each of the golden numbers costs an extra $10.

Did you know that all the proceeds from the JKR REACH 2013 will go to dedicated charitable foundations? Pusat Ehsan, Society for the Management of Autism-Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER), Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans and Care and Action for Strays (CAS). I like how CAS is being included as a recipient because they haven’t been getting much support from events and so it’s nice to see CAS being selected. Thumbs up to the organisers.

Do refer to the website for more details and the closing date for the run, cycle and exercise event is on the 3rd October. The cut off participants is 5,000. You can download the form here and register at the counter at JKR building during office hours.

Hj Marzuke was the first registrant of the event. How sporting is that? 😀

The guest of honour paying for his registration

The rest follow suit to register for the event

The Golden Bib number registration form. However, the single and double digits are all being taken.

There’s no online registration so you will have to physically go to the JKR building and there will be a dedicated desk for registration. Do come during office hours only.

JKR building is located at the Old Airport, next to the Ministry of Education building

 

In further efforts to truly deliver a ‘Bruneian at Heart’ banking experience, BIBD has announced that they will be carrying out renovation works on its Mall Branch located at Unit G33, Ground Floor, The Mall, Gadong.

Starting on Monday, 14th October 2013, the branch’s operations will temporarily be suspended and renovations are due to commence. During this time, BIBD will be maintaining its operations with one ATM machine for cash withdrawals which is located on the ground floor near to the entrance of The Mall.

The renovation works will the see upgrade of the branch as part of BIBD’s continuous efforts in introducing its signature image and better customer services throughout its branch network. BIBD would also like to inform its customers that they can visit its nearest branch located at the Setia Kenangan Complex, Kiulap for all their banking requirements.

For further information about BIBD and any of its products and services, visit BIBD’s home page at www.bibd.com.bn, get in touch with the BIBD Contact Centre at 2238181 or visit your nearest BIBD branch.

In other BIBD news, they are having a special discounts for BIBD cardholders. Now you can enjoy up 20% discount with your BIBD cards. This is valid from 17th September to 31st October 2013 with partner restaurants – Misato, Bali Paradise, Twelv Cafe and Excapade Sushi.

 

Ignite: Entrepreneurship Challenge 2013. Click to enlarge.

What it is?

Discover what it really takes to launch a start up! Enter the $20k challenge to identify, nurture and showcase emerging ICT entrepreneurs. Gain one of a kind start-up learning experience and emerge better to bring your entrepreneurial vision to light!

The competition Ignite Entrepreneurship Challenge is a rebrand of the previous Ignite Business Plan competition which serves as a platform for identifying, nurturing and showcasing emerging entrepreneur in addition to stand a chance to win the grand start up 20K cash prize. iCentre continue its proud tradition of preparing the participants prior to finalizing their business plans by conducting a series of workshops to allow participants gain entrepreneurship skill set. Learn the know-hows and must-dos to build a successful startup and writing an impactful executive summary prior to the first round of submission.

This year’s challenge puts more focus on acquiring quality business plans where after preliminary round of business plan submission, the shortlisted participants are will be required to attend the Ignite two-days boot camp where they will be provided training assistance and individualized coaching from experienced mentors.

Tagline: ‘The journey begins now’ highlights the learning process along the way and experiences gained in the journey of an entrepreneur. iCentre will serve a role to be a guide for the journey for aspiring entrepreneurs right from  the beginning of the challenge.

Route map of Ignite. Click to enlarge.

Requirements:

Who can join? Individuals may enter the competition alone or as a group of maximum 5 people (highly encouraged) with exceptional business ideas.

Members of the public with creative and innovative ICT business plans who would like to turn them into a viable business are encouraged to participate.

All students from IHLS are welcome to compete. No prior business courses and experience are necessary.

Rules and eligibility can be found in the contestant kit. ONLINE REGISTRATION only. For more information, visit ignite.icentre.biz

Deadline in two weeks

The launch earlier this month by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications

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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Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with representatives from Microsoft (Brunei) and representative from Acer Malaysia. Image courtesy of Concepts Computer.

With the steady move of our daily computing from old-form desktops and laptops to tablets, especially touch-screen tablets, Acer has made the huge leap in providing the world’s first 8.1 inch tablet with Windows 8 operating system installed.

The Acer Iconia W3 tablet will sport the latest Intel Atom dual-core processor, 2GB of Ram, either 32GB or 64GB built-in memory and the ability for memory expansion through the use of micro-SD cards, a touch-screen LCD and the Intel GMA-HD graphic cards for gaming on the go. It is also significant to note that all Acer Iconia W3 models, either 32GB or 64 GB, will include Microsoft Office Home and Student pre-installed.

Your PC in One Hand. The Acer Iconia W3 tablet puts desktop PC capability in a tablet, so you can work and play on the go more conveniently than ever, making mobile-computing much more mobile than before.

Full Productivity. The Acer Iconia W3 will come with Microsoft Office Home and Student pre-installed so you can edit and work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on-the-go, opening up a whole new world of productivity.

8 Hours on the Go. With an 8-hour battery life, you can work and play without worry. You’ll be able to complete that presentation for work and still have enough juice for a movie on the way home.  The Acer Iconia W3 will easily get you through your day, being mobile has never been more reliable.

Total Flexibility. The Acer Iconia W3 tablet packs all the flexible input-output options of a desktop PC in a portable package. Bring your files: there’s a microSD card slot built in. Show presentations anywhere via HDMI Micro, and share info using micro USB.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, speaking to the media, said, “Concepts Computer is proud to introduce to the Bruneian market, the Acer Iconia W3 tablet, the world’s 1st 8.1 inch tablet with Windows 8 operating system and Microsoft Office Home and Student installed.” He continued, “We are also glad that we have representatives from Microsoft (Brunei) and Acer (Malaysia) here with us to commemorate this joyful occasion.”

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer added, “Concepts have seen the rising demand for tablets by Bruneian IT consumers, and this is the result of that. When demand is good, Concepts Computer will always step-up to provide the perfect solution from Acer, making sure that it is affordable and well-built.”

The Acer Iconia W3 tablet will be able at Concepts Computer for $528, with a Student’s Rebate of $88 for a promotional price of $440, for the 32GB model; and $658, with a Student’s Rebate of $88 for a promotional price of $570, for the 64GB model which also includes a free bluetooth Keyboard. For more information, please visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/2233552/2233553 or 2448102/2448103.

The media viewing the new Iconia W3

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer showing the demo of the Iconia W3

Fairol of MP trying it out

Having some refreshments after the launch

Powered by Windows 8 and Microsoft Office Home and Student

Get one for yourself, now available at Concepts Computer

 

There are still many seats up for grabs. Click image to enter.

One of the most anticipated moments for AirAsia passengers – the one million free seats.. Well, for Bruneians, there are selected routes that you can enjoy with super low fares but from Brunei to KL, the fare is zilch… meaning you don’t have to spend on the fare. Of course, you will have to pay for baggage and airport taxes as such. Just that the seats you pay are free.

I recently bought two AirAsia tickets to Kuala Lumpur for my 2014 trip in April and June. Now that’s some planning that I just did but I did regret on booking too fast because I wanted to fly back on a specific date.. Ahh, sometimes you will get carried away and book a flight before thinking *lol*

Now for instance, if you want to travel to Bali somewhere in January 2014 onwards, the fare will be as low as BND 350 including tax and baggage which is still a great deal (BWN-KL_BALI). I have to say that Bali is one of the most interesting places to be at. I know for sure I will be back there again sometime in November 2014.

For those interested in Legoland, you can start planning your trip for next year. Who knows next year that the much awaited Legoland hotel will be open by then. And when I did my research just then, the AirAsia fare to Johor Bahru is pretty darn cheap. You’re talking about a flight for roughly BND 90 to BND 120/130 if you include the baggage allowance for a return flight via KL. So what are you waiting for guys? 😀

I did my research around 6:45pm just then on flights to Johor Bahru via KL

That’s a pretty good deal indeed!!

How the LEGOLAND Malaysia Hotel looks like

I’m not sure how long the 1 million seats promotion is going for but it is still active after less than 24 hours. But I was struggling last night to access AirAsia’s portal because of the high traffic especially around midnight. Even the power of FTTH is not enough to beat the overcrowded queue of AirAsia enthuasiasts.

I’m quite glad that I managed to get my tickets for next year though but it’s only for the first half of 2014. I’m still eyeing Korea or Japan for 2014 but the tickets are still expensive despite the promotion. I just check that the price range is around BND 600+ inclusive of baggage allowance and that’s only for KL-Seoul sector for the traveling period in April and May 2014. As compared to last night’s, the fare was much cheaper because it was still past midnight. Actually, flying to Osaka via KL is cheaper by BND 250ish.. So that could an option 😀

I was put in the waiting room right past midnight while surfing on AirAsia.com

When you are in the queue, this what happens 😀

Bought my ticket for next year

Bought another ticket for next year too

My recent Bali trip was through AirAsia. The connection flight was just nice for me.

I love the Nasi Beryani. Now I’m spoilt for choices.

The Nasi Lemak meal is still one of the best

I’m not sure why but I was given this on the flight.. Awesome!!!

The icon for our movie podcast, The Popcorn Panel. Click image to enter our podcast sound bytes

Hey peeps!! This is the second week that we have delivered our podcast and we hope to do this on a weekly basis. We are still trying out names for our movie podcast and we have been brainstorming it for the past few days. I kinda like one name but it doesn’t seem appropriate though – PopcornSutra but a few of my friends like it. In the end, it was a toss between The Popcorn Corner and The Popcorn Panel.

Like I said, the name is still not finalised just yet but for now, it will be The Popcorn Panel. The movie features myself as the host/moderator with co-hosts Del Goh and Leo Kassim. Last week we had a good following of listeners for our inaugural podcast, talking about Top 3 Summer Movies and disappointments. This week, we are focusing on one movie review which is Grown Ups 2 which I have reviewed early August since I caught it in the States.

But do watch out for our interesting segment this weekend where we will have our first lady guest under the stage name “Puffy Lawrence”. Our topics will discussing on the dos and donts while watching movies. If you guys want to share your views and inputs, feel free to email me at ranoadidas(at)gmail(dot)com and we will be more than glad to include some pointers.

Our next film review on the podcast will be 2 Guns and Prisoners. So have a great week, peeps!! And do support our movie podcast 😀

Grown Ups 2

Grown Ups 2. I missed the previous Adam Sandler’s movies. What has happen to him? Where is his old mojo? Grown Ups the movie was hilarious. The sequel was totally a disappointment. I dozed at some parts but maybe because I was still jet lag. Anyway, I won’t bother so much with Grown Ups 2 and I have lost faith in Adam Sandler. If he thinks that every movie that he is in will rake in $$$, his days are numbered. I hope they won’t make a third one. Oh, please… Verdict: 5/10 Rottentomatoes 7%

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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.

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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

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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 😀