Selamat Hari Raya to all the readers and fans of RA. Things have been pretty slow as I chose it to be and that’s how I’ve always wanted my Hari Raya celebration to be for the past few years. I have quite a few invitations this weekend and I told myself that I will target maybe 2 each day and spend more time on things I wanna do or simply rest. My friend reminded me of our raya adventure where we will break records after records in raya hopping and I remember my highest number of houses was almost reaching 20 in one day. However, for the past few years, it has been downhill and yes, I have a new record this, for the least number of visited open houses *lol*

So my sincere apology to my friends and families who have invited me but I won’t be showing up due to limited time and I’m already squeezing four houses instead of my initial two for today’s programme. Yesterday I only visited one place and I missed the morning ritual session with my family as I spent most of the morning sleeping in. You can say that I’m just taking my own pace for Hari Raya this year and if I feel like going, then I will. So I hope you will understand and don’t things personally 😀

Anyway, hope you guys have an awesome Raya weekend and it’s a long weekend too. And do buckle up while on the road. Selamat Hari Raya 😀

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Ok this is gonna be a massive movie review since I have pending reviews that I haven’t covered on my blog. I’m still contemplating if I should skip R.I.P.D and The Smurts 2 even though I know how bad they typically are (judgding from the trailers I saw) as well as the bad reviews they received from Rottentomatoes, a terrible 12% but at least both movies outscored Grown Ups 2. Then again, the people know what’s best as Grown Ups 2 paid off handsomely in the box office while R.I.P.D and The Smurfs 2 flopped big time in the US box office.

I was recently in Bangkok, Seattle and Singapore and I spent most of my hours catching movies here and there. Perhaps the most movie I was excited among the lot was catching Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D last July at Siam Paragon Cineplex, Bangkok. The most surprising of the lot, in this list of review, is Sharknado.. Yes, Sharknado that took the social media by storm because of its premise about sharks being in tornados… wokkayyy… But I salute the marketing team for making it the most talked about B-grade movie this year.

Ok let’s go in chronological order here in terms of the movies I caught ever since Despicable Me 2.

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger. What happened to Disney? They haven’t been producing feel-good movies and I believe The Lone Ranger is a huge flop in terms of box office revenue. I love Wreck-It Ralph and Monsters University but they also have terrible line ups such as Brave, John Carter, Cars 2 and On Stranger Tides. Now even their new movie Planes is having a tough time pleasing the critics from Rottentomatoes and it’s currently sitting on 30% for Disney’s latest animation flick.

I saw the trailer for The Lone Ranger and I already foresee a huge flop. Johnny Depp playing the warrior Tonto is supposedly not the main lead but because of his status, it had all his name written on it despite Armie Hammer playing th actual Lone Ranger in the movie. The screenplay was woeful to begin with and I kinda felt restless halfway through the movie and to make things worse, it was a 2 and a half hours of torture *lol* The action sequences were OTT (over-the-top) and I don’t find Johnny Depp as hilarious as before. Has he exhausted all his talent and trying so hard to please the audience? The formula failed here and this is a big loss for Disney this year. Verdict: 6/10 Jess Ho 7.5 Rottentomatoes 28%

We caught the IMAX 3D for Pacific Rim

The 3D glasses were huge but effective

Pacific Rim. Holy crap!!! This is one solid movie and I’m loving it from the beginning to the end. I know some of my peers disagree with my rating but I guess it was just not the story and action but the overall experience I had, watching this on IMAX 3D. Seriously… If you have the chance, by all means watch this on IMAX 3D. This movie has style and if you were to compare it with Transformers movies, Pacific Rim win over them easily.

Don’t get me wrong as Pacific Rim does have its flaws here and there and notably it lacked some substance and depth that could have make this movie a classic. But like I said, the experience I had and I love Guillermo del Toro’s direction and style of the movie. You may have been familiar with his past movies Hellboy 1 & 2. I do hope they have a sequel for this. Too bad it didn’t perform that well in the box office. Oh, I also wished they had A-star actors which could have given more credibility to the movie. Michael Bay should take some pointers for the next Transformers movie 😀 Verdict: 8.5/10 Sophia 8.5 Rottentomatoes 71%

Turbo

Turbo. It came to a point that my eyes and brain became to tired of animation. Maybe because Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 were still fresh in my head then and I would probably have more expectations on animation movies that are released after these two blockbusters (MU and DM2). I was actually entertained by Turbo but the only let down for me is the actual premise where the so-called snail named Turbo wanted to compete in the Grand Prix which was a pretty far-fetched plot if you ask me. This is an animation that will neither bore you nor make you go “wow”. Kids will definitely get the most out of it. For adults, it could be a 50/50 pay off. Verdict: 7/10 Aziimah 7 Rottentomatoes 64%

Trance

Trance. I almost caught this in Singapore back in March but I missed out. It’s a Danny Boyle movie and he’s one director I have so much respect for because he’s one of the reasons why I become so fixated to movies. You can tell if it’s a Danny Boyle movie and Trance had his footprints all over it. This movie may require your fullest concentration though. It reminded me when I watched Inception until I watched over and over again to really understood how the process work. So my advice is to take some time off, rent a blu-ray or DVD of Trance and watch it without being distracted with your phone or other distractions.

The movie is about hypnotism and it was nicely executed on how Danny managed to draw the audience’s attention on his artistic approach on hypnosis. The show started off slowly and the pace just picked up halfway and great performance from lead actors James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson. Oh by the way, there is a scene or two that might just “awe” you in a split second or in our case, a few good seconds relating to a Dawson scene :p Boyle has delivered yet another masterful piece. Verdict: 8.5/10 Marul 9 EmmaGoodEgg 9 Rottentomatoes 69%

The Wolverine

Wolverine. This was way better than the first Wolverine. Script wise and action were better off too. I’m not really familiar with the director of the latest Wolverine movie but James Mangold has fine tuned what was missing in the first Wolverine movie. He made the audience engaged and kept it interesting until the very end which is tricky for a superhero movie. Hugh Jackman showed up his best as Logan/Wolverine and did you know that Hugh Jackman has appeared the most in his character as the Wolverine? That’s a pretty good stat and I’m glad he didn’t end up like Robert Downey Jr who is now earning big bucks for his demanding role as Tony Stark.

The Wolverine was sharp, witty, humourous with some interesting chemistry between Logan and Mariko, his short-term interest *lol* This movie kinda gave me back some faith in the Wolverine movie series and I do hope James Mangold will continue his work for Wolverine sequels. It already has come to a point that we are kind tired with superhero movies but this flick kinda pumped some freshness. The fight scenes weren’t as many but they were spot on when it mattered. The bullet train scene was one of the best scenes for me and it definitely puts a huge shame on the over-hyped Lone Ranger movie which invested poorly on the train action scene. The Wolverine has delivered indeed. Verdict: 8/10 Terence Han 8 Melati 8.5 Rottentomatoes 68%

Before Midnight

Before Midnight. It’s very rare that I love movies that are basically based on two characters, well most of the time, talking and interacting with each other about relationships and challenges. Yes, this is true in all relationship that we will go through challenges and how we grow out of it as a couple. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy were simply outstanding in this well-scripted movie and this is a good testament that we don’t need an overhyped rom-com antics to make a movie successful.

There are many metaphors and lessons that can be learned from the dialogue between the two and it made me want to explore further on each of the character. The highlight of the movie for me is definitely the conversation which takes up 95% of the movie *lol* Did you know this is the third instalment of the series, the first being Before Sunrise (1995) and the second, Before Sunset (2004). I know this is not shown in Brunei and I caught this in Seattle. I believe this is still showing in Singapore. I’m gonna order the trilogy of the “Before” and I wonder if there will be another sequel. Hmmm… Verdict: 8/10 Rottentomatoes 98%

3096 Days

3096 Days. Not for the faint-hearted this flick as it depicts a true story that took place in 1998 where a 10-year old Natascha Kampusch was kidnapped by the Austrian Wolfgang Priklopil who held her captive as a slave for 3096 days. It is such a depressing movie to go through but I believe that’s the intention of the director to make the movie more surreal so the audience could feel the pain that Natascha was going through for many years.

It was mentioned that not all the ordeals were told through the lens and if you wanted to learn more in depth about Natascha’s experience, there’s a book of the same title that gives a more tense account. I felt there were some parts that could have made it more rewarding to show the strengths and the resilience of Natascha. Then again, this is not an easy movie to produce for the eyes of the public. However, I salute her for having the courage to share her experiences and let’s hope her messages will touch and inspire others of her inner strength. It would have been interesting if the movie actually cover her life after escaping. Then again, that would have been an anti-climax ending. Verdict: 7/10

Pain & Gain

Pain & Gain. Hmmmm The Rock has been pretty busy this year with loads of movie being lined up for him. He’s been in four movies this year and all of them combined for a total of $1.3 billion worldwide for this year alone.. Amazing!! This is the reason why he’s one of the bankable wrestler/actor in Hollywood now. So he played a role of Paul Doyle in Pain & Gain based on a true story about a group of personal gym trainers who committed crime back in the 90s.

I didn’t know this was directed by Michael Bay and of course, the other lead actor was Mark Wahlberg who played Daniel Lugo. I would say that this falls under dark comedy and I felt some of the translation of the characters were half-baked and The Rock didn’t do justice for the role or maybe he was trying to hard to play such a role. I was surprised such account of what they did were based on a true story and what a complicated story it turned out to be as they only had one simple mission that turned sour. Did I gain anything out of the movie? No, Did I felt some pain? Maybe. Some will enjoy it, some will feel it’s an ok movie. I fall in the latter. Verdict: 6/10 Rottentomatoes 45%

Sharknado. Click image to watch Sharknado.

Sharknado. LOL, I don’t even know where to begin with this flick.. Sharknado, seriously??? I knew it was gonna be some lame ass movie but this movie seemed to bring lots of hype prior to its release. It’s a kind of movie that sets your mind to a no-brainer mode and just appreciate what these guy had to offer. Sometimes I wonder with Hollywood stars that lost the A-factor will resort to B-grade movies. For instance, Tara Reid (American Pie) and Ian Ziering (the classic Beverly Hills 90210) were the main casts for Sharknado and they needn’t need to act to their best as the premise says it all – a freak storm that carry man-eating sharks in LA. Wokkayyy..

So like I said this will be a hit or miss movie and there are simply so many flaws in the movie that I was laughing throughout the action scenes. I’m pretty sure this will be a hit on DVD or even the audience will be glued when it screens on HBO or Astro. I doubt it will be shown in the cinemas as it’s on limited release. However, this Syfy monster drama might just be your cup of tea. You can watch the whole movie on youtube. It’s super lame that you might just appreciate it for once. I can’t believe it scored pretty high on RT *lol*Verdict: 4/10 and 7/10 for some cheap thrill entertainment Rottentomatoes 91%

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%

The Conjuring

The Conjuring. The most talked about horror movie this year. I watched this back in Seattle and it was good well-executed movie I have to admit. It’s never easy to bring freshness to a horror genre movie because we have seen it all and been through that process. We all are sucker for horror movies, right? But The Conjuring might just be the real deal here because of how it delivered the suspense and tension that we as the audience sought for whenever we watch a horror flick.

If you have seen the Exorcist, do expect a similar premise and I kinda preferred this movie overall because of its style the director managed to convey through horror and suspense. For once, I could sense that the audience were united as one, feeling terrified. Even postings on social media have been quite frequent on their experiences watching The Conjuring. I’m about to go for another round. Any, takers? Verdict: 8/10 Rottentomatoes 86%

Mr. Go

Mr. Go. I had reservations watching this because of the time constraint. But I’m glad I did before I flew back to Brunei. I’m also a sucker for Korean movies and Mr. Go was a great payoff. The only thing that didn’t register in my head is the fact of a gorilla, Mr. Go, playing baseball in the Korean League and he’s known for hitting home runs. Yeah, the idea might sound silly but I was more intrigued with the relationship between the 15 year old trainer and Mr. Go and put the gorilla’s sport agent in the mix, you have an interesting combo that was entertaining.

I hope to catch more Korean movies and sadly not much accessibility here in Brunei due to the cost involved. The movie Mr. Go is a definitely a crowd pleaser and it has a nice finale which I was pretty moved. Yea, I teared up a bit and excellent score too. Verdict: 8/10

jOBS

jOBS. I like how the movie was spelt in this manner – jOBS. This is a movie that I might have high expectation on because I’m a big fan of the late Steve Jobs and he is my role model too. Ashton Kutcher had a big role in playing Jobs and I’m not quite sure if he pulled it off nicely. Have you seen Pirates of the Silicon Valley? I prefer that depiction of Jobs more than how Ashton portrayed as Jobs and that POSV had more emotional attachment to me.

jOBS had the potential to do more and I wish the direction could have been tighter. A good example of a biopic movie that I enjoyed over and over again was The Social Network. The pacing was great and it needn’t have to tell the whole timeline either to portray the character of Mark Zuckerberg. The script was slightly weak and the performances from the rest were just average. Despite the flaws, I still enjoyed the early journey of Jobs. You can listen to my podcast review of jOBS here and see what are your thoughts. Oh, I postponed my flight to Brunei to catch the sneaks with the media. Thanks Tiff and Fonzie for the opportunity 😀 Verdict: 7/10 Tiffany 7 Fonzie 7 Rottentomatoes 43%

 

Many people – males and females – have already registered to volunteer to have their heads shaved to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer efforts in Brunei Darussalam, but the organizers would like to invite even more people to sign up and show their support for this cause.

The head-shaving activity will take place on 25th August during the upcoming ASEAN Year Consumer Fair which will be held on 21 – 25 August at the BRIDEX Hall in Jerudong. Participants will be shaved by hairdressers from IA Salon and will receive tokens of appreciation for their shows of support including a T-shirt which proudly states “ I did it!”

The charity event is organized by Consumer Fair organizer Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd, the Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group, and IA Salon.

Registration to participate in this significant event can be done at the Sunlit Advertising office in Beribi during office hours Monday to Friday until 12 August. Registration cards should be returned back to Sunlit Advertising office latest by 16th August. Anyone with a valid identity card or passport can sign up to collect donations through sponsorships to have their head shaved.

It’s happening in a few weeks’ time 😀

The sneak preview few weeks ago

Direct donations to the BBCSG can also be made now via the donation box located at the Sunlit Advertising office. The donation box will also be available during the Consumer Fair.

All funds raised from this charity head-shaving will be donated to the Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group towards buying educational tools to increase the public’s knowledge of breast cancer as well as to directly help breast cancer patients in Brunei Darussalam.

For those who wants to “Go Bald” on the spot, you are more than welcome to do so and perhaps there will be a registration process too before the shaving procedure and of course, you can also donate straightaway through the donation box. You won’t need the donation card then.

Sunlit Advertising would like to express its deep appreciation to those who have already registered to show support for the breast cancer cause through having their heads shaved, as well as of those who have generously donated via the donation box at the Sunlit Advertising office in Beribi.

Sunlit Advertising would also like to make aware to the public to be cautious in making donations to photocopied donation cards and fake collectors soliciting funds purportedly for this charity activity. For more information, please contact Sunlit Advertising at 2-453666.

For those who go bald, you will get this t-shirt

Don’t forget to return your donation cards latest by 16th August. You can still collect the donation card at Sunlit Advertising office until 12th August.

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We had a quick tour at the Boeing Operations Center last week

Now the trip to the Boeing Operation Center. I have to say this is like the “play room” for the Boeing that are in operation around the world. The Boeing Commercial Airplanes Center’s role are very crucial to their airline customers and Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) are one of their clients too. Their role is not as easy as it seems – to monitor the technicality of the Boeings if the planes need urgent attention or if they have engineering issues and these guys work around the clock 24/7 with great customer support of a current fleet of some 12,000 Boeing… Amazing!!!

So paid a visit to one of the operation center that handles the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and we were briefed on how each of the departments have their specific role on the different aspect of the 787. For instance, they can monitor the quality level of the component and they will inform the client even way before it hits critical level so their clients will be aware of what needs attention. Boeing 787 has been using new braking system and it’s electric compared to the previous types of brakes. Hence, the operation center will be able to detect should some of the components of the brake if it needs to be attended to or replaced.

I guess that’s the awesome part about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Not only that Royal Brunei are getting the Dreamliners but they will be enjoying the perks of the after-sale service such as the around-the-clock customer service on the conditions and also maintenance for the Dreamliners. That service alone is a clear winner and it’s no surprise that there are many orders for the Boeing 787 from different countries.

It was definitely a privilege to actually witness behind-the-scene of the Boeing Operation Center for the Dreamliner. Thank you, Boeing, for the insightful tour.

The director who oversees the operation of the Boeing 787

The 787s that in operation at that time of the moment

They can even check the crew oxygen pressure from the control room. Amazing!

Even WWE superstars congratulated them on their milestone last year

 

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This is an awesome deal happening right now from Standard Chartered Bank who had a great tie up with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and why so? Because you can travel to a destination by buying one ticket and getting the other ticket FREEEEEE!!!!!! Awesome, right?? The new destinations will be announced every Wednesday from 31st July 2013 to 14 August 2013. So for last week, it was Kuala Lumpur, one of the most popular destinations among Bruneians. For this week, the destination is featured on their website, so go check it out!!

So how does this work? Ok, here’s the deal. You really have to be quick in buying your air ticket via www.flyroyalbrunei.com on a Wednesday as only the first 50 customers who purchased via online will be eligible for the FREE ticket of that particular destination which will be Kuala Lumpur for this week. The successful recipient of the promotion of the FREE ticket will receive an SMS after one working day and an email will be sent to you accordingly. For more, T&C click here.

The travel period for the free ticket ex-Brunei is from 13th October to 28th November 2013 and 3rd January to 23rd January and 8th February to 28th February 2014. For your info, this promotion does not apply to VISA corporate, VISA Business credit cards or e-Cash Card.

So get your Stanchart credit cards prepared for tomorrow as the booking period will be only from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday 7th August. For more info, you can click here and here for their Facebook updates 😀 I’m very certain this promotion will sky rocket like crazy. Great collaboration between Stanchart and RB.
 Stay tuned for next week’s destination (and a good time to sign up for Stanchart credit card too). 

 

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

One of the highlights of my Seattle trip is the Everett Tour. This is the assembly point for the Boeing planes that we see flying around the world. I love it!!! I’m just in awe and I don’t know how to describe the feeling at all. I shared my thoughts with the Boeing management on how amazed I was with the Boeing’s Everett Factory where is the home to the 747, 767, 777 and of course the 787 Dreamliner production lines.

Did you know that the Everett Factory is the biggest plane factory in the world? We were fortunate that we were able to take photos and videos at the Boeing factory so that was definitely an awesome experience. It was quite a long tour because the factory was just massive and you will be awe on how the production lines work there.

We managed to see two Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) planes in the midst of production at the Everett Factory and they are half way from completion and they should be ready by mid-August or early September in time for the delivery of RB’s first Boeing 787 to Brunei by end of September or early October 2013.

Did you know that Brunei Darussalam will be the first country in South East Asia to fly the Boeing 787? That’s a significant milestone for a small country but this really shows what Royal Brunei represents and the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is also in line with their rebranding strategy. RB is really taking their vision and rebranding seriously and they are slowly paying dividends and gaining back the confidence from the public.

Anyway, my next post will be the press conference and the presentation by Azhani Abu Daniel, RB’s Head of Corporate Communications and you will know more in depth on RB’s direction and their take on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The proudest moment for me then was stepping on the first RB’s 787 while it was still in production.

Thank you Boeing and RB for giving us the opportunity to explore the Everett Factory as well as viewing RB’s 787 Dreamliner. Soon, it won’t be a dream as you will be able to experience as a passenger on the 787 😀

Our Boeing passes prior to entering the factory

The Everett factory is humungous to say the least. It’s the biggest plane factory in the world.

The working office environment at Everett factory

Dress in white

The top angle view of RB’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

It’s amazing how they can build airplanes in just a short span of time

There’s still no exact news on when the Dreamliner will make its way to Brunei in Sept/Oct 2013

The internal components of the wings. This sight made me more appreciative of the wings of any airplane

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The interior of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The internal parts of the turbine

The deck station of the Boeing 787

Proudly present to you RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The other side of the factory which produces tons of the Boeing 777

RA says normally when you see this iconic inset picture, you may thought that it will be another Ugly Truth segment *lol* I haven’t been attending my blog lately and guilt is there but I ask myself to who do I owe my postings to (apart from my clients)? Actually I created that expectations in myself which kinda set the mentality of others that I will always be active and constantly updating my blog on a daily basis. I would do it automatically and naturally especially when I’m in Brunei. Somehow I find that pattern to be slightly different when I’m outstation because of the tons of distractions that I find myself indulge to. Most of all, I look forward to take time off the blogging world and you can still catch me on my social media outlets as I’m pretty active there.

My previous posting may be have some controversial element but I do hope the discussions I have raised can be taken as constructive rather than blame. I do understand and appreciate the role that MUIB have to play in our community and we have respect the rulings imposed by MUIB. Having respect doesn’t mean that we don’t respect other people’s constructive opinions. I’m not sure what’s the latest news but the last I could recall is that the Municipal Board won’t take any action should the new rulings on restaurants are not being met. If you missed the story, just scroll down the post and that, my friend, is still an unfinished article. Ah well, let it pass, otherwise I will get caught in writing nonsense.

Right now I’m still in Singapore after transiting from Seattle a few nights ago. My sleeping pattern hasn’t fully adjusted to normal body clock. Let’s give it a few more days and hopefully before Hari Raya and I will be back on the groove. My sleeping hours is at an average of 4-5 hours which is not healthy. Yesterday I even yawned during my first experience of The Phantom of the Opera musical broadway. I’m not saying that the broadway was boring. Just shows how tired I can be during the day while fasting and lack of sleep. Anyway, the musical broadway was pretty, pretty good. Judging overall, The Wicked might just pipped Phantom of the Opera in terms of entertainment value but the ending of the Opera was one of the best I’ve seen on a musical play.

So far I’m enjoying my short stay in Singapore as my family is here too. They will be celebrating Hari Raya in Singapore but I shall be back pretty soon. I have indulged myself in spending or maybe overspend myself in Adidas apparels which is unhealthy. Now I have to discipline myself and focus on just enjoying my short stay in Singapore. One thing that I bought is an iRig Mic Cast for my phone as I will be pursuing a new avenue by having sound bytes from @ranoadidas through SoundCloud 😀 You can click here to listen to my first sound byte and I’m still thinking on what to talk about. One of it could be on movies since I’m a movie buff but I would need a partner for that segment. I’m kinda excited about this project since it’s a spin-off from the usually blog or reading format. Having the listen to a voice makes it more intimate and gives more edge to the topic 😀

I shall continue later with my movie reviews.. For now, I’m off to sleep.

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RA says first of all, Happy weekend to all of you. I’m still recovering from jet lag from my US trip and it’s not easy you know especially if you are traveling back and forth from the US in just less than a week. Nonetheless, it was a fun trip indeed and I would have chose the option to stay a night or two longer than usual. There were still places of interests that I didn’t manage to visit such as the space needle, Seattle Art Museum and the Pike Market to name a few. Hopefully I will be sent again to Seattle in September insyaAllah and I will make those visits a reality. Anyway, a big thanks to Royal Brunei Airlines and Boeing Company for the wonderful experience in Seattle for the past few days.

Ok for today’s Ugly Truth, it will be slightly controversial and it has been controversial from the public responses ever since The Brunei Times posted a front page article about the new directive where Non-muslims are not allowed to dine in restaurants and cafes that are owned by Muslims or partly owned by Muslims. This statement alone have already raised some eyebrows especially the way it was worded in the article as it can be perceived as racist or prejudice though I can assure that wasn’t the intention by them. I believe if the article was written or rephrased in a different manner, it would have eliminated the risk of such perception. Then again, such article is a tricky one to express with factual contents given by the Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) last week and for the past week or so, the hot topic has been this issue which has been reported six times in a span of a week in The Brunei Times.

My instagram posting alone last week hit a record 160 comments and it was the first time that I also posted something that I don’t 100% agree to an extent of the new directive set by MUIB. I knew what implications it might bring because it’s a religious related. Honestly, when the previous directive on the shops closing during Friday prayers, it was a culture shock for many but it was a good move and slowly many saw the significance and intention behind it.

However, for this particular directive, it has sparked some mixed feelings and some had good arguments and the rationale on why the new directive won’t seem fit for our country. The trending reason that I picked up from the discussions and comments boils down to “tolerance”. I do have a similar argument to this but what boggles me is the timing of the implementation of the directive from MUIB. Why was it announced by the halfway mark of Ramadhan? Yes, I have seen many argued for that this is the best move by MUIB.

However, they failed to see the inappropriate timing of the execution which was in the middle of the Ramadhan which made the council looked unprepared for such a plan. In other words, it wasn’t a properly executed plan. For a proper execution, they would have done an awareness campaign to inform the public through the media prior to Ramadhan rather than an impromptu deployment of the directive which caused a huge culture shock to many.

The new directive that stirred some mixed feelings from the public. Click image to read the comments from my instagram posting.

I do appreciate MUIB for carrying out their duties for the good of Brunei and also shaping Brunei into a Zikir Nation. Perhaps the execution of things could have been done more appropriate and timely too. With the recent coverage in The Brunei Times, this doesn’t look good on the image of the council and I have predicted that it might end up with a scenario like this.

This situation could have given much thought and even the Municipal Board has come into the picture as they are the one issuing memos to restaurants and cafes on the new directive. However, it was to the public’s knowledge that NO ACTION will be taken against Muslim restaurant owners should they still allow dining in service in their premises during Ramadhan. It was mentioned in The Brunei Times that this is just an awareness period to advise and inform the public of the new directive. Hence no action will be taken against Muslim operators who served during the day time.

This is one reason why I thought that the new directive seemed so rushed and now even the public seemed uncertain of the situation. After the announcement from the Municipal Board, I have a few restaurant owners who are quite furious as they have already taken steps in changing their business hours. This is the kind of stuff that could have been avoided. Where’s the proper planning and execution of the new directive?

To be fair, there are quite a number of people that applauded such move by the MUIB and it’s 60/40 are against the new ruling according to the comments I received on my instagram. I would like to thank my followers on instagram on their comments (pros and cons) and it is nice to have different views of things and that’s the great gift that we all have – the expression of our thoughts and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to agree or disagree with it because we are entitled to our opinions. What pisses me off are people who are rude and inconsiderate in replying comments in an uncivilized manner which makes a discussion fruitless and less constructive. In this month of Ramadhan, it’s about our inner strength, faith, discipline and patience to name a few.

I’m happy that The Brunei Times are quite engrossed in this issue and it’s no surprise that their hits are hitting like crazy ever since it became a debatable topic. I’m pretty sure this will still be an ongoing topic and I’m not sure if MUIB will be reviewing the policy after some mixed responses from the public. For you info, the MUIB stated the the new ruling was in accordance with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darusslam’s 2007 titah to turn Brunei into a Zikir nation which was highlighted in today’s paper.

All in all, I hope MUIB will review the new ruling and that’s just my opinion and I welcome positive and constructive criticism for a more open ended dialogue. Sorry for the long rant 😀 Happy Ramadhan.

Click image to see more of Netcom Computer House from their Facebook Page

 

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

 

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

 

One of the popular places for breaking fast – Tasek Brasserie!!

 

Click image to enter website

Follow @pazzionbrunei on FB and IG. Do click on banner to see more more of the shoes from Pazzion

 

Ramadhan brings out the best in muslims, and inspires people to do more good deeds, especially helping those with lesser means. With that very goal in mind, staff from Total E&P Borneo B.V. (TEPB) & Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo B.V. (TEPDOB) volunteered to hand out donations as part of TOTAL’s Ramadhan Charity 2013 on 27th July 2013.

This is the 4th Total Ramadhan Charity organized by TOTAL which aimed to provide assistance to the underprivileged community living in Kg Lumut 1, where Total Onshore Processing Plant (OPP) operates. The In-Kind Donation (basic food supplies) comes from TEPB & TEPDOB, and as well as personal contributions from TEPB & TEPDOB staff members.

The 9 cheerful volunteers, led by Muhd Rasimoon Adinin, Head of HR and Corp Communications, were assisted by members of Majlis Perundingan Kampung (MPK) Lumut 1, who were led by Yang Berhormat Hj Md Shafiee bin Ahmad, Ketua Kg Lumut 1. The group visited a five (5) households, which were selected from the list from JAPEM and advised further by YB Hj Md Shafiee bin Ahmad. Among the donations were staples such as rice, cooking oil, drinking water, eggs and food hampers which were happily unloaded from the coach which ferried the group around to the different locations that morning.

The group first visited the house of Awg Ibrahim bin Matnor, whose house was partly burnt. He and his family had been living without electricity for some time as the generators that had been providing electricity had broken down. Awg Ibrahim had been relying on his old age pension to support his wife and his two children.

They also visited the home Dyg Aliana bte Mohamad, who is currently living with her mother after her husband passed away. She and her two children were overwhelmed as the volunteers carried in the various donations and were thankful for the assistance for the upcoming Hari Raya season. 

Mr Yves Grosjean, General Manager of TEPB & TEPDOB , handing over the cheque on behalf of Total to Dato Paduka Haji Ali Hashim bin Haji Daud, Acting Managing Director, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah

Group photo with Total and Yayasan

Jean De-Zilva, Acting Corporate Services Manager of TEPB & TEPDOB, handing over to the residence of Dyg Norhaidah bte Yusof

The volunteers last Saturday

As well as the donations in Kg Lumut, the 4th Total Ramadhan Charity was organized to continue provide a helping hand to the community where Total operates. This year, the project also included the following events :

 (1) Assistance to national orphans fund : where 7K BND was donated to Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans (Dana) on Wed, 24 July 2013. Mr Yves Grosjean, General Manager of TEPB & TEPDOB , handed over the cheque on behalf of Total to Dato Paduka Haji Ali Hashim bin Haji Daud, Acting Managing Director, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. 

(2) Assistance to orphans of Total former staff : On Wed, 24 July 2013 at the residence of Dyg Norhaidah bte Yusof, staff from TEPB & TEPDOB, led by Jean De-Zilva, Acting Corporate Services Manager, held a tahlil recital, and the two orphans (aged 14 & 15 respectively) received some cash and hamper donation from the Total representatives.

 

From my posts on RA and Instagram, you are probably aware that I’m in Seattle, Washington, right now and the purpose of my trip was to experience the operations, the marketing and behind the scenes of the Boeing company that makes, well…. Boeing planes and in this case, I will be focusing on Boeing’s latest product which is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Of course, we also have the privilege to sneak preview Royal Brunei Airline’s Dreamliner at the Everett Factory. All of this experience won’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Royal Brunei who brought along with them the print media as well as the bloggers from Brunei Darussalam.

Also during the trip, RB will be having their own press conference for the media to gather more information on how the Dreamliner ties in with their re-branding strategy and what impact it will have on the RB’s vision and also their customer. I shall touch on that on the next post. But for now, let me focus on the 1st Day itinerary of our RB trip which is located at the Dreamliner Gallery.

We were introduced to Casey Goelzer, Regional Director of Product Marketing, Boeing Commercial Planes, who spent 10-15 minutes on the presentation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I actually read some of the features and technology of the 787 online but the explanation by Casey gave me more cool insights about the 787s and I was already amazed by 787 planes.

Ok, since the information I have learnt is overloaded, I will quickly brief what is so freaking amazing about the Boeing 787s. Even listening and engaging on Casey’s presentation, it just made me become more eager to experience the 787 which is just 6-8 weeks away from being delivered to Brunei Darussalam. So here it just a quick recap and I will point out one or two points that is the drawing factor for me as a consumer.

• Full market coverage from 100-500 seats. It’s most likely RB will be taking 220-240 seats which is economically viable for RB’s long term planes.
• Environmentally progressive. It reduces CO2 emissions because of the fuel efficiency improvement and even building the planes have reduced the usage of hazardous chemicals and overall wastage.
• Quieter. In a sense that there’s less noise pollution as this is very common in other Boeing models and yes, we do get accustomed to the noise but imagine that being reduced by a significant amount which will make your flying experience a better one.
• Long-range, fast and reliable. This due to the fact of the new composites used on the planes and plus Brunei capacity load of 200ish passenger loads makes the journey slightly faster and smoother. Did you know they are 7% better in aerodynamics than today’s airplanes?
• Smoother flight experience. This is because of the improvement of the wings and with a more advanced sensor, 787s are able to counter the air level of fluctuations which cause the bumpy rides.
• Low operating cost because of the cost effective maintenance as well as lower fuel consumption by 20% than other airplanes. This can prove vital for RB’s economic growth as a national carrier.
• Better passenger experience. This is one thing that I would like to highlight more as I learnt during the presentation by Casey’s on the 787s and their strengths. Perhaps one of the awesome feature is the electronic dimmable windows which I will explain further. There’s also more humidity inside the plane and of course, more leg room for the comfort of the economy passengers. I shall do a full depth review of the experience once the RB’s Dreamliner is making its way to Brunei in late September tentatively.

Casey was more than happy that Royal Brunei haven taken that extra edge and chose to invest in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which have been creating many positive waves in Brunei and hopefully outside Brunei Darussalam too.

“My First Day on the Job” experience at the Dreamliner Gallery in Seattle

Casey Goezler, Regional Director, Product Marketing of Boeing, gave us a comprehensive view of 787 Dreamliner features and how Royal Brunei is heading on the right track

The presentation of RB’s 787-8 Overview

The improvements of the 787 Dreamliner

Marul, Haadi and Danial listening to the presentation of the 787 Dreamliner

Royal Brunei’s 787 Dreamliner model standing out from the pack

Next up was Mark Larson, Technical Manager of Boeing Company and he is stationed at Boeing’s Dreamliner Gallery. This is where he deals with Boeing’s clients in terms of choosing specifications for Boeing planes such as the galley, the lavatories, the passengers seats, fabrics and many more. He toured us to different parts of the Boeing Dreamliner Gallery and I was simply amazed how thorough the process was that every component has its own dedicated showroom. He is a private pilot too which gives him an advantage on what’s best for their clients (airlines).

So basically the 787 Dreamliner Gallery streamlines and centralizes the 787 configuration experience. If you want to design your 787 or configure it to your specifications, this is the place. It’s like a one-stop centre as you will be able to experience the quality of the different types of components they have. It is so detailed that you as a client will be able to see a mocked up scenario on how the interior of the plane feels or looks like on different modes of lighting settings.

Even the discussion rooms are quite inviting and comforting. Boeing are serious about giving their clients the best service so even though it’s a private environment for meetings, it still can be done in a more composed, relaxed surrounding.

Thank you Casey and Mark for the briefing of the 787 Dreamliner and the tour of the Dreamliner Gallery respectively. A big thanks to Wilson Chow, Communications and Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, for handling the logistics of the Brunei delegate. You have taken good care of us since Day 1 and I really appreciate your help on that. My next post will be focusing more on the Everett Factory where the Boeings are being assembled (another mind blowing experience).

Wilson introducing Mark Larson to the Brunei delegates

The new windows of the Dreamliner was so awesome that they have a mocked up version of it at the Dreamliner Gallery. The windows are now slightly positioned at head level and it is longer than before. This is to give a better experience of the passengers sitting in the middle of the planes to have a good view outside as well.

Another impressive feature of the window is that you can control the tint level of the window from clear to fully tinted with a press of a button and you can also choose the level of tint you desire. Isn’t that awesome??

Mark showing us the different types of galleys to choose from

Did you know that lighting inside the plane does make a huge difference to customer experience? You might not be aware of it but you will be surprised on how lights do make a much better experience on any flights.

One major difference of the 787 Dreamliner is the size of the cabins.. There are hugeeeee and have more space than other airlines. They also have a good indicator to alert the cabin crew from a distance if the cabin is not properly close.

This room reminds me of Fabrica back in Brunei and it’s a place where the client chooses what kind of fabric or color they want for the interior of the 787. Awesome, aye?

The choices of the interior they can choose from

So what’s your favourite color?

Samples of the lavatories and the food equipments for the planes

One of the innovative part of the 787 is the braking system which moves from hydraulics to electric. This reduces the mechanical complexity which can be easily monitored. This image is the actual brake component used in the 787s.

Haadi in “sakai” mode trying out the Busines Class seats for 787s. They have different types for the clients to configure and choose.

Marul and Azhani trying out the Business Class experience for the 787 Dreamliner and this is the one that Royal Brunei will be using for their Business Class passengers. Thumbs up!!

We were being jobless and trying out the different types of economy seats

I also had the experience on how the cockpit deck feels like in the Dreamliner. I have new found respect for pilots now 😀

Azhani getting some taste of being a pilot

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This is an awesome deal happening right now from Standard Chartered Bank who had a great tie up with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and why so? Because you can travel to a destination by buying one ticket and getting the other ticket FREEEEEE!!!!!! Awesome, right?? The new destinations will be announced every Wednesday from 31st July 2013 to 14 August 2013. So for this week will be Kuala Lumpur, one of the most popular destinations among Bruneians.

So how does this work? Ok, here’s the deal. You really have to be quick in buying your air ticket via www.flyroyalbrunei.com on a Wednesday as only the first 50 customers who purchased via online will be eligible for the FREE ticket of that particular destination which will be Kuala Lumpur for this week. The successful recipient of the promotion of the FREE ticket will receive an SMS after one working day and an email will be sent to you accordingly.

The travel period for the free ticket ex-Brunei is from 13th October to 28th November 2013 and 3rd January to 23rd January and 8th February to 28th February 2014. For your info, this promotion does not apply to VISA corporate, VISA Business credit cards or e-Cash Card.

So get your Stanchart credit cards prepared for today as the booking period will be only from 11am and it has been extended to 5pm, Wednesday 31st July 2013. For more info, you can click here and here for their Facebook updates 😀 I’m very certain this promotion will sky rocket like crazy. Great collaboration between Stanchart and RB.
 Stay tuned for next week’s destination (and a good time to sign up for Stanchart credit card too). 

 

It was my first baseball experience at the Major Baseball League and I was pretty close in catching one of the games when I was in San Francisco in 2008 but that never happened. So yesterday was an awesome experience indeed as Boeing sponsored us to watch the Seattle Mariners vs Minnesota Twins.

Yesterday was a special day as it was a 777 Boeing Day for the Mariners. So the hashtag for the game was #777mariners and there were plenty of tweets and postings on IG with regards to the game. We also toured around the stadium and wow… I’m simply amazed by the facilities as well as the activities they have for the fans and the public to take part. It’s not just a game of baseball but also a culture of bringing people and families together and the feeling was pretty great too.

It was also the first time I saw a few home runners in a baseball game and how we responded to big hits, hoping it will go beyond the border for a home run and that alone was a great feeling of anticipation. I believe there were 3 or 4 moments of home run incidents that brought the crowd to life. In the end, Seattle Mariners won the game 6-4.

Thank you once again Boeing for the invitation and also to Royal Brunei for making this possible and I won’t mind going for another baseball game on my next trip. By the way, after our one and a half day flight to Seattle, we headed for the baseball game 3 hours after landing *lol* Talk about jet lag…. 

My first job on the day at Seattle, driving the Brunei delegates to Safeco Field for the match between Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins

Outside the Safeco Field :))

We got the Suite Deck rooms for the big match. Thanks, Boeing, for the tickets!!

The security check at Safeco Building

This guy was looking for tickets but I wasn’t willing to sell my suite deck tickets 😀

The corridor outside the suite deck

The Brunei delegate enjoying the hospitality at the Suite Deck

What an honour to watch my first Major Baseball League 😀

The function of the baseball

The Brunei gang in Seattle sponsored by Royal Brunei

Standing up for one of the national songs

Sim posing at the Safeco Field

Souvenirs and displays at Safeco Field

A lot of souvenir stalls for Seattle Mariners

They have the sauces for the public to use

The wonderful Safeco Field at Seattle

Sim was happy after the home run effort by the Mariners

Chai was still coping with jet lag

The ladies representing the Seattle Mariners

Respecting the players while in play

The Mexican Wave

This mascot was so cool and he even did a jumping headstand

Sheriff on patrol

Our photo managed to get posted on the huge screen though the hashtag #777mariners

 

Catch Linkin Park Live in Malaysia in August

This is an opportunity should not be missed! Linkin Park is exclusively touring Malaysia in this part of the SEA region as Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are not included in the tour due to limited of time available from the band.

 Linkin Park ‘Living Things’ World Tour Live In Malaysia 2013 is organized by The WonderLand+ will take place at Stadium Nasional, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur on August 19 at 8pm. Ticket prices are categorized into free seating – RM95, RM195, RM295; and free standing – RM350 (Playground Zone), RM450 (Rock Zone), RM550 (The Pit) and RM680 (VIP).

AirAsia travelers flying in to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City can enjoy 10% discount of concert ticket(s) during the promotion and booking period from 19 July 2013 until 18 August 2013.

The ticketing and seating arrangements

 

Trendnet products at Netcom Computer Housse

Prolink products at Netcom Computer Housse

 

Raya Special discounts on Carter’s, Baby Gap and Gymboree at Ohso, The Mall

Click image to enter website

Follow @pazzionbrunei on FB and IG. Do click on banner to see more more of the shoes from Pazzion

 

Click banner to find out more!!

This is an awesome deal from Standard Chartered Bank who had a great tie up with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and why so? Because you can travel to a destination by buying one ticket and getting the other ticket FREEEEEE!!!!!! Awesome, right?? The new destinations will be announced every Wednesday from 31st July 2013 to 14 August 2013. So for this week will be Kuala Lumpur, one of the most popular destinations among Bruneians.

So how does this work? Ok, here’s the deal. You really have to be quick in buying your air ticket via www.flyroyalbrunei.com on a Wednesday as only the first 50 customers who purchased via online will be eligible for the FREE ticket of that particular destination which will be Kuala Lumpur for this week. The successful recipient of the promotion of the FREE ticket will receive an SMS after one working day and an email will be sent to you accordingly.

The travel period for the free ticket ex-Brunei is from 13th October to 28th November 2013 and 3rd January to 23rd January and 8th February to 28th February 2014. For your info, this promotion does not apply to VISA corporate, VISA Business credit cards or e-Cash Card.

So get your Stanchart credit cards prepared for this Wednesday as the booking period will be only from 11am to 2pm, Wednesday 31st July 2013. For more info, you can click here and here for their Facebook updates 😀 I’m very certain this promotion will sky rocket like crazy. Great collaboration between Stanchart and RB. Thumbs up!!

Stay tuned for next week’s destination (and a good time to sign up for Stanchart credit card too).

Follow @pazzionbrunei on FB and IG. Do click on banner to see more more of the shoes from Pazzion

 

I shall be on hiatus for at least a day. So a word of alert to the readers of RA as I will be spending more time in the air traveling to the States with a bunch of media with Royal Brunei representatives to view the Dreamliner Boeing 787 in Seattle. Right now I’m documenting this post in my 5 hour pitstop room at Park Avenue Changi which is a decent boutique hotel and it’s just like 10-15 minutes away from Changi Airport.

I will spare more details and more write up on our trip pretty soon and I’m hoping there is Wifi on Delta Airlines which provides Wifi access on certain routes. But I doubt our flight will provide such service but if it does, that will be awesome!!! Anyway, stay tune for more updates.. I’m about to check out of the room to catch the 5:30am flight transiting Narita, Japan before heading off to Seattle.

Man, I feel like a zombie now……

The guys from the media heading off to Seattle. Thank you, RB

My companions for the next few days

Thank you, RB, for the drink and dates to break the fast

My meal on board

Finally a group photo of the whole crew that’s heading to Seattle

I like the rooms at Park Avenue Changi. I wonder how is it per night. And we only stayed here for 5 hours before heading off to airport 😮

Click image to see more of Netcom Computer House from their Facebook Page

 

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

 

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

 

One of the popular places for breaking fast – Tasek Brasserie!!

 

Click image to enter website

Follow @pazzionbrunei on FB and IG. Do click on banner to see more more of the shoes from Pazzion

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night reminded organisers of public events, especially sports events, to take into account and respect prayer times and stressed that events should not be scheduled at times that make Muslims neglect obligatory prayers that they must fulfil.

His Majesty delivered a titah to mark the National Level Nuzul Al-Quran 1434 Hijrah celebration (Revelation of the Quran) at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas recently.

Also present at the event was HRH Prince Abdul Malik as well as other members of the royal family.

His Majesty also consented to present prizes to winners of various categories of the Final Stage of the National Competition for Memorisation of Al-Quran and its Interpretations, including the Category for MABIMS member countries.

Nine-year-old Ak Mohamad Khairul Hakimin bin Pg Mohammad Aminuddin emerged as the champion of Category ‘A’.

His Majesty presents the trophy to nine-year-old Ak Mohamad Khairul Hakimin. Photo by Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin

In the titah, the monarch reminded that reading the Quran and performing the -daily prayers are fundamental towards ensuring the continuity of the nation’s social life. “Without them, our existence will be weak and lifeless,” His Majesty said, adding that neglecting it is not acceptable.

When planning any form of activities, His Majesty said prayers should not be secluded. “Do not overlook this, because if we do so in this respect, it means that we are inviting the curse from Allah the Almighty,” His Majesty added.

His Majesty cited a recent event dubbed “The Run”, which according to the monarch received participants for registration from as early as 4am. ‘At 4.40am participants were asked to assemble for a warm-up session which began at Sam which was followed by running events, including entertainment. Only at 8.30am the guest of honour arrived and followed by other events it finished by 9.30am,” His Majesty said.

“Looking at the schedule, wouldn’t it be strange if someone asked where was Subuh prayer? Because Subuh prayer at that time was at 4.43am, whereas events had already commenced before the prayer and went on throughout the day,” His Majesty added.

With thousands of participants at the event, His Majesty said it is undisputable that the majority are Muslims. “Where were they during the Subuh prayer? Where were their thoughts on during the call for prayers?” His Majesty rhetorically asked.

His Majesty also questioned the roles of the organisers and leaders involved in the event, asking why were they not there to rectify the situation and why didn’t they take the issue seriously.

“Amazingly, people could still laugh, despite the reality that thousands of youths, men and women failed to perform the Subuh prayer, despite knowing the fact that it is priceless performing two ‘raka’at’ of the Sunnat Subuh prayer,” His Majesty added.

His Majesty hoped that it will not be repeated again, reiterating the need for event organisers and leaders to be more vigilant in planning for events that involve their staff and members of the public.

“They need to evaluate and ensure that plans are in line with Islamic teachings, because if they are contradicting, doesn’t this mean that we are insulting ourselves and our religion?” the monarch asked.

Earlier in the titah, the monarch reminded that the Quran is the greatest miracle and also the theme of the Nuzul Al-Quran celebration this year, “Al-Quran as the Source of Strength”, referring to a firman by Allah the Almighty in Surah al-Hasyr, verse 21.

The verse, His Majesty said, highlights the supremacy and vigour of the Quran. “If we embrace it as a constitution for life, its force will undoubtedly emerge to the believers.”

His Majesty said we must unyieldingly hold on to the Quran, embrace its laws and take heed from its reminders. “With this, Insya Allah, we can attain the real aura and vigour. I want to see everyone fluent in Al-Quran reading, so our nation will together attain strength.”

Referring to the Compulsory Religious Education Order 2012 which was enforced recently, His Majesty hoped that in doing so, all our younger generation, particularly our students pursuing higher education overseas would no longer be Al-Quran illiterate nor unable to perform the daily prayers. Image courtesy of Dean Kassim and text courtesy of Hakim Hayat of Borneo Bulletin.

The recent marathon last June “The Run”

 

Sometimes it is great to know institution running educational competition such as essay writing and drawing competition with a particular theme that relates to a growing trend in a country. The issue with road safety is still a huge problem in Brunei and the authorities are doing their best to see how they can go about improving the situation through means of education. So I thought the Essay and Drawing competition organised by AITI for schools is one way of the best way in educating the students on road safety.

Well, it was part of the World Telecommunication and Information Day (WTISD) theme this year which is “ICTs and Improving Road Safety”. The competition was organised by AITI with the support from the Ministry of Communications, the Brunei Darussalam Road Safety Council, Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru), Data Stream Technology Sdn Bhd (DST) and B.Mobile Communications Sdn. Bhd.

The Guest of Honour was Yang Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib Bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohamad Yusof, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications, Chairman of AITI, and Chairman of the Brunei Darussalam Road Safety Council.

Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar, Acting Chief Executive of AITI, delivered the welcoming remarks. In his welcoming remark, he mentioned, “It may seem strange to talk about how ICT can relate to the improving Road Safety. But, that’s not the case in today’s world where ICT is an enabler in our daily lives including to improve the transportation (such as cars) which we use to commute. A variety of “driver assistance” technologies are appearing on new cars, which will not only take a lot of the stress out of driving in traffic but also prevent or minimize many accidents.

The competition was launched on 11th May 2013 and was opened to four categories:

• Lower Primary Level Category which was opened to students in Year 1 to Year 3. Titled: “Don’t Use Mobile Phones While Driving”.
• Upper Primary Level Category which was opened to students in Year 4 to Year 6. Titled: “How Can ICT Improve Road Essay Writing Competition
• Secondary Level Category which was opened to students in Year 7 to Year 11. Titled: “Technology Can Improve Road Safety. Discuss.” (700 – 800 words).
• Tertiary Level Category which was opened to students in the tertiary level. Titled: “The Future of Technology and its Impact Road Safety. Explain.” (between 1000 – 1200 words).

Group photo with the winners

She couldn’t believe she won a Samsung S4

One of the winners of WTISD

Ashley Kho, a third place winner

A proud young winner

Ain’t this cute?

First place winner of the drawing competition in the lower primary was Siti Nurhaziqah bte Hj Md Ali Hanafiah of Stella’s School who took home an Apple iPad and $300 cash prize. Muhammad Fahmi Waiz bin Hj Junaidi of Tungku Brunei III Primary School and Noor Um’mi Hasana bte Hj Abd Zamri came second and third respectively. Each received $200 and $300 cash respectively.

In the upper primary drawing category, the first place winner was Siti Nursyafiyah bte Jefri from Sultan Abdul Mubin Sg Besar Primary School who took home a Samsung Galaxy Tab and $300 cash prize. Tee Gi En from Seri Mulia Sarjana and Noor Muhd Asa bin Salim from Dato Marsal Primary School bagged the second and third prizes winning cash prize of $200 and $100 respectively.

Meanwhile, the first place winner in the secondary level category essay competition, was Siti Nurizzatul Najibah bte Muslim from Pengiran Anak Puteri Masna Secondary School who won a Samsung Galaxy S4 and $500 in cash. Second place went to Ana Kairunnisa Fernanda Afonso bte Metusin of Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri with $300 cash followed by Md Amir Putera Razzaqharfan Hakeemuddin bin Hj Yacob from Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College with $200 cash. Contestants were required to write an original essay comprising 700 to 800 words.

In the tertiary level essay competition, Adeline Liew Wei Ying of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) ranked first followed by Ak Abd Qawi bin Pg Hj Aliudin also from UBD and Ashley Kho Yeun Jeun of Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah College. Prizes were a Dell Inspiron 3421 Laptop and cash prizes of $700, $500 and $300 respectively.

Certificate of participation from schools

Simon Mark Lynch from CfBT Education Service receiving a memento from the guest of honour

Some of the drawings from the competition

One of the winners, Siti Nursyafiyah bte Jefri with her dad

Viewing the gallery

The mascots for WTISD

 

Grab the special promotion of the Acer Iconia A1-810 for only $228 and they will also give a 3 year warranty for limited time only until 30th July at Concepts Computer

The latest Acer Iconia A1-810 is the best of the lot so far. Before was the Acer Iconia B1-A71 and that was a big seller from Concepts Computer. Now with the new model, it sports an 8-inch design running on Jelly Bean.

According to General Manager of Concepts Computer Vincent Pao, the Acer Iconia A1-810 is just another step by Acer and Concepts Computer to deliver to the growing demands of the consumers. So far they have brought in 1,000 units of the tablet which 600 units in stock and the remainder coming on the way.

Ok, here’s the great thing if you buy from Concepts Computer. The Acer Iconia A1-180 comes with a 3 year warranty and the price tag of$228 is a special promotional price which ends on 30th July. Concepts Computer is also extending their opening hours from 9am to 9pm until 30th July for the convenience of the customers. So do grab this opportunity before the price of the Acer Iconia A1-180 goes back to the market price and also the warranty will only go back to one year unless you purchase an addtional warranty at $108. So for this 3 day promotional period, you can purchase the Acer Iconia A1-180 for only $228 plus a three year warranty which is a superb deal.

Acer Iconia A1-180 is equipped with a quad-core processor and 1GB RAM and this is also the first tab that has a back camera too.

For more information, customers can visit the nearest Concepts Computer showroom, where Concepts will be having their Month End Specials, with its extended opening hours from 9am to 9pm from today until July 30. Customers can also call 2233551/2233552 or 2448102/2448103. If you want to know more of the specs, you can see here.

The feel of the Acer Iconia A1-180

The back camera of the Acer Iconia A1-180

The warrant that comes with the Acer Iconia A1-180 and for a limited time only, you can get an addtional 2 years warranty for free when you buy the tablet where the proomotion ends by 30th July

600 units in stock with 400 more coming on the way

 

I tell you it’s not easy carry all the plaques and the medals from the winners from Brunei from their recent performance at WCOPA 2013. More them soon. I’m still super amazed by very own local talents.