Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad (BIBD) recently participated at the Brunei Islamic Investment Summit 2013 (BIIS), which was launched by Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al‐Muhtadee Billah Ibni Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, held at the Indera Samudra Hall at the Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong.

BIBD is one of the main sponsors of the event, strongly illustrating its support towards the national agenda, which aligns His Majesty’s Government’s aspirations to grow the Islamic banking industry locally as well as creating an opportunity of growth into the international market space. As the largest Islamic financial institution in the country, Alhamdulillah led by His Majesty’s vision 20 years ago, BIBD has achieved various landmark milestones, and is currently at the forefront with its suite of extensive products and service that are innovative, Shariah‐based and highly intuititve to the customers needs. This InsyaAllah will propel more awareness to the public and create unlimited opportunities of growth for our Islamic banking industry to grow steadily.

HRH The Crown Prince graced BIBD’s booth during the event. Mr. Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD briefed the Crown Prince on BIBD’s latest products and services

HRH The Crown Prince graced BIBD’s booth and on hand to receive HRH was Mr Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD, as well as officers of the Bank. Mr Javed briefed HRH on the international awards received by BIBD, such as the Best Retail Bank in Brunei, Best Islamic Bank in Brunei and shared on the recent development launch at BIBD such as the introduction of the Tawarruq concept replacing the widely used Bai Bithaman Aajil financing concept, the Wakalah deposit‐based products, Musyarakah Mutanaqisah Home financing product which portrays a more equitable form of home ownership for its customers, eTunai an innovative yet simple payment channel option for customers using the BIBD Mobile application, and Credit Card Equal Payment Plan. This is a true display of BIBD’s commitment to ensure the business is always aligned to the markets’ demands, its products are internationally acceptable shariah concept and the industry’s recent developments.

BIBD, as the largest Bank in Negara Brunei Darussalam continues to strive in its pursuits to bring Islamic Banking industry to a more significantly marked level, at par with the main players in the Asian region, through a robust system platform, innovative suite of products & services, efficient & effective processes and last and not least, an excellent customer service experience, InsyaAllah. Press release and image courtesy of BIBD.

 

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Brunei’s Minister of Communications with the Brunei delegates led by AITI at this year’s CommunicAsia 2013 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands

It was great to see both Ministers paying a visit to the Brunei Pavilion at the CommunicAsia 2013. Brunei’s Minister of Communications Pehin Abdullah and Singapore’s Minster of Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim toured the 10 participating companies under the flagship of AITI.

This is the 5th year that AITI has been participating in this year’s CommunicAsia and this is a good avenue for our local ITs and SMEs to be exposed regionally. Thank you to the Ministers for their support and their time to visit the Brunei Pavilion.

The ministers at PHMD Publishing booth. Khairi of PHMD Publishing recently signed an MOU with Singapore’s LDR Pte Ltd

The ministers at Bru GPS booth

The ministers at Folec Booth

The ministers at Folec Booth

One of the products from Folec

Hiro of SocialBuzz Advertising briefing of his prototype Gigland to the ministers

The team of SocialBuzz Advertising

Sophia Siu of SilverWings talking to the Minister

Aazzah of NIAT explaining to the Minister

Representing AITI during CommunicAsia 2013

Getting ready for the official group photo

 

The Brunei Darussalam ICT companies and delegates participating in CommunicAsia 2013 were invited by Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) for a networking session with Singapore ICT companies registered with them.  The visit to the SiTF Singapore Pavilion was led by Awang Wallace Koh, Assistant Chief Executive (International Relations) from the Authority of Info-communications Technology of Brunei Darussalam (AITI).

The visit started with a guided tour around the SiTF Singapore Pavilion and followed by briefing by two ICT companies.  The first company to showcase their product was by Inspire-Tech Pte Ltd on their product know as EasiShare.   It is a secure mobile file management for enterprises and government.  It offers enterprise users intuitive user interfaces, making document sharing and collaboration easy.  The file transfer can goes up to 50GB and it overcomes Microsoft Exchange file attachment size limitation with their EasiShare Microsoft Outlook Add-in.  EasiShare also automatically synchronises documents to enterpise storage, which can act as backups.  Lastly, it also provides a mobile apps client which gives users the ability to remotely access, create and share enterprise documents.

Hui Nee of AITI and Sophia Siu of SilverWings at STiF pavilion at CommunicAsia 2013

Brunei delegates briefing on their products and services

The second company was to brief the Brunei delegation was TreeBox Solutions Pte Ltd.  The company’s OnTalk – Secure Enterprise Communicator provides secure mobile communications.  In a single mobile application, OnTalk secures voice calls, conference calls, instant messaging, attachments and SMS on Andriod and iOS mobile devices.  The most interesting feature about OnTalk is that all the critical business contacts, business calls, messages and attachments (data) are stored securely on the enterprise or users’ OnTalk servers.  This ensures maximum assurance and security for enterprises and users regarding their communication needs.

After the briefings, the Brunei delegation mingled with the other Singapore ICT companies at the reception hosted by SiTF.  AITI hopes that through such business matching session, local Brunei ICT companies can extend their reach and contacts beyond Brunei shore.  Brunei and Singapore ICT companies can also look into areas of joint collaboration or product and services development.  A great example was the MOU signing between Brunei’s PHMD Publishing and Singapore’s LDR Pte Ltd on joint product development held at the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion yesterday.  The two companies were brought together during business matching session at CommunicAsia last year.

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) today held two (2) signing events at the Brunei Pavilion in CommunicAsia, Singapore.  The signings were on:

i. Project Addendum with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) for the Cooperation in Human Capacity Building for Broadcasting and Media, and
ii. Project Agreement with IDA International Pte Ltd (IDA International) for the Cooperation in Human Capacity Building for ICT.

Both signings were  for the Internship Student Programme for ICT Related Education (INSPIRE) – an attachment program for selected Bruneian students to work in Singapore’s ICT and Broadcasting & Media companies for a duration of up to six (6) months. This program is to provide opportunities for students to apply and enhance their knowledge and skills through meaningful work experience and interaction with professional people in an actual working environment.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Brunei’s Minister of Communications, and Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information witnessed the signing ceremonies as the Guests-Of-Honour.

Ms Koh Lin-Net, CEO of MDA, Hj Yahkup, CE of AITI, Yang Berhormat Pehin Abdullah, Brunei’s Minister of Communications and Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Singapore’s Minister of Communications and Information at the Brunei Pavilion for the signing ceremony

Blessing the ceremony with doa selamat

Our emcee for the day 😀

AITI’s collaboration with MDA for this internship program is part of the MOU signed in 2009 between Brunei Darussalam’s Ministry of Communications and MDA. This programme, supported by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), will have a minimum of two (2) selected undergraduates majoring in New Media and Professional Communication or related courses, attached to media related agencies in Singapore for a period of up to six (6) months. The scope of the attachment may include production, network programming, photography, videography, narrative writing, broadcasting, filming and/or interactive media. In August this year, the first two (2) Brunei UBD students to take part in this programme will be attached to Mediacorp’s Suria and Eagle Vision.

Signing on behalf of AITI was the Chief Executive, Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, while MDA was represented by her Chief Executive Officer, Ms Koh Lin-Net.

Signing ceremony between AITI and MDA. This is a joint partnership where UBD will send a minimum of two selected graduates majoring in New Media and Professional Communication to Singapore up to 6 months. The first two students will take part in Mediacorp’s Suria and Eagle Vision. Awesome!!

The second collaboration is a Project Agreement signed between AITI and IDA International, a subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA).  Under the framework of the existing IDA-AITI Memorandum of Understanding, AITI and IDA International are collaborating on an industry attachment project for Brunei ICT students.  Selected students undertaking Higher National Diploma in ICT related courses will undergo supervised work attachments in Singapore infocomm companies for six months, and will have the opportunity to sharpen their infocomm skills.  The first group of four students are from Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB).

IDA International was represented by Mr. Tan Lark Yang, Director, Market Unit Group.

Signing ceremony between AITI and IDA. This means selected students in HND in ICT will get experience by going through attachments in Singapore infocomm companies for six months. The first students are from ITB.

According to Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, “We continue to foster the relationship and strengthen our collaboration with IDA and MDA for mutual benefits. Today, we see another fruit of these efforts, and how they will benefit our young students. I hope our collaboration for this INSPIRE programme will provide the students a flying start as they gain first hand real organizational settings and challenging experience with the leading ICT and broadcasting agencies in Singapore.” “Project INSPIRE is an expression of the close and warm ties that Singapore enjoys with Brunei Darussalam in the area of media cooperation,” said Ms Koh Lin-Net, Chief Executive Officer of MDA.  “Through this G2G programme, Brunei students will gain a meaningful appreciation into how media business is conducted in the real world. We are pleased to welcome the Brunei students to Singapore, and hope that their time here will prepare them well for the evolving media landscape.”

Mr Vincent Wong, CEO of IDA International said, “We are delighted to extend our longstanding collaborations on ICT with Brunei and AITI to include hosting of Brunei ICT interns in Singapore. We hope Singapore will provide not just the technical exposure but a varied work environment for Brunei’s budding ICT professionals.”

The last signing ceremony was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Brunei’s PHMD Publishing Company and Singapore’s LDR Pte Ltd. They will be working with each other to create curriculum-based mobile learning apps for schools in Brunei Darussalam. Signing on behalf of PHMD Publishing Company was Ak Mohd Khairi Bin Pg Hj Metussin and LDR Pte Ltd was represented by Png Bee Hin.

Signing ceremony between PHMD Publishing and Singapore’s LDR Pte Ltd where they will create curriculum-based mobile learning apps for schools in Brunei

 

Flown to KL? Via @airasia. Click image to enter website.

 

It was a bonus to have both Ministers (Brunei and Singapore) of Communications to tour the 10 exhibiting companies participating in the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion in CommunicAsia 2013. The Ministers were introduced to the exhibitors and the Brunei Darussalam’s Minister consented to launch three companies’ new products.

Bru InnovEdu launched their product Learn thru Play which aims to provide an interactive online platform to address the problem arising from irresponsible spending and excessive debt amongst the youth. I believe this is a great move as children will become aware of their financial being once they become independent.

We tend to neglect this issue, thinking kids won’t be influenced but if you have been planting the wrong seeds to the kids, you may not see it but it can have a big influence even after 10 years or so. It’s quite rare to know of companies aiming at raising awareness of financial literacy through means of ICT.

So I salute you Shavon Hon of Bru InnoveEdu for building this software and hopefully the Ministry of Education can make use of your software and use it as part of the school’s curriculum.

Both Ministers officiating the launch of “Learn thru Play” software by Bru InnovEdu with Shavon Hon looking on

A token of appreciation for Dr Yaacob from Shavon

The second product launch was from the company Silver Wings Service with their product, Mizi, a social media aggregator whereby several social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and Google+) are consolidated on one window or platform. Basically, in a nutshell, if you are a social media enthusiast or if you have many social network accounts, Mizi is one good platform to view all your accounts under one roof.

It has already gained some interest from a few foreigners who dropped by Silverwings booth yesterday. Sophia Siu, the creator of Mizi app, said her web-based app is still in the infant stage and there is still more room to upgrade with other features. Mizi is a very useful web-based app and so far it’s suitable for desktop version as it uses quite a few columns hence you need a bigger screen (it has a similar feel to tweet deck).

You can try surf the web at miziapp.com and check out the features. Congratulations to my buddy Sophia on your launch and you are doing great so far. Proud of you 😀

Both Ministers officiating the launch of “Mizi” with Sophia Siu, the founder of SilverWings

Sophia explaining on how Mizi works

The only SME ladies from Brunei who are showcasing their products

A local blogger TechieLobang showed some interest on Mizi

The third product launch was MeSixty Sdn Bhd with their product “Top Halal Restaurants (Singapore)” application which  provides a list of top 10 quality dining restaurants in Singapore for Muslim travelers. Now this is another new adventure for MeSixty after a rough year for founder Keeran Janin and his brother Liam after the passing of their late father. It was also rising from another failure of his previous product “Chatworthy” which didn’t take off after its launch last year and also a fall out with his investor didn’t make it a smooth ride either.

However, this year, I can see a lot of excitement from MeSixty as they created a unique app for food lovers especially if you are hunting for good halal restaurant. I have a feeling the new app “Best of Halal” will be a huge hit among downloaders and it has been downloaded at least a 1,000 after its launch.

So far, they have reviewed more than 7 highly recommended restaurants which are certified halal and they also have chosen the Editor’s Pick which goes to Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts. They are currently added more restaurants in Singapore and MeSixty will be adding more regional countries in the next few months.

Do download “Best of Halal” app on your IOS and Android and tell me what you think. Congratulations, MeSixty, on another interesting app.

Both Ministers officiating the launch of “Best of Halal” app with the founder of MeSixty, Keeran Janin

Dr Yaacob also downloaded the app

MeSixty booth was one of the busiest during the 1st day. This shows there is a demand for places to dine with halal certificates

The MeSixty Team

 

A hand written sign on The Empire Cinema yesterday. Image courtesy of Tigerlim.

I’m not really sure what’s the issue here and it’s pretty sad to know that MVision has ended their contract with The Empire Cinema. For many years, they have run the cinema and from what I know, the management of MVision is not happy with the lack of support from The Empire Hotel as their contract were not renewed.

Now with only 3 cinemas left within Brunei Muara area (The Mall Cineplex, Times Cineplex and Seri Q-lap cineplex), competition is getting tougher now. Of course, the big giants now are The Mall Cineplex and Times Cineplex. From what I know MVision will focus on rebuilding Seri Qlap cineplex and they might have find a new location for cinema. Hmmm.. That should be interesting as now people are appreciating to catch movies on the big screen and this is quite evident after anti piracy laws have been enforced.

It may be a sad news that MVision have finished their contract and I’m not sure who will be willing to take over the Empire Cinema for now. Let’s wait and see.

 

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) signed a Letter of Exchange (LoE) yesterday that would serve the next step towards further collaboration and cooperation between the two regulators.

The collaboration and cooperation will cover the areas of telecommunications, broadcasting and multimedia matters including content regulation and development, according to a press release issued by the AITI.

The statement said that under the LoE the regulators will have regular exchanges or study visits carried out either in Malaysia or Brunei; dispatch experts to assist either parties; and facilitate and promote strategic and/or commercial industry partnerships between industry players from both countries.

Also included in the exchange are legal and institutional development and content regulation and development, the statement added. “The collaboration executed under the LoE will enhance the expertise in AITI as it prepares to become the converged telecommunications and media regulator in Brunei,” AITI said in the statement, adding that the exchange would enhance the close working relationship built by the regulators over the years.

Hj Yahkup Hj Menudin, chief executive of AITI and Dato Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, chairman of MCMC while the signing was witnessed by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications and Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia

The signing ceremony was held at the Malaysia Pavilion at CommunicAsia 2013 in Singapore during the trade show’s opening day yesterday.

The ceremony was witnessed by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications and Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Malaysia.

Signatories were Hj Yahkup Hj Menudin, chief executive of AITI and Dato Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, chairman of MCMC. Text courtesy of Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times.

Dato Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, chairman of MCMC briefing the Dr. Yaacob, Singapore’s Minister of Communications and Information

Modern dance & music from the MCMC

The drumline moment

The Malaysian Minister of Communications and Multimedia saying a few words

Click image to enter website

This is another version of the LEAP grant by the Brunei Economic Development Board and it’s called Start Up Brunei. This was recently launched in March where it aimed at introducing funds to those who are in need of funds to progress especially those with innovatives ideas. LEAP is more of creating a prototype that hopefully can translate to a revenue streamline. As for SUB, it’s more on the business and innovative ideas that you want to pursue but it’s the funds that is holding you back!!

Hence, BEDB created this programme and their objective is straight forward –> To get the startups going and on their feet. This is Daniel Leong’s baby project and he is BEDB’s Assitant CEO, Head for Innovation and New Initiatives. He shared that SUB applicants can get financial assistance up to BND 50,000 and there’s also an additional relocation incentive of BND 30,000 for overseas entrepreneur. So I believe this is a great programme that also acknowledges oversea entrepreneurs.

You want to know more then click here and view the details on their official website and you can also click here for the presentation slide. The application has just open today and the closing date has extended until 28th June. Start Up Brunei is showcasing in this year’s CommunicAsia in Singapore. 

Daniel Leong, BEDB’s Assistant CEO, Head of Innovation and New Initiatives, speaking to the Ministers on SUB’s initiative. Click image to enter website for more details.

Click image to enlarge

 

The Management of the Mabohai Shopping Complex is pleased to announce that it will be hosting a second Teddy Bears’ Tea Party this weekend on the 1stFloor of the Mabohai Shopping Complex from 2pm – 6pm on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June.

Following on from the success of the first Teddy Bears’ Tea Party held in May, the event is back by popular demand and will provide families with yet another opportunity to share a fun and whimsical tea party experience.

The Mabohai Shopping Complex Teddy Bears’ Tea Party is a high-tea event with a teddy bear oriented theme. There will be a free flow of coffee and tea for parents, and hot chocolate with sprinkles for children, along with assorted sandwiches and cupcakes. Children and the young at heart are encouraged to join in the fun by bringing along their favourite teddy bear!

  As well as tea with teddy, families will also be invited to take part in a number of fun craft activities such as glass painting and t-shirt decorating.

Pictures from the previous Teddy Bears’ Tea Party

Pictures from the previous Teddy Bears’ Tea Party

The Management of the Mabohai Shopping Complex said: “We are delighted to be hosting a second Teddy Bears’ Tea Party for our community to enjoy. The first event proved extremely popular with parents and children alike, and we are sure that the second Teddy Bears’ Tea Party will be just as well received. We invite all families to take this wonderful opportunity to come together and share in a unique high-tea experience during the last weekend of the school holidays. Don’t forget to bring along your favourite teddy!”

For more information on participating in this event and future events, please call MABOHAI SHOPPING COMPLEX Manager on 8111623 or 7250110 or Event Solutions on 8722249. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The great thing about AITI is that they organised site visits to a few IT companies so the Brunei delegates can have a feel on how these exciting companies run their businesses. Yesterday we paid a visit to two companies, D.Ink and 2369Media. Both companies were quite interesting and I love how young of a company there are with young blood and high commitment and passion. Their creative juices can also be seen when I saw their product demo as well as their histories.

D.Ink Company was more into digital branding and also Augmented Reality (AR) which is slowly picking its pace in Singapore. Yes, I have seen AR demos a few years back and it’s not something that it’s necessity especially for corporate clients unless you have the spending power and whether it will bring “return on investment” on your products. AR is useful if you want to gain the public’s attention and also educate them further by virtual interaction.

One great example was D. Ink’s project on shavers for men (not sure what brand or the company that hired their services) and they placed the AR kiosks at strategic places at bus stops for a few weeks. Within the time frame, they managed to get thousands and thousands of people getting involved in the 3-minute virtual interaction on just about shaving. The interaction includes a virtual demo where they will capture your video image and start putting shaving foam on your chin area presuming that you have a beard and it do a demo on the shaver cleaning off your chin area. According to D.Ink, about 80% of the audience stayed for the full demo product which is definitely good news for the shaving company.

I’m impressed that D.Ink have engaged with big companies and even ministries in Singapore on the usage of AR. It does capture the interest of the public and D.Ink also do some background homework to see in what way AR can be effectively deliver the message while gaining their interest at the same time through Augmented Reality. Apparently there are three co-founders for the company and they are good friends and former school mates too and they combined each other strengths to drive where their company is now. Awesome!! They only have 7 people in their organisation including the co-founders.

Fabian Tan, Malcolm Chia and Timothy Seow are the co-founders of D.ink

Brunei ICT delegates attending the briefing by D.ink

Some of the AR demo by D.ink

The shaving demo in AR mode

A token of appreciation to D.ink from Brunei

Brunei delegates in group photo with D.ink

The other company that caught my eye is 2359Media and they are exactly like our local companies Infindo Technology and MeSixty who are app developers. 2359Media (such a catchy, original name) is not just app developers but they provide consultation services on ways to get the end user experience. They are also good at mobile marketing and targeting the right end users. Basically you can say it’s like a one-stop centre if you want to engage them in building apps. Again young chaps (co-founders) running the show and 2359Media are one of the pioneers of mobile app developers in Singapore and they are now a very successful company *kudos*

Within four years, they have awesome milestones and they even built an award-winning, multinational mobile-first studio. They have quite a young team too and now they have around 41 staff in the company and the energy is so vibrant. They are even dressed so casual at work and I just love their work environment. It also helps that despite the few departments (such as engineering, marketing, designers and so on), the people inside 2359Media carry the same vision of the company and it does help the company excel to greater heights.

They have worked with big companies such as Mediacorp, SingTel and OCBC Bank to name a few. What kept them driven during their challenging times especially in the beginning is their self belief. One reputable company was reluctant to engage in mobile services as it had more preference on how Facebook was more powerful and effective in reaching the masses. So with their self belief and dedication, it paid off and now many companies and even end users see the benefits and effectiveness through means of mobile as we are now accustomed to smartphones in the past two years or so.

Their recent projects are groundbreaking for Singapore. They released two new apps – SGMalls and Sentosalens. The SGMalls app is a cool app that lists over 200 shopping malls in Singapore and it’s such a great directory if you really want to explore different types of malls and they even have categories on the types of services or products that you are targeting and it will give you choices of malls to go according to the interest of products. This is such an ideal app especially for foreigners like us 😀

Kudos to the co-founders Hong Ting and Wenhan Zhou on the success of 2359Media. By the way, why it’s called 2359 is because it symbolises “a minute before the dawn of a new day”. And that day is the day of the transition of the mobile revolution. If you want to read one of the interviews (back dated 2009), you can read here. For their corporate website, you can click here.

Wong Hong Ting, co-founder of 2359Media sharing his journey. Awesome stuff!! I’m inspired.

This is a cool working environment.. Though it’s small but very energetic

Around 40 staff are working right now at 2359Media

A token to the co-founder of 2359Media

Seeing this makes them feel like home 😀

Even though I was there working for 2 minutes, Iw was already enjoying it 😀 Thanks 2359Media

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

 

Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website 

 

Click image to enter website

 

The Minister of Communications with the government officers sending off the Brunei delegates off to Singapore for the upcoming CommunicAsia 2013

Yay!!! I’m back in Singapore again as I’m appointed as the official blogger/social media for the Brunei delegates who are representing Brunei in the upcoming CommunicAsia 2013. This will be the fifth time that Brunei are participating in CommunicAsia 2013 and it’s always great for Brunei companies to get themselves exposed outside Brunei and showcase their products and services. I do have to say that we are capable enough to compete regionally in the ICT field and it does go beyond just delivering the goods as it also tests the leadership in you.

Also on the same flight was our Minister of Communication Yang Berhormat Pehin Abdullah, who left for the today’s event – 9th Ministerial Forum on ICT and also the opening of the eGov Global Exchange 2013 in conjunction with Infocomm Media Business Exchange. He will also be touring the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion at CommunicAsia 2013.

There will be 10 companies showcasing their products and services. They include DST, NIAT, BEDB, BruGPS Technologies, Folec Communications, MeSixty, SilverWings Services, Bru InnovEdu services, SocialBuzz Advertising and PHMD Publishing Company.

There will be some MoUs signing tomorrow between AITI and their regional partners. The agreements will cover areas of cooperation in ICT and Multimedia. I will update you more on that soon.

Yea, we can do it!!

Thank Jo and Hui Nee and also the team for arranging all the logistics from Brunei to Singapore and also during CommunicAsia 2013

My neighbour on my flight – lilmopiko and Billy

Suzie of BEDB getting connected on her smartphone. My suggestion is to get a Hicard simcard (under Singtel) whenever you are in Singapore

Sazali of Folec Communications and Elix of DST at the arrival area of Changi Airport

I found this interesting as this young boy (15 to be exact) is working at Changi Airport and he helped to usher us to our bus. Great role model 😀

Jo at work already :p

The porter service is being charged if you use their service. Normally we would just give tips for such service. It’s slightly different at Marina Bay Sands.

They have a special row for CommunicAsia delegates for checking in at Marina Bay Sands

The view from my room and this will be my view for the next few days 😀

MeSixty and SilverWings will be launching their products soon

The Brunei Pavilion for this year’s CommunicAsia 2013

Briefing by the Chief Executive of AITI on the Brunei delegates on the actual flow of the event for Tuesday

Awesome sunset from the view of my room

 

Aspire P3 now available at Concepts Computer

Exchanging of souvenir between Maswadi Mohsin, RB Chief Officer of Group Services and Sam Lim, CEO of Reebonz at Radisson Hotel last Thursday

There was another great moment for Royal Brunei Airlines as they inked a deal between Royal Skies and Reebonz (a high end boutique online store) last Thursday. This partnership is first of its kind and according to Royal Brunei Chief Officer of Group Services Maswadi Mohsin, this is part of RB’s rebranding campaign.

Now for Royal Skies members, if you sign up your membership with Reebonz, you will stand a chance to win a Prada handbag worth almost BND 4,000 and this promotion will begin from 17th June to 30th June. Royal Skies members can also stand a chance to win Royal Skies Miles by signing up for Reebonz.

If you noticed last time, I did post some Reebonz banner. It is a premium online shopping store where you can buy brands such as Prada, YSL, Miu Miu and many others.

So what are you waiting for RS members? Do sign up and who knows you stand a chance to win either a Prada handbag or Royal Skies Miles.

The signing ceremony between Royal Brunei Airlines and Reebonz

Group photo with Royal Brunei, Royal Skies team and Reebonz

A screenshot of Reebonz. Click image to view the products they sell.

 

Three companies will be launching their products in Singapore’s CommunicAsia 2013 next week. Three of them will be MeSixty, BruInnovEdu and Silerwings and the delegation will be led by AITI. The launch will be a significant one where this will avenue for outside players to get interest on our local products in the ICT field.

MeSixty is no stranger to the app development and they have been working hard on their new product app called “Best of Halal”, a smartphone and tablet app and from this, you are able to locate high quality halal food in “non halal” cities and countries.

Silverwings will be launching its social media marketing web-based platform called Mizi which offers businesses the leverage of using social media to its optimum.

Another startup company BruInnovEdu Services will be launching a financial literacy programme for students in Singapore.

I shall be updating a much more detailed post on the upcoming CommunicAsia and stay tune for that. Also heading to CommunicAsia are Socialbuzz Advertising, Folec Communications and PHMD Publishing.

 

It’s happening tomorrow – a Book Swap event – and this is ideal for book lovers who want to share their books for others to read and this also encourages a reading culture in our community. The event is organised by B:Read which stands for Bruneians Read. You can visit their blog for more updates about the event but below are the quick ones you should know of.

Date: Sunday 16 June
Time: 11 am – 6 pm
Venue: 1st Floor, Mabohai Shopping Complex – same building as Toys “R” Us, Supasave Mabohai
Bruneians Read (B:READ) are having a book swap with fun activities at Mabohai Shopping Complex.
What to expect?
• Bookswapping, bring at least one book (no limit!) to swap

Check out the list of books available here, which we will update as books are checked in and out on the day!

http://dft.ba/-pestaswap

• Meet other book-lovers and enjoy lively discussions about reading
• Fun activities for children and adults.
• Walk away with new books and friends!

What to bring?

• A recyclable bag or a box for your books!
• Yourself, friends, partners or your whole family!

 

There will be a Father’s Day Special Promotion from 12th – 19th June 2013 where all of the Peugeot boutique items are discounted at 30% off. Everything from watches, clothing, stuffed toys, bags, keychains, miniature Peugeot models and their signature salt and pepper mills are on offer and available now.

Customers looking for something with a French flair can drop by the Peugeot Showroom in Kiarong and discover that perfect Father’s Day gift and take advantage of this one-week only deal.

To find out more information, please call 2426969 or visit the Peugeot showroom. Like Peugeot Brunei on facebook.com/PeugeotBru or follow on Instagram @PeugeotBrunei.

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US Embassy hosted invited guests to the screening of Man of Steel

It’s good news that Brunei Darussalam was removed from the “Special 301 Watchlist” as previously the Sultante had many issues concerning with IP protection when piracy was at its highest. Gone are the days of piracy especially in DVD and blu-ray format for movies though I can still see a few vendors selling them discretely.

Yesterday’s invitation by the U.S. Embassy to Brunei (to catch the premier of Man of Steel) is a great reminder to us on the importance of intellectual property (IP). We tend to take things for granted most of the time because of its accessibility as well as it was a grown culture that piracy was normal in Brunei until enforcement came to place.

US Ambassador to Brunei His Excellency Daniel Shields gave some encouragement on Brunei’s progress in this field and this is important as IP is moving towards a region-wide free trade pact. So this could mean twitching a bit on the legal side of things so every country can come to the same or similar alignment of IP. Brunei Darussalam is also part of the free trade agreement under the Trans Pacific Partnershio (TPP). So the good news so far is Brunei being taken off the “watchlist”.

His Excellency also praised Brunei for taking steps in improving the IP issues. Do you know that we have an IP office in Brunei? It’s under the Brunei Economic Development Board’s flagship.

The US Embassy also invited local artistes and the creative talents such as Wu Chun, Zul Faden, Regalblue Production and a few others. In appreciating their talents, we are indirectly appreciating the IP rights on their creativity. A good example would be watching Saving General Yang (starring Wu Chun) on the big screeen rather than watching a pirated copy on DVD. Otherwise, our talents won’t be rewarded for their contributions and efforts.

It was good to see the US Embassy inviting students as well to catch “Man of Steel” and from there, they will become aware the importance of IP and they can also help spread to their friends and families. I believe Brunei is on the right path and I can see the shift of mentality on appreciating original products.

Guests signing in before catching Man of Steel at Times Cineplex

US Embassador His Excellency Daniel Shields interviewed by Quratul-Ain Bandial of The Brunei Times

Farina Yusof, Motion Picture Association-International’s Commercial Executive for Asia-Pacific, Wu Chun and His Excellency Daniel Shields at the screening of Man of Steel

Matthew Stannard of the US Embassy set the tone for the afternoon

His Excellency Daniel Shields hopes for the progress of IP in Brunei and it’s heading the right direction

The beautiful Farina Yusof saying a few words on IP

Great turn out for the screening of Man of Steel

This was me a few years ago.. Say no to piracy 😀

Concepts Computer is also against piracy

 

A beautiful crown cake by the pastry chef of The Empire Hotel to commemorate the Queen’s birthday and her 60th anniversary as Queen

The British High Commission held a reception at The Empire Hotel & Country Club to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday and 60th anniversary on the throne.

The guest of honour was Minister of Finance II at the Prime Minister’s Office Yang Berhormat PehinOrang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Ibrahim, who was accompanied by his wifeDatin Hjh Sapiah Hj Sabtu. They were welcomed by British High Commissioner Rob Fenn, who took the opportunity to praise the Sultanate’s peacekeeping role since assuming the ASEAN chairmanship.

“Your work to deliver practical benefits to the citizens of ASEAN is storing up goodwill within and between the countries of this region; and with your partners in trade and investment all round the world,” he said.

Fenn also commented on the close links between the United Kingdom and the Sultanate, especially in the areas of education, science, innovation and the creative industries.

Guests were then told about a short film produced by UK-based education resource management supplier CfBT, in close association with the Ministry of Education, titled “English as an ASEAN Language: The Brunei Story”. DVDs of the film were later handed out to guests at the celebration.

The Minister of Finance II with the British High Commissioner to Brunei and their spouses

The ISB choir singing the national anthems for Brunei Darussalam and the UK

It’s great to hear traditional music from the UK

British High Commissioner gave a few welcoming remarks and he also announced that his term will end by July. All the best 😀

One of the winners for the crown making efforts

Another winner for the crown making competition

Ijjojjo Nordin won the Digital Scrapbook short film competition

Cake cutting ceremony to commemorate the Queen’s birthday and 60th year as Queen

“The Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj AbuBakar Hj Apong provided the impetus for the project, by sharing with me his insights into the significance of English as a medium of learning, alongside Malay,” Fenn said.

Fenn, who will be returning to the United Kingdom later this year, described Brunei as a place of “strong traditions and values with education at its core”. He said the UK “is with you every step of the way”.

Meanwhile, Ijjojji Nordin was named the winner of the Digital Scrapbook short film competition aboutBruneian students’ experiences of studying in the United Kingdom.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation, hundreds of crowns, made by schoolchildren all over Brunei, decorated the event’s hall. Siti Amal Rabbiyatul Farah Haninah from SMS International School and Yeong Yi Jing from Panaga School won awards for their crown-making efforts. Text courtesy of Aaron Alwines of The Brunei Times.

The Russian Ambassador enjoying the settings on that night

The previous Chevning scholars

Some of the invited guests that night

Caught up with Roger about the bird watching experience in Brunei and Sabah

Some of the invited guests that night

Great to see you again SY

Her team filmed and edited a 15 minute documentary of former students studying in the UK

Guests watching the video

Congratulations 😀

The design for this year’s British High Commission car

Lovely decos during the event

60 years is such a milestone

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Make sure you bring your BIB and timing chip to claim The Run medal. The collection times are from 9am to 5pm on Level 1, Indoor Stadium. 13th to 15th June 2013.

 

The Awards Night for the Celebrate The Sea Festival 2013 in conjunction with the World Oceans Day was held on Sunday, 9 June 2013 at Indra Samudera Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club. Attending as the Guest of Honour was Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, who also graciously presented the prizes to the winners of the various competitions held during the course of the festival.

Various categories of competitions included Local and International Shootout for keen photographers, and a Children’s Art Drawing competition with the relevant theme, “Sharks are Friends”, which tied in with the recent ban on the sale and consumption of Sharks’s fin and related products.

The children’s competition had 3 categories, Category A 8-9 years old, Category B 10-12 years and Category C 13-15 years old. The winner for the Category A was Cherilyn Caryl Lesmana who took home a cash prize of $400, and in 2nd and 3rd place were Khairunnisa Balqis Hidayah binti Awang Ahmad, and Michael Ho Yii Kiong respectively.

For Category B, Jason Khoo Lik Wei took top prize, while Yeo Yeo and Kelly Tee Gi En, came in runner up and 2nd runner up.

The winner of Category C was Jamia Mei Tolentino, who also won for being the overall best entry in the competition, took home an Ixus 310 camera and $500 cash prize. The 2nd and 3rd place winners, Noorashiyik binti Salim and Noor Ashdina Salim also were awarded Canon cameras for their entries. The shoot out saw s few photographers win multiple entries in their categories. Andrew Chieng swept four up prizes for the local shoot out competition, winning Best Digital portfolio and the top 3 prizes for Best Macros, while Kieran White got honorary mention for Macro and Best Seascape Merit of Excellence.

In the International shoot out, Emily Chan from Singapore took top prizes for Best Digital Portfolio and Best Seascape Merit of Excellence, while Allan Wigs of Australia also took 2nd prizes for both. Among the judging panel was Michael Aw of Ocean Geographic, who was in Brunei to attend the festival as well.

 

Juliana under Yayasan (voluteerism) and JT helping out at the Youth Centre

It was such a pity about the Kampung Ayer incident that happened last week. I was quite overwhelmed with the responses from the public in pouring donations in terms of clothing, necessities, food and many more for the homeless victims. Last week, 11 homes at g Saba Darat “A” caught on fire and I remember going there once for a video documentary for NHK TV (Japan).

I dropped by last Monday at the Youth Centre (Pusat Belia) to check out the place where the donations are being placed. Almost half of the hall was filled with clothes lying on the floor. According to the volunteers, almost the whole area was covered with clothes and many of them chose the items. I’m not sure what happens for the rest of the clothes or will they be stocked up for future use?

The organisers have already stopped receiving donations for the moment as the responses have been overwhelming. I will update you again if they need help especially for logistics. I am quite impressed with our community especially those who helped and volunteered throughout the weekend. I’m always touched how JT was so willing to help out as well and she ended helping last Monday. I had a conversation with Juliana who works for Yayasan as a volunteer and she started all this volunteering work ever since the Tsunami incident in Thailand. So it’s pretty amazing to come across individuals who have the passion to help those in need.

This post is dedicated to those who poured their energy and efforts in contributing to the community in terms of volunteerism :))

There were still ton of clothes lying around

JT and Juliana arranging the clothes

She found an Adidas top

Spot something odd? 😀

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Hmmmm the suspense is almost over.. I wasn’t looking forward for Iron Man 3 or Kick-ass 2 or Despicable Me 2 or FF6.. I’m a huge Zack Snyder fan and I love his portrayal of The Watchmen which I have watched numerous times (I even bought the DVD, iTunes and Blu-ray version) and of course the epic 300. I wasn’t so keen on Sucker Punch (I still don’t get it why lilmopiko likes it :p) but I love the soundtrack nonetheless.

So here I am on my computer screen, refreshing the page of Rottentomatoes to see if the critics have posted their reviews and I was kinda frustrated because the reviews only came in yesterday which is quite late for a destined blockbuster movie. I predicted that Man of Steel would at least be in the region of 80% for RT. Well, that was the case when they had 10 reviews but the average went down after 42 reviews and now it’s standing at a mediocre fresh rate of 69%. There are still tons of reviews yet to be posted and the rate it is going, my final prediction is that MOS will fall in the region of high 50s to low 60s. Did you know that Watchmen and 300 scored 64% and 60% on RT respectively? And I still love his movies very much. Btw, Sucker Punch scored a lowly 23%.

I’m still hyped up to watch this blockbuster and I already bought my tickets for the 3D IMAX ones. I was already been invited to catch the premiere from an invitation by the U.S. Embassy which will be screened at the Times Cineplex. I already spoke with the U.S Ambassador that I will be covering their event but highly unlikely that I will watch with them. My apologies, Your Excellency. I just want to be spoiled on my first screening by catching it on a big screen 😀

So what’s my prediction for MOS in the box office? Well, it would probably be in the region of USD 90 million to USD 120 million for the opening weekend. I don’t think it will match Iron Man 3’s superb opening (USD 175 million). The trailers for Man of Steel has the most views as compared to Iron Man 3 and even other summer movies. So this also could be a factor that many are dying to see MOS on the big screen. Plus, I have been watching the “Fate of Your Planet” trailer numerous times and it’s perhaps the best trailer I’ve seen this year alone. Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns had an opening of USD 52 million back in 2006. Now with 3D and IMAX sales, it will help boosts the box office receipts for MOS. Anything less than USD 60 million will be deemed a failure. So yeah, my prediction will be in the region of USD 90 to USD 120 million.

All eyes will be on Henry Cavill and yes, he’s British

Yay!! Bought my tickets at Lido last week. Now I can’t wait for Monday

The Rottentomatoes scores are lower than my expectations but it’s still fresh nonetheless

I was so tempted to buy the S t-shirts at Super Heroes shop in ION. It’s pretty expensive SG89 each.

This is the particular t-shirt I’m aiming for…

Back in the old days, this is a famous phrase used by General Zod in Superman II

Great marketing gimmick for MOS at Shaw Theaters in Singapore

 

Guest of honour Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD

Remember the successful At-tamwil University Cup 2013 that happened earlier this year? Two weeks ago, they had an appreciation night for the organisers, sponsors and the volunteers as well as the players involved in the three week tournament. The event took place at Royal Berkshire at Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club and the guest of honour was Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD.

Javed was impressed with the tournament and he sincerely thanked the committee and also the players for making this event a super success. Honestly, I have to say that the tournament was one of the best I’ve seen in terms of organisation. This is one that NFABD should look and use that formula to bring the fun in football in our community.

The UniCup 2013 officially took place on January 5 and ended on February 10. The tournament saw participation from ITB, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Kolej Universiti Perguruan Ugama Seri Begawan (KUPUSB) and Brunei Politeknik. Taking home the winning trophy was UBD Team A, followed by second place ITB Team A and ITB Team B in third.

Will there be another tournament next year? I hope so 😀

 

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This event is happening in three more weeks – The Boat and Holiday Expo which will be held at the end of this month at the Royal Wharf. This huge event is jointly organised by Municipal Board, Sakam Enterprise and Adison Marketing Services. The event is also supported by Brunei Tourism and also the Marine Department.

Supported by the Municipal Department and the Marine Department, the expo will be split into two parts; one will seek to cater all things boat related; exhibitions and trade, seminars, parades and even a jetski stunt show featuring professional stuntman and world champion jet skier, Medhy Menad.

The event is aimed at bringing in together all holiday and tourism authorities, operators and other related establishments together to showcase their ideas and products and services. This is with the goal of creating awareness to imporove the sustainabilitiy of the tourism industry and Brunei’s socio-economic stature.

There will be a photography competition with the theme “The Beauty of Kampung Ayer”. The date will be from 12th June to 24th June. There will be great prizes to be won. The first prize will be a Sony Bravia LED TV with certificate. The second prize will be a Sony Home Theater with certificate. Third prize will be a Sony Handycam. There will be seven consolation prizes as well together with the certificates.

The shortlisted photos will be exhibited on 28th to 30th June and the winner will be announced on the 29th of June. The competition is only open to Citizens and PR of Brunei Darussalam though there is an exemption for Green IC holders if you have been in the country for more than a year. There’s a $10 fee for participation. You can send up to a maximum of four pictures.

The photography competition

The photography competition

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Check out their website.. It’s pretty comprehensive!!

Wooww!! Just Wow!!!! I can’t believe that I have signed up for this event and I know it’s gonna be epic for sure!! Just imagine this …. The registration was just opened yesterday (Monday) and the slots were all gone in less than 24 hours or maybe even less than 12 hours. I remember signing up and there were 3 waves/categories left to choose and I opted for the 2pm to 4pm slot. My friend Rizan was lucky enough to grab the 9th Wave which will be some time in the evening. I should have signed up by midnight *lol* and I ended up signing in the morning and I took for granted that it won’t be this frenzy as I thought it would be. Just simply amazing that it was sold out!!!

From the press release by the organiser, Celebrity Trainer, it promises to thrill both athletes and zombie fans and it is the first of its kind – Race the Dead 2013, Singapore’s Zombie Obstacle Race. This will take place on the Halloween weekend on the 26th October 2013 at Sentosa and there will be 100 zombies haunting the runners and be obstacles and challenges for them.

So here goes on how you will be declared a survivor. They will begin the race after being briefed by “military personnel” on their route of evacuation towards their last safe haven – The Fort.

Tagged with 2 red flags simulating their “lives”, runners will be dispatched in waves. The objective is to reach the finish line with at least one flag left to qualify for a place in the infection-free zone.

A “Decontamination Area” will also be situated along the half-way mark of the race to allow runners with only 1 flag left to replenish a health flag in the green zone. Of course, there will be a time extension penalty!

Upon reaching the finish line, runners will be quarantined by military personnel to determine if they are truly “infection free”. Top 3 runners will be awarded cash and prizes. The rest, with at least 1 red flag left at the end, will also be given a Survivor Tee-Shirt to certify that they have survived!

This is one of the marketing gimmick from racethedead.com.sg and I’m glad that I’m one of the selected survivors for this race

The actual route for the Zombie obstacle race 😀

And as part of a social cause, Race The Dead 2013 aims to raise sufficient funds to purchase shoes for one whole school of children (a total of 500 pairs of shoes). Soule is a footwear social enterprise that gives one pair of shoes to a less fortunate child for each pair of shoes bought. For more background information, visit: www.soule.com.sg

The event is organised by Celebrity Trainer (Singapore’s Online Lifestyle Classifieds), partnered by Sentosa, 987 FM and sponsored by Polar Electro, X-Mini and Banana Boat. You can check out www.racethedead.sg for details. For now, I can’t wait for the actual event and maybe even do some training 😀

I’m a big fan of The Walking Dead and also zombie movies

Another summer movie to catch starring Brad Pitt in a zombie movie.. Should be good. 80% so far on Rottentomatoes.

 

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Say no to sharks!! It’s more of the context of consuming shark products and this is pretty common especially when we dine in at chinese restaurants or wedding dinners. I support this move by the Brunei Government in banning on shark products and this also includes banning of supplements or medication that has content of shark products.

The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources said that the ban will come into effect by January 2014. This will allow the vendors and retailers to clear their remaining stock before the ban is enforced. Such move can create an awareness to the public that sharks are endangered species and so much cruelty can be seen on how sharks are being treated.

I did also mention of supplements and medicines as some of them contain shark cartilage and bones too. Omega 3 supplement is just one of them medicines.

The announcement was made by the Minister at the launch of “Celebrate the Sea Festival 2013” in conjunction with World Oceans Day. Kudos to the Ministry for making this possible and also to the vendors for complying to the new laws. I’m not sure if Brunei will be the first country regionally to ban shark products. Hmmmm.. Source: The Brunei Times.

The Minister making an announcement of banning of shark products in Brunei. Image taken from The Brunei Times.

This is how shark fins look like at the market. Image taken from The Brunei Times.

Let’s save the endangered species 😀

Introducing Renzze, Deenise Glitz, Tiffany Yong, Andy Storm and Malcolm Sunny, the Singapore bloggers who were in the Sultanate a few weeks ago

Now I’m back in business. Paperworks, blog updates, meetings and of course, my bed 😀 Anyway, let me start by first posting a story of my new found friends from Singapore who were sponsored by Royal Brunei for their 4 day visit to the Brunei. I can tell you that they seem to cover places that even some of us hardly been to or know of. Well, at least I know I have experienced the canopy walk at Ulu-Ulu Temburong a few weeks ago and that’s a good experience.

It’s good to know that Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) is taking this initiative to invite bloggers from other countries and this is one of the step of creating awareness not just RB but also Brunei as a country. It’s pretty interesting to know what they actually learn about Brunei and this could be something that we Bruneians take for granted just because we are living in this country.

There were 5 bloggers from Singapore and one representative from OMY (Singapore) and they were welcomed by Muaz from RB and Tom from Sunshine Borneo. One of the nights the local socmeds were introduced over dinner and it was a great evening too. Thank @emmagoodegg for hosting us and I love the food 😀

Do check out their blog posts and they will be writing more about their experiences in Brunei and I do hope RB will invite other regional bloggers to come to the Sultanate 😀 Thank you Deenise Glitz, Andy Storm, Tiffany Yong, Renzze and Malcolm Sunny for your blog posts and I know Tiffany had dreams about Brunei so mean to say you really miss Brunei, right? :p

Below are some of the pictures and yes, I stole some from you guys if you don’t mind 😀

Tiffany and the gang were treated to the Premier Check-in at Terminal 2 and for First and Business Class passengers. Click image to read more of the privileges. Image courtesy of Tiffany Yong.

The bloggers have a photo opportunity with the flight attendants of Royal Brunei. Click image to read Andy Storm’s post. Image courtesy of Renzze.

Muaz welcoming the delegates from Singapore at Brunei International Airport. Image courtesy of Renzze.

They went from place to place and one of their stop is in Bandar. Click image to read more. Image courtesy of Andy Storm.

Have you actually seen the Empress Suite of The Empire Hotel? Check out from Deenise’s entry. Image courtesy of Deenise Glitz.

RB’s sleeping mask which will be introduced soon as part of their rebranding

It’s dinner time and I am already missing the burgers!!

When west meets east and we had such a great time that night

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RA says It has been a while since I actually attended to my blog. Instead I have been busy browing my social network platforms for updates in the community. I’ve missed so many events that was happening back in Brunei for the past few days and I just recently got back from my trip (Singapore-Ipoh-Penang) and it was such a fulfilling trip indeed. I shall post pictures during my 10 day trip and it’s great to be back again in the comfort of my room/space. Then again, I will be flying in a matter of a week or so to Singapore once again for the upcoming CommunicAsia 2013.

I’m still recovering from my break *lol* or perhaps should I say my toasted episodes for the past few days and I still feel awesome internally. So today (Monday) I chose to take it easy and pace myself before gearing up to third gear. I still have loads and loads of posting to do as well as paperwork at the same time. And now I can’t wait for the weekend and just relax and have another time out before I fly off.

I shall be posting more news tomorrow and now I will be catching up more on my sleep. By the way, I’m just so hooked on the Man of Steel trailer “Fate of Your Planet” and I just can’t wait for the movie which I will catch in 3D IMAX in Singapore this coming Monday. I know I have an invitation from the US Embassy this coming Thursday. The temptation is there but I will be heading to that event for coverage purposes only and if I can’t wait for it, then I might ended up giving in *lol*

Before I end my post, I want to share with you that I’ve also signed up for the Race the Dead 2013, a Zombie obstacle run in Sentosa, Singapore this coming October. Now I’m super excited for this event and guess what? The registration was opened this morning and it was already closed by mid afternoon. This means that it might be a sold out event… I am also fortunate that I was able to sign up on the first few hours and thanks so much to Tiffany for letting me know of this event and I love your interesting post on Royal Brunei. Now that’s a true essence of a blogger 😀

So peeps!! Be right back and you will see more posts from me pretty, pretty soon..

 

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The new Mazda6 to be launched this Thursday

The all-new Mazda6 looks sexy, aye?? For your info, this is the 3rd generation and it’s also the first mass-production model equipped with i-ELOOP. Ok, I don’t know what it means but it’s referring to Mazda’s new unique regenerative braking system. It also improves on fuel economy without compromising in performance.

You can choose a six-speed manual or automatic transmissions. Handling is much improved as well as its safety features. If when collision is unavoidable, the Mazda6 will find its way to reduce the severity of the impact for the safety of the occupants in the car.

According to the press release, the Mazda6 has a “KODO – Soul of Motion” design theme which was inspired by the movements of animals which also symbolizes Mazda’s distinctive vitality and agility. It comes in four new body colours – Soul Red Metallic, Blue Reflex Mica, Meteor Grey Mica and Jet Black Mica.

The Mazda6 is available in Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.0 or SKYACTIV-G 2.5 direct-injection petrol engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. Grand Motors will also be launching its new showroom on Thursday, June 13, in Beribi and officially launching the new Mazda6 to members of the public.

Recently members of the media gathered at the Orchid Garden Hotel in Berakas, where they were briefed on the specifications of the new car by Grand Motors Sales Manager Francis Yong and Customer Relationship Officer Abbie Shim.