I A Salon conducted a few workshop for I A Salon hairstylists using new approach scalp check-up technique. There is this new way where you can use an indicator from La Biosthetique that will test your Sebum (oily) and dandruff level and also the pH level of your scalp. This indicator will let you know the condition of your scalp within minutes and from there, they are able to know what treatment to use for your scalp.

Well, I have to admit that my scalp wasn’t in top condition to start off with. I have a very sensitive scalp to begin with and yes, a few redness as well on my scalp. I had a small fear that they would know how sensitive my scalp is *lol* It seems that I take for granted that my scalp will always be ok and allow it to be in a sensitive state for quite some time.

So it was such a timely manner that I A Salon brought in two associates from Malaysia La Biosthetique – Sara Ong, Sales Executive and Victoria Lam, Educator who were in Brunei to brief the staff of I A Salon as well as the media during the workshop. Hence, I was one of them that was being tested on and I also had my hair treatment using La Biosthetique.

They also brought in the new batch of La La Biosthetique products from Paris which are not available yet in Brunei but the new products will be coming in soon. For your info, these high quality products have a great track record and I have used it before a few years ago. I just happened to get one again to repair my scalp and it’s about time I do take care of my scalp too.

I highly recommend you to try out La Biosthetique products (from Paris) and you can even have your scalp treatment at I A Salon. Do call 242 3232 or 873 8232 and the salon is located at The Mall.

Group photo with I A Salon with representatives from La Biosthetique (Malaysia)

Cecilia Lee of I A Salon explaining the La Biosthetique products

Victoria Lam, Educator of La Biosthetique (Malaysia) briefing the media

Lai had her scalp tested and she kinda passed the test *lol*

Once tested, you will see the level of cebum and dandruff on your scalp

These are the indictors used for checking your scalp

I had a quick scalp reading and my oh my, it’s pretty sensitive…

So I had this treatment applied on my scalp first. This is the Epicelan Clarifant which is a gel for intensive removal of dandruff

So I had these applied with a good 5 minute scalp massage

Then I shampooed my hair with this

… and this too

Rachel has fine hair indeed. Awesome!!!

The new La Biosthetique product which will be coming soon to Brunei

The new La Biosthetique product which will be coming soon to Brunei

The new La Biosthetique product is also organic

Click image to University Cup 2013 Facebook page

 

Click image to enter flyroyalbrunei.com

 

Click image to enter Radisson Facebook Page

 

RA says it’s great to be alive and grateful for it as well. It was a strange past evenings I had especially before I hit the sack. I had this feeling of passing out whenever I was about to close my eyes to sleep. I would have this momentary blurry vision and feeling giddy for a split second when I was just about to shut my eyes. It was kinda weird but that was the best description that I could give.

I was kinda scared at the beginning and the first assumption that I will have is my own health. I started having all these thoughts of medical symptoms that might trigger all this. I know my cholesterol level is a one point from the safe zone and this was tested almost a half year ago. Yea, I could say I haven’t been eating properly and my egg intake is quite high *oopsy*

Anyway, there was another conclusion that I came up with and it could be the fact that my air circulation in my tiny room didn’t help either. For the past few days, my a/c was faulty and I was reminded that my a/c needs to be serviced every 3 to 4 months. Hence, last night I brought with me my bolster and duvet and slept downstairs in the living room and after half an hour, I felt better and I was able to doze off peacefully around 3ish *sorry bumbum* Well, it kinda proved that it might be the a/c in my room though that’s causing my body behaviour. We shall wait and see after my a/c is being serviced.

Today will be another big day for me as I will be presenting my business idea for the Ignite 2012 Business Plan Competition (formerly known as Think Big) and I will be up against 5 other finalists (3 three iCentre incubatees, one BICTA winner and one UBD lecturer) in the ICT Open Category. Tomorrow will be the prize presentation and I can’t really say if I’m nervous this time round or maybe it’s too soon to be nervous *lol* What is more important is I delivered my best and be content with it with no expectations attached. Well, maybe a little but not too high *lol*

My last participation was back in 2011 for Lovefoodhatewaste and that was a great experience. Good luck to all the participants especially to my friend Winnie Sia who is in the Student category for Ignite 2012. This will be my last participation in Ignite business plan competition and I want to play a role as a mentor for students for those interested to learn more about business plans and presentations.

Lately I’ve been in cloud nine because of my new found love – “Kara” *lol* For your info, Kara is a Korean girl band that have been growing in popularity and I was sold for the first time when I saw them live at the recent Golden Disk Awards 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. I also found new respect for Korean artistes and organisers simply because the concert was almost flawless and the quality delivered was very high indeed.

Now why I brought this topic in the “Ugly Truth” is one thing – can Bruneians rise up to these standards one day? Mind you, I still feel that live concerts by regional countries doesn’t come close to what the Koreans can do. So it’s safe to say that Brunei is a few steps behind our regional countries in terms of music and entertainment. Because of the lack of support as well as many guidelines from relevant agencies, this may have slow down any potential or creativity that our youth or talents may have in expressing them through means of music, arts and drama.

A friend of mine who has been in the local music scene shared with me on how challenging it has been for the Brunei music scene. Because of many restrictions, it kinda challenge our local talents to find ways to make music or entertainment acceptable and also well received. My friend said that the best way and the acceptable way (without any hiccups from the agencies) is to express music by simply playing musical instruments.

I love the “Open Mic” concept that was organised by my friend occasionally but I heard that soon venues will have restrictions imposed on having live band performing even though they are local artistes. I just hope this ain’t true. Last year, Andy and the Method managed to find loopholes in the system in order to perform for the public. It is sad to know that Brunei entertainment scene has been handicapped further (if the things I’ve mentioned above are implemented). We already know that international artistes are banned from performing publicly in Brunei unless it’s a private event.

So I feel that there is not much outlet for our musicians or singers to express themselves and I’m sure all these bring positive outcome and it’s way better than creating social ills in Brunei. I have seen some raw talents in Brunei but the support and the outlet (to showcase) are still a huge question mark. I believe there is still hope to fight for this because I believe in the positive outcome music can bring to our community especially the youth. 

On a positive note, the local movie scene might just open new doors for talents. I know Origins Films is coming up with a locally made movie named “Yasmine”. They have already casted some actors for the movie and I can’t wait to see the result. Another local movie that will be released soon by 23rd February is “Ada Apa Dengan Rina” and last week there was a special screening for media which I wasn’t able to attend and according my socmed buddies, this movie was hilarious and this is a great start coming from a local movie produced by Regalblue Production. I will just have to wait until the release date.

So here’s my segment of today’s The Ugly Truth and have a nice Tuesday ahead 😀

The casts of Ada Apa Dengan Rina. The movie is slated for a release on 23rd February. Image courtesy of Harlif Mohamad of Regalblue Production

Behind the scenes of last weekend’s photoshoot for Yasmine. Click image to enter Yasmine Facebook page.

A great initiative by Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam where they encouraged their customers to go green by viewing your bank account through means of e-Statement and they even throw in an awesome gimmick where you can stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 and promotion is valid until the 27th January.

Well, as a BIBD Online user, only then you will have access to free paperless statements. The steps are simple really once you log in and just follow the instructions from the poster below. It’s easy, quick and free!! and plus you stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 too.

Icon Design Store lucky draw

Do enter Icon Design Store Facebook page and stand a chance win their awesome European furniture by liking their page

A grand lucky draw to kick-start your 2013! Icon Design Store is having a Lucky Draw for all Facebook peeps! Simply LIKE Icon Design Store page on Facebook and stand a chance to win great prizes with 1,000+ likes! Draw date is January 25th 2013.

1) Grand Prize: $500 Gift Voucher with 1,500+ Facebook Likes
2) Cannes Sun Lounger
3) $250 Gift Voucher
4) Tolomeo Desk Lamp
5) $100 Gift Voucher
6) Dalu Table Lamp

In order to qualify for the Lucky Draw you need to like ICON Design Store facebook page. So what are you waiting for? 😀

You might win a $500 gift voucher from Icon Design Store

You might win a Dalu Table lamp from Icon Design Store

An artwork entitled A Woman for All Seasons IV by Bronwyn Bancroft from Australia, being displayed at BIG ONES LITTLE ONES “In My World” Brunei Exhibition. This artwork costs BND 8,450. You can view over 300 paintings at the Art Gallery, Dermaga Diraja (formerly known as the Waterfront) in town.

OVER 300 paintings from the ‘Big Ones Little Ones (BOLO)’ collection are currently on display and purchasable at the Art Gallery of the Dermaga Diraja BSB in the capital, from now until February 19.

The exhibition was yesterday launched by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Hazair bin Hj Abdullah, in the presence of, among others, Professor Marie Roslyn Bashir, the Governor of New South Wales, Australia.

The special exhibition showcasing the collection of Big Ones Little Ones comprises artworks from over 30 countries around the world. The collection, founded by Trish Amichi of Amichi Gallery, is based in Sydney, Australia.

The exhibition was organised by the Brunei Museum Department, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Digital Impression.

The programme aims to provide children (little ones), particularly those with special needs, and those from remote areas, an opportunity and a platform to communicate graphically to adults (big ones) and viewers alike of their perception of the world. This will ultimately foster a better understanding of their diverse culture and backgrounds.

A total of 168 pupils from 23 primary schools in Brunei are taking part in the programme, alongside renowned local artists. The work of Brunei’s little ones will become part of the BOLO collection and will travel to other venues.

The exhibition is open to public from January 20 to February 19.

Trish Amich, founder of BOLO, believes that cross-cultural arts/education programme plays a role in child development and education

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports was present for the official opening of BOLO Exhibition

Some of the invited guests for the BOLO Exhibition

50% of the sales will be donated to a Bruneian charity which is yet to be determined. For those wokrs that do not sell, some of them will be donated to a children’s hospital.

The BOLO collection has travelled to a number of venues in Australia and other countries, connecting people and promoting understanding and tolerance through art. Since its establishment in 2004, it has travelled to 10 different venues, including Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and China.

The ‘In My World’ theme has been specifically selected for the Brunei event. This is relevant to the programme as it captures a child’s view of the world and how his view will be translated, and appreciated by the wider world of the Big Ones.

Apart from showcasing the collection and helping create a more peaceful, harmonious and inclusive world, the programme also aims to give art lovers, collectors as well as artists the opportunity to contribute to charitable organisations, as the artworks are for sale and the proceeds from Little Ones will, in part, go to charity.

Dato Paduka Ar Hj Idris BH Abas, the co-chairman of the BOLO Exhibition (Brunei Darussalam) said, BOLO Brunei exhibition was made possible thanks to the hard work of committee members and cooperation between the private sector and the government.

The exhibition is supported Royal Brunei, Standard Chartered Bank, Arkitek Idris and other supporting sponsors and media partners.

At the launch yesterday, Dato Paduka Ar Hj Idris said, “Through this BOLO programme, we are giving opportunity to all – especially the deprived children and those students from the rural/remote schools – to participate and expose their talents in art and creativities.

“For this programme, we have already conducted one workshop for selected students from about 10 schools. We will then select some of the good artworks to be part of the BOLO collection, which will then travel to other countries’ exhibition just like what we have conducted today – the exhibition in Brunei Darussalam.

“As as avid supporter of arts and in recognition and promotion of local artists, I regard this exhibition as an opportunity for the children (especially for those with special needs) and youths to showcase their talents and skills as their means of communicating and conveying their thoughts, views and dreams.” Text courtesy of Azaraimy HH of Borneo Bulletin.

 

Click image to University Cup 2013 Facebook page

It’s a pity that UNISSA “A” failed to make the cut. Their final match in the group stage was academic as they won’t be able to reach top two in Group A. Ironically UNISSA “A” is undefeated and yet they didn’t make it through (1 win, 3 draws). However, they have a good finisher, Julzani Hj Zaini who scored his a hat-trick yesterday in a 4-0 win over Brunei Polytechnic “B” at the Royal Brunei Recreation Club yesterday. This is second hat-trick of the tournament and he has seven goals to his name so far. Amazing!!

UNISSA “A” finished third in Group A with no more matches remaining while the UBD “A” and ITB “A” will fight for the bragging rights for Group A sometime this week and both teams have actually qualified for the semi-finals regardless of the outcome.

In Group B, KUPUSB “A” will take on UNISSA “B” on the 25th January though both sides will be playing for pride unless UNISSA “B” can score more than 11 goals to better their goal difference. UBD “B” still have a mathematical chance to qualify when they take on ITB “B” on the same day. Brunei Polytechnic “A” is likely to qualify for the semi-finals should UBD “B” fail to win against ITB “B” this Friday. So there are still points to play for in Group B.

For more updates and pictures of the matches, you can click here to view them. The Facebook page is pretty updated and the committee have worked tiredlessly to provide the information on every match. Thumbs up to them!!

The pictures below are courtesy of Azizi@Azri, taken from BIBD At-tamwil University Cup facebook page.

The match between UNISSA “A” and Brunei Polytechnic “B”

The match between UNISSA “A” and Brunei Polytechnic “B”

The match between UNISSA “A” and Brunei Polytechnic “B”

Julzani celebrated after scoring for UNISSA “A”. He was Man of the Match with his hat-trick effort.

 

I’m amazed by the collections on display especially the figurines by six local collectors who brought their personal collection, mostly from Hot Toys. I know in Singapore that they have dedicated shops selling such figurine and it’s not available here in Brunei. The toy display was part of Toyland Adventure event which took place at Mabohai Shopping Complex.

Muaz, one of the collectors who showcased his Ironman collection, said that he spent a few thousands on his collections.

For your info, the Brunei Usergroup Lego and Technic (BULAT) will be having a display next week and it’s organised by Forevershine and the event is sponsored by ToysRus and it will also take place at Toyland Adventure at Mabohai Shopping Complex .

 

Cooltones and B-Mobile held its first FLY2UK Monthly Mini Draw, where the first prize of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone was won by Hjh Rabi’ah Hj Abd Rashid.

In second place was Khairunnisa Md Said, who received a QQestore voucher worth $100 and a B-Mobile top-up worth $15. Both winners, as well as third-place winner Nur Amirah Ambrin, received a KFC meal voucher, a seven-day Fitness Zone pass, a movie ticket for MVision Cinema and Cooltones merchandise.

A prize presentation was also held for Pelangi SMS Quiz winner Nurul Hilda Omarali, who took home Cooltones merchandise, B-Mobile top up and vouchers.

Presenting the prizes were B-Mobile Marketing Executive Md Iskandar Zulkipli, KFC Brunei General Manager Del Goh, Fitness Zone Membership Manager Raymond Calpo Rapi and Modasys Assistant Manager Pg Saiful Khalid Pg Yunos.

The prize presentations were held in conjunction with the ongoing FLY2UK SMS Quiz, where the grand prize winner will be sponsored to fly to the UK to watch a Barclays Premier League football match.

As the official radio station for the quiz, Pelangi FM is airing questions daily until March 31. Daily quiz winners will stand to win prizes from the contest’s sponsors, while weekly quiz winners will bring home goodie bags and attractive sponsored prizes.

This year’s quiz is sponsored by AutoPro Tyre, B-Mobile, Fitness Zone, Huawei, KFC Brunei, MVision, QQestore and Socialdeal Brunei.

Interested B-mobile subscribers can participate by texting FLY to 38833. Additionally, BPL Wap, Cooltones subscribers and Fitness Zone members who are playing the quiz will get 15 points each month.

For more information about FLY2UK subscribers, call B-Mobile at 177 or visit its official website at www.3g.com.bn. Text by Mei Fung Lee of The Brunei Times.

Weekly winners of the Pelangi FM

Weekly winners of the FLY2UK

Guess who was in town…. Nawja Latif 😀 and Nana of KFC had a photo opp with her

Najwa Latif with the staff of KFC

 

Last Friday, I sent off Khalil Khasfi who has probably landed in New York City and good luck in your future studies in New York and yes, four years is gonna be a long, long time. Thank you for your contribution and your help whenever needed and thank you also for the great partnership you have created between RA and UBD FM. I know it will be tough to have a great leader like you. All the best 😀

Khalil with his friends at the airport before flying off

A farewell gathering for Khalil with his UBD FM mates recently

 

With the winners of Netcom lucky draw

Khairunissa Azri went home a happy winner yesterday after receiving a Dell Inspiron Ultrabook from Netcom Computer House as part of its lucky draw promotion.

In second place was Ak Mohd Yussof, who won a Dell 1430X projector, while third place winner Gerelson Bernardino won a QNAP TS-219P Network Attach Storage Server.

Nine other winners also received consolation prizes, which consisted of hardware and software from Netcom.

Present to hand over the prizes was Technical Director of Netcom Computer House Chong King Fui and Managing Director of Netcom Computer House Vincent Goh.

The lucky draw promotion was conducted from October 2012 to January 6. However, today saw the start of a new lucky draw promotion, which will continue until April 21, with the grand draw scheduled to be held on May 3. Prizes for this draw include a Dell Optiplex desktop, Dell notebooks and many more.

To join the draw, all customers have to do is purchase a product from any of the five Netcom Computer House branches and complete the lucky draw form.

For enquiries, call Netcom at its headquarters in Kiulap at 2231563/4; at The Mall, Gadong at 2424027/8; at its Tutong branch at 4220651/2; and at its Kuala Belait branch at 3341063/4.

One of the consolation winners

One of the consolation winners

One of the consolation winners

Ak Mohd Yussof won a Dell 1430X projector

Gerelson Bernardino won a QNAP TS-219P Network Attach Storage Server

Khairunissa Azri won a Dell Inspiron Ultrabook

 

It was full house at ihtifal TAIB roadshow lucky draw few Sundays ago

Siti Norazima Hj Md Zin was announced as the grand prize winner of an Umrah travel package during the Ihtifal TAIB roadshow’s lucky draw recently at the Airport Mall in Berakas.

In second place was Nurasikin Masri, who won an Osim uDivine 3D Massage Chair, while Masri Hj Ludin took home the third place prize of an Apple MacBook Pro.

To enter the draw, visitors were required to visit various booths at the event, filling up their “Ihtifal TAIB Passport” as they went around. This action would then give the visitor one coupon to enter the draw. Visitors could also increase their chances of winning by applying for selected Perbadanan TAIB products during the roadshow applications for Property Financing would give the customer five coupons into the lucky draw, while applications for Education Financing, Education Kit Financing, Home Improvement Financing, Akaun SiManja and Akaun Tekad Haji Standing Instruction would give the customer two coupons into the lucky draw.

Presenting the prizes to the lucky draw winners were Managing Director of Perbadanan TAIB Yusof Hj Abdul Rahman, Managing Director of Insurans Islam TAIB Hj Osman Hj Jair and Member of the Board of Trustees from Pusat Ehsan Hj Ahmad Hj Abd Rahman.

The lucky draw coincided with the closing ceremony of Ihtifal TAIB, a four-day roadshow promoting products and services of Perbadanan TAIB.

The event was a collaborated effort between Perbadanan TAIB and its subsidiaries: Darussalam Holdings Sdn Bhd and Insurans Islam TAIB Sdn Bhd. A representative on behalf of Perbadanan TAIB stated, “Ihtifal TAIB would not have been a success without the assistance of Darussalam Holdings Sdn Bhd, Insurans Islam TAIB Sdn Bhd, as well as participating partners Brunei Usergroup Lego and Technic (BULAT), Pentagram Design, Tabung Amanah Pekerja (TAP), Jabatan Pengurusan Haji, Pusat Ehsan, the Health Promotion Centre and all the property agents.”

Attendees of the roadshow and lucky draw segment also saw a donation handover from Managing Director of Perbadanan TAIB Yusof Hj Abdul Rahman to a member of the Board of Trustees from Pusat Ehsan Hj Ahmad Hj Abd Rahman. Donation boxes had been set up in all Perbadanan TAIB branches in the Sultanate and a final count was done during the roadshow, where Perbadanan TAIB then presented a total of $1,154 to the special needs centre.

Ihtifal TAIB will be organised in the other districts throughout the year and the grand finale of the Ihtifal TAIB event in September will see one lucky individual win a brand new Hyundai Accent. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times.

It has been 13 years already for Concepts Computer and tonight they celebrated their 13th year existence in Brunei by having an appreciation dinner at Seri Kemayan Restaurant with the Concepts Computer management and their staff and also members of the local media.

Vincent Pao has brought Concepts Computer to new heights with his leadership and vision. He appreciated his staff for their contribution, cooperation and teamwork. He also thanked the organising committee of the appreciation dinner.

Special mention also goes to Acer Sales & Services Sdn Bhd of Malaysia, Servex Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Highpoint Service Network of Malaysia, Epson Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Timetech Computer Trading Co, MCP Computer Pte Ltd of Singapore, Amble Actions Sdn Bhd, MCL Malaysia Bhd and HSBC for the sponsorship of prizes.

I won myself a computer speaker as part of the lucky draw. Our media friend Lai won an Acer V5 notebook :p Thank you Vincent and Concepts Computer for the invitation.

Mr. and Mrs. Pao with the staff of Concepts Computer

Vincent won himself a voucher

Another lucky winner of the 50 lucky draw prizes

Zatty won some goodie bag

I’ve lost count of how many printers Nana has right now

Adam didn’t get his prize until late

Tiger was aiming for the notebook but he ended up with a web camera

Lai was the fortunate one when we had a special draw for media

The “shake, shake” game was hilarious

A lucky winner from the executive management of Concepts Computer

A shock reaction from the audience when she won a projector. It was another special draw for the longest serving staff of Concepts Computer.

Luck was definitely on her side :))

The “shake, shake” game from the guys

One of the scenes of their drama act

No. 12 won the grand prize – Acer V5 notebook to cap off a great evening

 

Click image to enter flyroyalbrunei.com

 

Click image to enter Radisson Facebook Page

Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam presents mouth-watering “Oysters prepared in Six ways” at Deals Restaurant. Six ways with oysters available for dinner from 6.30pm to 10.30pm and prepared in six exciting ways namely grilled with herb and shallot butter, chowder with corn and pepper, crispy fried with papaya and chilli salsa, classic ‘Rockefeller’ with almond crumbs, ravioli with leeks and tabasco and warm terrine with bonito jelly at only B$24 per dozen or B$18 per half dozen.

“This amazing dish can be enjoyed as an appetizer to complement the main meal or as the main meal for the evening”, said Cameron Lawless, Food and Beverage Manager as well as the Executive Chef. “We are bringing back the oysters until 30 January to satisfy our diners’ craving and leaving them wanting more”.

For table reservations or enquiries, please call the hotel at 2244272.

Deals Restaurant is a modern, refreshing and contemporary venue that offers an extensive menu. Whatever the occasion, a celebration dinner with friends or a formal business lunch, Deals Restaurant is a unique place for you to relax and indulge in something very special. It also opens for lunch from Mondays to Thursdays and Saturdays from 12noon to 2pm. Deals Restaurant is closed on Friday for lunch, public holidays and Sundays.

 

When choosing a new car, consumers see the “Gelber Engel” as a sort of seal of approval as it doesn’t just look at design and image, but also takes into account criteria such as the vehicle’s price-performance ratio, functionality, efficiency, safety and eco-friendliness. Around 290,000 readers of the ADAC’s Motorwelt magazine as well as users of the club’s internet presence took part in this year’s vote. All-in-all, 52 cars were up for election, all of which came on to the market in 2012 for the first time. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class beat all of these to the top spot and is thus the favourite car of the Germans, being awarded the “Gelber Engel 2013” by Europe’s largest automobile club.

The A-Class impresses with its progressive design. Its exterior demonstrates  a particularly independent, sporty character and is complemented by an innovative interior which exudes both class and quality. What’s more, the  
A-Class offers excellent driving dynamics and engines which shine with great performance as well as modern, environmentally-friendly technology.

Mercedes-Benz A Class favourite car of the Germans

At the same time, the A-Class once again highlights the fact that safety at Mercedes-Benz is not a question of price. Amongst other systems, the COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST radar-based assistance system is fitted as standard. Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz has achieved yet another world first by comprehensively integrating the iPhone® into the vehicle’s operating and display concept.

The exceptional position of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class in its segment had incidentally already been agreed upon by readers of AUTO BILD – a specialist magazine with massive circulation figures. The magazine had already voted the compact star the most attractive car in Germany as well as bestowing it the coveted AUTO BILD Design Award 2012.

 

Participants at the briefing yesterday

The Authority for Info-communication Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) continues to support ICT companies to participate in the prestigious CommunicAsia 2013 which will be held from 18 to 21 June 2013 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.  A briefing was conducted at AITI last Thursday and 30 ICT related companies from the ICT Industry attended. 

AITI’s Chief Executive, Mr. Yahkup Menudin in his opening remarks, emphasized the importance of local ICT companies to develop and sell their own ICT services and products so that they can be marketed overseas instead of just being ICT resellers.  Assistant Chief Executive for International Relations, Mr. Wallace Koh Hoe Aik, later briefed the audiences on the terms and conditions of AITI’s subsidised program for overseas exhibiition. BruGPS and Folec  Communications also shared their success stories from their participation in CommunicAsia 2012 last year as an encouragement and sharing their experiences.  Ms Claudine Ang from Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd, organizer for CommunicAsia 2013, was on-site to brief the ICT companies with regards to the venue and preparation process for participating in the event.

CommunicAsia 2013 will feature leading and home-grown exhibitors that will showcase comprehensive range of key and emerging technologies from augmented reality, FTTx, mobile broadband, mobile applications and innovations, nextgen connected services, NFC and mCommerce, OTT, smartphones & devices, telecom power solutions and many others. AITI is confident that CommunicAsia 2013 will continue to provide an excellent opportunity for our local ICT companies to get maximum exposure to potential buyers and to strike partnerships and deals.  Local ICT companies can also leverage this event to establish business networks and alliance with prominent ICT players from all over the world.

Reza Faizal of Folec Communications

As part of an ongoing effort in helping the local ICT Industry to participate in the international exhibition, AITI has came up with a series of incentives/subsidies for ICT companies which are keen to participate in the CommunicAsia 2013.  The subsidies include;
• One return economy air-ticket to Singapore for each participating company
• One standard hotel room.
• Transportation from airport to hotel vice versa
• A 3x2m or 3x3m booth within the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion inclusive of an A1 size colour company posters
 
Local ICT companies who have their own ICT products/services or have their regional product distributorships are encouraged to participate. Companies that are registered under AITI Accredited Business (AAB) Status will be given priority due to booths limitation. There will be a nominal participating fee of B$500 for each locally registered ICT company.  Application form can be obtained online from www.aiti.gov.bn. The deadline for submission to AITI’s office is on 15 March 2013.

For any query, please contact Ms Ang Hui Nee at 2366675  or email: huinee.ang@aiti.gov.bn or Ms Johana Sumin at 2366678 or email:johana.sumin@aiti.gov.bn

 

Click image to enter Brunei Meme Facebook Page

With memes going viral on the Internet, 1stopbrunei.com yesterday launched the first meme competition to challenge the nation’s creativity and sense of humour.

A meme can be considered as an idea or a behaviour that spreads from one person to another within a culture. Users would imitate any cultural phenomena, usually in the form of catchy phrases, out or inside the society they live in.

Brunei has joined the phenomena popularised through the use of social media. The nation even has its own form of meme which can be found on Facebook at Brunei Memes.

The aim of the competition is to promote the creativity of the public and unite people with the same interest through social media such as Facebook. Criteria of the memes will be judged based on the most important factor humour as well as originality and number of likes they receive from other Facebook users in Brunei.

The winning meme will be selected at the end of each week. It will be displayed on 1stopbrunei.com, as well as other few websites.

For further inquiries or interest in participation, email them to bruneimemes@hotmail.com or 1stopbrunei@gmail.com. Text by Ikhwan Salleh of The Brunei Times.

 

Save this number – 8989907 – especially if you have been using your BIBD Credit and Debit Cards. Every Tuesday or  Wednesday Dj Tina and Dj Hum will be calling the lucky winner on their KRISTALfm Breakfast Show to tell them they’ve just won a Galaxy Note 2 just because they’ve recently swiped their cards. So don’t reject that call from 8989907, you’ll be missing out on the cool prize. We’ve got 7 more to give away, so you better stay tuned and don’t forget to keep swiping your BIBD cards.

The grand prize will be the 100,000 Royal Skies. So do keep swiping your BIBD card until 24th February 2013. And do listen to KRISTALfm Breakfast show on Tuesday or Wednesday.

It was such a great honour to be part of the media of the recent Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur. My guess is that most K-pop fans might be aware of this award and this is the 27th time it was being held. Just imagine this as the Grammys for Korean music industry and it was also a great privilege for Malaysia to host such an event because this is the first time that the Golden Disk Awards is hosted in South East Asia.

The event was sponsored by JTBC and Ilgan Sports, organised by Joongang Culture Media and Mediartncomm Co. Ltd., supported by the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) together with the Ministry of Tourism and presented by Samsung Malaysia Electronics as the title sponsor.

It was definitely worth the admission fee (RM 688) for the rockpit zone area and those with the Samsung Galaxy Zone (RM999) had the best of the lot because there were able to take close up shots of their idols. I came in as a media and we didn’t have the best spot at the concert area but nonetheless we have access to the press conference as well as the Red Carpet moment where we can take better shots.

I was simply amazed by the set up, the lighting, the sound and the great energy by the K-pop artistes. All in all, for a two-night concert, I gave this a 9/10 rating. I’m pretty those who bought those tickets will share the same sentiment. It would have been nice if the Samsung Galaxy Zone had more spectators but then again, the tickets price might be a turn-off.

I think most of you who followed me on instagram realised on my new found love – Kara *lol* They were simply stunning on stage and their music is pretty catchy too and of course, they have the looks to compliment their talent.

I also finally knew that G-Dragon is the leader of Big Bang and he really stole the show on the 2nd night of Golden Disk Awards 2013. Based on my research, G-Dragon (real name Kwon Ji-yong) is also a song writer, record producer, designer and yes, he’s a rapper too. Ok, you can see that I’m pretty new in the K-pop scene and the first taste of K-pop was at CN BLUE’s concert last year in Bangkok and I was impressed.

A great job by the organisers in putting up a great show!! And a huge thanks to RougePR for taking care of my stay in KL as well as handling the logistics. Ok, it’s me RA signing off …. (and I still can’t get over Kara).

Full list of winners

► Song of the Year: PSY (GangNam Style)

► Golden Disk Award Song Division: T-ara (Lovey Dovey) / miss A (Touch) / Sistar (Alone) / 2NE1 (I Love You) / Heo-Gak / f(x) (Electric Shock) / Big Bang (Fantastic Baby) / K.will (I Need You) / Secret (Poison) / G-Dragon (Crayon) / PSY (GangNam Style)

► Album of the Year: Super Junior (Sexy, Free & Single)

► Golden Disk Award Album Division: infinite (Infinitize) / B1A4 (The B1A4) / FT Island (Grown-Up) / CN Blue (3rd Mini Album Ear Fun) / 4Minute (Volume Up) / Beast (Midnight Sun) / Kara (Pandora)

► New Rising K-POP Star: EXO / Juniel

► MSN Southeast Asia Award: Super Junior

► JTBC Best Artiste: Beast

► Malaysia’s Most Favorite: CN Blue / Kara

► Next Generation Star: BTOB

► Most Popular Star: SHINee

► Producer of the Year: Han Seong Ho of FNC

► Best Dance Performance: Hyuna & Hyun Seung (Trouble Maker)

► Best Group Performance: Infinite

► New Rising K-POP Star: B.A.P / Lee HI / Ailee

► Single Album of the Year: Teen Top (It’s)

► Best HIP HOP Star: Epik High

► MSN International Award: Big Bang

► Galaxy Star Award: Sistar

► CeCi Popularity Award: G-Dragon from Big Bang

► InStyle Fashionista Award: Lee Hong Ki from FT Island

Results taken from The Sun Daily.

The press fighting for a good spot at yesterday’s press conference

Ailee was super hot especially on stage.. I love her charisma too. No wonder lots of fans screaming.

B.A.P. at the press conference

Teen Top at the press conference

K.will in the house

miss A but I still prefer Kara 😀

Secret are hot too but but but…. I still prefer Kara 😀

f(x) are another girl groupie but still my votes got to Kara

Sistar but you already know what I’m gonna say

Epik High at the press conference

*lol* G-Dragon was cool and hilarious

Even the media have to follow rules and regulations. The door was shut during the press conference.

Lee HI was the last of the lot

The opening act of the night

Another strong crowd on the 2nd day

G-Dragon got an award for Golden Disk Award Song Division for Crayon and Big Bang’s Fantastic Baby, CeCi Popularity Award and also for MSN Internatioanl Award for Big Bang

The photographer not happy with the rulings for media. Apparently we were only instructed to take photos for 10 minutes and taking turns with others.

Yanny was comfortable in her zone and she is a huge fan of G-Dragon

G-Dragon accepting PSY’s award on his behalf for Gangnam Style

PSY giving his acceptance speech. Image taken GDA 2013 Facebook page

The finale of the show – Gangnam Style by the artistes

Ok, I won’t be saying much but more on my experience in my next post. For now, I’m just uploading pictures from yesterday’s event and also a quick rundown on who won in their respective categories in the Golden Disk Awards 2013.

The event took place at Sepang International Circuit and tonight will be the final show where there are still awards up for grabs. Good luck to all the Korean artistes and Kara, I love you ladies 😀

Here are the lists of winners :- (Souce: Allkpop.com)

▲ Disk Daesang

- Super Junior “Sexy Free & Single”
▲ Disk Bonsang

- 4minute

- B1A4

- B2ST

- CNBLUE

- FT ISLAND

- INFINITE

- KARA

- SHINee

- Super Junior
▲ Rookie Award

- EXO-K

- Juniel
▲ Best Dance Performance Award

- Trouble Maker
▲ Best Group Performance Award

- INFINITE
▲ Next Generation Star Award

- BtoB
▲ MSN Southeast Asia Award

- Super Junior “Sexy Free & Single”
▲ Malaysia’s Most Favorite Star Award

- CNBLUE

- KARA
▲ jTBC Best Artist Award

- B2ST
▲ Popularity Award

- SHINee
▲ Golden Disk Producer Award

- Han Sung Ho (FNC Entertainment)

Taken at the Sepang International Circuit

The crowd hoping to get spots at the concert

CN Blue had the cool reception from the fans

I believe this is BTOB (if I’m not mistaken)

Crazy fans at the Red Carpet

Aiii.. kecian.. One of them had a slight cough

Enough said… Kara ladies stole my day

Even the crew couldn’t stand the screams during the Red Carpet

This guys are cool… SuperJunior

The media centre.. Around 100 plus reporters and photographers were there

Ok, I see that one lady almost felt flatten out

Beast

All the artistes were driven in this

Yanne was my sidekick *lol*

How the Golden Disk Award trophy looks like

Fans waiting for the event

It was definitely worth the wait, aye?

Digi making their presence felt

The sound engineering section

I can see a CN BLUE merchandise

There were many fan signs too

Great show by this group

EXO showing their groove

Best producer goes to him

Kaaraaaaaa…..

I think I’m in love with Kara 😀

 FT Island on stage to receive an award

4Minutes were not bad (I still Kara)

 Juniel won the Rookie award

 Even some Bruneians attended the gig 😀

 

Click image to enter flyroyalbrunei.com

 

 

The updated table as of 14•01•2013 and click image to enter At-tamwil University Cup 2013 Facebook page

A great result yesterday for ITB “B” who have a perfect record with 2 wins out of 2 matche so far. They overcame a resilient UNISSA “B” and they scored three goals in the second half through Ak Muhd Muez (48th min), Mohd Sarif Mahmud (69th min) and own goal from Ismail. ITB “B” created a few great chances but they weren’t able to hit the target in the first half. UNISSA “B” had a great opportunity late in the first half when they almost scored from a run of play only to have their powerful shot struck the woodwork.

In other matches, ITB “A” redeemed themselves with a 2-1 victory over Brunei Polythenic “B” after the 5-5 draw (against UNISSA “A”) in the opening match last week. Haneef Haji Shaminan scored the winner in the 75th min after Hariz Amin of Brunei Polythenic “B” levelled in the 65th min. In the first half, Ruzaini Mahadi of ITB “A” scored the first goal in the 29th min.

UNISSA “A” was held to another draw, a 1-1 result against bottom team KUPUSB “B”. Kamarul Ariffin scored for UNISSA “A” while Muhd Rusaini Awang leveled for KUPUSB “B”. The result meant that UNISSA “A” is still undefeated but all their three matches have been draws (5-5 against ITB “A”, UBD “A” and now KUPUSB “B”). Now it’s a must win for UNISSA “A” to win their final match and hope other results go their way in the 5-team group table. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

In the final match last night, UBD “B” defeated KUPUSB “A” 3-1 in the Group B match. UBD “B” scorers were Zulhamizan Jamil (36th min and 87th min) and Abdul Taif Hj Jais (78th min) while KUPUSB “A” scorer was Zulfaris Salleh (85th min). The defeat for KUPUSB “A” meant that they are also at the foot of the table with 3 losses while UBD “B” scored their first victory in the tournament and they are still in contention for a top two finish in Group B.

Honestly, I’m pretty impressed with the At-tamwil University Cup 2013 especially from the co-organisers ITB. The logistics and even the little things are taken care of and a bit shout out to the volunteers as well. I can see this University Cup to be a yearly thing and even bigger than this year. This is a good example that other organisers should follow. A big thanks as well to BIBD At-tamwil for making this possible for the University Cup.

UNISSA “B” in pink in action against ITB “B” in white. ITB “B” won 3-0 yesterday.

A great turn out for the match yesterday

Fighting for the ball

A lot of appreciation also for the ball boy

A throw-in effort from ITB “B”

I thought football is a contact sport to an extent *ouch*

And down he went

The UNISSA “B” bench almost celebrated but the effort hit the post

Mohd Sarif Mahmud of ITB “B” had a great game yesterday and he also scored in the 3-0 victory

Did you know you can stand a chance to win prizes by attending the matches? Here are the list of winners for yesterday’s match between UNISSA “B” and ITB “B”. Click image to enter their Facebook Page.
 

 

RA says welcome once again to my edition of the Ugly Truth and yes, a lot has happened in the past few days. Amazing, huh? Then again, the matters which I feel like blogging are pretty subjective and there’s always a fine line on what’s appropriate to publish. Being a blogger for almost 10 years, I’ve learned bits and pieces, here and there and occasionally, yes, “they” do call me to filter things out.

There have been many comments on both telcos in Brunei over the 3G connections. The recent one was today that’s being published in today’s The Brunei Times where one user is actually using both telcos and yet the 3G connections are terrible. I know Gadong have been congested when it comes to 3G and this is due to congestions of having many subscribers at a populated area. I remembered former CEO of DST Idris Vasi said that by implementing more towers will help ease the congestion and make connection smoother. As of now, I’m not sure if these towers are in placed or still at the preliminary stage.

Now with 4G around the corner, it won’t be another easy task especially when it comes to coverage area. Just imagine in Singapore alone that 4G has a nationwide coverage of only 70% and of course, it will grow from time to time. I believe Brunei will follow suit once 4G is made available which is supposedly in the first quarter of 2013. I, myself, can’t wait for the 4G connectivity and test it on the iPhone 5. We shall see once it’s out..

Since I’m on the matter of telcos, there’s one point I want to raise. Once, I predicted how Whatsapp will actually over take SMS and my theory was a year ago when it was during Hari Raya season. I started to realise that friends and families were sending WA messages for their Hari Raya greetings where before we would “traditionally” have loads of SMSes on our smartphones.

One of the officials from a telco company disagreed with my theory that revenue will not be affected and his main reason was subscribers are using 3G data more.. Then again, 3G data doesn’t cost much when it comes to WA-ing unless you are posting photos on instagram or Facebook or surfing my site through smartphones or even forwarding pictures through WA, then that’s a different ball game. But for WA, 3G data doesn’t take much if you are merely conversing or chatting.

By the way, our neighbouring country Singapore has learned about how their users are taking advantage of the unlimited data given and recently they have revamped their packages so the data usage has a cap or limited bandwidth in order to make their business more sustainable. I believe DST will be heading into that direction as quoted by the former CEO of DST by introducing new price schemes. It remains to be seen when this will take place. For now, the most important thing is to make customers happy with the current 3G connection and I truly believe, with the time given, the telcos are capable of delivering better services.

Whatsapp has been more popular than the conventional SMS. What say you?

Perhaps another big news that you may have heard is the recent lucky draw prize incident that took place at the Indoor Stadium last weekend. Oh yeah, guys… please don’t get confused with NBT lucky draw and Consumer Fair because the lucky draw was independently managed by NBT themselves.

I have been hearing different versions of the stories but one thing for sure, a table was flipped by one unhappy customer of NBT. From the information I gather from the witnesses and NBT, I can safely conclude that perhaps the information wasn’t clearly delivered to the audience. Sometimes, we take for granted that the audience or customers know the terms and conditions of the lucky draw even though such presentations have been done over and over again.

Then again, the angry customer might also be in the wrong for his unnecessary vent when he flipped the table in disgust. I believe this kind of things can be done in an appropriate manner and in a more civilised way. Even if the customer is right, there’s no need for this sort of behaviour. This surely shows a bad example of our identity and more on our mentality that we resort to this kind of behaviour when things are seen as unjust or unfair.

According to the press release statement, NBT didn’t break any regulations in terms of the draw. Perhaps if the technical issue of the internet was solved, this matter wouldn’t have arise as well. Apparently, when the BN18,000 lucky draw from NBT was conducted at the Indoor Stadium, there were also customers who were present at the NBT KB showroom and their presence did make them eligible as recipients for the lucky draw.

As I have mentioned before, perhaps the execution of the message or the terms and conditions could have been better. For instance, the organiser would remind the emcee to keep repeating the T&Cs in front of the audience so there won’t be any miscommunicated messages. I remembered Frankie, who emcee-ed for the Consumer Fair lucky draw, and I lost count of how many times he reminded the public about the rules of the lucky draw and guess what? it worked.

Judging from the video that went viral on Whatsapp, I have to salute to the NBT staff for not reacting to the angry customer even though he was nudged a few times. That’s not easy when you are in the situation and being physically provoked too. It would have been a bigger story should both exchanged blows. For this, I admire NBT’s professionalism not to react.

Oh yeah, sometimes it’s best not to spread things if you don’t know the whole story (meaning you only listen to one side of the party). From my general impression, a lot of fingers are pointing to the organizer based on the facts they received from their friends and peers through whatsapp. Some even said the winner was one of the NBT staff which is untrue. There are a few more but I think I just leave it there.

I do hope this won’t affect future lucky draws as the Ministry of Home Affairs are already being strict on the regulations on these kind of prize presentation. Well, this is already our culture in Brunei – to be part of any lucky draw, big or small. Aren’t we spoilt? *lol*

NBT is pleased to announced that TOYOTA owner, Dyg Sukin Binti Sabak (IC No. 129479), who was present at the NBT Kuala Belait Showroom at the time of the draw, fairly and squarely won the first prize [B$18,000], as did the winners of all the other prizes, and that all the lucky draw results including the first prize were independently confirmed and verified by the auditors as correct.

Some of NBT’s KB customers present at the showroom during the draw.

Lately my friends have been wondering what’s up with me? Personally I’m just going with the flow and it’s true that sometimes we don’t see it but others might. Even if it’s such a quick glance, that’s enough to determine how you have been showing up in real life. So far, I don’t feel up or down but just slow and steady. Yes, I do have things that might cloud my mind once in a while but it doesn’t really affect my whole day.

Last year was a great year. Speaking of 2012, I have yet to do my own recap of 2012 *lol* From the rate I’m going, it’s very unlikely that I will post them. Though it was a great one, the hardest part was letting go of a relationship which ended mutually. The process wasn’t easy but it was for the best. I’m still glad that we are close friends and our friendship has kinda rejuvenated. For now, it’s important to focus on my well-being and find happiness within myself and not to be dependent on my happiness from others. That would make a lesser (person) of me and being a love bunny ain’t easy as well. Hmmmm maybe I’m going through a stage of loneliness where I can conveniently talk or communicate with my closed ones or missing that intimate communication (don’t get the wrong ideas haha) or the sense of belonging which could lead to my friends’ concern of me. I don’t know really… The best person to be aware or know of my situation is myself, right? 😀

Now you don’t see this pretty often aye…… This personal side of me especially when it comes to my emotional being. For now, relationship is not my priority. Relationship with myself is more of my purpose and intention. I’m typing this out in the comfort of my seat on flight AK 1693 and I can’t wait to release my energy on tonight’s Golden Disk Awards at Sepang Circuit. For your info, the GDA 2013 is an annual event for South Korea’s prestigious music awards and this will be the first time such event is taking place in South East Asia.

Anyway, here’s RA signing off for the day and my prayers and thoughts to JJ. I don’t know why you are in my thoughts at this very moment but it keeps reminding me to be humble and be who I am. And to Liyana, you’re such a strong woman and your strength have lift hopes for others and not to take things and life for granted. Keep it up and and congratulations on the new born baby, Mohammad Ishaaq Firdaus bin Mohammad Ismael :))

By the way, I haven’t proof read my entry.. So mind me… brb … it’s showtime in Sepang!!!