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The Rainforest Gallery will be hosting a two-week charity art exhibition, themed ‘Love Cats’, from November 4 to 17.

The exhibition will feature artwork by young artists and students of the gallery. The art pieces will be up for sale and a portion of the profits from the sale will be donated to Care and Actions for Strays (CAS), a local non-governmental organisation that helps care, foster and rehabilitate stray animals and cover the costs of veterinary medical bills.

The Rainforest Gallery recognises CAS’ efforts to care for strays in Brunei and aims to help spread awareness of CAS and its objectives through the exhibition.

Denise Chhan, manager of the Rainforest Gallery said, “I follow CAS on Facebook and I see the hard work and effort they put in and the difference they try to make.”

“For a small nation, we have a huge population of strays and it is sad to see the condition these animals are in.”

“This is a great opportunity for our fellow artists and art students to do our part.”

CAS representatives will be present at the exhibition to answer any questions about the organisation, as well as attend to those interested in signing up to be members, volunteers or sponsors of CAS.

The exhibition will also feature a presentation by representatives of the Feline Appreciation Society (FAS).

Other activities set to take place during the exhibition include fun games, a colouring contest and face-painting for children.

A charity sale will also be held on tomorrow Sunday, November 4.

More than 10 booths will be set up for visitors of the exhibition, where they can purchase handicraft and artwork from the gallery, as well as see what is on offer from other vendors. A portion of proceeds from the charity sale will also be going to CAS.

One of the vendors who will be at the charity sale is home-based jewellery designer Yusrina Abdullah of Enya Bijoux, whose designs can be seen on Instagram at @enyabijoux, said in an interview, “I think it’s great that the Rainforest Gallery is giving an opportunity to up-and-coming local businesses like mine, in particular the home-based ones who are just starting up, to be a part of the event and help us gain exposure, while simultaneously doing a good deed to help the CAS organisation.”

The Rainforest Gallery is located at Block B, Unit 8, on the first floor of Shakirin Complex in Kiulap. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times.

I won’t complain about referee this time. Regardless of the game last night, DPMM FC performed brilliantly this season after coming off a 2 year hiatus after Brunei was suspended by FIFA. Simunic’s target for the season was Top 5 and he bettered that goal by finishing a healthy second for DPMM FC. So all in all, DPMM FC did an awesome job this season and I’m more than grateful. Yes, it was so close that DPMM FC could have won the title then again it would rely on a resilient Harimau Muda to beat eventual champions Tampines Rovers.

Though a consolation victory over Balestier Khalsa would have been a better deal, the visitors caused a shock 2-0 upset over DPMM FC. They become the third team to beat DPMM FC at the national stadium after SAF FC and Harimau Muda. They defended well and the visitors had nothing to play for as they are settled for mid-table position.

Two goals from Balestier came from counter attacks. The first goal came after Azwan Salleh of DPMM FC lost possession and the visitors quickly countered and scored in the 80th minute through Zulkiffli Hassim. The second one was a beauty as Park Kang Jin raced towards the goal unmarked after a corner from DPMM FC was cleared and the Korean chipped the ball over a helpless Wardun to seal the fate of DPMM FC.

Simunic said that perhaps the second half performance was affected by them knowing the result of the other game which was not in favour of DPMM FC. Nonetheless DPMM FC still gave some glimpse of brilliance but it wasn’t a convincing performance from the home team. Perhaps some of the players were still recovering from fever after their Singapore trip last week.

It was a great scene though after the final whistle to see the fans still cheering for DPMM FC. There was also a round of applause from The Crown Prince and the Royal entourage towards DPMM FC players. Now that DPMM FC finished second in the league, would this mean Simunic want nothing less than the S•League title?

Thank you to DPMM FC for bringing the fun and the bonding among the fans and thank you to the management of DPMM FC for giving me the opportunity to work with you guys and it has been a fun season all round.

DPMM FC celebrated their success after finishing 2nd in the S•League and next year, they will be stronger

Grand opening tomorrow (Sunday)

Charity Carwash Challenge at b•mobile new HQ

Acer Malaysia is offering a special 2 hours “Acer Windows 8 Bonanza” to new or existing customers at selected PC Fairs and Dealer Stores. This 2-hour only bonus event will take place on 3rd November 2012 from 11am – 1pm at these locations:

This “Acer Windows 8 Bonanza” program is made especially for Acer new or existing customers who have been waiting for the new Acer products pre-loaded with the latest Windows 8 operating system.

Concepts Computer is listed under the “Acer Windows 8 Bonanza”

The first 100 visitors to the selected locations from 11am – 1pm will receive a goodies bag worth BND50 while stock lasts. In addition, customer who purchases any Acer products pre- loaded with Windows 8 will be entitled to an immediate rebate through a dip where you will walk away with a limited edition Acer Ferrari Mouse, Acer 500GB HDD or discount as much as RM500 or B$200. You will also be in the running to participate in the ultimate Speedy Sweep Contest where you will be rewarded with more fantastic prizes.

So Brunei is listed by Acer Malaysia to be part of the Acer Windows 8 Bonanza and you can drop by Concepts Computer at Kiulap and be the first 100 visitors to receive goodie bags!!!

Concepts Computer also have pre-installed Windows 8 in the latest Acer computers

Tonight is the big night for DPMM FC.. Good luck!!!

Will this be Simunic’s biggest glory? Tonight DPMM FC will hope for a favour from Harimau Muda to draw or beat Tampines Rovers but of course, DPMM FC will have to get points tonight against opposition Balestier Khalsa and should everything go as planned, then DPMM FC will be crowned champions. This will be Simunic’s best achievement as well as DPMM FC’s too for grabbing both the S•League Cup title and the S•League title.

According to the interview by Jason Thomas on Simunic, the DPMM FC coach remains calm before the final game of the season. He believes that DPMM FC is the team of the year and they have scored many goals and played attractive football. He was tight-lipped when asked about Harimau Muda who will be fielding mostly second stringers in their final match against Tampines Rovers.

So peeps. Tonight I hope for a packed stadium to support our local club and the tickets are selling at $5 and $8 for the public. Ticket holders are also entitled to a lucky draw and stand a chance to win a Macbook Air, iPhone 5 and many more.

Chinese establishments also to close during lunch hours

The talking point in town is about the closure of business establishments in the nation during Friday prayers. The memo has already been circulated from the Municipal Board that businesses must close from 12pm to 2pm. Today’s paper highlighted that the Chinese businesses must also close during Friday prayer.

I won’t be surprised to see a long queue in restaurants or fast food chain for take aways. I guess the community especially the non-Muslims will get accustomed to the new order.

The anniversary cake of Netcom Computer House

Netcom Computer House celebrated its 17th anniversary yesterday by holding a four-day offer at their branches nationwide.

Being established for 17 years, the company has become one of the largest IT retail shops in the Sultanate. Netcom continues to expand and develop its powerful team by building more leaders in order to provide excellent services, quality products and competitive prices to its valued customers.

During the celebration, which was held at their headquarters in Kiulap, they held a cake-cutting ceremony with all its team members to show appreciation as they are the main asset for the company’s growth. The ceremony was led by Netcom’s Managing Director, Vincent Goh and General Manager, Jackie Lim.

Staff members were also dressed in their new uniform which is light blue in colour with a hint of white on the shoulders, different compared to the previous white ones.

Currently, Netcom is the authorised distributor of some leading global brands like Dell, Prolink, Kingston (RAM Modules), Trendnet and QNAP. The company is also the authorised dealer for Acer, the business partner of Hewlett Packard (HP), the authorised reseller of Canon and the master dealer for Kaspersky products.

Highlights of Netcom’s 17th Anniversary Big Sale includes a deal for Dell Inspiron 14R i5-3210M 3rd Generation processor notebook pre-loaded with Windows 8.

Any purchase of Windows 7 notebook and desktop during this promotion period will get a free upgrade to Windows 8 if requested.

Existing Netcom customers who purchased Windows 7 notebooks and desktops can upgrade to the all-new Windows 8 at a special price of $19 only.

They have a tent set outside Netcom at Kiulap

Netcom’s Managing Director, Vincent Goh and General Manager, Jackie Lim, with the management and staff of Netcom Computer House

The staff of Netcom singing happy birthday song

The items being displayed at the tent

Netcom members whose birthday falls in November get a free Prolink USB mouse without requiring any purchase by showing their Identity Card at any Netcom branch during the offer period.

Customers who spend $100 and above will be entitled to bring home a Dell umbrella, while stocks last, for free and with the amount, they will automatically be registered as a Netcom member where they can enjoy member benefits, promotion on special events and more.

With the celebration of Netcom’s 17th anniversary, selected items are available at $17 only. Prolink and Trendnet products, including Kingston RAM (notebook, desktop and server) will also be given a special 17 per cent discount.

At the Technical Service Centre, customers are entitled for a free inspection of their notebook or desktop, 20 per cent discount on service charges and customers who spend $30 and above will get a 50 per cent discount voucher which can be used for their next service.

With every purchase, customers are entitled to join Netcom’s draw, standing a chance to win a Dell Inspiron 14z i7 Ultrabook and other attractive prizes.

All the above promotions and offers are available for all five Netcom branches nationwide until November 4, 2012.

During the promotion period, the operating time for Kiulap branch will be from 9am to 9pm. For more information, visit Netcom’s Facebook page “NetcomBrunei”.

Additional promotions are also given for every customer purchasing a Dell battery 6-cell 8NH55 for Inspiron N5110/N4110/N4010/N4050/N5010/Vostro 1450, which is priced at $119. They will get a Transcend 500GB 2.5″ USB 3.0 HDD (Hard Disk Drive) for free. Text by Ammirul Adnan of The Brunei Times.

Vincent, Boon Hui and Hassan

Yazid and Rayner looking for router at Netcom

For a promotional price, this bag is only $17 to commemorate the anniversary

They even sell phones such as iPhone, SIII, Note II and many more

Shoppers are eligible for lucky draw at Netcom Computer House

The promotional items at Netcom House Computer

The voucher sample from Netcom House Computer

The Smart Pass do come in handy

I was introduced to this unique gadget by Aaron Sitai, the owner of GadgetPlus Store (GPS) and he showed me a quick demo on how convenient a Smart Pass can do for car owners.

Let’s give this scenario. I drive down to “kedai runcit” and I normally buy my goodies or newspaper and it’s just a 30 second pitstop. We have the tendency not to turn off the engine and just leave it on and take for granted that Brunei is a safe place. Well, you will be surprised. It happened to my friend and in a matter of seconds, he lost his valuables in the passenger seat.

So now, with Smart Pass, you can safely lock your car with your engine still running by tapping the Smart Pass on the censor of the device (Smart Pass RF Reader). Now these are pretty ideal especially those who fall in this category and also companies that does a lot of delivery services to their clients. Of course, it’s still convenient for the usual drivers like us too.

Not to worry, peeps, as it won’t harm your ECU as the fitting won’t tamper with it. The best part is that if you have your existing central locking system, it is still compatible with Smart Pass.

The Smart Pass locks the car by just tapping it on the Smart Pass RF reader

You can even put the Smart Tag in your smart phone for convenience

If you buy one, it comes with a Smart Pass RF Reader and two tags (a card and one for smartphone)

Each box set comes with the Smart Pass device and two tags – one for your smartphones and the other a credit card sized tag. For your info, each Smart Pass RF Reader unit can allow up to 7 authorized smart tags to be registered onto its system allowing multiple users with an authorized tag to access the same vehicle. Additional tags can be purchased separately.

So far that this awesome gadget works with Korean and Japanese cars. Of course, other continental cars do still work but it might need more work depending on the complexity. So far the cars that have been tested are Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and KIA to name a few. It has also been fitted to Audi, BMW and Chevrolet too.

So what’s the pricing for the Smart Pass?

Smart Pass – $399 excluding fitting fee
Additional Cell Phone Tag $28
Additional Card Tag $28
Waterproof Sports wristband $48

So far the authorized fitters are Autopro Typre (behind The Arch call: 242 7242) and Fong Seng & Co (Goodwood Building, Menglait call 245 0780)

You can contact Aaron directly if you want to know more info about the Smart Pass at 710 9929 or add him on Facebook: Hibernator Awake. You can also view some videos for demo here here and here

Local reporter Quratul Ain Bandial along with journalists from fifteen other countries will be in the United States as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled “Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists” from October 27 to November 17.

The three week program invites up and coming media leaders from around the world to examine journalistic practices in the United States. The program is an innovative public-private partnership between the Department of State, the Aspen Institute, and leading U.S. schools of journalism.

U.S. Embassy Brunei Darussalam selected local reporter Quratul Ain Bandial from The Brunei Times to participate in the program.

“The ER Murrow Project offers media professionals from around the world the opportunity to interact with some of the most venerated media institutions and personalities in the U.S. What I hope to bring back to Brunei is a better understanding of the challenges journalists face in a rapidly evolving industry – such as sustaining the relevance of traditional media with the advent of digital media,” Quratul said.

“I am confident my participation in the ER Murrow Project will contribute to my professional development and bring a fresh perspective on current trends and challenges facing the media industry,” Quratul said.

U.S. Ambassador Daniel L. Shields presenting Ms. Quratul Ain Bandial with her tickets and important IVLP information

Prior to departing Brunei, Quratul met with U.S. Ambassador Daniel Shields thanking him for the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. media and political culture.

Ambassador Shields encouraged Quratul to make the most of the professional development program and noted it is an exciting time in the U.S. with the presidential elections. Quratul agreed the trip was especially timely and said she looked forward to being able to witness it firsthand. Ambassador Shields said he was pleased with her selection and the deepening of people-topeople ties between the United States and Brunei Darussalam.

The Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists examines the rights and responsibilities of the press. Participants explore the operational practices, standards, and institutions of the media in the U.S. and gain insight into American social, economic, and political structures. As the presidential election will take place during the second week of the program, the program also addresses political reporting and the role of the media in the election process. Unique features of this project include a day-long symposium highlighting current trends and challenges in the media profession and foreign affairs reporting; and partner university programs focused on the implementation of journalistic principals.

The IVLP program is an all expense paid trip supported by the U.S. Department of State.

From 247 Assist

The awesome spacious leg room will be much appreciated for movie goers

Guess what? All that constructions at Times Square paid off. The much awaited cineplex at Times Square is almost ready for business. News are slowly spreading on social media on tonight’s screening of Skyfall which is the only movie showing so far. So it’s kinda like a soft or dry run for the new cinema – TimesCineplex.

The first show will be showing tonight and you can call 234 1122 for bookings if I’m not mistaken. But for now, the escalator is not operating just yet so the only access is going through Times Hotel lift and go to the 4th floor. I will be catching Skyfall later at The Mall Cineplex and will pay a visit to TimesCineplex after my Bali trip.

TimesCineplex will make it the 5th Cineplex in Brunei Darussalam and I believe competition now will get stiffer, considering the Cineplexes between Seri Q-Lap Cineplex, The Mall Cineplex and TimesCineplex is only a 5-7km radius. Well, competition is good and by the looks of it, I like the atmosphere at TimesCineplex and the seats as well. Looks like The Mall Cineplex and TimesCineplex will have my thumbs up.

Not sure when will the escalator will be in operation

Shahrazen Said can end the Singapore League (S-League) season second in the goal-scoring charts but the striker insists it won’t mean a thing unless DPMM FC beat Tampines Rovers FC for the title in tomorrow’s season-ender.

The country’s only professional club is gearing up for its biggest match in history, facing Balestier Khalsa FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas tomorrow night in a must-win match if they are to lift the S-League trophy for the first time.

Defending champions and league leaders Tampines take on Malaysian national Under-23 side Harimau Muda at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore in the night’s other game, and a slip up from the Stags combined with a DPMM FC win will see the Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League trophy travel across the South China Sea. Click here for more of the article written by Jason Thomas.

This picture is a special memory for Sairol who made his first appearance in DPMM FC colours during the Malaysian League. The familiar faces are Wardun, Rosmin and Subhi.

So peeps, another great reason to come and watch DPMM FC this Friday 2nd November is because you will stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 and the management are giving away two of those *Awesome* Other great prizes are a Macbook Air, a huge flat screen TV, PS3 console, Samsung Galaxy III and other cool gadgets.. Now aren’t these awesome incentives for you to come and watch DPMM FC play their final game at home grown and furthermore, even a great chance of lifting the S•League title? There’s also a sponsor who will be giving away 200 DPMM t-shirts as part of the lucky draw. By the way, the tickets are only on sale this Friday starting at 9am at the National Stadium.

Guest of honour Awang Mutalib distributed the sacrificial meats to needy members

Guest of honour Awang Mutalib distributed the sacrificial meats to needy members

AITI held a korban ceremony at the AITI premises, Anggerek desa. The sacrifice is an annual ceremony, which is the third that has been practised by AITI. This is done in remembrance of the religious significance of the sacrifice that Nabi Ibrahim was willing to do to show his loyalty to Allah SWT.

The Guest of honour for the function was Awang Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusof, Acting Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and also in his capacity as the acting Chairman of AITI last Monday.

The function was also attended by the management and staff of AITI. The function began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Mohammad Erman Bin Nassar. This was followed by takbir hari raya led by Sheikh Abd Hamdani Bin Dato Paduka Sheikh Haji Abdul Gani. A talk on the benefits of korban and aqiqah was also held, given by Ustaz Haji Suhaimi bin Mohd. Noor from the Pusat Da’wah Islamiah.

Two buffaloes and two lambs were sacrificed for the ceremony. 15 AITI staff and family members took part in the sacrifice. The sacrificial meats were distributed to 10 needy members of the community and also to the 75 staff of AITI.

Thanksgiving Doa Selamat was read at the end of the ceremony by Mohammad Erman Bin Nassar. Press release by AITI.

Have you tried the cuisine at Caliente? First opening its doors in the month of April of this year, Caliente which is located in Regent Square has satisfied its patrons with its Spanish cuisine.

Spanish cuisine has a rich and cultural history drawn from a mixture of European and North African food and even a slight greek influence.

One popular food item is tapas which was originally used to refer to a piece of bread used as a lid to cover drinks. Today tapas is the most acquired Spanish cuisine owing to the versatility and ease of its preparation, Caliente offers its patrons this versatile experience drawing from the best loved tapas enjoyed all over spain which could either be a perfect appetiser or even a complete meal.

Spanish tortillas, chorizo, prawns mackerel and anchovies along with the simple yet scrumptious patatas bravas are all featured in Caliente’s hot and cold tapas selection.

The owners stated most of the ingredients used in spanish cuisine are olive oil based and uses fresh green vegetables. Some of the ingredients are even specially imported from Spain such as the case for the flour used to make Caliente’s nachos and many more. Soon they will be bringing another European chef.

Caliente now has new promotion such as the Tapas specialty selections and spanish corn dog and they also have the executive lunch set. So a good reason to give Caliente a visit.

It is located on 1st Floor, Regent Square at Kiulap. Call 223 4549 for reservation. Oh yeah, I’m quite surprised that not many know of Regent Square at Kiulap.. Maybe they know of the building but not of the name of the area. You can also visit their Facebook to look for updates.

The Bandar Run 2012 event is an event held in celebration of commemorating the 42nd Anniversary of changing the name Bandar Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan. In 1970, Bandar Brunei was renamed as Bandar Seri Begawan in commemoration of Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien as Seri Begawan Sultan.

The event is organised by Municipal Board and supported by Armtrix and Cityneon. There are 2.5km, 5km, 10km and 21km runs available and it’s happening on the 25th November 2012 at Taman SOAS. Participants will get a T-shirt and also a finisher medal except for fun runners. The last day of registration is on 8th November 2012 and you can download the form here. For more inquiry, you can email info@larianbandar.com. Another awesome thing is that they have awesome lucky draw prizes ranging from iPhone 5, Macbook Pro and many more.

Bandar Seri Begawan with an estimated population of 140,000 is the capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Brunei.Seri Begawan was named after the Sultan’s late father Omar Ali Saifuddien on 5th October 1970, it’s original name being Bandar Brunei or Brunei Town. Begawan is a name given to Bruneian monarchs who have abdicated, originally coming from the Sanskrit word for “god”. Seri also comes from the honorific Sanskrit and originally means “port” or “heaven”. In Malay bandar has taken on the meaning of “town”.

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The number of family members welcoming the return of the 400 Brunei Haj pilgrims on November 1 and 3 will be reduced, because of the limited capacity of the facilities at the Brunei International Airport which is undergoing its modernisation project.

Several measures have been put in place to ensure the safety and comfort of the pilgrims, their family members as well as other travellers, said Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Services, Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), in a media conference at the Brunei International Airport yesterday.

One of the measures include opening up the P1 parking at the airport which was closed for upgrade works since December 15 last year. The parking area is expected to be completed on October 29, three days before the arrival of the first flight carrying 135 pilgrims. The group is expected to arrive at 9am.

The second flight carrying the remaining 265 pilgrims is expected to arrive in Brunei on November 3 at 4.55pm. The Arrival Hall and the interim ‘Meeters & Greeters’ area will also be closed for several hours during the entire duration of the Haj pilgrims arrival.

Abdulrahman Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Head of Corporate Services, Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) briefing to the media

The closure will take place 45 minutes prior to the arrival of the Haj flight, said Abdurahman, and will reopen when all the pilgrims have moved to the designated area at P1. The airport’s departure hall, Abdurahman said, as well as pick-up and drop-off point for passengers at parking area P2 that houses the taxi stand, parking payment counter will not be affected.

However, only passengers will have access to the departure hall via the arrival hall, he added. Upon arrival at the airport, the Haj pilgrims will exit to the designated area at P1 via a temporary 150metre passage. The passage will be equipped with two emergency doors and air-conditioning to ensure the safety and comfort of the pilgrims.

Temporary tents with basic facilities (such as portable toilets) will also be set up at the P1 parking area for family members. Abdurahman said family members can pick up the Haj pilgrims at the designated area the P1 parking area, located near the airport roundabout.

Entrance to the parking area P1 will only be allowed for cars with the passes issued by Haj Affairs Management one car pass for each pilgrim. Parking passes can be collected from the Haj Affairs Department on October 29 and 30 between 8am to11am, and 2pm to 3.30pm. Abdulrahman said: “We hope members of the public will give full cooperation to the relevant authorities.”

The Assistant CEO also assured the public that there will be enough parking spaces – more than 400 – for the families and officers on duty so there “is no need to rush”. Members of the media were brought to the site to inspect the progress of the modernisation project as well as the facilities to be set up with the arrival of Haj pilgrims.

The press conference was attended by senior officials from Haj Affairs Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Civil Aviation Department, Ministry of Communications and BEDB. Text by Rasidah HAB of The Brunei Times.

The overview map to show the flow

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Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) reveals its new livery and logo on 30th October 2012 at an event held at Hangar 1, Brunei International Airport. The new livery and logo was revealed on an Airbus A320, which was painted by RB’s own in-house engineering team.

Attending the event was the Minister of Communications, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar as Guest of Honour, as well as RB’s Chairman and Board of Directors, staff and other invited guests.

Included in the guest list were some of the country’s national icons: Two of Brunei’s Olympians, Maziah Mahusin, Brunei’s first female Olympian who represented Brunei at the London Summer Olympics in the 400m run, Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Pg Rositi who represented Brunei at the London Summer Olympics in the 400m run, the Under-21 football team who were the champions of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy in March 2012, and the Kilimanjaro team an all female team who raised the Brunei Flag at the highest peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2001.

Prior to the reveal, Royal Brunei Airlines has been releasing teasers of its redefinition of travel to in the local market, both via print and online adverts and the “Smile Squad”; who has been sparking public curiosity over the past two weeks. The Smiles Squad has been spotted in different parts of the country, spreading genuine smiles and good cheer to the public.

Mr. Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB, said “Over the next year, we will be redefining the Royal Brunei Airlines flying experience, starting with our classic styled new livery and logo. This redefinition is not merely an ad campaign, but rather a long term commitment to our passengers to create a family-like, peaceful and tranquil atmosphere with high class customer service.

The new livery and logo is the first step on RB’s rebranding journey. Over the next year, the national carrier will be rolling out a new website experience (including new social media experience), new uniforms and new lounge and ticket office environments. The completion of the rebranding process will be timed to coincide with the entry into service of 787 Boeing Dreamliners 1st September 2013, making RB the first airline in South-East Asia to take delivery of this ultra modern aircraft.

Happy-ness is one of the values that Royal Brunei wants to bring to the airline

Mr. Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB, hinted of new uniform

The current uniform will be replaced. But it’s not known when just yet.

Waiting for the new livery at RB Hangar

It was also my first time at the hangar. Man, it was pretty humid inside

The audience were also itching to take tons of photos

One of the pilots for RB

The icons of Brunei

The VIPs and the icons taking a quick picture for the media

Handing over of souvenir

Some of Dermot Mannion’s quotes during his remarks – “Tonight we are here to celebrate the launch of our first Airbus aircraft bearing the new livery and logo of Royal Brunei. This is the first step on a rebranding journey, which will extend from now until the end of next year and beyond. In that period, our remaining Airbus aircraft will complete the repainting process by March 2013. Subsequently, we expect to complete the implementation of new signage and livery at all of our customer touch points in time for the entry into service of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in September 2013.

During this period, we will also be progressively rolling out a number of new customer experiences. Here are a few of the initiatives already under preparation:
• newly designed crockery,
• a whole new web site experience,
• a redesign for our much loved Muhibah inflight magazine,
• more social media interaction.
• and of very keen interest to all of our staff, new uniforms for all those in customer facing roles.

Distinguished guests and Ladies and Gentlemen, our existing livery and logo have served this company well for over 25 years but the time is right for change. In the two years, it has been my privilege to serve here in Brunei I have come to know and appreciate the distinguishing characteristics and qualities of this country and of the Bruneian people. Qualities such as graciousness, style, understated elegance, peace, tranquility, hospitality and harmony with nature.

In a fast moving and ever changing world these timeless values become ever more important to the travelling public who more and more are looking for their time on aircraft to represent an oasis of peace ‘far from the madding crowd’. Royal Brunei Airlines and the people of Brunei have the tools to deliver this kind of travel experience.

The rebranding journey, which we embark upon tonight presents us with a unique opportunity to present these key attributes to our customers in a lively, interesting and contemporary way. Royal Brunei’s new brand story will be one of authenticity, optimism, timeless values, simple pleasures and golden touches, which are aimed to surprise and delight.

To make all of this work we recognize that we need the buy in of every single member of staff especially those in the customer facing departments Already we have increased our investment in staff training and empowerment with much more to come. This is already paying dividends with Royal Brunei award as ‘Best Foreign Airline 2001 State of Sabah and more recently we have been shortlisted in the distinguished company of Emirates and Qatar Airways by Business Destinations magazine for the award of ‘Best Economy Class’ to the Middle East.” Text speech by Dermot Mannion.

The Kilimanjaro ladies

Asif Poshori and the jazz band

Azlan of Mixmediaworx with the guys behind the rebranding journey, Christina Chen and Julian Barrans, Managing Director of Interbrand

Fancy the new logo?

Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abd Hamid the guest of honour presented the meat to a DST employee

More than 400 boxes of Korban and Aqiqah meat were distributed recently in the spirit of Aidil Adha celebrations.

A Korban and Aqiqah ceremony was held at DST Headquarters, Tungku Link, where boxes of meat from eight buffaloes, four cows and 20 goats were handed out to Korban and Aqiqah participants, fakir miskin (poor and destitute) households as well as members of personnel involved in the ritual slaughter ceremony.

Present to handout the meat was Yang Mulia, Awang Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abd Hamid, a member of DST Board of Directors, who was the guest of honour for the Korban and Aqiqah ceremony. Also present at the event was Awang Junaidi bin Haji Masri and Awang Abdul Latiff bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Md Yusuf, members of DST of Board of Directors, Mr. Idris T. Vasi, Chief Executive Officer, DST, DST Management and staff.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the Takbir followed by welcoming remarks of the DST Korban and Aqiqah chairman of the working commitee, Pengiran Marali bin Pengiran Haji Razali. In his speech he highlighted that Korban and Aqiqah ceremony has been annually held and volunteered by DST staff. Among the objectives of the event were to commerate Prophet Ibrahim’s (Alaihi Assalaam) willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah (SWT) to distribute the sacrificial meat to the poor and destitute. This year, there are some 120 volunteers who have inculcated teamwork in voluntary and charitable work among the staff. In collaboration with the Human Resource Department, it is rewarding to have this initiative as it further strengthen the relationship among the staff.

The Korban and Aqiqah meat will be distributed to a wider community, the less fortunate families and orphans at Brunei Muara Districts.

Pengiran Marali bin Pengiran Haji Razali, Chairman of DST Korban and Aqiqah working committee

Click image to enter The Future Fund website

Last year, the MoU among DST, AITI and BEDB was signed for the The Future Fund initiative by DST. As Idris Vasi, CEO of DST said that the Future Fund is designed to create business opportunities for ICT companies in Brunei especially to promising entrepreneurs which will also help to accelerate the ICT growth in the Sultanate. I remember a decade ago, the community will always bring up issue of fundings.. Then came in BEBD and AITI who offer grants for entrepreneurs in the past two years and now DST has joined the bandwagon to give more access to entrepreneurs. iCentre will also be playing part providing mentorship for successful applicants.

It was recently launched during the THiNK Big Innovate Forum 2012 and Hajah Safrina binti Pehin Dato Abd Rahman, Manager, Group Corporate Communications, DST and a member of The Future Fund Marketing Team said “The Future Fund is created to invest in up and coming Bruneian ICT companies, giving priorty to technology developed in Brunei and to generate business opportunities. The Future Fund is to assist entrepreneurs who have great ideas but little funding. Successful entrepreneurs will not only benefit from the funding, but also from the opportunity to link to a network of local industry players and international ICT entrepreneurs.”

On Monday, Melina Jaini of DST also shared DST’s Future Fund to the participants of the Google Development Group DevFest 2012 at DST HQ. With The Future Fund, a promising start-up can receive an investment of up to BND$50,000 for the first tranche and up to a maximum total investment of BND$150,000 per investee.

The fund is open to the public, with the criteria requiring the company to be at least 50 per cent owned by Bruneians, or for anyone who has a great idea. For interested applicants, visit The Future Fund website,thefuturefund.com.bn for more information about the fund and how to apply. Application forms together with business plans are to be submitted to the iCentre. If an applicant do not have in depth knowledge of how to make a business plan, not to worry as The Future Fund can be contacted for assistance.

For more information, contact +673 7191199 or via email at info@thefuturefund.com.bn

Melina Jaini of DST briefing on DST’s Future Fund last Monday

RA says I’m pretty excited this because loads of things are happening and I will be off for 9 day trip to Bali for the first time starting Sunday. I’ve never been there and it was one of the destinations that I’ve longed for decades and soon that will become a reality as I will be traveling with my close buddies. Too bad WC won’t be able to join us for this upcoming trip.

Tonight I’m invited to a special event and it will be the first time that I will be in a hangar (Sakai mode on again). So I’m not sure what’s up but I have a gut feeling that something big is gonna happen. If its a new plane, even “awesomer”. Let’s see what’s in store for tonight’s event and be sure to catch me on instagram for live updates. I will probably spare two to three posts as I don’t want to flood my instagram.

DPMM FC potential S•League Champions. What a match this is billed to be… Who would have thought DPMM FC finishing top two in the S•League as the coach’s mission was more of a Top 5 finish in the competitive league. Now they have a 50/50 chance of being champions in the S•League as they are only one point away from table leaders Tampines Rovers.

Here’s the scenario on how DPMM FC can win the championship 1) If DPMM FC win and Balestier draw or loss 2) If DPMM FC draw and Tampines Rovers lose. However, if Tampines Rovers win their final match against Harimau Muda, then regardless of DPMM FC’s outcome, Tampines will lift the S•League title. Despite the chances, DPMM FC’s head coach Simunic was more than happy that DPMM FC have finished Top 2.

The only setback for Simunic is the availability of Pg Sallehuddin who is suspended for the final match after collecting yellow cards. He has been a pillar in DPMM FC’s back line ever since Santos was ruled for the season in the final quarter of the season. However, Simunic is confident of any first 11 players he field this Friday. He lauded that it’s a collective team effort on DPMM FC’s success to be in the Top two. He even expressed that the replacement players are hungry for football action and they have performed well whenever they are on the field. I shall be giving away two pairs of DPMM FC tickets on my social network and do follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ranoadidas for the competition.

All the best guys and you have done your best for the last 95%.. Let’s complete the final 5% 😀

So peeps, another great reason to come and watch DPMM FC this Friday 2nd November is because you will stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 and the management are giving away two of those *Awesome* Other great prizes are a Macbook Air, a huge flat screen TV, PS3 console, Samsung Galaxy III and other cool gadgets.. Now aren’t these awesome incentives for you to come and watch DPMM FC play their final game at home grown and furthermore, even a great chance of lifting the S•League title? I’m not sure how the mechanism of the lucky draw will be like though. I shall update you on that. There’s also a sponsor who will be giving away 200 DPMM t-shirts as part of the lucky draw. By the way, the tickets are only on sale this Friday.

These are the top 3 prizes and they will be giving out 2 iPhone 5 by the way. Awesome!!1

The consolation prizes to be won as well

McDonald’s reopens. Another great news is the re-opening of McDonald’s at Gadong today. After a few weeks of renovation, finally McDonald’s have a new look, a new feel and it’s totally different from the old original look. This is perhaps one of the exciting things to look forward to in Brunei considering that McDonald’s look have not changed for many, many years. So today is the day that McDonald’s open its door to the public and I expect a huge crowd today and in many weeks to come.

New things to expect are the new counters where they have a better system for Point-of-Sale which will make ordering faster and more efficient and they have allocated four counters to the usual two or three. The kitchen equipment are totally new and this also helps to make delivery of the fast food more efficient. The outlet is wifi-ready and they even have their own music collection to give a different ambience to the customers.

The big question I asked was the Breakfast menu which I crave for – Egg McMuffin *nom nom* Dk Kemariah, General Manager of McDonald’s Brunei, said that the breakfast menu will be introduced as early as the first quarter of 2013. Woohoo!!! Now that I can’t wait. For now, just enjoy the look of McDonald’s and the current menu they have. Thank you, Kem, for bringing a new energy to the outlet and thumbs up to the team involved as well.

Look at the new look of McDonald’s at Gadong outlet

Look at the new look of McDonald’s at Gadong outlet

The menu of McDonald’s

The queue taken today as of lunch at McDonald’s. Image courtesy of Sabrina Mahmud.

The queue taken today as of lunch at McDonald’s. Image courtesy of Sabrina Mahmud.

The BIG SALE from AirAsia. It is happening right now for AirAsia and who knows you will be traveling to other parts of the region say Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and many more. Too bad I’ve already booked my flight through AirAsia heading to Bali this weekend. Well, I booked it ages ago so I just missed out on the BIG SALE this week. Then again, the travel period is from 1st May to 30 Sept 2013. So book now through AirAsia and grab the awesome deals.

Click image to enter AirAsia website

b•mobile new HQ. For your info, b•mobile will be having a celebration on the grand opening of their new Head Quarters this Sunday. The event is taking place at their new venue – Block C, Simpang 493, Kg Beribi, Jalan Gadong and there will be shuttle buses provided at Land Transport Department car park area. So the public is advised to park there and the shuttle buses will bring you to the event. Check out the poster for details.

Click image to enter website

The Google Development Group (GDG) Brunei Darussalam is in collaboration with DST Communications Sdn Bhd (DST) on the DevFest2012 event. This is the first major event held here in Brunei which will be held on Monday 29th to Tuesday 30th October 2012 in DST Headquarters, Tungku Link.

Last Thursday, 12th October 2012, the organizers, namely the GDG Brunei Darussalam opened the registration at http://devfestbrunei.eventbrite.com/ with a target of 200 participants in mind. The registration was filled up before the registration closing date 18th Oct 2012. The organizers met their target of 200 registered participants from schools, colleges, institutions, universities, government and private sector organizations.

The DevFest2012 event is a two days event, which will comprise of conferences, live hangout on Google+, Codelabs, Hack-A-Thon Local Developers Session Showcase by iCentre incubates, DST Future Apps Android Trainees, BAG Networks and QG Technologies Sdn Bhd, Hack-A-Thon prize presentation at the end of the two days.

DST supports for DevFest2012 as Innovation is at the core of its business. DST seeks to promote local ICT technopreneurship through it’s own training program, Future Apps and also The Future Fund, a start-up fund. DST is continuously on the look out to support local innovation, and being a partner in the DevFest2012, DST hopes to achieve continuous growth in innovation and technology development.

The DevFest2012 event will be inviting familiar enterprising Google figures regionally and internationally, like Ben Salzman, Googles Enterprise Country Manager from Malaysia, Mohd Hadi Shafie Awang Othman at Google Singapore, Uttam Tripathi at Google India, Mike Bikesh cofounder of iTrain Malaysia and 1337 Ventures, Azeman Sulaiman and Firdaus Zailani are from GDG Brunei Darussalam, and Alfred Boediman at Samsung.

The GDG Brunei Darussalam Organizers advises all registered participants for the two days event, to bring their along their devices and laptop. Registration on the event day, Monday 29th October will be opened from 7.30am to 8.15am. The Hack-A-Thon registration will be on Tuesday, 30th October is opened at 7.30am till 8.15am. Exciting prizes will be presented to Hack-A-Thon winning participants.

Click image to enter Facebook page to find out more

So I guess most of you are wondering as much as I do to what this new buzz on business cards being distributed at strategic places. I’ve seen people posting on instagram and twitter whenever these guys or this squad roam around shopping malls and cafes. How long will these go on for before the next phase? I’m sure something will happen sooner or later. Whatever it is, thumbs up to the guys behind the marketing campaign. It has surely created some buzz 😀

Sugar Glider holding one of the cards. Taken off Redefined Journey Facebook Page

Smile More campaign

They spread the happy-ness at The Mall last Saturday

It was all about teamwork

Click image to enter Facebook page to find out more

The competiiton is back once more. Last year the winner were Victor and Stephanie Koh for the Most Photogenic Couple Contest. So this time will you and your partner be the one at the Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012? The winner will win a fantastic package. The deadline of the submission will be on the 30th October 2012. Check out PDCA event page for more details.

For your info, the winner will win a two return air ticket to KK for a pre-Wedding photoshoot by Devin Kho Photography worth BND 980 incluisve of a complete set of photobook.

The Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012 is brought to you by PDCA Events Co. and it will take place on 29th November to 2nd December 2012 at The Mall.

Click banner to enter website

It’s pretty common to see that most companies have Facebook accounts but lesser focus so much on having their own websites. I’m not sure if it’s the cost or convenient factor but I personally believe a company should have their own corporate website. Creating a website has already been a set back especially for those with little knowledge on website creation. Now you don’t have to worry as much as Innonline Web Builder is a cost effective website development company.

For only $49 a month, you can have your own website and it also inclusive of website maintenance, development services and online marketing services. This is ideal for SMEs and those who are freelancers. Another great feature is that the website builder allows the integration of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter

For the package, you will get unlimited pages, a 10GB storage, unlimited bandwidth and many more. You will be able to view your traffic stats too.

For more info, you can reach on email admin@ innonlinesolution.com and you can also view the tutorial on how you can mange your website once it’s ready.

Click image to view a preview on how innoline solution makes a website through a video presentation

Click image to view a preview on how innoline solution makes a website through a video presentation

These seminars are always quite popular but it doesn’t happen on a regular basis. So this is the best opportunity to get hold of the coachers which is happening this week, one in KB and one in Bandar. And for your info, registration is FREE too. The previous one in September had a great response and now they are back again!!

I’ve always been keen in property but I’ve never really set my intentions to it. I was reading past archives of Azea Property Investment seminars and there was one quote that will encourage those interested in property – “Property investing is a “zero sum game”.

There will be a seminar on 1st November Thursday at Seaview Hotel, KB and 2nd November Friday at Rizqun International Hotel, 2:30pm and 7:30pm. For reservation, call or sms 718 4963 or email sunil.ramchandani@AzeaPropertyInvestment.com

Check out the schedules for Azea Seminar

Below is a quick interview with the organiser of the seminar.

RA: Can you briefly describe why such courses/seminar is in Brunei?
Azea Property: The founder Tang Yang Po, created Azea 3 years ago in Singapore and has been expanding in Asia including Brunei, recruited 900 members in Singapore and 2,000 members in Malaysia. The main purposes of this courses/seminar in Brunei is to provide the public an opportunity to learn how the rich invest in properties.

RA: Does one must have knowledge background on properties? And what kind of properties are you referring to?
Azea Property: No, people do not need to have much knowledge background on properties as we are a coaching / educational company and provide a workshop of Strategies in Property Investments. People can apply the knowledge learnt to any kind of properties.

RA: How many seminars have they conducted in Brunei? And is it gaining popularity? How many pax normally per session?
Azea Property: We have conducted about 30 seminars since 2011. Yes, In Brunei Azea has recruited almost 100 members. Normally between 10-30 pax per session. Thus seats are limited!

RA: Who are your target customers? Does it has to be those interested in properties only? And normally who are the age group?
Azea Property: Anyone can learn, we are targeting someone who wants to learn and apply these strategies in helping themselves. Probably someone in their 25’s upwards.

RA: Can you share an example on the benefits if one has the knowledge given from this course?
Azea Property: One can create passive income and can enjoy also the benefits of being a member because we will also provide investment opportunities & signals.

RA: Is there any fee involved for this seminar in Brunei?
Azea Property:No, preview seminar is free in Brunei.

This morning bFIT participants buying grocery at Supa Save and they have a time limit, calories limit as well as spending limit as part of the criteria. The elimination is tonight. I’m kinda nervous. Stay tune for updates.

This is the crucial day for all bFIT contestants. Out of the 50, ten participants will get the boot from the programme and it will be the first time such elimination is carried out for the inaugural bFIT challenge brought to you by b•mobile and the past weeks have been interesting, fun and of course, emotional.

This morning half of the contestants were grocery shopping at Supa Save as they are buying ingredients and items for cooking later at Hers Kitchen as part of the bFIT programme. There were given a 30 minute time limit to complete the task and it was also important that they choose the right items in terms of calories content. So who will be eliminated tonight? I can feel the tension already.. All the best, guys!!!

A participant thinking what to purchase for the cooking later on

At the cold section

Durian galore. Aziz Idris trying to “rugby pass” to Muiz

Double checking the items in the trolley

The videographers are in full force from Magic

Choosing is always the difficult part

Today is no plastic day so it’s ideal to carry a recycle bag

Checking the weight of the items bought

Judges checking the calories of the items bought

The Chefs (sisters) from Malacca were being interviewed at Seasons Restaurant as they will be in Brunei for 10 days for the Melacca Portuguese Food Promotion.

Cool food promotion.. Or I must a hot, spicy affair.. I didn’t know much about Portuguese food but you will be surprised that their food can be spicy too. The chefs – Chef Joan and Chef Halen Danker – are from Malacca with Portuguese blood and both of them are currently working at a hotel in Malacca. So they are flown to Brunei especially for Seasons Restaurant food promotion.

For your information, they bring in fusion of east and west cuisine from the World Heritage Site endorsed by UNESCO. There are a few dishes to try such as the Chicken Debal Curry, Assam Prawn, Portuguese chilli crab, Lisboa Seafood Paella and they also introduced their dessert Quesidos de Sintro (Honey Cinnamon Cake) and Portuguese egg tart.

Lunch buffet price is $19.90 for adult and $10 for children. Dinner buffet price is $25.90 and $15 for children. 10% discount is applicable to those with RBC Dining Privilege Card. Call 242 2991/2 for reservations. You can also visit them on Facebook for updates.

Beef Ambila

Lisboa Seafood Paella

Chicken Debal Curry – me like this 😀

My dish for tonight

The Roasted Peppered Lamb

Bendi Colek

Portuguese Baked Fish

Mulau – Portuguese Egg Plant

Chef Halen Danker and Chef Joan from the Portuguese Settlement Village in Melacca

Quesidos de Sintro (Honey Cinnamon Cake)

Ok, this is not a Portuguese dish but you happened to go to Seasons, then try the Bubur Pulut Hitam with Vanilla Ice-Cream… Two thumbs up!!! And they are both part of the buffet too 😀

It was my first coverage of the Panaga Triathlon and I thought it was a well organized event. It was good to see a lot of participants and familiar faces joining the competition and it’s the 36th edition to date. According to their Facebook page, there are 94 entries compromising of 124 triathletes and it was the biggest number to date too.

I was quite impressed with Panaga Club itself (sakai mode) as it was my first visit there. Anyway below are some pictures of the event and some of them are taken from Panaga Triathlon facebook page. Well done to all the participants.

The results of the team triathlon category

The results of the women’s triathlon category

The results of the men’s triathlon category

Participants of the triathlon. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

The first leg is swimming

Fadzil in action in the pool

Team Rev It Up

Wana preparing for her swim

After swimming, it’s the cycling category

Go Juls of Rev It Up. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Classic shot. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Go Nadz.. He finished Top 20 in the men’s category.

Hadi Samid joined the triathlon, dedicating this to his late brother JJ Samid

Running on the beach is not easy feat

The run is at least 5 km

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page

The winner of the Men’s category – Bjorn de Mönnink

The finishers of the triathlon. Well done

Team Chatworthy took 2nd place in team category. Well done, guys!!

Lo Sheng, Co-Founder & CEO of Muvee Technologies, Singapore, Kim Davidson, Founder of SideEffects Global, Canada, Keeran Janin, founder of MeSixty and Jenny Malai Ali of KFM who moderated the final session of THiNK Big Innovate 2012

Danial Norjidi of Borneo Bulletin doing this work on the spot and surrounded by the ladies

I have always looked forward THiNK BIG events and thank you to Asia Inc Forum and iCentre for the invitation once again. A few good line ups and there is still room for improvements. Sorry, I forgot to fill in the feedback form the other day. A few more track sessions would have been nicer and perhaps but time allowed for international speakers to present their background or profile for the knowledge of the audience. The highlight for me is Ash Singh, founder and CEO of Interactive Sg and Founder & CEO of Angel’s Gate, an entrepreneurship TV show.

Ash Singh’s presentation lighten up the crowd especially it was after lunch and I love his tips for start-ups and he presented 50 quick tips. I thought some of the tips were interesting especially where one he stated avoid business plans.

Here are some of tips given by Ash Singh for start-ups

1) Pick founders carefully
2) Invest in culture
3) Write a blog
4) Decide with date
5) Delay raising capital
6) Improve product daily
7) Reward early adopters
8) Accept imperfect data
9) Recruit with zest
10) Say “No” often
11) Sell something today
12) Cancel unnecessary meetings
13) Keep it fun

Well here are some of the tips for entrepreneurs to take note especially for start-ups.. Oh by the way, Ash Singh is also the man behind the Turbanizer a popular app for Android and IOS. I love his story on how he promoted his app through friends and strangers and now he has a massive following for his app and all he did was asking people, “Have you seen yourself in a turban?” And I think most of us in the room downloaded the app and just had fun with it. Thanks for the interesting presentation, Ash, and I didn’t know Steve Lai are friends with him too.

Mr. Ash Singh himself and he was entertaining too

Ahh.. I was playing around with the app Turbanizer

Anyway, most of the topics discussed were related to Digital Multimedia, Social Media, ICT and entrepreneurship. It was good to see Stanley Han of Koobits back in Brunei and also my social media friend Aulia Halimatussadiah (Ollie @salsabeela), CTO of Nulisbuku.com as our international speakers. I’m particularly impressed with Ollie who has a lot on her plate – an IT player, a blogger, a publisher, a fashion designer, an entrepreneur – and she has many brilliant ideas too. I met her two years ago during ASEAN Bloggers Meet in KL and it was great of Asia Inc Forum to invite her to Brunei.

Another friend of mine Azhani Daniel @emmagoodegg was one of the panelists among the likes of Ollie and Stanley and the session was moderated by toastmaster Del Goh. Azhani is a strong believer in social media and Royal Brunei Airlines is pretty active in this field. She felt it was the best way to interact with customers and from there, they are able to obtain useful information.

I hope to see more international speakers that are as interesting as Ash Singh himself. I felt the audience was a bit shy though to come up to the mic and ask questions. I believe they would be more interactive behind doors but it was good to see some took the courage to ask. Well done to Asia Inc Forum and Icentre on the event and keep up the good work!

Datin Paduka Hjh Adina presented the 2nd prize to On Wan Shi for the iMMerse Character Design Challenge

What do you know.. the two Dels :p

Del Goh, General Manager of Double Down.. I mean, KFC Brunei, moderated one of the track sessions

Del Goh with Azhani Daniel and Aulia talking on social media and the impact of ICT

AITI represent!!!

Stuart Kemp, CEO of Asia Inc Forum, always energetic as ever

A question from Prismworks Event Management

A question from Candas

A question from the Philippines Embassy

The Refresher and TechBrat columnists from The Brunei Times

Winnie Sia wearing a cool t-shirt

Del wanted to snatch away the display

Lunching with the media and an entrepreneur

Hiro of Social Buzz describing his journey as an entrepreneur

See you next year, THiNK Big Innovate Forum

Do click image to enlarge

Business premises will close at least an hour every Friday

RA says Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha to all my Muslim friends. Yes, it’s another long weekend for Brunei as today is a public holiday and it’s good time to spend time with your love ones and also do some contribution to the community. Today is the day of sacrifice (feast of sacrifice) and there will be a sacrificial ceremony where goats and cattles will be slaughtered as part of the Korban ceremony.

In today’s headline, if you missed it, His Majesty the Sultan called for business shops to close during Friday prayers and this is to uphold the country’s Islamic image and prevent muslims from skipping the obligatory weekly prayer. I know this is practiced in Saudi Arabia where all shops are closed during praying time every day. So this is something new for Brunei but only during Friday prayers. I’m not to sure about restaurants though but retailers are already taking notice of the titah. Concepts Computer has already started implementing this rule when I did my coverage earlier this morning. So thumbs up for their efficiency in responding to the titah delivered yesterday. To read more of the article, you can click here.

Speaking of Concepts Computer, this morning they officially launched existing and a new Acer model notebook that has Windows 8 pre-installed.. Awesome!!! There have been a long buzz about Windows 8, the latest operating system by Microsoft as they are entering a battlefield among other operating system giants Mac OS, IOS and Android. Don’t get the wrong idea because Concepts Computer are not selling the software of Windows just yet but the Acer Notebooks will have all the Windows 8 pre-installed. So far there are 9 models from Acer and their latest model is the Acer Aspire M3985. All the device will either be powered by an Intel or AMD processor and running Windows 8 64-bit.

I’m quite impressed with some of the features of Windows 8 though it will be tough on me to convert to Windows because I’m a totally Apple user and I have no reason to swap to PCs. However, I might buy the parallel software that will only me to use Windows 8 on my iMac one day. There are plenty of features to use and once you master it, it’s a solid operating system. You can visit Concept Computer at Kiulap or Gadong or you can call 223 3551 for more details. Next week, they will bring in the S7 Ultra book which will be the most anticipated notebook from the S series.

Ani Suryani, Zul Abdul Rahman and Vincent Pao holding different Acer models with Windows 8 pre-installed

The new Windows button

I was hoping for a handover of any Acer notebook *lol*

There will be an upcoming Charity Expo 2012 starting tomorrow till Sunday and it is managed by Adison Marketing Services and organised by the Departmnet of Youth and Sports in cooperation with JDG Chinese Charitable Association. The event will be graced by Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. So far there will be 41 exhibitors participating and it was announced that 100% of the proceeeds collected from booth rentals and donations by exhibitors will be donated to special causes. 50% will be donated to Dana Belia Brunei Prihatin to aid young entrepreneurs in starting small businesses while the 50% will be donated to poverty stricken families and disabled individuals. There will be a “Car Audio Show” taking place at the VIP car park area of the Indoor Stadium and every visitor will stand a chance to win a prized draw. There will be three prize draw sessions per day and up to five winners per session.

The participating vendors for tomorrow’s event

Hunting for iPhone 5 casings?? Well, look no further as Asanty Collections have cool choices for you to choose from. There are only a few pieces available while stock lasts and if you are interested, they also sell screen protectors for iPhone 5. I would think ladies would love most of the designs because of its striking colours and texture. For more information, you can visit the Facebook page here.

Click image to enter iPhone 5 casing albums

Wanna look at Studded Speedy? Click more for more choices

Happy birthday to Relentless Entertainment who turned 4 yesterday. Wow!!! It’s been that long aye? I remember these guys started off during the days of Zunic Wellness a few years back. They started their dance classes there initiated by Mardi and Amy Cheong and slowly they ventured out and got noticed by the public. They began recruiting for dancers and the family just grew from time to time. It’s no surprise that they are always being invited to perform for private events and lately Relentless Entertainment held an open audition as they are planning to diversify their strengths and not solely focusing on dancing. Good luck to you guys and keep up the great work and inspiring the youth!!

Happy 4th birthday, Relentless Entertainment. Image courtesy of Zatty Joanda.

*LOL* De No Goh responded to the article written by “An unimpressed Reader” and I guess the story won’t end here. Apparently, this is not the first time that Deno has received negative feedback from the public. This is the 4th respondent he received and he’s not totally bothered by it. I remember his previous articles on iPhone and how sarcastically it was written *lol* and I don’t blame him since he’s pro-Android user. Anyway, keep up the good work on “TechBrat” column. It’s always a good read nonetheless. For more of De No’s respond, click here.

De No responded back on the feedback aimed at him. Click image to read more.

For your info, Manjaro Restaurant has closed its door in Kiulap ever since Hari Raya. Now the spot will be taken over by Ceri Cafe, a popular eatery in Serusop. So where is Manjaro relocated? Well, let’s just say there’s no more Manjaro but the owners opened up a new restaurant called Rice Bowl and it’s located at Batu Bersurat – same building as the Victory Bikes store. They still have the popular dishes from Manjaro and of course, new dishes and oh yeah, all the dishes are served in bowl 😀 I shall pay another visit again to try out other dishes. Congrats to Wuei and Pris on the opening.

I love this dish – Corn Beef Kway Teow. Try it 😀

Winnie had the honour to open my Lego Minifig Series 8 and it was almost complete

Whooaa… I can’t believe my cousin won it. When they announced the winner, I was thrilled the emcee announced her name though it was her sister who represented her for the prize presentation. Over 20 entries were submitted for the iMMerse Character Design Challenge and the prize presentation was graced by Datin Paduka Hjh Adina, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. The first place went YAM Pengiran Anak Hamlatul Arsy Mulia and she received a Macbook Pro. The 2nd place went to On Wan Shi (new iPad) and 3rd place went to Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng (Wacom tablet). The prizes were sponsored by BIBD.

Brian Koh, Director of KR Consulting, Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD, Datin Paduka Hjh Adina, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, YAM Pg Anak Ajeerah Fidrausul Bulqiah receiving the first prize on behalf of her sister, Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng and On Wan Shi

Have you ever tried phone stacking? This is something new in Brunei though this has been practised in other countries. Ok, here’s the thing… All of us are already equipped with smartphones and hence we are so addicted to our phones that quality time spent among friends and families are getting lesser and lesser in terms of interaction. So how it works is the phones are being stacked on top of each other from the diners present. There will be a time limit given, for instance, 30 mins per challenge. So the first person to take his or her phone from the stack will lose and will be penalised accordingly. I think this system is cool but it will take a lot of cooperation among your friends and family to pull this off. We are just to used play with technology especially social media stuff and whatsapp-ing. Anyway, do try phone stacking game soon and see how tempted you are to grab your phone.

A group of us did phone stacking last night at Villa Mauri. The challenge only lasted 3 minutes.

KFC Brunei has started introducing phone stacking and the challenge lasted 30 minutes

Concept Computers are currently having their Epson roadshow at The Mall and they have recently introduced two new Epson printers which are highly recommended because of its ability to print hundreds of pages. Furthermore, the ink cartridges are selling at a very reasonable price of $10 per bottle and you can expect a print yield up to 4,000 pages. The promotional prices are $198 for Epson L210 and $128 for Epson ME-101. According to the management, they will restocking these models as they are hot sellers especially among students.

Epson roadshow happening until Sunday at The Mall

The new printer Epson L210 is pretty awesome and selling like cakes

bFIT Challenge will be heading into elimination stage this Sunday evening. 10 contestants out of 50 will be eliminated from the bFIT challenge programme. After three weeks of training, consultation, team building and many more, it has come to the crucial stage where the judges (compromising from b•mobile, Fitness Zone and HPC) will decide the fate of the eliminated contestants. The team and individual points will be accounted for but the leading team after this weekend round will be safe from elimination. I can’t wait to see the outcome this Sunday and it will be a nerve-wrecking episode because 10 people will leave the programme (and the show) and I could already sense the great bonding they have among themselves.

Last Monday, a nutritionist from HPC delivered his talk to the bFIT participants

RA says it has been an interesting few days and I’m always trying to find something new or interesting that’s happening around Brunei (or outside Brunei). I recently covered Dato Siti Nurhaliza event in collaboration with AirAsia Megastore last Tuesday and that was worth the trip even if it was only a 24 hour trip. I think that’s already the highlight of the week for me and I still can’t believe I was just sitting next to her during the press conference *lol* Ok, that was my sakai moment indeed.. Thank you to AirAsia once again for making it happen.

Before I go on, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Myron and Leslie on the passing of Kathy (their late mother) yesterday. I’ve seen her from time to time during functions and though we hardly communicate but I could feel your courage to go through the pain. May you rest in peace.

Yesterday I attended the Think Big Innovate Forum 2012 and it was a pretty good line up of speakers. I was particularly impressed with Ash Singh, the founder of Turbanizer (apps), who had an interesting presentation on tips on starting a business. Though I have to say that one of this 50 tips that he shared advised us to “avoid business plans” *lol* Now this is something very rare since we have been nurtured by our teachers and business leaders on the importance of business plans. I believe there are pros and cons to this notion.

I was a bit surpirsed that Aulia aka @Salsabeela had little time for her introduction at Think Big Innovate Forum 2012 because this lady is a good inspiration for many young entrepreneurs. A move by the organiser to make her get more spotlight would have made more impact on the audience who made up of mostly young people. She’s a blogger, a write, a publishing company, a fashion designer and a determined entrepreneur. Now that’s an awesome resume to have indeed. Overall, it was a good seminar session organised by Asia Inc Forum and iCentre.

Ash Singh stole the show while being moderated by Delwin Keasberry of Asia Inc Forum at Thing Big Innovate 2012

Aulia Halimatussadiah (2nd left) from Indonesia was one of the panelists at Think Big Innovate 2012

Wow, it’s good to see that BIBD is expanding its benefits by partnering with Royal Brunei Airlines in an agreement where you can earn Royal Skies Miles through BIBD’s rewards programme – Hadiah Plus and Frequent Flyer Programme. So for every $1 spent on BIBD Credit Card, you get two Hadiah Points or with $2 spent on BIBD Debit Card, you get one Hadiah Point. So now with the new agreement, customers can redeem Royal Skies Miles if they want to. The other options they have is redeem cash back or annual fee waiver or an option to donate to charity. Eight Hadiah Points equates to 1 Royal Skies miles. Oh yeah, one more thing, to redeem it, you need at least 8,000 Hadiah Points. You can redeem by contacting BIBD’s call centre 223 8181 or by filling in the air miles redemption form at any of BIBD’s branches. Thumbs up to BIBD and RBA on the collaboration.

BIBD’s CFO Hajah Noraini and Acting CEO of RBA/Chief Officer Group Services Maswadi Hj Mohsin exchanging documents on the new collaboration

Another interesting week has been these teasers that have been coming out in the papers which numerous tag lines such as “Smile More”, “Little Things” and “Slow Down” and I bumped into familiar faces handing out cards in strategic places. I caught one at Airport Mall last week. I think something big is happening and I’ve never seen a company really spending a lot of marketing and brand awareness on such campaign. You can visit their facebook page –> redefined journey and you will stand a chance to win a flight too.. Hmmmm.. The clues are pretty obvious but let’s see what will happen next.

Good teaser and creating a good hype over the past week or so

This was taken at the Airport Mall last week

A big shout out to Brunei DPMM FC on their victory last night. They won a hard fought batter and it was also a must win situation if they wanted a good chance to win the S•League title from table leaders Tampines Rovers. Their 3-1 away victory against Hougang United FC gave them a point behind the leaders and now the title decider will be next Friday 2nd November where Brunei DPMM FC will take on Balestier Khalsa at the National Stadium while Tampines will take on Harimau Muda. I still remember DPMM FC coach Simunic said that their target was being in the Top 5 but now with only one point behind and a 99% chance of winning the S•League title, why not just go for the kill. I do hope that the stadium will be filled with DPMM FC supporters and also Brunei supporters as DPMM FC have represented Brunei in the past few years in the S•League and this is also a title decider. I expect the tickets to be selling like hot cakes too.

Sairol of DPMM FC holding the New Paper (Singapore newspaper) and he can’t wait for the final match on 2nd November. He hopes the public will come in numbers for the much anticipated match against Balestier. Well done, peeps!!

Another thing I want shout about is the amazing looks of the new iMac from Apple. Finee.. Apple announced the new iPad Mini but it didn’t steal the show for me as I’m hardly a tablet user. My iPad 2 is only active when I do my presentations or if I fly overseas. I’ve been eyeing for the latest iMac and boy, the screenshots of it doesn’t disappoint. The new 21″ iMac will be out in November while the 27″ will be out in December. I will probably sell of my 2010 iMac and target the 27″ model and the price starts at USD 1799 for the low specs while the 21″ starts at $1299. As for the iPhone 5 or the iPad Mini, they aren’t my priorities unless you want deliver them to me as my birthday present this January 2012 *lol*

Ok, I am sold!!!!!! Can’t wait!!!

For your info, this Monday 29th October, there will be a Google Developers Festival and it’s organised by Google Developers Group (GDG) Brunei and DST and it will feature an invited speaker which will talk on variety of product areas, code labs and all-day application development hackaton. This is part of the DevFest 2012 event. The 2 day workshop hopes to discover local developers, new talents and budding entrepreneurs at the same time. This is indeed a good opportunity to have such workshop in Brunei and with the growth of smartphone users in Brunei, this opportunity must be not taken lightly. Then again, the event has been sold out according to the website registration. This really shows the dedication of our local community in the development of ICT. I shall be covering this event and hoping to gain more knowledge.

A sold out event this week for GDG DevFest 2012

This is a strange incident to take place in Brunei. The power of whatsapp is also quite overwhelming as I received a few of these shocking pictures on my phone. It was not know what was the motive behind the commotion that took place near Gadong. He is apparently a Filipino in his 30s and he just walked naked in public. He also kinda caused some public disorder as he attacked a person and also reacted when he was confronted by the Royal Brunei Police Force. He actually works as a mechanic. As of now, he’s in the custody of the Royal Brunei Police Force. Image was courtesy of Whatsapp (source unknown).

The Filipino was apprehended by the police after the 15 minute ordeal. Not sure what his motive was or why he did it in the first place. Bizarre indeed!!