Do click image to enlarge

Mr. Sung Wook Jo, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the Republi of Korea in Brunei Darussalam (right) hosting lunch with the local media

In an effort to assist in streaming potential agenda in Brunei’s successful biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in accordance with the nation’s Chairmanship for the next Asean Summit in 2013, the Republic of Korea, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, have gathered experts to speak at the Asean Korean Biodiversity Cooperation seminar.

The seminar, which is set to be held from tomorrow to Friday, presents an avenue for the expert panelists to exchange views and experience, and facilitate scientific research efforts on diversity among related countries.

Speaking to the local media yesterday was Mr Sung Wook Jo, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Brunei Darussalam.

He highlighted that during the Asean-Korean Commemorative Summit in Jeju 2009, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has proposed that the Kuala Belalong Field Centre be utilised as a venue for environment research. In view of this, Brunei and the Republic of Korea have agreed to undertake a joint project to convene at the Asean-Korea Biodiversity Cooperation Seminar.

He said the seminar will further promote the public’s awareness on biodiversity of Asean and Borneo Island in particular. The seminar will carry the theme ‘Current and Future Challenges to Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Asean region.’

“The seminar will focus on talks given by experts and policy makers from the Republic of Korea and Brunei as well as other Asean countries,” said Mr Sung, before adding that at the end of the seminar, a ‘policy-oriented report’ based on seminar presentations and discussions will be tabled. This is to facilitate implementation on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, he said.

The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar is expected to deliver a keynote speech during the opening ceremony for the seminar tomorrow. And yes, the seminar is open to the public at The Core UBD tomorrow in the morning (Wednesday).

The experts include Dr Jin Han Kim, Director of Research Cooperation Division and Dr Byoung Yoon Lee, the Director of Plant Resources Division, both from the National Institute of Biological Resources. Also expected to deliver their papers are experts from the Korean Environment Institute and the e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.Inc) at UBD, as well as experts from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

The proposed venue for the seminar will be at The Core, UBD and the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Temburong District. Text courtesy of Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

We had lunch at a Korean Restaurant called Silla. It’s highly recommended.

Aziz served us as well. Nice t-shirt btw bro haha

What sexy eyes the new Audi A4 has….

Last Saturday, TCY Motors Sdn Bhd officially lanuched the latest A4 Sedan and Avant model at Radisson Hotel. In my opinion, I love the Avant model because of its design.

Presence during the launch were Teng Ching Ying, Chairman of TCY Motrors Sdn Bhd and Helmut Domas, Acting German Ambasssador to Brunei. The welcoming remarks was made by TCY’s After-Sales Manager Francis Chan and he reminded the guests that all Audi cars have a 5-year warranty and because of its regional support system, it allows Brunei to have a much quicker response on any matter regarding Audi vehicles.

A few good reasons to get the new A4 – a lighter engine than previous model, 28% more torque output, lesser petrol consumption than previous models and reduction of CO2 emissions.

For more information about the new Audi A4 Sedan and Avant, call 244 2333 for the Kiarong showroom or 239 0725 for the Lambak showroom. You can also follow their updates on Facebook.

TCY’s After-Sales Manager Francis Chan gave his welcoming remarks

The chairman unveiling the new Audi A4

I present to you the new Audi A4

The invited guests taking a feel of the new car

Helmut Domas trying out the new A4

CJ and Efra were there at the launch

Jazz Hayat entertaining the guests with some cool numbers

With the organisers and partners for TechXpo 2012

A signing ceremony was held at Seri Kerna Hall, AITI Building, in Anggerek Desa recently for partners of the upcoming TechXpo.

Representatives from event organiser InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) and event manager Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd were present at the ceremony, as well as event and activity partners.

Signing on behalf of the event organiser were IFB Chairman Pg Abd Ghani Pg Hj Metussin and IFBSecretary Hj Abd Ghani Hj Omar, whilst signing on behalf of the event manager were Sunlit Advertising Executive Director Dato Hj Danial Hj Hanafiah and Sunlit Advertising Managing Director Jackson Ting.

The event partners for this year’s TechXpo are Brunei Times Sdn Bhd as the Print Media Supporter, Oregon Systems as the Official CCTV Service Provider, BT Forwarding Company as the Official Forwarder, Orchid Garden Hotel as the Official Hotel, Oxford Business Group (OBG) as the Official Media Partner, Ranoadidas.com as the Official Social Media Partner, Bayu Ilham Motors Sdn Bhd as the Official Transporter, Aewon Garment & Embroidery Sdn Bhd as the Official Apparel Provider, Radio Televisyen Brunei as the Official Broadcast Media Partner and Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) as the Official Telecommunications Partner.

The activity partners for TechXpo 2012 include STEP Centre of the Ministry of Education (MoE), who will hold IT-related activities; Tech One Global Limited, who will carry out IT literacy training; and Asia Oceania Regional Software Park Alliance, who will be hosting Business Matching activities.

The TechXpo 2012 will be held from December 1 to 4 at the International Convention Centre in Berakas. This will be the third instalment of the technology fair, that looks to inform and educate industry players and the public on the latest developments, products and services.

This year’s TechXpo is held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2012, a collaborative network which focuses not only on knowledge sharing and innovative benchmarking, but also on business facilitation between business communities from the member countries.

The TechXpo 2012 will also feature the first Enterprise Business Matching and Product Sharing Session organised by the Asia Oceanic Regional Software Park Alliance, which is envisioned as a one-stop platform for enterprises to meet and network thus expanding business opportunities, as well as contributing to the development of the ICT industry.

One of the event partners, Oxford Business Group (OBG), will also be providing “The Report Brunei 2011”, a publication launched in Brunei this year in March, to the expo’s VIP members and delegates.

OBG is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm that publishes economic intelligence on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

The TechXpo 2012 is supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, MoE, the Ministry of Communications and AITI. Al-Haadi of The Brunei Times.

Representing IFB and Sunlit Advertising

Representing Oxford Business Group

Representing BT Forwarding Company

Representing who else….

Representing The Brunei Times

Representing TechOne Global

The official t-shirt for TechXpo 2012

Irene and Hui Chiet of Sunlit Advertising

It’s happening tomorrow (Wednesday)

“Embracing the creative evolution”, the theme for this year’s Think Big Innovate Forum, will put the spotlight on creative arts and multimedia as the next most important tools that will spur entrepreneurship and innovation in Brunei.

“We’ve been doing this for five years now, and each year we have central themes; cloud computing, social media, mobile applications, innovation, and this year’s edition, we’ll be focusing on the advent of multimedia and creativity,” said Delwin Keasberry, the programmes manager at Asia Inc Forum, organisers of this year’s conference.

This year’s theme coincides with the country’s recent initiatives to promote creativity amongst the youth and encourage more local businesses to venture into the creative industry, he said.

Such initiatives include the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports’ latest drive towards supporting creative industry development, The Brunei Economic Development’s creative arts facility (CRAFT) and the iCentre’s Think Big iMMerse Challenge.

“We set the trend before things get hot or become mainstream. We believe that in the next few years, for corporations, organisations, NGOs and SMEs, the digital multimedia engine behind marketing will be one of the things that will be used more and more,” said Keasberry. For more insight, you can click here.

The Think Big Innovate Forum, be held on October 24 at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, is expected to bring together 250 representatives of ICT industry players, government, business community and educational institutions. Source: Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times.

Let’s come and show your support

DeStress Bodyworks celebrate its 9th Birthday this October. They are offering a variety of Facials and Body Relaxation treats designed to relax and treat your skin’s individual needs.

As a way of expressing their sincerest appreciation for your kind support, they are offering a special Aroma massage package of 6 Hours for $ 108/- with free 30mins herbal steam from now till 30th Nov 2012.

Come and join them on our DeStress Open day from 26th-28th Oct 2012. Win attractive Lucky draw prizes from Apple iPad 2 to latest Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Free Door gift for you and your friends when you come in for Skin consultation. Visit us at : Unit 7 & 10 Blk D Muhibbah Complex Jln Gadong Tel: 2428828 / 8771288 and also at A1, 1st Flr Latifuddin Complex, Jln TungkuLink Tel: 2428898

This musical will be a good catch indeed

Seri Mulia Sarjana School on its 20th Anniversary is proud to present Peter Pan The Musical a school production by arrangement with Samuel French and International Theatre and Music (IT&M London) on the 25th of November 2012 at 7:45pm. The musical will be staged at the Jerudong Park Ampitheatre and ticket prices are $15, $35 and $100 available at all Seri Mulia Sarjana School Front Counters.

A well-known and much appreciated musical, Peter Pan the Musical is presented by professional and amateur productions worldwide and is popular for their characters – Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Captain Hook and his sidekick Smee, Tiger Lily, the Lost Boys, pirates and of course TinkerBell.

Peter Pan the Musical will take us to Neverland where children are exposed to endless imagination and creativity, two things that Seri Mulia Sarjana School persistently instills amongst its students as they serve as foundations of numerous possibilities.

This production is being staged by Seri Mulia Sarjana School as commemorative of the school’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. This is also an avenue for the school to expose its students to the performing arts and most importantly to involve the whole school in a community outreach for the benefit of Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans. Proceeds from the Peter Pan copyright will also go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Join them in this event and be a part of our community outreach.

If Deno Goh was a jury for the Apple vs Samsung case, it wouldn’t take a rocket science to figure which side he will take :p Today’s article was a response of Deno’s article on the iPhone 5 “A Fruity Disaster”. Click image to read the reader’s comment.

Do click image to enlarge

You can “Make It Happen”

HSBC Brunei officialy launched “My Home Plan” which is rebranding of their current home plans and it’s an innovative concept which can be tailored to cusomters’ needs and also HSBC will provide the best solutions on your home loans and even home refinancing plans.

Lyndsay Rajah, the Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management of HSBC Brunei said that the new home loan packages target those within the age of 35 and below. The event took place at Tarindak d’Polo last Tuesday.

If you think that you have financial difficulties for applying a home loan, HSBC will also help to guide them with their end-to-end professional services.

You can enjoy benefits from a low interest rate of 4.5 per annum under a fixed repayment scheme, 50% rebate on the total interests paid for the first three years and also a full fee waiver on application fees, a start-up subsidy of up to BND 15,000, MRTA, property valuation and a free three-year fire protection plan.

Those who signed will be eligible for a brand new iPad but only for the first three customers. You can visit HSBC Home Loan Centres at Gadong, Kuala Belait of Serusop branch

The guest of honour of the event was Sanjiv Sud, Head of Consumer Assets of HSBC Asia Pacific with the presence of Vincent Ho, CEO of HSBC Brunei and its Deputy CEO Rosdi Amin Yaakub.

Vincent Ho (left) with the senior management of HSBC

Pg Izad and Keeran Janin among the guest list

Robin Cheok and Hui Ling busy with their gadgets

This bit was kinda fun where you get to splat the wall with paints

The colourful wall

The door to a new beginning?

Dean having a 5 second test on the sofa

Kenny and Aaron posing for the camera. One of them is from the Brunei Oppan Gangnam Style. Recognise him?

Another group shot action

HSBC’s “My Home Plan”

The judges for the bFIT elimination next weekend – David from Fitness Zone, Nana from b•mobile and Umi from Health Promotion Centre

The judges discussing on format for the elimination process next weekend. This should be interesting.

11 more days to go and we will know who will be the unlucky 10 contestants that will leave the bFIT competition. Yes, 10 participants will be eliminated by 29th October 2012. So after being in the bFIT programme for a couple of weeks, the journey will end for some of them.

According to bFIT organisers, the interests and motivation from the contestants were higher from their expectations and they are very involved especially during the weeknights where they have through a few workout sessions. Some even turned every day at Fitness Zone to work out though the minimum requirement is twice a week.

The judges will also look at their diet log profile on the food intake they have taken in the past week or so. Well, let’s just say that the organisers will know if you are not being truthful about your food logs. Level of fitness as well as character will also be assessed. For your info, if the group is the leading group among the rest, they will be saved from elimination on that particular week. Hence those individuals from other groups will be eliminated.

This weekend, the challenge will be at Belapan Sports Complex and they will be doing some track events. This is a warm-up session leading into elimination round for next Sunday. Good luck to the participants and well done to the organisers, b•mobile with their collaboration with Fitness Zone and Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health.

Stay tune for updates on RA.

The morning exercise at Bukit Shahbandar

The morning exercise at Bukit Shahbandar

Acting General Manager of b•mobile planting some plants

The morning hike at Shahbandar

The top team last weekend

The volunteers from Brunei Aids Council

The group shot. Click to enlarge

It happened yesterday when eSpeed and b•mobile data was disrupted as there was an power outage at TelBru. Expect for maintenance tomorrow at 2am, 19th October which will last for three hours.

It’s happening this Sunday. Click image to RSVP.

CALLING DANCERS, ACTORS & SINGERS!!!!!!

Relentless will be holding an open audition for a number of upcoming shows and productions!!!

When? THIS Sunday, 21st October, 2012
Where? Dewan Riadah, Pusat Belia, BSB
What time? 12:30pm

Audition is open to everyone aged 6 and up!!!! =)

For more information please facebook message Relentless Entertainment Brunei, send us an email relentless.brunei@gmail.com or call/whatsapp 8235455

Note: no payment is required for auditioning. Just come in comfortable clothing, your amazing talent and lots of enthusiasm. Source: Relentless Entertainment Facebook page.

Relentless Entertainment in action last week

Relentless Entertainment in action last week

Do click image to enlarge

Group photo with the Minister of Communications and the campaigners for the launch of the campaign of Road Safety Awareness this morning

The Minister of Communications officially launched the Road Safety Awareness Campaign this morning at the Ministry of Communications building. This joint effort was to increase the awareness of road accidents in Brunei in conjunction with the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on the 18th November.

The guest of honour, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Abdullah, the Minister of Communications officiated the event. Also in attendance were Abdul Mutalib, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Senior Superinntendent Azahari bin Hj Awang Besar, Acting Director of Road Traffic Control & Investigationg Department from the Royal Brunei Police Force, Mr. Pierre Imhof, Baiduri Finance Director and Hj Idris Hj Md Ali, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications.

The launch campaign was led by the Minister where he sprinkled some flower stuff on purple buses that are showing the advertisement on road safety awareness.

The Brunei National Road Safety Council is the lead facilitator for the safety campaign while Baiduri Finance is the lead campaigner. Co-campaigners compromised of Brunei Automobile Traders Association, the General Insurance Association of Brunei, Takaful Brunei AM Sdn Bhd, Insurans Islam TAIB Sdn Bhd, the Red Crescent Society of Brunei and the Co-Curriculum Department of the Ministry of Education.

Some of the partners involved will have their own activities. Under PPAB, they will be offering free vehicle safety checks while GIAB will be holding seminar on the subject of insurance and road safety.

Pierre Imhof said the aim of the campaign is focused on helping raise awareness and importance of road safety in Brunei with the foremost message “towards a road safety culture”. The campaign will focus on two pertinent areas of road safety culture which are directly under the control of the driver – the human element and observance of road rules. it will be dedicated to educating the public on basic safe practices such that it will become a way of life.

The Minister did his pledge for Road Safety Awareness Campaign online

Hmmm good to know the Minister uses an Apple account 😀

You can do your online pledge at http://www.bruneiredcrescent.com

Yes, you can use the phone as a passenger but not when you’re behind the wheel. This campaign can be seen on a few “purple” buses.

OO OO… I was being punished and I had to mop the bus. People thought it was true when I posted this on instagram *lol*

The late runners of the 10KM playing catch up

Vincent Pao (center) with Zul Abd Rahman and Epson Sales Manager Eric Tang

Concepts Computer ran two new Epson printers, the L210 model, for more than 12 hours to test its competence and durability and yes, the model delivers. I was quite impressed by the speed and the economical ink and this could be a unique selling point for students.

The Epson L210 was launched yesterday at Concepts Computer with the presence of Concepts Computer General Manager Vincent Pao and Marketing Executive Zul Abd Rahman and Epson Sales Manager Eric Tang.

What’s unique about the printer is that the ink system is located in an extended column so you don’t really have to open up your printer and the refilling is quite straight forward. The other awesome thing about the Epson printers is the after sale service. It has a one-year warranty and you will be able to get it fixed quickly.

The ink is sold t $10 per bottle and this is considered one of the cheapest ink bottles in the market and it can last up to 4,000 pages (awesome!!). This time round, Concepts Computer will be having a promotional price of $198 and it comes with four 70ml bottles of original ink in black, cyan, magenta and yellow.

According to Zul, Concepts Computer will be seeking out customers’ response to both L210 and ME-101 promotions before it goes back to its original price of $228 and $148 respectively.

He also mentioned that Concepts Computer will be setting up an Epson booth at the Fatabarak Trade Fair from October 25 to 28 and also at the Charity Expo in the Hassanal Bolkiah Indoor Stadium from October 27 to 28.

For more information, visit the nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/ 2233552/ 2448102.

The Epson L210 printer is amazing!!! and the ink system is an extension of the printer

Vincent Pao and the media watching a demo of the latest Epson printer

This little machine can just print non-stop and it was operating for the last 12 hours

The ink bottles are $10 each

Concepts Computer are selling the inks *models not included*

Do click image to enlarge

The first leader in the 5km run right after the flag off

Way to go, Muiz!!!

As part of the Brunei Shell Joint Venture (BSJV) companies’ efforts to promote healthy lifestyles among their employees, an annual fun run was organised Thursday morning, starting and finishing at the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC) last Seria.

The event was participated by personnel and family members of BSJV companies and their business partners, who were enthusiastic and full of sporting spirit right till the end of the race. As the event was known as “Wheels & Heels”, the activities had been extended to include a cycling race.

With the BSRC as the starting point, the run was divided into several categories; the “Wheels” category was open to all cyclists and covered a distance of 14km, while the “Heels” category included the 3.5km open run and the 8.5km run for avid runners. A warmup exercise was also conducted to prepare the participants before the race.

Apart from the race, the event also saw the support for the International Breast Cancer Awareness month as a special bonus where Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd’s (BSP) Health and Medical Department showcased a mini exhibition to promote awareness on cancer at BSRC’s Belatok Lounge.

Upon the prize giving ceremony, members of BSJV companies and their partners made a formation on BSRC field depicting a giant pink ribbon showing their support for the International Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Prize presentations to top winners of all categories were handed by the Managing Director of BSP, Ken Marnoch; as well as BSM Managing Director Hj Mohd Sufri Hj Sulaiman; and BSP Deputy Managing Director Hj Salleh Bostaman Hj Zainal Abidin. Also presenting prizes for the best costume during the race was Christine Marnoch.

BSP has been actively promoting a healthy lifestyle among their staffs by implementing health programmes such as the Health for Life programme.

The programme aims to facilitate the creation of a supporting working environment for their staff, especially the high-risk groups, to accomplish a healthier lifestyle through exercise and also proper dieting for the participating staff. Text courtesy of Efna ARS of Borneo Bulletin and images courtesy of Javon, Fidah and Masjuwita.

Raviseine, the new product launched at Paloma, The Mall

Paloma Perfumery launched Raviseine, a new non-alcoholic perfume from France and the ceremony was graced by the guest of honour was the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources Hjh Hasnah Ibrahim.

Also present at the event was Julian Wee, the managing partner of Paloma, His Excellency Louis LeVert, the French Ambassador to Brunei, Pierre Imhof, the president of the Brunei-French Business Association and Farrukh Raza, the Commercial Director of Raviseine France.

Julian Wee said, “Paloma has become well known as a perfumery that carries a wide range of genuine branded perfumes, but these perfumes all contain alcohol. A lot of customers have been asking for alcohol-free perfumes, so I was very excited to meet the Farrukh brothers and worked very hard at convincing them that Paloma would do a great job of selling and marketing the Raviseine brand.”

“I am confident that Raviseine will become the number one selling perfume brand in Brunei Darussalam,” she added.

Hjh Hasnah gave a speech during the event, explaining how the halal industry goes beyond the food sector. She mentioned of the Middle East, particularly the United Arab Emirates, is currently the hub of halalcosmetics, with beauty treatment market segments projected to increase by 12.5 per cent per year.

“The market for halal products increases with the growth of the world’s Muslim population and the economy of the Islamic countries,” she said.”Out of the 6.8 billion people in the world, 1.6 billion are Muslims, which means there is enormous potential for halal products to succeed in the vast market.”

Invited guests during the launch

Julian Wee, Managing Partner of Paloma, in her welcoming remarks

The French Ambassador then made a brief speech on the importance of introducing French products into the local market, followed by a presentation on Raviseine by Farrukh Raza.

The internationally registered French brand has its roots in two cultures and got its name from the Eastern lands where River Ravi flows and Paris, the City of Light, which is crossed by the River Seine.

With its in-depth research and development, the company has come up with 12 different fragrances; six for men and six for women. Raviseine is now available at Paloma outlets around the Sultanate.

For more information on Raviseine, visit www.raviseine.com or any Paloma outlet to experience Raviseine’s “unique sensorial journey”. Source: Ammirul Adnan of The Brunei Times.

The first customer of Raviseine at Paloma.

The prices are quite reasonable as well

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 24th 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.

Great prizes to be won for Mr. Brown Moment Photo Contest 2. I shall be joining this for sure 😀

The news that grabbed headlines in yesterday’s paper

I believe the story won’t end here. Yesterday headliners saw “Komunis” shop owner being convicted and sentenced to six weeks in prison. With a maximum penalty of six months behind bars, Yong Teck Sang only received six weeks but allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal. According to the report, Judge Pengiran Hajah Hanani Pengiran Haji Metusain deferred sentencing the defendant on Thursday to invite the prosecution to make submissions on sentencing, and yesterday decided a custodial sentence was proper.

The court mentioned that Yong have been running a “dishonest business” and the court was of the view that he knew he was selling pirated DVDs. Him being described as showing lack of remorse didn’t help matters.

For your info, he was convicted of selling 135 copies of CDs and VCDS of Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza, a copyright product under the flagship of Suria Records Sdn Bhd, Malaysia. This case have been ongoing for more than two years and finally the verdict was in favour of the prosecutor, formerly handled by DPP Joe Chan Jin Yuh and also Suria Records.

Mr. Tan Ngiap Foo, CEO of Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) and I during the Anugerah Industry of Malaysia event back in November 2011

In a quick telephone interview with Tan Ngiap Foo, CEO of Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM), he was delighted that the defendant was convicted and he hopes that this will be a learning lesson for others who doesn’t comply with selling copyright CDs, VCDs or DVDS. This was the first case that was brought to the court. Nonetheless Mr. Tan still notices some flaws in the system.

In Malaysia, the copyright law was introduced and violators will be fined RM 2,000 per song as quoted by the CEO of RIM. So that would mean that Yong would have to be fined at least RM 270,000 or BND 120,000 and the jail term won’t be exceeding 5 years. In Brunei, it’s a different story as the punishment is not as severe – a maximum of 6 months and BND 5,000 fine. In this case, Yong was sentenced to six weeks jail term and a BND 5,000 fine only.

Mr. Tan hopes that the Brunei Government can look into this matter in making the laws stricter and use Malaysia or Singapore as an example in how they combat piracy. He also hope that the verdict will take Brunei off the “watch list” from the Office of the Uniter States Trade Representative (USTR) where the Sultanate has been in the list due to the violation of intellectual property rights.

During the interview, Mr. Tan expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Brunei Government, the Attorney’s General Chamber and most of all to DPP Joe Chan who have worked tirelessly for a long period of time on this particular case and also to ASP Naguib Dato Hj Ismail, Royal Brunei Police Force for his assistance and professionalism in carrying out the investigation in the case.

Dk Nurul Aina Syafiqah came third in the 10km category at BIBD’s CE ALAF charity run yesterday

I have never heard of her before and I just found out that she has been active in joining runs in Brunei and it was the first time that I took notice of her just because she made the podium finish. Only 8 years old, Brunei has a new rising athlete star in the making and she has already made headlines.

If she had finished a minute slower, I wouldn’t have known of her and even with a top 10 finish, it is already considered a remarkable feat for an 8 year old. She missed the second spot by 21 seconds and she is ranked 6th in terms of timing for both Women’s Brunei and Women’s Open categories combined.

I’m not sure what her personal best is but she clocked 10km run in under one hour with a time of 53 mins 38 seconds. Considering of her age and her height, this is still a remarkable feat. She even overtook my buddy @keeranj who ran using my bib number since I wasn’t able to participate. Let’s hope the Brunei Athletics Association will take notice of her or maybe they already have.

Let’s not put our high hopes and expectations too because she’s still incredibly young and let her enjoy her run knowing that she has a bright future ahead of her.

Click image to enlarge. SMS quiz last day on 17th October