My tickets to Annie the musical

After months of waiting, I finally had the opportunity to catch Annie the Musical at the Sands Theater, Marina Bay Sands. I didn’t realise that Annie had two movie versions (82′ and 99′) but nothing beats the original movie Annie (1982). I remembered watching Annie on VHS during my spare time when I was still in primary school.

Now I had the privileged to catch it live on musical and the songs are all coming to me as it reminded my memories of Annie. As for the musical play, it was quite entertaining but I was as engrossed as the “Wicked”. I didn’t have that kind of goosebumps even that short burst of adrenalin rush during the performance.

David McAllister who played Oliver Warbucks had a huge role to play with the main star Annie. I somehow felt something was missing here as I was more familiar with the actual star of Oliver Warbucks in the 82′ version of Annie. In that movie, he portrayed himself as a stubborn billionaire and it took some nudging before he opened up his heart and cared of Annie’s feelings. Here in the musical, it didn’t show that challenge.

Well, to tell you frankly, there were a few changes in the musical play and I preferred the original version. The vocals were good but there were no breath taking moments where I experienced from Wicked. Annie the musical was slightly a tad down from Wicked. My highlights of the show were the props as well as this six year old Chloe Choo who played as Molly, one of the orphans. It’s not good to have a show stealer playing a minor role and out-staged Annie because of her cute antics. Verdict: 7/10

Waiting for the show to start and as usual, no photography allowed

This was taken during the break and apparently my seating area was only half full

Annie (right) was the star of the show but Molly (left) had her moments on stage too. Click image to see SuperAdrianMe’s review.

Ahh… Mr. Warbucks (center) dancing away in one of the scenes. Click image to see SuperAdrianMe’s review.

It was the first time I have been to Bedok Stadium to catch Geylang vs DPMM FC last night. It wasn’t such a crowd but it was still fun to watch. I realised how much different the atmosphere here in Singapore compared to Brunei where thousands will turn up to catch their home team. I guess the locals in Singapore are not that keen in football or perhaps the culture has faded in the S•League.

Anyway, it was a pretty good match for DPMM FC after coming off a few consecutive defeats. Three to be exact. Their last win was back dated in May and prior to the match, the coach Vjeran Simunic was pretty worried as Shahrazen suffered an unexpected injury right before the match. DPMM FC was already handicapped with captain Rosmin’s suspension. It’s not known how serious the injury is.

It was the first time also I’ve seen Patrick Roberto Daniel Da Silva in action and he came to live in the second half by scoring two quick goals in the 51st and 53rd minute. His first goal for the club was right off a counter attack and he finished it with style. The second was off a rebound after the Geylang keeper failed to hold on to a thunderous strike by Adi Said. DPMM FC opened the deadlock on the 30th minute as defender Tales Ricarte dos Santos scored the first.

DPMM FC is now ranked 3rd in the league with one game in hand with 32 points. Albirex Niigata is now league leaders with 36 points.

DPMM FC coach is very happy with the match but still unhappy with the referee’s decision especially the penalty given to Geylang late in the game. He said that DPMM FC’s target is to be in the top 5 and he expects Albirex and Tampines Rovers to face off for the S•League title. He regarded Geylang to be a tough team and he even labeled Geylang as the Real Madrid of the S•League during their high periods.

Simunic was also pleased on how the young lads performed last night. Adi Said was given his first start for DPMM FC to feel in the shoes of his older brother Shahrazen. It will be another test for him when he gets another shot in the first team. The Croatian hopes DPMM FC can continue their momentum in the upcoming league cup this weekend.

Simunic being interviewed by the Singaporean media after the game

Yay!! We also have some DPMM FC fans at Bedok Stadium

This guy was having fun while catching the match. I wasn’t sure which team he was supporting.

The ball boys from Singapore are older compared to ours

The fanatic drummer for Geylang

The new import player Silva (who replaced Rodrigo) scored twice last night and it was his first goals for the club

I watched the match with @cuterabbit84 last night. Thanks for the company :))

His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of BruneiDarussalam and the Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Minister of Defence, paid a visit to the survivors of the helicopter incident last evening. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

I’m still over this sad news that my relatives and friends were involved in the helicopter incident last night. I’ve been hearing different information from time to time but I wasn’t able to get the right information too. We all always hope for the best news and it was such a tragedy this thing happened.

According to the press release from The Brunei Times, 10 out of 14 military personnel were reported to have been killed in a tragic helicopter accident in Belait yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure how it all happened but one of the helicopter Bell 212 of Royal Brunei Air Force crashed. I won’t go too much into details. If you want to read more info, you can click [here] and [here].

Today I want to dedicated this post to the late Captain Mohd Ismail bin Dato Sei Setia Hj Samid (JJ Samid) and Farhana Hj Zaidin who were among the deceased from the helicopter crash. My heart goes to the families of JJ and Farhana with deepest condolences and they are in a better place right now. Our prayers for you. Al-Fatihah.

JJ is a relative of mine and the highlight of our friendship was back in the early 2000s where we cooked his speciality – nasi goreng corn beef – during Ramadhan and donated the food to the mosque. That memory keeps lingering in my head whenever I bumped into him in public and that memory will still play in my head from time to time. I miss you, bro, and your kindest heart. Al-Fatihah.

A hero. A soldier. A loving husband and father. An awesome lad.

This was the final picture of JJ Samid and the rest before they took off on the Bell 212. His best friend Farisan Metassan (center) posted this picture on Facebook.

The Minister of Energy (c)witnessing the agreement between the scholars and Yves Grosjean, TOTAL E&P Borneo B V’s General Manager. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi.

TOTAL E&P Borneo B V will soon be sending its first batch of Bruneian Scholars to France this year under the company’s education scholarship scheme, following the signing of agreement between the scholars and the firm last Tuesday.

Yesterday’s signing ceremony, which was witnessed by the Minister of Energy at the Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Yasmin Hj Umar, Energy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, will see the Sultanate’s scholars to undertake their higher education for the French energy giant.

In his welcoming remarks, Total General Manager Yves Grosjean yesterday said that the Total Education Scholarship Scheme is a result of the cooperation between Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo B V together with partners to the Commercial Area Joint Venture and the Energy Department of the Prime Minister’s Office, along with the support by PetroleumBRUNEI.

Under this scholarship programme, he said, the students will be given the opportunity to undergo their undergraduate studies at top universities in France, continue their postgraduate studies, and eventually offered an international working experience.

“The six-year programme will include a one-year intensive French language course, followed by a five-year undergraduate degree and post-graduate programme in a country well known for its excellence in engineering education,” he said.

He also said that the scholarship will allow successful candidates to gain international work experience in some of Total’s global offices or any other organisation related in their field.

Yves Grosjean spoke on his welcoming remarks. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi.

Heather Lim received her award. Image courtesy of fmBrunei

Mohd Abd Malik Mahyuddin received his award. Image courtesy of fmBrunei

All the five TOTAL scholars. Congratulations!! Image courtesy of fmBrunei

Group photo with the guest of honour, TOTAL and the scholars. Photo courtesy of Al-Haadi

Total introduced its first scholarship scheme for Bruneians earlier this year, where five candidates were successfully chosen out of a pool of about 30 applicants by a panel comprising various organisations and agencies, including the Energy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The candidates are Mohd Abd Malik Mahyuddin, Mohd Aizat Hj Hamidun, Chantelle Phung, Heather Lim and Chua Yi Sern all of who are aged 19.

Grosjean said that granting the scholarships to Bruneians also enhances the ties between Brunei and France, and between Total and Brunei.

Speaking with journalists following the signing, YB Pehin Dato Hj Mohd Yasmin lauded Total’s initiative towards human capital development and also providing career opportunities for local talents.

Sharing how the scholarship came about, the Minister explained during an official dinner in France, when the President of Total Asia Pacific Jean Marie Guillermou had a conversation with MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) scholars studying in a top French university, that Guillermou was impressed with the scholars fluency in French.

“Guillermou then approached me and asked if we could bring produce more Brunei scholars in France, and that Total will be providing scholarships to give opportunities to young Bruneians. Since then we have been discussing about the scholarship with Total,” he said. “So we can see that there are a lot of young talented Bruneians that can do well internationally. We have proved it with the MINDEF scholars, and there’s no reason why we cannot prove it with new scholars under Total which we have just signed an agreement with.” Text courtesy of Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times

This was taken a few months back when TOTAL announced the scholarship scheme

The open day was held at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf few months back

Muhd Aizat attended the Open Day and now he’s a scholar

You should try this out

The photo shoot session took place at Jen Studio

Brunei’s leading online food directory for Ramadhan, LoveFoodHateWaste (LFHW), is back again!! Today, the team has grown bigger by involving a few key players to make LFHW more exciting than before.

When LFHW (http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.org) was introduced in Ramadhan three years ago, the response was overwhelming and to date, the website has generated 1/4 of million hits. Co-founders of LFHW, Pg Syahreen Metassan and I, believe that there will at least a 10-15% increase in readership from last year.

LFHW also have other team members to assist during Ramdhan – Angel Choo Tze Hui, another food enthusiast and another popular blogger, Reeda Malik of Anakbrunei.org. br />
The idea of the food directory is to make browsing easy for the public with regard to the available choices of delicacies offered by restaurants and cafes throughout the country which is updated regularly. Readers can also post constructive comments to further improve the food service and quality of the respective restaurants and cafes.

LFHW will be issuing two editions of LFHW’s newsletter. The first edition will be released by the 1st week of Ramadhan while the 2nd issue will be released on 3rd of week of Ramadhan. This is the first time that a newsletter edition is being introduced and this is to cater to those who prefer hard copies for reference. In the newsletter, there will be advertorials and advertisements of some restaurants and cafes as well as listings of the restaurants at the back of the newsletter.

We appeared in today’s The Brunei Times

Mr. Kurapak giving some pointers

During the press conference for LFHW and thanks to all those attended especially the local media

Group photo with the sponsors and partners for this year’s LFHW

I can’t wait for coverage of restaurants and cafes this year. This picture is taken from the new ice bar in town – Shinobu

M. Hana Bakery is already having orders for her Tapak Kuda. Click image to find out more!!!

There will be competition for readers to win prizes. This will be conducted through quizzes and social network – Instagram and Twitter. Winners can win complimentary sungkai vouchers, Oh My Card membership cards as well as electronic gadgets sponsored by Netcom Computer House.

The official bank for LFHW is Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam while the main sponsors for LFHW are b•mobile and Netcom Computer House. Other partners are Oh My Card, Social Deal, Pentagram Design, Laqvin Boutique, Jen Studio and Silver Wings Services.

UBD FM is the official radio where listeners can win Sungkai vouchers.

For any interested parties who wants to participate in LFHW, you can email at ranoadidas(a)gmail(dot)com or call 8677773. You can follow their updates through Twitter @lfhwbrunei and instragam @lovefoodhatewaste

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Mr. Kurapak of LoveFoodHateWaste looking through the lens during the photo shoot session

It’s happening soon, peeps!!! LoveFoodHateWaste (LFHW) is back (for the fourth time….) and it promises to be bigger. More will be revealed soon on the happenings and what LFHW will offer to the readers. For the first time, we are also having partners and collaboration with SMEs to further strengthen the drive of LFHW to the public.

A big thanks to Jerome of Jen Studio for the photo shoot session and everyone had fun during the activity. Another shout out also to TheFaceShop for providing the make-up for the faces of this year’s LoveFoodHateWaste campaign. I can’t wait for the final product which will be used for LFHW’s website. For now, the website is not updated as we are currently rebuilding the website from scratch. It should be up and running by Friday the latest.

Today will be the press conference for team LFHW and you will read more of what’s in store from LFHW’s team tomorrow on print media as well as on other local blogs. Thank you once again for your support as well as the partners and sponsors involved. More to come from LFHW.. Stay tuned 😀

The photo shoot session took place at Jen Studio

The guest of honour, Dato Paduka Awg Hj Matsatejo bin Sokiaw, CEO of Brunei National Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd with Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of TOTAL E&P Borneo BV and TOTAL E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV

TOTAL E&P Borneo BV and TOTAL E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV recently celebrated their landmark achievement in Brunei on June 24 after achieving 10 million man-hours without ‘lost time injury’ since April 12, 1999.

The oil giant celebrated the significant milestone at The Empire Hotel and Country Club yesterday. Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of TOTAL E&P Borneo BV and TOTAL E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV said the achievement highlighted TOTAL’s success in creating a safety culture, but warned against falling into complacency, “as accidents can always happen”.

“Accidents are always looming around as is repeatedly demonstrated by the near misses we continue to experience. It can hit at the most unexpected time. At this juncture, I wish to share that in the TOTAL Group, there was a fatal accident on July 4 at a supply vessel during our deep offshore drilling operations in Angola. As the drilling mud was offloaded from the supply vessel to the drill ship, the flexible hose accidentally disconnected from the vessel and whipped the injured person,” he said.

The guest of honour at the celebration was Dato Paduka Awg Hj Matsatejo bin Sokiaw, CEO of Brunei National Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd.

Explaining the crucial importance of safety in the oil and gas industry, the guest of honour said a single accident can have a “major impact so pervasive, it could wipe out a project or even the entire company”.

Congratulating TOTAL EPB/EPDOB for the significant milestone, Dato Paduka Awg Hj Matsatejo thanked the oil industry for having their very own safety standard or protocol. He said the challenge is to continue the safety culture for the next generation.

Dato Paduka Awg Hj Matsatejo delivering his welcoming remarks and TOTAL’s success and milestone

A presentation of plaques to all heads of department, long-service employees and the newest member of TOTAL and a video showcase entitled, “World Day for Safety ‘Step Up, Step In” were also held. The main event was the cutting of cake by the guest of honour and Mr Yves Grosjean, General Manager of TOTAL E&P Borneo BV.

In his speech, Yves Grosjean said this campaign began more than 13 years ago on April 13, 1999. This means that 10 million man-hours without ‘lost time injury’ translates into an average of more than 400 people directly contributing full time since that date, to the operations of TOTAL in Brunei.

“This of course includes all our contractors working on the sites under our responsibility. With our current and past operations involving drilling, seismic acquisition, and the handling of heavy equipment especially at our Muara logistics base among others, being able to deliver such a level of safety performance is truly outstanding and something to be very proud of.

“It signifies that we have been somehow successful in creating a true safety culture. A work environment where people are aware of the safety rules and feel encouraged to share their views or raise questions about the HSE aspects of their jobs.”

Yves Grosjean also took the opportunity to convey his sincere gratitude to His Majesty and His Majesty’s Government for their continued support and the TOTAL local and expatriate staff for their continuous effort, professionalism, and teamwork in achieving a successful performance and upholding health, safety and environment.

He said over the past 20 years, TOTAL Brunei has achieved significant accomplishments, which continue to benefit all stakeholders. “As a corporate citizen of Brunei, TOTAL also contributes to the country and its people in other equally important ways.

“Ongoing emphasis on health, safety and environment ensures a continued realisation of occupational health, safety and sustainable development goals that compliment the core business achievements.” Text by Azaraimy HH of Borneo Bulletin and images courtesy of TOTAL.

Now the word here is “possible”… Yes, it’s possible to reverse the ageing process, boost your vitality, look more beautiful and furthermore be rewarded with cash and prizes. Recently a ZÉLL-V Star Search was held and thousands of ZÉLL-V Star Search participants have testified to the amazing benefits of ZÉLL-V cellular therapy.

The Search
For your info the competition takes about six months as participants will be judged based on the changes they experience according to Simon Hooi, head of Health and Wellness Department at Ruyi Holdings. They will look at their red blood cells, beauty and vitality. From Round One, 50 semi-finalists are selected.

Then 10 finalists will be selected based on beauty. Normally After consuming ZÉLL-V, people usually find their skin becoming firmer and tighter and their face lifted. The final round of ZÉLL-V Star Search 2010/2011 was recently held in a ballroom dance studio and the finalists were judged on vitality,vigour, stamina and dance performance. Points given for their fitness level were combined with the points they obtained from round one and two. The participant who obtained the highest point was the winner.

The Reason behind Star Search
The Star Search is basically a platform for all to enjoy the benefits of ZÉLL-V Cellular Therapy and of course, it’s not all about winning. It’s more of experiencing the benefits and how they have great improvements. I personally had my ZÉLL-V for the past few months and it does pay off too. It’s important you don’t stop half when taking ZÉLL-V in order to reap the full benefits of celluar therapy.

Bascially you will notice thinks like having few wrinkles than before and looking more radiant. ZÉLL-V is like killing two birds with one stone as it benefits both internally and externally.

To know more about ZÉLL-V, you can all 821 9221 for more information or visit the Brunei outlet on 1st Floor, Rizqun Hotel.

Have you tried e-Fon from TelBru? It was used to be called WorldFon but now it has been rebranded since last year and it’s growing in popularity. Previously e-Fon was only available for desktop version. Now you can download on IOS and Android platform.

Basically it’s an app where you can make long distance calls through e-Fon but at a cheaper rate. This is ideal for those who wants to make international calls. Currently, TelBru said that the number of downloads are overwhelming (200 downloads per month).

Infindo Technology partnered will TelBru to develop the Android application for e-Fon service. This engagement is in a way to support iCentre incubates and to show their capabilities where TelBru is also one of the sponsors for BEDB’s initiatives in promoting local ICT companies.

The great thing about e-Fon is that you can be any part of the world and enjoy TelBru’s discounted international rates. This is a popular apps especially among Bruneian students who study abroad. The presentation was carried out by Adri Hj Mohd Arshad, e-Fon Product Manager, TelBru.

Also in attendance were representatives from TelBru, b•mobile and BEDB.

Adri Hj Mohd Arshad, e-Fon Product Manager, TelBru, conducted a presentation on e-Fon

The event took place at the iCentre

The screen shot of e-Fon on IOS. Now it’s available for Android too.

Representatives from TelBru, b•mobile, BEDB and Infindo Technology

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Bane is one of Batman nemesis and he made his first appearance in the “Vengeance of Bane” comics

I’m pretty hyped up for the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises movie this Friday and one reason is the portrayal of Bane who was famous for “The Man who Broke the Bat” in comic storyline. This will be more of a challenging moment for director Christopher Nolan who set the bar on villains such as The Scarecrow and The Joker. This is also fact that Bane is not so well known among audience unless you follow Batman comics but I certainly am aware of Bane’s existence.

Perhaps let me rewind you back to the Joel Schumacher era where he was responsible for Batman movies such as Batman Forever (Jim Carrey as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face) and Batman and Robin (Arnold as Dr. Freeze, Robert Swenson as Bane, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy). I really have to say that Batman and Robin was a total disaster and the portrayal of Bane in that movie shows how vulnerable he is despite his massive figure. It was a definitely a forgettable moment for Bane and it didn’t really caught the attention of the audience back then as Dr. Freeze and Poison Ivy were the main villains in that movie.

Now Bane has been the main focus on The Dark Knight Rises especially on trailers. Though he has shrunk in size as compared to the old Bane in Batman and Robin, he looks meaner and dominant. This is why I love Christopher Nolan’s direction of The Dark Knight series. Furthermore, he casted Tom Hardy as Bane which is a perfect role as Batman’s adversary.

Tom Hardy was famously known for his role in Inception, another masterpiece by Nolan and it’s no surprise to see Tom Hardy’s inclusion and filling in the bigger shoe as Bane.

Believe or not, I have high hopes for The Dark Knight Rises and I’ve been controlling not to view scores on Rottentomatoes as it could ruin my expectations *lol* Actually I cheated a bit and there were thiry-four reviews so far and it scored 91% (31 fresh, 3 rotten) *Woohoo* I will be catching The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX in Singapore this Friday. It’s worth the four year wait. On the record, The Dark Knight is still my top 5 movies 😀

This was the lame ass Bane at Batman and Robin. Totally forgettable

Now doesn’t this look meaner and classier – Tom Hardy as Bane in upcoming The Dark Knight Rises

If you are not sure how Tom Hardy looks like, here you go

I’m 3 days away now from watching this epic

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Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin giving his welcoming remarks

The National Road Safety Council launched their road safety ‘TIPS’ video and interactive e-book yesterday, where the council deemed that one of the effective ways to convey road safety messages is through education.

“From teachers to their students, these students are the right platform for us to convey the message — ‘Tackling road safety issues from the grassroots level”, said Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin Pehin Orang Kaya Digadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Hj Mohd Taha, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and the Chairman of the National Road Safety Council.

Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin was speaking at the launching ceremony of the road safety ‘TIPS’ video and interactive e-book at the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI).

The Road Safety Council emphasised that long-term measures in increasing road safety is through education.

“The launching of the video and interactive e-book was in fact directed towards the educational approach,” he said.

Screenshots of the Tips video on road safety

Screenshots of the Tips video on road safety

Khairi from PHMD Publishing

Denny from Ambuyart Animations

The National Road Safety Council’s ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, had taken the five ‘E’ approach — Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Environment and Emergency in all of its initiatives and programmes.

The video and e-book was animated, which Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin believed will not only attract children’s interests on road safety but will also expose them to ICT.

“It is the National Road Safety Council’s hope that this (campaign) will improve our approach towards road safety education. Teachers are also the closest individuals to the pupils, and it is hoped that they will guide their pupils in understanding the video contents. This will instil awareness of the importance of road safety in the pupils in their young age,” he added.

The TIPS videos will be distributed to all kindergartens and primary schools in the country and broadcast to the public through the nation’s state broadcaster, Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB), in the near future.

Among the content of the video was tips on the pilot Demerit Point System.

Family institutions also play an important and effective role in increasing road safety awareness. “The video and e-book can also be used by parents and family members to observe and learn their contents,” he added.

The TIPS video and interactive e-book were jointly designed and developed by the National Road Safey Council, the Ministry of Communication, AITI, Ambuyart Animations and PHMD Publishing. Text by Rasidah HAB of The Brunei Times.

BIBD Acting Managing Director Hajah Noraini signing with Jasra Harrisons Sdn Bhd General Manager Mr Lim Eng Thai

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) through its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives today commenced its “Program Sirah Amal BIBD” in collaboration with Jasra Harrisons Sdn Bhd. This year, through this heartwarming initiative, BIBD will be visiting more homes than previous years, aiming to touch the lives of 120 families in all four districts throughout the month of Ramadhan.

The launching kicked off with a signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BIBD and Jasra. Signing on behalf of BIBD was Acting Managing Director Hajah Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman and on behalf of Jasra Harrisons Sdn Bhd was the General Manager Mr Lim Eng Thai. The signing signifies the start of cooperation between BIBD and Jasra in their commitment to help the less fortunate especially in testing times.

The event was then followed by the handover of boxes of food hampers to representatives of Greenfrog Management Services, who will be assisting BIBD and Jasra facilitating the distribution of the donations.

BIBD and Jasra together with Greenfrog today started their visits to 18 homes in the Tutong District. BIBD’s Acting Managing Director Hajah Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking cum Head of CSR Hjh Nurul Akmar binti Hj Mohd Jaafar and BIBD personnels gracefully joined and shared the moment as they set out together to distribute the donations.

“Since its introduction two years ago, Sirah Amal has always been a good cause BIBD and its staff to give back to the community through their generous contributions and efforts,” said Acting Managing Director Hajah Noraini who further shared, “It is heartwarming to see our staff especially the CSR team make advance preparations to ensure that this year, the visits to all four districts run smoothly.”

Exchanging of documents after the signing ceremony

The hamper that will be given for charity

Loading the hamper into the car before heading off to Tutong

BIBD CSR has always been underscoring the values of caring for the society and will always commit to ensuring that the objectives of BIBD CSR are met and is aligned with the guidelines of Islam. It hopes the benefit of nurturing society’s needs be it the underprivileged, young entrepreneurs, environmental preservation or research and studies are achieved. The first “Program Sirah Amal BIBD” has opened a lot of hearts in 2010 and BIBD is honored to have become the pioneer in such initiative.

“Program Sirah Amal BIBD” was initiated by BIBD’s CSR team with the combined efforts and resources by generous BIBD employees through internal fund raising. “I hope through our journeys to the homes of these families, it will remind us to be thankful for what we have and be mindful of excess spending for the festive season. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to see the beauty in helping others especially during the holy month of Ramadhan,” Head of CSR Hjh Nurul Akmar explained.

BIBD, over the next few weeks through six more trips will be visiting homes in the Belait, Temburong and the Brunei-Muara districts. The families were selected through a list complied by a few NGOs. The boxes of food hampers and donations presented to the families make up of daily necessities such as food items, which will hopefully help ease their burdens during the fasting month.

Bruneians Mohd Hasnal Husna bin Ahmad, Mohd Yusoff b.Yaakob and Mohd Aisamuddin made their way into the final round of the Red Bull Monkey Run Grand Finals for the university edition qualifying in 2nd, 4th and 6th position respectively. All of three of qualified from a field of 23 male contestants and stand a good chance to win the Grand Final held in Penang, Malaysia. Two female from Brunei Darussalam, Maria Taha and Nazurah Mohd Noor also made it to the finals for the female category.

Qualifying rounds were held throughout in Malaysia, Singapore and the leg for Brunei Darussalam was held in January during Consumer Fair 9. Red Bull Monkey Run is an extreme sport with contestants scaling up and down in the challenging obstacles course. “Today is His Majesty Sultan and Yang Dipertuan’s birthday, we hope to bring the title back home and dedicate to His Majesty”, said Mohd Hasnal Husna, when asked what motivates them in today’s finals.

Good luck to you guys!!!!

Mohd Hasnal Husna Bin Ahmad – 23 years old currently studying in University of Brunei Darussalam ,Mohd.Yussof Bin Yaakub – 24 years old currently studying in University of Brunei Darussalam & Mohd Aisamuddin Bin Chamsuddin – 20 years old currently studying in Sekolah Vokasional Sultan Bolkiah.

Maria Nurul Amira Bte Taha– 20 years old currently studying in Maktab Duli Pengiran Al-Muhtadee Billah , & Nazurah Bte Mohd Noor – 18 years old currently studying in Maktab Duli Pengiran Al-Muhtadee Billah.

The Red Bull Monkey Run Uni Edition Grand Finals held on 14 and 15 July 2012 featured the top 33 qualifiers from Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. The grand champion will drive home a Perodua Myvi and the champions, first runners-up and second runners-ups for both the male and female categories will receive RM2000, RM1500 and RM1000 respectively.

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Dialogue with The Minister of Energy. Illustration by The Brunei Times

The guest of honour with the winners of AITI Next Innovation and Multimedia Award for Sustainable ICT Industry (ANIMASI) Pro-Digital Animation Challenge and the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) Essay Writing Competition. Click image to enlarge.

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) today held a prize presentation ceremony to the winners of the first AITI Next Innovation and Multimedia Award for Sustainable ICT Industry (ANIMASI) Pro-Digital Animation Challenge and the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) Essay Writing Competition at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Jerudong.

Present at the ceremony was Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Acting Minister of Communications as the guest of honour. The ceremony was also attended by the Acting Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and Acting AITI Chairman, Yang Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin POKSSDP Haji Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries from other Government Ministries, AITI’s Members of the Authority, senior government officials, representatives from the telcos, ICT industry representatives as well as principals, teachers and participating students.

The Essay Writing Competition is one of the annual activities organized by AITI to commemorate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) which is celebrated internationally every 17th May. The essay topics were centered on this year’s WTISD theme – Women and girls in ICT. This competition was opened to local students from the primary, lower and upper secondary, as well as tertiary level of the government and private schools throughout Brunei from 17th May to 29th June 2012.

The judges of the essay writing competition observed an increase in the number of participants with over 120 entries for all categories this year with a remarkable improvement in the quality of essay submissions. In his remarks, AITI’s Chief Executive, Yang Mulia Awg Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin hoped that this competition would provide an avenue for students to express their views, challenge their critical thinking and argumentative skills and, most importantly, enhance their communication abilities.

I shall be posting more updates on the list of winners for this year’s competition and congratulations to the participants. It’s definitely a great initiative by AITI to run such competition.

Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI shared his optimism in the digital media industry and hope to see the animation industry flourishing as the technology evolves, with growing demand for animators to contribute to the local contents, films, advertisements and television

Cinematicpro Services bagged the top award for ANIMASI

One of the winners for essay writing competition

PHMD also joined the competition

BruInnovEdu also one of the winners of ANIMASI

Three months after a detailed selection process, Siti Zirwatul Iradah bte Awg Adinin – a traffic policewoman at the Royal Brunei Police Force were finally chosen to represent Red Bull Brunei for the Sepang 1000km (S1K) Race.

Red Bull Malaysia had recently announced the six young men and women, Rezza Amir Ariff, Matthew Ng, Amrit Mirchandani, Taryn Lim, SITI ZIRWATUL and Andrea Tay will join the Red Bull Rookies Male and Female racing teams, setting the stage for an epic showdown at the Sepang 1000KM (S1K) Race this season where both teams will be battling for the prize of RM10,000 and determine which gender is the better racer. They will be led by anchor drivers Mark Darwin and Melissa Huang respectively.

The four were chosen from the top 16 candidates that came from Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore at the Red Bull Rookies Track Day after being judged on their lap time, poise, personality and driving skills, which was assisted by the renowned Pentagon Racing Team at the Sepang International Circuit today. In addition, their personality and character played a role in the selection of an all rounded individual.

“The Red Bull Rookies have always consistently placed well at the S1K race but this year, for the first time, we are fielding two teams – male and female, which will set the stage for a sizzling race this year. However, what is most important is the experience for them, as winning is secondary,” said Jyn Wee, Executive Director, Red Bull Malaysia.

Siti Zirwatul Iradah will be representing Brunei for Red Bull Rookies team. Congratulations!!!

The teams now comprise of 3 Malaysians, 1 Bruneian and 4 Singaporeans joining forces to secure top spots at the S1K race. Mark, Rezza and Taryn are Malaysians, while Melissa, Matthew, Amrit and Andrea hail from Singapore. Siti Zirwatul is the sole Bruneian in the team.

Team Manager of the Red Bull Rookies, Kenvin Low said, “We have searched for talents with steely determination, enduring physicality, strength of mind, and an energetic personality to be part of our multinational team. The four we have selected today have shown those specific qualities and more, proving their potential as rookie race car drivers.”

The drivers were evaluated on their basic driving and technical knowledge, proven personality and teamwork with high fitness levels. Red Bull Malaysia together with Asia Advanced Driving Academy has been working on the project since April 2012, with the aim of putting together a group of race drivers to represent the Red Bull Rookies.

The young drivers will undergo intensive training and testing to prepare them for the S1K race, which will be held on 6 – 8 December 2012. This also marks the first time in six years that the Red Bull Rookies have fielded two teams who will compete against each other and solve the age-old question of which gender is the better race car driver.

The Red Bull Rookies were formed in 2007, originally made up of passionate young women who had an interest in motorsports. Upon its success, the Red Bull Rookies team expanded its search to Singapore and Brunei to find, fund and nurture aspiring, up-and-coming driving talent by preparing them for Asia’s biggest endurance competition, the S1K race. The Red Bull Rookies will be equipped by Alpine Stars and Kenwood while the cars they race will be supported by Torco High Performance Lubricants and Motorsport Playground.

Whilst they will have much to learn, based on their performances during the gruelling selection process, this year’s S1K race will prove to be the most exciting season yet. Visit www.facebook.com/RedBullRookies for the latest news and updates.