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Minister of Communications Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar (L) and Singapore Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, extended handshakes to commemorate the announcement of reducing roaming rates on voice, sms and data for mobile phone users. The event took took place at Brunei Pavilion at CommunicAsia 2012 event, Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications, Brunei Darussalam and His Excellency Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore, have jointly announced Brunei Darussalam’s and Singapore’s commitment to reduce the prevailing roaming rates for mobile phone users by 1Q 2013. The two Ministers made the announcement at the sidelines of the Ministerial Forum which was held as part of the annual Infocomm Media Business Exchange 2012, Asia’s largest infocomm and media platform.

As part of building strong bilateral ties between Brunei and Singapore, the Ministers have tasked the telecoms regulators of Brunei and Singapore to work with mobile operators to reduce the roaming rates.

The Minister of Communications gave some remarks on the special announcement on reducing of roaming rates for voice, sms and data between Brunei and Singapore

In his remarks at the event, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications, Brunei Darussalam said, “Brunei Darussalam is really looking forward to further progress in this arrangement. With the reduction in voice, SMS and data roaming services charges between the two countries, international mobile roaming services can be utilized in a more efficient and beneficial manner by our users. It will also spur further growth in the mobile industry”.

It was great to know that the Minister highlighted the usage of social media that plays an important role in the high usage of data among Bruneians. He added, ” There are currently 234,060 Facebook users in Brunei and in relation to our population; Brunei ranks No.1 among all countries in Asia in terms of penetration for the social networking site-Facebook, standing at 59.25%. Social networking services in the country are seen to grow at a rapid pace and this would also lead to growing number of data roaming traffic. Because of this, we should not impose very high charges to our customers as we do not want it to be perceived as a hindering factor for efficient connectivity.”

“Brunei and Singapore is not only looking into the possibility of roaming rates reduction in voice and SMS services, but also data. And we hope this would minimize the complaints on high roaming charges.Such initiative does not mean that it will overcome the challenges of high retail roaming charges and bill shock.”

“However, I also believe it can be done through self-regulation. For example, a systematic price transparency – empowering customers to make more informed choices when utilizing roaming services. We should also learn from the best practice on bill shock measures.”

His Excellency Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore, was delighted to announce the special collaboration between Brunei and Singapore for the reducing of roaming charges

His Excellency Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Singapore said, “Brunei and Singapore enjoy a long history of warm friendship with strong cooperation in a wide range of issues of mutual interests, including infocomm issues. This collaboration seeks to provide cross-border communication at a lower cost for the people of Brunei and Singapore. It would also enhance and reduce the cost of doing business between the two countries.”

Both the wholesale inter-operator charges and the retail subscriber charges will be reviewed. As mobile roaming charges involve different price components charged by operators in both countries, any effort to reduce roaming charges would require coordination and cooperation between both regulators and operators to ensure that users from both countries benefit from the decision.

Check out the current data roaming charges from DST. This image is taken from DST Group website.

[RA’s summary]: As you can see that this is just an announcement between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore on the reduction of roaming charges between two mentioned countries. The expected time frame of the newly rates could be in the first quarter of 2013. So do expect another special announcement once the rates are finalised and these will be applicable to both telcos in Brunei – DST and b.mobile. AITI and IDA (Singapore) are mediators for the negotiations between both countries and this will result in a more competitive, affordable roaming rates and this will be a win-win situation. As for now, the data roaming is charged at 73 cents per 50kb. So you can image if I were to send an image on Whatsapp which could be as big as 1Meg. So that would be an estimated of $14 if I were to send that image to my friend. Ouucchh!!!

Group photo with the Ministers and representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Singapore and Malaysia

His Excellency Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and Pehin Dato Hj Abdullah sharing a light moment after the announcement

During the short interview, the Minister expressed the frustration of mobile users in Brunei on high roaming charges especially on data usage and this issue have been highlighted on the ministerial level regionally to see how roaming rates can be reduced. He said after an agreement on the finalised rates on roaming charges between Brunei and Singapore, he hinted that Malaysia will be next country to work with on reducing roaming charges.

 

The Minister was being interviewed by Channel News Asia

Special offer to all b.mobile customers and you can watch The Amazing Spider-Man on 5th July 2012 at M-Vision Empire Cinema 8pm. Offer valid from 16th June to 4th July 2012.

The Minister of Communications with the Brunei senior officials after touring the Brunei Pavilion at CommunicAsia, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands

Brunei Darussalam makes their presence in CommunicAsia 2012 in Singapore when the Minister of Communications, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar visited Brunei Darussalam Pavilion together with ministers from Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The ministers toured the booths of the 9 Brunei’s ICT companies who participated in the Brunei Darussalam Pavilion. The Brunei Darussalam’s minister also officiated 3 participating companies’ new products during the exhibition. One of them, Indah Sejahtera Development & Services Sdn Bhd (ISDS) launched their JoomBah applications. This application is part of a solution for the human resource industry that has already been installed over 2000 sites all over the world – from Australia to Zimbabwe. The Human Resource suite will include applicant tracking and HRIS (human resource information system) in future releases.

Pehin Dato Hj Abdullah officially launched JoomBah application created by Indah Sejahtera Development & Services Sdn Bhd

Mohammed Aleng Taib, founder of ISDS (left) speaking to the Minister while Christopher Ng, Marketing Manager & Business Development Executive looked on

Mars Enterprise launched their “Mars ERP in cloud and mobile”. Mr Foo Boon Seng, Proprietor presented the solution to Pehin. The solution aims to improve accessibility of traditionally offline-based ERP solutions by adding an online and mobile component.

The Minister pressed on the screen to launch Mr. Foo’s latest software called Mars ERP in cloud and mobile

Mr. Foo is very proud of his product and hopes his work will be a big hit internationally and he ended his presentation slide with “Brunei Yakin” motto

The third is an upcoming publishing company, PHMD who launched their latest book from the publishing company called “Made Simple” which is a book on m-Commerce & How to build a business app in 30 minutes. This is a guidebook for anyone who is interested in developing mobile devices applications.

AITI hopes that local Brunei ICT companies, by participating in CommunicAsia, will enable them to promote their ICT solutions, products and services to international buyers or partners.

The Minister cut the ribbon to officiate the launch of “Made Simple” book

The Minister also signed electronically on the iPad to commemorate the launch

Ak Mohd Khairi, General Manager and Project Manager of PHMD Publishing Company, talked briefly to the Minster on their latest book where one can easily create a mobile app

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Surprisingly I have never entered this building. This is the H & M building and previously this was California Fitness.

After a two month wait, I finally managed to catch Raid: The Redemption movie which blew my mind completely. I almost caught it in Melbourne back in April but the timing didn’t allow me and Brunei didn’t bring the movie too. Verdict: 9/10.

I had another meal with Fina and Marianne and it was a pretty good steamboat meal at Ion Orchard

We had a four hour tour to Polytechnic Nanyang and IDA. Representatives from AITI, ICT vendors, iCentre incubatees and BEDB representatives also joined the tour.

Did you know that there’s an MRT stop now at Marina Bay Sands? It’s at the Bayfront stop. You will need to change platform at Marina Bay stop to go to Orchard MRT 🙂

Sometimes it’s a good reason to wake up in the middle of the night to catch Euro 2012 while blogging 🙂

The big day is today and the organizers AITI and the 9 invited exhibitors were busy preparing for CommunicAsia 2012 yesterday at Marina Bay Sands convention. I shall be covering the event this morning for the official launch of CommunicAsia 2012 and three companies will be launching their services/products where the Minister of Communications of Brunei Darussalam will officiate the launches of the respective companies.

The guys setting up their booths for the four day event – CommunicAsia 2012

Hui Nee and Jo looking very busy

Coffee lovers in Brunei will be able to indulge in premium and top quality beverages as Australian coffee house Gloria Jean’s Coffee finally opened its doors to the Bruneian market at Citis Square yesterday.

This was made possible following the business role of MyFranchise, a subsidiary of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad, which is responsible for the Brunei and Malaysia operations, through Wonderful Lifestyles Sdn Bhd.

Joining allegiance in the successful opening of Brunei’s latest coffee store were the Australia Trade Commission and the Australian High Commission in Brunei Darussalam. Gloria Jean’s Coffee is internationally recognised especially in the Asean region and popular among Bruneians who visit neighbouring countries. The owner of the Brunei outlet who is responsible for its daily operations is Pg Hjh Jamilah Matarasat.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee – one of the world’s top gourmet coffee retailers – has outlets in 45 countries, with approximately 1,000 stores worldwide and 470 stores in Australia. It is not only renowned for its genuine and distinctive taste and flavours but it is meticulously focused on the art and techniques of coffee-making to ensure top quality standards.

Awg Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (3L) with Mr Wes Knight, the Acting Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam (2L) and other distinguished guests during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Image courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

Following the opening landmark in Brunei and adding an alternative to the healthy Bruneian market, Datuk Hj Ahmad Shalimin bin Hj Ahmad Shaffie, Chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffee Malaysia said that yesterday’s opening was the first outlet for Brunei Darussalam.

Gloria Jean’s Coffee is also a registered member with Rainforest Alliance Certified. “It means that we only buy coffee from the farmers that follow the standard operating procedures of coffee farming,” Datuk Haji Ahmad Shalimin said. Gloria Jean’s Coffee’s long extensive line of coffee products contains Rainforest Alliance Certified beans.

“The hero for the brand is the coffee itself and the beans are specially blended according to their recipes and directly comes from Australia. In terms of making coffee and the whole technicality of making the coffee, everything is handcrafted and we pride ourselves in making sure that our baristas actually learn the right and proper way of making coffee,” a representative of Gloria Jean’s Coffee said.

“As coffee drinkers, we are critical in the coffee we drink and for the market overall, the market is moving towards more places (for people) to hang out but at the same time provide good quality food and drinks,” he added.

The investment and training in coffee professionals and baristas are well documented to ensure the highest level of professionalism and quality in Brunei coupled with the varied taste which ranges from one-dimensional to the rich and complex flavours.

“We also have a training centre in Kuala Lumpur where we call it Coffee University. So all the baristas will be sent to our centre not only for the coffee but also the SOP of the whole store,” he added.

He said that the local staff in Brunei also received training in Kuala Lumpur. Gloria Jean’s Coffee in Malaysia also expertly looked at the convenience of the location.

Originally started in the US in 1979, it was brought over by the Australians in 2005, which considered the brand as an Australian brand ever since.

Meanwhile, Mr Nabi Salleh, the Executive Chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffee International said, “We’re incredibly excited about being able to provide the local Bandar Seri Begawan community with the high quality coffee, outstanding personalised services and vibrant store atmosphere that Gloria Jean’s Coffee is famous for.”

Present as the chief guest at the launch was Awg Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. Also present at the event were Mr Wes Knight, the Acting Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam; Dato’ Mohd Ali bin Abd Samad, Member of the Board of Directors of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad; and other distinguished guests. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

Image taken from Gloria Jeans Brunei Facebook page

The winner of the 5km Fun Run @ Tasek Lama last Saturday

The Surveying Division of the Young Surveyor’s Group, under the Institution of Surveyors, Engineers and Architects (PUJA), held the ‘Fun Run @ Tasek 2012’ event yesterday morning at Tasek Lama Recreational Park.

Present at the event was Permanent Secretary (Professional and Technical) of the Ministry of Development Hj Suhaimi Hj Gafar, PUJA Brunei Chairman Hj Zulkipli Hj Abdul Hamid and PUJA Brunei Surveying Division Chairman Hj Hanafi POKDGSDRDLU Hj Abd Rahman.

There were three categories at the event: the Student Run, 2.5km Run and the Overtime 5km Run. The event began with a flag off for all the runners, which was then followed by a ‘Student Treasure Hunt’.

Apart from raising funds for SMARTER and Pusat Ehsan, the fun run also aimed to give the participants a better understanding of the quantity surveying profession. At the event, members of the public got the chance to interact with quantity surveyors and those in the construction industry, and learned more about the profession

A prize presentation was held at the end of the event for the winners of each category. A ceremony was also held to hand over the donations to SMARTER and Pusat Ehsan, with each organisation receiving $2,500

Representing the benefiting charities were Malai Hj Abdullah Hj Malai Othman, president of SMARTER and Dato Paduka Alimin Abd Wahab, acting chairman of the Board of Trustees for Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam.

The Fun Run @ Tasek event was held in conjunction with the 16th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors Congress, which will take place from July 7 to July 19 at the Empire Hotel & Country Club. Text courtesy of Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times.

The winner of the 2km Fun Run @ Tasek Lama last Saturday

Donation handed to Pusat Ehsan

The warm exercise before the event led by Edgar

The flag off for the 2.5 km and 5km Fun Run

It was a day of heroes, as many rolled up their sleeves to donate blood at the RIPAS Blood Bank on Thursday, June 14.

The event was called the ‘Hero Blood Donation Drive’, where donors came dressed in their best superhero costumes and donated their blood.

Organised by GetFitCrossFit and the Health Promotion Centre (HPC), and supported by the Department of Laboratory Services, the event saw more than 200 people show their support for the cause and a total of 129 successful blood donations received.

The event, which coincided with World Blood Donor Day (June 14), was one of many ‘mega drives’ all over the country on the day.

“It’s much more than just a donation drive. It’s something inspiring and you feel like a hero by doing this,” said DJ Faye from Pelangi FM.

According to a press statement from HPC, the reason behind making the event a fancy dress was to show potential blood donors, especially young people, that blood donation can be fun and social.

It was hoped that potential blood donors would be inspired to set up their own events and donate regularly in the future. By making the event social, potential blood donors would overcome their fears by having friends and family supporting them. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times. Images courtesy of HPC Brunei Facebook and Stephanie Liew.

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The Minister of Communications sent off the Brunei contingent. Click image to enlarge.

CommunicAsia here we come!!! Yesterday the Brunei entourage under AITI left for Singapore for the upcoming CommunicAsia 2012 which will take place from 19th to 22nd June at the Marina Bay Sands. AITI stands for The Authority for Info-communication Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam and the entourage was led by Chief Executive, Hj Yahkup Menudin. Also following are 9 chosen local ICT companies which will participate in this year’s CommunicAsia 2012.

The 9 ICT companies participating are Folec, DST, PHMD, Comquest, SocialBuzz, Mars Enterprise, Indah Sejahtera, Bru GPS and Cube Box. I shall be reporting some of the participants’ products and services and what they have to offer in CommunicAsia 2012.

I’m not sure how many years already Brunei has been participating in CommunicAsia. The convention will feature a comprehensive myriad of key and emerging technologies from cloud security and services. “fibre” for nextgen services, M2M, Satellite communications etc. This will be a good platform for the local ICT companies to get some exposure and who knows they will also create opportunities and partnership with international players.

Prior to departure, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Hj Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, Minister of Communications and Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohamad Yusof, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications had a photo session with AITI representatives and ICT Companies before departing for Singapore yesterday.

The Brunei program book that has all the participating local ICT

I managed to check in early but AITI had a few boxes to bring in for the upcoming Communia 2012

Aahh.. I’m another sucker when it comes to Apple products and I’m pretty please that they came up with a new edition of Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. Both models look superb and I currently owned the previous model of Macbook Pro and Macbook Air and should I venture into the new specs, I might just sell off my old ones for a very good price indeed. But but but… I won’t be saying when for now :p

So let’s see what’s great about the Macbook Pro? Firstly, there’s an option where you can choose a 15: with Retina display with 5.1 million pixels. Mind you the Retina Display is only available for 15″. The model is also thinner than the old Macbook Pro and it’s only 0.71 inch thin with a weight of 4.46 pounds. Yeah, it’s still slightly heavier.

The battery can last up to 7 hours while surfing wirelessly on the web and yea, battery for it is very important to make sure that I get the best hours for my work with the fuss of the carrying the power adapter. It now has a USB 3.0 port which transfers 10 times faster than USB 2. There’s also an HDMI port. This is perhaps the best Macbook Pro to date.. I’m quite sad that the new iMacs haven’t been announced. Maybe soon…

The new edition of the Macbook Air…

Portability is one thing. The other is its lightness and I’m amazed how thin the Macbook Air can be. Now the latest model is more powerful than it’s previous mode and it comes in 11″ and 13″. Another great thing is the prices are pretty competitive. The Air models do not have

You have the options to choose either Core i5 or i7 processors and there is also a major improvement as the graphics is 60 percent faster than before. There’s also connection hubs for Thunderbolt and USB 3.

Both notebooks are powerful and if you are deciding between the two, then just look at its practicality which will suit your needs. For me, Macbook Air is now my 2nd toy after the iMac at home. The reason being is that it suits perfectly for me especially during my travels and man, I do save a lot of weight on my hand carry. So now the question is which one would I invest in – the Mackbook Air or the Macbook Pro… We shall wait and see…

By the way, you can check out the special deals for the old batch at AV Electronics. Click image to find out more.

The new stock probably have sold out by now due to limited stock but you still can pre-order for the next shipment at AV Electronics. Click image to enter Facebook page.

After being a week away from Brunei for my Penang trip, I’m now in Singapore for my coverage on CommunicAsia 2012 which will kick off 19th to 22nd June and I will be staying a few extra nights to chill off before heading back to Brunei.

It’s also the first time that I will be staying at Marina Bay Sands hotel (thank you AITI) and I’m loving the spacious room so far.. Awesome!!! I finally managed to catch up with Fina who happened to be on holiday in Singapore and I also met a new friend Marianne who came to Singapore with Fina. I’m looking forward for the next few days indeed and I will update you on the happenings at CommunicAsia 2012 through my instagram and Twitter @ranoadidas and of course my blog 🙂 Happy week, peeps!!

Upon arrival at Changi Airport

The Marina Bay Sands shuttle bus is impressive. Great leg room and there’s WiFi on board 🙂

A bit tricky during our check-in at Marina Bay Sands. Some had to pay a higher deposit though we all were in the same group check-in list. There was also one stage where they didn’t want to accept my Brunei dollars for deposit. Strange…

MBS is fully booked this week because of CommunicAsia 2012

My first pitstop at Marina Bay Sands – ADIDAS 😀

I had a quick lunch with Fina at MBS while killing time before I could checked in

I also met acquaitance with a new friend from Norway who are colleagues with Fina. Nice to meet you, Marianne.

I love it how the chocolate sauce was poured

… and the taste was simply amazing.. A great way to cap off a heavy lunch 😀

Make your reservations for Sunday 😀

Have an amazing Father’s Day on the 17 June 2012 at the Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam. It is another cause of celebration at Tasek Brasserie. Treat your dad to the BBQ & Grill by the pool. The selection of our splendid buffet featuring seafood platter with salmon terrine, mixed sushi, whole lamb on the spit, beef goulash and a sweet treat; raspberry fruit jelly with marshmallow, to name a few.

Priced at B$30.00 nett per adult and B$15.00 nett per child.

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. [Info from Adib Noor of The Brunei Times]

So do make your bookings tomorrow (Sunday) at Caliente for Father’s Day and enjoy 10% off total bill above $50. It is located on 1st Floor, Regent Square at Kiulap. Call 223 4549 for reservation.

The new KFC Pokkits at KFC outlets

The Holiday Bucket Combo at KFC outlets

The charity event took place earlier this morning at Tasek Lama organised by the Young Surveyor’s Group under the Pertubuhan Ukur Jurutera Dan Arkitek (PUJA). The idea of the Fun Run is to raise funds for SMARTER Brunei and Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam and the event was also in conjunction with the 16th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyor’s (PAQS) Congress.

There were three categories for the event – Student (treasure hunt), 2.5 KM and 5 KM.

My friends and I enjoyed Penang and most importantly the food in Penang *nom nom nom*

Happy Friday peeps!!! I just wanna let you know that I will be going back to Penang next year again and that will be by third year running. I had a very fulfilling trip and I bonded with people whom I wasn’t close too and the conversations were interesting too. This shows expanding your circle of friends can bring some flavour to the mix and even give some new dimensions to the level of conversation.

Today I feel appreciative of my friends especially my close ones who have always bring joy and giving me some awareness on new things I would simply discover through my friends’ experiences and from there, we will be able to appreciate what we have and focus more of the present (neither the past nor the present). So thank you guys for showing up and empowering one another.

During my Penang trip, I lost two of my valuable possessions though they are not expensive in value but they are very dear and in a way priceless to me. So it was kinda a low key moment for me because I was suppose to give three things away that are meaningful to me to the three most important people in my life. It somehow teaches you how to let go off things and you don’t hold too much attachment to it. Now that’s hard to execute, right? But I was already willing to give away my dearest items but I ended up losing them *lol* ironic, aye?

Yesterday I had a challenging chat with my good friend about my opportunities. It’s great to see my friend able to see the potential in me that I’ve so much to offer on the plate right and she believes that I can grow if I just grab those opportunities. Sometimes I ask myself if I’m pretty comfortable in what I do which is just blogging. I do have other things in mind where I could mushroom from the success of my blog.

I hope to start my Panini Sticker Album collection later.. As you can see I’m pretty behind and quite a number of people have already finished their album. But it’s all good since I still can feel the satisfaction of sticking on my album book slowly at my own pace and enjoy every single moment before the deadline. I remember 2 years ago during the World Cup 2010 that I had this urge to finish my album as quickly as possible and I felt proud about it *lol* Now I’m just going with the flow and see where this will lead me.

Before I sign off, I want to wish my good friend, Nisaa Suresh (Bonita), Happy Birthday and I know we did catch up once in a while but I want let you know that you are a true friend. I still remember our eCircle days *lol* and that’s how we get to know each other and it feels that we both graduated into our own lives. So let’s do lunch or dinner again soon.

Below are pictures and recap of my Penang trip with my buddies last week. Enjoy your day and enjoy your weekend.

Joan had an amazing time at Penang. This was taken at BIA boarding room before boarding on Air Asia

As usual, I had my pre-ordered nasi lemak while watching Modern Family 😀

The book where I pour in my thoughts and how my day felt

This soup is interesting because it has small alphabets in it

Every morning we experienced the sunrise by the beach at Golden Sands Resorts

My friends enjoying the back seat

We went to Royal Selangor and did some knocking of our own

I did one for myself with my name written on it

Winnie loves small things so much that she bought a smaller version on what she was holding on her palm

If you were to be in Penang, I highly recommend you to stay at Golden Sands Resort as you will be able to enjoy the facilities at the hotel and also by the beach

I love the hammocks that they have at Golden Sands Resort

At the food court at Gurney Plaza, I had the ice cendol and it was the bomb!!

Joan didn’t like the clothes from Joan *ironic*

What we bought at MPG Book store at Gurney Plaza

Community Mural Painting and Multimedia Art Installation

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Make your reservations for Sunday 😀

Have an amazing Father’s Day on the 17 June 2012 at the Radisson Hotel Brunei Darussalam. It is another cause of celebration at Tasek Brasserie. Treat your dad to the BBQ & Grill by the pool. The selection of our splendid buffet featuring seafood platter with salmon terrine, mixed sushi, whole lamb on the spit, beef goulash and a sweet treat; raspberry fruit jelly with marshmallow, to name a few.

Priced at B$30.00 nett per adult and B$15.00 nett per child.

My friends and I enjoyed Penang and most importantly the food in Penang *nom nom nom*

Happy Friday peeps!!! I just wanna let you know that I will be going back to Penang next year again and that will be by third year running. I had a very fulfilling trip and I bonded with people whom I wasn’t close too and the conversations were interesting too. This shows expanding your circle of friends can bring some flavour to the mix and even give some new dimensions to the level of conversation.

Today I feel appreciative of my friends especially my close ones who have always bring joy and giving me some awareness on new things I would simply discover through my friends’ experiences and from there, we will be able to appreciate what we have and focus more of the present (neither the past nor the present). So thank you guys for showing up and empowering one another.

During my Penang trip, I lost two of my valuable possessions though they are not expensive in value but they are very dear and in a way priceless to me. So it was kinda a low key moment for me because I was suppose to give three things away that are meaningful to me to the three most important people in my life. It somehow teaches you how to let go off things and you don’t hold too much attachment to it. Now that’s hard to execute, right? But I was already willing to give away my dearest items but I ended up losing them *lol* ironic, aye?

Yesterday I had a challenging chat with my good friend about my opportunities. It’s great to see my friend able to see the potential in me that I’ve so much to offer on the plate right and she believes that I can grow if I just grab those opportunities. Sometimes I ask myself if I’m pretty comfortable in what I do which is just blogging. I do have other things in mind where I could mushroom from the success of my blog.

I hope to start my Panini Sticker Album collection later.. As you can see I’m pretty behind and quite a number of people have already finished their album. But it’s all good since I still can feel the satisfaction of sticking on my album book slowly at my own pace and enjoy every single moment before the deadline. I remember 2 years ago during the World Cup 2010 that I had this urge to finish my album as quickly as possible and I felt proud about it *lol* Now I’m just going with the flow and see where this will lead me.

Before I sign off, I want to wish my good friend, Nisaa Suresh (Bonita), Happy Birthday and I know we did catch up once in a while but I want let you know that you are a true friend. I still remember our eCircle days *lol* and that’s how we get to know each other and it feels that we both graduated into our own lives. So let’s do lunch or dinner again soon.

Below are pictures and recap of my Penang trip with my buddies last week. Enjoy your day and enjoy your weekend.

*LOL* First of all, you guys must be wondering what on earth is RA talking about? Intentions are things that can be of your visions or your goals which are made of small objectives to help you guide through but some where along the lines we humans are attached to expectations which makes it difficult for us to focus on our actual intentions. It may sounds easy that way I’ve described it but it has a deeper meaning to it and this is why relationships among friends (mutual and close ones), families and marriages can fall apart because of high expectations. This was what I became aware of during our relationship course back in Penang and the most important relationship that I’ve neglected for a while is the person in the mirror – myself :))

I’m glad to back home in Brunei after an 8 day trip to Ipoh/Penang and man, I really missed my room back at home.. I was also able to watch the Euro 2012 matches at my own comfort though the matches are shown past midnight so it has been affecting my sleeping patterns once more. I managed to catch Prometheus which I haven’t gave a review just yet but it was an okay movie for me. More review on that soon.

I will heading off to Singapore for a week this weekend for the upcoming coverage of CommuicAsia so it’s another trip I’m looking forward too. So it’s more of a working/holiday trip. My family is currently outstation in the UK. Speaking about that, it’s been a while since I’ve been to London. InsyaAllah next year it could be a possibility 😀

I’m slowly getting back to the groove of blogging and do have a great weekend ahead, guys!! In my head, I’m still deciding whether to invest in the Macbook Pro. Well, honestly, I was looking forward to new iMacs. I’m pretty sure by July we might see new ranges of iMacs..

This picture is dedicated to one of my biggest fan – Muhd Syahmi – who celebrated his 12th birthday yesterday. Happy belated and may Allah bless you 😀

BICTA is a national annual competition that aims to nurture and unleash the potential of individuals, students and ICT players. BICTA 2012 will be the eight time the competition is being held.

The competition is divided into three categories: Secondary Student Project, Tertiary Student Project and ICT Industry.

Prizes for winners of the competition, following their respective categories are cash prizes of $3,000 (Secondary School), $7,000 (Tertiary School) and $10,000 (ICT Industry).

There will be special awards given to 1) New Media and Entertainment 2) Made in Brunei Products 3) Green ICT and 4) Islamic ICT.

BICTA winners will also have the opportunity to represent Brunei Darussalam at the prestigious international ICT competition, APICTA, which Brunei will proudly host in December 2012.

Please contact Ang Hui Nee 2323232 ext 1126 huinee.ang(a)aiti.gov.bn or Johana Sumin 2323232 ext 1121 johana.sumin(a)aiti.gov.bn

Be the change agent 😀
 

Today (14th June) there is a blood donation drive with GetFitCrossfit, HPC and Bloodbank RIPAS at the Bloodbank RIPAS. Organisers have given the option for blood donors to come in fancy dress (as heroes!). This is to encourage young people to give blood and to show them that giving blood can be a fun social occasion.

More information on the event can be found through this facebook link: http://on.fb.me/KmoECJ

This is a part of the drive towards World Blood Donor Day celebrated in Brunei Darussalam on 24 June 2012 at the Health Promotion Center and commemorated annually worldwide on 14 June.

Other events include the “Recruit a friend” program until 14 June 2012, whereby recruiting a friend for blood donation will give you a chance to win prizes. 

The goodies you will get from today’s event. Taken from HPC Brunei Facebook.

These incidents happened at 3 locations three days ago. Break-ins have become a rising trend in Brunei and it’s a very worrying sign. Image taken from Brudirect Facebook page, documented by Borneo Bulletin

Where other countries have used more drastic tactics in breaking ins, Brunei have just started a less sophisticated way of breaking in at public car parks. I owned an SUV and the hardest part is that I don’t have a proper place to hide my belongings as an SUV have window glasses at the back of the car which makes it visible for others to see.

Anyway, the main question here is how do we deal with this kind of situation?? Of course, it would be nice to have people like G4S patrolling places prone to break ins but such tasks can be very demanding if we were to suggest a few places. Perhaps the best bet is not to bring to put any of your belongings that are visible to the eyes of the potential thieves. Or if you have a saloon car, then place your belongings at the boot though thieves will be able to outsmart a lot of us at the rate they are going.

The photo above was taken a few days ago and there were five cars that have been smashed and a few weeks ago, there also have been similar cases. So peeps.. Be more mindful of your belongings if you plan to leave them in the car. The criminals these days are in desperate measures.

Wooww!!! What a great trip I had at Ipoh/Penang which lasted for 8 days and now I’m at LCCT with a few hours to spare before I head off to Brunei later. I’ve learned so much from my travels because of the awesome companions around me. Friends from Kuching, KL, Taiwan, China, Brunei, Singapore and so on and perhaps the most amazing thing was I learned so many lessons from the kids/teenagers on their perspective of life and how authentic they are when they share their experiences.

You will notice that I have not been posting so much in the past 7 days.. Don’t worry, peeps, as I will back to the usual blogging self once I’m back in Brunei. Oh yeah, then again, I will be flying off to Singapore for CommunicAsia this Sunday but not to worry as I will have ample time to blog anyway since it’s a working cum holiday trip 😀

My car is being repaired again so I will be car-less for a while. Well, it doesn’t mean it won’t be going to places for coverage but I’m grateful that I have a driver back home and also my friends around who are willing to give me a lift. Thanks for that 😀

I can’t wait to go back home now and have a long, warm shower and catch up on some nap.. Happy Wednesday, peeps!!

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BIBD Blessing Rewards 2 was launched as a sequel to the immensely successful Blessing Rewards campaign that BIBD ran between September and November 2011. Launched on the 20th March 2012, the campaign today announced ten lucky winners who walked away with a Luminox watch.

Rohane bte Hj Ratu, Rosli bin Luang, Nuraimi binti Ahmad, Mahathir bin Haji Abd Hamid, Airman bin Haji Tindas, Nurhamidah bt Abdul Rahman, Johaidin bin Hj Mohd Ariffin@ Mohd Johaidin bin Mohd Ariffin, Norhartini bte Ishak, Dk Juliani bte Pg Tajuddin and Hasnul Alwe bin Matassan were overjoyed when they received a call last week informing them that they have each won a Luminox watch.

Present as the guest of honour to present the prizes was the Branch Manager of BIBD Tungku, Pg Hjh Badariah Bt Pg Hj Yussof. The presentation ceremony was held at the BIBD’s Tungku Branch. The promotion will run for three months until June 19, 2012 and will give one lucky BIBD customer an opportunity to drive away in a brand new luxury Lexus IS300 convertible car.

At the grand draw to be held on July 3, 2012, BIBD will also be giving away other prizes – a second prize of state-of-the-art 60” Samsung LED Smart TV, and packages of Apple products worth up to B$5,000, B$3,000 and B$2,000 respectively as the third to fifth prize. In addition to the Grand Draw, there will be 3 monthly draws offering ten Luminox watch each month.

The winners rewarded with Luminox watches. Image courtesy of BIBD.

More than 166,000 entries were generated over the last two months and more are being generated. An aspect of the Blessing Rewards 2 promotion is that number of draw entries varies by the product/service obtained. For example, customers who sign-up for BIBD’s Rumah Plus and are approved could get as many as 120 entries into the prize draws subject to terms and conditions.

Other eligible BIBD products or services include BBA Home Financing, Home Improvement Financing, Education Financing, Ar-Rahnu, BIBD Debit Card, BIBD Online, Remittance, Term Deposits, new account opening, new Perdana World Banking customer and assignment of salary to BIBD amongst many others. ‘BIBD Blessing Rewards 2’ offers the widest range of eligible products and services to its customers.

Draw entries are generated and entered automatically by the system into eligible draws upon approval or activation of the product/service without the need for the customer to fill in forms or vouchers manually.

For more information on the campaign, visit the nearest BIBD branch, contact BIBD’s call Centre at 223-8181 or log on to www.bibd.com.bn.

Remember the huge craze on Panini football stickers? Well, it’s back again and I haven’t started the so called “craze” moment yet as I’m preparing for my one week trip next week. But for those interested, you can start buying your sticker album now and you can win awesome prizes for participating in the promotion conducted by Panini (Brunei) and managed by Adison Marketing.

There are three categories where you can win prizes :-

1) Guess & Win – The participants who can guessed the right answer as who will win Euro 2012, then you will get a chance win $100 gift vouchers (to 30 winners) of Cosmo Beauty.
2) 100% completion of Euro 2012 Sticker Album – For every 100% completion of sticker album, you will receive a PUMA FC jacket.
3) Stick & Win (at least 80% completion) – You could win a Niko D90 or the new iPad or Samsung Galaxy Note if you have at least 80% completion of the Euro 2012 sticker album.

So far, there has been some mini gatherings but I do hope to make one before I fly off to Singapore next weekend. You can also join the Facebook group Euro 2012 Panini Sticker Swap (Brunei) by clicking here.

Now the Panini official sticker album is available in many department stores, book shops and convenient shops

One of the mini-gatherings for the sticker swap. Taken from Euro 2012 Panini Sticker Swap (Brunei) Facebook group.

Pertubuhan Ukur Jurutera Dan Arkitek (PUJA), Surveyor’s Division – Young Surveyor’s Group has organised Fun Run @ Tasek 2012 to be held at Tasek Lama Recreation Park on Saturday 16th June 2012.

This Fun Run has been organized to raise funds for SMARTER Brunei and Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam in conjunction with the 16th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyor’s (PAQS) Congress.

The Young Surveyor’s Group would like to take this opportunity to highlight public awareness about the Congress as well as the Quantity Surveying Profession in general. Not many of the general public are aware of the role that Quantity Surveyors play in the Construction Industry and we hope that this run will present a chance for Quantity Surveyors and other members of the Construction Industry to interact with members of the public and especially the younger generation who will be the future of our profession. The Treasure Hunt category of the Fun Run is specifically aimed at students who are interested in joining the Construction Industry or who would just like to find out more about the industry as a profession. There will be a series of clues and puzzles in this category of the run, which will have relevance to this industry and we hope that it will serve to broaden the experiences of our participants.

They would like to encourage everyone to join in the spirit of Fun Run @ Tasek 2012, raise money for charity and take up the challenge to run around Tasek Lama Recreation Park!

One of the mini-gatherings for the sticker swap. Taken from Euro 2012 Panini Sticker Swap (Brunei) Facebook group.

Student
▪ $10 Registration Fee
▪ For Participants 15 years and above
▪ A 2.5km run including a series of Treasure Hunt “Amazing-Race” style of roadblocks and activities, where participants must answer a series of questions and complete some tasks before proceeding on to the next roadblock.

2.5km
▪ $20 Registration Fee
▪ A 2.5km run incorporating an upper loop of the Tasek Lama Recreation Park towards the water tank/dam and through the jungle, before completing a lower loop of the jogging path around the waterfall.

5km
▪ $20 Registration Fee
▪ A 5km run for the super energetic participants, to whom the 2.5km run is a mere warm-up. It is a double loop of the 2.5km run.

A stunning defeat as Manny Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley by a split decision from the judges last Saturday. Image by AP Photo/Julie Jacobson.

Maria Sharapova won her first French Open as he defeated Sara Errani of Italy in straight sets at Roland Garros. Image by AP Photo/Bernat Armangue.

The Miami Heat will face Oklahoma Thunder in the NBA Finas after their victory over Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Final. Image by AP Photo/Lynne Sladky.

A shocker as Denmark beat Holland 1-0 through a solitary goal by Danish midfielder Michael Krohn-Dehli at the Euro 2012 Championship Group B match. Image by AFP Photo/Patrick Hertzog.

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Our morning reflection every day at Shangri-La Hotel beach

Sorry for not updating as I’m pretty much enjoying my stay here in Penang. We are all staying at the Golden Sands Resort, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and it was my second visit here and as always, this hotel is pretty awesome to stay at and we also managed to get a good rate too because of the group check-ins we had.

This is my 4th day in Penang and so far, it has been an amazing experience with my buddies and I’ve learned a lot about myself through my friends especially Winnie whom I finally get to know much deeper than before. I met new friends from Kuching too and they reminded me of our gang back in Brunei. Oh, by the way, all four of them, Patrick, Faustina, Jodie and Jayden shaved their head for the Go Bald Charity Drive in Kuching a few weeks ago.

I shall be back blogging by Monday should time permits so I would like to address this matter especially to my readers. Thanks for your support and understanding.

One of the best seafood restaurant at Taiping

My room mate partner during my Ipoh/Penang trip – Vinod and he’s such an empowering person

It was a durian outing where they all raised their hands

Joan and I shared the same “dislike” – Durians hahaha

Our mornings are always pretty early

I never tried this restaurant but does it taste good?

The Tau-Fu food at Ipoh is awesome!!

Made friends with Brendon, Jodie, Faustina and Patrick from Kuching

What I also appreciate during my trip is the food 😀

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Chairman of committee for The Run, Raja Segaran (center) with Aaron Goh (left) the Co-chairman of The Run and Dato Paduka Alimin (right) the Advisor of The Run. Image courtesy of Wardi Buntar, The Brunei Times.

Guess what? There will be finisher medals presented for those running 21KM, 12KM and 5KM (within a qualifying time) in the upcoming The Run while the finisher medals for the 2KM fun run, 2KM special need and 2KM wheelchair for The Run.

I’m not sure yet as what the qualifying time is for the respective categories. I shall update you again once I have more news on this.

Another announcement I would like to share is to remind you guys of the deadline for the registration of The Run. It’s gonna be epic as it will be the final run before Ramadhan starts. By the way, the deadline for The Run is 8th June (today) or if the participants reaches 4,000.

Come and show your support for The Run where it is organised by Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hjh Mayram. For more info, you can visit http://www.therun.com.bn/ and the website is pretty comprehensive.

The finisher medals for The Run

The finisher medals for The Run

There’s also the Corporate registration. Click image to find out more.

In conjunction with the worldwide launching of Colonel Sander’s autobiography and cookbook on 5th June, KFC is organizing a cooking competition jointly with Sultan Saiful Rizal Technical College and Jen Studio, and managed by Trinity Advertising and Event Management. The cooking competition, known as KFC Home Chef Challenge will be based on the Colonel’s own recipe in the book. From the list of 33 recipes, we know that we just have to make a great cooking contest out of it and we have shortlisted to about twenty over that is suitable for the contest.” says Jonathan Bong, Senior Marketing Manager, KFC. There’s dessert such as upside down peach cobbler or main course such as meat loaf to breakfast such as The Colonel’s Special Omelet to name a few great recipe.

With the fully equipped Kitchen facilities that Sultan Saiful Rizal Technical College currently has, this competition will differ from any others in many ways. “We are thrilled when KFC approached us to jointly organize the KFC Home Chef Challenge because we have plans to organize a similar competition to motivate our students for better performance”, says Sheikh Lukman, Deputy Principal, Sultan Saiful Rizal Technical College. “A 1976 survey ranked Colonel Sanders as the second most recognizable celebrity in the world. Paying tribute to Colonel Sanders being an Original Celebrity Chef, Jen Studio is looking forward to capture all the exciting moments in where participants compete to be the KFC Home Chef of the year” says Jerome Wong of Jen Studio.

The launch of the KFC Chef Challenge. Registration starts on 8th June.

Registration for the KFC Home Chef Challenge starts from 8th June until 20th June 2012 and entry forms are available at all KFC outlets and also available for download at KFC Brunei’s facebook. Registration fee is B$10. All entry forms must be submitted to KFC Head Office at Gadong Central Outlet before 20th June 2012. First 50 registrations will also receive a goody bag. Audition round will be held on 24th June from 2 – 5pm at KFC’s Gadong Central outlet. Participants will present their dishes which is home prepared. The competing dishes for the Audition rounds will be announced on KFC Brunei’s facebook on 8th June 2012. Only shortlisted participants will be notified to advance to the semi finals and the finals which will take place on the same day at 8th July at Sultan Saiful Rizal Technical College. For more info, please log on to KFC Brunei’s facebook. Interested participants are encouraged to download and try out the recipes prior to the competition.

The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) together with the committee steering the Brunei International Airport expansion project has included the construction of a new surau (prayer hall) as part of its plan.

“It is progressing and we have already appointed an architect (for it),” Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong told The Brunei Times in a brief exchange yesterday.

He added the surau will be completed in line with the time frame of the airport’s expansions. Drawings are currently being done on building the surau, and noted its construction will follow the time-table for the entire expansion project. “There is a sequence (we have to follow), but this (building the surau) is incorporated in the plan,” he said.

The new look of the departure/arrival hall at the Brunei International Airport. Taken from BEDB website.

The new surau is a quick response to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s titah last month when the monarch queried about the location of the current surau situated at the corner of the airport’s basement floor.

The completion of the airport expansion project by the end of 2014 will enable Brunei to become a logistics hub, said the monarch in a previous report, and is set to be one of the top strategic infrastructure developments in the Asia Pacific region. A surau should not be an afterthought, but the centrepiece of the facility, he added.

“When planes land, people should already be able to see the surau which will definitely have the Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) characteristics,” the monarch said. “Our religion encourages us to materialise the symbol of Islam with a landmark and not hide it from plain sight,” said His Majesty. Rachel Thien of The Brunei Times.

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) organized a post implementation of ICT Accredited Business (ICTAB) industry dialogue on Monday (4th June) at the Seri Kerna Hall, Block B13, AITI Building. The objectives of the dialogue were, among others, to share and update on the progress of ICTAB implementation as well as to gather constructive inputs from the industry players on the overall initiative.

The dialogue, chaired by Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, the Chief Executive of AITI, was attended by more than fifty (50) representatives from the ICT industry. ICTAB is aimed at ICT businesses to be accredited as a pre-requisite before participating in any Government ICT tenders. This is to ensure that the projects are carried out successfully by qualified, competent and financially sound local vendors. With effect from 1st September 2011, ICTAB has became a mandatory requirement for vendors when participating in Government ICT projects or tenders.

In his opening remarks, Haji Yahkup stated that it is timely that this industry dialogue on post-implementation of ICTAB is held as the initiative has been operationalised for the past nine (9) months. He further added that the dialogue would be essential to gather the feedback for necessary review and fine tunning of ICTAB in the near future. A few examples of the feedback received are being considered. These are; extending ICTAB implementation for ICT projects in the private sector, reviewing the range of project cost that can be participated for the ICTAB classes and minimum percentage of local ICT skilled workforce for each respective class.

Since August last year, AITI has granted to date a total of fifty five (55) local ICT businesses with the five (5) different classes of ICTAB. To be qualified in either one of the five (5) ICTAB Classes, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:

Amongst the criteria that will be assessed by the Accreditation of ICT Businesses Committee (AIBC), chaired by AITI with members from Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications and the e-Government National Centre (EGNC), shall include the applicants’ financial capability, local ownership structure, availability of local ICT skilled manpower, overall workforce size, financial health, management structure, and track record.

The dialogue session also saw a briefing on the pilot proposal for iKHLAS Accounting System, a joint initiative by AITI and BAG Networks Sdn Bhd for the AITI Accredited Business (AAB) Status businesses. This program seeks participation from interested ICT businesses to trial the iKHLAS Accounting System at a subsidised cost for a maximum period of twelve (12) months.

Further queries on ICTAB and the iKHLAS pilot program can be addressed to AITI’s ICT Industry Development Group at 2323232 (during office hours) or email at itidg@aiti.gov.bn.