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I’m back in Bangkok and it has been two years since my last trip here. My peers might have the wrong assumptions that I travel to Bangkok a lot but this is actually my 2nd trip to Bangkok *lol* It’s a great city but I have yet to explore much here in Bangkok.. I have at least one and a half day to spend at Bangkok and one of my pitstops will be the Adidas store at Siam Paragon (if it’s still there).

My trip was supposedly back in November for the CN Blue concert but the concert was postponed due to the floods in Thailand. Hence the concert is scheduled tomorrow in Bangkok and 30 winners of the Holika Holika promotion in Brunei were also flown to catch the concert. Cool, aye?

Anyway, more updates later on.. For now, I’m gonna spend some time and chill in Bangkok..

The management of Holika Holika from Brunei and the winner of the Holika Holika’s CN Blue concert taking a group photo at Airport, Bangkok

My neighbours Leny and Hil on my flight on @royalbruneiair to Bangkok. Enjoyed the great service and flight :))

I like the fact that this sim card is iPhone ready. So if you happen to be in Thailand, get DTAC simcard and it’s so so so so freaking cheap.. I got this sim card for 49 Baht only which is more or less $2 and the 3G data is fast too. Amazing!!

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Last minute grooming before the National Day march pass

I’m loving today’s The Brunei Times Supplement for some reason. Maybe it’s the angle they took instead of the predicted content of supplement by other publications. It’s great to see different local individuals being featured in the National Day supplement and how they contribute to the country.

I highly recommend you to get today’s The Brunei Times and this could be also a good research study for students. Well done, The Brune Times. Reading the content makes me prouder to be a Bruneian. Happy National Day everyone!!

Md Ridzuan Abdullah of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Ahmad Taufiq Murni, Brunei’s Pool National player in today’s The Brunei Times

Rising star Aziz Harun @jambul212 was also featured

Jewellery designer Sarah Ibrahim was also in today’s paper

Woowww my buddy @WinnieSia also has a page.. Awesome!!!

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On the occasion of celebrating Brunei Darussalam 28th National Day on Thursday, 23rd February 2012.

Let´s celebrate to honor our history and heritageby posting a Yellow and Black themed photos by using the Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag ” #kuninghitam2012 ” in Instagram which is also representing the patriotic colour of the Brunei Darussalam flag.

This is also an opportunity for us to reaffirm our shared hopes for the future and redouble the effort to work together to meet the challenges,seize the opportunities of the 21st century and echoes the spirit of patriotism, nationalism and unity.

There will be an InstaWalk among the members in conjunction with the 28th National Day and of course everyone is welcome to join us. The meeting point will be at the Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan 7am – 730am.

Theme: Yellow & Black
Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag: #kuninghitam2012 & #brunika

InstaWalk:
Meet up point: Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Time: 7am – 730am
Lets Instagram, Brunei Darussalam!

This was taken at Rig Reef, Brunei’s signature Reef. Picture courtesy of Oceanic Quest

BruCupcake Brunei Darussalam 2012 in conjunction with National Day. Brought to you by Greenfrog

Brunei National Day Cat Show 2012 in March

There are many headlines about the tropical storm Washi that struck the Philippines in Decemvber 2011. I recently attended a press conference organised by the Filipino Association Brunei (FAB) and managed by Prismworks Event Management with the support of the Philippines Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.

The press conference was to highlight the upcoming charity events – Golf Tournament (25th and 26th Feb) and Charity Dinner Concert (26th Feb). Present during the press conference was Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat. Also present were the President of the Filipino Association Brunei, Edel Bartholomew and Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management.

The charity golf tournament will be held on February 24 and 25 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) golf course. The categories for golfers are: the men’s open (A, B,C division), the VIP category, and the ladies category. Registration fee is fixed at $110 and all the proceeds will be donated towards Washi humanitarian fund.

Let’s not forget also the charity dinner concert on Sunday 26th February at Centrepoint Grand Ballroom where the ticket will cost $50 per person inclusive of dinner. The celebrity will be Filipino crooner Richard Poon and there will be some opening acts by local artistes too.

Those who wish to participate in the golf tournament, or/and attend the charity dinner can contact 7169286 (for those in Brunei-Muara) or 8775112 / 8789344 (for those in Kuala Belait).

Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines and Edel Bartholomew, President of the Filipino Association Brunei at the press conference

Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat with the organisers of the Golf and Dinner event this February

Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times interviewing Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Did you know that more than 1.5 million people are affected from storm Washi? More than 1,200 lost their lives. More than 50,000 houses damaged and it was reported that the cost of damages is approximately BND 50 million.

The priorty needs are such as Meals-Ready-To-Eat, Non-food items (blankets, folding beds), temporary shelters, generators and school supplies for children.

The Humanitarian Fund for Victims of Tropical Storm Washi-Philippines was established in Brunei with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and was launched on 04 January 2012 by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hajji Hazair Hajji Abdullah,in his capacity as Chair of the Humanitarian Fund National Committee

It aims to alleviate the suffering of the Washi-ravaged Philippines and fund collections for three months (from 04 January to 03 April 2012) to allow the public to donate money and various organizations to raise funds through charitable activities.

Effective 1st March, Kristal Astro subscribers will enjoy new packages at very affordable prices. The new packages will start from $24.95 a month (Ruby Package) which offers more than 38 channels with new channels including NatGeo Wild, Arena, ESPNews and Star World HD.

With the new packages, all sports channels will be offered as premium where subscribers have to pay for additional fee of BND 10 per month. According to Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group, it is imperative for KRISTAL Astro to offer sports as premium in view of continued cost pressures, including escalating global and Astro content costs and sports broadcast rights. DST Group is actually absorbing extra cost for the benefit of the existing subscribers and continue to do so with the new packages.

Two additional channels will be launched in March 2012 will be Star World HD and Discovery HD World.

Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager of KRISTAL Astro, Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group and Ramlah Haji Rabaha, Senior Manager, Business Division, KRISTAL Astro during the press conference

Matnarudin Ibrahim explaining the new packages to the media

KRISTAL Astro will be providing FREE viewing for all existing chanlles commencing 23rd February to 29th February 2012 prior to migrating to the new packes which will take effect on 1st March 2012. The kind gesture is also in conjunction with the 28th National Day of Brunei Darussalam.

Effective 1st March 2012, Movie package customers will be migrated to Ruby Package, World Package to Sapphire Package + Sapphire Sports, Movie World package to Jade Package + Jade Sports Package. But this is another important point for existing subscribers that you can unsubscribe to the Sports Package if you don’t wish to subscribe it because effective March, the Sports package will be automatically added. So I assume that not all subscribers will want a Sports package.

These are the old packages or the current ones that we are entitled to right now. All of these packages will be revamped effective 1st March 2012

Now the new packages start from $24.95 which is very affordable for Bruneians

Another great offer from KRISTAL Astro is that subscribers will enjoy a 50% discount on their subsequent subscriptions so in fact you will be saving costs for multiple sets. The only condition is that the subscribers must have the same address. So this could be a share address among a big family and this will be useful for me since my siblings also have their Astro in their rooms.

So just refer to the illustration below on the discounts for multiple users. By the way, the 50% discount only applies if you signed up for the same packages. For eg. all set must be Ruby to enjoy the subsequent 50%. So you can’t have Ruby and Jade packages at the same household to enjoy the 50% discount. 

Now this is ideal if you have multiple users in the same address. Good move by KRISTAL Astro and only in Brunei

KRISTAL Astro’s effort is also to entice “illegal” subscribers to join ship with KRISTAL Astro as they are reasonably cheaper and the illegal ones won’t have the special packages offered by KRISTAL Astro. Currently, there are 30,000 subscribers of KRISTAL Astro in Brunei Darussalam and it was mentioned that there are a handful of illegal subscribers of Astro in the country.

But not to worry to all the “illegal” subscribers as KRISTAL Astro is opening arms to you guys to subscribe with them.

And to the current existing KRISTAL Astro subscribers, if you have an old decoder (not Astro Beyond), you can trade in your old set for an upgrade and not pay the full price. This is another good initiative move by KRISTAL Astro and you can drop by their roadshow at The Airport Mall this Sunday from 10am to 10pm to find out more.

If you have this Astro card, then this is a legitimate Astro set you are using

Wanna catch Maya Karin of Ombak Rindu this Sunday at The Airport Mall. More on this soon!!

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Long stretch of jam around JP area.. Image courtesy of Nazeeb

Another long stretch of jam heading to Bandar through Mabohai. Image courtesy of @marul69

Royal Brunei Airline guys also participating in the march during National Day rehearsal. Image courtesy of @royalbruneiar

Taken by Zul Fadly who’s also participating in the march

Great view from the top. Image courtesy of @d_estralita

So will there be an airshow too? Image courtesy of @izan21

Taken this morning courtesy of Hasfaleela Hasnan

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

My media pass today collected from Info Department

Well, I’ve never come across an SME from Brunei that has a global reach up to Africa. Last week, I was invited to a signing ceremony between Crescent Sdn Bhd and ABG Multimedia Services (from Nigeria) and this means Crescent will provide its online Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance course in Nigeria. Awesome!!!

Now how did this all happened? It was from a trip organised by United Staes Embassy last September 2011 where they select 25 entrepreneurs globally from Muslim countries to participate in the Obama initiative. Hajah Salma Latiff, Managing Director of Crescent Sdn Bhd, was selected and she met Dr Musa Bawa Garba, Managing Director of ABG Multimedia Services from Nigeria.

The signing ceremony, which invited the Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali Haji Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), as the guest of honour. In his opening speech the deputy minister said that the signing “marks an important milestone for the local company” and its journey to venture overseas.

Congratulations once again to Hjh Salma on making it global and she also won the Asia Pacific ACT Awards (APICTA) last year where it was Brunei’s first win in the competition in 12 years.

The signing ceremony took place at the iCentre

Hjh Salma of Crescent said that they are fortunate to have a partner who believe in the importance of Islamic finance and appreciates that its implementation in Nigeria is a necessity for the country’s economic progress and development

Dr Musa Bawa Garba said he sees Islamic banking as a form of ethical investing, or ethical lending, where no loans are possible unless they are interest-free, and this offers a balance between extreme capitalism and communism and he was impressed with Crescent’s highly structured, interactive and innovative distance learning programme, the Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance

Dato Paduka Ali Apong was delighted with the SME joint venture between Crescent (Brunei) and ABG Multimedia Services (Nigeria) and he believed that BEDB has the “capability, capital and connectivity” to guide SMEs globally through innovation

Now they can load on Twitter, Instagram.. you name it

The handover of documents between Dr Musa and Hjh Salma with Dato Paduka Ali Apong as a witness

Graceful Lace, a group of 8 students from Year 2 National Diploma in Business and Finance from Sekolah Perdagangan is organizing an event which is the The Wedding Expo 2012 from 24th up to 27th February on the 1st and 2nd Floor Atrium, Hua Ho Manggis Mall from 10am to 10pm.

The main purpose of the event is to expose the SME’s especially the home based wedding service provider as well as the established names in the industry in which through this event, the various service provider could promote any of their new ideas, products and services to potential weds to be who are still looking out for the right wedding attire, wedding dias, wedding door gifts and many more. The participants joining the event are Nurhayana Enterprise, FM Bridal, Cits Cake, Zaren Chocolatier, Simply Sayang, DD Gmin Bridal Gallery, Kitchen Essencia and many more.

For your information, the event is sponsored by Hua Ho Department Store ,Insurans Islam TAIB, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, BIBD At-Tamwil, Orchid Garden Hotel, Aneka Rasa Restaurant, Kristal FM and Ranoadidas.

It would be really grateful that the public (especially the weds-to-be) to come and visit the expo at the same time support the students’ event.

For enquiries, please contact :

Farouq Al-Qastharie Haji Abdul Aziz, Graceful Lace General Manager : +673 8689749
Nor Iman Mohd Isham, Marketing department : +673 7140803
Facebook Iman Mia

Perhaps the unique part of the National Day Special Promotion is the special local dishes that will be made available on the ala carte menu and buffet at Airport Restaurant and Seasons Restaurant. Some of the dishes are normally cooked at home and hence this will be the first time a few dishes will be introduced.

The National Day Special Promotion, which will run from Feb 20-25, will showcase a number of mouth-watering local delicacies such as Kembayau cream soup, Jackfruit cooked with prawn and Belutak fried rice with deep fried chicken and crackers. Other items on the menu are Mambangan Mousse served with fruits and sauce and Deef Fried Seabass Liking.

They will also serve ambuyat and the grilled items are only available during dinner buffet. Both Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Demi Chef Azizul Abdullah made some trials and see what’s good to include in the food promotion. Chef Azizul is probably known for his Kembayau soup where he once taught a short demo on how to make one.

Check out the poster for prices and mind you, the lunch buffet at Seasons Restaurant is fully booked for now on the 23rd February (National Day). So that really says a lot about the food promotion.

Deep Fried Seabass Liking served with steamed rice and sambal “mambangan”

I love this pakis dish

Nasi Goreng Belutak served with local sausage and deep fried chicken and crackers

Chef Azizul, Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Seasons Restaurant Assistant Manager Oscar Abrera

I’m not sure what is the jinx for SAFFC. The army outfit from Singapore has yet to beat DPMM FC in six attempt after their 2-1 loss at their home ground. SAFFC is one of the favourites for the S-League title and they are still pointless after two games played.

SAFFC scored from a set piece when Tatsuro Inui scored from a free kick to cancel out in-form striker Basiru Osman’s goal. DPMM FC played the same starting line up against Tampines Rovers. Both goals scored from DPMM were from set pieces and this showed the lack of concentration of SAFFC’s defence when it mattered the most.

Perhaps the highlight of the match was Shahrazen’s first competitive goal which is a good morale boost for the DPMM striker. He’s back to full fitness and his support from Basiru Osman and Ghral well be a force to be reckoned with.

What DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic said – “Inside our hearts, we always trusted that we could come here and win,” claimed the Croatian. SAFFC are the No.1 team in Singapore, eight-time champions. Maybe there are some people who want us to get spectacular results, but we have to respect them, so I am happy with this win.

“We have had no football for three years, and it would not be logical for us to come to Singapore and become champions right away. But in my heart, I am always hungry for trophies, and I will transfer that spirit to my team.” (Source: Tam Cheong Yan of S.League)

DPMM FC’s first win is a good birthday present for the Crown Prince who celebrated his 38th birthday a few days ago. Well done to DPMM FC and I won’t be surprised that their t-shirt merchandise will increase in sales. Images below are courtesy of S.League Facebook page.

Rodrigo Ghral of DPMM FC in action against SAFFC last night

Wardun, DPMM FC’s keeper, did a great job behind the line and he hardly gets picture taken in DPMM FC matches too. Kudos to the photographer.

As usual, Basiru Osman will always be fouled and when this happens, you know such player is a threat. DPMM FC’s best signing so far

Just read the caption *lol* DPMM FC celebrated their first victory.

iCentre’s iMMerse programme series, dubbed the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge”, ended with a prize presentation ceremony, marking another initiative by the organisation in identifying local talents in the Sultanate’s multimedia industry.

The second challenge carried the theme “My Brunei Forever Green”, where participants created a poster that showcases the richness, lushness and majestic environment of Brunei Darussalam, including how Bruneians coexist with nature in a greener and brighter world for today and tomorrow.

The ceremony began with an opening remark by Jeremy Chua, Multimedia officer from iCentre, who stated that the programme is aimed to nurture and grow a diverse community of untapped potential in Brunei’s Multimedia industry.

“Our upcoming challenge is the 3D animation challenge, which will take place in the coming months, followed by the short film challenge, and finally the web/mobile interface challenge,” he said.

Officiating the prize presentation was Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA). The top winner of the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge” was Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, whilst second place went to Rommel Oliveros. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines, talked about the iMMerse programme

Kwok Leong of KR Consulting, 1st prize winner Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, 2nd prize winner Rommel Oliveros and Aji Puteh of RBA

Chronicle (2012). A very mixed reviews from my peers. The guys love it while the ladies thought otherwise. Maybe it’s not meant for the ladies, aye? I love the direction of Chronicle and the formula paid off especially the genius work of video capture as the audience saw the movie through the lens of V-cam throughout the movie.

The movie is pretty dark though and the ending might not be everyone’s cup of tea but to me, it fits the bill. Sometimes I feel that the scenario of the relationship among the three friends portrayed in the movie can be relate to most of our daily lives in how we deal with close friends. Sorry ladies, I don’t agree with your ratings for this one. One of the best movie this month. Verdict: 8/10.

The Descendants. I could feel the energy from Cuterabbit and lilmopiko when we watched this flick. Halfway through the movie, they felt restless because they lost interest *lol* This melodrama movie is definitely not for everyone and I was pretty curious on The Descendants as it was nominated for Best Actor (George Clooney) and Best Picture for the upcoming Oscars.

I have to say I quite enjoyed The Descendants but it’s somewhat depressing as the story depicts a father played by George Clooney who tried to pull his family together and facing reality on their dying mother with obstacles along the way. The movie also reminds me of the classic Little Miss Sunshine which I personally enjoyed more than The Descendants. After watching this movie, I’m still questioning how this flick was nominated as Best Picture. Verdict: 7/10.

Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace in 3D. I caught The Phantom Menace when it premiered in Australia back in 1999. Did I enjoy it? Well, despite the great visuals and fight scenes, I was pretty bogged down by the confusing plot which talks about politics. I am a fan of Star Wars series but I preferred episodes 4 to 6.

Now fast forward to the present, the producers have enhanced the movie in a 3D version. Was it worth it? All I can say that I was more impressed with the trailer of Titanic 3D (which was shown) than my 3D experience of The Phantom Menace. I noticed some scenes weren’t not rendered to 3D. I highly recommend this 3D movie for hardcore fans and also to those who didn’t get the privilege to watch The Phantom Menace. Oh yeah, Jar Jar Binks really spoiled my movie experience *lol* Verdict: 6/10.

There was a small gig for Brunei 501st Legion appearance during the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D premier at The Mall Cineplex

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Perhaps one of the movies which I had low expectations for two reasons – 1) first movie really sucked 2) Nicholas Cage?? I was more bemused by the outcome of some scenarios rather than the action. Some just didn’t make sense and I felt like drilling the director with my 2 cents opinion. Ghost Rider is comparable to the Green Lantern and it’s not a movie that will burn its way to the box office. It only opened at USD 22 million while the 1st Ghost Rider raked in USD 52 million back in 2007.

Ok, enough rants on Ghost Rider the sequel. I won’t say it was an improvement because I didn’t really enjoy both movies. I just hope they will stop making Ghost Rider movies as the producers are losing their investment in this particular movie. I love Nicholas Cage in Con Air, The Rock and Face/Off but his latest strings of movies (Drive Angry, Season of the Witch) were total failures. Even the comfort of the $20 VIP sofa seats didn’t save my movie experience. Sorry Ghost Rider. Time to put the flame out. Verdict: 5/10.

Safe House. This is one gripping thriller not to be missed. Denzel Washington is one actor that can’t go wrong when he’s on screen though not all movies I necessarily enjoy but he always does his best regardless. Ryan Reynolds also starred in Safe House and he suits playing this kinda of roles.

It was a better momentum after watching The Descendants two hours before. There are some flaws and some credibility issues that I kept me wonder at some points. However, the great chemistry between the co-stars and nicely paced action kinda delivers the movie to my expectations. I just wish they directed the suspense level to another level. Still a great watch. Verdict: 8/10.

Well done, Zul Fadly on the recent participation of Urbanathlon which took place in Singapore today. Apparently a group of Crossfit Brunei group joined the Urbanathlon. Last year I happened to be there for coverage. Giving it a miss this year. Image courtesy of Zul Fadly

This unexpected accident happened along the highway heading to airport this morning. According to a source, three cars were involved in the mishap. Drive safe peeps

LOL.. There was a commotion between CNN Piers Morgan and Emmanuel Frimpong of Arsenal. This was after Arsenal’s disappointing lost to Sunderland which means Arsenal will be title-less again this season

This was Frimpong’s reply to Piers Morgan’s tweet

Another LOL moment. Someone emailed me this evening and this was located nearby an ATM at Kiulap. Apparently judging from the torn bits, there are quite a lot of “school leavers”

Today my family’s gone off for another trip to Singapore. Loads of loading and unloading to do

It was a last minute decision by Thailand to withdraw from the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy disrupted the schedule of the HBT 2012 tournament. Hence the organising committee of HBT 2012 had a discussion with the Asian Football Federation (AFF) to clarify the issue.

According to President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman, the withdrawal of Thailand was unexpected but the organizers respect the decision of Thailand’s withdraw due to unforeseen circumstances.

After reviewing the rules and regulations and with the advice from AFF, it is suggested that Brunei Darussalam which is in Group A with six teams in the group previously is to move to Group B with four teams after vacated by Thailand. This means Brunei will take on Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Timor Leste. Hence instead of Brunei Darussalam’s opening match with Laos, it will be replaced with Brunei vs Cambodia this Saturday 25th February 2012.

For your info, all the matches are FREE entry and to encourage people to watch, the organisers have introduced a lucky draw for the spectators where they can stand a chance to win a grand draw which is the Toyota VIOS. The public is advise to collect the tickets (free) at the counter one hour before the game. So I expect a huge rush of crowd as well as many counters will be opened to accommodate the traffic of people entering the stadium.

I shall update the schedule next week but all the Brunei matches will be played at the National Stadium.

Haji Abdul Malik, Deputy Director of Youth and Sports, Dr. Muhammad Hadi, Director of Info Department, Dato Paduka Hj Md Hamid Jaafar, Chairman of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy committee, Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman, President of the NFABD and Hj Zamri, Deputy Director of Youth and Sports II

Dato Paduka Hj Hamid handing over poster to Royal Brunei Police Force

Dato Paduka Hj Hamid handing over poster to Ministry of Education

The cool lads from Info Department attended the press conference

Hanna (centre) celebrated her 18th birthday last Saturday. There were tons of entertainment too.

Belly dance performance

Such young talent these guys are

The Singapore Scholarship is back again!!!! Last year, Muhd Kamaaredzwan Kamarudin earned himself a scholarship at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). So who will be the chosen one this year? So what are you waiting for? Here’s your chance to apply for the scholarship and if I were you, I would give it a shot because I’m biased since I love Singapore (my 2nd Home) *lol*. The application will be open on Monday 20th February 2012. 

I shall be talking more of the Singapore Scholarship programme soon.

Muhd Kamaaredzwan Kamarudin receiving his award from Singapore High Commissioner Joseph Koh

Singapore High Commissioner Joseph Koh with the previous Singapore Scholars with Danial Phua, Second Secretary of Singapore High Commission (far right)

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RBA special promotion

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In conjunction with the recent launch and announcement of the Standard Chartered Brunei Half Marathon 2012, Ranoadidas ran a special Twitter contest relating to the event.

Five lucky Twitterers were awarded prizes for their tweets on guessing the correct category that Rano would run in the event and another five lucky Twitterers were awarded prizes for being the first five to come back with the correct answer on the deadline of registration for the upcoming Half Marathon event.

A prize presentation for winners was held at the Standard Chartered Bank, Main Branch, Bandar Seri Begawan . Present at the event were Rano Iskandar from ranoadidas.com and Jennifer Kang, Head of Cooperate Affairs and Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank.

All ten winners walked away with exclusive Standard Chartered Merchandise. I am constantly on the look out for new and fun ways to engage our community on upcoming events in the country. The Standard Chartered Half Marathon 2012 is a highly anticipated event with a lot of buzz and excitement around it. Hence, it was an obvious choice to run a special Twitter contest relating to this event. And do you know that the registration has reached 850 participants and it’s rising every day. Awesome!!!

Jennifer Kang, Head of Cooperate Affairs and Marketing Manager, Standard Chartered Bank said: “We are grateful to Rano for his help in further enhancing awareness on our upcoming Half Marathon event through this contest. This will truly contribute positively towards our event. Congratulations to all the winners.”

Jennifer Kang, Head of Cooperate Affairs and Marketing Manager, Standard Chartered Bank, talking to the winners of the RA Twitter quiz

Jennifer Kang with the winners – @han316 @sir_abu @zero_fantasies @iamarifzainal @mika_193 and @hanizamalidin

The Standard Chartered Brunei Half Marathon 2012 is organised by Standard Chartered Bank with the strong support from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Athletics Association. The Standard Chartered Half Marathon Brunei 2012 is proudly sponsored by Telbru, TOTAL, Borneo Bulletin, Media Permata, GetFit CrossFit, MixMediaWorx, Radisson Hotel, Royal Brunei Airlines, Suci, Sunlit Advertising and 100 Plus. This event is also supported by ThreeG Media Sdn Bhd.

The deadline to register for the Standard Chartered Charity Run 2011 is 18 March 2012 or when maximum capacities are reached. Interested individuals are encouraged to sign up early to avoid disappointment of limited spaces. Categories are capped at 500 participants for the 21km category, 1,000 participants for the 10km category, 1,500 participants for the 5km run and 2,000 participants for the 2.5km category.

All of the proceeds raised for the Run will benefit the Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans (DANA) and Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing Is Believing Programme.

For further details about the Standard Chartered Brunei please visit our website www.scbruneihalfmarathon.com and Facebook page www.facebook.com/SCBruneiHalfMarathon2012 or call Standard Chartered Phone Banking at 265 8000.

Another kind gesture from SCB as all were given SCB umbrella because of the drizzle yesterday

During my recent trip to KK, I had the privilege to try out the newest hotel at KK, Sabah and it’s at Ming Garden Hotel. Location wise, it’s pretty close to Times Square and only 10-15 minutes drive to the airport.

My stay was awesome though I only stayed over night. I chose the apartment and it was a pretty good choice for me. It was quite awkward though that I checked in a two-bedroom apartment. I love the facilities they have in the apartment though I have to say the apartment was too big for me. This is just nice if you are traveling with a couple of friends and even for Brunei families that usually come in numbers. Hence, I highly recommend this apartment for those traveling to KK.

I have yet to try the hotel side of Ming Garden Hotel but I shall leave that to my next trip. Oh yeah, the food is pretty delicious too. I had my lunch and breakfast at Golden Dew Bistro. Oh yeah, apparently the hotel also has some tie up with b.mobile so you can enjoy some discounts as well.

When you stay at Ming Garden Hotel, you will “come as a guest, return as a friend”. To find out more, click here.

The exterior look of Ming Garden Hotel

Rosewood Lounge at Ming Garden Hotel

The awesome guys from Ming Garden Hotel and they are doing a great job there

This area is yet to open and it’s located near the apartment side of the Ming Garden

My keycard and I’ve this in my collection too *shhhhh…*

This was the apartment I was staying at.. I like the concept too

There’s a pantry and very handy for family usage

The master bedroom of the apartment and yes, the floor is wifi ready and it’s complimentary

This is the Junior Suite from the hotel side of Ming Garden

I had the breakfast buffet at Golden Dew Bistro

The Nasi Lemak Nyonya Baba is a recommended dish on the ala carte

Oh yeah, another bonus about Ming Garden is the vast basement carpark (2 levels) and as you know, parking is always an issue especially for Bruneians who drive up to KK and it’s complimentary too

These are the special rates at Ming Garden Hotel. Click image to find out more.

It’s a never-ending roadshow for BICTA organisers to Government Tertiary Education Institutions and Secondary Schools. BICTA stands for Brunei ICT Awards competition and it’s one of the biggest IT competition.

So what’s the idea behind the numerous roadshows for BICTA? One reason is create more awareness and interest among students on the upcoming BICTA and who knows they will represent Brunei in the regional APICTA 2012 where Brunei bagged a few big awards last December 2011.

The workshop sessions are pretty informal as you can judge from the images below and the attendees are urged to join the workshop as the seats are limited. This workshop is also ideal for those who wants to start from scratch. Well, it’s like a walk through session and the workshop will give the students more knowledge on what’s expected during the competition.

Lately the BICTA roadshow has been conducted in Saint Andrew’s School, Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School, WASAN Vocational School, St Georges School and DPM Al-Muthadee Billah Gadong College.

The roadshow started from 7th Feb and will go on throughout the whole month of February. Any interested schools and institutions may contact the BICTA representatives at 2323232 or via email at bicta@aiti.gov.bn or visit the BICTA website at www.bicta.gov.bn Images below courtesy of AITI.

BICTA roadshow at Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School

BICTA roadshow at St. Andrew’s School

BICTA roadshow at St. George’s School

BICTA roadshow at WASAN Vocational School

The promotional poster for Maher Zain

It has been a while since we have an international concert/gig in Brunei. I remember even bringing the U-KISS Meet-the-Fan session was unsuccessful due to management problems. After the controversial incident of the Agnes Monica concert that didn’t take place, this will be the first international concert in many years and apparently the organisers NMHQR Studio Productions said it wasn’t a smooth road getting the approval of the concert and it took them almost a year to be approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Yesterday was a press conference held at the Brunei Tourism Board conference room and it was led by YAM Pengiran Anak Muhd Haffiz, YAM Pengiran Anak Qayyum and Brunei Tourism CEO Sheikh Jamaluddin. Maher Zain is one of the most popular artistes in the international Islamic music industry and finally he will be performing live this coming 8th March 2012 at the Jerudong Amphitheartre.

Also performing during the concert will be Irfan Makki (who has a vocal similar to that of the legendary Michael Jackson) and there will be performances by our local artistes Fakhrul Razi and The Seeds.

YAM Pengiran Anak Qayyum said that it’s a privilege to bring Maher Zain to Brunei again and his songs are very inspirational and Islamic and this also promotes the MIB culture in Brunei.

Tickets are sold at $120, $90, $70 and $40 from KFC Plaza Athirah outlet, KFC Belait outlet, KFC Lumut SPARK outlet, Deejay Home Video outlets and NMHQR Studio Productions (on the sixth floor of Plaza Athirah building) and part of the ticket sales will be donated to Pusat Ehsan and SMARTER Brunei.

You can contact 224 1777 or 815 1118.

The press conference for Maher Zain’s concert

Sheikh Jamaluddin of Brunei Tourism, YAM Pengiran Anak Muhd Haffiz, co-event Manager of NMHQR Studio Productions and YAM Pengiran Anak Qayyum, co-event Manager of NMHQR Studio Productions.

Group photo with the organiers and Brunei Tourism

Don’t forget to buy your tickets. I will be heading there too 🙂

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Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has confirmed his participation in the upcoming EPL Masters Football Tournament Brunei Cup 2012 slated for April 21. The German on his first visit to Brunei is here as an ambassador for the EPL Masters Football.

He couldn’t make it for the first edition last year because of coaching commitments at Leicester City. But now he is looking forward to playing in the Sultanate this April.

“It will be great. There are going to be some great teams and I will also be able to see some of my old teammates,” said Hamann during an interview with The Brunei Times at a dinner function at the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club in Jerudong last night.

“I do play a bit of tennis to keep myself going and I do hope to do a bit more before returning here,” he added.

The competition is organised by Ad Sports Event Management (ADSEM) and Masters Football Asia and is presented by B-Mobile Communications S/B. A dinner was held last Sunday with the organizers and the sponsors where B-Mobile Communications S/B, Standard Chartered Bank and Royal Brunei Airlines’ representatives were present.

For more of the story, click here, courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.

Didi Hamann arrived at the Empire Hotel last Sunday

Liverpool fans taking a photo opportunity with Didi Hamann

Carol is also now a Liverpool fan supporter, right?

Didi Hamann mingling with the organizer and the main sponsor for the EPL Masters, B-Mobile Communications

Dinner was served at poolside, Polo and Riding Club and man, I love the lamb!!!!

This Friday, 17th February, JASTRe Green Initiative has included Friday as No Plastic Bag Weekend.. Kudos!!!

I thought this was an awesome of giving back to the community in terms of appreciating the Pizza Hut Fans on the Brunei’s official Pizza Hut Fan page. The establishment recently run a small campaign and invited 50 Pizza Hut fans to the Primo Mall outlet at The Mall.

Not only they get to try the latest item on the menu – Crunchy Cheesy Bites pizza – but they also brought home a t-shirt courtesy of Pizza Hut. Some of the fans also participated in pop quizzes where they won Pizza Hut vouchers instantly.

Expect more events like this in the near future and therefore, don’t forget to “like” Pizza Hut Brunei on your Facebook account or follow @PizzaHutBrunei on Twitter too.

I didn’t know you guys are fans too… *awwwww*

A guest registering her name as one of the invited guests

Reagan made a welcoming address and appreciating the fans

The fans had to do the “Yum” Challenge cheer

Around 50 guests turned up last Friday

Behold… the Cheesy Crunchy Bites

Fans taking a photo to upload on the Fan Page

The “I love Pizza Hut” t-shirts 

Try this out at any Pizza Hut outlet

National Insurance Company (Brunei) will organised the 3rd charity “car boot sale” to be held on Sunday, 26 February 2012 at National Insurance Head Office car park from 8am-12pm. Money collected during that day will be donated back towards education in assisting some students with school fees, or purchasing school books, school uniform or shoes. National Insurance realized the right of all children to get proper education to reach their potential for the future of the country. For more information please contact AHRM- Nanetta Jordana at 2226222, 2426888, 2233999 or visit their website at www.national.com.bn