Hafizah bte Ramlee posing with her spouse after winning the Black Proton Saga FLX Plus Auto as part of the second series of the Sentral Shopping Centre Grand Lucky Draw this afternoon

Abby Lim, general manager of Sentral Shopping Centre, Salim, President of the Indian Belait Association and Yang Mulia Hj Eady Sardi bin Pehin Datu Derma Sakti Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Razak, the Head of Belait District branch of Co-curriculum Education Department, Ministry of Education as the guest of honour with the grand winner of the Black Proton Saga FLX Plus Auto

This is the second lucky draw of the campaign for Sentral Shopping Centre (KBSentral) and hundreds showed up to see if they would be one of the lucky winners. Apparently there were than 17 winners including the pop quiz winners. Few months back, a young boy of 18 won the first mini grand draw and won himself a Proton. I’m pretty sure he is making full use of his new car.

Today the lucky winner of the Black Proton Saga FLX Plus Auto is a lady named Hafizah bte Ramlee as her named was picked from the box by the guest of honour Yang Mulia Hj Eady Sardi bin Pehin Datu Derma Sakti Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Razak, the Head of Belait District branch of Co-curriculum Education Department, Ministry of Education.

Abby Lim, the General Manager of KBSentral thanked all the shoppers for supporting the businesses within Sentral Shopping Centre and there were about 1020 short listed coupon holders who made it for the cut.

Also present during the lucky draw presentation were Mr. Salim, President of the Indian Belait Association and Ahmad Anwar Rosly, marketing and event manager of KBSentral.

Misiah Yun won herself an LG Washing Machine, Ahmad Daud won himself an LG 2 door refrigerator while Mohd Faizal Hj Hidup won himself an LG 32” LED TV. All these were the top 4 prizes followed by other consolations prizes such as electrical appliances and also gift vouchers.

The third series of the Grand Lucky Draw will be on the 8th of January 2017. Do follow them on Facebook and IG @kbsentral for updates.

Abby Lim gave her deepest appreciation to the patrons of Sentral Shopping Centre

The mascots performance was part of the programme

The guest of honour handing over the mock key to the lucky winner

Abd Rahman Hj Ishak receiving a Cornell rice cooker from Salim

A great turnout and brisk business for the tenants at KBSentral today

Masezelan won a voucher from Beesket and being handed over by Anwar Rosly

Siti Hajijah Hj Julaini won a one night stay at Garden Sentral Hotel and handed over by Abby Lim

This young kid won a voucher for being at least on Level 15 on Pokemon Go

The previous winner during April’s lucky draw

 

Special episode on WWE’s SummerSlam featuring Jason Rumpun and Delwin Keasberry. Find out our thoughts on the subpar PPV.

 

Her Excellency Mrs. Nagma M. Mallick, the High Commissioner of India to Brunei capped the night with a powerful message to the audience – show conviction when you believe in yourself

Rozana Yunos, President of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, did a marvellous job as the SAA and also uplifted the mood to kick off the meeting

What a night to cap off and to start the weekend! The Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club hosted their 2nd meeting of the term and this time, it was held on the Presidential Lounge on Level 8 due to a wedding event on Level 4.

Stuart Lee stood in for Allen Ang ,who was supposedly the host (toastmasters of the evening). However, Allen is currently in Surabaya for a workshop. As usual, Stuart started with a bang and I liked how he paced the evening as the sessions were behind schedule. This is a good reference for future TMEs at at a BASC monthly meeting should the event starts later than scheduled.

Madam President Rozana was articulate in her opening remarks and praised the growth of certain members who have excelled in their growth and contributed back to the community as a leader and a communicator.

There were many first moments to talk about here. It was the first time the club opened to visiting members to be part of the moderating session. Pooja, whose forte is in evaluation, was invited to evaluate Theressa’s inspirational speech. Speaking of Theressa (a UBD Toastmasters member), she became the first non-member to present a prepared speech in a BSC meeting and wow, she did not disappoint at all.

You may heard the clichè of taking things for granted but Theressa’s delivery gave it a new perspective that will stick in our minds. I was moved and inspired by her vulnerability and awarenesses. Truly salute your journey as a nurse and now we know the reason why. Do check out her speech once it’s uploaded on the UBD Toastmasters youtube channel.

Another competent speaker, Delwin Keasberry aka @bruneitweet finally presented his 5th speech (body language) and I was hoping he would share of his WWE fan journey *lol* I found his story quite entertaining, reviving his teenage years with his friends and being in trouble with the authorities. A poised speaker at best, Delwin nailed the objectives with ease and now he is 5 speeches away to earn a pin. Keep it going, bro 😀

The host of the evening – Stuart Lee

Delwin Keasberry shared a funny childhood story and wowed the panelists on his objectives (body language)

Pranika Lama and Elizabeth Sim as evaluators for Delwin and being moderated by Chris Woo. Very insightful analysis and I’m amazed how observant they are. Pranika claimed that she enjoyed that session very much.

Many smiles during the course of the night

One of the best inspiring speeches I’ve heard in a long time. I do agree with Pooja’s evaluation on Theressa’s speech – “I was quite involved and moved too”. Congratulations, Theressa, on your CC10 project (Inspiring Speech) and I never experienced a prolonged applause after a speech. You deservedly earned that.

The evaluators were inspired by Theressa’s speech and they felt empowered

Yani who has been a toastmasters for 10 years, presented a workshop on empowering the youths and this is such an appropriate topic to bring up. With many adults in attendance, Yani unveiled some pointers based on her experience in empowering others and these are very relatable to the audience. Now with her 2 year old daughter empowering her, Yani has opened up more awarenesses and feeling empowered too.

The moderation sessions were great and it was nice to see Pranika back in action again in the moderation panel. Chris Woo, as usual, fitted the occasion as a principal moderator and the audience benefited from the analytical feedback from the four evaluators on Theressa’s and Delwin’s speeches.

The night was capped off by a powerful message by the guest of honour Her Excellency Mrs. Nagma M. Mallick, the High Commissioner of India to Brunei. In a nutshell, she urged us to believe in ourselves and show conviction if necessary. Her speech, in itself, was pretty inspirational and hoped the guests in attendance will take something back and inspired to speak out in what he or she believes in.

Yani Hepnie conducted a workshop on empowering yourself and others. I enjoyed this session very much too.

Heidi Rahman made a conscious choice to attend the BASC meeting in final minutes and she enjoyed it

The guest of honour was a former toastmasters member too

Gerald Goh shared how he empowered others at work

The young ladies have made an impact on their clubs and also at other clubs. Great leaders whom I admire and aspire to be.

This was shot number 6. It’s never easy to satisfy ladies when it comes to perfection in photos :p

The toastmasters members and guests at last night’s meeting. Datin Faridah is our dedicated, perpetual guest 😀 Thank you so much for your support to BASC for all these years.

 

Mr. Li Dian Chun, CEO of Hong Kong Airlines accepting a token from Mr. Karam Chand, CEO of Royal Brunei Airlines

Mr. Tokuro Ambe, The First Secretary of Economics from the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam, Her Excellency Ms. Noriko Iki, Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Li Dian Chun, CEO of Hong Kong Airlines, Mr. Karam Chand, CEO of Royal Brunei Airlines, Mr Fu Fengsha, Charge’d Affairs of China Embassy and Dayah Hjh Airah Hj Abdullah, Director of Transport, Ministry of Communications

I’m kinda excited that Royal Brunei Airlines have a codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines and this is one of the first of many connecting flights that will be favourable for both parties. This afternoon, Hong Kong Airlines and Royal Brunei Airlines signed on the dotted line where Hong Kong Airlines will be used connect flights exiting Hong Kong from in-coming flight from Brunei Darussalam.

So the first city outside Hong Kong that will be utlizing the codeshare will be Tokyo. Woohoo!! It is still not operating just yet and ti will be launched sometime in November but pre-sale will begin early September. So under the agreement, Hong Kong Airlines “HX” code will be placed on RB daily flights between HK and BSB.

Here’s the flight itinerary to Tokyo via HK.

BWN to HKG – Flight No. HX 1635/BI365 Departure 10:30am Arrival 13:35pm

HKG to Tokyo – HX 610/BI3403 Departure 15:30pm Arrival 20:55pm

Tokyo to HKG – HX611/BI3404 Departure 9:30am Arrival 13:30pm

HKG to BSB – HX610/BI3403 Departure 15:30pm Arrival 20:55pm

So far this is a pretty reasonable connection. With Hong Kong being an international hub, it does make economical sense to have connecting flights to other parts of Asia especially Japan. I traveled earlier this year to Taipei via HK. So hopefully there will be more connecting flights under Hong Kong Airlines which will be in the future stages.

Mr. Li Dian Chun, CEO of Hong Kong Airlines, said that, “The commencement of our codeshare partnership with RB is great news for the passengers of both airlines. It’s a win-win situation for both parties. This will give more choices for the passengers for traveling within Asia.”

He added that the influx of foreigners to HK has increased year by year and this will be a good opportunity for them to also flight to Brunei to experience a city with a beautiful culture.

Mr. Karam Chand, CEO of RB, shared that this is an important collaboration with Hong Kong Airlines as a codeshare partner. He believe that there is a great demand for passengers heading to Japan especially Tokyo. Passengers will benefit from this codeshare flight with better networks and of course, choices for passengers.

Good job for RB on making this possible and let’s hope for some good promotion along the way to lure in more passengers.

Mr. Li Dian Chun, CEO of Hong Kong Airlines is excited with the collaboration with RB

Mr. Karam Chand, CEO of RB speaking to the press

Mr. Li Dian Chun speaking to the press

The first official codeshare trip will be in November 2016

My last trip to HK was in March. Now with more routes through codeshare, who knows I will frequent HK more

 

During the Q&A sessions with the producers and directors of the short films at The Times Cineplex @ The Empire

As most of you know, I’m a movie buff. This is also the period where I caught many movies but sadly summer movies will be over. The last local film festival I caught was back in 2014 which was the UBD Film Festival.

The UBD TV Short Film Festival is organised by @ubdtv with the Creative Core BN and this is not part of an assignment project of UBD. This is an independent event in help to spur the young talents we have and showcase their capabilities that there is hope in the creative and especially the film industry.

Thank you to the organisers for the invite during the press screening last Wednesday. Present at the screening were the event sponsors, speakers of the Short Film Making Workshop, and casts and producers of the films: Horizon, If Only, Masa, Aku Ada Cerita, The Hero, Selamat Malam, and Al­-Fatihah. The director of the films are Muhd Aznniel Hj Yunus from Nostrils Production, Hakim Salleh from Lensa Muslim, Amirul Jazli from Visionary Production, Hj Yusrizam Hj Abd Tahir from AE Cinema, as well as UBD students, Siti Nurhaziqah Omar, Muhd Zulfadli Mohd Husini and Chung Ming Ru @ Leon. Also in attendance were representatives from Regal Blue Production and Visual Dimensions Production.

Del Goh moderating the panel of producers of the short films

Harlif of Regal Blue Production aspires the young producers to carry on their journey in this industry. Good one, buddy!!

The supporters and sponsors of the event

After the press screening, there was a moderation session for the producers which was moderated by Del Goh, a movie enthusiast just like myself 😀 The producers/directors shared their passion in creating short films and most of the crew and actors are volunteers. One shared that they made use of DSLR cameras to shoot their projects.

Around 3 short films had a similar theme which was horror. I’m quite amazed with their creativity and I’m pretty sure there are plenty more to come from the young talents. The short films were just great teasers and I do agree with Harlif Hj Mohammad of Regal Blue Production as to what will happen next? Will they just stop there? or pursue more into producing more films as he was quite impressed with the outcome of the short films. I do hope such feedback will ignite the passion of the producers but it’s never easy to create a short film, let alone a featured film.

UBD TV Short Films Festival is set to debut to the public this weekend, from 27th till 29th August at The Core Residential College, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) so I do suggest for you to support these films.

The tickets costs BND 5 and you can reserve your seats here. Do follow their official IG @UBDTVSFF or contact Firdaus Ismail for details at 836 5070.

Interview on Visionary Project

Interview on AE Cinema BN

I can see you, Fecks (and also Pranika) :p

The ladies behind the UBD TV Short Film Festival. Congratulations on making this a success. We want more!!

The group photo with all the cast and crew involved in the UBD TV Short Film Festival. Click image to enlarge.

 

Thank you Dato Sri’ Ibrahim for signing your latest Recipe Book and treating me for breakie last weekend

It was a privilege to have met the founder of Brahim’s, the man himself, Dato’ Seri Ibrahim, who turned his own product into a global phenomenon. I’m quite familiar with their product especially the paste as I’m not pretty fond of preparation when it comes to cooking and secondly, I’m a curry lover 😀

So after the launch of the first Brahim’s Recipe Book at Times Square Shopping Centre, I had a special interview with Dato’ Seri himself and his two daughters – Nur Fatin Ibrahim, Group Managing Director and Dr. Nur Azizah, Director, over breakfast at Tasek Brasserie.

According to Dato’ Sri, most of the revenue earned for Dewina Group (for Brahim’s product) is from the catering sector. Their core businesses are mainly catering and supplying to retailers in Malaysia and outside Malaysia. The catering business itself is interesting as Dewina Group accepted a huge gamble to buy over MAS catering back in the early 2000s and forked out RM 170 million for a 70% equity. Furthermore, MAS Catering had RM 240 accumulated losses and making a loss of RM40 a year.

Amazingly Brahim’s Holdings Bhd managed to wipeout the losses in a span of two years. However, the company suffered a huge setback after the mishaps of the Malaysia Airlines in the past two years. I do salute Dato Sri’ for not giving up and always looking for opportunities especially outside Malaysia.

You will be surprised that one of the company’s first foreign customer is from Brunei where for a few years they were contracted to supply their products to the Brunei military. Interesting indeed. Now his business has flourished in Japan after all the diligent hard work and research. Apparently there is a demand for halal food even in Japan and now the company has good relations with Japan in providing halal meal. Dato Sri’ is already looking ahead as far as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and in midst of doing the ground works to capitalize on this opportunity.

So to the entrepreneurs out there (even me), never give up with your business journey. There are plenty of opportunities out there even in a tough economic environment. I truly admire Dato Sri’s drive and he’s still pretty active even in his 70s. A sharp character and humble too. Thank you once again for your time during the short interview. Thank you also to Aunty Jackie for setting up the meeting and nice gesture during our flight back on Royal Brunei 😀

Now you can enjoy Brahim’s different range of products especially the ready-to-eat-meals (MREs). I’m already impressed with the sauces from Brahim’s and with the new addition, the packed rice will be a hit in Brunei. Also the MREs have good nutritional value and no added MSG, preservatives or even artificial colourings. So I’m amazed Brahim’s is able to come up with such an innovative perishable product.

You can visit your nearest supermarket such as Hua Ho and buy Brahim’s product there.

Dato Sri’ speaking to her daughter over breakfast

It was pleasure to have breakfast with them. Thank you once again

 

Happening next weekend and I shall be there to promote the event on my social media too 😀

 

Happening today

The British Universities Brunei Association (BUBA) will be hosting its fourth annual UK Education Fair on August 24, with 24 UK universities participating.

The fair is aimed at students who are considering studying in the UK in 2017 or 2018, but also offers a final opportunity for students still looking for a place in the September 2016 intake.

BUBA in a statement said the fair will be held at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall 1, The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

British High Commissioner to Brunei David Campbell said: “The UK’s summer education fair is a great opportunity for students to hear directly from representatives of a wide range of British universities about course options and life as a student.

“We are delighted that the UK remains the favoured option for the majority of Bruneians who plan to study abroad.”

The fair will be held from 2pm to 7pm. Some of the participating varsities are Aberystwyth University, King’s College London, University of Surrey, University of Kent, Loughborough University and University of Manchester.

BUBA said the Higher Education Division at the Ministry of Education will also be at the fair to answer queries about education loans for overseas study.

Students are advised to bring in copies of qualifications and transcripts when they come to the fair.
Further details and names of participating institutions can be found at www.buba.ac.uk/he-fair. Press release from The Brunei Times.

 

The Audi A4 Ultra 2.0 TFSI Ultra. I didn’t get to test drive this unit but this version is the most environmental friendly of the lot

The new Audi A4 1.4 TFSI which still is a solid car

Audi Traffic Light Information System

Last weekend, the local press & media were properly introduced to the 9th generation of the Audi 80/A4 series- the all new Audi A4, now with quattro® all-wheel-drive.

The new Audi A4 features numerous premium technologies which set higher benchmarks for its class. Elegant design blends with an innovative control concept, and lightweight construction meets new, efficient drivetrain solutions. The A4 is also ahead of its peers in terms of infotainment and assistance systems. As a result, Audi drivers can look forward to a truly high-tech experience ― an innovative synthesis of technology and aesthetics.

Now available at the Audi Kiarong showroom the new Audi A4 also achieves top ratings for efficiency. It boasts the best-in-class drag coefficient of just 0.23 and has shed as much as 120 kilograms (264.6 lb) in weight compared with the predecessor model. Three economical four-cylinder engine variants delivering up to 185 kW (252 hp) also play a major part in this efficiency gain.

The Audi A4 is also available here for the first time with the high-efficiency gasoline engine 2.0 TFSI ultra developing 140 kW (190 hp) which uses an innovative combustion process and has been designed based on the rightsizing principle. The economical power unit reduces the NEDC consumption of the new A4 Sedan to 4.8 litres per 100 kilometres (49.0 US mpg) and CO2 emissions to 109 grams per kilometre (175.4 g/mi).

The new Audi A4 comes equipped with an extensive selection of improved technologies making their first appearance in this model, such as LED headlights, Audi Drive Select with Efficiency mode, sports suspension with damping control, fly-by-wire gear shifter and a top of the line Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System.

In terms of safety, the new A4 has been awarded the highest ratings from both the Euro NCAP and IIHS safety tests.

Premium features will include multicoloured ambient lighting, front/rear parking aid and convenience key with ‘kick’ motion rear luggage door release.

TCY Motors will offer the new Audi A4 Sedan with three engine variants: a 1.4 TFSI (150hp/250Nm), 2.0 TFSI ultra (190hp/320Nm) and 2.0 TFSI quattro (252hp/370Nm) all utilising the 7-speed dual-clutch S tronic transmission. Wheel sizes will range from 17”, 18” and 19” based on the respective engine variant.

I love the gear of the Audi A4

Now this car is a beast… The Audi A4 2.0 TFSI quattro

Good thing with this gear is that I can rest my hand and play with the control. Nice work!!

The interior has an S-Line finish

The display corner for driver

You can notice the difference in the design of the Audi A4 1.4 (in front) and the Audi A4 quattro (at the back)

Members of the media enjoying the ride of both the Audi A4 1.4 and the Audi A4 quattro

Rano’s feedback: I test drove two versions of the latest Audi A4 which were the Audi A4 1.4 and the Audi 2.o quattro®. Of course, you will know which one I would highly recommend. If you are just a casual driver that loves the eloquent feel of an Audi, you can’t go wrong with the Audi A4 1.4 and the ride is pretty smooth too. A perfect sedan car with good features and forgetting its safety features.

The one that stole my attention during the test drive is the Audi A4 TFSI quattro®. This means the A4 operates on a four wheel drive or in Audi context, all-wheel drive.  You can really feel the difference and you will know where that added value goes to when you fork out a little more than the Audi 1.4 and of course, in the quattro® version, the sound system is powered by Bang & Olufsen (woohoo). I also love the signal indicators which is applicable to all the new Audi A4.

Do give this a test drive at T.C.Y. Motors showroom at Kiarong and you will get what I mean with the quattro®

This is me, signing off with the four 😀 What do I think? If I were you, just go for the Audi A4 quattro… It simply rocks and even on a windy road, you will be amazed by the handling of the quattro.

For the golfers out there, what are you waiting for? 😀

 

The book signing by Dato’ Sri Ibrahim for the guest of honour

One passionate entrepreneur and still going strong.. Keep it up, Dato’ Sri

I’ve tried their paste long time ago and I was hooked. Brahim’s curry paste is the bomb and it was during my university years that helped me a lot. The reason being is that I wanted something of a quick fix especially when it came to cooking. So staying on my own made me strategize on being time efficient and Brahim’s was a life saver indeed.

Yesterday’s event brought some sentiment as the Malaysian company that handles Brahim’s – Dewina Holdings Sdn Bhd – launched their newer products and recipe book at the Times Square Shopping Centre.

The event was graced by High Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam Datuk Ghulam Jelani Khanizaman with the presence of Dato Seri Ibrahim Hj Ahmad Badawi, the Executive Chairman of Dewina Holdings Sdn Bhd and his daughter Nur Fatin, its managing director.

I’ve never seen such a passionate individual who truly believe in his product, Brahim’s, as he shared about the company’s vision and its history during his welcoming remarks. It’s an interesting fact that the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were their first overseas’ customer for Brahim’s.

The price range is quite affordable as well and now available at most local supermarkets. The newly launched product is the MRE rice menus and you can choose the chicken or beef biryani, kampong rice, salted fish fried rice and not forgetting the Arabic lamb rice.

I had a quick food tasting session yesterday and I’m amazed that the rice itself doesn’t feel like it was from a packet. Now it’s time to impress my friends on my cooking skills 😉 If you really want to make full use of Ibrahim’s product, then I highly recommend you to purchase Brahim’s latest recipe book. It’s not just a recipe book. It’s a journey of Dato’ Sri Ibrahim too as a entrepreneur and it can help to aspire the young entrepreneurs in Brunei.

Later I will be having a session with Dato’ Sri Ibrahim himself for breakfast before he heads off to Best Eastern Times Square for a book signing at 11am to 11:30am. So if you want an autograph of him, better head off to Best Eastern today. He’s a very cool guy and I truly admire his dedication as an entrepreneur.

Cooking demo by RBC on Brahim’s products

One of the Brahim’s paste that was used for the prawn

I’m impressed with the Biryani rice

A token of appreciation from Dato’ Seri Ibrahim to Darussalam Holdings for using Brahim’s product for the Haj pilgrims

The latest recipe book that I highly recommend

Some of the other products from Brahim’s

 

Jude with his debut single “Time Machine”

Last year, he made to the papers for being part of the World Championship of Performing Arts and earned one silver and two bronze medals for his performance. His biggest milestone was when he came fourth in the Europop International Singing Competition in Berlin, Germany.

Gyver Jude Concon is a Brunei-raised talent and his core strengths are in vocal and composing. Being a student under NeoClassic Music School Brunei, it has helped to catapult his passion as a singer under the guidance of his vocal teacher, Syahminah Rasyidah @ Sharon Jusay.

It was no easy path for Jude or for any artiste for that matter. He faced many roadblocks in pursuing in his dreams. However, those obstacles have shaped him to be a stronger person to this very day.

His hard work has paid off as he has signed with a major record label “MCA-Universal Music Inc” and from there, he was able to compose and release his first ever single “Time Machine” which is now available for downloading and streaming on different platforms such as iTunes and Spotify.

Congratulations Jude on your milestone and I wish you the best in your singing career. For updates, you can follow his Facebook Page and his IG @judeofficial.

Jude officially signing with record label “MCA-Universal Music Inc”

Click image to listen and download his latest single “Time Machine”

With his mentor Syahminah Rasyidah @ Sharon Jusay