The LegCo is coming. Mobile wars are heating up while AITI makes sure it’s a win-win situation for consumers! New rates of TelBru’s broadband testing the new waters. Another run (Tongkat Puith) happening this weekend. DPMM FC and also Brunei National Team will take sports headlines for the S•League and Brunei’s qualifying match against Taiwan. The Area K6 Contest to select the best toastmasters speaker from Brunei this Sunday. Poppins the Musical by Relentless Entertainment end of March. The upcoming International School Brunei (ISB) Borneo Global Issues Conference (BGIC) And of course, my pending stories to be posted on my blog. March, indeed, has become a busier month than I anticipated.

I’m still not sure if I will be flying to Singapore this month. But I definitely have two places to visit – Kuching and Labuan. Singapore will be in my pending list of destination for March. Then again, I will be heading to Lion City in April for Russell Peters’ gig. Will he impressed like before? My previous take of him in Notorious gig in Singapore was just okay. It’s never easy to be funny because it needs a lot of spontaneous creativity. I also have been attending Zainal Bostaman’s Bruhaha workshop, a local comedy workshop, that hopes to aspire that comedy is a social art and it can be learnt and practice. The workshops have been fruitful and last Sunday we saw a new batch of attendees and this shows that there are people out there who want to learn to be a “comic”. Good job, Zainal, and you have my support!

Zainal Bostaman, founder of Bruhaha Comedy, having his 2nd Bruhaha Comedy Workshop last Sunday

After missing out last year, ISB is back with their BGIC this weekend. I have always love how they run their show every year. This year there will 23 local schools participating and ISB had conducted two days of training by having simulation for the local students to be familiar with the conference. This concept is similar like the United Nations conference where representatives from each country will raise points, concerning issues faced by different countries and how they will come into a consensual solutions and agreements. This is a great platform for students to show their leadership skills. This year, the conference will be run by five experienced students, serving as the Secretaries-General; namely Dean Benavidez, Ha Kyeong Kim, Adam Busko, Marianne Laming, and Beatrice Horas. The main speakers for BGIC are Professor Dr. David Koh, Chair of Occupational Health and Medicine, PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah, Institute of Health Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Ms. Tara Yip-Bannicq, Programme Officer (Social Protection)/Resilience Focal Point, UNICEF Haiti.

The recent training session held at ISB

I shall be busy this week as I will be fine tuning, my script for my speech for the upcoming Area K6 Contest which will take place this Sunday. Basically this is a toastmasters competition among Brunei local clubs – four of them (OTTERS, Brunei Speakers’ Club, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club and UBD Toastmasters Club). I did an OK job during the International Speech category but flunk in Table Topics as I went off topic talking about relationships and ports *lol* I have definitely improved as a speaker when I looked back at my Humuorous Speech Contest last year. Now I have been given a luck of entering Area level despite finishing 3rd.

Competition will be tougher this time with the likes of Melati Yusof, Reuben Chin and Pranika Lama. They are just hot favourites for me after listening to their speeches last week though I missed Mel’s and I was already impressed with her CC speeches during OTTERS meeting. Seasoned speakers including the likes of Chris Woo, Stuart Lee and Allen Ang have been playing the mentor roles in helping the contestants to reach their goals. So peeps, the time is real soon and it’s happening this Sunday at Multipurpose Hall, UBD at 1:30pm. Entry fee will be at $5 and you will witness all the awesome speakers from the local toastmasters club. The winner of each category – International Speech and Table Topics will represent in Division K Level in Labuan by end of March.

I finished 3rd in Brunei Speakers’ Club International Speech Contest. I am given another opportunity to represent Area Level to compete against the other winners in other clubs.

Relief to all the contestants after delivering their speeches

The heat is on!! Good luck to all contestants

SMARTER Brunei has located a new centre. Yes, it will be one time huge investment of BND 150,000 but it will be more cost effective in a long run. It was nice to see corporate companies and government bodies helping SMARTER for a good cause in helping building new classrooms for autistic students in Brunei. The President of SMARTER Brunei Malai Hj Abdullah shared that the SMARTER branch in Sengkurong will be relocated to Kg Mata-Mata once the renovation is completed (hopefully by May). With the new look and feel, SMARTER Brunei will be able to accommodate more students than before and reach the capacity of 140 students (morning and afternoon session). The private NGO has been struggling financially to cope with paying the teachers but Malai is always grateful that the teachers are tolerable and understanding of the current situation.

So far the classrooms have been sponsored by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (five classrooms), D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd, Kingston Creamery and Beverage together with the LKY Charity for Autism, DST Communications Sdn Bhd and an anonymous donour. LSL Metal Sdn Bhd will be constructing work on the said centre. Malai Hj Abdullah said he is still open for donors for new establishment and it will also help to pay for the operating costs of running SMARTER Brunei. It’s never easy to run an NGO and this story of financial troubles has become a common issue in the media. I salute to Malai for his perseverance and dedication to make SMARTER Brunei a sustainable institution for the benefit of students.

Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Creamery and Beverage, Malai Hj Abdullah, President of SMARTER Brunei, Low Ser Yew, Managing Director of LSL Metal Sdn Bhd and H Mohd Noor Hj Salleh, D’Sunlit’s Public Relation Officer during the signing ceremony of sponsorship for the new centre. Awesome!!

Did you know that SMARTER has a small bakery? They have been doing some business for quite some time and in this picture, Malai’s son was helping out with making chocolate cookies

Just like my IOS, it needs to be updated to keep up with technology. Same goes for anti-viruses for computers. Today Concepts Computer unveiled PANDA Anti-Virus Pro 2015, PANDA Security 2015 and PANDA Global Protection 2015. Each has its specific functions. PANDA Anti-Virus Pro 2015 will give you a peace of mind from viruses, spy wares and online fraud, for instance. It will be available for $18 a year for 1 PC license. For the PANDA Security 2015, this is ideal if you are regular usage of the internet especially buying things online. This is available for $28 a year per 1 PC license. If go for the PANDA Global Protection 2015, it covers all the aspect given plus the option of improved Parental Control and also encrypt private folders. It’s available for $38 a year per 1 PC license. Also Concepts Computer will be participating in the Book Fair 2015 at the Indoor Stadium, please visit our booths for other great promotions. And for more information please call 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553 or visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom.

Recently also Concepts Computer celebrated the Year of the Goat with an open house for members of the media and invited guests. Present were Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer and Alice Chan who greeted the invited guests. The event started with the traditional Chinese Yee Sang for a prosperous new year. Thank you once again to Vincent and Concepts Computer for continuously giving the best product and services to the consumer.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Unveiling the new PANDA softwares at Concepts Computer

Ever heard of the Shell Eco-Marathon? This is an annual event where Brunei Darussalam has been participating in the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia. This year four teams participated represented by 20 young students recently in Luneta Park, Manila, the Philippines. How did Brunei go? The hurdle most participants always face is to make the cut for the final race. GenNext Pejuang from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) had two successful official runs by the weekend. GenNext Pejuang’s female driver, Dide Nurulaswani binti Haji Mohd Saidi, a 21 year old Bachelor of Science student majoring in Biology at UBD，described today’s achievement for the Brunei contingent, “Today, we had our third race attempt in the morning and successfully completed the full 10 laps in 27 mins. We then completed the fourth attempt, at 28 mins with more efficiency. So, we are very happy and relieved!”

Didie added that it has been a tough journey for everyone, “The most challenging moment for me was during practice runs. It’s been a while since I’ve driven Nakhoda, and it has been shipped (around) over the last couple of months. So, there was a lot of pressure on me. Thanks to my team, friends, supporting staff and volunteers as well as our Team Ambassador, who supported and motivated me, I got over it and here we are. After SEMA, I feel that I’ve grown to become a more responsible person, more dependable, and as someone people can trust.”

Well done to team Brunei for the efforts in the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) Asia competition. The most important part is the experience factor and being in a team and I believe all of them had a blast in Manila. The head of Delegation was Pg Hj Sofhrin Pg Hj Ibrahim from Pusat Latihan Mekanik (PLM), who was also a supervisor for one of the teams. Funny thing was I was also in the Philippines during that time but for a FitFlop invitational event.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abdul Aziz presented the Brunei Flag to Head of Delegation Pg Hj Sofhrin Pg Hj Ibrahim from Pusat Latihan Mekanik (PLM), who is also a supervisor for one of the teams

Group photo before departure

GenNext Pejuang from UBD

 

I didn’t expect the long break from blogging but I’m back again. You can still stalk me on @ranoadidas instagram for updates though. I have been away and was in the Philippines for the weekend for a FitFlop event. Yes, you heard me right, a FitFlop occasion. I’m actually quite honoured to be part of the media list for FitFlop and it’s slowly to show its promise in Brunei Darussalam, after Hua Ho managed to bring in the brand to the Sultanate last year.

My mom is such a huge fan of FitFlop too especially when she shops at Metro in Paragon, Singapore. The only problem is that Fitflops are catered to females. Literally 98% of their collections are for the ladies. I was giving a few pairs courtesy of FitFlop Philippines during their recent SS15 media launch and I have to admit FitFlop are pretty comfortable sandals. For those who know me, I hardly were sandals for a “reason”. I shall be posting more stories on FitFlop SS15 latest collection in my future post.

I was in Bohol, the Philippines for the launch of the FitFlop SS15 Spring collection. More updates soon.

I missed two big events, well, one was bigger than the other which was the Regata Brunei Darussalam which took place yesterday at the Royal Wharf. It is a yearly event and I covered it for the past three years. It is always great to know His Majesty the Sultan is a regular participant of the Regata Brunei Darussalam. His Majesty was in the boat Rajawali which won the 500m special race, compromising of the Regata Brunei Darussalam Committee Team A.

Another event was DPMM FC’s opening seasoner game against Harimau Muda B where new import Rafael Ramazotti bagged a hat-trick with a 3-1 victory at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The new looked DPMM FC retained the services of foreign imports Joe Gamble and Boris Raspudic but it was Rafael (Rafa) that stole the limelight. It could have been a clean sheet for DPMM FC but there were unlucky with the deflection late in the game. Nonetheless a deserving victory for DPMM FC but it is still early days.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (3rd L), followed by HRH Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel (2nd L) and HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah (2nd R), walking with Sarawak’s Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (L) to the jetty during the Brunei Regatta yesterday. Image taken by Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

Rafael “Rafa” Ramazotti points to the sky after scoring for DPMM FC. Image by PG Khairil Sapyri of S•League Facebook Page

This morning, I attended a press conference held by AITI and it was regards to the official announcement of the FREE incoming calls for both mobile operators – DST and Progresif Cellular. Before the announcement came, both the local mobile operators have taken quick steps to implement the new move of removing the charges for incoming calls. Awesome!! I shall go more into details in my next post. Finally after 20 years, DST has officially removed charges for incoming call and Progesif Cellular have also made it a win-win situation for their customers. This initiative was from AITI for your information to benefit the end users of mobile users in Brunei Darussalam.

My Chinese year celebration has been slightly muted and that’s how I wanted it to be anyway. I’ve been feeling the pinch in terms of my sleeping patterns but it should re-adjust to its usual timing …. in a few weeks’ time 😀 My apologies for those invitations that I wasn’t able to make it. There were simply too many invitations to entertain. I have a few more before the end of CNY which falls this Thursday. This year, I only managed to catch two lion dance performance. It must have been tough for the other associations with the newer laws on lion dance in Brunei.

At Chin Wei’s open house last night

A quick catch up with Lily Chiam over her small CNY lunch invitation

Ok, about time for me to sign off first and blend into my social world of visiting friends (open house). I’m craving for maggi curry but I don’t want to burden our home chef 😀 I’ll just wait an extra hour before I eat at my friend’s open house tonight. Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. You can always stalk my IG aka instagram for updates 😀 and Happy Birthday to my sister, Muji, and love you loads 😀

 

HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (Front Row C), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, in a group photo with the DPMM FC staff and players during the photoshoot session held at Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday. Image courtesy of Sanusi Hussin of The Brunei Times.

 

The Manager of Hua Ho Manggis, Lau (L) and Advertorial Writer from The Brunei Times Md Azli Azney at the airport yesterday. Image courtesy of Obelina Wang of The Brunei Times

Woohoo, it’ s my first trip to the Philippines *sakai mode on* and thank you to FitFlop Southeast Asia for inviting myself to the Philippines for the FitFlop conference event at Bohol, the Philippines.

I am traveling with Azli Azney, reporter from The Brunei Times for the coverage and we will be joined with the media and magazine representatives from Indonesia and the Philippines.

We will be witnessing FitFlop’s SS15 Regional Launch and it’s very likely that the new line will be available in Brunei in the near future.

The new collections for FitFlop – Indigo, Lustre, Tera Nova and Garigue – will be the main features of the launch. I’m pretty sure my mom will be excited since she’s a huge collector of FitFlop footwear as she shops the collections in Singapore.

I shall be posting more pictures on my social media instagram at @ranoadidas so do follow me there for updates. Thank you Soon Tiong for this opportunity.

 

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This is a great initiative by the Jerudong International School (JIS Design & Technology Faculty) where they have collaborated with ICON DESIGN Store and BHC Magazine to create a competition based to inspire their creativity at a very young age. We should have more of this opportunities for that particular age group because kids’ mind are so raw and unfiltered that they tend to be more creative than the adults in some aspects. They probably can visualize what we failed to capture.

Now there are two categories that you can enter and this is open to students studying in Brunei from ages 5 to 18 years old and you can fill in the form here. The submission of the design briefs will be on the 8th March 2015.

Do check below for the two categories that for the competition. The first category is simple – to create a public seating space (indoor/outdoor) and the second category is more of a product to compliment the range of designer pieces available at ICON DESIGN store.

For the first entry/category. students must use A3 paper where all the ideas and modeling of concept will be shown on the paper. This is include your sketching of ideas from the start which is more like a brainstorming session. Then chose an idea that you feel hits the mark for you and create a mock up design of the idea. Don’t forget to include a rough dimensions too.

This competition will definitely spur more creativity from the students and I’m looking forward for their ideas and concepts. The deadline once again is on Friday 6th March for the first phase.

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His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office graced the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium last Sunday.
His Royal Highness, who is also the Chairman of DPMM FC, joined the junior participants and the new import players for a group picture.

Among those participating was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim, who joined more than 100 junior participants in the technical training session during the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015.

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session, which was conducted by DPMM FC’s head coach Steve Kean.

Also participating in the training session were the grandsons of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim and YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Haseeb bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office greeting the young players during DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium. Image courtesy of Khairil Hassan of Borneo Bulletin.

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim in the group photo. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim also in attendance. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

Fresh from completing the foreign quota with the arrival of new imports Craig Fagan, Brian McLean and Rafael Ramazzoti, the club is in its final week of preparation ahead of their first home game this season against Harimau Muda this Sunday, March 1.

The open training session attracted the participation of more than 100 junior footballers the majority of whom were from various schools and clubs that encourage youth development and promotion with the likes of Sports School and International School Brunei (ISB).

Kean revealed that he sees the young participants as potential players in the future adding that it only takes few hours to identify talent.

“We see these children today as potential players for us in the future. It was always nice for them to spend some time with the current players. We had a good response last year and this year was even better,” Kean said. “Certainly, in the few hours, you can identify some players that has potential to be professional players. It doesn’t take long to see the ones that got something special and we’ve seen lots of them today.”

The S League ‘Coach of the Year’ 2014 nominee was fairly impressed with the conduct and attitude shown by the junior players adding that the participants would return after a water break to learn about the other components linked with the technical aspects of the game.

“It was very warm today and the players asked that if they can have a little water break and after 10 minutes again they want to go back out and do something else. They were asking how this warm up, how we should warm down, and what type of stretching you should do. We mentioned a lot of injury prevention and they were asking if we can show them something. We showed that in the end and hopefully they can learn something”.

“It is about participation. If the young players can get enthusiasm and excitement today and wants to play football, it is not just about watching on TV. Hopefully they get what I would call the bug to play and that excitement never leaves you. If they can get a ball and practice at school, practice with a friend at school, after school, when they get a break at the weekends and as much contact with the ball and keep their skill level up, I’m sure they are some of those players who are here today that in the years to come would say that was the first time I decided to be a professional player”.

The objective of the training was to further comprehend the technical elements of the game for instance by controlling the ball not just by the stronger foot but also to work on a weaker foot. You’d never stop learning. Even the senior players like Joe Gamble, Craig Fagan and Bobby our captain, they’re learning and improving everyday”, added the head coach.

Meanwhile, Lim Chin, the Chief Executive Officer of S League commended DPMM FC’s initiative of building a fan base and encouraging active community participation and education through football.
“It is like a family concept and this is where we should build a fan base for each club through the children. The children can get to see up close and personal with the stars and besides just shaking hands and getting autographs, they are playing with the football stars”, Lim said.

“I think it is great to build up a fan and player relationship and DPMM FC did the right thing to hold a football fun fair on a beautiful Sunday morning”.

“I know the training is very short but I think what the children would remember that they learn the art of heading from this Brazilian player or he learnt dribbling from Azwan Ali. So when they see these players in action he remembers the half and hour sessions with them on that particular day. And maybe in time they (the club) can do more of this to engage with the fans”, Lim concluded.

Shortly after a certificate presentation to the participants, a souvenir was presented to the CEO of S League, Lim Chin as a token of appreciation by YAM Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim bin Pengiran Indera Mahkota Pengiran Anak Dr. Kemaluddin Al Haj, the Vice Chairman of DPMM FC. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

 

This will be another interesting contest. I remember last year I covering the Area Contest of Brunei Toastmasters where Chris Woo, a member of Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, made a name for our local club when he came top 9 in the International Speech Contest amongst 30,000 competitors. It was a huge milestone for Brunei Speakers’ Club. Reaching the world’s finals meant that he had to win in all six contests to reach to the finals – at club level, at Area level (to determine who will the Brunei representative), at Division Level, At District Level, then the semi-finals before they chose the top nine to the finals. So Chris Woo experienced to all those stages last year and it was something he didn’t expect.

Now the contest is back. However, Chris Woo decided not to contest but opted to mentor and guide other members especially for members in the newly chartered toastmaster club, UBD Toastmasters Club.

Tonight there will be an International Speech and Table Topics Contest for members of Brunei Speakers’ Club. The top two of each category will proceed to Area Level to be held at Multipurpose Hall, UBD on 8th of March.

I will be competing in both categories tonight and it’s one of the those nights where I normally get butterflies because I want to improve as a public speaker. I learnt so much from toastmasters as a speaker and as a leader and I am abided by their vision. Toastmasters gave me the perfect platform for my contribution to the community. I wish to all the contestants best of luck and the most important is let’s have fun and support one another. That’s the beauty of the contest.

Last Sunday, we witnessed great quality speakers especially from UBD students during the UBD Toastmasters Club’s International Speech and Tables Topics Contest. I am so used to young adults (generation) from Brunei Speakers’ Club but now because a new club has been chartered, what makes it more interesting and refreshing is that it’s a university club. This would mean young and energetic speakers and they had the most participants among all the clubs in Brunei Darussalam. Simply amazing!!

I applaud the president and founder of UBD Toastmasters Club, Reuben Chin, for his great leadership and aspiring the members to take the initiative to join the contest even though the club is not even a year old. All in all, they had 24 registered entries for both International Speech and Table Topics. Simply amazing!!

So peeps, let’s come support the contestants today for the Brunei Speakers’ Club contest, happening tonight at Seameo Voctech, Gadong and it starts at 7:30pm.

Gary Goh 3rd place, Pranika Lama 1st place and Reuben Chin 2nd place with Allen Ang the prize presenter for the International Speech Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest at Inspiring Hall, UBD Student Centre last Sunday

Reuben Chin 1st place, Rayhan Ibrahim 3rd place and Julius 2nd place in Table Topics Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest

Interviewing the contestants from UBD Toastmasters by the contest chair Ching

 

Matahari FC emerged as champions of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015 Brunei local tournament and moved a step closer towards realising the dream of going to Anfield, the home ground of Liverpool FC in the United Kingdom.

Matahari will proceed to the regional tournament in Kuala Lumpur as a Brunei representative where only representatives from Malaysia and Thailand now stand in their path to qualification to Anfield, one of the most popular and historic stadiums in the world.

The winners ended Syah Kampong’s brave resistance with a 2-0 win in the final at the Indoor Stadium last weekend.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah presented the champions mock cheque and the individual prizes.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah and Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei presenting the prize to the winner of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015, Matahari FC. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.

Some of the participants of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.

The Matahari’s pair of Iswandi bin Wahid and Md Zainul Hazmin bin Md Saifuddin collected the Most Assists and Top Scorer prizes respectively. Iswandi walked away with a signed Liverpool Football Club jersey by goalkeeper Brad Jones while Md Zainul received a signed LFC jersey by midfielder Joe Allen.

Mohd Asyramisyanie Kamis of Syah Kampong FC was awarded the Best Goalkeeper.

During the closing ceremony, a mock cheque of BND$2,400 was handed over to the Community Development Department (JAPEM) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for the Humanitarian Fund of the Malaysian Flood Disaster. The funds was raised from registration fees collected from the participating teams, 100 per cent of which were donated.

Earlier, the quarterfinals of the Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei qualifying were contested with all group winners from the preliminary round in contention.

SLHM/Easyway, Syah Kampong, AMBD FC and Matahari FC all qualified to the last four while the quartet of HMD, Royal Origin FT, GG FT and OLSCB were eliminated. Mohd Asyramisyanie saved a penalty in the shoot-out to send his team to the final while Matahari’s solitary goal in the second semi-final was enough to confirm their place.

The Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei 2015 is supported by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and endorsed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

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DPMM FC vice-chairman YAM Pg Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pg Anak Haji Abdul Rahim Pg Indera Mahkota Pg Anak (Dr) Kemaludin Al-Haj receiving token of appreciation from DPMM FC Club Manager yesterday.

Let’s forget about last season. It was the closest DPMM FC ever go to winning the S • League title. Close but no cigar. The only highlight to remember was DPMM FC’s League Cup title. This season they can take a step further this season. Their jinx team has always been Tampines Rovers but let’s hope history will not repeat itself.

DPMM FC will take on Harimau Muda on 1st March 2015 at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. After that they will have two away matches Albirex Niigata FC (S) at the Jurong East Stadium on 7th March and Young Lions (Singaporean national Under-23 team) at Jalan Besar Stadium on March 11.

Yesterday was the signing ceremony for DPMM FC’s sponsors and also signing of the DPMM FC squad for 2015 season. Missing from the squad so far that I know of are Shahrazen Said and Subhi Abdillah.

Present during the signing ceremony was the guest of honour DPMM FC vice-chairman YAM Pg Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pg Anak Haji Abdul Rahim Pg Indera Mahkota Pg Anak (Dr) Kemaludin Al-Haj. Images courtesy of Khairil Hassan.

Katherine Hii of You•C1000 continuing the sponsorship for DPMM FC

DST becomes recurring sponsor for DPMM FC

Another regular sponsor for DPMM FC, Brunei Shell Marketing

Maju Motors, another sponsor for DPMM FC

Signing with the DPMM FC players

Signing with the DPMM FC players

Guest of honour with the DPMM FC club manager and sponsors of DPMM FC

The registered squad players of DPMM FC

The imports of DPMM FC – Northern Ireland defender Brian McLean, English forward Craig Fagan, Bosnian defender Boris Raspudic, Brazilian striker Rafael Ramazotti and Irish midfielder Joe Gamble.

 

Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Hj Abdul Malik Hj Mohammad, Director of the Department of Youth and Sports at the opening night of Standard Chartered Bank Trophy 2015

The tournament has begun. It was the first time that Standard Chartered Bank Brunei held a futsal competition known as Standard Chartered Bank Trophy 2015. The winner of the 24 team tournament will fly to Malaysia to represent Brunei and once they beat Malaysia and Thailand, they will sent to the UK to where the finals will take place at Anfield. Awesome, right?

The 24 teams include a team from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Telbru and the media team (Media United) to name a few.

The biggest winners were OLSCB who scored 4-0 over HBS F.I.T in Group H. The tournament continues tonight at Indoor Stadium. Public is more than welcome to catch the matches.

Present were Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Hj Abdul Malik Hj Mohammad, Director of the Department of Youth and Sports.

Rino Donosepoetro said, “We are extremely delighted that Brunei will be represented among the 19 participating markets who are also vying for a chance to advance to Anfield and I am extremely hopeful that we will be one of those countries who will make it through.”

This event is made possible by SCB Brunei and they are very grateful with the support by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and endorsed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) in assisting SCB Brunei with the upcoming event. Images courtesy of Khairil Hassan.

With team SHLM/EasyWay

With Media United

A token of appreciation

Futsal players in action

Guest of honour greeting the players

The captains of the teams

The results last night

 

Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Abd Latiff, mentor and founding member of TEDxGadong, Edward Findlay, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer and Abdul Malik Omar, Chairman and Co-Partner of TEDxGadong at the iCentre last Sunday.

Great job by Abdul Malik Omar and his team for the recent TEDxYouth@Gadong event that took place at the iCentre last Sunday. I only managed to catch two of the final speakers as I had prior commitments to begin with. Nonetheless it was my first presence at this event and I would like to congratulate Abdul Malik Omar to pull off another great session.

This time round, the speakers are not even seasoned speakers. They represent the youth and all the speakers are in the their teen years. What an excellent platform for them to speak in public and share their messages from their experiences and furthermore inspire the audience.

The speakers were as follow:

• Sidharth Raj and Osama bin Tariq on ” Negative Effects of Technology”

• Seyrence on “Bullying”

• Ruby Lim on”Forestry Management”

• Eric Ngu on “Don’t ask “why, ask why not?””

• Awangku Naim on “Youth Leadership”

• Brandon Chin on “The Silent Youth”

• Hee Sang Hong on ” The Ridiculousness of Comparing Yourself to Others”

I kinda enjoyed Hee Sang Hong’s presentation and I believe it relates to all of us whether we like it or not. For someone to pick this awareness up at a very young age, I salute you because this is not an easy thing to share and many of us tend not to acknowledge it due to our high ego.

To the TEDxYouth@Gadong, keep it up and you can follow them on social media @tedxgadong on instagram or check out their Facebook page. Images courtesy of TEDxGadong.

Some of the youth speakers and the attendees

Networking during the break

Hee Sang Hong’s interesting take on comparison. Nicely presented.

Iskandar, didn’t know you were there too :p

Izzah of Brunei Economic Development Board talking about entrepreneurship

 

Check out our review of The Black Sea starring Rano Iskandar and his co-host Del Goh

 

Pengiran Mohd Nasir Pengiran Anak Ja’afar made our country proud by winning gold in the bronze category of the Competition Showjumping International (CSI) 2-Star International Event in Oliva, Spain

I knew he will make it to the summit one day. With more support and encouragement, Pengiran Mohd Nasir Pengiran Anak Ja’afar will make a name for Brunei over and over again. He bagged a gold medal in the bronze category of the Competition Showjumping International (CSI) 2-Star International Event in Oliva, Spain.

The name of his horse is Rudolf Z and he beat his nearest challenger Christiane Boos of Germany and Stephanie Bichsel of Switzerland.

Of course, the highlight moment was when Brunei’s national anthem was echoed during the prize presentation.

The victory propelled to his argument for being excluded from the ASIAN games 2014 as he is confident that he can compete among the best in Europe and that surely can be a good bench mark to be part of the ASIAN games. Pg Nasir has bigger dreams and he is focusing for the upcoming Olympics 2016. He will need full support from the people and also from the relevant authorities to make his dream possible and make our country proud. Images courtesy of @pg_nasir

Pg Nasir with his horse Rudolf Z

Nice saddle, bro

Pg Nasir being featured in Borneo Bulletin. Click here to read more.

 

Concepts Computer inked deal with Sin Chew Daily where now Acer Iconia One 8 will have a pre-installed Sin Chew Daily app in the tablet

This year, Concepts Computer, have a busy first quarter. Apart from launching new products, they have signed partnership with various stakeholders, recently Mars Enterprise and now Sin Chew Media Corporation Sdn. Yesterday, Concepts Computer and Sin Chew Media Corporation Sdn signed an agreement with Acer for a three-way collaborative where Acer Iconia One 8 will feature a pre-installed app of Sin Chew Daily e-newspaper and only available when you buy at Concepts Computer.

Did you know that the Sin Chew Daily e-newspaper comes in a form of an app for Google Playstore? It costs around BND 60 for a yearly subscription but to those who buy the Acer Iconia 8 will received a pre-installed app which means your first year subscription is waived off once you purchase the particular Acer Iconia 8 from Concepts Computer.

According to Leong Zie Yu, Regional Manager (Northern Sarawak of Sin Chew Daily), this is a great step coming from an 85 year old publication and now focuses its expansion on new media such as browsing news through smartphones and tablets. The best part for those who gets access to Sin Chew Daily newspaper, you will get the news as early as 6am whereas the printed ones are only made available by 10am.

Present during the signing ceremony were Vincent Pao, general manager of Concepts Computer, Azlinah Tuah, Senior Retail Executive for Concepts Computer, Richard Soo, Miri Branch Manager for Acer, Leong Zie Yu, Regional Manager (Northern Sarawak of Sin Chew Daily) and Lau Khong Chiong (Luke), Office-in-charge of Sin Chew Daily Brunei.

Vincent Pao, general manager of Concepts Computer receiving token from Leong Zie Yu, Regional Manager (Northern Sarawak of Sin Chew Daily)

Vincent Pao giving a token of appreciation to Leong Zie Yu

Vincent holding the Acer Iconia One 8 with pre-installed Sin Chew Daily App with Richard Soo, Miri Branch Manager for Acer

Exchange of agreement between Concepts Computer and Sin Chew Daily

 

Have you dine at Deals at Radisson Hotel?

New menu, new taste. Winnie and I had dinner last week at Deals Restaurant. My previous visit was a business lunch meeting. Deals has always been one of those fine dining places where you feel more relaxed as you are not distracted by little things. It has a more intimate setting which allows a more connected conversation among your dinner mates.

I also had the privilege to meet up with Executive Chef Wan E Zazalee of Radisson Hotel and he has been in the country for a year already. Chef Wan shared how he has revamped the menu of Deals. Chef Wan said it was an overhaul of the previous menu and he has incorporated his version and style to give more classy touch while maintaining the high standard of a western cuisine.

Chef Wan shared how difficult it is to source for local products for the new menu. Despite its challenges, he was still able to come up with a comprehensive line up for dishes from appetizer to soup to the main courses and of course, desserts.

Chef Wan hails from Penang but has worked professionally in the global scene and spent most of his time in Europe. He hinted that most of the dishes in Deals have French influence.

I had the dishes recommended by the chef himself and I had the delicious rack of lamb as my main course. Will I drop by Deals Restaurant again? Definitely. Do call 2244272 ext 8832 for reservation.

Tuna Maguro & Scallops, Pomegranate Seed, Yuzu Soy and Raspberry Caviar (appetizer)

Oak Chips Smoked Salmon & Purple Radicchio Log with Salsa Verde (appetizer)

Plum Tomato Cosommé with smoked chicken in a vietnamese parcel

Grilled Blackmore Angus Beef Tenderloin (190 GM)

Grilled Margaret River Rack of Lamb (250 GM)

The revamped menu at Deals

 

Acer Aspire

 Click image to enter website to find out more.

Travel with agoda

  

Click image to enter ICON Design Store

Raihana Hj Ramlee receiving a mock key to her new home from GHK Motors Managing Director Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin yesterday

It was really surreal to be honest. I arrived the event slightly late and I missed the draw for the two cars but managed to catch the main draw where the winner will win a Semi-D house. As I was making my way through the crowd, I bumped into Raihana and asked if she was part of the GHK Mega Draw and she responded yes and I wished her good luck. Who knows after less than five minutes, her name was the last to be called as the top 5 finalists eligible to win a home.

So congratulations too Raihana Hj Ramlee and she said that she will moving to her new Semi-D home at Lumapas. Present to give away the grand prize was GHK Motors Managing Director Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin.

GHK Motors Sdn Bhd ran a Mega-Draw promotion where customers who purchased Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Daihatsu, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge from 1st June 2014 to 31st January 2015 are eligible for the Mega Draw (chance to win a home or a Chevrolet Cruze or a Mitsubishi Mirage).

More than 2,000 family turned up for the draw event and it’s amazing numbers to know that a total of 1,190 were successfully registered.

Also present during the draw were Pg Halaludin Pg Dato Shariffuddin, sales manager of Mitsubishi Division, Director of GHK Motors and Pg Dato Shariffuddin Pg Hj Matali, the Chairman of GHK Motors who presented the prizes of the Mitsubishi Mirage and Chevrolet Cruze respectively to Razami and Md Surdahri Hj Tahamid.

Pehin giving away consolation prizes

Another consolation prize

Group photo with the winners

Such a huge crowd yesterday

The shortlisted finalists yesterday

Razami Hj Sapar @ Hj Safar with his new car Chevrolet Cruze with his trust GHK sales agent Disdy

Surdahri Hj Tahamid with his family and his new car Mitsubishi Mirage

GHK Motors associates who worked hard to make this car company a reputable one

 

The awesome Audi Sedan S3

Oh my… this car is The Beast. Wait until you test drive this car (well, for serious buyers only) and you will know what I mean. I test drove the Audi S3 a few weeks ago and it was during a wet rainy day. No problem at all because the traction of the Audi S3 is superb. Furthermore, Audi S3 is a quattro® which means that it’s an all wheel permanent drive, giving you more control and power while on the wheel.

The Audi S3 Sedan almost tops the scale of superior performance and it is still a very efficient car. So what are the specs? It’s powered by a 2.0 TFSI Engine; it ha a high-performance four cylinder unit combined with cutting edge technology. You will be impressed with the six-speed transmission and guess what? it’s able to hit the 100 km/h mark in just 4.9 seconds. Now that is power.

The acceleration itself is amazing. This really helps if you need to get out of junction or our congested roundabouts and you won’t even have to think twice about making decisions when you exit a junction because the S3 will give you that confidence.

The interior of the Audi S3 gives you that sporty and luxurious feel and you will know what you are paying for. I love the fact that the sound system is powered by B & O (Bang & Olufsen).

The Audi S3 targets a niche set of customers because of its power, class and it’s simply a sexy, beast of a car. You can visit the Audi Showroom at Kiarong and enquire more about the Audi S3. If you have driven an Audi A3, just imagine a super charged A3 with a sporty look.

2015 Audi S3. Check out the review by The Fast Lane Car

Drove this beast and I love it

It was a rainy day and the S3 still have great traction

The interior of S3

Nice workmanship for the seats

 

Dressing up in red attire

The students of ISB Brunei celebrated an important local event recently with plenty of enthusiasm and noise. The proceedings opened with Mr Darren Sibley, Primary Principal, reminding the students of how significant the tradition of celebrating New Year is to our Chinese community.

The children watched a short video on the ‘magic of the New Year celebrations’ and were then entertained by the Year three students performing the song ‘Gong xi fa chi’ and joined in with chorus which their music teacher Mrs Bishop had taught them in preparation. Year 2 then performed a song of their own entitled ‘Celebration’ .

As the younger children got their breath back, it was the turn of the Year 4 dancers to perform ‘The Umbrella Dance’ to the drumming of Jacob Kurian in Year 5 to be followed by a combined Year three, five and six group performance of the New Year Celebration song and dance.

Next it was the turn of the teachers to overcome their inhibitions in a very loud balloon bursting game. These were the ‘fireworks’ provided for this Chinese New Year and the children clearly enjoyed themselves.

Mr Sibley thanked teachers Yang Pen and Siti Maria for all their hard work preparing the event for the school before the children returned to their classes excitedly discussing the events of the morning. It was an excellent opportunity for the children to encounter a community tradition of Brunei as they have learned about the cultures of other peoples and places around the world. Press release by ISB, images courtesy of ISB.

The teachers in charge during the event

 

Mabohai Shopping Complex’s family event – PANDA SUNDA’! on Sunday, 15th February 2015 proved a great hit with families.

The event kicked off with the opening of the Panda themed photo booth with several children being part of the activity. The photo booth is composed of real bamboo plants as a backdrop and several handcrafted pandas with stuffed toy pandas for families to pose with.

In the afternoon, Chef Agus, the new Executive Chef of Misato Teppanyaki Restaurant, and his crew showed their acrobatic food skills preparation on the event stage. They charmed the crowd with their performance involving salt & pepper shakers, eggs and various cooking utensils. A mini sushi making contest was held and 3 lucky children brought home a box of especially prepared Panda shaped sushi each.

The highlight of the day was an action packed twenty minute Wushu Presentation by the athletes of the Brunei Wushu Federation who performed through special permission from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. Eighteen young athletes from age 6 upwards showcased the art, beauty and strength of the sport.

The wushu performance was followed by a special intermission performance by senior students of En Pointe Academy of Dance led by Regina Malabayabas, Director of the Academy.

Global Art were on hand throughout the day giving free origami and craft lessons to children who made panda masks and book marks.

The Management of Mabohai Shopping Complex said:

“ We were delighted with the enthusiastic response from families who came in droves throughout the day to have a family fun day at Mabohai Shopping Complex. We enjoyed watching children interacting with parents while enjoying the different activities lined up for them. We thank the children for bringing their pandas to the complex and sharing their love for these rare animals. Look out for more fun family oriented events held at the Mabohai Shopping Complex from our Facebook, website and Instagram.“

Should you wish to book the Event Stage of the Mabohai Shopping Complex for your events and activities, please call us on 8111623 or 8653762.Or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Images and press release by Mabohai Shopping Complex.

 

In conjunction with the 31st Brunei Darussalam’s National Day, Jerudong Park and Country Club (JPCC) is delighted to offer special deals on entry tickets to Jerudong Park Playground.

Entrance tickets for this promotion will be available at a rate of $31 for a family package for 3 adults and 3 children and a free entrance for children below 2 years old. This promotion is applicable to all visitors, residents and non-residents.

The special deals started off from Wednesday, 11 February until the Sunday on 1 March 2015.

The National Day Specials is aimed to attract more visitors to try out the latest rides and facilities available. By lowering the price of the ticket, more people can enjoy the attraction and spend their time with their family at Jerudong Park Playground.

Special deals until Sunday 1st March 2015

Among the rides available at Jerudong Park Playground are the 25-metre tall Ferris Wheel, Laser Maze, Rollercoasters, 21-hole Mini-golf Course, Merry-Go-Round, Bumper Car and a lot more.

The ticket can be purchased at the ticket counter of Jerudong Park Playground. However, if people do not want to wait in line for long hours, online booking can be use. To booked a ticket online, please log on to http://www.jerudongpark.com.bn.

The Jerudong Park was revamped and was opened last May 2014. More updates and information regarding the parks rides and entry tickets can be found at JPCC’s Instagram and Facebook account, Jerudong Park and Jerudong Park Country Club respectively.

 

Own the Audi A3 Sedan 1.8 TFSI during CNY with the first 5-months at zero cost. Valid until March 2015. To add on that, 60 months or 150,000km warranty. Check them out at T•C•Y Motors (Audi) Showroom at Kiarong.

 

The newly revamped Dining Privilege Card. Read more below on how you can get it.

DPC stands for Dining Privilege Card. The card has been around for many years but the abbreviation DPC has not really caught in the minds of many. It’s such a great privilege (no pun intended) that the DPC is worth to have especially if you are dining at the Royal Brunei Catering outlets. You can patron at Anjung Saujana (Brunei International Airport), Seasons Restaurant, Dynasty, Emperor’s Court and Fish & Co and enjoy discounts or earn points using DPC. This also applies to RBC laundry and dry cleaning services.

Few days ago, the DPC was relaunched and it was launched by Acting General Manager of Royal Brunei Catering Pg Hj Abd Rahman Pg Hj Mat Salleh who has been in charged for the past few weeks. Concurrently, it was also launching of the DPC website which was designed by Syensai Design. You can click here to see what DPC has to offer and it’s a very comprehensive and easy to navigate portal.

The DPC also has a facelift where instead of the classic blue card, it is now the gold coloured card. For existing customers with DPC, you can renew your cards at the five mentioned restaurants. As for new ones, all you have to do is spend $88 at any RBC outlets or you can accumulate your receipts up to $88 and you will be eligible for the DPC.

The event was also to commemorate the local media from TV to radio to newspapers and social media for their continuous support in spreading information on RBC’s promotion. It was nice to acknowledge and receiving certificates of appreciation from RBC.

Thank you once again and we all look forward to cover more of RBC events for the benefits of our readers.

Guest of honour, Acting General Manager of Royal Brunei Catering Pg Hj Abd Rahman Pg Hj Mat Salleh, launching the DPC website

Members of the media

DJ Daffy of Kristal FM receiving certificate of appreciation

Rokiah of Borneo Bulletin receiving certificate of appreciation

A representative from a Chinese print media receiving certificate of appreciation

The management of RBC

With the members of the media

Sofian of Syensai Design winning a voucher from RBC

 

Click image to enter website

One of the most popular models that’s doing well in Maju Motors, the sole distributor for Volkswagen in Brunei, is the Volkswagen Scirocco. The exterior looks sporty with awesome performance. The latest version has narrow headlights and striking air inlet at the front end design. The rear itself is pretty eye catching, sporting a twin exhaust pipe, striking lights and beefy bumpers characterise the rear.

Did you know the Scirocco model has been around for many years? But the makers have taken an evolutionary approach with its style and make it more appealing to the eyes of the younger generation.

You can visit the showroom at Maju Motors or call 265 5111 for inquiries. Or you can visit them at the Love Bug Carnival from 13th to 14th February at Maju Motors. Bring your family for some sweet treats and check out the VW models at their showroom. Do check out their Facebook for updates.

A proud owner of the Volkswagen Scirocco

Another proud owner of the Volkswagen Scirocco, my brother

Happening today and tomorrow

 

Happy birthday Jason

 

Mabohai Shopping Complex successfully kicked off its first car boot sale at their new parking lot located at the complex last Sunday, 8 February 2015. The activity started at 6:00 am and lasted till 12 noon.

This event brought members of the community together as friends and family members helped each other sell pre-loved items. Car boot sale lovers and enthusiasts came as early as 6:00 am to browse for great bargains. Participants sold used and pre-loved toys, books, clothes, magazines, kitchenware, electrical goods and more from their own household. Other items included Gundam action figures, vintage Archie comics, baby strollers and car seats and branded clothes.

Participants came in as early as 5:00 am to set up and the whole car park area was bustling with activity by 6:00 am. This carried on till late morning despite the threat of rain.

To join in the festivities of the car boot sale, Savy’s Brasserie, Mabohai Branch, offered a 10% all day discount to all diners on Sunday, 8th Feb 2015.

The Complex Manager said:

“We are delighted with the outcome of our first car boot sale. The turnout was great from sellers and buyers alike and all the sellers sold most of their wares by the end of the sale. It was a warm community activity which saw friends and families come and help each other set up and sell their pre loved belongings. With the success of this event, the public can look forward to another Car Boot Sale organized in the near future, which will be announced on our website, facebook and IG @mabohaibrunei”.