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In today’s headline in The Brunei Times. Get a copy now!!

The Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) competition for 2014 was launched today at the Dewan Seri Kerna, AITI building in Anggerek Desa. The Guest of Honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications. Yang Mulia Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Sertia Dato Paduka Haji Mohamad Yusof, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Chairman of AITI and Chairman of BICTA Steering Committee accompanied the Minister to the launching ceremony.

The event began with a recital of the Surah Al- Fatihah and Doa Selamat which was read by ….. The ceremony then proceeded with a welcoming speech by Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI and Chairman of BICTA Working Committee. In his speech, Hj Yahkup highlighted that Brunei can have a global marketplace and this year’s theme is “Empowering a Digital Nation”. He is right about one thing – opportunities are aplenty and we do have the expertise. Of course, the aim here is to have a global reach in our capabilities and make that a reality. InsyaAllah.

The Guest of Honor then proceeded to launch BICTA 2014 with the BICTA video which gave the audience a glimpse of the timeline and prizes for BICTA. There were three presentations that were conducted by successful companies who have received grant from AITI. The companies are MeSixty Sdn Bhd, PHMD Publishing Company and Socialbuzz Advertising. These companies presented on how the AITI grant has helped in their operational activities.

BICTA, was initiated by the Ministry of Communications in 2004 with the main objective to stimulate innovation and creativity in local ICT industry amongst individual and organizations including SME and education Institutions. It aims to be the benchmark for local software development through competitions amongst each other and winners will be nominated to represent Brunei Darussalam in the annual Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award held in the regional. This year APICTA will be held in Pakistan..

Interested SMEs, Education Institutions and individuals who are motivated to create and develop the most innovative, intuitive, interactive and creative ICT products and services are welcomed and encouraged to showcase their talents in BICTA and to compete for a chance to win attractive cash prizes. The cash prizes for the top winner in each of the three categories are $10,000 for ICT Industry Project, $7,000 for Tertiary Student Project and $3,000 for School Student Project.

The Minister launching BICTA using Google glass

The Minister and other invited guests from the government and private sector

Chief Executive delivering his welcoming remarks

Aside from the awards for the 3 main categories, there is also the ‘Royal Patron Award’ which will be awarded to the “Best of the Best” product among all the categories, that is, the best amongst the first place winners in all categories. This biennial Royal Patron Award will be handed out by the Crown Prince at the BICTA 2014 Award Ceremony in September. In addition, there are 3 other special recognition awards this year namely ‘Islamic ICT Award’, ‘Community Services Award’ and ‘Young Developers Award’.

The Islamic Award is to encourage local talent to create solutions, applications or software that shares the Islamic knowledge, upgrading the Halal process, increase the Islamic law on business matters or Islamic social life style through ICT usage. Community Services Award is any application software, hardware or its combination to support the community in Brunei Darussalam with the aim to promote the rights and needs of particular groups; or to improve the wellbeing, quality of life and standard of living of the community with the ultimate intent to bridge the digital divide. Young Developers Award is meant for the most innovative ICT software, hardware or integrated solution developed by a participant under the age of 12. Through the Yong Developers Award, AITI hopes to generate the interest and support from the younger generation in ICT.

A series of workshops will be held from April onwards. This will be open to all interested participants of BICTA 2014. All schools and local ICT companies having their own ICT products and services are encouraged to participate. Application form can be obtained online from www.bicta.gov.bn. The deadline for submission online or to AITI’s office is on 11th August 2014.

Image courtesy of AITI

Khairi, one of the recipients from the AITI Grant

Liam of MeSixty, one of the recipients from the AITI Grant

Group photo with the Minister

Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of Total (Brunei), is an avid sailor and he recently competed in a friendly race at the Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 with his associates from Total (Brunei). His team came fourth in the invitational race in the private sector category. It’s all about the experience, the team work and the spirit that the organisation had last Sunday. It was good to see them participating in this prestigious event. Hope to see you guys competing again next year. Images courtesy of Total (Brunei).

Team Total posing for the camera in last Sunday’s Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 at the Royal Wharf

Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of Total (Brunei) and Rasimoon Adinin of Total

Team Total in action

Team Total in action

That’s a cool t-shirt for the event

Total team high in spirit during the race

Today’s the last day to register

Interested to rent a booth? Go to our website www.larianamaltongkatputih.com and you may get your downloadable forms there. Today is the last day of submission, the 5th of March at the 2nd floor, Bahagian keusahawanan & Pekerjaan, bangunan kementerian kebudayaan, belia dan sukan. #Brunei Full payment is needed upon submission and we will issue a receipt. Don’t hesitate to give this number 8659779 a ring.

Blood donation today at The Airport Mall organised by Pizza Hut Brunei starting 2pm later

bruneihalal held a sampling session at Supa save Seria last Saturday, 1st March 2014 from 1 to 6pm and the event was a success as the public had a sampling taste of bruneihalal products. They also had special promotion where customers will be given bruneihalal merchandise when they buy their products last Saturday. For your info, bruneihalal’s locally-manufactured dipping sauces have already been out on shelves in the country. In the near future, bruneihalal will be introducing their frozen range to add to its array of products, which to date include sparkling juices, Dishes of India meal accompaniments, cooking sauces and microwavable rice. Supa save is just one of many major grocer chains in Brunei which carry bruneihalal branded products. You can visit their website at www.-brunei-halal.com or the brand’s official Facebook (Brunei Halal) for a list of supermarkets which retail bruneihalal products.

bruneihalal team recently at Supa Save Seria for their food sampling

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at Prime Minister’s Office and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pg Anak Isteri Pg Anak Sarah and members of the Royal Family with the Chinese Community (Tiong Hwa) at the ICC yesterday. Click image to enlarge. Image courtesy of Vincent Hong.

This is another get together event with His Majesty and the members of the Royal Family where members of the Chinese community hosted the annual Lunar New Year celebrations at the International Convention Centre.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at Prime Minister’s Office and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pg Anak Isteri Pg Anak Sarah attended the Chinese New Year event.

Their Majesties were feted with ancient and modern performances and there was also an exhibition to showcase the traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies. This annual event started back in 2006 and it’s under the flagship of the Tiong Hwa community that is funded by 51 associations.

I missed the earlier performances as I was catching up the first half of the Oscars and of course, I wanted to see my friend Hui Chiet in the traditional Chinese wedding gown 😀

Did you catch the Oscars?

My predictions were 70/30 for the Oscars. Though 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture, it was Alfonso Cuáron’s Gravity that grabbed most of the awards (7 out of 9 awards). 12 Years A Slave had three Oscars – Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Gravity picked Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. Yes, Gravity does deserved all these accolades and my prediction for the Best Picture were between both 12 Years A Slave and Gravity. I recently purchased Gravity on 3D Blu-Ray and even cinemas in Singapore have re-released the movies on IMAX 3D for Gravity. It was my 2nd top movie of 2014 and it has a high replay value. Well done, Alfonso, and I also love your work on Children of Men. Epic!!!

For your info, Brad Pitt is one of the producers for 12 Years A Slave. Awesome!! It’s another big win for Steve McQueen (director and producer) after winning the Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Drama and BAFTA’s Best Film. So it’s no surprise that a movie about slavery will pick top honours. I have watch this movie as well and it was a pretty disturbing experience but a powerful one. It’s one of those movies that I will watch once and let it be a memory. It’s unfortunate that the movie won’t be making it Brunei screens but you can probably get hold of it on DVD or Blu-ray.

Perhaps the biggest losers are American Hustle as they were nominated in 10 categories but went home with none. David O. Russell, the director of American Hustle, has claimed zero awards in the five nominations he had in the past five years. He lost out in Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter and now American Hustle. The other nominations he had was for Adapted Screenplay for American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Oh well, Russell, but a consolation perhaps is that both Gangs of New York (2002) and True Grit (2010) had 10 Oscars nomination and won none.

I was hoping for Leonardo to bag the Best Actor award but he missed out yet again. He was nominated for Best Actor in The Aviator (2005), Blood Diamond (2007) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1994) as Best Supporting Actor. In the end, he lost out to first time Oscar nominee, Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club which I have yet to catch.

Overall, I enjoyed the Oscars hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and perhaps the biggest news of the Oscars for Ellen was the retweets that she had that had at least 2 million tweets alone and crashed Twitter for a moment. Mmmm it seems people are still used to the word “selfie” while “usie” hasn’t really picked up. For your info, “usie” is a group version for selfie.

Do check out The Popcorn Panel for our thoughts on the Oscars. Till then, enjoy the week 😀

The Winners Lists.

Best Picture • 12 Years a Slave
Best Actor in a Leading Role • Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Leading Role • Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role • Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role • Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave)
Best Animated Feature • Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho)
Best Cinematography • Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Best Costume Design • The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin)
Best Directing • Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
Best Documentary Feature • 20 Feet from Stardom (Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers)
Best Documentary Short • The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life (Malcolm Clarke, Nicholas Reed)
Best Film Editing • Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)
Best Foreign Language Film • The Great Beauty (Italy)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling • Dallas Buyers Club (Adruitha Lee, Robin Mathews)
Best Original Score • Gravity (Steven Price)
Best Original Song • Let It Go – Frozen
Best Production Design •The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn)
Best Animated Short Film • Mr. Hublot (Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares)
Best Live Action Short Film • Helium (Anders Walter, Kim Magnusson)
Best Sound Editing • Gravity (Glenn Freemantle)
Best Sound Mixing • Gravity (Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead, Chris Munro)
Best Visual Effects • Gravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)
Best Adapted Screenplay• 12 Years a Slave (John Ridley)
Best Original Screenplay • Her (Spike Jonze)

The producers of 12 Years A Slave with their Oscars for Best Picture

The guys behind Frozen for winning Best Animated Feature. Awesome!!

The Best Actor, The Best Actress, The Best Supporting Actress and The Best Supporting Actor 😀

Alfonso Cuarón with his Oscar for Best Direction in Gravity 😀

12 Years A Slave – one of the most engrossing movies yet disturbing at the same time. Verdict: 8.5

I enjoyed American Hustle and it’s sad that David O.Russell’s movie failed to pick an award despite the 10 nominations.

I was rooting for Leonardo DiCaprio to win the Best Actor for his portrayal in The Wolf of Wall Street

The most retweeted picture in history shot by Samsung Note 3 of Ellen’s phone but at back stage, she switched back to your iPhone. Sneaky!!!

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan smiles as he leads the Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 committee team

The Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 was another spectacular event and give it another 2 to 3 more years before it will be one of the most sought events in the Brunei calendar. I only turned up in the afternoon and it was scorching hotttt…… I have lots of appreciation for those who take part in this event because it’s not easy to be under the hot weather for many hours.

One of the races that I missed was the private sector race which was won by BIBD “A”, followed by BIBD “B” and third place went to Royal Brunei Airlines. Total (Brunei) and TAIB finished 4th and 5th respectively. There were more races in the morning that I missed out. There was even a crash in the powerboat category when one of the powerboats struck a wood according to a source.

For your info, The Regatta Brunei Darussalam was initiated by Al-Marhum Sultan Hj Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien and now the event has been revived by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan. The prestigious event took part at the Royal Wharf.

Perhaps the highlight of Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 is the race which His Majesty and the Crown Prince participated in yesterday. His Majesty led the Regatta Brunei Darussalam Committee Team A and finished first place. His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office led the Committee Team B and finished second place. Third place went to the “Titled Persons”, a team led by chief of Adat Istiadat Negara Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Abdul Aziz Pengiran Jaya Negara Pengiran Abu Bakar.

I don’t have the result of the race but will post some later this afternoon. For now, just enjoy the pictures I took. I shall be posting more pictures from other sources too as I wasn’t there for the whole event. Thank you Hui Chiet and Lois for the company and I hope you enjoyed the boat experience under the hot sun 😀

This is the second Registry of Marriage (ROM) that I attended and I would like to wish my close friend Hui Chiet on her new milestone as she signed her vows to be legally married to Ivan. All the best guys and thank you so much for the invitation to witness your special event. Enjoy the new journey ahead.

Ivan and Hui Chiet Chu at the ROM at the Supreme Court last weekend

Two out of two. DPMM FC have definitely improved from their previous season in terms of results in having consecutive victories though it’s still early days. Steve Kean’s influence on DPMM FC is gradually showing dividends. Last night, DPMM FC scored a deserved victory against Warriors FC 2-0 after a much improvement display in the second half. Tosi Rodrigo and Rosmin Kamis (Bobby) scored the goals while new signing Roy O’Donovan was denying two scoring opportunities, one being ruled offside.

It was also DPMM FC’s first home game in the S•League but a forgettable first half performance. The home side lacked the final third in attack and played “too direct” football with long predicted passes which the visitors had less trouble to deal with. Ironically the best chance went to the Warriors as striker Nicholas Velez’s unmarked header went straight to Wardun Yussof in a point blank save. Both Miroslavic Pejic and Velez were a constant threat but both central defenders, Shahrul and Boris Raspudic, were excellent in defence, tackling with precision, blocking scoring opportunities and dominating in the air.

The second half was a much different affair. DPMM FC looked hungrier than the two and it was no surprise the home team scored the opening goal through Tosi in the 49th minute. He benefited from a deflection as his shot dipped in, catching the Warriors keeper off guard.

After the goal, DPMM FC piled in more pressure. Subhi Abdillah, Joe Gamble and Roberto Alviz were combining well at the right hand side and most of the attacks came from that area. DPMM FC’s marquee signing player Roy O’Donovan was preferred to their regular scorer Shahrazen Said and he had two scoring opportunities. One was ruled offside which the linesman didn’t give the benefit of the doubt as it looked onside by the spectator’s angle. The other was a penalty claim where O’Donovan was allegedly foul by Warriors Shi Jiayi in the box but the appeal fell on deaf ears.

“Bobby” and Boris could have extended the lead. In the 62nd minute, Captain “Bobby” volleyed a perfect cross from Subhi but his effort went wide. The Croatian defender headed a Bobby corner just above the bar in the 75th minute. Just before added time, “Bobby” scored a late cushion goal as he shot his own rebound effort off the post to the relief of the DPMM FC fans.

Boris Raspudic of DPMM FC was dominant at the back and Steve Kean chose him as his Man of the Match for last night’s 2-0 win over Warriors FC

The win put Brunei DPMM FC on the summit of the S•League table after two games. They are the only team with a 100% record and yet to concede a goal. The other team also in contention is Tampines Rovers FC who will play their second game tonight against Courts Young Lions.

DPMM FC’s Steve Kean spoke to the media after the match and he highlighted about the issue of “trust” within his team. “At half-time, I told them they had to trust each other a little more with the ball. Courage doesn’t always mean headers or tackles, it is also passing the ball to your team mate and trusting him,” said Kean.

“In the heat of the game they were just hitting the ball up the pitch – and that’s not something we do during training,” added Kean.

When asked about the rotation of the roster, Kean said that there will be times the players won’t be having a good game or they might get tired and the bench will get more opportunities. The players still need to get to know each other on the pitch and there is no other way to get to know each other other than playing minutes. “I’m still sticking to this team for now,” said Kean, “But doesn’t mean that I won’t change anyone at all and we have exceptional back up, a very strong bench.”

Prolific striker Shahrazen Said has yet to earn any minutes in playing time for DPMM FC. Fans are hoping to see him in action in future matches.

DPMM FC next match will be against Home United FC at Jalan Besar Stadium on 13th March 2014. I won’t be surprise to see a lot of Brunei supporters there since it’s the school holidays. The next home game for DPMM FC will be on the 23rd March against Tampines Rovers which will be another tough game as they are the defending champions of the S•League.

For now, DPMM FC’s confidence in the dressing room is high after grabbing two wins out of two and setting the pace in the new season of the S•League.

This is a great moment shot after Bobby scored the second goal in the dying minutes to make it 2-0. Image courtesy of S•League website.

DPMM FC vs Warriors FC last night

Subhi defending against the Warriors

Shahrul was dominant in defence

The ball boy had to rearrange the billboard

Fans of DPMM FC last night

Sairol being consoled by Pejic of Warriors after the challenge

The challenge

A foul wasn’t given but a corner kick instead

Before the match at the dressing room

Roy Donovan played better in this match and unlucky not to have scored on two occasions

Steve Kean shared that “trust” was missing from the first half and it was a turn around after the second half

 

Modern Family Season 5

 

Radisson Art Showcase until Saturday 28th September

 

Fana devouring the new Samurai burger

The wait is over. Now McDonald’s is serving the much awaited Samurai Burger. It blends well with Sakura McFizz (me likes) and they also have a new special sauce from McDonald’s.

Dk Kemariah Pg Hj Duraman, General Manager of McDonald’s (Brunei) was pretty excited that Samurai burger promotion is in town as this will give more variety for patrons in terms of offerings. For you info, Samurai Burger is made of 100 percent quarter pound beef, grilled to perfection with teriyaki sauce. There is also a special sauce in the burger which gives a distinctive taste.

The Samurai Burger and Sakura McFizz will only be at McDonald’s for a limited time only. You can even have a double dosage of the Samurai Burger (Double Samurai Burger).

The Samurai Burger is sold at $6.50 ala carte and the medium McValue Meal costs $7.60. The double Samurai Burger is $8.20 alone and for the medium McValue Meal, it only costs $10.60 for a limited time only.

The double Samurai Burger

Samurai Burger McValue Meal

The local media enjoying their dosage of Samurai burger

This special sauce is yummy..

Bomi Oh of Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant with the staff

Have you tried the newly open Korean food joint in Brunei? If you want the best authentic home cook Korean food, you should try Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant. I’m pretty you must have heard of the restaurant previously but now they have relocated at Batu Bersurat.

The pictures below are one of my few visits recently because they just introduced new dishes in their menu and the dishes were great too. Of course, customers are always targeting their famous Yam Yam fried chicken which comes in three flavor (normal, yang-neon and ganging). This can really give a run to most of the fast food outlets out there.

Perhaps one of the best part of this restaurant is the Shik hae (Korean rice drink) which is a home-made drink. It has a sweet distinctive taste and also made from Korean made rice. Well, if you tasted a barley drink, this is somehow much more defined and tastier than barley. I wouldn’t mind ordering two of this on my visit. Oh yeah, did you know this drink takes a few hours to prepare alone? Hence the quality is there and it is also their signature drink.

They have new dishes such as the Gomtang (Thick Beef Soup), So bulgogi jeongol (stew), Chicken Katsu, Sarang udong, Ohingeo soondae (steam squid), Bing-eo tikim (fried pond smelt), Godeungeo dupbap (marinated mackerel with rice in hot stone pot), Mandu Guk (dumpling soup) and many more. Personally I like the Mandu Guk and the Godeungeo dupbap..yummmm!!!!

All I can say that you will be very full and satisfied after having your meal there. You will definitely get your value for money here and the portions are quite reasonable as well. It can get pretty crowded during lunch and dinner sometimes so it’s better to get your reservations too. I shall be posting more pictures of the other dishes in a week or two. For now, enjoy the pictures that I’ve posted.

Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant is located at Batu Bersurat, next to Kang Comfortzone. The Korean restaurant was opened last April 2013 and it’s located at Block J, Unit 6. For reservations, you can call 860 7830.

Shik hae (Korean rice drink) which is a home-made drink and I highly recommend you this drink

Winnie loves the drink too

The appetizers to start with..

One of their famous dishes (rice noodle) has new flavours to it now and it’s spicier than before

I kind love this dish.. Godeungeo dupbap (marinated mackerel with rice in hot stone pot) served with vegetables and Sarang dupbap sauce. Did you know that Mackerel contains high Omega 3 and Vitamin B more than salmon? Interesting

Their trademark Yam Yam Fried Chicken. This isn’t new in the menu but their best selling dishes in the restaurant

Ohingeo soondae (steam squid). It has some stuffing inside the squid too.

Mandu Guk (dumpling soup). Korean traditional style dumpling soup with vegetables and Mandu. This is pretty good stuff!!

Winnie my lunch partner

Bing-eo tikim (fried pond smelt) which is a fried pond smelt, a famous dish during the winter season in Korea. Rich in amino acid and calcium.

Bomi Oh and Mr. Oh of Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant

 

New stock of iPhone 5s coming later this afternoon – 16G, 32G and 64G at Lara Corp. Price won’t be as stated on apple.com.sg (which is only available by October 2013) but these models are in stock and prices are relatively reasonable. So drop by Lara Corp at Airport Mall

Click image to enter Concepts Computer Facebook page for updates!

 

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

 Click image to enter website.

 

Click image to enter facebook page

 

Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website

Bomi Oh of Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant with the staff

Have you tried the newly open Korean food joint in Brunei? If you want the best authentic home cook Korean food, you should try Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant. I’m pretty you must have heard of the restaurant previously but now they have relocated at Batu Bersurat.

The pictures below are one of my few visits recently because they just introduced new dishes in their menu and the dishes were great too. Of course, customers are always targeting their famous Yam Yam fried chicken which comes in three flavor (normal, yang-neon and ganging). This can really give a run to most of the fast food outlets out there.

Perhaps one of the best part of this restaurant is the Shik hae (Korean rice drink) which is a home-made drink. It has a sweet distinctive taste and also made from Korean made rice. Well, if you tasted a barley drink, this is somehow much more defined and tastier than barley. I wouldn’t mind ordering two of this on my visit. Oh yeah, did you know this drink takes a few hours to prepare alone? Hence the quality is there and it is also their signature drink.

They have new dishes such as the Gomtang (Thick Beef Soup), So bulgogi jeongol (stew), Chicken Katsu, Sarang udong, Ohingeo soondae (steam squid), Bing-eo tikim (fried pond smelt), Godeungeo dupbap (marinated mackerel with rice in hot stone pot), Mandu Guk (dumpling soup) and many more. Personally I like the Mandu Guk and the Godeungeo dupbap..yummmm!!!!

All I can say that you will be very full and satisfied after having your meal there. You will definitely get your value for money here and the portions are quite reasonable as well. It can get pretty crowded during lunch and dinner sometimes so it’s better to get your reservations too. I shall be posting more pictures of the other dishes in a week or two. For now, enjoy the pictures that I’ve posted.

Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant is located at Batu Bersurat, next to Kang Comfortzone. The Korean restaurant was opened last April 2013 and it’s located at Block J, Unit 6. For reservations, you can call 860 7830.

Shik hae (Korean rice drink) which is a home-made drink and I highly recommend you this drink

Winnie loves the drink too

The appetizers to start with..

One of their famous dishes (rice noodle) has new flavours to it now and it’s spicier than before

I kind love this dish.. Godeungeo dupbap (marinated mackerel with rice in hot stone pot) served with vegetables and Sarang dupbap sauce. Did you know that Mackerel contains high Omega 3 and Vitamin B more than salmon? Interesting

Their trademark Yam Yam Fried Chicken. This isn’t new in the menu but their best selling dishes in the restaurant

Ohingeo soondae (steam squid). It has some stuffing inside the squid too.

Mandu Guk (dumpling soup). Korean traditional style dumpling soup with vegetables and Mandu. This is pretty good stuff!!

Winnie my lunch partner

Bing-eo tikim (fried pond smelt) which is a fried pond smelt, a famous dish during the winter season in Korea. Rich in amino acid and calcium.

Bomi Oh and Mr. Oh of Yam Yam Sarang Korean Restaurant

 

New stock of iPhone 5s coming later this afternoon – 16G, 32G and 64G at Lara Corp. Price won’t be as stated on apple.com.sg (which is only available by October 2013) but these models are in stock and prices are relatively reasonable. So drop by Lara Corp at Airport Mall

 

Fana devouring the new Samurai burger

The wait is over. Now McDonald’s is serving the much awaited Samurai Burger. It blends well with Sakura McFizz (me likes) and they also have a new special sauce from McDonald’s.

Dk Kemariah Pg Hj Duraman, General Manager of McDonald’s (Brunei) was pretty excited that Samurai burger promotion is in town as this will give more variety for patrons in terms of offerings. For you info, Samurai Burger is made of 100 percent quarter pound beef, grilled to perfection with teriyaki sauce. There is also a special sauce in the burger which gives a distinctive taste.

The Samurai Burger and Sakura McFizz will only be at McDonald’s for a limited time only. You can even have a double dosage of the Samurai Burger (Double Samurai Burger).

The Samurai Burger is sold at $6.50 ala carte and the medium McValue Meal costs $7.60. The double Samurai Burger is $8.20 alone and for the medium McValue Meal, it only costs $10.60 for a limited time only.

The double Samurai Burger

Samurai Burger McValue Meal

The local media enjoying their dosage of Samurai burger

This special sauce is yummy..

 

Modern Family Season 5

 

Radisson Art Showcase until Saturday 28th September<

 

Click image to enter Concepts Computer Facebook page for updates!

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

 Click image to enter website.

 

Click image to enter facebook page

 

Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter website

His Majesty the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel during the tour of MISC briefed by Pengiran Mohd Suffian, Acting MiSC Manager

The Media and In-Service Centre (MiSC), a key building block of the Ministry of Education’s e-Hijrah initiative to be officially launched later this year, was presented at ICC during the Majlis Sambutan Hari Guru Kali KE-23 Tahun 2013.  The interactive presentation allowed teachers to preview the vision of how MiSC will support educators in nurturing Bruneian students to meet the challenges of economic and social development in a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world.

The vision of MiSC is to be a world-class digital learning hub for the Ministry of Education that brings together the wonders of digital technology with traditional Bruneian values under MIB. MiSC will develop a range of digital learning resources for children that are of high quality and designed to capture their interest while improving learning outcomes.  The Centre will also carry out extensive programmes of teacher training to ensure that teachers can use these digital resources properly with their students.

The state-of-the-art centre is designed to help meet the goals of Wawasan 2035 and accelerate the changes in the education system that were initiated under SPN21.  A key critical goal of MiSC is to provide culturally appropriate digital learning resources that ensure effective learning outcomes to meet the nation’s social and economic needs.   

Young people across the world are using digital media and the internet in all aspects of their personal lives.  As recently highlighted by His Majesty, this can have both negative and positive influences and impacts.  MiSC is a pro-active step being taken by the Ministry of Education to harness the positive potential of digital learning through the use of materials designed on the basis of Bruneian culture and values. 

MiSC will also include a teacher in-service collaboration and training facility that will assist teachers in learning techniques for the effective use of these digital learning resources.  This in-service facility utilizes an approach that is designed to provoke discussion, feedback loops and research & development which will help to ensure teachers receive opportunities for professional learning programmes that meet their individual needs.

Acting MiSC Manager, Pengiran Mohd Suffian bin Pengiran Hj Mohd Said acknowledges that “students seem to have a natural inclination for anything digital, especially devices and gadgets.  This provides us educators with both challenges and new opportunities to develop effective student outcomes utilizing content that we design and develop on the basis of our values.” MiSC will play a critical role in supporting teachers through the difficult process of change and adapting to new ways of teaching. Press release courtesy of MiSC.

His Majesty the Sultan mingling with the students playing with IT educational tools

Students conversing with His Majesty

HRH Prince Jefri Bolkiah touring around the MiSC booth

His Majesty signing with a stylus on the tablet

Students were in awe while conversing with His Majesty

His Majesty viewing new educational facilities that will be in placed in the future

How Sekolah Menengah Rimba II will look like by December 2013

 

‘flick!’ is an Instagram Contest in conjunction with the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship. Fencing is one of the oldest Olympic sports and is also known as the physical chess. We often associate what we see in the movies to the modern sport, movies such as Princess Bride, Zorro, Puss In Boots and obviously the Three Musketeers; also we stereotype the sport, assuming it is a sport for only the elites.

‘flick!’ derived from a fencing move and also carry hints of photography, the contest name was picked by a group of local creative individuals.

The contest aims to bring fencing to the public and demonstrate the true beauty of this fast-pace and exciting modern combat sport. Public are invited to come to the venue, watch the competition, learn more about the sport and take part in ‘flick!’.

The prizes for the contest are provided by Athos Fencing, 365estore and KFC Brunei.

Please take note of the following rules:

  1.    The opening date of the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship – flick! Instagram Contest is on 28th Sep 2013 and the closing date will be on 29th Sep 2013, midnight.

  2.    This contest is open to all residing in Brunei Darussalam. Participations have to ensure their Instagram profiles are not set to private.

  3.    Participants can submit as many photos as they wish to and include both hashtags #athosfencing and #hyundaibrunei. Fencers registered with the Brunei Darussalam Fencing Federation are automatically disqualified.

  4.    Prizes to be awarded include
  • Grand Prize – Galaxy Camera x 1
  • Second Prize – Nokia Mobile Phone x 1
  • Third Prize – Portable HDD x 1
  • Fourth Prize – 3G USB modem x 1
  • Consolation Prizes – Basic OhMyCard! x 5
  • Participation Prizes – KFC Meal Vouchers x 4

And they must attend the prize-giving event on Sunday, 5th Oct 2013 at Athos Fencing Studio at 2pm.
   
  5.    The images shall be shared on Athos Fencing’s facebook page and winners announced via Athos Fencing’s facebook page.
 
   6.    Images must be taken between 28th and 29th Sep 2013 at the contest venue (Bola Bola Indoor Futsal Court, Times Square). The subject must be fencing related. Instagram Video entries are allowed.
   
  7.    Images/Videos must NOT express any forms of profanity, sexual and/or racist elements. Image/Videos must NOT incite religious hatred and/or phrases that may be deemed inappropriate to other races.
 
   8.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing reserve the right to reuse any photos that are submitted to the official hash tags of the Instagram Contest.
 
   9.    Upon submission, the owner of the photo will no longer have rights to use the photos upon submission and after the contest for personal or professional use, giving Setia Motors and Athos Fencing sole rights of the photographs in an unrestricted, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty- free license to use, reproduce, display, publicly perform, transmit and distribute such photographs.
 
   10.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. Decisions made by the judges are final and no forms of communications will be entertained at any time.
   

 

Bigger is better! KFC Brunei would like to offer their valued customers a big eat meal today! KFC Brunei is launching the New HotBox with their four KFC signature burgers for the young and surfing generation. This New HotBox includes the new addition of a scrumptious crispy hash brown and creamy jalapeno cheese sauce.

The KFC New HotBox features four of the favourite KFC signature burgers, namely, Colonel Burger, Colonel Fish Burger, Zinger Burger and Cheezy Zinger Burger. The New HotBox comes with a piece of succulent chicken, the crispy hash brown to scoop up the delicious creamy jalapeno cheese sauce and a regular carbonated drink as part of the combo. Customers can choose between the Colonel Burger HotBox (BND$6.50), the Colonel Fish Burger HotBox (BND$7.50), the Zinger Burger HotBox(BND$8.50), and the Cheezy Zinger Burger HotBox (BND$9.50).

The New HotBox is now available at all outlets in Brunei. Get them today and do not miss out!.

KFC HotBox

 

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (L), presenting an award to Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abd Rahman Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib, during the 23rd Teachers’ Day 2013 celebration at the International Convention Centre in Berakas. Image taken by Saiful Omar of The Brunei Times.

More than 1,000 teachers packed the International Convention Centre yesterday to celebrate Brunei’s 23rd Teachers’ Day with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam as the special guest.

The monarch was on hand to present special awards to 11 teachers, including former minister of education Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdul Rahman Dato Setia Hj Mohamed Taib, who received the prestigious Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) Education Award.

Pehin Dato Hj Rahman began his career as a teacher at SOAS College in the 1960s, and after holding a series of cabinet positions in the ’80s and ’90s, went on to lead the education ministry from 2005 to 2010.

Recipients of the SOAS Education Award receive $20,000 as well as a lifetime of free medical treatment in a first-class ward at any government hospital.

His Majesty the Sultan with the Royal Family at yesterday’s Teacher’s Day

His Majesty the Sultan with the students from the Robotics Olympiad competition using Lego Mindstorms

His Majesty looking at the demo on Lego Mindstorms arranged by the students

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam said yesterday the government will continue to invest in teacher education, stressing that an education system is only as good as the quality of its teachers.

Speaking to over 1,000 educators at Brunei’s annual Teachers’ Day celebrations, the monarch the importance of cultivating a reading culture and a thirst for knowledge.

“Educators are the key to success of Brunei Vision 2035… There’s no doubt that teachers play a big role in producing a highly skilled and knowledgeable population,” he said in a titah at the International Convention Centre.

“Teachers have a major role in producing an excellent education system. In this regard, my government will remain committed to a large investment to develop the professionalism of teachers in the country.” Source: Quratul-Ain Bandial of The Brunei Times.

Click image to enter Concepts Computer Facebook page for updates!

 

Clearance stock at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

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Get your tickets now and catch them live on stage

A theatrical adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will be staged on September 27 at The Empire Hotel & Country Club Theatre and at Jerudong Park Amphitheatre on September 28. The play will showcase young talents from Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan College (Maktab Sains) and Berakas Secondary School.

A total of 28 students will be bringing Jane Austen’s beloved story to life, with 21 of them in the main cast and the remaining seven as supporting cast.

Out of the 28, one student is from Berakas Secondary School and the rest are from Maktab Sains. The cast were chosen during auditions organised by Maktab Sains.

“Pride and Prejudice” revolves around the trials and tribulations of the two main characters, Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, and is set in the19th century.

Organisers for the play held a press conference yesterday, including Maktab Sains Principal Dk Sarimah Pg Hj Ahmad, in her capacity as the chairperson; Ministry of Education (MoE) Department of Schools Special Duties Officer Cheong Huat Joo; Politeknik Brunei Director Dennis Ho Mun Tai; Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) Head of Sales and Business Development Department Dk Rose Pg Hitam; and Pride and Prejudice Secretariat Dr Malai Zeiti Sheikh Abd Hamid.

Sponsors such as The British High Commission, Easy Way, Fitness Zone, Asia Printers, The Face Shop, AL Hairstylist Group, Cafe Au Lait, Wisa Enterprise, and Showcase Advertising were also present.

The tickets for the show at Jerudong Park Amphitheater are currently on sale for $15 and $30, and can be purchased at Fitness Zone, Showcase Advertising and Cafe Au Lait.

The tickets for the show at The Empire Hotel & Country Club Theatre can also be bought from these sponsors at $40 each.

The speakers stated their hopes that the show will contribute to the growth of the creative industry in the Sultanate. You can check out their details on their website and also their promotional video. Source: Ammirul Adnan of The Brunei Times.

Maktab Sains Principal Dk Sarimah Pg Hj Ahmad was so excited about the play and encouraged the public to watch our local talents on stage

Pride and Prejudice Secretariat Dr Malai Zeiti Sheikh Abd Hamid has been working in coordinating and preparing the spectacle this weekend

Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) Head of Sales and Business Development Department Dk Rose Pg Hitam hopes there will be more events happening at the said venue and she’s more than happy to help bring more local presence at the venue. Last Sunday was the WCOPA 2013 concert.

The FaceShop has been very busy with recent projects and it’s no surprise that they are willing to be involved in this project for the students. Kudos!

The sponsors and media during the press conference

Politeknik Brunei Director Dennis Ho Mun Tai was more than happy to support Maktab Sains in this project and he hopes for more collaboration especially in the creative industries

A huge support from Asia Printers for the said event

Group photo after the press conference

Some of the costumes that will be used during the play this weekend

The main casts for Pride and Prejudice

There were on Kristal FM a few months back to promote the event

Behind the scenes. Good luck to all those involved.

 

Yang Mulia Dato Seri Setia Haji Yusoff Bin Haji Ismail who officiated the cutting of the ribbon for the 2nd floor of LCB last week

Last week, Laksamana College of Business (LCB) launched its Second Floor at the college premises. The second floor signifies an expansion of the college, adding to its already existing Third Floor, and two Rooftop Floors.

Established in 2003, LCB started off with 25 local students with lesser course options. Now turns years after, LCB has over 850 existing full-time and part-time, local and international students. With the growing number of students, it is no surprise that LCB provides a wider range of courses and LCB has added its Hospitality Program due to its growing demand.

Present as guest of honour was the Deputy Minister of Education, Yang Mulia Dato Seri Setia Haji Yusoff Bin Haji Ismail who officiated the cutting of the ribbon for the 2nd floor of LCB.

Also in attendance during the launch were the Permanent Secretaries of MOE, the Deputy Permanent Secretaries of MOE, Director of LCB, Awang Haji Suhaimei Bin Awang Haji Besar, Principal and Director of LCB, Mr Ian Pirie, Ministry of Education Officers, other invited guests, lecturers and staff of LCB.

One of the programs that LCB offers is the Academic Pathway where students can take the University Foundation Course (UFC) and BA Common Year 1 over the duration of two years in Brunei and continue for two years in the UK. This pathway allows them to complete a degree in Business Studies, Marketing, Business Information Management and Accounting and Finance.

  Students can also opt for the Professional Pathway instead and take the Kensington College of Business Diplomas in Business Studies whereby a qualification is awarded at each stage of the course. LCB has also ventured into corporate training, specifically focusing on IT professional certifications since 2008 and launched the BTEC Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma Computing programs in 2010.

Just last year, LCB started offering BTEC EDEXCEL courses for National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Business and also launched a Hospitality Program for National Diploma and Higher National Diploma courses. Upon completion of the Hospitality Program courses, students can choose to further their studies at the Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, whereby LCB has links with. The Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland is among the top three hospitality management schools in the world.

Siva Sivarajah, COO of LCB explaining the new facilities to the guest of honour at LCB

Students taking a small “smile” break during the impromptu visits

I saw my cousin there :p

New cafeteria managed by Axtivo Cafe management

Group photo with representatives of Beach Bunch and volunteers at Tungku Beach last Sunday morning

Now that’s a lot of rubbish if you ask me. This was another great initiative by the Beach Bunch and the event was carried out at six different beaches in Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Kuala Belait. A total of 580 volunteers showed up and a total of 1,722kg of rubbish was collected.

According to Beach Bunch, every September, more than half a million volunteers worldwide participate in this activity to create more awareness on our oceans as the beach clean up activity was in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup.

Maktab Sains, Politeknik Brunei, Petroleum Brunei, Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), Jerudong International School (JIS), International School Brunei (ISB), Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Pusat Tingkatan Enam Tutong, Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB), Sufri Bolkiah Secondary School, Roomz Hotel, Swiss Hotel, and Advance Diploma Well Engineering were involved as volunteers last Sunday.

The data collected of the rubbish will be shared with Ocean Conservancy. I believe that some of the rubbish from the beaches came from different sources. Don’t be surprised if the rubbish that appeared at the Tungku beach or Meragang beach actually came from the Kg Ayer river.

People may think it’s not a serious matter to pollute or simply throw rubbish to our Brunei water. The implications are damaging and it will be in a long run. So it’s good to see Beach Bunch continuously carrying out these initiatives and keep reminding the public on the cleanliness of our beaches and oceans.

All the pictures here were taken at Tungku Beach.

 

Christian Dior has inspired the inimitable look of the most elegant women in the world since 1947. Dior is the epitome of elegance and style, breathtakingly modern yet timeless, inimitable yet always avant-garde.

Dior is the magic of a creative genius who sought always to glorify female beauty, dreaming only of “making women happier and more beautiful.” But the conjurer who forged a planetary style and in- vented today’s notion of luxury had to nurture this ability by absorbing the most innovative cultural and artistic influences of his time. 

Our very own local celebrity Wu Chun was invited as the Celebrity Guest for the Opening Ceremony of the ‘1st in the world’ Christian Dior Boutique dedicated to perfume and beauty which is located at the Shanghai International Financial Centre shopping mall recently.  Another celebrity guest that was invited during the event was Louise Bourgoin, a French actress, Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress, a rising movie star in France. 

Christian Dior has appointed Wu Chun as their activity’s spokesperson a number of times in these past years. Wu Chun added, ” Being an old friend of Christian Dior, I slowly get to understand Dior’s behind-the-scene story, culture and the ‘Pursuing Greatness’ spirit that makes them so successful. I really cherished this opportunity to work so closely with them all these years and its such a pleasure to receive a Christian Dior’s Perfume with my autograph engraved onto it.”

Wu Chun with Louise Bourgoin, a rising French actor at the opening ceremony of Christian Dior Boutique at Shanghai International Financial Centre Shopping Mall recently

Also presence is the Christian Dior Global CEO, Claude Martinez and Christian Dior China Managing Director, Richard Xu.

According to Claude Martinez, China holds a dominant position not only because China is such an immense country, but because the future is being played out here. China is changing all the time, just like the House of Dior, which has never stopped reinventing itself and perpetuating the heritage of the New Look revolution of 1947. In an international context, China is perhaps the most stimulating and the most visionary country.

From 1947, the most beautiful women in the world, ranging from actresses to royalty, flocked to Paris to be dressed in the outrageously poetic new Dior chic. Christian Dior’s only concern was to enhance their beauty, sculpt their silhouette and make them ever more radiant. The greatest stars of Hollywood’s golden age — Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth — knew better than any that the empathic couturier could help shape their destiny and fulfil their dreams of splendour.

The House of Dior’s intimate relationship with these ambassadresses of elegance has never waned, from Sophia Loren to Brigitte Bardot, Grace Kelly and Lady Diana. But the list of radiant muses goes on: today’s most talented stars — Charlize Theron, Marion Cotillard, Natalie Portman, Mélanie Laurent, Jennifer Lawrence — are now gracing the Dior firmament with their timeless aura.

Wu Chun shared further, “I have such a tight schedule for remaining months of this year. There are 2 films which I am working on right now, one will be shot in Inner Mongolia, China and the other film will be shot in Japan. By early october, I will go to taiwan for the release of my new book. It can go really stressful and tiring at times but at the end of the day, I know it will be an experience that is worth fighting for.”

Wu Chun holding a Dior Homme Sport with his autograph engraved on it

 

BIBD has announced the selection of the 25 runners who have qualified for the BIBD CE-ALAF (Charity Expedition Advocating Life-Long Learning For An Aspiring Future) Midnight Marathon that will take place on November 24.

The announcement was made at the Goldiana Lounge of the Orchid Garden Hotel (OGH), Berakas yesterday during a briefing session delivered by CE-ALAF Project Manager, Ahmad Nazmie Hj Omar, who presented a run-through of the 42km run.

The selected runners are Norliza Abdul Jalil, Nurul Hasibah Hj Mohamad, Gpul Ramli, Jeffrei Mohamad, Rizan Latif, Hassan Kamis, Hapish H Hassanuddin, Khairul Ibrahim, Zulfadli Ali, Anis Ahmad, Faizal Hj Ahmad, Matnarudin Ibrahim, Baharudin Nordin, Dedeq Drahman, Harrisman Ashady Bin Hj Ali, Haji Ahmad Nur’al Hj Abdul Rahman, Muhammad Ali Hj Hamran, Asli Tengah, Pg Mohammad Jefri Pg Hj Aliuddin, Hjh Nabilah Pehin Dato Hj Abas, Rohana Pg Hj Malek, Kai Teng Koh, Masri Daud, Zulfadli Abu Bakar and Mai Ahmad.

During the briefing, BIBD was happy to announce OGH as the official hotel partner for the CE-ALAF 2013. To show its support, OGH is introducing a special hospitality package which includes dinner, breakfast and other benefits for all the participants.

The selected participants were also briefed on and encouraged to run a sponsorship programme whereby they can look for sponsorships. Corporate organisations and individuals will also be given the chance to sponsor their efforts in which the contribution made will go into the CE-ALAF programme fund for every kilometre taken by the runners.

The runners will be trained for four weeks under the care of BIBD’s own Marathon Des Sables (MDS) runners, Hamsul Sulaiman and Ahmad Fathi Junaidi, who ran the toughest footrace held at the Sahara Dessert earlier this year.

It was also announced that these runners will be provided with run clinics on a weekly basis to further help in their training. This will provide them with an avenue for the runners to share their weekly report on their progress, converse and gain invaluable experiences with the MDS runners. The marathon runners will furthermore be provided with a disciplined running exercise plan, crafted by the coaches, to help them prepare for the BIBD CE-ALAF Midnight Marathon

Present during the briefing at OGH was the Managing Director of BIBD, Javed Ahmad, who delivered a speech thanking everyone for making the BIBD CE-ALAF a success and he highlighted how the runners will play a role in creating more opportunities for underprivileged children to access better education opportunities.

BIBD officially announcing the 25 shortlisted runners for the 42 KM category

The event took place last Sunday at The Orchid Garden

Group photo with the shortlisted runners

The registration for other categories, such as the competitive 21km and 10km race along with fun runs of 5km and 2.5km, as well as the 40km cycling expedition are still available. Participants may submit their completed registrations to any BIBD branch throughout the Sultanate with fee payments made through any of BIBD’s channels of BIBD Online, BIBD Mobile or at any BIBD ATM or CDM to the account number 1010400011. Fees vary for each category, and more details can be found on the website. More conveniently, participants can complete the entire CE-ALAF registration process online via www.bibd.com.bn using a credit or debit card, and receive a 5% discount off from the registration fee. The closing date for registration is 24th October 2013.

The competitive races will also give participants a chance to win cash prizes worth up to $2,000, as well as travel packages to Singapore. The top three winners will also receive exclusive winners’ t-shirts and medals.

For sponsoring any of the 25 runners, interested parties can email the BIBD CE-ALAF team at info@bibdcharityexpedition.com or contact the BIBD CE-ALAF hotline at 8222110 for any enquiries on sponsoring the BIBD CE-ALAF Midnight marathon runners or to become a partner for the entire BIBD CE-ALAF event.

Details on the 25 runners will be put on the BIBD CE-ALAF website for individuals or organisations to sponsor, visit www.bibdcharityexpedition.com or email the BIBD CE-ALAF team at info@bibdcharityexpedition.comor call the BIBD CE-ALAF hotline at 8222110.

The Charity Expedition (CE ) is one of the fund raising activities under the ALAF initiative. ALAF or “Advocating  Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future” is BIBD’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility programme.

Click image to check out the profiles of the runners

 

Shanon Osman the winner of the KFC Spicy Korean Crunch K-Pop Makeover Contest

10 finalists compete for the top in the KFC Spicy Korean Crunch K-Pop Makeover Contest that took place last Sunday at Airport Mall. The top 10 finalist are as follow; Diana Yii, Diyana Rasidah, Elisa Goh, Ellen Wong, Erni Norsurianah, Janice Wee, Lim Fen Yee, Ruby Ang, Shanon Osman and Sylvester Shim (the only male).

The finalists were given a time limit of 1 minute to impress the audience and judges as one of the activity. Shannon Osman emerged as the grand winner of the competition, walking away with a return air ticket for two people to South Korea and the other contestants receiving consolation prizes with Elisa Goh coming 2nd.

Special invited guest, Miss Kim Sung Eun, Counsellor of the Korean Embassy were present to officiate the event and also one of the competition judges. Other judge includes KFC’s Vice President Mr Del Goh, Leah May Villamin, Deputy Head of Retail of The Faceshop, Miss Cecillia Lee, General Manager of IA Salon and Crystalyn De Guzman of Fun Bee Park.

KFC would like to congratulate the 10 contestants that made it to the finals and would like to thank their partners, IA Salon, Fun Bee Park, Seoul Garden, Bingo and Face Shop and all those that helped made the event possible. Cecilia also announced some additional prizes for some of the contestants.

Devon was one of the emcees last Sunday. Nice Korean outfit :p

A consolation winner of the competition

Shanon Osman danced with KFC nuggets

Sylvester the only male in the Top 10

The judges of the competition

Del Goh giving an impression of KFC

One of the consolation winners

Janice made to the Top 10 too

Elisa Goh came 2nd in the competition

The Top 10 finalists of KFC Spicy Korean Crunch K-Pop Makeover Contest with the judges

Click image to enter website

Click image to enter website

This is a good awareness initiative by Public Works Department (JKR) under the Ministry of Development. Did you know that we in Brunei has the highest water consumption in the region? Maybe because we take them for granted or perhaps the water is pretty cheap as compared to other countries. Brunei records the highest water consumption of 450 litres per person per day as compared to 250 litres to other regional countries. That’s pretty high I must say and this may be attributed to a lot of factors which I won’t go into details. But the most important thing is that we are aware of this and even His Majesty the Sultan highlighted in his titah recently about Brunei’s consumption on water.

So this is a pretty good cause by JKR’s latest project – JKR REACH which is also a charity event. This is actually a run, exercise and cycle event which will take place on 27th October 2013. The launching of the campaign took place a few days ago with the Director-General at JKR, Hj Marzuke Hj Mohsin, officiating the campaign and he was also the first registrant of JKR REACH 2013. The word reach stands for ‘Run, Exercise And Cycle for Health’ and this event is jointly organised by Brunei Association of Surveyors and Engineers and Architects (PUJA) and JKR.

The event itself is in conjunction with World Water Day 2013 and it will take place at the Old Airport Road.

Do refer to the website for more details and the closing date for the run, cycle and exercise event is on the 3rd October. The cut off participants is 5,000. You can download the form here and register at the counter at JKR building during office hours.

Weekdays (Mon to Thurs): 8:30m to 11:30 and 2pm to 3:30pm
Friday and Sun: 8:30am to 11:30am and 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Saturday: 8:30m to 11:30 and 2pm to 3:30pm

The final registration is 3rd October 2013.

Registration for the event. Check the timings above for registration. You can’t register online but you can download the form.

The guys at the registration counter

Some added value for the participants

 

Get your tickets now and enjoy this play based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice happening this Saturday

It’s happening this Saturday. The much anticipated play by Maktab Sains PSBS in collaboration with Politeknik Brunei will be showing live this Saturday at JPCC Amphitheater. Tickets are available at Fitness Zone, Showcase Advertising and Aulait Cafe. The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Maktab Sains PSBS and Politeknik Brunei. This has been in the news for the past many months and in just a few days’ time, “Pride and Prejudice” (by Jane Austen) will be performed by 25 cast compromising of students from five government institutes of learning Maktab Sains, Berakas Secondary School, Sayyidina Hussin Secondary School, Sultan Sharif Ali Secondary School and Lambak Kiri Secondary School.

The main aim for the play is to promote reading and presentation of classics to improve reading and speaking skills. The play is directed by Witsy Matthew and the project manager of the “Pride and Prejudice” is Dr. Malai Zeiti Sheikh Abdul Hamid, Head of Media and Resources at Politeknik Brunei.

There will be a press conference later for the said event. For now, you can see the details at the poster and also do view their promotional video on Youtube. It was definitely well produced and kudos for them for making an interesting video to promote the event.

Do check out their official website for more details too at pnpbrunei.com 🙂

Some of the celebrities that shown at the promotional video. Click image to view video.

One of the leading cast for Pride and Prejudice

One of the leading cast for Pride and Prejudice

Lucky draws to be won as well

 

Craig Bartlett (left), a world class mini golf designer from Australia talking to a JPCC director on the development of the mini golf at JPCC Playground

A Doa Selamat ceremony was held last Friday, 20th September 2013 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) playground to mark the first in a series of projects to revitalize Jerudong Park Playground. Do you remember how it used to be so packed with families and friends? And it was one of the hose places that I will pay a visit almost every night back then. So it’s good to see that the management of the JPCC are initiating new things to revive back the magic at JPCC Playground.

The project includes the construction of a mini golf attraction, featuring a landscaped 21 holes designed by Craig Bartlett, a world class mini golf designer from Australia. I’m not sure if it’s miniature golf but judging from the photos, it seems it’s like one. This will definitely be ideal for families and this is just one of the phases that will be introduced at JPCC playground.

Other future rides and attractions will include a mini water park, ferris wheel and junior coaster. Furthermore, there will be new Double Decker Carousel, Bumper Cars and children’s playground equipments to replace the current attraction. Other existing rides will also be refurbished.

Other playground facilities will also be upgraded, including the food kiosks, a merchandise shop and other conveniences to cater for the needs of visitors.

The management of JPCC yesterday held a blessing ceremony for the project. Present were JPCC General Manager Asmad Hj Abd Rahim, JPCC directors and invited guests. The renovation work is scheduled to take place in stages and only affected areas will be closed. Therefore, the playground will still be open to the public.

However, visitors are advised to keep safe distance from ongoing construction works. The revitalisation project is expected to be completed by mid 2014. New operating hours and admission fees will be announced at a later date. Images courtesy of JPCC.

How the mini golf will look like

The future phases to be done at JPCC Playground

Craig Bartlett and JPCC General Manager Asmad Hj Abd Rahim

 

‘flick!’ is an Instagram Contest in conjunction with the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship. Fencing is one of the oldest Olympic sports and is also known as the physical chess. We often associate what we see in the movies to the modern sport, movies such as Princess Bride, Zorro, Puss In Boots and obviously the Three Musketeers; also we stereotype the sport, assuming it is a sport for only the elites. ‘flick!’ derived from a fencing move and also carry hints of photography, the contest name was picked by a group of local creative individuals.

The contest aims to bring fencing to the public and demonstrate the true beauty of this fast-pace and exciting modern combat sport. Public are invited to come to the venue, watch the competition, learn more about the sport and take part in ‘flick!’.

The prizes for the contest are provided by Athos Fencing, 365estore and KFC Brunei.

Please take note of the following rules:

1.    The opening date of the Hyundai Athos Open 2013 Fencing Championship – flick! Instagram Contest is on 28th Sep 2013 and the closing date will be on 29th Sep 2013, midnight.

2.    This contest is open to all residing in Brunei Darussalam. Participations have to ensure their Instagram profiles are not set to private.

3.    Participants can submit as many photos as they wish to and include both hashtags #athosfencing and #hyundaibrunei. Fencers registered with the Brunei Darussalam Fencing Federation are automatically disqualified.

4.    Prizes to be awarded include
  • Grand Prize – Galaxy Camera x 1
  • Second Prize – Nokia Mobile Phone x 1
  • Third Prize – Portable HDD x 1
  • Fourth Prize – 3G USB modem x 1
  • Consolation Prizes – Basic OhMyCard! x 5
  • Participation Prizes – KFC Meal Vouchers x 4

And they must attend the prize-giving event on Sunday, 5th Oct 2013 at Athos Fencing Studio at 2pm.
   
5.    The images shall be shared on Athos Fencing’s facebook page and winners announced via Athos Fencing’s facebook page.
 
6.    Images must be taken between 28th and 29th Sep 2013 at the contest venue (Bola Bola Indoor Futsal Court, Times Square). The subject must be fencing related. Instagram Video entries are allowed.
   
7.    Images/Videos must NOT express any forms of profanity, sexual and/or racist elements. Image/Videos must NOT incite religious hatred and/or phrases that may be deemed inappropriate to other races.
 
8.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing reserve the right to reuse any photos that are submitted to the official hash tags of the Instagram Contest.
 
9.    Upon submission, the owner of the photo will no longer have rights to use the photos upon submission and after the contest for personal or professional use, giving Setia Motors and Athos Fencing sole rights of the photographs in an unrestricted, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty- free license to use, reproduce, display, publicly perform, transmit and distribute such photographs.  

10.    Setia Motors and Athos Fencing shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. Decisions made by the judges are final and no forms of communications will be entertained at any time.