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Check out the Gadong Showroom on the new A-Class

 

A great night pulled off by Netcom Computer House in celebrating their success with an annual dinner held at Vanda Restaurant, The Orchid Garden Hotel. The theme was suiting enough –> “Back to School” and all of them were dressed in school uniform.

The annual dinner was hosted by Managing Director Vincent Goh, General Manager Jackie Goh and Technical Director Mr. Chong who also presented prizes such as lucky draws, best dress and long service awards and best team performance.

Vincent Goh was very pleased during his speech where he shared the success of his Netcom team. Their company was awarded the Most Valuable Partnet by Dell and the Best Growth (overall) by Prolink and this is a good milestone considering the small size of our country. He appreciated his team players in the company who have shown their best and he felt a sense of gratitude that their commitments and efforts are being recognised.

Did you know Netcom has been around for 18 years this coming November? That’s 8 years ahead of my website *lol* Anyway, it’s amazing to know how Netcom started only with two people in the company and now it has more than 70 staff. Vincent was highly appreciative of his long time partner Mr. Chong. The Managing Director also acknowledged the contribution of his employees who are important assets to the company’s success.

The company vision is simple – to achieve success in business by creating joy, meaningful moments and success to their beloved customers and the community. For now, they have 5 Netcom outlets with Hua Ho Mulaut being the latest.

Hassan and Wady were excited as Mr. Chong , Technical Director of Netcom Computer House presented certificates and prizes to them

Jackie Goh, General Manager of Netcom Computer House, (3rd from left) handed prizes and certificates to staff who has been in the company for 5 years

Both are happy campers for receiving iPads and certificates for serving the company for 10 solid years

The Best Growth Team of 2012

Apart from the various fun games and stage performances participated by staff from the respective branches as part of the night’s entertainment, the annual dinner also saw the presentation of appreciation awards for the staff who have been working with the company for five and 10 years, which also marked the highlight of the dinner.

On hand to present the ‘Five Years Service Award’ was the Jackie Goh, General Manager of Netcom who presented the award to five recipients who were also presented with an Acer Iconia Tablet each.

The two ‘10 Years Service Award’ recipients were Hj Hassan Hj Md Gafar and Md Zulmaswadi Hj Abdullah who received an Apple iPad each presented by Mr Chong.

Another highlight of the event was the presentation of the ‘Best Growth in 2012 (Team)’, an award which was just added to the award categories this year and was presented to the HQ Corporate Team by Jackie Goh.

Other prizes for the night were the ‘Best Dressed Awards’ for male and female, as well as lucky draw prizes with the grand prize of an iPhone 5 won by Sales Supervisor, Grace Q Lamela from The Mall Branch.

The dinner concluded with the Core Team of Netcom, as well as management and the managing director, singing a number by Tata Young, “I Believe”.

One of the lucky winners who won a Dell notebook

The Best Dressed winners with Vincent Goh, the Managing Director of Netcom Computer House

The dance performance from KB outlet

Some of the staff from Netcom Computer House

Grace was the lucky winner as she walked away with an iPhone 5, the grand lucky draw prize

Ooo ooo… Not again…!!!

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The Mercedes-Benz logo that was featured before unveiling the A250 Sport last night

What a great introduction of the new A-Class by Jati Transport Sdn Bhd last Saturday at the Indra Samdura Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club. With only 600ish guests RSVP-ing, the turnout was more than expected. I believe the figure would have been near the 1,000 as everyone was anticipating the launch of the Mercedes-Benz A200 Urban and A250 AMG Sport.

This was also the first time that Mercedes-Benz event took place at the said venue and it totally suited the theme and the ambience. There was a welcoming remarks by Phil Myhre, the General Manager of Jati Transport and he spoked off the latest A-Class which have won a few accolades. Did you know that it was voted Germany’s Most Beautiful Car by 2012 AUTO BILD Design Award? It was awarded the Yellow Angel 2013 by Europe’s largets automobile club and AM New Car of the Year by UK-Automotive Management Organisation. So there are many things to be proud as owners of the new A-Class.

Speaking of owners, Jati Transport gave the honour to the new proud owners of the A-Class to unveil the car during the event. Before unveiling, Jenny Malai Ali the emcee of the evening asked a few questions to the owners on their feedback on the A-Class as they had the privilege to test drive with the media two days before the event. All of them were definitely impressed with A-Class and most of them highlighted the performance and the handling.

Of course, the other model that the crowd is anticipating is the A45 AMG Twin Turbo all-wheel drive which will arrive only later this year. But for now, the highlight belongs to A200 Urban and A250 AMG Sport.

The other highlight of the event was the teenage sensation Shian Li Chiam who performed two numbers as the Mercedes-Benz A250 AMG Sport was driven on the stage. Shian is the daughter of the Lily Chiam, founder of Expression Music and she performed to great precision too. I thought it was a great touch on how the A250 was revealed.

So which do you prefer? The entry level A200 with 17 inch light alloy wheels with twin exhausts? Or the A250 Sport with high performance suspension with a striking diamond grille and red trim on the front spoiler (kind reminds me of Prada) and rear valance? Either models, you will still be amazed by its performance and features.

Do visit their showroom at Beribi and Gadong or call 244 1763 or 244 1777 for inquiries. You can also join their Facebook page for updates.

It was such a crowd last night at the A-Class laucnh

The crowd waiting for the event to start

Phil Myhre, General Manager of Jati Transport, delivering his welcoming remarks

The video of A200 being played on the big screens

He kinda like the red seat belts. He’s a Mercedes support for F1 I can see.

She is another enthuasastic owner of the A-Class. I remembered that she was one of the first to turn up during the test drive last Thursday.

Another customer unveiling the A200. There were four of them.

Doesn’t the red look nice?

The crowd checking out the A200

Shian Li Chiam stole the show last night on stage

I won’t be surprised to see her performing in future events

Finally the A250 Sport was unveiled

His Excellency Roland Cristian Grafe, German Ambassador to Brunei and Andrew Chiam, the Executive Director of Jati Transport checking out the A250 on stage

The guests checking out the A250 on the stage

Jane, Kaewen and Chea Hong attended the event last night

The 199 people who turned up at Beachathon 2013 organised by the Brunei Beach Bunch. Click image to enlarge.

What a great turnout last Saturday!! It was also Beach Bunch’s first event of the year. A total of 199 participants signed up for the Beachathon 2013 which was held at Meragang Beach. This event was to mark the upcoming celebration of Earth Day which falls on 22nd April. The intention of the Beachathon event is to educate the students on the awareness of the beaches in Brunei and also appreciate its nature.

To show the support of the event, Puan Hjh Normah, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, showed up and joined the 3 km walk by the Meragang beach. Also present were the officers from the Marine Diversity Centre.

Most of the participants were students and parents. The participating schools were Sultan Saiful Rijal Technical School, Polytechnic Brunei, ISB and Seria Muria Sarjana School. One of the sponsors Concepts Computer were represented by Mr and Mrs. Pao and Wendy. Also volunteers from BSP were present.

The event was supported by Concepts Computer, Tony Moly and Rentokil Initial Brunei.

Students being briefed before the walk

Puan Hjh Normah with Rizan Latif of Beach Bunch. Also in picture are representatives from Concepts Computer and Marine Diversity Centre.

We walked on the right side of Meragang

One of the teachers found a toilet seat

The other side of Meragang that I didn’t realise

This is beautiful

The beach still needs a clean up

The weirdest items found at the beach

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer handing over the prize to a representative from SSMS for finding the weirdest rubbish at the Meragang Beach

I was fortunate to catch Adam Gyorgy performing on a Steinway this afternoon at Expression Music. It was a pleasure to listen and experience your performance. Thank you to Lily for the invitation. Cya tonight!! More updates soon.

 

This morning we had a good 3km Beachathon walk at Meragang Beach. More updates tomorrow!!

 

The guest of honour and representatives of Grand Motors unveiling the new KIA Cerato last Thursday. Image courtesy of James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

After my posting on instagram two days ago, there have been so buzz about the latest car by KIA which is the Cerato model. The first thing that caught their eye is the design. For your info, this is KIA’s top selling model and by its recent launch, it hopes that Cerato will once again dominate in numbers in the near future. The launch was officiated last Thursday by Choi Byung Koo, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam and Teng Chin Ying, Director and Senior Manager of Grand Motors.

What’s attractive is not just the design but the affordability of the Cerato which is roughly BND 24,020 on the road. It is powered by a 1.6 litre Gamma Engine. You can check out the new KIA Cerato at the Grand Motors Showroom at Beribi.

Choi Byung Koo, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam and Teng Chin Ying, Director and Senior Manager of Grand Motors posing for the camera

One of the first owners of KIA Cerato

Another one of the first owners of KIA Cerato

The different colours available at the showroom

The design that caught many eyes

The awesome Mercedes-Benz A250

The launch is tomorrow!! Jati Transport will unveiled the much awaited Mercedes-Benz A-Class and it comes with two models A200 and A250. Yesterday during the test drive, almost all the selected customers chose to test drive the A250 and it seems that most of them have done their homework online about the specs of the A250.

I have to say that A250 is one solid car despite its smaller size (since it’s an A-class). I love how Mercedes comes up with new versions on every launch and it’s the most dynamic premium brand if you ask me. I love the progressive design of the A-Class too. It has this luxury sporty feel and this will be a great hit among ladies though I personally won’t mind driving one too.

The media and selected customers were given the opportunity to drive along the long track near Indera Samudra Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club and sometimes most of us wished it was at Sepang Circuit because the car was just awesome during “cornerings” and it is pretty stable on high-speed *ooopsy* (though it’s not encourage to drive fast huhu).

The A-Class also has great safety features which uses the PRE-SAFE® techniques which premiered in the S-Class in 2002. It has also 30 different impact configurations (which I think in English terms, 30 different scenarios). So you can tell how much Mercedes spent on research and data and testing on safety.

This is bound to be a hit with a price tag in the region of BND 60,000 plus (not sure the exact figure) and this is a great price for an awesome premium brand. I can’t wait for the launch tomorrow.

The media taking shots of the A250

One of the potential customers was excited to try the A250

The new A250

Schumi the man….

 

The image of students walking on roundabout on the 2nd morning after the launch of the traffic light dated 4th April 2013. Image taken from Whatsapp.

It has been two weeks ever since the introduction of traffic lights at Kiulap Roundabout. The responses have been very mixed, geared to more negatives than positive ones. It was interesting that someone pointed out that I’m hardly expressive when it comes to government related issue but I just had to be honest in how I felt that time because I’m a regular user of the roundabout and I foresee problems when I saw the lights being installed. And predictably my assumptions were spot on. It was havoc on the second day. If you missed my article on my rant, click here to read.

I was in touch with the PRO of the Ministry of Development through email and the PRO was giving their pointers in their defence. However, I wasn’t satisfied with the response and they should have been wary on how media will also listen to the public complaints. My role here is to educate the public and my readers what is right and I also entitled to my personal point of view regardless whether I’m influential or not.

What struck me (and many others as well) was the headline in Borneo Bulletin on 5th April which read “Motorists’ lack of understanding blamed for chaos at roundabout”. This is surely pointing fingers on road users as the first major problem rather not looking into the situation deeper. I believe the biggest error here is not the motorist but to the lack of awareness programs and even a proper dry-run before the actual launch of the roundabout.

The images on how to use the roundabout only came out in the local media after the chaotic incident which happened on 4th of April. Shouldn’t all these materials been promoted earlier on or at least a week and keep advertising on local newspaper and even use RTB like how they did with the previous video which kept airing from time to time on educating motorists to use the Kiulap roundabout or they can even get in touch with me on spreading the news for the benefit of the public. If the PRO claimed that I’m influential, then the PRO could have contacted me earlier and help spread the news (This is also my 2 cents).

This is the thing I totally disagree this headliner and it’s ok to be humble for once

My comments were featured in The Brunei Times with a better headliner. Thanks Wanee 🙂

This is definitely a good representation during that day. Taken from Borneo Bulletin website.

This is the new lanes I was talking about where some areas in the roundabout have become two lanes

So hows the situation now? Frankly speaking, it is way better. I remember pointing out that traffic lights with three lanes doesn’t work. Now some of the lanes inside the roundabout have been painted from 3 lanes to 2 lanes. This also needs some awareness campaign as first time users or even frequent users might get confused. For instance, I always use the inner or middle lane but now if I use it, the route will be shifted to middle and outer lane respectively once I’m in the roundabout. So at one stage, I was like “Huuuuh??, how did I end up in the outer lane?”.. This is because they painted new lane lines to covert some of them into two lanes.

Traffic is smoother with the traffic lights in operation. Give it another few months, then people will get used to the new concept. The new lanes in the roundabout also stopped those who loves to use the outer lanes irresponsibly. So that’s one great point that I would like to highlight. Thank you to the PRO for sharing the images on the directional use of the roundabout.

Totally agree with the headline that we need more awareness. This was taken from yesterday’s newspaper

If you are driving from RIPAS into the roundabout

If you are driving from airport into the roundabout

If you are driving from Beribi into the roundabout

If you are driving from Kulap into the roundabout

If you are driving from Gadong into the roundabout

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Adna Shatriremie Abd Rahman, a lecturer under the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies gave an impromptu speech and praised the work by the students and encouraged them to embrace entrepreneurship

Dr Leong Vai Shiem, the Acting Dean for the Faculty of Business Economics and Policy Studies of UBD launched the 3 hour event

Thought it was last minute, I managed to attend this event at UBD on a short notice and I’m glad I did. This was the first time such event was held for students who are enrolled in business module and they showcased their business plans and sharing their ideas to the public. 200 students in 1st and 2nd year in UBD were involved as they shared and presented their business ideas to the guests at the Chancellor Hall.

For your info, this is part of the Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation module which aimed at optimizing students’ skills with zero budget. I’m always in support with exhibitions like this and the same goes to Business School when they have their carnivals every now and then. This kind of events and programs will help to bring confidence and that small spark that might open their eyes that entrepreneurship is not a bad thing after all.

Recently Entrepreneurship @ Campus (EAC) was launched at UBD and this is another stepping stone for students to learn and engage more about the experiences of being in the business world. Thanks to BEDB and iCentre for creating this new medium to reach out to potential entrepreneurs from UBD.

I would to congratulate the students involved in the projects and I sensed that passion and desire in them. Also a big hand to Adna Shatriremie Abd Rahman for keeping up the momentum in exposing entrepreneurship in Brunei and I know you have done a lot of effort in bringing fresh ideas and you have my support in your vision.

Michelle Yang’s vision is to see a greener and beautiful Brunei by year 2035 by providing a good landscaping and gardening services

Helmi wants to provide a fast delivery pizza service to residential areas especially in Serusop

Commun1Tee is an online community apparel sotre which caters to create an art community that sells favourite designs chosen by the community itself

Nice motto… Hmmm… Alai suka tu

Neo Cineplex – This is an idea of having private medium-sized cinema rooms (20 seaters) in 2D and 3D. Ideal for families and friends. Nice concept but I believe this will be too expensive to execute.

There are many ladies in this course which is a good sign

Her idea – Intelligent Pent Corporate Cafe – is about providing a conducive environment for corporate meetings outside their work place. This is a doable concept I believe.

Diyana has a passion in art and she came up with the idea of using Brunei colours and designs on t-shirts

Syukri Sulaiman is an advocate for going green and his business concept is Forever Green. This is another great potential business idea as the world is in need of one.

Ahmad Hazim feels that the technological teaching aid devices such as the smart boards in school are underutilised. His movement under the Supporting Essential Minds will help to educate back the importance of using high quality education tools.

It was a great turn out yesterday. Too bad it only lasted 3 hours.

Students trying to learn about precious metals

Evon Goh is inspired by Forever 21 and Deseo and hence she came up with the idea of Rosemary’s Boutique. She was conversing with Simon Soo who recently launched Malppy.com

Mini golf is something that is not available in Brunei. It would be nice if it is a miniature golf as kids will enjoy this more. Cost is also another factor to have this kind of project.

Munirah Mohammad loves comics and her idea is to create a superhero cafe theme and they rent and read comics

Smiling faces of the undergraduates

Photo booth where some of the proceeds go to charity

The local entrepreneurs sharing their experiences through Q & A

One of the high school students talking to the audience

These students are learning tips from entrepreneurs

Thank you for the questions

Izzah Jo from BEDB showing her support for the event

Being interviewed by RTB

One of the top 10 winners of the Business Plan competition

Hamiz is the only male in the Top 10 and he also received the most cheers

She is the winner of the Business Plan competition

Well done to the organisers on this event

 

One of the pieces from the final year students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science.

I have always enjoyed seeing art installations and last Sunday, I paid a visit to “Spectacle: Art & Design Graduate Show 2013” held at the right foyer of the Chancellor Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), and I was very impressed with the display and the effort contributed by the students and I believe the students deserved high marks for their installation pieces. The first impression I had overall is that we Bruneians have the talents and finally it was expressed in a form of creativity and art. Keep it up, guys!!!

The event was launched last week but I wasn’t able to attend and it was a much better outing last Sunday since I was able to spend some time with some of the students to understand about their installation pieces. Thank you to Affizah Rahman, Amirul Jazli, Nazreen Amin, Nuriskandar Hasnan and Muhammad Niqmatul Ghizalif for your time in explaining your pieces.

One thing got me curious and that was not just the time and effort spent but also the budget they had to incur in doing their final project. Most of them did highlight that they were given allowances but some of the installations had a higher price tag. For instance, one of the installation pieces cost the a student at least $1,000 and she had to fork out her own pocket money. Most of them had to use their personal money to help fund their project. Perhaps this is something that the university should look into in providing subsidies for these talented students and also for the benefit of future students.

For your info, there are a total of 21 final year students that are involved in the “Spectacle” who are majoring in art and creative technology. They will be the first to graduate from the university’s bachelor of arts in art and technology course.

I won’t be posting all the installation pictures. The idea is for you to give them a visit and it’s worth a visit. The other challenge the students have is what will they do with their pieces once the exhibition is over by 27th April. Any ideas? Anyway, do visit them at Chancellor Hall from 9am to 7pm until 27th April.

Save the Earth by Recycle installation piece by Azmey Yunos. This took him at least two months to complete and he has interest in metal works to begin with. So you can see how much effort was put into this masterpiece using small pieces of scrap metals. One of the best pieces I enjoyed.

Victim of Commercialization by Affizah Rahman. A very interesting piece on how brands have influence over our daily lives.

Fizah with her “Victim of Commercialization” piece

This installation depicts how much we are consumed through commercialization

This is a project entitled “The Life of a Pensioner” by Muhammad Alinormin Hj Omarali. This art sculpture explores cultural and social issues within the context of Brunei.

Fizah and Mizah trying to read the newspaper with pakcik :p

Amazing wire sculpture by Hadi Hj Roseli. This is one creative idea to portray portraitures and something new.

This is the biggest wire sculpture. You will just have to see it live to get the feel of it. Thumbs up!!!

Brick World by Rasidi Saidin who has a passion for Lego

Limitless imagination by Nuriskandar Hasnan. This is made out of cardboard. He spent a few hundred dollars in building this piece. He’s also a big fan of Star Wars and Transformers.

Nuriskandar’s product design aims to project the possibilities of transforming one’s dreams into a reality with the help of passion and motivation that drives us to limitless encounters, hence the title “Limitless Imagination”

Unseen Beauty by Muhammad Niqmatul Ghizalif. From the photo, you can easily tell it’s about nature. One of his amazing pieces is the art piece on the far left which is created by using dead leaves.

There’s something you can see in that hole. Interesting and unique concept.

Another piece that I was amazed. Loving how the strings used to bring a much livier installation. This is entitlted “Free Art Flow”

Free Art Flow by Nazreen Hj Amin who would dedicate his time continuously on certain segments on his final project. Why free flow is because his art represents the expressions of the imaginative patterns and surrealistic characters. Do read his statement’s below.

Domino Effect Art by Amirul Jazli Jali and I was fortunate enough to see the domino demonstration. Interestingly enough he changed his major into art and he found more passion in art. Do check out his installation and there’s even a video presentation on the domino effect.

Pencil Illustration from 2D-3D by Airul Arif Awang Damit

……….Waaalaa……..

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Exchanging of documents between AITI and Masscom TV production as guest of honour Abdul Mutalib, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communcations looks on

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and MediaCorp of Singapore have jointly awarded Brunei’s Masscom TV Production and Singapore’s Mediamorphosis Television and Video Production to produce an info-education TV programme titled Gabung. The signing ceremony which took place on 16 April 2013 was to officially award Masscom TV Production to jointly produce the said program together with Singapore’s Mediamorphosis Television and Video Production. The agreement was signed between Awang Haji Yahkup Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI and Awang Haji Abdul Rahim Mat Walli, Owner of Masscom TV Production. Witness to the signing was Yang Mulia Awang Abdul Mutalib Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications.

  This is an inaugural collaboration between independent production houses from both countries.  The documentary will focus on the transformation of the two national rivers in Brunei Darussalam and Singapore through the years of economic growth. The 5-episodes documentary will feature the rich history and heritage, lives of early settlements at the river banks, the clean-up effort to preserve the environment of the rivers and the urbanisation that took place in recent years.

The joint TV production is an initiative under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ministry of Communications (MOC), Brunei Darussalam and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) for Cooperation in Broadcasting and Media signed since 17 June 2009. Over the years, activities under the MOU included the exchange of information and experience on broadcasting and media matters as well as the collaboration on specific broadcasting and media projects. The joint TV production signified a key milestone under the MOU and showcased the excellent relationship and collaboration between the two government broadcasting and media agencies from both countries in the areas of technical co-operation and industry development. The program will be aired by both national broadcasters, Radio Television Brunei (RTB) for Brunei Darussalam and MediaCorp (Suria) for Singapore, during the first quarter of next year. The project will be implemented by AITI on behalf of the MOC whereas MediaCorp will execute the project on behalf of MDA.

AITI and MDA embarked on the project since August 2012.  Masscom TV Production and Mediamorphosis were among the production houses that were shortlisted by Brunei Darussalam and Singapore respectively through a pre-selection process in December 2012. The shortlisted production houses were then brought together to a business matching session in Singapore earlier in January this year.  A joint Brunei-Singapore Call for Proposals was also launched in Januray 2013 requiring shortlisted production houses from both countries to submit a proposal together.  At the closing date in March 2013, a total of 4 proposals were received.  Senior officials from Brunei’s Prime Minister Office (PMO), RTB, AITI and MediaCorp formed the judging panel.

Masscom TV Production was formed in 1997 by an award-winning TV Senior Producer at RTB, Haji Abdul Rahim Bin Mat Walli. Since its inception, the company has been actively producing programmes for the national broadcaster covering drama such as Darah Kedayan(1997) and Lakaran Kasih(2012), news and current affairs for Rampai Pagi  News Service and documentaries/features and corporate videos. Masscom TV Production have won several awards such as Best Television Documentary Program from Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) for their documentary titled Kampong Ayer (1979) and Special Award during RTB Awards Night in the year 2010 for their 21 years contribution to the field of TV production to Brunei Darussalam.

Mediamorphosis Television and Video Production is one of Singapore’s well known production house that started in 1999 and has produced various new programs and shows on TV ranging from documentary such as Heavenly Haven for Channel News Asia to Info-Ed Magazine such as Yang Ter… to the first reality cooking show titled QUEEN Juara Memasak.

Haji Yahkup Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI giving his welcoming remarks

Hj Hairul Mohd Daud, Assistant Chief Executive of AITI, Haji Yahkup Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI, Abdul Mutalib, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communcations, Haji Abdul Rahim Bin Mat Walli Director, Masscom TV Productio and Dato Paduka Dr. Hj. Abdul Latif Bin Haji Ibrahim Scriptwriter, Masscom TV Production

Dato Paduka Dr. Hj. Abdul Latif shared some of the contents of the TV production

Tales of Two Rivers

Meanwhile both Athirah and Hadi preparing for their upcoming project for AITI :p

 

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• 21km Semi-Marathon Open to all 16years & above –> $40
• 12km Open to all 14 years old & above –> $30
• 12km Veterans Open aged 40 years and above –> $30
• 5km Open to all 12 years old and above –> $25
• 2km Fun Run, Open to all, including families –> $20
• 2km & 21 km Fun Run non-competitive, Open to Paraplegic –> No fees
• 2km Fun Run non-competitive, Open to Special Needs People –> No fees

These are the categories that were announced last Saturday during the launch of The Run 2013. According to Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin, Pusat Ehsan Senior Trustee, said that there will be no limit of the number of participants. The theme of this year is “The Run: Where Every Step Matters”.

There is also a special addition to the run this year, the Corporate Challenge. Pusat Ehsan said in a press statement that the centre “believes in corporate team work and wishes to assist in developing esprit de corps in the corporate world, SMEs (small medium enterprises) and multinational companies”.

The guest of honour was Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah who officially graced the opening ceremony of The Run. Also present were the committee members, sponsors and members of the media.

Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin said they have learnt some lessons from the previous event and this year they are more prepared especially when it comes to contingency plans. He also praised the sponsors and especially the dedicated volunteers who take their time off to help with the progress of the big event. Perhaps one challenging aspect highlighted is to get every registrant to register online as not all have access to internet. Not to worry as the organisers will be providing assistance for those who don’t have access to internet. The reason for online registration is to reduce the third person’s error which is pretty common.

Come and join THE RUN on 9th June and receive THE RUN official T-shirt, Certificate and Finishing Medals. Stand a chance to win exciting prizes and the lucky draws.  The organisers also welcome more sponsors and volunteers before the event and on the actual day of the Charity Run. You can reach them at 2655 245 or email them at info@therun.com.bn

For your info, the online registration is supposed to be opened by today and I believe you can register after lunch today. You can visit http://www.therun.com.bn for updates.

The Minister launching The Run officially

The invited guests and sponsors were present

Audrey Choo will help with the distribution of donation card

Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman, President of Brunei Athletics ASsociation and Muiz Hasnani, founder of Creactive Solutions during the press conference

The representatives from Pusat Ehsan as well as BIBD the Official Bank sponsor for the event.

BIBD via its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, is The Run’s official bank for the second year running.

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad (BIBD) via its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, in its continuous support of and collaboration with Pusat Ehsan (PE), upheld their status of being the official Bank for PE’s ‘The Run”, for the second year running.

BIBD, as the official bank, will serve an integral role as a collection point for all donation proceeds. After successfully registering online at www.therun.com.bn, participants may submit their confirmation receipts into drop boxes at these selected BIBD Branches: Manggis, Kiulap, Tanjong Bunut, Kuala Belait, Tutong and Temburong. The closing date for registration is May 9.

Students not taking part in the event may also deposit their donation proceeds at any BIBD branch payment counters, Cash Deposit Machine (CDM) or ATM to the Pusat Ehsan Account @ 00-015-01-0099119, whilst the donation cards must be returned to Pusat Ehsan along with the bank deposit receipts by May 31.

“We always look forward in supporting Pusat Ehsan at every opportunity we can manage. We are tremendously proud of being key stakeholders in the evolution of, not only Pusat Ehsan, but also its activities and achievements” shared by Hjh Nurul Akmar bte Hj Md Jafaar, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Deputy Head of Consumer Banking.

She continued, “Alhamdulilah, we are able to support, and keep on supporting, Pusat Ehsan, and InsyAllah, together with this relationship, we are able to develop bigger and better ways to support the community”.

Apart from directly helping with The Run, BIBD has always been very active in the progress of PE’s entire curriculum, as BIBD has also contributed to their earlier “My Ability Counts” campaign and annual charity bazaar. More so, BIBD’s own Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme ties deeply with the causes of PE, in which it aims to encourage and allow educational progression to underprivileged students.

So don’t forget to get your donation cards too 😀

 

General Manager of Concepts Computer, Vincent Pao with Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer Zul Abdul Rahman holding the latest Acer Iconia tablet. Image courtesy of Tigerlim.com

I believe the introductions of tablets have somehow shifted the balance of power from the conventional desktops and even notebooks. Funny thing is I have my iPad 2 collecting dust unless I’m traveling. Maybe I’m still happy with using my phone to surf and my desktop to do my work.

Anyway, yesterday Concepts Computer launched their new 7-inch Acer Iconia B1-A71 tablet and I’m amazed by the price which is below $200 with one year warranty. It only weights 320 gram and it has a 1.2Ghz duo-core processor for smoother experience for browsing and gaming. It runs on a Jelly Bean software and you can have access to more than 700,000 apps. It has an internal memory of 8 GIG with a maximum of 32 GIG of expandable storage.

They have brought in 100 units and it’s selling like hot cakes. Concepts Computer will be shipping in a few hundred more. Vincent Pao’s vision is to provide customer satisfaction in terms of cutting edge technology and after sale service. For your info, customers can purchase additional two-year warranty coverage.

So do come down to visit their store at Kiulap.

The latest Acer Iconia B1-A71 now available at Concepts Computer

 

Deputy Managing Director of Brunei LNG, Thomas Jenke with Hjh Zainab, HR Manager of Brunei LNG

Media friends of Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd (Brunei LNG) yesterday were treated to an evening of fine food and fun activities at the Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong.

Members of the media were presented with certificates of appreciation during the “Media Appreciation Night 2013”. The event continued with dinner and games before it concluded with a group photo session.

During the welcoming speech by the company’s Senior Plant Manager, Hj Mohammad Hj Jaya, took the opportunity to note that the event was an excellent time for the staff and management of Brunei LNG to get to know the various media in Brunei through an informal dinner and as well as to thank them personally for their continuous support to the company.

He added that the media played an important role with the responsibility to deliver information to the general public.

“It is the media which defines how we perceive the world around us,” he said. He also reminded the public that it should named Brunei LNG and not BLNG.

Present during the event were representatives from The Brunei Times, Borneo Bulletin, Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB), the Information Department, and Ranoadidas.com just to name a few. Text courtesy of Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Hj Mohammad Hj Jaya, Brunei LNG Senior Plant Manager shared his appreciation for the local media

Nadzri was the emcee of the night. Lively as ever.

Presenting an appreciation token to representative of Borneo Bulletin

Presenting an appreciation token to representative of The Brunei Times

Presenting an appreciation token to representative of The Information Department

Good luck in your future studies 🙂

Representatives from RTB

Representatives from Brunei LNG

Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd (BLNG) recently signed a 10-year sales and purchase agreement with Shell Eastern Trading Pte Ltd to supply the latter 0.8 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum, commencing this month.

This is “an important milestone” for BLNG as the contract is part of our strategies to diversify customer base, said the company’s managing director, Mohamad Damit.

In a press statement released yesterday, Mohamad said the contract gave the company a “broader access to the LNG market” in addition to its current portfolio.

In the joint statement, Shell International LNG Supply vice-president, David Wells, said although Shell has been a shareholder in BLNG for many years, this is Shell’s first “long-term purchase of LNG fromBLNG”, and similarly, its first long-term purchase of LNG from a South East Asia-based supplier.

“This deal signifies the growth of our supply portfolio, and the diverse nature of this portfolio, combined with our solid operational and commercial experience provides flexibility and reliability to our suppliers and customers,” said Wells. Text courtesy of Debbie Too of The Brunei Times.

 

Hjh Ardinah, Vice President of BELTA, Patricia Li, Marketing Manager of LANEIGE Brunei and Mr. Cheong Huat Joo, Senior Special Duty Officer, Department of School at the Ministry of Education during the press conference of the 3rd LANEIGE Broadway Musical Competition held recently

It’s good to know Laneige is bringing back the fun which was missing last year. The LANEIGE Broadway Musical Charity Competition is back once more and it’s brought to you by LANEIGE and Department of Schools, Ministry of Education. What I love about this event is that the students are able to showcase their talents but it’s also not about their showmanship but also it brings out other values in them such as leadership, confidence, appreciation, creative and many more.

For your info, there will 250 secondary students participating in this year’s competition with 10 schools involved. The theme for the musical broadway competition is “Bruneian Life”.

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During the press conference, Patricia Li, Marketing Manager of LANEIGE Brunei, shared why she initiated this competition in the first place. The objectives are multi-dimensional. One major objective is to raise awareness on those who are less fortunate. This year the ticket sales will be donated to YASKA Children Cancer Fund and BELTA. The other objectives of this competition is to encourage the youth in Brunei to contribute to the youth development via charity events and also to expose their talents through understanding the Brunei culture and enhancing the English language.

Mr. Cheong Huat Joo, Senior Special Duty Officer, Department of School at the Ministry of Education, shared that this competition will foster better relations and awareness among the community on contribution to society. He said the 10 schools involved is part of the students’ learning curve and also part of their curriculum activity from their respective schools.

Hjh Ardinah, Vice President of BELTA, said she’s thankful for the support. She also announced that there will be prizes for the Most Creative Adaptation ($100) and Best Stage Management ($100) which will be sponsored by BELTA. This competition will allow the students to express their confidence and talent.

With the continuous generous support of Ministry of Education, HSBC, CFBT, Royal Brunei Catering Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Shalim (B) Sdn Bhd, Ranoadidas, Hua Ho Department Store, Red Dot Studio, JPMC Fitness Centre, Great Eastern Life Assurance and Brunei English Language Teacher Association. 

LANEIGE Broadway Musical Charity Competition 2013 to be held at the Hua Ho Manggis Hall on 28 April 2013 at 9am until 4:30pm.  Tickets are now available on sales at all LANEIGE branches (the mall 2428222, Kiulap 2232282, K.B. 3347217, Hua Ho Yayasan 2231122) and also CFBT. For you rinfo, there are only 700+ seats to be sold during the event. 100% of ticket sales would be donated to YASKA Children Cancer Fund and BELTA (Brunei English Language Teachers Association). To enjoy a meaningful afternoon of Broadway musical with good cause, get your tickets now for a wonderful afternoon with family and friends.

 

The second explosion near the Boston Marathon finishing line. Two bombs struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three were killed, including an 8 year old child while 180 people are being treated in hospitals. Image taken from CNN.com and click image to read the report.

 

Group photo with the winners, participants and associates of AITI for the Amateur Radio Direction Finding Competition 2013 which was held at Tasik Sarubing at Subok. Click image to enlarge.

This year marks the second time for AITI to hold the ARDF competition after its successful event last year. Seven (7) teams participated in the ARDF and every team consists of three (3) members. The ARDF competition started at 7:30am and lasted for two (2) hours. During the competition, each team displayed their capabilities in the design of their home-made directional antennas and used their skills to orienteer their way to find hidden transmitters (the “foxes”).

Amateur radio service is a radio-communications service in which a station is used for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs or hobbyist. Amateur Radio service is regulated by AITI and this includes the equipment used for Amateur Radio service. This is to ensure that Amateur Radio service and equipment are used within the allowed technical requirements and within the code of conduct of the Amateur Radio licence.

Did you know that recently AITI conducted an inspection for unauthorised usage of radio-communications equipment? Walkie-talkies are pretty common and I remember when I was a teenager, I used to buy from Singapore *lol* Back then, there was no governing body such as AITI to help monitor. Ever since its establishment (of AITI), they have created policies and regulations and one of them is the approval of radio equipments such as walkie talkies.

AITI has given stern warnings to security companies, training centres, event managers and some hotels that have used these equipments without the approval of AITI. So what’s the consequences should I be caught using a radio equipment illegally? Under the Section 35 of the Telecommunications Order 2001, anyone found operating unapproved radio equipment without a valid license issued by AITI shall be liable on conviction to a fine no exceeding $10,000 and imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or both. So don’t play, play, guys 😀

Photo shows some of the walkie-talkies found to be violating standards set by Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) during inspections conducted recently. Image courtesy of AITI

There are 2 types of Amateur Radio licence issued by AITI; the Standard Class licence and the Advanced Class licence. The Standard Class licence allows licensee to transmit and receive in the ‘Very High Frequency’ (VHF) band in the range of 144 MHz to 148 MHz. The Advanced Class licence allow licensee to operate in both ‘High Frequency’ (HF) and ‘Very High Frequency’ (VHF) bands as stated in the licence. When a licence is issued, a call sign is also given. This call sign act as an identity for the licensee and must be transmitted at the beginning of the conversations. In Brunei Darussalam, the call sign begin with the prefix “V8” followed by a number and a combination of 2 or 3 alphabetic characters. The V8 call sign is allocated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to enable unique geographical identification of Amateur Radio users when they communicate globally.

  Other than that, Amateur Radio service is used to provide alternative communication during emergency or in times of natural disasters when fixed line, mobile phones and other conventional means of communications fail. Local Amateur radio operators from Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association (BDARA) and Gemilang Amateur Radio Club (GARC) regularly assist the National Disaster Management Centre by providing emergency communication in remote areas. One notable example is during the 2009 flooding due to abnormally heavy rain during that period, where they provided communications in the remote areas of Tutong and Kuala Belait District. 

The participants came early as 6:30am to prepare for the competition at Tasek Sarubing last Sunday

The radio equipment they were using during the competition

The participants made their own transmitter

I kinda like this tasek and it is ideal for walking. Just make sure you bring insect repellant along.

The tasek also has a deep route which makes it tougher for the participants to locate the beacons

I just noticed why they won… Because they wore Adidas pants *Woohoo*

Participants with AITI committee waiting to flag off the next competitor

This app makes it easy to keep track of the times for the participants

He was getting rid of the dirt of his shoes

The ladies preparing for the prize presentation

The prizes for this year’s ARDF competition were presented by Haji Yahkup Bin Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI. The competition is based on the fastest team to be able to find all the hidden beacons located at various points at the Taman Serubing. The first winner of the ARDF2013 goes to Team “Pelanduk Napu” which manage to find the hidden beacons in 34 minutes, followed by Team Pintu Kuning in 1 hour 8 minutes and the third team was Team Q…S…L… in 1 hour 12 minutes. The first place winning team brings back a cash prize of $1,000 with a trophy. The second and third winner gets $750 and $500 respectively and with a trophy.

Haji Yahkup Bin Haji Menudin mentioned that through this ARDF competition, member of the public has the opportunity to understand more on the Amateur Radio and encourage the use of Amateur Radio service among the public. He also hopes that this competition will create greater harmonies and network amongst radio enthusiasts.

Presenting the certificate of participation to the contestant

AITI gang posing before the prize presentation

Team Q…S…L… came third with a time of 1 hour 12 minutes and the mock cheque was presented by Hj Yahkup Hj Menudin the Chief Executive of AITI

Pintu Kuning came 2nd place with a time of 1 hour 8 minutes

The grand winner Pelanduk Napu with a cash prize of $1,000. They successfully found all the beacons in just 34 minutes. Amazing!!

The bird’s eye view of the map

For those who are interested to obtain Amateur Radio licence, the applicant has to pass the Amateur Radio Examination conducted by AITI. AITI conducts two (2) Amateur Radio examinations annually and upon passing, AITI will issue the Amateur Radio licence. This Amateur radio licence is valid for one (1) year and is renewable. The annual Amateur Radio licence fee is B$ 25.00 per equipment. Amateur Radio Equipment can be purchased from local radio communication dealer licensed by AITI. Licensees who purchases their radio equipment from oversea will be subject to equipment type approval fee and import permit fee.

For further information on amateur radio licence, please contact Mohd Fadzlan bin Dato Paduka Haji Abdullah, Assistant Manager, Type Approval, Amateur Radio & Equipment Testing, AITI, at 2366637 or email at info@aiti.gov.bn or you may visit AITI official website at www.aiti.gov.bn

The committee involved since early Sunday morning

The freestyle pose of the group photo. Click image to enlarge.

 

The Marketing Executive from B-Mobile, Mohd Iskandar Hj Zulkipli (2nd L), presenting a mock air-ticket to FLY2UK SMS quiz grand prize winner Hj Ariffin Hj Metussin (2nd R) with Modasys employee Haliza Salleh (L), and Cooltones Creative Designer Zalifah Aswana (R)

It was a big break for Hj Ariffin Hj Metussin as he was yesterday announced the grand prize winner of an all expenses paid trip to the UK to watch one of the famed football league matches.

“I was surprised and speechless. I just couldn’t believe it that I will be flying overseas. Most of all, I am happy that I will be watching my favourite football team playing live,” said Hj Ariffin, a loyal Arsenal fan, on his luck in winning the FLY2UK SMS Quiz.Held at B-Mobile headquarters in Beribi, Gadong, the final prize presentation for the three-month long quiz also awarded four other winners.

Following in Hj Arrifin’s footsteps was Abdul Azim Hussin who won an Autopro Tyre Company 20-inch sports rim.

Coming in third was Hjh Rabiah Hj Abdul Rashid, who had also won an Autopro Tyre Company 20-inch sports rim.

Meanwhile, Fahezzrul Tuah, the fourth place winner, won a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.

Last but not least, the fifth place winner, Hj Mohd Hairol Hj Sani, took home the Huawei P1.

All five winners also received $15 B-Mobile top up, wheel alignment voucher, Cooltones merchandise, MVision movie tickets, KFC meal vouchers and Fitness Zone gym passes.

Also present at the event were the Marketing Executive Officer of B-Mobile, Mohd Iskandar Hj Zulkipli; the Managing Director of Autopro Tyre Company, Jacky Yee; the Creative Designer from Cooltones, Zalifah Aswana as well as staff from both B-Mobile and Cooltones.

Already in its fourth year, the FLY2UK SMS Quiz was held and organised by Cooltones. Participants only need to answer simple questions through SMS about football, the participating sponsors and partner products.

This included Cooltones, B-Mobile, Hua Wei, Mvision, Fitness Zone, Autopro Tyre Company and KFC. Text courtesy of Ikhwan Salleh of The Brunei Times.

The prizes for the winners

Autopro Tyre Company 20-inch sports rim was one of the prizes

Group photo with the winners and sponsors

 

It’s happening this May. 4th May to be exact. Enchanted Forest is a musical brought to you by Relentless Entertainment. It will be held at Jerudong Park Amphitheatre.

The musical performance which will involve dance, drama and singing will showcase the talents of our local youth. This musical promises to be a fun family affair. Tickets are $20, $15 & $10.

Tickets will be available soon at Patisserie Cake Shop in Kg. Mata Mata (Same block as Traders Inn), Misato Japanese Restaurant (Same block as Mamih Kiulap) IA Salon (the Mall Gadong) & Fun Bee Park (Batu bersurat, Near happy star).

The event is approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs and supported by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The platinum sponsors are Jerudong Park Country Club and HSBC. The Gold Sponsor is Patisserie Cake Shop while Bronze Sponsor is Misato Japanese Restaurant. The official make up effects is sponsored by Fun Bee Park and IA Salon. The printing and design is sponsored by Adison Marketing.

Do visit their Facebook page —> Relentless Entertainment for updates.

Click image to enter their Facebook page

Iron Man 3 to be released end of the month

Wanna win tickets? Click image to enter facebook.com/Audibrunei and post on their wall a slogan containing “Iron Man” and “Audi”. Contest runs until 19th April

 

Sabrina Mahmud was at the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign held yesterday at Dermaga Diraja in conjuction with World Health Day 2013

My first coverage of the Amateur Radio Direction Finding competition organised by AITI. More on that later.

It was a pleasure to have met Sharon O’Dea, Senior Manager of Online Communications of Standard Chartered Bank last Friday. She’s enjoying her trip to Borneo and I hope you get to see the Orang Utans in Kuching 🙂

The launch of the new area of Fitness Zone and also celebrating its 10 years anniversary

Nazeer Kazimi, CEO of Brudirect receiving a token of appreciation from Hj Mohammad bin Hj Jaya, Plant Manager of Brunei LNG during last weekend appreciation dinner for the media hosted by Brunei LNG

Check out my summary review of The Host on my Instagram. Full review soon.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports YB Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hj Hazair (L) receiving a token of appreciation from Pusat Ehsan Senior Trustee Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin Abd Wahab (R) during the launch of The Run at Orchid Garden Hotel last Saturday. More on that later.

The Mini Cooper Paceman launched last weekend

Oblivion was a much better outing than The Host. Check out summary review on my instagram

Thank you ladies for showing up on my mother’s birthday bash last Monday. More pictures to come this week 😀 And thanks to Hanisham Studio for the wonderful pictures. My mom loves them.

I’m super impressed with the creativity from the final year students from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Check out their artwork and installation at “Spectacle: Art & Design Graduation Show 2013” at the art gallery at UBD Chancellor Hall. The installation aboveis by Fizah Rahman and it’s called Victim of Commercialization. The showcase ends on 27th April. Highly recommended.

Guess who’s on instagram now?? Do follow @redbullbn for more exciting updates and this is a teaser advert from Red Bull (Brunei)

 

BAKAT ARTS Productions together with BEDB will be giving Brunei’s budding Creative Arts. Industry a booster shot in the arm in its effort to gain global recognition. By utilizing The ASEAN Summit as a launch pad, Brunei’s creative minds will form a welcome wagon of originality to greet the mob of delegates.

With Brunei chairing the ASEAN Summit, what better way to welcome the delegates than to…. ‘Give Them A Sofa’!

An original concept dreamed up by BAKAT ARTS Productions, the ‘Give Them A Sofa’ Art Expo at the Brunei International Airport, like a sofa, has two distinctive components namely the Backrest and the Seat.

Backrest
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – An age old adage that serves an important purpose. Brunei’s creative minds will lead several teams of individuals, students, schools in transforming the newly refurbished Arrival Hall into a walk-through Art gallery of recycled materials.Comprising 10 galleries, the exhibit will feature never-before-seen original Bruneain art created by up-and-coming visionary artists.

Seat
The second component of the sofa, which is the most basic of needs, is the Seat because, what good is a backrest if you can’t sit down to lean into it, correct? The idea is that each ASEAN member country will give a sofa that best represents their nation and together form a huge ASEAN living room at the Brunei International Airport.

‘Give Them A Sofa’
Why a Sofa?
Obviously one needs to rest after coming off from a long flight, so why not? Stop for a minute at Brunei’s ASEAN living room where you can calmly and comfortably enjoy the Brunei hospitality among the company of friends.

Let Your Body Drive Dance Competition 2013 brought to you by Peugeot Brunei. Click image to enter Facebook page to find out more.

 

Click image to enter website

Are you ready for another major run? Click image to enter Facebook Page

 

Tonight and tomorrow night is the final day of Arabian Nights promotion at Seasons Restaurant. Buffet price for adults is $29.90 and children is $17. RBC Dining Privilege Card members will enjoy 10 per cent discount. For reservation and enquiries, please call 2422291 or 2422292.

The promotional poster of Arabian Nights

One of the popular dishes for the Arabian Nights promotion

Deep fried chicken with tomato salsa

The shawarma stall

Beef Stew

The dessert area

Baklava

Seng Yee was my guest last week 🙂

 

As part of the Charity Movie Night, some fans who flew in with RB’s Royal Brunei Holiday package as well as lucky Facebook fans were given the chance to meet Wu Chun for a photo session. You can click here for more pictures at Royal Brunei Airlines Facebook page. By the way, tomorrow Wu Chun will be officially launching the facelift of Fitness Zone Kiulap at 2pm.

Wu Chun with the local fans at Portview Restaurant

Some of the fans who flew in with RB’s Royal Brunei Holiday Package

 

Eric Pui, owner of Muffins & Co

I’m not much of a muffin person but then again, it’s always my past time whenever I dropped by CBTL to order muffins. Now my friend Eric Pui of Mr. Bakersbakeshop has introduced a new food outlet, selling purely muffins under the name of Muffins & Co.

There was so much hype built up for the opening of Muffins & Co and finally they opened its door on the 1st of April 2013. It is located at The Souq, Airport Mall on the 1st floor behind Matadoe Cafe.

According to Eric Pui, it was his dream to have a corner shop and finally he managed to secure one. He said that Muffins & Co are offering 10 healthy flavours – ow GI; Pistachio Granola; Swiss Style Muesli; Chocolate Raisin Muesli; Cinnamon Cranberry and Walnuts; Apple and Oatmeal; Banana Almond; Almond and Sour Cream; Apple Cinnamon; and Chocolate Coconut Almond and Sour Cream.

On the first day, it was sold out in a matter of hours after a special promotion of $5 for 2 muffins. Now the muffins are priced at $3.50 each and I highly recommend you. Muffins & Co is open seven days a week from 10am to 10pm, except on Fridays, where they close from12pm to 2pm for Friday prayers.

Congratulations Eric on your new adventure with Muffins & Co. I believe this is not just a business but your passion in bringing more healthy food to our locals. Keep it up!!

Try out their muffins

Try out their muffins

It’s a small place at the corner of The Souq

I kinda like the area of The Souq at The Airport Mall

 

Great dishes from the Amazing ASEAN Food Festival at the Airport Restaurant. However, the promotion is only on weekends (Friday to Sunday) and only available for dinner 6:30pm to 10pm until the 28th of April 2013.

Do try their popular dishes from 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mynamar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The menu will be cycled on different days of the weekend. There’s also the ambuyat stall which will be served throughout the whole weekend.

The price of the dinner buffet is BND 29.90 for adult and BND 15 for children. There will be a 10% discount if you use the RBC Privilege Card. For reservation, do call 233 1853 and yeah, you can also park at the new parking area of the Brunei International Airport. It’s humungous!!!

The two chefs behind the ASEAN dishes

The Vietnamese Lamb Stew

Laos Glass Noodle

Burmese Curry Chicken

Cambodian Amok Fish

Not sure what the label of the chicken is for this

You should try the chicken with the satay sauce

Ice kacang for dessert

You can request the chef to cook the veges to your liking

The noodle stall

You can now park at the new parking area at The Brunei International Airport

 

Andrew Young, Deputy General Manager Operations of Baiduri Bank, presented an iPad Mini to one of the children from Yayasan Kanak-Kanak Kanser (YASKA)

At a small intimate event at the Ward 3, where the Paediatric Haemoto-Oncology Ward is in RIPAS Hospital, Baiduri Bank recently donated 4 units of iPad Minis, 2 units of recliner wheelchairs and 1 unit of ripple mattress to a couple of excited children from Yayasan Kanak-Kanak Kanser (YASKA) for the use of the children undergoing treatment in the ward.

Present at the event was Andrew Young, DGM Operations, Baiduri Bank, Zubaidah Hj Dahlan, Assistant Director of Finance in RIPAS Hospital, Dr Hjh Norehan Hj Johari, Pediatric Oncologist, and Tsaranawwarah Abdullah Chen, Senior Occupational Therapist.

The Paediatric Haemoto-Oncology Ward was established to attend to children with blood disorders and those diagnosed with cancer. It consists of four rooms and the ward bay can accommodate five or six patients at a time. With the average length of treatment for childhood cancer, from initial diagnosis to cure or remission being one to two years, Baiduri hopes that with the donation made it can make the patients’ stay at the ward whilst undergoing treatment more bearable.

To date, 100 children have been diagnosed with cancer in Brunei since 2002.

Baiduri Bank has worked closely with the RIPAS Hospital throughout the years. Besides being a major sponsor of the annual World Blood Donor Day, the Bank has helped finance the development of other areas within the RIPAS Hospital such as the Child Development Centre.

Since 2008, the bank has made significant donations to the Child Development Centre, RIPAS Hospital that enabled the setting up of the sensory integration, audio visual rooms, books, equipment and most recently to fund the Early Bird programme designated for parents whose three to five-year-old children were suffering from autism.

The Bank also made donations to help cover the cost of educational aid at the Paediatric Occupational Therapy In-Patient Service Unit. Press release by Baiduri Bank.

HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chairman of the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings with the ASEAN Ministers yesterday at the International Convention Centre

This is still an ongoing saga. It is also a sensitive issue to cover as well. For those who are not aware, there are territorial disputes in South China Sea. This issue was escalated for the past few years and there haven’t been any conclusion to it just yet. China has claimed the entire body of South China Sea as theirs and the claims overlap with almost all respective countries in ASEAN – Indonesia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore and lastly Taiwan.

Hence yesterday’s meeting was another indication where the ASEAN countries will want to carry the momentum to have a dialogue with China on the code of conduct (CoC) on the South China Sea. For your knowledge, some of the territories are beneficial in terms of fishing and even oil and gas discovery.

ASEAN Chair Brunei has issued a statement after the conclusion of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, there is an urge for a peaceful resolution to territorial disputes between several Southeas Asian nations and China, in accordance with international law.

The final day of the preparatory meetings at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday was chaired by HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chairman of the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings. Also present was Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-large.

The Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Mary Natalegawa expressed that it is important that something needs to be worked out since it’s the 20th year of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership. He also advised that any parties to refrain from taking any action as it would complicate situation further.

Only time will tell when Code of Conduct will be concluded.

Other discussions were the progress made since 21st ASEAN summit last year including political and security cooperation; the widening acceptance of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia; ongoing work to the publication of the ASEAN Security Outlook.

ASEAN also also taken a united stance on North Korea’s aggression and their aim is to have peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario hopes for a six-party talks involving North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

The Ministers’ Meeting concluded yesterday as its prime objective was to prepare for the April 24-25 summit of ASEAN countries and I believe the CoC issue will be brought up again. I just hope all of this can be resolved without any further tension.

HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chairman of the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings (center) with Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-large and Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng, the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Yang Amat Mulia Pg Anak Mansurah Izzul Bolkiah from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also present

The final session took place hosted by Brunei

The final session took place hosted by Brunei

The Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Mary Natalegawa speaking to the media. Image courtesy of INFOFOTO.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Darussalam HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah (R) and Indonesia’s Foreign Minister His Excellency Dr Marty Natalegawa (L) exchange documents after signing the Agreed Minutes of the Third Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Brunei and Indonesia at Muzakarah Hall, International Convention Centre in Berakas. Image courtesy of INFOFOTO.

HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah leading the delegations for the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Retreat. Image courtesy of INFOFOTO.

The ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Retreat at ICC. Image courtesy of INFOFOTO.

The South China Sea dispute that has been ongoing