Click image to enter Earth Hour Brunei facebook page

 

*LOL* it has been a while since I posted my movie reviews on RA. For the record, most of the movies I have caught have been posted on my Instagram. So if you want up to date snippets of my review and ratings, just catch me on instagram @ranoadidas (and Twitter sometimes).

I have to admit that movies in February have been mediocre to say the least. I know the summer movies look promising judging from the trailers but man, that’s no excuse for film studios to deliver all the crap in the month of February. There were three movies I enjoyed but then again that was back dated last year but only released in February, notably Lincoln, Cloud Atlas and Flight.

March movies have been a saviour in some ways and a slight improvement from February. I’m quite happy that Django Unchained made to our local theatres. There have been huge question marks if the movie would be released due to the violent nature of the content.

Lincoln. I had a feeling that this movie would be draggy because it’s all about American politics and how the 13th Amendment of the American constitution happened under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. It’s no surprise that Daniel Day-Lewis who played Lincoln won Best Actor in the Oscars and I found Lincoln’s character quite interesting to begin with. I knew Steven Spielberg is the best person to deliver this masterpiece. His formula paid off and he made Lincoln’s character quite compelling too. In actual fact, Lincoln reminds me of my friend Clovis who loves to share stories of his wonderful experiences in life. A lot of lessons can be learnt here. It can get a bit draggy but I was still entertained. Verdict: 7/10 Rottentomatoes 89%.

Journey to the West: Conquering The Demons. CJ7 was a disappointment.. It was nothing compared to Shaolin Soccer and Kungfu Hustle. I didn’t even know Stephen Chow was the producer of Dragon Evolution (That was really bad right, guys?). Anyway, the latest movie by Stephen Chow was another disappointment. Who cares about the visuals these days? The real demon is this movie is the actual storyline/plot. It was all over the place. Even the chemistry of the lead actors was poorly executed. It was good to see Shu Qi though on the big screen once again. Maybe another disappointment is Chow’s absence in the movie but he could have done the Ben Affleck way (director/actor). The funny moments are there indeed but it’s not enough to save my level of interest to re-watch again even on HBO. Verdict: 6/10.

Beautiful Creatures. I was already interested in this movie because I was hoping that it would put the Twilight series to shame. This movie is based on a series of novel and it’s very likely that it will have a sequel or so. In conclusion, BC ain’t cheesy as Twilight but oh my, it has flaws that I couldn’t comprehend. The build up chemistry seemed too fast and it was nothing interesting either. I’m just content that it didn’t go the “cheesyness” level of Twilight. Too bad this movie bombed at the box office (only 19 million) but if there’s a sequel, I probably would catch it. Devon thought the parts of the movie deviated from the book she read. She was unhappy about it *lol* Verdict: 6/10 Rottentomatoes 45%.

Flight. I kinda half-half enjoyed this movie. The first 20 minutes of the movie was stunning but not as riveting as the one in The Grey (in reference to the plane crash). However, the melodrama was the one that caught me restless at times. Denzel Washington will always be Denzel. If it was another actor, he wouldn’t have pulled it off. There are some issues maybe that clouded my verdict of this movie because of ethical issues involved and how it was handled throughout the movie. This is a crowd pleaser movie but I just got bored of this draggy “hangover” stuff. Some of you would appreciate it. Verdict: 7/10 Rottentomatoes 78%.

Cloud Atlas. Whatever you do, don’t catch the midnight show though it has stopped showing her in Brunei cinemas *lol* My point being is that you need to be focus and alert while catching CA. One word I can say is ambitious. Who would have dared tackle such movie that has action, mystery, romance and comedy where one soul goes through different generation from a villain to a hero and from what I can gather, it is all about cause and effect. Yes, yes, yes.. It does sounds confusing *lol* but if you do have the time, do catch CA and it’s a pretty long movie too. This is again another hit or miss kinda of movie. You can either be absorbed or disinterested. I don’t mind to watch this again to catch some bits that I may have not interpreted. This could be an interesting movie for film study too. Verdict: 7/10 Rottentomatoes 67%.

A Good Day To Die Hard. Hmmmm.. I believe the series should have been dead and buried. The last outing wasn’t as good as the previous movies. I enjoyed the 1st and the 4th one the most but the 5th one was the weakest of the lot. Some of the scenes just doesn’t make sense especially when John McClane (Bruce Willis) arrived in Russia trying to get the attention of his son who was in a middle of an espionage job and yet John starts chasing him and destroys public properties along the way. That’s just one of those moments that defies logical reasoning. There are simply many flaws and it just doesn’t compute in my head. I remember giving this a 7 on my IG posting but after analysing it deeply, I have overrated this action flick. I was also misled by the good trailer. Verdict: 5/10 Rottentomatoes 16%.

The movie was launched during the National Day two weeks ago and it’s still a big seller

Apa Ada Dengan Rina. This is the first full-length Brunei movie produced by Regalblue Production and I’m here to do my review finally. I have missed two of their invitations (sneak preview and the premier) and I apologise to Harlif for my absence. Nevertheless I still managed to catch the movie a few days ago and I’m quite impressed by the outcome. For a locally made movie, this is a great effort though I believe there is still room for improvement.

The humour was spot on and Bruneians can relate to them. Despite the laughs, the plot I believe could have been stronger and to give the characters a more challenging scenario so the emotions could be felt more. I left the movie without any recall of the highlight moments (of humour) and mind you the movie is hilarious from start to finish. If it had one or two talking most funny moments (just like how American Pie or Hangover series did theirs), this flick would have a good “after-movie-conversation” instead of saying “it’s a funny movie” (and ends there) and hence creating more buzz than it already has.

I have to admit that I hardly watch Malay movies with the last being Ombak Rindu (7/10) and to enjoy a Malay movie is tough especially Malaysian produced ones. However, Ada Apa Dengan Rina gave me some hope that I can still enjoy one. I highly recommend friends and families to catch this movie and for your info, there are no subtitles. Seng Yee had a bit of problem watching it but she managed to understand most of the Bruneian jokes *lol*

Benny of Times Cineplex said that this movie have been a huge hit for them surprisingly and this is a good sign that Bruneians are appreciating locally produced movies. This is already a great start and I hope there will be more movies coming from Brunei. Ada Apa Dengan Rina is only showing at Times Cineplex, Times Square. Verdict: 7/10.

Rurouni Kenshin. So much hype about this movie especially those who are familiar with the Japanese anime. Brunei was fortunate enough to have this movie screened at Times Cineplex though the screening didn’t last long but I managed to catch it a few weeks ago. I have to say I was impressed with the film adaptation. It reminds me of the classic movie Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman. The fighting sequences kept me glued to the screen and I enjoyed every moment of it. The plot was great too and I love how the villain doesn’t have much (or any) fighting skills but the director was able to portray him as a bad ass villain. It would have had a higher rating if they could have explored more elements to it. A great effort nonetheless and yes, it’s too violent for kids. Verdict: 7/10.

Jack the Giant Slayer. The biggest flop of 2012. The investment costs nearly USD 200 million and they have only raked in USD 72 million worldwide. There are many talking points in this movie to begin with and the changes in the original screenplay of Jack and the Beanstalk wasn’t that appealing to begin with. The pace was so uneven and there is a moment that you thought the movie would end but it took another direction. I was kinda lost who was the actual main villain in this movie as it kept on swapping on the lead villain. With the money spent, I was disappointed with the CGI used. This is a big year for Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Days of Future Past) but he was wrongly cast in the movie. Furthermore, this movie was directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men: First Class, X2, Superman Returns) and hence I expected more coming from him. Jack the Giant Slayer simply lacked depth. So much potential indeed. Oh yeah, some of the violent scenes may not be suitable for kids. I was surprised it was rated PG. Verdict: 6/10 Rottentomatoes 51%.

Oz the Great and Powerful. Hmmmmm James Franco is fine actor but only for some movies, it does bring the best out of him. In this, he’s just a simple fine lead actor but nothing the title suggest – Great and Powerful. Again, character developments are just a brisk walk and perhaps the producers are focusing more on visuals and artistry. It may not be top notch visuals but it does stands out on the big screen. Oh yeah, this has a mixture of live-action and CGI. The tree witches were alright and it’s nice to see Michelle Williams on the screen again. This was a good ride and Sam Raimi (director) kinda played it safe. I wish he would be more ambitious on some aspects of the movie. The final third of the movie was a great payoff but the ending could have been sharper. I enjoyed this more than Jack the Giant Slayer. Verdict: 7/10 Rottentomatoes 61%.

The Call. I kinda like the premise for The Call. Halle Berry was great as the lead actor. The suspense and thriller were the main ingredients and it can be quite absorbing to some. I do learn something about call centres now and how tricky situations can be especially when it comes to a matter of life and death. I’m quite surprised WWE studios is involved too hence you see the appearance of David Otanga from WWE. The portrayal of the villain was well executed. The only thing that was a let off was how the movie ended. I’m gonna go into spoilers but this just spoiled my rating for this movie. Other than that, I’m surprised I still can enjoy a movie that deals with call centres. Again the final third was a bit problematic. Verdict: 6/10 Rottentomatoes 40%.

Snitch. This year is another big year for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Apart from Snitch, he will be starring in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Fast and the Furious 6. The movie snitch was based on true events if I’m not mistaken. It was a decent showing again by The Rock. I still remember another movie Gridiron Gang which I enjoyed more than Snitch and it’s also based on a true story. There is not much talking point here but I wished the storytelling could have been sharper because the elements are there already. I have mixed feelings of him now being in the WWE because his comeback trail has been fading in popularity. He’s better off in Hollywood. Verdict: 7/10 Rottentomatoes 56%.

Django Unchained. It’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino won for Best Original Screenplay for Django Unchained. I love the show and I’m super glad that it made to Brunei cinema. I caught it on the premier night itself and to my surprise, it’s almost the full version that’s shown in the States so I must have been pretty lucky to catch the unedited version. Anyway, you may know that I’m a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino and my thoughts of Django… hmmmm it’s not as great as Inglourious Basterds or Pulp Fiction or even Kill Bill but it’s one of the great movies I’ve seen these past few months. Christopher Waltz was superb but I thought Leonardo DiCaprio stole the show for me as the villain. This is another fun and violent and even humourous show. It could have been a slightly shorter in terms of duration time. I have always love the dialogue in Tarantino’s movies and this didn’t fail to deliver the goods. Verdict: 8/10 Rottentomatoes 88%.

Warm Bodies. I was so looking forward for this movie and finally it’s out in Brunei. Yes, I have mentioned before that Nicholas Hoult is a big star in the making with a few more movies up his sleeves. This was a much better outing for Hoult compared to Jack the Giant Slayer. The premise of the Warm Bodies was interesting enough and I’m a sucker when it comes to zombie type films. However, this is not your typical zombie flick and it took a different direction as it tackles the relationship between a human and a zombie. I won’t spoil it further so you better catch it on the big screen. Some great music as well as the scores too. I just downloaded some of the classic songs *lol* A heartwarming movie and the formula works. I expected more though but I was still satisfied. Oh it’s likely that Warm Bodies to earn more box office than Jack the Giant Slayer *ouch* Verdict: 7.5/10 Rottentomatoes 79%.

Twice daily to Kuala Lumpur starting May 22nd

 

For your info, OTC stands for Olive Tree Corporation and it handles two popular franchises – Pizza Hut and DQ. Two weeks ago, they have their 20th anniversary celebration held at the Manggis Ballroom and this is a yearly event where all the staff and employees under OTC will gather together and celebrate the achievements of the winners and also their leaders – Mr. Johnny Liew and Mrs. Evelyn Liew – who deeply appreciated their team for their continuous hard work.

Below are the accolades for those who have contributed to the growth and success of OTC.

CHAMPION AWARD
Gay Prieto (PH Mentiri)
 
FRONT OF HOUSE AWARD
Joseph Catina Cornelio (PH Gadong)
ovelyn Ramoso Pastrana (PH Sg Tilong)
Cestlavie Arino Alvarez (PH Mall)
Nurul Maziah Binti Ismail (PH Airport Mall)
 
BACK OF HOUSE AWARD
Robert Soriano Hernandez (PH Sg Tilong)
Hjh Rosliah Binti Zainal (PHD Mentiri)
Conrado Trajano Gonzales (PH Airport Mall)
 
RIDER AWARD
Ruel Maimot Fornis (PHD Mentiri)
Diogenes Lozado Novelo (PH Gadong)
Novi Hardiyanto (PH Sg Tilong)
Alvin Dela Cruz Estacio (PH Kuala Belait)
 
CALL CENTER AGENT AWARD
Nurul Jannah Binti Khalidi (CSC)

CHAMPS AWARD – DELIVERY
Cleanliness Excellence Award : PHD Mentiri
Hospitality Excellence Award : PH Kuala Belait
Accuracy Excellence Award : PHD Bunut
Maintenance Excellence Award : PH Sg Tilong
Product  Excellence Award : PHD Seria
Speed Of Service  Excellence Award : PHD Mentiri
 

CHAMPS AWARD – DINE IN
Cleanliness Excellence Award : PH Mall
Hospitality Excellence Award : PH Gadong
Accuracy Excellence Award : PH Gadong
Maintenance Excellence Award : PH Gadong
Product  Excellence Award : PH Mall
Speed Of Service  Excellence Award : PH Gadong

STAFF QUARTER CLEANLINESS
PHD Mentiri
STORE PRIDE AWARD
DQ Tanjung Bunut

DQ MANAGER AWARD
Maria Lilia R. Lascano (DQ Mall)
 
DQ TEAM MEMBER AWARD
Pia A Bolivar (DQ Sg Tilong)
Trina Liza B. Rey (DQ Mall)
Md Khairuttaufik Bin Mudim Hj Sapar (DQ Tilong)
 
DQ NEW STAR AWARD
Buena Joan Cajayon Atienza (DQ Airport Mall)

DQ HOSPITALITY AWARD
DQ Sg Tilong
 
DQ ACCURACY AWARD
DQ Tutong
 
DQ SPEED OF SERVICE AWARD
DQ Yayasan

SALES AWARD
PH Mentiri
DQ Teck Guan

Mr. and Mrs. Liew with family and friends

Let the show begin

Mahani Abu Zar delivering her congratulatory messages from the States

There was a lion dance too

Ben and Mark were rewarded by OTC for their courageous effort during the recent robbery

Amy getting an award from the Liews

 

Paintball has always been a great recreational activity that helps to create a good bonding session but it has always been done outside Brunei especially from students studying abroad. Lately the Brunei Birmingham Students Society organised the 7th BruMingham Paintball Tournament and it was in conjunction with Brunei Darussalam’s 29th National Day. Over 180 Bruneians participated and according to the organiser, it was regarded as one of the most highly anticipated events.

Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd (BSP), Brunei Halal UK and Brunei Student Unit (BSU) London sponsored the event. Upon opening the ceremony, BBSS President Yasmin Bakar welcomed the participants and proceeded to present a souveneir to representatives from BSU who came in support of the event.

Participants were gathered for equipment and safety briefings before being allowed to proceed into their battlefields. Twelve teams were divided into two groups of six teams, at which, each team would play six games spread throughout the day. Some of the games include, Speedball, Woodsball, Scenario Paintball, etc. The final battle, however, was the Battle Royale, where over 180 participants fought in one battle to defend their groups.

An award presentation was later carried out straight after Battle Royale. Chronic Keelers from Keele emerged 1st place, Victorious Secret from Sheffield, in 2nd place, and one of the home teams, Brumingham Alpha, emerged 3rd.

Top three teams with their trophies

Gearing up for battle

Speaking in an interview, Ak Abdul Hafiz Pg Abdul Samad, captain of the Chronic Keelers reflected on his first experience participating in this tournament last year, he also recalled the excitement the tournament has brought upon them, having given them an opportunity to see their old friends and making new ones whilst also having fun. He stressed that this is by far, their biggest win. “We did not expect a lot from our freshers since it is their first time playing paintball, but ultimately it was the commitment and dedication from each player that mattered the most,” he said. It was a triumphant victory that they will never forget. “My team and I would also like to thank the organisers and sponsors for hosting this event. Your hard work did not go unnoticed!”

Brumingham Alpha’s captain, Don Giovanni Abdul Rahman said in an interview that he “had to make hard decisions on creating rosters and starting line-ups” but evidently was all worth it in the end, giving his team a 2nd runner-up win. This year, Brumingham Alpha had to battle in a “derby” with Brumingham Bravo for a spot in the top 3, making it the second time of such occurance, with the first one being 4 years ago. His team had 40 per cent female paintballers, and with the 1st place winners being an all-male team, and the 2nd having only one female, he felt proud that his team achieved what they had. “I had no doubts that the girls could step up and give it all they had. It was incredible to have such a big number of Bruneians at an event like this. We came in as strangers and came out having new friends!” he exclaimed.

Also joining the students in their paintball wars is Arif Shamirul, an Engineering Officer in the RBAirF, here for a 30-week aerosystems training course at Royal Airforce Cosford. He took this as an opportunity and entered the tournament as Brumingham Alpha’s import player. It was his first paintball tourney and he thought it was impressive that it had been successfully organised by the students, despite the massive number of participants. Having been trained to shoot live rifles before being introduced to paintball markers, he explained that even with “basic marksmanship fundamentals”, paintball markers “won’t give you the accuracy a live rifle could”. When asked about his experience with his team he said, “We were determined to be the best, showed the kind of character and teamwork normally only associated with uniformed personnel in the military and it paid off! It was all good fun!”

BBSS Sports Officer, Hazim Halim shared his gratitude for the amount of people that had shown up, and the event that had gone smoothly despite the hostile weather. “Given that it is our 7th consecutive year organising this, we aimed to make it bigger and better, and I believe we’ve achieved that goal. Thank you to my fellow Brumingham committee members, who made all of this possible,” he said. He also hoped that the event had been memorable for the attendees especially after gathering altogether as one to celebrate Brunei’s 29th National Day.

The event ended with a patriotic high-note, seeing over 200 Bruneians standing tall in the middle of the cold paintball site outside of home, singing Brunei Darussalam’s National Anthem loud and proud.

Stefan Bird, one of the paintball marshalls working that day claims that “this was probably one of my(his) favourite weekends”. Press release source: Brunei Birmingham Students Society. Images courtesy of Khalilah Baharulalam.

BruMingham committee members and volunteeers with BSU representatives

BSSS Committee members pose for the camera

BruMingham Alpha

His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifl, Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam, inspecting the Guard of Honour

It was my first experience to witness the Legal Year which was held at the Attorney General’s Chamber. I came with Ambrose Nathan of BizAdvise Services who was also invited for the event. The event began with the Honourable Chief Justice of Brunei Darussalam, His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli, inspecting the Guard of Honour. Then the event continued at the Supreme Court where the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam shared their reports and proposals.

Chief Justice Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli said that there have been increase in juvenile cases and he related the cause from broken and dysfunctional families. He also shared the number of bankruptcies that has been on the raise (an increase by at least 700 more Creditors meetings and hearings). Chief Justice hightlighted the success of the newly introduced Small Claims Tribunal which is fast, informal and expensive medium to resolve legal disputes.

The Attorney General, YB Datin Seri Paduka Hjh Hayati, briefed about the draft of the legal handbook and proposed the usage of ICT for the purpose of updating the legislation database. She also highlighted the Criminal Case Negotiation (CCN) which aimed to minimise wastage of judicial time and also making practices more transparent and consistent.

The President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam Hj Muhd Zainidi gave some updates of the association. He hoped that the judiciary, government and relevant agencies can collaborate on legal aid and pro bono (which means professional work underaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fees as a public service). This is ideal for those who can’t afford legal representation.

All in all, it was an interesting morning for me and I didn’t realise how many familiar faces I bumped into yesterday. Well done once again on Legal Year. Some of the images are courtesy of Eally Aleeza (thanks)

His Lordship Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli before the inspection

The Attorney General, YB Datin Seri Paduka Hjh Hayati and Dato Seri Paduka Hj Kifrawi Dato Paduka Hj Kifli

At the Supreme Court

The Attorney General delivering her keynote address

Hj Muhd Zainidi, the President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam

iCentre will turn 5 soon and they will be celebrating it this Friday 15th March. Open for public too.

 

Twice daily to Kuala Lumpur starting May 22nd

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was the Guest of Honour last night

ASEAN-Korea Centre hosted the ‘2013 ASEAN-Korea Festival’ in Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam from March 8-13, 2013.

The festival celebrates the two important events of the 40th year of diplomatic relations between Korea and Indonesia, also termed the ‘Korea-Indonesia Friendship Year’, and Brunei’s chairmanship to ASEAN. For this special occasion, the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Busan, will exhibit Korea’s traditional beauty through chamber music (Korean Drama OST, Korean and local folk music), court music and dance, folk music and dance, as well as a neo-traditional dance.

They recently finished their show at Jakarta and Surabaya and last night they performed at the JIS Art Centre, Brunei Darussalam. His Excellency Mr. Hyong O Kim, former Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, headed the delegation. The guest of honour last night was Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

One of the reasons for cultural show initiated by the ASEAN-Korea Centre was to celebrate the ASEAN Chairmanship of Brunei Darussalam as highlighted by H.E. Mr. Hyong O Kim. The event was split into two – Chamber Music and Korean traditional dance.

From the Chamber Music, the musicians performed music from Korean Drama Original Soundtrack such as The Great Jang Geum and Winter Sonata and they played some traditional Korean number such as “Spirit of Go-ru-ryeo” and “Sin-pu-ri” and furthermore, they performed two Brunei folk songs, “Dang Mengalai” and “Alus Jua Dindang”.

For the Korean traditional performance, they had five performances – Pungryuakjimu, Gyeong-gi-minyo, Chun-aeng-jeon, Cheong-seong-ja-jin=han-ip and Bu-Cha-Chum (Fan Dance).

A big thanks to the Embassy of Republic of Korea to Brunei Darussalam for the invitation. I also become aware of the existence of ASEAN-Korea Centre which is an international organisation established since 2009 where its aim is to increase trade, accelerate investment flow, invigorate tourism and enrich cultural exchanges between ASEAN Member States and Korea. I look forward to engage with our local representative from ASEAN-Korea Centre for possible opportunities.

The official poster of ASEAN-Korea Festival 2013

The Korean performers

At the reception

His Excellency Mr. Hyong O Kim who headed the delegation for ASEAN-Korea Centre

Kim was the emcee for the night. You did well. Love the pacing 😀

One of the songs they performed was the theme from Winter Sonata

This percussionist was awesome

The lady played the Haeguem, a two-stringed fiddle, that has no finger board and is played vertically on the left knee with a bow scraped against two silk strings. I kinda love her solo performance.

The Sanjo Ajaeng instrument which is a horizontal zither and it produces melancholy tones

The soloists who sang some numbers and even our own folk songs

My buddy loves the JIS Art Centre and she doesn’t mind sleeping there *lol*

The Pungryuakjimu, a folk dance from Korea. It is a combination of the Tong-yeong Gyo-bang Jin-chum which is a dance based on the graceful feminine figure and the Dong-nae Hallyang-chum, a dance which shows mirthful spirit and leisurely poise through the fluttering dress of the dancer

The Chun-Aeng Jeon, a Court Dance. The dance depicts a nightingle singing on the branch of a willow tree on a spring day. The movements of the dancer are patterned to a tiny flower which also depicts the elegant movements of a nightingle.

The Bu-chae-chum, the Fan Dance performance that has been choreographed in modern times. I kinda love the performance

The lady behind the scenes

Group photo with the guest of honour

 

The last day of submission is 25th March

Hey peeps.. The competition is back yet again for the 3rd time running. The competition is organised by 1stopbrunei.com and they have been garnering a few local memes in the past few months.

As you may have know, there have been a huge rise in meme (not related to the competition) due to the controversial incident that took place in Tutong at the convenient store. It was a confrontation between the youth and an Indian man, the shopkeeper of the convenient store. The 7 plus minute video went viral and soon after, the local community created memes of their own to poke fun at the youth.

Below are some of the memes that have been posted on social media and it’s the in-thing now and I predict that this is likely to fade away. The photos and images posted are in a way offensive to some as it’s also poking fun at the other race and sometimes the questions remain if the intention behind the meme is to condemn the doings of the youth or vice-versa.

There are even pre-orders for the t-shirts hmmmm

 

Check out their next Fun Bee School Holiday Camp which will be more into baking – fun, fun, fun

Recently Fun Bee Park held their own Fun Bee School Holiday Camp 2013 for kids where they will explore different medium of crafts from traditional, modern, scrapbooking to upcycled crafts. They also made a visit to the Brunei Arts and Handicraft Centre too.

Next week, it will conduct Bee a Lil Baker which will be from March 18 to 21 from 8:30am to 1:30pm. Over the four day period, the kids will bake and frost a two layer cake cookies and bread. All ingredients and recepies will be provided. So this will be a fun activity definitely for kids.

And for those who want to join this camp, they are still open for Registration today 🙂 To register, just text or call us 2457729 or 7178232 at Fun Bee Park.

The activities that was held for the craft session

The activities that was held for the craft session

The activities that was held for the craft session

It’s happening next week – baking camp and this is the kitchen area of Fun Bee Park

Great range of books to read from

Kids having fun at Fun Bee Park

Cecilia Lee the founder of Fun Bee Park gave me some souvenir from Indonesia and she even gave me some chocolate from Patchi 😀 Thanks a lot. Appreciate your kind gesture.

iCentre will turn 5 soon and they will be celebrating it this Friday 15th March. Open for public too.

School holiday promotion from Concepts Computer

Twice daily to Kuala Lumpur starting May 22nd

 

Ah.. sorry for the late post. I’m supposed to post this up a few days – the most talked about wedding of GD and Maurina who are currently enjoying their honeymoon. Anyway, why it is the most talked about wedding was because of its uniqueness and venue of the Bersanding which took place by the beach area near Tarindak at Jerudong.

Now this is a very rare occasion especially when it comes to beach weddings in Brunei and furthermore, it’s a Malay wedding where the “Pelamin” is normally indoors. So I thought it was very courageous of the newly weds to have their Bersanding by the beach side and it happened quite early in the morning (around 9:30am). It was also a blessed morning as the weather was good though it was getting pretty hot after 10ish am. Good thing that it didn’t rain at all.

Maurina disclosed that her wedding didn’t cost much to set up especially at the beach area. The money spent was estimate in the region of BND 10,000 to BND 12,000 and I thought that is a pretty good deal indeed. Normally indoor weddings especially at rented halls will cost a fortune due to the number of pax of people and a lot of props and design also add up to the cost.

The wedding celebration was one unique occasion and I won’t be surprise that many will follow suit. I’m still surprised on the expenses spent on their wedding. So Maurina, you can be my wedding consultant when the time comes *lol* Enjoy the honeymoon and Happy Birthday to you my friend.

 

Hello Music Lovers! ^_^ The tickets for Global Beats in Local Steps: You, Me & Music Concert are up for grabs now for only $2!! Local Bruneian Artists as well as UBD talents will be performing! 😀

Please kindly come visit their booth to make your purchase!

Date: Tuesday (12th March 2013) 1pm – 4pm & Wednesday (13th March 2013) 10:30am – 4pm.

Venue: Student Centre, UBD.

We’ll also be accepting early bookings to avoid disappointment so you can just contact these numbers via Text Message or Whatsapp! Zaimah – 8820113 Nisa – 8997077

 

It’s all just a rumour

Yesterday on 12th March, calls were flooding in to KFC’s outlets and office asking about free food that were to be given away in conjunction with their 60th Anniversary as they have received the news via Whatsapp.

The management of KFC would like to inform the public that the news is a false rumour. KFC has only just celebrated their 20th Anniversary last year and have yet to reach 60 years. The management further encourages their customers to follow KFC Brunei on facebook and also to download KFC Brunei’s mobile phone apps (available on both iPhone and Android mobile phones) to follow up on their latest news and promotions so that they can verify any information that they have heard.

KFC would also like to take this opportunity to inform their customers that their new website http://www.kfcbrunei.com, is currently under construction and will be available soon. The old website, http://www.kfc.com.bn, has been discontinued and will no longer be updated.

Ok based on this statement, I would have assumed that it was actually a joke where the image of live chicken in a bucket supposed to appear right after the forwarded message on Whatsapp. I believe this is the same incident that happened when people were spreading about the big fight in Bandar where a picture of Ultraman and a monster were photoshop-ed at Bandar. So I presume that the messages of the KFC prank or joke weren’t completed and hence people start spreading just the text or the content of the forwarded message without the image.

Drive thru coming soon

Now this is something that many have been waiting for. This story of a drive thru was back dated to 2009 and finally it’s gonna happen soon. Del Goh, who was the Marketing Manager then in 2009, wished for the possibility of a drive-thru outlet but I believe it’s not as easy as it seems as they required a whole building to make this possible and of course, the location as well.

The location of the new KFC Drive-Thru is at Sengkurong and some of you will be able to view the physical existence of KFC new outlet which has yet to be opened. This will be the first fast food out that allows a drive-thru service in Brunei. So peeps, stay tune for updates on this.

The tournament is back!!! The first leg will run from March 22-31 and a cybergame competition will be held parallel to the main event.

This is another collaboration with KFC and Fitness for the 3-on-3 Streetball Challenge. There will be three categories – Open, Student and Women. Entry fee is set at $240 for the open category while the student and ladies categories are only required to pay $200. There will be also one-on-one challenge, slam dunk competition and three-point shootout and another skill challenge which has yet to be set. Registration is still open but the deadline is soon though 😀

Both Good Game Event Management & Advertising and Trinity Advertising & Event Management are managing the tournament. More information can be obtained from KFC Fitness Zone 3-on-3 Streetball Challenge’s Facebook page or by calling Jacky at 7182907 or Winnie at 8833831.

The KFC Fitness Zone 3 On 3 Streetball Challenge set to happen from 22nd – 31st March 2013 at the Airport Mall will see other activities beside the main basketball tournament taking places with prizes over B$50,000 to be won. Organized by Good Game Management & Advertising and Trinity Advertising & Event Management, the 10 days event will see sales fair, and there will be a sub activity called the Ultimate Gaming Competition, set to feature popular games at Airport Mall, Berakas happening on March 22 and 24. 

Working with Integ Technology System (ITS) as the official gaming partner, the Ultimate Gaming Competition will feature 2 categories, FIFA13 on PS3 and League of Legends (LOL) on PC. Director Muhammad Zulhilmi of ITS is an experience Gaming event organizer and his team is behind the recently successful TelBru HSBB Gaming event that took place in February. Teaming up with ITS is Box Nation to facilitate the PS3 tournament. The Ultimate Gaming Competition will see prizes worth over B$2,000 to be won.

For more information about the Ultimate Gaming Competition and registration forms, please visit their Facebook page, ‘Integ Technology System’. For more information on the KFC Fitness Zone 3 on 3 Streetball Challenge’, please visit the facebook, KFC Fitness Zone 3 On 3 Streetball Challenge.

More great news comes from the KFC FZ 3-on-3 Streetball Challenge; another retired PBA player will be coming to Brunei.

This time will see Vincente Paul Martin Hizon, also known as Vince “The Prince” Hizon, being in Brunei from March 29 til March 31. Last year’s 3-on-3 tournament brought in retired Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) players Mark Telan and Chris Calaguio who both received warm welcome from the public and the organisers expect similar result with Vince’s upcoming visit. At one time, he became the most popular player in the PBA as well as the most popular sports figure in the Philippines according to the AC Nielsen Asian Rim Survey in 1998.

Vince Hizon, with a pro career of 11 years (1993 – 2004), played mostly with Ginebra and was known for his clutch three-point shooting and his slashing drives to the basket. In 2004, he became the first Filipino player to play professionally in the United States, then coached by retired NBA player Darryl Dawkins, a.k.a “Chocolate Thunder”. His upcoming visit to Brunei will see him playing in an exhibition game with the winners of the student and open category and also help out in the “Hopes In The Hoops” basketball clinic.

“Vince Hizon is a buddy of mine and he’s really good. We hope that by bringing him here to Brunei, basketball enthusiasts will grab this opportunity to learn from him,” said Erwin Velez, KFC manager and retired PBA player.

As part of the “Hopes In The Hoop” initiative, basketball clinic will be held from March 29 til March 31 at The Airport Mall from 2pm until 3.30pm daily led by Brunei’s Basketball National Team Coach Kevin Reece and retired PBA player Erwin Velez.

Registration is $5 per person and all revenue collected will be donated for a good cause. Schools that send teams to join the 3-on-3 March tournament will receive free jerseys and also have the registration fees for the basketball clinic waived for their players. On Friday, March 29, Vince Hizon will also be involved with the basketball clinic. For more information on the “Hopes In The Hoop” Basketball Clinic, check out KFC Fitness Zone 3 On 3 Streetball Challenge on Facebook.

Sabrina Wong with her Sab Five Five label at L’Orient

A week ago, I dropped by L’Orient boutique store at Kiulap to catch up with Sabrina Wong, the owner of the boutique. I remember visiting her store once in Kiulap Plaza Hotel and I never really understood the concept as well as the price tag it carried back then. My first perception then was that L’Orient is an over-priced store and yes, I was already assuming a lot then, right? *lol*

Come 2011 (a few years later), I was introduced to Sabrina during the launch of her re-location of her store (and thanks Carol for the plus 1). However, it was only a few weeks ago, I really understood her concept and philosophy of her design and boutique. My perception totally changed and I began to appreciate and admire what she is delivering to Brunei and also outside Brunei. I see her as a fashion icon, a fashion consultant and she really lives her passion and not many have that particular drive when it comes to passion and business.

Apparently this will be her 10th year in designing and creating garments and perhaps, her challenging moments pop up when it comes to creativity and themes. What makes me even prouder is that the fact that Sabrina was in Sydney last weekend to showcase her latest line “Deconstruction” under her Sab Five Five label. Oh yeah, Sab Five Five is Sabrina’s label that she created which has funky and vintage impression.

I’ve seen my friends who wore Sab Five Five labels and they love it. Price wise it may not be within your budget but what you are paying for, it’s worth every dollar spent. The fabric is just comforting and even coming from me, I was kinda impressed. Sabrina will also consult with you on what looks good and she will measure you and alter the materials to your specifications and you can even have it designed from scratch too.

I’m pretty sure your fashion show in Sydney went pretty well and I hope you have found new connections and finding new opportunities outside Brunei. For your info, all Sab Five Five line are produced locally and we should be proud that we have a label “Made in Brunei” featured in other countries. This really shows that we have the capacity to be out there if we truly live our passion.

By the way, if you want to know see more of the Sab Five Five collection, do drop by at L’Orient at Kiulap Complex (same row with Chez Fio Bistro and Excapade). You can also call 223 9988.

The Sab Five Five collection also can be viewed on a special catalogue

They are many ways to wear on this particular clothing

 

The 1stopBrunei Wildlife Club members of UBD

1stopBrunei Wildlife Club successfully hosted its inaugural educational Safari Walk. This walk was hosted at the Entrepreneurship at campus above the UBD canteen.

There were wildlid animals from Snakes to cats to lizards and even crocodiles. The walk was started by informing the public on what the club is all about.Then the public were shown videos and photo graphs of various areas of survey research from Teraja, to Berambang, to telisai to mentiri.

Hundreds of Bruneians from all walks of life turned up and participated.Many were amused by the new knowledge they had received as well knowing more about Brunei in general. Many were amazed on the wildlife variety as well as the beautiful scenery of Brunei lands.

The public were very supportive and took alot of photos and posted it on the social networks.

More trips and talks will be coming up in the near future. More information can be obtained b finding 1stopbrunei wildlife club on facebook. Press release from 1stopBrunei Wildlife Club.

 

It’s happening this morning!!

Click image to enter Radisson Facebook page for updates!!

 

Click image to enter website

 

Twice daily to Kuala Lumpur starting May 22nd

 

Midfielder Hj Muhd Subhi Abdilah Hj Bakir will miss DPMM FC’s match against Singapore League leaders Albirex Niigata (S) FC tonight due to a hamstring strain.

DPMM FC, who finished runners-up last season, face arguably their toughest test all year in Albirex, who came in third last campaign.

Hj Muhd Subhi, who picked up the injury during last Thursday’s 2-1 win against Young Lions (Singaporean national Under-23 team), will sit out tonight’s game with evergreen defender Pg Sallehuddin Pg Damit who was shown his second yellow card during the 39th minute of the match which helped DPMM FC move from seventh to fourth with their first win of the season.

Defender Abdul Aziz Tamit replaced Hj Muhd Subhi in the 77th minute of that game against Singapore’s future crop of stars, but DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic is looking at a more attack-minded option against their Japanese opponents.

Simunic will give midfielder Md Hendra Azam Md Idris, a key component in the national Under-21 team’s victorious run at last year’s Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy, his first start of the season with defender Shahrulrizal Abd Rahman poised for his season debut.

Striker Adi Said, who has played in all three of DPMM FC’s games this season two from the bench is also likely to play some part in tonight’s proceedings at the Jurong East Stadium in Singapore.

Though the loss of Hj Muhd Subhi and Pg Sallehuddin might seem like a blow to DPMM FC, Simunic believes his strong stable of local talent allows DPMM FC’s fringe players to pick up the slack.

“Salleh is suspended and Subhi injured, so I will give Shahrul a chance to play. Hendra will play in Subhi’s place,” Simunic told The Brunei Times yesterday.

“We have many good players on the bench (and) every game now, we’re finishing with 80 per cent local players on the pitch… And that’s something I’m very proud of.

“Just look at our win against the Young Lions… Singapore have the best national team in the region at the moment they won the Suzuki Cup and we beat the Young Lions.

“Brunei have very, very good footballers,” he insisted.

Japanese footballers, though, are probably a few levels better than “very, very good.”

Subhi (Jimbo) won’t be playing tonight due to hamstring injury

One player that has been influential in DPMM FC’s last match was Sairol and he was featured in the New Paper. Keep up lad 😀

Albirex, who are the only team to have picked up maximum points from this season’s three games, were one of the favourites for last year’s title and Singaporean media have already given them the same tag this year.

The Japanese have proven to be a tough nut to crack, letting in only one goal in their three matches only defending champions Tampines Rovers FC have a better record, having yet to pick the ball out of their net all season.

But Simunic, as usual, intends to crash the party.

“Albirex would like to be champions… But we want to spoil their plans,” cautioned the confident Croatian. Text courtesy of Jason Thomas of The Brunei Times.

Albirex Niigata takes on DPMM FC tonight at Jurong East Stadium 7:30pm tonight. Good luck lads.

 

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‘Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Competition’ is back again for the second year. This year, the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) will be organizing this competition as one of the events in conjunction with AITI’s 10th year anniversary. The ARDF 2013 will take place at the Taman Riadah Tasik Sarubing, in Mukim Kota Batu on 14 April 2013.

The ARDF competition allows participants to compete and show their skills in amateur radio direction finding. It requires the skills of orienteering and navigating of radio direction finding in locating hidden transmitters called ’beacons’ or ‘foxes’ within an area using the bearings of the transmitted signal in pedestrian mode.

According to Haji Yahkup bin Haji Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI, “The objective of this event is to promote the use of amateur radio service in Brunei Darussalam and to create harmonies and foster relations among radio enthusiasts. As one of the main events for AITI’s 10th year anniversary celebration, we have put in attractive cash prizes for the fastest team to find the beacons and I hope to see increase participation rom radio enthusiasts.”

The ARDF 2013 is open to ten (10) teams and every team shall consists of three (3) members with at least one person in the team holding a valid amateur radio station licence. For your info, there are more than 1,000 individuals

The attractive cash prizes for this year’s ARDF are as follows:

1st Prize – $1000
2nd Prize – $750
3rd Prize – $500

Registration is now open until 22 March 2013. For more information on the ARDF 2013, please visit AITI website www.aiti.gov.bn. However, there’s a limit to a number of teams that can join and the max number of teams is 10 only. The competition is expected to last at least two hours. The committee of ARDF2013 is also encouraging female participants.

For further information on amateur radio, please contact Mohd Fadzlan bin Dato Paduka Haji Abdullah, Assistant Manager, Type Approval, Amateur Radio & Equipment Testing, AITI, at 2366637.

The committee members for the ARDF 2013 event during the press conference at AITI

Mohd Fadzlan, Assistant Manager, Type Approval, Amateur Radio & Equipment Testing of AITI briefing to the media

The radio and the transmitter

The beacon that will be used during the competition

The participants in last year’s competition

 

The top-selling Audi model in Brunei for the last three years (over 140 units sold since 2009 introduction) now gets a new facelift and a new 2.0 TFSI engine- more efficient, less CO2 emissions yet increased power. I’m referring to the revamped Audi Q5. I would have thought the A4 would be their biggest seller.

  You can check at their showroom at T.C.Y. Motors for inquiries. So far, there are a couple of the new Audi Q5 on the road already. Price range is slightly higher than the previous model but I highly recommend you to target for the latest model of course because of some of the new specs that are incorporated in the car.

So what’s new? 

  Exterior

  • Audi Singleframe with vertical chrome trims on grilles
• Headlights + new LED strip
• Bonnet
• Bumper + new air inlet & chrome trims on fog lights
• Chrome side strips below the doors
• 19” star design 5-arm wheel
• Rear lights + new LED layout
• Tailpipes- chrome trimmed rounded off at bottom
• Diffuser – sportier look
 
Interior

• Refined interior + inlays
• New gear shifter
• More chrome trims on buttons
• New steering wheel (3-spoke Q design)
• New instrument cluster on the driver dashboard display
• Including:
• Driver information system with rest recommendation
 
New 2.0 TFSI engine

• 7 kg weight reduction compared with previous engine
• Lowered CO2 emissions but increased power and efficiency- More power, less fuel
• Including Audi valvelift system for improved combustion chamber charging and more efficient combustion
• 10 kW more output than the predecessor model, for more driving pleasure • Innovative thermal management enables operating temperature to be attained more quickly (engine warms-up faster)

 

Fly from Brunei to KL to other regional countries via AirAsia. Click image to enter website

 

 

Don’t be surprised if you see representatives from Rennovo Solutions Sdn Bhd come knocking on your door this week. They have been appointed by The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) to conduct survey on ICT related questions. Not to worry that not all households will go through this process as there will be a random selection.

The survey will be carried out from 4th March to 17th March and the questions will be bi-lingual (Malay and English) and the procedure will last between 10 to 12 minutes.

The survey are currently ongoing as we speak

Fly from Brunei to KL to other regional countries via AirAsia. Click image to enter website

 

I had a slow Sunday. I decided to pace myself and not to do any coverage apart from the JIS Showcase Concert which happened yesterday. It was the third concert of the weekend and I’m glad I was there to be part of the experience as a spectator. It was awesome!!! And sometimes I wish I’m part of the performers because I know what it’s like to perform on stage and furthermore, I appreciate music as it is.

Well done and thumbs up to those involved and everyone enjoyed the concert too. Keep up the great work and thank you Jerudong International School for the extended invitation. I’m looking forward to these kind of events and keep promoting music and arts :))

The Morning Dancers

The performance – Morning Person

Morning Person. This is a song from the film musical Shrek. The film’s success is largely due to its wide-ranging appeal to both children and adult alike. There are many in-jokes and reference to the other classic animation pictures. In this song, Princess Fiona performed by Lily Fairs sings to a bluebird; a direct reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Maktab Sains “Suara Excelsior”

They sang “Born This Way”

Born This Way. This song by Lady Gag is a title track from her second studio album (2011). It was notable for being the 1000th song to reach the number one spot in the USA since pop charts first began. It was also the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes. Hence, Maktab Sains ‘Suara Excelsior’ performed this hit single which I enjoyed.

The Jerudong Singers

The Junior Recorders

Sarah Farr on Harp

Si Bheag Si Mhor and You Raise Me Up. The first song means “Little Hill, Big Hill” int he Gaelic language of Ireland. This version was performed by JIS recorder ensemble and Sarah Farr on harp directed by Mrs Klein. Whereas the next song, You Raise Me Up was one of the most popular song which has been covered many times but it was Josh Groban’s that attracted more attention. The original song was released by an Irish and Norwegian duo, Secret Garden back in 2003. Interesting…

Yasmin Riches and Siobhan Morris as soloists

Thousand Miles Dancers

A Thousand Miles. This song also reminds me of White Chick scene *lol* Did you know the song was originally titled “Interlude” and it’s a pop song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton (2002). The song was performed by soloists Yasmin Riches and Siobhan Morris.

Ruby Chong and Nurlyana Adi Shamsul as soloists

The crowd this afternoon at JIS Art Centre

A Thousand Years. This is one of my favourite songs to date. For your info, this song was written by Christina Perri for the Twilight series. I’ve performed this once on a guitar but I would love to try this out on a piano. The song was performed by Ruby Chong and Nurlyana Adi Shamsul.

Adib Hussin (DJ) on stage

Senior Hip Hop Dancers

After hip-hop dance, it was no other than Gangnam Style

They even had little PSY version from JIS – Jay 😀

He’s got some groove

The final pose from Jay

DJ Mashup. Adib Hussin was the DJ then as he pumped up some hip hop numbers for the JIS dancers. Then came the huge hit Gangnam Style which has slowly faded in popularity but still appreciated by many. This kind of showcase concert won’t be complete without PSY’s influence. I was surprised to see my friends’ son – Jay – who performed as the mini-PSY on stage. That was a nice touch.

Check out tomorrow for more pictures and updates from JIS Showcase Concert.

Now this is something that I would love to join next year. I covered the 2nd edition two years back and it looked pretty fun. This year, The Men’s Health Urbanathlon 2013 had nine obstacles across 14km distance which started from the Nicoll Highway MRT station where you go through iconic landmarks and venues such as Marina Bay Sands and Fort Canning Hill to name a few.

This year there was quite a number of participants from Brunei in this year’s event. Most notably the group from Getfit Crossfit was the biggest representatives from Brunei. Below are some pictures from Stephanie Liew, Shamsul and Ak Herman. Thanks guys for sharing.

It was Stephanie Liew’s first Urbanathlon and as soon as she heard that the women’s category was available, she jumped and took the opportunity. She’s a crossfit enthuasiast and she’s active under the flagship of Getfit Crossfit group. She went last year with the team to support only. All in all, she had a wonderful experience and she won’t mind joining this event next year if given the chance.

“I’ve never run more than 12 km in my life. I trained by doing crossfit. I joined to challenge myself and I completed it in 2 hours. For me, the toughest obstacle was lateral move obstacle, ” shared Stephanie Liew.

With the Getfit Crossfit team from Brunei at Men’s Health Urbanathlon 2013

It’s good to see Bruneians taking part in this event

Well done Steve Lai and Stephanie Liew

Picture opportunity with Mini dudes and babes

The happy faces from #getfitcrossfit

This is the first time they opened the Urbanathlon category for the ladies.. Awesome!!

Image taken from Running Shots

Steve Lai in one of the obstacles. Image taken from Running Shots.

Stephanie (right) also attempted this obstacle. Image taken from Running Shots.

Thanks Herman (right) for the pictures

They are proud of the finisher’s medals

If you are dirty, not to worry as these ladies will wash you down clean

The celebrities also joined the event – Colette Wong, Steve Lai and Kelly Latimer

Herman with the mini babes

Shamsul also participated and he had fun too

Shamsul had his wife Maizan to support him during the event

Shamsul crossed the finishing line

Shamsul had his wife Maizan to support him during the event

Sorry peeps.. No soap/foam party

Click image to enter Radisson Facebook page for updates!!

 

Click image to enter website

Twice daily to Kuala Lumpur starting May 22nd

Click image to enter website

It’s always a dream for me to own a home one day. This for me is more important than perhaps getting a new car though my friends kept insisting I invest in a new car *lol* Anyway, it’s good to see another project from Rumaku Real Estate who will be launching a new upcoming unique residential development known as Impian.

Some of the pictures below are from several locations such as Kilanas, Subok, Jln Muara and Serasa. There’s an option as well if you want a complete kitchen which comes with a warranty period. In actual fact, all Impian home owners will receive a 2 year warranty period from the day the occupational permit is granted.

With such warranty, this will the first of its kind for private residential developments. This shows the high quality of the respective homes under the Impian project.

You might be discouraged by the overall price tag of residential homes in general but Rumahku will provide a better pricing structure (do contact them for more details 8722 249 or 875 3330) and the price range starts from BND 257,000. They will also be providing after sales service during the construction period right through to the end of the warranty period. Awesome!!

For your info, the Impian project will be launched on the 9th and 10th March at The Empire Hotel & Country Club from 9am to 6pm. Do check out their website www.impianbrunei.com for further details.

A model home along Jln Muara

A sample view of the family area

A sample view of the dining area

Yusuf Flynn, Sales Director of Rumahku, had his welcoming remarks to officiate the Impian which have garnered a lot of interest from the public and www.impianbrunei.com website had more than 40,000 hits in the space of two weeks which shows that the locals are interested in looking for new homes.

Yusuf believes that the next generation homes will be received from the general public. The demographics showed that their team is able to cater to the demands of the public and he highlighted a reason why this will be successful because “we are the demographic” (that will appreciate the newly designed homes). Their role will also be facilitating their clients from Day 1 and even after they have purchased and start living in their new homes. So it’s more about delivering extra service and even making them feel like home.

He shared how customers face problems whenever they settled at their homes. So this is where Rumahku guys will come in and assist their customers in any problems they encounter. He believes that every home you live in, it’s important to have a peace of mind and that’s Rumahku’s core service.

So for more information, do visit their Impian roadshow at The Conference Room, The Empire Hotel for today (Saturday) and tomorrow from 9am to 6pm. They also have designs of the new homes so you can visualised how your new homes will look like.

Yusuf Flynn, Sales Director of Rumahku, delivering his speech on the launch of Impian

Amirol of Rumahku

Representatives from the banking sector were invited

Hitesh of YMRM Developer

Some of the designs on display

Yusuf and Shaun having a chat after the launch

 

IA Salon is having a special package promotion until 30th April 2013. There will be a hair perming + cut + treatment all for only $120 (for all lengths). For colour and treatment, it’s $90 above. For Wash & Blow + Scalp treatment (L’Oreal product) – $30 for Men, $35 for Women.

So do come and make your appointment at IA Salon. Call 242 3232 or 8738232 and the business hours are from 10am to 8:30pm daily. IA Salon is located at the ground floor, The Mall.

Cecilia Lee of IA Salon, a very passionate hairstylist and make-up artist, always learning new trends

The guys behind IA Salon and also some staff from Fun Bee Park and also invited guests from Malaysia

You can get your scalp check which reminds me I better get mine re-checked again

Hair and make-up done by IA Salon

 

Guess what? BANK Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) Berhad emerged as big winners at the recent Islamic Finance News (IFN) Awards 2013 held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

BIBD was presented with four awards, the “Structured Finance Deal of the Year 2012” for the Brunei Gas Carriers (BGC) Sdn Bhd US$170 million Islamic Financing Facility, “Turkey Deal of the Year 2012” for the Republic of Turkey’s US$1.5 billion sovereign Sukuk, the “Tawarruq Deal of the Year 2012” for Al-Baraka Turk US$ 450 million Syndicated Financing and the “Best Islamic Bank 2012” in Brunei Darussalam. Now that’s a pretty good accolades for BIBD.

Hj Muhd Sabirin Hj Othman commented, “This is a momentous milestone for BIBD, and Insya-Allah, there will be more awards in the years to come”.

He continued, “These accolades commemorate all the strides BIBD has been pursuing at the international level, making a mark in the international Islamic finance arena”.

BIBD Head of Public Sector and Government Linked Companies (PSGLC) Relations Hj Muhd Sabirin (3rd R), with other winners at the recent Islamic Finance News (IFN) Awards 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. Click image to enlarge.

The BGC transaction, which BIBD had won the “Structured Finance Deal of the Year 2012” award for, was the largest financing transaction in Brunei Darussalam in 2012. This also attracted participation from two leading Japanese banks. It involved the refinancing of a previously owned vessel, along with the financing of a new vessel. This innovative Shariah compliant facility has a sound financing structure with a comprehensive security package reflecting the importance of the project-driven nature of the financing.

The transaction adds on to the capabilities of BGC, adding to their fleet of vessels, which plays a fundamental part in supporting the LNG supply chain from Brunei to Japan and Korea. This, in turn, is paramount to the long-term economic future of Brunei Darussalam.

The new BGC vessel, Hull No 2606, is an integral component of BLNG’s fleet renewal plan, taking the lead over older tankers that have been delivering BLNG supplies to Japan and Korea for the last 40 years. The modernised design will provide BLNG with the capacity to continue shipping LNG supplies over the longer term to its gas utility customers in Japan and Korea, and underscores its commitment as a long-term LNG supplier.

IFN is recognised as the Islamic Finance industry’s leading publication. With a world-wide readership of over 21,000 industry practitioners and regulators, the IFN Awards offer its winners a truly global audience and a phenomenal vehicle to reach one’s clients, potential clients and peers.

The IFN Awards, which was organised by REDmoney Group, honours the best in the Islamic financial industry. It is one of the most prestigious awards and highly recognised by the global Islamic capital markets.

Established in 2006, the IFN awards and Deals of the Year recognises those who have participated in the industry’s most ground-breaking transactions each year. A panel of experts from non-competing organisations then sieve through all submissions and selects the best in each category. This year, over 300 nominations in over 25 categories were received, resulting in the most competitive Deal of the year competition since its inception. Press release and image courtesy of BIBD.

 

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) Sports and Social Activities Committee recently held a movie outing for its employees and their immediate family members.

Awang Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusof, Acting Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications and also in his capacity as a member of authority ,Chief Executive, Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, senior management members and staff of AITI were  present at the event.

To celebrate AITI’s 10th year anniversary, the event was organized as an appreciation to its employees and to show support for Brunei’s  first full-length movie to be shown in cinemas, “Ada Apa Dengan Rina”.

The ASSA Committee organises activities to promote work-life balance for AITI’s employees in order to enrich and foster closer ties amongst staff and ensure their general wellbeing.

ASSA holds weekly Friday sport activities which takes place after working hour and recently   organised a badminton tournament to encourage healthy challenge amongst the different houses ie; Booster, Spectrum, White Noise and Spoofer.

AITI associates with casts from Apa Ada Dengan Rina at Times Cineplex

Apa Ada Dengan Rina. This is the first full-length Brunei movie produced by Regalblue Production and I’m here to do my review finally. I have missed two of their invitations (sneak preview and the premier) and I apologise to Harlif for my absence. Nevertheless I still managed to catch the movie a few days ago and I’m quite impressed by the outcome. For a locally made movie, this is a great effort though I believe there is still room for improvement.

The humour was spot on and Bruneians can relate to them. Despite the laughs, the plot I believe could have been stronger and to give the characters a more challenging scenario so the emotions could be felt more. I left the movie without any recall of the highlight moments (of humour) and mind you the movie is hilarious from start to finish. If it had one or two talking most funny moments (just like how American Pie or Hangover series did theirs), this flick would have a good “after-movie-conversation” instead of saying “it’s a funny movie” (and ends there) and hence creating more buzz than it already has.

I have to admit that I hardly watch Malay movies with the last being Ombak Rindu (7/10) and to enjoy a Malay movie is tough especially Malaysian produced ones. However, Ada Apa Dengan Rina gave me some hope that I can still enjoy one. I highly recommend friends and families to catch this movie and for your info, there are no subtitles. Seng Yee had a bit of problem watching it but she managed to understand most of the Bruneian jokes *lol*

Benny of Times Cineplex said that this movie have been a huge hit for them surprisingly and this is a good sign that Bruneians are appreciating locally produced movies. This is already a great start and I hope there will be more movies coming from Brunei. Ada Apa Dengan Rina is only showing at Times Cineplex, Times Square. Verdict: 7/10.

The movie was launched during the National Day two weeks ago and it’s still a big seller

One of the scenes that I took with my phone *hoho*

One of the leading roles of Ada Apa Dengan Rina. Image taken from their Facebook Fan Page.