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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The host of the evening – Stuart Lee

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

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

Many smiles during the course of the night

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The guest of honour was a former toastmasters member too

Gerald Goh shared how he empowered others at work

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

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

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

 

This is it. After many months, the contest is back again for toastmasters. This time it will be International Speech (Inspirational) Contest and Table Topics Contest (the impromptu ones). With many seasoned speakers giving way for the newbies, I’m delighted to see participation from new faces of the toastmasters club that I’m currently in – Brunei Speakers’ Club.

The likes of Syatrah, Heidi, Adah, Maudena, Faiz, Jidun and the list goes on. So do come and support the contest which will be held tomorrow night (Tuesday 8th March) at Seameo Voctech and do refer to poster for details. Seameo Voctech is currently opposite the Gadong market and after the simpang of Taurean Arch. Good luck to all the contestants and I truly admire your tenacity and courage to be part of the contest.

Below are just some of the events that have been happening in relating to toastmasters. In Brunei Darussalam, we have four toastmasters club. It could have been five but the HSBC speakers’ club is now defunct. The existing ones are Brunei Speakers’ Club (the mother club for Brunei), OTTERS (Oil Town Talkers) Club in Seria, UBD Toastmasters Club, the youngest club of them all and finally the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club.

Recently there was a joint meeting (collaboration) with Brunei toastmasters and Miri toastmasters which was held at OGDC in late February. It was led by new member of OTTERS, Naj Tarif, who was the organizing chair for this event. It was very courageous of him to take this heavy role especially since he is still a new member. The joint meeting went pretty well and the members from Miri truly learnt something from the Brunei toastmasters. I do hope for more collaboration between Brunei and Miri to further strengthen the bonds and relations while learning from each other.

Recently Delwin Keasberry, popularly known as @bruneitweet, gave an insightful presentation on being a good public speaker. He is currently a member of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club and he is also an accomplished speaker, involving in many conferences locally and abroad. Keep it up, dude.

Congratulations to our newest member Afwa Mawawi for her first speech ice-breaker last week too and yes, I do agree with your points in your speech about “Embracing Change” for the betterment of our future. You can read more of the recaps of our Brunei Speakers’ Club meeting and who knows one day you can experience being a member of toastmasters.

The joint meeting between Brunei and Miri toastmasters held at OGDC in late February.

The toastmasters from Brunei Darussalam. Image by Reuben Chin.

The toastmasters from Miri. Image by Reuben Chin.

Shawn documenting the speeches during the joint meeting

Delwin Keasberry, a member of Brunei Advanced Toastmasters Club, delivering a talk on being a public speaker during a meeting at Brunei Speakers’ Club at Seameo Voctech

Afwa Mamawi breaking the ice with her first speech last week at Brunei Speakers’ Club.

 

The winners and consolation winners of the Brunei Darussalam Tennis Association Open Singles first leg with John Chia, BDTA Treasurer and Rasheed Abdullah, Tournament Secretary of BDTA at the National Tennis Centre

Aiman Abdullah taking a wefie with his tennis buddies

Late post: Last week, Aiman Abdullah claimed another trophy to add to his many list of collection when he dominated his young opponent Rajvir Jutla from the UK 6-0 6-0 in the finals of the Brunei Darussalam Tennis Association Open Singles first leg. He had a tougher encounter against Billy Wong in semis but he was mentally prepared for the finals and he congratulated Rajvir for making it this far.

The best part for the tournament was the emerging of younger tennis players and they showed that they can play in a competitive environment, giving them more confidence and exposure. For instance, Ben Sii (13 years old) won the consolation bracket against Darlin Sia in straight sets and now Ben Sii is currently in Sri Lanka for the the ITF World Junior Tennis Competition in Sri Lanka. Over there, he lost to his Iraqi opponent 6-0 6-2.

In the ladies’ open, powerhouse Australian Leah Gander dominated the tournament with convincing victories in the semi-finals and finals. She beat Japanese Hiromi Okochi 6-1 6-1 to claim her first title of the BDTA Open Singles. Lena Ang won the consolation trophy as she overcome her opponent Sharon in tie breaker after finishing in a 1-1 set.

BDTA treasurer John Chia handed the prizes to all the top winners of the tournament. The competition consisted of 22 players in the mens and 7 players in the ladies.

In other tennis news, there will be a Junior ITF tournament hosted at National Tennis Centre which started yesterday. Hence, the courts won’t be available until 13th March after the conclusion of the tournament. Good luck to the Brunei representatives in the Junior ITF tournament.

Ben Sii and Lena Ang winning their consolation matches last week. Well done 😀

Monica and Ben supporting Lena’s match

Darlin Sia played his consolation match against Ben Sii. He has a strong first serve.

Ian volunteering to be a temporary ball boy in Lena-Sharon’s match

Hiromi Okochi in action

The women finalist – Leah Gander and Hiromi Okochi

The men finalist – Rajvir Jutla and Aiman Abdullah

 

Congratulations to Hj Saifullah Hj Ramli for finishing 2nd int he 2016 60km Ultra Marathon Sabah. He is also an ambassador for Tri-ULTRA, a sporting local stor in Brunei Darussalam.

Haji Saifullah Haji Ramli #gpul made the nation proud after he finished second at the 2016 60km Ultra Marathon Sabah yesterday.

The Bruneian ultra-marathoner completed the 60km race with a time of five hrs 52 mins 20 seconds behind the champion from Malaysia Jifree Pulok who recorded a time of five hours 27 mins 29 seconds.

The Ultra Marathon attracted a total of 140 runners from – the hosts Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, USA, United Kingdom including 16 from Brunei – competed for the top honours.

You can read more of his comments here from The Brunei Times. Image courtesy of Yaty Yassin and story by Azri Metussin of The Brunei Times.

 

The management unveiling the logo of Swoop Dart’s, a newly established for electronic darts in Brunei. Congratulations.

Dart has become a new trend in Brunei Darussalam. Ever since the emergence of the soft tip darts. It has become popular hobby and I know a few of my friends who have taken up the hobby with the introduction of the soft tip electronic dart game.

Yesterday was the launch of a newly opened dart establishment called Swoop Dart’s which is located just behind Taurean Arch and it’s located on the first floor.

The management unveiled the logo to officiate the opening of the business and also present were the management of VSPhoenix Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Brunei Dart Association. The machines used are from VSPhoenix made in Korea. The Managing Director of VSPhoneix Malaysia Sdn Bhd talked briefly about the VSPhoenix Electronic Dart machines and its benefits.

There are many modes to choose from such as fun-goers, amateurs and even up to the professional level. What makes it interesting is the “Global” mode where you can challenge others and the webcam makes it more interesting so you won’t be caught cheating *lol* I kinda like the idea that the value of the Phoenix Card starts at $1 dollar and it can be topped up by using tokens which are available at the store.

The mission of the Swoop Dart’s is also to bring our local talents to abroad to compete in the international level which is a great sign indeed.

The Swoop Dart’s company is opened daily from 12pm to 10pm. So Hui Chiet, let’s play some darts, shall we? 😀

The crowd yesterday at the opening

A Malaysian darter being invited to play

Angus of Panacom doing the honour as being the emcee for the opening ceremony. Nice one.

The VSPhoenix Electronic Dart Machine.

 

Big Hero 6 podcast review with co-host @delgoh and special guest @sengyeeciara

Interstellar podcast review with co-host @delgoh

 

 

Click image to enter ICON Design Store website

 

Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education with the members of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club

Late post: This month, we are proud to wear the toastmaster badge to commemorate the milestone that Toastmasters International have reached since its inception in 1924. Three weeks ago, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club held their 2nd meeting (held every Friday end of the month) and it’s always customary to invite a guest of honour on every meeting.

The guest of honour was Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkranain, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education. He found the BASC meeting quite educational and entertaining and he was very pleased that UBD also chartered their own toastmasters club two months ago. He recommended the youth and the public to attend a toastmasters meeting as it will not also improve your speaking skills but your listening skills too. He was impressed with the conducive and comfortable environment which allows newbies to feel more welcomed and making the learning process fun and enjoyable.

The speakers for the evening were Reuben Chin and Zainal Bostaman. The table topics winner was a first time guest, Hj Saiful Rhymin (well done).

So guys, if you want to attend a meeting of any of our toastmasters club in Brunei, here you go:

UBD Toastmasters Club – 7:30pm to 9pm Every Monday at Student Centre, Inspiring Hall

Brunei Speakers’ Club – 7:30pm to 9:30pm Every Tuesday at Seameo Voctech (Gadong)

OTTERS Club – 7:30pm to 9:30pm Every Wednesday at OGDC (Seria)

Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club – 7:30pm every Friday end of the month. Venue TBA

It’s always great to see new guests coming in to observe (or even participate) during the toastmasters meeting. I can guarantee you that it’s a great avenue to improve your leadership skills too and you can get more testimonials from our regular guests. I’m a member of the Brunei Speakers’ Club and I will do my best to contribute to the club and the community to spread the awareness of toastmasters. It has not made me only a better speaker but also a great leader. It’s a never ending process and of course, the best of the lot is my supporting buddies from toastmasters. How can you turn down a learning experience with positive environment?

Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain speaking to the members of Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club at Radisson Hotel

The guest in attendance

Reuben Chin sharing his moments on photography

Gary being invited for table topics

Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain had a fantastic evening

Zainal Bostaman was told that he’s the Brunei version of Mr. Bean by the guest of honour

Rozana having a laugh at Zainal’s speech

The time machine 😀

Members and guests during the last meeting

Rhymin winning the Table Topics contest

Members and guests during the last meeting

Celebrating Papa Shawn’s birthday. Next to him is Johan from Sabah.

Members and guests during the last meeting

Group photo and thanks everyone for your attendance

 

BIMP EAGA Tourism Trade Expo from 19-22 November at ICC