BIBD today announced new partners into the 2015 BIBD CE ALAF (Charity Expedition for Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future Programme). Fajr Capital (Dubai) and Silverlake (Malaysia) has come on board as Platinum Sponsors to the ALAF Programme, while Kristal FM and Radio Television Brunei have signed on as the Official Broadcaster Radio and Official Broadcaster Television partners to help raise awareness on CE ALAF as well as other efforts related to the event.

BIBD also welcomes new partners, Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd (PCSB) who has agreed to contribute a one year subscription plan and a Vivo Y22 as a lucky draw prize, along with a co-branded runner t-shirts for the first one hundred participants who have raised at least B$100. At the same time, PCSB will also be providing support via providing volunteers for the ALAF event.

Happening this Sunday. Are you ready?

The Brunei Neuroscience Stroke Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC) together with the Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) are also on board as sound supporters of the programme whereby they will also be organizing the a Musical Broadway titled ‘Sebuah Perjalanan’ as part of the stroke and cancer patients’ Therapeutic Group Activity. Proceeds from tickets sales will be donated to the BIBD ALAF Program.

Meanwhile, as the Official Airline Partner, RB (Royal Brunei) will be providing a business class return ticket to Melbourne and Bangkok each for winners of the 21kM and 10km, Men and Women Bruneian category. BIBD also welcomes support from government agencies such as the Department of Electrical Services along with the Customs & Excise Department towards the Charity Expedition.

Yang Mulia Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Ja’afar, in her capacity as Head of BIBD’s Corporate Social Responsibility commented “Alhamdulillah for the overwhelming support gained for not just the charity expedition, but also the ALAF programme. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved, from all partners, volunteers and supporters for their kind support for the programme.

This is it!!! I’m looking forward to this but I’m not too sure if I have the time just yet. It’s happening this coming Saturday. This is a FREE workshop (Adult Colouring Workshop) for customers who purchase “LOST OCEAN” colouring book from any Best Eastern store in Brunei.

The seats are limited so it’s a good idea to register. The workshop will be conducted by full-time artists at Jo-Art Gallery – Nabil, Fikri and Haronli.

This will be the first time a colouring workshop will be held. It will be a comprehensive workshop ranging from the materials of the colour pencil to the techniques of colouring (shading, rendering, colour scheme, blending and even discipline.

The venue will be at Mabohai Shopping Complex this Saturday 24th October and it’s co-organised by Best Eastern and Jo-Art Gallery.

Oh one more thing, don’t forget that there will be another colouring competition for adults on 1st November. Sadly I won’t be in the country then. Let’s hope for more participants in the second round. Good luck!!

Acer Aspire V Nitro. Another end to end stuff from Concepts Computer who are one of the biggest vendors at the TechXpo 2015 happening today at the ICC until this coming Sunday.

There will be having many good promotions and firstly is the Aspire V Nitro notebooks. There are two specs of the Aspire V Nitro on promotion but the one that caught my eye is the Aspire V Nitro the “17 inch one because it’s fast and it’s quiet too. The attention to detail is just spot on for this version and they have many ports available. Check out the posters below for more details.

When you purchase any of the Aspire V Nitro, it will come with 3 years warranty and especially if you buy now (during the TechXpo,) you can save up to BND 400 and even get FREE gifts worth BND 200.

Acer projector. Now if you are looking for projectors, look no further. The prices now become affordable and it’s the newly improved Acer projector. This is ideal for presentation and also perhaps for your in-house theatre screen.

It carries a 2 year warranty and the lamp also has a 1 year warranty or 1,000 hours whichever comes first. It’s powered with 3,200 ANSI Lumens with HDMI port and dual-VGA. This BND 398 deal is also offered at TechXpo today till Sunday. So look out for the Acer P1185 or just check the poster below for more details.

Epson printers. For all the heavy duty printer users out there especially students and teachers, this is one of the fastest selling brand in Brunei – Epson – because of you all. If you want to talk about efficiency and also cost savings, then target for the Epson printers. These printers have high recommendation even among our peers (my media friends) who are also active users of Epson printers.

Imagine with just four colour ink bottles that you will be able to print up to 6,500 colour pages. Now that’s a plenty and I like the new concept of having the ink cartridge being placed outside the printer so it will be convenient should you want to refill.

It’s no surprise that Epson have sold 2 million units alone in Southeast Asia and Brunei is one of the growing market leader in terms of growth per capita. So do check out their Super Deals at TechXpo today till Sunday.

In collaboration with UnionPay, the fastest growing card brand in the world, Baiduri Bank is currently having a 3-month campaign where Baiduri UnionPay Debit Cardholders will earn freebies and stand a chance to win shopping sprees when they use their cards at participating outlets each weekend till December.

Aptly named “Take me Shopping with Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card”, the promotion which started on 25 September 2015 will run every Friday to Sunday till 13 December 2015. During the promotion, Baiduri UnionPay debit cardholders will receive a free shopping bag when they spend a minimum of B$50 at participating supermarkets during the designated weekends, while stocks last.

The promotion will cover 14 different supermarket outlets, including supermarket chains Hua Ho, Soon Lee, Jaya Hypermart, Supa Save, Sim Kim Huat, Freshco, First Emporium and Utama Grand. Each weekend, a different outlet will be featured so that customers residing in the different districts will have a chance to participate.

Besides receiving shopping bags, shoppers also get a chance to win monthly shopping sprees worth B$150 each at selected supermarket throughout the campaign.

An Instagram competition is also being held back-to-back with the shopping campaign. Customers who post creative photos of themselves with the “Take Me Shopping with Baiduri Union Pay” shopping bag will get a chance to win shopping vouchers worth B$20 each week. Terms and conditions can be viewed on the Baiduri Bank website or through Baiduri Deals mobile app.

The “Take me Shopping with Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card” campaign was organized to create public awareness on the card’s user-friendliness and other benefits of owning a Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card.

Unlike conventional signature-based payment cards, the Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card requires a personalized identification number or PIN to be keyed in by the cardholder for any transactions to be approved, thus, giving cardholders a high level of protection from fraud or misuse of the card. This unique feature also allows cardholders to use the debit card as an ATM card too.

The Baiduri UnionPay Debit card is accepted at over 2,000 local merchants and more than 26 million UnionPay merchants in over 150 countries and allows withdrawals at all Baiduri ATMs, other local ATMs, and over 1.9 million ATMs worldwide.

More information about Baiduri Bank’s current promotions can be obtained from the Bank’s website at www.baiduri.com, ‘Baiduri Deals’ mobile app or their Call Centre at 244 9666. To be in the know of Baiduri Bank current promotions and events, the public can also follow Baiduri Bank Group on Facebook or @baiduribank on Instagram and Twitter.

A message from Royal Brunei Airlines

Dermot Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei) with senior management of Abacus with partners for the Brunei Travel Fair

It’s the time of the year that people will flock in because of travel fair. I have been planning my final quarter of the year as I will be away for most of the time (and about time too).

As usual expect, some great fares from the Brunei Travel Fair at Royal Brunei Recreation Club (RBRC) and it’s organised by Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei). This is the 12th edition and it’s good to see new partners in this travel fair too.

Leading the press conference yesterday was Dermott Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei) cum Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and he is very excited of the upcoming travel fair in Brunei. He thanked all the partners involved in making this another exciting event especially for the potential customers.

There will be more than 40 terminals to the seven travel agencies participating at the fair to ensure they can efficiently meet the travel needs of visitors. Also for the first time, there will be participation from the Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia (awesome). Other tourism vendors include Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Taiwan Tourist Bureau and Tourism Authority Thailand.

The official bank partner is Baiduri Bank and there will be also collaborations with other banks such as BIBD and HSBC with Royal Brunei Airlines.

Abacus Brunei General Manager Irene Soon said, “The fair provides an excellent opportunity for Brunei-based travellers to shop for both international and regional travel packages, making it an event on the travel calendar not to be missed.

The Brunei Travel Fair will be held this weekend 26th and 27th September at RBRC.

Joan Lim, Head of Commercial, Royal Brunei Airlines, addressing some promotion during the press conference

Check out the fare to the UK.. Read more below to find out

So what’s on offer?

For Royal Brunei Airlines, there will be a special fare to London. For an all-in price of BND 999, you can fly to London. The flying dates are from 23rd to 29th December (out of Brunei) and returning will start on 6th January 2016 with a one-month validity period. This is ideal for parents or family to visit their children in London during winter. There will be also attractive fares to Dubai, Shanghai, HK, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali and Melbourne and you can purchase them at the participating travel agents during the Brunei Travel Fair.

Royal Brunei will also have a daily lucky draw where winners can walk away with prizes such as a ticket to a mystery destination, Royal Skies miles or RB merchandise. RB customers can also test their paper plane flying skills at the Betterfly Game area where they win discount vouchers (5%) on your next travel.

Let’s not forget the the grand lucky draw for RB customers – flight to London or Melbourne or Bali or Ho Chi Minh City.

For Tourism Malaysia, it’s simple. Take advantage of the weaker Ringgit and explore Malaysia. During the fair, there will be invited demonstrators on Henna, Batik Canting and Nyonya Beaded Shoe. For those who purchase tickets or holiday packages or hotel rooms with regards to Malaysia, you will be entitled for a RM 20 Parkson shopping voucher.

There’s also a chance for a lucky dip to win travel accessories if you spend more than BND 500 for every purchse tickets or holiday packages or hotel rooms.

If you also have a BIBD card, you can swipe your purchases if you booked your flight to either KL or KK on Royal Brunei and you can stand a chance to win a lucky draw prize (3 days 2 nights at Grand Millenium Hotel Kuala Lumpur with a return ticket, return airport transfers and 100,000 Hadiah points) which is jointly sponsored by RB, BIBD and Tourism Malaysia. The winner will be announced at 8pm on 26th and 267th September. Awesome!

Now the official bank here is Baiduri Bank and they also have great promotions during the travel fair and it’s a great advantage if you happen to own a Baiduri Card (Debit or credit). For instance, for Prestige customers, if you fly to London, Dubai or Melbourne, you can redeem BND 200 at their booth (applies to the first 25 members). Another thing is when you swipe with Baiduri card, you will be entitled to 3 lucky draw coupons for the grand draw. Lastly, if you are a Smart Executive member, you can redeem BND 50 if you book your flights to Hong Kong or Shanghai (Limit to the first 20 members). There are more things that Baiduri are offering (refer to poster below for details).

I also read the papers that Pan Bright Travel Services are bringing back the “Travel and Win a Car” promotion since it was a great success last time round. You can also stand a chance to win a brand new Hyundai Accent from Pan Bright. The promotion is not just limited to customers who bought air tickets but also to those who buy any inbound tour package from Pan Bright. For your info, Pan Bright (KB) was the runner-up for Abacus’ travel agent award which was feted during Abacus Silver Jubilee dinner recently.

So mark your calendars for this weekend.

Three weeks ago, Abacus celebrated their Silver Jubilee

To all the Teachers out there in Brunei

 

BIBD announced its Race Entry Pack for the 2015 CE ALAF (Charity Expedition for Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future programme). The pack includes a runners’ shirt and a CE ALAF backpack. Additional merchandise is also available on the CE ALAF website such as Polar running watches, which can be purchased during the registration of the CE ALAF.

Registrations for CE ALAF can be completed via the ALAF website at www.bibdalaf.com or at CE ALAF Kiosks at Aewon outlet in Kiarong, Seria and Airport Mall.

Payment for registration along with merchandise purchases can be made directly via the website using any Debit or Credit cards or via cash payments through BIBD online, BIBD Mobile, BIBD CDMs and counters at BIBD Branches to the BIBD CSR Raised Fund Account at 1010400011.

For all participants opting to register their participation via cash payments, participants are required to keep their proof of payment in the form of deposit slips for payments via BIBD counters and CDMs, or printed online receipts or screenshots for payments made through BIBD Online and BIBD Mobile platforms. These proofs of payments must to be presented at the Race Entry Pack Collection weekend, together with their donation proceeds slip.

The closing date for registrations will be on the 30th of September 2015, whereby the first 1500 successful registrations will also be entitled to free limited edition CE merchandise.

The running kit for this edition of BIBD CE ALAF

BIBD is also inviting interested persons to register their interest as volunteers, where they will receive official CE ALAF 2015 volunteer t-shirts. Slots for volunteers are however limited and contact details of each volunteer has to be submitted to the BIBD CE ALAF team at csr@bibd.com.bn by the 25th September 2015.

This year’s CE will include a new competitive 5km Open Men and Women’s category. Other categories include an Open and Bruneian 21km and 10km, Men and Women’s category along with a non-competitive 3km fun run and cycling expedition. Fees for the respective categories vary starting at B$25. Participants will also stand a chance to win prizes of up to B$2,000. BIBD would also like to inform the public that a designated area will be provided for Subuh Prayers.

The CE is one of the imperative strategic ideas for fundraising in order to sustain ALAF as a long term initiative. ALAF is BIBD’s flagship CSR programme. This year’s CE is hoped to build on its previous successes with more than 6,000 participants all contributing to raise a total amount of over B$ 665,000, an illustration of Bruneians as a caring society.

The complete sponsors and partners of the BIBD CE ALAF

The ALAF programme, launched in May 2013 by Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, was developed in close partnership with the Ministry of Education which will lead to constant efforts and close collaboration between both parties to ensure the successful implementation and provision of assistance to the ALAF programme. At the same time, The ALAF programme is also supported by the Islamic Studies Department from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The ALAF programme currently has almost a hundred students under its care.

The ALAF programme provides the selected students with provisions for school and tuition fees, educational materials and welfare, as well as mentoring and counseling necessities amongst others. All this is to help ensure the absolute commitment of these students towards the development of their education, and not let them be bothered by the other commitments that come with. The ALAF programme will also continue to provide support and assistance to these students until the end of their respective educational requirement needs.

Through ALAF, BIBD hopes to align its support to His Majesty’s 2035 vision of obtaining a 100% level of education to everyone, which in turn is hoped to help reduce poverty, In Shaa Allah, leading Brunei towards a more prosperous and peaceful future, making Brunei populated with educated, highly skilful and successful individuals, in line with internationally set standards.

Apart from contributions during the CE, members of the public wishing to contribute into the BIBD ALAF fund may do so with a minimum donation of B$1.01 into the BIBD ALAF account at 1018181811. Contributing is further made easier as the public can utilise existing BIBD channels such as the BIBD Online website, BIBD Mobile app, BIBD ATM and CDMs, and BIBD branch counters. The public can also set up a BIBD Standing Instruction to ensure a monthly donation into the ALAF fund. As an added benefit, BIBD account holders can also use their accumulated BIBD Hadiah Points for cash conversion into contributions into the ALAF fund account.

A few weeks ago BIBD launched their third expedition to support ALAF

Cool medal for this year’s edition

 

Click image to enter register

Registration is still ongoing. Organised by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, BIBD Charity Expedition 2015 is our 4th initiative in their sporting calendar to raise funds for donations.

Let’s rewind for a bit. Back in 2011, their 1st initiative in the BIBD Charity Expedition was held to raise funds for the victims of the Tsunami in Japan. Now, as an extension towards BIBD’s ALAF initiative, the contributions will play a pivoting role in the importance of early childhood education. ALAF is the abbreviation for Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future.

Do check out the number of categories available. The only one missing is the full marathon. The 5km run will be a competitive one with the regular categories. Of course, let’s not forget the 3km fun run.

Registration closes by 31st September 2015 but if you sign up now, you will stand a better chance of being the first 1,500 registrants and you will be entitled to a FREE limited edition Charity Expedition merchandise from BIBD.

Do follow them on instagram @bibdcealaf for updates as well.

BIBD CE ALAF in 2012

BIBD CE ALAF in 2012

BIBD CE ALAF in 2012

BIBD CE ALAF in 2013

BIBD CE ALAF in 2013

The categories for this year’s event

EasyWay with the guest of honour and members of the Brunei Basketball Association

The prize giving ceremony

Easy won the hard way. What an intense final!!! I missed the commotion where a few players were ejected. I came right after half time of the finals between defending champions Fu Zhou and favourites EasyWay. Mike Pilgrim of EasyWay was ejected out for landing a punch on Narcisco Llagas (also ejected) and it led into a mini brawl where another official from Fu Zhou (Erwin) was also ejected after his punching efforts on EasyWay’s Ah Giap face.

There has been a huge question mark on the match officials in controlling the match and this also boils down to the Brunei Basketball Association. The standards of the officials and the discipline still needs some fine tuning. Yes, there will be reasons for having low budgets to provide appropriate training from the officials. I still find it ironic that some teams are able to fork out loads of monies to lure in import players but some are closely related to the BBA and having good relations, they would see this as an important growth for the country for the sports of basketball. You will see tons of banners here and there and corporate companies fork out monies to be part of an event. I seriously am not sure how the BBA works in Brunei but judging from the commotion last Wednesday, it gives the association a bad after taste. Something must be done to stop this from repeating.

The guest of honour was the Acting District Officer of Brunei-Muara and it was such a shame that he had to witness it. Players will take action (and play vigilante) if referees fail to make obvious foul calls and that’s where things can get really, really ugly. BBA members, officials, referees and even the policemen will turn peacemakers when things get out of hand just like last Wednesday. There were even signs of provocation from other teams to incite more heat and I thought that was unnecessary and unprofessional.

Even the venue at the Batu Bersurat Basketball Court is not ideal to hold such a large number of crowd. The players don’t have any allowance outside the boundary of their court zone and bystanders can turn into human cushions to stop the momentum. I mean, I was excited for the huge turn out but feel conflicted due to the safety of the people inside the basketball court. I believe the human count exceeded more than 200% and sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry.

The memento for the guest of honour from BBA

There was a delay during the third quarter due to a brawl

Mike Pilgrim with his fans

Just look at the Batu Bersurat Basketball Court

Wow, I can’t believe I’m ranting on all these instead of posting how cool the match was. Anyway, let’s talk about the match itself. Yes, it was absolutely thrilling and it was end to end stuff. EasyWay was on top form and even star player Geve Leones wasn’t featured due to a sprained ankle. But EasyWay had the depth in squad. They have the likes of three impressive imports – Charlie Bolias, Robert Hite and Mike Pilgrim and not forgetting Elvin Requintin. The local players are also made up of competitive players (captain Ben Sim, Md Zainul, Yap Chun Ping, Choo Yung Jian and Jamri Ramlee. Now that’s what you call #strengthinnumbers

Defending champions Fu Zhou put up a great fight but only came close when they stole the lead in the third quarter. It didn’t last long as they suffered from the ejection of their key players. With three minutes remaining, EasyWay increased the gap and deservedly had the victory over their opponents in 89-77. EasyWay became the only team to be undefeated in the tournament.

Mike Pilgrim did wrote an apology on his Facebook Wall, “Last night was a great experience to win a Championship with a Class A organisation but I would not be correct if I didn’t take the time to apologize for the part I played in the brawl last night. As we all know there was a lot of dirty playing taking place last night and I have been more than patient with the referees and the teams as well, but I don’t blame them for my actions of retaliation to the dirty play. So to all of you especially the kids in attendance, I sincerely apologize for my actions and no matter how annoyed or frustrated I should have never let it take me out of my game or my character, so the Fu Zhou players and fans, I sincerely apologize.”

The same went for Erwin Velez who wrote on the Brunei Basketball Facebook Page, “Congratulation to Easyway for winning championship 2015 Sultan Cup, you guys deserved it, you guys put in a lot of dedication. What happened last night was much regretted, we don’t take it personally, we hope you guys don’t too. Just like your team, we are very passionate about basketball, for me personally eventhough I was not able to play this year, I still flew back to support my team in the finals. Sometimes, in the heat of our passion, we do things beyond our control which we regret later on and last night was one of those moments. My sincere apology to you guys, Specially Boss Ah Giap, I’m sorry It was a random swing and unfortunately I hit Boss Ah Giap. I hope that I can talk to you personally to apologies on my action. To Coach K and Wira Pori my sincere apologies on this matter. To Easyway family and friends my sincere apologies. Sincerely yours, Erwin Velez.”

The schedules for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Regional Festival of Football 2015

His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah, the President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) with AFC Festival Manager Dr Shamil Kamil Mohammad

For the development of football. This is such a great idea that Brunei Darussalam is hosting the ongoing Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Regional Festival of Football 2015. This is the first time that Brunei is also hosting an AFC event of this magnitude. For the country, this is a great milestone as this gives confident that Brunei Darussalam is confident in running this non-competitive event for the development of football for the youngsters locally and internationally.

The launch of the event took place last Tuesday and the football festival was officiated by His Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah, the President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD). Also present was AFC Festival Manager Dr Shamil Kamil Mohammad who shared a welcoming remark and praised Brunei Darussalam for hosting the 5-day event.

The match kicked off with Brunei Darussalam the host bowing down to the improved Philippines team with a 3-0 score line. The first two goals came less than 10 minutes into the game as the host lost concentration. The visitors were very solid in midfield and bossed the pitch, making it difficult for Brunei to win possession. The Philippines sealed the deal after the break with a sublime finish as Captain Van Vincent Nico Quintana scored a curler to add to Brunei’s misery.

However, it was a much better outing for Brunei Darussalam in the second match despite going down to Myanmar 3-2 last Wednesday. This shows that Brunei is still capable to score upfront but just need more composure when it comes to defence. They have conceded six goals so far in two games.

Brunei still have hot favourites Malaysia and the rising star Timor Leste tonight and tomorrow evening respectively. Malaysia had scored 10 goals in two games and they have been very strong upfront. Despite playing earlier this morning with a 8-0 victory over Myanmar, they will have their second match tonight against Brunei Darussalam at Belapan Sports Complex. Will Brunei able to contain the attacking prowess of Malaysia?

Do refer to the poster above for the schedules and there is also lucky draw for every match. The closing ceremony will be at 9:30pm on Saturday, 22nd August at Belapan Sports Complex.

HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah launching the event

HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah greeting the match officials

HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah greeting the host nation

HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah greeting the team from Myanmar

Dr Shamil Kamil Mohammad delivering his speech

The fans from the Philippines

Head coach of Brunei working extremely hard for the past few months

It all starts from grassroots level

The working committee for the football festival

It’s great to see Thailand’s participation despite the sad news of the bombing in Bangkok

Brunei in action against the Philippines. Brunei lost 3-0 in the opening game.

Brunei in action against Myanmar but lost 3-2. Image courtesy of Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

Brunei in action against Myanmar but lost 3-2. Image courtesy of Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times

Earlier this morning, Malaysia dominated as they beat Myanmar 8-0

One of the saves from Myanmar keeper from a Malaysian attack

Timor Leste looked solid against the Philippines and won in a thrilling 4-2 victory

An own goal from Timor Leste to make in 3-2 but Timor Leste scored a minute later to restore the cushion for a 4-2 victory

Timor Leste’s Rivaldo Dos Santos Periera scored the final goal

Good sportsmanship shown after the match against Timor Leste and the Philippines

The customary handshake after every match.

Click image to enter register

BIBD with the sponsors and corporate partners of BIBD CE-ALAF during the press conference last week

After missing out on last year’s calendar, BIBD has brought back the BIBD Charity Expedition where the main objective is to raise funds for the ALAF participants. ALAF means Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future and now it has been rebranded as CE-ALAF. Every year, there will find ways to collaborate with strategic partners in ensuring that it’s not just about raising funds but to synergise the strengths in enhancing the study programmes for the under privilege students until they graduate with a degree.

I totally love this idea when they introduced this a few years ago. The progress and success rate have been encouraging as well for the students selected under the CE-ALAF program. The funds raised are allocated for tuition fees and counselling services. The applicants will be screened by government agencies from the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Religious Affairs and despite being given 100 students per year quota, only 50 students and 34 students met the requirements for year 2014 and year 2015 respectively. Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Ja’afar, Head of BIBD Corporate Social Responsibility, did hint that the criteria will be reviewed once again with the relevant agencies and stakeholders. It was good to highlight that some of the students from the program achieved distinctions in the PSR examinations. Giving education to under privileged student is a thoughtful gesture but for them to go beyond the expectations such as passing with flying colours is an awesome bonus indeed.

Javed Ahmed, Managing Director of BIBD, explaining to the press on the CE-ALAF program and how it has benefited the students

Members of the press and partners were present

Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Ja’afar, Head of BIBD Corporate Social Responsibility (2nd from right) briefed more on the BIBD CE-ALAF initiative

The medals for this year’s event

Check out the categories

That’s the gist of the background for CE-ALAF. Now it’s the actual event of the BIBD CE-ALAG event which will take place on 25th October 2015. The registration is already open and it will close on 20th September 2015.

The only one missing from the running + cycling event is the full marathon (42km). There will be a 21km, 10km and 5km competitive categories with the addition of the fun-run of 3km. Let’s not forget the cycling category as well.

You can now register at their website link – www.bibdalaf.com – and it’s also required that you present with with a donation card which can be deposited into any BIBD branch counter via Cash Deposit Machine (CDM), ATM, online banking or CE-ALAF account number 1018181811.

Let’s hope with the funds raised that it can hope to help reduce poverty, leading the country towards a more prosperous and peaceful future where Brunei is populated with educated, highly skilful individuals on par with internationally set standards.

Every donation counts for the betterment of our future leaders. Thank you, BIBD, for making noble cause a lasting one and I’m pretty sure that the Brunei Government are happy with your initiative.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Regional Festival of Football 2015 is set to hold its Opening Ceremony, 4:00 pm, on Tuesday, 18th August 2015, at the Track and Field, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex.

The first match to be played will be from Group A, Philippines against Brunei Darussalam kicking off at 4:35 pm. This match will be played at the Track and Field, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex straight after the Opening Ceremony. At the Berakas Sports Complex, Group B will kick off its first match seeing Vietnam playing against Singapore kicking off at 4:40 pm.

Members of the public are welcome to come and watch all the matches of the festival, which will be held at Track and Field, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex and Berakas Sports Complex. The ticket entrances for the Festival matches are free and there will also be some lucky draw prizes to be won during half time at every single match throughout the festival to the first 50 people who come to the matches.
The AFC U14 Regional Festival of Football 2015 held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam is supported by the Department of Youth and Sports of the Ministry Culture, Youth and Sports and sponsored by Kuang Wei Advertising and Display Sdn Bhd, Ideal Group Holdings Sdn Bhd, NBT (B) Sdn Bhd, Orchid Garden Hotel, Superwater Marketing Sdn Bhd, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Brunei Times Sdn Bhd, Aewon Brunei, Magic Media, Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd and Ranoadidas.

With the support from the government and local companies, NFABD would like members of the public to continuously support the National Under 14 team, the Tabuan U14, led by Head Coach Takao Fujiwara that will be participating in the festival.

For more info on the festival, please visit www.nfabd.org

NFABD welcomes team from Timor Leste

NFABD welcomes team from the Philippines

NFABD welcomes team from Thailand

Nuraziemah Hj Zulkifli winning the Kia Caren EX, the grand prize of the Kia Hari Raya Promotion last weekend

Masnah Hj Sabtu, winning the Kia Cerato Sedan for the 2nd prize

Previously Grand Motors Sdn Bhd gave away a home and a few cars as part of their 30th anniversary. Last week, Grand Motors presented four cars from KIA for the lucky winners of the “Kia Hari Raya Promotion” and also “Cerato for the Young and Young-at-Heart” promotion.

So who won the grand prize of the Kia Caren EX? It now belongs to the new owner – 23-year-old Nuraziemah Hj Zulkifli. Second prize belonged to Masnah Hj Sabtu, winning the Kia Cerato Sedan; the third prize went to Harun Hipnie who won Kia F/L Rio and the fourth prize (another car) went to Norasikin Aslan who won Kia Picanto M/T. The other remaining from the short listed winners of 10 walked way with cash vouchers.

Another shortlisted winners was for the Cerato for the Young and the Young-at-Heart promotion and there were 10 people who were drawn. Chan Siang Wei walked away with one unit ASUS Ultimate Fighting Machine Laptop 8gb and Hjh Mahani Hj Dagang won herself one unit ASUS Ultimate Fighting Machine Laptop 4gb. The third place winner, Iskandar Hj Alias won himself one PS4 Gaming Console 500gb and the fourth place went to Maimun Hj Serudin who brought home one XBOX 360 with Kinect Console Bundle.

The remaining winners won themselves a GoPro Hero 4 each. Awesome consolation prizes I must say.

All in all, it was a successful campaign as Grand Motors had 500 eligible customers who bought a car from 1st May to 31st July and 200 customers for the Cerato for the Young and the Young-at-heart promotion which ran from 1st April to 31st July. Present during the draw were Frankie Ho, Managing Director of Grand Motors Sdn Bhd, Hj Shaiful Rizal Bin Pehin Dato Dr Hj Ahmad, Executive Director and Jacqueline Koh, Kia Sales Manager.

Group photo with the winners and the management of Grand Motors and representatives from the financial institutions

Harun Hipnie who won Kia F/L Rio as third prize

Norasikin Aslan who won Kia Picanto M/T as fourth prize

Hjh Mahani Hj Dagang won herself one unit ASUS Ultimate Fighting Machine Laptop 4gb

GoPro Hero 4 winner

Another GoPro Hero 4 winner

Irwan bin Lamit, Managing Director of BIBD At-tamwil drawing the short listed customers few days before the actual draw

Representatives from BIBD At-tamwil and Baiduri Finance with the management of Grand Motors

Baiduri cardholders lucky dip winners of the Hua Ho vouchers

Baiduri cardholders were in for a rewarding shopping experience when they paid for their purchases at participating Hua Ho Department Stores at Kiulap, Delima, Gadong 2, Mulaut and Tutong in the “Baiduri Bank & Hua Ho H2 Hari Raya Shopping Treats” promotion last weekend.

With a minimum spending requirement of B$100 in a single receipt, Baiduri cardholders can participate in an instant dip where they get to win Hua Ho H2 shopping vouchers. Depending on the amount on the receipt, they can earn up to 3 chances per receipt. The vouchers are in the values of B$5, B$10, B$20 or B$50 each.

The promotion will continue this weekend from 10 July to (tomorrow) 14 July 2015, to give Baiduri cardholders more opportunity to take part.

“We are very happy to reward our customers for their loyalty and we want our cardholders to benefit from our ongoing promotions. Giving a little extra support through shopping vouchers or discounts for the upcoming festivities is just one of the benefits we provide to our credit and debit cardholders,” explained Pg Azaleen Pg Dato Hj Mustapha, Head of Retail Banking and Branch Network Division at Baiduri Bank.

More promotional information can be obtained at Baiduri website www.baiduri.com or by calling Baiduri Call Centre at 244 9666. To be in the know of Baiduri Bank promotions, Baiduri cardholders can follow BaiduriBank on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to get the latest updates.

Less than a week, then Hari Raya will take place and it could be either be on Friday or Saturday. How have you Ramadhan been so far? Mine has been has hectic for the past three weeks due to coverage of the endless of Sungkai buffets. Now recently it has been quite relaxing because I’m off duty on food coverage 😀

I’m wondering how is the spending power lately in Brunei. I have heard that some of the Sungkai buffet sales at some places have dropped by 20-30%. One of the reasons could be attributed to the growing number of new restaurants and also more buffer options for the consumers end. Hence the market share of the restaurant will be reduced as our population has yet to increase relatively.

The biggest draw for Sungkai outings will be the BIBD 30% promotion (by swiping their credit cards) on selected restaurants on specific dates.

Last week, I had to forgo two travel trips – one to Denmark and one to Malaysia. The Denmark trip is one of the trips that I was looking forward to because it’s Denmark and I haven’t been there. It was part of a Bang & Olufsen trip for the media. I had no choice but to let it go due to my upcoming sister’s wedding in August. The KL trip was alright to miss but I will missing all the great access to catch Big Bang live concert in KL this coming August. Despite all that, I believe that I will get new opportunities to travel somewhere in the 2nd half of 2015 😀

I caught While You’re Young flick last night and it was a better experience than that last three movies I caught. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts starred in this movie playing a married couple that wants to revive their younger days. Interesting movie and a humourous one too. A much better outing for Ben as compared to Night of the Museum sequel. I kinda like it but won’t watch it on cinema. Definitely a list for my blu-ray collection. Verdict: 7/10

Speaking of movies, Minions ruled the box office with a mammoth USD 115 million in the opening weekend. I predicted that Minions would be a top 3 movies of the summer in box office returns. At the moment, there is a good chance of that happening but no summer movies can come close to the surprise package Jurassic World followed by Avengers: Age of Ultron. The other potential movie is Inside Out which is doing very well indeed. I wasn’t a big fan of Minions and the movie was so so, catering more to kids. The disappointments of the summer movies so far are Tomorrowland and all the sequels of Magic Mike, Ted and Terminator.

I’m off to Bangkok today for another assignment. I won’t reveal much but you will know once you follow my IG and Snapchat feeds. I should be back in time for the Hari Raya festivity. Have a great week, my readers and thank you for all your support all these years.

My super friends buddies are quite addicted to the werewolf game indeed

I know it’s not healthy but this is occasional fix for Sahur 😀

Ok, I highly recommend you the Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie at Star Box Cafe (Kiulap). Amazing!!! I let my friends tried it and they love it too.

So this particular coffee table is my pick for the competition. Check out my IG on how to win the coffee table sponsored by Loft & Co, a new modern furniture shop located at Little Soho at Batu Bersurat. This coffee table comes in wooden texture, black and white.

Thank you Vincent Goh of Netcom House Computer for hosting Sungkai for the media at Excapade Sushi last week. I’m honoured for your humble invitation.

Now among all the gadgets of Apple, this is one over-rated gadget. Would I get one? I would perhaps wait for an updated version.

This watch so far has been very appealing and suits my needs. Loving the alerts but one problem – I’m not used to wearing a watch. Thanks @aj68 for the gift 😀

Lately I’ve been helping my friends’ wedding gifts which means longer nights

I had these three times… The Lamb Mandhi from Tandoor restaurant. A must from their Sungkai buffet. I would just go for this alone and not worried about the other dishes 😀

Now this is one exclusive magazine to own. Well done to the editor 😀

Congratulations to Vincent Pao, GM of Concepts Computer who defeated the Lizards yesterday to qualify for the Concepts Computer Veteran Basketball Cup 2015

Another successful event with the collaboration of Royal Brunei Airlines and the Collective Arts Event at the Royal Brunei Recreational Club. The event was called RBRC Syawal Donation. More stories on next post

Are copies making a comeback again? The enforcers must be pretty tired, recycling their efforts

Pengiran Azaleen bin Pengiran Dato Haji Mustapha, Head of Retail Banking and Branch Network receiving both awards on behalf of Baiduri Bank in Singapore recently

Baiduri Bank has received two awards from the Asian Banking and Finance Magazine – The “Domestic Retail Bank of the Year for Brunei 2015” for the third consecutive year and “Mobile Banking Initiative of the Year for Brunei 2015” for the first time.

The awards ceremony was hosted by the publication company at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore on 8 July 2015. Receiving the awards on behalf of the Bank was Pengiran Azaleen bin Pengiran Dato Haji Mustapha, Head of Retail Banking and Branch Network.

Commenting on the ‘Domestic Retail Bank’ award, Pg Azaleen said, “We are delighted to receive these latest awards. I take this opportunity to thank our loyal customers for their strong support which has placed us among the top 60 Asian banks who were present at the award ceremony.”

He further elaborated that despite a challenging economic environment and competitive market, the Bank has been able to sustain growth by introducing new products and services to meet the needs and demands of different customer segments. The Bank is also constantly enhancing its existing product and service offerings to serve their customers better.

Pg Azaleen addressing his award acceptance speech

On winning the ‘Mobile Banking Initiative’ award, Pg Azaleen said, “Baiduri Bank recognized that mobile technology was fast becoming the preferred method of communication and accommodated these areas of customer needs by launching two apps, namely Baiduri Personal i-Banking in June 2013 followed by Baiduri Deals in August 2013 which was later enhanced in December 2014. The Baiduri Personal i-Banking app complements the Bank’s current web-based i-Banking application which gives customers a sense of familiarity, comfort and assurance. The Baiduri Deals app is a lifestyle app and is the first marketing app in Brunei that dispenses e-coupons which are redeemable for good and services or discounts at selected merchant outlets.

Since 2007, Asian Banking and Finance (ABF) magazine have been honouring and recognizing the best of the best in the Banking and Finance industry in Asia. It focuses on commercial and retail banking and on securities market from a banking perspective.

 

Have you been Snapchatting? Catch me on my username @ranoadidas

Are you new to Snapchat? I had this social media platform for quite some time but I wasn’t active for quite a long time. So what sparked it? Two things 1) new updates made it more appealing 2) one of my favourite fashion blogger from the Philippines @itscamilleco who uses the story video effectively. Only then, I gave it another go as I know Snapchat can be another good avenue to reach my followers. I know how Snapchat is very popular among teenagers in Brunei but that could soon change once the locals get the hang of it.

I feel the interface can do a little more tweaking so it would be easier to navigate for users. The best feature for me is the “story” section where you can upload unlimited photos and videos. However, there’s a timeline for all the data you post on Snapchat and once it reaches the 24 hour mark, Snapchat will delete them. Hence this gives you the urgency to catch what your friends have posted before it disappears.

So do come on Snapchat and look for me (username: ranoadidas) and so far I have coming to 100 followers after my continuous plug on IG. I’m not too sure if Snapchat will pick up the same wave like IG and Facebook did. As for Twitter, it’s barely surviving in terms of getting the news across. I only come to Twitter once every two days. When compared to IG, Facebook and now the addictive Snapchat, Twitter is way behind the pack of the most used social media platform in Brunei.

Don’t forget to add me on Snapchat 😀

 

BIBD recently extended their support to some seventy residents and caretakers of the Kampong Belimbing welfare home complex, under the Community Development Department, at an Iftar event at the Emperor’s Court Restaurant in Manggis.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the Surah Al-Fatihah which was then followed by the handing over of donations by the guest of honor, BIBD Managing Director Yang Mulia Javed Ahmad to forty-five residents of the welfare home along with certificates of appreciation to the ALMAS volunteer group for their cooperation in the success of the recent BIBD annual charity drive “Sirah Amal”.

Also in attendance was Yang Mulia Haji Minorhadi bin Haji Mirhassan, BIBD’s Head of Institutional Banking Division along with Yang Mulia Hajah Nurul Akmar binti Haji Mohd Ja’afar, Deputy Head of Consumer Banking Division in her capacity as Head of BIBD’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

Hjh Nurul mentioned that, “Alhamdulilah, the support in donations today are an extension of BIBD’s Sirah Amal initiatives as part of being an active community partner. At the same time, these donations are hoped to contribute to the development and progress of the residents to becoming productive members of the community”.

 

Hari Raya promotion until 31st July 2015

 

Late post: Jason Ang Kok Khiong won himself a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. It was part of the “Register Your Interest” Raffle Draw organised by T.C.Y. Motors Sdn Bhd in conjunction with the launch of the SsangYong Tivoli. Jason received the prize from Anisson, T.C.Y. Motors Motor Marketing Manager.

Check out the latest SsangYong Tivoli. Click image to enter website.

BIBD recently participated in the 9th Muzakarah Cendekiawan Syariah Nusantara on the 10th and 11th of June at the Hotel Millennium, Jakarta. The dialogue’s organiser, The International Sharia Research Academy for Islamic Finance has chosen to partner with Universiti Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah to bring the theme, “Innovative Contemporary Islamic Financial Products for the Development of the Social-Economy of Muslims”. The discussions were focused on current financial issues pertaining to “Refinancing and Restructuring” and “Applications of Hajah (needs) in Innovative Products.”

BIBD Shariah Advisory Body member and Director of the Mazhab Shafi’i Research Centre at the Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Dr Abdul Nasir bin Haji Abdul Rani was involved in the first discussion regarding the concept of Hajah and its applications in Islamic finance.

On the second day, BIBD Product Manager Hjh Adinah binti Hj Jamudin was involved in the discussions on the applications of Shariah-compliant concepts in developing and offering products that will assist in generating socio-economic benefits to the Muslim community, especially the non-bankable segment. These products can be materialised by strengthening corporation between Islamic financial institutions and social finance institutions to utilise Wakaf, Zakat, Islamic wealth management, micro-finance and micro-Takaful. They also discussed equity-based financing products such as Musyarakah that can be applied in Islamic wealth management where both parties can benefit from a financial partnership.

BIBD Shariah Advisory Body Chairman and Deputy State Mufti, Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Setia Raja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaili bin Haji Mohiddin (3rd from left), BIBD Shariah Advisory Body member and Director of the Mazhab Shafi’i Research Centre at the Universiti Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), Dr Abdul Nasir bin Haji Abdul Rani (4th from left) and other members from the Shariah body of BIBD. Image courtesy of BIBD.

The main objectives of the dialogue were to create general understanding between Shariah scholars in the region through academic discussions on multiple issues related to Islamic finance. The dialogue also serves as a regional platform for scholars, academics and practitioners of Islamic finance to share ideas, knowledge and experiences, and to share latest developments in the Islamic finance industry.

Also part of the BIBD representatives were BIBD Shariah Advisory Body Chairman and Deputy State Mufti, Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Setia Raja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaili bin Haji Mohiddin, along with its member, Yang Mulia Dr Awang Haji Mazanan bin Haji Yusof, Head of Research, State Mufti Department. BIBD was also represented by Head of its Shariah Department, Yang Mulia Dayang Hajah Hanifah binti Haji Jenan along with Shariah Assistant Manager, Muhammad Takzimallah bin Haji Ahmad Sanuddin.

The two-day event was launched by Deputy Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia. The event was attended by around a hundred delegations ranging from scholars, academics and practitioners from Islamic financial institutions, from member ASEAN countries.

 

Izam Said, editor of CONFEX, during the press conference last Friday

Having another magazine in Brunei means there are things to showcase to the eyes of the public. I know Izam Said for quite some time and he is passionate about one thing – cars, cars and cars. He used to be feature writer on the automative section (On The Road) of The Brunei Times and I’ve always love his insights and opinions on the cars he test drove. Now it’s good to know he is venturing into something that he is passionate about and everyone has a story to share just like Izam.

Last week, I had the privilege to be invited to a press conference held at CONFEX. For your info, CONFEX is a local events management company which has run a series of team building workshops and only recently I found out that Izam Said is the editor of CONFEX. Under CONFEX, the team will be launching a new magazine on automotive which will be another platform for car enthusiasts to learn more about the cars especially in the Brunei market.

This will be the first of its kind that features an 80-paged automative magazine for the benefit of the readers. This is another avenue for car dealers or distributors to showcase their cars and even anything related to cars on Motoring BN.

Izam Said is confident that the magazine will be a success and despite the shift of information world through technology, he believes that having something “tangible” like a magazine is still trend. I do agree with him on that since I also collect and buy computer, film and wrestling magazines due to the tangibility factor.

For your info, every quarter, Motoring BN will print 15,000 copies and it will be sold on news stand at a price of BND 6.80. The pre-order subscriptions have been overwhelming for the first issue and he hopes there will be enough for the 1st edition to be sold in local book stores.

So what can you expect from Motoring BN magazine? They have a mixture of local and foreign writers who will contribute to the magazine. One segment that will catch the interest of the ladies will be “Heels on Wheels” by Tracy Ramantan.

The magazine is said to be launched sometime in July. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the magazine and I believe Izam Said is the right man to lead the show. I’m proud that he has taken a new adventure on his passion to another new level. Keep it up, buddy!!

For those who are interested to advertise for the next issue, you can contact 8282 212. For those who want to subscribe, you can click here for the pre-orders. You can also follow them on IG @motoringbn

Waleed Pehin Dato Mahdini, Izam Said and Tracy Ramantan

This will be the cover of the first edition of Motoring BN

 

Great discounts and privileges using BIBD Cards for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

 

Ceri Cafe is located in Kiulap, same row with Mothercare and Bebeland. It’s a cosy, cheerfully decorated cafe with a red theme. Mind you they have another branch at Delima. I highly recommend that you book ahead if you wish to have your sungkai at either branch.

Now what to do they serve? Definitely Asian cuisine and the variety are just nice for those who won’t settled for a bigger buffet. The choices are just nice for my kind and it’s a good deal as well for a buffet under $12. The menu keeps changing but you can call them at 223 4997.

If you are going for ala carte, I kinda like the beef burger there. So thinking of a soothing and relaxing way to open your sungkai, try out Ceri Cafe Kiulap.

The buffet line with the staff of Ceri Cafe

Ayam Rendang

Mee Hoon

Quite a crowd at Ceri Cafe

 

Click image to enter website

 

Download SnapFeed app on your smartphones and check out the latest deals in Brunei and also get rewarded from respective merchants such as BurgerKing, KFC and Sushi Tei to name a few and also check out the new movie listings as well.

 

Happy Birthday Nisaa @ Bonita Suresh and sorry, I couldn’t make it to your advanced celebration. Hope you like the lame video greetings 😀 Thanks for being part of my life and I truly treasure the friendship since Day 1 (e-circles) haha..

The Surprise celebration. I wonder if the gang pulled it off :p

My current trip to Bangkok is to help expose and share with you guys of places to shop around Bangkok. Have you heard of Emporium and Emquatier? There are both new shopping malls under one roof, The District EM and shared among three buildings. The shopping experience is crazy there because there are more the 400 iconic brands at District EM. I was even confused with my bearings as I easily lost track of my directions. You might need an in-house map to get to wonder around.

Of course, if you happen to be in Bangkok, now it’s a good time to give these places because of the mid year sales. If you are familiar with Siam Paragon and Terminal 21, I would highly recommend you to try out the EM District. It’s even located at a BTS station (train) so you won’t have to walk from the station to District EM.

Even though the said malls have been operating for a few months, they have spent a hefty sum on promotion and marketing, a whooping USD 500,000 alone. You can see how serious the shareholders of District EM are. Give it a few more months and exposure, Emporium and Emquartier will be the top attraction for the shopping crowd especially from overseas.

Check out the pictures I posted below and I couldn’t include all because they were simply too many 😀

During the grand opening a few months ago

At the Emporium

The SL Coupé was launched a few days ago at the Mercedes-Benz Cafe at Emporium. The first of its kind concept in Thailand and this is to give more hospitality to their clients. Awesome stuff!!

The Mercedes-Benz Cafe

They even have prayer rooms at District EM

I have to try this premium cinema at Emporium on my next trip

If you own a super car like these, you can park with them

The garden upstairs

The imported area of the supermarket

I almost bought some grapes :p

The scarlett room, only applicable to members only and you need to spend at least BND 80,000 within a year

The logo for Emporium. The British flag pin indicates that the person can speak in English if you need any assistance. Cool!

Different range of clothes

The guys who brought us around. Thank you 😀

Group photo

 

Deputy Minister of Finance, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah presenting the championship trophy to ITB’s captain. Image courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

A well deserved victory for ITB. Two years ago, they lost the inaugural tournament in the hands of UBD. This year, they almost lost it when they were down 2-0 against IGS College in the finals last Saturday of the BIBD At-tamwil University Cup 2015.

All was not lost. Md Farrizz Saralfari and Ak Md Naqib scored two goals to put IGS College in the lead only for ITB to reply with confidence through Md Hafiy and Norfaez before half time kicked in to make a competitive score line of 2-2 by half time.

I actually felt pity for IGS College as they had the upper hand. A 2 goal lead with a poor field conditions due to the rainy weather, IGS could have held the game for their first title. However, ITB had other plans. They know that they have been in the finals before and experience did matter in this situation.

Right after the break, ITB quickly took the lead in the 47th minute from Ak Md Haikal which proved to be the winner. The match ended in a 3-2 victory for ITB and they have what it takes to be a champion. Hats off to IGS College for the great fight and let it be a good experience for them and also for the rest of the teams that were involved in the tournament.

The matches have always brought high energy towards the stands where fans will be supporting their own team. Even the crowd attendance can put other local leagues to shame. Great effort from BIBD At-tamwil for taking the lead and teaming up with ITB as co-organiser.

This year also see inclusion of local colleges and an invitational team representing Curtin University. A big thanks for Fazizul Haqimie for taking all the pictures since Day 1 and he was even soaked in the rain that night. Great photos and keep it up!

The VIPs watching the finals of the University Cup 2015

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

ITB vs IGS College

Celebration from the ITB bench

Consolation for the head coach of IGS College

A sad moment for the IGS player

ITB team celebrating their success

ITB the new champions of the BIBD At-tamwil University Cup 2015

Team IGS have their heads high and it has been a great journey

The rain didn’t hamper their mood on the field

 

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Zul And Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer during the unveiling of the Acer Revo at Consumer Fair last weekend. You can have a closer look at their Concepts Computer showroom

Acer is playing it’s Ace with the release of the new Acer Revo RL85-2957W8 mini PC at the ASEAN Consumer fair 2015. Launched by Concepts Computer, the compact computing solution, is a perfect powerhouse of features despite its small size.

The micro personal computer is an excellent addition to the household, with two terabytes of onboard storage, which can be extended with additional hard disks.

The unit also comes with HDMI making it easy to plug into a projector and speakers or a television as a media player, streaming high resolution visuals smoothly and great sound quality.

The Revo also comes with a pre-loaded Acer BYOC (Build Your Own cloud apps to make it the centre of your personal cloud. It automatically backs up all files stored in phones or tablets, making it accessible through all connected devices. Another nifty feature is that users can navigate the mini PC with their smartphones, provided their phones come with the remote control application.

The Acer Revo RL85-2957W8 is available at Concepts Computer at the price of $458.

For more information on the latest mini PC by Acer, visit the fair or head to Concepts’ nearest branch. You can also call 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553.

Check out the small size of the Acer Revo

Quite portable as well

Check out the plug-ins from the Acer Revo. Image courtesy of Pocket-lint.

Image courtesy of Pocket-lint