Posts Tagged ‘BSC’
Up and always
RBAF personnel firing sparks as part of their performance during the 55th Royal Brunei Armed Forces anniversary celebration held at the RBAF Defence Academy in Tanah Jambu this morning. Image taken by Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.
Dr Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Muda Abdul Fattaah Ibni Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Perdana Wazir Sahibul Himmah Wal-Waqar Pengiran Muda Mohamed Bolkiah presented the Baiduri Masters Challenge Trophy 2016 to Tony Karim who won his first Baiduri Masters jacket. The charitable tournament attracted more than 900 registrants, the highest so far in the 21st edition of the Baiduri Masters. Image courtesy of Obelina Wang of The Brunei Times.
After a successful toastmasters demo meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, a second demo meeting happened again over the weekend. The government officers definitely benefited from the activity and it was great to see Yahya Hj Idris, Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office in attendance and learning how toastmasters can benefit the government sector
Last weekend, the four toastmasters clubs in Brunei and the national gavel club joined in hand to celebrate and appreciate toastmasters members and gaveliers in promoting communication and leadership skills. It was a memorable evening with multiple roasts for Allen Ang, our Area K6 Director (handling the whole of Brunei toastmasters). Thank you, bro, for your guidance and leadership presence.
It has been a while since I traveled to Singapore and guess who I’m randomly bumped into… These two lovely chaps 😀 Taken last Thursday at ION Orchard.
Finally caught up with Joanne, Richard, lil Alex and Frances over dinner at Real Food. This is an organic cafe/restaurant and I kinda love the concept. Won’t mind coming back here again. and it was good to catch up with my Singapore buddies 😀
My recent trip to Singapore was also to test drive the new Volkswagen Sports Van which will be launched this weekend. This was a photo shoot with the Brunei media representatives taken at Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay, Singapore. Thanks @volkswagenbrunei for the trip.
Jackson Ting, D’Sunlit Managing Director, handing over the grand prize to Sahran Mohd Safar during the finale of the 18th Consumer Fair held at the ICC. Image courtesy of Billah Hasan of The Brunei Times.
As usual, the recent consumer fair was packed with people. I salute to those who are able to brave the human traffic.
This was another shot taken recent during our Jakarta trip and this was the Magnum Cafe at Grand Indonesia.
Our former member of Brunei Speakers’ Club is now a member in one of the Korean Toastmasters Club in Seoul. She recently competed in District Level and managed to come 3rd place.. Wow wow wow!! Amazing 😀
The friendly tournament that I organised among our training mates. It was a fun and a hot day too. This is the 1st Leg of the RA Tennis Doubles Tournament 2016. Thank you all for taking part and also to the coaches for the logistics and the draw.
The pairing of Kieran and Ming Rui who came 6th overall in the tournament 😀
The lovely couple who love prawn and tennis
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May the 4th be with you
Dayang Nur Syukrina binti Dato Mohd Roselan and Dayang Nurhuaida Fakhriah binti Damit, AMBD representatives during the media briefing.
Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), following a press conference held on Monday, 2nd May 2015, announced that this year’s National Savings Day 2016 will be launched on today, Wednesday, 4 th May 2016.
The first National Savings Day was declared by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, as Chairman of AMBD on 28th May 2015.
The theme for this year’s National Savings Day- “Financially Literate Generation” was chosen to reflect the goal to raise a financially literate and independent generation. This will also contribute to the Wawasan Brunei 2035 objective towards a dynamic and sustainable economy, as well as highly-skilled population.
In collaboration with Tabung Amanah Perkerja (TAP) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other related agencies, AMBD will be organising a number of activities which include roadshows to primary schools at all four districts. The roadshows, amongst others, will include interactive games on financial management and introduction to currency by AMBD, TAP and relevant institutions and agencies, geared towards primary school students.
On Sunday, 22 May 2016, a Financial Fun Fair will be held at Jerudong Park Playground and will feature a host of family fun-filled interactive programs and activities also by AMBD, TAP and relevant institutions and agencies, geared towards the general public.
In addition, other events planned for in conjunction with the National Savings Day 2016, are the Financial Planners’ Day organized by the Centre for Islamic Banking and Management (CIBFM), AMBD’s training arm, on Thursday, 26 May 2016, followed by a Financial Planners’ Showcase on Saturday, 28 May 2016.
For more information on National Savings Day 2016 please visit www.ambd.gov.bn or email at corpcomms@ambd.gov.bn
Nurhuaida briefing to the press
Awfa Nawawi, Heidi Rahman, Rahman Tarsat, Chris Woo, Jordan Yau, Gerald Goh, Rano Iskandar and Aziman Nasir
New Executive Committee members of the Brunei Speakers’ Club (BSC) for the term 2016-2017 were elected at the SEAMEO VOCTECH, Gadong last night.
The meeting saw the election of Jordan Yau as President of Brunei Speakers’ Club. Meanwhile, Gerald Goh, Rano Iskandar, Rahmat Tarsat, Heidi Rahman, Aziman Nasir and Awfa Nawawi were elected as Vice President Education, Vice President Membership, Vice President Public Relations, Secretary, Treasurer and Sergeant at arms of BSC, respectively.
Congratulations to the newly elected Executive Committee and their term will being on 1st July 2016. You can view more pictures on the Brunei Speakers’ Club website.
Newly elect President, Jordan Yau, giving his remarks
26 active members of BSC turned up last night for the Annual General Meeting
It was fun to listen to all the speeches by the nominees. The highlights of the night.
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This is it
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.
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One step up
Click image to enter website
The Education UK Exhibition taken last year.
Interested in furthering your studies in the UK?
The Education UK Exhibition enables you to meet representatives from 40 UK Universities, attend super helpful seminars, chat with UK alumni and find plenty of useful information. Plus, there will be amazing goodies to bring back home too!
You’ll also get plenty of advice from representatives of the participating institution such as course fees and accommodation and perhaps more tips while studying abroad. I’ve never been to the UK for studies and it’s the most popular destination for Bruneians to further their studies. With the A results being released recently, this is a great opportunity for students to scout for the right course. Also involved is the Ministry of Education to cater for Scholarship prospects from Brunei. Hence the Scholarship Unit and the National Accreditation Council will be there for assistance. I would highly recommend The Education UK Exhibition hosted by the British Council.
So remember to join us on Sunday, 21 February 2016 at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel from 2pm to 7pm.
Don’t forget to pre-register at https://bn.edukexhibition.org and stand a chance to win a SMART TV – we’ve got two up for grabs! See you this Sunday!
The National Day march practice earlier this morning. Associates of BIBD taking part in the march. Image courtesy of @marul69
The Ikrar team practising at the Taman SOAS
About 21,000 people are expected to participate in the 32nd National Day celebrations at Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital.
Permanent Secretary of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Paduka Dr Hj Affendy Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Hj Abidin said 126 teams will be involved in the parade including 7,000 students, 5,000 people in the march past while 500 people will make up thehadrah team.
Speaking during a press conference yesterday, he said uniformed personnel, government agencies, the private sector and non-profit organisations will take part in the march past.
In his capacity as co-secretary of the celebration’s executive committee, Dato Dr Hj Affendy said the National Day theme of “Generasi Berwawasan” (Visionary Generation) has been retained this year.
He added that the full dress rehearsal for the celebrations will take place on February 20.
Assistant Chief of Adat Istiadat Pg Dr Hj Hidup Pg Hj Samsuddin reminded guests to confirm their attendance to the department as soon as possible.
He said invitations are non-transferrable and guests must adhere to the prescribed dress code.
Members of the the public were urged to attend the thanksgiving prayers and recitation of Surah Yaasin that will take place in the afternoon of February 22 at all mosques and prayer halls across the country, with the focal point at Masjid Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital.
Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Senior Superintendent Hj Md Hassan Pehin Penyurat Hj Ahmad, acting director of the Traffic Investigation and Control Department (JSKLL) said several car park areas need to be vacated before the National Day parade begins starting today till February 23. These areas include the Madrasah car park, the car park area along Jln Kianggeh, Jln McArthur, Jln Sultan, Jln Stoney, Jln Sumbiling, Jln Pehin Isa, Jln Pengiran Shahbandar, and Jln Istana Darussalam. Motorists can use alternative car park areas including the road along Jln Kianggeh towards Jubilee Hotel leading to Jln Subok and along Jln Residency towards the Arts and Handicrafts Centre leading to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He said four locations have been identified as drop-off points for participants from education institutions, government agencies and private sector that use buses. These locations are the bus terminal on Jln Cator, Jln Bendahara, Jln Pehin Dato Isa and Jln Sumbiling. Text courtesy of Rafidah Hamit of The Brunei Times.
The Brunei youth practising their ikrar at a car park area
The ladies representatives for the ikrar practising at Tennis National Centre
Team RB march practice in town earlier today
Wow, our friend Derby Teo @derbilicious made a surprise visit to her old club, Brunei Speakers’ Club, last week. She’s currently studying in Seoul, Korea, under a scholarship program. Kudos for winning Table Topics last week. To read more, you can click on the image.
Did you know that we actually have a blog for recaps on our Brunei Speakers’ Club (toastmasters) weekly meetings? It’s not just one person behind the scene that keeps the blog updated on a weekly basis and I’m happy to be one of the contributors. We are divided into three roles per week – the copy writer, photographer and proof reading. The club’s Vice-President of Public Relations, Gerald Goh, has been the main person manning the club’s website for this term and he has done a tremendous job so far. And the same can be said for his team players for helping the tasks needed to maintain the blog/recaps. Keep it up..
For those interested to attend our Toastmasters meeting, it’s every Tuesday evening 7:30pm at Seameo Voctech. There will be guest fees of BND 5 and for students, it will be BND 3. The membership presence have been very encouraging and one of the highest for Brunei Speakers’ Club in many years. It’s always great to know my fellow friends willing to learn of being a leader and a communicator. So far my mentees are Shafiq (UBD Toastmasters), Heidi and our new member Syatrah 🙂 Thank you in believing in me to help you guide in your journey as a toastmaster.
If you want to read our recap meeting for last week, you can click here for the blog entry.
The faces of Table Topics Speakers last week at Brunei Speakers’ Club
Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times taking photo of the Brunei delegates heading to Sri Lanka in March 2016.
Mohd Aiman Abdullah (C) with Kieran Lai (L) and Harry Kwang at the National Tennis Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Lai and Kwang will be joined by Ben Sii at next month’s ITF World Junior Tennis Competition in Sri Lanka, where they will be coached by Aiman. Image courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.
Definitely not me (for Sri Lanka). I just follow Aiman’s training session with the youngsters on a daily basis. As you may have read today’s paper in The Brunei Times, Brunei will making a presence in the ITF (International Tennis Federation) World Junior Tennis Competition in Sri Lanka this coming March.
Three Bruneians will be presented by Ben Sii, Harry Kwang and Kieran Lai and they will compete in the pre-qualifiers for both singles and doubles. They have been very busy will the training sessions as a group and also have individual sessions with Aiman Abdullah, their head coach. This is a great move for the juniors to participate as it will give them a sense of exposure in terms of competing among the best juniors around the world. For the your info, it has been a while since Brunei took part in the competition overseas and I know the juniors are pretty excited and nervous at the same time. All in all, it will be a great experience for them regardless of the outcome of the matches.
Aiman has been approaching his training methods to accommodate the standards of the our juniors. We may not be the level where regional players are but it’s a good start that tennis is slowly becoming a growing sports in the country and thumbs up to Aiman for his dedication, commitment and contribution to the tennis community in Brunei.
Also big thanks to the parents and families of the participants for allowing them to travel with Aiman for the competition in Sri Lanka. Special thanks to Armtrix Enterprise for sponsoring the tracksuits. They will be heading to Sri Lanka on 2nd of March for at least a week.
Apart from the usual training, Aiman also dedicated a special slot for juniors especially the newbies ages 5 and above every Friday from 5 to 6pm. The responses have been encouraging and hopefully we can find new talent in the making in tennis. I may be in my early 40s but man, tennis is still my passionate sport. So you can catch me there most of the late afternoons at the Brunei National Centre. A big thank you to Aiman for training me and the juniors too. It does make me feel much younger minus my fitness level 😀
Ben Sii will be joining as well
Group photo yesterday with Aiman Abdullah, Brunei’s No.1 tennis player, Ian Chok (grey top), national tennis player, and the trainees – Sin Yi, Henry, RA, Rahul, Zen, Kieran, Tim and Harry
Aiman helping out with the session with the beginners every Friday at Tennis National Centre
Rahul taking some time to pose as a tennis umpire but only for show :p
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The power of one
Congratulations to all the graduates. Catch me on Snapchat and Periscope.
The graduates of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam 27th Convocation
Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Indera Setia Diraja Sahibul Karib Pengiran Anak Hj Idris, Executive Chairman of Indera Motors (2nd from left) with British High Commissioner David Campbell, Hj Khairuddin Hj Abd Hamid, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (guest of honour) and Yang Amat Mulia Pg Anak Ghaffar during the launch of the Discovery Sport at The Empire Hotel & Country Club recently. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.
Late post: Recently Indera Motors Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover, launched the Land Rover Discovery Sport at the Empire Hotel & Country Club. In attendance were Executive Chairman of Indera Motors Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Indera Setia Diraja Sahibul Karib Pengiran Anak Hj Idris officiated at the launch ceremony, with Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources Hj Khairuddin Hj Abd Hamid as the guest of honour. Also present was Yang Amat Mulia Pg Anak Ghaffar and British High Commissioner David Campbell.
Noormala Othman, Senior Executive Manager of Indera Motors, gave a brief introduction of the Discovery Sport before the launch of the car. The Discovery Sport will be a big hit in Brunei because of its premium value and still affordable as the price tag starts at $73,800 on the road. As you know Land Rover has a 66 year history and it’s the first of its kind for the Discovery family to introduce a compact premium SUV in Brunei.
For more information on the new Discovery Sport or a test drive, visit the Indera Motors Showroom at Lot Q2, Q3 and Q4 at the Lambak Kanan Industrial area in Berakas. It is open from 8am until 5pm Mondays to Thursdays, Fridays from 8am until 11.30am and 2.30pm until 5pm, and Saturdays from 8am until 4pm. Images courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.
Noormala Othman, Senior Executive Manager of Indera Motors
Unveiling the Discovery Sport
Ain’t that just a sexy car? 😀
It’s the competition of the Humourous Contest and Speech Evaluation Contest for Brunei toastmasters. For your info, Brunei has four toastmasters clubs, namely Brunei Speakers’ Club, OTTERS, UBD Toastmasters Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club.
Two representatives from each club will contest and the winner of the respective category will represent Brunei in the Division Level at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in early October.
The event will take place at OGDC, Seria this Sunday at 2pm. Yea, it’s quite a fair ride for those residing in town but if you have nothing better to do and also wanting to be entertained, then why not spare $5 to listen to eight speakers on their humorous speeches.
Jason Koo, one of the favourites for Humourous Speech. Good luck, buddy!
Elaine Tsang is also one of the finalists for the Area K6 contest
Here are the contestants in the their respective categories:
Humourous Contest
Supatra Lee – Brunei Speakers’ Club
Rano Iskandar – Brunei Speakers’ Club
Rozana Hj Yunos – Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club
Pranika Lama – Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club
Jason Koo – OTTERS
Elaine Tsang – OTTERS
Brendan Ti – UBD Toastmasters Club
Julius Hong – UBD Toastmasters Club
Speech Evaluation Contest
Supatra Lee – Brunei Speakers’ Club
Rano Iskandar – Brunei Speakers’ Club
Rozana Hj Yunos – Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club
Nina Kifrawi – Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club
Hazwan Kamarulzaman – OTTERS
Philip – OTTERS
Pranika Lama – UBD Toastmasters Club
Farhan Jaafar Ali – UBD Toastmasters Club
So good luck to all the contestants and the most important thing is to have fun, fun, fun 😀 The previous Area K6 winner was Allen Ang who bagged both the Humourous Contest and Speech Evaluation Contest.
This is the venue for the Area K6 contest at OGDC, Seria this coming Sunday at 2pm
The reason why I joined toastmasters – learning, leadership and friendship
Cool t-shirts for the test drive session of the Discovery Sport last August
Written and experienced by Aliya Zin, reporter from rano360.com: Indera Motors Sdn Bhd, the sole distributor for Jaguar and Land Rover in Brunei invited members of the media for a two day media escapade to Keningau, Sabah on 19th-20th August, to experience the new Discovery Sport, and the first member of the new Discovery family.
I was fortunate to have been part of the media group who went on the trip to Keningau, and experience what the new Discovery Sport has to offer. Full disclosure : I’m not a car aficionado, so if my opinion on the vehicle is seriously lacking in information, it’s only because I looked at it as a someone who views cars as a means to get from point A to point B, so I’ll do my best.
The seven vehicle expedition was flagged off by YAM Pg Anak Hj Abdul Ghaffar bin PISDSK Pg Anak Hj Idris, the General Manager of Indera Motors, from the Indera Motors showroom, and departed to Lawas, Tenom, Keningai and touring through the famous Crocker Range National Park in Sabah.
There were four of us road trip buddies in the white Discovery Sport : myself, Tiger Lim, Ragadah from BT and Alizan Maidin from Indera Motors. Tiger Lim was the first to take the wheel, taking us through Kuala Lurah all the way to Melasak Waterfall.
From a passenger’s point of view, the Discovery Sport is awesomely roomy. The rear compartment was able to fit 4 bags and a cooler and still fit some durian if we chose to carry back, but didn’t. For a passenger, the Discovery Sport is kind of a dream.. there are FIVE!, yes 5, USB ports to make it easy for you to charge your electronic devices, so there will be no arguing among passengers. The fully equipped infotainment system also allows you to connect your smartphone via Bluetooth, so you can listen to your favourite playlists and rock out on those long road trips without having to fiddle with long AUX cables. Another thing worth noting is there is a storage space between the driver and the passenger seat, which you can easily connect a USB hard drive to access an extensive music library, just like Alizan did.
Video of the Discovery Sport expedition. Reported and shot by The Brunei Times.
YAM Pg Anak Hj Abdul Ghaffar bin PISDSK Pg Anak Hj Idris, the General Manager of Indera Motors officially flagged off the Discovery Sport expedition
One of the Discovery Sport being driven
Among the features of Discovery Sport SUV are a Terrain Response system that includes a full suite of all-terrain technologies such as Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control (GRC) and Wade Sensing among others. This came in handy as we were headed down the trail to Melasak Waterfall, which had a rocky hilly terrain, and gave us the opportunity to test out the Hill Descent Control in particular.
What’s interesting about the Hill Descent Control is that you leave the speed up to the Discovery Sport. With feet off the accelerator, and hands firmly on the steering, and heart in my throat.. I took my foot off the brake, and let the vehicle do its thing. I was surprised at how easy it was to take my foot firmly off the brake and let the SUV take control of the descent. Not only was it capable of handling the terrain, but it took relatively smoothly. The speed of the Hill Descent control can be adjusted, so you can take it down as slowly as you wish. I had full trust in the vehicle and quite enjoyed the off-road experience.
Class-leading off-road capability stands at the core of Land Rover DNA. Naturally, the Discovery Sport’s body geometry has been optimised for even the harshest terrain, with excellent ground clearance, approach, departure and breakover angles, and an ability to wade through water to a depth of 600mm.
The Terrain Response system, meanwhile, allows the Discovery Sport’s steering, throttle response, gearbox, centre-coupling and braking/stability systems to be able to meet the demands of the challenging terrain. This is due to the fact that the system has four settings: General; Grass/Gravel/Snow (for slippery conditions on- and off-road); Muds and Ruts; and Sand.
There was also the test sampling of the durian
The rugged SUV
Nice shot of the Discovery Sport
The media representatives from Brunei
Our overnight lodgings were at the Dimie Pendalaman Resort Hotel, which takes a journey up a winding road up the mountain range, which the Discovery Sport handles with no problem. With its gorgeous, streamlined high-strength steel and lightweight aluminium bodyshell, it looks like in belonged among the green expanse and foggy views. I was definitely in love with the white vehicle, and not just because we had bonded inside it, but because the colour looked easy on the eyes, and just right in proportions of modern sleek and ruggedness.
The heart of the Land Rover Discovery Sport SUV is its engine: an all-alloy Si4 2.-litre with 240PS with direct fuel injection, thus providing power behind all the awesome technology. This six-cylinder engine cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20 per cent, compared to conventional larger capacity engines with a similar power output.
All engine derivatives of the Land Rover Discovery Sport features advanced ZF 9HP48 nine-speed automatic transmission. Features include the next generation integral and advanced multi-link rear axle, all-new touchscreen infotainment system and state-of-the-art, and the Discovery Sport is fitted with a bold new headlamp design that integrates a slim, wraparound design and circular daytime-running lights (DTRLs). At the rear of the vehicle, the spoiler is crafted to optimise airflow for exceptional aerodynamic efficiency. The new Discovery Sport is well-armed with improved safety standards including the seven airbags inside the cabin and first-in-class pedestrian airbag that enhances pedestrian protection.
The fast bonnet line creates a distinctively compact profile that features significant interior space with optimal five plus two seating. This streamlined design allows all-round visibility, while the interior and load space areas are easily accessible.
The Discovery Sport’s interior has been designed to be premium and provide a versatile and calming space, with the centre being easily accessible from the Sports Command Driving Position.
After the two day trip, it’s so easy to see why the Discovery Sport is the world’s most versatile premium compact SUV. It’s just chock full of features that makes you want to get on the road and drive. But don’t just take my word for it, head down to the Indera Motors Showroom at Lot Q2 – Q4, Lambak Kanan Industrial Area and take her for a spin. It will a drive you will not regret.
Recently, a large crowd of supportive family and friends came out to support the opening of Lokalground, a collective store which is made up of 8 brands which made the step up from selling online on Instagram and Facebook to having a physical space to display their products to a wider audience.
Lokalground was the brain child of co-owner, Muhammad Abdul Najib Azhar bin Abdullah of Khalifahood, who pitched the idea to his clothing brand contemporaries. Eight brands, consisting of 7 local talents and 1 brand from Kuala Lumpur, make up the collective, namely : Khalifahood, Rule Clothing, VillieBeast, The Apparel Corner, Bruland Clothing, FWDs84, Roast and Roll Streetwear and Benua.BWN (Brunei stockist for Benua Clothing KL).
The store itself will serve as a focal point for the brands and allowing their customers to the have an opportunity to appreciate the wares instore and look at the other participating brands.
The store is located at #21.5, The Souq, 1st floor, The Airport Mall. Opening times are Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 am to 8 pm, Fridays 2 pm to 8 pm and closed on Mondays. Any changes to opening times will be updated on @lokalground instagram account.
These 8 young entrepreneurs have more exciting projects lined up in the near future and look forward to working with more local brands within the Brunei independent clothing industry.
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Back in Ipoh
Only now until 6th June. Prices are cheaper than usual and only last for four days. What are you waiting for? Thank you RB and congratulations on your 40th year of flight 😀 Click image to enter website.
Brunei lost to Thailand yesterday 40-45 in the preliminary round of the netball SEA Games 2015. Image courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.
Ah, I wasn’t even in the netball match between Brunei and Thailand but I was up to date with the progress of the match. It was quite unfortunate that Brunei didn’t manage to squeeze that victory over Thailand. At one stage, Brunei was leading by 5 points at half time but the third quarter, Thailand upped their game and outscored Brunei and finished the game, winning by 5 points (40-45). The result meant that Brunei must beat the Philippines to be in contention for the semi-final berth.
In the other match, host Singapore failed to capitalize on home court advantage as they drew 35-35 in the preliminary round of the netball competition. This would mean the top of the group will be determined by a better goal difference. Singapore had the edge when they were leading 30-24 coming into the fourth quarter but the host blew their lead and the visitors capitalized on Singapore’s errors to stage a come back.
That’s it from for my updates on the current netball competition.
The Singaporean fans supporting their team in netball. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.
Singapore vs Malaysia. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.
Singapore vs Malaysia. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.
When Brunei Speakers’ Club was awarded with President’s Distinguish Club, we invited other Brunei toastmasters club to join the celebration. Thank you all for showing the true value of a toastmaster.
This is the Brunei dancing group – Brendan, Supatra, Jack, Farhan, Seng Yee and I. Thank you to Nora and Joanna from KK for helping us to coordinate the dances. It finally paid off 😀
Late post: Two weeks ago, around 25 members from Brunei Toastmasters Club attended 3-days Toastmasters International District 87 Annual Conference held in Kuching.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches communication and leadership skills through a worldwide network of more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. In Brunei, there are 4 Toastmasters clubs – Brunei Speakers’ Club, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, Oil Town Talkers Toastmasters Club and the newly chartered UBD Toastmasters Club. So far, the journey and the growth have been great and the number of members gradually increasing.
During the 3-days conference, camaraderie between members have developed phenomenally and meaningful friendships have been strengthened. But to me, what is great about Brunei toastmasters is that we are great as a unit and we are united as one. I do observed how the Brunei toastmasters in different clubs operate but we all have the same agenda, to grow and to learn together and not see each other as competition.
In the Award Ceremony, Genevieve Lai, one of the founding members of Brunei Speakers’ Club made Brunei proud when she was among the few who was awarded the Distinguished Toastmasters Award (DTM), the highest education and leadership award from Toastmasters International. This would mean that she completed 40 speeches and completed four leadership manuals and also taking up higher positions in the ranks of toastmasters. So this is no easy feat at all.
She has also achieved Triple Crown awards along with Reuben Chin, Pranika Lama, Jason Koo and Allen Ang. Triple Crown awards were given to achievers who had accomplished three or more education or leadership programmes in one single term. I’m aiming for one next year so we will see how it goes 😀
What do all of them have in common? They all achieved triple crowns 😀 Reuben Chin (UBD Toastmasters), Pranika Lama (UBD Toastmasters), Genevieve Lai (Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club), Jason Koo (Otters) and Allen Ang (Otters). Genevieve was also awarded Distinguished Toastmasters title that time.
Shawn Cassidy Narcis pitched why we all should go to Bali this November for the semi-annual conference. I’m definitely going 😀
I successfully pitched for the next convention to be in Brunei Darussalam. Now that’s a huge project for me but I’m confident that we can do this 😀
Brunei Speakers’ Club (BSC) was awarded President’s Distinguished Club, the highest rating that Toastmasters International gives to its clubs, in recognition of the club’s effort to maintain high quality meetings and good membership. BSC also achieved it last year and this shows great leadership in our club in recent years.
Brunei toastmasters hit milestones after milestones. During the District Council meeting, Shawn Cassidy Narcis was elected the Club Growth Director for District 87. District 87 is a region of Toastmasters International including Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia. It comprises 7 divisions with more than 150 corporate and community clubs.
“I will be working with every member in District 87 to have a greater experience in the Toastmasters journey, where friends help friends to grow and support each other. Every journey begins with a single step. And with every single step we can accomplish and reach our destination” said Narcis, incoming Club Growth Director 2015/2016.
To me, Shawn is our pillar in Brunei toastmasters. He has been a great role model for many and this is one reason why toastmasters is very strong in Brunei and I’m happy that he was elected as Club Growth Director.
Another leader in our community, Reuben Chin, stood up as the Division (K) Director where he will be serving 7 Areas which include Brunei, Labuan and Sabah.
“Over the coming years, we will see a rise in membership as the Toastmasters Program continues to make an impact on more and more peoples’ lives. And as that happens, it is our responsibility to focus on the learning aspect of Toastmasters. The focus on of the coming term will be an emphasis on education” said Chin.
Allen Ang, the incoming Area Director (K6) also added that sharing of best practices among clubs is essential for the club growth and success within Brunei. The current Area Director is Ruey Chong Narcis.
Pranika Lama with world champion of public speaking 2014 Dananjaya Hettiarachchi
So Dananjaya wants to be like me?? 😀
Seng Yee with the charismatic champion
During the conference, Education Sessions were also held where the World Champion of Public Speaking 2014, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi gave a motivational speech highlighting his journey to the World Championship last year. In his speech, he quoted “When you want something as bad as you want to breathe, then you will achieve it”. Best part about Dananjaya was that he actually invested his spare time in Kuching to be with the Brunei toastmasters and wow, he is such an inspirational and charismatic individual. We were all so blessed for him showing up.
Other speakers include Shurooq AlBanna (first Arab woman who won third place in the World Championship of Public Speaking), Johnny Uy (International Speech Contest Semi-finalist), Zaharom Naim (Professor of Media and Communication Studies), Raju Mandhyan (Coach & Learning Facilitator) and Alex Wong (ex-CEO of Pan Global, adventurer, author).
The next District 87 Conference will be held in Bali from October 30th to November 1st organised by Brunei Toastmasters, Shawn Cassidy Narcis. On a better not, I, as a member from Brunei Speakers’ Club also pitched in the District Council Meeting to host the District Semi-Annual Conference in November 2016. To me, it is my deepest intention to spread the awareness of Toastmasters in Brunei for the benefit of the community and I believe this event will bring a new chapter to Brunei.
Brunei Speakers’ Club meets regularly each Tuesday at 7:30 at SEAMEO VOCTECH. For more information about the event and club, please visit www.bruneispeakersclub.com and thanks VPR, Seng Yee for the write up.
We are not just toastmasters, we are family
During the Gala Dinner with the Brunei toastmasters
Rano Iskandar, the organizing chair for Semi-Annual District 2016 in Brunei, Reuben Chin, newly elect Division Director K, Shawn Cassidy Narcis, newly elect Club Growth Director (District) and Allen Ang, Area K6 Director
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The Black Dot
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His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office graced the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium last Sunday.
His Royal Highness, who is also the Chairman of DPMM FC, joined the junior participants and the new import players for a group picture.
Among those participating was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim, who joined more than 100 junior participants in the technical training session during the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015.
HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session, which was conducted by DPMM FC’s head coach Steve Kean.
Also participating in the training session were the grandsons of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim and YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Haseeb bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim.
His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office greeting the young players during DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium. Image courtesy of Khairil Hassan of Borneo Bulletin.
HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)
HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim in the group photo. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)
YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim also in attendance. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)
Fresh from completing the foreign quota with the arrival of new imports Craig Fagan, Brian McLean and Rafael Ramazzoti, the club is in its final week of preparation ahead of their first home game this season against Harimau Muda this Sunday, March 1.
The open training session attracted the participation of more than 100 junior footballers the majority of whom were from various schools and clubs that encourage youth development and promotion with the likes of Sports School and International School Brunei (ISB).
Kean revealed that he sees the young participants as potential players in the future adding that it only takes few hours to identify talent.
“We see these children today as potential players for us in the future. It was always nice for them to spend some time with the current players. We had a good response last year and this year was even better,” Kean said. “Certainly, in the few hours, you can identify some players that has potential to be professional players. It doesn’t take long to see the ones that got something special and we’ve seen lots of them today.”
The S League ‘Coach of the Year’ 2014 nominee was fairly impressed with the conduct and attitude shown by the junior players adding that the participants would return after a water break to learn about the other components linked with the technical aspects of the game.
“It was very warm today and the players asked that if they can have a little water break and after 10 minutes again they want to go back out and do something else. They were asking how this warm up, how we should warm down, and what type of stretching you should do. We mentioned a lot of injury prevention and they were asking if we can show them something. We showed that in the end and hopefully they can learn something”.
“It is about participation. If the young players can get enthusiasm and excitement today and wants to play football, it is not just about watching on TV. Hopefully they get what I would call the bug to play and that excitement never leaves you. If they can get a ball and practice at school, practice with a friend at school, after school, when they get a break at the weekends and as much contact with the ball and keep their skill level up, I’m sure they are some of those players who are here today that in the years to come would say that was the first time I decided to be a professional player”.
The objective of the training was to further comprehend the technical elements of the game for instance by controlling the ball not just by the stronger foot but also to work on a weaker foot. You’d never stop learning. Even the senior players like Joe Gamble, Craig Fagan and Bobby our captain, they’re learning and improving everyday”, added the head coach.
Meanwhile, Lim Chin, the Chief Executive Officer of S League commended DPMM FC’s initiative of building a fan base and encouraging active community participation and education through football.
“It is like a family concept and this is where we should build a fan base for each club through the children. The children can get to see up close and personal with the stars and besides just shaking hands and getting autographs, they are playing with the football stars”, Lim said.
“I think it is great to build up a fan and player relationship and DPMM FC did the right thing to hold a football fun fair on a beautiful Sunday morning”.
“I know the training is very short but I think what the children would remember that they learn the art of heading from this Brazilian player or he learnt dribbling from Azwan Ali. So when they see these players in action he remembers the half and hour sessions with them on that particular day. And maybe in time they (the club) can do more of this to engage with the fans”, Lim concluded.
Shortly after a certificate presentation to the participants, a souvenir was presented to the CEO of S League, Lim Chin as a token of appreciation by YAM Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim bin Pengiran Indera Mahkota Pengiran Anak Dr. Kemaluddin Al Haj, the Vice Chairman of DPMM FC. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)
This will be another interesting contest. I remember last year I covering the Area Contest of Brunei Toastmasters where Chris Woo, a member of Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, made a name for our local club when he came top 9 in the International Speech Contest amongst 30,000 competitors. It was a huge milestone for Brunei Speakers’ Club. Reaching the world’s finals meant that he had to win in all six contests to reach to the finals – at club level, at Area level (to determine who will the Brunei representative), at Division Level, At District Level, then the semi-finals before they chose the top nine to the finals. So Chris Woo experienced to all those stages last year and it was something he didn’t expect.
Now the contest is back. However, Chris Woo decided not to contest but opted to mentor and guide other members especially for members in the newly chartered toastmaster club, UBD Toastmasters Club.
Tonight there will be an International Speech and Table Topics Contest for members of Brunei Speakers’ Club. The top two of each category will proceed to Area Level to be held at Multipurpose Hall, UBD on 8th of March.
I will be competing in both categories tonight and it’s one of the those nights where I normally get butterflies because I want to improve as a public speaker. I learnt so much from toastmasters as a speaker and as a leader and I am abided by their vision. Toastmasters gave me the perfect platform for my contribution to the community. I wish to all the contestants best of luck and the most important is let’s have fun and support one another. That’s the beauty of the contest.
Last Sunday, we witnessed great quality speakers especially from UBD students during the UBD Toastmasters Club’s International Speech and Tables Topics Contest. I am so used to young adults (generation) from Brunei Speakers’ Club but now because a new club has been chartered, what makes it more interesting and refreshing is that it’s a university club. This would mean young and energetic speakers and they had the most participants among all the clubs in Brunei Darussalam. Simply amazing!!
I applaud the president and founder of UBD Toastmasters Club, Reuben Chin, for his great leadership and aspiring the members to take the initiative to join the contest even though the club is not even a year old. All in all, they had 24 registered entries for both International Speech and Table Topics. Simply amazing!!
So peeps, let’s come support the contestants today for the Brunei Speakers’ Club contest, happening tonight at Seameo Voctech, Gadong and it starts at 7:30pm.
Gary Goh 3rd place, Pranika Lama 1st place and Reuben Chin 2nd place with Allen Ang the prize presenter for the International Speech Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest at Inspiring Hall, UBD Student Centre last Sunday
Reuben Chin 1st place, Rayhan Ibrahim 3rd place and Julius 2nd place in Table Topics Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest
Interviewing the contestants from UBD Toastmasters by the contest chair Ching
Matahari FC emerged as champions of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015 Brunei local tournament and moved a step closer towards realising the dream of going to Anfield, the home ground of Liverpool FC in the United Kingdom.
Matahari will proceed to the regional tournament in Kuala Lumpur as a Brunei representative where only representatives from Malaysia and Thailand now stand in their path to qualification to Anfield, one of the most popular and historic stadiums in the world.
The winners ended Syah Kampong’s brave resistance with a 2-0 win in the final at the Indoor Stadium last weekend.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah presented the champions mock cheque and the individual prizes.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah and Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei presenting the prize to the winner of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015, Matahari FC. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.
Some of the participants of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.
The Matahari’s pair of Iswandi bin Wahid and Md Zainul Hazmin bin Md Saifuddin collected the Most Assists and Top Scorer prizes respectively. Iswandi walked away with a signed Liverpool Football Club jersey by goalkeeper Brad Jones while Md Zainul received a signed LFC jersey by midfielder Joe Allen.
Mohd Asyramisyanie Kamis of Syah Kampong FC was awarded the Best Goalkeeper.
During the closing ceremony, a mock cheque of BND$2,400 was handed over to the Community Development Department (JAPEM) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for the Humanitarian Fund of the Malaysian Flood Disaster. The funds was raised from registration fees collected from the participating teams, 100 per cent of which were donated.
Earlier, the quarterfinals of the Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei qualifying were contested with all group winners from the preliminary round in contention.
SLHM/Easyway, Syah Kampong, AMBD FC and Matahari FC all qualified to the last four while the quartet of HMD, Royal Origin FT, GG FT and OLSCB were eliminated. Mohd Asyramisyanie saved a penalty in the shoot-out to send his team to the final while Matahari’s solitary goal in the second semi-final was enough to confirm their place.
The Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei 2015 is supported by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and endorsed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.
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Chris puts Brunei on the map
Chris Woo being interviewed after the finals of Toastmasters International Speech in Kuala Lumpur two Saturdays ago
Recently, close to two thousand Toastmasters from around the world met at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. For the first time in its history, Toastmasters International had organised its annual International Convention outside North America. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through practical hands-on experiences.
More than 30,000 people from 126 countries compete each year in the prestigious and soul-stirring World Championship of Public Speaking. Chris Woo has reached this milestone by reaching the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking. He is the first Toastmaster from Brunei Darussalam as well as from Toastmasters’ district 87 (which consists of Brunei Darussalam, East Malaysia and Indonesia) to reach the semi-finals of the contest. His speech entitled, ‘Listen’ took the stage and Chris Woo prevailed in one of nine semi-final rounds and competed as a finalist in the World Championship of Public Speaking. Criteria used in judging includes speech content, originality, organization, voice quality and body language.
Chris Woo, representing Brunei Darussalam and Toastmasters’ district 87 received standing ovations for his heart-felt speech in the finals. After several months of elimination process through club, area, district and semi-final competitions, Chris Woo is the first Toastmaster in Brunei Darussalam and District 87 to compete in the World Championship of Public Speaking.
Toastmasters from Brunei Darussalam have also participated in the convention to learn from world class public speakers, and network with like-minded people. One of the keynote speakers, Robin Sieger, a former Head of Development at BBC Television and the author of the best-selling book ‘Natural Born Winners’, shared with everyone how people can create true success in life. Other prestigious international speakers were Jana Barnhill, Mark Brown, Douglas Kruger, Lance Miller, Florian Mueck and Rory Vaden, who have all established well-renowned careers in leading and inspiring people.
The annual Toastmasters International Convention in Kuala Lumpur have inspired all who attended to become better public speakers and leaders in today’s world. For further information on Toastmasters in Brunei Darussalam, please visit www.bruneispeakersclub.com. Press courtesy of Brunei Speakers Club.
My experience: It was such a great exposure for me even as a spectator, to see people expressing their thoughts and sharing meaningful stories with conviction and enthusiasm. I’ve learnt so much about public speaking and we just don’t simply say it, we have to deliver in an impactful way to get the message across. I always thought that I can speak quite well in public but I realised that there is so much to learn and I’m still far behind on being a proficient speaker. This can be learned and it takes practice, practice and more practice.
The Toastmasters International Convention 2014 meet in KL was definitely worth the trip and I doubt it will make to Asia again as it is usually held in North America. And of course, most of the toastmasters from Brunei came to support our very own toastmaster Chris Woo whom I look up to as a role model for public speaking. His spontaneity and vocal variety, to me, are his strength and whenever he speaks, he is able to to draw the audience to his attention.
Of course, the other great part about the trip was the closer bond that we had among Brunei toastmasters from Brunei Speakers’ Club, Otters Club (Seria) and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club. Around 17 of us traveled to Kuala Lumpur to attend the convention. Thank you, peeps, for everything and this experience lists in my top ten of 2014. Awesome!!!
District 87 where our country Brunei is part of it. Other countries sharing the same district are Indonesia and East Malaysia.
Ladies represent
I’m proud of you dude for making to the semi-finals but for you to win the semi-finals was simply amazing!!
Seng Yee and I supporting Chris Woo during the finals of the International Speech Contest
Will I be up here one day? *lol* Keep dreaming, Rano
One of the speakers, Rory Vadan that made a huge impact with three words – Take the Stairs
Representing District 87 and it was nice to see you again, Fern
Zainal, Hazwan and I had fun during the Toastmasters International Convention 2014
I was honoured to play the timer role at Maxis Toastmasters Club
Tons of Toastmasters International goodies and merchandise on sale at Kuala Lumpur
Hmmmm… I realised how easy it was to buy the pin badges of Toastmasters
Girl bonding in Kuala Lumpur
The backbone of Toastmasters from Brunei and Brunei Speakers’ Club
Chris Woo as a special guest at Elizabeth’s Timeout with Liz 1st anniversary show last Saturday
Now you might be wondering how to be part of toastmasters – an avenue where you enrich your speaking skills and building up the confidence in you. I was a former member of Brunei Speakers’ Club back in 2011 and I only lasted a few months before disappearing and this year, I have made a comeback and one reason is to contribute, to contribute my knowledge and experience to other members and guests and also to learn from the members and guests during our weekly meetings at Seameo Voctech (Tuesday evenings).
Brunei Speakers’ Club is a great avenue to learn all these tools of being a public speaker and it’s the best place to start because the community is quite allowing and welcoming. There are no judgment (only positive criticism) and we are able to grow faster through encouragement and experience. I have always have concerned about showing my weaknesses as a speaker because I don’t like to be analysed or being advised on what I should improve. Well, that was my ego speaking for a long time and it’s never easy to break that wall. Now I’ve embraced my weakness and I can only go upwards from here. A big thanks for Seng Yee for that minor push and also to the other members of BSC. My vision is here to contribute in any possible means (doesn’t have to be monetary) to make a difference and this is one channel where I believe you can benefit as well.
If you want to know more about toastmasters, you can drop me a message here or you can email me directly if you shy to ask them ranoadidas(8)gmail and of course, you can check out their Facebook Page and also their main website which have updates on weekly meetings so you will be able to get that feel. I can guarantee you that you will have a great time during the meetings and I have also invited a few of my friends to show up for the meeting. You are more than welcome to come as a guest and it starts every Tuesday from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at Seameo Voctech (Gadong). I shall be there tomorrow evening too 😀
Last Tuesday’s meeting at Seameo Voctech for Brunei Speakers’ Club. You are more than welcomed to be part as a guest to learn observe and learn 😀
Chris Woo and Shawn Narcis having a laugh
I finally did my second prepared speech and it was about my journey as a toastmasters 😀
Ching is a great supporter of our club and he is an executive committee for Otters Club
It’s not just about learning but we also can have some fun along the way
Gary (in blue) given a task during Table Topics
A great environment to be at
Clovis Lai, the man that made it possible for Brunei Speakers’ Club
Stuart Lee, the President of Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, contributing continuously to BSC
Seng Yee playing the role as General Evaluator
Standing ovation for Chris from the members and guests on his achievements at Toastmasters International Speech Contest in Kuala Lumpur recently
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Chris Woo accepting the 1st place in the semi-finals of the Toastmasters International Speech contest at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Chris will compete in the finals against 8 finalists tomorrow (Saturday).
In less than a year, he took our club to another level with his International Speech Contest. Victories after victories, he made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest where he was pitted against 90 contestants, vying for the championship. This year, the event is held for the first time ever outside North America and it is currently being held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The stakes were pretty high. As I mentioned before, I had listen to his speech before and he still have to deliver the same speech as that was part of the rules and regulations for every semi-finalists. Chris Woo had to win on the national level, then he went to KK to win on the same speech before heading to Surabaya to win the title of District 87 International Speech Champion which was the ticket for the entry of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest semi-finals stage.
Of course, the stakes were high. He was drawn into Speech 9 where he was pitted against 9 other awesome speakers. Chris was lucky no.7 and wow, I just amazed how he can still draw a stronger vibe than before despite being the same speech about his mother. I was slightly concerned because two or three of other speakers were just as entertaining and captivating. Of course, they must be. They are champions in their respective districts. Ok, for those who don’t understand the word district, well.. it’s just an area where the countries are being listed in that particular district. So in our case, Brunei shared the same district as East Malaysia and Indonesia.
Anyway, what an awesome delivery, Chris!! I knew you nailed it. My neighbours sitting next to me were talking about the speaker from Brunei and our prediction was right. Chris stole the show. The crowd loved it. Our Brunei supporters were equally vibrant and over-excited when Chris Woo’s name was mentioned as the winner of the semi-final contest for Speech 9. The victory meant that Chris will be competing in the finals against 8 other finalists this Saturday (tomorrow).
Honestly, I just so proud that our own member from Brunei Speakers’ Club has made to the finals and founder of Brunei Speakers’ Club, Clovis Lai was the over the moon with the result as he was hugging every one from Brunei and toastmasters from District 87. But wow, Clovis has so much energy that it made him look younger :p I am so glad that I made it on this trip and witnessed a world class performance from toastmaster Chris Woo. The other part that I’m glad was being back as a member of toastmasters in Brunei Speakers’ Club and it boils down to the vibrancy and the new energy that the executive committee and members have brought in into the club. I thanked Seng Yee for the push as well as the other members and of course, my dearest friends who came and supported my first speech ever two weeks ago.
The journey has begun and I’m proud to be on that path in inspiring myself and others.
Chris Woo with other semi-finalists on the stage. The 2nd and 3rd place won’t be competing in the finals
The other contestants were amazing and to see Chris excelled was just purely awesome!!
District K (Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia) toastmasters celebrating Chris’ achievement
District K (Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia) toastmasters celebrating Chris’ achievement
Chris became man of the hour(s)
Chris Woo with the toastmasters from Brunei who came to support him in KL
Selfies with Chris and Liz
Will this be me in 5 years’ time? *lol*
Click image to learn more about SCB Facebook Scanvenger Hunt 2014
Hey guys, it’s the moment to reveal what I teased you about! Standard Chartered Bank Brunei are launching their first Facebook Scavenger Hunt! It’s a chance for you to take on a virtual adventure and win Apple products and other fun prizes! All you have to do is click on the link and it will direct you to all the information you would need to find out how to win! Good luck hunters!
Happening today and tomorrow (Saturday) as Maju Motors hosting open house and do have a look at the new Volkswagen Tiguan TSI at the Maju Motors Showroom.
The management team of Bruniehalal during the open house recently
BruneiHalal held a Hari Raya open house event at its Jerudong office recently where it shared the joys and celebration of the festive month with its invited guests.
The event, which was the third of its kind organised by the company since its establishment in 2009, saw management and its associates in a laid back atmosphere outside the working environment.
“We have invited our stakeholders, officials from the government sector, Royal Brunei Catering, smaller vendors who have partnered to sell our products and even our neighbours Brunei Gas Carriers,” said Brand Marketing Executive Melline Jaini.
The BruneiHalal brand currently has more than 30 products under its belt, which includes a frozen range and Indian cuisine products.
BruneiHalal was established by the government to run commercial simply to provide halal food and drinks to the world.
“Lately we are reminding ourselves of our focus in Brunei to the local market as well. That’s why our product range has expanded we have over 30 products and in the UK, it is getting traction as well and that one is focusing on the meats,” said Melline.
For more information on BruneiHalal and its product, you can visit brunei-halal.com
Text courtesy of Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times.
Invited guests during the open house
Goodies from BruneiHalal
Invited guests during the open house. Image courtesy of Cristalina.
Invited guests during the open house
Invited guests during the open house
Well, Brunei might be out of the picture but I believe this will be a great final between Vietnam and Myanmar in the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2014. Fantastic prizes to be won as well as the first prize will be EPL tickets for two to catch Arsenal vs Manchester United.
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Our podcast review of Yasmine the movie with my special guest Seng Yee. Find out what is my best scene of the movie.
Acer Liquid Smartphones
Sales at Icon Design Store
Click image to enter Peugeot Brunei’s website
Click image to enter Citroën Brunei
Click image to learn more about SCB Facebook Scanvenger Hunt 2014
Hey guys, it’s the moment to reveal what I teased you about! Standard Chartered Bank Brunei are launching their first Facebook Scavenger Hunt! It’s a chance for you to take on a virtual adventure and win Apple products and other fun prizes! All you have to do is click on the link and it will direct you to all the information you would need to find out how to win! Good luck hunters!
Catch Brunei tonight against Malaysia and it looks like Brunei must win by 2 goals to go through to the semi-finals
It’s a tall order but I believe Brunei can do it. Adi Said and Hendra will be so important for this match against Malaysia tonight in the group stage of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2014. It’s the final game of the group stage and Brunei need at least to win by two goals to guarantee themselves in the semi-finals.
Adi Said and Hendra are both familiar with Malaysia as most of them represent Harimau Muda in the S•League and they know what it is like to face the Malaysia U-21 team. Brunei recently drew with Vietnam 2-2 last Friday and it could have been worst for Brunei if they didn’t earn any points at all against Vietnam. The hero that game was Adi Said who clawed Brunei back twice with two excellent goals.
It seems that Brunei will have to work their game play around Adi who is the game changer. It will be tough if Adi won’t be playing for Brunei and the head coach will have to come up with Plan B to gain maximum points against Malaysia tonight.
It’s a free entrance match with no tickets involved. So do come early to get the best seats in town. I’m pretty sure it will be a packed house because we want as many supporters as possible to give that needed much support for Brunei to beat Malaysia. To beat Malaysia is a tall order because they are undefeated and not only Brunei has to beat them but with a 2 goal cushion.
Brunei needs you – the 12th man
Want to catch another Mexican wave?
A familiar face among the fans during Brunei vs Vietnam match
A sea of yellow 😀
Merchandise from Arin’s Enterprise
HBT merchandise from Aewon
HBT merchandise from Armtrix Enterprise
Brunei toastmasters representatives from Brunei Speakers Club, Oil Town Talkers and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club recently at a Toastmasters Leadership training at Kota Kinabalu. Image courtesy of Brunei Speakers Club.
Organised for Toastmasters clubs of District 87 which consists of Brunei Darussalam, East Malaysia, and Indonesia, the Bruneian delegates, comprising members from Brunei Speakers’ Club, Oil Town Talkers, and the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club along with their Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts gained knowledge in leadership skills, and in identifying and achieving goals.
Toastmasters clubs are non-profit, educational organisations that provide opportunities for members to learn, develop, and enhance leadership and public speaking skills in encouraging and supportive environment.
Every club wants to offer the best quality environment for their members, so that everyone can learn and thrive. Through this session, members learned how to implement effective key performance indicators to enhance an organization’s performance. In addition, executive member from each club also shared experiences and perspectives on their organisation success plan.
Allen Ang, president of Oil Town Talkers said in the session, “We do not focus on membership growth in terms of numbers, we are more concerned with helping individual member grow and achieve their personal goals. That is why we cater tour individual members’ needs.”
He included nurturing successful individuals through productive mentor and mentee relationships are characteristics of a successful leader. Successful Toastmasters know that mentoring is a crucial element in developing skills through the Toastmasters program. In Brunei, different clubs work together to help each other to grow.
Last year, Stuart Lee from the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club made history when he won the Toastmasters humorous speech contest in District 87. This year, Chris Woo from Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, after winning the International Speech category in the division and district level, will also be the first to represent Brunei and District 87 to compete against the best speakers in the world at Toastmasters International Convention which will take place in August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Today, members of the public can continue to learn and develop leadership and public speaking skills in Brunei Darussalam’s Toastmasters clubs. Further information can be found at www.bruneispeakersclub.com
Allen Ang, the President of Oil Town Talkers (Otters), at the Leadership Training
The faces of our own toastmasters from Brunei
Get your Logitech peripherals at Concepts Computer. Call 223 3551/2/3
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