His Majesty the Sultan graced Tiong Hwa community CNY celebration. Video by The Brunei Times.

The Tiong Hwa community treated His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to a magic show and acrobatic performances during the Lunar New Year celebration at the International Convention Centre.

More than 1,000 people came together for the Lunar New Year celebration, the 10th year since His Majesty attended the first gathering that showcases Chinese culture and to promote cordial relations in the country.

Click image to enlarge

Accompanying the monarch were Her Majesty Duli Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Her Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah and other royal family members.

The royal family was welcomed by Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin, and chairman of the Lunar New Year celebration organising committee Lau Shiew Yuen at the ICC entrance, which was adorned with traditional red Chinese lanterns, flowers and artificial bamboo plants.

YB Pehin Dato Goh said the Tiong Hwa community was grateful to be living in a harmonious environment due to His Majesty’s leadership.

“This is the 10th year His Majesty and the royal family have been attending our Chinese New Year celebrations, and this reflects the unity of our people and country,” he added.

The Tiong Hwa community also presented a pesambah to His Majesty, a crystal that signifies continuous prosperity for Brunei.

The audience were enthralled with the performances including dances from Kuala Belait’s Chung Hua Middle School, a magic show by a Malaysian and an acrobatic troupe from China.

The Chung Hua Middle School students began the opening act with a dance performance using swords and fans as props. Text courtesy of Julius Hong and Rachel Thien of The Brunei Times and images courtesy of Vincent Hong.

 

 

This year’s Chinese New Year celebration is slightly tamer than previous year. Though I would like to say that I managed to attend almost all the invitation surprisingly. I managed to collect a few angpows too along the way (perks of being single). Chap Go Meh is a few days away which will mark the end of the Chinese New Year festive celebration.

Here are some of the photos taken recently to commemorate CNY celebration.

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism and spouse visited the Chong Fu Li’s residence. Also present were Chang Ein Hong, father of Chong Fu Li, His Excellency Cho Won-Myung, Korean Ambassador to Brunei and his family, Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank, Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered (Brunei) and his family, Chong Ming Rui, my friend and host :p and others.

Thank Chong Ming Rui for the invitation. This is our tennis family though only one person doesn’t take up the sport

Tennis players from Brunei and Japan

At Leonard and Jackie’s open house. So Jackie, are you planning to visit Katmandu? :p

Visited John Tan’s residence and we had a good chat about toys with Stephen. It’s good to know the other side of John and his army toy collections.

A quick visit to Pat Li’s residence and I truly like the vegetarian home-made roll

Thankful for a wonderful friendship we have though we see each other once in a while

Tasted my first ever Blue Tea at Pat’s house

Even Mr. Brown’s greeting happy new year

Only known for less than 2 years but we have a great bond of friendship. Thanks for hosting my friend

… and Kristy makes one of the best latte in town. You can ask for her to serve you at Piccolo Cafe in bandar

We had an awesome learning experience in Hua Hin among other friends recently. It was a like a solo reunion and see how much both of us have grown individually. See you next time, Sarina.

Truly appreciative of my friend Pranika for accompanying me on my CNY visits this year. More to come …. next year :p

Without knowing, we coincidentally wore Deadpool colours :p

Management and team of Interhouse Company wishes Happy New Year. Image courtesy of IHC Facebook Page.

 

Starting tomorrow

I’m not interested in the other board games apart from Scrabble 😀 So any takers?

Times Square Shopping Centre will be holding a Board Games Weekend from 19th to 21st February 2016 at the atrium this weekend. National Day Board Games Weekend 2016 is organized by Times Square Shopping Centre and is co-organized by Brunei Chess Federation (BCF) and the Department of CO-curriculum Education. Events include Scrabbles competition and Chess tournament. Participants may register for the Scrabbles competition by filling in the forms that can be retrieved at the lucky draw counter and submitted before the event.

Board Games Weekend activities will include a Chess Simultaneous match, Basic Chess Lessons and Chess Blitz games. For the chess tournament, it will be 9 rounds for Rapid and 9 rounds for Blitz using the Swiss Manager Programme organized in accordance to the most recent laws of chess. The time control for the Rapid Event will be 15 minutes for the whole game plus 2 seconds increment and for Blitz Event will be 5 minutes plus 2 seconds every move played starting from the first move. The entry fee for the Rapid Event are $12 for adults, $8 for Under-20 (students), $5 for Under-14 (students) per person and for Blitz Event will be $10 per person (Adults category). Medals will be awarded to the Top 5 finalists of the Open category for National Day Inter-School Chess Blitz 2016 and category prizes for the Top 3 finalists for the Best Junior U14 and Best Junior U10. In addition, trophies will also be awarded to the Best 3 of the schools’ category.

The public will have the opportunity to test their skills against Brunei’s best players and the chance to learn first-hand from a professional chess player. There will be a National Day Chess Festival 2016 where students from all schools in Brunei Darussalam are welcomed to participate in the competition, which will be held on the 19th of February 2016, Friday at the ground floor of Times Square Shopping Centre. The deadline for the registration is on Friday, 19th February at 2.30pm for the Rapid Event and for Blitz Event will be on Sunday, 21st February 2016 at 1.00pm. Interested students can either register directly at the ground floor of Times Square Shopping Centre or contact the organizing committee to register.

Other board games will also be opened for customers to try out and play. These include Snakes and Ladders, Cluedo, Monopoly and Jengga. In the nearest future, Times Square will be having several events such as Japanese Language and Culture week on 18th to 20th March, 9th Mini Carnival on 23rd to 29th March 2016 and a Wedding Exhibition in April 2016. You may also find out about all upcoming events simply by following Times Square Shopping Centre’s pages on Facebook and Instagram.

For further information about the chess tournament, please contact Pg Abd Rahman (+673)8780282, Amir Fakhry (+673)8669759, GM Vakhidov Tahir via Vakjhidovt@yahoo.com and for Scrabbles competition, please contact 2338208 or 2338006.

So speaking of board games, we recently had some board game session at Games & Latte

The gang that showed up last weekend. Let’s do another round.

 

The Clever Cup demo by It’s a Grind during BIBD Media Appreciation Night. Image courtesy of BIBD Facebook Page.

Members of the press. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

Bloggers and radio presenters. Image courtesy of @anakbrunei

Nadzri the magician and entertainer for last night’s event. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

Image courtesy of @photobychihb

The colgate potential model :p Image by Allen Shim.

Image courtesy of Conia Kaur.

The best dressed – Adriane Jaafar of The Brunei Times and Rudi Hamid of Pelangi FM. Image courtesy of @pelangifm

 

Mr. Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, Alice Chan, Chief Financial Controller of Concepts Computer with the senior management and associates of Concepts Computer at yesterdays’ open house celebration

Yee Sang with the senior management of Concepts Computer

It’s always fun and heart warming to attend Concepts Computer open house in conjunction with Chinese New Year. For many years, it was held at the inside the premise of the shop. This year, it’s something special. The newly room Brillance Hall have many purposes on the second floor of Concepts Computer and one of the purposes is to stage events such as open houses. Let’s not forget the humble leader of Concepts Computer, Mr. Vincent Pao, whom I have known for many years.

Many turned up for the lunch hour period of Concepts Computer open house and Mr. Pao had special Yee Sang toasts for different organisations. I thought that was a nice touch to recognise the people that have played a part in Concepts Computer success.

Also invited to the event were members of the media, Brunei-Muara Wushu Association, Foo Chow Association and InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), Progresif Cellular and many more.

Thank you again, Mr. Pao and the management team of Concepts Computer for the wonderful hospitality. May your business prosper to greater heights and reaching newer milestones.

Yee Sang with members of the media

Yee Sang with relatives and close friends

Yee Sang with Brunei-Muara Wushu Association

Sheikh Hj Abas, chairman of Infocom Federation Brunei, with Concepts Computer senior management.

Mr. Pao always taking good care of the media for many years and one of the reasons why I love working with him and his team. Keep it up!!

A strong crowd yesterday at Concepts Computer open house

 

The body can take it. I’m always worried about my health status as I’m not getting any younger. The monkey mind always have its way. Sometimes I just think too much unnecessarily. But all is good. I just recovered from a fever and cough, battling them for a week at least (Thanks Singapore for that). I feel I’m in the mood to blog once more and get the ball rolling.

Thank you once again to my friends and readers for the wishes a few days ago. I tend not to celebrate it and just treat it like any other day. A good surprise lunch and an evening cake surprise were my highlights of the day (thank you, Sandy, Pranika and Ciara). I had an interesting gift from Aron Tan’s Studio – a picture frame of Darth Vader. Awesome!!! Thanks JT for the nice gesture. I spent my day in a relaxed manner, playing tennis and heading to OGDC for an OTTERS meeting.

A special gift from JT and Aron Tan’s Studio. Love it to bits. Thank you very much.

My evening cake surprise at OTTERS. Thank you, Ciara, for the thoughtful gesture!

Another sneaky plan from my buddies (Sandy, Pranika and friends) as my simple lunch turned out to be slightly crowded

We had lunch at Pastamania the other day

Thanks guys for the treat

Wrap in a Box. For your info, Wrap in a Box has relocated to Setia Kenangan II. They sell pretty interesting items especially for the children and newborns. So do pay them a visit. I kinda like how the new shops are popping here and there especially at Setia Kenangan II. Exact location is Unit E7. They sell items like baby strollers, bags, umbrellas, items and many more. So don’t forget to drop by the newly re-opened @wrapinabox (instagram)

Wrap in a Box now relocated at Setia Kenangan II (near Regent Square)


Day of Action. It’s gonna be a special day coming Sunday, 10th January 2016. Why? Brunei will celebrate the International Volunteer Day (IVD) through the campaign called “Day of Action”. This campaign is initiated by the Department of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in collaboration with the local NGOs and this campaign will help to promote the spirit of volunteerism through community development activities. The event will be held at Pusat Belia in the capital.

Among the activities that will take place include soup kitchen, cleaning campaigns of public spaces including mosques, housing areas and beaches, renovation projects and so on. The public is also invited to make their donations on this day. Donations can come in the form of diapers, household necessities, school necessities, sandals, hand washing soap, recyclable items and also a blood donation drive, which will all take place in Pusat Belia. The public can still register before 9 January (tomorrow). For more information about the Day of Action, visit bit.do/DayofActionBN and for any enquiries, email dayofactionbn@gmail.com or call 8626588 (Khairunnisa). You can also check out their updates on IG with #dayofactionBN hashtag.

The meeting with all the NGOs chaired by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports recently. Image courtesy of Iqbal Damit.

Netflix. Woohooo.. Finally Netflix is available in Brunei Darussalam. I used to stream on Netflix using a VNP accessory which is an additional cost. For those who are unfamiliar of Netflix, it is a like media and TV provider, streaming TV shows and movies with a flat fee rate on a monthly basis. Now I can watch my favourite TV shows and movies online. Of course, it won’t stop me to collect blu-rays but with Netflix, I will be able to watch my shows anytime, anyplace. This would be a direct competition to Astro, the only TV cable provider in Brunei Darussalam.

The availability of Netflix would mean more usage of the internet in a long run. TelBru will definitely benefit from this and this will also generate more TelBru subscribers to take advantage of Netflix offers. Am I gonna subscribe for Netflix? Definitely. Starting at US$7.99 ($11.48) for the basic package or opt for the standard and premium packages which are US$9.99 ($14.35) and US$11.99 ($17.22) respectively. So enjoy Netflix, peeps!! It’s definitely a game changer in how we appreciate TV shows and movies.

One of my favourite shows currently. Highly recommended and now available on Netflix.

CNY deals at Concepts Computer. It’s the time of the year where Concepts Computer offers bundle packages in conjunction with the Chinese New Year for the Year of the Monkey. The promotion deal is the “2 is better than 1” promotion which was a big hit recently. What can you expect from the packages? Well, there are some accessories from Logitech (speakers and handheld laser presenters), Acer smart devices, Microsoft Office software, power banks, HDD portable storage, Epson printing solution and many more.

For me, I can’t wait for the official launch of Predator Acer series, a game changer to bring the best in the gaming world. Concepts Computer will be bringing 11 Predator models ranging from desktops to notebooks to tablets. I’ve seen the specs and they are just “Wowww”. The official launch is slated near the end of January.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer (4th from left) with the associates of Concepts Computer holding the “2 is better than 1” hampers available for customers. Do drop by their showroom

The new range of Acer Predator series to be launched this month. The reviews have been strong in this one.

Hybrid Movement. Caption taken from their @hybrid_movement IG. Announcing our official hybrid movement grand opening happening this Sunday 10.01.2016 from 12pm – 7pm || This is your chance to drop in, say hello and see what we have to offer to all future hybrids ???????? Hybrid Movement Gym address:

Jalan Menglait, Simpang 51
One Menglait Industrial Park
Unit B26, Menglait

Congratulations also to Darren Chai (owner of Hybrid Movement) and Vanessa on their wedding last weekend. Oh, there will be early bird promotion as well for the first 30 registrants during their grand opening.

Opening this Sunday

The map to Hybrid Movement

Shooting Stars. They have been making a name for themselves – to bring the basics and the love of the sports of basketball in Brunei Darussalam. The man behind the scene, Ken Han (happy belated bro), has been working tirelessly to promote the sport to young kids especially and the organisation has been involved with a lot of charity work by providing workshops for the Special Olympics team last year. Ken’s philosophy of “one kid at a time” had made a difference to the youths and gaining positive feedback from parents. He couldn’t have achieved it with his team, consisting of mentors and coaches.

Now they are back to training again opening slots for “Social beginners” of all ages this January every Saturday starting 9th January at Fitness Zone Kiulap from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. Please do not hesitate to welcome any of your interested friends or family members into SSB basketball family with our friendly coaches who will take you through the basics of basketball week by week! It is also a good time to perhaps, to bond with your family and friends! Contact ???? 7290011 for more information regarding our basketball programmes! You can follow them on @shootingstarsbn IG for updates too.

Ken Han (2nd from left sitting down) with the team from Shooting Stars BN

Any takers?

Breakfast at BK. Now Burger King (Brunei) is serving breakfast from 7am to 11:30am. You can choose from the Breakfast Platter and Croissan’wiches from the menu. The breakfast starts tomorrow onwards at all the Burger King branches.

Recently Burger King also feted awards for the staff of Burger King in the “Coca Cola Upsize Challenge”. This was organised with Burger King (Brunei) and Coca-Cola Brunei in the hope of improving the productivity as well as the enthusiasm of the staff. Siti Hajar Ishak from KB branch was the top winner, winning $500 worth of cash prizes and a certificate. Gladys B Ang Poh came second with $300 worth of cash prize and a certificate while Nuramal Zahidah Roslan came third with $200 worth of cash prize and a certificate. Keep up the great work, guys!! And I miss my taro dosage…

Breakfast now available at Burger King outlets

Siti Hajar Ishak (left) receiving her prize and certificate from Ryan Law, Regional Sales Manger of Coca-Cola. Image taken by Raghadah Agus of The Brunei Times.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer (4th from left) with the associates of Concepts Computer holding the “2 is better than 1” hampers available for customers. Do drop by their showroom

 

Check out the different range of hampers (2 in 1) ideal for CNY corporate gifts.

Press release. To celebrate Chinese New Year for the Year of the Monkey, Concepts Computer will be extending their “2 is Better than 1” promo, where a purchase of 2 separate, selected products can qualify customers for better prices. Also, the good response from our customers regarding the “2 is Better than 1” promo and also our other promos like “Back to School” and “Year End” is also one of the main reason we are extending “2 is Better than 1”. The products under the “2 is Better than 1” promo includes computer accessories from Logitech like speakers and handheld laser presenters, Acer smart devices, Microsft Office software, Epson printing solutions, powerbanks, external storage, and much, much more.

When asked regarding the future of Concepts Computer in the local IT Retail industry in Brunei Darussalam for 2016 and for the Year of the Monkey, Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, said, “In my point of view, the IT Retail business in Brunei Darussalam is more challenging nowadays, with savvy consumers using the internet and other sources to keep up-to-date regarding IT technological advances, retailers need to focus more on providing better services for customers.” He continued, “Retailers will need to be more creative and more innovative to respond to the ever changing needs of consumers in the Year of the Monkey, to help them grow, not only in terms of physical size but also in terms of their capabilities.” When asked regarding how Concepts Computer as a whole would welcome customers in the Year of the Monkey, “When it comes to Concepts Computer, I always lead with a simple statement, ‘We must always do a good job.’”

Also present during the event, Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive at Concepts Computer added, “We are extending the “2 is Better than 1” promo as a nod to our large customer base in the Bruneian Chinese community for supporting Concepts Computer through-out the years and to wish them a great and prosperous Chinese New Year for 2016.”

For more information regarding the “2 is Better than 1” promo or any other enquiries regarding Concepts Computer and their range of products, please call 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553, or visit your nearest Concepts Computer retail outlet.

Kamarul Dzaman Ajimain @Marul69 presenting a Dining Privilege Card to one of the followers of @Bruneifoodies. Image courtesy of Norliha Din of The Brunei Times.

For their love of food, lucky followers of a local blog dedicated to gastronomic delights each recently won a dining privilege card, worth $88, from Royal Brunei Catering (RBC).

The food lovers were the first 50 to submit their names and details at the Brunei Foodies’ App as part of an RBC Dining Privilege Card (DPC) give away competition.

Presenting the prizes to the winners at Seasons Restaurant was the Assistant Manager for RBC Corporate Sales and Marketing, Ivy Chong and on behalf Brunei Foodies was Kamarul Dzaman Ajimain or Marul. Also present to witness the event were the management of RBC and the restaurant.

The Give Away competition was in conjunction with the food bloggers’ achievements in reaching more than 11, 700 followers on Instagram as well a way of thanking their loyal fans for their support for their Instagram account and the Brunei Foodie Mobile App.

Aside from prizes, guests and winners were treated to dinner at Seasons Restaurant. Text courtesy of Norliha Din of The Brunei Times.

Group photo of the winners

 

Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank Group with the senior management

Pierre Imhof presented red packets to underprivileged students

In celebration of Chinese New Year 2015,  Baiduri Bank Group belatedly held a lavish eight-course dinner at Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club recently. Standing in the front line was CEO of the group Pierre Imhof as well as the management committee and senior executives who greeted 1,500 guests who are based in Brunei-Muara and Tutong districts.

Present too was Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin along with foreign dignitaries, prominent businessmen, customers, business partners and associates of the group.

The evening began with a cultural performance by talented students from the Chung Hwa Middle School Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB). Imhof then proceeded to deliver his opening speech, welcoming attendees and highlighting the major progresses and achievements of the group during the past year. He applauded Baiduri Bank in achieving three awards – Domestic Retail Bank for Brunei 2014, for the second time from Asian Banking and Finance; Best Banking Group for Brunei 2014 for the sixth time from World Finance; and Brunei’s Safest Bank 2014 from Global Finance, New York.

In addition, Baiduri Bank became the only bank in the Sultanate to receive Standard & Poor’s credit rating of BBB+/A-2 by an international rating agency.

In keeping up with the Chinese New Year tradition, Baiduri Bank Group donated ‘red packets’ to underprivileged students in order to provide financial support. The donations were presented by Imhof and received by respective principals and students from St Andrew’s, St George’s, Chung Hwa Middle School and Seri Mulia Sarjana School. The night was further painted red with a line-up of local performances and lucky draw prizes as well as best wishes toast by the management to the guests.

Performances

Entertainment during the event

The winner of the singing competition

A night full of red

 

Fitness Zone, in collaboration with Shooting Stars Basketball and The Energy Kitchen, will be hosting the first ever Fitness Zone Holiday Basketball Camp for 5 days from 30 March 2015 to 3 April 2015, during the school holiday week.

Shooting Stars has been conducting weekly basketball clinics for kids of all skill levels from age 7 to 17 with the aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle for kids and learning teamwork skills through the game of basketball.

This camp will focus on intensive basketball drills and exercises but what is really interesting is that there is a focus on nutrition and healthy eating for the participants. Lunch will be provided each day by The Energy Kitchen and there will be a Fitness Zone Dietician to provide nutrition information.

So to the parents, this is ideal for your children to balance out between studies and extra curriculum activities. This is a great avenue for kids to interact with one another and also with young adults.

If you are interested, please emailshootingstarsbn@gmail.com or contact +673 7290011 for more information and also follow them on instagram @shootingstarsbn

 

Chef Ben Wu doing some cooking demo for the guests at Fun Bee Park last Sunday

A great turn out last Sunday

A celebrity chef all the way from Malaysia hosted an exclusive cooking demonstration to the public of the Sultanate. Chef Ben Wu, a renowned chef originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has been airing in the Malaysia’s local radio sharing food preparation and healthy eating habits. He has been followed by the local media during his cooking demo and expo shows due to his fun character and smooth flow of entertainment to his guests. He has been one of the in-house featured Chefs over “Y3K” magazines every edition whereby he has been sharing his winning recipes from rice and noodles to meats to desserts.

In cooperation with Fun Bee Park and IA Salon, a total of 42 guests enjoyed the cooking show which highlighted traditional recipes locally and infused dishes. Chef Ben titled his show: “The Lost Recipes” which featured mostly the local taste of past years dishes. Ten amazingly quick and easy recipes from soup, rice, cake, meat, juices, and ice cream were personally prepared by the chef for the attending guests.

Soup recipes such as ABC soup which chicken bones was boiled with cut potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. Another mouth watering soup was the Tom Yam soup with chicken meat marinated with savory spices perfected to taste.

Ikan Asam was also a hit to the guests which were prepared and fully cooked in quick minutes. The fish dish was filled up with seasonings and organic spices to infused local taste with modern recipes.

Other lost recipes were popcorn, Kuih bakar, Kuih Ketayap, and Sos Chilli. Fruity juices were served to its freshest qualities, such as the creamy mango shake and Jus Vitamin King, a concoction of pineapple, honey, and sour plum.

The cooking demonstration ended up with food tasting of all traditional recipes that the hosting chef has prepared. In addition to the courses, Chef Ben’s team people cooked dishes that were local favorites such as Pumpkin chicken curry, Tom yam mee hoon, Patin fish with durian, and Nasi goreng with salted fish and pineapples. A group photo with Chef Ben, organizers, and invited guests sealed up the event and everyone was looking forward to the future demonstrations and cooking show.

Chef Ben Wu with some guests

Both of us were given ostrich eggs.. Unique…

The kitchen area at Fun Bee Park

The trademark pose of Chef Ben Wu

Guests trying out some food

 

There are no words to conveniently describe or do justice to the fabulous Showcase Concert at Jerudong International School (JIS) last weekend.

Held in the institution’s auditorium, the room reverberated with endless applause as philharmonic attendees enjoyed the spectacle performed by students and directed by Paul Edgeler and which covered a wide spectrum of popular music styles.

From lush, richly orchestrated Broadway numbers and beautiful acoustic ballads to catchy jazz standards and unapologetically loud, high-energy dance numbers, this year’s concert catered to everyone’s taste.

The audience was further enthralled by a gripping performance by violinist Shian Li Esther Chiam, who won the Junior World Champion Instrumentalist award for Brunei in the World Championships of Performing Arts in 2014.

Her solo performance of Smooth Criminal, accompanied by the orchestra, was simply dazzling.

Smiles further widened as JIS Year 11 pupil Aziz Harun took to the stage to perform Senyum, which was written and produced by Faizal Tahir and Mike Chan and received over 900,000 views on YouTube (amazing).

The concert was divided into two parts – the morning session for invited schools and members of Pusat Ehsan, while the nighttime performance was for guests who purchased tickets. Text by Ikhwan Salleh of The Brunei Times and images provided by Lily Chiam unless stated.

She can sing too. Thumbs up to you Shian Li

A special rendition of Smooth Criminal by Shian Li

Trio performance by Azemah Abdul Rahman, Eden Chiam and Yi Ping Sim. Image courtesy of James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Eden Chiam belting some notes

Aziz Harun with his popular song, “Senyum”. Image courtesy of James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

The finale

 

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam with Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hjh Saleha, HRH Prince ‘Abdul Malik, HRH Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel and HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah in selfie moment with Maria Grace Koh @Eia and His Majesty praised the vocal of our own local youth star

It was an affair fit for a king as 1,200 members of the Tiong Hwa community united to celebrate the Lunar New Year with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, at the International Convention Centre (ICC) yesterday.

The annual meet and greet was organised to welcome the Year of the Goat, showcase Chinese culture as well as promote close and harmonious relations in the country.

Accompanying the monarch were Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hjh Saleha, His Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah.

Also present were His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, HRH Prince Hj Jefri Bolkiah, HRH Prince ‘Abdul Malik, HRH Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel, HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah, HRH Princess Hjh Masna and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Hj Abdul Aziz.

The royal family was welcomed by Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin and Chairman of the Executive Committee Lim Tiong Han@Lim Peh Beng at the ICC entrance, which was decked in traditional red Chinese lanterns, flowers and arches adorned with symbols of the goat.

For more of the story, you can click here. Text courtesy of Rasidah HAB of The Brunei Times.

Magic show

10 year old Zoe Chan wooing the audience with her powerful vocal

Cultural dance

Eia showing her talent. Keep it up!!

This was a cute performance

The new U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Craig Allen was also in attendance

Behind the scene: The little girl is ready for the show

Behind the scene: Students preparing for their performance

 

An open office warming at Excapade Sushi new office last week. Thank you to the owners of Excapade Sushi and I really love the new office space. Now they can better manage their inventories as well as delivery point for their multiple branches in Brunei.

Michael Chong of Excapade Sushi (left) with his invited guest during the luncheon invitation

Great spread of Japanese dishes

Guests mingling

Ridwan trying out the fresh food from Excapade Sushi

 

Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), His Excellency Haji Awang Saifulbahri bin Haji Awang Mansor, Brunei High Commissioner in Singapore and Mr Shahron Shahar as the new RB Country Manager Singapore during the launch of the newly refurbished and rebranded office in Singapore at UE Square Shopping Mall

Late post: Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) has launched its newly refurbished and rebranded office in Singapore at UE Square Shopping Mall. Guest of Honour for the launch event in the bright, new and very customer friendly office setting was Brunei High Commissioner in Singapore, His Excellency Haji Awang Saifulbahri bin Haji Awang Mansor.

The event also provided an opportunity to showcase the new RB heritage inspired uniform collection to be proudly worn by customer service staff. The warm spectrum of uniform colours ranging from olive to morning sky and fresh mint, together with the new vibrant office layout is all designed to reflect the friendly and welcoming nature of the people of Brunei Darussalam and RB brand.

Commenting on the launch, Deputy Chairman, Dermot Mannion said:

‘This is the latest phase in our network wide rebranding process which began  eighteen months ago with the arrival of our state of the art Dreamliner fleet. Already our Friday/Sunday Dreamliner service to/from Singapore has been very well received and this service is set to continue.

For services on other days of the week, Singapore customers can look forward to the deployment of  new A320 aircraft later in the year, with rebranded interiors and high levels of passenger comfort and amenity.’

At the launch event, Mr  Mannion also took the opportunity to announce the appointment of  Mr Shahron Shahar as the new RB Country Manager Singapore. Mr Shahar is former Sales and Marketing Manager Singapore for Turkish Airlines and he joins RB with more than 20 years’ experience in the travel industry.   He will replace outgoing Country Manager Ms Lim Guan Wen who is returning to head office after four years in Singapore to take up a new position in RB customer loyalty program – Royal Skies. Text and images courtesy of RB.

Ribbon cutting

The newly refurbished and rebranded Royal Brunei Airlines office in Singapore at UE Square Shopping Mall

 

I didn’t expect the long break from blogging but I’m back again. You can still stalk me on @ranoadidas instagram for updates though. I have been away and was in the Philippines for the weekend for a FitFlop event. Yes, you heard me right, a FitFlop occasion. I’m actually quite honoured to be part of the media list for FitFlop and it’s slowly to show its promise in Brunei Darussalam, after Hua Ho managed to bring in the brand to the Sultanate last year.

My mom is such a huge fan of FitFlop too especially when she shops at Metro in Paragon, Singapore. The only problem is that Fitflops are catered to females. Literally 98% of their collections are for the ladies. I was giving a few pairs courtesy of FitFlop Philippines during their recent SS15 media launch and I have to admit FitFlop are pretty comfortable sandals. For those who know me, I hardly were sandals for a “reason”. I shall be posting more stories on FitFlop SS15 latest collection in my future post.

I was in Bohol, the Philippines for the launch of the FitFlop SS15 Spring collection. More updates soon.

I missed two big events, well, one was bigger than the other which was the Regata Brunei Darussalam which took place yesterday at the Royal Wharf. It is a yearly event and I covered it for the past three years. It is always great to know His Majesty the Sultan is a regular participant of the Regata Brunei Darussalam. His Majesty was in the boat Rajawali which won the 500m special race, compromising of the Regata Brunei Darussalam Committee Team A.

Another event was DPMM FC’s opening seasoner game against Harimau Muda B where new import Rafael Ramazotti bagged a hat-trick with a 3-1 victory at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The new looked DPMM FC retained the services of foreign imports Joe Gamble and Boris Raspudic but it was Rafael (Rafa) that stole the limelight. It could have been a clean sheet for DPMM FC but there were unlucky with the deflection late in the game. Nonetheless a deserving victory for DPMM FC but it is still early days.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (3rd L), followed by HRH Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel (2nd L) and HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah (2nd R), walking with Sarawak’s Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (L) to the jetty during the Brunei Regatta yesterday. Image taken by Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

Rafael “Rafa” Ramazotti points to the sky after scoring for DPMM FC. Image by PG Khairil Sapyri of S•League Facebook Page

This morning, I attended a press conference held by AITI and it was regards to the official announcement of the FREE incoming calls for both mobile operators – DST and Progresif Cellular. Before the announcement came, both the local mobile operators have taken quick steps to implement the new move of removing the charges for incoming calls. Awesome!! I shall go more into details in my next post. Finally after 20 years, DST has officially removed charges for incoming call and Progesif Cellular have also made it a win-win situation for their customers. This initiative was from AITI for your information to benefit the end users of mobile users in Brunei Darussalam.

My Chinese year celebration has been slightly muted and that’s how I wanted it to be anyway. I’ve been feeling the pinch in terms of my sleeping patterns but it should re-adjust to its usual timing …. in a few weeks’ time 😀 My apologies for those invitations that I wasn’t able to make it. There were simply too many invitations to entertain. I have a few more before the end of CNY which falls this Thursday. This year, I only managed to catch two lion dance performance. It must have been tough for the other associations with the newer laws on lion dance in Brunei.

At Chin Wei’s open house last night

A quick catch up with Lily Chiam over her small CNY lunch invitation

Ok, about time for me to sign off first and blend into my social world of visiting friends (open house). I’m craving for maggi curry but I don’t want to burden our home chef 😀 I’ll just wait an extra hour before I eat at my friend’s open house tonight. Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. You can always stalk my IG aka instagram for updates 😀 and Happy Birthday to my sister, Muji, and love you loads 😀