It was a day to remember for 229 graduating students during the afternoon session last Wednesday of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)’s 27th Convocation as they received their Masters Degree and diplomas yesterday from His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD.

The recipients in the afternoon included master’s degree and diploma students, who were clearly happy to be receiving the reward for their studious efforts.

One such recipient was Hajah Azratul Azrina binti Haji Md Zain, who was the only student in the Diploma in Education course this year to attain a Pass with Distinction.

Hajah Azratul is a Business Art and Technology teacher from Sayyidina Husain Secondary School in Jerudong with five years of experience. Speaking to the Bulletin, she credited her success to hard work, giving her best and good support from the people around her.

On the course itself, she shared, “It taught me how to better handle students, how to approach students with different learning styles, and focusing more on SPN21 and how to communicate and collaborate well.”

She highlighted that she now feels better equipped after having undergone the course, and that she is looking forward to continuing her service as a teacher and also hopes to continue upgrading herself with higher qualifications.

Hajah Azratul also expressed her thanks to her lecturers, her family, friends and colleagues for their support.

Another recipient was Haji Mohammad Redzuan bin Haji Botty, who received a Masters of Education by Coursework, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education.

“Alhamdulillah, for the past two years of undergoing Masters of Education in Mathematics I have managed to obtain a lot of knowledge, skill and experience from discussions, academic readings as well as research that I carried out last year, and Insya Allah I will be able to fully use all that in my profession as a teacher and an education officer at the Ministry of Education.”

Haji Mohammad Redzuan teaches at Saiyyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School, but also aids in teaching at primary schools and at the Brunei Darussalam Teachers’ Academy on some days.
Sharing some advice, he said, “To those still studying, always stay motivated and always make an effort to strive to get out of your comfort zone as well as to try things as long as you can try things.”
This, he said, includes carrying out research, having independent learning, and not relying solely on lecturers or other people.

“Importantly, always know how to divide your time,” he added.

Norhafiza Rabiatul Adawiyah Noorazmi was another to graduate yesterday, receiving a Masters of Teaching in Secondary Education.

She said that she was happy to know that her hard work has paid off and to have received her certificate.

Speaking with the Bulletin on her experience, she shared, “The course was year-long and we taught classes in the morning and attend lectures in the afternoon, so that was like every day of the whole year for two semesters, but I know now that with this it was all worth it.”

Sharing some words of wisdom, she highlighted, “People should just go out there and go for an adventure to look for opportunities, and not to let it slip away by waiting.”

“I’ve recently been accepted to the English apprenticeship under the Brunei-US English Enrichment Programme, so I’m very lucky that after this I will be heading to Hawaii next month and we’ve started our course last year, so Alhamdulillah. So just be independent, go out there and don’t be scared,” she added. Text courtesy of Danial Norjidi, Izah Azahari & Wani Roslan of Borneo Bulletin.

 

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

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

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

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

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

The running kit for this edition of BIBD CE ALAF

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

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

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

The complete sponsors and partners of the BIBD CE ALAF

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

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

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

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

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

Cool medal for this year’s edition

 

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

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.

I finally made use of my Royal Skies and earning points for my travels. I should have done five years ago when I’m starting to frequently fly here and there. I was told that the Dreamliner for Royal Brunei will go to Singapore on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

The Brunei national netball team were also on the same flight as they will be competing in the Asian Netball Championship in Singapore. Good luck!!

This competition looks interesting and let’s see how our Brunei team will do.

The most talked about run in my instagram because of its novelty. It’s happening in Singapore on 1st November.

Caught up with Lily Chiam at Nana’s Cafe and they served awesome Maccha drinks and ice-cream

Del’s a happy camper when he purchased the Sandcrawler Star Wars Lego. Costs a fortune too 😀

Staying at this hotel for the 2nd time and liking it so far

Doing my blog here and I feel more imaginative in this kind of setting

Something that cinemas in Brunei should do and I’m sure this will be a big hit 😀

 

I’m devastated that my Sam the Tennis Machine is damaged *boohoo* I’ve spent a fortune on it of the love of tennis and so eager to play but it didn’t turn out as expected. I bought the machine from a newly found friend Kenny Chea who is another passionate tennis player and he already gave me a good deal for the machine.

I believe the machine was mishandled at the cargo area (either in Singapore or Brunei) and this must have caused the components to be faulty. The wires were disconnected and the batteries fell out from the deck. Oh well.. That’s partly me to blame for not double checking and making sure the box was probably handled with much care at the cargo area.

Now I’m back in Singapore and I brought the 22 kilo machine with me to be sent for repair. I wonder how much it will cost me but at this point of time, I just felt devastated. It’s like owning your first iMac but it just won’t start at the first attempt.

My tennis buddies are already too eager to play with the machine so I apologize for the delay due to this misfortunate event. We will get a taste of “Sam” but for now, let the humans do the work 😀

A month ago when I was testing out Sam the tennis machine and I was impressed. I bought the machine on the spot back in Singapore.

Fast forward a month later, it’s back in Singapore and I never got the chance to even play with the machine. It seems so troublesome to bring this heavy machine back to Singapore and I’m glad I didn’t have to pay excess baggage but still….

The components inside were not in placed and this must have been resulted from a huge impact during handling of the box. I’m yet to find out the cost repair for this.

 

Another event that I just missed today is the UBD Convocation 2014 which just took place at 9am today at the Chancellor Hall. I will definitely cover but just that I’m currently not in Brunei at the moment. It’s the biggest calendar of the year for UBD and it is very special as well since His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam present the certificates to all the graduates of UBD. Awesome!!

A big shout out to Ruebin Chin, Nina Kifwari, Rebecca, Jordine, Winnie Sia, Ismah Ismail, Alicia, Nadia and a few more. Any of you who wants to contribute their selfies, you can email to ranoadidas gmail 😀 Congratulations once again to all my friends. You have done our King and our country proud. Keep it up!!

The graduates of 2014

The graduates of 2014

The graduates of 2014

Don’t forget to send your pictures to ranoadidas(8)gmail 😀