Vincent Pao with the invited guests this morning at the launch of the CONCEPTS group of companies and also the Brilliance Hall

Cutting ribbon ceremony

A new milestone for Concepts Computer. They have really come a long way. If Acer comes to mind, then the first word that will put out is Concepts Computer. this morning they have reach higher points after being in the Brunei market for 15 years. Now Concepts Computer not only hold the Acer brand but a few more other brands to cater to the ever growing demands from the consumers.

Now Concepts Computer holds brands such as Acer, Epson, Brother, Logitech, Steel Series and many more. Furthermore, Concepts Computer has turned into a subsidiary under the flagship of CONCEPTS group. This means that there are other subsidiaries under the CONCEPT group 1) Concepts Computer 2) Concepts Technologies 3) Concepts Sewing Technologies 4) Ontime Services Network.

If you want to talk about growth, then Mr. Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer has laid down a strong seed and this will indeed reflect the strength and value of the company over the past few years.

The launching of the Group of Companies by Mr. Pao came in timely manner and he believes that the “soul cannot think without an image” (a famous quote by Aristotle). With this merger, it will help to boost the excellent track record the company has earning and I believe they are one of the IT retailers that has 90% locally employed. The Group of Companies is a good role model for other companies in terms of utilizing the locals.

Congratulations on the launch and I wish you all the best. Image courtesy of Vincent Hong.

The man of the moment – Vincent Pao

Nasiruddin Awang Hamid the winner of the Tefal Healthy Cooking Competition last evening. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

Second place went to Raymond Yong Shun Xin. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

Cim King Kong came third in the cooking competition. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

The month-long Health Awareness Campaign at Hua Ho Manggis Mall ended yesterday with the finals of the Tefal Healthy Cooking Competition.

The campaign was a collaboration between Hua Ho Shopping Centre and the Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health.

Nasiruddin Awang Hamid emerged as the winner, taking home a Tefal voucher worth $500, while Raymond Yong Shun Xin placed second and was presented with a $300 Tefal voucher. Coming in in third place was Cim King Kong who won himself a $150 Tefal Voucher.

Not only that, the top three winners of the HPC quiz also received prizes in the form of Air Fryer, electric steamer and a juicer.

The prize presentation marked the end of campaign which began on August 26. Various activities, games and exhibitions were also carried out as part of the campaign which was organised to highlight the importance and benefit of a healthier lifestyle to members of the general public.

Hj Zakaria Hj Kamis, the head of Public Health Nutrition Unit at Health Promotion Centre, stated that the campaign has received a very positive respond from the public.

“The idea of putting together a series of fun and engaging activities is an effective way to get the health messages across, ” he said, as he expressed gratitude towards the cooperation received from various partners and stakeholders. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

During the qualifying round last Saturday

He had the best presentation among the lot but perhaps it was the portion that could have affected his scores

I like this presentation

Sometimes less is more 😀

I love his spicy salad

Some of the participants last Saturday

The final batch of participants last Saturday

A young participant trying to woo the judges

Chef Salvo was a busy man

An enthusiastic participant. I like his energy.

Behind the scene at the kitchen area of Hua Ho Manggis

 

Yesterday was quite interesting… Why? Because I learnt about cooking authentic Thai food 😀 Apparently many restaurants especially the ones outside Thailand that serves Thai dishes in Thai restaurants do not follow the actual procedure of cooking Thai dishes. This was shared by the head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School.

I noticed how important certain ingredients are to make a good Tom Yum Goong. Oh, for your info, Goong means prawn or shrimp. So when you order Tom Yum Goong, you are ordering Tom Yum with Prawn 😀 Apart from the ingredients and spices, it is also important to apply the right technique for a better tasting experience.

So the dishes we prepared and cooked were Pad Thai, Thai Beef Salad, Spring Roll and Tom Yum Goong. I have to say among the lot, I was impressed with my Tom Yum Goong and a few of my friends already requested me to cook for them to test my culinary skills. Perhaps the taste won’t be the same to begin with because of the local Thai spices that will be hard to get in Brunei. Then again, I will just use what’s available in Brunei and make the best out of it.

So if you happen to be in Bangkok and have time to spare, I highly recommend you to try out the Naj Thai Cooking School. The going rate is 2,500 Baht per person which is roughly BND 100 and it is a four hour program and they offer it twice a day. The venue is located near BTS Station (Sala Daeng). For more info, you can view their website. A hundred dollars is definitely worth it to invest your time learning make Thai cuisine 😀

The head chef of Naj Thai Cooking School, Watpusit Ayasanond

The ingredients and spices for our cooking materials

Preparation for the media

There’s also a technique for the pounding bit

Observing the head chef on the techniques

Making Pad Thai

Pui showing off his culinary skills

I’m impressed with my Tom Yum Goong 😀

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has a bigger obligation to reach and that is to revive the tourism industry in Thailand. Following year 2013’s lifting of the nationwide curfew, TAT is confident that the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 will boost its tourism industry and the campaign will end by 15th August 2015.

Even before the launch, most of the shopping outlets are already offering major discounts at popular malls. This is a good sign for Bruneians who love to shop, shop and shop. You will also be surprised that the prices are cheaper than Malaysia and Singapore if you know how to hunt. Just imagine that more than 15,000 of shopping places that offer discounts and you will have a hard time, compromising your excess luggage by the time you fly back home.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch was held at Gaysorn Mall yesterday. It was launched by Mrs. Vilaiwan Twichasri, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business and Mr. Somboon Krobteeranon, Country Manager, Visa Thailand.

This year campaign will return with “Travel 365 Days in Thailand” grand prize, whereby The winners are entitled to bring a friend to visit Thailand for up to 10 days in each month of the entire year, with round-trip air tickets and hotel accommodation provided. Awesome!! This is applicable for those paying by Visa and you will entitled for a draw for every 500 baht you spend.

They have added some twist to the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015. If you wear traditional Thai dress to shop at selected participating stores, you will have the privilege to get major discounts up to 80%. This includes places like Siam Paragon, Siam Center, CentralWorld, Gaysorn, Amarin, Terminal 21, Emporium, Mega Bangna, Central Chidlom, Central Embassy, ZEN, EmQuartier, Platinum Fashion Mall, MBK Center, River City Mall, Krung Thong Plaza, and Intra Square in Bangkok.

So peeps from Brunei, what are you waiting for? Fly to Bangkok and shop, shop, shop. I’m coming back again in July for another shopping experience. Who’s coming with me? 😀

Group photo after the launch of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 at Gaysorn Mall. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Group photo with Mr.Wiboon Nimitrwanich. Director Department of Tourism Invest, Tourism Authority of Thailand (4th from left) with the media from Brunei and Malaysia. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Guests registering for the event

The most comment picture on my IG post yesterday. He’s a celebrity in Thailand and one of the models for the Grand Sale launch.

Some of the models of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015 launch and they are local celebrities

The media from 11 different countries to spread awareness of the campaign

The short press conference before the launch

The fashion show to showcase the products and services from Thailand

Swinging in action. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Posing for the crowd. Image courtesy of Richard Lim.

Some of the participating outlets of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2015

 

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