Posts Tagged ‘Manila’
Counting the moments
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Mr Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of Brunei Darussalam with Her Excellency Datin Paduka Malai Hjh Halimah Malai Hj Yussof during the ribbon cutting ceremony
Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) the national carrier of the Sultanate of Brunei has launched its newly refurbished and rebranded office in Manila’s Makati City, Philippines on 13th October 2015. Present to launch as guest of honor was Her Excellency Datin Paduka Malai Hjh Halimah Malai Hj Yussof. Also present were RB’s Deputy Chairman, Mr Dermot Mannion, the Secretary of the Department of Tourism, Philippines, Mr Ramon Jimenez; and Mr Carmelo Arcilla, the Executive Director of Civil Aeronautics Board, Philippines; and Mr Mark Lapid, former governor of Pampangga and COO of Tieza.
The event was attended by media and travel trade professionals and it provided RB with an opportunity to showcase new heritage inspired uniforms to be proudly worn by customer service staff in Manila. 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 the RB brand.
RB’s very successful makeover has received international recognition in the 2014 Global Rebrand 100 Awards. Manila is the latest stop on the rebranding journey which is being rolled out across the entire RB network.
Mr Dermot Mannion with the team from Royal Brunei Airlines’ Manila office
RB commenced scheduled services to Manila on 01st May 1977 with a frequency of two flights in a week, and now 38 later, RB’s service to Manila has increased to a daily service.
RB also took the opportunity at the relaunch event to introduce the new Philippines General Sales Agent (GSA) ; Avia-Rh Inc.
Joanne Sarmiento, General Manager for Avia-RH Inc: “We are proud to be a part of the Royal Brunei family and we are committed to building their market in the Philippines, contributing to the growing tourism market in Asia Pacific and connecting Filipinos to destinations around the world with Royal Brunei.”
Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB said “We are delighted to mark the launch of our rebranding in Manila with the appointment of Avia-RH Inc as GSA. These days RB has a very good product to sell and passengers from Philippines will also enjoy the newly refurbished terminal facilities at Brunei International Airport. We look forward to working with the Avia-RH team to make RB the preferred choice to all the destinations that we serve”.
KFC’s new item, only for a limited time
Del Goh, Vice-President of KFC Brunei, doing some quality control before the photo shoot :p
Savour the flavour of KFC’s latest addition to the menu, Potato Wrapped Prawns.
Available only for a limited time, and priced at $5.60, the crunchy snack consists of five pieces of the succulent crustacean wrapped in thin and crispy potatoes.
For those who prefer something more filling, opt for the set meal, which consists of two pieces of KFC’s fried chicken (either original or spicy), three pieces of the Potato Wrapped Prawns along with a regular-sized carbonated drink for only $8.50.
In a press statement, Vice-president of KFC Brunei Del Goh said, “We are glad to be able to provide our customers with this succulent crunch where everyone of all ages can savour the hand-wrapped crispy prawns everywhere and anywhere they want.”
The new snack is available at all KFC branches in the sultanate including the newly-opened Fast Food outlet in Tutong starting today while stocks last. KFC has branches in three districts of the sultanate: Brunei-Muara, Tutong and Belait. Text courtesy of Raghadah Agus of The Brunei Times.
KFC’s Potato Wrapped Prawns and they are pretty good
The photo shoot moment
KFC’s team posing with the newly promoted item.
Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources as the guest of honour with the winners of the Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by Hj Mohd Ali of The Brunei Times.
The other winners of the Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by Hj Mohd Ali of The Brunei Times.
Indonesians Ariandi and Pedro Wuner kept their titles as the fastest riders in the Brunei Darussalam Motocross Challenge 2015 after dominating this year’s Motocross Open category.
Ariandi was crowned champion of the off-road motorcycle race again yesterday in Sungai Besar, Tutong, winning a cash prize of $500 and a trophy. His compatriot, Pedro, received $400 in cash prize and a trophy for securing second place.
“I’m satisfied with my performance despite recovering from a leg injury. It was a competitive race as the other riders were very good,” said Pedro, who was also the first runner-up in 2011.
Meanwhile, the sultanate’s Abdul Rahman Hj Harith walked away with $300 in cash prize and a trophy for landing in third place. The up and coming rider also emerged as the winner of the 125 Expert category, earning a cash prize of $150 and a trophy.
Joseph Woon of Sabah, Malaysia conquered the Veteran Open category, collecting $150 in cash prize and a trophy.
Locals Mohd Ahyar Mohd Yahya, Mohd Hamlenoor Abdul Rahman and Muhd Ali Hanafiah Lamiah grabbed first place in the 125 Novice Open, Minicross Open and Motocross Brunei Open categories respectively. Each winner scored $150 in cash prize and a trophy.
Muhd Ali Hanafiah said he was grateful for the opportunity to compete as he withdrew from the previous competition due to shoulder injuries he sustained during practice.
Liyana Zakaria, the first female rider. Image taken by Hj Mohd Ali of The Brunei Times.
The Brunei Darussalam Motocross Challenge 2015 also featured its first female rider, Liyana Zakaria. Although the 24-year-old amateur came seventh out of nine places in the Motocross Brunei Open, she intended to garner the experience towards improving her performance in future races.
“It was awesome, but it was awkward as it was male-dominated. Chances of winning this time around were slim as the other riders had way more experience than me,” she explained.
Liyana took up off-road motorcycle racing a couple of months ago after dabbling in the street bike racing scene, but her lack of experience did not stop her from competing. She hoped her participation would empower other women in Brunei to try motocross racing.
“There needs to be a platform for women who want to try motocross racing. My advice for aspiring female riders would be to learn from those who are experienced,” she said.
The United Youth Voluntary Movement (GPPS), organiser of the Brunei Darussalam Motocross Challenge 2015, also called on the wider public to support off-road motorcycle racing in a bid to further develop the calibre of local riders.
GPPS chairman Abdul Khalid Abdul Latip said such competitions provided an avenue to strengthen ties between local and international motocross riders.
He believed that participation in motocross racing could help to broaden the minds of the youth through motorcycle engineering, raise awareness about bike safety as well as teach riders to be tolerant and responsible.
Abdul Khalid added the competition also enabled local vendors to earn income by selling food and drinks to the spectators.
Present as the guest of honour was Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar. Also in attendance was Tutong District Officer Wardi Hj Mohd Ali alongside other officials.
The minister handed over prizes and trophies to the winners as well as certificates to all the participating riders.
A total of 31 riders representing Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia competed in this year’s competition in conjunction with the 69th birthday of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. You can check out more photos here taken by Forest Han Photography. Text courtesy of Rabiatul Kamit of The Brunei Times and images courtesy of The Brunei Times and @foresthan
The Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by @foresthan
The Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by @foresthan
The Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by @foresthan
The Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by @foresthan
The Brunei Darussalam Motorcross Challenge 2015. Image taken by @foresthan
Fun Bee Park is once again inviting the members of the public to its Sunday Brunch Buffet. October specials will be the very first Seafood Buffet on 18th October, Sunday, from 10am till 12pm. Tickets selling for only B$5 per person for a free flow of steamed white rice, glass noodles and local yellow noodles. Desserts come for a free flow as diners could enjoy making their own ABC and Ice Kacang, a platter of seasonal fruit cuts; children corner for Chocolate Fondue. Fruit drinks will be served to the diners all throughout the brunch.
Fresh vegetables in plates will be sold at $2 which contains sweet corn, mushrooms, Pak Choi, bean sprouts, and carrots while there will be homemade balls in plates to be sold at $2 which includes fish balls, prawn balls, mushroom balls, sausages, and crab meat sticks. Egg will be sold at 50 cents per piece. Fresh seafood such as fish head, prawns, crabs, local whole fishes, and squids will be sold from $2 – $5 per plate only.
Diners got to experience mix and match their chosen seafood meats and veggies to the soup of their choice. Available soups such as Chicken Soup, Seafood Soup, and Tom Yam Soup will be available at the kitchen. Sauces were made personally to enhance the flavors of the soup. Bali Sauce, Belacan sauce, and Satay sauce were few of the choices at the condiment’s corner.
Aside from the Seafood Buffet, Fun Bee Park also invites the public especially working individuals who were tied up with works and have no chance to prepare their meal to participate in their very first “Salad in a Glass Class”. Class will be held at Fun Bee Park on October 24th, Saturday from 10am till 12pm. Entry fee is B$10 per person and attendees will be advised to bring their own 500ml tall mason glass along with them. For those who ran out of mason glass on hand, Fun Bee Park is selling their 500ml tall wide mouth mason glass for only B$4.
Fun Bee Park is introducing their first healthy salad recipe: Creamy Ham and Green which is mix of lettuce, toasted bread slices, beef / chicken ham, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and Japanese cucumber. The salad in a glass is a new technique of stacking up meat, veggies, and others into a mason glass with the special dressing and is always ready to eat option.
Attendees of the salad class will prepare their own salad items including washing and cutting into desired sizes, and most especially, to prepare the salad dressing to perfect the taste.
Once every month, Fun Bee Park will be introducing different salad recipes as well as its dressings. For more information and reservation, please call 2457729 / 7178232 or visit them at A6/A7, Ground Floor, Sempurna Complex, Batu Bersurat, Gadong. Text courtesy of Fun Bee Park.
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Back again
A very low key month for me. Well, nothing much to shout about in May. I just got back from a two-week break from work and now recovering from a very fulfilling trip with my friends from Brunei and abroad. Friends do ask me if I enjoy traveling and the answer is pretty obvious. I was invited to travel to Paris and Moscow last April but I already had prior commitments and still stuck with my original plan – Hua Hin (Thailand) and Manila and I didn’t regret with my original plan because of the awesome company and environment. Nonetheless, I would like to thank Darussalam Holdings for the offer but it came slightly too late for my plans. Let’s hope the next one will be a go-go.
12 years and counting.
At the moment, my thinking capacity is not at its highest level, let alone above average. I still need more sleeping hours before I get back to shape. I even forgot to renew my domain name for ranoadidas.com and it was clumsy on my part. Good thing I had my rano360.com domain still up and running just in case. For your info, my blog just turned 12 years on 1st of May. I actually thought last year was the 12th year but apparently I miscalculated the number of years. I won’t be doing any special event or programs for the 12th year milestone and I do want to acknowledge and appreciate every single of my loyal readers for continuing this support. It’s not easy to gain attention nowadays for bloggers as now the power belongs to the social media and we all are part of it whether we like it or not. For me, it’s important to stay to my core presence as a blogger and also be active in social media to be in the mix. It has been an encouraging journey so far.
Poor Manny.
The talk of the town has been the controversial match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao where it was billed as match of the century on paper but didn’t translate well in the title match. Instead we were entertained by the hugging and the running of the title holder Mayweather. We caught the match at the cinema at Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila with my friends last weekend and we were rooting for the favourite underdog Manny for sure. I kinda knew what kind of tactics Money man will come up with it and judges were in favour of Mayweather who now has a 48-0 record as a professional boxer. Amazing stats but his legacy remains unstable because of his lack of sportsmanship in the match. He was jeered with a chorus of boos when he entered the arena and even the crowd was chanting Manny’s name. Now Manny has requested a rematch if I’m not mistaken. Let’s hope it won’t be another repeated incident. Biggest winner here – Hublot.
Manila Galore.
Yes, we didn’t have enough sleep at all. After my Hua Hin trip, I flew straight to Manila to meet up with the boys and spend only 8-9 hours of sleep while being in Manila for 72 hours *lol* It was a great getaway and I can’t believe that this was my second trip to Manila in a space of three months and I never been to the Philippines. Yes, the only I think that made me stress is the ridiculous traffic jam. The boys and I celebrated Stuart Lee’s birthday and also caught the #MayPac match at the cinema. We were a bit down that Manny lost but he still won our hearts. The other thing that ticked us off was that the live feed from the cinema was cut off between Round 7 to Round 9 of the boxing match and the audience were already raising their voice for refunds. Good thing that the local fans didn’t make such a big issue when the match was over. It could have backfired. Anyway, thanks buddies for the great time off and spending time together in Manila. Round 2, perhaps?
Age of Ultron still entertaining.
Though I was slightly behind in my reviews for Age of Ultron, I left it on a high note because Del and I caught it on 4Dx at Paragon Cineplex, Bangkok, Thailand. It was Del’s first time experience at the cinema area and he loves it. For me, this is like my home ground because it’s not just a cinema but they created a lifestyle and invested millions in catering to a great atmosphere and hospitality. We grabbed our tickets through the e-ticketing machine without the hassle of going over to the counter. IMAX 3D is still the best at Paragon Cineplex and it’s better than the Lido one in Singapore. Anyway, I don’t advise you to catch Avengers: Age of Ultron on 4Dx since it can be very irritating that the seats keep on moving from time to time and plus the screen is not as huge too. I would trade for IMAX than 4Dx any day. Avengers sequel opened very well in the US box office but still fell short of their first movie by 20 million. Do listen to my podcast on my review and I gave this movie a strong 8.
Pictures from Manila Trip.
The Bros manila passport covers
The boxing event that didn’t live up to expectations
Mayweather focused more on counter attack and won
The disappointed crowd after the boxing match
When Stuart turned 3# ish :p
Yea, at least they still have my sizes
I bought this bag too to match with my bag pack
The wheel outside Mall of Asia
Thanks for the trip guys 😀 Till next time.
Shawn with his obsession on chicken feet
Flying back thru Cebu Pacific
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Hello March
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 😀
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