Posts Tagged ‘music’
More than just music
Yang Teramat Mulia Pg Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim kicked off the Music and Dance recital by playing a piece “Fur Elise by Beethoven. Accompany the royalty was Deon Ong, Director of Yippy Tune in the background.
Yang Teramat Mulia Pg Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah in her piano solo performance
Yippy Tune Music School and Fitness Zone joint hand to put together a private event for parents and friends for the Music and Dance recital with 138 young performers at the Arts Centre Foyer in Jerudong International School.
The lively music event was graced by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Her Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, who were there to support their children.
The afternoon was accentuated by Yang Teramat Mulia Pg Muda ‘Abdul Muntaqim, who kicked off the recital with a distinguished solo piano performance of Fur Elise by Beethoven as well as performing a group recital of the Star Wars music playing the piano with other young musicians.
Amongst the highlights of the event were the performances by Yang Teramat Mulia Pg Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah, who showcased her piano talent for both solo and group performance, together with a group ballet dance entitled Lavender’s Blue.
This is the first time Yippy Tune Music School has collaborated with Fitness Zone on a Music and Dance activity, as both organizations found a common ground in training up students in performing arts.
Yang Teramat Mulia Pg Anak Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah in a ballet performance
The ballet performers were dancing to Lavneder’s Blue
Around 300 in attendance last weekend
According to Deon Ong, Music Director of Yippy Tune Music School, “Music Together started with the idea of everyone coming together with the opportunity to fully express their talents while at the same time, appreciate arts, dances and music.”
Yippy Tune Music School brought to the event a strong contingent of vocal and musical performers, which includes Piano, Violin, Guitars and Drum. A group of violin students coached by Yippy Tune Music School from St Andrews School and SMSS also took part in the event.
Fitness Zone was represented with four dance recital pieces to showcase classical ballet and modern hip-hop performances. The Brunei’s leading fitness centre recently introduced dance lessons for young children a year ago, and was met with a resounding success. “It is truly an event to come together to celebrate and appreciate music and performing art with the future generation.” Said Wu Chun, the Managing Director of Fitness Zone.
“Orchestrating 138 young performers in a recital is an audacious task,” said Deon Ong. “The success of this event is a reflection of the dedication from the students, teachers as well as the committed parents. The months of preparation and planning came down to an enjoyable and memorable experience for the audiences and the students themselves. The effort has definitely been worthwhile seeing the joy on everyone’s face.”
“The energy at the JIS auditorium was electrifying from the get go. These young talents have carried themselves with nothing but grace and poise throughout the event. They have made their parents proud” Said Teacher Marceleigh Blanche, Yippy Tune’s Music teacher.
A total of 19 pieces were performed in the 2 hours event for over 300 participants. The audiences were enchanted with a spectacular musical treat with the special touch of magic on the magnificent Sunday afternoon. Images courtesy of Yippy Tunes.
The Interview with Deon
Rano: What did you feel after the event? Having 19 pieces performed by young kids.
Deon: Right after the event, I am so proud of all the students who performed on stage. I told them all the practices and hard work have paid off! And right after, I thanked all my hard working teachers. I sincerely thank all parents for including us as part of their music education.
Rano: How was the preparation? When did it begin?
Deon: The preparation started only 4 months ago as it began with a small idea. Since all of the pieces required playing music together, most challenging part is to get all students to gather together for their practice as everyone has their own tight schedule.
Rano: In your music school, which is the most popular instrument or class?
Deon: Our most popular instrument is piano.
Rano: What are your thoughts so far with the collaboration with Fitness Zone? This is something new and will it be an ongoing partner?
Deon: As i mention earlier, it started with a small idea, the idea of simply let all students to be able to play music together hence the recital-Music Together. We have pianists playing with an ensemble of 30 violinists and 10 keyboardist, we have a setting of band with vocalist, we have acoustic guitar with singers- just to name a few. And so I have an idea to have dancers as well. Therefore, I approached dancers from the Fitness Zone dance group. A Music and Dance event. An Ongoing partner? Yes especially when we have common ground in developing young talents in performing arts.
Rano: How many teachers or instructors involved?
Deon: We have 7 music teachers and one dance instructor. We don’t have a big team but we produce big results
Rano: How to join Yippy Tune?
Deon: We are in Gadong central B19 2nd floor. Please contact 7181698.
Overall it is an enjoyable and memorable private event for all parents and students as parents are very proud of their children’s achievement and students enjoy their journey of playing music together.
Deon Ong with the music teachers of Yippy Tune
Fitness Zone trainers getting involved in the recital. Good to see Wu Chun attending the event to support his daughter’s performance.
Behind the scenes before the actual recital. A lot of hard work has been invested to make the event successful.
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Music to my ears
The event that took place last Friday evening at Sejahtera Hall, Royal Brunei Recreation Club
The performers and their mentors. Image courtesy of PTE Meragang Facebook Page.
What I am amazed are the talents we have in Brunei Darussalam. I can’t stress this enough. Maybe this should be even highlighted in the LegCo to see how far our talents can go. Earlier in the year, I attended a broadway play “Othello” performed by students from Pusat Tingkatan Enam (PTE) Meragang and I was quite impressed with their talents. Last Friday, I witnessed another aspect of their talent – music – and I was surely entertained from beginning to the end. My only minor issue were the noisy youths in front of us whom I wished could have respected the performers and audience alike.
The Performing Arts Club in PTE Meragang has active in showcasing their talents around for 5 years and hence it was fitting that for the club to organize the 5th Poetry and Music Recital entitled “Chances”.
PG Hjh Maimunah bte Pg Hj Osman, Principal of Meragang Sixth Form Centre, was very happy with the efforts put in by the students and teachers involved in the project. She believed that this project won’t be possible without everyone’s effort and it was definitely not an easy task. She also thanked the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for their advice. The guest of honour was Yang Mulia Hj Abd Rahim bin Derus, Director-General of Education, Ministry of Education.
It wasn’t also a music showcase but also some poetries to the delight of the audience. Perhaps the students can also engage with @theartofwrite (IG) where they are looking for writers to share their loves for people, words, art and earth.
Kudos to the working committee, volunteers and most of all, the vocalists and the musicians. It was a well spent Friday evening. We need more avenues like this for Brunei. The event is supported by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Gearing up for the opening session
The musical performers from the Performing Arts Club in PTE Meragang
Many shots were taken that night. Great memories indeed.
Great presence from the choir
It was full house event last Friday. Good to see the locals supporting such event.
Dk Aina Syasya Bte Pg Amiruddin has great vocal
One of the poetry readers
One of the scenes from the night
One of the audience being interviewed by RTB
Spotlight on the singers
Heal the World 😀
The finale – November Rain. Love it to the max.
The violinists added some great touch to the musical performances
The JIS choir prelude before the main event at the JIS Arts Centre at Jerudong International School
Shana Holmes and Yasmin Riches belting out “The Writing’s on the Wall” with Rafeeqa Teo and Eden Chiam
Tope Ayodele singing “If I Were a Boy”
Music to my ears. Yes, it was another musical moment for me as I experienced the wonderful talents from Jerudong International Students in last weekend’s JIS Showcase 2016 at the Art Centre of JIS. It’s been a tradition that I catch the JIS Showcase (musical performance) every year if I happen to be in the country. It’s not surprised that the standard of the performance is on par with other regional performances.
Every single detail and thought have been invested in the JIS Showcase 2016. What I truly admire is the high professionalism taken into the performance which made the overall performance seemed flawless. I also love the transitions between songs and performances as they didn’t waste any seconds to carry the momentum from start to finish. I could tell how important JIS values music and art in their school and last weekend’s performances were a great indicator for their progress for music excellence.
It’s great to see Barnaby Sandow, principal of JIS, to continue the mission in music and art excellence. It sets the benchmark in terms of music education and I myself feel proud of where JIS is right now – not just excelling in studies but also in arts and music. Sandow shared that the Showcase 2016 is a celebration of artistic creativity. It was a pleasure to have met you as well last weekend.
There were many favourites performers that caught my attention. Willam Brien’s “Born in the USA”, “Strong” by Eden Chiam, Evan Chiam, Krish Punjabi and Nayumi Reduan, “Rude” by Jay Baek and Christian Osharode, “Beautiful” by Aziz Harun, “Say Something” Shana Holmes and William Brien and “I Dreamed a Dream” by Yasmin Riches were just some of the performances that blew me away. I also want to commend on the orchestra, the dancers, the choir and the cute Jerudong singers to make the overall performance wholesome.
JIS have raised the bar each year on their Showcase and I look forward to future ones. Well done to all of you and good job on Paul Edgeler, the producer and music director of JIS Showcase 2016. You can follow @JISbrunei on IG for updates.
Evan Chiam one of the vocalists for “Love Runs Out”
Great performance by William Brien on “Born in the USA”
Shana Holmes wooing the audience, singing “Wings”
Shana Holmes, Eden Chiam and Katherine Wood during the “Wings” performance
Azemah Abd Rahman singing a duet with Aziz Harun on “Sempurna”
Some of the highlights from Aladdin
The cute choir group
The dancers for “He’s A Pirate”
In swashbuckling action during “He’s A Pirate” performance by the orchestra
Eden Chiam and Nayumi Reduan during the performance of “Strong”. I like this one.
Some of the artistic delivery during the performance of “Strong”. Quite creative.
Aaron Klein singing “Waiting for Love”
Yasmin Riches doing the vocals for “We Found Love Dance”
Awesome performance by both Jay Baek and Christian Osharode on “Rude”
The Jerudong Singers singing “Turn the World Around”
The combined choir for “Me and My Broken Heart”
Aziz Harun stealing the hearts of the audience with his original song “Beautiful”
Caught the JIS Showcase with Gary and Pranika. Both also enjoyed the performance.
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Agree to disagree
Listen to the podcast review of The Good Dinosaur with special guest Pranika Lama
During the Singapore League Awards last week. Image courtesy of S•League
Azwan Ali Rahman won Young Player of the Year award. Image courtesy of S•League
Steve Kean won Coach of the Year. Image courtesy of S•League
The season has concluded and DPMM FC and the management have worked their socks off for a wonderful season and winning their first ever S•League title. Now they are on a mini-break for a few weeks before they are back training again.
Recently DPMM FC won a few accolades including Coach of the Year (Steve Kean) and Young Player of the Year (Azwan Ali Rahman) feted at Singapore League Awards last week. It was a well deserved award for Steve Kean as he missed out last season. As for Azwan Ali, he has been very consistent with his performance all around and week in, week out, he had made an impact to DPMM FC.
Two years ago, Azwan Ali was in a difficult position as his former club Indera FC was reluctant to let him go. In the end, he made the right choice to join the only professional club, DPMM FC, in Brunei Darussalam and his adventure started with a bang. Let’s hope for better things for Azwan Ali in the new season.
Now the biggest question will be the current import players of DPMM FC. With the new ruling of allowance of three import players, this will put a dent in Kean’s strategy as he has trusted the five import players throughout the season. All of them are instrumental in bringing the first ever S•League title to the club. Now it boils down to Kean and the management of DPMM FC on who will be sacrificed for the next season.
My pick would be Paulo Sergio, Rafael Ramazotti and Boris Raspudic. However, according to DPMM FC’s website, Rafael has turned down an offer to extend his contract with DPMM FC. It remains to be seen who will be the chosen one to replace Rafa. The club have renewed the contract of Paulo Sergio and Brian McLean for the next season. This means that Boris Raspudic and Joe Gamble are being released.
A few days ago, DPMM FC had a meet and greet session for the fans at The Mall. It was organised by I Lyke Toh Entertainment and the players and fans had a great time together. It was another way to appreciate the fans for supporting the football club.
Having fun with Beracun on stage
DPMM FC fans gave token of appreciation to the team
Move it, move it.. @wards25
It’s the last time we will see Joe Gamble as a DPMM FC player. Thank you for your contribution.
The Zumba move
DPMM FC players worried what was next when Beracun controlled the stage
Some DPMM FC players hiding away from Beracun
Another promotion back by popular demand for BIBD customers
The winners and contestants of the DJ Mix Competition with the organisers, sponsors and representatives of Jerudong Park management at JP Amphitheater. Image courtesy of @kurapak
DJ Jakey crowned the champion for Rookies with DJ Leiley. Image courtesy of @kurapak
DJ Amad winning the competition in the Open Class category. Image courtesy of @kurapak
It was the first time I attended a DJ competition in a very long, long time. I remember back in the early 2000s, I was involved in the team that brought international DJs regionally and it was also showcasing the local talents that we have such as DJ Felix and DJ Leiley to name a few.
Fast forward to now, it’s a whole different landscape with stricter rules and regulations that the Bruneians have to follow when it comes to local entertainment. The talented musicians have to find alternatives or be more creative in showcasing their talents without crossing the line (of the laws). If you think about it, to make a music showcase possible, then it shows that we have to be a step ahead and be more creative to make things happen.
Hence to have a DJ Mix Competition is already a great start despite the limitations to the organisers and the public. The seasoned DJs shared their vision in helping the young blood (DJs) to learn about mixing music and one avenue is to have competition. The three day event also involved a DJ Mix workshop (on Sunday) to give more knowledge on mixing and the techniques to the local DJs. One of the DJs, @leiley_lim shared that Brunei DJs have the best equipment regionally but lacking the avenue to share their talent to the public.
The organisers and the partners were happy with the overall competition and workshop as it was a successful one. It was also great to see the DJ Mioy, DJ Leiley and DJ Felix working together for the benefit of the community in a longer run.
Below are the winners and ranks for the respective categories.
Open Class Category:
Winner : DJ Amad
1st Runner-up : Jimmyroll
2nd Runner-up : Fiiz The Shiiz
4th : DJ Izra
5th : Aeros
6th : Mask
Rookies Category:
Winner: DJ Jakey
DJ Jimmy Roll took 2nd place. It also came 2nd in the previous competition
Fiiz The Shiiz came 3rd place. Image courtesy of @kurapak
Ammirul was the emcee/host for the finals last Saturday
It was good to see all the seasoned DJs working as one
DJ Aeros spinning for the crowd last Saturday
@Kurapak taking great shots with his trusted Fuji film camera
Behind the scene
DJ Amad stole the hearts of the audience and judges
The back shot
DJ Leiley playing his track Radioactive and hopes to make it big with a record label down under. Good luck, buddy!
DJ Mioy showcasing his talent to the delight of the crowd
A welcoming remark to the Filipino community
In collaboration with the Embassy of The Republic of The Philippines, The Jerudong Park Medical Centre held a blood donation drive, open to the Filipino Community. The objective of the blood donation drive was to raise awareness on the importance of donating blood, in saving lives and contributing to blood banks in Brunei Darussalam.
“Blood banks always need volunteering blood donors.” said Romeo Tabios, JPMC’s blood bank nurse. “Giving 15 minutes of your time by donating blood can help save lives.” Blood donation not only gives back to society, but also provides physical and mental benefits to the donors’ health. Donating blood helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as burn calories.
The drive was held at the Philippines Chancery, Embassy of The Republic of The Philippines from 3pm – 5pm, and received a total of more than 30 interested donors, who contributed to a good cause.
Before donating blood, donors were interviewed on their brief health history and screened for basic physical health. Donors were made aware of certain factors to consider, such as pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, cholesterol, and haemoglobin levels. Blood donors were also screened for infectious diseases.
The Jerudong Park Medical Centre hopes for future collaborations to aid the blood banks in the country. Images courtesy of Jerudong Park Medical Centre.
The Filipino community showing their support
Taking a blood sample
The blood donors last weekend
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Rose Gold, anyone?
The new model is to be unveiled tonight. More stories soon.
This is an ongoing competition on my instagram. It’s an original item all the way from Germany. It is an original coat hanger and headrest hook so your clothes stay wrinkle-free and fresh even on longer routes. Bags and garments can be placed here securely. The “Snakey” headrest hook is made of flexible and resilient material. So check out my instagram and stand stand a chance to win this.
A hint on what is about to be revealed. Do answer on my IG post and who knows who will be selected.
Have you registered yourself?
What most of you will be looking forward to is the upcoming Canon Photomarathon 2015 which will take place on 27th September 2015 and the venue will be at Star Lodge Hotel. For more information, you can click here and don’t forget to register because the first prize is a Canon 7D and there will be a grand winner where you will attend a photo clinic in Japan.
Of course there will be other prizes for the three themed categories and the winner of each will win a EOS 7D Mark II (for 3 winners). I was fortunate enough to be a judge last year for the competition and it was a pretty tough process being one but a fruitful experience. I am amazed by the talents that we have in Brunei.
The slots are running fast and it’s FREE as well and opened to all the photographers in Brunei. The venue will be the same as last year – Star Lodge @ Jerudong, Sunday 27th September 2015 (8am to 5pm). This event is fully sponsored by Interhouse Company.
The winners of last year’s edition of the Canon Photomarathon
The grand winner of the photo clinic in Japan last year
The organiser of the Canon Photomarathon 2015 from Interhouse Company
The winners of the Canon Photomarathon back in 2012
The winning shot of the theme Surface last year
What we thought of Everest
Everest. I saw the trailers a few times but it wasn’t enough to capture my interest apart from the awesome cinematography. They have a great line up of cast too – Jake Gyllenhaal (a heart throb to many of female friends), Jason Clarke (a disappointing effort at Terminator: Genisys), Josh Brolin (who was awesome in Sicario), Keira Knightly (where has she been all this while) and many more. The movie had a positive review with over 70% on Rottentomatoes but it hasn’t picked up well in the box office.
Pros: Cinematography was great but only in patches. I was hungry for more but the director, Baltasar Kormakur, could have explored more. Secondly the quest itself is already challenging and to see the different characters braving themselves and unite as a group is please worthy. Lastly some dramatic scenes were quite tense at one point.
Cons: A plenty. Too many involvement of characters that I lost track of who’s who especially when they had their head gears on. Secondly yes, it teased me but not enough to reach that anti/climax moment especially when this is involving climbing mountains. A good example that I gave me that edge-of-the-seat feeling was Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit. It made me feel that I rather watch this on National Geographic or Discovery Channel. The development of the supporting cast could have been deeper. The movie itself is a 2 hours long and it seemed too draggy in the beginning and it didn’t pay off because it was nothing memorable to remember.
Verdict: A movie that I won’t watch again but it’s interesting that they made a 1996 historical event into a film. Refining the editing of the movie and more development of the cast would have made Everest more impactful. 7/10.
What we thought of The Intern
The Intern. I like the motto of the flick – Experience never gets old. The last comedy is directed by Nancy Meyers, popularly known for movies such as What Women Want and Parent Trap. I came to this movie with no expectations and I didn’t even catch the trailer but I am a big fan of Anne Hathaway (well, after Scarlett Johansson). This comedy is about a retired successful business owner and widower (played by Robert De Niro) who lands an internship at a fashion website run by a young, career-driven woman (Anne Hathaway). So just reading at the premise alone, I’m already hooked.
Pros: Totally enjoyable from start to finish. This is a feel good movie and I’m glad I caught this movie after Everest. Robert De Niro kinda stole the show for me and he has his ways to woo the audience with his charming effect. The humour was spot on most of the time and it wasn’t unnecessary like some comedies would do (learn, Adam Sandler, learn). Sharon definitely enjoyed it, judging by pitch of her laugh :p What’s not to like about this movie.. well, a few..
Cons: It seemed that the character of Robert De Niro as an intern had little challenges (a little spoiler) so I didn’t feel there was an anti-climax moment for him. The ending to many of us were below satisfactory. Of course, we all wanted a Hollywood ending (happy ending) but I guess this is how life does turn out in reality.
Verdict: I love it and despite its flaws, I’m giving this a high score. Love the chemistry also between the two engaging characters. I wished they had more drama so the story could have ended on a higher note and make it more memorable. If you ask me, I enjoyed this more than Internship movie. 8/10
Group photo with Deon Ong (3rd from left) and the students and instructors from Yippy Tune
Yippy Tune, the Music School in Gadong Central, today bagged a total of 13 medals at the 22nd KK Music Festival in the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Hotel. Over 500 musicians from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei gathered together to compete through a range of musical instruments and genres in Kota Kinabalu.
Yippy Tune, one of the schools representing Brunei, took part in the Piano, Violin and Vocal categories with a total of 8 participants. “They came back with a stunning result that surpassed the school’s wildest imagination.” Said Deon Ong, the Principal.
Some of the highlights of the day included performance by the youngest performer who stole the show, 6 year old Megan Lee won a Silver in Classical Piano category as well a stellar performance by one of the youngest diploma holder (14) at the competition, Zoe Ho who won Silver in Classical Piano category as well for Diploma level. According to the judge, it is an achievement by itself for Zoe Ho, by simply attaining a Diploma at such young age.
Other winners from Yippy Tune Music School at the contest include:
• Flora Ngu
o 3 x Gold Medals in Vocal in Classical, Popular and Broadway category.
• Evana Ong
o 1 x Gold in Vocal for Popular Category and 1 x Silver in Classical Category.
• Freda Ngu
o 1 x Gold in Vocal for Popular Category and 1 x Bronze in Classical Category.
• Janice Deborah
o 1x Gold in Violin for Popular Category and 1 x Silver in Violin for Romantic and Classic Category
• Vivienne Poh
o 1 x Silver in Piano for Classical Category
• Koh Wan Enn
o 1 x Bronze in Piano for Classical Category
Flora Ngu, 3 Gold Medal winner at the 22nd KK Music Festival in the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Hotel recently
Megan Lee, a Silver medalist in Classical Piano category and she’s only 6 years old
“As a first time contestant, I am very proud of our students’ performances and their results. It is a testimony that with enough hardwork, dedication and self beliefs, Bruneian can compete at a regional level.” Said Deon Ong.
Incidentally, one of their students, Flora Ngu was recently shortlisted as the final Top 10 candidates by Disney Channel to play the role Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen Orchestral in Singapore.
Deon also added that she was very impressed with the quality of the participants and the standard of the competition put forward by the KK Music Society by involving independent judges from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom. She commented that the Piano category was especially tough, and was happy to see participants competing at such high level.
The school principal takes the opportunity to thank the dedicated teachers and parents who are as deserving to share the glory of the student’s success, and vows to expose more students to such competition. Press release and images from Yippy Tune.
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In the zone
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, UBD Chancellor, braving the crowd and taking photos with the graduates and parents at the UBD 27th convocation last week
Taken from The Brunei Times youtube channel
A total of 1,125 students from Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s third batch of its GenNext programme received their certificates at the varsity’s 27th convocation last Wednesday.
This year’s graduates included 20 PhD students, surpassing last year’s record of 12, UBD said.
The total number of graduating students comprised 379 Masters holders, 664 Bachelor graduates and 62 Diploma recipients. These also include 73 international students at UBD.
During the morning session of the convocation held at UBD’s Chancellor Hall, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, UBD Chancellor, presented certificates to PhD, Masters and Bachelor programme graduates.
The monarch also attended the afternoon session, where he presented certificates to graduates of Education Masters, Postgraduate Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Diploma programmes.
This year’s convocation also saw the first cohort of 15 graduates for the Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM), consisting of graduates from East Asian Summit (EAS) participating countries – the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Russia and Brunei.
The MPPM is a joint programme with leading public policy schools in the United States.
According to UBD, the unique interdisciplinary programme focuses on policy areas that are distinctive to Brunei, namely Islamic Governance, Energy Policy and Management and Environmental Policy and Management.
“It is hoped this interdisciplinary-based programme will be able to contribute to the development of future leaders of high calibre, apart from providing a network for them to interact and directly or indirectly raise the competitiveness of the sultanate internationally,’’ said UBD Vice-Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi. Text courtesy of Rachel Thien of The Brunei Times.
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah presented a certificate to my friend, Pranika Lama
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah presented a certificate to Alison
Hello Pranika 😀
Congratulations Gerald Goh
Maryam Rosli, Business Development & Marketing, Hj Mas Zuraime Hj Abdul Hamid, Head of BruCERT, Muhd Shahrul Fadillah Umar, IT Security Analyst. Shamsul Bahri, CEO of ITPSS and Caroline Ho, Business Development & Marketing during the briefing of the Cyber Battle: Capture The Flag recently
In the cyber sense, it’s a nicer way of saying penetrate the system or in our casual term, hacking.. I attended a press briefing on an upcoming Cyber Battle: Capture The Flag and it will be the first of its kind in Brunei. This is something very new and it will be interesting to see who participate in this competition. Of course, those who are showing interest would have prior knowledge of computing and programming as this is not those kind of console video games you will be playing.
The registration is already open and 10 tens will compete on the 11th October and their missions will be to exploit vulnerabilities on game servers, fix security holes, and defending their flags. The rules and regulations are already posted on their website and you can view them for any clarification.
So why this competition for the first time? Well, the main aim is to identify the winner from Brunei and represent for the ASEAN-Japan Cyber SEA Game which will be held in Jakarta this November. Only the top two teams will represent Brunei in Indonesia. This was announced by Shamsul Bahri, CEO of ITPSS.
The registration is open to Brunei citizens and also to permanent residents aged 30 years and below. You must enter as a team of 2 or 3 members. The closing date for the registration is 2nd October 2015. You can click here to register for the competition. You can also follow their IG for updates @brucert
The event is organised by IT Protective Security Services Sdn Bhd (ITPSS) in their role as Brunei Computer Emergency Response Team (BruCERT). This competition is also supported by Authority for Info-Communication Technology of Brunei (AITI).
Shamsul Bahri, CEO of ITPSS briefing the media on the competition
Caroline Ho revealed the prizes for the top 3 teams. Love the prizes too.
Check out the prizes for the top 3 teams
Muhd Shahrul Fadillah Umar explaining the flow of the competition
Representing Brunei – Lim Ao, Bridgette Ang, D-1 and What?!
They were happy to be on the international stage
They may have not won the finals but they stole the hearts of the audience. Last week, our local musicians belted it out at the ‘Be our Rock & Pop Soul’ Music Competition held at Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam. Two representatives from Brunei made it to the finals – Lim Ao and What?! band. All in all, there were eleven musicians that flew off led by Lily Chiam and also accompanied by their music instructors.
This was the first time that Brunei participated in the competition and they managed to impressed the judges. Tyler Smith, the Senior Vice President of Trinity College in London, also had praised Bruneian performers. “They rocked the house right there,” he said, amid loud cheers from the audience. “The drums were in my face. I liked it.”
It’s good to see that Bruneians are able to perform on the international stage at a very young age. Keep the great work and also credit to the mentors. Images courtesy of Arthur John.
D-1 wooing the crowd with their rendition of “Crazy in love”
The grand winner from Thailand
Evan Chiam rocking the stage
Lim Ao electrifying the crowd with his solo performance
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Music to my ears
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Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Jefriah (left) recently attended Laksamana College of Business (LCB) graduation ceremony for her son’s (Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Muhammad Abdul Razaaq bin Pengiran Sura Negara Pengiran Anak Haji Muhammad Bey Muntassir) graduation from the University Foundation Course programme. Image courtesy of Dean Kassim.
Laksamana College of Business (LCB) held a graduation ceremony for 620 students who successfully completed their courses in business, hospitality and computing last Friday.
The ceremony was held at the Songket Ballroom, The Rizqun International Hotel.
In his welcome speech, the Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, highlighted the importance of equipping oneself with necessary skills for a bright future and to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
“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 in his titah during last year’s Teacher’s Day and 100 Years of Formal Education celebration, has mentioned Brunei Darussalam’s capacity nowadays as a human capital provider rather than a financial donor, through the provision of local English teachers to neighbouring countries, for example.
YAM Pengiran Anak Muhammad Abdul Razaaq receiving his certificate from Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education
The Minister with his welcoming remarks
David Campbell, British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, giving a few words
Siti Kamaliah binti Haji Awang Damit receiving her certificate
Some of the courses fro next year’s intake
“We have been dependent on the oil and gas industry since 1929. Alhamdulillah, it has provided us with much prosperity and opportunity since then. However, it is time to grow and expand the economy; strengthen the current niche industries, and build new sustainable ones to last for more centuries to come and to ensure our economic sustainability. Therefore, the higher education sector’s support is vital to develop talents to reinforce and build up these industries,” the minister said.
Also present during the graduation ceremony were Pehin Orang Kaya Ratna Setia Dato Setia Haji Awang Abdul Hapidz bin Pehin Orang Kaya Laksamana Haji Abdul Razak and Haji Suhaimei bin Awang Haji Besar, Directors of LCB; Ian Pirie, Principal and Director of LCB/Kensington College; David Campbell, British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam; Dr Chris Haslam, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Chester, UK; Dr David Balsamo, Dean of Social Science University of Chester and Garfield Southall, Associate Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering.
The graduation ceremony began with a recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah by Awang Haji Azis @ Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Yassin, a Mosque Affairs Officer from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, followed by other welcoming speeches by Ian Pirie and Dr Chris Haslam.
The graduated students were then presented with certificates and a few selected students gave speeches on their experiences at LCB.
Established in Brunei as a business course provider, LCB is a subsidiary of Kensington College of Business (KCB) in London. Text courtesy of Fizah HAB of Borneo Bulletin and images courtesy of Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin.
You can check out their comprehensive website here for the courses and also follow them on their Facebook Page.
Good luck all of you. Do us proud 😀
They are currently in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – the band of Waht?! and D-1 with soloists Lim Ao (guitarist) and Brigette Ang (vocalist) who recently won in the competition hosted by Expression Music Brunei in association with Trinity London College. They are accompanied by Lily Chiam, founder and music director of Expression Music Brunei and the music instructors from Expression Music and also Chiam Su Lee, Trinity College London’s Brunei Representative.
All the young musicians will compete in the Regional Semi-Finals of the Asean “Be our Rock & Pop Soul” Music Competition which begins tonight (6th September). They departed to Vietnam last Friday.
It’s good to see our youngsters competing in the regional level as they will give more exposure and confidence on our local talents. Let’s hope for the best to all the performers. I have seen them performed a few weeks’ ago and I was totally impressed. On another note, I had to forgo the Vietnam trip with them as I have other commitments. Perhaps next year 😀
Lily Chiam, founder and music director of Expression Music Brunei, with all the musicians and singers who will represent Brunei in the Regional Semi-Finals of the Asean “Be our Rock & Pop Soul” Music Competition at Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The event begins tonight (Sunday).
The musicians being interviewed by The Brunei Times
Free style posing for the camera
Loving their logos to represent the band
Group photo with the music instructors
The night that the Lim Ao wooed the judges with his solo guitar performance. He was also industrious in finding sponsors for the team. Awesome lad!!
Representing the D-1 band
Waht?! band will also represent Brunei in the semi-finals
Taken during the previous competition where D-1 won in the band category
D-1 had their sound check and practice session at Saigon Opera House, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Waht?! band also their practice session. Good luck to all of you.
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Back in SG
I will be away for the next two weeks. But I shall be posting my entries from time to time. Finishing my 1st half year of my trips of 2015. It has been a fruitful year so far.
Every year, the candidates with the highest destination mark for each grade or diploma category will be selected as an Award Winner of their grade/diploma for their respective countries. There is also an outstanding achiever as well where the candidate with the second highest distinction mark of each grade or diploma category will be selected as an outstanding achiever.
The awards was given by Trinity College London. Shian Li was awarded the winner for the Diploma ATCL 2013. Her brother Evan Chiam achieved Grade 6 Piano 2013 and Grade 6 Violin 2014. Both are from Expression Music. Other music school representatives were PJC Virtuoso Music School, Rhytmic Arts Sdn Bhd, Symphony Music School, Precious Music School, Yippy Tune Music School, Seri Mulia Sarjana School, eroding International School, Del Mar Virtuoso Music School, Kim Musical Centre and Suhanda.
Shian Li of Expression Music was awarded the winner for the Diploma ATCL 2013
Evan Chiam of Expression Music achieved Grade 6 Piano 2013 and Grade 6 Violin 2014
Tia Jaafar was in hot form yesterday. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore Facebook.
Brunei in attacking mode. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore Facebook.
The Royal Bees had a great break in the last 5 minutes and stamped their authority over Myanmar 56-47 yesterday in the netball tournament of the 28th SEA Games in OCBC Arena, Singapore. I was kinda upset because I only caught the final 8 minutes of the match (Kinda long story that). Anyway, well done to the Brunei netball team and I’m pretty sure the mood is on a high because a win is a win and this is a good motivation for the Brunei netball team to show that believe that anything is possible especially the teams that are superior to them.
The Royal Bees will need to beat the Philippines (who got trounced by Malaysia 112-11) and Thailand if they need to be in the final four. I believe even one victory over the two will be enough to squeeze in into the final four and that will give a possibility for Brunei to achieve a medal status for the SEA Games.
The head coach was highly praised of the team especially to the centre – Tia and Amal because of their great partnership. Their coach Jinadasa said that they need to work on their defence. This will be their key to beating Thailand (today at 3:30pm). Good luck to the Royal Bees and even though I caught the game with 8 minutes remaining, it was worth the catch 😀 I won’t be catching the rest of the matches as I will be flying off today. Good luck to all the Brunei participants in the SEA Games.
Brunei vs Myanmar. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore Facebook.
Brunei vs Myanmar. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore Facebook.
Hj Abdul Malik from the Department of Youth and Sports was present to watch the netball match
The winning team
The Royal Bees manager being interviewed by RTB
With the reporters – Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times and Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin. Keep up the great work 😀
In the other match and what a thrashing score line
The Malaysians are physically built and taller
Members of YEAB and friends at the hi-tea session at Tarindak Polo Cafe last Sunday
Last Sunday, YEAB organized a simple gathering of its member and potential members at Tarindak Cafe at Jerudong Park. Around 25 people turned up and had a great networking session over hi-tea and hope that it will be benefit the members in terms of business related topics for the growth of SMEs in Brunei Darussalam.
The YEAB is a non-profit organisation, primarily targeted to represent entrepreneurs below the age of 40, who are either a founder, co-founder, owner, partner, major shareholder or holding a management position in a corporation or firm registered in Brunei Darussalam.
Del Goh, the President of YEAB (center) with Deno Goh and Keeran Janin
Our guests from Kuching – Jodie and Sam
Adella Han playing by the beach
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Time to shine
Check out our latest review of Furious 7 featuring Rano and his co-host Del Goh on The Popcorn Panel
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Download SnapFeed app on your smartphones and check out the latest deals in Brunei and also get rewarded from respective merchants such as BurgerKing, KFC and Sushi Tei to name a few.
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BIBD held its annual dinner for staff under the Islamic bank’s group of companies at the Grand Hall, Indera Samudra of The Empire Hotel and Country Club in Jerudong last Friday.
Themed ‘Nostalgia’, the dinner honoured the hard work of the bank’s employees that had contributed to numerous achievements in the past year.
The dinner started with a recitation of the Doa, which was then followed by welcoming remarks by BIBD Managing Director Javed Ahmad. This then proceeded with presentations for Long Service Awards to around 70 employees from the BIBD group.
Among those present to witness the special occasion was the guest of honour, Deputy Minister of Finance Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin Abdullah, who is also the Chairman of the BIBD Board of Directors. Also present were other BIBD board directors and members of the Shariah Advisory Body amongst some 700 personnel from the bank along with its subsidiaries; BIBD At-Tamwil and BIBD Securities.
The annual dinner caps off another milestone year in BIBD’s rich history in Islamic finance, earmarked by notable efforts such as the launch of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, BIBD Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) Programme, along with its first batch of students receiving the programme’s support, among other charitable activities. The programme, now in its second year, aims to help bring more educational opportunities to underprivileged children.
The guest of honour, Deputy Minister of Finance and Chairman of the BIBD Board of Directors Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin Abdullah (L), hands a certificate to a BIBD employee while BIBD Managing Director Javed Ahmad (C), looks on
Last year also saw the bank’s involvment in several key projects such as the relaunch and rebranding of its Perdana Privilege Banking arm with a new lounge and image, which is located on the first floor of the Kompleks Setia Kenangan, and the organising and chairing of the 4th China-ASEAN Interbank Association (CAIBA) Executive Meetings, held for the first time outside China.
The bank also managed to retain its international recognitions such as the Best Retail Bank in Brunei (The Asian Banker), and the Best Bank in Brunei (Global Finance), and Bank of the Year in Brunei (The Banker).
Also in the year, BIBD has been ranked 42nd in terms of Soundness (Capital Asset Ratio) and 697th overall in the top 1,000 World Banks by “The Banker” in 2014, and 14th Strongest Bank among 500 Banks from Asia pacific by balance sheet by The Asian Banker. Image and text courtesy of BIBD.
Photo opportunity with the owner of L’Orient, Sabrina Wong
Late post. A friend of mine Sabrina Wong has finally found a more permanent place for her boutique. Ironically all the different locations that she has tried are all in Kiulap. I kinda prefer her new location of L’Orient and it’s located near Regent Square (newest building) and from the looks of it, her boutique is the first tenant officially operating business in that new building.
So what to expect from L’Orient? If you are into fashion especially the female, you will enjoy the stylish collection designed by Sabrina Wong the owner herself. Now she has upped her game by collaborating with Wilson MC Lau by designing new art fashion collection called the “reach in and stretch out”.
Her shop also sells accessories and bags apart from the interesting range of clothes. The prices may be too high for some but you will know where the dollars are spent. Sabrina has really built her reputation as one of the top designers in Brunei and she has traveled across the world to share her passion and creativity in terms of clothes design.
If you are into a stylish and modern feel look, do consult with Sabrina because she’s really good at it. Do check out her ‘Sab Five Five’ label too. That has been a big hit for her.
Also, keep up to date with the store by visiting its Facebook at www.facebook.com/sabfivefive or its Instagram @sabfivefive. For any enquiries, please contact 2239988 or 8989132.
Quite a good turn out during the official launch
Keeran Janin among the invited guest
Refreshments outside Sabrina’s shop
Josie Abdullah with Sabrina
Sabrina and her friends
Hj Azhar bin Hj Ahmad, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence as the guest of honour during the recent dinner meeting of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club.
Normally the meeting for Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club happens on the final week of the month. So recently it was held at the usual place – Mutiara Ballroom at Radisson Hotel. The meeting is different to that of Brunei Speakers’ Club, OTTERS Club and UBD Toastmasters Club. It is done in a formal dinner setting but with the inclusion of toastmasters meeting.
The dinner meeting from Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club is always open to guests and it’s good to see different guests every now and then. The guest of honour then was Hj Azhar bin Hj Ahmad, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. He was very impressed with the toastmasters meeting and he gave one a good advice that fear will always be there but it’s how we see fear as opportunity.
This month of April, another dinner session will be held but I’m not currently sure of the dates. If you are interested, you can email me at ranoadidas (a) gmail
Fatin won Best Table Topics that evening
Anyati sharing a laugh with the audience
Deno Goh talked about finance during his table topics session
Group photo with the attendees
Delwin Keasberry playing the role as the Timer
Noting relating to the dinner but click image to see last week’s Brunei Speakers’ Club session. Image taken by Reuben Chin.
The Brunei Music Society is presenting the 6th biennial Young Musicians recital on April 10 at 7.30pm at the Arts Centre of the Jerudong International School.
A total of 24 items will be presented by aspiring musicians between the ages of eight and 25, all of whom were selected from over 70 entries.
According to a press release, the final selection includes an exciting array of instruments from violin, cello and piano to saxophone, trumpet and clarinet. In addition, there are three string ensembles.
Applicants, who were required to play at a Grade 6 level or above, submitted an audio recording which was reviewed by a panel of judges from the committee of the Brunei Music Society.
Students who will be performing on April 10 learn music at several local music schools and at the international schools. They are all students who know the importance of persistence and hard work and have spent hours practicing to reach their current level of skill.
Tickets can be booked via SMS (no calls) to 8820014 and via email at bruneims.tickets@gmail.com.
Or via this online booking form http://goo.gl/forms/ERdATcH7cC
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Hazy and hot
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
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Francophonie Week coming soon
BIBD’s Wealth Management Unit (WMU) today, as part of its goal to raise awareness on the benefits of better financial management, delivered a financial planning talk to around forty personnel of the Ministry of Defence. The talk was delivered by BIBD’s own WMU Officer and Islamic Financial Planner, Rozielawati bti Hj Jamil.
One of the motives of these talks was to create awareness among the public on the advantages of current and future wealth management. This is also to support His Majesty’s Titah in conjunction with his birthday on 15th July 2006, “…additional revenue which will be received by the officers and employees of the Government, may be used prudently, while also trying to save through financial planning for future needs.”
Rozielawati started by asking what their financial goals were and commented that one of the basic strategies to achieving it was to manage and plan their finances properly. She continued that every individual will have different financial commitments and concerns throughout different stages of their lives.
She mentions, “When you’re single, you only pay for your personal commitments such as car financing, credit card and personal expenses. However, these commitments change when you get married and have children as you have to consider the expenses of your dependents, takaful/insurance plans, home financing, on top of your own personal commitments.”
Personnel from the Ministry of Defence attending a financial management talk from BIBD’s own Wealth Management Unit officer and Islamic Financial Planner
She also explained that financial commitments shift towards pre-retirement and retirement to include their retirement and medical plans. She also shared how to manage earnings with an ideal financial diet on top of TAP and SCP. An example of an ideal financial diet is to save a minimum of ten percent of basic salary for savings, a maximum of fifteen percent for car financing, a maximum of thirty-five percent for house financing, and a combined fifteen percent for personal financing and credit card.
“It is also recommended to have an additional fund which will only be used in case of any emergencies,” she added. This fund, she advised, should have a provision of at least three to six months of monthly expenses. She shared a few tips on how to maintain the emergency fund such as how to budget and allocate for a consistent monthly saving amount until the emergency fund amount for the account has been reached (the more the better). This includes setting up a standing instruction for periodic transfer of funds and to increase the fund amount to reflect any increments in earnings.
Additionally, she also discussed about their spending requirements during retirement with their old age pension of $250 and a minimum of $150 for SCP. Together they calculated how much they needed to save beforehand in order to live comfortably during their retirement days.
The talk ended with Rozielawati informing the participants on financial planning from an Islamic perspective, which included zakat and the distribution of wealth such as Islamic Will (Wassiyah), gift (Hibah), trust (Amanah) and endowment (Waqaf). To learn more about BIBD’s
To learn more about BIBD’s financial literacy and planning talks, please contact the BIBD Contact Centre at 2238181 or email them directly at wmu@bibd.com.bn.
It’s the sneaks for the upcoming UBD Spectacle 2015 edition. It has been happening every year organised by the Final Year undergraduates from Art & Design, UBD and they will be showcasing their talents. The opening will be on the 8th April at the Art Gallery, Chancellor Hall, UBD and it will be from Monday to Thursday and Saturday from 9am to 7pm. You can check out their Facebook Page and their instagram @ubdspectacle2015 for updates. Images taken from their Facebook Page.
The Baiduri Smart Executive Programme (SEP) rewarded its newest members with Smart Executive branded merchandise as well as Empire Hotel and Country Club vouchers at an event at the Smart Executive Centre, Times Square.
The month of February saw a steady influx of new members comprising new sign-ups and upgraded members. On hand to present the prizes were Hjh Maripaz Abdullah, Business Development Manager, Retail Banking and Smart Executive Programme Manager, Baiduri Bank as well as Mr. Evan Wong, Manager of the Times Square branch.
Speaking on the programme, Hjh Maripaz Abdullah said, “The Smart Executive Programme was launched about 2 years ago at this very same location so it only felt right to use this Smart Executive Centre to hold our reward presentation for our newest members. We created this Centre to cater specifically to our members and to hold events such as this.”
Hjh Maripaz Abdullah, Business Development Manager, Retail Banking and Smart Executive Programme Manager, Baiduri Bank as well as Mr. Evan Wong, Manager of the Times Square branch with new members and upgraded members of Baiduri Smart Executive Programme (SEP)
The Smart Executive Helps U Make the Smart Move promotion was launched in December 2014 in conjunction with Baiduri Bank’s 20th Anniversary to show its appreciation to its growing SEP customer base by offering lifestyle prizes such as hire purchase instalments and Empire Hotel and Country Club vouchers.
Baiduri’s Smart Executive Programme is a unique programme offered by Baiduri Bank which offers a multitude of benefits geared towards the busy, working professional. The benefits include smart banking solutions and special rates across a range of banking products. Smart Executive customers stand to receive exclusive Smart Executive Visa Platinum Credit Cards and Smart Executive MasterCard Premium Debit Cards, subject to Terms & Conditions. More information on the Smart Executive Programme is available on www.baiduri.com or from the Baiduri Deals mobile app. Press release and image courtesy of Baiduri Bank.
Her Excellency, Madam Loan Forgeron, French Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam talking to the press with regards to Good France and Francophonie
Edna Boqueo, the chef of the French Embassy residence, Philipina chef, Edna Boqueo and Frederic Gardien, A French chef talking to the media
Good France, to be held on 19th March (today), is a celebration of excellence of French cuisine and French style dinner throughout the world. 1000 chefs, 1500 restaurants and all French embassies will be involved in the event.
Her Excellency, Madam Loan Forgeron, French Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam will together with all other French ambassadors globally, invite distinguished guests to a French dinner on the 19 March at their residences. Through a meal savoured together, Mdm Loan Forgeron mentioned that it would foster the values of sharing a French culture that is close to the heart of all French, and of which UNESCO has listed as a World Cultural Heritage.
In respect to the cultures, tradition & religion, the meals prepared during the evening are halal, and prepared and cooked without any alcohol of course.
The 19 March is also the opening of the week of Francophonie. France shares so many cultures with French-speaking countries, from Africa to Asia through Canada …. and gastronomy represents a pillar of Francophonie.
Guest of honour for the event is Yang Mulia Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Haji Othman, Deputy Minister of Culture Youth and Sports.
Two chefs, a French chef, Frederic Gardien, and the chef of the residence, Philipina chef, Edna Boqueo, who was trained in Paris by the executive chef of the Ministry of foreign affairs and trade, will showcase French culinary flair with a six course menu.
Her Excellency, with the collaboration of Voon, consultant for BusinessFrance, has jointly organized this event in the hope that through this, Bruneians will find France a more attractive destination and that this will be a start of a journey of discovering and appreciating French produce and products.
In conclusion, HE Mdm Loan Forgeron made mention of the famous French cook in 19th century, Auguste Escoffier, who told that “the art of cuisine is the most elaborate way of diplomacy”.
Late post: I always enjoy the sound of music and a few weeks ago, I experienced a room filled with jazz music and soothing vocals. It was also the first time I saw Serunai Singers performing. I wish to see more of this in the future. Kudos to the team behind it in making an avenue to showcase their talents to music lovers like myself. Keep up the great work!! Just one thing though – make it slightly longer 😀 Thank you, Rebecca, for letting me know of the music showcase.
Young kids belting out some numbers
The Serunai Singers
It was a packed crowd that night
Rachel Drew on the saxophone *me likes*
Eia also wooed the audience
Now I’m impressed with Mercedes who sang the Girl from Ipanema
I love their segment
Serunai Singers and friends
Eia and Rebecca Chin
 
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