Check out our review of Kingsman: The Secret Service starring Rano Iskandar and his co-host Del Goh

 

Acer Aspire

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Travel with agoda

  

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DPMM FC vice-chairman YAM Pg Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pg Anak Haji Abdul Rahim Pg Indera Mahkota Pg Anak (Dr) Kemaludin Al-Haj receiving token of appreciation from DPMM FC Club Manager yesterday.

Let’s forget about last season. It was the closest DPMM FC ever go to winning the S • League title. Close but no cigar. The only highlight to remember was DPMM FC’s League Cup title. This season they can take a step further this season. Their jinx team has always been Tampines Rovers but let’s hope history will not repeat itself.

DPMM FC will take on Harimau Muda on 1st March 2015 at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. After that they will have two away matches Albirex Niigata FC (S) at the Jurong East Stadium on 7th March and Young Lions (Singaporean national Under-23 team) at Jalan Besar Stadium on March 11.

Yesterday was the signing ceremony for DPMM FC’s sponsors and also signing of the DPMM FC squad for 2015 season. Missing from the squad so far that I know of are Shahrazen Said and Subhi Abdillah.

Present during the signing ceremony was the guest of honour DPMM FC vice-chairman YAM Pg Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pg Anak Haji Abdul Rahim Pg Indera Mahkota Pg Anak (Dr) Kemaludin Al-Haj. Images courtesy of Khairil Hassan.

Katherine Hii of You•C1000 continuing the sponsorship for DPMM FC

DST becomes recurring sponsor for DPMM FC

Another regular sponsor for DPMM FC, Brunei Shell Marketing

Maju Motors, another sponsor for DPMM FC

Signing with the DPMM FC players

Signing with the DPMM FC players

Guest of honour with the DPMM FC club manager and sponsors of DPMM FC

The registered squad players of DPMM FC

The imports of DPMM FC – Northern Ireland defender Brian McLean, English forward Craig Fagan, Bosnian defender Boris Raspudic, Brazilian striker Rafael Ramazotti and Irish midfielder Joe Gamble.

 

Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Hj Abdul Malik Hj Mohammad, Director of the Department of Youth and Sports at the opening night of Standard Chartered Bank Trophy 2015

The tournament has begun. It was the first time that Standard Chartered Bank Brunei held a futsal competition known as Standard Chartered Bank Trophy 2015. The winner of the 24 team tournament will fly to Malaysia to represent Brunei and once they beat Malaysia and Thailand, they will sent to the UK to where the finals will take place at Anfield. Awesome, right?

The 24 teams include a team from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Telbru and the media team (Media United) to name a few.

The biggest winners were OLSCB who scored 4-0 over HBS F.I.T in Group H. The tournament continues tonight at Indoor Stadium. Public is more than welcome to catch the matches.

Present were Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Hj Abdul Malik Hj Mohammad, Director of the Department of Youth and Sports.

Rino Donosepoetro said, “We are extremely delighted that Brunei will be represented among the 19 participating markets who are also vying for a chance to advance to Anfield and I am extremely hopeful that we will be one of those countries who will make it through.”

This event is made possible by SCB Brunei and they are very grateful with the support by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and endorsed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) in assisting SCB Brunei with the upcoming event. Images courtesy of Khairil Hassan.

With team SHLM/EasyWay

With Media United

A token of appreciation

Futsal players in action

Guest of honour greeting the players

The captains of the teams

The results last night

 

Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Abd Latiff, mentor and founding member of TEDxGadong, Edward Findlay, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer and Abdul Malik Omar, Chairman and Co-Partner of TEDxGadong at the iCentre last Sunday.

Great job by Abdul Malik Omar and his team for the recent TEDxYouth@Gadong event that took place at the iCentre last Sunday. I only managed to catch two of the final speakers as I had prior commitments to begin with. Nonetheless it was my first presence at this event and I would like to congratulate Abdul Malik Omar to pull off another great session.

This time round, the speakers are not even seasoned speakers. They represent the youth and all the speakers are in the their teen years. What an excellent platform for them to speak in public and share their messages from their experiences and furthermore inspire the audience.

The speakers were as follow:

• Sidharth Raj and Osama bin Tariq on ” Negative Effects of Technology”

• Seyrence on “Bullying”

• Ruby Lim on”Forestry Management”

• Eric Ngu on “Don’t ask “why, ask why not?””

• Awangku Naim on “Youth Leadership”

• Brandon Chin on “The Silent Youth”

• Hee Sang Hong on ” The Ridiculousness of Comparing Yourself to Others”

I kinda enjoyed Hee Sang Hong’s presentation and I believe it relates to all of us whether we like it or not. For someone to pick this awareness up at a very young age, I salute you because this is not an easy thing to share and many of us tend not to acknowledge it due to our high ego.

To the TEDxYouth@Gadong, keep it up and you can follow them on social media @tedxgadong on instagram or check out their Facebook page. Images courtesy of TEDxGadong.

Some of the youth speakers and the attendees

Networking during the break

Hee Sang Hong’s interesting take on comparison. Nicely presented.

Iskandar, didn’t know you were there too :p

Izzah of Brunei Economic Development Board talking about entrepreneurship

 

Check out our review of The Black Sea starring Rano Iskandar and his co-host Del Goh

 

Pengiran Mohd Nasir Pengiran Anak Ja’afar made our country proud by winning gold in the bronze category of the Competition Showjumping International (CSI) 2-Star International Event in Oliva, Spain

I knew he will make it to the summit one day. With more support and encouragement, Pengiran Mohd Nasir Pengiran Anak Ja’afar will make a name for Brunei over and over again. He bagged a gold medal in the bronze category of the Competition Showjumping International (CSI) 2-Star International Event in Oliva, Spain.

The name of his horse is Rudolf Z and he beat his nearest challenger Christiane Boos of Germany and Stephanie Bichsel of Switzerland.

Of course, the highlight moment was when Brunei’s national anthem was echoed during the prize presentation.

The victory propelled to his argument for being excluded from the ASIAN games 2014 as he is confident that he can compete among the best in Europe and that surely can be a good bench mark to be part of the ASIAN games. Pg Nasir has bigger dreams and he is focusing for the upcoming Olympics 2016. He will need full support from the people and also from the relevant authorities to make his dream possible and make our country proud. Images courtesy of @pg_nasir

Pg Nasir with his horse Rudolf Z

Nice saddle, bro

Pg Nasir being featured in Borneo Bulletin. Click here to read more.

 

Review of The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies. Starring Rano Iskandar with his regular co-host @delgoh

 

15 competitors from Busiido Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Club scored a total of 32 medals at the recent BJJ and Submission Grappling Headhunters Challenge in Sabah.

The team, which included 2 women, and 2 competitors in the kid’s category, from the club’s fledgling kids program. Over the two day competition, which had gi and no gi components, the club scored 10 gold medals, 7 silver, and 15 bronze.

According to Assistant Head Coach Danny Gapar, who led the contingent, the club had been preparing for the last 3 months for the competition. Part of their preparations  included inviting BJJ black belt Alexsandro “Leke” Machado to conduct a three-day BJJ seminar which included intense preparation for the competitors.

“I’m pleased with the overall performance of the team in this competition. It just goes to show that the growth and standard of BJJ in Brunei is steadily rising,” he said. “Everyone has been working hard, training 6-7 times a week, preparing for this. A few of the fighters have cut weight to go down a weight category, and there were a few who were competing for the first time,” he said further.

“This is also the first time we featured kids in any competition, as our kids programme is fairly young, having been established in the past year, so it will continue to improve.”

Busiido Mixed Martial Arts is based in Kiarong.  More information about the club can be found on their Facebook page and instagram account : Facebook.com/BusiidoBJJ

 

It’s such a pity this performance has officially been canceled in Brunei Darussalam

[Quote from Magiclee Entertainment]: Dear all Brunei Sungha fans,

We regret to inform you that Sungha Jung performance is now officially canceled due to the show not being approved by MoHA and even after we re-apply to mention about the fan base that are waiting for him anxiously, the results were still the same.

We would like to sincerely apologize to you as it is not something we anticipated as we have been looking forward to the event as much as all his fans.

Nevertheless, all of those who have purchased tickets will be refunded, due to our current event we are busy with, we will be proceeding the ticket refunds starting the 5th of January 2015.

We will announce the location of where you can get your tickets refunded. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

The announcement will be done through this fan page. Thank you. Dated: 16th December 2014 [End quote].

For more information, you can visit Magiclee Entertainment Facebook page for more updates especially on the refunds.

 

Listen on our podcast review of The Expendables 3 with special guest Tiffany Yong on the Popcorn Panel

 

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I can’t believe it that it’s now available in Burger King in Brunei 😀

BURGER KING® Brunei introduces the BK Rendang Deluxe and BK Crispy Chicken Rendang limited only to the Hari Raya season.

The new Rendang sauce, unique to Burger King® comes with a spicy flavor that is in-tune with the festive season. Operations Manager, Saiful Zamhor noted that the selection of Rendang burgers will only be available for a limited time only.

“The Rendang sauce will blend well with local taste-buds as it is a flavour that can be easily accepted by Bruneians. We also offer in both proteins, chicken and beef, hopefully to cater to everyone,” said Saiful.

To cool off after a spicy Rendang meal, Burger King® Brunei is also now offering two dessert options, which is the Sundae Cone for a great value of $1.00 only. Should customers want something with more flavours and textures, the Hershey’s ® Sundae Pie, a product exclusive to Burger King worldwide is also made available and have been receiving great feedback from patron

“The Hershey’s ® Sundae Pie is really a unique product. As mentioned, Burger King® is the only brand in the world that has these pies, and they are a great addition to our snack and dessert’s selection where customers can enjoy at any time of the day,” said Saiful.

As for the Sundae Cups with Strawberry, Chocolate and Caramel toppings, those will be available in the coming weeks, whilst the Taro Pie, another unique product will be available in September.

“This will also be tied in with the launch of our extended range of coffee selection, making us the only Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) in Brunei that offers bean-to-cup coffee,” said Saiful.

All this will be in conjunction with Burger King® Brunei’s second outlet, located at the arrival hall of Brunei International Airport.

“We were looking at an opening in Q2 2014, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we have pushed back the opening to Q3 2014, so customers can expect the opening to be somewhere in September,” said Saiful. He added: “We are working closely with authorities from the Department of Civil Aviation and we think it is the beginning of a great working relationship between the airport and ourselves.”

The response to Burger King has been extremely positive, which has prompted the brand to quickly expand with two more branches, with the third being in the Belait district with a target opening date in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Burger King – Hershey’s Sundae Pie

Burger King – $1 Ice-cream sundae cone

Ms Nancy Ferriman, L’Occitane General Manager for South East Asia for L’Occitane, Ms Sally Lam, CEO of Livewelle Ventures, owner of the Brunei Franchise for L’Occitane and Mr Pierre Imhof, President of the French Brunei Business Association and also CEO of Baiduri Bank. Image courtesy of Mabohai Shopping Complex.

L’Occitane, the latest international brand to be launched in Brunei Darussalam, held its Grand Opening ceremony on 11th August 2014 at the Mabohai Shopping Complex.

The Chief Guest was the President of the French Brunei Business Association and also CEO of Baiduri Bank, Mr Pierre Imhof.  Mr Imhof delivered a warm speech welcoming L’Occitane into the business scene.  Mr. Imhof launched his speech by admiring the colour and floral and herbal scents which radiated from the L’Occitane store.  He congratulated L’Occitane for their opening and wished them success in their endeavours.

Ms Sally Lam, CEO of Livewelle Ventures, owner of the Brunei Franchise for L’Occitane took the guests on a journey of how L’Occitane originated in 1976 from the vision and passion of Olivier Baussan, founder of the company which grew into a world renowned establishment through their natural, traceable and active ingredients and products.   Ms Lam expressed her delight in bringing the brand to Brunei Darussalam and thanked the guests for attending today’s Grand Opening ceremony.

Attending on behalf of L’Occitane is their General Manager for South East Asia, Ms Nancy Ferriman, who said how delighted L’Occitane is to bring a little piece of the sunshine and beauty of the Provence region to Brunei through their Brunei store.   She encouraged the guests to try L’Occitane’s beautiful products and mentioned that a special men’s range is also available under their Verdon, L’Occitan and Verbena products using organic peppermint essential oil, lavender mixed with a peppery and nutmeggy wood scent, and organic verbena & lemony oils.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests and the public were invited to tour the shop to view, test and buy L’Occitane’s wonderful products.  Several guests enjoyed taking photographs with their friends and of themselves against a large photo backdrop depicting a lavender field in full bloom in the South of France.  There was also a product sampling booth where guests were invited to try L’Occitane’s Best Sellers; Immortelle Divine Cream and Almond Milk Concentrate.

In conjunction with their Grand Opening, L’Occitane in partnership with Baiduri Bank Bhd, is offering Baiduri Bank’s Infinite and Platinum Card holders a B$10 Cash Voucher & a VIP Card with minimum purchase of B$100 nett.  This limited offer is valid until 10th September 2014.

L’OCCITANE offers a variety of personal care products, including face, body and hair care, and fragrances using ingredients gathered in the south of France and around the Mediterranean.  Renowned for its high-quality, effective and natural beauty products, L’OCCITANE is anchored in Provence, France, where the fragrant fields of Lavender are a constant reminder of the natural richness of this region.

The first L’OCCITANE store opened in 1981, in Provence. In 2013, L’OCCITANE had a presence in over 90 countries, with over 2,200 stores.

The Complex Manager of Mabohai Shopping Complex, Ms Yee-Man Cheng  said:

“With the debut of L’Occitane in Brunei Darussalam at the Mabohai Shopping Complex, we are delighted to welcome them as our newest tenant, occupying a prime unit on the first floor of the complex.  L’Occitane’s products are renowned internationally for their high quality beauty products and fragrances, developed following the principles of phytotherapy and aromatherapy.  We are especially proud that L’Occitane has decided to open their first store with us and we wish them success in their business venture.”

Mr Pierre Imhof, President of the French Brunei Business Association and also CEO of Baiduri Bank delivering his welcoming remarks

Ms Sally Lam, CEO of Livewelle Ventures, owner of the Brunei Franchise for L’Occitane delivering her welcoming remarks

Guest trying out the products

Check out L’Occitane’s products

Guest trying out the products

L’Occitane is located on 1st floor of Mabohai Shopping Complex

 

Listen on our podcast review of The Expendables 3 with special guest Tiffany Yong on the Popcorn Panel

 

Wu Chun, owner of Fitness Zone and Claudio Abitante, Managing Director of Foodpanda Brunei exchanging documents for an interesting partnership between the two companies.

Last week, Foodpanda, the first food delivery service in Brunei, is now bringing healthy eating and convenience to households in Brunei with their new tie up with The Energy Kitchen & Fitness Zone. After a very successful launch, Foodpanda is very keen to add new restaurants and to expand to more areas in Brunei.

“We are constantly looking to bring greater variety of food to customers and healthy eating is definitely the upcoming trend everywhere around the world nowadays.” says Claudio Abitante, MD foodpanda.com.bn. “We hope of having healthy food and incorporating healthy living to Brunei. ” he adds.

The Energy Kitchen hopes to bring the concept of healthy eating to Bruneians, by encouraging them to “Join the EAT SMART Revolution” and “Enjoy Real Food”. They aim to prove that healthy food can taste good with flavorsome dishes like Baked Sweet Potato Wedges, Superfood Salad, The Energy Burger, Salmon Soba, etc, making it easier for Bruneians to get a healthy meal.

“We have always envisioned people having healthier alternatives to whatever that is available out there – now working with foodpanda – healthy meals are much more easily accessible to everyone out there and everyone should try to eat a balance diet and have an active lifestyle in order to achieve a good quality of life!” says Wu Chun, Owner of The Energy Kitchen & Fitness Zone. “We think this will be a very meaningful partnership between Finess Zone, The Energy Kitchen and Foodpanda”.

Established less than a month ago, Foodpanda Brunei is fast becoming a household name in Brunei as a new way to order and enjoy food. Currently with more than 20 restaurants, foodpanda is not charging a delivery fee for most restaurants to enable Bruneians to try out their service.

“I think this would really suit a busy person such as myself who sometimes finds it very difficult to find healthy food – sometimes I even miss my meals due to my busy schedule! Well, not any more with foodpanda and The Energy Kitchen. Now, i can really nourish my body with superfood with the help of The Energy Kitchen ” says Jamillah, a local health enthusiast.Fitness Zone, the biggest health club in Brunei will come in as the official health partner with Food panda.

Order a minimum of $15 from food panda and customers will receive a 1 week membership to this international standard health club. According to Wu Chun, ” This collaboration is in line with Fitness Zone CSR project to encourage Bruneians to stay an active lifestyle and enjoy the many good things life can bring to you when you are fit and healthy!”

From the overwhelming response to their launch, foodpanda.com.bn are now looking to aggressively grow by expanding to other parts of Brunei and adding in more restaurants to their list. Besides delivery, foodpanda.com.bn also offers take-away and pre-order options. Customers can skip queues and order food on the go or pre-order meals from their favorite restaurants. Currently delivery orders are taken via their website and mobile application on iOS, Google Play and Windows
Store.

For more information, please call Fitness Zone at 2233338 and The Energy Kitchen at 2233323 or visit our website www.fitnesszone.com.bn or facebook – FitnesszoneBrunei.

The cute Foodpanda balls

One of the healthy dishes from Energy Kitchen

The signing ceremony between Wu Chun and Claudio Abitante

Wu Chun with the Brunei team of Foodpanda

Now isn’t this an awesome deal? They just received additional fundings and this time, in the figure of USD 60 million in a new financing from a group of investors including existing backer Rocket Internet AG.

Did you know that Foodpanda is only two years old? It’s amazing how they have created such a phenomena in the past years or so. Amazing indeed! They are quite big in other countries and Brunei just launched the Foodpanda services a few weeks ago and the orders have steadily increased, considering its smaller market size as compared to other countries.

The additional funds will help Foodpanda to penetrate to other markets in Asian, Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Latin America.

According to the news online, there are other major players such as GrubHub, Just-Eat and Delivery Hero that also provide similar services. For your info, Brunei also have their own home-grown food delivery service app and it’s called Food Fuel created by a start-up company DotRoot Technologies.

Screenshot taken on Reuters’ news on Foodpanda. Click to read more.