Dananjaya Hettiarachchi recently shared some tips on presentation posted in Business Insider

A world champion. A motivational speaker. An individual who can unlock something special in you. His journey has been inspiring to many from the failures to the successes that he never thought he would have dreamt of.

Hailed from Sri Lanka, I only came to know of the lad back in August 2014 when I attended an International Convention (Toastmasters) in Kuala Lumpur and we met again back in Kuching in May 2015. The KL trip was something that I wouldn’t forget for two reasons – supporting our Brunei Speakers’ Club finalists Chris Woo (the best achievement for a Brunei toastmasters club) and a world champion speech by Dananjaya Hettiarachchi.

Even to this very day, his tagline “I See Something” has become a household phrase in toastmasters meeting or speeches and it was the most talked-about speeches of 2014. I would considered myself fortunate to be one of the audience among the thousands that attended the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking 2014 in Kuala Lumpur because I never felt that “sold” in listening to speeches. Dananjaya was simply inspirational and charismatic on stage and I knew the finalists then would have a hard time stealing his thunder.

From that moment, I wish I could bring him to Brunei one day and inspire the youths in our country. After months of planning, I was over the moon when I heard the news that he accepted our invitation to speak in Brunei Darussalam this coming October 2016. I’m truly grateful for Dananjaya to schedule his time for the Brunei Convention 2016, knowing that his schedules are very packed with seminars and talks.

Dananjaya Hettiarachch delivering his award winning speech that made him a champion in public speaking in 2014

So my buddy Dananjaya, on behalf of the organizing committee of the Brunei Conference 2016, I would like to extend our deepest appreciation for making your short trip to Brunei possible. We are ready to host you and welcome you with great hospitality. A big thanks to Shawn Cassidy Narcis for making his trip possible.

Don’t forget to catch the video of Dananjaya Hettiarachchi on the link video I have posted on this post. It may be a short one but it was surely inspiring and compelling towards the audience. Even his winning speech has garnered 1 million views on youtube. Now that he’s making his way to Brunei, what are you waiting for? For more details, you can click here and I would highly recommend you to attend this conference.

For those interested in attending the Brunei Conference 2016, you can reach me at ranoadidas gmail.com or whatsapp me at +68738677773. There are still seats available for the 3 day convention. There will also be other speakers such as Mohamed Murad (Past International President) and Willie Jones (World Champion of Public Speaking 1996). Not forgetting our local speakers, Soon Loo, CEO of Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) and Stuart Lee of Rhymin Partners. I have also finally secured another speaker and he is no other than the reigning World Championship of Public Speaking 2016, Darren Tay, who was crowned in August in Washington, D.C.

Believe it or not, I want to be a champion like Dananjaya. Taken back in May 2015 when he was a keynote speaker in Kuching

Click image to find out more

He’s known as “Dan” by many and I’ve been following his journey on IG @dananjaya_h and Facebook and even on the internet. Though he was a champion two years ago, he still is one of the most sought speakers around the world. He has been traveling around the world and his next date will be Brunei before he heads off to Amsterdam (Holland), Hiroshima (Japan) and Richmond (USA) to cap off the year. Awesome!!!

If you meet him in person, only one word to describe him – charismatic (and super cool). He has been in a journey of toastmasters or public speaking for 10 years. He loves to inspire the thousands in bettering their communication skills and he is very popular in schools.

The Brunei Conference committee is very privilege to have his presence in Brunei on 28th October to 29th October. We are certain that his presence and his keynote speech will have a positive ripple effect on the audience and hoping for more youth to attend the conference.

If you are interested, please reach me at 8677773. We are selling tickets by next week (mid September) and the prices are BND 120 (29th October, Saturday session 9am to 4pm) and BND 50 for the Speech contest (30th October, Sunday 8am). If you are interested also in attending the dinner, it will be BND 50 for Friday, 28th October.

This is slated to be the biggest toastmasters event ever hosted in Brunei Darussalam because we have three world champion speakers – Willie Jones, Dan the Man and reigning champion Darren Tay. So yes, sometime to look forward to and the target audience will be the youth, working class, teachers, parents, students, professionals, government officials and entrepreneurs.

A big thank you also to the sponsors, partners and supporters of this event – Progresif, Brunei Tourism under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, RYS Entertainment, Armtrix Enterprise, NBT, BIG magazine, The Brunei Times, AKK Design, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Rizqun International Hotel and many more (to be finalized). I would also like to acknowledge the Ministry of Home Affairs for approving this event.

So once again, If you are interested, please reach me at 8677773 and you can read more details here on our official website.

When you are climbing a mountain there is a summit , in life all you find is an endless wall. You can take the easy way and slide endlessly into the darkness or take the hard way and climb into the eternal light. Either way, there is no end to how far you can fall nor how high you can climb – Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. Image taken of Dananjaya Hettiarachchi’s Facebook page.

Ciara with the man himself back in Kuching 2015

Danajaya being a speaker at a Rotary event in July. Image taken from Dananjaya Hettiarachchi’s Facebook page.

Another excited person to see Dananjaya in Brunei

 

Her Excellency Mrs. Nagma M. Mallick, the High Commissioner of India to Brunei capped the night with a powerful message to the audience – show conviction when you believe in yourself

Rozana Yunos, President of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, did a marvellous job as the SAA and also uplifted the mood to kick off the meeting

What a night to cap off and to start the weekend! The Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club hosted their 2nd meeting of the term and this time, it was held on the Presidential Lounge on Level 8 due to a wedding event on Level 4.

Stuart Lee stood in for Allen Ang ,who was supposedly the host (toastmasters of the evening). However, Allen is currently in Surabaya for a workshop. As usual, Stuart started with a bang and I liked how he paced the evening as the sessions were behind schedule. This is a good reference for future TMEs at at a BASC monthly meeting should the event starts later than scheduled.

Madam President Rozana was articulate in her opening remarks and praised the growth of certain members who have excelled in their growth and contributed back to the community as a leader and a communicator.

There were many first moments to talk about here. It was the first time the club opened to visiting members to be part of the moderating session. Pooja, whose forte is in evaluation, was invited to evaluate Theressa’s inspirational speech. Speaking of Theressa (a UBD Toastmasters member), she became the first non-member to present a prepared speech in a BSC meeting and wow, she did not disappoint at all.

You may heard the clichè of taking things for granted but Theressa’s delivery gave it a new perspective that will stick in our minds. I was moved and inspired by her vulnerability and awarenesses. Truly salute your journey as a nurse and now we know the reason why. Do check out her speech once it’s uploaded on the UBD Toastmasters youtube channel.

Another competent speaker, Delwin Keasberry aka @bruneitweet finally presented his 5th speech (body language) and I was hoping he would share of his WWE fan journey *lol* I found his story quite entertaining, reviving his teenage years with his friends and being in trouble with the authorities. A poised speaker at best, Delwin nailed the objectives with ease and now he is 5 speeches away to earn a pin. Keep it going, bro 😀

The host of the evening – Stuart Lee

Delwin Keasberry shared a funny childhood story and wowed the panelists on his objectives (body language)

Pranika Lama and Elizabeth Sim as evaluators for Delwin and being moderated by Chris Woo. Very insightful analysis and I’m amazed how observant they are. Pranika claimed that she enjoyed that session very much.

Many smiles during the course of the night

One of the best inspiring speeches I’ve heard in a long time. I do agree with Pooja’s evaluation on Theressa’s speech – “I was quite involved and moved too”. Congratulations, Theressa, on your CC10 project (Inspiring Speech) and I never experienced a prolonged applause after a speech. You deservedly earned that.

The evaluators were inspired by Theressa’s speech and they felt empowered

Yani who has been a toastmasters for 10 years, presented a workshop on empowering the youths and this is such an appropriate topic to bring up. With many adults in attendance, Yani unveiled some pointers based on her experience in empowering others and these are very relatable to the audience. Now with her 2 year old daughter empowering her, Yani has opened up more awarenesses and feeling empowered too.

The moderation sessions were great and it was nice to see Pranika back in action again in the moderation panel. Chris Woo, as usual, fitted the occasion as a principal moderator and the audience benefited from the analytical feedback from the four evaluators on Theressa’s and Delwin’s speeches.

The night was capped off by a powerful message by the guest of honour Her Excellency Mrs. Nagma M. Mallick, the High Commissioner of India to Brunei. In a nutshell, she urged us to believe in ourselves and show conviction if necessary. Her speech, in itself, was pretty inspirational and hoped the guests in attendance will take something back and inspired to speak out in what he or she believes in.

Yani Hepnie conducted a workshop on empowering yourself and others. I enjoyed this session very much too.

Heidi Rahman made a conscious choice to attend the BASC meeting in final minutes and she enjoyed it

The guest of honour was a former toastmasters member too

Gerald Goh shared how he empowered others at work

The young ladies have made an impact on their clubs and also at other clubs. Great leaders whom I admire and aspire to be.

This was shot number 6. It’s never easy to satisfy ladies when it comes to perfection in photos :p

The toastmasters members and guests at last night’s meeting. Datin Faridah is our dedicated, perpetual guest 😀 Thank you so much for your support to BASC for all these years.

 

Group photo with Brunei Shell Marketing and T.K. Asco during the launch of BSM Shell Helix Branded Workshop at T.K. Asco in Menglait. Image courtesy of Brunei Shell Marketing.

Taken from T.K. Asco Facebook Page

Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sendirian Berhad (BSM) recently launched a BSM Shell Helix Branded Workshop at T.K. Asco in Menglait.

BSM initiated the Helix Branded Workshop Project to provide standard support at sites to eligible customers.

According to the Head of Commercial, Siti Kurshiah Hj Anuar, “Our distributors welcome the Shell Helix branded workshop concept as it is a worthy CVP for them to build trust with their customers and help them with their consumer retention, consumer acquisition, ultimately, leads to brand trust. With the Shell Helix Branded Workshop, the customer can trust our distributors take care of their cars at a reasonable price.  The Shell Technical Advisers (mechanics) are more professional due to the training received, making them more capable of caring for their cars in terms of the suitability of lubes oil on offer (suitable for engine and car).”

By being a Shell Helix Branded Workshop, it also makes our Shell Authorised Dealers be more visible for quick differentiation amongst the various Independent Workshops out there. These workshops will assure the public of the integrity and the quality of the products being sold at the workshops. A Shell Helix Branded Workshop also offers good service level from a hassle free experience (served by trained and experienced mechanic without waiting too long) with a comfortable waiting area.

Ribbon cutting with Siti Kurshiah Hj Anuar, Head of Commercial, BSM (center) with Sandra and Dominic Ng, Managing Director of T.K. Asco. Image courtesy of Brunei Shell Marketing.

Dominic Ng recently received an award for T.K. Asco for being the Top Distributor Performer Lubricant Award 2015 from Brunei Shell Marketing

T.K. Asco Enterprise was established in 2010, and the operation started on 2010 at the current shop (Menglait). Starting with only 8 staff, TK Asco Enterprise have since grown to the current total work force of 20 with 6 supporting vehicles.

Due to the expansion, TK Asco Enterprise started to look for a bigger place to better service our customers. In 2015, TK Asco started renovation works, and is pleased to officially open the workshop on 21st Jan 2016.

Both the Managing Directors Dominic and Sandra of T.K. Asco Enterprise had very long working relationship with BSM. It started as both were previously involved with the workshop Sandra’s father operated back in 1980s. At the time, the involvement is mainly as the retailer of BSM’s product.

According to Dominic, “In 2010, TK Asco Enterprise was honored to sign up the agreement with BSM as the distributor of BSM products. With the support of BSM, the diligent effort of all staff and the support of our customers, TK Asco became one of the top agent of BSM today. TK Asco Enterprise hopes to get continuing support from BSM, as well as the company’s commitment to give our best services to our customers, TK Asco Enterprise foresee further growth in the industry.”

You can view their updates on their Facebook Page. Congratulations on the launching the BSM Shell Helix Branded Workshop.

Also present during the launch was Penghulu Mukim Gadong B, Major (Retired) Penghulu Haji Bakar bin Sapar. For any enquiries and feedback, please contact BSM at 2774277 or email BSM-External-Affairs@shell.com

 

Baiduri Capital, in collaboration with Phillip Securities, is hosting a series of workshops educating customers on fundamentals in securities trading.

Last night the first workshop, held at Radisson Hotel, was conducted by invited speaker, Mr Gavin Chia, Manager, Corporate Development, Securities & Wealth Management in Phillip Securities, Singapore.

Another workshop for KB customers will be held at Plaza Sutera Biru today.

The series of workshops is intended to not only keep customers well informed on the fundamental analysis in securities trading but also to keep abreast of the latest trends in financial markets.

Aside from discussing fundamental analysis for securities trading, the speaker discussed a review and outlook of world economy for 2016 and beyond including US, Euro, China, Singapore as well as the outlook for commodities. He also discussed some key risks to global growth, factors that affect the stock markets as well as covered some key consideration for investors.

Also present at the event were management and staff of Baiduri Capital including Peng Eng Soon, General Manager, Baiduri Capital as well as Yeo Kun Yu, Assistant Manager, Trading & Investment Services, Baiduri Capital.

Baiduri Capital hosted a series of workshops and last night was at Radisson Hotel

Baiduri Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Baiduri Bank, offers its customers opportunities to invest in international stock markets via its innovative online portal. It is also the first in the Brunei market to offer online securities trading. For customers’ convenience, it can be accessed from an internet browser, on any laptop, tablet, or even phone, depending on the customer’s preference. The investor-focused design is feature rich, allowing customers to research prices, as well as look up market information to assist decision making when trading online.

At the Baiduri Capital premises located in Kiarong Complex, trading booths are available and equipped with tablets for customers to trade. Well versed Baiduri Capital staff, including an in-house financial planner, and qualified and registered dealers, will be on site to provide investment guidance and assist with trades if required. In addition there is a suite of tools available such as the viewing gallery to track price movements in SGX (Singapore) and Bursa Malaysia.

Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank (right) during the launch of Baiduri Capital last year

 

Audi A3 Sedan starting from BND 43,900. Check them out at T.C.Y. showroom

 

It’s happening tomorrow at Jerudong International School

Press release from Nuri Sufri of Borneo Bulletin [edited]: TEDxYouth@Gadong, in collaboration with Jerudong International School (JIS), will be hosting a day of informative talks on January 24, which will focus on topics such as ‘Youth and Technology’, ‘How the Internet works’, ‘Cyber Bullying’, ‘Narcissism’, and ‘Feminism and Technology’.

Speaking to the Borneo Bulletin, Mohammad Izzat Fadhli Embran and Chynna Tan, the organisers of TEDxYouth@Gadong, described TEDx Youth@Gadong as a gateway for the youth to generate and share ideas on the relevance of technology, which can be beneficial when used responsibly.

A total of 14 youth speakers and three guest speakers will participate in the talks, namely Yussof Sidek, the Head of IT Security at BIBD; Dr Masters, Jerudong International School teacher; and Delwin Keasberry, a two-time TEDx speaker.

In an interview, Meghana Bharadwaj, the Head of the JIS organising committee, explained that the selected youth speakers underwent a filtering process out of 40 people.

The panel of judges during the selection process included Sarimah Latiff, the Senior Advisor and Co-partner of TEDxYouth@Gadong, and teachers from JIS and also invited special judges, Pranika Lama, Reuben Chin and Reuben Fang who oversaw the application, audition and selections; and who provided coaching and advice to participants.

Some of the youth speakers tomorrow. Shiam Li Chiam, Haerem Jalees, Hugo Eaton and Erna Maciulis

Some of the youth speakers tomorrow. Wafi Habib, John Fung, Stephen Klock & Andrew Mitchell and Siang Jin Law

Meghana Bharadwaj, Mohd Izzat Fadhli Embran and Chynna Tan, the Organising Committee for TEDxYouth@Gadong and JIS Committee. Image courtesy of Nuri Sufri of Borneo Bulletin.

Some of the judges and committee looking over the candidates before shortlisting the speakers. Image taken from @tedxgadong IG

One of the chosen youth speakers is Siang Jin Law, who will be discussing “Feminism and Technology”, where she hopes to increase awareness on gender inequality including the stigmatism surrounding feminism, and the role of technology in the development of modern feminism.

“I am very passionate about this topic, and TEDxYouth@Gadong provides an excellent platform to raise awareness to discuss this issue,” she said.

Each speaker will discuss thought-provoking topics relevant to modern technology and society during the sessions, which will take place from 9am to 4pm, on January 24.

For tickets inquiry, you can contact Izzat 716 0830 or Cheyeene 862 1658. A few seats left in Silver Category and Bronze is all sold out. You can follow updates on IG @tedxgadong

Venus Chong to share her views on the negative implications of the Internet

Venus Chong. At 17 years old, shehas already had her fair share of experience in public speaking. Her journey started back in her old high school, STPRI, when she was in Year 8. She has been an emcee for assemblies, joined the National Debate Competition and the National English Language Oratory Competition (BELTA). Entering Maktab Duli did not stop her achievements. She became a part of the winning Upper Team in the Upper Level National Debate Competition. Soon after, she was elected as President.

Venus considers herself outspoken and very opinionated. She’ll be sharing with us how the Internet has amplified the narcissist in all of us. She believes that there lies a narcissist in each and every one of us, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Venus plans to make us realize, accept and love ourselves a little bit more.

Ahmad Syauqie will share his thoughts on cyber bullying

Ahmad Syauqie. He started out experiencing bad stage frights until in 2012, his interest in public speaking was peaked with the encouragement of a teacher. He won 3rd place in the National English Language Oratory Competition (BELTA) and later helped the next BELTA representatives and his peers in their science presentation.

Public speaking isn’t the only thing, however, that caught Syauqie’s attention. He realized that cyber bullying is growing to be an increasing problem in our society. The effects it has on each individual are left in the dark, therefore he aims to shed light on this situation. He hopes people would channel the kindness within and use technology for the greater good. Let him tell you how.

Only a few tickets left for Gold and Silver seats. Do call the number to see if there are still available.

 

Congratulations BIG Borneo Magazine #thebig10festival

Borneo Insider’s Guide (BiG) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with The BiG 10th Anniversary Picnic Festival at the Jerudong Park Colonnade this Sunday, 24th January 2016, from 2pm – 10pm. There will be open-air picnic spots; 8 live music performances by Maria ‘Eia’ Grace Koh, Kala K, with support from DIG Records Preservation Blues Jazz Hall Band and friends; lucky draws, an adult colouring competition and a photo competition with prizes to be won, great food and creative crafts on sale by 50 local and regional vendors.

The BiG anniversary event is not just a celebration of BiG magazine’s 10th year in print, but it is also to raise money for two local charities: Majlis Kesejahteraan Masyarakat (MKM) and Care and Actions for Strays (CAS). The event is jointly organised by the BiG magazine team and ‘The Collective’ @thecollectiveartevents – a locally-owned and independently-run creative arts organisation.

And check out who will be there @enyabijoux @doitgoodrecords @thefairyjars @phatcookies @roomfordesser.bn @kapowerburger @topfolk @sipntell @cabanabrunei @theenergykitchen @mo.pies.brunei @coulee.co @thehomebaker @kitchenjasmine @mariesteashop @one.smart.cookie @relentessbrunei @rakjas_kitchen @ktbr_brunei @keeping_eat_simple @flintandsteelborneo @thenaturalbar @beadsheaps @sewnbyskeef @lokalground @kraytionco @littlethingsbrunei @zippynzesty @diaphanousbymumzie @hausofjimmyr @wyljewellery @needsbmajor @thatskitchenwareplace @mycolourbrush @balloonboutiquebn @coffeebean_brunei

 

Only now until 6th June. Prices are cheaper than usual and only last for four days. What are you waiting for? Thank you RB and congratulations on your 40th year of flight 😀 Click image to enter website.

 

Brunei lost to Thailand yesterday 40-45 in the preliminary round of the netball SEA Games 2015. Image courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.

Ah, I wasn’t even in the netball match between Brunei and Thailand but I was up to date with the progress of the match. It was quite unfortunate that Brunei didn’t manage to squeeze that victory over Thailand. At one stage, Brunei was leading by 5 points at half time but the third quarter, Thailand upped their game and outscored Brunei and finished the game, winning by 5 points (40-45). The result meant that Brunei must beat the Philippines to be in contention for the semi-final berth.

In the other match, host Singapore failed to capitalize on home court advantage as they drew 35-35 in the preliminary round of the netball competition. This would mean the top of the group will be determined by a better goal difference. Singapore had the edge when they were leading 30-24 coming into the fourth quarter but the host blew their lead and the visitors capitalized on Singapore’s errors to stage a come back.

That’s it from for my updates on the current netball competition.

The Singaporean fans supporting their team in netball. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.

Singapore vs Malaysia. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.

Singapore vs Malaysia. Image courtesy of Netball Singapore.

 

When Brunei Speakers’ Club was awarded with President’s Distinguish Club, we invited other Brunei toastmasters club to join the celebration. Thank you all for showing the true value of a toastmaster.

This is the Brunei dancing group – Brendan, Supatra, Jack, Farhan, Seng Yee and I. Thank you to Nora and Joanna from KK for helping us to coordinate the dances. It finally paid off 😀

Late post: Two weeks ago, around 25 members from Brunei Toastmasters Club attended 3-days Toastmasters International District 87 Annual Conference held in Kuching.

Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches communication and leadership skills through a worldwide network of more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. In Brunei, there are 4 Toastmasters clubs – Brunei Speakers’ Club, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, Oil Town Talkers Toastmasters Club and the newly chartered UBD Toastmasters Club. So far, the journey and the growth have been great and the number of members gradually increasing.

During the 3-days conference, camaraderie between members have developed phenomenally and meaningful friendships have been strengthened. But to me, what is great about Brunei toastmasters is that we are great as a unit and we are united as one. I do observed how the Brunei toastmasters in different clubs operate but we all have the same agenda, to grow and to learn together and not see each other as competition.

In the Award Ceremony, Genevieve Lai, one of the founding members of Brunei Speakers’ Club made Brunei proud when she was among the few who was awarded the Distinguished Toastmasters Award (DTM), the highest education and leadership award from Toastmasters International. This would mean that she completed 40 speeches and completed four leadership manuals and also taking up higher positions in the ranks of toastmasters. So this is no easy feat at all.

She has also achieved Triple Crown awards along with Reuben Chin, Pranika Lama, Jason Koo and Allen Ang. Triple Crown awards were given to achievers who had accomplished three or more education or leadership programmes in one single term. I’m aiming for one next year so we will see how it goes 😀

What do all of them have in common? They all achieved triple crowns 😀 Reuben Chin (UBD Toastmasters), Pranika Lama (UBD Toastmasters), Genevieve Lai (Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club), Jason Koo (Otters) and Allen Ang (Otters). Genevieve was also awarded Distinguished Toastmasters title that time.

Shawn Cassidy Narcis pitched why we all should go to Bali this November for the semi-annual conference. I’m definitely going 😀

I successfully pitched for the next convention to be in Brunei Darussalam. Now that’s a huge project for me but I’m confident that we can do this 😀

Brunei Speakers’ Club (BSC) was awarded President’s Distinguished Club, the highest rating that Toastmasters International gives to its clubs, in recognition of the club’s effort to maintain high quality meetings and good membership. BSC also achieved it last year and this shows great leadership in our club in recent years.

Brunei toastmasters hit milestones after milestones. During the District Council meeting, Shawn Cassidy Narcis was elected the Club Growth Director for District 87. District 87 is a region of Toastmasters International including Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia. It comprises 7 divisions with more than 150 corporate and community clubs.

“I will be working with every member in District 87 to have a greater experience in the Toastmasters journey, where friends help friends to grow and support each other. Every journey begins with a single step. And with every single step we can accomplish and reach our destination” said Narcis, incoming Club Growth Director 2015/2016.

To me, Shawn is our pillar in Brunei toastmasters. He has been a great role model for many and this is one reason why toastmasters is very strong in Brunei and I’m happy that he was elected as Club Growth Director.

Another leader in our community, Reuben Chin, stood up as the Division (K) Director where he will be serving 7 Areas which include Brunei, Labuan and Sabah.

“Over the coming years, we will see a rise in membership as the Toastmasters Program continues to make an impact on more and more peoples’ lives. And as that happens, it is our responsibility to focus on the learning aspect of Toastmasters. The focus on of the coming term will be an emphasis on education” said Chin.

Allen Ang, the incoming Area Director (K6) also added that sharing of best practices among clubs is essential for the club growth and success within Brunei. The current Area Director is Ruey Chong Narcis.

Pranika Lama with world champion of public speaking 2014 Dananjaya Hettiarachchi

So Dananjaya wants to be like me?? 😀

Seng Yee with the charismatic champion

During the conference, Education Sessions were also held where the World Champion of Public Speaking 2014, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi gave a motivational speech highlighting his journey to the World Championship last year. In his speech, he quoted “When you want something as bad as you want to breathe, then you will achieve it”. Best part about Dananjaya was that he actually invested his spare time in Kuching to be with the Brunei toastmasters and wow, he is such an inspirational and charismatic individual. We were all so blessed for him showing up.

Other speakers include Shurooq AlBanna (first Arab woman who won third place in the World Championship of Public Speaking), Johnny Uy (International Speech Contest Semi-finalist), Zaharom Naim (Professor of Media and Communication Studies), Raju Mandhyan (Coach & Learning Facilitator) and Alex Wong (ex-CEO of Pan Global, adventurer, author).

The next District 87 Conference will be held in Bali from October 30th to November 1st organised by Brunei Toastmasters, Shawn Cassidy Narcis. On a better not, I, as a member from Brunei Speakers’ Club also pitched in the District Council Meeting to host the District Semi-Annual Conference in November 2016. To me, it is my deepest intention to spread the awareness of Toastmasters in Brunei for the benefit of the community and I believe this event will bring a new chapter to Brunei.

Brunei Speakers’ Club meets regularly each Tuesday at 7:30 at SEAMEO VOCTECH. For more information about the event and club, please visit www.bruneispeakersclub.com and thanks VPR, Seng Yee for the write up.

We are not just toastmasters, we are family

During the Gala Dinner with the Brunei toastmasters

Rano Iskandar, the organizing chair for Semi-Annual District 2016 in Brunei, Reuben Chin, newly elect Division Director K, Shawn Cassidy Narcis, newly elect Club Growth Director (District) and Allen Ang, Area K6 Director

 

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

 

Acer Aspire

Free labour charge on repairs for Peugeot. Click image to enter website to find out more.

Promotion from Pizza Hut. Click image to enter website.

 

Travel with agoda

  

Click image to enter ICON Design Store

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office graced the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium last Sunday.
His Royal Highness, who is also the Chairman of DPMM FC, joined the junior participants and the new import players for a group picture.

Among those participating was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim, who joined more than 100 junior participants in the technical training session during the DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015.

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session, which was conducted by DPMM FC’s head coach Steve Kean.

Also participating in the training session were the grandsons of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim and YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Haseeb bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office greeting the young players during DPMM FC / S League Football Fanfare 2015 at the Jerudong Mini Stadium. Image courtesy of Khairil Hassan of Borneo Bulletin.

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim also received a certificate of participation for the completion of the training session. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim in the group photo. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Raqiib bin Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim also in attendance. Image courtesy of @WSRBrunei (White Room Studio)

Fresh from completing the foreign quota with the arrival of new imports Craig Fagan, Brian McLean and Rafael Ramazzoti, the club is in its final week of preparation ahead of their first home game this season against Harimau Muda this Sunday, March 1.

The open training session attracted the participation of more than 100 junior footballers the majority of whom were from various schools and clubs that encourage youth development and promotion with the likes of Sports School and International School Brunei (ISB).

Kean revealed that he sees the young participants as potential players in the future adding that it only takes few hours to identify talent.

“We see these children today as potential players for us in the future. It was always nice for them to spend some time with the current players. We had a good response last year and this year was even better,” Kean said. “Certainly, in the few hours, you can identify some players that has potential to be professional players. It doesn’t take long to see the ones that got something special and we’ve seen lots of them today.”

The S League ‘Coach of the Year’ 2014 nominee was fairly impressed with the conduct and attitude shown by the junior players adding that the participants would return after a water break to learn about the other components linked with the technical aspects of the game.

“It was very warm today and the players asked that if they can have a little water break and after 10 minutes again they want to go back out and do something else. They were asking how this warm up, how we should warm down, and what type of stretching you should do. We mentioned a lot of injury prevention and they were asking if we can show them something. We showed that in the end and hopefully they can learn something”.

“It is about participation. If the young players can get enthusiasm and excitement today and wants to play football, it is not just about watching on TV. Hopefully they get what I would call the bug to play and that excitement never leaves you. If they can get a ball and practice at school, practice with a friend at school, after school, when they get a break at the weekends and as much contact with the ball and keep their skill level up, I’m sure they are some of those players who are here today that in the years to come would say that was the first time I decided to be a professional player”.

The objective of the training was to further comprehend the technical elements of the game for instance by controlling the ball not just by the stronger foot but also to work on a weaker foot. You’d never stop learning. Even the senior players like Joe Gamble, Craig Fagan and Bobby our captain, they’re learning and improving everyday”, added the head coach.

Meanwhile, Lim Chin, the Chief Executive Officer of S League commended DPMM FC’s initiative of building a fan base and encouraging active community participation and education through football.
“It is like a family concept and this is where we should build a fan base for each club through the children. The children can get to see up close and personal with the stars and besides just shaking hands and getting autographs, they are playing with the football stars”, Lim said.

“I think it is great to build up a fan and player relationship and DPMM FC did the right thing to hold a football fun fair on a beautiful Sunday morning”.

“I know the training is very short but I think what the children would remember that they learn the art of heading from this Brazilian player or he learnt dribbling from Azwan Ali. So when they see these players in action he remembers the half and hour sessions with them on that particular day. And maybe in time they (the club) can do more of this to engage with the fans”, Lim concluded.

Shortly after a certificate presentation to the participants, a souvenir was presented to the CEO of S League, Lim Chin as a token of appreciation by YAM Pengiran Maharaja Setia Laila Diraja Sahibul Irshad Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Rahim bin Pengiran Indera Mahkota Pengiran Anak Dr. Kemaluddin Al Haj, the Vice Chairman of DPMM FC. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

Image courtesy of @haqimie267 (Fazizul Haqimie Photography)

 

This will be another interesting contest. I remember last year I covering the Area Contest of Brunei Toastmasters where Chris Woo, a member of Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, made a name for our local club when he came top 9 in the International Speech Contest amongst 30,000 competitors. It was a huge milestone for Brunei Speakers’ Club. Reaching the world’s finals meant that he had to win in all six contests to reach to the finals – at club level, at Area level (to determine who will the Brunei representative), at Division Level, At District Level, then the semi-finals before they chose the top nine to the finals. So Chris Woo experienced to all those stages last year and it was something he didn’t expect.

Now the contest is back. However, Chris Woo decided not to contest but opted to mentor and guide other members especially for members in the newly chartered toastmaster club, UBD Toastmasters Club.

Tonight there will be an International Speech and Table Topics Contest for members of Brunei Speakers’ Club. The top two of each category will proceed to Area Level to be held at Multipurpose Hall, UBD on 8th of March.

I will be competing in both categories tonight and it’s one of the those nights where I normally get butterflies because I want to improve as a public speaker. I learnt so much from toastmasters as a speaker and as a leader and I am abided by their vision. Toastmasters gave me the perfect platform for my contribution to the community. I wish to all the contestants best of luck and the most important is let’s have fun and support one another. That’s the beauty of the contest.

Last Sunday, we witnessed great quality speakers especially from UBD students during the UBD Toastmasters Club’s International Speech and Tables Topics Contest. I am so used to young adults (generation) from Brunei Speakers’ Club but now because a new club has been chartered, what makes it more interesting and refreshing is that it’s a university club. This would mean young and energetic speakers and they had the most participants among all the clubs in Brunei Darussalam. Simply amazing!!

I applaud the president and founder of UBD Toastmasters Club, Reuben Chin, for his great leadership and aspiring the members to take the initiative to join the contest even though the club is not even a year old. All in all, they had 24 registered entries for both International Speech and Table Topics. Simply amazing!!

So peeps, let’s come support the contestants today for the Brunei Speakers’ Club contest, happening tonight at Seameo Voctech, Gadong and it starts at 7:30pm.

Gary Goh 3rd place, Pranika Lama 1st place and Reuben Chin 2nd place with Allen Ang the prize presenter for the International Speech Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest at Inspiring Hall, UBD Student Centre last Sunday

Reuben Chin 1st place, Rayhan Ibrahim 3rd place and Julius 2nd place in Table Topics Contest in the UBD Toastmasters Club Contest

Interviewing the contestants from UBD Toastmasters by the contest chair Ching

 

Matahari FC emerged as champions of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015 Brunei local tournament and moved a step closer towards realising the dream of going to Anfield, the home ground of Liverpool FC in the United Kingdom.

Matahari will proceed to the regional tournament in Kuala Lumpur as a Brunei representative where only representatives from Malaysia and Thailand now stand in their path to qualification to Anfield, one of the most popular and historic stadiums in the world.

The winners ended Syah Kampong’s brave resistance with a 2-0 win in the final at the Indoor Stadium last weekend.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah presented the champions mock cheque and the individual prizes.

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah and Rino Donosepoetro, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei presenting the prize to the winner of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015, Matahari FC. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.

Some of the participants of the Standard Chartered Trophy 2015. Image courtesy of Standard Chartered Brunei Facebook Page.

The Matahari’s pair of Iswandi bin Wahid and Md Zainul Hazmin bin Md Saifuddin collected the Most Assists and Top Scorer prizes respectively. Iswandi walked away with a signed Liverpool Football Club jersey by goalkeeper Brad Jones while Md Zainul received a signed LFC jersey by midfielder Joe Allen.

Mohd Asyramisyanie Kamis of Syah Kampong FC was awarded the Best Goalkeeper.

During the closing ceremony, a mock cheque of BND$2,400 was handed over to the Community Development Department (JAPEM) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for the Humanitarian Fund of the Malaysian Flood Disaster. The funds was raised from registration fees collected from the participating teams, 100 per cent of which were donated.

Earlier, the quarterfinals of the Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei qualifying were contested with all group winners from the preliminary round in contention.

SLHM/Easyway, Syah Kampong, AMBD FC and Matahari FC all qualified to the last four while the quartet of HMD, Royal Origin FT, GG FT and OLSCB were eliminated. Mohd Asyramisyanie saved a penalty in the shoot-out to send his team to the final while Matahari’s solitary goal in the second semi-final was enough to confirm their place.

The Standard Chartered Trophy Brunei 2015 is supported by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports and endorsed by the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam. Text courtesy of Fadhil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

Big Hero 6 podcast review with co-host @delgoh and special guest @sengyeeciara

Interstellar podcast review with co-host @delgoh

 

 

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Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education with the members of the Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club

Late post: This month, we are proud to wear the toastmaster badge to commemorate the milestone that Toastmasters International have reached since its inception in 1924. Three weeks ago, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club held their 2nd meeting (held every Friday end of the month) and it’s always customary to invite a guest of honour on every meeting.

The guest of honour was Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkranain, the Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education. He found the BASC meeting quite educational and entertaining and he was very pleased that UBD also chartered their own toastmasters club two months ago. He recommended the youth and the public to attend a toastmasters meeting as it will not also improve your speaking skills but your listening skills too. He was impressed with the conducive and comfortable environment which allows newbies to feel more welcomed and making the learning process fun and enjoyable.

The speakers for the evening were Reuben Chin and Zainal Bostaman. The table topics winner was a first time guest, Hj Saiful Rhymin (well done).

So guys, if you want to attend a meeting of any of our toastmasters club in Brunei, here you go:

UBD Toastmasters Club – 7:30pm to 9pm Every Monday at Student Centre, Inspiring Hall

Brunei Speakers’ Club – 7:30pm to 9:30pm Every Tuesday at Seameo Voctech (Gadong)

OTTERS Club – 7:30pm to 9:30pm Every Wednesday at OGDC (Seria)

Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club – 7:30pm every Friday end of the month. Venue TBA

It’s always great to see new guests coming in to observe (or even participate) during the toastmasters meeting. I can guarantee you that it’s a great avenue to improve your leadership skills too and you can get more testimonials from our regular guests. I’m a member of the Brunei Speakers’ Club and I will do my best to contribute to the club and the community to spread the awareness of toastmasters. It has not made me only a better speaker but also a great leader. It’s a never ending process and of course, the best of the lot is my supporting buddies from toastmasters. How can you turn down a learning experience with positive environment?

Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain speaking to the members of Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club at Radisson Hotel

The guest in attendance

Reuben Chin sharing his moments on photography

Gary being invited for table topics

Dato Paduka Dr. Zulkarnain had a fantastic evening

Zainal Bostaman was told that he’s the Brunei version of Mr. Bean by the guest of honour

Rozana having a laugh at Zainal’s speech

The time machine 😀

Members and guests during the last meeting

Rhymin winning the Table Topics contest

Members and guests during the last meeting

Celebrating Papa Shawn’s birthday. Next to him is Johan from Sabah.

Members and guests during the last meeting

Group photo and thanks everyone for your attendance

 

BIMP EAGA Tourism Trade Expo from 19-22 November at ICC

 

Allen Ang produced another masterful performance as he was crowned champion of the Humourous Speech Division K contest. He received the trophy from Division Governor Joanna Liew. He also came 2nd in the Speech Evaluation Contest yesterday.

Allen Ang with his wife HuiFen Kong

Allen Ang did three steps better. First he won on Club Level for OTTERS Club a few weeks ago. Then he went on to beat six other contestants on Area Level (against two top other club winners) for Brunei Darussalam two weeks ago. He competed in both Humourous Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests. Of course, the bigger of the two was the Humourous Contest. I can tell you that it’s not an easy feat to prepare for a humourous speech because of all the preparation and of course, the punchlines and the funny moments that must be receptive among the audience.

After winning on club level, he was given a ticket to compete on a bigger stage which known as Division Level, consisting of 7 Area K. I know it’s a bit confusing to understand when it comes to Toastmasters territories because they don’t go by states or countries but instead they use terms such as Club, Area, Division and District. The District Level is the highest accolade you can go for Humourous Speech and Speech Evaluation. This also goes for Table Topics contest.

So our friend from Brunei, Allen Ang, who represented three clubs (OTTERS, Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers Club), reached District Level after winning Division K Level in the Humourous Speech Contest yesterday at Menara Petronas SBO, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. He almost did a double but settled for second in the Speech Evaluation Contest and I have to say his competitor Laurence Dumling was simply outstanding in her evaluation of the Test Speaker Gopi Murandi who presented an interesting topic entitled “Bluff About It”.

I’m kinda glad that Allen Ang did the honours of retaining the Division Title to Brunei where Stuart Lee from Brunei was the previous winner. It was such an irony to see Stuart Lee packing and unpacking the Division Trophy for the next competition only for the trophy to return back to Brunei Darussalam. The priceless moment was when the 1st runner-up name was announced and Stuart (Allen’s mentor) was already celebrating because it wasn’t Allen’s name and he was certain that Allen was a clear winner even prior to the winner’s announcement.

Allen shared his experiences and he had been practising his speech over and over and it was being refined numerous times to give the delivery more impact with the help of his mentors. He shared that not being placed (top three) especially in Humourous will be a disappointment but little did he know he was deservedly crowned the Division Humourous Champion. He was also glad that he was the first speaker for evaluation so he could learn more from the other evaluators. He was so impressed with Laurence’s evaluation (the winner) and he learnt many things to improve on to reach that District Level of evaluation. He dedicated his win to his wife and his mentors as well to those who flew all the way to KK to support him.

Now his next step is District Level, the highest accolade that one can achieve for Humourous and Speech Evaluation. The competition will take place in Miri on the 8th and 9th November which sadly I will miss because of my trip to Bali *boohoo* So good luck to Allen for the upcoming competition and just enjoy the ride for now. It has been a fruitful journey indeed.

Overall, the Division K contest held at Menara Petronas SBO, Kota Kinabalu, was pretty good and well organised. I’m glad I made that trip to KK despite having to sacrifice one night of WWE in Kuala Lumpur (See, Allen, I’m your bro :D) and it was good to catch up with some of my toastmasters friends from KK. Also a great job to the organising committee and the Organising Chairperson Georginni Labadin. It was also the first time that I saw co-Contest Chairs – Aaron George and Wynnie Jong and I have to say both their chemistry worked and Aaron, you are one funny guy with all your well executed humour especially during the interviews of the contestants.

Winners for Evalutation Speech Division K

1. Laurence Dumling

2. Allen Ang

3. Jamie Chieng

Winners for Humourous Speech Division K

1. Allen Ang

2. Kamilia Kamaruzaman

3. IR Azmer Shamsuddin

The top three winners of the Humourous Speech (Division K)

The top three winners of the Speech Evaluation Contest (Division K)

All fingers pointing to the champ

The toastmasters from Brunei Speakers’ Club posing with the Humourous Champion

Emylia Marianne Philip opening up the contest as SAA

The audience yesterday

The group photo after the contest. Click to enlarge.

Allen being interviewed by the Contest Chair Wynnie Jong

Kamalia with her toastmasters from her Area K

A heartfelt moment when both husband and wife hugged each other before he received his championship trophy

Humourous Division Contest: Of course, Allen focused more on the Humourous Contest and he had great mentors Stuart Lee (current District Humourous Champion) and Zainal Bostaman (1st Runner up Humourous District Level) to guide him to the top of Division Level. I wasn’t aware of the level of the other Area champion speakers and I rather not know their skills and experience prior to the competition which gives more excitement and unpredictability of the contest. Below are just my own evaluation and interpretation of the humourous contestants and not from the ballots of the judges.

The first speaker Jamie Chieng shared her experiences about superstition and I could relate to her stories because we were always being advised by the elders on taboo things to avoid superstition. She’s a great story teller but the content who have been tighter because such superstitions have many opportunities to entertain the audience and there were a few missed opportunities for better punchlines. She has the confidence (I admire her confidence) as a speaker and definitely more room for improvement especially with her content. It wasn’t a bad start to the Humourous Competition. Humourous Level: 6.5 (No placing)

The second speaker was hilarious to the max. Kamailia Kamaruzaman was so flamboyant and colourful in her delivery. Her experience was about fitting into the right clothes and not being judged. Again, another relatable topic especially for the ladies. She reminds me of my friend Huwaida actually – bubbly and cheerful and it’s good to see Kamalia’s persona being displayed during her delivery. Oh she also reminds me of my bubbly friend Lai Ling Ling who is just simply hilarious to begin with. I was already nervous about Allen Ang when the audience reacting with laughters and giggles through the seven minutes. The only letdown I felt was the underlying message that could have been more effective and impactful and also the structure of her speech. It was a close call between Allen and Kamilia. Humourous Level: 8.5 (2nd place)

Next up was IR Azmer Shamsuddin who was also quite humourous and animated. He shared about how “Life Begins at 40” and I could feel the pressure because I’m not far off that mark *lol* I believe he was the only one that made full use of the stage and he was simply enjoying himself with nothing to lose. His punchline about having difficulties to hug your loved ones is hilarious and even to this moment, it is still fresh in my mind. He actually inspired me to be just a confident with no-holds-bar speaker and the way he speaks, he doesn’t even look in his 40s. Kudos to his courage and humour but sadly, the usage of English needs a bit more polishing and the structure could have been better. Humourous Level: 7.5 (No placing)

The fourth speaker was our very own Allen Ang and I have heard his speech twice and that makes it three times including yesterday’s. His speech title was “Confession of a Married Toastmaster”. However, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have a good time because of the spoiler alerts but his segment reminds me so much of stand up comedies where we will be entertained over and over again by replaying their gigs. The same applies here and Allen Ang doesn’t look like someone who can pull off laughs in general and in person but don’t be deceived my friends. His delivery was quite impactful because of not just the laughters but also of the underlying message. I was a bit worried when the giggles appeared more often than the laughs in the beginning but wooww, Allen raised the momentum and had a strong finishing with laughter and claps. I’m proud of where he is and his mentors have done well to groom him up. The humour were spot on and great body structure. Definitely District level material. Humourous Level: 8.5 (Champion)

The fifth speaker was Saverinus P. Kitingan who shared about the idea of being “confused” which became part of the theme in the later session of the contest. He was quite entertaining as well and it’s always wonderful if the topic can be relate to our daily lives. He shared his experiences with his wife when it comes to decision making and he will be caught in this web of confusion whenever his wife argues. There were many small laughs and giggles along the way but he managed to pull off one punchline that stole the show about “being fat” and it was the best execution of a punchline among all the speeches. There were some things I felt that could have improved on because I felt his content was all over the place. This potentially could have been a winner if the laughs were more than the giggles with a better structured delivery. Humourous Level: 7.5

The final speaker was Munyaradzi Chigiga and her topic was about accidents. The great thing about Munya is her confidence and voice projection. She hails from Zimbabwe (Africa) and she was considered a dark horse as many of the toastmaster members in Division K level haven’t seen her perform. She shared a vivid account of her car accident but there weren’t many subplots to support her story. Yes, she’s a great storyteller but there weren’t many punchlines to begin with and she had used many jargons which reduced the quality of her speech. They weren’t much laughs to carry the momentum of her delivery. The plus points from her speech was her body language and facial expression. It was such a pity that her content was lacking the ingredients of a humourous speech. With more experience and practice, she can give all the contestants a run for their money. Humourous Level: 5.5 (No placing)

The handing over of Division Trophy from former champion Stuart Lee to new champion Allen Ang

The emotional hug after Allen was officially announced the winner

Stuart Lee holding a boxed Division K trophy before heading for the contest

The gang in high mode prior to the contest

Zainal Bostaman getting ready for the event yesterday. His best achievement was being 1st runner up in Humourous Speech competition in Division K back in 2010. He missed out on Area K6 Level and he is glad to mentor Allen Ang in refining his speech and delivery. Awesome toastmastership from Zainal!!

By the way, Donna and I will be emceeing for this dinner event this coming Saturday. Tickets are available and I’ve got some friends to come along too. It’s open for public and it’s a good avenue to learn more about toastmasters 😀

Acer Liquid Smartphones

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BIBD’s latest promotion

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Our podcast review of Summer Box Office with my co-host Del Goh

 

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Just around a turn of Jalan Keriam, you can spot the newly refurbished home of 64-year-old Kalsum binti Haji Jafar who has strengthened the pillars of her humble abode for more than 50 years. Living alone under the support of fellow neighbours, friends and family, the widower has done a remarkable job at sustaining what was left of her wooden structured home.

“I had to suffer with termites eating through my walls at times and even when it rains, I have to take out the buckets so that my house wouldn’t get drenched.”

Now splashed with a new cream coloured exterior, Kalsum’s home gets a fresh look both on the inside and out with a little help from those around her.

You can’t help but appreciate the staircase for its nostalgic feel of traditional Malay home. From the solid wooden structure of the handrails to the mild tone of the tiles in each step, the renovations of the home sets the scene; judging from its common misleading exterior.

Stepping into the balcony leads you to the front door where we find Kalsum welcoming us into her refreshed home, citing her humble gratitude in the positive changes made to her home. Guests to her home can expect a simple seating area with wooden framed chairs, cushioned with vintage flora designs.

The main living room shares similar designs to its furniture as the mixture of both wooden chairs and modern texture sofas, taking your eyes away from the vast amount of space.

“These sofas were donated to me after they finished fixing my home”, she said, comforted in the thought of knowing her family, friends and neighbours were looking out for her.

So do check out RTB 1 every Friday at 7:30pm on the program entitled “Membina Harapan”.

The previous conditions of the home of 64-year-old Kalsum binti Haji Jafar at Jalan Keriam

 

Shiela the Contest Chair (left) with Ruey Narcis the Area Governor (4th from left) and Ruebin Chin the Organizing Chair (right) and the top 3 winners for Humourous Speech Contest and Evaluation Speech Contest for OTTERS Toastmasters Club at Oil & Gas Discovery Centre

It was tough for me to predict on both categories but it was well deserved for Allen Ang who won in both categories – Humourous Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest. In the Humourous Speech Contest, he was pitted against six other contestants from the OTTERS Toastmaster Club where as in the Evaluation Contest, he competed against eight contestants in the Otters’ Club. The contest was opened to members of the OTTERS members and the participation was quite encouraging.

I was quite impressed with the performance of all the speakers as they were entertaining and got the audience engaged as well. Good job to all the committee involved especially Ruebin Chin the organising chair of the competition last Wednesday and Sheila as the contest chair of the evening. It was difficult to choose between Allen and Ching who were simply hilarious from the beginning. I just realised how tough it is to deliver a humourous speech because there are many things that need to be put into account and it’s not same as preparing a normal speech. You need the wit and also that x-factor to not only win the heart of the audience but the judges as well.

Now this kinda give me the pressure because I will be competing for my club, the Brunei Speakers’ Club next Tuesday at Seameo Voctech in both categories. It will be interesting because this will be the first time I will be competing for speeches ever in my life and some of my mentors told me that for a first timer like me, just go out there and have fun.

I also learnt something from the evaluation competition and prompted me to take up the challenge next week. So guys, if you want to see the real deal of toastmasters, do check out the Brunei Speakers’ Club next Tuesday at 7:30pm and make sure you come a tad early as next Tuesday is the competition period for Brunei Speakers’ Club at Seameo Voctech.

Here are the list of winners from last Wednesday:

Humourous Speech Contest:

Champion – Allen Ang

1st Runner-up – Yong Shih Ching

2nd Runner-up – Jason Khoo
Evaluation Speech Contest:

Champion – Allen Ang

1st Runner-up – Melati Yussof

2nd Runner-up – Hazwan Kamarulzaman
The prizes were presented by the President of OTTERS Toastmaster Club Allen Ang and also Area Governor Ruey Narcis. The first two winners from OTTERS will represent the club to complete at Area Contest (against the top winners of Brunei Speakers’ Club and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club) on September 28.

Melati Yussof, Allen Ang and Hazwan Kamarulzaman the top three winners in the Evaluation Speech Contest

Yong Shih Ching, Allen Ang and Jason Khoo the top three winners in the Humourous Speech Contest

Hazwan presenting his Humourous Speech Contest

Melati sharing her purpose in life

Ching sharing his humourous speech on how to “Suck up” to your bosses

Nina Kifrawi shared her experiences with love

Jordan Yau was the test speaker for the Evaluation Contestants and his speech was entitled “On Call Bro”

Georgina Watson was one of the contestants for the Evaluation Speech Contest

The audience enjoying the speeches from OTTERS

The nervous situation for the contestants before the competition began

 

Chris Woo being interviewed after the finals of Toastmasters International Speech in Kuala Lumpur two Saturdays ago

Recently, close to two thousand Toastmasters from around the world met at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. For the first time in its history, Toastmasters International had organised its annual International Convention outside North America. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through practical hands-on experiences.

More than 30,000 people from 126 countries compete each year in the prestigious and soul-stirring World Championship of Public Speaking. Chris Woo has reached this milestone by reaching the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking. He is the first Toastmaster from Brunei Darussalam as well as from Toastmasters’ district 87 (which consists of Brunei Darussalam, East Malaysia and Indonesia) to reach the semi-finals of the contest. His speech entitled, ‘Listen’ took the stage and Chris Woo prevailed in one of nine semi-final rounds and competed as a finalist in the World Championship of Public Speaking. Criteria used in judging includes speech content, originality, organization, voice quality and body language.

Chris Woo, representing Brunei Darussalam and Toastmasters’ district 87 received standing ovations for his heart-felt speech in the finals. After several months of elimination process through club, area, district and semi-final competitions, Chris Woo is the first Toastmaster in Brunei Darussalam and District 87 to compete in the World Championship of Public Speaking.

Toastmasters from Brunei Darussalam have also participated in the convention to learn from world class public speakers, and network with like-minded people. One of the keynote speakers, Robin Sieger, a former Head of Development at BBC Television and the author of the best-selling book ‘Natural Born Winners’, shared with everyone how people can create true success in life. Other prestigious international speakers were Jana Barnhill, Mark Brown, Douglas Kruger, Lance Miller, Florian Mueck and Rory Vaden, who have all established well-renowned careers in leading and inspiring people.

The annual Toastmasters International Convention in Kuala Lumpur have inspired all who attended to become better public speakers and leaders in today’s world. For further information on Toastmasters in Brunei Darussalam, please visit www.bruneispeakersclub.com. Press courtesy of Brunei Speakers Club.

My experience: It was such a great exposure for me even as a spectator, to see people expressing their thoughts and sharing meaningful stories with conviction and enthusiasm. I’ve learnt so much about public speaking and we just don’t simply say it, we have to deliver in an impactful way to get the message across. I always thought that I can speak quite well in public but I realised that there is so much to learn and I’m still far behind on being a proficient speaker. This can be learned and it takes practice, practice and more practice.

The Toastmasters International Convention 2014 meet in KL was definitely worth the trip and I doubt it will make to Asia again as it is usually held in North America. And of course, most of the toastmasters from Brunei came to support our very own toastmaster Chris Woo whom I look up to as a role model for public speaking. His spontaneity and vocal variety, to me, are his strength and whenever he speaks, he is able to to draw the audience to his attention.

Of course, the other great part about the trip was the closer bond that we had among Brunei toastmasters from Brunei Speakers’ Club, Otters Club (Seria) and Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club. Around 17 of us traveled to Kuala Lumpur to attend the convention. Thank you, peeps, for everything and this experience lists in my top ten of 2014. Awesome!!!

District 87 where our country Brunei is part of it. Other countries sharing the same district are Indonesia and East Malaysia.

Ladies represent

I’m proud of you dude for making to the semi-finals but for you to win the semi-finals was simply amazing!!

Seng Yee and I supporting Chris Woo during the finals of the International Speech Contest

Will I be up here one day? *lol* Keep dreaming, Rano

One of the speakers, Rory Vadan that made a huge impact with three words – Take the Stairs

Representing District 87 and it was nice to see you again, Fern

Zainal, Hazwan and I had fun during the Toastmasters International Convention 2014

I was honoured to play the timer role at Maxis Toastmasters Club

Tons of Toastmasters International goodies and merchandise on sale at Kuala Lumpur

Hmmmm… I realised how easy it was to buy the pin badges of Toastmasters

Girl bonding in Kuala Lumpur

The backbone of Toastmasters from Brunei and Brunei Speakers’ Club

Chris Woo as a special guest at Elizabeth’s Timeout with Liz 1st anniversary show last Saturday

Now you might be wondering how to be part of toastmasters – an avenue where you enrich your speaking skills and building up the confidence in you. I was a former member of Brunei Speakers’ Club back in 2011 and I only lasted a few months before disappearing and this year, I have made a comeback and one reason is to contribute, to contribute my knowledge and experience to other members and guests and also to learn from the members and guests during our weekly meetings at Seameo Voctech (Tuesday evenings).

Brunei Speakers’ Club is a great avenue to learn all these tools of being a public speaker and it’s the best place to start because the community is quite allowing and welcoming. There are no judgment (only positive criticism) and we are able to grow faster through encouragement and experience. I have always have concerned about showing my weaknesses as a speaker because I don’t like to be analysed or being advised on what I should improve. Well, that was my ego speaking for a long time and it’s never easy to break that wall. Now I’ve embraced my weakness and I can only go upwards from here. A big thanks for Seng Yee for that minor push and also to the other members of BSC. My vision is here to contribute in any possible means (doesn’t have to be monetary) to make a difference and this is one channel where I believe you can benefit as well.

If you want to know more about toastmasters, you can drop me a message here or you can email me directly if you shy to ask them ranoadidas(8)gmail and of course, you can check out their Facebook Page and also their main website which have updates on weekly meetings so you will be able to get that feel. I can guarantee you that you will have a great time during the meetings and I have also invited a few of my friends to show up for the meeting. You are more than welcome to come as a guest and it starts every Tuesday from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at Seameo Voctech (Gadong). I shall be there tomorrow evening too 😀

Last Tuesday’s meeting at Seameo Voctech for Brunei Speakers’ Club. You are more than welcomed to be part as a guest to learn observe and learn 😀

Chris Woo and Shawn Narcis having a laugh

I finally did my second prepared speech and it was about my journey as a toastmasters 😀

Ching is a great supporter of our club and he is an executive committee for Otters Club

It’s not just about learning but we also can have some fun along the way

Gary (in blue) given a task during Table Topics

A great environment to be at

Clovis Lai, the man that made it possible for Brunei Speakers’ Club

Stuart Lee, the President of Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club, contributing continuously to BSC

Seng Yee playing the role as General Evaluator

Standing ovation for Chris from the members and guests on his achievements at Toastmasters International Speech Contest in Kuala Lumpur recently

Our podcast review of Yasmine the movie with my special guest Seng Yee. Find out what is my best scene of the movie. Yasmine will be officially be released on 21st August 2014.

 

Chris W.H. Woo, a member of Brunei Speakers’ Club, will represent Brunei in the World Championship of Public Speaking. Good luck, buddy!

Chris W.H. Woo, a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Brunei Darussalam will represent the Toastmaster’s District 87 (Brunei, Indonesia and East Malaysia) in the World Championship of Public Speaking. The competition will be held from 20th to 23rd August at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chris Woo snatched the coveted trophy and title of District 87 International Speech Champion in Surabaya on the 11th May 2014.

When asked how he feels about the upcoming competition, Woo says, “It’s been a psychologically grueling few months for me. Never a week goes by that I don’t think about the competition. But I am very lucky to have so many supportive Toastmaster friends and, honestly, the Brunei Speaker’s Club has become a family to me. I don’t know what will happen at the World Championship. There are so many variables to the judging and success of a speech. But what I do know with certainty is that I will give it my absolute best.”

After emerging as Champion from The Brunei Speakers’ Club, and subsequently Area K6 (Brunei), Woo went on to defeat some of the best speakers in Brunei, East Malaysia and Indonesia. As a representative for District 87, Woo will be pitting his skills against the best speakers in the world.

“Chris is dedicated, he is committed, and he has now achieved so much. He inspires all our members in Brunei to realize our potential,” says Hazwan Kamarulzaman, President of The Brunei Speakers’ Club. His sentiments are shared by Ruey Chong-Narcis, the Area Governor of Area K6 (Brunei), “‘Since it’s inception by the grace of His Majesty 16 years ago, this is the first time that Brunei is representing the district in the World Championship of Public Speaking. We are extremely proud as it shows the quality and support that each Toastmaster gives their fellow members. Together with 14 other Toastmasters from Brunei, we will be there to proudly represent Brunei and cheering Chris as he takes his rightful place up on centre-stage.’

Some of the toastmasters from Brunei Speakers’ Club are currently in Kuala Lumpur for the convention and also to support Chris Woo. Last night we had the privilege to attend one of the toastmasters club in KL and we were at Maxis Toastmasters Club and met a number of toastmasters around the world. Awesome!!

We registered our names so we can get ourselves some goodies from the club

I volunteered myself to be the Timer for last evening’s meeting at Maxis Toastmaster Club. Great experience!

Distinguished Toastmaster Richard Cummins from Houston, Texas, Seng Yee, Zul (from Labuan) and our area-governor Ruey Narcis

Having a few words with the most passionate toastmaster from Brunei and an awesome role model for Brunei Speakers’ Club. His passion never dies.

Proud that Ling Ling won best table topics of the evening

Some of the books for sale at Toastmasters Convention at KLCC

The Word of the Day

It rained yesterday at Kuala Lumpur. It’s great to be back. I have been there since Sunday.

It’s that time of the year again as students will be scouting and sourcing for their respective courses and university of choice for their future studies in the UK. Twenty-eight universities and colleges from the United Kingdom will be participating in the third UK Education Fair on August 20 (today) at Members Grill & Lounge, The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

The event, which is organised by the British Universities Brunei Association (BUBA) and coordinated by the universities, will be held from 2pm to 7pm.
The institutions participating in the event include University of Aberdeen, University of Bradford, Cardiff University, University College London, University of East Anglia, University of Essex, University of Hull, University of Kent and Writtle College.

”The fair is aimed at students who are considering studying in the UK in September 2015 but also presents a final opportunity for any students still looking for a place for September 2014 entry to speak with university representatives,” said a statement issued by the British High Commission.

Students are also advised to bring copies of qualifications and transcript when they come to the fair, it added.

So do drop by the Members Grlll & Lounge from 2pm to 7pm later. Good luck in hunting for your future education. For more info, you can click here.

 

Butra Home Concept (BHC) Magazine is now under a new direction handled by Mixmediaworx

Butra Home Concept Magazine will now turn its pages under Mixmediaworx – the local based creative agency, retaining its focus on home improvement and lifestyle for Brunei. I remember this magazine being under the direction of Catalyst and now the creativity and publishing duties were given to Mixmediaworx.

Mixmediaworx promises to continue the magazine’s monthly tradition as part of Butra HeidelbergCement’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) in promoting local home lifestyle and industries.

Mixmediaworx’s executive director Azlan Ahmad shared that the magazine will still continue its current direction in line with Butra HeidelbergCement’s CSR aims with a few improvements and additions to the content and design of the two year old publication.

“We are very happy to continue this great initiative by Butra HeidelbergCement and will improve whatever needed for the magazine to stay relevant to the nation. We have outlined a few fresh ideas in promoting the magazine and created sustainable strategy to make sure it remains a preferred platform for the related industries.”

The BHC is part of Butra HeidelbergCement’s Building a Nation campaign, emphasizing on the contributions made towards the development of the nation. It invokes collaboration and cooperation amongst the Sultanate to inspire change, challenge convention and to make a difference: their unique approach towards nationwide progress while encouraging the sense of forward thinking to the community.

The next BHC issue will continue to be distributed soon with the theme “A New Hope” highlighing some of the CSR initiatives carried out by Butra HeidelbergCement as well as contributions by the new editorial team by the magazines.

Mixmediaworx also announced that BHC will be available as digital copies on iOS  via the App store , and android users can expect their integration for the magazine soon.

Stuart Lee, Project Director of BHC Magazine with Amir Noor, editor of BHC Magazine during the press conference at Radisson Hotel

Hamdi Metussin, Creative Director of Mixmediaworx

Amir Noor sharing a few things about BHC’s new direction

Mei asking some questions from the floor

 

So close yet so far. Brunei Darussalam just missed out by one goal to reach the semi-finals. Today is the line-up for today’s matches in the semi-finals of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2014. No tickets required and it’s free as well.