The satellite view of the storm in the region

The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports with the deputy ministers and permanent secretaries inspecting the affected areas. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

It only happened for a good half an hour or so but it can be damaging. Social media became the stream of news of affected areas by the strong gusty winds. The rain wasn’t much of a problem but the wind was. I believe most of us weren’t accustomed to the fact that strong winds could actually hit Brunei and it did.

I was still indoors when it happened. Winds were as strong as almost hitting 60km/hr and the impact it had was enough to warn us to be extra alert and cautious whenever we are out. My car’s friends were damaged; I saw tents collapsing on a video that went viral; there were power cuts also along the way and some areas had to suffer without electricity for the night; my sister’s roof was damaged with a huge hole. The water village also suffered damages. The other scary part was the experience of the passengers on flight AK278 which was due to arrive 3:30pm and it took the pilot several attempts to land the aircraft due to the strong winds according to Normi’s post on her Facebook status.

Despite all the setbacks, Al-hamdullilah, that there were no casualties. The busiest of the lot will be the Fire and Rescue Department who have been working tirelessly to move the wreckage especially on the road. Also it was nice to see the citizens helping out along the way. Traffic was quite bad as well and some of the traffic lights were not functioning. I was stuck in traffic for a good half an hour.

Apparently, according to Siti Hajar’s article, the typhoon is not over yet. Yes, it’s a typhoon in the East Asia Region and apparently one will be hitting in the Pacific region. Do follow the local news or Brunei weather report.

A man helping out to cut the tree yesterday. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

I was stuck in a jam for quite some time

An image circulated on Whatsapp during the storm. Then many of the similar ones popped up. I wonder if most of them were deliberate.

Now get this, readers! The image of the tornado is fake as it didn’t happen in Brunei.

Detouring due to fallen trees. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

A tree fell along Batu Satu. Image circulated through Whatsapp.

My sister’s home was affected yesterday :/

The weather for the next few days

 

Guest of honour with Board of Directors of JPMC, the stroke patients, the cancer patients and associates of JPMC

Good job on Jerudong Park Medical Centre on another wonderful initiative to motivate and inspire the stroke and cancer patients under the Brunei Cancer Center and Brunei Neuroscience Rehabilitation Center respectively. It was one of the JPMC’s Rehabilitation Center’s programme which aims to improve their cognitive and physical abilities. It was such a great timing since most of us will be celebrating the festive season.

Present at the ceremony was the Guest of Honour, Abdul Lattif Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Md Yusof, member of JPMC’s Board of Directors, Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, the Executive and Medical Director of JPMC, Dr. Kenneth Kok, the Medical Director of The Brunei Cancer Centre, Senior Management of JPMC as well as family members of the patients.

It was not a bad effort from the patients who only took 11 days to come up with the musical programme. There was a Therapeutic Group Activity performance by BNSRC’s stroke patient for TBCC cancer patients. BNSRC stroke patients who have acquired disabilities from their condition have undergone three weeks of JPMC yearly Hari Raya themed rehabilitation therapeutic group activity program with the aim to lift the spirits of the terminally ill cancer patients. The performance was specifically designed to motivate them and to also provide some therapeutic effect to these cancer patients as the Hari Raya season is nearing.

JPMC patients performing with musicians from Expression Music Academy

Vivian Suk Kee Tie explaining the model made by the patients

Check out the model made by them

The patients were full of joy as I could tell from their expression. Priceless.

They had a special collaboration with some of the musicians from Expression Music Academy featuring Kristine Clair “Kaycee” Uchi Galano, 13 yr old violinist.

Vivian Suk Kee Tie, Head of Rehabilitation Department of JPMC, said that it’s always great to see the smiles and signs of hope from the patients. She was notably touched that more cancer patients are being involved in the programme as compared to before and this is a sign of progress on what’s JPMC’s objective – to bring joy, love and care to the stroke and cancer patients.

I can say that it’s never easy running an rehabilitation programme and JPMC has been very active since 2012 and I salute for their efforts in taking an extra step to better the environment and hopes of the stroke and cancer patients.

Rehabilitation Department offers treatments available that includes Falls Prevention, Geriatric and Pediatric Rehabilitation, Back and Neck Pain, Stroke and Spinal Cord Injury, Orthopedics and Sports Injury. For more information, please visit their website at www.jpmc.cm.bn.

The energetic employees from JPMC

 

Available in original flavor (my favourite), durian and chocolate

Ok, I had a dosage of these for the past week and I’m in love with KeK Lapis once again. Kueh that I love for Hari Raya are Kek Lapis, Kueh Mor and Tapak Kuda. You can never go wrong with those delicacies. So I’m quite surprised that now Kek Lapis is packed in a box and sold in supermarkets and convenient store.

I never heard of the NiNi brand so I gave it a shot and I’ve been slicing bits and pieces continuously because it can be addictive. So I googled on Kek Lapis and found out that this cake is originally from Indonesia during the Dutch colonial times. Interesting…

I love the box package of NiNi Kek Lapis. This is very ideal for gifts during festive season and now Hari Raya is just a week away. NiNi cake is made of high-quality ingredients and hygienically vacuum-packed using the latest technology, ensuring the freshness, and of course, its deliciousness.

To serve, cut NiNi layer cake into slices of about 1.5cm thick and for best result, warm NiNi Layer Cake in a microwave for 20-25 seconds to soften the cake and enrich the aroma. I can’t wait to continue my feast on Kek Lapis later for my midnight snack 😀

I’m one quarter into my Kek Lapis. I love the packaging and very ideal for giveaways and gifts for Hari Raya.

 

Henrik Meltesen, the regional sales manager of Scandinavian Business Seating Asia Pte Ltd from Singapore (left) with the team from Catalyst and Sejalin Enterprises Sdn Bhd during the press conference for HAG brand chairs

Who would have thought that all chairs served a general function and that is only to sit? Well, I just learnt some thing refreshing yesterday at Catalyst office. The way we sit does make a difference to our body posture and it brings a different level of energy and comfort without you realizing it. I have an office chair in the comfort of my work station and I just take for granted that any office chair that has great cushioning with arm rest and wheels is simply good enough for me to do my work on my desk. In comes a Scandinavian who educated me on how sitting can make use more efficient, inspiring and creative without compromising comfort and stability.

Henrik Meltesen, the regional sales manager of Scandinavian Business Seating Asia Pte Ltd from Singapore, is in the Sultanate to brief the local media on their line of office chairs from HAG. The press conference was organised by Inspire Living Magazine and also present was the distributor for HAG brand, Sejalin Enterprises Sdn Bhd.

The chair that caught my eye was the HAG Capisco line. The overall look feels as if there isn’t much material or surface area to support my body or weight but once you sit on it, you won’t feel any form of discomfort and Capisco allows you to sit in an appropriate manner without you having to think too much. It’s like the chair has a mind of its own. This line is actually the best selling product and I was surprised to know that it has existed since 1984. Interesting…

The HAG Capisco line reminds me of sitting on a saddle (on a horse). The idea of this concept is to allow an open hip angle when you sit down in a position as if you are half standing, half sitting if the chair is lifted in a higher position. It’s like sitting on a stool but in a more relaxed, comfortable stance. I tested the chair yesterday and while sitting down, listening to Henrik’s presentation, I didn’t feel anything was lacking even though the chair looked really simplified than a normal office chair. The open hip stance allow the spine to naturally create that S-shape curve and the leg area will have less pressure to support your lower back which is good for blood circulation especially when you are sitting.

You see, even chairs have a lot of talking points and thanks to the presentation by Henrik, I’m beginning to be aware on how I’ve been sitting all these years.

If you wish to purchase or have a look on these chairs, I suggest you drop by Catalyst Office at Jalan Muara (one simpang after Gongcha Serusop) at Simpang 94. You can reach them at 223 3630 and you can have your chairs customized as well to your preference. They have many types of HAG chairs and who know I might get one myself in a long run. You can also go direct to Sejalin Enterprises at Muluat Industrail area or call 279 0376.

Henrik Meltesen explaining the different types of HAG chairs

HAG Capisco line, I kinda like this chair actually

You can have different types of fabrications for your chair

This chair can adjust in motion according to the momentum of your posture

The durable chair from HAG

Henrik try to show how durable this particular chair is

Dean Kassim and Danial Norjidi trying out the HAG chairs

 

Abd Latif bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Md Yusof, a member from Board of Directors of Jerudong Park Medical Centre. Also present were Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, the Executive and Medical Director of JPMC, Vivian Suk Kee Tie, Physiotherapist and Head of Rehabilitation Department of JPMC and Dr. Burc Bassa, Deputy Head and Head Consultant of the Brunei Neuroscience Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC)

Last year, the Rehabilitation Department of Jerudong Park Medical Centre organised a 5 week programme for stroke and cancer patients in conjunction with Hari Raya last year. The programme allowed them to improve their physical beings and also kept them inspired and motivated that their body movements and coordinations can still function through proper therapy.

Last weekend, the Rehabilitation Department organised another activity for the stroke patients of JPMC where they sang and perform short skits to the delight of the guests who attended the event at JPMC. This is a great way to contribute back to the community and also giving the patients a sense of hope and community among themselves. This time there are more stroke patients that took part in singing and performing and these have given them more joy and fun in their life even after suffering from stroke.

Looking for the video presentation, I have to applaud the wonders of the therapists from the Rehabilitation Department – Hasleezan binti Arifin (physiotherapist), Mohd Asri bin Mohd Shah (Occupational therapist), Prasanna Venkataraman (Speech and language therapist) and Abdul Samadh Shabeer (Speech and language therapist) who is also the therapeutic group activity coordinator.

Vivian Suk Kee Tie, the Head of Rehabilitation Department of JPMC, gave an inspiring account of the stroke patients of JPMC and how such programmes have made a difference in their lives and they will continue to do more programmes to better the lives of their patients physically, mentally and emotionally. It was also nice to see the department also welcomed a patient from JPMC Gleneagles, Mumtazali Muhd Abd Aziz, who is the first left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant patient in Brunei Darussalam. He was very curious of the development of the program, requested to be part of the program and he has been loving it ever since he joined the program.

The guest of honour of the event was Abd Latif bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Md Yusof, a member from Board of Directors of Jerudong Park Medical Centre. Also present were Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, the Executive and Medical Director of JPMC, Dr. Burc Bassa, Deputy Head and Head Consultant of the Brunei Neuroscience Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC), JPMC and Vivian Suk Kee Tie, Physiotherapist and Head of Rehabilitation Department of JPMC.

After the event, certificates of participation were given to the stroke patients by the guest of honour. Keep it up, JPMC!! It’s always nice to have a heart warming activity especially from a hospital.

Vivien Suk Kee Tie, Physiotherapist and Head of Rehabilitation Department of JPMC, in her welcoming remarks

Some of the performances from the patients and therapists

A short skit performance

Group singing by the stroke patients

The opening act by the therapists and the rehabilitation assistants

The traditional dance

Certificate presentation

Certificate presentation

Certificate presentation

Certificate presentation

Certificate presentation

Group photo with Mumtazali Muhd Abd Aziz, Brunei’s first left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implant patient

Group photo. Click to enlarge.