DPMM FC remains undefeated  

 

The highlights of Warriors FC vs DPMM FC

 

Brunei DPMM FC continued their unbeaten run in the 2015 Great Eastern-Yeo’s S.League on Friday evening after defeating Warriors FC 3-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Two early goals from Rafael Ramazotti set the Wasps on the way to victory before Paulo Sergio netted a penalty to wrap it up despite a spirited comeback from Warriors FC in the second-half, which saw Nicolas Velez pull a goal back.

This means Brunei DPMM FC are still undefeated but still lie in 3rd place with two games in hand. It was a pity that Joe Gamble was sent off for an off-the-ball incident late in the game.

Brunei DPMM FC: Wardun Yussof, Aminuddin Zakwan, Brian McLean, Boris Raspudic, Sairol Sahari (C), Helmi Zambin (Yura Indera Putra 61’), Joseph Gamble, Hendra Azam (Rosmin Kamis 79’), Azwan Ali, Paulo Sergio, Rafael Ramazotti

Warriors FC: Daniel Ong, Nur Asyidiq Sukarto (Fazli Jaffar 90+2’), Daniel Bennett (C), Marin Vidosevic, Irwan Shah, Thomas Beattie (Hafiz Rahim 46’), Kevin McCann, Emmeric Ong (Shi Jiayi 67’), Miroslav Pejic, Nicolas Velez, Fazrul Nawaz.

 

DPMM FC squad vs Warriors FC last night. Image courtesy of Amirul Asyraf of S•League  

Warriors FC coming out of the stands. Image courtesy of Alson Ong of S•League.  

Rafael Ramazotti in top form. Image courtesy of Amirul Asyraf of S•League  

Sergio scored the final goal for DPMM FC from the penalty spot. Image courtesy of Amirul Asyraf of S•League. 

  

Brunei swinging to success  

SOYC2015 was organised by Rev-Yo Club (Sabah Yoyo Club lead by Paul Peter, Micku Michelle & Timothy) and it was the first ever professional yoyo competition held in Sabah. The competition attracted 20 participants aged between 16 to 29 from Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur.

The contest was divided into 2 categories, where contestants would be judged on technical skills and performance, namely Single handed (1A) category & Y-category (Mixture of double-looping(2A), double-handed (3A), off-strings(4A), counterweight(5A)). There was also competition for record holder for Long Sleeper (longest spinning yoyo), Eli Hop Challenge (Most Eli-hop in 30 seconds) and Blindfold 1A Challenge. Images courtesy of Yo-Splinter Club (Brunei).

 

Group photos of the winners 

1A Winners  

Y-Category winners 

Team BruneiBrunei players manage to place top 3 and hold the Long Sleeper Records , Eli-Hop Challenge & Blindfold 1A Challenge. The following are the result of the contest:-

Single Handed (1A):

1st – Ridzwan Ngataman (Sarawak)

2nd – Muhammad Khairsyah (Brunei)

3rd – Muhammad Shaifuddin (Terengganu)

Y-category :

1st- Ryan Han (Sarawak)

2nd – Azim Jameel (Brunei)

3rd – Wesley Lim (Sarawak)

Long Sleeper Record – Adi Raihan (Brunei)

Eli Hop Challenge – Muhammad Khairsyah (Brunei)

Blindfold 1A Challenge – Muhammad Khairsyah (Brunei)

 

  

BIBD Ar-Rahnu update  

BIBD Ar-Rahnu yesterday hosted members of the Muslimah Jemaah from the Sultan Sharif Ali Mosque in Sengkurong, who were greeted by BIBD’s Head of Ar-Rahnu, Hjh Rosminah Binti Hj Abd Wahid.

The purpose of the visit was to better understand the benefits of BIBD’s micro- credit facilities for SMEs offered by BIBD Ar-Rahnu, and to also gain better knowledge of Islamic banking products. The visit also included a tour around the BIBD Ar-Rahnu premises.

BIBD AR-Rahnu provides quick Shariah-based pawn-broking using gold items and precious stones as collateral for short-term financing of up to twelve months. The financing is also useful for those who don’t qualify for conventional financing, such as those without fixed income.

The financing can also be used for obtaining capital to start up short-term businesses like setting up food stalls during major national events such as the birthday celebrations of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the National Day celebrations, and the Ramadhan stalls.

 

BIBD Ar-Rahnu yesterday hosted members of the Muslimah Jemaah from the Sultan Sharif Ali Mosque in Sengkurong, who were greeted by BIBD’s Head of Ar-Rahnu, Hjh Rosminah Binti Hj Abd Wahid

BIBD Ar-Rahnu also provides Zakat calculations for gold assets along with gold cleaning services as additional benefits to its customers. Recently BIBD Ar- Rahnu has also lowered its storage fees to help support the ambitions of its customers.

In 2013, BIBD Ar-Rahnu also won the “Social Service Award” at the Asia-Pacific Enterprise Leadership Awards (APELA) held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The award recognises and honours the achievements of enterprise leaders by bringing together some of Asia-Pacific’s best leadership examples in the areas of sustainable development, corporate responsibility, and corporate social responsibility. Text and image courtesy of BIBD.

 

  

Premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron 

I still missed the premiere of The Avengers: Age of Ultron and I still haven’t watch the movie since it’s not out in Hua Hin, Thailand just yet. It is slated to be released next week. So I have to wait for the release in Thailand since I will be here for another week. I just love the IMAX experience in Siam Paragon, Thailand. Way better than Shaw Theaters, Singapore.

However, it was a successful event where fan boys and girls of Marvel caught the marathon of The Avengers at Times Cineplex (Times Square, Empire, Tutong and KB). There are also selling The Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise at all the outlets. I’m still eyeing for the t-shirt as well as the popcorn metal bucket.

What’s the rating so far? I would say that judging from my peers on IG, the reviews are slightly in 7s and above. The scores in rotten tomatoes is currently at 80% from 71 reviews as compared to Marvel’s The Avengers which hit 92% from 311 reviews. So it seems that it won’t top the 92% mark in RT if the number of reviews hit over 300. Give and take, it will reach in the high 70% by the end of the month. You can check out my friend Tiffany’s review here.

 

You can get merchandise of Avengers: Age of Ultron at Times Cineplex 

Dressing as Thor 

Dressing as Hawkeye 

The marathon viewers of The Avengers last Wednesday 

  

Happening today till 29th  

Food Extravaganza & Trading 2015 Season 1 at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium 

  

Earth Day in Brunei  

A great turnout last Tuesday

A total of 128 volunteers managed to collect 2,062 kilogrammes (kg) of waste at the Tungku Beach in a cleaning campaign organised by the Beach Bunch to mark Earth Day last Wednesday.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Beach Bunch President Rizan Latif said it was the group’s first clean-up this year, held in commemoration of the Earth Day.

He said that Tungku Beach was chosen as the location because it represents “the debilitating condition between human and nature that now creates chaos”.

“Beaches like the Tungku Beach is being used daily and we want to raise public awareness to ensure that the beach is always kept clean,” said Rizan.

He added that it was a positive event as “128 people came and were committed to say no to a dirty beach”.

He said with the recent revamp of Serasa beach, beach visitors and business owners have moved to Tungku beach, resulting to large number of visitors on weekends and their litter.

“Beach Bunch wants to create a better image of Tungku beach as well as to educate visitors for a more pleasant environment,” he said.

“It’s more like contributing back to the community and it’s a stand to tell that for Beach Bunch, littering is not the way to go and we must be responsible,” he continued.

When asked why the bad habit is still practised by irresponsible beach goers, Rizan said it’s because people have this ‘someone will clean it up’ mindset.

“Some people may see that the place is already dirty, so [they] might as well just litter. Others may want to be responsible but there are no allocated trash bins around the site so they litter. But the worst is the “someone else will clean it up” mindset that some people have,” he said.

 

Representing Mashhor group 

Representing The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 

Representing Takaful Brunei 

Representing SCB

Rizan added that while changing the mindsets of these irresponsible individuals is difficult, it is not impossible as various steps have been taken to create awareness about the effects of littering.

“We’ve held a couple of awareness sessions at schools and carried out a series of beach cleaning campaign so people can take part and be more aware,” he said.

Various schools, colleges and private companies came to support the clean-up, including International School Brunei (ISB), Politeknik Brunei, Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB), Yayasan Secondary School, Mashhor Group Sdn Bhd, Takaful Brunei Darussalam and Standard Chartered Bank. Text courtesy of Izzati Jalil of The Brunei Times and images courtesy of The Beach Bunch.

 

Representing ISB 

Representing Yayasan School 

2 tonnes of rubbish 

  

 

Tea Fu Shop 

Trying out different Chinese tea at Tea-Fu Chinese Tea Shop located at Gadong Central 

Many selections to choose from at Tea-Fu Chinese Tea Shop 

Yunnan Dianhong tea at Tea Fu. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times. 

A few years ago, I had an outing with my friend in Penang and we had a great conversation by the beach and he brought along a travel tea pot where we had endless drinking of Chinese tea in small portions. Without realizing, I actually drank more than usual because the conversation with my friend Tungie was great and the Chinese tea complimented well with the setting.

Fast forward to this year, I was impressed that Brunei has a Chinese tea shop which located at Gadong Central. It is called the Tea-Fu Chinese Tea Shop. They sell the authentic Chinese tea sachets and not only that but also assorted accessories and ornaments that are made from Chinese tea. For your info, they are imported from China and Chinese Taipei.

What I like about Tea-Fu Chinese Tea Shop is that you are able to taste the samples from the wide variety of Chinese tea and depends on what you really want to benefit from drinking Chinese. Apparently different Chinese teas have different functions and it does cater to the needs of the individuals.

Hence the customers can sit down at a dedicated table behind the shop and you can sit down and mingle with the managers or the staff at Tea-Fu who can guide you on what suits you.

You can try out their premium Chinese teas such as Dianhong Tea. So what’s the difference? Well, the large leafed version give a much premium taste. The black tea is fermented with lychee, rose and longan, and has a sweet, gentle aroma with a mellow taste. It’s handmade to give it its distinctive curled spiral shape, which preserves the shape and integrity of the bud, and preserves the fragrance while also delivering excellent taste. This particular tea comes from the Yuanna province of China. The price might be expensive with a price tag of BND 138. You can also have a lower grade version of the same quantity for only BND 45. The price depends on the quantity of teas and brands as well. There is even some price tagged at BND 10.

You can visit Tea-Fu Chinese Tea Shop at No.37, Ground Floor at Gadong Central (same row with Sushi Tei and Mr. Baker’s Bakeshop) and you can also call 242 8979 for more details.

 

 

 

Brewing tea to get that authentic taste 

Tea is ready to be served 

The art of pouring tea 

A short interview

RA: Is drinking tea culture something new in Brunei?

Tea Fu Teashop: Drinking tea is not a new thing in Brunei. However, the original and traditional teas are still not common in Brunei. What you see normally that served at restaurants are the common types but we serve and sell a more authentic Chinese tea.

RA: Will there be any education or programmes on Chinese tea?

Tea Fu Teashop: Yes. We will be bringing professional tea maker from overseas to create a tea making course for local Bruneians. We might even have collaboration with some local schools to make it more interesting.

RA: Does making Chinese tea use specific techniques? For instance, time and pouring of tea and also the temperature.

Tea Fu Teashop: Yes indeed. It has many techniques to make different kinds of tea. For instance, you have to use 95 degree boiled water while for  black tea just 85 degree. So the variance in temperature will make a distinctive taste.

RA: Explain to me some of benefits of Chinese.
Tea Fu Teashop: Drinking tea is a very healthy lifestyle. It can lower ur blood pressure, etc. The White Tea reduces risks of cancer, blood pressure, cholesterol level and cardiovascular diseases and strengthens our bones and teeth as well as our immunity. The Green Tea reduces cardiovascular disease, cancer and you will have lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease as well as reducing the risk of diabetes. The good thing about the Green Tea is that it helps to burn fats and boost your metabolic rate. As for the Black Tea, it reduces cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Drinking lots of Green Tea will give you healthier skin and hair and good immunity

RA: Who are your target customers?
Tea Fu Teashop: Actually all are our target market.

 

Before the tea is being brewed 

This is actually made of tea. Interesting and it’s for sale too 

Located at No.37 Floor Floor at Gadong Central.
 

BIBD Airport e-Branch  

Yang Mulia Awang Mohd Riza Bin Dato Paduka Haji Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications officiating the re-opening of BIBD Airport e-Branch 

Guest of honour with the management of BIBD

Keyword here is convenience. BIBD has become more innovative as a bank and continues to provide excellence service to its customers. Recently, BIBD re-opened their BIBD Airport e-Branch, its latest in its fleet of branches to adapt the bank’s “Bruneian at Heart” signature image. The spacious new BIBD e-Branch will be operational 24 hours a day and is located at the Departure Hall on the first floor of the Brunei International Airport. They also have a bigger presence among the other ATMs at the Brunei International Airport.

The reopening of the BIBD e-Branch was officiated by Yang Mulia Awang Mohd Riza Bin Dato Paduka Haji Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, at a ceremony attended by BIBD senior personnel along with officers and staff. The ceremony started with the recital of the Al-Fatihah along with prayers to bless the new e-branch, which was followed by a plaque signing and a short tour.

The e-Branch houses two ATMs, two CDMs and one CQM to provide speedy and seamless banking transactions. The machines present are aimed to provide hassle-free and instant banking to cater to the needs of BIBD customers.

The Airport e-Branch is one of two BIBD e-Branches which include the Sengkurong e-Branch. These e-Branches are part of BIBD’s banking network, the largest in Brunei Darussalam, which includes fifteen branches, fifty-five ATMS, seventeen CDMs and eleven CQMs placed in strategic locations across the country. The BIBD branch network also includes three branches at Kiulap, The Mall Gadong and Giant Rimba, that are open on Sundays to provide added convenience to its customers.

To further complement BIBD’s branch network, BIBD also has a dedicated 24-7 Contact Centre along with having a wide range of its services available over its e-banking channel through its BIBD Online website and BIBD Mobile applications to provide instant banking available anywhere, anytime.

The launching of the new e-branch follows in the footsteps of BIBD’s “Bruneian at Heart” image that highlights uniquely Bruneian values that signify the Brunei and Islamic visual canvas. The upgrading of BIBD’s entire branch network is in line with the strategic efforts embarked by BIBD on its transformation journey.

The emphasis on being “Bruneian at Heart” brings out BIBD’s commitment to the Bruneian aspirations and values, as well as its roots in Bruneian and Islamic values.

For more information on any BIBD products, services, offers and promotions, please follow the BIBD Instagram account at BIBDBRUNEI; Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bibdbrunei; get in touch with BIBD Contact Centre at 2238181 or visit the nearest BIBD Branch. You can also get the latest information regarding BIBD offers and promotions under the “What’s New” feature within the BIBD Mobile application on your mobile phone.

 

Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD 

Token of appreciation 

The ATMs at the Airport branch 

Group photo 

  

 

OnTime certified as Brother service centre  

Alice Chan of Concepts Computer, Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, Victor Nga, Brother brand, Sales and Marketing Deputy General Manager and Farezah Azalea, Head of Customer Service, Brother International Malaysia 

Exchanging of documents 

The Brother brand is known for their printers, faxes and evening industrial sewing. Last weekend, Brother International Malaysia, a leading brand in quality printing and imaging technology has licensed OnTime Service Network to become its authorised service centre in Brunei after a lengthy period of training and re-training of Concepts Computer staff.

I didn’t know that Brother has a big presence in Malaysia, accounting to 70% of the Brother Group’s net sales dealing with printing and solution businesses. Now with a certified presence of Brother in Brunei (thanks to Concepts Computer), the product and services of Brother have officially started and expect more presence of Brother in Brunei as well as they will give confidence and trust to future potential corporate companies on the Brother brand.

Flying to Brunei to sign the business partnership were Victor Nga, Brother brand, Sales and Marketing Deputy General Manager and Farezah Azalea, Head of Customer Service, Brother International Malaysia. They signed the agreement with Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer and Alice Chan of Concepts Computer.

Victor Nga was de delighted with this new partnership with OnTime Service Network, a company with amazing history, determination and commitment in servicing our products in Brunei. He believed that through this partnership, customers will have closer attention and assistance for any Brother products purchased. This also aligns to our motto ‘At your side’ which tells our customers that they are our priority and we enable them to reach us conveniently.

Concepts Computer also have renovated the OnTime service centre as they are also handling other brands and to accommodate Brother as their new partners. With the newly trained staff, Concepts Computer is confident that they will provide a better service to the customers of Brother especially after-sale service.

You can also contact OnTime Service Network on 2233556 or 2233559.

 

Handing of certificates to Concept Computers and the trained staff  

Group photo with Concepts Computer and Brother International Malaysia 

The service centre also includes the Brother brand 

  

Laser Tag  

Datin Sakdiah binti Haji Mohd Noor, Sales & Marketing Manager of Jerudong Park Country Club (3rd from left) with the representatives from JPCC hosting the media team for a game of Laser Tag. Thank you 😀 

I haven’t been to Jerudong Park Playground for a very long time. I know I owe my friend a visit to the playground. Soon, soon, okay? 😀 Anyway, I’m still amazed how the old playground has been transformed by phases and this is for the benefit of our locals. The public used to complain by comparing the good old days when things were FREE as compared to now. That mentality has slowly shifted and the people of Brunei are beginning to appreciate the value that the management of Jerudong Park Playground are creating by revamping the whole amusement park at Jerudong Park.

Now we can experience newer rides and fun activities with families and friends. According to the management, during the school holidays, they had an amazing record crowd and this is an indication that Jerudong Park Playground is heading in the right direction. At the moment, the whole project of revamping the playground is not near completion as there are other areas that have been left untouched. The management has a proper timeline to execute the future developments/phases of the park and they want to consistently maintain the newer rides and operations for a better customer experience.

This is also the same reason why the Park operations hours are limited. As you can see from the poster below, Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are closed for maintenance purposes. Well, enough of the information about the Park. I’m here to share my view of the latest game provided by JPCC Playground and that is the “Laser Tag”. This is prtty fun game because I remember playing this as a kid back in the UK. So recently we had a battle, compromising of the media team and JPCC’s Sales & Marketing Team. I can’t remember who won but I had zero kills as I was concentrating more on taking videos for my IG *lol*

Hosted us the game was Datin Sakdiah binti Haji Mohd Noor, Sales & Marketing Manager of Jerudong Park Country Club and she was pleased with the new addition game to JPCC Playground – it’s a family game that doesn’t require physical bullets. She also shared that the ticket entry to the Playground is also inclusive of the Laser Tag game.

So peeps. What are you waiting for? Get your family and friends and try out Laser Tag with a maximum player of 12 and outscore your opponents as a team. What’s great now is that JPPC Playground is that they are extending their School Holiday Specials until the 29th April 2015. Now with a Family Package of 5, two adults and three kids is only BND 30, if for entry for kids and senior citizen, it’s BND 5 and a ticket of adult is BND 10. For children below 2 years old, the entry is FREE. Awesome deals!!

For more updates, you can visit their website  and even book tickets online or also follow them on instagram @jerudongpark

 

The guns used for Laser Tag 

Some briefing before the Laser Tag game. Rule number one – Do Not Swear 😀 

I was the green team and I got shot by the red team (laser) numerous times because I was simply taking videos and not playing  

Another laser game is The Time Portal which is a Lazer Maze.  

This is the scores that you have to beat using time. How fast can you disable the laser inside the laser maze? 

It’s not easy especially on Expert Level. There are four levels of difficulty. 

We had some Charcoal burger at the Water Park. Try the sunrise burger 😀 

One of the main attractions of the JPCC Playground – The Waterpark 

The extended promotion by JPCC until 29th April 2015 

  

 

”Swipe to Fly” rewarded 

Last week, BIBD handed over five pairs of air tickets to Melbourne for the final winners of its monthly “Swipe to Fly” winners at the BIBD Kiulap Branch. Present to hand over the prizes was BIBD’s Head of Marketing, Ben Lin.

Winning has never been easier as there were no hassles of filling entry forms to qualify for the promotion, making that dream holiday one step easier and closer. BIBD customers needed to only spend a minimum of B$30 on a single receipt using either their BIBD cards or BIBD eTunai service and at any retail or online outlet. BIBD customers were also rewarded with an additional lucky draw entries for accumulating a monthly minimum spending of B$1,000 using the mentioned services.

The handing over event marks the end of the four-month promotion which also saw prizes of air tickets to Ho Chi Minh, Bali and Dubai for a dream holiday. Despite the end of the “Swipe to Fly”, there are also other on-going BIBD promotions such as the BIBD Card Privileges with Agoda. The promotion allows BIBD cardholders, including the BIBD Virtual Mastercard, to enjoy a discount of up to seven percent when you book your hotel stay with Agoda.com. This promotion is valid until the 30th April 2015, and is available at www.agoda.com/bibd.

 

The winners flying to Melbourne as part of the monthly “Swipe to Fly”  

On top of that, BIBD is also running its “Let’s Go Mobile” promotion through the BIBD Mobile app, where lucky draw winners stand a chance to win either an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple watch every month, until the 30th of July 2015. To be eligible for this promotion, BIBD Mobile users need only top up their utility bills, make purchases with BIBD eTunai or BIBD Virtual Prepaid MasterCard, or transfer funds using the BIBD Mobile application.

For more information on any BIBD products, services and promotions, please follow the BIBD Instagram account at @BIBDBRUNEI; Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bibdbrunei; get in touch with BIBD Contact Centre at 2238181 or visit the nearest BIBD Branch. Also, don’t forget to download the popular BIBD Mobile App to get the latest BIBD offers and promotions under “What’s New” feature.

 

 

  

Avengers fever this week 

Sadly I won’t be able to catch Avengers: Age of Ultron until next week. This is because I will be flying off this Wednesday to Bangkok and surprisingly, they are not showing it there until 30th April. So I will be at least a week behind and I hope this won’t affect my podcast review of blockbuster movie. Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia will be running their releases on Thursday midnight (23rd April 2015). Times Cineplex has run a special movie marathon for comic and Avengers fans where you can get to watch both first and the second Avengers (one marathon show only) from 9pm Wednesday 22nd April.

Marathon ticket includes two Avengers movies, one Avengers popcorn bucket and one Avengers tumbler and you can get refill (once) after the first movie for both popcorn and drinks. Good deal I must say for BND 40. The popcorn buckets are sold separately and also other Avengers movie merchandise.

These are only available at Times Cineplex but the ticketing for the marathon is not available online. You will have to purchase the tickets physically at Times Cineplex (Times Square, Empire, Tutong and KB). Congratulations to the winner of my IG competition @shemustbenia who won herself two tickets of the Avengers Marathon package 😀

 

The Avengers Marathon by Times Cineplex 

The number of merchandises for Avengers at Times Cineplex 

Avengers movie merchandise t-shirt. I love the packaging for this. 

 

Happy Belated @AJ68  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need for Speed  

I love Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad. However, I couldn’t picture him leading a role just yet on the big screen. His role as the protagonist in Need For Speed is questionable. Is he really a hero after the two hour ordeal that I had to go through? Plot wise, this is nothing interesting and for many, they won’t care much about the plot as they have something to look forward to and that is fast, beautiful cars which ain’t a selling point for me.

The plus points for me was the camera style and technique on the car chase sequences. I would say that some of the scenes were slightly better than Fast and the Furious series. Maybe the director attempted to bring more realism with great score and sound editing along with it. Do listen to my podcast on the popcorn panel and yes, I have another quiz too but you have to answer them on my instagram handle to be eligible for the grand prize.

So far the reviews have been favourable among my peers. But an eight will be too high for my liking. Movie has many flaws to make this a classic. I still prefer the FF series. Verdict: 7/10 @abbylmf 6.8 Rottentomatoes 23%

Check out the podcast review for Need for Speed

  

 

UBD Film Festival 2014 

 

I’m kinda excited for this event as I’m a movie buff and also my interest in film making is kinda high. This is the first time that UBD will be hosting a Film Festival that will feature some of the students’ modules of short films as well as some of the local house production short films. The actual event will be on the 19th and 20th of April which will take place at the Core, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The tickets are free but the seats are limited over the two day period.

Last night, I was being interviewed by the marketing committee of UBD Film Festival 2014 and I’m honoured to be part of their project. They also interviewed some local videographers and creative directors where Elizabeth Sim was the host for the TV show format interview. Well, why I was chosen was because of my own going podcast on movie reviews on Sound Cloud – The Popcorn Panel.

Ironically, I interviewed the director of marketing, UBD Film Festival 2014, Efah, and you will be able to catch the interview soon on the Popcorn Panel. Good luck to you guys and I can see how much effort have been invested in this event. So peeps, don’t forget to catch UBD Film Festival 2014 on 19th and 20th April at the Core, UBD.

UBD Film Festival 2014 are also running a short film submissions from the public and you can check out their terms and conditions on their website and you can also download the form if you are interested. Who knows your short film will be shortlisted and be shown during the said event. You can also follow them on instagram @filmfestivalubd2014

You can be part of the UBD Film Festival 2014

The marketing team of the UBD Film Festival 2014 documenting the interviews

A young talented videographer being interviewed

Behind the scenes

Make up before the shoot

Testing before the shoot

The form for those interested to feature your short films
 

Amazing trailer  

Check out the first official trailer for Yasmine the movie

It was great to see the 30 second trailer of the much anticipated first featured film produced by a Bruneian entitled “YASMINE”. You may have heard about the movie on my older posts back last year and now it’s getting very close to reality that Yasmine the movie will be hit theaters and the producers have announced that the movie will be released by August 2014. Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia will be the first countries to release the movie though Yasmine will make its private screening at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (24-27th March) and Festival De Cannes: Marche Du Film (14-24th May).

As you can see that the Brunei’s film industry is still in its infant stage. So it’s great to see Origin Films taking a huge risk in creating this film which costs quite a huge sum of money. With the support of the Brunei Economic Development Board and the ministries involved in funding the project, Origin Films is confident that the Yasmine will translate not just exposure but also into box office success with Indonesia being the major market.

I have never been so excited about a local featured film for such a long time. The trailer itself have already raised my expectations on Yasmine and I have observed behind-the-scenes moments of Yasmine especially during shooting and I learnt so much about film making and I’m beginning to appreciate the efforts of even those who had minor roles in the film production.

Yesterday the media and bloggers were invited by Origins Film where Siti Kamaluddin, the director, introduced to the guests of the teaser trailer for Yasmine. She’s the lady behind the project with the help of Din Kamaluddin (producer), Chan Man Ching (stunt coordinator, action choreographer) as Action Director, Salman Aristo as Screenplay writer (Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Sang Penari), Cesa David Lukmansyah as Film Editor (Rumah di Seribu Ombak), Khikmawan Santosa as the Sound Designer, Aghi Narottama as the Music Director and Nidji, the composer and original songs on the soundtrack for Yasmine.

In attendance were representatives from Brunei Economic Development Board (LEAP Grant division), Baiduri Bank and Times Cineplex who were also impressed with the teaser trailer. Yasmine is very likely to be shown exclusively at Times Cineplex by August 2014. I shall keep you guys in the loop when the release date gets closer.

You can see some of the details of Yasmine the movie at their website yasminethemovie.com and you can also follow them on Twitter and instagram @yasminthemovie for updates. The web portal was also launched yesterday to give more hype on the movie before its release.

I shall be posting more behind-the-scene pictures in a few weeks’ time. Congratulations to Siti and her team on their tirelessly effort in producing a locally made film. You have my full support definitely.

Siti Kamaluddin, director of Yasmine and founder of Origin Films with her crew involved in the Yasmine project 

Associates from the Brunei Economic Development Board were present 

Members of the local media were also present 

Siti Kamaluddin engaging with the guests about the latest development from the movieThe cast from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia feature Liyana Yus from Brunei playing the lead role of Yasmine. From Indonesia we see leading man Reza Rahadian (Fahri – Yasmine’s Father), Agus Kuncoro (Jamal – Silat teacher), Dwi Sasono (Tong Lung – School Silat teacher), Arifin Putra (Fahri’s friend) as well as young actors Roy Sungkono and Mentari De Marelle. Actors from Malaysia involved in this film feature none other than Dian P Ramlee, Dato’ M. Nasir, Nabila Huda, Soo Wincci, Carmen Soo and Aryl Falak.

YASMINE is a beautifully choreographed story that inspires us to revisit our dreams. Action, comedy and drama come together powerfully in this unforgettable journey. YASMINE being the first international feature film from Brunei has gained the attention of the film world and many international media. YASMINE has been featured in the Monocle (British Magazine) and has had articles in The Guardian (British Newspaper) and many other newspapers both locally and around the region. YASMINE will be introduced to the international film industry by appearing at the film market in the Hong Kong International Film Festival (24 March – 7 April) and the Cannes Film Festival (14-25 May) this year.

 

Liyana Yus in her lead role as Yasmine 

Reza Rahadian, a well known Indonesian actor, playing as Yasmine’s father, Fahri 

  

 

Seats are secured 

I have been a big fan of purchasing movie tickets online. One reason – I don’t have to worry about my booked seats being taken because I paid for my seats and if I don’t turn up, then that’s my loss. I’ve always bought my tickets online whenever I’m in Singapore. For Brunei, the furthest we could do is book the seats online without online payment. This would mean that our seats won’t be guaranteed and according to Benny Ang, the General Manager of Times Cineplex, they can easily lose 60% from simply phone bookings, meaning the supposedly patrons didn’t show up for the selected movies they booked.

Today Times Cineplex have introduced online payment system for customers. I applaud such move and this will give movie goers a piece of mind especially me when it comes to securing your seats at Times Cineplex. You will need your Debit and Credit Card for sure and there won’t be a surcharge or booking fee when using the card. So that’s great news for movie goers. This online payment systems is only available for Times Cineplex.

“Ever since we opened nearly a year and a half ago, we have always maintained that we will continue to try and provide the very best for our customers”, said Benny Ang.

“We are delighted that this online booking facility is the first of its kind in Brunei for cinemas in that there is no pressure on the customer to come and collect their tickets at a stipulated time before the show.”

“They can book, choose their seats, pay for it all from their own home. They just have to remember their booking number to collect their tickets when they come.”

Of course, the phone booking still exists which is the usual bookings being done if you are not physically over the Times Cineplex counter. But then, you will have to be early before the movie starts to get hold of your movie tickets or you will risk your seats to those walk-in customers.

Benny also highlighted that there won’t be any refund when you buy it online but you will be able to replace your ticket with other schedules or movies of your preference if you happen to change your mind. This is a fair enough deal indeed.

So do follow the steps below or you can go straight to tutorial [click here].

Now you can pay your movie tickets online. Check out their website by clicking this image. 

For new users, you will need a sign up first 

Choose what movies you want to watch 

You can choose for adults and/or kids 

The payment gateway is made possible by Baiduri Bank 

You will get this e-voucher in your email. So all you need to do is tell your Confirmation number over at the counter to claim your tickets 😀

Did you know that you can already purchase tickets for Captain America: Winter Soldier online at Times Cineplex. You can try out the payment online for the upcoming blockbuster which will only be screening by Thursday, 27th March. So now you can purchase your seats online with a piece of mind and collect your tickets even 5 minutes before your show. Of course, I won’t recommend you to do that since you will still have to queue up and the queues tend to get longer especially with blockbuster movies showing on the opening weekend.

Times Cineplex is also running a special gimmicks where customers can get a Free exclusive set of Captain America Metallic Foil stickers for every four tickets purchased per customer. This offer while stocks last but for those buying tickets online, you will have to physically go to the counter to collect the stickers as they are based on first come, first serve as in ticket collections. I will be catching Captain America in Singapore 😀

Now you can purchase Captain America tickets at Times Cineplex website  

Get these special set of Captain America Metallic Foil stickers for every 4 tickets purchased of Captain America movie tickets 

  

Sam the Inventorbot  

The animation was based on an android who invents gadgets at amazing speeds, and is hunted by a villain who wants to abuse its ability. “Sam the Inventorbot” is created by Hj Khairul Azhar Hj Rosli, founder of Cinematicpro.

Last year he won himself first place in the AITI Next Innovation and Multimedia Award for Sustainable ICT Industry (ANIMASI) Pro-Digital Animation Challenge which also secured him a BND 35,000 development of ICT and Digital Media Industries grant from AITI. You can check out the Proof of Concept Trailer for Sam, the Inventorbot, a 3D animated series.

Hj Khairul thanked his team members involved in the project, AITI, BEDB, iCentre and all the professionals from Autodesk. He also thanked the consultant, gigglegarage and his production partners, tribeaudio and Banshee creative.

Click image to view the trailer 

  

I Love Brunei  

This is another videography competition organised by The Brunei Times. Show your love for Brunei Darusalam in moving images and join The Brunei Times video competition in conjunction with Brunei’s 30th National Day celebrations. he competition, themed “Brunei Through My Viewfinder”, is open to ALL RESIDENTS.
The competition consists of Category ‘A’ (25 years old & above) and Category ‘B’ (Below 25 years old).

Click on this WEBSITE to register for the competition and find out more TERMS AND CONDITIONS on this SITE. The closing date for this competition is April 30, 2014 at 1500 hours.

The prizes are pretty attractive too. For Category A, winner can win a savings account sponsored by Baiduri Bank worth BND 7,000 and Dell Notebook sponsored by Netcom Computer House and Crystal Trophy sponsored by Mahkota Crystal Sdn Bhd. For Category B, winner can win a savings account sponsored by Baiduri Bank worth BND 3,000 and Dell Notebook sponsored by Netcom Computer House and Crystal Trophy sponsored by Mahkota Crystal Sdn Bhd.

Another way to showcase your videography talents.

Do join the competition and showcase your talents