British High Commissioner, David Campbell, with the winner of the Education UK Exhibition at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club yesterday.

The Education UK Exhibition took place on Sunday, 21 February, with 40 participating British universities and colleges, at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, Empire Hotel & Country Club from 2pm to 7pm.

Over 2000 visitors visited the exhibition, taking the opportunity to speak to the representatives from the institutions, who were on hand to offer advice to students on a wide range of topics, including top concerns such as courses, fees and accommodation – every aspect of studying in the UK.The exhibition serves as a one-stop-shop for prospective UK scholars and their families.

Also present were experts from the Ministry of Education, including the Scholarship and National Accreditation Council, who provided guidance on procedures for applying for scholarships.

Seminars were held concurrently with the exhibition, enabling participants to drop in on in-depth presentations from different institutions, on “How to write a great personal statement,” “Choosing your course” and “Studying Law in the UK.”

British High Commissioner, David Campbell, said that the Education UK exhibition was always a highly anticipated event. “The institutions represented cover the length and breadth of the UK, so it gives students an opportunity to get expert advice on the huge range of courses available, and also get help with the important decision on where best to study.”

 

 

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The Education UK Exhibition taken last year.

Interested in furthering your studies in the UK?

The Education UK Exhibition enables you to meet representatives from 40 UK Universities, attend super helpful seminars, chat with UK alumni and find plenty of useful information. Plus, there will be amazing goodies to bring back home too!

You’ll also get plenty of advice from representatives of the participating institution such as course fees and accommodation and perhaps more tips while studying abroad. I’ve never been to the UK for studies and it’s the most popular destination for Bruneians to further their studies. With the A results being released recently, this is a great opportunity for students to scout for the right course. Also involved is the Ministry of Education to cater for Scholarship prospects from Brunei. Hence the Scholarship Unit and the National Accreditation Council will be there for assistance. I would highly recommend The Education UK Exhibition hosted by the British Council.

So remember to join us on Sunday, 21 February 2016 at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel from 2pm to 7pm.

Don’t forget to pre-register at https://bn.edukexhibition.org and stand a chance to win a SMART TV – we’ve got two up for grabs! See you this Sunday!

 

The National Day march practice earlier this morning. Associates of BIBD taking part in the march. Image courtesy of @marul69

The Ikrar team practising at the Taman SOAS

About 21,000 people are expected to participate in the 32nd National Day celebrations at Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital.

Permanent Secretary of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Paduka Dr Hj Affendy Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Hj Abidin said 126 teams will be involved in the parade including 7,000 students, 5,000 people in the march past while 500 people will make up thehadrah team.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday, he said uniformed personnel, government agencies, the private sector and non-profit organisations will take part in the march past.

In his capacity as co-secretary of the celebration’s executive committee, Dato Dr Hj Affendy said the National Day theme of “Generasi Berwawasan” (Visionary Generation) has been retained this year.

He added that the full dress rehearsal for the celebrations will take place on February 20.

Assistant Chief of Adat Istiadat Pg Dr Hj Hidup Pg Hj Samsuddin reminded guests to confirm their attendance to the department as soon as possible.

He said invitations are non-transferrable and guests must adhere to the prescribed dress code.

Members of the the public were urged to attend the thanksgiving prayers and recitation of Surah Yaasin that will take place in the afternoon of February 22 at all mosques and prayer halls across the country, with the focal point at Masjid Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital.

Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Senior Superintendent Hj Md Hassan Pehin Penyurat Hj Ahmad, acting director of the Traffic Investigation and Control Department (JSKLL) said several car park areas need to be vacated before the National Day parade begins starting today till February 23. These areas include the Madrasah car park, the car park area along Jln Kianggeh, Jln McArthur, Jln Sultan, Jln Stoney, Jln Sumbiling, Jln Pehin Isa, Jln Pengiran Shahbandar, and Jln Istana Darussalam. Motorists can use alternative car park areas including the road along Jln Kianggeh towards Jubilee Hotel leading to Jln Subok and along Jln Residency towards the Arts and Handicrafts Centre leading to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He said four locations have been identified as drop-off points for participants from education institutions, government agencies and private sector that use buses. These locations are the bus terminal on Jln Cator, Jln Bendahara, Jln Pehin Dato Isa and Jln Sumbiling. Text courtesy of Rafidah Hamit of The Brunei Times.

The Brunei youth practising their ikrar at a car park area

The ladies representatives for the ikrar practising at Tennis National Centre

Team RB march practice in town earlier today

 

Wow, our friend Derby Teo @derbilicious made a surprise visit to her old club, Brunei Speakers’ Club, last week. She’s currently studying in Seoul, Korea, under a scholarship program. Kudos for winning Table Topics last week. To read more, you can click on the image.

Did you know that we actually have a blog for recaps on our Brunei Speakers’ Club (toastmasters) weekly meetings? It’s not just one person behind the scene that keeps the blog updated on a weekly basis and I’m happy to be one of the contributors. We are divided into three roles per week – the copy writer, photographer and proof reading. The club’s Vice-President of Public Relations, Gerald Goh, has been the main person manning the club’s website for this term and he has done a tremendous job so far. And the same can be said for his team players for helping the tasks needed to maintain the blog/recaps. Keep it up..

For those interested to attend our Toastmasters meeting, it’s every Tuesday evening 7:30pm at Seameo Voctech. There will be guest fees of BND 5 and for students, it will be BND 3. The membership presence have been very encouraging and one of the highest for Brunei Speakers’ Club in many years. It’s always great to know my fellow friends willing to learn of being a leader and a communicator. So far my mentees are Shafiq (UBD Toastmasters), Heidi and our new member Syatrah 🙂 Thank you in believing in me to help you guide in your journey as a toastmaster.

If you want to read our recap meeting for last week, you can click here for the blog entry.

The faces of Table Topics Speakers last week at Brunei Speakers’ Club

 

Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times taking photo of the Brunei delegates heading to Sri Lanka in March 2016.

Mohd Aiman Abdullah (C) with Kieran Lai (L) and Harry Kwang at the National Tennis Centre of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Lai and Kwang will be joined by Ben Sii at next month’s ITF World Junior Tennis Competition in Sri Lanka, where they will be coached by Aiman. Image courtesy of Yee Chun Leong of The Brunei Times.

Definitely not me (for Sri Lanka). I just follow Aiman’s training session with the youngsters on a daily basis. As you may have read today’s paper in The Brunei Times, Brunei will making a presence in the ITF (International Tennis Federation) World Junior Tennis Competition in Sri Lanka this coming March.

Three Bruneians will be presented by Ben Sii, Harry Kwang and Kieran Lai and they will compete in the pre-qualifiers for both singles and doubles. They have been very busy will the training sessions as a group and also have individual sessions with Aiman Abdullah, their head coach. This is a great move for the juniors to participate as it will give them a sense of exposure in terms of competing among the best juniors around the world. For the your info, it has been a while since Brunei took part in the competition overseas and I know the juniors are pretty excited and nervous at the same time. All in all, it will be a great experience for them regardless of the outcome of the matches.

Aiman has been approaching his training methods to accommodate the standards of the our juniors. We may not be the level where regional players are but it’s a good start that tennis is slowly becoming a growing sports in the country and thumbs up to Aiman for his dedication, commitment and contribution to the tennis community in Brunei.

Also big thanks to the parents and families of the participants for allowing them to travel with Aiman for the competition in Sri Lanka. Special thanks to Armtrix Enterprise for sponsoring the tracksuits. They will be heading to Sri Lanka on 2nd of March for at least a week.

Apart from the usual training, Aiman also dedicated a special slot for juniors especially the newbies ages 5 and above every Friday from 5 to 6pm. The responses have been encouraging and hopefully we can find new talent in the making in tennis. I may be in my early 40s but man, tennis is still my passionate sport. So you can catch me there most of the late afternoons at the Brunei National Centre. A big thank you to Aiman for training me and the juniors too. It does make me feel much younger minus my fitness level 😀

Ben Sii will be joining as well

Group photo yesterday with Aiman Abdullah, Brunei’s No.1 tennis player, Ian Chok (grey top), national tennis player, and the trainees – Sin Yi, Henry, RA, Rahul, Zen, Kieran, Tim and Harry

Aiman helping out with the session with the beginners every Friday at Tennis National Centre

Rahul taking some time to pose as a tennis umpire but only for show :p

 

Free labour charge on repairs for Peugeot

Taking a swim at River Cafe at Maya Ubud

I didn’t take much photos at Bali since I didn’t go to many places of interests in Bali. Most of the time, I was staying at Ubud area which is quite remote from the popular cities of Kuta and Seminyak. Nonetheless, I had a great time bonding with my friends from all over the world at Ubud and learnt a thing or two that me aware of in the past week or so. Hence, why I am so inspired by David the Nomadic Lion who inspires others with his vision to spread humanitarian by means of walking and exchanging stories and cultures. He represents abundance and I am inspire to feel as abundant as him one day.

I shall be returning to Bali next year and my friends and I are already eyeing Lombok (a few hours away drive from Bali) which my friends recommended to visit and even David. Have a great weekend, peeps!!

At Clear Cafe. Similar to Energy Kitchen and I like the idea where you have to take your foot wear before entering

Creme Bulle at Room 4 Dessert

Nice desserts at Room 4 Dessert. Highly recommended.

Sophia playing with the grass

This is the luxurious villa at Maya Ubud

I accidentally wore my t-shirt inside out without realizing :S

Genevieve and Sophia trying out Kopi Luwak

Interesting filter for Kopi Luwak

I love the dinner concept at Maya Ubud

Having great fun at water rafting. The rapids weren’t as challenging.

 

 

The British High Commissioner hosted a Civil Society and Chevening Alumni Roundtable discussion and networking event recently at the Residence. The aim of the event was to bring together civil society organisations and Chevening Alumni to network, share best practice, find synergies and identify opportunities for collaboration

The British High Commissioner hosted a Civil Society and Chevening Alumni Roundtable discussion and networking event yesterday evening at the Residence. The aim of the event was to bring together civil society organisations and Chevening Alumni to network, share best practice, find synergies and identify opportunities for collaboration.

British High Commissioner H.E. David Campbell said “It was fascinating to hear from such a diverse range of organisations, all making a real contribution to Bruneian society and environment. Many were now planning their projects for 2015 which we will follow with close interest. It was good to have the perspective of our Chevening scholars too.”

Civil Society Organisations present covered a wide range of issues in Brunei from the environment (Green Brunei, Green Apeel), to wildlife (1stopbrunei Wildlife, CAS) to social welfare (SCOT, the Women’s Council, MKM, BASMIDA, Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council). All CSOs were invited to give short, forward looking presentations on their upcoming activities and projects. Also present were representatives from Standard Chartered Bank who gave a brief overview of the work they do in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

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.