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.