Group photo of the partners and vendors with Pg Salleh Ab Rahman Pg Hj Damit, the Advisor of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd and Ngu Tiing Siang, Operations Manager of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd during the Partners’ Signing Ceremony

Press release from D’ Sunlit. On the 22nd of January 2017 at the International Convention Center (ICC), Berakas has conducted its Partners’ Signing Ceremony yesterday at D’Sunlit premises.

Pg Salleh Ab Rahman Pg Hj Damit, the Advisor of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd and Ngu Tiing Siang, Operations Manager of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd were present as the signees representing D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd. Numerous Event and Activity partners were also in attendance to work hand in hand with the organiser of the 19th Consumer Fair to deliver another successful event.

Visiting the 19th Consumer Fair is a great kick start for the first month of the year; it is a time for all to shop in over 400 booths and prep for the arrival of the New Year. All kinds of products and activities can be found within the halls to keep you occupied for hours. Watch out for several new comers in the fair such as Pets Arena, TechBru Solution (B) Sdn Bhd, Kaslinda, Taiwanese Bridal Co, First Brew, Meriwell, and many more.
The 19th Consumer Fair carries the theme “The Year is Yours”, 19 New Year resolutions will be featured in our bi-annual In-Fair Magazine now at its fourth edition, for you to pick and choose which will be your top new year resolutions to achieve for the upcoming year. Consumers will get to challenge one of the New Year resolutions which is “Face Your Fear” in the fair, stay tuned to the soon to be showcased activity from the organiser of the 19th Consumer Fair.

Other than that, the fair is loaded with activities from exhibitors and new faces of the popular fair. New faces such as WayBack Burger will be conducting, a “Triple Challenge Eating Competition” and “Can You Take the Hotness?” from Pelicana Chicken. Other than that, Lof Bakery will be having “Cupcakes Decorations” for cupcake lovers and those who love to bake. Many more activities from POKKA (Cataleya Trading Company), Better Brunei, YASKA, DST Group, Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd, Red Bull, Syarikat Teeyam Majeed, KindyKare International are to be seen in the fair.

The 19th Consumer Fair is organised by D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd and is open for public from 10am to 10pm daily except for Friday when it closes temporarily from 12pm to 2pm for Friday prayers. For more information and updates, follow D’Sunlit on social media, Facebook page D’sunlit Sdn Bhd and @dsunlit on Instagram or reach the D’Sunlit Marketing Department at 2453666. Please also visit www.bruneiconsumerfair.com for more updates.

POKKA the leading food and beverage group that manufactures and markets a wide range of beverages under the reputed brand name ‘POKKA’ has launched “POKKA Bonanza Lucky Draw” on 1st December 2016 until 14 January 2017 by Cataleya Trading Company, the Distributor in Brunei Darussalam.

POKKA Bonanza Lucky Draw can be seen in any superstores where POKKA drinks are present and it is open to all of the public to join the fun. Simply purchase 1 bottle (0.5L or 1.5L) of Pokka Green Tea with a choice of any Pokka Ice Fruit Tea (0.5L or 1.5L) at grocery stores, remove both bottle labels and fill in the registration form. Watch out for Lucky Draw box around the promotion and drop the labels together with the registration form in and anticipate for the weekly draw.

Go Hero 5 will be the prize for four of POKKA Bonanza’s weekly draw. First prize being iMAC 27” WITH RETINA 5K DISPLAY – MK462ZP, second prize as iPHONE 7PLUS 128GB & APPLE WATCH A1802 SERIES 1, SAMSUNG 43” UHD SMART TV WITH WALL BRACKET for third prize and many more to celebrate the soon to come New Year.

POKKA Bonanza Lucky Draw appears around superstores in Brunei, it will be conducting its first draw on 17th December 2016 and the Grand Draw to be in the 19th Consumer Fair.

It’s a December to remember for beauty addicts and lovers of luxury beauty brand L’Occitane. From 1st until 31st December 2016, Baiduri Bank is offering great rewards and savings for customers who use their Baiduri Credit and Debit Card for their purchases in their Mabohai outlet.

With a storewide minimum purchase of BND80 nett, customers enjoy a 15% off from the total bill. On top of this fabulous discount, customers receive a free gift as well as a complimentary L’Occitane VIP membership.

The L’Occitane VIP membership avails members to special benefits and privileges such as birthday vouchers, reward points as well as exclusive VIP days, offers and promotions.

Terms and conditions of the promotion can be viewed on Baiduri Bank website at www.baiduri.com under the Promotions section, or on the Baiduri Bank mobile app – Baiduri Deals. For more information, customers may also contact the Baiduri Bank Customer Helpline at 2449666.

To be in the know of Baiduri Bank current promotions and events, the public can also like the official Baiduri Bank Group Facebook page or follow @baiduribank on Instagram and Twitter.

The group photo. Click image to enlarge.

Last week, more than 50 HEP teachers involved in Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam’s (BIBD) Advocating Life-Long Learning for An Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme recently attended an appreciation night event organised by the Bank. The event was held to recognise the contributions of ALAF Student Welfare Teachers in supporting the primary and secondary education of young underprivileged Bruneians.

Also present at the event was the Director General of Education, Yang Mulia Hj Abd Rahim bin Derus, and Director of Islamic Studies, Yang Mulia Ustazah Hajah Hajijah binti Haji Moktal, and senior leaders from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs and BIBD.

Speaking after the Doa recital to bless the event, BIBD Head of Government Relations and Special Projects, who was also guest of honour, Hj Minorhadi bin Hj Mirhassan said, “Behind the success of each ALAF student is the dedication of ALAF Student Welfare teachers.”

“Together with the unwavering commitment of our teachers, BIBD will continue to support the expansion of the ALAF programme, in line with His Majesty’s Vision 2035 to develop a holistic society that is highly educated and skilled.” Hj Minorhadi presented awards, including commemorative plaques and cash rewards, to recognise the contributions of teachers who have gone above and beyond their current responsibilities in support of ALAF students.

The ALAF Excellence Award 2016 was presented to Cikgu Yahuda Bin Gelawat, Cikgu Siti Muti’ah Bte Ali Umar, Ustazah Yasmin Hannani Bte Hj Abd Majid and Ustazah Dk Siti Nurul Ihsan Bte Pg Mohd Sahar. Cikgu Hjh Nur Humaira Qistina Maisarah Bte Hj Abd Rahman and Ustazah Hajah Shukrinah Bte Haji Ibrahim received the Special Mention ALAF Excellence Award 2016, while four retired ALAF Taskforce members were presented with the Special Mention ALAF Service Award 2016. In addition, all invited HEP teachers received a certificate of appreciation, in recognition of their dedication.

With the support of dedicated teachers, 7 ALAF students have scored 5A’s in their PSR examinations in 2015, and the Bank looks forward to supporting more deserving students in the future.

To find out more about BIBD’s ALAF programme and how you can make a difference, visit http://www.bibdalaf.com

Hj Minorhadi bin Hj Mirhassan, BIBD Head of Government Relations and Special Projects, in his welcoming remarks

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Abdul Rashid bin Pengiran Kerma Raja Pengiran Haji Kamarulzaman (2nd from left) with Che Soon Chong, Danial Isa Kalebic, the partner and manager of The Potato Habit and Benny Lau at the soft launch of The Potato Habit yesterday

YB Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa bin Pehin Datu Perdana Manteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim (far right side) with family members and friends came for the launch and blessed the ceremony with a prayer.

At first I thought it was an international franchise. But their family side is known for creating local brands when it comes to food & beverage. You all may be familiar with household names such as Fratini’s and Mr. Softy and they have been around to make their strong presence in Brunei Darussalam. Now comes a new F&B brand called The Potato Habit.

Led by a young dynamic team came up with the concept and the idea came when they were flying abroad. After some sampling, they came up with 6 flavours as their first phase of the menu. The flavours are Original Cheese, Cheese and Butter, Spicy BBQ, Seaweed, Sour Cream & Onion and Sweet corn. Apparently according to Danial, the most popular one off the menu is Seaweed.

My favourite is the BBQ flavour. The portions are quite generous too even for a Baby Size ($2). They have 5 sizes from Baby Size to Family Size ($6). So if you ask me, it’s a real steal.

Daniel shared how they are also planning for expansion in the near future (sometime in March/April 2017). As of today, he was happy with the responses even with the lack of promotion. The business has been operating for a week and yesterday was the official opening of The Potato Habit.

Present during the launch were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Abdul Rashid bin Pengiran Kerma Raja Pengiran Haji Kamarulzaman and YB Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Bakti Diraja Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Isa bin Pehin Datu Perdana Manteri Dato Laila Utama Haji Awang Ibrahim, the grandfather of Danial Isa-Kalebic.

The Potato Habit is located at the ground floor of Times Square Shopping Centre, near Killiney Road. You can follow them on instagram @thepotatohabit or just search #flavouringyourworld to check them out. I highly recommend their fries as they are pretty addictive for some reason. Happy devouring 😀

The seaweed flavour is the most popular among the lot

My favourite among the lot – BBQ flavour

Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin wanted to leave but got addicted to the flavoured fries and ended up taking away some

Same went to Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin and he couldn’t get enough of them

We had two rounds of them 😀

I had to learn how to carry all six with two hands.. It is possible

Danial being interviewed by Aziz. Check the story out tomorrow in Borneo Bulletin.

A strong crowd yesterday at The Potato Habit.

Game On organisers with partners and the top 3 winners of the FIFA 17 tournament.

It has been a while.. A while that I got involved in playing football games on PS4. I only played FIFA 17 once so far and I know I’m not that great of a player. I was humiliated online when I was playing FIFA 16 last year and it stopped me from playing for a while *lol*

Anyway, it’s good to see the rise of FIFA tournaments (formerly PES tourneys) and it’s organised by Game.On (Brunei). It took place at Mabohai Shopping Complex and the grand prize was a PS4 Slim 500GB with a PS4 Stix Gift Voucher, $25 Progresif Postpaid Plan and a GAME ON t-shirt.

I only saw one familiar face and that was Md Alif Akmal Anbarie bin Mahmod who managed to reach the finals and finished runner-up. He has previously won a few of the tournaments that I hosted a few years ago. Hence it’s good to see him back in the game. He won himself 1 Huawei Y330 phone, $25 Progresif Postpaid Plan, PS4 STIX Gift Voucher and a GAME ON t-shirt.

The eventual winner was Adib bin Hj Sazali who grabbed the grand prize and the 3rd place went to Md YaoHanexam bin Amir Anuar who won himself one Huawei Y330, PS4 STIX Gift Voucher and a GAME ON t-shirt.

The event is supported by Mabohai Shopping Complex and the event partners were ETA Games @ Cineplex, Nitro Concepts, Burger King, Getit.com.bn, Dx Racer, The Letterbox and PS4 Stix.

Game mode time during the FIFA 17 tournament

Alif Akmal came runner up during the competition

The Consumer Affairs Division (CAD), formerly known as Price Control Division, of the Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE), Prime Minister’s Office announced the launch of the Pengguna Bijak/Smart Consumer mobile application for consumers.

The main aim and key function of the mobile application is to educate and empower users to be smart consumers by providing a platform to compare prices of goods of daily necessities while also providing information on the prices of goods listed under the Price Control Act, Chapter 142. It will also introduce users to consumer related laws and a platform for lodging complaints, and contains informative educational material on consumer protection and price control related matters.

The mobile application which is developed by a local company, DotRoot Technologies Sdn Bhd, is available for download at the iTunes App Store for iOS users and the Google Play Store for Android users.

Burger King Brunei, under the management of Sinofood Express, are partnering with Coca-Cola and The Milimewah Group of Companies to excite consumers in Brunei by offering unbeatable deals as part of their end year promotion campaign.

For a limited time from 28th November 2016 until 31st January 2017, customers will be able to enjoy $2.00 off their total bill if they spend $15.00 or more in any of the Burger King outlet. In order to be entitled for this discount, customers are required to purchase any range of Coca-Cola beverages displayed exclusively on the shelves in The Milimewah Group of Companies. One sticker will be awarded for each Coca-Cola beverage purchase at the The Milimewah Group of Companies. Customers can find the sticker at the Coca-Cola’s beverage packaging and they must present the sticker to redeem their discount at the Burger King outlets.

This is the first time Burger King has ever collaborated with The Milimewah Group of Companies and Coca-Cola and we are looking forward to collaborate again to offer more exciting and unique deals for our customers in Brunei.

For further updates on Burger King® Brunei, visit our Instagram page @burgerkingbrunei and Facebook at www.facebook.com/bkbrunei.

The registration area at the Brunei Job Fair last Monday

Many people have been wondering what DARe is. It stands for Darussalam Enterprise and it is a statutory body that aims to develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and it is an initiative created by The Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Brunei Job Fair 2016 had a tremendous response in the past three days. The first day itself was pretty challenging as there were many events coinciding at BRIDEX area – the job fair and a wedding event. There were even some speakers (slated for Sunday’s program) shied away from the long congested traffic. Last year there wasn’t a Brunei Job Fair so it’s back again organised by the Energy and Industries Department at the Prime Minister’s Office.

I missed the opening day but dropped by last Monday to check it out to study and observe. I would have expected that the numbers of job seekers will be high. Mind you that job seekers doesn’t really translate to unemployment as some of the jobseekers are also inclusive of those studying and being employed.

The numbers currently that are registered as unemployed and seeking for jobs are almost 11,000 and I’m not to sure if these figures prior to the Brunei Job Fair 2016. Nonetheless, the said figures that were quoted is definitely a wake up call and it could be a reflection of our economy.

For sure, the Oil and Gas industries haven’t been favourable due to the volatility of oil prices and some of the prominent O&G companies that are participating don’t have much options or vacancies for jobseekers. One that I know are only taking internship and another prominent company are looking for IT Executive. The other O&G company is only looking for those who are experienced in the specialized field. These companies used to have multiple opportunities for job seekers a few years ago. Now it’s a different story.

Constructions in Brunei is almost at a standstill. Two of my friends who are involved in construction shared the problems they are facing – No Projects. This would mean that the staff can be redundant in a long run if the situation persists and they will have no choice but to retrench.

The Brunei Times recently shut down its operation, laying of at least 150 staff which is not so much good news in Brunei with the current economic situation.

According to the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar, he aimed at reducing the unemployment by at at least 4,000 and this is the target that he won’t negotiate.

Let’s see how it goes in the next few months. The registered jobseekers ended with a number of 8,070 during the 3 day event.

The recent statistics during the Brunei Job Fair. I have feeling that are many unregistered jobseekers in Brunei that didn’t attend the Brunei Job Fair recently.

I bumped into my friend Billy Lim from the Investment Division, Ministry of Finance. He shared about this new huge project coming in 2017 (construction first) which is the Brunei Fertilizer Industries. This will be the first Brunei fertilizer manufacturing plant which will be located in Sg. Liang and it will also create hundreds of job opportunities. Another interesting prospect for Brunei.

The sample of the fertilizer and it’s not the usual fertilizer that I normally see

The scene at the Brunei Job Fair 2016 at BRIDEX

Zulhilmi of Total entertaining interested individuals