Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, with the BIBD SEED (Special Underprivileged Mothers Empowerment Entrepreneurship Development) at the atrium of the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) yesterday

Participants of BIBD’s Special Underprivileged Mothers Empowerment Entrepreneurship Development Programme (BIBDSEED) will now have a new marketplace to offer their products to the public after being provided with a retail space at the building of The Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE).

Located at the Atrium of the ministry’s building, the marketplace will be occupied by participants of the current cohort 2 of BIBDSEED.

The new space will fit three businesses at a time and the participants will rotate to occupy the space on a monthly basis.

The Minister officiating the launch of the new market place at MoFE

The Minister handing out certificates to the underprivileged mothers under the BIBD SEED programme

The Minister trying out the lok-lok stall

The Minister trying out the spaghetti

My favorite of the lot – the Rendang, cooked with no sugar and no salt. Oh yea, all vendors use QuickPay and Progresif Pay

BIBD’s Head of Government Relations and Special Projects, Haji Mohammad Yusri bin Haji Wahsalfelah, said: “This placement will provide first-hand and real-life entrepreneurship experiences to our BIBDSEED participants. Through this marketplace, they will now have a level playing field and face healthy competition from established businesses who are currently based there. This can also be a stepping stone for them to grow further.”

He added being based at the new retail space will be crucial and beneficial for the participants’ development as entrepreneurs as it will test their resolve to apply their knowledge and learning from the previous phases such as pricing, marketing, communications, sales pitching to customers and promotion of their products.

“We would like to express our appreciation to the Brunei Government for their strong support and providing the opportunity for us to further develop the BIBDSEED programme. The programme is already a multi-agency initiative actively supported by the government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport.”

“The provision of this new retail space symbolises the huge support of the Ministry of Finance and Economy in collaborating with BIBD to empowering the underprivileged to become successful entrepreneurs. This also reflects our commitment and dedication to become the nation’s partner in progress.”

The launch of the new marketplace was officiated by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Finance and Economy, who also presented certificates to the ten participants of BIBDSEED cohort 2 to mark the completion of Phase 5 of the programme.

Also attending the launching ceremony were permanent and deputy permanent secretaries at MoFE, BIBD’s Deputy Managing Director Hjh Noraini binti Haji Sulaiman, as well as other senior management and officials from the ministry and BIBD.

Group photo with the guest of honour and participants of the Porsche Road Tour in commemorating His Majesty’s 73rd Birthday at the Porsche Centre Brunei two Sundays ago

Pengiran Mohd Amirrizal bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud, Permanent Secretary (Administration, Finance and Estate) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports the guest of honour with Lahiru de Silva, Acting Deputy General Manager of QAF Eurokars, posing with Porsche GT2RS

It has been a while since such activity was done – a convoy among Porsche owners organised by QAF Eurokars, the official importer and deal of Porsche vehicles in Brunei Darussalam. Two Sundays ago, it was made possible by QAF Eurokars and Porsche Owner Group and the convoy event was in commemoration on His Majesty’s 73rd Birthday celebration.

The event lasted 7 hours where more than 30 classic and new Porsche owners showed up and it was inclusive of breakfast, lunch, lucky draws, back-and-forth ride from Bandar to Kuala Belait and certificate presentation.
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It was kinda cool to even see Pengiran Mohd Amirrizal bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud, Permanent Secretary (Administration, Finance and Estate) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the guest of honour, to attend the whole session of the event. He drove the much new powerful Porsche Panamera. I test drove it before and it was such a ride.

Lahiru de Silva, Acting Deputy General Manager of QAF Eurokars, was very pleased that such event was a success as the road tour brought different eras of the Porsche brand with its cultural values which are pioneering spirit, passion, sportiness and family. The Porsche road tour also help to gather the community that is an extension to the Porsche family.

It was raining cats and dogs prior to the flag off but it didn’t dampen the spirit of the Porsche owners as they were quite anticipating the 178-kilometre convoy from Bandar to Kuala Belait and back.

The breakfast and briefing took place at Porsche Centre Brunei at Beribi Light Industrial Area. Participants were also given event T-shirts and caps to commemorate the event.

The flag off was initiated by the guest of honour followed by the Acting Deputy General Manager of QAK Eurokars.

The convoy’s first landmark was Jame’ ‘Asr Hassanil Bolkiah where a group was taken with the participants. Then the convoy drove along Batu Satu to drive pass another significant landmark, Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of His Majesty. Along the way, the convoy drove pass Jerudong Park’s iconic Crystal Arch in Jerudong before settling for a drive cruise along the highway, heading to Kuala Belait.

Upon arriving the Belait District, the convoy drove by the Tea Pot Monument before reaching V-Plaza Hotel by the Belait River. Lunch was served at the said hotel and lucky draw was also held where the grand winner walked away with a Porsche duffle bag.

By 3pm, the convoy drove back to Porsche Centre Brunei where the guest of honour presented the participants certificates for being part of the Porsche Road Tour in commemorating His Majesty’s 73rd Birthday celebration.

Participants listening to the briefing

Breakfast was served before the convoy

The token of appreciation for the guest of honour

Flag off by the guest of honour

The tailgate of the convoy at the Beribi Light Industrial Area

The Porsche Boxster and the Porsche Panamera

The photo opp at Jame’ ‘Asr Hassanil Bolkiah

The convoy along the highway

Driving past Istana Nurul Iman

Tea Pot at Kuala Belait

Luncheon at V-Plaza Hotel

Certificate of participation to the Porsche convoys

Her Royal Highness Princess Amal Rakiah on the first day of the opening of Dynamic Sports

The ribbon cutting ceremony to officiate the opening of Dynamic Sports flagship store

Dynamic Sports recently drew waves of crowd after its launch of the flagship store two Sundays ago at The Walk (Beribi). It attracted different walks of life especially those in the sports community. Strategically located in Beribi, Dynamic Sports heralded a new era in providing a one stop sports shop furnished with reputable brands with the likes of Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Saucony, ASICS, Crocs and many more.

The company aims to create a platform that provides the most suitable products for the running/sports community of all ages and let’s not forget that they also provide professional advice and guidance, training and rehabilitation to anyone, be it casual or for running.

All present during the launch were number of national scheme runners, sports enthusiasts (like myself) and the members of the press. The ribbon cutting was officiated by Mr. Law Haw Wei, Mr. Lau How Teck and Mr. Lau How Kun accompanied by their sons.

Dynamic Sports has already garnered traction from online shoppers and they can already purchase the items online prior to the launch. This is made possible by www.dynamicsports.co where you will get a very comprehensive list of products to choose from.

Lau Soon Tiong, one of the shareholders of Dynamic Sports, said that the company’s vision is to assist local athletes and passionate sports enthusiasts to strive for greatness by providing a conducive environment for them to improve and grow.

Dynamic Sports will introduce its second phase where they will provide gym services and classes that will assist the community in rehabilitation and condition of the body.

Last weekend, Dynamic Sports had a special deal for selected shoes and it was well received as shoppers flocked in to grab the good deals.

You can follow them on instagram @dynamicsports.bn and if you are wondering of the location, it’s the white building with hints of red and it’s located right before Starbucks Beribi.

Chang Ein Hong came to support the launch as well

Orange is the new black

Mr. Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Baiduri (far right) also came to support the launch

Plenty of varieties at Dynamic Sports

Soon Ai, one of the shareholders of Dynamic Sports

With the athletes during the opening

Hui Chiet also came to support

Accessories also available at Dynamic Sports

Friends and relatives

Special corner deals which was quite popular among shoppers

We did some shopping too

Congratulations to Soon Lau for breaking his personal best in 10KM run at Melbourne Run last weekend

Zero Waste Brunei campaign where roughly 364 volunteers showed up at Muara Beach

Last Sunday, approximately 364 volunteers turned up for the Big Beach Cleanup Campaign at Muara Beach held in conjunction with the Zero Waste Brunei campaign and the worldwide ‘plastic free July’. Initiated to raise awareness on the impacts of single-use plastic and long term waste in our environment, this campaign was also hugely supported by the Department of Environment, Park and Recreation Brunei Darussalam, where they provided us support with the recycling companies.

This campaign garnered tremendous positive support from many local businesses and education institutions, like Land Rover Brunei, Rack & Brew, Laneige Brunei, Adxpert, Big BWN Project, Brunei Cement, IBTE, St. Andrew’s School, St.George’s School, and many others coming together to support this good cause. The 4 hour campaign managed to gather more than 200 cardboard boxes of different sizes filled with trash from the shore and at the beach, with many of the trash being single-use plastics such as plastic bottles, bags, straws and cutleries. This campaign aims to raise awareness to the public on the zero waste movement in order to reduce waste to the landfills, and also to educate the public through the volunteers on segregating their everyday waste into recyclables, reusables and those that can be degradable; and using degradable products like cardboard boxes instead of plastic trash bags.

‘Zero Waste Brunei’ was recently launched nationwide to reduce single-use plastic usage starting on the 25th May 2019, with the aim to collaborate with as many local stakeholders to stop or reduce using single-use plastic such as straws, plastic bags, plastic packaging, plastic cutleries, etc for one day in a month and slowly progressing to twice a month, weekly and eventually, daily. The main objective is to raise awareness for the impact of single-use plastic waste, and the impact it has on the environment, whilst spearheading the worldwide ‘zero waste’ movement in Brunei Darussalam. This initiative acts as a ‘call to action’ encouraging the public, the consumers and the local agencies to collaborate for a common goal to eliminate plastic usage and save the environment.

For more details on the next campaign or how to start living with zero waste, please follow @zerowastebwn on Instagram or Zero Waste Brunei on Facebook.

The biggest debris found during the clean up

Good job to the team and volunteers in making this possible

Shaun Hoon of Curious Mind and Maurina Abd Hamid, Senior Officer of the Group Communications Department of Baiduri Bank during the press conference for the upcoming event, Youth Empowerment Conference

Hafiza binti Mohamad, Corporate Communications Manager at Progresif, presents a certificate of appreciation to Maurina Abd Hamid

Youth Empowerment Conference (YEC). First we have the Youth National Congress which was a huge success. Soon it will be the National Youth Day and next up will be the Youth Empowerment Conference where 700 youths will be involved, come 7-8 September 2019.

Shaun Hoon of Curious Mind and also the master mind of Youth Empowerment Conference was able to muster great international speakers from Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and let’s not forget the local youth leaders from Brunei Darussalam.

The Youth Empowerment Conference is co-organized by Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd and Curious Mind with Baiduri Bank as the platinum sponsor of the said event.

A press conference was held as well as handing over of certifications to the contributors and also relevant institution and schools where students will be attending the YEC.

The press conference was chaired by Shaun Hoon, founder of Curious Mind and Maurina Abd Hamid, Senior Officer of the Group Communications Department of Baiduri Bank.

During the press conference, Shaun Soon said that the goal of the YEC is to inspire young people using fellow young people as role models so they are listening to a voice they can relate to and really believe that anything is possible when our young people set their minds to it. His goals of the YEC are 1) to cultivate a global mindset 2) to expose the youth to the future employment and 3) to instill good values in the youth.

Some of the keynote speakers include winner of JCI’s Top Young Person of the World in 2013 Linh Do, who worked alongside Al Gore’s climate change initiative and Harvard Alumnus, Stevie Award winner and VP of United Nations in Western Australia Dr Sandy Chong, together with member of the Forbes Coach Council KarFei Cheah. Such a beautiful line up but sadly, I won’t be in Brunei for the YEC as I will be outstation for work.

As mentioned before, Baiduri Bank is the Platinum Sponsor for Youth Empowerment Conference where they will provide 100 seats on complimentary basis to students from Institute Of Brunei Technical Education, Laksamana College of Business, Cosmopolitan College of Commerce Technology, Kolej International Graduate Studies and Politeknik Brunei. Each seat is worth $100 each for the two-day event.

Some of the beneficiaries represented by Mahakarya Institute, Cosmopolitan College of Commerce Technology and Laksamana College of Business

The attendees during the press conference

YEAB’s president receiving a certificate from Progresif

Takaful is sponsoring students from UBD to attend the YEC

Jerudong International School is one of the partners for the conference

Chief Executive Officer of Baiduri Bank Ti Eng Hui said, “Baiduri Bank is a great believer in investing in youth, who are leaders of tomorrow. Events such as the Youth Empowerment Conference connect them to international speakers, entrepreneurs and youth leaders.

“It helps them to build a network, increase their global awareness and prepare them for opportunities beyond Brunei through the use of technologies.”

Chief Marketing Officer of Progresif Devin Edwards said, “Support of the Youth Empowerment Conference is part of our Progresif Minds initiative.

“Progresif Minds is a platform that will serve to contribute meaningfully to society by working with thought leaders, captains of industry and change makers in Brunei and beyond,” he added.

“We believe that a progressive mind is a curious one and we aim to feed that curiosity with creative, innovative and inspirational experiences which expand knowledge and help unlock Brunei’s potential.”

Shaun Hoon confirmed that early promotion of the event has already seen the reservation of 500 of the 700 available seats from high schools and higher institutions across Brunei including members of I-Usahawan and i-Ready Apprentinceship programme confirmed to participate at the conference.

It was also shared that complete details about the Youth Empowerment Conference and registration will be available soon at www.progresifminds.com.

Representatives from Chung Hwa Middle School (BSB)

Representatives from VitaWorld, Gong Cha and Yippy Tune

Representatives from Excapade Sushi, Fitness Zone and Luxe Development

Representatives from Sarawak Tourism Board, Tourism Malaysia Brunei Darussalam, SMK Agama Miri and Pan Bright Travel at the starting line of the Miri International Back2School Run last weekend

Representatives of Pan Bright Travel supporting the run

Pan Bright Travel Service co-organised the Miri International Back2School Run with the SMK Agama Miri which took place at the said school last weekend. The event is part of the “Lakas Tah ke Miri promotion” in conjunction with Malaysia Mega Sales Carnival National Sales Campaign & Visit Sarawak Campaign 2019 in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia Brunei Darussalam and supported by Sarawak Tourism Board.

This is the second run organized by Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Miri and this is the first time SMK Agama Miri collaborated with Pan Bright Travel Service to cater for the residents of Brunei Darussalam. There were three categories overall – 5KM run, 11KM Men’s and Women’s Open and the Mountain Biking Jamboree 44KM Open & Veteran. The event attracted more than 140 participants from Brunei from the 1,3000 participants of the run.

The Lakas Tau Ke Miri promotion is still ongoing until the 31st July 2019 where for every purchase of BND 800 worth of travel products from Pan Bright in a single receipt, you are entitled to a rebate special from as low as BND 35 at Meritz Hotel or BND 75 at Miri Marriot per room per night. There are also special room deals from Meritz Hotel (BND 59) and Miri Marriot (BND 99) which includes breakfast for two.

I can understand why Mertiz Hotel is very popular among Bruneians because of the convenience of shopping at Bintang Mall (Ever Rise supermarket, H&M, Uniqlo and many more). My recent stay saw many Bruneians parked their car at the parking lots though the congestion might test your patience. The same can be said for Miri Marriot where Brunei families and expats would pamper their kids and children at the massive swimming pool and it’s also located a bit further from the busyness of Miri.

For more enquiries about the promotion, do contact Pan Bright Travel offices at 224 0980 (Bandar) or 334 1154 (Kuala Belait). You can also their Facebook or instagram @panbrighttravel for updates.

My room at Meritz Hotel during the Lakas Tah ke Miri Promotion

John Teo, General Manager of Meritz Hotel with representatives from Tourism Malaysia Brunei and Pan Bright Travel

Our hotel inspection at Miri Marriot

The sizable pool that caught the eyes of Bruneians

Miri Marriot also offer spa services for singles and couples

International Buffet on weekends only at Miri Marriot

Pg Azaleen bin Pg Dato Hj Mustapha, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Baiduri Bank receiving his award from Tim Charlton, Editor-in-chief of Asian Banking & Finance magazine as Baiduri Bank was ecognised as the Domestic Retail Bank of The Year for Brunei 2019 for the seventh consecutive year.

At an awards ceremony hosted by the Asian Banking & Finance magazine at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore yesterday, Baiduri Bank was recognised as the Domestic Retail Bank of The Year for Brunei 2019 for the seventh consecutive year.

Pg Azaleen bin Pg Dato Hj Mustapha, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Baiduri Bank was present to receive the award during the ceremony. “We would like to thank our customers and stakeholders for their loyalty and support over the years. We are honoured to be recognised by the Asian Banking & Finance magazine as the Domestic Retail Bank of the Year for Brunei for the seventh year running.”

Speaking on the efforts made by the Bank last year, he said, “Baiduri Bank’s retail banking division underwent a number of enhancements to better cater to the needs of our diverse customer base. Among others, our customer programmes, namely Baiduri Prestige and Baiduri Smart Executive, were revamped. This revamp saw the introduction of the Mastercard World debit card exclusively for our Prestige members —a first for Brunei.”

He further elaborated that further enhancements were made towards Baiduri’s internet banking offering greater flexibility and clarity for funds transfers and a more user-friendly registration process. Improvements also included a wider variety of investment products through Baiduri Capital as well as the relocation of the Seria branch.
“Our Seria branch has been relocated to larger and more customer-friendly premises offering full banking services and features a contemporary décor to reflect the dynamism and innovative spirit of Baiduri Bank.”

Since 2006, the Asian Banking & Finance (ABF) magazine has been honouring and recognising the best of the best in the Banking and Finance industry in Asia. It focuses on commercial and retail banking and on the securities market from a banking perspective.

Pg Azaleen in his acceptance speech

Pg Shamhary Pg Dato Paduka Hj Mustapha, Brunei Shell Marketing Company’s Managing Director, giving out donation to the underprivileged students in Temburong District recently.

The smiles of the students’ faces 🙂

During the month of Ramadhan and Syawal, Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd (BSM) and its staff held a donation drive in efforts to put smiles on some 50 selected underprivileged primary school students in Temburong District.

Today, BSM handed over the donations contributed by BSM as well as its management and staff. The contribution included necessities such as school and daily supplies. Present to handover the donations were BSM Managing Director, Pg Shamhary Pg Dato Paduka Hj Mustapha and members of the leadership team.

BSM also took the opportunity to celebrate Aidilftri with the students and their family as well as its stakeholders and business partners. This has been a tradition by BSM since 2014 and these events were made possible by the commitment and partnership between BSM and the Department of School (Cluster 1) under the Ministry of Education as well as Temburong District Office and the Rataie Village Council Consultative under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The event took place at Mukim Bukok Community Hall in Kampong Rataie, Temburong recently.

#BeliHelix Gift with Purchase
Reward your car after the Raya Drive

Get an exclusive umbrella with every purchase of Shell Helix Ultra (4L)

or

Get an exclusive car shade with every purchase of Shell Helix HX7 (4L)

*Offer ends 22nd July 2019. While stock lasts.

Brunei Shell Marketing Co. Sdn. Bhd. (BSM) kicks off their #BeliHelix offer in preparation to the Hari Raya celebration with Gift with Purchase which commences from 22^nd May 2019.  The promotion runs for two (2) months until 22^nd July 2019 allowing customers to also benefit from it before and after Hari Raya or while stock lasts.

Shell Helix customers are entitled to one (1) exclusive umbrella with every purchase of 4 Liters Shell Helix Ultra pack and one (1) exclusive car shade with every purchase of 4 Liters Shell Helix HX7 pack at BSM authorised outlets such as Car Dealers, Workshops and Petrol Stations across nationwide*.

Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology is a next-generation, fully synthetic premium motor oil made from natural gas making it stronger and less volatile at the molecular level than those made from traditional crude.

BSM highly recommends customers to service their vehicles before the festive season to ensure they are in good condition for the celebration.

For further information and list of participating authorised outlets, customers may visit BSM website www.bsm.com.bn, Instagram and Facebook @bruneishellmarketing or contact BSM Call Center 2244739.

Don’t forget to buy early before Hari Raya