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There are many headlines about the tropical storm Washi that struck the Philippines in Decemvber 2011. Yesterday, I attended a press conference organised by the Filipino Association Brunei (FAB) and managed by Prismworks Event Management with the support of the Philippines Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.

The press conference was to highlight the upcoming charity events – Golf Tournament (25th and 26th Feb) and Charity Dinner Concert (26th Feb). Present during the press conference was Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat. Also present were the President of the Filipino Association Brunei, Edel Bartholomew and Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management.

The charity golf tournament will be held on February 24 and 25 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) golf course. The categories for golfers are: the men’s open (A, B,C division), the VIP category, and the ladies category. Registration fee is fixed at $110 and all the proceeds will be donated towards Washi humanitarian fund.

Let’s not forget also the charity dinner concert on Sunday 26th February at Centrepoint Grand Ballroom where the ticket will cost $50 per person inclusive of dinner. The celebrity will be Filipino crooner Richard Poon and there will be some opening acts by local artistes too.

Those who wish to participate in the golf tournament, or/and attend the charity dinner can contact 7169286 (for those in Brunei-Muara) or 8775112 / 8789344 (for those in Kuala Belait).

Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines and Edel Bartholomew, President of the Filipino Association Brunei at the press conference

Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat with the organisers of the Golf and Dinner event this February

Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times interviewing Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Did you know that more than 1.5 million people are affected from storm Washi? More than 1,200 lost their lives. More than 50,000 houses damaged and it was reported that the cost of damages is approximately BND 50 million.

The priorty needs are such as Meals-Ready-To-Eat, Non-food items (blankets, folding beds), temporary shelters, generators and school supplies for children.

The Humanitarian Fund for Victims of Tropical Storm Washi-Philippines was established in Brunei with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and was launched on 04 January 2012 by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hajji Hazair Hajji Abdullah,in his capacity as Chair of the Humanitarian Fund National Committee

It aims to alleviate the suffering of the Washi-ravaged Philippines and fund collections for three months (from 04 January to 03 April 2012) to allow the public to donate money and various organizations to raise funds through charitable activities.

There’s a CLEARANCE SALES at Lawa LAwa ClothesBuffet until Sunday, 12th February where you can enjoy up to 70% discount on selected items. There’s also the BUY ONE FREE ONE ♥ attires ♥ bags ♥ belts ♥ accessories ♥

There is 30% discounts for new arrival and there is also the budget corner ($10 & $15 only). So grab those offers and bring ur friends and come and visit them at Batu Bersurat (same building as Shikai Restaurant).

Loyalty members are entitled to free scarf for $50 above. LAWA LAWA is at Batu Bersurat behind TOP HAPPY STAR 🙂 It’s only half unit store with GREEN DISPLAY WINDOW. Shop operates from 9:30am – 8:30pm. Monday is OFF DAY.

Datuk Siti Nurhaliza will be appearing at Paloma, The Mall, this Sunday 12th February at 12pm

McDonald’s are proud to present to 4 superheroes from Power Ranger series and 4 classic dolls from Madame Alexander collection. Power Rangers Superhero action series are Gold Ranger, Megazord, Blue Ranger and Red Ranger while from Madame Alexander Fairytale Classics are Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood.

There’s something for everyone whether you’re looking forward to having loads of fun playing with them or you just love collecting toys. They are available with McDonald’s Happy Meal which consist of either beef burger or cheese burger, or 4 pcs chicken nugget or 1 pc chicken with side of French Fries or fruit cup and 1 soft drink.

But hurry, they are available for limited time only and while stock last. So head down to McDonald’s which is located in Gadong or call 244 9669 for delivery (terms and conditions apply). Courtesy of McDonald’s.

THE committee of the sixth Chinese New Year celebration get-together had nothing but praise and thanksgiving to His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and members of the Royal Family for attending the function.

Chairman Lim Han Chiong of the Chinese New Year 2012 Get-together Committee said every year, the Chinese community prepares “something special” for the event with His Majesty and the Royal Family, “because this is a good opportunity for the Chinese community to get together with His Majesty.”

“This is also a time to have a close relationship with the Royal Family, with the Brunei’s Chinese community coming from all the four districts,” he told The Brunei Times during the event at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas. “It is such an honour and privilege for us in Brunei to be able to invite our Sultan and the Royal family to celebrate the Chinese New Year with us,” Lim said, adding the committee would plan to make the event even more spectacular next year. Click here to read more. Text courtesy of The Brunei Times.

If you think the year is getting on slowly, our February dining promotions will have you so busy, you’ll wonder if you’ve got enough time to fit everything in! Lobby Lounge will spoil you with a Cupcake High Tea fiesta this month, on the 10th to 12th February for just B$30 for two person. Make your bookings today at 241 7700.

You may have heard of Lili Yong who is well known for her shop, Lilli Lingerie, located at Kiulap. She has now expanded her business at The Airport Mall but her new shop is targeting more of the teenagers according to Lili. If you need expert advice of wearing undergarments, then Lili Yong is the best person to ask.

Two weekends ago, Lili Yong officially opened her new outlet called Intimate Secrets and the prices are quite affordable especially for teenagers. Congratulations to Lili on the second outlet and all the best. Keep up the great work!!

For more stories, you can click here and here.

Lili Yong (right) with her staff at Intimate Secrets

Lili Yong’s family and relatives came for the official opening of Intimate Secret

Steven Goh and Caitlyn came to support too. By the way, this is Lily’s adorable daughter

Lili speaking to a Borneo Bulletin reporter

The Magic Clip comes in handy I heard *lol*

This could do some magic and as it’s written – “Problem Solved”

One of the best sellers because of its price and quality

RA says today is the result time and I can notice from the Twitter and Facebook feeds that they congratulating one another for his/her O and A level results. I never actually have my Os because I left for Australia during my high school years. Nonetheless I still feel the sense of anticipation from others on how they fare in their papers. This is what I missed about student life and the pressure is different once you start working.

Few years ago, results were accessible online and I was also one of the bloggers that posted O and A level results for the convenience of students and parents. However, that idea didn’t materialise the following years as Ministry of Education have created a mobile system where parents will be notified through means of SMS. I remember the fee was chargeable at $3 and I played the “Robin Hood” role but it didn’t last long. Anyway, congratulations to those who earned their Os and their As and for those who didn’t, it’s not the end of the road and I that I can assure you :)).

Anyway, below are images taken in the past few days. Enjoy!!!

It was my parents’ wedding anniversary. May Allah bless both of you

Mardhiah bte Abdul Matadinata won the grand prize of BND 1,000 for the design cover of 2012 Brunei Telephone Directory

MASwings cake was presented during the inaugural flight from KK and Kuching on the 1st February. Check out deals below

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I had lunch with CYZL last week at Lau Di Fang and I still saw people ordering the Kuey Teaw Penyet *awesome*

I had a tooth extraction at Koo Dental. I’m never a big fan of dental check-up. I recommend you this place to get your teeth clean or fixed

During my short trip to KK, I stayed over at Ming Garden. This hotel is quite popular among Bruneians and I will share more about it soon

I came across this news at The Brunei Times. I saw my friend’s name Hj Disdy whom I made acquaintance with back in my Brisbane years. It’s good to see his name being praised and he’s a top bloke too. Keep it up!

When’s the tart coming, KFC? Nonetheless I love the new promotional product, Chewy Cheese and it also helps to swallow down the huge Zell-V pill I’ve been taking *lol*

After months of absence, finally….. the yam flavour is back at Swensen’s. Can you just tell from the authentic smile from my friend who really loves the yam at Swensen’s? Another highly recommended ice-cream

Great idea for The Brunei Times to come up with the iPad apps but the slow loading could be a major turn off. I’m waiting for the latest version (if they are planning to)

Check out the Premium and Silver Package from b.mobile

Another great event organised by Projekbrunei and @Bruneitweet (well, it’s the same person) and it happened last Thursday at Each-a-cup at The Airport Mall. Over 100 people turned up for the event and it was a great mingling session, judging from the pictures. I wasn’t present then because of my overseas assignment. This won’t be the last of events as they will be more events for #TweetUpBn in the near future. Kudos to @bruneitweet.

Images courtesy of @anakbrunei and @marul69 and for more postings and pictures, you can click here and here.

Delwin Keasberry aka @bruneitweet being interviewed by Nadz.

From @UBDFM and it’s been a while since I caught you guys

Picture taken by @marul69

Birthday celebrant Jerry

Jerry is always surrounded by ladies *lol*

Kiss-Jerry game for both male and female

Winnie had her opportunity

So did Clovis *lol*

RA says I’m falling behind in my “things-to-do” list and they just keep on piling and piling. The more I catch up, the more they keep on piling. The key component that I’m missing right now is a competent PA who can make my workload less of a burden (time wise). Then again, a PA is something I’ve not thought of before and plus the trust factor always bothers me. This is perhaps the biggest obstacle I’m facing for the past few months – FEAR – but it’s all good. At least I’m aware of the situation and make that conscious choice and face the music. Just a matter of time 🙂

I’m planning my trip for the upcoming Social Media Week in Kuala Lumpur next week and I haven’t book my flight and accomodation (typical me *lol*). Looking at the programs, this would definitely benefit in what I do. Apparently there’s also an Award ceremony for bloggers and social media icons known as World Bloggers and Social Media Awards 2012 and perhaps this is a total different ball game than that of Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards. The categories are very defined and there are tons of categories. Click here to find out more. I wonder if Brunei will do something for Social Media Week but then again, it’s up to us to take the initiative.

My topic on babies and infants have been voiced as well through social media and all do agree with my stance that they don’t belong to the cinemas. They shouldn’t be exposed to loud volumes, graphic scenes and further more the dark environment that will make one whine or cry because of fear. Toddlers will also disrupt the peace of cinema goers when they start whining or crying for attention. I seriously don’t know how to lobby for this cause but my tweeting (and thanks for the those who retweet) and blogging about it, I hope the message gets across to parents and families who are probably not aware of the disadvantages for babies and also for the sake of movie goers.

Recently, I downloaded The Matrix on iTunes and I’m loving Apple TV where I can watch my shows on TV instead of my Macbook. That movie certainly reminded me a lot about fear and how you can make that simple choice to make a difference by taking that path you choose. I can relate to Neo in The Matrix where he chose the Red pill instead of the Blue one and all this while I know which pill I have been taking. My friend did comment that maybe if I was to take the other pill it would have been more of an illusion (not a reality). You might have a point but I know the other pill would make me overcome my fear and move forward. Lots of talking points this 🙂 and I really love The Matrix, my top 10 movies of all time.

Yesterday I’ve spent at least an hour watching all the Superbowl commercials online *lol* Did you know it costs like a $1 million for a 30-sec commercial placement during Superbowl? And there were more than 300 commercials being played throughout the whole event. Amazing!!! But sadly to say that not all commercials are as creative or humourous as expectations now are pretty high from consumers. The best commercials for me was the M&M’s and Best Buy (where they managed to include the founder of instagram). Oh yea, Madonna was the highlight for the half-time show though she was lip-synching. It was definitely better than my favourite group Black Eye Peas who performed terribly last time round. And congratulations to the NY Giants for winning the Superbowl. Fantastic final.

By the way, before I end my entry, I would like to say kudos to the JPD and the Royal Brunei Police Force for the placement of the cones at the 3-lane Kiulap roundabout. I know a few of my friends are culprit for using the outer lane just to save time. So just to let you know that the cones are pretty effective measure to deter “roundabout (innocent) abusers” *lol* It’s a good idea to leave the cones for quite sometime to educate the public on the right usage of the 3-lane roundabout. I can feel those smiling faces for those who take advantage of the outer lane. Awww stop blushing 😀

The roundabout cones are there to make sure road users don’t abuse the lanes

Congratulations on Engagement Salwa Khair Tarif & Hassanol Fikri Sudin. Photo taken by Shabey

DPMM FC is ready to rock (gegar) the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium this Sunday, 12th February. The match was slated for 9th February but it was rescheduled to Sunday instead. Last Saturday, DPMM FC had to go through a fitness test where all S-League players had to pass the fitness test mark of 13.1 and 8 players failed to pass the fitness test.

Two players of the eight players are notable key players according to coach Simunic. They are left back Yusof Mohd Salleh and right back Shahrulrizal Hj Abd Rahman. The coach was still very happy considering that DPMM FC players have not played competitive football for more than two years. Nonetheless there is another fitness test this Friday and hope that both players will be able to pass the fitness test.

The eight players include defender Suhaime Md Yussof, Ampuan Mohd Nurul Azami Ampuan Hussin, midfielders Abang Norsilmy Abang Hj Taha, Mohd Hanafizal Helman Hanafiah and striker Md Zulremi Hj Zaini and Brazilian striker Rodrigo Gral. Let’s hope all DPMM FC players will be available for Simunic’s disposal after Friday’s fitness test.

As for the fans, the tickets will be only available for sale on 12th February from 9am at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The match will be between DPMM FC and defending champions Tampines Rover at 8pm this Sunday. Ironically DPMM FC’s last match in the S-League was against Tampines Rover.

The DPMM FC quartet who will be featured this Sunday against Tampines Rover. They are also wearing the new DPMM FC kit for the S-League. Image taken from Sairol’s Facebook.

The home and away DPMM FC Jersey for 2012. The home jersey is sold out and the new stock will be arriving at FES Retro Times Square. The away jersey is still available in all sizes. I will be running a quiz on Twitter @ranoadidas so you can stand a chance to win the jerseys. Around 80 plus home jerseys were sold within 3 days. Amazing!!

Though the official home jersey is sold out, FES Retro still have stock for DPMM home supporters top

This is for DPMM FC away supporters top and it is also available at FES Retro

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Viral Factor. Ah, another eye candy movie for the ladies.. I’m not a big fan of Jay Chou when it comes to his HK movies.. Why? Because he seriously needs some acting lessons (Don’t scream at me, ladies). Slam Dunk and Initial D were pretty disappointing too and prior to the movie, I didn’t know he was the main star in Viral Factor until I saw the trailers while getting my tickets.

Sometimes people complain that there is less action in movies nowadays. This movie won’t disappoint if you are seeking this kind of genre. However, I’m sorry to say that the action scenes are a total mess.. In fact, there are just too many that I was turned off at one stage. The pacing is poor indeed. The only good point was that the film was most shot in Kuala Lumpur and it didn’t seem to “Malaysia-like” apart from branding positioning by AirAsia and The Pavilion.

Jay Chou miserably failed to change my mindset of his movies. I’m sure your fans will think otherwise. Verdict: 5/10.

War Horse. As I quoted on my status on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the horse “Joey” is the main star of the movie and it was another great direction by Steven Spielberg. It’s a journey of horse that when through different episodes during the 1st World War. I’ve always love Steven’s work though Tin Tin didn’t appeal to me as much.

I’m not sure if War Horse will be everyone’s cup of tea (or popcorn movie) but there are one or two good massages from my experience yesterday while watching this. I read on The Empire magazine that there are lot of tear jerking moments but surprisingly I didn’t feel that much but nonetheless it’s still a crowd pleaser and mind you, this is a 140-minute film.

Did you know War Horse is one of the nominated films for Oscars 2012? This movie is inspiring at some points but I expected more perhaps. Verdict: 7/10.

Haywire. It’s another Steven Soderbergh movie. He’s well-known for Traffic and Ocean’s Eleven trilogy and his previous hit was Contagion. I caught this during my short trip to KK with De No. I’m actually drawn by the lead role played by Gina Carano (Mallory) because of her physical on-screen presence.. But I have to say her acting was kinda cheesy though she made it up with her dynamic fighting skills especially her hand-to-hand combat (thumbs up).

If you have seen Salt (Angelina Jolie), this is another similar movie of this genre. This movie does has its style and this something different coming from Steven Soderbergh. If I was to compare with Kill Bill, Uma Thurman still gets the nod for me. Lots of room for improvement for Gina especially in the acting department. Otherwise this is an okay movie. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Verdict: 6.5/10.

Ah Beng: 3 Wishes. Oh my…. I wonder how much this movie made in Malaysia? I totally enjoyed Nasi Lemak 2.0 and I had similar expectations for Ah Beng. However, after I saw the trailers of Ah Beng a week before, I was totally turned off. I still ended up watching because Cuterabbit asked me to tag along with her friends.

Having lowered my expectations, I knew it was still gonna be a torture that lasted less than two hours. Humour was flat and the moral of the story was totally misaligned though I know what the massage they were trying to portray. End of the day, everything about the movie didn’t have any plus points that I want to talk about. This was perhaps the worst movie I’ve seen this year and in many months. I’m not sure if it is a politically driven movie as the Prime Minister of Malaysia went to the official premiere of Ah Beng. Verdict: 3/10.

The Great Magician. I had high expectations watching this movie because Tony Leung is inside. The movie started great as I would expected it to be. Well, I even thought it was a serious movie to begin with especially with the presence of Tony Leung whom to me is in the A-list actors. I was expecting in the lines of The Prestige or The Illusionist but nowhere close. Only a quarter through the movie I realised it’s more of a comedy and that totally ruined my movie experience.

The script was pretty mediocre and the movie seemed to lost its magic along the way. Even the dual-relationship of Liu Yin the beautiful captive of the General was so messed up, I couldn’t be bothered to know what happen next. Sorry, Tony.. This movie was a letdown though I still have my good share of laughs. Verdict: 5/10.

The Grey. Ah, this movie scored well in RottenTomatoes and I was planning to catch this movie nonetheless. Sometimes it’s good not to watch a trailer or read the movie info and enjoy that element of surprise. And surprised I was. Liam Neeson is superb once more and he played his role to (almost) perfection. I’ve always admired his onscreen presence and he is probably one of the most under-rated actors in Hollywood.

I have to say it’s not advisable to catch this movie if you planning to fly the next day. Well, I did *lol* and that shook me up a bit. The opening scene caught me off guard (quite frightening) and the movie was all about survival. Many have mixed reviews about the ending (I won’t spoil it for you) but I was quite moved by the last three minutes of the movie. There are many talking points in The Grey and we can emulate that into our everyday life as well. Not advisable for young children though. Verdict: 7/10.

This was taken at Golden Screen Cinema at Suria Sabah. The ticket counter person can refuse issuance of movie tickets if he/she is still underaged

I recently watched two movies at the Golden Screen Cinema at Suria Sabah and 1 Borneo. I came across the label over the ticket counter (see picture above). But I’m not sure if such rules are being enforced where the ushers will have the right to stop underaged children from watching movies that have “18” rating. This doesn’t really apply to Brunei but this is a debatable topic nonetheless.

Sometimes it’s good to have such rules so it makes easier for parents to control watch their kids are watching. This also eliminates the awkwardness where kids will be watching inappropriate material in the presence of their parents. I know back in the old days, my mom will ask us to shut our eyes *lol* These days it’s hard to monitor or keep an eye on children especially in movies. I remember watching Twilight: Breaking Dawn I and there were little kids (behind me) who had to watch the endless kissing scenes with the presence of their parents. Awkward, aye?

I’m also against families bringing babies/infants to the cinema. Why oh why? This happened yesterday when I caught War Horse and the baby (behind me) was playing with a plastic bag for five minutes, ruining my concentration of the movie and sometimes the baby will whine or cry which can be a turn off for me and other cinema goers. In my opinion, a cinema is not an environment for infants and it’s the responsibility and common sense of parents not to bring their baby/babies to cinemas. To me, this can be annoying than a phone that rings randomly.

Anyway, back to my first topic on age restriction, do you think such rule should be implemented? This is indeed an interesting thought for the viewers and also cinema operators.

Image courtesy of @douglaswray of Instagram

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For the first time, I flew on MASwings on my flight to Kota Kinabalu and so far, it was a pretty good flight. I’m not big fan of forker or smaller planes because of its light nature but half an hour won’t bother me much on a smaller plane (ATR72-500) via MASwings. The flight took an estimated 35 minutes from BSB to KK and vice-versa. The flight was smooth (maybe because of the perfect weather) and the ATR72-500 doesn’t really fly high up the sky either. So you will indeed experience bird-eyes view from the plane.

This is good for those residing in Brunei and Sabah as they have alternative times and services apart from Royal Brunei Airlines. This also would mean better economic growth in terms of tourism between Brunei and Sabah. MASwings will also be revising their prices after their promotional fare of $116 (KK return) in order to keep up with the competition. So do be scared for the moment when you see the prices in May is fairly expensive on MASwings website.

I attended the press conference and the welcoming dinner hosted by the Sabah delegation in commemorating the inaugural flight of MASwings. Also present was Sheikh Jamaluddin, CEO of Brunei Tourism Board. He spoke off the synergy between MASwings and Brunei Tourism Board and both parties have come up with five-year masterplan pending the approval of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. Now that should be interesting.

Thank you to MASwings for inviting me for the inaugural flight between KK and Brunei.

Our media passes given by the organizers

Did you notice the difference in sizes?

The motto of MASwings – Wings of Love

I was getting ready to board the flight. By the way, no bridge was used to board the passengers as the plane was pretty small

District Area Manager of Malaysia Airlines (Brunei) bidding farewell to the passengers

Pretty good leg room too

Our Tourism Board CEO was also on board

I didn’t realize De No was that tall (for the ATR72-500)

They even provide snacks for the 30 mins flight

I was taking photos with my phone half way through the flight and amazingly someone was trying to call me but I didn’t pick up *lol*

Great view from above

Upon arrival, we were created by the Sabahan performers

Group photo with the VIPs after landing

This pose reminds me of Titanic

I haven’t been to Tarakan before

The press conference held last night

A welcoming remarks by CEO of MASwings at the dinner reception last night

A few representatives from Brunei were present too

Jenny Malai Ali was the emcee for the event

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BITE into KFC’s “chewy cheese” and see how far you can pull the cheese before it breaks!

This special and limited product is KFC’s one of two new menu items available at all its Bruneian outlets in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.

The “chewy cheese” is mozzarella cheese with a crispy coating, and can either be purchased from the á la carte menu at $3.60, or the Chinese New Year celebration bucket, the establishment’s second new item.

The celebration bucket comes in two choices: Combo A, at $34.80, includes a bucket with nine pieces of chicken, five chewy cheese, one zinger burger, one colonel burger, one large whipped potato, and a bottle of Pepsi; whilst Combo B, at $44.80, includes a bucket with 15 pieces of chicken, 10 chewy cheese, one large coleslaw, one large whipped potato, and a bottle of Pepsi.

And to add to the CNY spirit, both buckets will also include an “ang pow” packet, specifically gift vouchers. These vouchers can only be used from February 6 to March 31, so KFC is encouraging customers to take advantage of these promotions while stocks last. Text by Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

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The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) is a statutory body established on 1 January 2003 by the AITI Order 2001. AITI is responsible for:

a. Telecommunications and Radiocommunications regulation,
b. Radiofrequency spectrum planning and management, and
c. Promotion of ICT industry development

AITI will be organising the two events, the ‘Awareness on Amateur Radio Usage’ Seminar and the ‘AITI Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) Competition 2012’. These events are jointly supported by Brunei Darussalam Amateur Radio Association (BDARA) and Persatuan Gemilang Daerah Tutong.

The objectives of these events are to:

• provide education and knowledge to amateur radio licensees and the public on its rules and regulations, and ethical use.
• serve as an event to promote the use of amateur radio service in Brunei Darussalam.
• harmonise and network among radio enthusiasts.

The seminar will be held on Sunday, 4th March 2012 at the Indera Samudra Grand Hall, Empire Hotel & Country Club.

AITI will be inviting a speaker from the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 3 who will be presenting on the Code-of-conduct of Amateur Radio. There will also be representatives from AITI and local clubs presenting topics related to local and international amateur radio activities including licensing, etiquette and its technical aspects.

Whereas the ARDF competition will be held on Sunday, 26th February 2012, at Sungai Basong Recreational Park, in the Tutong District. The competition is also known as “Fox Hunting” among amateur radio enthusiast and the participants have to find the hidden ‘foxes’ or beacons. For radio enthusiast interested to join the competition, each team must have (3) members and one of them must hold a valid amateur radio licence.

Registration forms and terms and conditions for the above event can be downloaded from AITI website http://www.aiti.gov.bn/amr_awareness2012.

For further information, please contact Haji Hadi Iskandar bin DP Haji Muhammad at 2323232 or email iskandar.mohammad@aiti.gov.bn.

The guys from AITI were on Pilihan to create more awareness on Amateur Radio Usage

This cool is a cool antenna ideal for the upcoming “Fox Hunting” competition

Even the measuring tape can be used as part of an antenna

This is the first time that AITI is organising an event regarding amateur radio. This is because there’s a growing demand among hobbyists and hence it’s important that the licensed holders of amateur radio are aware of the rules and regulations and these also apply to those interested in acquiring amateur radio.

Did you know there are more than 1,000 amateur radio licensees in Brunei Darussalam? And that’s not a bad figure. Hopefully with AITI’s awareness campaign on amateur radio, it will encourage owners of amateur radio to register themselves through AITI. The fee per radio is $25 which can be renewed annually.

I used to own one with a scanner back in the early 90s *lol* and this was way before AITI was formed. I didn’t know it was illegal back then to own one unless you registered the device. Well, this seminar on the 4th March is good way to understand the dos and the donts and a speaker will be invited to present on the Code-of-conduct of Amateur Radio.

Training sessions at International School Brunei (ISB) began Saturday 28 January 2012 in preparation for the 10th ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference, to be held from 9-12 March 2012 at The International Convention Centre (ICC).

The student-run conference is organised by ISB in collaboration with HSBC, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and BLNG. Over the years, this conference has attracted various local enterprises that have sponsored and supported ISB BGIC, promoting intercultural understanding and fostering close working relationships between local and international student participants.

The theme for this year’s 10th celebratory conference is “Seven billion people; one planet”. This annual high profile conference brings together three hundred secondary students will participate in this year’s conference, from 18 local schools in Brunei Darussalam and 3 overseas schools from Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong.

The special guest speaker at the 10th ISB BGIC opening ceremony is 2004 Young Australian of the Year Hugh Evans, Co-founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project. Hugh is also the recipient of the 2005 Junior Chamber International Young Person of the World and a leader of the biggest anti-poverty movement in Australia, the “Make Poverty History” campaign. As a humanitarian and internationally renowned development advocate, he aims to motivate and inspire student participants to contribute more actively to society.

Abdul Hakim, ISB student leader, conducted the training last Saturday at ISB

Students taking notes during the training session

ISB BGIC is a Model United Nations (MUN) style simulation where student participants represent countries to voice their views on real world issues, promoting international understanding and cooperation. The conference aims to develop students’ skills in public speaking, research and communication. This year’s topics include the question of rising global energy and food demand because of the growing global population, the question of the effectiveness of international long-term humanitarian aid with regard to natural disasters and war zones, and the question of massive financial debt worldwide.

The 10th ISB BGIC Secretariat welcomed all local school participants and gave an introduction about the conference procedure. ISB student leader Abdul Hakim bin Haji Ahmad Zakaria is serving as Secretary-General this year and he recently attended The Hague International MUN (THIMUN) conference in Singapore. He said, “I am very passionate about debating world issues and promoting the voice of the youth here in Brunei Darussalam. Next week I am heading to Qatar to attend a university-level MUN conference; I think it is important that we strive to be responsible and caring global citizens who represent our countries fairly and work collaboratively towards achieving common goals”.

“This year, we are very pleased to welcome so many participants from Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Mutadee Billah; Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan; Maktab Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meragang; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok; Pusat Tingkatan Enam Tutong; Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri; Sekolah Menengah Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam; Sekolah Menengah Berakas; Sekolah Menengah Masin; Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Masna; Sekolah Menengah Pehin Dato Seri Maharaja, Mentiri; Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam, Serasa; Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina ‘Othman, Tutong; Sekolah Menengah Perdana Wazir, Kuala Belait; St. Andrew’s School and Jerudong International School.

We also look forward to welcoming school teams from overseas: Bangkok Patana, Thailand; Kolej MARA Banting, Malaysia; and Victoria Shanghai Academy, Hong Kong;” he said.

A total of five training sessions will be held on Saturdays from February to early March, offering a chance for all local participants to interact with each other and prepare for the upcoming conference, under the guidance of the ISB student leaders. Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the conference at the ICC from Saturday 10 March 2012 to Monday 12 March 2012. Details are available on www.isb.edu.bn

The guest speaker of this year’s 10th ISB BGIC is 2004 Young Australian of the Year Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project

ISB BGIC 2012 Secretariats

It’s good to see AITI being pretty active this month with Amateur Radio Usage awareness and also the upcoming BICTA. At the moment, AITI is conducting BICTA 2012 roadshow and yesterday they showcased to ICT industries and private education institutions such as Lakasamana College of Business. Around 50 people showed yesterday and they were engaged to a discussion on ideas to improve BICTA.

As part of the initiatives to inform potential participants for the upcoming BICTA 2011, AITI will facilitate this roadshow throughout the month of February. The roadshow is conducted with a committee consisting of members from Ministry of Communications (MINCOM), AITI and Infocomm Federation Brunei (IFB). One of the latest features that will be highlighted for the upcoming BICTA competition is the Identify, Design and Develop (IDD) workshop.

The two day workshop will be held on 22nd and 23rd March, AITI building, Anggerek Desa. There would be renowned oversea speakers who would share with the participants on how to identify, design and develop their products/projects.

The registration for the workshop can be done during the roadshow or interested parties can contact the BICTA committee directly through email or go through the BICTA website http://www.bicta.gov.bn .

Another highlight of this years BICTA competition is the PATRON award, which is given by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Royal Patron award will be given away to the best amongst the first place winners in all categories; the award is awarded only once in every 2 years.

This year Brunei Darussalam will be hosting the 12th Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards event. All the 16 economies that are participants of the APICTA award will come to the country to compete for the prestigious APICTA award. The APICTA award will take place in December 2012.

The BICTA roadshow will be held throughout the month of February 2012. Any interested schools and institutions may contact the BICTA representatives at 2323232 or via email at bicta@aiti.gov.bn or visit the BICTA website at http://www.bicta.gov.bn

This is great news for Bruneians and those residing in Brunei as now we have the opportunity to fly to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching after MASwings made its debut this afternoon on their inaugural flight from Kuching and KK.

A press conference was held at Airport Restaurant where the CEO of Malaysia Airlines was present as well as the CEO of Brunei Tourism Board and other key players involved in making MASwings a possibility in Brunei.

I will be flying over to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow for some press coverage and it’s been a while since I’ve been on a smaller aircraft and it will be the first time I will be flying on MASwings.

Congratulations to Malaysia Airlines and MASwings in creating new routes for the Brunei market. If you want to check out promotional prices, do click here.

The press conference was held for the official launch of MASwings. As usual, all the questions were asked by the foreign press *lol*

The cake cutting ceremony. Now I wonder what’s the flavour of the cake. I realised sometimes that the cake is only used for cutting but not for consumption.

The uniform of MASwings stewardess. The green and the blue.

KK and Kuching flying to Brunei

Brunei flying to KK and Kuching

This has brought a lot of interest already among the social media scene.. I posted this on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and there’s already a huge buzz on the upcoming Standard Chartered Bank Run which has a new motto – “Run for a Reason”. According to Lai Pe-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Brunei, every individual has his/her reason to run for the event. Some would run for fitness. Some would run to better their personal best. Some would run for fun. Some would run of a good cause. So the reasons are endless.

Yesterday SCB officially announced that the “Run For A Reason” will take place on 8th April 2012 (which also coincides with my Mom’s birthday). A press conference was held at Mutiara Ballroom at Radisson Hotel and from the looks of it, there are additional sponsors and partners involved for the much anticipated run. I’m actually looking forward and I hope my SocMed buddies will be up for this too as we are gonna go full blast in promoting this good cause.

Lai Pei-Si also extended her thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Athletics Association for collaborating for the exciting event. Also involved in the event are TelBru, TOTAL, Borneo Bulletin, Media Permata, GetFit CrossFit, MixMediaWorx, Radisson Hotel, Royal Brunei Airlines, Suci, Sunlit Advertising and 100 Plus.

Nora Abd Rahman, Head of Corporate Communications Corporate Affairs, Telbru, Natasha Abdullah, Youth and Sports Officer, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Rainer Biemans, Director of Dirigo Events, Yahya Sirat, Secretary General of Brunei Athletics Association, Lai Pei-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei, Jennifer Kang, Head of Corporate Affairs and Marketing of SCB Brunei and Harina Ramlee, Head of Human Resources and Corporate Communication of TOTAL

Jennifer Kang addressing a few words

Group photo with the organisers, sponsors and partners

Harina Ramlee and Zulhilmi Rambli of TOTAL with Lai Pei-Si. It was the first time TOTAL being involved in SCB’s charity run as they believe in the principle that Brunei is a very collective community which brings everyone together and it’s also part of TOTAL’s Social Corporate Responsibility initiative and what a better way to collaborate with SCB’s run in April 2012

Another partner of SCB Run for a Reason is GetFit CrossFit and they made a good impact last year where the members came in numbers to support the event. This picture was taken last year

Around 2,180 runners participated last year

This year SCB is targeting 5,000 participants which is an achievable goal. This shot was taken last year July.

He was the winner for the Best Costume last year. Who will it be this year?

The interesting addition to the race is the Half-Marathon which will debut this April. Timing chips will be used for runners in Half-Marathon and 10km categories. The organisers have also brought in an expert, Ranier Beimans, Director of Dirigo Events, in organising such an event and he briefly explained the routes for the Half-Marathon.

Categories for Run are:

21km (Registration fee $40)
10km (Registration fee $30)
5km (Registration fee $25)
2.5 km Fun run (Registration fee $20)

So forms can be downloaded from this website www.scbruneihalfmarathon.com and you can also register online by the 9th February 2012. The deadline of the registration is 18th March 2012.

The categories are capped at 500 participants for the 21km category, 1,000 participants for 10km category, 1,500 participants for the 5km run and 2,000 participants for the 2.5km category.