I wasn’t feeling well lately and it’s such a bummer that I’m outstation and feeling lethargic on the 2nd day and rested myself for at least 8 hours at the hotel and missing some of the pitstops that I was supposed to cover. The ActiFast Panadol did the job of clearing my head and I even bought some Redoxon to put more vitamin in my system. But I’m glad that I’m feeling much better now after that rest though there are still times my body would just heat up. I have 8 days to go now before I return back to Brunei and for those who trying to reach me on my Brunei line, I’ve switch it off but you email me or for those who have my whatsapp, you know what to do 😀

The Brunei delegates attended the welcoming dinner hosted by The Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, Dato Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen who is one charismatic and outspoken person. Though she said she won’t speak too long in the beginning but ended talking more than 10 minutes *lol* I would say she does sell Malaysia as a tourism industry pretty well though by comparing with other countries in terms of climate, natural disaster, petrol, duty free goods and many more.

The Minister also highlighted Malaysia as “My Second Home” where the Government is heavily promoting foreigners as they can stay in Malaysia for as long as possible on a multiple-entry social visit pass. As you know, the Social Visit Pass is initially for a period of 10 years and now is renewable click here to find out more. She summed up tourism in Malaysia as being “fun” and in the end, she welcomed guests to dance to the 1Malaysia theme song and boy, can she really dance too..

The Minister also joked about Non-duty free goods and discourage the guests to spend on these particular items when they are in Malaysia 1) cars 2) chocolates 3) glassware 4) liquor 5) cigarettes.

The Minister of Tourism of Malaysia speaking to the guests during the opening night ceremony of the F1 FAM trip

Even the waiters and servers were wearing F1 gears

The dance culture were enjoyed by the guests

Even the Minister got the groove.. Oooohh Yeaaahhh (WWF Legend Macho man’s taunt)

The Minister taking photo with the Brunei delegates

If you purchase any Holika Holika or Sariayu or Follow Me or Mustika Ratu products (above $10) then you will be entitled the OKF Health Beverage for only 0.50 cents while stocks last

I had my blood pressure checked when I was feeling under the weather on the 2nd day. This was taken at Guardian Pharmacy, KLCC. This lady was pretty helpful.

I made used of the Rapid KL since it’s quite convenient to get around KL and plus it’s pretty cheap. Cost me RM3 instead of RM10-20 on taxi

I finally got my Australian visa approved *woohoo* Thank you to the Australian High Commissioner in Malaysia, Royal Brunei Airlines (for the letter), Ogy and Diwi for the paperwork 😀 Now I can fly to Melbourne after a 12-year hiatus

Fans of Girls’ Generation were asked to move to another area 10 hours before the concert. These are real fanatics of the Korean celebrities.

Well done Schumi for making 3rd in pole. Mercedes is heavily promoted in Malaysia due to their partnership with Petronas.

We stayed here on the first night. I love the room.. Huge, spacious and it’s at Sunway Putra Hotel.

Our visit to KLCC Twin Towers and I love how our ticket entrance shows a 3D visual presentation using censor

Guys from the media with a Tourism Malaysia official (Brunei) and AirAsia official. This was taken at the Sky Bridge (41st floor) of KLCC Twin Towers

Is Jake afraid of heights? This was taken on the 86th floor9a

They have many sweet looking police (women) securities working at Twin Towers

Melvin bought this fan spraying water for RM50. He complained that the power of the fan is pretty weak though *lol*

Click image to enter website and start shopping 

Click image to enter Facebook page

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD), the leading Islamic Financial Institution in the country, launched the fresh and friendly new BIBD website among several other new services and initiatives at an event held yesterday at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.

Gracing his presence at the launch as the guest of honour was Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar Minister of Communications who kindly inaugurated the new BIBD website and a host of other new services offered by the bank.

The fresh, friendly, interactive and informative new BIBD website provides a modern and trendy “look and feel”, is easy to navigate, provides comprehensive information on all of BIBD’s products, services, and promotions, and also provides accurate map locations of all of BIBD’s branches and ATMs. The new website also provides valuable information on Islamic banking including Islamic terminology, publications on Islamic banking, and more.

BIBD also became the first bank in Brunei to launch an online top-up service for customers to recharge their pre-paid electricity meters. BIBD customers will now have the option to do so through BIBD Online; the bank’s internet banking platform. Customers may pay for and obtain top-up token to recharge their pre-paid electric meter online without having to go through the hassle of waiting in long queues to purchase these tokens or indeed suffering the inconvenience of running out of electricity credits unexpectedly. The system will automatically generate the prepaid token number from the Department of Electrical Services (DES) which can then be fed into their prepaid meters.

The launch of the new BIBD website and the DES top-up service is also accompanied by other exciting new features. For example, BIBD customers can access BIBD Online through the new website. What’s more, BIBD customers can register to receive SMS alerts for all transactions performed by them on their bank accounts, debit cards, and credit cards. Intended to be a strong security feature for BIBD customers, these SMS alerts will notify them of their Credit and Debit Card transactions, when their salary is credited into their bank account and when their eStatement is ready and available for viewing via BIBD Online.

Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD and Pehin Abdullah, Minister of Communications

Javed Ahmad in his opening remarks

Guest of honor having a look at the new revamped website

Souvenir for the guest of honor

In addition, similar SMS alerts will be sent to BIBD credit card customers who reach 90% of their credit limit, or whose payment is due including the amount of payment to be made. Once the payment has been completed, customers will receive another SMS alert notifying them of the credit.

To provide its customers with further new and innovative services and features, BIBD also introduced an “online kiosk” or self-service terminal which will be installed progressively at all its branches. This self-service terminal gives customers access to the BIBD website and BIBD Online. It provides all the services of an ATM such as bill payments, credit card payments, transferring funds within BIBD accounts, account balances and a host of other transactions except dispensing cash.

Speaking on the occasion Javed Ahmad, the Managing Director of BIBD stated: “At BIBD, we feel really proud of having achieved these important milestones in our journey of transformation. The new BIBD website captures the spirit of our company and communicates the sense of vibrancy that pervades our organization. The DES top-up services and the introduction of the new online kiosk – both unique firsts in the Brunei market – positions us as a leading innovator in the banking market with so much additional value and richness in service being provided to our customers”.

Also present at the launch were the Board of Directors of BIBD, the Shariah Advisory Body of BIBD, BIBD’s customers as well as the management and staff of the bank.

The team behind yesterday’s event.. Thumbs up!! Two big launches in a week too

The new revamped website. Click image to enter

It’s the final week… So who’s gonna win the car?

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Lots of openings at Standard Chartered Bank Brunei

Robert Marc Jones (born 5 November 1971 in Wrexham, Wales) is a Welsh-born former England international footballer who made his name whilst he was with Liverpool.

Jones, who grew up in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, began his career with Crewe Alexandra, signing professional forms at the age of 17 on the 20 December 1988 when Crewe were in Division Four. The right-back settled quickly, quietly going about his defensive duties until being spotted during the 1991–92 season, accidentally, by Liverpool manager Graeme Souness who was at Gresty Road looking at a different player. Souness put in an offer of £300,000 which was accepted, and on 4 October 1991, a month before his 20th birthday, he became a Liverpool player.

His debut for the Reds came on 6 October 1991, just 48 hours after he had signed on at Anfield. By the end of the season he had gained his first international cap and had helped the Reds to the final of theFA Cup at Wembley, a final that saw Liverpool beat Sunderland 2-0. However, he was ruled out of England’s Euro 92 squad due to shin splints.

Over the next four seasons he was a regular member of the Liverpool starting line-up and in the sides that beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the 1995 Football League Cup final and lost 1-0 to Man United in the 1996 FA Cup final.

When Liverpool signed midfielder Jason McAteer, who arrived in 1995, Roy Evans converted McAteer to right-back and employed Jones on the left-side in a wingback role as Liverpool changed from their normal 4-4-2 to an attack-minded 5-3-2 formation.

Rob Jones, former Liverpool and England player will be in Brunei next month

After the 1996 FA Cup final, Jones was advised to take a six-month break from football due to back problems. He returned to action, but the next two seasons were plagued by injuries, and in February 1998he played what was to be his last game for Liverpool. An injury in his left knee couldn’t be fixed, despite three operations, and at the end of the 1998-99 season, in which he hadn’t played a game, he was released on a free transfer. Jones had played 243 times for the Reds but never scored a goal.

He joined West Ham United, on non-contract terms, on the 17 July 1999, and featured for them in a single Intertoto Cup game and featured in his second and what would be his final professional career match for West Ham United which lasted 45 minutes as a result of re-aggravating his knee, but the knee injury had severely affected him and he retired on the 28 August 1999 aged just 27. At international level Jones was eligible to play for Wales, as he was born in Wrexham, but it was Graham Taylor who selected him and gave him his international debut for England in the 2-0 win overFrance at Wembley on the 19 February 1992. Injury forced Jones to miss the 1992 European Championships choice right-back, but he went on to win eight international caps.

Since his retirement, Jones has left football and owns a children’s nursery in Warrington which his wife runs.

For more information and ticket sales on B-Mobile presents EPL Masters Football Brunei Cup 2012, call – 8231333

Come and get your tickets now

The sponsors and the supporters

Companies and consumers converging on one venue in a significant public event. Interest sparked to prove a potential boom to tourism. PDCA Events Company, the organizer of 2011ʼs Musical Garden Wedding Fair, is once again hosting a nationwide exhibition. This time around the dual themes of travel and photography are the order of the day for the Camera & Travel Fair on the 5th to the 8th of April 2012. The exhibition will be held at one of the countryʼs most popular shopping malls – The Mall at Gadong, Brunei Darussalam.

Visitors to the fair will be privy to vendors and sales representatives showcasing, at their respective booths, a myriad of goods and services ranging from digital cameras to holiday packages to be made available for the publicʼs perusal and queries. It will serve also as a high-profile platform to further promote their companyʼs brand and any specific products or agendas. Furthermore, the overarching design of the exhibition attempts to achieve the auxiliary goal of enlightening visitors on the wonders of photography and the power of the image.

It’s happening next month

Not Your Average Marketplace. Visitors will be treated to various specialty merchandise and services offered during the exhibition, namely, camera: Digital SLRs, Polaroids, LOMOs, and even vintage collectible models. Camera accessories include memory cards, photo printers and more. Holiday packages, travel gear, travel insurance, new product launches will also be available, it will be an arena for members of the public to gain more knowledge and ideas on camera, photography and travel-related activities. To kick off the opening ceremony of the fair on the 5th of April, there will be silent auction of a limited number of antique cameras, including good old brands like Canon, Kodak and Yashica. Among them are display models the event organizer collected from their respective partners.

The earliest visitors will get exclusive Canon door gifts that are only available for the first 1000 visitors and are up for grabs during the Opening Ceremony from 1p.m. onwards, commemorating the long-awaited Canon EOS5D Mark III launch which will be launched by Interhouse Company and with their invited Guest-of-Honor, the Ambassador of Japan, His Excellency Mr. Horiki Hirose. Public are welcomed to the fair for viewing and trying out the new EOS5D Mark III.

The Camera & Travel Fair 2012 – “Sometimes postcards and memories just arenʼt enough”. For more information regarding the Camera & Travel Fairʼs updates, vendorsʼpromotion, activities, schedule and anything else, visit www.PDCAevents.info or “Like Us” on our Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/PDCAeventsco or you may reach us at 245 7096.

Launching soon next week. Click image to see reviews from Engadget