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His Majesty Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, delivering the titah during the national-level Nuzul Al-Quran celebration at the International Convention Centre in Berakas. Picture: BT/Saiful Omar

Today’s a public holiday because of Nuzu Al-Quran which happened last night. HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam attended the national-level Nuzul Al-Quran celebration at the International Convention Centre. During his titah, he revealed a few schemes to promote and encourage the people to read, learn and understand the holy Al-Quran and to apply the teachings in their daily lives to create and achieve a Quran-following generation. Read more here.

His Majesty raised concerns that the Ummah has been left behind because of the lack of inspiration from the Quran. Reading is one thing but living it has not been manifested in their daily lives. His Majesty highlight that it’s obligatory for Muslims to seek the guidance from the Quran to achieve this glory.

From the titah, His Majesty also announced there will be a number of monthly allowance schemes for memorising the Quran. The recipients need to be recognised and approved by the Tasmik Board. His Majesty also announced that the Qari (male Quran reader) or Qariah (female Quran reader) who wins first place at the International Majlis Tilawah Quran, a Quran reading competition in Kuala Lumpur, will get $2,000 a month for life *Awesome!!*

His Majesty also announced that there will be a 3 day holiday for Hari Raya instead of the usual 2 days. His Majesty hoped that the extended holidays will give Muslims more time to be with their families and also increase the opportunity for every family to be able to organise various activities together.

The titah was greeted with positive feedback once it was shared in the social media platforms. So guys, let’s appreciate what has been given and make the best of it. Hope your fasting journey has been a fulfilling one.

Brunei Olympian Ak Hafiy couldn’t believe he beat his personal best after the 400 metre heats last Saturday

National heros they are. They represented Brunei Darussalam in the Olympics and they did more than was asked for. Anderson Lim, Maziah Mahusin and Ak Hafiy beat their personal best times in their respective races.

Anderson Lim, 200m swimmer, broke the national record by 3 seconds, and finished with a timing of 2:02.26 at the Aquatics Centre of Olympic Park on 29th July. Anderson is based in Florida, United States. He has been training hard during the Bolles School Summer Camp and that is where a pool of great swimmers were training and he gained a lot from that experience.

Up next was Maziah Mahusin who recently grew in popularity and the hashtag #MaziahMahusin has been one of the top trends among the Brunei community. She also bettered her previous record and acheived a new national record in her 400 metre run with a timing of 59.28 seconds last Friday. This was a great achievement considering that her training in London was affected by a cold and cough.

Last but not the least, Ak Hafiy Tajuddin Pg Rositi, who was the final Brunei athlete to compete and he clocked his personal best with a timing of 48.67 seconds. His previous best was 49.23s which he set at the 2012 Taiwan Open Athletics Championships in May.

So a big shout out to all of you guys for making us proud of Brunei’s presence and efforts in the Olympics. I just realised how small can be beautiful indeed. Go Brunei!!!

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The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) today announced the new opening for applications to the GRANT for development of local ICT and Digital Media industries.

One of the main objectives of this GRANT is to encourage local businesses from the ICT and Digital Media sectors including production houses to produce innovative Bruneimade products and local contents with significant commercial potential.

This opening is the fifth batch of the AITI grant, a financial initiative introduced in July 2010. It is in line with one of AITI’s roles and functions to encourage, promote, facilitate, and assist in the establishment, development and expansion of the local ICT and Digital.

Media industries in Brunei Darussalam. To date, eight ICT businesses have been awarded the AITI grant for development of products ranging from various ICT solutions, digital animation and e-learning.

Applicant can apply the following four types of GRANT:

1) Development– for developing prototypes or concept testing;
2) Enhancement – for improving and upgrading existing products;
4) Marketing – for marketing and improving existing packaging, design or labeling.

Grant application is now open

The grant amount varies depending on the type of GRANT applied and the classification of the company. Each applicant is allowed to apply for more than one GRANT type for the same product with a maximum of B$250,000 per category within two years’ project duration.

The project proposal submitted will be evaluated based on four main criteria; technical merits, commercial potential, financial resources, and project plan and capacity to deliver. Further evaluation will also emphasize on Brunei-Made elements of the proposed product.

AITI is pleased to invite all eligible local ICT-related businesses to apply for the GRANT. The deadline to submit applications will be on Friday, 28 September 2012 by 4.00pm. Application forms and guidelines are available for download at AITI’s website www.aiti.gov.bn/form/form_centre.html.

All applicants are strongly advised to submit complete required documents to expedite the evaluation process. For further enquiries, interested applicants can contact Ms Farihah Haji Md Said or Ms Siti Zaraura Haji Mohammad, ICT Industry Development Group at 2323232 (during office hours) or via email at farihah.said@aiti.gov.bn or zaraura.mohammad@aiti.gov.bn. Press release by AITI.

Now you can reserve tables, browse menu and promotions and many more from their CheezBox app

Heidi Loke of Norway clashes with Camille Ayglon and Alexandara Lacrabere of France in the Women’s Handball preliminaries. Photo by Jeff Cross/Getty Images.

The Rock Bottom??? Nicolas Delpopolo of United States catches Dirk Van Tichelt of Belgium with a leg sweep to reach the quarter-finals in the Men’s -73kg. Photo by David Finch/Getty Images.

What a punch!!! Photo by Murad Sezer, REUTERS.

Ooooppss!!! Photo by Matt Dunham/AP photo.

Spain’s Alvaro Rodriguez falls during the men’s 1500m. Image by Lucy Nicholson/REUTERS.

Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar was in tears as she pulled an injury in the Women’s 100m Heats. Image by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images.

Grab me!!!! Swedish handballer collided with her opponent. Image by Marko Djurica/REUTERS.

What an action shot during the Men’s hocket between Great Britain and Argentina. Image by Berehulak/Getty Images.

Maziah during her run at the Olympics. Image taken from Brudirect’s Facebook Page

What a run!!! Forget about matching with the other competitors but all the focus was on Maziah Mahusin who made her debut at the Olympic Games in London 2012 and furthermore, her focus was to make sure that she improved her personal best. I’m not sure if it was the national record though according to The Brunei Times.

Brunei’s first female Olympian was proud to be among the ranks of other international runners and also representing Brunei in the Olympics which is a very, very rare opportunity.

Her previous best was 1 min 00.32 seconds and yesterday she broke her personal best in 59.28 seconds in the 400m heats. It was not a bad feat after all considering that she was down with a virus and cough. She bettered her previous best also which was set in last month’s 19th Open International Athletics Tournament in Vietnam.

Congratulations Maziah and it’s awesome to see how supportive the Brunei community have been towards your participation in the Olympics.

Let’s not forget our other representatives Anderson Lim who improved by 3 seconds in his 200 metre freestyle with a timing of 2:02.26 which is also a new national record and also 400m runner Ak Hafiy Tajuddin.

He will be competing later in 400m heats around 5:50pm (Brunei Time) and that will be the final event that Brunei will be participating in the Games. His personal best is 49.23 seconds and let’s hope he can beat his personal best.

Maziah’s presence on the the social media was pretty strong.. Check out her hashtag #maziahmahusin

The Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) today announced the new opening for applications to the GRANT for development of local ICT and Digital Media industries.

One of the main objectives of this GRANT is to encourage local businesses from the ICT and Digital Media sectors including production houses to produce innovative Bruneimade products and local contents with significant commercial potential.

This opening is the fifth batch of the AITI grant, a financial initiative introduced in July 2010. It is in line with one of AITI’s roles and functions to encourage, promote, facilitate, and assist in the establishment, development and expansion of the local ICT and Digital.

Media industries in Brunei Darussalam. To date, eight ICT businesses have been awarded the AITI grant for development of products ranging from various ICT solutions, digital animation and e-learning.

Applicant can apply the following four types of GRANT:

1) Development– for developing prototypes or concept testing;
2) Enhancement – for improving and upgrading existing products;
4) Marketing – for marketing and improving existing packaging, design or labeling.

Grant application is now open

The grant amount varies depending on the type of GRANT applied and the classification of the company. Each applicant is allowed to apply for more than one GRANT type for the same product with a maximum of B$250,000 per category within two years’ project duration.

The project proposal submitted will be evaluated based on four main criteria; technical merits, commercial potential, financial resources, and project plan and capacity to deliver. Further evaluation will also emphasize on Brunei-Made elements of the proposed product.

AITI is pleased to invite all eligible local ICT-related businesses to apply for the GRANT. The deadline to submit applications will be on Friday, 28 September 2012 by 4.00pm. Application forms and guidelines are available for download at AITI’s website www.aiti.gov.bn/form/form_centre.html.

All applicants are strongly advised to submit complete required documents to expedite the evaluation process. For further enquiries, interested applicants can contact Ms Farihah Haji Md Said or Ms Siti Zaraura Haji Mohammad, ICT Industry Development Group at 2323232 (during office hours) or via email at farihah.said@aiti.gov.bn or zaraura.mohammad@aiti.gov.bn. Press release by AITI.

Now you can reserve tables, browse menu and promotions and many more from their CheezBox app

Heidi Loke of Norway clashes with Camille Ayglon and Alexandara Lacrabere of France in the Women’s Handball preliminaries. Photo by Jeff Cross/Getty Images.

The Rock Bottom??? Nicolas Delpopolo of United States catches Dirk Van Tichelt of Belgium with a leg sweep to reach the quarter-finals in the Men’s -73kg. Photo by David Finch/Getty Images.

What a punch!!! Photo by Murad Sezer, REUTERS.

Ooooppss!!! Photo by Matt Dunham/AP photo.

Spain’s Alvaro Rodriguez falls during the men’s 1500m. Image by Lucy Nicholson/REUTERS.

Noor Hussain Al-Malki of Qatar was in tears as she pulled an injury in the Women’s 100m Heats. Image by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images.

Grab me!!!! Swedish handballer collided with her opponent. Image by Marko Djurica/REUTERS.

What an action shot during the Men’s hocket between Great Britain and Argentina. Image by Berehulak/Getty Images.

All eyes on Maziah Mahusin who will run today in the 400 metres heats and let’s hope she can beat her personal best. Catch her on RTB or Astro later at 7:30pm. Good luck!!!

Total E&P Borneo BV and Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV invite qualified, energetic and passionate graduates interested to gain knowledge and experience and get exposure in the oil and gas industry to apply for position in the following department under its Intership programme.

1. Corporate Communications
2. Information Systems and Telecom
3. HSE
4. Operations [Engineering]

You can submit your resume and a non-returnable passport to the Head of Human Resources and Corporate Communications to tepb.recruitment@total.com and closing date is 13 August 2012 and this is only open to Brunei Citizens and Brunei PRs. Oh yeah, don’t be mistaken that this is a recruitment programme but more of a intership programme.

Dato Paduka Hj Mohamad bin Yusof, Director ADATC Sales, Anthony Lim Tiong Woon, President of ADTC Sales, Nicodemus P. Lompe, Vice President of Asia Region, Garuda Indonesia, Agus Sumitra, Second Secretary of Embassy of Indonesia to Brunei and Sukamdo, Senior Manager Distribution of Garuda Indonesia

Unveiling of the Garuda Indonesia mock plane

With the staff of ADTC Sales

Nicodemus P. Lompe, Vice President of Asia Region, gave his welcoming remarks and a new milestone for Garuda Indonesia on its presence in Brunei

A presentation for the guests and members of the media

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A few reasons for you to visit Malaysia this season and the big one is current Mega Sale Carnival happening now in Malaysia. Since it’s Ramadhan, the bazaar Ramadhan is back again around Klang Valley and yes, they are known for their great food. The Ramadhan Bazaar ends on 19th August 2012.

The food at Kampung Sungai Penchala (off Taman Tun Dr Ismail, PJ) is superb. Look out for the dessert selection here as it is pretty immense. Queues of people always snake around the murtabak vendor (with its hearty fillings of meat and egg) and Kelantanese food stalls. The nearby TTDI bazaar (along Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad 3 and 4) is a good alternative. Succulent roast lamb is paired with roti arab and you can find an old favourite too – smoky, scrumptious ayam percik.

Or perhaps you want to try the Kampung Baru bazaar (Jalan Raja Bot, KL) where you can find deep fried items such as stick – crabs, fish balls, quail’s eggs and fishcakes. If you crave for rendang tok and pulut durian, this is the right place. If you want Ayam Golek, then head over to Kelana Jaya (Jalan SS6/1).

Two more places that I want to highlight are Shah Alam and Bandar Tun Razak. At Shah Alam, the bazaar is located at Section 13 next to Melawati Stadium and it sells glorious ikan bakar, tempoyak and roti john. The cendol is quite well known too and it’s cheap.

The Bandar Tun Razak market (Taman Tasik Permaisuri carpark, Jalan Yaacob Latif, off Jalan Loke Yew) abound with Kelantanese delights (small treats like beko and akok) and you can pack in a full meal at the nasi kukus ayam dara stall. If you find yourself in PJ, look out for the Section 14 bazaar (Jalan 14/28) and indulge in popiah basah, sup tulang and kerang bakar.

So peeps. If you happen to be in KL, these bazaars are a must visit to satisfy your craves for local food.

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Royal Brunei Airlines has been appointed the Official Airline of the Royal Trophy – Europe vs Asia Golf Championship. The Royal Trophy is an emotionally-charged and passionate competition played between Europe and Asia in a team match-play format, with the Asian and European golfing elite competing for the pride, honour and glory of their respective continents.

The Sixth Edition of the Championship will be held on 14 to16 December 2012 at the Empire Hotel & Country Club with two-time Masters Champion José Maria Olazábal and thirty-five-time tournament title winner Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki as Captains for the European and Asian Teams respectively.

Maswadi Hj Mohsin – Chief Commercial & Planning Officer for Royal Brunei Airlines, and Mr. Lincoln Venancio – Managing Director of the Royal Trophy

Royal Brunei Airlines Deputy Chairman, Mr. Dermot Mannion stated, “The Royal Trophy is one of the most prestigious golfing events in the world and it is a great honour for the airline to be part of this particularly special edition. We look forward to welcoming members and players from all around the globe to enjoy golf in the uniquely lush and tropical environment of Brunei Darussalam.”

“We are very pleased to welcome Royal Brunei Airlines as the Official Airline of the Championship. Royal Brunei Airlines partnering with the Royal Trophy scheduled to be held in the Sultanate of Brunei is a clearly natural alignment. We are certain that the visitors attending the Competition and travelling on Royal Brunei Airlines will be enraptured by the majestic experience and class of service, will witness the very best of professional team golf and will be enthralled by the unexpected treasures of the Sultanate,” stated Mr. Lincoln Venancio, Managing Director of the Royal Trophy.

The Sixth Edition of the Royal Trophy will be held in honour of Seve Ballesteros, the late legendary five-time Major Champion and founder of the Royal Trophy.

Cecilia of IA Salon and the management team and the children of Fun Bee Park visited the RIPAS

Did you know that every year IA Salon visits RIPAS hospital during the month of Ramadhan? One reason is to bring the spirit of “caring and sharing” to the children and mothers at the said hospital.

It was also good to see children from Fun Bee Park to show their support in the activities at RIPAS. What they did was they helped bake cookies and packed them for goodies for the patients in RIPAS.

IA Salon and Fun Bee Park gave away children’s bag (150 of them) containing of art crafts made by Fun Bee Park staff, stationary, colouring books, toys, candies and dates. At the maternity wards, mothers received Hari Raya hampers with handy art crafts, cookies, dates and toys.

Also present were KFC and Fitness Zone as they gave out meal vouchers and recycling bags respectively.

Mothers received gifts from Fun Bee Park

KFC vouchers were also handed out

A souvenir for RIPAS created by Fun Bee Park

Fitness Zone also giving out goodie bags to the patients

Behind the scenes at Fun Bee Park where the kids baked the cookies

Cookies readied to be packed for gift aways