The competition starts 2:30pm tomorrow (Sunday) at The Mall and I will be one of the judges

Their Majesties hosted dinner for US Secretary Hillary Clinton

Guess who was in Brunei lately? Yes, it was US Secretary Hillary Clinton who was on a quick two day visit to the Sultanate and I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of her during her stay in Brunei. His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha hosted a dinner at the Istana Nurul Iman two nights ago in honour of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Also present were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and his wife, Her Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Hjh Zariah, Her Royal Highness PrincessHjh Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and YAM Pg Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pg Anak Hj Abdul Aziz and other members of the royal family. Also attending the dinner was US Ambassador to Brunei, His Excellency Daniel Shields.

The US Secretary of State landed here yesterday for a two-day visit, which will see the top US diplomat meet her Bruneian counterparts and visit the country’s main university. The visit to Brunei Darussalam is part of Clinton’s six-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific, which will culminate with the American official attending a summit meeting of leaders from 21 Pacific Rim nations in Russia, according to various media reports.

She is now in Vladivostok, Russia, for the APEC Russia 2012. Images courtesy of Muiz Matdani.

Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan (MSPSBS) will be organizing the MS Family Carnival 2012. The carnival will be held on 9th September 2012 (Sunday) from 8am to 5pm and will take place on the school campus. The MS Family Carnival is organized by the MSPSBS Student Council and peer group helpers and supported by DANA Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah.

The principle aim of the event is to raise funds for the charity, DANA Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah untuk Anak-Anak Yatim, to which all proceeds earned by the MS Family Carnival organizing committee will be donated. The remaining amount will be donated to Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, MS Student Welfare and MS Student Council Body Fund.

Other objectives include raising awareness of the role of family in helping prevent social problems and living a healthy lifestyle through playing sport. As well as sports events to support the latter objective, there will be a variety of other activities ranging from exhibitions concerned with social problems, Fun house for kids,rides ATV bikes,horse riding, to stalls selling numerous types of food and refreshments.

Being a community event aimed at raising funds for a specific charity, MS Family Carnival 2012 offers an excellent opportunity to company/business to aide our worthy cause and to generate positive publicity and profit in the process.

All activities are supported by Fitness Zone, My Small world and Brunei Darussalam Aids council.

Carbon Monoxide kills. Photo illustration by Jeff Neumann, The Denver Post; photos: Jupiter Images.

Interesting findings that I learnt (about carbon monoxide) after the recent accidental incident that costs that lives of two young Bruneians who were found in a car parked at the basement of Manggis Hua Ho Mall last Tuesday night.

According to the police report, any foul play was ruled out and it was the excessive inhalation of carbon monoxide that led to their deaths. During the investigation, they found traces of green-coloured liquid at the front area of the car generated from teh air coolant radiator as well as traces of black-coloured liquid under the car.

I was quite naive about how carbon monoxide (CO) are deadly and they can attack you silently and yes, it only takes minutes and even before you know it, you will be unconscious and eventually costs your life. So I kept asking my peers if they know or aware about CO especially when it comes to cars. I was amazed that most of them are aware of this and I wasn’t at all.. So I believe this is pretty important to know and I just wanna share with you guys on the dangers of CO and how you can prevent them especially involving cars.

How CO affects your body

What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death.

Where is CO found?
CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by cars and trucks, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges and heating systems. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned by breathing it.

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. High levels of CO inhalation can cause loss of consciousness and death. Unless suspected, CO poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic other illnesses. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from CO poisoning before ever experiencing symptoms.

How can I avoid CO poisoning from my vehicle?
• Have a mechanic check the exhaust system of my car every year. A small leak in your car’s exhaust system can lead to a build up of CO inside the car.
• Never run a car in the garage with the garage door shut. CO can build up quickly while your car is running in a closed garage. Never run your car inside a garage that is attached to a house and always open the door to any garage to let in fresh air when running a car inside the garage. So in the recent case, the car was left running at the basement of the mall and it’s also considered an enclosed area.
• Leave your window slightly open when you happen to leave your engine on especially with air-conditioning on.
• If you drive a vehicle with a tailgate, when you open the tailgate, you also need to open vents or windows to make sure air is moving through your car. If only the tailgate is open CO from the exhaust will be pulled into the car.

If you want to know more about CO and its dangers and preventions, you can click here, here and here for more info. It’s better to be aware than sorry. Happy weekend, peeps!!

Katy Perry Rocks!!!

Katy Perry: Part of me I’ve seen This it it (Michael Jackson) but not the Justin Beiber one. This is other movie documentary celebrity that I caught last week with Jessie and I was pretty moved by her documentary. I never knew she is a song writer and how she climbed up the ranks of being a superstar and I was surprised of her upbringing as well. I managed to catch this at The Mall Cineplex before the show runs out as they are only showing on one show in 3D.

Well, if you are not a Katy Perry fans, I still recommend you to catch this movie. I know that Jessie now has changed her thoughts on Katy Perry after watching the show. Yea, I could say we both teared up a bit though she was more moved than me *lol* What inspired me the most about Katy is how she envisioned her dreams and now she’s living her dream. It’s a great reminder to us all that we should be living our dreams and not others. And her unconditional love to her fans is something that it’s not common once you are a celebrity or a star. Great show!! Verdict: 8/10

I want a Teddy bear now!!

Ted Don’t be fooled by this soft toy. The posters doesn’t suggest much but if you see the trailers, you probably be more interested to catch it than just relying on the visuals on the poster. I never saw one as it was never screened here in Brunei and I finally knew why… it’s pretty vulgar and the themes involved are not suitable and appropriate to get a pass from our censorship board *boohoo* So I caught this movie with Cuterabbit during my recent Singapore trip.

I tell you that this movie was totally entertaining from start to finish and sometimes I wish I had a live teddy bear like Ted *lol* The movie has its crude moments and yes, this is not a recommended first date movie either. Though it won’t be showing here in Brunei, if you happened to be in Singapore, do catch Ted or you can do the sneaky way in Brunei which it’s not appropriate to disclose here *lol* Awesome flick. Verdict: 8/10

How I wish they were actresses instead *lol*

Magic Mike Ok, this movie can biased if they are my female buddies watching this. Basically for the main reason is that they get to see hot guys dancing on stage and doing stuff that might give you ladies the adrenalin rush. After the movie, cuterabbit couldn’t stop talking about the movie *lol* and I understood why. Yes, this movie won’t be even showing here in Brunei because of the themes and the contents which are deemed inappropriate.

I quite enjoyed the movie as well and no, I’m not biased *lol* It was more of the interesting plot. I realised how popular Channing Tatum is right now after huge hits just as 21 Jump Street and the Vow which raked in more than $250 million and plus this movie was directed by Steven Soderbergh. The movie was a huge hit in the States and showed how he is now one of the A-list actors in Hollywood. If you thought Coyote Ugly was good, then Magic Mike is three times better. Verdict: 8/10