Titan is 8 feet tall and it’s amazing!!!

I caught a sneak preview of Titan the Robot and it was awesome to start off with.. To see it walk from one spot to another and sensing its environment around, I thought the AI of Titan is top notch 😀 I’ve always seen these types of robots on hollywood movies but to see one in real life is pretty unreal and I had that moment of “sakai-ness”..

Looking at the website, Titan has been to many countries such as China, USA, Thailand, Dubai, Hong Kong and now Brunei and Titan hails all the way from the UK. Titan was introduced back in 2010 and ever since, Titan has been a popular (robot) figure and even performed with Rihanna at the Kids Choice Awards *cool*

According to the website, you cna book a Titan for many purposes such as TV appearances, parties, film premiers, award shows, corporate events (which is why Titan is featured at Techxpo 2012), fashion shows, family fun days, agricultural shows and many more. So if you plan to book one, you can click here and of course, this is a robot all the way from the UK. So do mind the charges and the fare.

Anyway, the schedules for Titan the Robot demo is Saturday 1st December at 2pm, 5pm and 7pm and Sunday 2nd December 2:30pm, 5pm and 8pm at the ICC in conjunction with Techxpo 2012. The live demo show will last 30 minutes and you will be able to see the spectacle of Titan. Thank you to the organisers for bringing this iconic machine to Brunei. I’m pretty sure this will be a crowd puller. You can watch some of the videos here and here. And for your info, Titan the Robot’s trip to Brunei was sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines (RB).

The guy is controlling the robot from his remote

The media was awed by its presence

Titan has its own docking system and it can sit on its dock without any assistance.. Awesome!!

Thomas get up close and personal with Titan

 

For couples planning to tie the knot and seeking advices for their perfect wedding, the 2nd Musical Garden Wedding Fair is the right place to visit. The fair will be held at The Mall, Gadong from yesterday (November 29) until Sunday (December 2).

The exhibition, which will be officiated by Datin Paduka Hajah Rokiah binti Haji Zakiah, the President of Women’s Business Council at 11am, serves as the foundation for bride and groom-to-be to choose from a wide range of choices, services, as well as interesting bargains.

The visitors will be able to find both international and local bridal houses showcasing their collections and packages for weddings and help visitors in planning out their special day. Apart from wedding photography, visitors would also be exposed to trendy home interior plans, beauty packages, DIY wedding favours, utilities and decorations that promise to make your wedding an unforgettable one and exclusive local wedding experience such as underwater photography.

The Most Photogenic Couple Contest (MPCC ’12) will be ongoing throughout the event. People are encouraged to visit the fair and show their utmost support to the Top 5 MPCC ’12 contestants by voting for their favourite one. Last year, Stephanie and Victor were crowned the MPCC ’11 winner and took home a fabulous pre-wedding photography package by our very own talented local photographer, Devin Kho Photography. There will be a fun-filled photo contest open to the public – MGW_InstaPhoto_Contest.

Expression Music will provide live musical performances in addition to the theme and concept of the exhibition and a lucky draw event will be on with amazing prizes to be won. The Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012 promises to be a wedding exhibition that is unique and will give visitors that special heartfelt feeling.

The highlight of the fair is the MGW Lucky Draw where shoppers stand a chance to win an exclusive Underwater Wedding Package which includes boat passage for bride and groom along with six guests; diving equipment; wedding official; photographer with one DVD of 50 images; videographer with one DVD edited version of 10-15 minutes; flower bouquet; and basket of flowers for guests or a holiday to Kota Kinabalu or a stay at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. There are more amazing prizes to be won.

 

Visit the insta booth at Musical Garden Wedding Fair at The Mall and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes

Registration is only $2

The setting at the insta booth

 

Mass Sunnat prayers before Friday prayer for residents of Gaza at SOAS Mosque today

 

Now this is interesting. Click image to find out more.

 

Download the APICTA 2012 apps on IOS

Events are now ‘going mobile’. Mobile users enjoy having all the information they need about a certain event at the tip of their fingers, while at the same time, it also serves as good news to sponsors as they see event apps as a valuable channel in reaching busy clients.

For any type of event, the right mobile app can transform an event to become more popular through instant sharing of news between people. The APICTA (Asia Pacific ICT Awards) 2012 app fits in this category, where the idea is to “allow first-hand information to spread to the public as it happens”, said a local developer from Infindo technologies.

The app, he said, will not only allow the participants but also attendees and visitors from participating countries from other parts of the world to get instant update about the APICTA events schedules, results and news.

It helps to promote Brunei to these countries, along with its culture, people, heritage, as well as boost the tourism industry, as one of the features include a photo gallery of places of interest in the Sultanate.

APICTA’s 16-member economies include Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hj Hadi Iskandar with Pg Sarimah, CEO of InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) during the press conference of APICTA 2012

CEO of InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Abd Latiff lauded the mobile app, saying that it is convenient for people nowadays, especially in Brunei, as they are “mobile trendy”. She also said that the app depicts what is available on APICTA’s website, including event schedules and information that are “very useful for all participants”.

The app includes everything one needs to know about the upcoming APICTA 2012, including the latest news and updates, background of this year’s 156 nominees, as well as guidelines. Currently, the free app is available for download for iPhone users, while the app for Android users will follow in the near future.

Seventeen categories comprise eGoverment to eLearning, Tertiary Student project, Tourism and Hospitality, Media and Entertainment, Security, Tools and Infrastructure Application, Research and Development and Sustainability and Green IT.

The event is an international awards programme aimed at increasing ICT awareness in the community, and assist in bridging the digital divide. By providing networking and product benchmarking opportunities to ICT innovators and entrepreneurs in the region, the programme is designed to stimulate ICT innovation and creativity, promote economic and trade relations, facilitate technology transfer, and offer business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and investors.

Participants of the awards programme comprise members of the APICTA Alliance. APICTA 2012 is organised by the Ministry of Communications and is supported by The Authority of Info-Communications and Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB).

The event will be held from December 2-5, at The Empire Hotel and Country Club. The judging session for all nominees will be for two days, starting December 3, followed by the awards presentation on December 5. Text by Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

 

More than 4,000 people showed last Sunday at Seri Mulia Sarjana School (SMSS) Musical Play, Peter Pan the Musical at the Jerudong Amphitheatre. It was a sell-out concert and I’m pretty sure most of them are families. I’m impressed with the performances by the students especially Wendy Darling played by Kristel Hanna D. Arce. Mind you that the main character Peter Pan was played a female lead Dessa Lorraine Burca.

The musical was arranged by Samuel French and International Threatre and Music (IT&M London) and they even brought in special equipment where the actors are able to float off the ground for the flying scenes during the play. I thought that was spectacular feat from the play and I have to salute the courage by the young students and pulling the flying stunts to good effect.

Perhaps the downside was the technical glitch that happened occasionally but other than that it was a spectacular show. Well done to the production crew and all those involved in the musical play. Thanks to Leonard and Jackie for the best view seat too 😀

A new extraordinary opportunity to voyage inside Bruneian history. “The state is built entirely on water. It is big and comprised of 30 to 40 thousand people who are predominantly Malay… The Sultan’s palace, the church or mosque and most the main buildings are built on dry land…” (Report of the Colonial Office in 1906 recorded a population of Kampong Ayer at about 10 000 people from 11 villages)

In conjunction with His Majesty 66th Birthday, a new book will be launched this coming Saturday, 1 December 2012 by the Acting Minister of Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Hj Othman.

Kampong Ayer, Kenangan Abadi or Living Memory is the first photographic book ever published about the historical area of Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan.  This fascinating publication of 252 pages will take the reader back to how the Sultanate of Brunei looked many years ago. There are more than 300 pictures from the olden days to present, including some photos from the early 20th century and they will remind people what an important part of the country’s history, Kampong Ayer has played.

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Abdul Latif holding the “Buku Kampong Ayer” book

Post card & gift bag for every purchase of “Buku Kampong Ayer”

“There can be no doubt that Brunei is the “Kampong Ayer” and “Kampong Ayer’ is Brunei.  The growth of water villages is a historical phenomenon, without which the state of Brunei Darussalam would not have existed” said the author Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Abdul Latif bin Haji Ibrahim. Retired government officer, he worked as Curator of Ethnography at the Brunei Museum, Deputy Principal of the Brunei History Centre and also Assistant Vice-Chancellor at UBD. His last post was Director of Balai Kenangan at His Majesty’s Office. Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Latif has always been fascinated by the history and has been working on this project for many years. 

This book is a must have for all Bruneians. A wonderful gift to share. An opportunity for the older people to help their grandchildren understand how people lived in Brunei for the last fifty years ago. 

 A book that will bring together to all generations. The launching will take place this Saturday 1 December 2012 at the Seri Q-Lap Mall, from 2:30pm onwards.

The author will sign the book during the promotion days at Café Au Lait. Between Saturday 1st to Monday 3rd of December and get it for more than 25% less! Promotion price: $35 (Hard Cover) and $28 (Soft Cover) Normal price: $50 (Hard Cover) and $35 (Soft cover).

Senior citizen of 80 years old and above must be born in Kampong Ayer will be entitled to a complimentary copy from the author by producing a copy of his/her IC. (Please collect at Café Au lait at Seri Q-Lap Mall, from 1 – 3 December 2012)

This book was design by Pentagram Design Sdn Bhd. Press release and images by Pentagram Design Sdn Bhd.

 

Pizza Hut Delivery, the market leader in F&B delivery announces its opening of its newly remodelled store in Bunut. This is the first of the Delco (Delivery and Carry-Out) stores to have undergone a major remodelling and renovation to transform into the new Pizza Hut Delivery look. By quarter one 2013, all Delco stores will have been converted to this new look.

 “We believe that renovations talk to our customers and to our staff. When we made the decision to renovate all our existing Delco stores, it is showing faith in the future of our stores. Thus, moving forward, we are offering more than just great pizza; we’re offering a whole new experience in delivery,” said Johnny Liew, Chairman of Olive Tree Corporation, owner and operator of Pizza Hut Brunei.

In view of market expansion, Pizza Hut Delivery has invested in new cutting edge technology ovens which now deliver pizzas in shorter time. “Our new ovens in all our remodelled and renovated stores will change the game in the F&B delivery business. It reduces the baking time required for pizzas; which essentially means hot fresh oven food served quicker to customers”, Johnny said.

Pizza Hut Delivery which serves  hot fresh oven food will have a total of 14 stores by March 2013. Known for its innovative  F&B promotions, it will be launching exciting new menu items soon.

 

Pizza Hut is bringing you their latest product that will surely cater to pizza lovers out there who have an even bigger love for cheese. Pizza Hut Primo at The Mall in Gadong introduced their six-cheese pizza creations for the past few months.

The cheesy pizza topped with a unique blend of six exotic cheeses; Mozzarella, Cheddar, Romano, Provolone, Parmesan and Monterey Jack, all in one served on an all-time favorite crust, the Pan Pizza.

“The aroma of the six cheese is a bonus from the tastiness and cheesiest of the pizza itself,” said Reagan F Arquio, Local Store Marketing Manager for Pizza Hut. He added,”We served it in the Original Pan Pizza because it is our signature pizza and really compliments the taste in the pan pizza.”

“It is crisp on the outside, soft, light and fluffy on the inside, baked to golden perfection in our signature pan,” he explained.

According to Pizza Hut, the cheesy pizza comes in four flavours; the Classic Cheesy Six, the Cheesy Pepperoni, Cheesy Beef Mushroom and Cheesy Chicken Mushroom. The promotion will last for two months starting mid of September until mid November at $14.90 for regular and $21.90 for large.

For the Double Cheesy Deal, two regular Cheesy Six pizzas will cost $24.90 while the Cheesy Triple Deal with three regular Cheesy Six pizzas will cost $39.90. For both deals, customers can also choose which toppings from the four flavours they would like to have.

 

 

Click image to enter website

 

CONGRATULATIONS!! For the 2nd time organizing the Most Photogenic Couple Contest (MPCC), PDCA events is delighted to inform the public that FB voting has now officially closed. They would like to show our gratitude and thanks to all lovely couples who showed their sincerity in supporting and participating at the MPCC’12.

Once again, well done to the Top 5 Couples with the highest votes as following: Sumardi Hedus & Amy Cheong -1084 votes, Teo Kui Liong & Kelly Ng Swee Moi – 934 votes, Keegan & Charlene – 709 votes, Cornelius Cheong & Eva Ong – 655 votes, Ling Yong Quan & Hazel C – 620 votes.

Photos of the Top 5 Couples will then be displayed at the Musical Garden Wedding Fair at The Mall, Gadong from this Thursday (29/11/12) until Sunday (2/12/12) for final round [Final voting close at 5pm on the last day of the exhibition]. So do visit the fair and show further support to your favorite couple!

 

 

 

With an emphasis on fun and education, this year’s TechXpo seeks to offer its participants and visitors a valuable insight into the latest global trends in technology and related areas.

Brunei’s premier technology fair will have its third showing at the International Convention Centre in Berakas from 1 to 4 December.

A wide range of displays, activities, and bargains will be on offer for young and old alike at the TechXpo.

The main attraction is sure to be Titan the giant robot. Flown in to Brunei all the way from the United Kingdom by Ifini Sdn Bhd exclusively for the TechXpo 2012, visitors are warmly welcomed to go to the fair to meet the 8-ft tall gigantic robot to see its amazing abilities up close and personal. Titan is well-travelled across the world, and has performed with celebrities and appeared on television.

More than 80 companies will be taking part in the TechXpo. Among these are well-known local brands such as Sony, Acer, Microsoft, Canon, Dell, Samsung, Akira, Huawei and many more who will be offering dazzling displays, comprehensive information and exclusive promotions on modern gizmos and gadgets.

The STEP Centre of the Ministry of Education will be conducting its “Innovative learning is fun” activity. This is in collaboration with several agencies to introduce innovative learning to school leaders, teachers, students and other prospective stakeholders. There will be opportunities for students to learn in a fun way through KODU, a game-based learning programme for students for Years 4-9. Visitors can also try out the innovations and robots created and exhibited by the winners of the Brunei Robotics Olympiad (BRO) 2012.

Well-established organizations Tech One Global & Microsoft will be running free literacy training during the TechXpo. Qualified instructors and computer units will be available to allow those interested members of the public to have hands-on training sessions.

Visitors to the TechXpo can also avail themselves of exclusive discounts and offers on a wide range of products and services. Amongst these great items will be free health checks, free installations, and one-off discounts.

And as simple as filling in the event’s survey form, lucky early visitors’ will stand the chance to win limited TechXpo door gifts in the daily Spin and Win activity on Plenary Hall Stage.

The TechXpo is a must-visit for everyone. Technology influences all our lives on a daily basis, and where better to be updated on the latest technology trends and have fun doing it than the TechXpo 2012.

The TechXpo will run from 1 to 4 December at the International Convention Centre, Berakas. Opening hours for visitors will be from 12 noon to 10pm on 1 December and for the following days, opening hours are 10AM to 10PM. A convenient free shuttle bus service will run from the Indoor Stadium on a daily basis.

The TechXpo is supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications, and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI). It is organised by InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), and managed by Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd.

There are so many events that are happening this weekend!! and I just don’t know where to start. One for sure is the upcoming DST Carnival 2012 though the only setback is that there won’t be guest appearance of Malaysian celebrities. Nonetheless the DST Carnival 2012 offers tons and tons of activities and I’m wondering how I’m gonna describe one by one in my entry *lol* Maybe I will just highlight some of the main activities and by the way, the theme for this year is “Sports and Lifestyle”

DST will unveil their new Prima Serive where you can have a Prima Multi SIM – 1 Primary and up to 4 supplementary using one single number.. So this means you can different SIM cards using the same number for your mobile and tablet devices.

There will be D’Chef Challenge which is similar to Master Chef (Friday 4pm). On Saturday, 10:30pm, there will a firework display with Dinda performing Katy Perry’s Fireworks number at the Amphitheatre. There will be a Zumbathon workout on Sunday 2nd December 7:30am so it’s open to the public participate. There’s also a DST GETFIT Crossfit Battle this weekend.

Apart from that, there will be local live performances – KFM Acoustics sessions and Open Mic events. There will be lucky draws every single day and the prizes are awesome too. On the 1st day, you might win a iPhone 4s, a Nikon D5100 kit, Macbook Air 11″, Astro Beyond with 3 months subscriptions and many more. On the 2nd day, you might win a MacBook Air, LG Home Theatre, Samsung SIII, iPhone 5, New iPad 3G and many more. For the final day of the lucky draw, you might win yourself a Nikon D3200, Macbook Pro 13″, D*Card with Top Up, Canon EOS 1100D and many more.

The management of DST at yesterday’s press conference

Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager KRISTAL and Chairman of DST Carnival 2012 briefing the media on the exciting programs

One of the highlights of DST Carnival is the launch of their new loyalty DST card. This is not just an ordinary card like before. It’s a new one and the great thing is it’s a cash card, a prepaid Mastercard cash card to be exact from Standard Chartered. You can earn points through Pirma usage, EASI starter pack and EASI recharge purchased at any DST branches. There is a $20 fee when you apply the D*Card but for the first 1,000 applicants, you get a waiver fee and it will only be availalbe during the DST Carnival 2012 right after the official launch on Friday 30th November 8pm.

SCB and DST joined forces and now your DST loyalty card can be a cash card too and the new loyalty card is called D*Card

This is how the D*Card looks like

Perhaps the big one is the DST Dare 2012 which is the highlight of the event. The winner will walk away with a Hyundai i30 though you guys have to split among 4 people. You can find out more on their website http://www.dst-group.com/dstdare and the registration has been extended to 29th November. The maximum number of teams (of four) is 200.. For more info, you can call 877 5506 – the DST DARE hotline but do call during office hours. Per team is $60 and there will be consolation prizes for the Top 10 teams.

Once you register, you will get your entry pack at the registration area. Above is the official t-shirt for DST Dare participants!

 

Acer just kept introducing new products this year and yes, Acer has an aggressive strategy for their commercial products. The latest product is the F2 generation of server products which was being displayed last week during Acer Malaysia’s presentation at Rizqun International Hotel to retailers and government officials.

Acer has advanced its server line with a whole new line up of refreshed server products. This time around, Acer has not only updated the specifications to support the latest Intel Xeon processors E5 family, but has expanded its business portfolio and management tools to provide greater flexibility in modern datacenters. .

The new product designs feature Intel’s latest line up of Intel Xeon processor; the E5 family of CPUs, which give up to two times the performance for certain benchmarks, and up to eight cores per CPU. .

The F2 generation, also provides greater expandability and more robust specifications built into every platform.

Richard Soo of Acer Malaysia (centre)

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer

A great turn out from government officials and resellers of Acer

The two products below are the ones that will be one of the main attractions for Concepts Computer during the upcoming TechXpo 2012 at ICC this weekend. The recent release of the Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook will be a big hit due to the strong demand for light weight notebooks.

Lately more than 200 units of Acer PCs equipped with Microsoft’s Windoes 8 have been sold through Concepts Computer and the numbers are expecting to rise with the TechXpo around the corner. So do drop by Concepts Computer booth during the TechXpo 2012. For your info, Concepts Computer is also the only store in Brunei that is officially certified as a genuine Microsfot software reseller.

One of the latest gadgets from Acer

A great line up of Acer notebooks

Now this is one handy tablet

 

It’s happening tonight at Gadong Central

The event is co-organised by Movember BN, BruneiTweet and KFC Brunei. “Movember” (i.e. Mustache + November) is a growing worldwide campaign involving the growing of mustaches through the month of November. The symbol for “Movember” is the mustache, but the campaign goes much deeper. It is purposed to raise awareness about Men’s Health issues (e.g. prostate cancer, testicular cancer, depression, etc) affecting millions of men across the globe. 

The “Movember Tweet Up” is open to everyone – young and old, women and men from the general public. It is supported by representatives from B: Read, Muzikaliti, SCOT Brunei, UBDFM, Counter Attack, Brunei Cosplayers, Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, etc.
  

Visit Carmotor Auto Parts Company and check out their new quality tyres. Best time to buy since the offer only last a week

 

Winnniieeee… Hope you enjoyed your birthdaydinner last night and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being such a wonderful friend. So much have changed over the years and it’s for the better. You have grown very much from the day I knew you and thanks for your guidance and support through our friendship. Good luck in your thesis and enjoy December when it comes 😉 Love you tons and take care!!

We had an enjoyable dinner at Kitaro Japanese last night. It has been a while since the four of us hung out for dinner.

An interesting cake because of its striking pinkish colour and yea, this reminded us of the old days how cakes look like then

 

This was the only knife available *lol*

My short stint as a chef of Kitaro Japanese *lol*

Seminar at Seaview Hotel, KB and Rizqun Hotel on Thurs and Friday respectively

 

Top Travel Agents – Air Booking with management and Board of Directors of Abacus Brunei

Over 200 movers and shakers of Brunei’s flourishing travel industry will gather at the Centrepoint, Gadong tonight as Abacus, Asia’s leading provider of travel solutions and services celebrates the achievements of local travel agents.

“This annual event is anticipated by travel industry players. It provide travel industry players to meet up with their colleagues as well as an opportunity for Abacus to thank and recognise our travel agency partners in Brunei for their contribution to our growth, not just over the last year, but over the last 22 years,” said Irene Soon, General Manager, Abacus Brunei.

“Year on year booking comparison made through the Abacus system remain strong and is growing despite the challenges from the Airline Direct and the Low Cost Carrier. We are optimistic that this trend will continue and travellers will continue using travel agent as the channel to book their travel arrangement.” Ms Soon added.

Irene Soon also thanks partners; Abacus International, Royal Brunei, Baiduri Bank Berhad, Cityneon Brunei, Malaysia Airlines, MASwings, Royal Brunei Catering Singapore Airlines, Tokio Marine, Tourism Malaysia and TTCO Enterprise for sponsoring the lucky draw prizes for this evening’s event. The Guest of Honour at tonight’s function is Mr Dermot Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Brunei, who will present the coveted top11 travel agent awards.

Also present are Awang Aji Putih and Awang Maswadi bin Haji Mohsin, Directors of Abacus Brunei.

Freme Travel Services Sdn Bhd, Kuala Belait – Top Travel Agent – Non-Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Century Travel Centre Sdn Bhd (Bandar) – Top Travel Agent – Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Freme Travel Services Sdn Bhd (Bandar) – 2nd Place Travel Agent – Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Ms Lim Yah Hui from Century Travel Sdn Bhd, Top Travel Consultant received the award from Aji Putih of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

BPTV JPKE SCHOLARSHIP for FEBRUARY 2013 intake is still open for registration, kindly drop by Laksaman College of Business to register. Closing date is on the 10th December 2012. For more info, you can call 223 8816 or 223 8818. You can also follow their updates on Facebook here.

 Now book your flights 😀

It’s AirAsia’s 11th Birthday Bash and there will be awesome promotional fares from as low as BND12 (inclusive of airport tax and fuel surcharge) for various destinations like Bali, Clark, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johor Bahru, Hat Yai, Langkawi, Surat Thani, Singapore and many more destinations.

The booking will be from 26th November to 2nd December 2012 and the travel period is from 3rd December to 31st March 2013. And you can fly from Brunei to Kuala Lumpur for only BND 40 (all-in fare) and of course, terms and conditions apply.

PSY’s Gangnam video reached a milestone that’s hard to catch up

A few days ago, in YouTube history, Gangnam Style has become the most popular YouTube video and it has outpaced Justin Bieber’s Baby (804 million views) last Friday. To date, PSY’s Gangnam Style has reached 825 million views and at the rate it is going, they have predicted that it could reach the 1 billion mark before the year end.

Now that’s such an amazing feat and it has an average of 6.1 million daily views.. How I wish that’s the statistics for my website *lol* Sorry to Bieber fans though it’s not such a big deal, right? Well done, PSY.. Now the question mark remains… will his next song or music video bring the same attention?

 

A message from Lily Chiam, owner of Expression Music
 

Expression Music Academy took centre stage yesterday at ‘The Heart Sings’ charity concert, held at the atrium of the Airport Mall in Berakas.

The venue was packed with fans some even watching from the balconies of the second floor eager to hear the musical talents of students of the academy.

Among those present at the concert were Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman, Expression Music Academy owner Lily Chiam, Assistant Managing Director at Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Hj Puasa Hj Jumat, Executive Operational Trustee of Pusat Ehsan Pg Datin Hjh Noraini PDNLDR Pg Hj Abd Momin and other event partners.

The audience were entertained by a number of performances, including a song called Triumphant Lead written by Lily Chiam herself, and performed by a group of female violinists.

As the event was organised for charity, Datin Adina presented cheques worth $1,500 to both Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans and Pusat Ehsan, which was raised from concert proceeds.

In her speech, Datin Adina emphasised that music is more than entertainment, and that music can be a tool for education as well as a great avenue for creativity.

She also added that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports supports the promotion of arts, culture and music that benefits the country and believes that with proper guidance, young music students can be developed to become great performers in the future. Text and images courtesy of Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

Expression Music Academy’s violinsts performing yesterday

   

Woww!! Amazing numbers… There have been dozens of runs this year in Brunei alone and I’m not sure if any of the regional countries are as active as Brunei when it comes to hosting running events. Three banks organised three big ones respectively, followed by other organisers and the numbers have so consistent for the past few months.

Yesterday more than 5,000 people took part in the first ever “Larian Bandar 2012” to mark the 42dn anniversary of renaming Bandar Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan. The event was organised by BSB Municipal Department in cooperation with CityNeon and Armtrix Enterprise Company.

The guest of honour was Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Hj HalbiHj Md Yussof, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. Also running was Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah and Pengiran Seti Aminah Pengiran Othman. 

For those running the 21km, the timing chip results are out on www.larianbandar.com and well done to the organisers as well as the participants who took part.

 

 

 

 

Skyfall. Ok, I have to admit that this Bond film is one of the best I’ve seen for a very long time. Though I prefer Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Daniel Craig seemed to pull off a great job. This is a different type of Bond movie and not a typical one too. A few chasing here and there but lesser gadgets and Bond chicks which are always crucial to any Bond movie. However, I was still entertained and moved by the story. I know some of my friends complained about the missing elements but I didn’t mind a single bit.

Another aspect that I love about Skyfall is the villain played by Javier Bardem and man, he can really pull off a creepy villain. Half of the reason for this great movie is definitely Javier Bardem. A job well done indeed by director Sam Mendes and I like how he made Bond less invincible. Awesome stuff!! Verdict: 8/10.

Cold War. Hmmmm… I caught this movie at Times Cineplex and this movie was my first movie experience at the new cineplex. I have been fan of Hong Kong movies but as of late, their string of movies have been mediocre. Then came in Aaron Kwok’s latest movie Cold War and it has been a while since I’ve seen his movies. Furthermore, it was a movie about police politics which I’m a big fan of (titles such as Infernal Affairs). However, this movie disappointed me on many levels. The direction was weak and lacking substance. It had potential and it was maybe trying to hard to be another Infernal Affairs. It’s an ok viewing but not on my list of recommendations. Verdict: 6/10.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn II I can’t believe I caught this vampire movie on the first show last Thursday at 10:30am *lol* Mind you, I was cringing in the last three movies of the Twilight series. Strangely enough I only cringed once or twice so I have to say this movie was more than just passable. Bella (Kristin Stewart) looks hot as a vampire though *lol* and I have to admit I was quite entertained and it’s not easy coming from a non-Twilight fan. I love the ending part and a great way to end the series. Verdict: 7/10.

Sinister. This is one dark movie… I totally don’t recommend parents to watch it with their kids.. Trust me on this *haha* but then again, it has stop showing at The Mall Cineplex. Anyway, I was really intrigue by the plot and waiting for each scene to go by in anticipation. The gore level might be too much to stomach for some viewers and the finale is one of the scenes that caught my attention. I would described it as twisted too. Definitely not a movie for children. Verdict: 7/10.The Thieves. I read about this movie before and how it was one of the biggest box office in Korea and of course, I’m such a big fan of Korean movies (thanks to The Host and Old Boy and many more). It’s quite rare to see a Korean movie being screened in Brunei. So I thought why not. So what do I think? Hmmmm.. it’s not all that and it has an interesting touch to it though. The movie reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven but with a more complex twist *lol* Oh yea, there are a mixed of Korean and HK actors too.

I swear that one of the female lead looks like my friend Chin Wei. The movie was only shown at Q-lap Cineplex and I had little trouble catching up with the story since it only had Malay and Chinese subtitles. Oddly enough, halfway through the movie, there was English subtitles then it disappeared after 15 minutes.. So yeah, you have to be alert when you watch this movie. I don’t think there are many screens showing now. Verdict: 7/10.

Paranormal Activity 4. When will they ever stop? The series have already gone to its max and the lifespan of Paranormal Activity has passed its peak. Then again, I asked myself why I did end up watching the 4th installment. Well, the first three were pretty solid so that made my decision to catch the 4th edition. Low and behold, I was pretty much disappointed. The movie has its moments but too few to remember. A forgettable installment which is a good sign for the producers to stop making the fifth. Verdict: 6/10 (being too generous)

Silent Hill: Revelation. Oh my… I should have trusted my instinct but it wasn’t to be since I love movies.. I tried to avoid Rottentomatoes before catching this Silent Hill and I successfully did. This was another waste of my time moment which I could have invested in other things to do. Characters were stale and so were the action scenes. I think I will be wasting my time writing up this review. I gave it a 5 on my instagram but it deserved to be lower. Verdict: 4/10.

Pitch Perfect. I came watching this movie with no expectations and I didn’t realise it was a chick flick. All I knew that the feedback were positive especially from my female friends *lol* And boy, I was truly entertained and I had a good laugh all the way. It’s similar like Glee but using A Capella (vocal without music). My favourite vocal in the Pitch Perfect is Titanium. Too bad it’s not available on Pitch Perfect soundtrack. I don’t mind catching this again. One of my top ten movies of the year. Verdict: 8/10.

Looper. One thing I enjoyed about this movie is the interesting concept. This might require your full concentration as you will need to put the pieces together to understand the tricky plot. I can see how Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been picking up steam in the box office with his recent movies Premium Rush and the blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises and the recent release Lincoln. He was pretty exceptional in Looper but I thought the story was slightly draggy in the middle. I can tell you that this movie is either a hit or a miss. Few of my buddies didn’t like, some did. Del Goh rated it a 9. For me, it was good enough. Salute for its boldness. Verdict: 7/10.

Rise of the Guardians. A much awaited animation and it was a pleasant viewing for me. I kinda enjoyed the plot and how it had a combination of fairy tale stuff going on. For me, Madacasgar is still the top animation in terms of entertainment and fun factor. ROTG doesn’t reach to that level but the messages delivered do have their meanings and I can relate it to my daily life. Paranorman was fun too. If you enjoyed Paranorman, then you can’t go wrong with ROTG and experience the magical journey. Verdict: 7/10.

Click poster for more information

Closure of the road by 4am

 

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It’s not a bad place for movie goers though Times Cineplex has yet to do their official opening just yet. Now with the piracy laws getting tough, this is great news for cinema owners as people are now flocking to cinemas more to catch the latest blockbuster on the big screen and that’s how it’s supposed to be.. unless you wanna stream the movies from the internet.

Times Cineplex has 5 cinemas if I’m not mistaken and now they have released their schedules on both Brunei Press papers and The Brunei Times. Or you can simply check their schedules updated through their Facebook page for the latest screening. I recently caught Cold War there and the seats were comfy and I love the fact that there’s more leg room. Sometimes I wish the seats doesn’t recline too much due to the body weight.

The only thing that worries me is the traffic congestion and the parking woes can’t be a turn off to drive patrons away for other options.

 

Do wait until the 26th November to book your flights 😀

It’s AirAsia’s 11th Birthday Bash and there will be awesome promotional fares from as low as BND12 (inclusive of airport tax and fuel surcharge) for various destinations like Bali, Clark, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johor Bahru, Hat Yai, Langkawi, Surat Thani, Singapore and many more destinations.

The booking will be from 26th November to 2nd December 2012 and the travel period is from 3rd December to 31st March 2013. And you can fly from Brunei to Kuala Lumpur for only BND 40 (all-in fare) and of course, terms and conditions apply.

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The guest of honour was RB Chairman and also the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah cutting the cake

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) celebrated their 38 years of serving the skies as the country’s national flag carrier with a religious celebration to send out prayers for the years to come at the Royal Brunei Surau in the RB training centre in Jalan Kustin.

To honour the 38th anniversary of the launching of RB, a blessing ceremony was held for good sanction. The guest of honour was RB Chairman and also the Deputy Minister of Finance, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah.

The ceremony began with a mass Zohor prayer, followed by Sunnat Hajat prayer and concluded with recitation of prayers. The guest of honour together with invited guests then proceeded to the training centre for a cake-cutting ceremony to mark RB’s 38th anniversary celebrations.

RB’s Deputy Chairman, Dermont Mannion, thanked the government, board of directors and staff for their support over the past year. He said, “Royal Brunei has achieved many milestones this past year. We are looking forward to the years ahead as we continuously strive to provide a better service to our passengers.”

RB was established on November 18, 1974, as an independent corporation wholly owned by the Government of Brunei Darussalam. The national carrier is set to introduce the Boeing Dreamliner 787 in October 2013 which will further enhance the travel experience for passengers in visiting the Sultanate of Brunei, gateway of the island of Borneo. Text and images courtesy of Aziz Idris.

Try out the new dinner set menu at Caliente. After opening their door in April, there has been much praised about the Spanish restaurant located at Regent Square, Kiulap. Spanish cuisine has a rich and cultural history drawn from a mixture of European and North African food and even a slight greek influence.

Previously Caliente had an executive lunch promotion and now they came up with another set menu for Caliente patrons. So now you can enjoy a full course meal from soup to dessert (inclusive of drink) for only $20 which is a pretty awesome deal. You can visit their facebook for updates and follow them on instagram @calientespanishrestaurant and for your information, they close every Monday. For bookings, call 223 4529 or 7202985.

The Smart Pass do come in handy

I was introduced to this unique gadget by Aaron Sitai, the owner of GadgetPlus Store (GPS) and he showed me a quick demo on how convenient a Smart Pass can do for car owners.

Let’s give this scenario. I drive down to “kedai runcit” and I normally buy my goodies or newspaper and it’s just a 30 second pitstop. We have the tendency not to turn off the engine and just leave it on and take for granted that Brunei is a safe place. Well, you will be surprised. It happened to my friend and in a matter of seconds, he lost his valuables in the passenger seat.

So now, with Smart Pass, you can safely lock your car with your engine still running by tapping the Smart Pass on the censor of the device (Smart Pass RF Reader). Now these are pretty ideal especially those who fall in this category and also companies that does a lot of delivery services to their clients. Of course, it’s still convenient for the usual drivers like us too.

Not to worry, peeps, as it won’t harm your ECU as the fitting won’t tamper with it. The best part is that if you have your existing central locking system, it is still compatible with Smart Pass.

The Smart Pass locks the car by just tapping it on the Smart Pass RF reader

You can even put the Smart Tag in your smart phone for convenience

If you buy one, it comes with a Smart Pass RF Reader and two tags (a card and one for smartphone)

Each box set comes with the Smart Pass device and two tags – one for your smartphones and the other a credit card sized tag. For your info, each Smart Pass RF Reader unit can allow up to 7 authorized smart tags to be registered onto its system allowing multiple users with an authorized tag to access the same vehicle. Additional tags can be purchased separately.

So far that this awesome gadget works with Korean and Japanese cars. Of course, other continental cars do still work but it might need more work depending on the complexity. So far the cars that have been tested are Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and KIA to name a few. It has also been fitted to Audi, BMW and Chevrolet too.

So what’s the pricing for the Smart Pass?

Smart Pass – $399 excluding fitting fee
Additional Cell Phone Tag     $28
Additional Card Tag               $28
Waterproof Sports wristband  $48

So far the authorized fitters are Autopro Typre (behind The Arch call: 242 7242) and Fong Seng & Co (Goodwood Building, Menglait call 245 0780)

You can contact Aaron directly if you want more info about the Smart Pass at 710 9929 or add him on Facebook: Hibernator Awake. You can also view some videos for demo here here and here

Participants were divided into three categories. Upon registration in the morning, each participant was issued with a quest card which they were required to complete and hand in at the finishing line. Depending on the category, they are required to complete between 15 to 30 mind challenging questions on road regulations and safety. These questions are placed at different pit-stops located all over the playground. They can earn additional points by completing 10 special bonus challenges. These included taking a pedal boat ride, riding on the carousel, and answering questions about the month-long road safety campaign.

At the end of the two-hour long walkabout, the following were declared the winners.

Family Category
1st – Hadi family
2nd – Brilliant Ladies
3rd – The Queens

Above 18 1st – Dk Nur Sakinah Bte Pg Hj Kamaluddin
2nd – Rohani Sumin
3rd – Tashry Zariyaddy Hj Zainal Abidin

Under 18 1st – Muhd Danial Mahdi Bin Bollasan
2nd – Abdul Hafiz Bin Awg Hj Idris
3rd – Ak Muhd Haziman Bin Pg Hamdani

Prizes for the above categories were presented by YAM Pengiran Muda Abdul Mu’min.

As for Best Dress, the Family Category was won by the team “The Walking Man”, headed by Md Farid Hj Matzin who came dressed as a Spartan. In the Individual Category, Md Nasuha Hariel came in first dressed as a pharaoh, followed in second place by Atiyyah Abas dressed as a pirate, and in third place was Idazaimah Zainal Abidin, dressed as a money bag.

As for the Best Workout, it was led by instructors from Studio Scene dance academy, participants were invited to show their talent in dance routines. The winners were:

Faizul Faiq won the “Nobody, nobody but you” workout.
Jeremy Ang Wei Chong won the “Gangnam Style” workout.

Prizes for the best dressed and best workout were presented by Dorothy Newn, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Baiduri Bank.

This morning’s event also marks the official end to the one month long road safety awareness campaign which began on 18th October 2012. Organized by Baiduri Finance, as the lead campaigner, together with the National Road Safety Council as lead facilitator, the campaign saw a month long series of events with one common aim – to inculcate a culture of responsible driving and traffic discipline among the general public.

Prizes were also presented this morning to the winners of a Drawing and Colouring Competition among schools and an Inter-university debating completion held earlier this week. These competitions, which carried the road safety theme were organized jointly by Baiduri Finance, BNRSC and the Ministry of Education and UBD respectively.

The winners were:

Inter-Uni Debating Competition
UBD team comprising Julius Hong Yan Chin, Chang Seng Yee, Nurliza Abdul Zabar and Kamarulzaman Abdul Jalil. Kamarulzaman also also adjudged the best speaker in the competition.

Colouring Completion among Primary Schools throughout Brunei
1st – Michael Ho Yii Kiong, Sekolah Seri Mulia Sarjana
2nd – Md Al Haziq Bin Hj Zulkifli, Sekolah Rendah Jerudong
3rd – Jessie Jane Binti Nordin, Sekolah Nusa Laila Puteri Gadong

Drawing Competition among Primary Schools throughout Brunei
1st – Jackson Ho Yii Kin, Sekolah Seri Mulia Sarjana
2nd – Kelly Tee Gi En, Sekolah Seri Mulia Sarjana
3rd – Siti Nursyafiyah Binti Jefti, Sekolah Rendah Sultan Abdul Bubin Sg Besar

Prizes for the above were presented by Pierre Imhof, Director of Baiduri Finance and Hj Haliluddin Dato Talib, General Manager of Baiduri Finance, respectively.

Next year Brunei will be hosting the ASEAN Summit which will be another important calendar event in 2013. Last Tuesday, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam received the ASEAN chairmanship for 2013 from this year’s host Cambodia. The 3 day event concluded where His Majesty joined other world lears in Phnom Penh at the 21st ASEAN Summit.

The theme for next year ASEAN Summit will be “Our People, Our Future Together” and this will be the fourth chairmanship for Brunei. It’s also very likely that President Barack Obama will be attending the event next year.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (R) receiving the ASEAN gavel from Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen during the closing ceremony of the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh yesterday. Image taken from namnewsnetwork.org

His Majesty’s titah at the closing ceremony of ASEAN Summit 2012 at Phnon Penh – “Thank you very much, Prime Minister and my congratulations on the very successful meetings you have chaired since we gathered here last week. I wish to commend you also for the leadership and commitment you and your government have given to ASEAN over the past year.

Like almost every aspect of our work in our Association, the role of the Chairman has to adapt to rapidly changing events and situations. Cambodia’s chairmanship has been in this spirit and it is much appreciated.

I’m sure colleagues wish to join me in also expressing our appreciation to the Secretary General and our Secretariat, for their dedication and hard work in supporting this Association.

Your Excellencies … This will be the fourth time that Brunei Darussalam has had the honour and the responsibility of chairing ASEAN. Over the years, the task of the Chairman has grown in scope and complexity.

This is clearly illustrated through the statistics recorded by our Secretariat, which show that the ASEAN Community has more than tripled in size since its founding. Even more significantly, the original total population of ASEAN as a whole of 200 million people, has now reached 600 million, 200 million of which are under fifteen years old.

It is estimated that to this figure is added one thousand new ASEAN citizens who have been born since last week. This means that young people make up 40 % of our community today. They will join us in facing both the challenges and opportunities presented by globalisation.

Addressing both the positive and negative aspects of globalisation constitutes much of the task facing Brunei Darussalam as Chairman, but in carrying out our responsibilities, we are guided always by the principles of chairmanship set out in Article 32 of our Charter.

We will continue the strengthening of ASEAN’s central role in Southeast Asia, by encouraging consensus without compromising any member’s legitimate national interests, nor disregarding the legitimate interests of our partners.

Above all, we will work to safeguard the wellbeing of our ASEAN Community as a whole, as expressed in the theme we have chosen:“Our People, Our Future Together.”

I wish to thank our fellow members of ASEAN for the confidence they are placing in us as Chairman for the coming year. Rest assured that Brunei Darussalam will do its utmost to justify that confidence.”

The United States will provide up to $6 billion for a comprehensive partnership for a sustainable energy future as part of an initiative with Brunei and Indonesia.

“Energy and the environment are among the most pressing issues confronting our region,” the White House said before President Barack Obama left for Washington Tuesday.

The regional partnership was proposed by Obama, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the East Asia Summit earlier Tuesday.

“Recognizing the key roles in the coming year of Brunei as it assumes Chair of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit, and of Indonesia as it takes up the Chair of APEC, President Obama looks forward to working closely with both countries as well as the range of partners across the region to advance energy and sustainability cooperation,” a statement said.

The White House said the partnership offered a framework for energy and environmental cooperation across existing forums to ensure affordable, secure, and cleaner energy supplies.

“Bilateral and multilateral energy and environmental initiatives are flourishing in the Asia Pacific,” the statement said.

“The United States, in partnership with Brunei and Indonesia, will help coordinate and enhance these efforts, share best practices, and leverage existing initiatives.”

U.S. President Barack Obama, center, joins a group photo during the East Asia Summit with, from left, Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihino Noda, Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Obama, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao, Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Photo: Vincent Thian / AP

Existing energy initiatives include the ASEAN-United States Energy Cooperation Work Plan, the APEC Energy Working Group and East Asia Summit Energy Ministers. Key regional priorities are renewables and cleaner energy, markets and interconnectivity, the emerging role of natural gas and sustainable development.

“We will engage with the private sector as well as partner countries in the region to determine specific projects within these four priority areas,” the statement said, adding that work was also envisaged with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

“With an estimated $9 trillion needed in investment in electricity alone through 2035 to meet growing demand in the region, there is enormous potential for U.S. industry to play an important role in the region’s energy future.” Source: The Cambodia Herald.