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What a spectacle!! Around 30,000 runners participated in this year’s Sundown Marathon 2013 and it was such a great atmosphere to see the thousands in attendance. Image courtesy of Official Sundown Marathon Singapore Facebook page.

We managed to get our race pack a few hours before the race. This was for the late minute collectors. I thought this is a brilliant idea especially for those who are foreigners.

It was a great to see a lot of Bruneians participating compared to last year. I salute him for running the full marathon!! For you info, there are quite a number of them who ran the full marathon!!

My jogging buddy Fina back in Brunei and though we didn’t train as much but both of us managed to complete the race and that was more important

Lisa maybe be gutted that the Borneo Marathon didn’t happen early May hence completing the half marathon was a great achievement and she was emotionally happy after crossing the finishing line

Lisa striking a pose a few hours before the race

There are a lot of activities including Zumba!!

It was Zumba heaven and it drew more crowd as it got closer to the race

Fina and Lisa were pretty nervous before the race

Hats off to the volunteers that help to make the run more exciting and run smoothly. They deserve the recognition.

This was taken at the F1 pit

The food and beverage corner though I must say none of them even served H20 *lol*

New Balance is one of the official sponsor

….and they have a cool marketing glow in the dark gimmick for New Balance sneakers!!

Another representatives from Brunei 😀

Whenever you need something, you go there

The female shower area

They even have zones for those aiming at different pace times

Another Bruneian with her friends from HK

It was good to see friends supporting the runners

The balloon pacers

Well done @eyezar for hitting 2:15 hours for your 21km!! and Judy, thanks so much for the advice. It really helped 😀

Love the sentence

It was a great experience. I’m definitely coming back next year!!

A very useful area especially for runners like me *lol*

Well done to our Brunei representatives in completing the race

Lisa was so hyped up before the race. She was our entertainment icon then.

What a race!!!

The half way mark and I was still going strong

Lots of stretching at the 13km mark!! This was also when my battery ran out of juice :/

By 3:45 we were on the podium *lol* and Lisa came first among us

Perhaps the most important medal in my life

 

More than 7,000 people are expected to participate in the Pusat Ehsan’s Charity Run 2013, which is being held for the second consecutive year aimed to raise funds to support the activities at the centre. The run will be held on June 9, and it starts and ends at the Indoor Stadium in Berakas.

Speaking at the press conference last week, Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin bin Abd Wahab, the chairman of the The Run, said that the press conference was to focus on the arrangement for the collection of running kits, the submission of donation cards, routes for The Run and the role of Brunei Darussalam Athletic Association (BAA), the official competent authority on athletics. The meeting was held at Orchid Garden Hotel (OGH) in Berakas.

Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin said, “We wish to reiterate that the collection of running kits for participants/runners will take place at the Indoor Stadium and not at the Multipurpose Hall as originally planned. The times and dates for collection of these kits are as follows – Thursday, June 6, at 9am to 9pm; Friday, June 7, at 9am to 12noon and 2pm to 9pm; and Saturday, June 8, 9am to 9pm.

The organising committee of The Run

Participants and runners are urged to submit their donation cards at the collection centre before proceeding to their respective counters to collect their running kits. In the interest, among others, of the final audit, the return of donation cards is compulsory on collection of the running kits. He said donation cards from collectors/non-runners/ non-participants are to be returned by May 31 with the bank deposit receipts to the designated outlets from where or whom they received the donation cards. Lost donation cards, bank deposit receipts or money must be reported to the police and an original copy of the police report must be provided to Pusat Ehsan.

The organising committee of Pusat Ehsan Charity Run 2013 has also appointed Hj Yahya bin Hj Sirat, the Secretary General of BAA as The Run Race Director.

He also announced that OGH has been appointed as the official hotel partner for Pusat Ehsan’s Charity Run 2013.

In conjunction with the event, OGH will be offering its hospitality package for two-day and one-night room stay for two persons. The package is valid for check-in on July 8 only and the package includes a carbo-loading buffet dinner.

“We always try and do our part in supporting the community and work with Pusat Ehsan on an annual basis. As the official hotel, we will also be supporting the event by sending some of our staff to participate in different categories of the run itself. We have been working with Pusat Ehsan for a number of years now, not just with The Run, but with other events as well. Our next proposed event will be the ‘Nasi Briyani Amal’ for the upcoming Ramadhan,” said Shamsul Bahrin Pehin Dato Dr Hj Ahmad, General Manager of Orchid Garden Hotel. The categories for The Run are 21km Male and Female Open; 12km Male and Female Open; 12km Male and Female Veteran Open; 5km Male and Female Open; 2.5km Fun Run, which is open to all and OBK (people with special needs).

The Run flag-off time will be at 5.30am for 21 km, 6am for 12km, 6.15am for 5km, 6.30am for 2.5km 6.45am for OBK. The inaugural event last year was a huge success with more than 5,000 participants turning up for the charity event.

The flag off times

The prizes for the top 3

The finishers’ medal

The top three local runners will receive trophy and cash prizes. He also explained that this event would not have been possible without the support, assistance and advice of its partners, donors, sponsors and volunteers.

The Run is part of Pusat Ehsan’s annual project blessed by its Board of Trustees and sanctioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide opportunities for the public and corporate sector to make donations to the centre. The funds will be used to finance the operational programmes in learning, vocation and rehabilitation for special needs students. It is also to encourage the development of a positive mindset among the active youths and families blending sports with charity in promoting a healthy community.

On the issue of volunteers, Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin highlighted, “We may need about 800 volunteers and most of them will be students from the sixth form centres. This is to ensure that the event runs smoothly.” The Brunei Amateur Athletics Association meanwhile estimates that they will need some 100 volunteers. Text courtesy of Anchong Tanjong of Borneo Bulletin.

The route for 12 km

The route for 21 km

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Recently Aliya of Ranoadidas was in Malaysia for the recent launch of the Colours of 1 Malaysia and her trip was sponsored by Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia. The Colours of Malaysia was officially launched last week at Kuala Lumpur’s Freedom Square and it featured 4,000 participants who dressed in colourful costumes and it was like a very colourful parade indeed. The parade is to highlight the representatives of each of Malaysia’s 13 individual states.

This inaugural event will then be followed by a month-long fascinating cultural extravaganza, featuring traditional performances, colorful parades, exhibitions and fests that will illustrate Malaysia’s many diverse traditional arts and crafts while offering samplings of its rich cuisine which is as a matter of fact truly representative of the amalgamation of diverse cultures and ethnicities that make up the people of Malaysia.

The evening began with fireworks that lit up the sky which officiated the the annual event. There were performances highlighting food, festivals, sorts, parks and gardens, nightlife and so on. Did you know that Malaysia will celebrate Visit Malaysia 2014 next year? Hence this is one of the events leading to it.

This event will help boost tourism in Malaysia. Brunei alone contribute quite a high statistics to KL and yes, they are merely heading there to shop, shop, shop *lol* Just don’t forget there are a lot of places of interest and the connectivity via AirAsia can make that possible. I will be heading to Penang soon via AirAsia soon from Singapore. I can’t wait to go to Penang and I love the food there 😀

 

Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore (GMRS) is a great experience for me and apparently a few Bruneians have actually stayed here at the Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore. I know my trip here was long overdue (Sorry Jennifer) and I’m glad that I finally have the opportunity to experience my stay. The hotel is actually only 15 minutes away from the Changi Airport and definitely less busier in terms of human traffic as compared to the city area (Orchard). There’s a shuttle service that takes you from the airport to the Grand Mercure Roxy so I thought that is pretty convenient.

We were greeted by Jennifer Narcis, Director of Sales & Marketing of Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore upon our arrival at the airport. She was accompanied by Nora and Nicole and thank you so much for welcoming us and making sure we have a pleasant stay and we surely did!!!

For your info, the GMRS has a high occupancy rate (85% to 90% above) and their business normally picks up during week day and it will drop during the weekend. This is because the hotel caters a lot for business travelers.

The rates are pretty good I must say. A superior room starts at $170-ish and that’s pretty good for a hotel rate in Singapore. Taxi fare normally is around $7 to $8 from the hotel to the city so it’s still quite convenient. We actually tried the SMRT bus and it took 20 mins to 30 mins to get to the city. Just by the Ezy link card and you can use it on the SMRT bus and MRT 😀 Oh the only thing is that there isn’t a nearby MRT.

We checked in at the Junior Suite Room at GMRS and it was perfect stay for us. There is free wifi access as well and it’s pretty fast too. It is also a suitable choice for business travelers on medium to long business trips in Singapore with their partners or families.

The Junior Suite offers a view of the sea and is configured like an apartment. It has a bedroom, living room and a kitchenette. It is a great place for guests to entertain their clients or friends in town. The Suite is equipped with a bathtub, iron and ironing board, self-controllable air-conditioning, safe deposit box, cable television and radio channels, complimentary wireless or fixed line broadband Internet access, mini-bar, complimentary coffee and tea making facilities, telephone with IDD service, voicemail, hairdryer, over-mattress and bathroom amenities with bathrobe and slippers. Guests staying in the Junior Suite will enjoy the following exclusive services at the Executive Lounge located on level 17 (though for now it will be on level 3 due to renovation on the 17th floor).

On level 3, there’s a halal menu at Breez bistro.bar and the food was great. More post on that later. There’s also a 24 hour gym access to the hotel guests and the swimming pool is open from morning to 10pm. So if you want to make bookings while in Singapore, do try out Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore and click here for bookings. Don’t worry, it’s only 15 minutes from the city and for rooms less than BND 200, that’s a pretty good offer indeed.

Not bad.. Now they are using tablets instead of paper.. Thank you Lowis for helping us upon arrival

Someone’s recovering from lack of sleep

Finally we arrived the hotel via the shuttle bus from Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel

The lobby area and I saw some stewardess  :p

Our welcoming snacks at our room

The ladies enjoying their king size bed at the Junior Suite

It has only been a day and this is how the TV room looks like *lol*

Breez bistro.bar which serves halal menu

The 24 hour gym access

Thank you Jennifer for hosting us and our stay at the Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore

By the way, if you wanna shop, the Parkway Parade is just next door and there are more than 250 shops inside

The Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore

 

In a modern IT-centric society, data loss due to power-outages is not only a business risk but also a risk for everyday users. In the US alone, businesses have lost billions of dollar worth of data due to power outages, and most studies does not even take into account personal lost of priceless data like family pictures and videos. Which is why Concepts Computer is proud to launch the full range of UPS solutions from APC – World Leader in Power Protection.

Known for its quality, innovation and industry leading service and support, APC (American Power Conversion) is working diligently to improve the manageability, availability and performance of data-critical systems through innovative solutions, and Concepts Computer is also working hard to provide affordable power-outage solutions from APC for both personal and commercial use.

First on offer, the APC BE500R-AS UPS, selling for $98 with a trade-in price of $68, is an affordable solution for home and small offices. Rated for 300 Watts at 500 VA, the BE500R-AS will be able to offer protection from surges, spikes and even lightning. To be made the BE500R-AS as user-friendly as possible, APC has provided it with a push-button circuit breaker for easy recovery from an overload or short circuit, making it the perfect solution at home.

Next on offer, is the APC BR550GI, a much more robust solution for large offices with critical data management needs. The BR550GI, rated at 330 Watts at 550VA, has early warning fault-analysis for battery life, and provides quick and easy battery replacements without specialized tools reducing Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). The APC BR550GI will be available from Concepts Computer for $241 with a trade-in price of $214 only, usual price will be $268.

Next is a heavy-duty offering, with 230v of input and output, and rated at 865 Watts at 1500VA, the APC BR1500GI will be available from Concepts Computer for $682 with a trade-in price of $606 (usual price is $758). The APC BR1500GI is a heavy-duty extended run-time model, with hot-swappable replacement batteries, unattended shutdown mechanism, optimal adaptability for all power-conditions, auto self-testing and an LCD graphics display for modes of operation, system parameters and alarms. The APC BR1500GI is the ultimate in affordable UPS solutions for data-critical business with uninterrupted up-time needs.

Mr and Mrs Pao launching the new range of UPS at Concepts Computer

The APC products

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, speaking to the media, commented that, “Concepts Computer with APC UPS solutions is not only catering to large corporations but also more importantly, for everyday users. We understand the importance of our digital memories like family pictures and videos so it’s why we focused on providing affordable solutions for them.”

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive at Concepts Computer also added, “As small-medium businesses evolves and move towards paper-free solutions, their data is becoming much more important to them, this is where Concepts Computer come in and provides affordable UPS solutions to protect their data from power-outages.”

  For more information on the full range of UPS solutions from APC, please visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/2/3 or 2448102/3. Press release by Concepts Computer and images courtesy of Concepts Computer.

Meanwhile a new product from Acer is available – Aspire P3 Ultrabook