Click image to see more of Netcom Computer House from their Facebook Page

 

New and bigger things at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

Click image to enter website

 

Black Angus Ribeye is back!! For Two!! Only at Deals Restaurant, Raddison Brunei. Click image to enter facebook page.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB)

Click image to enter website

First it’s the Consumer Fair at BRIDEX. Next weekend will be the Travelmania 2013 which will be one of the events to look forward too. Also part of this year’s Travelmania 2013 is the 10th Abacus Holiday Travel Fair and this usually means one thing – cheap and affordable fairs.

As Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) said, “This is the right place to plan your dream vacations.” All in one spot. At the Travelmania 2013. Another great thing that he highlighted is the upcoming carrier which is Boeing 787 Dreamliner and this is something I couldn’t wait either.

The signing ceremony took place yesterday between the partners and related airlines at the Airport Restaurant. There were signings of MoU between Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB and Dato’ Jack Ting, Managing Director of Cityneon Displays & Construction Sdn Bhd, Irene Soon, General Manager of Abacus Brunei Sdn Bhd and Zurina Abdul Samad, Director of Tourism Malaysia.

Another batch of MoU signings were between Abacus and their partners. The signatories were Irene Soon, General Manager of Abacus Brunei Sdn Bhd and Ti Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager Retail Banking of Baiduri Bank; Zainal Abidin Sulaiman, District Manager (Brunei) of Malaysia Airlines as well as Alvin Leong, Acting General Manager Brunei, Sabah & Sarawak at Singapore Airlines.

Can they top 33,000 visitors last year? Tourism Malaysia apparently will have a bigger presence because of their “Visit Malaysia Year 2014” and they will be will be presenting Malaysian Cultural Performance, Sarawak Traditional Music – Sape, The Tank & Batik Demonstration, Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism and Lego Display by Brunei Usergroup Lego & Technic (BULAT).

So peeps!!! Book your dates next weekend.. The earlier the better 😀

Group photo with the partners for the Travelmania 2013

Dermot Mannion gave some short remarks on Travelmania 2013

Dermot Mannion, Deputy Chairman of RB and Dato’ Jack Ting, Managing Director of Cityneon Displays & Construction Sdn Bhd signing MoU

Exchange of documents

Dermot Mannion and Irene Soon, GM of Abacus Brunei Sdn Bhd

Dermot Mannion and new director of Tourism Malaysia (Brunei) Zurina Abdul Samad

Irene Soon with Zainal Abidin Sulaiman, the new District Manager of Malaysia Airlines (Brunei) signing Mr. Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager Retail Banking of Baiduri Bank with

Irene Soon with Mr. Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager Retail Banking of Baiduri Bank

Alvin Leong, Acting General Manager Brunei, Sabah & Sarawak at Singapore Airlines

Zainal Abidin Sulaiman mingling with the guests

 

The tournament has begun and it kicked off or literally “throw off” last evening at the BRIDEX as part of the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair 2013. There are 22 teams that are taking part in the tournament with 12 female teams and 10 male teams but I am expecting this competition to grow in interest in the future because it’s a newly introduced sport in Brunei.

Perhaps the novelty aspect of the game has made it easier for the locals to accept and the most importantly having fun in that sport. I know of a friend who can’t enough of dodgeball and craving more of it :p

So far the hot favourites for the ladies are Thunderbirds and Gladiators while for the men, Easyway looks solid with 2 wins but the best match so far was between EXCO and Cosmo Men B. There will be no matches tonight on Thursday and the tournament continues tomorrow evening. Good luck to all the players and keep entertaining the audience with your dodging skills.

Some of the results last night:

Ladies:
Thunderbirds 8 Cosmo Women A
Smokin’ Aces 1 UBD Meatballs 7
Elemonators 2 UBD Queens
Gladiators 7 Cosmo Women B 0

Mens:
Easyway 4 SVNR Power
Boxx DT 0 Easyway 8

Smokin’ Aces vs UBD Meatballs

Before every match, a briefing will be done. This is good to remind players especially since this sport is still pretty new to many

UBD Meatballs won their first game comprehensively

The only to get eliminated is when a ball hits any part of your body or clothing unless you catch the ball

Easyway vs SVNR Power

SVNR Power in action

SVNR outnumbered by Easyway

Dodging the attacks when solo can be difficult and you can only get back your team player one by one if you catch the ball

Cosmo Women B vs Gladiators

In every round, this is how the game starts

Cosmo Women B

Easyway vs Boxx DT

You can grab as many balls as you want to attack

This guy has a good throw

Ben Sim of Easyway being eliminated because he crossed the yellow line

Easyway looked pretty strong for the tournament

Cosmo Men A vs AK-47

 

There are those who blog or take pictures to express themselves. Elizabeth Sim, also known as Liz, uses her gift of gab in her talk show believing that it will be a positive contribution to society. Liz is an experienced entertainer in her many roles as an event host/emcee, moderator, facilitator and actress. She is also an active Toastmaster, a public speaking organisation with a mission (To create a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills which in turns fosters self confidence and personal growth). On 31 August 2013, Liz will put all her skills, talents and training to display in a talk show.

The talk show focuses on people who are inspirational in their own ways and hopes to serve as a platform where audiences will have an opportunity to learn from them their stories of struggles, breakthroughs and successes on a personal level.

“I want to have inspirational people inspire others through dialogue” says Liz. Her talk show also hopes to showcase local talents to as a way to help them grow as an artist while sharing their gifts with others.

In the upcoming pilot, the audience will get a chance to meet and learn from the champions from the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA 2013) and stand a chance to walk away with goodies/prizes, enjoy a live cooking demonstration and so much more. 

Tickets are limited to maximum of 50 pax. So get your tickets reserved now by texting 8826013 and Text “Time Out, name and number of tickets. Tickets are sold at $5 each for early birds. After the 26th August, tickets will be sold at $10. So hurry 😀

Happening at Fun Bee Park 31st August 7pm

The scoring card for the Red Bull Dodgeball Championship 2013

This will be the first of its kind, a dodgeball competition to be held in Brunei organized by Red Bull, supported by Allswell, managed by GreenCity Concept, distributed by Kingston Beverage and Creamery and sponsored by Aewon garment and embroidery.

I really don’t know how to explain the mechanism of dodgeball but it’s a fast paced game where you throw the ball towards your opponent and hoping you hit him or her to eliminate your opponent unless he/she catches the ball for a save. You can see a video on how dodgeball is being played. This sports is a super fun and my first knowledge of it was from the Dodgeball movie starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

It’s good that Red Bull is supported this new found sport in Brunei and with 12 ladies team and 10 mens team, this sport will definitely gain popularity in the next few months or so. The tournament will start tomorrow (Wednesday) 8pm and followed by Friday to Sunday.

I shall be covering some of the matches and update you on the scores and results of the tournament. Good luck to all the players and if you want to catch them play, watch them on evenings – Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and on Sunday it will be from 8am to 4pm at the BRIDEX and it will be part of the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair 2013.

The team managers registering for their teams

Players were being given a refresher course on dodgeball by a Malaysian official

Who will win the inaugural tournament?

The ball is pretty light weight

FJ reading the manual on dodgeball and she’s the player/manager for the ladies team, Gladiators

Lisa training with Gladiators

Nadia keeping in shape for the tournament

Great pose, Nad :p

Good luck, Gladiators!

Actually I miss these ladies playing football under Dragonfly *lol*

 

Check out the demo at Consumer Fair at BRIDEX

I’m not an Android user since I’m pro-Apple but Android has been picking up pace with the support of Samsung and HTC in the past three years and it’s no surprise that there are more Android users compared to IOS as it’s the only operating system run by Apple, hence the iPhone.

Tomorrow Ten Ten company will unveil the latest Alcatel android phone – One Touch Idol X which many have said is Alcatel’s X Factor. Ratings on GSM Arena is pretty high with an average of 9. It has an ultra-sleek design with a scratch resistant Dragontail glass.

The One Touch Idol X has a Cortex A07 quad-core processor at 1.5 Ghz, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory with a microSD card slot. It has a 13 Mp rear-facing sensor and a 2 MP front-facing sensor. It operates on an Android Jelly Bean 4.2 and it has a dual sim card slot too.

You can pre-order the phone at the Consumer Fair and it will be cheaper than market price. If you want to know more about Alcatel One Touch Idol X, you drop by their booth at Consumer Fair at BRIDEX. The units will only be available early September but the buzz has been great so far.

Alcatel One Touch Idol X specs

 

Malaysia Airlines has increased its capacity into and out of Bandar Seri Begawan through a bigger capacity aircraft effective today, 16 August 2013.

Capacity on the Kuala Lumpur-Bandar Seri Begawan will be increased by 11% with the existing 4 weekly B737-400 services being replaced by B737-800 flights. Malaysia Airlines’ District Manager, Zainal Abidin Sulaiman said, “The capacity increase is made possible as we are now deploying the 160-seater 737-800 aircraft on this route instead of the current 144-seater 737-400 aircraft. This move to upgrade the aircraft type for this route was taken due to increase in demand”.

“We are confident that upgrading this service and improving our in-flight services further on this route will further continue to drive revenue and loads,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines first started its operations to Bandar Seri Begawan in 1972. Since then, this route has proved to be a very encouraging route for the Malaysia National Carrier. The all-in return economy class fare to Kuala Lumpur starts from only BND246. Customers can also fly to Peninsula Malaysia for all-in fares from as low as BND348 and BND415 to Singapore from Bandar Seri Begawan.

Likewise all-in return Business Class fares start from BND916 for travel to Kuala Lumpur, BND1,138 for travel to Peninsula Malaysia and BND1, 025 for travel to Singapore.

Exciting fares are up for grabs to London and Paris. The all-in return economy class fare to London starts from only BND1, 882 and BND1, 781 to Paris. On the front-end, the all-in business class fares to London and Paris starts from only BND5, 153. These fares are all for flights through Kuala Lumpur. All fares exclude Brunei airport tax.

All adult and child passengers travelling on Malaysia Airlines will enjoy 30, 40, and 50 kilograms free baggage allowance respectively for travel on economy, business and first class. These fares are available for grabs at www.malaysiaairlines.com, Malaysia Airlines ticket office in Bandar Seri Begawan and appointed travel agents.

So guys, plenty of reasons to fly Malaysia Airlines, aye? The 30 kilo baggage allowance has been a great pull factor for the airlines and guess what.. They will be announcing super great fares in less than two weeks as part of the Travelmania 2013. I shall keep you posted on that too.

 

ASEAN Year Consumer Fair 2013 from 21-25 August at BRIDEX

Getting ready for the opening ceremony tomorrow

Netcom Computer House will have some game for the public

The information counter for Consumer Fair

The Thailand pavilion

I like this set up

The Indonesian pavilion

Stock up food for the event

A product from Indonesia

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be joining again for the Consumer Fair

CBTL will be having a special promotion for the Americano for less than $300 at Consumer Fair

Cool tablets

But who will be bringing the franchise to Brunei? hmmm…

Catch Mike Mogard and his team in action during Consumer Fair

This is brought to you by Reebok Crossfit 673

 

It was mentioned that Spaghettini will invite different chefs for different promotion every quarter of the year. From today until 31st August, the highlight will be Molto Italiano brought to you by Chef Mario Caramella. He is an award-winning chef of inITALY Bar Ristorante in Singapore (interesting website). His milestone was earning second place in this year’s Pasta World Championships in Parma, Italy. Not bad at all.

So do drop by Spaghettini before September comes and enjoy the Italian cuisine by Chef Mario Caramella. I will state some of the prices below and it’s also subject to 10% service charge. For reservations, you can call 241 8888. My favorite dish of the lot will be the Risotto with lobster 😀

Mario’s signature dish ironically called Spaghettini – Cold Spaghettini with Salmon and Tobiko – BND 38

Cous Cous alla Trapanese – Cous Cous Salad with Raw Tuna and Passion Fruit Dressing – BND 33

Fritto Misto – Crispy calamari, prawns, soft shell crab and honey mustard dip – BND 36

Wagyu Beef Sirloin – Tagliata with Rucola and cherry tomatoes – BND 48

ASEAN Year Consumer Fair 2013 from 21-25 August at BRIDEX

Risotto with lobster and tomatoes – BND 48 (My personal favorite)

Pizza with mozzarella cheese, marjoram and prawns – BND 24

Gnocchi with cream of parmagiano Reggiano and balsamic vinger – BND 23

Chef Mario having a chit chat with interim General Manager of The Empire Hotel

Chef Mario getting busy behind the scene

Ricotta cheese cake with cherry compote – BND 14

Zabaglione Passion Fruit Sabayon with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream BND 16

Chef Mario speaking to food blogger Thanis Lim

‘SocialBuzz’ – I remembered the old days when his startup company was located at Batu Bersurat and now he’s one of the most enterprising entrepreneur who strive to do better and better every year. It’s great to know how Hiro has progressed with his company SocialBuzz Advertising and he has won many accolades along the way.

He recently participated in CommunicAsia in Singapore and earlier this year, his company nabbed the Grand Award at ThinkBig Ignite Business Plan 2012-13 competition with a prize money of B$20,000 (and yes, he beat in that competition haha). Now he’s gunning for another milestone and this is his Gigland project which won the AITI grant earlier this year. At this stage, it’s at its prototype stage.

So what is Gigland? Recalling the function of TheGigland.com, it is a geo-location global marketplace for micro tasks (vocational skills & raw talents) where skills can be converted into dollars. Simply meaning, Bruneians can soon actually start selling little talents/skill online and market it to anyone in the world by leveraging on their unique geo-location – which can be really awesome!

Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Singamanteri Col. (Rtf.) Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar Yasmin, The Minister of Energy at Prime Minister’s Office spent quite some time exploring the technology behind ‘The Gigland’ & ‘SocialDeal Brunei’ with founder Hiro Tien at the Ignite Award Ceremony.

(Middle) Former Permanent Secretary of Ministry Of Communications Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Alaihuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Di-gadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Haji Awang Mohammad Taha & (Left) Chief Executive of AITI, Hj Yahkup Hj Menudin presenting the Agreement Contract for ‘The Gigland’ to Hiro earlier this year.

Two weeks ago, SocialBuzz was shortlisted into the Top90 Quarterfinalists of GIST-Tech I Global Competition, an initiative led by the US Department of State & CRDF Global, a non-profit organization that apparently promotes scientific & technical collaboration in 54 countries across the whole of Middle East, Turkey, Asia and Africa.

They now need Bruneian’s public vote to help get them into the Semi-Finals whom will be pitching for the Grand Award in Kuala Lumpur this October. Their 2-minute video uploaded serves as the product pitch to gain public voting. Watch the video here and vote 😀

Click image to view video of Gigland and you can vote too.

I have voted… Do vote for our Bruneian ICT talent and hope he makes it to KL this November

SocialBuzz appears to be the first ever Bruneian ICT Company to get shortlisted into the global competition. The Top 90 quarterfinalists were selected from reportedly ‘hundreds’ of applications from 54 countries, according to the GIST Committee. The top 30 teams will vie for the Grand Award in Kuala Lumpur from 10-12th October 2013.

Part of the judging process includes online public voting (especially from participant’s respective countries). For Brunei is competing with some highly populated countries ranging from Egypt, Lebanon, UAE, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Jordan, Nigeria and many others – the competition seem to be pretty intense!

If you like the idea so far, feel free to vote for the Brunei-made technology ‘The Gigland’ and help conceptualize the technology, which could potentially benefit a lot of people not only from Brunei but beyond! Plus you get to help put Brunei on the map at the same time.

You can find their product & video entry at bit.ly/SocialBuzz90 – last day to vote is Thursday, 22nd August, I just voted too! 😀

 

The organiser Yellow Pages for the Find It Fast Contest this weekend at Consumer Fair at BRIDEX

Competition is back for Find It Fast (FIF) Contest organized by The Yellow Pages (Brunei). This is a speed contest where players attempt to locate an advertisement in the phone book at the shortest/fastest possible time. This time the competition will be played with a Yellow Pages app (download on IOS and Android for free) on your smartphones.

Their last competition was back in 2011 and now YP is bringing back the competition “FIF” starting 23rd Friday 3pm to 8pm, 24th Saturday 5pm to 8pm and 25th Sunday 11am to 3pm at the 12th Consumer Fair at BRIDEX. There are no fees involved and open to all residents of Brunei.

Refer to poster below to see what prizes are at stake for FIF competition. Anyway, if you haven’t downloaded the YP app, you should. It’s a very useful tool to allow us users to get access to necessar information such as business contact, subscribers listing and addresses.

Do check out their website for updates on the live score for the event.

The prizes for the competition. Join and it’s free. Nothing to lose.

 

The Ministry of Education was the guest of honor for LCB’s graduation day

Two hundred and eighty-nine students received their certificates yesterday at the Laksamana College of Business (LCB Graduation ceremony held at the Rizqun International Hotel. The Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Awg Abu Bakar bin Hj Apong, officiated the event.

A graduate of the University Foundation Course, 18-year-old Aainaa Nasibah binti Hj Mohamad is also currently taking her first year degree at LCB. Initially, she did her first year of Form Six at the Sayyidina Ali Secondary School in Kuala Belait before transferring to LCB for her foundation course. Preparations for her exams in early June were not that stressful as it was just a foundation course, but for the degree, she said that she has to get more into it to get good results and a scholarship. If given the chance to continue her Masters, Aainaa Nasibah intends to pursue her studies further before thinking about a career.

Eighteen-year-old Mohd Marwan bin Hj Mohamad, also a university foundation course graduate, is also continuing his studies to degree level, as he is currently on his first semester and will proceed to his second semester this September.

“LCB is actually a fun learning school,” he said. “I like the lecturers and professors – they are very friendly and approachable, and all the courses offered are really good for students. It’s definitely a good college for those with interests in the field of business studies.”

Another graduate, Siti Ratna Sridewi Suziaanawatee binti Hj Sahari, was one of the part-time students at the college taking up KCB Advanced Diploma in Business Management.

A cabin crew with Royal Brunei, Siti Ratna said that the college had been really supportive of her as a part-time student for the past two years.

She hopes to pursue her studies to the HND level should she get the permission to do so, adding that it all depends on the company to provide her with the flexibility to pursue her studies. So far, the RB management have been supportive, such as alternating her flight duty roster to accommodate her studies.

Ahmad Arief bin Hj Rosli, who graduated from EDEXCEL BTEC Level 5 HND in Computing, wishes to find him a job in IT.

The 22-year-old has to put aside his study plans as his parents will soon be retiring. As a responsible son, he wishes to help out his parents while at the same time try to do some savings. If the opportunity arises and enough money is saved, he plans to continue his studies to a higher level. Text and images courtesy of Lyna Mohamad and Bahyiah Bakir of Borneo Bulletin.

 

RB’s Travelmania coming soon!!

 

Soon Loo featured in today’s Borneo Bulletin. Click image to see article

An inch closer… He’s almost there or perhaps he’s already there. But let’s not take it for granted. Two nights ago, he needed 4,000 votes online.. Now he has needs a few hundred more to reach the milestone to make to the final cut of being the Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) and at the moment Soon Loo is in a pool of 20 Outstanding Young Persons of the World who have been selected by international panel of judges.

I’m even surprised that he knows one of my friends from Singapore. Well, technically she is/was a student of Soon Loo and what a small world we are in. This shows how much impact Soon Loo has over the community and he has been very active in inspiring the young generation.

So with the votes closing on by 8am 20th Tuesday, I pledged you readers to vote for him and support our own Bruneian figure to be on among the elites of Outstanding Young Persons of the World. So if you want and haven’t vote for him yet, click on this http://www.liveyourmark.com/soonloo/ 😀

On behalf of Soon Loo, he deeply appreciate your kind gesture and support and he can’t thank the community enough for the contribution. Good luck, buddy!!

Soon Loo being featured in The Brunei Times. Click image to see article.

The most popular guy of the moment!! He’s even in today’s editorial page.

 

20% off all seats, all flights. Click image to find out more.

 

The British Universities Brunei Association (BUBA) will be hosting its 2nd annual UK Education fair on the 21st August 2013. Twenty five Universities and Colleges from across the UK will be participating in the fair at the Member’s Grill and Lounge, The Empire Hotel and Country Club. The fair is aimed at students who are considering studying in the UK in September 2014 but also presents a final opportunity for any students still looking for a place for September 2013 entry to speak with university representatives.

BUBA held its first UK Education fair in Bandar Seri Begawan in August 2011 and met a huge number of students who went on to enrol in degree programmes across Great Britain in September 2012. The fair will be held between 2pm – 7pm. Further details and names of participating institutions can be found here: http://www.buba.ac.uk/he-fair

 

The instant prize is back!! Now you can win Samsung S4 or an Apple iPad Mini or an iPhone 5. Well, you will stand a chance to do so if you buy a cluster of Red Bull drinks or one alter pack of Sunsnack at the Consumer Fair starting tomorrow until Sunday at BRIDEX. You will be given a scratch ticket to determine if you win a prize.

Present during the press conference were Mr. Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd, Valentine Hon, General Manager of Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd and Martin Anthony, Sales Marketing Manager of Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd.

The Managing Director said that this is another way to show appreciation and gratitude to their customers.. The Red Bull & Sunsnack scratch draw is open to all identity card holders from aged 16 above. Each of the value for the cluster or pack is $5 only. The promotion will end until the final stock. There are at least 15 units to be given away as prizes. Good luck!!

He also highlighted of the newly introduced event which is the Red Bull Dodgeball competition which will take place at the Consumer Fair at BRIDEX. I shall talk more about that later on.

Mr. Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd (center) with Martin Anthony and Valentine Hon at yesterday’s press conference

Win these fantastic prizes instantly only during the Consumer Fair

The scratch ticket once you buy any Red Bull cluster or Sunsnack pack

Click image to enter website

 

That’s pretty cool that you can buy a C180 and also enjoy a 3-year service package from Jati Transport Sdn Bhd, the exclusive distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Brunei Darussalam. Of course, terms and conditions apply so you can visit their showroom at Beribi or at Gadong showroom.

There are only limited number of units left for the C 180 CGI. In addition, when you book a new Mercedes-Benz passenger car, Vito or Viano now before the 31st December 2013, you can stand a chance to win a brand new A 250 sport.

Call 244 1763 and 244 1777 for details or just pay a visit to their showroom.

 

Download Baiduri Deals

Have you downloaded Baiduri Deals on your smartphone?

Baiduri Bank officially unveiled the much anticipated “Baiduri Deals” a few days ago. Teaming up with a Bruneian App developer, Baiduri Bank developed this app with its objectives of improving customer’s experience as an added-value and convenience to their lifestyle and allowing merchants to offer all year round offers,monthly deals, last minute deals and super deals. It is also the first bank in Brunei to introduce a specific marketing app.

Baiduri Deals is available on both App store and Google play and is free for download and I downloaded it a few weeks ago.

In conjunction with the launching, there will be promotions to be won by customers who download this app. The bank’s social media channels will be shouting out these activities so customers are encouraged to stay tuned or just check out my blog or instagram for updates :p

One of the app’s key features is the electronic coupons (e-Coupons) which offer great deals to customers. Just like coupons in its traditional sense, app users can redeem e-Coupons through Baiduri Deals App at participating merchant outlets. The e-Coupons will be available to both Baiduri and non-Baiduri customers.

So the first merchant that had a special promotion through Baiduri Deals was Gong Cha, the recent premium bubble tea outlet that open in Brunei. I managed to get one for myself before the deals ran out (applicable to the first 100 customers who has downloaded the app) and I got myself a Gong Cha redeemable voucher up to $3.50. Awesome!!!

How the Baiduri Deals looks like. You don’t have to be a Baiduri customer but you will get more privileges if you become one. Everyone can download this app to enjoy the benefits

Gong Cha became the first one to participate in the promotion

I was queueing up for my Gong Cha fix

Once you redeem, you will get this notification on your smartphone

Simon and Rayner got their fix too

Jocelyn is also a Gong Cha fan

Redeeming the coupons is simple and easy. All customers need to do is to present their smartphones showing the e-Coupon to the cashier when making payments to avail of the discounts.

Baiduri Deals is part of the bank’s digital marketing strategy in having better connection with the customers. “Our plan is to introduce Baiduri Deals progressively into the market so that we are able to gauge customer as well as merchant response to the concept of e-Coupons. But there are a lot more deals and e-Coupons in the pipelines,” said Mr Ti Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager for Retail Banking  and Branch Network of Baiduri Bank.

Baiduri Deals has a feature called “Benefits” where merchants who offer all-year-round discounts are conveniently listed so that Baiduri Cardholders can easily refer. These merchants can be searched alphabetically, by location or by the following categories, lifestyle, Food & Beverage, Beauty, Tech & Gadgets.

The Baiduri Deals cover all product and services under Baiduri Bank Group. It also includes several features that are aimed to keep customers informed about the latest bank promotions and news, foreign exchange rates which are updated daily as well as branch and ATM locations.

Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank says that the bank is constantly thinking up of new and innovative ways to create convenience and added value to meet the needs and demands of different customer segments.

 

After another successful tournament last year, the world’s largest amateur golf tournament with over 1.3 million golfers taking part globally since its inception is back again for another round. The fourth edition of the Audi quattro Cup Brunei will be held this year at the RBA Golf Club on the 31st of August and 1st of September.

As with the first and second tournament the organiser TCY Motors will present donations to local charities, namely Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam, JAPEM and Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group. All the golfer fees will be donated 100% to charity and TCY Motors have also increased their prizes for lucky draws for golfer.

The Audi quattro Cup Brunei has so far donated $60,000 in total to local charities and NGOs since its inaugural tournament in 2010 as part of its corporate social responsibility.

As with every tournament the winning team will represent Brunei at the World Final: this year to be held at the prestigious Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, USA. Touted as an exclusive premium golfing experience, the Audi quattro Cup World Final reflects the brand profile of being progressive, sophisticated and sporty.

The Audi quattro Cup Golf Tournament Series was established in 1991. 51 tournaments with over 6.000 participating amateur golfers were held and organized by German Audi dealers. In 1992 Germany had a total of 70 tournaments and seven European countries participated with 62 additional tournaments.

In 2012 Audi dealers from 52 different countries worldwide including Brunei organised a total of 808 tournaments and over 95,000 amateur golfers participated. Over 1.3 million golfers have participated in the Audi quattro Cup tournaments during the last 22 years.

Entry forms are now available from the Audi Kiarong and Lambak showrooms during operation hours; please call 2442333 for further details.

Brunei’s Chin Kok Kong and Chua Pheng Keong at the 2012 Audi quattro Cup World Final in South Africa

The Latiff brothers won a trip to Sardiana Italy back in 2010

The winners of Brunei’s edition will be sent to Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles, USA

 

Snap•Send•Wait for ASEAN Year Consumer Fair

Snap. Send. Wait. Win! It couldn’t be easier to stand the chance to win a prize in the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair that will take place on 21 – 25 August at the BRIDEX Hall in Jerudong.

While you browse the many great exclusive offers and enjoy the activities at the Fair, just take pictures of your surroundings. Then email however many of your photographs (in colour or monochrome) that you think can win you prizes to facebook@sunlitadvertising.com. Your photographs will then be uploaded to the Sunlit Brunei Facebook page where they will be judged by the number of likes they receive from the public. The more likes, the higher your chances of winning so tell your social media friends what you’re up to!

The prizes for the top three photographs are as follows:

1st prize: B$300.00 plus an ASEAN Year Consumer Fair souvenir
2nd prize: B$200.00 plus an ASEAN Year Consumer Fair souvenir
3rd prize: B$150.00 plus an ASEAN Year Consumer Fair souvenir

There are no age limits for this competition. The photographs must reflect the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair, be original in concept and idea, and must be previously unpublished or entered into similar competitions. Photographs can be submitted until 10.00 pm, 24th August 2013 and the winners will be called on the 25th August 2013 before 5.00pm. br />
Further details may be found in Sunlit Brunei Facebook page and Consumer fair website at www.sunlitadvertising.com/bruneiconsumerfair.br />
With 400 booths of local, ASEAN and other international exhibitors offering a wide range of products and services, alongside a diverse list of side activities, the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair will offer plenty of interesting and exciting opportunities to take some memorable photographs. So head over to BRIDEX Hall from 21 to 25 August, and snap away at the array of interesting sights there to ensure you’re in with a strong chance to win prizes.br />

 

Reebok CrossFit 673 participating in this edition of Consumer Fair

Reebok CrossFit 673 instructor Michael Mogard, recently crowned “The fittest man in Asia”, will be running a range of CrossFit activities during the forthcoming ASEAN Year Consumer Fair (21 -25 August at the BRIDEX Hall in Jerudong) for the public – beginners, experts and newbies alike.

For those who don’t already know, Reebok CrossFit 673 is a community of people unified in one goal, complete and elite fitness. Each day, they push themselves to reach a higher fitness level and have fun doing it through a programme of constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity to develop maximal body strength. These workouts can be scaled and adjusted to meet the needs of most individuals.

Mr. Mogard will be making various demonstrations of CrossFit workouts during the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair on Wednesday, August 21 at 6:00 pm and Thursday August 22nd at 6 pm. There will also be a Community workout where members of the community are welcomed to participate. The exercises will be appropriate for everyone as kids and adults are welcome to come together on Saturday, August 24that 10 am.

Please register for this event by emailing ironmikesfitness@gmail.com with “Community Workout” in the subject line. Mr. Mogard will also hold a seminar with the interesting theme “Why we get fat?” While the answer to this may seem obvious to many, in actuality, it is not as simple as old saying of “calories in versus calories out” would suggest This seminar is open to the public but must be registered for by emailing ironmikesfitness(a)gmail.com with “Why we get fat?” in the subject line.

This seminar will be held at 6pm on Saturday. There will be several competitions where participants can show off their skills and abilities. The CrossFit Total Competition will feature athletes competing to lift the most weight with 3 attempts in the shoulder press, back squat, and deadlift. The CrossFit competition take place Friday night from 7pm-9pm.

This is a great shot of Mike

He was recently crowned the fittest man in Asia for a regional crossfit competition in Korea last June. Image taken of their Facebook page.

Reebok CrossFit 673 and Sunlit Advertising joined hands to make CF a successful one

You can register for the CrossFit Total competition by emailing ironmikesfitness@gmail.com with “CrossFit Total” in the subject line. Registration fee is $10 and there will be small prizes awarded. Deadline is August 18th

The CrossFit Sprint Competition will take place on Sunday beginning at 1 pm. The competition will consist of 3 short workouts or “sprints” testing multiple domains of fitness. The workouts will be announced on their facebook page at facebook.com/reebokcrossfit673 on Sunday, August 11 th.

To register, email ironmikesfitness@gmail.com with “CrossFit Sprint” in the subject line. Throughout the entire consumer fair, people may come by our booth to try and “beat the trainer” in a short and simple workout. Michael will complete a workout and if you can score within the allotted point total you will win a free month membership to Reebok CrossFit 673. Also, other various physical challenges will be happening with small prizes awarded.

So, to find out what CrossFit training can do for you by consulting an expert in the field, and to stand the chance of winning some great prizes, head on down to the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair at BRIDEX Hall from 21 to 25 August.

Mike, one of these days, I really want to have a look at your working out area. I heard a lot of good things. Sorry, I haven’t made time to visit your place. I will definitely see you at Bridex 😀

Have you entered the Fantasy Premier League just yet? I joined this league last year and it has been fun playing with my friends in the Liga Hashtag League (private league) and it’s a fantasy league where you get to choose your best 11 EPL players with only 100 million pounds to spend. Well, technically 15 players including subs.

I think the Fantasy Premier League is the most popular fantasy league in Brunei with thousands participating in this league. So if you happen to be in other fantasy leagues, don’t be shy to join the Fantasy Premier League and I love the fact that you view other created leagues and compare your stats.

Good luck and have fun. It’s great to have the EPL back too. Great wins for Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. The only upset I felt was Arsenal who were jeered at their home ground.

My team for the first week. I’m gonna reshuffle for the next one 😀

My ranking in Brunei so far. My main target is to be in the Top 30 by end of the season 😀

It has been a while since I caught up with him and he is one very interesting guy

So why am I blogging about him? I’m pretty sure those who did their MBA classes on entrepreneurship are aware of him a few years ago. I met him during an entrepreneurship presentation where the students were given 5 weeks to prepare their presentation. What caught my intention was how the students were so full of praise with Mr. Soon Loo, who was the lecturer then for their programme and he had to fly from Singapore and back as he also has commitments in Singapore. He’s one energetic being that brings freshness and giving the sense of freedom (of the mind) whenever he meets people because that’s what I felt on my first impression.

Last week, he was nominated for “2013 JCI Top Outstanding Young Persons of The World” and that’s already an awesome feat for an Asian lecturer and also an entrepreneur to be nominated. The JCI stands for Junior Chamber International and right now, he’s in the Top 20 in the pool of selections. All he needs now is to get at least 4,000 more online votes for him to reach the final pool of Top 10 nominees.

Soon Loo has been an adjunct faculty in Singapore Management University since 2008, teaching technology innovation and entrepreneurship at the university. He has also lectured at the Nanyang Technological University and the University of Brunei. A MBA graduate of the Harvard Business School, in his early years, Soon co-founded a business in the Silicon Valley and raised US$37 million of venture capital. Soon started his first software business in Canada after studying his first degree in University of British Columbia.

Soon Loo was well loved by his students at UBD. This was back in November 2011. Click image to vote for him!!

Another picture with his former students from MBA of Entrepreneurship Programme. Click image to vote for him!!

“Being nominated for this award came as a surprise for me. This nomination is not about me, but rather, for all the people who has quietly made all the difference for the people around them. If won, I see myself as an ambassador to contribute to the world around us which is far from perfect.” said Soon Loo.

The “Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World” (TOYP) started originally in the USA in 1938. Since 1983, it has been modelled into its current form by JCI as a prestigious yearly international award.

This year, a preliminary judging panel reviewed nearly 150 nominations and selected the top 20 finalists to compete in the final round of judging. Out of the 20, the top 10 outstanding youths will be honoured in Rio De Janerio, Brazil at the JCI World Congress held on 4-9 November 2013.

For the first time, the TOYP awards now include popularity votes as part of its judging criteria. Soon Loo is competing against some of the most outstanding young talents around the world. If you are interested to support Soon for his belief in making a difference for people, please vote for Soon Loo at: www.liveyourmark.com/soonloo and I just voted for him 😀 Good luck buddy!!

 

Click image to see more of Netcom Computer House from their Facebook Page

 

 

New and bigger things at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

Click image to enter website

 

 

Black Angus Ribeye is back!! For Two!! Only at Deals Restaurant, Raddison Brunei. Click image to enter facebook page.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB)

Click image to enter website

 

Two (2) students from the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) left for Singapore to undergo the five-month internship program at Mediacorp in Singapore. These students are the recipients of the first AITI’s INSPIRE program, which is an internship program that offers the opportunities for students to apply and enhance their knowledge and skills through meaningful work experience and interaction with professional people in a real-life working environment.

   The two (2) students are Nur Liyana Amalina Binti Suhaili and Najihah Kamilah Binti Haji Md Rosellan. They are currently undertaking degree course majoring in Professional Media and Communication at UBD. The students are expected to be involved in various projects in production and TV programming areas throughout their internship program.

  Present to bid them farewell yesterday at the Brunei International Airport were Hjh Rahayu Dato Paduka Hj Abd Razak, Head of Civil Division at the Attorney General’s Chambers, who is also the AITI’s Member of Authority; AITI’s senior management and UBD.

Two INSPIRE students Nur Liyana Amalina Binti Suhaili and Najihah Kamilah Binti Haji Md Rosellan with Hjh Rahayu Dato Paduka Hj Abd Razak, Head of Civil Division at the Attorney General’s Chambers and AITI’s Member of Authority

Group photo before the departure

Prayers for the students before they departed for Singapore

The students were awarded the Internship INSPIRE Program on 16 July 2013 in an event that saw the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AITI and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), and between AITI and Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB).  Both of them will be joining the four (4) ITB students who have started their internship program on 22 July 2013.

  The INSPIRE Program is also supported by the Department of Economic, Planning and Development (JPKE) and funded under the 10th National Development Plan for Human Capacity Development Program.

  AITI hopes that upon completion of the program, the INSPIRE Award recipients will gain technical and professional level of experience that will equip them with not only core technical skills but also real-life skills in related working areas so they can serve the industry better in the near future.

 

I came across a new shoe outlet a few nights ago when I was dining at Sawaddee House at Gadong. I was like.. “Dr. Kong brand? I have never come across this…” and a few days later, I received a call that they wanted me to do a coverage for their opening this Sunday. So yeah, you guys are more than welcome to drop this Sunday because Dr. Kong outlet will have great gimmicks for you to enjoy as a customer.

So let me share you some interesting stuff about Dr. Kong? These shoes actually are designed to make use walk comfortably and they also help to improve the conditions of our feet. This is very common especially for those who walks a lot or even a great idea for those who shops a lot :p The shoes from Dr. Kong are not only comfortable but it will also improve your healthy walking experience. Sometimes we take for granted about shoes and thinking that different brands will give us different level of comfort. This particular brand takes a more meaningful approach by doing more research in improving our feet and heel condition before it’s too late.

Well, for me, I will still stick to my favourite brand of footwear but I do experience so discomfort if do long walks or long distance jogging. This is because of the shape of my feet and I’m not flat footed. Hence there are gaps within the sole area of my shoes or sneakers. So maybe I might get their insole product as long as it can fit in my shoes, then that’s all it takes and my walking experience will be better and comfortable in a long run.

The insole cushion that might just do the trick

The foot accessories from Dr. Kong

IDr. Kong outlet in Brunei also offers free “Check & Fit” professional foot screening. I’m quite impressed with this machine as it is able to see the status on your feet and diagnose what type of feet you might have to accommodate the type of shoes from Dr. Kong. I haven’t got mine check just yet but hopefully soon 😀

This is the “Check & Fit” screening that will diagnose what kind of feet you have and what’s suitable to wear

The staff will assist you to make sure your feet are calibrated

Then it will compute its finding and give you an outcome for the type of shoes Dr. Kong will recommend to wear

The different types of feet we have

If you ask me, it’s very ideal for parents to bring their young children to Dr. Kong. Why? Because it’s better to start off when they are still growing especially when they are starting to walk as this will determine how they will walk as a teenager/adult. Furthermore, should the walking habit of the children be different than normal, the recovery period in shifting their walking habits is better as compared to adults. You can read more of the article here for children. I believe this is a much better investment for kids.

There are lot to choose from for kids shoes

They also have sandals for kids

There is much I wanna share about Dr. Kong shoes but I shall leave that for next time. They have quite a range especially for kids. They also have men and women shoes/sneakers to choose from. Apart from that, they sell foot accessories as well as school bags (which are good for the spines).

These bags are user friendly for children’s back

Some of the accessories from Dr. Kong

Funny that I can learn so much about our feet and our walking habits in just a matter of minutes during my short visit to the outlet last night. We do take our shoes and our walking habit for granted. So it’s good that Amy, the owner of the Brunei outlet, has brought in a popular brand from Hong Kong and Dr. Kong also has earned a lot of patents for their design and concept. Your walking experience will never be the same again. Just a word of warning though as we adults won’t have a good recovery rate in terms of changing our walking habits. Kids below 18 and below can still benefit a lot from wearing Dr. Kong’s shoes. For the adult shoes, they will definitely give us more comfort and relax feeling.

So do come to their grand opening this Sunday 18th August from 10:30am and if I’m not mistaken, you can also get a $10 voucher courtesy of Dr. Kong (Brunei) outlet. The store will also have some gimmick for the public during that day. It’s located just next to Dim Sum Restaurant and same row with Thiam Hock and Sawaddee House.

Public will be able to sign up on Sunday’s opening and get a gift voucher worth $10 each while stock lasts

Some sneakers and they are unisex

Quite a few range to choose from

Ladies shoes to choose from

 

Epson promotion at Concepts Computer

 

I am a big zombie fan and this will be interesting since Consumer Fair is just around the corner and they will be introducing the first Zombie infested gimmick in a form of a haunted house as part of the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair which will be held from 21st to 25th August next week. Yeah, it’s next week already (how time flies so fast, aye?)

So all you need to do is buy a ticket (not sure how much is the price) and bring your guts (not literally) when it matters the most as you go through the zombie zone. So what can you expect there? visitors will go through various interestingly-named zones such as the coffins chamber, zombies chamber, and torture chamber. Take in all the frightening eerie sights and sounds at each section but be alert at all times when you discovering new things :p

The Rise of the Living Dead Bloody Journey

Perhaps they save the best for last on the last segment of the Zombie infested maze. I won’t share the spoilers as the press release kinda have :p but let it be a surprise and get the taste of it when you go through the door of courage (and fear) and experience it all.

The other best part of the maze is that you will be rewarded with a minion or a monster. Well, that’s what the press release stated. So good luck, chaps!!! Oh, the name of the haunted house experience is called The Rise of the Living Dead Bloody Journey. I hope to see an appearance of Anabelle inside the maze.. Ok, I’m giving away too many ideas for Sunlit *lol*

This project looks interesting. Last year, Hj Khairul Azhar Hj Rosli of Cinematicpro won first place in AITI Next Innovation and Multimedia Award for Sustainable ICT Industry (ANIMASI) Pro-Digital Animation Challenge last year and earlier this year, he bettered himself by earning a grant worth of BND 66,000 from AITI to develop a 3D animation trailer for “Sam the Inventorbot”.

His current project is supported by AITI and Brunei Economic Development Board with the help of iCentre. You can read his recent interview with Al-Haadi from The Brunei Times and you can follow updates on Sam the Inventorbot on Facebook page. Well done, bro, and I wish you the best in your project.

Coming soon – Sam the Inventorbot

Last year Hj Khairul won for the ANIMASI competition organised by AITI

Earlier this year, he won a grant from AITI for his project

 

Helen Ireland from the UK recently won a $10,000 package from the Discover Brunei App Travel competition. She came with her husband, Christopher Ireland, who used to worked in Brunei back in the late 90s for CfBT. However, during their 3 year stay in Brunei, they hardly had the opportunity to go to places of interest in Brunei especially in Temburong. For Helen, she loved the rainforest in Temburong while Christopher was amazed by the Canopy Walk at Temburong during their one night stay at Ulu-Ulu Resort sponsored by Sunshine Borneo.

The couple stumbled across the Discover Brunei App while surfing and downloaded the app and joined the competition. Helen’s entry won first place while Chris came second. They chose to travel last week to Brunei to celebrate their anniversary in Brunei *awwwww..* and they even made it to the palace to greet their Majesties during the first open house. So all in all, it was a worthwhile package for the couple.

The competition was organised by MeSixty who developed the Discover Brunei app. The competition was sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines, Brunei Tourism Board, Sunshine Borneo and Radisson Hotel. You can download the Discover Brunei app on your iPad.

Christopher and Helen Ireland with representatives from MeSixty, Royal Brunei Airlines, Brunei Tourism Board and Radisson Hotel

Helen and Chris had a surprised cake from the organisers to commemorate their anniversary

 

Formerly known as Laqvin Boutique, the owner has renamed it to Laqvin Enterprise and the location is still the same on the first floor of The Mall, next to iBest. They sell luxury bags (can pre-order online too), polaroid cameras, ZKIN products for cameras, HATer snapback and OATW hats to name a few.

I’m gonna just highlight some of the pictures from Laqvin Enterprise. You may have heard of ZKIN and they are actually premium camera bags from Hong Kong and Laqvin Enterprise is the sole agent for it. Responses have been favourable and they will be bringing in more in the future. The instax polaroid camera has been a major hit because of its affordability with the goodies and plus the one year warranty for the users which is a great deal. They only have less than 20 units left so better hurry for only $160 (camera, 3 boxes of film, camera pouch and a pocket album).

They also bring in original HATer snapback and OATW hats which are targeting the youths. So check out some of the stocks available at their store.

You can drop by Laqvin Enterprise store located on 1st Floor, The Mall (same row as EGM, Hotpoint Restaurant). The store also do 0% installment from respective banks. The store is open daily 10:30am to 9:30pm

The Laqvin Enterprise unit at The Mall

The Instax camera I was talking about selling for BND 160 with 3 films, 1 pouch, 1 pocket album with 1 year warranty

About 20 units more left to be sold

The films and cameras you can choose from

So what colour are you?

Vintage cameras are not only for display but for selling too

ZKIN bags

Quite a few choices for ZKIN bags

HATer

Cool caps now available at Laqvin Enterprise

 

Announcement from MOF, taken from their Facebook Page

Click image to see more of Netcom Computer House from their Facebook Page

 

New and bigger things at ICON Design Store. Click to enter

 

Grand Raya Package at Peugoet and promotion ends 15th September. Click image to enter website.

 

Click image to enter website

 

Black Angus Ribeye is back!! For Two!! Only at Deals Restaurant, Raddison Brunei. Click image to enter facebook page.

 

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB)

Click image to enter website

 

Gold and the original design KFC jar

In conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, KFC Brunei is launching a celebration bucket version of the Seafood Symphony which consists of chicken, Shrimp Stars, and Chilli Snow Crab sauce, served with KFC’s signature sides. A limited edition KFC proprietary porcelain cookie jar will be up for grabs together with this purchase.

The KFC Seafood Symphony celebration Bucket comes in two combos; Family Combo A which is served with 9pcs chicken and 5pcs Shrimp Star at B$42.50 and Family Combo B which comes with 15pcs chicken and 10pcs Shrimp Star for only B$59.00. Both combo meals come with the limited edition KFC Cookie Jar. Customers can also get the Individual Combo at only B$11.10 for the Porcelain Jar which also comes with 2pcs of chicken, one coleslaw, one whipped potato and one bun. The jar is also available for purchase at only B$5, while stocks last.

 The Seafood Symphony Celebration Bucket is now available at all outlets in Brunei. Visit your nearest branch today to get a cookie jar of your very own!

The cookie jar comes in two colours : KFC’s signature colours of red and white and the very festive gold colour which reflects the celebratory season. The management and staff of KFC Brunei wish all their Muslim friends and customers a Selamat Hari Raya Aidifitri.

 

Excited for the Royal Brunei Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

So here’s a post about some facts on the Boeing Dreamliner. I’ve spoken previously of the collaboration of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) collaboration with Boeing Company and also RB’s rebranding programme where the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be the highlight of the rebranding programme. Boeing expected a market size of up to 3,300 units in over 20 years (2011 to 2030). The cruise speed is at Mach 0.85 similar to the 777 and 747. The Dreamliner is made of 50% composite and 20% aluminium as compared to the 777’s 12% composite and 50% aluminium.

Below are some the facts that I’m impressed with the Dreamliner and I’ve also seen bits and pieces on what to expect inside the Dreamliner. Well, it’s sort of a mock up interior of the 787.

• Full market coverage from 100-500 seats. It’s most likely RB will be taking the 787-8 which will have 220-240 seats which is economically viable for RB’s long term plans.
• Environmentally progressive. It reduces CO2 emissions because of the fuel efficiency improvement and even building the planes have reduced the usage of hazardous chemicals and overall wastage.
• Quieter. In a sense that there’s less noise pollution as this is very common in other Boeing models and yes, we do get accustomed to the noise but imagine that being reduced by a significant amount which will make your flying experience a better one. It was also mentioned that takeoffs and landings will be quieter too. This is another measure of environmental performance.
• Long-range, fast and reliable. This due to the fact of the new composites used on the planes and plus Brunei capacity load of 200ish passenger loads makes the journey slightly faster and smoother. Did you know they are 7% better in aerodynamics than today’s airplanes?
• Smoother flight experience. This is because of the improvement of the wings and with a more advanced sensor, 787s are able to counter the air level of fluctuations which cause the bumpy rides. This will mean less chances of turbulence which I don’t favour as much.
• Low operating cost because of the cost effective maintenance as well as lower fuel consumption by 20% than other airplanes. This can prove vital for RB’s economic growth as a national carrier. New engines, an expanded use of lightweight composite materials, more efficient systems applications and modern aerodynamics each contribute to the 787’s overall performance.
• Better passenger experience. This is one thing that I would like to highlight more as I learnt during the presentation by Casey’s on the 787s and their strengths. Perhaps one of the awesome feature is the electronic dimmable windows which I will explain further. There’s also more humidity inside the plane and of course, more leg room for the comfort of the economy passengers. I shall do a full depth review of the experience once the RB’s Dreamliner is making its way to Brunei in late September tentatively.
• Humidity and air purification. Don’t you always feel dry inside whenever you travel? And there are chances that you will experience throat & eye irritation during flights, right? Now the Dreamliner has a better humidity environment and my friend from Seattle, Wilson, said that even with his contact lens, his eyes didn’t feel dry. As you can see the enhancements in the cabin altitude, humidity and air quality offers the optimal solution for passenger well-being.
• “Dimmable” windows. Now they offer better viewing for passengers, even the one sitting in the middle aisle. The research team have done a tremendous job in evaluating the needs and wants and even behaviour of passengers relating to the windows. They are larger and repositioned slightly higher than usual. The best part is that it’s electronically operated. No more manual, sliding up and down the window blind. You can also control the tint level of the window. Amazing!!

Now that’s enough blabbering for me on the Boeing 787 and time for the pictures!!! This will be my final post for the Boeing 787 until my actual experience on the Dreamliner insyaAllah by end of September. I shall keep you guys posted!! You can also refer to my older posts on the trip to Seattle for the Dreamliner experience here. Enjoy!!

These are the actual seats that RB requested for RB’s 787 plane. The seating arrangement at the economy will be 3-3-3 and there will be more leg room area too

How the arm rest looks like at the economy seats of the 787

I forgot to ask if they have USB port but it’s nice to see the all the seats will be equipped with a power socket. Save the trouble of using our juice pack too. This is a plus for me!!

My buddies trying out the mock up seats (economy). Btw, all of these shots were taken at the Dreamliner Gallery where Boeing’s clients get to choose what specs they want for their Dreamliner

There is even a demo for the “dimmable” windows of the Dreamliner

One of the most important essence during the flight is the lighting and we always take for granted of the lights. They actually play an important role in suiting and acclimating to our moods during flights. Boeing have done tremendous research just based on the different types of lights being projected inside the plane.

This how the economy class will look like inside the 787. This won’t be the actual type of seats that RB will be using. It will be the grey seats that I posted earlier. And the seating allocation will be 3-3-3 and not 3-2-3 as show in this image.

Ahhh it’s feel that I’m on a private jet, being the only passenger. Btw, this is the business class seating of the 787 but this won’t be the actual seats used on RB’s 787. This is just a mock interior of the 787 at the Dreamliner gallery.

Haadi trying out the other business class seat

Ok, this is the actual business seat that RB ordered for the 787

I had a 15 second taste of the business class seat

The Dreamliner uses a new system for their brake and it has an electric system

There is a mock up pilot deck that we can fiddle around for photo opportunity

Ok, this one is the actual RB pilot deck taken at the Boeing Everett factory and yes, we were not allowed to touch anything

Sim trying out the simulator and it feels like flying a real plane. Danial Norjidi had the best landing among the lot.

This is how the simulator screen looks like

Haadi didn’t fare well but managed to land the plane *lol*

It was nice to see the Brunei flag when Boeing hosted the Brunei delegate at their premises

Maru’s favourite plane? No, this is not a Dreamliner :p

I traveled with them guys and it was a pleasure indeed. Kinda miss this trip!!

Our closing dinner with the guys from Boeing. Thank you so much, Boeing and RB for hosting the media. We all are very excited for RB.

 

As I mentioned before, you can send me images and captions on your Hari Raya experience and I will post them up to share with my readers. So just email ranodidas(a)gmail.com and don’t forget to put a line or two of the whereabouts and some captions will help too 😀 Selamat Hari Raya and drive safe!!

The pictures below are contributed by Malla Suhailee and taken at Kpg Keriam, Tutong. Thank you so much for your contribution.

Ezzan Elmi, in his baju melayu gear, passionately enjoying his walk while beraya-ing

Aleeysa Elmi looking stunning in red

Family and cousins of Malla at Kg Keriam

I love the fact that Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) are bringing in Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Brunei Darussalam and being a jet setter myself, I can’t wait to be a passenger on the 787s. There are only less than a 100 Dreamliner flying worldwide right now but with orders of 930 worldwide. This means the respective airlines are queueing up for their deliveries within the next few years. The first airline to officially fly the Dreamliner is All Nippon Airways (Japan). However, the biggest customer so far for Boeing is the International Lease Finance Corporation with a high order of 74 Boeing 787s followed by All Nippon Airways with 66 orders. I’m proud to say that RB has ordered five Boeing 787s from Boeing Company and did you know that RB will be the first airlines in South East Asia to own a Dreamliner? Amazing!!!

You may have read my previous posts on the Dreamliner a few weeks ago during my three night stay at Seattle, Washington. For me, it was an educational trip as I learnt so much about the Boeing company and the team behind it as well as the operation side of it. You may have read about all the issues with regards to the batteries (lithium ion ones) but in actual, there are also other problems suffered by different types of airplanes. But just because Dreamliner is a new brand and with many positive vibes prior to the incident, it’s an easy target for the media to address the issue and create headlines. For now, the batteries have been modified with three additional overlapping protection methods.

What made me more confident about the Dreamliner is the Boeing Operations Center which monitors every Dreamliner at any given time and place and even on air. The Boeing Commercial Airplanes Center’s role are very crucial to their airline customers and RB is one of their clients too. Their role is not as easy as it seems – to monitor the technicality of the Boeings if the planes need urgent attention or if they have engineering issues and these guys work around the clock 24/7. They can monitor things such as the cabin pressure, the electrical brakes, fuel system and many more and they will alert the airlines before any of the components reach critical level which is a good precautionary measure.

According to RB’s statement, “We remain confident that Boeing’s internal analysis and monitoring process will identify and resolve such issues prior to our first expected B787 Dreamliner delivery. RB would like to reassure all our passengers that the safety of our operations is and will remain at all times the main focus of our attention.”

RB’s Boeing 787 being assembled at the Everett Factory of Boeing in Washington, USA.

I can’t wait to be in this plane one day

The interior feel of the plane. It will be a 220-240 seater plane if I’m not mistaken with a 3-3-3 seating format for the economy class with a better leg room space

This is where the 777s are being assembled. The production capacity (if I’m not mistaken) is at a rate of 10 (777) planes per month

Anyway, before I carry on further with my post on the Dreamliner, I will touch on RB’s strategic planning with the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner in line with RB’s rebranding program which has kickstarted October last year. I still remember the when Royal Brunei Airlines rebranding launch at the Hangar 1, Brunei International Airport and they introduced a new logo RB and that was the beginning of a new era for RB. And it’s no surprise that with the changes that they are going through in terms of rebranding, RB has taken a step further in ordering five Boeing 787 Dreamliners. 

Azhani Abu Daniel, RB Head of Corporate Communications, held a presentation on RB’s rebranding programme, at the Boeing office, Seattle. She said that the arrival of 787 in late September (if no delays) will be the highlight of the RB’s rebranding programme. The other good news is that 787 will fly regionally meaning that passengers can enjoy the services of the 787 heading to the likes of Singapore or KL or Hong Kong. The long haul flights with the Dreamliners will be available in the next few months and hopefully all the 787s will be in the country.

Azhani also said that RB will repositioned itself as a “boutique” airline and it aims to put Brunei back on the map. She said that the airline will focus more on the values that the passengers can relate to RB that represents Brunei. These are definitely exciting things to look forward to for RB.

Currently RB operates B777, A320 and A319 and some of the leased planes will be returned by phases when the new 787s arrive in Brunei Darussalam. Congratulations RB on your rebranding programme and thank you, Azhani and Muaz Al Rashid for hosting us from Brunei to Seattle for the Boeing trip 😀 You guys have tremendously put a lot of work into this trip and it was also great to meet up with the people from Boeing Company. The management of Boeing Company were high praises for RB saying that Royal Brunei is a visionary airline (company) as they are the first to operate the 787-8 in Southeast Asia.

Azhani Abu Daniel, RB Head of Corporate Communications, during her presentation on RB’s rebranding program at the Boeing Customer Experience Centre, Washington.

Daniel Schull, Sales Director, Southeast Asia Sales, Commercial Planes, Boeing Company, hosted us during the briefing 

Marul showing Daniel how popular Boeing is on social media. Daniel admitted that Boeing hasn’t taken social media very seriously but he hinted that he might look in this matter.

We had a quick tour at the Boeing Operations Center last week

Now the trip to the Boeing Operation Center. I have to say this is like the “play room” for the Boeing that are in operation around the world. The Boeing Commercial Airplanes Center’s role are very crucial to their airline customers and Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) are one of their clients too. Their role is not as easy as it seems – to monitor the technicality of the Boeings if the planes need urgent attention or if they have engineering issues and these guys work around the clock 24/7 with great customer support of a current fleet of some 12,000 Boeing… Amazing!!!

So paid a visit to one of the operation center that handles the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and we were briefed on how each of the departments have their specific role on the different aspect of the 787. For instance, they can monitor the quality level of the component and they will inform the client even way before it hits critical level so their clients will be aware of what needs attention. Boeing 787 has been using new braking system and it’s electric compared to the previous types of brakes. Hence, the operation center will be able to detect should some of the components of the brake if it needs to be attended to or replaced.

I guess that’s the awesome part about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Not only that Royal Brunei are getting the Dreamliners but they will be enjoying the perks of the after-sale service such as the around-the-clock customer service on the conditions and also maintenance for the Dreamliners. That service alone is a clear winner and it’s no surprise that there are many orders for the Boeing 787 from different countries.

It was definitely a privilege to actually witness behind-the-scene of the Boeing Operation Center for the Dreamliner. Thank you, Boeing, for the insightful tour.

The director who oversees the operation of the Boeing 787 

The 787s that in operation at that time of the moment

They can even check the crew oxygen pressure from the control room. Amazing!

Even WWE superstars congratulated them on their milestone last year

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

One of the highlights of my Seattle trip is the Everett Tour. This is the assembly point for the Boeing planes that we see flying around the world. I love it!!! I’m just in awe and I don’t know how to describe the feeling at all. I shared my thoughts with the Boeing management on how amazed I was with the Boeing’s Everett Factory where is the home to the 747, 767, 777 and of course the 787 Dreamliner production lines.

Did you know that the Everett Factory is the biggest plane factory in the world? We were fortunate that we were able to take photos and videos at the Boeing factory so that was definitely an awesome experience. It was quite a long tour because the factory was just massive and you will be awe on how the production lines work there.

We managed to see two Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) planes in the midst of production at the Everett Factory and they are half way from completion and they should be ready by mid-August or early September in time for the delivery of RB’s first Boeing 787 to Brunei by end of September or early October 2013.

Did you know that Brunei Darussalam will be the first country in South East Asia to fly the Boeing 787? That’s a significant milestone for a small country but this really shows what Royal Brunei represents and the delivery of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is also in line with their rebranding strategy. RB is really taking their vision and rebranding seriously and they are slowly paying dividends and gaining back the confidence from the public.

Anyway, my next post will be the press conference and the presentation by Azhani Abu Daniel, RB’s Head of Corporate Communications and you will know more in depth on RB’s direction and their take on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. The proudest moment for me then was stepping on the first RB’s 787 while it was still in production.

Thank you Boeing and RB for giving us the opportunity to explore the Everett Factory as well as viewing RB’s 787 Dreamliner. Soon, it won’t be a dream as you will be able to experience as a passenger on the 787 😀

Our Boeing passes prior to entering the factory

The Everett factory is humungous to say the least. It’s the biggest plane factory in the world.

The working office environment at Everett factory

Dress in white

The top angle view of RB’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

It’s amazing how they can build airplanes in just a short span of time

There’s still no exact news on when the Dreamliner will make its way to Brunei in Sept/Oct 2013

The internal components of the wings. This sight made me more appreciative of the wings of any airplane

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The media in the ASEAN handshake after the sneaks of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The interior of RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The internal parts of the turbine

The deck station of the Boeing 787

Proudly present to you RB’s 787 Dreamliner

The other side of the factory which produces tons of the Boeing 777

From my posts on RA and Instagram, you are probably aware that I’m in Seattle, Washington, right now and the purpose of my trip was to experience the operations, the marketing and behind the scenes of the Boeing company that makes, well…. Boeing planes and in this case, I will be focusing on Boeing’s latest product which is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Of course, we also have the privilege to sneak preview Royal Brunei Airline’s Dreamliner at the Everett Factory. All of this experience won’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Royal Brunei who brought along with them the print media as well as the bloggers from Brunei Darussalam.

Also during the trip, RB will be having their own press conference for the media to gather more information on how the Dreamliner ties in with their re-branding strategy and what impact it will have on the RB’s vision and also their customer. I shall touch on that on the next post. But for now, let me focus on the 1st Day itinerary of our RB trip which is located at the Dreamliner Gallery.

We were introduced to Casey Goelzer, Regional Director of Product Marketing, Boeing Commercial Planes, who spent 10-15 minutes on the presentation of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. I actually read some of the features and technology of the 787 online but the explanation by Casey gave me more cool insights about the 787s and I was already amazed by 787 planes.

Ok, since the information I have learnt is overloaded, I will quickly brief what is so freaking amazing about the Boeing 787s. Even listening and engaging on Casey’s presentation, it just made me become more eager to experience the 787 which is just 6-8 weeks away from being delivered to Brunei Darussalam. So here it just a quick recap and I will point out one or two points that is the drawing factor for me as a consumer.

• Full market coverage from 100-500 seats. It’s most likely RB will be taking 220-240 seats which is economically viable for RB’s long term plans.
• Environmentally progressive. It reduces CO2 emissions because of the fuel efficiency improvement and even building the planes have reduced the usage of hazardous chemicals and overall wastage.
• Quieter. In a sense that there’s less noise pollution as this is very common in other Boeing models and yes, we do get accustomed to the noise but imagine that being reduced by a significant amount which will make your flying experience a better one.
• Long-range, fast and reliable. This due to the fact of the new composites used on the planes and plus Brunei capacity load of 200ish passenger loads makes the journey slightly faster and smoother. Did you know they are 7% better in aerodynamics than today’s airplanes?
• Smoother flight experience. This is because of the improvement of the wings and with a more advanced sensor, 787s are able to counter the air level of fluctuations which cause the bumpy rides.
• Low operating cost because of the cost effective maintenance as well as lower fuel consumption by 20% than other airplanes. This can prove vital for RB’s economic growth as a national carrier.
• Better passenger experience. This is one thing that I would like to highlight more as I learnt during the presentation by Casey’s on the 787s and their strengths. Perhaps one of the awesome feature is the electronic dimmable windows which I will explain further. There’s also more humidity inside the plane and of course, more leg room for the comfort of the economy passengers. I shall do a full depth review of the experience once the RB’s Dreamliner is making its way to Brunei in late September tentatively.

Casey was more than happy that Royal Brunei haven taken that extra edge and chose to invest in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which have been creating many positive waves in Brunei and hopefully outside Brunei Darussalam too.

“My First Day on the Job” experience at the Dreamliner Gallery in Seattle

Casey Goezler, Regional Director, Product Marketing of Boeing, gave us a comprehensive view of 787 Dreamliner features and how Royal Brunei is heading on the right track

The presentation of RB’s 787-8 Overview

The improvements of the 787 Dreamliner

Royal Brunei’s 787 Dreamliner model standing out from the pack

Next up was Mark Larson, Technical Manager of Boeing Company and he is stationed at Boeing’s Dreamliner Gallery. This is where he deals with Boeing’s clients in terms of choosing specifications for Boeing planes such as the galley, the lavatories, the passengers seats, fabrics and many more. He toured us to different parts of the Boeing Dreamliner Gallery and I was simply amazed how thorough the process was that every component has its own dedicated showroom. He is a private pilot too which gives him an advantage on what’s best for their clients (airlines).

So basically the 787 Dreamliner Gallery streamlines and centralizes the 787 configuration experience. If you want to design your 787 or configure it to your specifications, this is the place. It’s like a one-stop centre as you will be able to experience the quality of the different types of components they have. It is so detailed that you as a client will be able to see a mocked up scenario on how the interior of the plane feels or looks like on different modes of lighting settings.

Even the discussion rooms are quite inviting and comforting. Boeing are serious about giving their clients the best service so even though it’s a private environment for meetings, it still can be done in a more composed, relaxed surrounding.

Thank you Casey and Mark for the briefing of the 787 Dreamliner and the tour of the Dreamliner Gallery respectively. A big thanks to Wilson Chow, Communications and Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, for handling the logistics of the Brunei delegate. You have taken good care of us since Day 1 and I really appreciate your help on that. My next post will be focusing more on the Everett Factory where the Boeings are being assembled (another mind blowing experience).

Wilson introducing Mark Larson to the Brunei delegates 

The new windows of the Dreamliner was so awesome that they have a mocked up version of it at the Dreamliner Gallery. The windows are now slightly positioned at head level and it is longer than before. This is to give a better experience of the passengers sitting in the middle of the planes to have a good view outside as well.

Another impressive feature of the window is that you can control the tint level of the window from clear to fully tinted with a press of a button and you can also choose the level of tint you desire. Isn’t that awesome??

Mark showing us the different types of galleys to choose from

Did you know that lighting inside the plane does make a huge difference to customer experience? You might not be aware of it but you will be surprised on how lights do make a much better experience on any flights.

One major difference of the 787 Dreamliner is the size of the cabins.. There are hugeeeee and have more space than other airlines. They also have a good indicator to alert the cabin crew from a distance if the cabin is not properly close. 

This room reminds me of Fabrica back in Brunei and it’s a place where the client chooses what kind of fabric or color they want for the interior of the 787. Awesome, aye?

The choices of the interior they can choose from

So what’s your favourite color?

Samples of the lavatories and the food equipments for the planes

One of the innovative part of the 787 is the braking system which moves from hydraulics to electric. This reduces the mechanical complexity which can be easily monitored. This image is the actual brake component used in the 787s.

Haadi in “sakai” mode trying out the Busines Class seats for 787s. They have different types for the clients to configure and choose.

Marul and Azhani trying out the Business Class experience for the 787 Dreamliner and this is the one that Royal Brunei will be using for their Business Class passengers. Thumbs up!! 

We were being jobless and trying out the different types of economy seats

I also had the experience on how the cockpit deck feels like in the Dreamliner. I have new found respect for pilots now 😀

Azhani getting some taste of being a pilot

Click image to enter website

 

I love the fact that Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) are bringing in Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Brunei Darussalam and being a jet setter myself, I can’t wait to be a passenger on the 787s. There are only less than a 100 Dreamliner flying worldwide right now but with orders of 930 worldwide. This means the respective airlines are queueing up for their deliveries within the next few years. The first airline to officially fly the Dreamliner is All Nippon Airways (Japan). However, the biggest customer so far for Boeing is the International Lease Finance Corporation with a high order of 74 Boeing 787s followed by All Nippon Airways with 66 orders. I’m proud to say that RB has ordered five Boeing 787s from Boeing Company and did you know that RB will be the first airlines in South East Asia to own a Dreamliner? Amazing!!!

You may have read my previous posts on the Dreamliner a few weeks ago during my three night stay at Seattle, Washington. For me, it was an educational trip as I learnt so much about the Boeing company and the team behind it as well as the operation side of it. You may have read about all the issues with regards to the batteries (lithium ion ones) but in actual, there are also other problems suffered by different types of airplanes. But just because Dreamliner is a new brand and with many positive vibes prior to the incident, it’s an easy target for the media to address the issue and create headlines. For now, the batteries have been modified with three additional overlapping protection methods.

What made me more confident about the Dreamliner is the Boeing Operations Center which monitors every Dreamliner at any given time and place and even on air. The Boeing Commercial Airplanes Center’s role are very crucial to their airline customers and RB is one of their clients too. Their role is not as easy as it seems – to monitor the technicality of the Boeings if the planes need urgent attention or if they have engineering issues and these guys work around the clock 24/7. They can monitor things such as the cabin pressure, the electrical brakes, fuel system and many more and they will alert the airlines before any of the components reach critical level which is a good precautionary measure.

According to RB’s statement, “We remain confident that Boeing’s internal analysis and monitoring process will identify and resolve such issues prior to our first expected B787 Dreamliner delivery. RB would like to reassure all our passengers that the safety of our operations is and will remain at all times the main focus of our attention.”

RB’s Boeing 787 being assembled at the Everett Factory of Boeing in Washington, USA.

I can’t wait to be in this plane one day

The interior feel of the plane. It will be a 220-240 seater plane if I’m not mistaken with a 3-3-3 seating format for the economy class with a better leg room space

This is where the 777s are being assembled. The production capacity (if I’m not mistaken) is at a rate of 10 (777) planes per month

Anyway, before I carry on further with my post on the Dreamliner, I will touch on RB’s strategic planning with the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner in line with RB’s rebranding program which has kickstarted October last year. I still remember the when Royal Brunei Airlines rebranding launch at the Hangar 1, Brunei International Airport and they introduced a new logo RB and that was the beginning of a new era for RB. And it’s no surprise that with the changes that they are going through in terms of rebranding, RB has taken a step further in ordering five Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Azhani Abu Daniel, RB Head of Corporate Communications, held a presentation on RB’s rebranding programme, at the Boeing office, Seattle. She said that the arrival of 787 in late September (if no delays) will be the highlight of the RB’s rebranding programme. The other good news is that 787 will fly regionally meaning that passengers can enjoy the services of the 787 heading to the likes of Singapore or KL or Hong Kong. The long haul flights with the Dreamliners will be available in the next few months and hopefully all the 787s will be in the country.

Azhani also said that RB will repositioned itself as a “boutique” airline and it aims to put Brunei back on the map. She said that the airline will focus more on the values that the passengers can relate to RB that represents Brunei. These are definitely exciting things to look forward to for RB.

Currently RB operates B777, A320 and A319 and some of the leased planes will be returned by phases when the new 787s arrive in Brunei Darussalam. Congratulations RB on your rebranding programme and thank you, Azhani and Muaz Al Rashid for hosting us from Brunei to Seattle for the Boeing trip 😀 You guys have tremendously put a lot of work into this trip and it was also great to meet up with the people from Boeing Company. The management of Boeing Company were high praises for RB saying that Royal Brunei is a visionary airline (company) as they are the first to operate the 787-8 in Southeast Asia.

Azhani Abu Daniel, RB Head of Corporate Communications, during her presentation on RB’s rebranding program at the Boeing Customer Experience Centre, Washington.

Daniel Schull, Sales Director, Southeast Asia Sales, Commercial Planes, Boeing Company, hosted us during the briefing

Marul showing Daniel how popular Boeing is on social media. Daniel admitted that Boeing hasn’t taken social media very seriously but he hinted that he might look in this matter.

 

Click banner to find out more!!

This is an awesome deal happening right now from Standard Chartered Bank who had a great tie up with Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and why so? Because you can travel to a destination by buying one ticket and getting the other ticket FREEEEEE!!!!!! Awesome, right?? The new destinations will be announced every Wednesday from 31st July 2013 to 14 August 2013. So for last week, it was Kuala Lumpur, one of the most popular destinations among Bruneians. For this week, the destination is featured on their website, so go check it out!!

So how does this work? Ok, here’s the deal. You really have to be quick in buying your air ticket via www.flyroyalbrunei.com on a Wednesday as only the first 50 customers who purchased via online will be eligible for the FREE ticket of that particular destination which will be Kuala Lumpur for this week. The successful recipient of the promotion of the FREE ticket will receive an SMS after one working day and an email will be sent to you accordingly. For more, T&C click here.

The travel period for the free ticket ex-Brunei is from 13th October to 28th November 2013 and 3rd January to 23rd January and 8th February to 28th February 2014. For your info, this promotion does not apply to VISA corporate, VISA Business credit cards or e-Cash Card.

So get your Stanchart credit cards prepared for tomorrow as the booking period will be only from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday 14th August. For more info, you can click here and here for their Facebook updates 😀 I’m very certain this promotion will sky rocket like crazy. Great collaboration between Stanchart and RB.

Some of the latest clothes available at Harajuku Boutique in Gadong

You might have know of the newly revamped boutique at Harajuku Boutique located at Gadong same row with Pizza Hut and Boba Tea outlet. Business have been picking up before Hari Raya after a quiet period and now the boutique place is managed by my friend Coco Kho who is familiar with the trend of fashion. Lately Harajuku had special discounts, however, the promotion is already over.

You will be able to find fashion wear that resembles recognisable brands such as H&M, Mango, Zara and many more. You can also make orders through her Facebook page if it’s not available at the shop.

Oh yeah, they also sell scarfs which is ideal for ladies who wants to wear head scarfs and Harajuku has an assistant who is able to teach customers different ways to wear the scarf. We even did a quick demo at her shop this afternoon *lol*

Harajuku Boutique opens daily from 10am to 8pm and is located at No 10 of Abdul Razak Complex Block J in Gadong. For enquiries, please call 2424929 or 8722815.

Some of the clothes at Harajuku

I love the message on this shirt

Some of the clothes at Harajuku

They have some accessories on display

Trying out some clothes at Harajuku

Some trendy scarfs for the ladies

I asked Coco to model for the Hijab look

The shop assistant knows how to wear the scarf in different ways

Almost there, Coco :p

Doesn’t she look adorable with this fashion?

Now this is rare that I requested Michelle to pose for me with the scarf

Now this looks much better on you 😀

Blue top and khaki shorts by Adidas, Sunglasses by Rayban, Brown Scarf by Harajuku, white top and beige pants unknown :p

 

KFC and Fitness Zone gives support to The Contingent of Brunei Athletes taking part in the Asian Youth Games 2013 that will take part in Nanjing, China this year by handing out sponsored attires to them yesterday at Fitness Zone Kiulap.

“In many countries, besides having a bigger population to choose talented athletes, sport development can be a costly affair and the governments sometimes collaborate with the private sector to pursue those objectives. Here we (KFC and Fitness Zone) would like to take a small step which we know would encourage other companies to join in and support the cause in the future,” says Jonathan Bong, Senior Marketing Manager, KFC (B) Sdn Bhd.

       Beside the sponsored attires, Fitness Zone is also giving the Athletes membership passes to use their fitness facilities. “It’s a small gesture from us to wish them luck and to give them support, “says Wu Chun, Managing Director, Fitness Zone.

Five athletes will be representing Brunei, aged between 14 to 17 years of age. They include national junior golfer Mohd Qazzri Fakhri Hj Aslimon, and fencers Md Hazeeq Asmui’e Md Fadzilah, Muhd Aizuddin Yaqin Hj Yahya, Mohd Haziq Asahrin and Muhd Anaqi Danish Asahrin. Md Hazeeq Asmui’e Md Fadzilah and Muhd Aizuddin Yaqin Hj Yahya will be competing in the foil individual discipline, while Mohd Haziq Asahrin and Muhd Anaqi Danish Asahrin will be representing the country in the sabre individual discipline. The Brunei delegation will be led by Umi Kalthum Hj Abdul Karim, Head of Brunei delegation to the Asian Youth Games.

As part of KFC and Fitness Zone’s dream to one day see a Brunei team competing in the Olympics in the basketball 3 On 3 category, the two brand have been actively promoting the sport since 2012, with the next tournament taking place from 20th – 29th September this year which is now open for registration. Participants who would like to register for the KFC Fitness Zone 3 On 3 Streetball Challenge can call 8713788 or 7182907 for further details.

Handing over the sponsored attire to the Brunei contingent and received by Dayang Umi Kalthum binti Abdul Karim, Head of Brunei delegation to the Asian Youth Games. Image courtesy of James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Wu Chun of Fitness Zone and Jonathan Bong of KFC Brunei with the Brunei athletes. Image courtesy of James Kon of Borneo Bulletin.

Today’s the fourth day of Hari Raya and I feel that it has been a sombre kind of celebration all around. I ended up going to more than two houses per day as that was my initial target for Hari Raya. That didn’t go as planned. The second day I went to three houses. Yesterday I visited 6 houses. Today I am only heading to one house and I actually slept in this morning which was great. The only guilty part I had was devouring all the dishes for the past two days though I managed to skip eating at certain houses.

So how have your hair Raya been so far? If you plan to share your Hari Raya photos, you are more than welcome to email me your photos and this also goes for those studying abroad such as the UK, Australia, the States.. well everywhere 😀 So do buckle up and drive safe while on the road because RA cares.

Our Suckmed Hari Raya gathering and it was a great catch up session

We had lobster last night and it was awesome!!!!

My ritual every year to visit Fana and thanks for the Rendang and oats

Fana and Nana and let’s catch up before you fly back to Singapore, Nana 😀 (I’m Titanium)

My first visit to Saiful’s crib ever since he moved. See you guys in two weeks’ time 😀

Thanks Amal for hosting us and I love your extended area.. Magnificient!!

Thanks Mel and T for the ride and the company

The guys wearing similar colours that night

Usually his place will be the first house on my list on the 2nd day of Raya. This time I was Idham’s last guest and it finished by 1am. It was a great catch up and thanks to Sheikh Abas for entertaining me that night 😀

His place is well know for “lidah” dishes but I opted for the nasi combing

It has been a while since all my sisters were at one place at a given time. Well, a few are still missing from yesterday’s gathering.

My extended sibling family 😀

I love this father and daughter relationship. Such a great moment – Idris entertaining his daughter Tasha

Zari Idris and her daughter. We will catch up pretty soon yea? I know I have been delaying it *lol*

The final shot at the Jaafar’s

It was nice to see fans wanting a photo opportunity

Hello Aziimah.. I made it and thanks for the invite

Now both of us have something in common – we collect Blu-rays 😀 Thanks Soffian for hosting

LOL this is such a cute pose and the joke was about restrooms and doors

Yusrina (far right) hosting Raya with her friends

This was actually my first house for Hari Raya 😀