Hello peeps!!! I’m currently in Singapore and yes, I’m braving the haze here. It seems that Singapore and Malaysia are really affected and perhaps the worst affected area will be around Sumatra. I’m pretty sure it has a slight detrimental effect on the Singapore economy as people tend to stay indoors. Last week, the PSI reading was over 300 (hazardous), the government declared that all schools in Singapore to shut down for that particular day.

Brunei do get hazy every now and then but it’s not as bad as Singapore or Malaysia. I could smell the haze when I was paying a visit to Vivo City last Monday. The good thing is that the masks are in stock as compared to 2013 where the masks were high in demand but low on supply. So I suggest to Bruneians who are visiting Singapore to put on a mask if possible.

Last night’s match between DPMM FC and Home United for the Singapore Cup was also postponed due to the haze. However, the fans were not pleased as the organisers delayed the match for an hour plus before calling the game off and postponed it to tonight. It’s a tricky situation where organisers have to make a brave decision to proceed with the match or take precaution of the players’ body condition. This has not play quite well with the supporters and the fans have been vetting out their frustrations on the S•League Facebook Page too. Well, from the looks of it, the haze today doesn’t look any better and what will be the fate of the match which supposedly taking place tonight… hmmmm.. We shall wait and see.

This is my view right now while blogging this entry. What a hazy day in Singapore. Taken at the Club Lounge of Hotel Jen Orchardgateway.

My recent visit to Universal Studios for the Halloween Horror Nights 5. More on this soon.

Now why I am in Singapore is for a few reasons – 1) Do my visa for Denmark 2) get a pair of Adidas Barricade shoes for tennis 3) catching up with friends/bloggers (Tiffany, Frances, J.T) 4) catching Black Mass – verdict: 7/10 5) a special invite for the Halloween Horror Night 5 #HHN5 at Universal Studios 6) my stay experience at Hotel Jen Orchardgateway.

From the looks of it, it ain’t a bad itinerary. The only miracle I hope for now is making sure I get on my flight to Copenhagen by Monday latest. It’s gonna slightly tough but I’m glad the Singapore team (from Bang & Olufsen), the Brunei team too and the Denmark Embassy in Singapore are doing the best they can to make sure my visa gets approved as soon as possible.

Apparently I found out that my passport is slightly trickier than the Brunei passport. I’m a permanent resident of Brunei Darussalam and we don’t use passports like Brunei citizens would. We have what we call Certificate of Identification of Brunei Darussalam printed on the brown colour passport look-a-like. Hence the Royal Danish Embassy in Singapore shared that my particular passport will take at least 7 working days and not 5 day or less for others. This is the fact that I’m holding a CI document (the PR passport) and it will take longer to process the visa application.

So what I learnt from this lesson (trip) is that we Brunei PR will spend more money (flying and staying in Singapore just for a 60 euro Visa) and the second most important thing is you have to apply at least 3 weeks before (to be safe) to Schengen countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway to name a few. I never expected it to be this difficult but all I have to do now is just wait from the Royal Danish Embassy to give me the green light by Friday or latest by Monday.

If you ask me personally if there’s any perks of holding a CI document/passbook, nah, there’s not much improvement as not many countries recognizes this particular travel document. Do we permanent residents deserve a travel document that’s called a Passport? Yes, we do.. I do hope the “Yang Berhormats” take notice of this issue as this motion has not been approved after countless attempts at the Legislative Council. We need the convenience and assurance especially when we travel to certain countries. For me, it’s the costs and inconvenience that I have to experience during my travel journey. Let’s bring this matter urgently in the next LegCo meeting. Some improvements are needed at least.

Oh man, I’ve been ranting here on the 19th floor of Hotel Jen with the view of the haze in front of me. Let’s hope for brighting things to come and I want to get my butt on the plane to Denmark. I’m signing off for now.. Have a wonderful week ahead..

 

Press release from Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam. Have you heard of financial scams? They are scams involving deposits, money transfers and credit card transactions. Although some financial scams are too good to be true, there are many people that still become victims.

These are the common financial scams in Brunei:

1. Get-rich-quick scheme: a plan, which offers high returns or dividends not usually available through traditional investments. The focus of such schemes would be to obtain deposits without a valid product or services which will be used to pay returns or dividends to earlier investors. The scheme may take the following forms:

  Ponzi scheme

  Pyramid scheme

  Gold investment

  Land-banking investment

  Forex trading

2. Credit card scam: Scammers calling victim’s phone pretending to be a bank officer informing that the victim’s credit card is suspected of crime. For verification purpose, the victims will be deceived into providing their credit card details.

3. Job scam: Scammers pretending to offer a job in their organisation. However, in order to secure the job offer, the victim must pay an upfront fee.

4. Lottery and competition scam: Scammers send out an SMS blast to would-be victims informing them of prizes they have won in competitions organised by some big companies and are advised to pay an entrance fee.

5. Inheritance Scams: Scammers assume the role of lawyers or representatives for a recently deceased distant relative or wealthy benefactor leaving a large inheritance usually in cash of which is to be distributed amongst them at an agreed percentage.

6. Internet love scam: (LOL, never been duped by this before) By creating fake profiles, fraudsters have managed to exploit the other users by pretending to develop an intimate and personal relationship with their victims.

The grand prize for the Open Category to top off with the BND 1,200 cash prize

AMBD believe that it is important to educate the public and raise their awareness to protect innocent people from becoming unfortunate victims. Show your support and creativity by creating a short video on financial scams awareness!

Well, there’s a good incentive for you to join!! Because the winners will win awesome prizes. For the Open Category, first place will win BND 1,200 cash prize with a GoPro Hero 4 Silver Edition, second place will win BND 900 cash prize with Sony Handycam while third place will win BND 600 with Sony HDR. There will also be student category with cash prizes for top three winners – BND 1,000, BND 750 and BND 500 respectively.

I won’t spare much details here but you can download the PDF form for eligibility and other information. Good luck and the deadline for submission is 30th October 2015.

The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) yesterday announced the introduction of new corruption laws to address abuse of power and misconduct in public office.

The new laws will allow legal action to be taken against civil servants who fail to carry out their duties to a “high ethical standard”, said the AGC in a statement issued yesterday.

Following extensive discussions between the AGC and the Anti-Corruption Bureau, several amendments have been made to the Prevention of Corruption Act.

New offences have been included in the legislation, criminalising the use of public funds for private purposes; giving undue preferential treatment; misuse of information acquired during the course of duty; and allowing private interests to come into conflict with public duties.

The legislation also states that any public officer who seeks to interfere or influence the “appointment, promotion, suspension, demotion or dismissal” of any other public official, can be prosecuted under the new laws.

Similarly, any civil servant who demonstrates “willful misconduct or neglect of duty” to a degree which amounts to abuse of public trust, is considered guilty of an offence.

The punishment for all the new corruption offences is seven years’ jail and a $30,000 fine.

The AGC added that offences can be committed without the receipt of gratification or monetary benefit.

The legal definition of “public body” has also been changed in the legislation, to include government-linked companies and statutory bodies, such as the Brunei Economic Development Board, Brunei Shell Joint Ventures, Royal Brunei airlines, among others.

The new laws came after His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, lambasted police for corrupt practices last March.

“The main purpose of the amendment is to address the concern of His Majesty… during a working visit (paid to the) Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Headquarters… in respect of corruption in the form of abuse of powers for personal interest,” said the AGC.
During the visit, His Majesty cited several cases of police corruption, including the case of a high-ranking police officer accused of accepting a luxury car from a convicted criminal in exchange for helping him cross the border illegally.

In a fiery address to police officers, the monarch accused RBPF personnel of “elements of lawlessness” such as involvement in gambling, drinking and smuggling banned goods, as well taking bribes to “look the other way”. Text courtesy of Quratul-Ain Bandial of The Brunei Times.

 

Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar with senior management of Brunei Shell Joint Venture and the 42 feted BSJV scholars

Late post: Three weeks ago, the Brunei Shell Joint Venture (BSJV) Companies officially awarded scholarships to 42 students, marking the occasion with a signing ceremony at the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club.

The guest of honour was the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, Pehin Datu Singamanteri Colonel (Rtd) Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Awang Haji Mohammad Yasmin bin Haji Umar. Also present was the Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd (BSP), Andrew Faulkner.

The 42 scholarship students will be embarking on their undergraduate courses, with disciplines ranging from engineering to science. In addition, two BSJV scholars will be continuing their studies and undertaking post graduate programmers in their respective vocations.

Some of the students will be enrolling at Institut Teknologi Brunei (ITB), while the rest will be enrolling in courses in Australia and the United Kingdom.

As a BSJV statement reads, “The students have undergone a rigorous assessment process to ensure they meet the company’s criteria and subsequently identified as best in class amongst their peers.”

The event also saw recognition given to 10 BSJV scholars who successfully completed their degree programme with First Class Honours.

In a speech yesterday, the Deputy Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd, Haji Kamaludin bin Haji Bungsu said the BSJV scholarship programme started decades ago, highlighting that the programme is an important and big investment for the company.

“By investing in youths, we hope to answer the call of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to bolster the economy and give locals the opportunity to become workers and leaders,” he said.

Good luck to all the scholars and I believe they all have started their journey as BSP scholars by now. Text courtesy of Danial Norjidi of Borneo Bulletin.

 

The Peugeot 2008 with the sales team from Peugeot Brunei and members of the press

Recently we had a sneak preview of the latest edition of Peugeot that will enter the Brunei market pretty soon. It was a concept car back in 2009 in one of the the motor show and now it has become a reality. The media was able to get a sneak peak of the Peugeot’s new urban 2008 crossover at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at Gadong.

What I love about the Peugeot 2008 is the exterior design and it has both a characteristic of a hatchback and an SUV. The interior is pretty impressive as well. I won’t spare much details as yet but you will be able to ask more information at Peugeot office at Kiarong. I believe this car will be a hit. I’m not quite sure of the price just yet as they are pretty tight lipped about it but I won’t be surprised if it will be affordable.

I will update once the Peugeot 2008 crossover will be available in Brunei market. You can follow their Facebook Page for updates too.

We caught a few videos on what the Peugeot 2008 is capable of and the Peugeot 2008 DKR won a one-two finish at the China Silk Road Rally

The beautifully crafted Peugeot 2008

The interior of the 2008

 

Recently we had the chance to taste Markus Dybwad’s cooking on Snofood products (food items that are supplied to Excapade). For your info, Markus Dybwad is a popular culinary consultant and he is Norwegian. So he prepared some great dishes for the invited guests and a big thank you to the Snofood management for the invitation. I was quite impressed with the food presented. Just to let you know that the food you dine at Excapade is mostly from Snofood.

Michael Chong, owner of Snofood (2nd from left) with his invited guests at the standing cocktail session hosted by Snofood management

Markus Dybwad from Norway show his cooking skills and tasted pretty good too

 

Vincent Pao with the invited guests this morning at the launch of the CONCEPTS group of companies and also the Brilliance Hall

Cutting ribbon ceremony

A new milestone for Concepts Computer. They have really come a long way. If Acer comes to mind, then the first word that will put out is Concepts Computer. this morning they have reach higher points after being in the Brunei market for 15 years. Now Concepts Computer not only hold the Acer brand but a few more other brands to cater to the ever growing demands from the consumers.

Now Concepts Computer holds brands such as Acer, Epson, Brother, Logitech, Steel Series and many more. Furthermore, Concepts Computer has turned into a subsidiary under the flagship of CONCEPTS group. This means that there are other subsidiaries under the CONCEPT group 1) Concepts Computer 2) Concepts Technologies 3) Concepts Sewing Technologies 4) Ontime Services Network.

If you want to talk about growth, then Mr. Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer has laid down a strong seed and this will indeed reflect the strength and value of the company over the past few years.

The launching of the Group of Companies by Mr. Pao came in timely manner and he believes that the “soul cannot think without an image” (a famous quote by Aristotle). With this merger, it will help to boost the excellent track record the company has earning and I believe they are one of the IT retailers that has 90% locally employed. The Group of Companies is a good role model for other companies in terms of utilizing the locals.

Congratulations on the launch and I wish you all the best. Image courtesy of Vincent Hong.

The man of the moment – Vincent Pao

Nasiruddin Awang Hamid the winner of the Tefal Healthy Cooking Competition last evening. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

Second place went to Raymond Yong Shun Xin. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

Cim King Kong came third in the cooking competition. Image courtesy of Chatterads Advertising.

The month-long Health Awareness Campaign at Hua Ho Manggis Mall ended yesterday with the finals of the Tefal Healthy Cooking Competition.

The campaign was a collaboration between Hua Ho Shopping Centre and the Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health.

Nasiruddin Awang Hamid emerged as the winner, taking home a Tefal voucher worth $500, while Raymond Yong Shun Xin placed second and was presented with a $300 Tefal voucher. Coming in in third place was Cim King Kong who won himself a $150 Tefal Voucher.

Not only that, the top three winners of the HPC quiz also received prizes in the form of Air Fryer, electric steamer and a juicer.

The prize presentation marked the end of campaign which began on August 26. Various activities, games and exhibitions were also carried out as part of the campaign which was organised to highlight the importance and benefit of a healthier lifestyle to members of the general public.

Hj Zakaria Hj Kamis, the head of Public Health Nutrition Unit at Health Promotion Centre, stated that the campaign has received a very positive respond from the public.

“The idea of putting together a series of fun and engaging activities is an effective way to get the health messages across, ” he said, as he expressed gratitude towards the cooperation received from various partners and stakeholders. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

During the qualifying round last Saturday

He had the best presentation among the lot but perhaps it was the portion that could have affected his scores

I like this presentation

Sometimes less is more 😀

I love his spicy salad

Some of the participants last Saturday

The final batch of participants last Saturday

A young participant trying to woo the judges

Chef Salvo was a busy man

An enthusiastic participant. I like his energy.

Behind the scene at the kitchen area of Hua Ho Manggis

 

For the first time, Tandoor.com Restaurant is extending its cuisine to Arabian and Italian. Well, they have introduced some of the dishes during the Ramadan period and now they have a more extensive menu. I have tried their Arabian dishes (lamb mandhi) and Italian (the pizzas) and they don’t disappoint at all. Even the Chicken Shawarma is good too. Ever since, the takeover by my friend from Kausar Cafe, he has revamped the management and also improved the quality of the food.

Because of the introduction of the new menu, the owner decided to do a special promotion for the patrons of Tandoor. Now if you spend more than $50 on a single receipt, you are entitled to choose one of the dishes from Tandoor. You have a choice of salad or Hawaiian pizza or half chicken tandoori or the chicken shawarma.. Awesome deal especially when you dine in for three to four pax.

This promotion is valid until mid October 2015. My personal favourite dishes are the Lamb Mandhi ($25, good for 2/3 pax) and the Seafood Marinara Pizza (simply amazing). Of course, I still love the original Indian menus but with a new addition of cuisine, Tandoor Restaurant will definitely bring more patrons to try out their new dishes.

Just refer to the menus that I posted below for your perusal. It’s not the complete menu but I shall include the rest in my next post. For bookings, you can call 245 0182 or 888 6617 or 896 2886.

My favourite pizza – Seafood Marinara “!2 pizza and my toastmasters friends couldn’t believe that it was from Tandoor Restaurant

Another personal favourite of mine – Lamb Mandhi

The chili paste mixed with the garlic sauce is the best combo – I used it for my lamb mandhi and also the pizza. My friends love it as well. A good substitute for Tabasco.

Chef Taj the man behind the new dishes (Arabian and Italian)

We had a good lunch session the other day at Tandoor Restaurant

Like I mentioned before, Tandoor is doing a special promotion for patrons where if you spend more than $50 on a single receipt, you will be entitled for any of the dishes below. My recommendation is the pizza and the chicken shawarma.. So bring your families and friends along and enjoy the delicious dishes made personally by Chef Taj.

For bookings, you can call 245 0182 or 888 6617 or 896 2886. You can also follow them on Instagram @tandoorbrunei

Today Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar Minister of Communications graced the Brunei Travel Fair. This morning was totally packed and I’m beginning to wonder if RBRC was enough to cater the hundreds that throng into the venue today. It was jam packed like a can of sardines.

Today’s the final day of the Brunei Travel Fair and let’s hope there are still special fares up for grabs. I managed to get some good fares today. So peeps. Just bring yourself to the Royal Brunei Recreational Club and make you sure that you come as early as possible.

I won’t saying much because I’ve mentioned it in my previous post. Let the pictures tell you the story.

The Minister with one of the icons from Republic of Indonesia

The Minister at Baiduri Bank booth

Want a massage?

At the Tourism Malaysia booth

Presence of BIBD

Strong crowd here at Darussalam Holdings. They will give you double points on Royal Skies during the Travel Fair

Hello Gek (of Darussalam Holdings)

Long queue at Pan Bright

Chance to win a car from Pan Bright

The Minister with Richard from Tourism Authority of Thailand

Check out the new Vento

Another colour to look at

You have heard of the Vento before and it’s from Volkswagen. Surprisingly it was the top 10 selling car in Brunei last year. Now the Vento has an upgrade – it has a combination of high performance, low fuel consumption and class-leading safety as well. The difference with the older model is that it looks slightly longer and stronger appeal definitely.

Let’s quickly go with the exterior features. It has redesigned front end with fog lamps and even the tail lamps have a 3D effect. The side mirrors now have a signal indicator. The other new feature is the Park Distance control (using censor) and it sports a 15” alloy wheels.

The interior has a revamped feel with trim materials and colours and new look of the arm rest. It is powered by a 1.6L petrol engine as well.

The Vento also has an anti-lock braking system and four airbags to protect the occupants during side-on impacts along with the three-point seat belts.

What’s not to like about the car? This is another good contender against the Japanese brand that’s also a hot seller but losing a little steam. Maybe because of the introduction of the the affordable Vento last year. The price this time starts at $21,800 and for the early bird bookings, you will get a $1,000 discount. Awesome. So do check the new Vento at the Maju Motors Showroom. Images courtesy of Vincent Hong.

Bernd Siffling, General Manager of Maju Motors Sdn Bhd during the launch of the Vento at Maju Motors showroom

Chan Key Hong, Managing Director of Maju Motors

Unveiling the new Vento

I guess many of you have heard about the recent scandal that rocked Volkswagen worldwide. Despite the major setback, the brand has to rebuilt the trust with the customers and it’s a plus that Volkswagen owners in Brunei needn’t to worry as the Volkswagen cars supplied to Brunei Darussalam are originated from a completely different production line as addressed by Bernd Siffling, General Manager of Maju Motors Sdn Bhd.

Now with the new direction of the CEO of Volkswagen, Matthias Mueller, let’s hope for better things in the world of Volkswagen. As you know that Volkswagen is a world leader in car making and the scandal will cost them billions. It’s good to know that local customers said that their trust in their Volkswagens has not changed, making the launch of new Vento a much-anticipated event.

A great turn out last night

The winners with the organizers and judges at the Adult Colouring contest last weekend

Alisa Denis the grand winner last weekend

I did it. I officially entered my first ever colour contest at the Mabohai Shopping Complex last weekend. Well, it was for adults too and it was the first of its kind (in a colouring competition). It was organised by Mabohai Shopping Complex and Best Eastern. I have to say that I really had fun that time though I was one of the 5 men among the 78 contestants as the rest were female participants.

So why did I finally get involved with colouring? It was because of the management of Best Eastern as they showed me one of the colouring books meant for adults and from that moment, I was telling myself that maybe.. just maybe, I should get one for myself. A few days later, I officially bought my first colouring book 😀 I guess it’s true that they say such book can make you feel calm when you get the groove of colouring. And yes, it can be therapeutic. Meaning if you have stressful day at work (or even at home), start colouring away.

So if you are wondering which book I am referring to, it’s either Johanna Bamford or Millie Marotta colouring book. It’s selling for $19.90 now at Best Eastern bookstores.

Anyway, back to the contest I was talking about. It was a pretty long judging session to say the least. It took almost two hours to determine the winners of the contest. I never knew judging can be challenging task and furthermore, the organisers didn’t expect a high entry of contestants. The judging process was based on the participants’ creativity in using the colours, shading, tone and presentation.

Nina Zainal coming strong in 2nd place

Robert John with his 3rd place effort

Beautiful penciled by Alisa Denis

Loving the colours toned by Nina Zainal

The winners with the judges

It was quite a great turn out last Sunday

One of the consolation winners with Yolly

It was good to see my cousin (right) participating

The winner of the contest was Alisa Denis with her beautiful colourful effect and she brought home $200 worth of prizes. Second place went to Nina Zainal who’s no stranger in the art scene. She won $150 worth while Robert John won $100 after coming third. There were five other consolation prizes – Jennie, Hilyati, Hannie, Fen Yee and Irene.

According to Yolly Celeridad, Operations Manager of Best Eastern, that the colouring competition aims at bringing creativity from the adults and the most important thing is that this activity is actually fun, fun, fun. I certainly had fun. She hinted that there will be another Adult colouring competition in October but it has yet to be confirmed.

Don’t forget to get a copy of the colouring books by for adults by Johanna Basford and Millie Marotta – The Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest and Animal Kingdom. The new ones that just arrived are 1) Tropical Wonderful (Millie Marotta) and Mindfulness (Holly McDonald). For enquiries or more information, please call 2337196 or 7137839. You can also check out its Facebook page at ‘Best Eastern’ and Instagram @besteastern_bookstore

Look at me.. At full concentration. Thanks Ridwan for the shot and thanks for the support.

Another supporter who came down surprisingly was SY and yes, she had this sinister look too :p Thanks for coming though it was momentary.

You can buy the adult colouring books at Best Eastern outlets and also the colour pencils

I bought myself the Enchanted Forest two weeks ago

I even invested in the Derwent colour pencils. Pretty good.

Even my toastmaster friends are into colouring

Ok, Iskandar is a good in shading with pencils

The latest book I bought off Best Eastern

The new model is to be unveiled tonight. More stories soon.

This is an ongoing competition on my instagram. It’s an original item all the way from Germany. It is an original coat hanger and headrest hook so your clothes stay wrinkle-free and fresh even on longer routes. Bags and garments can be placed here securely. The “Snakey” headrest hook is made of flexible and resilient material. So check out my instagram and stand stand a chance to win this.

A hint on what is about to be revealed. Do answer on my IG post and who knows who will be selected.

Have you registered yourself?

What most of you will be looking forward to is the upcoming Canon Photomarathon 2015 which will take place on 27th September 2015 and the venue will be at Star Lodge Hotel. For more information, you can click here and don’t forget to register because the first prize is a Canon 7D and there will be a grand winner where you will attend a photo clinic in Japan.

Of course there will be other prizes for the three themed categories and the winner of each will win a EOS 7D Mark II (for 3 winners). I was fortunate enough to be a judge last year for the competition and it was a pretty tough process being one but a fruitful experience. I am amazed by the talents that we have in Brunei.

The slots are running fast and it’s FREE as well and opened to all the photographers in Brunei. The venue will be the same as last year – Star Lodge @ Jerudong, Sunday 27th September 2015 (8am to 5pm). This event is fully sponsored by Interhouse Company.

The winners of last year’s edition of the Canon Photomarathon

The grand winner of the photo clinic in Japan last year

The organiser of the Canon Photomarathon 2015 from Interhouse Company

The winners of the Canon Photomarathon back in 2012

The winning shot of the theme Surface last year

What we thought of Everest

Everest. I saw the trailers a few times but it wasn’t enough to capture my interest apart from the awesome cinematography. They have a great line up of cast too – Jake Gyllenhaal (a heart throb to many of female friends), Jason Clarke (a disappointing effort at Terminator: Genisys), Josh Brolin (who was awesome in Sicario), Keira Knightly (where has she been all this while) and many more. The movie had a positive review with over 70% on Rottentomatoes but it hasn’t picked up well in the box office.

Pros: Cinematography was great but only in patches. I was hungry for more but the director, Baltasar Kormakur, could have explored more. Secondly the quest itself is already challenging and to see the different characters braving themselves and unite as a group is please worthy. Lastly some dramatic scenes were quite tense at one point.

Cons: A plenty. Too many involvement of characters that I lost track of who’s who especially when they had their head gears on. Secondly yes, it teased me but not enough to reach that anti/climax moment especially when this is involving climbing mountains. A good example that I gave me that edge-of-the-seat feeling was Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit. It made me feel that I rather watch this on National Geographic or Discovery Channel. The development of the supporting cast could have been deeper. The movie itself is a 2 hours long and it seemed too draggy in the beginning and it didn’t pay off because it was nothing memorable to remember.

Verdict: A movie that I won’t watch again but it’s interesting that they made a 1996 historical event into a film. Refining the editing of the movie and more development of the cast would have made Everest more impactful. 7/10.

What we thought of The Intern

The Intern. I like the motto of the flick – Experience never gets old. The last comedy is directed by Nancy Meyers, popularly known for movies such as What Women Want and Parent Trap. I came to this movie with no expectations and I didn’t even catch the trailer but I am a big fan of Anne Hathaway (well, after Scarlett Johansson). This comedy is about a retired successful business owner and widower (played by Robert De Niro) who lands an internship at a fashion website run by a young, career-driven woman (Anne Hathaway). So just reading at the premise alone, I’m already hooked.

Pros: Totally enjoyable from start to finish. This is a feel good movie and I’m glad I caught this movie after Everest. Robert De Niro kinda stole the show for me and he has his ways to woo the audience with his charming effect. The humour was spot on most of the time and it wasn’t unnecessary like some comedies would do (learn, Adam Sandler, learn). Sharon definitely enjoyed it, judging by pitch of her laugh :p What’s not to like about this movie.. well, a few..

Cons: It seemed that the character of Robert De Niro as an intern had little challenges (a little spoiler) so I didn’t feel there was an anti-climax moment for him. The ending to many of us were below satisfactory. Of course, we all wanted a Hollywood ending (happy ending) but I guess this is how life does turn out in reality.

Verdict: I love it and despite its flaws, I’m giving this a high score. Love the chemistry also between the two engaging characters. I wished they had more drama so the story could have ended on a higher note and make it more memorable. If you ask me, I enjoyed this more than Internship movie. 8/10

Group photo with Deon Ong (3rd from left) and the students and instructors from Yippy Tune

Yippy Tune, the Music School in Gadong Central, today bagged a total of 13 medals at the 22nd KK Music Festival in the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Hotel. Over 500 musicians from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei gathered together to compete through a range of musical instruments and genres in Kota Kinabalu.

Yippy Tune, one of the schools representing Brunei, took part in the Piano, Violin and Vocal categories with a total of 8 participants. “They came back with a stunning result that surpassed the school’s wildest imagination.” Said Deon Ong, the Principal.

Some of the highlights of the day included performance by the youngest performer who stole the show, 6 year old Megan Lee won a Silver in Classical Piano category as well a stellar performance by one of the youngest diploma holder (14) at the competition, Zoe Ho who won Silver in Classical Piano category as well for Diploma level. According to the judge, it is an achievement by itself for Zoe Ho, by simply attaining a Diploma at such young age.

Other winners from Yippy Tune Music School at the contest include:

• Flora Ngu

o 3 x Gold Medals in Vocal in Classical, Popular and Broadway category.

• Evana Ong

o 1 x Gold in Vocal for Popular Category and 1 x Silver in Classical Category.

• Freda Ngu

o 1 x Gold in Vocal for Popular Category and 1 x Bronze in Classical Category.

• Janice Deborah

o 1x Gold in Violin for Popular Category and 1 x Silver in Violin for Romantic and Classic Category

• Vivienne Poh

o 1 x Silver in Piano for Classical Category

• Koh Wan Enn

o 1 x Bronze in Piano for Classical Category

Flora Ngu, 3 Gold Medal winner at the 22nd KK Music Festival in the Shangri-la Rasa Ria Hotel recently

Megan Lee, a Silver medalist in Classical Piano category and she’s only 6 years old

“As a first time contestant, I am very proud of our students’ performances and their results. It is a testimony that with enough hardwork, dedication and self beliefs, Bruneian can compete at a regional level.” Said Deon Ong.

Incidentally, one of their students, Flora Ngu was recently shortlisted as the final Top 10 candidates by Disney Channel to play the role Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen Orchestral in Singapore.

Deon also added that she was very impressed with the quality of the participants and the standard of the competition put forward by the KK Music Society by involving independent judges from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Kingdom. She commented that the Piano category was especially tough, and was happy to see participants competing at such high level.

The school principal takes the opportunity to thank the dedicated teachers and parents who are as deserving to share the glory of the student’s success, and vows to expose more students to such competition. Press release and images from Yippy Tune.

A message from Royal Brunei Airlines

Dermot Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei) with senior management of Abacus with partners for the Brunei Travel Fair

It’s the time of the year that people will flock in because of travel fair. I have been planning my final quarter of the year as I will be away for most of the time (and about time too).

As usual expect, some great fares from the Brunei Travel Fair at Royal Brunei Recreation Club (RBRC) and it’s organised by Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei). This is the 12th edition and it’s good to see new partners in this travel fair too.

Leading the press conference yesterday was Dermott Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Distributions Systems (Brunei) cum Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) and he is very excited of the upcoming travel fair in Brunei. He thanked all the partners involved in making this another exciting event especially for the potential customers.

There will be more than 40 terminals to the seven travel agencies participating at the fair to ensure they can efficiently meet the travel needs of visitors. Also for the first time, there will be participation from the Ministry of Tourism Republic of Indonesia (awesome). Other tourism vendors include Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Taiwan Tourist Bureau and Tourism Authority Thailand.

The official bank partner is Baiduri Bank and there will be also collaborations with other banks such as BIBD and HSBC with Royal Brunei Airlines.

Abacus Brunei General Manager Irene Soon said, “The fair provides an excellent opportunity for Brunei-based travellers to shop for both international and regional travel packages, making it an event on the travel calendar not to be missed.

The Brunei Travel Fair will be held this weekend 26th and 27th September at RBRC.

Joan Lim, Head of Commercial, Royal Brunei Airlines, addressing some promotion during the press conference

Check out the fare to the UK.. Read more below to find out

So what’s on offer?

For Royal Brunei Airlines, there will be a special fare to London. For an all-in price of BND 999, you can fly to London. The flying dates are from 23rd to 29th December (out of Brunei) and returning will start on 6th January 2016 with a one-month validity period. This is ideal for parents or family to visit their children in London during winter. There will be also attractive fares to Dubai, Shanghai, HK, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali and Melbourne and you can purchase them at the participating travel agents during the Brunei Travel Fair.

Royal Brunei will also have a daily lucky draw where winners can walk away with prizes such as a ticket to a mystery destination, Royal Skies miles or RB merchandise. RB customers can also test their paper plane flying skills at the Betterfly Game area where they win discount vouchers (5%) on your next travel.

Let’s not forget the the grand lucky draw for RB customers – flight to London or Melbourne or Bali or Ho Chi Minh City.

For Tourism Malaysia, it’s simple. Take advantage of the weaker Ringgit and explore Malaysia. During the fair, there will be invited demonstrators on Henna, Batik Canting and Nyonya Beaded Shoe. For those who purchase tickets or holiday packages or hotel rooms with regards to Malaysia, you will be entitled for a RM 20 Parkson shopping voucher.

There’s also a chance for a lucky dip to win travel accessories if you spend more than BND 500 for every purchse tickets or holiday packages or hotel rooms.

If you also have a BIBD card, you can swipe your purchases if you booked your flight to either KL or KK on Royal Brunei and you can stand a chance to win a lucky draw prize (3 days 2 nights at Grand Millenium Hotel Kuala Lumpur with a return ticket, return airport transfers and 100,000 Hadiah points) which is jointly sponsored by RB, BIBD and Tourism Malaysia. The winner will be announced at 8pm on 26th and 267th September. Awesome!

Now the official bank here is Baiduri Bank and they also have great promotions during the travel fair and it’s a great advantage if you happen to own a Baiduri Card (Debit or credit). For instance, for Prestige customers, if you fly to London, Dubai or Melbourne, you can redeem BND 200 at their booth (applies to the first 25 members). Another thing is when you swipe with Baiduri card, you will be entitled to 3 lucky draw coupons for the grand draw. Lastly, if you are a Smart Executive member, you can redeem BND 50 if you book your flights to Hong Kong or Shanghai (Limit to the first 20 members). There are more things that Baiduri are offering (refer to poster below for details).

I also read the papers that Pan Bright Travel Services are bringing back the “Travel and Win a Car” promotion since it was a great success last time round. You can also stand a chance to win a brand new Hyundai Accent from Pan Bright. The promotion is not just limited to customers who bought air tickets but also to those who buy any inbound tour package from Pan Bright. For your info, Pan Bright (KB) was the runner-up for Abacus’ travel agent award which was feted during Abacus Silver Jubilee dinner recently.

So mark your calendars for this weekend.

Three weeks ago, Abacus celebrated their Silver Jubilee

To all the Teachers out there in Brunei

The new bridge was officially opened this morning. After a few months, it’s ready for public usage.

This morning I covered an interesting ceremony – the official launch of the Chung Hwa Middle School Bridge in Bandar. This is a privately funded bridge with the objective of parents and students of CHMS to cross the road in means of the bridge. The project was initiated by Ong Tiong Oh who is the Chairman of CHMS Board of Directors and he is looking at a bigger picture – to ease the traffic congestion. Do you know that traffic congestion has been a recurring problem especially during lunch hours?

According to inside source, Ong Tiong Oh forked out approximately BND 850,000 for the construction of the bridge alone. If you ask me, that’s a lot of investment and you can even get two residential houses or even three. Now why is the CHMS bridge expensive? This is not just another bridge like you see at other places like the school bridge at SOAS. This bridge has a special design and the materials they used are of high quality.

Ong Tiong Oh engaged Bolton Hennesy Sdn Bhd (Consultant) and Pro Builder (main contractor) and yes, the total was BND 850.000 where the bridge cost BND 770,000 with an additional consultant fee of BND 80,000. The whole project is totally financed by Ong Tiong Oh, who is also the director of Low San Hardware Company (and Toolbox). I’m quite impressed that he stills remembers me as we met once during the opening of Toolbox a few years ago. Amazing memory!!

According to The Brunei Times article, Kho Guik Lan, principal of CHMS Bandar was very excited with the bridge as it will be quite convenient for parents and students to cross the road especially during rush hour.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman, Minister of Development, was very thankful to Ong Tiong Oh, for sponsoring the bridge near CHMS. All the bridges in the school in the capital have been identified as prone to congestions and this includes the CHMS bridge. The only difference is that the CHMS bridge is privately sponsored.

The Minister shared that the ministry will still continue to review the aspects of safety involving students and also road users from time to time. He will also monitor schools outside the capital if they would require bridges in the near future.

Now despite the bridge being built, the traffic lights for pedestrians are still active and the public can still use the pedestrian walk to cross the road. It’s soon to say if the majority prefer walk on the bridge (more effort required) or wait for the traffic light to cross the road. I do encourage parents and students to make use of the bridge for safety reasons and smoothen the road congestions during peak hours.

Before I end, I would like to give my full appreciation to Ong Tiong Oh for initiating this project and making it a reality. The idea was highlighted back at the Legislative Council meeting back in 2009 and to see the idea being materialised is awesome indeed. Furthermore, this is totally a generous offer of him to invest almost a million dollars in constructing this bridge. All I can say is “You’re the Man” 😀 and appreciate you remembering my presence a few years back #highlightoftheweek

Note: The high in school fees of CHMS Bandar is not affiliated with the construction of the CHMS bridge. It is fully sponsored by Ong Tiong Oh.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman, Minister of Development and Ong Tiong Oh (right) doing the honour of officiating the launch of the CHMS Bridge

The man of the moment – Ong Tiong Oh

Invited guests during the launch

Ong Tiong Oh and his family and friends

The event took place at the car park area opposite Radisson Hotel

City Neon making sure the event ran smoothly

Media frenzy trying to steal a good shot for the newspaper

Some of the behind-the-scene moments during the construction of the bridge

The CHMS bridge looks solid

Taking a photo on the bridge

The Minister being briefed on the journey of the construction

Good job by Bolton Hennesy Sdn Bhd, the consultant of the CHMS project

Group photo with the Minister with the CHMS Bridge

The view from the bridge with Radisson in sight

Guests heading for refreshments

The CHMS end of the bridge

Peng the photographer needed to improvise with the help of the engineering team from Radisson

Mark your dates this weekend and plan your travels 😀

[Edited]: Is Brunei going through a recession? It’s still early days to say for that but I know that some of my friends’ businesses are feeling the pinch(es). These are just from my observations as well as business environment shared by my peers. Let’s not forget some of the outside factors as well as policies that can influence the Brunei economy.

Let’s lay down some scenarios here from my knowledge. I know there could be more (factors) but I will just based them on my findings. First is the falling of oil prices. I remember once a top senior official said that such fluctuating prices won’t affect the Brunei economy earlier this year. However, I’m pretty sure it did (affect) in a long run as oil prices hasn’t been encouraging and it has a detrimental effect on the Brunei economy. Furthermore, at some point, Brunei’s export on crude and oil hasn’t been blossoming like the old days. Have the oil prices affected oil production in Brunei? Earlier this year, it was reported that Brunei’s exports went down by 39% (source: Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE).

It’s no big surprise that oil prices is a big factor here (weaker demand, higher supply). Imagine the previous year that the price of oil was at least USD $113 per barrel and now it’s averaging at USD $50 per barrel. It was also reported in Reuters that despite the improvement in prices, worldwide production won’t be producing last much as it’s “uneconomical” if oil prices are at USD $50 or below.

With low demand for export and also lower oil prices, this will mean that money flowing into the Sultanate will be lower than usual. This would also mean less activities or projects coming from Brunei Shell Joint Ventures or any companies relating to Brunei Shell.

Early in March 2015 during the Legislative Council, the Ministry of Finance that Brunei will be in the deficit in terms of spending (BND 1.58 billion) and this is related to the fall in oil prices. Did you know that 90% of the export of Brunei is oil and gas? So this is what we always mean when we say that we are relying too much on oil and gas.

Now I have touched on oil prices. How about other factors? One thing that has affected Brunei is the recent policy introduced by Authoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD) – the total debt service ratio or loan cap (at 60 per cent for those earning a minimum net salary of $1,750). So who will be affected because of this policy? Not the consumers but the car dealers as sales has seen a drop of at least 15% and it keeps dropping every month ever since the introduction of the loan cap in June 2015.

If the car dealers are affected, this would also affect the finance companies such as Baiduri Bank and BIBD At-tamwil who finance the hire purchase of the cars. NBT (Toyota) used to sell an average of 300 units every month but recently the figures have gone below 200 units. Back in 2012, at one stage, cars sold in a month would break the 1,500 mark but recently it has lesser numbers (1,137 cars in July 2015 and 1,005 cars in August 2015). Last weekend, I even bumped into an NBT roadshow at The Mall (which is quite rare) and one of the representatives said that business wasn’t good so they needed to do more roadshow and promotion.

Yes, the business side of the automotive industry is feeling the pinch but the idea of the policy by AMBD is to ensure that the residents of Brunei will have enough savings and finances instead of using their disposable income for loan repayments. With the current situation of oil prices, such move (of the policy) has not benefited the local economy as loans are hard to come by especially those in the lower tier income group. In a long run, the TDSR or loan cap will be good for the country as people will have more disposable income than rather ending up using majority of their salaries to pay off loans. Remember the credit card policy? That really worked well, right? and this shouldn’t be a problem. It will just take time to adjust to the new financial environment. Car dealers will have to come up with better deals or promotions just like how Boustead are currently executing with their promotions with Suzuki and Nissan (tablets and smartphones respectively) to attract customers.

Another theory that cannot be discounted is the fact that the Malaysian ringgit has caught interest of Bruneians. The exchange rate now is BND 1 to RM 3 which is a real steal for us. For many Bruneians, Miri is still considered a shopping paradise. Just imagine this – It was reported that over two million arrivals from Brunei to Miri alone in 2013. I’m pretty sure the statistics will be even more in Year 2015 with the current weak currency of the Ringgit. Shopping will be cheaper and they will even buy their groceries across the border as it’s a cost saving measure.

So who are at the losing end? Of course, our local retailers and the department store owners. I interviewed two sources on how the supermarket business in Kuala Belait and Bandar and both gave similar responses – “people prefer shopping and spending across the border.” One commented that usually after Hari Raya season, their supermarket business is slower but this year, it’s even quieter and slower than last year. Even the extension of the opening hours across the border is not helping the Brunei economy.

Now that I have laid some of my findings based on reports and interviews, it’s not too premature to say that Brunei is undergoing a small recession – budget cuts, deficits, lower car sales and lower revenue in local supermarket as some of the effects.

Need action, less talking: I have attended many lectures, talks, keynote addresses, you name it,  for the past 10 years and the same topic remains – “Diversification” and we all have become accustomed to the over-abused word but it has only become a mere phrase than a means to an end. From the progress of Brunei, we have taken baby steps to diversify by creating new industries – pharmaceutical, the halal brand and also the Mitsubishi Gas Chemicals and Itochu Corporation from Japan for the methanol plant at the Sg Liang Industrial Park (SPARK). These are all good signs to come as it creates more job employment.

Even earlier this year, Brunei Economic Development Board and South Korean company DongYang GangChul, said that the BND 107 million project at the Bukit Panggal Industrial Park in Tutong will be a major boost to Brunei’s economy. The idea is the plant will produce billet and aluminium extrusion and export back to Sout Korea. I’m not really sure what are the status of this project as I have not seen any updates.

My biggest curiousity is the Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) project. There have been many mentions of the PMB project but as far as I know there is very little happening as the big players such as Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a petrochemical firm, will only begin their refinery operations by early 2017. Of course, this is no easy project and it requires intensive homework and making sure all the criteria are met. This is perhaps the biggest project for the Brunei economy as the refinery will cost at least BND 4 billion. But now it’s more of a waiting game until early 2017.

From the looks of it, Brunei needs a good number of Foreign Direct Investment, just similarly like Hengyi Industries. It’s never an easy task to bring foreign investors to pump in money into the economy. I believe that Brunei is a very ideal hub for this kind of industries and of course, the foreigners will need our vote of confidence in order to succeed. The PMB project would have been talking point (with action) if nothing was delayed and the refinery plant up and running by now. Maybe I’m just tired listening to the same old phrase and the emphasis of “diversification”.

On a positive spin, what’s trending (and booming now) are the influx of food and beverage outlets such as Rack & Brew, The Library Cafe, Ner|Dee Cafe, Chatime and coming soon (end of the year), Cinnabon. If you are thinking of opening a business, then F&B is a better approach as we still have the culture to dine out or even limteh. And let’s not forget the upcoming travel fair by Royal Brunei and we Bruneians love to travel (so maybe, just maybe, people are saving to spend on traveling).

What’s my outlook on Brunei 2016? It’s hard to say. I just hope that we can help one another and let our egos down that Brunei needs a wake up call. Our voices can be a stimulus and hopefully the Government of Brunei and the private sector can work together to tackle a growing (bad) seed before it can turn to a plant.

This article doesn’t represent the opinions of others apart from my own. I typed this because I feel it’s very relevant to our community and I also want to help to contribute to the betterment of our Brunei economy. If you have any queries or comments, you can drop me an email ranoadidas gmail and I’m more than happy to hear from your end. Sources of facts: The Brunei Times.