Charles Rex de Silva, 74, passed away two days ago in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I’ve known him during his years in Brunei Press and I had a few conversations with him in his office. He was such a humble person, serving his profession back then as editor-in-chief of Borneo Bulletin (1990 to 2011). You will be dearly missed especially those who have worked with you. You have left a good legacy in Borneo Bulletin. Image taken from Facebook. RIP Rex.

Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Rahman bin Pengiran Seri Indera Pengiran Haji Ismail, Chairman and Executive Committee Secretary and also as Chairman of the Working Committee (centre) during the press conference for 2015 Brunei Darussalam Karting Championship. Image courtesy of Khairil Hassan of Borneo Bulletin.

This is a yearly event that’s happening this weekend. It’s the final leg of the 2015 Brunei Darussalam Karting Championship and this time it will be a 3-day event starting this Friday. This is one of the days where the capital of Brunei Darussalam will be transformed into a race-track.

The Go-Kart event is also in conjunction with the 45th Anniversary of Bandar Seri Begawan and it is organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (BSB Municipal Board) with the collaboration of Brunei Darussalam Go-Kart Association and D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd.

The practice session will be happen on Saturday 21st November near the Royal Wharf while the official race will take place on Sunday 22nd November. On Friday, there will be activities for the public to enjoy at the Taman SOAS such as fly fox, retro car show, music competition, frisbee competition, bouncers and many more.

As for the Frisbee tournament, the registration is still open and you can contact Adib at 8796851 or 8903654.

All these were announced yesterday during the press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs led by Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Rahman bin Pengiran Seri Indera Pengiran Haji Ismail, Chairman and Executive Committee Secretary and also as Chairman of the Working Committee.

There was also safety briefing for the public who will be at the vicinity of the race track. You will be advised not to cross the race track during the race and practice session.

Also for you info, there will be road closure as well. Do refer to the illustration below. The road closure will start from 2pm Saturday to 8pm Sunday.

So where can you park? Parkings at Jalan Cator, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and PGGMB Building and also a few areas like Jalan Bendhara will still be opened for the public. Just be careful not to park illegally because I ended getting a summon for parking illegally two years ago *oopsy*

Parking for VIP invitees will be at Jalan Roberts and Jalan McArthur while Committee parking will be at Commercial Centre Building and Storey Park Building.

Invitees’ parking will be at Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah across Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Mosque, TAIB, Electric Department, Main Post Office and Lapau.

Road closure starting Saturday. Illustration by The Brunei Times.

The Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Managing Director of BIBD, Hjh Noraini Hj Sulaiman (L), presenting the winning trophy to Hj Saiful Rizal Pehin Dato Hj Ahmad, the champion of the Open Gross category during the prize presentation ceremony for the BIBD Perdana Banking Invitational Golf Tournament 2015 at The Empire Hotel & Country Golf Club. Image courtesy of Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Smiles were all around as close to 100 clients of BIBD took part in the BIBD Perdana Banking Invitational Golf Tournament 2015 which took place yesterday at The Empire Hotel & Country Golf Club.

The tournament was organised to foster stronger relationships between BIBD and its customers in the Perdana Privilege, Corporate and Institutional Banking segments.

On hand to present the trophies to the winners of the day was the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Managing Director of BIBD, Hjh Noraini Hj Sulaiman.

The top winners of the day included Hj Khairul Jamaluddin, who was the champion of the Open Nett category, while Hj Saiful Rizal Pehin Dato Hj Ahmad topped the Open Gross category.

Wong Kai Tee was named the champion of the Senior Nett category while Dato Paduka Sheikh Adnan was named the Champion of the Senior Gross Category.

The Deputy Managing Director of BIBD thanked everyone for their support and participation in the tournament, and took the opportunity to recap on the excellent year BIBD has been having in 2015.

To find out more about BIBD’s products, services and promotion visit its official Facebook page here www.facebook.com/bibdbrunei or log on to www.bibd.com.bn www.bibd.com.bn or eget in touch with the BIBD contact Centre at 2239191. Text courtesy of Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Colour runs have been a popular gimmick as of late. Last Sunday, another one took place organised by SEAMEO VOCTECH with the motto “Ikhlas Run With Colours” and an amazing BND 17,830 was raised. The colourful event carried the theme “Run… Share and Care” and it aimed to bring the community together to create a colourful and fun event where the runners were in for a colourful treat being sprayed with coloured powder. Around 2,000 participants took part in the event.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training (SEAMEO VOCTECH) said on its website that the run is one of the activities lined up for the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of SEAMEO and the 25th anniversary of SEAMEO VOCTECH.

It was good to know that the money raised was channeled for the Special Education Unit under the Ministry of Education’s IKHLAS initiative where the guest of honour, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman, Minister of Education, handed the mock cheque to Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Ahmad, Head of Special Education Unit. The other beneficiary was Brunei Olympics Council.

It was a great day out picnic with my other toastmaster buddies organised by OTTERS club. It was a pity not many could make it as it was a short notice gathering. I found out that the Anduki Recreational Park is a great spot for picnics and it’s clean too. Nice view of the lake too but do be wary of the crocodiles though.

A great shot by @faiqairudin as there was continuous lightning in Brunei last evening. I found this shot beautiful and thanks for sharing Faiq on instagram.

It was my first time playing paintball and one word to describe the experience – FUN. Thank you to @rbstpaintballbn for the invitation and I shall post the full coverage soon on my blog. For now, I found out that we can make a good team as we came runners-up in the mini tournament last Friday.

My last minute attempt to dress up as the Mad Hatter for @emmagoodegg’s Alice in Wonderland theme dinner. Bought the attire at Little M shop for roughly BND 30 but the quality ain’t that great but good enough for the occasion. I found out that there are some selection of costumes you can find at Little M but not wide selection to my likings but it’s getting there.

Well done to the management on the successful opening of Baba Rafi (known for their kebabs) at the Jerudong Park food court area last Friday. I found that Baba Rafi is a franchise from Indonesia and they have presence in Malaysia, Singapore and also Netherlands. Interesting..

A good gesture from Progresif Cellular. I found out that Progresif Cellular always find new ideas to bring their brand to another level. They were giving out free ice-cream at Times Square Shopping Centre during #WorldKindnessDay

Pierre Imhoff, CEO of Baiduri Bank, with associates of Baiduri Bank Group during the Deepavali celebration. Image courtesy of @candy_33

In celebration of Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, the Baiduri Bank Group hosted a dinner for its customers and partners at The Indera Samudra Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel & Country Club. Around 500 customers and associates from the local Indian community were present to witness the colourful illuminated evening.

The evening began with the traditional Light Ceremony with the Guest of Honour was His Excellency Dr. Ashok Kumar Amrohi, High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam; Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Dato Hj Mahdini; President of the Brunei-India Friendship, Pierre Imhoff, CEO of Baiduri Bank; Ti Eng Hui, Deputy CEO of Baiduri Bank and management committee members of Baiduri Bank Group.

In his welcoming address, Mr. Imhof expressed his appreciation and thanks to the guests for their support and confidence over the years and outlined the major progresses and achievements of the Baiduri Bank Group in 2015.

Throughout the evening, guests were treated to a variety of song and dance performances by local artists, school children and staff, which culminated in a presentation of the lucky draw prizes by Pierre Imhof and Dr. Ashok Kumar Amrohi.

Image courtesy of @candy_33

Image courtesy of @candy_33

Image courtesy of @candy_33

YB Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong, Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism during the launch of Korean Festival 2015 last Friday. Image courtesy of Times Square Shopping Centre.

Times Square Shopping Centre ended its Korean Festival 2015 with a bang yesterday, Sunday 8th October 2015. The event which was held on 6th October until 8th October 2015, have attracted a lot of Bruneians who are interested in Korean culture to visit the festival at the shopping centre. The event was organized by Times Square Shopping Centre, and co-organized by the Embassy of Republic of Korea in Brunei, Korea Tourism Organization and Imagine your Korea.

The last day of Korean Festival was filled with several fun activities including cooking demonstration by Silla Restaurant at 5pm, followed by a sand art show by Mr Sean Chai at 7pm and a performance by ITB at 7.45pm. Babbling Perfordian (ONGALS) Korean comedy group took centre stage at 8pm where they made their last performance during the festival, drawing crowd of all ages. There were also hanbok dress up and painting workshop throughout the day.

Throughout the event, there was a lucky draw where the prize presentation took place yesterday at 8.30pm. 18 prizes were given away last night and the presentation was done by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and representatives from all the companies that sponsored prizes for the draw. Prizes for the lucky draw included electronic devices, air ticket and vouchers. Sponsors for the lucky draw were Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Freme Tour, Pan Bright Travel Agency, Ceragem, Grand Motors, LG AIFA, Setia Motors, TCY Motors, Woo Motors, Daelim Industry, Skin Food, The FaceShop, Sarang Korean Restaurant, Jellybear Korea and. Silla Restaurant.

Babbling Perfordian (ONGALS) Korean comedy group was one of the highlights of the event

They attracted a good crowd too

Cooking demonstration by Silla Restaurant

About 1,200 participants registered for the lucky draw during the three days festival. Third prize winner went to Mohammad Azimi, bringing home a Ceragem mat. The second prize, which was an air ticket to Korea, was won by Hashim Har whereas the grand prize winner went to Geyne Jois Robledo who brought home an air ticket to Korea as well as hotel vouchers in Seoul. Present during the lucky draw prize presentation was Mr Chang Hoon Yi, the Deputy Chief of Mission for the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and other diplomatic missions. The festival ended with a closing speech by Mr Chang Hoon Yi where he expressed his gratitude to all exhibitors, sponsors and those who were involved with the Korean Festival.

Moreover, Times Square Shopping Centre will be having the last lucky draw prize presentation for the fifth lucky draw campaign next week on 15th November 2015 at 2pm. Furthermore, the shopping centre will be conducting several events in the near future, such as a Wedding Fair on 24th to 29th November 2015 and a Mini Carnival: Star Wars Edition from 4th to 20th December 2015. The last event for the year would be the annual Year End Exhibition that would take place from 24th December 2015 to 3rd January 2016. For further information, please call 2338208 or 2338006 during office hours.

Geyne Jois Robledo brought home an air ticket to Korea as well as hotel vouchers in Seoul

Hashim Har won also an air ticket to Seoul

Mohammad Azimi bringing home a Ceragem mat

 

The capital will once again be transformed into a race track this November as local and international go kart drivers will vie for the best in speed at the BSB Go-Kart race.

Race day will be held on November 22 and all are welcomed to watch drivers display their go-karting skills along the section of Jalan McArthur and Jalan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS). Members of the public can also view the practice session that will take place on November 22 near the Royal Wharf.

The go-kart race, organised by the Brunei Darussalam Karting Championship (BKDC) and the Go-kart Association, will be one of the many activities to be held in conjunction with the celebrations held to commemorate the renaming of Brunei Town to Bandar Seri Begawan. Other than watching the race, members of the public can also join a number of activities at the Royal Wharf and Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien over the three-day celebration period.

At the Royal Wharf, visitors can browse through the e-vendors showcase and participate in face and henna painting, the Unplug Music competition, Airwheels and many more. On the other hand, the more rigorous activities such as the Flying Fox, the Multi-seater bicycle and a frisbee tournament are all held at the Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien.

Participants of the frisbee tournament will stand a chance of winning an assortment of prizes ranging from cash to medals. Those interested can register their teams by contacting Adib at 8796851 or Arif at 8903654. The commemoration of the renaming of Brunei Town as Bandar Seri Begawan Celebration is organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board, and managed by D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd.

 

Highlights of DPMM FC taking on Warriors FC last night

As Rosmin Kamis always state on his social media status, impossible is nothing. One more game, lads. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

Just one more game. I haven’t been covering any DPMM FC matches since the beginning of the season but only posted some results and pictures during the season. But I have been keeping track with their progress and for the first time in many years, DPMM FC are on the brink of lifting the S•League title which have been eluding them for the past few years.

The closest DPMM FC ever had was last season where they failed to capitalize their lead in the standings and eventually settled as runners-up. The other season where they were placed 2nd was back in 2012. The leadership under Steve Kean has brought fresh approach to DPMM FC’s attacking measures.

The new imports have given DPMM FC a different dimension after letting go the fan favourites Tosi Rodrigo and Roberto Alvez, where both are playing for Tampines Rovers, a club that only has the chance to overtake DPMM FC should they win all their remaining matches and DPMM FC to lose the final game of the season against Balestier Khalsa FC.

Last night, DPMM FC was in fourth gear as they dominated the game against Warriors FC and chalked up a 3-1 victory at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Singapore. Goals came from Paulo Sergio, Rafael Ramazotti and Boris Raspudic.

I believe the next home game will draw more spectators as it will be the final game of the season and also to celebrate DPMM FC’s maiden S•League title should they win their final match or hope for Tampines Rovers to slip up in their remaining fixtures (3 more games).

So mark your dates on 21st November as DPMM FC will take on Balestier Khalsa FC at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Well done to the management of DPMM FC, the coach and the players for making this an exciting finale. Just another 90 minutes and we hope to see fireworks.

Azwan Salleh came on late as a substitute against Warriors FC. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

McLean has been consistent all season but scored at the wrong half by mistake. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

Rafa has been on hot scoring form. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

Wardun Yusof almost kept a clean sheet. An important talisman for DPMM FC. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

The cheerleaders of Warriors FC unable to live the spirit of the players. Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

Steve Kean is the man and perhaps the manager of the year? Image courtesy of Ismail Sulaiman of S•League.

 

So I’m thinking of opening up a new segment for my blog and it’s called What Did I Find Out segment. Well, I still think it’s a little lame to my liking but then again, that’s what I usually do when people start sharing information and lately, I’ve been flooded with information related to my readers and friends even though I’m still stuck here in Bali. I found out that Royal Brunei Airlines had two flights that departed from Bali, one at 7am and the other an hour later to cater for the stranded passengers. Awesome stuff!!

I shall post more on my findings with pictures and illustrations. Have a great weekend and I’m beginning to enjoy my final day here in Bali. Just some alone time 😀

I found out that Seth Rollins will have to vacate his title which he won in April during Wrestlemania. Is this bad for business? Yes, unless someone like Brock Lesnar and maybe, the super face, John Cena holds the title. The roster has been looking pretty mediocre in WWE.

I found out that there’s a special promotion at Chatime Citis Square in conjunction with their grand opening this weekend. So grab that opportunity 😀

I found out that there’s another BurgerKing outlet in Seria

I found out that not only I enjoy the services of Uber but even Mika *lol* Guys, if you haven’t tried Uber especially in Bali, try it. You will save a lot of money on transport. A lot.. Trust me. My average spending is around $3-4 per trip or even lesser.

I found out that JPMC having another car boot sale after a successful one last year.

I found that there will be another company running a similar concept of an escape room and tonight my team will be checking it out.

I found that the beach in Bali is soothing and welcoming as compared to the other beaches I visited. I do want to try out that beach tennis one day. Looks fun and you don’t have to bounce the ball on the beach. Then again, balls won’t bounce on sand :p

I found out there’s an eatery in Bali run by a Bruneian. I shall give it a try if I have the time. Thanks Yaya for the heads up 😀

I found out how Zheng ran the most popular marathon in the world which is the New York marathon. There were about 50,000 runners and he is the only Bruneian to participate. Furthermore, the entry of the event is done through ballots and by luck, his name was drawn. Amazing!!! He also clocked his personal best of 3 hrs 40 secs in the full marathon event. It was nice to see the Brunei flag being hoisted despite only having one Bruneians in the list. Zheng shared that this is best marathon to date.

I found out that finally Brunei International Airport has wifi connection for the public. I’m not sure if it’s only available inside area for flying passengers or the whole of BIA. Thanks, Adiman for the heads up.

Have you caught Spectre yet? Last evening, they had two special treats, one at Times Cineplex of Sentral Shopping Centre (KBSentral) and Empire Cinema. I couldn’t make it to either since I’m still enjoying my extension stay in Bali for now.

Customers of BIBD Perdana Privilege Banking and Indera Motors were treated to a special occasion at Empire Cinema whereas British Army Brunei Garrison organised one at Times Cineplex.

It was nice to see the British Army Brunei Garrison dressing up for the occasion and they had the opportunity to walk on the red carpet with cool decorations to blend with with the James Bond theme.

So what do you think of the latest James Bond movie Spectre? Reviews have been mixed and it’s not high on Rottentomatoes (only below 63% for now). I will be catching it tonight on the comfort of a premier style concept at Beachwalk Bali cineplex. I still feel that Skyfall is the best bond movie for me.

British High Commissioner David Campbell (in black) on the red carpet with members of the British Army Brunei Garrison during the premiere of the James Bond movie ‘Spectre’ at KBSentral’s Times Cineplex last night. Image courtesy of Hafiizah Maideen of The Brunei Times.

Some of the attendees last night. Image courtesy of Hafiizah Maideen of The Brunei Times.

The Jaguar F-Type convertible on showcase at the movie premiere. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.

Ben Boddy, Deputy High British Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam (left) as the guest of honour. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.

I’ve used Seagate hard drives before and they are pretty stable and reliable. Now I’m very picky when it comes to hard drive because I would need a Thunderbolt socket for transferring purposes (at high speed). Thunderbolt is only for Apple computers for your info.

Recently Concepts Computer has collaborated with Seagate and bringing the reliable, high-performance hard disk spaces to Brunei Darussalam. Hence if you want to store your data and documents, I do recommend you Seagate hard disks.

Now for the technical aspects of Seagate hard portable hard drives.

First on offer is the Seagate Expansion portable drive, available in 500GB ($89) and 1TB ($109) storage sizes. The Seagate Expansion portable drive is the ideal companion for anyone with lots of videos, photos, music and files that they want to protect and take everywhere with them. It offers useful storage capacities in a small enclosure for great mobility, very fast transfer rates with USB 3.0 connectivity and very secure physical digital storage. Sounds good to you? Well, it does for me 😀

Seagate Expansion portable drive

Now let’s look at the other batches – the Seagate BackUp Plus Slim, available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB storage sizes. The Seagate BackUp Plus Slim will be one of the ultimate solutions to storage on-the-go. With an ultra-sleek design, made for ultra portability and with the ability for one click backup solutions through the Seagate Mobile BackUp app. The Seagate BackUp Plus Slim combines all the best features of what a portable storage device solution should be.

Now here’s the interesting thing if you actually need it – With the inclusion of the Seagate Mobile BackUp app, all your photos, movies and video scan be backed-up Seagate Dashboard, including the ones you’ve shared on Facebook, Flickr and Youtube; easily enabling you to save your favourite on popular social media sites to be viewed anywhere.

Another interesting fact is if you buy the Seagate BackUp Plus Slim from Concepts Computer, they will provide free access to Microsoft OneDrive. Every purchase of the Seagate BackUp Plus Slim, will provide its users with a 2 years, 200GB access to Microsoft OneDrive worth over BND$130. It will be available from Concepts Computers for $100 for the 500GB capacity, $110 for 1TB capacity and $162 for the 2TB capacity. Now that’ is value for money.

Seagate BackUp Plus Slim

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with the management of Concepts Computer and resellers at the Brilliance Hall at Concepts Computer

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer said, “This launch is the beginning of a great expansion for Concepts Computer on storage solutions, Concepts have noticed that storage solutions have become an important issue with our customers so we will work hard to provide a much larger range of great digital storage solutions at the best prices for the consumers of Brunei Darussalam.”

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer added, ”We know how valuable digital data is to the modern world and this is our first step in providing exciting solutions for the local IT-market. And with the release of these Seagate external storage solutions, customers do not have to choose between reliability, high performance and affordability, it is all available from Seagate and Concepts Computer. ”

And for more information on the wide-selection and full-range of storage solutions available at Concepts Computer, please visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/2233552.

Concepts is also promoting their Acer projector

 

Launched on 19 October 2015, Baiduri Bank’s “Take Me Traveling” Promotion offers their Baiduri UnionPay Debit cardholders a 5% rebate on all transactions, including overseas ATM withdrawal fees and purchasing transactions at selected countries in Southeast Asia.

Baiduri Bank was the first bank to introduce the first UnionPay brand card in Brunei Darussalam back in April 2011. The Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card is also the first PIN-based international debit card in the country.

Unlike conventional signature-based payment cards, payments made with the Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card requires a personalized identification number (PIN) to be keyed in before payment is approved, giving cardholders an additional level of protection from fraud or misuse of the card.

Besides using the card for payment, the Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card can also be used as an ATM card for cash withdrawal. Vastly accepted in more than 150 countries around the world, Baiduri UnionPay Debit cardholders will have access to over 2,000 local retailers, over 26 million retailers and over 1.9 million ATMs globally.

Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card can also be used as an ATM card for cash withdrawal apart from payment

With such wide acceptance, it is no wonder that the Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card is an excellent choice for customers to bring along when traveling outside of Brunei. And with the exclusive “Take Me Travelling” promotion, Baiduri UnionPay Debit cardholders can enjoy more savings whilst on holiday in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Cambodia.

In addition to the 5% rebate, Baiduri UnionPay Debit cardholders are also entitled to the ongoing benefits at overseas destinations including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. To name a few, UnionPay cardholders can enjoy offers and discounts at popular shopping destinations as well as hotel offers.

Benefits in Thailand include offers at Siam Paragon and Siam Centre Duration, Gourmet Market, Home Fresh Mart and Villa market, Ratchaprasong Shopping District, Central World and Thavorn Palm Beach Resort & Spa Phuket.

You can earn enjoy discounts in countries such as Singapore. For instance, earning discounts at TANGS. Image courtesy of TimeOut.

Or you can get benefits in Thailand such as at Siam Paragon. Image courtesy of The Continent Hotel.

In Singapore, UnionPay cardholders can enjoy discounts and exclusive offers at bebe, Greg Norman, Sentosa Harbourfront, High Society Café, Lacoste boutiques, TANGS and several hotel offers. Offers in Malaysia include discounts and deals at Pavilion, Parkson, Grand Lexis Port Dickson and Suria KLCC Shopping Centre. And in Indonesia, UnionPay cardholders can shop at Kuta Beachwalk Shopping Centre to enjoy exclusive offers.

Terms and conditions of the promotion can be viewed on Baiduri Bank website at www.baiduri.com or Baiduri Bank mobile app – Baiduri Deals promotions section.

To be in the know of Baiduri Bank current promotions and events, the public can also follow Baiduri Bank Group on Facebook or @baiduribank on Instagram and Twitter.

 

Taken from Channel News Asia

I’m kinda glad that my toastmaster friends managed to catch their flight early in the morning yesterday. However, one of my friend today was kinda unfortunate that the flight got postponed because of the volcanic ashes due to the eruption inside the crater of Mount Rinjani in Lombok.

I’ve always wanted to visit Lombok and I heard so many awesome things about Lombok especially the scenery. One day.. One day perhaps.. As for the weather in Bali, it’s kind scorching hot today, the hottest I’ve been in since Day 1 of my Bali trip. Yes, I’m still in Bali and taking time off and spending quality time on my own and just chiiillllll….

So let’s hope for the rest of other friends to arrive Bali tomorrow evening as the Bali airport will only reopen by 8:45am. Let’s hope no delays or flight disruptions. Have a great week, peeps!! And I can’t believe that 2015 is almost over.

Currently enjoying the heat in Bali and loving the t-shirt from toastmasters and the RB cap

  

A Suzki Celerio A+ is now on display in front of Concepts Computer’s (Concepts) showroom. Image courtesy of Concepts Computer.

Lim Tze Yang, marketing executive (Suzuki) Boustead Sdn Bhd, Crystal Celine, customer relations officer, Boustead Sdn Bhd, Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, Pao Jia Wan, Concepts Business Development Executive and Zul Abdul Rahman, Concepts marketing executive. Image courtesy of Concepts Computer.

A Suzki Celerio A+ is now on display in front of Concepts Computer’s (Concepts) showroom.

The display was proudly revealed yesterday by the IT store’s General Manager Vincent Pao accompanied by Concepts Business Development Executive Pao Jia Wan and Marketing Executive Zul Abdul Rahman. Meanwhile, the sole agent for Suzuki in the nation, Boustead Sdn Bhd, was represented by its marketing executive Lim Tze Yang and its customer relations officer, Crystal Celine.

The model of the Japanese auto marks the ongoing collaborative promotion where for every purchase of the compact car, the new car owner will receive an Acer Iconia Tab 8W.

The promotion first began last month and is ongoing until end of year. It is also a way to reward customers and to promote the corporate image of both companies.

“Now with the display, Concepts customers are not only able to get a hands-on look of the Acer Iconia Tab 8W when they stop by the store, they are able to take a closer look at the Celerio A+ without going all the way to our showroom in Beribi,” said Boustead’s Marketing Executive Lim Tze Yang.
It was shared that the Suzuki Celerio is the latest model in the brand’s line up, which features design, style and practicality in one package. It is designed with the concept of ‘small on the outside, big on the inside’, offering ample room and storage space that belies its appearance.

Fuel efficiency is yet another selling point as this car can go up to 21.27km with every litre of petrol. The car is equipped with a 1.0 litre engine and is available in two transmissions: Manual Transmission (MT) and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Meanwhile, the new Acer Iconia Tab 8W is equipped with the Windows 8.1 and a one-year subscription to Office 365. This enables users to combine work and play with a single device that is multi-functional.

Concepts General Manager Vincent Pao told The Brunei Times that the collaboration is a win-win situation for both companies. He further enlightened that the two products are similar in a way that both offer value for money.

For more information about the attractive promotion, head over to Concepts in Kiulap or the Suzuki Showroom in Beribi. Text courtesy of Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

 

Taking a sports coupe round a track with a professional driver, leisurely drives in the latest Audi vehicles, fun racing in a go-kart.. It was the kind of experience that some car aficionados can only dream about, but was brought to life by TCY Motors. For two days, TCY Motors Sdn Bhd took over the Jerudong Park Go-Kart Track and the “Pusing Lagi” car park to give customers, invited guests and members of the media a crack at the Second Audi Urban Driving Experience.

Based around safety and dynamic driving, the event allowed attendees to get behind the wheel of Audi vehicles and experience first hand the safety capabilities, and as well as give drivers some in-depth knowledge on safe but dynamic driving.

The programme featured instruction and demonstrations by professional driving instructors Nicolaas Smit from South Africa and Paul Morgan from Australia. Smit was a return instructor from last year’s inaugural event.

The day began with the Ride & Drive, featuring the Audi A5 Coupe, A7 Sportback A8L and the Q7. Participants took the vehicles for a leisurely drive on the road to experience the Audi Drive Select featured in all the high-end models and the feel of the handling differences of each car.

In the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) demo, drivers had to accelerate to 60Km/h and swerve to avoid obstacles. The demonstration taught drivers the effectiveness of the ESC system in an emergency maneuver.

The highlight of the day was the Track Experience on the main Go-Kart track where drivers where let loose in the all-new Audi TTS sports coupe, which boasts the latest in quattro all-wheel-drive technology and an output of 300 bhp.

TCY Motors hopes to make AUDE an annual event offering participants a unique unforgettable driving experience where they benefit from learning dynamic but safe driving and also get the first crack at the latest new models offered by the dealership.

 

The Second Colouring Competition for Adults organized by Mabohai Shopping Complex, in partnership with Best Eastern Bookstore and JoArt Gallery drew very talented participants on Sunday, 1st November 2015.

The competition, based on the new book “Lost Ocean” by Johanna Basford attracted 33 participants of a high level of technical and artistic capability, according to the team of judges. Targeted towards everyone above 18 years old, the competitors showed excellent colouring and blending skills.

Judges for the competition were Jojo Yim, Head of Jo Art Gallery, Nitisha Kashyap and Nabil Fikri Haronli, Art Instructors at Jo Art Gallery.

The following were the winners after a grueling round of judging by the panel of Judges provided by Jo Art Gallery.

1st Prize  – Wathiqah Khalidi won $200 worth of Gift Vouchers

2nd Prize  – Nur Liyana won $150 worth of Gift Vouchers

3rd Prize  – Robert John Mendoza $100 worth of Gift Vouchers

The winners of the Colouring Competition for Adults last Sunday

An additional 5 contestants were awarded consolation prizes of gift vouchers worth $50 each. All winners also received a copy of Millie Marotta’s ‘Tropical Paradise” colouring book and all prizes were sponsored by Best Eastern.

Ms Yee-Man Cheng, Manager of Mabohai Shopping Complex said:

“Congratulations to everyone who gave it their best and a special congratulations to the top winners of the competition for a job well done. We would like to thank Best Eastern & JoArt Gallery for partnering with Mabohai Shopping Complex in creating a challenging and rewarding event for all contestants. Special thanks go to Starbucks for keeping the contestants hydrated and refreshed with their newly launched beverages, the Duo Cocoa Mocha Frappuccino and Dark Caramel Frappuccino. We hope everyone had a wonderful afternoon of colouring and had a relaxing and enjoyable time with us.”

It’s happening again. The Korean Festival 2015 at Times Square Shopping Centre. from 6th 8th November 2015 and the problem is I won’t be there to witness the event since I will be away.

Basically this event is to promote the Korean culture and they will hold several key events, games, activities and performance group from Korea which are supported and co-organised by Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korea Tourism Organisation and Times Square Shopping Centre.

For this upcoming festival, there will be a Korean Babbling Comedy, The Babbling Perfordian ONGALS’ and they will be coming to share contemporary Korea to Brunei. Awesome..

Even more, there will be Koren products – automobile showcase, Korean food and drinks and various cultural demonstrations during the festival. So book your date from 6th to 8th November.

You can also stand a chance to win two tickets to Seoul. Other prizes include electronic devices and vouchers from Korean restaurants. The lucky draw prize presentation will be held on the last day of the festival, November 8 at 8.30pm. For further information, call 2338208 or 2338006 during office hours. Good luck.

This Friday 8pm, Saturday 8pm and Sunday 8pm

 

I had a great time last week with my fellow toastmasters. The bond is different from before and it’s stronger. I may not look enthusiastic in this photo because I deliberately looked sad. I’m sandwiched by two dedicated toastmasters from UBD.

The organizing chairperson Shawn Cassidy Narcis and deputy organizing chair Liana Kwan for the District 87 Semi-Annual Conference. They and the team pulled off a great show. It was such a pity that not many locals turned up from the Indonesia division.

The conference is over. The goodbyes were tough but we as toastmasters know that it’s a never ending journey with conferences in different cities every now and then. I realised that it’s a pretty hefty investment if I were to calculate the number of conferences I attend (such as in Sabah, Labuan and cities of Indonesia) like the current one in Bali. Luckily for me, I never questioned it because I know the values that I can get out of toastmasters – priceless – and I’m pleased to officially announced that Brunei Darussalam will be hosting a big toastmasters conference slated for November 2016 and the planning has begun.

This is also one reason why I haven’t been active updating my blog. I still have tons of articles pending from my previous coverages in Brunei and also my recent Malaysia Tourism Hunt 2015 adventure. I shall be updating that pretty soon as I have so much ample now in Bali before my next workshop in Ubud, Bali in a few days’ time. For now, I’m gonna do some reviews of the recent Bali in Paradise conference 2015.

What a wunderbar experience!! The venue was ideal as we had both the convention and the accommodation at the same hotel (Harris Hotel & Residence on Sunset Road). I shared a suite room with four musketeers – Superman Amran, the computer geek Dalton, go-with-the-flow Jack and the actual Superman Nur Iskandar. If I were to travel again, I don’t mind tagging along with them or vice-versa. Just have to make sure that you don’t use the kitchen sink because Dalton will use his luggage to cover it *lol*

We had seven educational speakers and I enjoyed all of them except for one. I was amazed how thorough Dinesh’s speech on how to deliver a winning speech and it was analytical and clear. I have learnt that I lacked clarity in delivering my points in my speech and even getting the message across. Another speaker was Miranda (from Bali) who reminded me the power of listening and I’m still practicing that skill and breaking the bad habit. The International Director Patrick Oei showed me the courage to take leap of faith and don’t be the “Elephant being tied to a stick” because that one little step can make a difference.

Golden voice Ariff stole the show of the supposedly absent Guest of Honour and he shared the different types of personalities in us – I found out that I’m an extrovert with feelings and intuition *lol* I’m not sure that’s a suitable trait to guide me as the organizing chair for next year’s convention but it can be fruitful indeed because we already have an amazing team.

We are so honoured to have two finalists in World Public Speaking Championship and one of them is Mohammed Qahtani the current World Champion of Public Speaking 2015 (thank you, Lorraine for hooking him up with Shawn). He started with a slight sign of nervousness but he picked up the tempo and lifted the crowd with his enthusiastic energy. What was missing is the Qahtani (rubber) band that I wanted to have, to remind me should I have negative thoughts in my head. My room mate Amran was lucky to be given one. Well, the idea of the rubber band is to sport it on your wrist, and whenever you say something negative or have negative thoughts, then you snap the rubber band. This can be a good habit especially when you are about to give a negative comment and you snap the band and from there you start giving positive comments. Hopefully one day it will make me give automated positive statements.

Lastly, the speaker that I was looking forward to was Kwong Yue Yang who now resides and working in Australia. His “Fortune Cookie” speech is my most viewed contest speech because it’s originality, humour and the message he delivered. I highly recommend you watch that speech which I thought should have won that year in 2011. He had two sessions during the Bali conference and I learnt a thing or two on how to inject humour into your script and yes, humour is a skill. Let’s not forget that. It was good to see his girlfriend tagging along and apparently she is his mentor. Keep up the great synergy and I do hope you make again to the finals next year. He is a true inspiration for all toastmasters and such a humble guy in person. What more can you ask for?

World Champion of Public Speaking 2015 Mohammed Qahtani delivering his talk and he had the biggest cheer of the day

I admire Kwong Yue Yang, another competent speaker who believes that humour is a skill, not just talent. Very useful tips he shared with us.

I kinda enjoyed Dinesh Viswani’s deconstruction of a humourous speech. Very detailed, clear and leaves a lasting impression.

I was happy to introduce our speaker Miranda Suryadjaja from Bali and she shared her tips on listening (everyone’s weakness)

Kwan, Hazwan, Laurence and Amran chilling after a long Gala dinner but we all had fun behind the scenes. Thank you, Kwan and Laurence for helping out last weekend.

The contest.

Of course, we were rooting for our Division K representatives Kamaliah (humourous) and Aaron (evaluation). It was also the first time that I attended a District level convention for these particular categories. Both speakers were drawn to deliver first in their respective categories (Man, what are the chances?) and I would have to say that they set the standard for the rest of the competition. For those in toastmasters, District Level and Division Level are a different ball game. In order to get to District, you must win Division level first.

In the evaluation speech contest, our first international delegate Alicia Curtis for next year’s convention in Brunei, was the test speaker and she shared her journey with Abby, her dog. My prediction was spot on for the podium finish. Aaron did his very best and squeezed in 2nd runner up while Ricky from Medan had an awesome delivery but perhaps lacking in content and ended up 1st runner-up. The District Champion for evaluation belonged to Rebecca Chieng of Kuching and she deserved it with her crisp, clear-cut analysis on Alicia’s speech.

During the contest, I could see my neighbour Laurence Dumling who kept jotting down points on her phone as she herself was once a finalist in District but missed out this year as she came second in Division Level. She would have given a good run for the money should she had competed last weekend because I know she’s very capable when I first saw her evaluation last year and wow, I finally found my role model to learn more on delivery and be more discipline in training myself to be a great evaluator.

As for the main event (humourous contest), it left me wondering if I was actually witnessing an Area level contest or a District Contest. The finalists failed to live the expectations and I felt embarrassed that our invited guest Kwong had to  endure the agony of listening to all the low quality of speeches with a few exceptions. Of course, for me the top two speakers Rebecca Chieng and winner Kamalia were awesome when on stage. The rest of the contestants weren’t up to District Level and it’s just maybe …. just maybe one of those years that the other divisions struggled to bring the best out of their toastmasters journey.

Kamalia kicked off the show and it was a never-ending episodes of entertainment and laughters. She was the only one that had clapping ovations and in the end, she was rewarded with a standing moments from section of the audience. It was already an amazing beginning to the contest and I was already worried if the rest could maintained it. It was not to be and not meant to be either.

The second speaker literally killed my enthusiasm when he showed deliberate signs of stereotyping and it was simply too offensive to my liking. This is something the his Division should address to the matter. I could go on and on for the rest of the contestants but I shall not humiliate further (Ok, I just snap the rubber band on my wrist).

Seng Yee preparing for the Gala dinner. A big appreciation for her for helping with the registration from Brunei and all the way to Bali and also willing to help with the minor things to make the event go smoothly. A good team player.

Our champions in Division K and they excelled in District Level. Kamalia won in Humourous Contest while Aaron came 2nd runner up in Speech Evaluation. Rebecca Chieng from Kuching was the best performer for winning the Speech Evaluation and coming 2nd in Humourous.

Once again, our club managed to achieve President’s Distinguished Club for 2014-2015. Posing behind is our Immediate Past President Hazwan Kamarulzaman.

Shawn can really rock the crowd as he showed during the welcoming dinner at Harris Hotel’s garden area

The choo-choo train…

Shawn again…

and yes… Shawn again…

Kwong Yue Yang documenting the welcoming dinner

The Strongest Division.

So what I have learnt from this contest is that our Division K (Brunei, Sabah and Labuan) is pretty, pretty strong and I am proud of it because it’s also a testament on how Division K work so hard collectively as a unit from time to time. Reuben Chin has a been a great ambassador as our Division K Director and he has been flying in and out to visit different clubs in Sabah and maintain that strong bond within the Division.

New friends, newer bonds.

I believe that’s the intention – to foster and empower individuals and that can made possible through having special bonds between one another. I created new bonds with friends from Indonesia, Sabah and even from down under (Australia & New Zealand). These small gestures made a huge difference for a successful conference and not just attending educational sessions or witnessing the contests. It’s deeper than that and the reward will be much more fulfilling.

I’ve never received many business cards until last weekend. Well, I was pitching and encouraging toastmasters from different parts of the world to visit Brunei and be part of next’s convention in November 2016 which means I had to carry out a bit of homework and laying the foundation first. The responses have been quite encouraging and I truly hope that the event next year will be a blast because I believe the team can turn it into a memorable and magical moment.

Pranika never looked happier *inside joke*

An interesting welcoming dinner concept

All eyes on the World Champion of Public Speaking 2015

Sandy taking a photo pop with the Mohammed Qahtani

I’m impressed with Stuart Lee being the contest chair for the Humourous Contest and he’s also one of the sponsors for the event.

I had a great connection with my role model whom is an awesome speech evaluator. I will definitely see you and the gang when I visit Sabah next time.

It’s good to see Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club receiving an award

Before the big Gala dinner, we all had Burger King. I forgot to pay you Hazwan or are you “belanja-ing” us? 😀

The theme for the Gala dinner was Red and Black. This is the powerpoint and media table for the slides and music. It may looked easy but it wasn’t. You really have to focus and be alert. Well done, Nina and Seng Yee.

Pranika was one of the most popular toastmaster because she was always being picked on *lol* Then again, she had the best seat in the educational session where she given the opportunity to see right in front of Mohammed Qahtani. Pranika also made an impact as many spoke highly of her during the convention. Definitely an asset to our Area K6 and also to the organizing committee for next year’s convention

My appreciations.

Before I end, I would like to give a big shout out to Shawn Narcis and his wing-person Ruey Narcis on the amazing job in making our journey to Bali possible and also taking care of us despite your busy schedules. To me, Shawn has been a great ambassador for toastmasters in our Division and also to the District. If I were to choose, he will be our Toastmaster of the Year. A shoutout also to Rozana Yunos who pulled off a great Gala Dinner and we even had impromptu emcees to ease Hawzan’s role during the award ceremony. A job well done also to Shawn’s co-organising chair Liana Kwan in making the convention in Bali a success.

Most of all, I would like to appreciate the Brunei toastmasters for making it this far to Bali. It does mean a lot when you travel all the way from Brunei to attend a conference. It’s the small things that matter and you all have make a difference. Hence, the tagline for my convention in Brunei is “Making a Difference”. I look forward for next year’s conference in Sandakan hopefully if my travel plans permit.

Thank you once again for a memorable and magical convention. If you be in those moment, you will truly enjoy and I did. Peace out 😀

Quote from Shawn for the Brunei toastmaster group: “I miss all of you. Now only since I am back in Brunei, thinking of how great the event went, without each and everyone of you, the success would never have happened. I would like to apologize if I did anything wrong to hurt any of you. If I did, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“The experience, the journey and the learning are only because we all are toastmasters from one District. That is why what we do, what we say, helped the members in our District. We will surely be stronger (as members of toastmasters). We all have wanted to learn what is toastmasters and now you know what toastmasters have given you. They have given you a new family who is willing to support your growth. So again, from the bottom of my heart , I love you, my toastmaster family.”

Dalton was the young hero of the weekend. A little gesture but it means a lot to Datin and she treats Dalton as her grandson. Awwwww.. Good job, Dalton.

Nur Iskandar and Allen trying to hold their laughs during the humourous speech contest.

My photo opportunity with Kwong. Let’s hope your fortune is brighter in the next competition.

International Director Patrick Oei with the toastmasters delegates

Truly had a good time with the committee. Truly proud of what we achieved even though it was in a foreign land.

One of the toughest job and that is finance. Allen Ang is in charge and it’s never an easy task to carry out.