Apparently BIBD will be launching their BIBD Online tomorrow. It was hinted during the Think Big Innovate 2011. Now the time has come. Follow @BIBD on Twitter for updates

DST have quite a big space at the TechXpo. They are going aggressive with their branding – The Future. Now

This is a cool design and they are expanding their wings to other areas

ITPSS will also be participating at TechXpo

ITPSS is also running a website design competition and you can find more about it during the TechXpo. Click image to see more details

The AITI booth will be showcasing the companies that have been given grants for their ICT projects

Oh, guests can also participate in a raffle quiz and you can stand a chance to win fantastic prizes

b.mobile will be unveiling their own Android tablet at TechXpo

The worker is rushing to be on time for the TechXpo opening

This is the first time Concepts Computer taking a huge space to showcase their latest powerful notebook – Acer Aspire S3

Richard from Acer talked about the power of the Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook. Price will be BND 1,188 and there will be mystery gifts given while stock last and you can also purchase Acer Ext HDD 500G for BND 39 only if you get the notebook. This deal is only applicable at TechXpo.

Mel from DST holding the Angry Birds sign for the upcoming contest at TechXpo

You can pre-register by printing this out and there will also be walk-in registration at TechXpo. There will be daily prizes from Thursday to Sunday for top scores. Click image for bigger image to print. Good luck!!

Taiwan exhibitors are here too and there are a few companies from Taiwan

EGNC have a massive booth as well. You can learn about the e-darussalam portal

Comms Harris & Co will be showcasing their touchscreen and targeting corporate companies

There’s a section called “Incrediworld” inteactive theme park where you have to pay $3 to enter and there will be a mirror maze, some optical illusions and many more.

The STEP Centre of Ministry of Education will be taking care of the Robot competition which was quite popular last year

The much anticipated N9 will make its debut at TechXpo. Price unsure yet.

This was taken by @Jo8bean and it posted on Twitter this evening. Apparently this was at Jangsak area and it caused a lot of traffic congestion. It was not known what was the cause of it.

Another picture by @Jo8bean. Imagine if it was crude oil *lol*

Image taken from Midz’ FB. A close-up view of the water bursting from the road.

Click image to enter Facebook page

Get your tickets now and enjoy our local talented students

LANEIGE Broadway Musical is back again this year to be held on 26 November 2011. The responses from secondary schools have been very encouraging. There are 20 secondary schools that are going to compete in this charity competition performing some famous scenes from popular Broadway musicals like The Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Sound of Music, Mama Mia, Oliver, Wicked, Grease, High School Musical, etc.

This is the 2nd year that LANEIGE co-organizes the competition with the Department of Schools, Ministry of Education. It was a remarkable, educational and meaningful occasion in 2010. There were great opportunities in discovering young peoples’ talents, energy, imagination and leadership skills. These were recognized in their contributions to each performance. There was a variety of development and creativity in music, communication, teamwork and culture exchange. Students were able to be part of and enjoy a number of musical performances within the local arena and this had never been experienced before.

On another level, LANEIGE and the Ministry of Education wishes to emphasise that the main objective of organizing this charity competition within schools is really to raise the awareness in the public to look after those who are less fortunate. Through this charity competition, LANEIGE and the Ministry of Education wants to particularly encourage a wide spectrum of our youths today on the need to be more caring and compassionate. Our youths are our future: they would be the ones to continue to look after and manage the country. This charity competition is at the same a way to provide a platform and to expose students’ talents and creativity.

Another important reason is we to give an opportunity to students to communicate, perform and develop artistically in English language. With the continuous support of Ministry of Education and generous sponsors including: HSBC, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Jasra Harrisons Sdn Bhd, Milo, Royal Brunei Catering Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Shalim (B) Sdn Bhd, Nyuk Lian Printing Company, Ranoadidas, Red Dot Studio, CFBT, Studio Scene and Brunei English Language Teacher Association.

In addition, there will more to explore during the event, delicious irresistible foodies will be available on the day at the event like Bunny’s Yummies, Scoop Frozen Yogurt, Chicken pie by RBC, and many more food surprises to be arranged by the kind support of Brunei Food Bloggers.

The LANEIGE Broadway Musical Charity Competition 2011 will be held at the ICC Main conference Hall on 26 NOV 2011 at 1pm. Tickets are now available on sales at all LANEIGE branches (the mall 2428222, Kiulap 2232282, K.B. 3347217). 100% of ticket sales would be donated to KACA and Pusat Bahagia. To enjoy a meaningful and enjoyable afternoon of Broadway Musicals,for a good cause, get your tickets now for a wonderful afternoon with family and friends.

At the press conference last Monday held at STPRI

The coaches and teachers also attended the press conference

The media wants to be part of it too? :p

Patricia, Marketing Manager of LANEIGE holding the poster

Group photo with committee, sponsors, judges and coaches

Images from last year’s Musical Broadway at OGH

Images from last year’s Musical Broadway at OGH

Royal Brunei Catering will launch the Malaysia Food Festival at The Airport Restaurant on 27 October 2011 (Thursday).The multi-cultural, multi-colours of life with its traditional culinary delights such as Nasi Lemak, Satay, Roti Prata, Penang Fried Kway Teow, Sarawak Laksa, Asam Laksa and Tea Tarik and many more choices. According to Chef Izan, the food will be represented by 14 States of Malaysia so you will get a variety of dishes and they have 5 cycles in a week.

Also “Mr Meor, the Raja Tea Tarik / Raja Canai specialist” and “Mr Jack, the Caricaturist (Cartoonist)” specially flown in from Kuala Lumpur is back in town to serve and draw your portrait throughout the promotional period.

This is a joint effort with all RBC promotion partners for Malaysia Food Festival 2011. They are namely Tourism Malaysia, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad, Cyberview Resort and Spa, Kuala Lumpur, Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa, Pulau Duyong, Kuala Trengganu, Belum Rainforest Resort, Pulau Banding, Gerik and Century Travel Sdn Bhd.

During the promotional period, there will be Buffet Lunch and Dinner available at The Airport Restaurant. The Buffet Lunch served daily from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm at B$19.90 per adult andB$10.00 per child. The Buffet Dinner served daily from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at B$29.90 per adult and B$15.00 per child. For reservations, please call 2339207 / 2331853.

On the other hand, the Ala Carte menu for the Malaysian food is available at Seasons Restaurant during the Malaysia Food Festival from 27 October to 9 November 2011. Dishes include Sup Ekor Lembu Bangsar, Prawns with Cereal, Lamb Shank Beryani, Satay Kajang and Assam Laksa Penang. For further details, please call 2422291 / 2.

There will be exclusive discounts for BIBD cardholders during the promotional period. BIBD MasterCard Gold 10%; BIBD MasterCard Classic and BIBD Debit Card 8%.

Plenty of dishes to choose from such as briyani and satay kajang (bigger in size) and the satay sauce is different. The Kueh are Nyonya ones

Sambal prawn petai, one of the Nyonya dishes, available during the Malaysian Food Festival

Chef Mohd Izan and Noramizah will be serving you with a smile

There will be 12 Lucky Draw Prizes to be won in this food promotion which is the 1st time they have the most lucky draw prizes in one promotion. The prizes are sponsored by Tourism Malaysia, Ri-Yaz Hotels Sdn Bhd and Resort and Century Travel.

Lucky Draw Prizes sponsored by Tourism Malaysia.
1) One return air ticket with Hotel Package to Penang.
2) One Hotel Package to Kuala Lumpur.
3) One Hotel Package to Malacca.

Lucky Draw prizes sponsored by Ri-Yaz Hotels & Resort Sdn Bhd
4) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Deluxe Chalet with breakfast for two persons at Cyberview Resort and Spa, Kuala Lumpur. See pictures below of the Resort.
5) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Deluxe Chalet with breakfast for two persons at Cyberview Resort and Spa, Kuala Lumpur.
6) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Serambi Deluxe Chalet with breakfast for two persons at Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa, Pulau Duyong, Kuala Trengganu.
7) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Serambi Deluxe Chalet with breakfast for two persons at Ri-Yaz Heritage Marina Resort & Spa, Pulau Duyong, Kuala Trengganu.
8) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Superior Room with breakfast for two persons at Belum Rainforest Resort, Pulau Banding, Gerik.
9) One Voucher of 2 days 1 night stay in a Superior Room with breakfast for two persons at Belum Rainforest Resort, Pulau Banding, Gerik.

The Deluxe Queen room and this room looks pretty cozy and ideal for a getaway. Click image to enter their official website and find out more

The view of the pool waterfall.. Fantastic scenery at CyberView Resort & Spa

The Sembunyi Spa at CyberView Resort & Spa

Lucky Draw prizes sponsored by Century Travel
10) B$100 century vouchers which customers can use to purchase tours/ hotels/packages in Malaysia.
11) B$50 century vouchers, which customers can purchase either tours/hotels/packages in Malaysia.
12) B$50 century vouchers, which customers can purchase either tours/hotels/packages in Malaysia.

Minister of Communications YB Pehin Dato Hj Abdullah delivering his keynote address at ThinkBig Innovate 2011 last week. He was talking about innovation and holding a classic cassette tape. Image by Sim of Media Permata.

“Being a relatively small populated country, Brunei does not as yet have a critical mass of local ICT talent that is able to fully leverage and offset ICT related jobs, professions and positions in the government, as well as the private sectors. Hence we are now seriously looking into further building a pool of local ICT talent as such. The new talent pool will become ‘the foundation for our home grown base of ICT experts,’ professionals that will eventually meet and aspire to meet worldwide standards in ICT competency.” – Quote from The Minister of Communications. For more story, click here, courtesy of Izam Said Ya’akub of The Brunei Times.

Speaking of cassettes, I thought this caption is hilarious

There are lots of positive comments from Sri Lembayung, a new authentic Padang Food Restaurant in town and it is located at Kiulap (Behind HSBC Kiulap and this place was also formerly known as Seafood Paradise). The official opening was last Saturday and it was officiated by Datin Hjh Maimoonah Hj Omar, spouse of the Minister of Home Affairs.

According to Farah Abdullah, there are more than 40 different dishes to choose from and of course, there is also a choice to be spicy if you want. They will have a karaoke section upstairs which is still not opened yet.

The last day of promotion is 27th October, Thursday and the current promotion is 50% of the current menu. For bookings, you can 223 – 1788 and you can [click here] for more pictures.

Guest of honour officiating the opening of Sri Lembayung. Click image to see more photos

The media trying out the delicious dishes at Sri Lembayung. Click image to see more photos

The different dishes to choose from.. One of them is Cow’s Brain *lol*

The waiters will be there to serve to your table

Hilarious, fabulous, 3 thumbs up. These words werent enough to describe the JUMP event. They were so much buzz about the event ever since the advert came out in the papers. The tickets were FREE so most of the tickets were snapped up within a few days. I was fortunate enough to get some formal invitation from the Korean Embassy (Thanks, Kim). However, there was a moment of panic because the crowd just kept on coming and there weren’t enough seats to cater the rest.

So the organisers had no choice but to allow the remaining guests to stand up during the show. I actually spent the whole time standing up and there was a moment where I had a toe cramp from standing too long *lol* I had to take off my shoes to wiggle and relax my toes. Great thing the lighting was low and plus the audience were glued to the stage.

Back to the show…. JUMP… Ok, this musical/martial art show is a non-verbal performance. Who says you need verbal communication to get the message across? Most of the performance were based on body movement/language and sound effects. There were many great “spots” and it was so difficult to recall because there were plenty. But once I recalled it, I would just laugh with my mates, recapping the funny moments.

I believed most of the audience really enjoyed the show. Even those standing won’t mind a single bit while watching the whole show. According to the organisers, almost 2,800 people turned up last night and it was probably the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel. Even parking was a hassle. But all those tiny hassles didn’t stop us from enjoy the show.

I thought it was only a few hundred people turning up. I was wrong

He was nice enough to address the crowd situation and funny too

I think someone spotted me taking a shot

Sometimes I wish the screen was at a certain angle

Jefri and Lisa really enjoyed the show, judging from their expression

Anais Maro and Mark sawers were there too

I’m glad I brought these ladies over

I managed to interview one of the casts, Yoongab Hong (who plays the father role). He shared his experiences and he has been a cast for JUMP for seven years already. Sometimes I wonder how much they get paid since it’s a full time job for them. Their only break is during summer vacation and the rest of the year, they will be touring to different countries. To date, they have traveled to 40 countries and performed 8,000 shows… Wow!!!

Actually, having martial arts skill is not necessary as they will be trained over-time. For Yoongab’s case, he loves acting hence you can see why most of the funny gestures came from him last night. He does have some background in taekwondo to start off with. Before JUMP, he joined another martial arts show and he was proud that he was accepted a cast member of JUMP later. He loves the heart of Bruneians and he talked about the peacefulness of the country.

I do hope they get invited back again to Brunei and thank you once again to the Korean Embassy for inviting the crew of JUMP to Brunei. These guys really rock and even my buddies Sophia and Winnie were so into them and we managed to take some shots with the casts. This was definitely one of the highlights of the year – Awesome!!!

Ash Sha, did you spot me again? haha

Korean Ambassador addressing a short speech

The audience were truly entertained by the performance

…. and the laughter couldn’t even stop

It was so packed that some of them sat on the floor

It was happening at The Grand Hall last night

Great speakers, great learning experience. That’s what I gained from Asia Inc Forum Think Big Innovate 2011. Inspirational speakers such as Derek Sivers and Ann Burgraff and I’m super impressed with Joon Yeng Hew, a technopreneur who developed the Pigeonhole Live (a progam ideal for Q&A especially in big conferences).

This was one of the best Think Big forum that I’ve attended in recent years and I enjoyed almost all the sessions. The final session on Social Media, Brand and Entrepreneurship capped off a great day which of course led on to the first Brunei Online forum the following day.

Now I’m already looking forward to next year’s Think Big Innovate 2011.

Big crowd at Asia Inc Forum/iCentre Think Big Innovate 2011

Shaun asking a word or two for Derek Sivers’ advice

A few students were also invited to the Think Big Innovate 2011

The Pigeonhole software that I was talking about earlier on

Birthday boy Keeran Janin asking the panel

Hello ladies from the Asia Inc Forum and a cool guy from Borneo Bulletin *lol*

Ann Burgraff (in pink) was one of the attendees at Think Big Innovate 2011

Delwin aka @bruneitweet talked about the impact of Social Media

Derek Sivers, Joon Yeng Hew, Azhani Daniel and Delwin Keasberry during the final session

I asked this question through Pigeonhole and the reply was “Yes, it did affect the newspaper advertisement print as RBA also made use of social media to market themselves”

Hiro of Social Deal, Reeda Malik of AnakBrunei, Jayden Sia and Marul of BIBD

THE Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011 ended with a bang for QAF FC ‘B’ last night in more ways than one. The hosts were down 3-2 to Malaysia’s LTS FC in the last 30 seconds of the final match and needed a draw to finish as champions.

The tension in the air was palpable, and in a series of controversial events which turned the game on its head, Mardi Mirza Abdullah was fouled by LTS FC’s Mohd Fahmi Mohd Yusoff.

Twin brother Hardi Bujang retaliated with a punch, and needless to say, it soon turned into a fracas involving both teams. When met later the referee surprisingly claimed he just saw Mohd Fahmi’s misdeed which was why he only sent the Malaysian player, and not Hardi, to an early shower.

Long story short, Mardi went on to equalise through the ensuing free-kick and steal the title at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Text by Jason Thomas of The Brunei Times [Click here].

HRH Prince Hj Sufri, the Honorary President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam with QAF FC the champions of Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

HRH Prince Hj Sufri, the Honorary President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam with LTS team from Malaysia, 1st Runner-up of Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

LTS scored from penalty for the lead but only for QAF FC to score the equaliser with 30 seconds left to play to win the tournament

It was a tough match with a LTS player being sent off in a heated final

QAF FC coach trying to calm his players down after the final whitsle

Hardy was the top scorer of the tournament

The winner of the Samsung II of the lucky draw from Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

The winner of the flight ticket of the lucky draw from Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

Some of the ladies that helped out during Red Bull Tri-Nations Cup 2011

This is what I see in Brunei.. There is a lot of fear whenever she senses something physically wrong with her body especially relating to breast. I attended the Jerudong Park Medical Centre Public Breast Cancer Awareness Forum to learn some pointers about “Breast Cancer” last Sunday.

Dato Dr. Babu Sukumaran talked about the risk factors and getting the early detection of breast cancer. He shared that there is a higher risk among Asian nations lately due to our changes in diet (more Western intake) and this can be a factor that lead to cancer and heart diseases.

He advised the ladies if you notice anything unusual. Check out the changes you should be aware of:-

a) Change in size – one is bigger than the other
b) Nipple inverted
c) Rash
d) Discharge from one/both nipples
e) Puckering or dimpling of the skin
f) Swelling under the armpit or around the collarbone
g) A lump or thickening in the breast
h) Pain in one part of the breast or in the underarm

So if you have any of these changes, I suggest you pay a visit to the National Cancer Centre, JPMC or call 261 0222/ 261 1433 ext 2510/2515. It was mentioned by Dato Dr. Babu that some women are shy when it came to this and they rather try traditional methods which is the wrong move as the cancer can spread as it wasn’t treated properly when detected earlier.

I was moved by Ms Masjuwita, President of Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group (BCSG) and she has been very active in promoting awareness in Brunei with the help of her friends in the support group. She shared her experiences as a breast cancer survivor and how she dealt the situation when when she found out that she had breast cancer. It was her strength, determination and will power that made her through the pain and fears. She is a role model for many and don’t be afraid to ask her anything as she’s very open-minded about this issue 🙂 You can join their facebook [Click here]

Also present during the Public Breast Cancer Awareness Forum were Dr. Hj. Muhd Syafiq, Executive Director of National Cancer Centre, Dr. Chitra Karat, Head of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department, JPMC and Mr. Todd McPherson, Psychologist, JPMC.

The forum was part of Breast Cancer Awareness month which falls in October. Lots of the attendees were wearing pink to create awareness of such cause.

Want to know more? Join them on Facebook.. Click image to find out more

Dato Dr. Babu talked about what you need to know about breast cancer

The attendees that attended the forum last Sunday

The attendees that attended the forum last Sunday

Ms. Masjuwita, a cancer survivor and the President of Brunei Breast Cancer Support Group

I should be trying this out for once 😀 More on the LEAP program and it’s highly recommended for start-ups

Click image to enter Facebook page

Are you fan of CNBlue? or for this case, any Korean band? I watched some of their music videos and they are pretty good. Now you guys get a chance to watch CNBlue at Bangkok in mid-November and the catch is you have to purchase Holika Holika’s Garden Recipe Set and fill in the form for the lucky draw.

Did you know that the Brunei partner Braun On of Holika Holika will be bringing 30 WINNERS…. Yes, 30 winners to Bangkok to catch CNBlue… Now that’s a big sum and it’s a good chance for shoppers to stand a chance to fly to Bangkok.

The entry forms are available at any Holika Holika branch at Times Square, Hua Ho Yayasan, Hua Ho Kiulap and The Mall and the last day of entry is 6th November 2011. The draw itself will take place on 8th November 2011.

The 30 winners will be awarded to a three-day two-night trip to Bangkok, along with hotel accommodation, concert tickets, spending money, and a chance to meet the band in person. Now that’s what I call an awesome promotion.

Will both Denise and Sim Yuan win a chance to fly to Bangkok?

Some of the products at Holika Holika

Denise sending her form for the lucky draw

The lucky draw box will be drawn on 8th November

Carol also tried her luck to catch the Korean band

So do shop at Holika Holika at The Mall, Times Square, Hua Ho Yayasan and Hua Ho Kiulap

Convergence 2011 is a start-up event in Brunei. Convergence 2011 will take place at the BMW Brunei Showroom, Beribi on Saturday 12th November 2011 from 6.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. It will be a sponsored dinner event, and will feature three speakers who will engage in dialogue to the theme “From Success to Significance”.

It will be a private by invitation-only event purposed to Inspire, Challenge and Motivate the following segments of Brunei’s Next Generation: Students, Fresh-Graduates, Entrepreneurs, Visionary Executives, Start-Up’s, Members from the Local Creative Industry and the Innovators of Brunei.

About 100 of Brunei’s Next Generation will hear from three speakers: Nor Alizulrainee Ali Yusop, an education officer at the Special Education Unit (Ministry of Education); Dato Hamdillah, a local entrepreneur with interests across a number of industries; Lai Pei-Si, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Brunei.

According to Lai Pei-Si, Chief Executive Officer and Head of Consumer Banking for Standard Chartered Bank Brunei: “We are extremely delighted to be part of this brand new initiative. At Standard Chartered Bank, we believe in making a difference to the communities in which we operate and we hope that we will make a positive impact through this opportunity to share inspiring stories alongside other key speakers.”

This start-up event will also allow for lively networking opportunities set in the backdrop of the BMW Brunei Showroom, Beribi. Convergence 2011 is hosted by the people behind ProjekBrunei.com and is proudly sponsored by BMW Brunei, Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and The Brunei Hotel. The event is also supported by the Brunei Halal brand.

For more information, please email Delwin Keasberry at convergence@projekbrunei(dot)com [Text courtesy of @bruneitweet]

Delwin speaking to the media yesterday at the press conference

Delwin Keasberry of projekbrunei.com, Lai Pei-Sei, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Brunei and Roger Fletcher, General Manager of QAF Auto

CITIBANK kicked off its sixth annual Global Community Day on October 22, 2011 where more than 45,000 volunteers from Citibank around the globe are coming together to make a positive difference in their respective communities.

Here, the event kicked off at Ward 3 of Ripas Hospital. Citibank Managing Director, Terence Cuddyre gave an opening speech where he spoke about Citi-volunteer events that are going on in the Asia-Pacific region today. The guest of honour, Hjh Siti Mariam Hj Md Jaafar, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, then presented a certificate of appreciation to Cuddyre.

The highlight of the event was the official launching of the Child Protection Facility in Ward 3. It is hoped that it would help to facilitate and care for the children’s needs and welfare. One of the wards that was visited as well was the new Paediatric Haemato-Oncology Unit where Cuddyre and the guest of honour gave toys and gifts to the children.

Citibank also collaborated with International School of Brunei (ISB), where 35 students including their teachers volunteered to spend time. Text by Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times

There was mascot entertaining at Children’s ward

ISB students playing with the children

The facility that Citibank contributed at the children ward at RIPAS

Yenny talking to Furqan about his hobby

Furqan has this room since he was 1 years old. He is now 8. I really like his room

Singing to the kid at the Children ward

Citibank taking photo opportunity with Mickey and Minnie

Terrence Cuddrye, Managing Director of Citibank Brunei, with the ISB students

So if you have encounter problems with acne or dry skin or even the sun ray, you can call the skin therapists from Dermalogist Beauty Therapy 234 2928 or 871 6680and yes, consultation is FREE too.

The products from Dermalogica. Do find out which one suits you

Get your skin analysied and try their facial treatment

It’s open from Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6:30pm

Click image to enter Facebook page

You can pre-register by printing this out and there will also be walk-in registration at TechXpo. There will be daily prizes from Thursday to Sunday for top scores. Click image for bigger image to print. Good luck!!

Concepts Computer announced the arrival of the new Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook in Brunei at its main branch in Kiulap. In his opening speech, Concepts General Manager Vincent Pao said the Aspire S3 is designed to meet the demands of modern notebook users who want to maximise their time wherever they go.

“The new Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook combines the power and productivity of notebooks and essential features of the smartphone and tablet PC, such as fast startup and Internet connectivity,” he said. “The Acer S3 is expected to lead a new growth momentum for Acer’s notebooks to offer our customers the complete range of mobile products with attractive and immediate technology,” added Pao.

The Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook measures only 13mm thin and weighs less than 1.4kg. The ultra slim aerodynamic design features a strong and lightweight aluminium or magnesium alloy chassis, its lid is made out of fingerprint free metal finish which gives off a clean finish and a texture which is smooth as silk.

Customers can either go for the 320GB HDD with embedded SSD or the 240GB SSD which offers an ultra fast access and ample media and data storage. Concepts announced that the latter will be available in Brunei in the month of November. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei TImes. [Click here to read more].

For the high specs of Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook, it will be launched during the TechXpo this week at ICC. So do check it out!!!!!

Unveiling the latest Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook at Concepts Computer

Check out the TechXpo at ICC starting Thursday. This is bound to be a hit in Brunei

Vincent being interviewed by the press

This was a hilarious moment on TV last night. He received a yellow card for this after scoring the first goal. At least, he smiled when he was subbed. Yeah, this guy hardly smiled.

I remember Gunners fans felt terrible during their demolition at Old Trafford (8-2) beginning of the season. That was the talked of the town even for other football fans and it dragged on for weeks. This week, Old Trafford stole the thunder for a different reason – being mauled by their noisy neighbours.

Tweets were flooding in. Man Utd fans were shell-shocked. Even Sir Alex Ferguson claimed it was the worst he has experienced and indeed it was SAF’s darkest day. But I’m pretty sure that SAF has something up his sleeves. He had been there, done that. I still question Rio’s defending though. With much experience, he should have close his defence well despite the numerical disadvantage. The 3 goals conceded in a space of 3 minutes was a total shocker and a 3-1 defeat would have been a fair result.

To me, 6-1 score line was a bit harsh but that perhaps summed up the mood at Old Trafford and also the players. I remember when I was watching the 4-1 drubbing by Liverpool live at Old Trafford few years back. The atmosphere was pretty sombre and I had difficulty celebrating at the Man Utd fans area. The defeat was Man Utd’s first but I believe they have the squad to defend their title. A 5-point cushion by City is a good indicator that MC have shown credentials to be a contender apart from Chelsea.

Blues went down to QPR but not without a fight

I was amazed by the Blues performance though. Chelsea had a daunting task at QPR with 9 men on field for the next 50 minutes. Yes, people might compare QPR that they don’t have a star-studded team but let’s not take that away from them. They have 3 wins and 3 draws which show that they have the qualities to be in the BPL.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, it seemed that QPR were playing with 9 men, not the other way round. I was asking myself, how was this possible? Chelsea playing away with 9 men and yet still dominating? I realised how much hunger and desire these lads have compared to the Red Devils who were playing at their own home turf and self-destructed themselves in the 2nd half.

I bet Datuk’ Tony Fernandes was at the edge of his seat watching this game. I was actually more moved by this match than the derby ones. Well, for one reason – Chelsea had the chance to score at many occasions but I still want QPR to win, hence the excitement *lol* So this is a good lesson for Red Devils to see how the Blues really showed up with their hunger, determination and desire.

This was never in the script. For Newcastle to be undefeated after 9 games. Well, they haven’t played the big boys just yet apart from Arsenal. But WOWW!!!.. this is still quite impressive standing for a team that sold the likes of Carroll, Enrique and Barton. Last weekend, they beat Wigan and now they are sitting fourth in the Premier League.

Do they need to spend? I believe so if they want to sustain especially in the 2nd half of the season. But of all the clubs, I’m quite impressed with Newcastle’s resilience in grinding out results. I’m sure Newcastle fans are on a high now..

I should have Cabaye on my Fantasy Football League. He’s been in good form

The promotion ends 6th November 2011 and you will also get $10 petrol vouchers. Awesome deal!!!

Click image to find out more.. A chance for you to win a Macbook Air 😀

After a successful one last year, it’s happening once again in November

Radziah binti Sulaiman is all smiles after opening the cap of a 2L bottle of her favourite O3 Ice Lemon Tea. Because she found out that she won a Netbook – clearly written on the cap.

The Netbook is one of the major prizes of the O3 Sporting Cap Surprise promotion by O3 Lemon Tea & Green Tea. And the promotion is still on until end of this year 31st December, which the grand prizes of iPhone and iPad2 or Galaxy Tab are still waiting to be won instantly by any O3 consumer. To win is very easy. All you need to do is only to buy any O3 drink – whether of 500ml bottle or the big pack 2L – twist open and look under the bottle cap for a chance to win a surprise prize. Many have already walked away with Easi card, KFC & Rasamas Voucher, Pendrives and free drinks.

O3 is a healthy and refreshing drink that has 2 flavours – Green Tea and Lemon Tea. Ms Yeo, Marketing Manager of Aiking Trading said, O3 uses only the selected well-known Taiwanese premium tea and O3 Lemon Tea has been improved with a new icy taste that is ultimate thirst-quenching and soothing to drink. O3 is available in all major supermarkets, departmental stores, mini-marts and kedai-kedai runcit.

Radziah won a netbook from 03. Presenting the prize was Mr. Khai Yeo, Manager of Aiking

Radziah holding the winning cap of 03

A few more fantastic prizes to be won… Ends 31st December 🙂

The Sabah Travel Fair will end on Sunday and it was launched today at The Mall and the it was officiated by Mohd Riza bin Dato Paduka Hj Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Industry and Primary Resources and Datuk Sari Suhut, Deputy Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board.

The event was organised by Tourism Malaysia (Brunei office) and the opening ceremony was pretty entertaining especially from the Sabahan performance. During the fair, there will be special promotions and update on latest information and upcoming products Sabah has to offer. Visitors can win attractive prizes through participation in games and quizzes held daily.

Fact: Did you know that Sabah has received 110,000 visitors from Brunei alone in 2010? As of now, Sabah has recorded 63,000 visitors from Brunei which is an 11% increase.

I was amazed by their performances this morning.. Salutes!!!

Pretty Sabahan ladies on stage

The crowd were surely entertained

Visiting the RBA booth and this is a strong sector for KK route

Now this is interesting. MASwings might be making its way to Brunei next year. If approved, they will fly to KK and Kuching *fingers crossed* Find out more about them at Sabah Travel Fair

Guest of honour visiting Ming Garden Hotel booth

Jennifer Tay, Director of Sales, Ming Garden Hotel (centre) and her team promoting the upcoming new hotel in KK

The Ming Garden Hotel will be open in December. Click image to enter website

The Studio Residence Room at Ming Garden Hotel

The Deluxe Room at Ming Garden Hotel

It’s FREE but limited seats. Try your luck 😀

Thank you @pigeonhole for the Q&A during the event #socmedBN

Click poster above to listen recorded audio streaming of forum. Guest speakers @timothy_ongTM @bruneiresources @keeranj @emmagoodegg @bruneitweet and many more

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Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah presented a mock cheque to UNISSA debating team who beat UBD in the BSP UBD Green Debate 2011 Final for the university category. The motion of the debate is “The Media are more effective than legislation in protecting the environment” and UNISSA was the opposition team. Nurul Huda Sarbini of UNISSA (middle) was named best speaker. Photo courtesy of Vincent

Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah presented a mock cheque to Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali debating team who beat Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok in the BSP UBD Green Debate 2011 Final for the pre-university category. The motion of the debate is “The youth of Brunei will be the main driver of change needed to deliver the sustainability golas of Wawasan 2035” and SMSA was the opposition team. Abidah Syazwani of SMSA was named best speaker. Photo courtesy of Vincent

“Hello Alto” is the new gimmick from Boustead Sdn Bhd for their latest promotion on Suzuki Alto. Why? Because for those who purchase Suzuki Alto until 29th November, you will get the goodies from Hello Kitty as part of the package promotion. At the showroom, you will be able to see Hello Kitty stickers on Suzuki Alto but of course, the stickers will be taken out once on the road :p

Back in September, Boustead also had a theme involving Adidas and customers were given Adidas merchandise such as football, backpack, waist bag, sports bottle and an Adidas watch.

Suzuki Alto is quite a hit in Brunei because of its affordable price. So drop by Boustead showroom to check out Suzuki Alto to find more about the “Hello Alto” promotion.

The current “Hello Alto” promotion at Boustead Showroom

Can you picture me driving with Hello Kitty Alto?

The goodies from Hello Kitty

The Hello Kitty arch outside Boustead

They even have soft toys

They will serve you for those who drop by the showroom

On behalf of DeStress Bodyworks, a big thank you for your valuable support to enable them to celebrate their 8th Anniversary this year. They have prepared a varities of promotion offers as a way to saying “Thank You”.

Their popular 6-times massage for $108 is back and you may sign up to a maximum of 2 package from now till 30th November 2011. They will also be having a DeStress Open day 28th – 30th October 11.

There will be Free Skin consultation by Ms. Adeline Loh, Celmonze Beauty Instructor with 25 years of experience from Celmonze Academy. There will be free gifts and instant lucky draws as part of their celebration.

ICT companies in Brunei will now have better aid in terms of financial support for their company startups and help boost further the entrepreneur ecosystem in the country. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between AITI, BEDB and DST for ‘The Future Fund’.

This is a follow up from an earlier MoU between DST and iCentre whereby iCentre agreed to partner the Future Fund in a number of different areas such as, but not limited to, application to the fund, evaluation and incubation. The memorandum will define the framework within which each company will review promising Bruneian ICT companies and nurture Bruneian enterprise.

The event was held at the DST Headquarters yesterday afternoon. Present to witness the signing as the Guest of Honor, was Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Deputy Minister of Prime Minister’s office and the Chairman of BEDB. Other guests include AITI, BEDB and DST officials.

The Future Fund serves as a new early stage fund that benefits the founders of new companies and allows bootstrapping of viable business ideas through this initial funding. A promising start-up may expect early seed equity investment from $50,000 to $150,000. The Future Fund aims to fund at least 3-4 companies annually.

Now there’s more money/capital for you to make your ideas turn to reality

Representing BEDB, DST, AITI and iCentre and with their collaboration, the Future Fund has been made possible

A big shout out to AITI 🙂

Under this initiative, the fund is designed to create business opportunities for ICT companies in Brunei and provides budding entrepreneurs with a platform to test out their business propositions in the market. The Future Fund will primarily invest in ICT related startups to promote further ICT development in the country, especially in areas such as gaming, mobile applications, national broadband infrastructure related services, content aggregation and content production. Furthermore, follow on equity funding will be provided if the project is proven viable.

In addition to the funding provided the joint fund members comprising of AITI, BEDB, DST and iCentre will also provide mentorship, training and support to the companies in order to increase their potential of success in the commercial area. Funded companies will be incubated at iCentre where a number of successful ICT entrepreneurs have emerged from over the past 4 years.

“This fund will help to create conditions that will accelerate the growth of promising Bruneian companies through investments or technology pairing. This is in line with our purpose of doing our part for Brunei’s economy by nurturing promising enterprises” Mr Idris Vasi, DST CEO said.

Kwok Leong, director of iCentre said, “I believe that the Future fund forms an important cornerstone in building up the funding eco-system in Brunei. This fund will certainly help ICT startups with good commercial potential to realize their own commercial success.

He added saying iCentre’s role in the Future Fund, “iCentre is proud to be a key partner in this fund and we would be collaborating with our incubation program to help make this a success.”

Startups will also have the opportunity to leverage on all the partner’s advantages. For example, linkage to international network of telecoms operators, internet application and service providers; local industry players and international ICT entrepreneurs and through market access from the partners. Press release from DST.

Angel at the food tasting at Sri Lembayung Padang Restaurant. Lots of delicacies and it will be officially open on 22nd October. Check out RA in the next week for more details

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The registration area for Think Big Innovate 2011

Dona of @BIBD, Azhani of @royalbruneiair, Ley Hian of @BEDB and Sophia of @lfhwbrunei

The invited guests for Think Big Innovate 2011

@bruneitweet with his “Dell” notebook and @keeranj with his iPad

Anyone ready for questions??

Derek Sivers talks about the business culture between Silicon Valley and Asia?

Derek Sivers, Javed Ahmad and Keeran Janin the birthday boy and the moderator

This system is cool for Q&A and it’s live on http://live.pigeonhole.sg

Yay!!! My question made the top list at one stage

The best investment so far? Sometimes when we see new things being invested or developed, we sometimes question ourselves or have 2nd thoughts on what benefit or how much impact such investment will have on consumer end. Two nights ago, I paid a visit to JIS Arts Centre and I was in awe because I never expected such facilities in the school alone. (Two days ago, I posted the 750-seater Auditorium)

So would a better facility warrant a good beneficial outcome? Definitely… and of course, human capital (teachers and educators) is also important ingredient to bring the best out of students. When I had a quick tour of the building, I was sold. I’m definitely bringing my future kids to enroll in JIS.

JIS has given much priority in Arts & Design and Design & Technology and judging from the upgrade, the Brunei Investment Agency went “full blast” (in Malay terms, “alang-alang”) to make the best out of invested project and they have created one magnificent Art Centre to provide the best education (in Arts) and students are able to excel in different areas of the Arts – “Music, food technology, drama, studio recording, composing, design, technology… you name it”.

According to the press release, The Creative Arts offered at JIS include the highly-respected Music Department which gives over 250 private instrumental lessons each week to students as well as teaching music at all levels of the school including GCSE and A Level Music and Music Technology.

The Drama Department are looking forward as well to many wonder opportunities the new Arts Centre will offer.

The new Arts Centre is now open for public viewing until Friday. You can view the art exhibition, showcasing the creative talents of more than 300 students from Jerudong International School.

Last Monday a handover key ceremony took place at the Arts Centre. The Guest of Honour was the Minister of Education who witnessed the handover key ceremony between Arkitek Ibrahim and Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong, Chairman of Jerudong International School. The ceremony was also attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Hjh Hafizah Sururul Bulqiah.

Last night Rob Fenn, The British High Commissioner to Brunei, paid an official visit to the Arts Centre. Parents and students were also invited to view the exhibition gallery. His Excellency spoke of high praises for JIS’ priority in upgrading the Arts department.

HRH Princess Hjh Hafizah toured the multi-million dollar Arts Centre

This is the dance studio and it’s huge too

The holding room for VIPS?

The computer lab which is also equipped with iMacs and piano keyboards for music arrangements

The ladies’ dressing room for drama, musical and dancing events

The rooms at the new Arts Centre

This is the music recording room and it’s all Mac ready. Two thumbs up since I’m a Mac lover too 😀

They even have a rehearsal room with a mock stage. Awesome!!

The recording studio where you can have your jamming and vocal session

The dining area for VIPs

Rob Fenn, British High Commissioner to Brunei, was full of praises. Even his spouse is into arts and she was very much involved in arts back in the UK whereas His Excellency played more of a role though he was more into making home movies. With such facilities as the Arts Centre, it shows that “Brunei is finding its voice” and the prioritization of the creative industry. He also highlighted there’s no conflict between MIB and being creative.

There was some musical performance which Sophia and Winnie enjoyed. We need this kind of music at cafes

There’s also a section to display some art

There was quite a crowd that night too and the public is able to come here and view the art gallery. It is open until Friday for public viewing

The pantry and kitchen area for the food technology section

Students prepared some dishes that night.. Now that’s cool

The sweets and cakes were served to the invited guests and the Principal of JIS (right) was impressed with the students’ efforts

Sophia trying out the wooden chair made by a JIS student

A quick drama play by JIS students

I like this particular art

Over 300 arts are on display for public viewing

Maurizio Intrigila, better known as Chef Mauri, is back in the kitchen at Grazie Mauri and is on a mission to give the best the restaurant can offer to its customers. There are new dishes introduced each week this month and up to 50 per cent discount on all ala-carte items on the menu.

“Chef Mauri is back in the kitchen, and I am ready for business,” said the forty-year-old food perfectionist. “I want to offer patrons the best food and the best environment for them to enjoy their meals,” he said. For your info, Chef Aira is no longer the head chef at Grazie Mauri.

At the restaurant, located in the busy commercial area of Gadong, Chef Mauri offers everyone the chance to experience his unique Italian creations. Each week, new original creations are added to the menu all throughout the month of October.

The new additions include all categories on the menu from Breads, Soups, Appetisers, Pizzas, Pastas and desserts. [Click here] for more story by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

1) Home-made duck ham with melon in a mango chutney dressing 2) My favourite egg plants is there 3) Herb roasted cherry tomatoes with mini mozzarella and balsamic dressing

Grilled snapper fillet with leaf spinach and capers

Want some chicken balls or some meat to start off?

King prawns roasted with garlic and chilled served a saffron risotto and parmesan cheese shavings

Jessie Tey shared the dishes with me that night. Great catching up 🙂

Penne with chicken, olives and mushrooms in a hot spicy garlic and olive oil sauce topped with parmesan flakes

Chef Mauri highly recommends the Connoli Sicilliani for dessert

Yayy!!! Chef Mauri is back after a month of holiday and taking over Chef Aira in the kitchen at Grazie Mauri

Check out the other dishes from the new menu

Zul Faden will be launching his debut album on Saturday 22nd October at the Mini-amphitheatre, JPCC Playground. Fans will be able to purchase his album at $12 during the launch. Otherwise, it will be available in music stores for $15. It’s also a possibility that the album will be available on digital as well as on iTunes.

There are a few partners involved in promoting Zul Faden’s latest album. Of course, there’s the collaboration with PhuturePhase Production and Expression Music to make the album possible. He is also the image ambassador for JPCC and that’s one reason why the launch will take place at JPCC next weekend.

You can follow @ZulFaden on Twitter and also his main official website [Click here] and you can email him at contactme(a)zulfaden.com.

The much awaited Zul Faden’s debut album

Zul Faden formerly known as Zul F holding his new album. Congrats buddy and see you this Saturday

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Books are now available at Booker International and Best Eastern though I have to say the copies are running low as there are only 100 copies left, distributed among the book stores. I have to announce the winners from the Twitter competition and a few of them have been notified through Twitter for winning the first edition of “Business Icons”.

Last weekend, the book was officially launched and it was graced by the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources. Almost all the listed businessmen were present except for Pehin Hapidz (Abdul Razak Holdings), Pehin Lau (Hua Ho) and Jackson Ting (Sunlit Advertising) who had their representatives to represent them.

A big shout out actually goes to PHMD Publishing Company who published the book and of course, the four authors were behind the project led by Khairi Metussin. I met him earlier this year and his team did a solid interview on me and a few months later, their baby project became reality and I have to congratulate you guys for the completion of the book. This is a prime example of passion and commitment which I believe is lacking among our youth. They have shown a true characteristic of entrepreneurship and I can’t wait for your 2nd edition book.

As for the limited copies of the Business Icons book, PHMD will be printing the 2nd batch pretty soon due to the strong demand. To tell you frankly, I’ve yet to read the book and I will be doing that pretty soon.

Congratulations once more to the young lads of PHMD on their latest book. Looking forward for your next book of Business Icons.

The entrepreneurs and the authors with the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources. Image by Amar

Khairi getting signatures from the entrepreneurs

At the same time, the Minister signed some of the Business Icons book

Thanks ladies for showing up. Appreciate it 🙂

Photo opportunity with Han King Juan, 90, the man behind Jing Chew. He had the biggest cheer upon receiving the momento

Hj Zainal of Soto Rindu is also featured in Business Icons

The authors busy entertaining signatures for the guests

With the authors and the entrepreneurs

I shall be giving this away on Twitter soon

Few of the early recipients of the Business Icons.. Happy reading 😀

DPMM FC have a lot of work to do before they can be fully fit and “compact” as a team. DPMM FC are on progress in getting their team to great shape. They have been arranging friendlies with ABDB and Brunei U-23 SEA Game team. According to the head coach Simunic, DPMM FC haven’t really settled well and they are not compact as a team.

Last week, they had another friendly match with the U-23 team and it was also the first time that all the signed import players played together. Judging on the performance, the newly signed Ghanian forward Osman Bashiru proved his worth with his pace and contribution to the attacking force. He created two goals by jolting down the flanks and one of the scorers was Shahrazen.

However, DPMM FC blew their two goal advantage as U-23 team clawed back to make it 2-2. Both came from set-pieces, one penalty and one free kick. It seemed DPMM FC look suspectable at the back. They have surely missed the superb combination of Pg Salleh and former DPMM FC player Rene Kumar. Newly acquired defender from Brazil, Tales Ricate Dos Santos, was commanding in the air but lacked pace once U-23 team counter attacked. Nonetheless, he is still a fine signing for DPMM FC and it’s yet to be know who he will partner him at the back line.

George O’Callaghan is one of the confirmed import player for DPMM FC and he played the attacking midfield role for DPMM FC. I haven’t seen much of him but he has some great touches and brings the ball well. Let’s hope he settles well and make a difference in DPMM FC’s attacking line.

DPMM FC is still searching for one more import player to fulfil the quota and it will be a striker role if I’m not mistaken. However, Simunic is also sweating for the availability of the ABDB players Rosmin Khamis (Bobby), Suhaimi Suhaili and Ak Md Fakhrul Razi as ABDB are reluctant to release the players for DPMM F (interesting…)

DPMM FC is also waiting for the acceptance from the Singapore League from DPMM FC’s application. Though AFC has given the green light for the Singapore League to allow Brunei DPMM FC to play, the biggest decision will be from Singapore League if they will accept the request. Hence, DPMM FC is still playing the waiting game whilst building up the team.

Last of all, I’m quite impressed with the U-23 team who are representing Brunei in the SEA Games. They showed on the pitch that they are no pushovers and they looked composed and not intimidated by the DPMM FC players especially the foreign players. On that note, they are 3 or 4 players from the U-23 that are under DPMM FC too.

Back to the drawing board for Simunic and DPMM FC players

This Ghanian has really good pace

George O’Callaghan… Welcome to the DPMM FC and yes, you will be heavily marked too

Tales Ricate Dos Santos is a tall player for a centre back. Quite dominant in the air

Dennis interviewing a not-so-happy Simunic after the friendly match

The foreign flops that failed to impress the management of DPMM FC

Like I said, the U-23 are no pushovers. I hope they can represent Brunei in the SEA Games

One question about George… Don’t you think he resembles Dr. House? *LOL*

Now both DeeJay Home Video and QQ Mobile Shop Gadong have got stock for 16G version. As of press time (6:30pm), DeeJay has 10 units left after one hour of arrival. Both shops selling at BND 1,888 and that’s the market price if you want it in your hands right now 😉

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Image taken from kristal.fm website

Firstly, I have to say what an amazing New Arts Centre at Jerudong International School. It was officially opened last night and I had the privilege to tour around this mega huge Arts Centre and I’m still speechless while typing this out. I have no idea how much was spent on the new Arts Centre but salute to Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) for approving the multi-million dollar facilities.

I’m still figuring out how much was invested in this project because the facilities they have are top-notch.. The music room studio is equipped with iMacs and they have at least 10 of those machines in the room.

But most of all, I was super impressed with the 725-seat Auditorium at the Arts Centre. This place is perfect for a music concert and even drama/plays. Lily Chiam of Expression Music gave it two thumbs up on the Auditorium.

The auditorium has a huge projector at the front and I love how the video camera can capture all angles within the auditorium. The lightings were nothing short of spectacular and there are plenty of combinations to play around with the lightings.

I have a huge feeling this auditorium will be a huge seller and hats off to JIS for taking this huge leap but their efforts will be paid off by the looks of it. I even have my friends (reporters) wanting to send their children to JIS.

I foresee an increase for the next intake for JIS and with competent teachers and superb facilities, JIS are heading in the right direction and repositioning it to be the best private school in Brunei Darussalam. More updates on the Arts Centre in my next post.

The 750-seat Auditorium is simply gorgeous and I’m awed by the ambience as well

How the steps look like when the lights are dimmed

The comfy seats at the auditorium

Cool ceiling and some of the lightings (for stage purposes) are installed too

This is the deco of the wall of the auditorium

The front part of the stage can be elevated

The elevation takes a minute or so

Rahim and Aziz performed a number last night and the sound was just magnificient

How the auditorium looks like with the lights dimmed

Where all the action takes place in controlling the sound, lighting and the camera

Ok, this is not the Auditorium as you can see but this is taken from one of the music classrooms. All equipped with iMacs and accessories. So I have to say JIS really put their priorities right to get the best out of the students in every aspect. More pictures to follow.

Take advantage of the special promotional fare from AirAsia for as low as BND59 and enjoy the 1Malaysia Year End Sale

This was perhaps one of the most nerve-wrecking lucky draw events that I’ve witnessed. Thanks also to Edgar the emcee of the event for building up the hype to the quarterly lucky draw of Times Square (@timesSQBrunei) last Sunday and around 800 shortlisted people turned up as they wait for their lucky numbers to be called to the stage.

But the day belonged to Belinda On… Here is why? She wasn’t supposed to be in the Top 6 chosen one but she was the last to be called to the stage because one of the chosen ones is working under the management of Times Square so he was exempted from the grand draw.

Now that there’s another twist to the draw.. She randomly had to pick a ping-pong ball and guess what… She was listed last in the sequence of unlocking the door of the Proton Savvy among the Top 6. So what are the chances of that happening?? The crowd favourite was “Afiq” (spelling) as he is only 18 and plus he entertained the crowd with his balloon episode.

Present during the lucky ceremony were Sheikh Jimmy, CEO of Brunei Tourism Board and Simon Gelan, Managing Director of United Motors (Proton), Alfred Yong, Executive Director of United Motors, Carol, Marketing Manager of United Motors and Amal Majidah, Property Manager of Times Square.

Edgar building up the hype for the quarterly grand draw at Times Square last Sunday

Amal, Property Manager of Times Square, gave a welcoming remarks

Simon Gelan, Alfred Yong and Carol of United Motors were present

The new cool Proton Savvy. Call 242 3305 or 242 0699 for details

Afiq blew balloons but had difficulty to tie them up. He was last to finish to the delight of the crowd.

He was the fourth person to unlock the car and yet he picked the wrong key

They were at the edge of their seats as the fifth person failed to unlock the door of the Proton Savvy

Finally the lucky winner Belinda On officially unlocked the car

Belinda being congratulated by her hubby. Fact: She just got married a month ago and now teaching at Lumapas. Apparently, she bought some furniture from U-Home Gallery and she does come to Times Square often. She revealed that she drive the Proton Savvy to work. Congrats Belinda and I did bet on you to win

The key handover to Belinda by guest of honour, Sheikh Jimmy

The Business Women Council taking a photo opportunity with Belinda

I bet for Belinda to win the Proton and I won myself an Each-A-Cup drink 😀

No FEE to Attend.
Free of charge, but limited to only 80 participants on a first-come, first-booked basis. Email to conference(a)asiaincforum.com and please state your name, contact details, profession and which social media do you use if any. You will receive an email to confirm your seat accordingly. We have over 50 registered so far.. So better send in your details 🙂

The Conference
The Social Media Conference is an informal gathering of entrepreneurs and individuals who apply the tools of social media in their lives – whether it be for business or as an individual member of society.

The Topics
• The Backbone of Social Media
• Dude, Where’s My Traffic?
• 140 Characters or Less: Why Join the Twitter Conversation?
• Is IP Crucial to the Technopreneur?

The Takeaways
Social Media is here to stay. If you are using Twitter, Facebook, or Linked-in as an individual, in your workplace or as part of your outreach in running your business, this is for you!

Dress Code
Smart casual. Come with your smart phone fully charged.

For more information please contact Andrew Dy at 2226555 or Rano Iskandar ranoadidas(a)gmail.com

This is one of the events that families look forward to. Not only can they support their kids playing football but there are tons of fun activities to participate other than football. There were activities such as tug-of-war, face painting, henna, some Scottish dance performances, penalty shoot out and many more.

I didn’t stay long since the heat was unbearable. I don’t know how the kids manage to play in such weather. Thumbs up to the JIS Parent Teacher Community Group for organising the eventful tournament/activity.

The screenshot of Myagogo and click on the image to enter website

I came across this website that can be helpful especially for parents who want to shop for their children studying in the UK. Well, you can still shop internationally on some of the sub-sites listed at Myagogo

There are shops like The Body Shop, Dorothy Perkins, Marks and Spencers, Hamleys, Amazon, Tesco and many more. So do give this website a shot and see if this really is super convenient for you.

Mr. RA: What is the purpose of your business – myagogo? Are you catering also for a specific market?
Myagogo: It is a one-stop online shopping mall that offers a wide range of UK products with very competitive value and good services. Feel free to browse Myagogo directory for quality online shopping as well as making comparison for shopping easier.

Myagogo is for everyone who likes to shop for quality UK brands or if you have any relatives studying or working in the UK makes it easier for them to shop online as some of the products can be delivered right to their doorstep.

Mr. RA: How can payment be made? Are they any limitation if any? Can it be paid through a local channel to process the order?
Myagogo: You can enjoy highly-secured shopping with Myagogo. Payments are mainly through credit or debit cards depending on the various brands and products. However for a debit card, it has to be a UK-based Maestro, Solo or Visa cards. Brunei-based credit cards can also be used to make the purchases online.

Mr. RA: What are the items you think that can benefit the students? For eg, food wise etc
Myagogo: It gives benefits either to Brunei students currently studying in the UK or their parents who lives in Brunei. They can order food and groceries online through various online supermarket like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, just-eat.co.uk, mySupermarket.co.uk and many others and even get delivered their groceries right to the student’s doorstep with minimal charge. With the use of free vouchers linked from myvouchercodes.co.uk, you can even make great savings! However myagogo.com not only catered for groceries, but almost a hundred brands and products are also available. These include
• Art, Photo, Music & Media
• At Your Service
• Automotive
• Beauty & Health
• Books & Education
• Business-To-Offer
• Clothing & Shoes
• Computer & Electronics
• Dating & Leisure
• Food
• Gadgets, Games & Toys
• Gifts & Souvenir
• Home & Garden
• Hotel & Travel
• Sports
• Watch And Jewellery

As for Bruneians who fancy UK brands can also shop online. Some products do get delivered internationally to Brunei with reasonable charges.

Mr. RA: How long have this been in business? Are you planning something of similar in other countries eg. Australia?
Myagogo: This portal is apparently a new and exciting e-business made by Bruneians for Bruneians who like to shop for UK brands. Myagogo is just about two years since it began its operation and now can be accessible through google, facebook or twitter.
There is always opportunity for myagogo.com to expand its business and will explore more brands in other countries like Australia.

Mr. RA: How can parents benefit this?
Myagogo: Parents can benefit from Myagogo by shopping online for their kids and loved ones in the UK, and delivered the products right to their children’s door step, so that they can take care of their children wellbeing whilst studying in the UK.

I’m impressed with PTE Meragang this morning as they bagged quite a few awards from the LiveWIRE Business Awards 2010-2011 which was held at Rizqun International Hotel. I believe their efforts were supported also by their mentors from PTE Meragang.

Business school were also in Top 4. My former school SAS came third in Category A1 for their fish farming idea. I remember joining this “Award” back in 2006 but it wasn’t much of a competition for me as there were only two of us in that category. It was a great experience and catapult me to be more eager and determined to be an entrepreneur and here I am.

Present during the prize presentation of the LiveWIRE Business Awards 2010-2011 were the Minister of Education, Pehin OKSKDSS Hj Abu Bakar and Managing Director of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP).

The LiveWIRE Brunei Business Awards features three sub-categories in Category A – Business Plan Award while there will be sub-categories in Category B – LiveWORE Business Network and LiveWIRE Brunei SME Awards. Categoyr A is open to students from any higher learning institutions or colleges and also LiveWIRE members. Meanwhile, Category B is open to those who have attended the LiveWIRE Business Programme.

Congratulations once more to the winners this morning. Well done to the organisers as well.

The event that took place this morning

The big winners this morning – PTE Meragang. Well done to you all. Click image to enlarge

One of the winners posing with their families and teachers

One of the winners from Business School

One of the solo winners of the Awards

The biggest winner of the LiveWIRE Business Awards 2010-2011. She also bagged the Most Outstanding Award. Her business idea is a shoe design and this is the first time she joined such competition. Such a pity she didn’t join the ThinkBig Ignite Biz Plan.

The grand winner with her friends from PTE Meragang

Happy 10th anniversary

No FEE to Attend.
Free of charge, but limited to only 80 participants on a first-come, first-booked basis. Email to conference(a)asiaincforum.com and please state your name, contact details, profession and which social media do you use if any. You will receive an email to confirm your seat accordingly. We have over 50 registered so far.. So better send in your details 🙂

The Conference
The Social Media Conference is an informal gathering of entrepreneurs and individuals who apply the tools of social media in their lives – whether it be for business or as an individual member of society.

The Topics
• The Backbone of Social Media
• Dude, Where’s My Traffic?
• 140 Characters or Less: Why Join the Twitter Conversation?
• Is IP Crucial to the Technopreneur?

The Takeaways
Social Media is here to stay. If you are using Twitter, Facebook, or Linked-in as an individual, in your workplace or as part of your outreach in running your business, this is for you!

Dress Code
Smart casual. Come with your smart phone fully charged.

For more information please contact Andrew Dy at 2226555 or Rano Iskandar ranoadidas(a)gmail.com

THE Australian High Commission is holding an Australian Education Excellence Showcase on Oct 18 and 19 at the Radisson Hotel to welcome students interested in studying in the country. The showcase, organised by Austrade, will include seminars by key speakers from Australian universities and institutions from 1pm to 6pm on Oct 18, while an education fair will be held on Oct 19 from 3pm to 9pm. Eleven Australian educational institutions will be represented.

The seminar and exhibition will be open to the public and admission is free, though seating for the seminar sessions is limited. There will be information on the programmes and courses, the quality and study style of the programmes and about living in Australia.

Students and parents can talk to representatives from Griffith University, University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology, University of Western Australia, Kilmore International School, University of Newcastle, William Angliss Institute, Group Colleges Australia and Queensland Institute for Aviation Engineering.

For more information, contact Austrade at 223 6922 or email josie.abdullah@austrade.gov.au. Text by Adam Radhi of The Brunei Times.

An emotional moment for Ogy who shed tears of happiness. Congrats my friend and I will see you on the track this December 😀

The first touch after all the formalities

The ring exchange

The newly weds posing to the photographers

It’s okay to be pampered… See you guys soon and may Allah bless both of you

It was billed as a classic but it didn’t turn out as expected but it was still an entertaining match to watch between the Reds and the Red Devils. Liverpool squandered chances upfront while Manchester United defended well though lacking the final third. It wasn’t the thriller where Berbatov scored a hat-trick last season.. Man, whatever happened to that guy?

That weekend, I came up with the idea and plan a FIFA 12 outing with my ranting buddies (from Man Utd) at Charcoal BBQ & Grill and we had pure fun, playing FIFA 12 and I enjoyed watching the Red Devils fans on the edge of their seats everytime Liverpool attacked *LOL*

Best performance on FIFA was @amar606 while @zulfadly won twice and lost once. Raihan and I won once, lost once. @promaestro tried his best and that’s all I can say *LOL* Thanks guys for turning up and let’s do this for the second leg.. So @izamwrites @izadmajid and @njblessix, hope you guys can make it too 🙂

Playing FIFA 12 after the Big Red match

@promaestro went through a nerve-wrecking episode in the last few minutes of the Liverpool-Manchester United match