Last Friday, Setia Motors Sdn Bhd organised an “open house” for their customers. They had two activities during the event – 1) unveiling the Hyundai Elantra and 2) lucky draw prize presentation. Also present during the event were the associates from Baiduri Finance who sponsored the lucky draw prizes as part of Setia Motor’s promotion.

So what’s cool about the latest Elantra? It has a new feature, keyless ignition, and cutting edge air quality management. Sharpened to perfection, the latest Elantra compact sedan is everything and more you would expect from Hyundai, the most-talked about car company today. In a world of lookalike sedans, Elantra’s bold but elegant design sets it miles apart. And to keep you ahead of the pack, Elantra comes with a new engine and gearbox whose silk-smooth power delivery is as impressive as its fuel economy. The beautifully-appointed cabin offers many more reasons why the new Elantra should be at the very top of your list.

Hyundai’s stated goal is to become the world leader in fuel efficiency and these engines prove it. The aluminium 1.8L Nu engine is capable of a maximum 150ps while its peaktorque rating of 18.2 kg•m is reached at 4,700rpm. Want to know more about the new Elantra? Do pay Setia Motors a visit :))

As for the lucky draw, Suriana binti Awg Hj Pungut and Mohammad Hairil Abd Rahim won the two grand prizes. Both of them won their respective air tickets to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The prizes were sponsored by Baiduri Finance. The grand prizes were presented by Hj Haliluddin bin Dato Hj Talib, General Manager of Baiduri Finance Berhad and the 12 consolation prizes were presented by Hj Abd Hamid bin Yahya, Commercial Manager of Setia Motors.

You can also see BruneiTweet’s update [here]

The latest model from Hyundai, Elantra

The grand winners of the lucky draw promotion

The consolation prize winners that day

The media peeps were busy as usual

Hari Raya mood at Setia Motors

This could be the car that suits you :))

Last Sunday, 150 members of the under privileged families from Brunei-Muara District were treated to Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration hosted by Believe Youth Association (BYA) and the Embassy of the United States of America in Brunei Darussalam. The theme for the event was “Celebrating Our Friendship and Commitment to Supporting Local Communities”. The event took place at Mangrove Paradise Resort.

US Ambassador Daniel L Shields gave a welcoming remark to kick off the event and he highlighted the importance of working together as a community to face challenges and to advance peace and mutual understanding.

Some of you may be aware that the event was also coinciding with the 10th anniversary of September 11 and this gathering is a way of building communities to a stronger and hopeful one.

Also present was the President of BYA, Amalina binti Abdullah, who has been super active in building the spirit of the community and also for BYA’s cause. She also had a group of volunteers who helped out during the event last Sunday. BYA will organising more community work and I’m impressed with their dedication and commitment for a better Brunei. Keep it up!!

The gathering took place at Mangrove Paradise Resort

The Ambassador and Amalina handing out gifts to families

Group photo with the families

With the volunteers and the celebrities who performed that day

Anisah of BYA had a good time during the event

RA: This year’s theme, “Celebrating our friendship and commitment to supporting local communities”. Why the theme?
Ambassador Shields: Here’s the connection. Because this is the 10th year anniversary of 9/11, we want to commemorate the very solemn anniversary and at the same time, we want to emphasize community service and this is why we partnered with Believe Youth Association with families facing challenges and feeling vulnerable. This also gives them the opportunity to celebrate Hari Raya and to celebrate the resilience in our community.

RA: Was this part of the Embassy’s initiative?
Ambassador Shields: We reached out and we were looking for a good NGO partner to work with. We strongly feel that the theme should be community service and we did a bit of research and found out that “BYA” is the appropriate choice for community service and resilience.

RA: Is this emulated in other countries?
Ambassador Shields: Yes, it’s being carried out in other countries and each embassies making their own efforts to emphasize on the community service.

RA: It has been 10 years since the actual 9/11. How’s the sentiment so far?
Ambassador Shields: It is something we will remember forever. At the same time, it’s also important for us to work with every partner in every country around the world. It’s very much in that spirit.

RA: How’s the relationship so far between Brunei and the U.S?
Ambassador Shields: It’s excellent. We are very grateful with Brunei in the areas that we have work closely with, whether it is in military security area, economic, educational exchange, commercial, trade, energy and also ASEAN. Brunei will be heavily involved as Brunei will be the host of ASEAN 2013 and senior visitors from U.S. be involved too.

We are currently happy with the relationship with Brunei and there’s still room for improvement and we will try to keep pushing forward.

RA: You’ve been in Brunei for six months. How’s the experience so far?
Ambassador Shields: I love Brunei. Fantastic place to live. My family loves to stay here. It’s peaceful, it’s safe and it has a fascinating culture and great food. As for work, Brunei is a very interesting place because of its strategic location and play Brunei in a leadership role.

RA: Have you experience “Open Houses” in Brunei?
Ambassador Shields: It’s interesting. It’s something totally different for me. In US, we have about 7 million Muslims in the States. But in terms of the scale in Brunei, I have never seen anything like it. The hospitality in Brunei to the foreigners is something they have to come to Brunei to see it for themselves. It’s really extraordinary.

RA: Is there any future plans to work with communities?
Ambassador Shields: Yes, we have a good experience working with “BYA” and we are looking for other opportunities and also with other NGOs. So we are not just restricted to just working with the government sector.

Mr. RA with Ambassador Shields at Mangrove Paradise Resort

It’s happening tomorrow at Times Square

Click image to see the livestream – 13th September

Click image to enter Facebook page

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam delivers his titah during the Yayasan SHHB Aidil Fitri celebration held at the International Convention Centre, Berakas, yesterday. Picture: BT/ Saifulizam

Business and entrepreneurship are integral and important to the nation’s economy and its people. This was underlined by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in a titah during the YayasanSultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (YSHHB) Aidil Fitri celebration yesterday.

Part of His Majesty’s Titah: “It is central to the economy of a society and country. It is similar with the economy, Islam does not neglect it. Lessons can be learnt from holy Al-Quran and that this provides “a clear picture that Allah (SWT) wants our economy to be vibrant, dynamic and to grow. Islam the religion, encourages its people to be active in the field of economics, not to be lazy or to sit idle.

I am very happy because one of our main focuses in the National Development Plan is furthering the development of Small Medium Enterprises (SME), we see it as a part of realising the National Vision 2035,” said His Majesty. “What pleases (me) further is the number of SMEs that have registered continues to grow and that, among them, a number have been able to penetrate the regional market.”

You can read more of the story [click here]. Source: Izam Said Ya’akub of The Brunei Times.

His Majesty group photo with Brunei Wafirah Holdings Sdn Bhd which handles Brunei Halal products

His Majesty signing while Pierre Imhof, General Manager of Baiduri Bank Berhad looking on

The team from CoolTones having a photo opportunity with CoolTones

His Majesty talking to incubatees from Ambuyart Animation and Crescent Sdn Bhd

His Majesty receiving a special Pesembah from Vincent, CEO of HSBC Brunei. It was a special made Golden Note

His Majesty with Ahmed Javed, Managing Director of BIBD with the officers

Dato Ali Apong, Chairman of BEBD with associates from BEDB and participants from the iCentre

Vincent Ho, CEO of HSBC Brunei (3rd from left), with HSBC managers and associates

Photogs squeezing their way to get good shots of His Majesty

The choir singing during the brunch at ICC

The guys involved in the preparation for last weekend’s event

Though some are working in other establishments, all of them have played a similar role – handling with press releases *lol*

Representing from MIPR at the ICC

The waitresses waiting before instructed to serve the guests at ICC

Quite a lot of chefs were involved in the food preparation

Guidelines and sequences for the food to be served

The band taking a breather after their performance

$115 worth of savings from TelBru

Andy Whitfield, 39, played Spartacus in the Starz cable series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand.” His role was recast after his illness made it impossible for him to continue in the part. He passed away yesterday, and died of lymphoma. RIP.

Yesterday The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Haji Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, who arrived in Brunei Darussalam yesterday for a one-day visit attended a Merdeka Raya celebration hosted by the Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam. The Prime Minister spoke of the great diplomatic relations between both governments (Brunei and Malaysia).

For the press releases, there were a few MoUs that were signed between the Brunei and Malaysia Government which includes oil and gas industry, national security, tourism, fisheries and other investments.

Here are few of the MoUs :-

1) The national petroleum authorities of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia will work on a joint undertaking in Brunei Darussalam’s Block N under the framework of a production-sharing contract. The signing was between Brunei National Petroleum Company (PetroleumBRUNEI) and Petroliam Nasional Berhad.

2) Both governments signed an MoU relating to the construction of the bridge spanning the Pandaruan River. This is to create a bridge link between Limbang and Temburong. This will help better logistics for daily travel between Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah.

3) In the investment area, there was a signing between Brunei’s Bandtree Company and Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia).

4) There was also an MoU on Economy and Technical Cooperation which was signged between Brunei and Sarawak.

With these MoUs, it’s good to see a collaboration between Brunei and Malaysia and this will help strengthen the relationship between Brunei and Malaysia. The Prime Minister was on a one-day official visit to the Sultanate and yesterday, he attended the Merdeka Raya Celebration at The Empire Hotel and Country Club. For those who wants to follow him on Twitter, it’s @najibrazak though he hardly interact with his 200,000 followers. Images below are courtesy of Rokiah Mahmud of Borneo Bulletin.

Prime Minister of Malaysia (center) at The Empire Hotel

During the National Anthem of Malaysia

The Malaysian community in Brunei Darussalam attended the Merdeka Raya Celebration

His Majesty touring around the SME booth and banks during the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Aidil Fitri

Aussino ending with a bang during their 7th year anniversary

Ogy (right) the chosen one to represent Brunei in this year’s Red Bull Rookies Team being interviewed by the press last Saturday

Believe Youth Association and the U.S. Embassy helping out the local community in commemoration of 10th anniversary of September 11

Congratulations to Tiong Ho and Yvonne on your wedding celebration last night

My Hari Raya visits grew hectic for the past couple of days. Paid a quick visit to FJ’s house last weekend. More pix to follow

Delwin aka @BruneiTweet’s first two cars were Hyundai. He gave the latest Elantra a thumbs up!!

“Another magical moment! S.O.A.S. College 1975 classmates get together (see profile photo). The good times celebrated, the sad times recounted and friends remembered. Memories are what we keep after all that is said and done. Everyday i live is special for the unexpected that happens. Tonight I am grateful for the wonders of this beautiful life I lead. Thank you friends. Hugs to all” – Quote and image from Clovis Lai

What a unique souvenir for His Majesty!! This is a Gold Leaf banknote HK$1,000.

A new beauty/facial centre at Delima. Call 871-6680 and more on info this soon. Special promotion 15-50% discount.

Kopi Bandar Waterfront had an open house yesterday and they are officially opened too. They are well-known for their sandwiches. Give it a try :))

Lucky journalist Vincent and Aziz had a sneak of the Audi A6 in Korea recently. Woot, woot!!

For the first time, Vincent Ho, CEO of HSBC Brunei dressed up in Baju Melayu, for HSBC Hari Raya Open House at The Empire Hotel. He said it was very cooling to wear the Baju Melayu

Mr. Robin (in white) celebrated his birthday with his softball mates last weekend

It was scorching hot yesterday at the final leg of the TourdeBrunei 2011

I wonder what’s the project for? Mixmediaworx always coming up with something interesting :)) Click image to enter their Fanpage

Yellow Pages Brunei scouting for Graphic Designer

The shop just opened a few months ago and the product, Dermalogica, they brought in is highly recommended. The product itself came about in 1986 and now Dermalogica has a cult following. Not only they have good packaging and marketing hype, they produce results. Isn’t that what most customers want? :))

So you want to look youthful? you want to protect your skin from being damage? Dermalogica has the right product for your needs. I can name you a few products they have – Skin Prep Scrub, Pure Night, Multivitamin Power Firm, Ultracalming Cleanser, Antioxidant Hydramist, Chromawhite Trx Regimen and etc.

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.

Currently they are having a special promotion of 15-50% on facial treatments and the promotion ends on 17th October 2011. They are open from Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6:30pm.

Dermalogist Beauty Therapy

Block B, Unit 26, 1^st Floor,
Serusop Complex, KG Delima Satu,
BB4713 Jalan Muara
Bandar Seri Begawan
Negara Brunei Darussalam

The products from Dermalogica. Find out which one suits you

Get your skin analysed and try their facial treatment at special discounts

It’s open from Monday to Saturday

Click image to enter Facebook page

Call 874 5699 or 714 2590 for details

I did get the text from my particular friend who is a frequent updater of weird stuff that pops up in our community. So he “whatsapp-ed” me a forwarded SMS with regards to the thieves on the loose driving cars with the specific plate numbers. I knew, for this one, I won’t be forwarding it to others as the SMS wasn’t verified from an official source.

The forwarded text was treated as a hoax and the Royal Brunei Police Force said that the enforcement agency is currently investigating the situation and they will be searching for the origin of the text. So peeps.. “Don’t play, play!” as you will be messing yourself with the authorities.

Based on Section 34 of the Public Order Act, Cap 148, any person who, whether orally or in writing or by any other means, spreads false reports of makes false statements likely to cause public alarm or despondency shall be guilty of an offence that is punishable with imprisonment for three years and a fine of $3,000.

This was taken from Twitter feeds a few days ago

Only available at DQ Brunei

Highly recommended for kids. Very educational.

Courtesy of Kurapak

Courtesy of infinite_looper

Courtesy of tiniest_smurf

Courtesy of erikuncoro (Indonesia)

Courtesy of firboy (Indonesia)

50% discount on selected items

Nice accessories for home deco

Mini-bag and it fits to most big handbags

New belts too at Deso

New bags on display

New dresses at Deseo

New dresses at Deseo

Click image to find more details

Click image and join Radisson on FB

His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (L) visiting an exhibition booth showing traditional Thai performance at the UBD Convo Festival 2011 held at the UBD’s Student Centre, Jalan Tungku Link. Picture: BT/Zamri Zainal

His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, yesterday launched the Pesta Konvo 2011 , a six-week festival of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held from September 8 to October 22.

The Crown Prince was accompanied by Minister of Education Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong, Minister of Development Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman and UBD Vice Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi.

Pesta Konvowas held to enliven the university’s 23rd convocation ceremony on September 29. The Pesta Konvo working committee have set among other activities Convo Run & Fun Cycling, Faculty of Science Open Day, Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Institute of Health Sciences Open Day, Majlis Khatam Al-Quran and Thanksgiving Prayers, Art Installation, Exhibition, and Cultural Performance as well as Community Outreach Programme.

Korean Fan Dance. Picture: BT/Zamri Zainal

The Crown Prince watches demonstrations of ‘pencak silat’. Picture: BT/Zamri Zainal

Following the launching ceremony, HRH and the entourage tour Banar Tah Tu ( It’s True) installation art exhibition which staged 15 art pieces by students of the various clubs at UBD. HRH also officiated the launch of the new $2 million-worth Student Centre facility.

The project which is under the National Development Plan (RKN) 2007-2012 began construction on July 17, 2010. With the new facility, it is hoped that students could conduct activities to further develop their creativity, build their character as well as be more innovative.

For more of the story, you can click here. Source: The Brunei Times.

Richard Neo, Manager of Lof Bread Team – “I’ve been training the team for six months such as endurance and sprinting. They are reserve for the national team and Lof is the only local club team participating in the TourDeBrunei 2011. We are here for the experience but if the opportunity arise, we will take it. Sprinting is our strength and the 1st Stage will be the hardest. Brunei’s cycling standard has picked up in recent years and we have been joining competitions outside Brunei as well. It is popular sport in Brunei and we hope to achieve something during the tournament”

Richard Neo, Manager of Lof Bread Team (left) with his team

Puspita Mustika, Coach of Eddy Holland Cycling Team – “I used to be the coach of Brunei team in 2008 and I was involved in a bad accident while cycling with the national team. I was in coma for 5 days and I never thought I will be back in this profession again. It’s definitely an emotional return for me to Brunei. I’m happy to see my former students still in the national team and they showed a lot of passion. In fact, one of my students, Mohd Khalid bin Sata, was also involved in the accident and now he’s competing in the tournament.

Few years ago, it was like a living hell for me. For me, this is my life. Cycling is my life. Since I’m not involved with coaching the national team (Indonesia), I was given the opportunity to manage Eddy Holland , a team based in Perth, Australia and I’m very happy that I’m still playing a part in cycling.” [You can catch more of Puspita from his blog here]

Puspita Mustika (far right) with Eddy Holland Cycling Team

Mohd Khalid bin Sata with Puspita Mustika

Sheikh Jimmy, CEO of Brunei Tourism Board – “This is good for Brunei. We invested BND 200,000 for this project as we paid for TV rights from Transworld (from IMG) and this event can be shown to millions worldwide through ESPN in October. I’m quite happy that this sport with international magnitude is organised by the Ministry and Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation and we come here to give full support of the event.

This is not a regional event but an international event and this is how Brunei can benefit in terms of exposure on TV (Transworld Sport and ESPN). We want to promote Brunei through sport and nature. Cycling has more exposure than golf (Brunei Open) in terms of the nature surroundings in Brunei and viewers on TV can watch the green nature of Brunei, the Heart of Borneo.”

Shiekh Jimmy gave much praise about the event

Mr. Setiawan Purnamahadi, the General Manager of Butra Heidelberg (Brunei Cement) – “Our role as a title sponsor of the event is to carry out corporate social responsibility (CSR) and we focus on three pillars – social, economy and environment. This (event) will fall under our social pillar. We spent over BND 250,000 to make sure the event is made possible and we already made the commitment last year.

We have sponsored the Brunei Wu Shu by funding facilities for them to train. With JASTRE, we were also involved in the “No Plastic Bag Weekend”. Beach Bunch is also one of the NGOs we are supporting. Last month, we help to promote awareness to “Prevent Diabetes” in support of MOH’s goals. Last June, we were also involved in AsiaIncForum’s National Environmental Conference.”

As you can see, Butra Heidelberg is very serious with their goals (pillars) and I’m pretty impressed with their involvement with the local authorities especially with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Development and now Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. To add further, MR. Setiawan also mentioned that they will be involved in the upcoming event BNE organised by the Ministry of Energy.

Butra Heidelberg also focus on reducing energy especially in industrial operations as this is part of their CSR under environment. So don’t think that Brunei Cement just do what they do best – providing cement – but they also educate their workers and staff on the do’s and dont’s on energy and wastage. Butra Heidelberg has created a strong brand among the locals for their CSR initiative.

Mr. Setiawan Purnamahadi (centre) of Butra Heidelberg with the management

Local entrepreneur Hajah Salma Bee Noor Mohd Abdul Latiff left for the United States today (September 9) as part of the U.S. State Department sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The special program “Entrepreneurship and Business Management” is a direct result of President Obama’s June 2009 speech in Cairo. The program links participants from Muslim communities with leading U.S. entrepreneurs in interactive forums and provides opportunities for firsthand observation of successful business operations.

Before leaving, Hajah Salma met with U.S. Ambassador Daniel L. Shields to thank him for the opportunity, which she believes will be valuable for her business and latest online product in Islamic finance. Ambassador Shields congratulated Hajah Salma on being selected for the program and encouraged her to make the most of the opportunity. He further added “This program will be of benefit to both the U.S and Brunei and will continue to aid in deepening people-to-people networks” between the two countries.

Hajah Salma is the Managing Director and Founder of Crescent Sdn Bhd. Her diploma-level, online course in Islamic finance is expected to be the first of its kind, and is being carried out in collaboration with the National University of Singapore. Crescent is one of the incubatees at the iCentre. Recently Crescent launched their online product and they currently have at least 10 students who signed up for the Islamic Finance online.

Hjh Salma will join twenty three (23) other Muslim entrepreneurs who were selected from all over the world as participants for the program. During this three week project, the group will visit a variety of communities that have inspired innovative business growth, including Washington, DC; San Francisco; Cincinatti, Ohio; and Chicago.

The IVLP program is an all expense paid trip supported by the U.S. Department of State. Text and image courtesy of US Embassy.

U.S. Ambassador Daniel L. Shields presenting Hjh Salma Latiff with her tickets and importnat IVLP information

Hjh Salma during the launch of her Islamic Finance online

Hjh Salma at the CommunicAsia2011

Aussino’s Family Day which falls on September 11, 2011 will be host to various games and activities which will be held for all Aussino customers. On the day, Bed-making competition finalists will be determined for best bed-maker award as well as a prize presentation for its ongoing photo contest, “Home is where the Heart is with Aussino”.

Yesterday, Julian Wee the Manager of Aussino drew 8 lucky participants to participate in “Shopping for My Sweet Home at Aussino”. There are Teo Boo Ern, Kong Wei Fung, Riza Syaziyah, Saffa Huda, Crystal Lim Li Thong. Namal Arosha Senanyake S. M, Iidil Rahmah Bai Abdullah and Pinky Maninang Cerna. All the participants will be entitled product prizes courtesy of Aussino. The top prize will be a shopping voucher worth BND 150.

Julian Wee drawing the names for Sunday

Aussino also created some fun activities such as bed-making competition which started back in end of July till early September. The task is for them to complete the activity within a time limit of 15 minutes. The contestants will be judged on their tidiness, creativity and speed.

This activity is in conjunction with Aussino’s 7th year anniversary. So do come to Aussino this Sunday for their family day.

Mr. Fadhil enjoying the comfort of the bed

One of the contestants last August

Like mother, like daughter

The competition did grab some attention outside

Another contestant for the bed-making competition

Tomorrow is the final day

Boustead Sdn Bhd will be holding a Carnival extravaganza at the Waterfront, BSB this October on the 1st and 2nd. Formerly known as Boustead Family Day, Boustead Carnival will bring more fun and activities to its loyal customers along with local public. This 2 days, rain or shine, event is now opened for any vendors interested to take up these vacant booths.

For any interested parties, please contact Lily or Jennifer of Adison Marketing at 266 3828. But please be quick as this is based on a first come first served policy. For 1 booth size 9″ x 18″ (half tent) is $150 for 2 days and for 2 booth size 18″ x 18″ (one full tent) is $250.. So you can create your own activities or fun fair if you want.

So far, the confirmed vendors are Deseo, Aiking, OKVY, Baiduri Bank, BIBD, @justcinful, Lucky Hoof and Farra Cake to name a few.

Do call 266 3828 for details

Here’s the layout for your info

This is something refreshing.. Well, we have seen a lot of cycling activities locally but this is the first time that Brunei is hosting a regional event where we have participants from Iran, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to name a few. In other words, this is the first ever international cycling event in Brunei.

The event kicked off at Jalan Sultan yesterday and it was flagged off by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. It’s interesting to see an event like ButraHeidelbergCement Tour de Brunei 2011 to take place in the Sultanate. So the first stage of the race was from Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan to Dewan Santap, Jalan Maulana, Kuala Belait (a distance of 150 kilometres).

The one to watch out for is our two Brunei teams – the Brunei National Cycling Team and the Lof Bread Team. The second stage which happens today will be at KBRC Sport Arena to Padang Jabatan, Tutong Town.

The latest results for Stage 1: WHITE JERSEY (Young Rider) – Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman (MAS). RED JERSEY (King of Mountain) – Lioyd Lucien Reynante from (PHL). GREEN JERSEY (Sprint by Points) – Nawuti Liphongyu (THAI). YELLOW YERSEY (General Classification) – Mohd Adiq Husainie Othman (MAS).

For those in Brunei-Muara, the final stage will be in town area and this should be a finale to catch. I shall update you more on this :)) Thanks to the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation (organiser), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (organiser), ButraHeidelbergCement (sponsor) and Brunei Tourism (sponsor) for making this event a success. For more information about the event, you can click here.

The Minister flagged off Stage 1 yesterday

Rosli is one of the officials for the event

Rudolf taking picture for The Brunei Times

The car needed a jump start before the event

The photogs following the marshall on a bike

Off they went to KB

White Jersey came first from Malaysia

The guys from Borneo Bulletin doing some coverage

Taken during the presentation ceremony the day before the event

Representing the Brunei National Cycling team

Hailing from Trengganu – one of the favourites

To all the Hello Kitty lovers out there, Barely There has new items and they even have a special dedicated room to display the Hello Kitty products. Barely There is also having 20% discount on all their items until end of September.

Location? It’s located at Tanjung Bunut shop house, same building with TAIB, on the 1st floor. You also can call 824-8680 for more details. If you want to rent Kungfu Panda mascot, this is the place to rent too.. It’s ideal for birthday parties or special functions.

After a few months of release, the website has been growing in hits for those in search for houses or places to rent or buy.. The website is pretty comprehensive and there’s even a calculator for you to use for your convenience.

The house below is one of the samples taken from the website. It’s a 2 storey detached with 5 bedrooms and it’s located at Mulaut. They will even tell you the date the image is uploaded and this portal is pretty up-to-date. So if you are scouting for a place to rent/stay, please come and visit their website here.

Click image to enter website

A house at Mulaut.. More at www.bruneiproperty.com.bn

The article that wasn’t published in The Brunei Times back in May but if you want the real deal, do read EmmaGoodEgg’s version about pornography in Indonesia and her views on former Peterpan lead singer, Ariel, and and also “Miyabi”. This is perhaps one of the taboo subjects that’s hardly been raised in Brunei unless it’s concerning of CD shops being raided of pornography. I just find this article interesting and nicely written by EmmaGoodEgg. Oh yeah, if you happen to solve the riddle at the last paragraph, EmmaGoodEgg will be more than happy to treat coffee at Sorriso. Email your answers at ranaodidas @gmail.com and for the actual article, you can click here.

Netizens or in our case, the SocMed (short form for Social Media), has been in tune with the recent events of the phots being published on The Brunei Times and they have been getting a lot of heat from the SocMed one of their @TheBruneiTimes twitter feed which read “Meanwhile, what are you thoughts on this tragedy? #Brunei Two girls killed in school tragedy (and a link to their respective article)”.

The mixed responses from Twitter last night
1) Dear BT, the main picture is insensitive & unnecessary
2) Pls be sensitive to the families and to your readers
3) I’m disappointed that @thebruneitimes chose the lowest common denominator by publishing a very private moment in grief of a young member of our community
4) I think it was unintentional and nothing could have been done but my condolences to the family
5) I actually thought they had taken it down or at least block the image
6) WHAT THE HELL. Guys, You were MUCH BETTER than this! Don’t sensationalise death. Just because people are buying it, doesn’t mean you should entertain!
7) School needs to improve safety aspects of the school compound: designated waiting areas, limit car access to school compound
8) I really look forward to the day that our media would go beyond “reporting” events and provoke the readers thoughts through investigative journalism. BT needed to cover the story but plz go beyond the obvious.
9) I would still choose BT over BB at the current state of affairs
10) You are getting a lot of flak today @TheBruneiTimes. Sometimes it’s just not your day. You know we love you.

The Brunei Times announced on Twitter after the backlash from Tweeps on the sensitivity of the Twitter feed. According to one of their Twitter feeds, they had a meeting today to discuss on how situations like this should be handle (My assumptions.. so apologises before hand). Of course their intention is to “create a meaningful use of socmed to enrich their reporting” and they are still learning too.

Hence they came up with a note on Facebook which they linked from their Twitterfeed around 5:30pm today. You can visit their link here

An extract from their note on The Brunei Times’ Facebook: On Wednesday, September 7, 2011, The Brunei Times published a story on the recent school tragedy along with photos of family members grieving the death of one of the six-year-old victims. The publication of the photographs incensed some readers.

As a newspaper we take a stand on some domestic matters, and through our Opinion pages we criticise government agencies on these many issues. It is only fitting that we turn the tables and open our Opinion pages to comments and criticisms hurled against us for the work that we do and how we perform our role in Brunei society.

In this regard, we are inviting readers to express their opinion/comment/criticism on BT’s publication of the photos of the grieving family members. You can do this via Twitter, and we will publish your opinions on our pages and website.

Guidelines

1. Use the hashtag #BTpix and include the username @TheBruneiTimes in your tweet for easy identification. You may include the hashtag #brunei if you wish.

2. By using the hashtag #BTpix you are expressing your intention to submit your message for publication on The Brunei Times and its website.

3. Only your Twitter username (@—) will be published along with the opinion that you broadcast via the microblogging site.

4. Civil discourse is encouraged. Mind your language.

5. Focus your opinion on The Brunei Times’s publication of the photos. This exercise is aimed at opening ourselves to public opinion on the use of the said photographs.

6. Do not include URLs in your tweet.

7. State your opinion/comment/criticism in English.

8. Stick to 140 characters.

9. You may submit more than once.

Get today’s The Brunei Times to read the remarks

The mixed responses from today’s The Brunei Times
1) @jennymalaiali i thought the photos captured a depth of emotion which we all experienced on some level.. without being sensational.
2) @teah Don’t publish something private you yourself do not want to see on print if you’re the subject of the article. 🙂 #btpix
3) @janshim I’m with Jenny on this (refer to Jenny’s Tweet)
4) @Talkingaloudbru Actually not only do I agree with @JennyMalaiAli I’m taking it further & thinking WTH pics r fine. Obviously massive human interest in that story the #BTpix added that extra dimension if @TheBruneiTimes didn’t publish it, it’d be soulless
5) @xobellaaa I honestly can’t see why everyone was upset about the article; I was more upset that such a tragedy happened
6) @vivs Respect cultural sensitivity. Photos shld’ve cropped first. Implement the “Grief & Shock” Code whilst sympathising.
7) @Wafirosli The basic rule of photojournalism as long as the pictures aren’t manipulated and the captions aren’t misleading. Then it’s ok
8) @esteillha I understand the sensitivity concerns over photographing a personal moment. But if the family gave permission, it’s not an invasion of privacy. As for accusations of sensationalism, I fail to see how photos of a family mourning can be seen as such. A tragedy happened. People get affected and hurt. There is nothing wrong with.
9) @emmagoodegg I’ve always admired @thebruneitimes for sticking to principles & seeking to elevate the intellect. For trying to be the better paper. I’m disappointed that @thebruneitimes chose the lowest common denominator by publishg a very private moment in grief of a young member of our community. To see more of the Twitter feeds, you can click here.

Click image to find out more

Click image to find more details

Click image and join Radisson on FB

Image courtesy of Mimi

Kim with her cat, Patel Singh Japar

Patel even has his own baju melayu

“Smiling Raya Faces” by Alin Ahmad

Image courtesy of Nina Hasnani

Image courtesy of Nina Hasnani

Ummi and her daughter Anneliese Sara courtesy of Wazzie Othman

Change Management team from BAG Networks

Change Management team from BAG Networks

Courtesy of Dk Nooril Haryanti Aries

Courtesy of Dk Nooril Haryanti Aries

Courtesy of Toto

Courtesy of Thee0eight

Courtesy of Hasif Sardani

SHR MZB from Pg Hj Mumin’s family – courtesy of Ak Herman

Courtesy of Pg Sham

Quite a few positions here

Looking for Project Constructions Coordinator Assistant

How can you participate in this event?
1 – For Sponsors & donation, please call 8668912
2 – For Volunteers, please email yianneelim@cantab.net
3 – For Booking of booth to raise funds, please email alamflorahijau@gmail.com
4 – For other inquiry, Please call 2655245
Or just come and have fun with us!!! For Direction, Please call 2655245

Click image to find more details

Click image and join Radisson on FB

The tragic news still lingers among the Brunei community. The social media kinda got out of hand with many different versions of stories and accounts of the mishap that happened at Sekolah Rendah Mabohai (Mabohai Primary School). I won’t go far with the details and just let the local news handle this. Two primary students – Nurulfatin Nabilah Zamain and Nabilah Farhana Hj And Rahim – were victims of a freak accident due to the 40 year old local teacher who reversed the car and accidentally pinning them to the wall as reported in Borneo Bulletin.

I’m still quite stunned by the incident and I pray for the victims that they will rest in peace and only Allah knows the truth. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. As for the accident, it was purely accidentally and not intentional as reported. For more of the news, you can click here courtesy of Borneo Bulletin. Al-Fatihah.

I paid a quick visit yesterday to the school late afternoon

This was the most viewed photo on my Tweetpic yesterday and was it because the word “fetish” made you guys click on the pic?? I just find this news amusing to say the least and it was also a headliner in yesterday’s paper. I even have a friend (whom I won’t mention who :p), who works at Anggrek Desa, has her under garments stolen from the clothesline too. Now that’s some weird fetish by the culprit or I could be assuming wrong about the motive of the thief. So to the laundry person of the household, make sure there’s an inventory list when you hang your clothes outside :))

This was a screenshot of the article written in Borneo Bulletin. Let’s hope the culprit will be caught.

So becareful and be alert while hanging them outside. Do keep count.

Click image to find more details

Click image and join Radisson on FB

RA says “My quota, one house per day. That’s the number of open houses I’ve set for myself this for the first week of Hari Raya. There’s no particular reason why I set this. Maybe I was more concerned of having a good rest and there’s no better time than the festive season, right? My sleeping pattern hasn’t been the same since fasting month and I do miss my beauty sleep. I’m glad to have my afternoon power naps to make up for it. Frankly speaking, I have been “room-arresting” myself for the past few week or so. Hopefully by Week 2 of Hari Raya, I will increase my quota by one or two visits *lol*

So how has your Hari Raya been lately? Some are in the Raya mood whilst some are in “ok-ok” mood based on my Twitter feeds. I actually crave for more food now come to think of it. Food are always great at open houses (Fana’s aunty make some awesome rendang). I can tell you that I’m definitely staying away from burgers for some time after the “Burger Fest” last week. But then again, we are scheduling another “Burger Fest” in two weeks’ time but in-house cafe types. That should be another interesting review to look forward to.

Speaking of Hari Raya, what shoes/sandals are you? This topic has been kinda “hot” at the moment.. Why? Some people just don’t have any remorse when it comes to stealing shoes or sandals even during Hari Raya. There was an incident where one of my friends had her “Ferragamo” shoes stolen at someone’s open house recently and this scenario was caught on CCTV *ouch to the culprit* So what the culprit did was grabbed her own shoes and put them in her LV bag then quickly wore the “Ferragamo” shoes and cooly walked away.. I’m sure TigerLim would have make a funny video about this particular incident. From what I heard, the family was being contacted with regards to this matter. So peeps… Think twice if you have evil thoughts of stealing stuff.. It’s so uncool and un-Hari Raya like :))

Ladies, just be aware of your branded shoes. The chances are pretty low but let’s not take that for granted too. Plus this is hard to keep track due to the human traffic at open houses. I’m sure ladies are aware of branded shoes such as Pazzion, Charles & Keith to name a few. Come to think of it, has any guy lost their shoes during Hari Raya visit for that matter? Do let me know.

So what shoes are you? Charles & Keith at The Mall

Are they more minuses in Google+? What happened to Google +? I mean, it’s still there and my inbox has been full of invites from my peers but I’m not buying into that social network platform just yet. I know it has some great features that FB doesn’t have but in the end of the day, when it comes to social network, you need the masses (friends on the same network) in order to make that social network platform more practical.

Having said that, Facebook have been getting some criticism on the recent changes in their privacy settings. Facebook, I feel, is striving hard to extend their lead as other rivals are creeping in. Right now, I still haven’t logged in to Google+ ever since I signed up two months ago. Some features are cool especially when it comes to categorizing your friends’ list. Give it a few more months and we might see a difference in shift. Google+ has potential but it also need our support and beliefs. For now, I’m still sticking with Facebook and Twitter.

When will Google+ come to the picture?

The word “Note” yet to sink in. I’m quite impressed with Samsung. They are in a big war in terms of smart phones with Apple and other rivals but mostly with Apple. I know Android lovers are strong supporters of Samsung as they are the trendsetters. The arrival of Samsung SII has boosted their status and their market share in the mobile industry. So you can see how Android and IOS (iPhone) users will poke fun at each other and arguing that each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The rivalry can be similarly described between Manchester United and Liverpool fans *lol*

A few days ago Samsung had a big announcement on the new tablet and a new category of mobile gadget called the “Note”. It’s an integration of a tablet and a smartphone. Thought I’m not sure if the word “note” will tick off as a new category just yet. I’m not feeling it and it’s a bit confusing as Note is a pretty common word too. Anyway, I feel the “Note” from Samsung are targeting users who wants a combo of a tablet and a smartphone and it comes with a stylus pen which they boasted have advanced features. Let’s see if it’s a big gamble on Samsung to launch a new category and will others follow?

I wouldn’t mind getting myself an Android phone one day but for sure, it won’t be my primary phone. Each platform has their pros and cons and like we all want is to have the best of both worlds (in one hand). In terms of popularity, it’s pretty obvious that there are more iPhone users than Androids (Samsung, HTC, Google) in Brunei.

Is the Note for you or a niche market?

Kindle me this, Kindle me that. I’ve been reading on TechCrunch lately as I’m more intrigued about the news on the next generation iPhone. Then I came across an interesting article on Amazon’s Kindle (another tablet). It seems that they have repositioned their target segment and that is not to compete with Apple’s iPad. It was quoted that iPads have maintained a tablet marketshare of 70-80%. The remainders are Android tablets (Samsung, Dell, HP). So Amazon learnt one thing – competing with the iPad by trying to be the iPad doesn’t really work.

If you noticed, you will hear people asking if you are getting an iPad or Galaxy Tab/HP, Playbook/etc.. so what Amazon is trying to create or shift is the question – iPad or Kindle? Another strategy by Amazon is that they will only launch the 7″ tablet rather than having different sizes like other labels do. Amazon has made it clear: They don’t want the kindle tablet to be the iPad. They want it to be everything the iPad is not.

It will be interesting to see how the Amazon Kindle will take off once it’s released. Price wise, I heard it’s way cheaper at an estimated of USD 250. Watch out Samsung, LG, Motorola, Blackberry…. The Amazon Kindle could just be the 2nd market leader in the tablet industry.

I’m loving the vision of Amazon

Park illegally at your own risk. There’s no mercy during Hari Raya. If you happen to park at a no-parking zone at RIPAS Hospital, then you will get your car clamped by the police. The Road Traffic and Investigations Department under the Royal Brunei Police Force conducted the “Immobilisation Enforcement” operation and as stated, it’s part of their campaign to promote road safety and reduce accidents during Hari Raya season.

Well, it’s the Brunei culture that if one parks illegally, then another would follow and so on. Hence, it’s a good measure that you don’t park illegally and do make use of the basement parking as it’s cheaper to pay than the fine 😉 Or you might get away with a warning letter if you’re lucky.

A police officer clamping a car. Taken from The Brunei Times

Game of Thrones. I never knew what this series was until there was such so much hype about this TV show, Game of Thrones.. Yea, it’s set up in the medieval times but I have to say I was totally drawn to the story from Episode 1 to 10 (first season) and now I’m drooling for the second season to kick off which I’m not sure when.. It’s currently showing on HBO but I suggest you buy the whole DVD set since there are censored scenes on Astro HBO.

Game of Thrones portrayed all the Se7en sins (well, almost all) as the main characters envisioned for power. Apparently the original series is based on George R.R. Martin’s best-selling “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. Lots of my peers love the series too after my recommendations *big smile* and I love the casts too. Brilliant acting with superb dialogue and cinematography. The dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, is my favourite character in Game of Thrones. Do watch it and you will know what I mean and I’m quite happy that he is being nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Forget Gossip Girls, Trueblood, Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek *lol*.. Game of Thrones is the bomb!!! Game of Thrones: Season 1. Verdict: A

RA highly recommends Game of Thrones

Tyrion Lannister is awesome in GOT