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This was a recap of what happened last weekend when Brunei snatched a last gasp winner against Cambodia in a 3-2 thriller at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Goal hero Md Najib Hj Tarif said that it was the best goal he ever scored. It was from a freekick attempt which gave Brunei a vital 3 points to kick off their campaign in the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.

Brunei will take on Vietnam tomorrow at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium and this will be their second game. Vietnam drew against Malaysia and beat Cambodia 2-1so far in the group stage. This is another must win game for Brunei if they want a realistic chance of entering the semi-finals of the HBT 2012.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam officiating at the opening ceremony of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (HBT) at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium and his presence with the royal entourage gave a lot of encouragement for the young lads.

So guys let’s give some morale support to our local lads tomorrow at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The organisers of HBT 2012 would also like to thank all the supporters (14,000) who turned up last Saturday to witness the match against Cambodia. As the slogan goes, “Tanpa Biskita Siapalah Kami” — “Without you, who are we” which is dedicated for the supporters and the citizens of Brunei Darussalam.

Tomorrow’s match – Brunei vs Vietnam at 8:15pm, 29th February at Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. Don’t forget to collect your tickets too and yes, it’s FREE entry to all. Images below courtesy of Ahim Rani.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam officiating at the opening ceremony of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy (HBT) at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium

The march pass during the opening ceremony of HBT 2012

The ladies on duty during the opening ceremony

The little boys warming up themselves

What a beauty goal it was!! This was Brunei’s 2nd goal

Brunei celebrated their 3-2 victory over Cambodia last Saturday

Attractive fares from the upcoming 7th Belait Travel Fair this weekend. It is organised by Royal Brunei Airlines and Abacus Brunei which will take place at the Oil & Gas Discovery Centre, Seria. So what’s the catch with the travel fair there? You can enjoy great prices during the two-day fair.

You can also stand a chance to win business class return tickets to Melbourne, Shanghai and Manila. So what are some of the attractive fares that will be available during the fair?

Check out the fares below.-

Melbourne BND 777 (which will fly daily by Mid-March)
Dubai BND 888
Singapore BND 411
Bangkok BND 443
Bangkok BND 413 *t&c applies*
Jakarta BND 452
Kuala Lumpur BND 369
Hong Kong BND 509

The rates are not inclusive during holiday periods (March and June) if I’m not mistaken. And the cheaper fares are also subjective to availability and what I have given you is the lowest that Royal Brunei Airlines and the respective travel agents will offer and the seats are also subjective to availability.

In addition to the promotional fares, Royal Skies will be giving away Royal Skies Miles to lucky Royal Skies members through the “Spin The Wheel” activity and have the chance to win attractive prizes sponsored by Royal Skies partners – Saffron Café, Fratini’s Restaurant, Standard Charted Bank, B.T. Forwarding (TNT), Charcoal Barbeque and Grill, The Empire Hotel and Country Club, Rizqun International Hotel, Royce, Excapade, and Martha Tilaar Spa.

Aside from Royal Skies, Royal Brunei Holidays will be promoting attractive holiday packages to various destinations including Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Jakarta, Melbourne and Dubai. For bookings made at the Travel Fair, customers are entitled to a discount of BND25 per person from the selling price.

Group photo with representatives from Abacus (Brunei), Royal Brunei Airlines and Baiduri Bank

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Jati Transport Sdn Bhd celebrated the 25th anniversary of their appointment as the Mercedes-Benz General Distributor in Brunei on Saturday with the launch of their new showroom in Beribi. Wow.. I never realised it has been that long but prior to that I wonder who brought in Mercedes in then because we still have the classic Mercedes back dated in the early 80s.

The newly renovated showroom incorporates the latest Mercedes-Benz styling by Daimler AG, Germany. The bright open tiled display with floor-to-ceiling glass walls includes luxurious waiting lounge with seating for customers, complimentary refreshments, LED television, wifi, an internet computer screen and luxurious Mercedes-Benz clothing, watches and other accessories on display.

An extended service center equipped with state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz equipment has been built to Mercedes-Benz standards. An additional heavy truck bay has also been added.

Mr. Holger Lindner, Chief Financial Officer of Daimler South East Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, signing the plaque with YM Pg Anak Hj Ja’afar, Executive Chairman of Jati Transport while Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport looked on

Cake cutting ceremony to officiate the new showroom

During the launch, Jati Transport proudly announced that over 60% of their staffs are locals and more than 50% of all their employees have been with Jati Transport for 10 years and more than 15% over 20 years. These are hard to find these days – local but committed.

On display were the latest Mercedes-Benz models including the spectacular new SLK 55 AMG. Guests were treated to a tour of the new facilities and catering by Radisson, Villa Mauri and Excapade.

On hand to officiate at the launch of the new showroom was Jati Transport Sdn Bhd Executive Chariman, YM Pg Anak Hj Ja’afar Ibni Almarhum Pg Pemancha Pg Anak Hj Mohd ‘Alam and the Chief Financial Officer of Daimler South East Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, Mr. Holger Lindner.

In celebration of their 25th anniversary, Jati Transport Sdn Bhd presented donations of $5,000 each to five charities, namely:
1) Dana Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans
2) Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam
3) Jabatan Pembangunan Masyarakat Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia & Sukan
4) Persatuan Kanak-Kanak Cacat (KACA)
5) Tabung Anak-Anak Yatim Daerah Brunei-Muara District

Group photo with the representatives from the charitable foundations

Mr. Holger Lindner (c) with the management of Jati Transport

New arrivals at Lawa Lawa which is located at Batu Bersurat behind TOP Happy Star. Shop operates everyday except for Monday (9:30am to 8:30pm)

I’ve never hear any of their songs even minutes before the concert. However, I was a different person after the concert *lol* What I meant to say was that I was amazed by the performance and their energy on stage. The lead singer vocal was pretty amazing too and this is a sign of a true artiste who can shine on the big stage (which is pretty rare nowadays).

I will talk more of the experience later on but for now, I’m gonna post some pictures with you during the CN Blue Concert (25th February 2012). Thanks to Holika Holika (Brunei) for inviting me to this event. It was definitely worth my trip.

She tried to get CN Blue to sign but we didn’t manage to go back stage

Our ticket pass was made of a solid card.. Awesome souvenir 😀

I never realised Tina is such a big fan of CN Blue. She even made a specially made chocolate for them as a gift *aawwwwwww* and Tina was totally in her own world throughout the concert.. Coolies!!!

Rashidah bought some merchandise of CN Blue though one of her items were not allowed to be brought in

Group photo with the Brunei group that caught CN Blue (Thanks to Holika Holika Brunei for making this possible)

Some of the merchandise bought went wasted as the security didn’t allow some of the items to enter the concert area

CN Blue fans were everywhere.. Amazing!!

Azim and Sim Yuan did enjoy the concert

These ladies must have waited for the queue since morning

Many restrictions which were a turn off for me *lol*

I was impressed that they have tons of activities prior to the concert

They were giving out limited edition CN Blue compilation

Two of my cameras had be stored *boohoo*

This is very likely for those in the standing area.. The fans were screaming like mad then.

Their merchandise (the official and the unofficial ones) were selling like hot cakes

The fans were taking photo with this dude.. Not sure who he is though

CN Blue props were everywhere

Thorough check up by the security too

I even brought my lucky bunny to the concert

The camera men only allowed to take the first three songs

It was such an epic crowd during the 2 hour show

One lady was bored half way but she then came alive in the last three songs

Sim Yuan starting to love CN Blue

There was still strong demand after the concert

Pang Ze Yuan (left)was one of the Holika Holika winners for the CN Blue concert but it was her mom (right) who was more of a CN Blue fan and she bought the standing tickets too

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I’m back in Bangkok and it has been two years since my last trip here. My peers might have the wrong assumptions that I travel to Bangkok a lot but this is actually my 2nd trip to Bangkok *lol* It’s a great city but I have yet to explore much here in Bangkok.. I have at least one and a half day to spend at Bangkok and one of my pitstops will be the Adidas store at Siam Paragon (if it’s still there).

My trip was supposedly back in November for the CN Blue concert but the concert was postponed due to the floods in Thailand. Hence the concert is scheduled tomorrow in Bangkok and 30 winners of the Holika Holika promotion in Brunei were also flown to catch the concert. Cool, aye?

Anyway, more updates later on.. For now, I’m gonna spend some time and chill in Bangkok..

The management of Holika Holika from Brunei and the winner of the Holika Holika’s CN Blue concert taking a group photo at Airport, Bangkok

My neighbours Leny and Hil on my flight on @royalbruneiair to Bangkok. Enjoyed the great service and flight :))

I like the fact that this sim card is iPhone ready. So if you happen to be in Thailand, get DTAC simcard and it’s so so so so freaking cheap.. I got this sim card for 49 Baht only which is more or less $2 and the 3G data is fast too. Amazing!!

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Last minute grooming before the National Day march pass

I’m loving today’s The Brunei Times Supplement for some reason. Maybe it’s the angle they took instead of the predicted content of supplement by other publications. It’s great to see different local individuals being featured in the National Day supplement and how they contribute to the country.

I highly recommend you to get today’s The Brunei Times and this could be also a good research study for students. Well done, The Brune Times. Reading the content makes me prouder to be a Bruneian. Happy National Day everyone!!

Md Ridzuan Abdullah of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and Ahmad Taufiq Murni, Brunei’s Pool National player in today’s The Brunei Times

Rising star Aziz Harun @jambul212 was also featured

Jewellery designer Sarah Ibrahim was also in today’s paper

Woowww my buddy @WinnieSia also has a page.. Awesome!!!

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On the occasion of celebrating Brunei Darussalam 28th National Day on Thursday, 23rd February 2012.

Let´s celebrate to honor our history and heritageby posting a Yellow and Black themed photos by using the Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag ” #kuninghitam2012 ” in Instagram which is also representing the patriotic colour of the Brunei Darussalam flag.

This is also an opportunity for us to reaffirm our shared hopes for the future and redouble the effort to work together to meet the challenges,seize the opportunities of the 21st century and echoes the spirit of patriotism, nationalism and unity.

There will be an InstaWalk among the members in conjunction with the 28th National Day and of course everyone is welcome to join us. The meeting point will be at the Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan 7am – 730am.

Theme: Yellow & Black
Official brunika 28th National Day hash tag: #kuninghitam2012 & #brunika

InstaWalk:
Meet up point: Waterfront, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Time: 7am – 730am
Lets Instagram, Brunei Darussalam!

This was taken at Rig Reef, Brunei’s signature Reef. Picture courtesy of Oceanic Quest

BruCupcake Brunei Darussalam 2012 in conjunction with National Day. Brought to you by Greenfrog

Brunei National Day Cat Show 2012 in March

There are many headlines about the tropical storm Washi that struck the Philippines in Decemvber 2011. I recently attended a press conference organised by the Filipino Association Brunei (FAB) and managed by Prismworks Event Management with the support of the Philippines Embassy in Brunei Darussalam.

The press conference was to highlight the upcoming charity events – Golf Tournament (25th and 26th Feb) and Charity Dinner Concert (26th Feb). Present during the press conference was Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat. Also present were the President of the Filipino Association Brunei, Edel Bartholomew and Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management.

The charity golf tournament will be held on February 24 and 25 at the Jerudong Park Country Club (JPCC) golf course. The categories for golfers are: the men’s open (A, B,C division), the VIP category, and the ladies category. Registration fee is fixed at $110 and all the proceeds will be donated towards Washi humanitarian fund.

Let’s not forget also the charity dinner concert on Sunday 26th February at Centrepoint Grand Ballroom where the ticket will cost $50 per person inclusive of dinner. The celebrity will be Filipino crooner Richard Poon and there will be some opening acts by local artistes too.

Those who wish to participate in the golf tournament, or/and attend the charity dinner can contact 7169286 (for those in Brunei-Muara) or 8775112 / 8789344 (for those in Kuala Belait).

Jeffery E Cadayong, Operations Head of Prismworks Event Management, Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines and Edel Bartholomew, President of the Filipino Association Brunei at the press conference

Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat with the organisers of the Golf and Dinner event this February

Zatty Joanda of The Brunei Times interviewing Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat, Minister and Charge d’ Affaires from the Philippines

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Some of the photos that will be exhibited during the charity dinner

Did you know that more than 1.5 million people are affected from storm Washi? More than 1,200 lost their lives. More than 50,000 houses damaged and it was reported that the cost of damages is approximately BND 50 million.

The priorty needs are such as Meals-Ready-To-Eat, Non-food items (blankets, folding beds), temporary shelters, generators and school supplies for children.

The Humanitarian Fund for Victims of Tropical Storm Washi-Philippines was established in Brunei with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan and was launched on 04 January 2012 by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Seri Setia Hajji Hazair Hajji Abdullah,in his capacity as Chair of the Humanitarian Fund National Committee

It aims to alleviate the suffering of the Washi-ravaged Philippines and fund collections for three months (from 04 January to 03 April 2012) to allow the public to donate money and various organizations to raise funds through charitable activities.

Effective 1st March, Kristal Astro subscribers will enjoy new packages at very affordable prices. The new packages will start from $24.95 a month (Ruby Package) which offers more than 38 channels with new channels including NatGeo Wild, Arena, ESPNews and Star World HD.

With the new packages, all sports channels will be offered as premium where subscribers have to pay for additional fee of BND 10 per month. According to Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group, it is imperative for KRISTAL Astro to offer sports as premium in view of continued cost pressures, including escalating global and Astro content costs and sports broadcast rights. DST Group is actually absorbing extra cost for the benefit of the existing subscribers and continue to do so with the new packages.

Two additional channels will be launched in March 2012 will be Star World HD and Discovery HD World.

Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager of KRISTAL Astro, Idris Vasi, CEO of DST Group and Ramlah Haji Rabaha, Senior Manager, Business Division, KRISTAL Astro during the press conference

Matnarudin Ibrahim explaining the new packages to the media

KRISTAL Astro will be providing FREE viewing for all existing chanlles commencing 23rd February to 29th February 2012 prior to migrating to the new packes which will take effect on 1st March 2012. The kind gesture is also in conjunction with the 28th National Day of Brunei Darussalam.

Effective 1st March 2012, Movie package customers will be migrated to Ruby Package, World Package to Sapphire Package + Sapphire Sports, Movie World package to Jade Package + Jade Sports Package. But this is another important point for existing subscribers that you can unsubscribe to the Sports Package if you don’t wish to subscribe it because effective March, the Sports package will be automatically added. So I assume that not all subscribers will want a Sports package.

These are the old packages or the current ones that we are entitled to right now. All of these packages will be revamped effective 1st March 2012

Now the new packages start from $24.95 which is very affordable for Bruneians

Another great offer from KRISTAL Astro is that subscribers will enjoy a 50% discount on their subsequent subscriptions so in fact you will be saving costs for multiple sets. The only condition is that the subscribers must have the same address. So this could be a share address among a big family and this will be useful for me since my siblings also have their Astro in their rooms.

So just refer to the illustration below on the discounts for multiple users. By the way, the 50% discount only applies if you signed up for the same packages. For eg. all set must be Ruby to enjoy the subsequent 50%. So you can’t have Ruby and Jade packages at the same household to enjoy the 50% discount. 

Now this is ideal if you have multiple users in the same address. Good move by KRISTAL Astro and only in Brunei

KRISTAL Astro’s effort is also to entice “illegal” subscribers to join ship with KRISTAL Astro as they are reasonably cheaper and the illegal ones won’t have the special packages offered by KRISTAL Astro. Currently, there are 30,000 subscribers of KRISTAL Astro in Brunei Darussalam and it was mentioned that there are a handful of illegal subscribers of Astro in the country.

But not to worry to all the “illegal” subscribers as KRISTAL Astro is opening arms to you guys to subscribe with them.

And to the current existing KRISTAL Astro subscribers, if you have an old decoder (not Astro Beyond), you can trade in your old set for an upgrade and not pay the full price. This is another good initiative move by KRISTAL Astro and you can drop by their roadshow at The Airport Mall this Sunday from 10am to 10pm to find out more.

If you have this Astro card, then this is a legitimate Astro set you are using

Wanna catch Maya Karin of Ombak Rindu this Sunday at The Airport Mall. More on this soon!!

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Long stretch of jam around JP area.. Image courtesy of Nazeeb

Another long stretch of jam heading to Bandar through Mabohai. Image courtesy of @marul69

Royal Brunei Airline guys also participating in the march during National Day rehearsal. Image courtesy of @royalbruneiar

Taken by Zul Fadly who’s also participating in the march

Great view from the top. Image courtesy of @d_estralita

So will there be an airshow too? Image courtesy of @izan21

Taken this morning courtesy of Hasfaleela Hasnan

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

Taken this morning courtesy of @snrpablo

My media pass today collected from Info Department

Well, I’ve never come across an SME from Brunei that has a global reach up to Africa. Last week, I was invited to a signing ceremony between Crescent Sdn Bhd and ABG Multimedia Services (from Nigeria) and this means Crescent will provide its online Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance course in Nigeria. Awesome!!!

Now how did this all happened? It was from a trip organised by United Staes Embassy last September 2011 where they select 25 entrepreneurs globally from Muslim countries to participate in the Obama initiative. Hajah Salma Latiff, Managing Director of Crescent Sdn Bhd, was selected and she met Dr Musa Bawa Garba, Managing Director of ABG Multimedia Services from Nigeria.

The signing ceremony, which invited the Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali Haji Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), as the guest of honour. In his opening speech the deputy minister said that the signing “marks an important milestone for the local company” and its journey to venture overseas.

Congratulations once again to Hjh Salma on making it global and she also won the Asia Pacific ACT Awards (APICTA) last year where it was Brunei’s first win in the competition in 12 years.

The signing ceremony took place at the iCentre

Hjh Salma of Crescent said that they are fortunate to have a partner who believe in the importance of Islamic finance and appreciates that its implementation in Nigeria is a necessity for the country’s economic progress and development

Dr Musa Bawa Garba said he sees Islamic banking as a form of ethical investing, or ethical lending, where no loans are possible unless they are interest-free, and this offers a balance between extreme capitalism and communism and he was impressed with Crescent’s highly structured, interactive and innovative distance learning programme, the Professional Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance

Dato Paduka Ali Apong was delighted with the SME joint venture between Crescent (Brunei) and ABG Multimedia Services (Nigeria) and he believed that BEDB has the “capability, capital and connectivity” to guide SMEs globally through innovation

Now they can load on Twitter, Instagram.. you name it

The handover of documents between Dr Musa and Hjh Salma with Dato Paduka Ali Apong as a witness

Graceful Lace, a group of 8 students from Year 2 National Diploma in Business and Finance from Sekolah Perdagangan is organizing an event which is the The Wedding Expo 2012 from 24th up to 27th February on the 1st and 2nd Floor Atrium, Hua Ho Manggis Mall from 10am to 10pm.

The main purpose of the event is to expose the SME’s especially the home based wedding service provider as well as the established names in the industry in which through this event, the various service provider could promote any of their new ideas, products and services to potential weds to be who are still looking out for the right wedding attire, wedding dias, wedding door gifts and many more. The participants joining the event are Nurhayana Enterprise, FM Bridal, Cits Cake, Zaren Chocolatier, Simply Sayang, DD Gmin Bridal Gallery, Kitchen Essencia and many more.

For your information, the event is sponsored by Hua Ho Department Store ,Insurans Islam TAIB, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam, BIBD At-Tamwil, Orchid Garden Hotel, Aneka Rasa Restaurant, Kristal FM and Ranoadidas.

It would be really grateful that the public (especially the weds-to-be) to come and visit the expo at the same time support the students’ event.

For enquiries, please contact :

Farouq Al-Qastharie Haji Abdul Aziz, Graceful Lace General Manager : +673 8689749
Nor Iman Mohd Isham, Marketing department : +673 7140803
Facebook Iman Mia

Perhaps the unique part of the National Day Special Promotion is the special local dishes that will be made available on the ala carte menu and buffet at Airport Restaurant and Seasons Restaurant. Some of the dishes are normally cooked at home and hence this will be the first time a few dishes will be introduced.

The National Day Special Promotion, which will run from Feb 20-25, will showcase a number of mouth-watering local delicacies such as Kembayau cream soup, Jackfruit cooked with prawn and Belutak fried rice with deep fried chicken and crackers. Other items on the menu are Mambangan Mousse served with fruits and sauce and Deef Fried Seabass Liking.

They will also serve ambuyat and the grilled items are only available during dinner buffet. Both Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Demi Chef Azizul Abdullah made some trials and see what’s good to include in the food promotion. Chef Azizul is probably known for his Kembayau soup where he once taught a short demo on how to make one.

Check out the poster for prices and mind you, the lunch buffet at Seasons Restaurant is fully booked for now on the 23rd February (National Day). So that really says a lot about the food promotion.

Deep Fried Seabass Liking served with steamed rice and sambal “mambangan”

I love this pakis dish

Nasi Goreng Belutak served with local sausage and deep fried chicken and crackers

Chef Azizul, Sous-chef Rosli Che Aman and Seasons Restaurant Assistant Manager Oscar Abrera

I’m not sure what is the jinx for SAFFC. The army outfit from Singapore has yet to beat DPMM FC in six attempt after their 2-1 loss at their home ground. SAFFC is one of the favourites for the S-League title and they are still pointless after two games played.

SAFFC scored from a set piece when Tatsuro Inui scored from a free kick to cancel out in-form striker Basiru Osman’s goal. DPMM FC played the same starting line up against Tampines Rovers. Both goals scored from DPMM were from set pieces and this showed the lack of concentration of SAFFC’s defence when it mattered the most.

Perhaps the highlight of the match was Shahrazen’s first competitive goal which is a good morale boost for the DPMM striker. He’s back to full fitness and his support from Basiru Osman and Ghral well be a force to be reckoned with.

What DPMM coach Vjeran Simunic said – “Inside our hearts, we always trusted that we could come here and win,” claimed the Croatian. SAFFC are the No.1 team in Singapore, eight-time champions. Maybe there are some people who want us to get spectacular results, but we have to respect them, so I am happy with this win.

“We have had no football for three years, and it would not be logical for us to come to Singapore and become champions right away. But in my heart, I am always hungry for trophies, and I will transfer that spirit to my team.” (Source: Tam Cheong Yan of S.League)

DPMM FC’s first win is a good birthday present for the Crown Prince who celebrated his 38th birthday a few days ago. Well done to DPMM FC and I won’t be surprised that their t-shirt merchandise will increase in sales. Images below are courtesy of S.League Facebook page.

Rodrigo Ghral of DPMM FC in action against SAFFC last night

Wardun, DPMM FC’s keeper, did a great job behind the line and he hardly gets picture taken in DPMM FC matches too. Kudos to the photographer.

As usual, Basiru Osman will always be fouled and when this happens, you know such player is a threat. DPMM FC’s best signing so far

Just read the caption *lol* DPMM FC celebrated their first victory.

iCentre’s iMMerse programme series, dubbed the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge”, ended with a prize presentation ceremony, marking another initiative by the organisation in identifying local talents in the Sultanate’s multimedia industry.

The second challenge carried the theme “My Brunei Forever Green”, where participants created a poster that showcases the richness, lushness and majestic environment of Brunei Darussalam, including how Bruneians coexist with nature in a greener and brighter world for today and tomorrow.

The ceremony began with an opening remark by Jeremy Chua, Multimedia officer from iCentre, who stated that the programme is aimed to nurture and grow a diverse community of untapped potential in Brunei’s Multimedia industry.

“Our upcoming challenge is the 3D animation challenge, which will take place in the coming months, followed by the short film challenge, and finally the web/mobile interface challenge,” he said.

Officiating the prize presentation was Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA). The top winner of the “iMMerse Graphic Design Challenge” was Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, whilst second place went to Rommel Oliveros. Text by Adib Noor of The Brunei Times.

Aji Puteh, Head of Corporate Services at Royal Brunei Airlines, talked about the iMMerse programme

Kwok Leong of KR Consulting, 1st prize winner Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng, 2nd prize winner Rommel Oliveros and Aji Puteh of RBA

Chronicle (2012). A very mixed reviews from my peers. The guys love it while the ladies thought otherwise. Maybe it’s not meant for the ladies, aye? I love the direction of Chronicle and the formula paid off especially the genius work of video capture as the audience saw the movie through the lens of V-cam throughout the movie.

The movie is pretty dark though and the ending might not be everyone’s cup of tea but to me, it fits the bill. Sometimes I feel that the scenario of the relationship among the three friends portrayed in the movie can be relate to most of our daily lives in how we deal with close friends. Sorry ladies, I don’t agree with your ratings for this one. One of the best movie this month. Verdict: 8/10.

The Descendants. I could feel the energy from Cuterabbit and lilmopiko when we watched this flick. Halfway through the movie, they felt restless because they lost interest *lol* This melodrama movie is definitely not for everyone and I was pretty curious on The Descendants as it was nominated for Best Actor (George Clooney) and Best Picture for the upcoming Oscars.

I have to say I quite enjoyed The Descendants but it’s somewhat depressing as the story depicts a father played by George Clooney who tried to pull his family together and facing reality on their dying mother with obstacles along the way. The movie also reminds me of the classic Little Miss Sunshine which I personally enjoyed more than The Descendants. After watching this movie, I’m still questioning how this flick was nominated as Best Picture. Verdict: 7/10.

Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace in 3D. I caught The Phantom Menace when it premiered in Australia back in 1999. Did I enjoy it? Well, despite the great visuals and fight scenes, I was pretty bogged down by the confusing plot which talks about politics. I am a fan of Star Wars series but I preferred episodes 4 to 6.

Now fast forward to the present, the producers have enhanced the movie in a 3D version. Was it worth it? All I can say that I was more impressed with the trailer of Titanic 3D (which was shown) than my 3D experience of The Phantom Menace. I noticed some scenes weren’t not rendered to 3D. I highly recommend this 3D movie for hardcore fans and also to those who didn’t get the privilege to watch The Phantom Menace. Oh yeah, Jar Jar Binks really spoiled my movie experience *lol* Verdict: 6/10.

There was a small gig for Brunei 501st Legion appearance during the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 3D premier at The Mall Cineplex

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Perhaps one of the movies which I had low expectations for two reasons – 1) first movie really sucked 2) Nicholas Cage?? I was more bemused by the outcome of some scenarios rather than the action. Some just didn’t make sense and I felt like drilling the director with my 2 cents opinion. Ghost Rider is comparable to the Green Lantern and it’s not a movie that will burn its way to the box office. It only opened at USD 22 million while the 1st Ghost Rider raked in USD 52 million back in 2007.

Ok, enough rants on Ghost Rider the sequel. I won’t say it was an improvement because I didn’t really enjoy both movies. I just hope they will stop making Ghost Rider movies as the producers are losing their investment in this particular movie. I love Nicholas Cage in Con Air, The Rock and Face/Off but his latest strings of movies (Drive Angry, Season of the Witch) were total failures. Even the comfort of the $20 VIP sofa seats didn’t save my movie experience. Sorry Ghost Rider. Time to put the flame out. Verdict: 5/10.

Safe House. This is one gripping thriller not to be missed. Denzel Washington is one actor that can’t go wrong when he’s on screen though not all movies I necessarily enjoy but he always does his best regardless. Ryan Reynolds also starred in Safe House and he suits playing this kinda of roles.

It was a better momentum after watching The Descendants two hours before. There are some flaws and some credibility issues that I kept me wonder at some points. However, the great chemistry between the co-stars and nicely paced action kinda delivers the movie to my expectations. I just wish they directed the suspense level to another level. Still a great watch. Verdict: 8/10.

Well done, Zul Fadly on the recent participation of Urbanathlon which took place in Singapore today. Apparently a group of Crossfit Brunei group joined the Urbanathlon. Last year I happened to be there for coverage. Giving it a miss this year. Image courtesy of Zul Fadly

This unexpected accident happened along the highway heading to airport this morning. According to a source, three cars were involved in the mishap. Drive safe peeps

LOL.. There was a commotion between CNN Piers Morgan and Emmanuel Frimpong of Arsenal. This was after Arsenal’s disappointing lost to Sunderland which means Arsenal will be title-less again this season

This was Frimpong’s reply to Piers Morgan’s tweet

Another LOL moment. Someone emailed me this evening and this was located nearby an ATM at Kiulap. Apparently judging from the torn bits, there are quite a lot of “school leavers”

Today my family’s gone off for another trip to Singapore. Loads of loading and unloading to do

It was a last minute decision by Thailand to withdraw from the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy disrupted the schedule of the HBT 2012 tournament. Hence the organising committee of HBT 2012 had a discussion with the Asian Football Federation (AFF) to clarify the issue.

According to President of National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman, the withdrawal of Thailand was unexpected but the organizers respect the decision of Thailand’s withdraw due to unforeseen circumstances.

After reviewing the rules and regulations and with the advice from AFF, it is suggested that Brunei Darussalam which is in Group A with six teams in the group previously is to move to Group B with four teams after vacated by Thailand. This means Brunei will take on Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Timor Leste. Hence instead of Brunei Darussalam’s opening match with Laos, it will be replaced with Brunei vs Cambodia this Saturday 25th February 2012.

For your info, all the matches are FREE entry and to encourage people to watch, the organisers have introduced a lucky draw for the spectators where they can stand a chance to win a grand draw which is the Toyota VIOS. The public is advise to collect the tickets (free) at the counter one hour before the game. So I expect a huge rush of crowd as well as many counters will be opened to accommodate the traffic of people entering the stadium.

I shall update the schedule next week but all the Brunei matches will be played at the National Stadium.

Haji Abdul Malik, Deputy Director of Youth and Sports, Dr. Muhammad Hadi, Director of Info Department, Dato Paduka Hj Md Hamid Jaafar, Chairman of the Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy committee, Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Rahman, President of the NFABD and Hj Zamri, Deputy Director of Youth and Sports II

Dato Paduka Hj Hamid handing over poster to Royal Brunei Police Force

Dato Paduka Hj Hamid handing over poster to Ministry of Education

The cool lads from Info Department attended the press conference

Hanna (centre) celebrated her 18th birthday last Saturday. There were tons of entertainment too.

Belly dance performance

Such young talent these guys are

The Singapore Scholarship is back again!!!! Last year, Muhd Kamaaredzwan Kamarudin earned himself a scholarship at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU). So who will be the chosen one this year? So what are you waiting for? Here’s your chance to apply for the scholarship and if I were you, I would give it a shot because I’m biased since I love Singapore (my 2nd Home) *lol*. The application will be open on Monday 20th February 2012. 

I shall be talking more of the Singapore Scholarship programme soon.

Muhd Kamaaredzwan Kamarudin receiving his award from Singapore High Commissioner Joseph Koh

Singapore High Commissioner Joseph Koh with the previous Singapore Scholars with Danial Phua, Second Secretary of Singapore High Commission (far right)