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Wanna plan for an advanced holiday season for 2012? Then I highly recommend you to grab the great deals at AirAsia and make Malaysia your holiday destinations and visit the beautiful cities such as Penang, Alor Setar, Kota Bahru to name a few. Fly to KL and you connect your flights to 75 destinations.

Fare starts at BND 40 from AirAsia and the booking must be done by 20th November.. The travel period will be from 1st April to 30 June 2012.

Visit Hot Buys places – Langkawi and Labuan. Did you know textiles are quite popular there among the tourists? You can also do some shopping and enjoy great prices at duty free shops.

If you are craving for food, I suggest you fly to Penang. I’ve been there twice and I give it two thumbs up for food. You can choose from street food to fine dining.. Try dishes such as Nasi Kandar, laksa, char koay teow and many more.

If you are searching for “Nature”, then AirAsia recommends you to fly to Kota Bahru and Johor Baru. From there, you can transfer to Redang/Lang Tengah/Perhentian and Tioman/Pulau Sibu/Pulau Besar respectively.

So what are you waiting for peeps?? Book your travels this week to enjoy great deals from AirAsia.

The awesome food you can enjoy at Penang

Discover the hidden gems in Malaysia

Wanna visit one of the exotic places in Malaysia?

Now this would be fun to spend your time, relaxing in one of the beaches

Sunday Brunch at Radisson Hotel

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KFC Brunei recently sent their team made up of national champions to Indonesia to compete in the highly anticipated Regional Champs Challege.

Regional Champs Challege or RCC is held annually at different locations and this year it was in Jakarta on 2 November 2011; where there were 10 teams competing in the event, namely Indonesia, Phillippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Brunei..

The KFC Brunei team was able to win 2 awards, one for the Fastest Cook award won by Ronalyn Ilustrisimo, and the other was the Least Wastages award won collectively by the team..

The team members include Ronalyn Ilustrisimo, Siti Nornazirah, Mohd Ali Yusran Bin Razali, Mohd Aminuddin Qudra, Norah Bte Brahim and led by their captain Benson Mangabat. Accompanying them were their coaches, Awang Anak Ahmad and Khairulizam Malih..

KFC Brunei representatives in the recent regional Champs Challenge held in Jakarta

Why am I loving their smiles? Because yesterday I witnessed 13 patients who were given the privilege to shop at Toys R Us and the purchased toys were borne by Baiduri Bank. The patients are from the RIPAS Paediatric Haemoto-Oncology Centre and they are accompanied by their parents.

The charity was part of Baiduri Bank’s CSR program. The purpose of the visit was to provide the children the opportunity to pick toys for the Centre. Mr Pierre Imhof, General Manager; Mr Ti Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager, Retail Banking and Branch Network and senior managers of Baiduri Bank were on hand to greet and welcome the patients in Toys R Us. Also present were Ms. Tsaranawwarah Abdullah Chen, Senior Occupational Therapist and Dk. Nurul, Occupational Therapist from the Centre.

Mr Imhof commented, “To see the children with smiling faces during the visit to Toys R Us really warms my heart. It is our duty as a local bank of Brunei Darussalam and a human being to make it easier and memorable for them. At Baiduri, we are thankful that we have this opportunity to help those in need. This is also such a timely manner as the holiday season is coming soon.”

Mr. Ti Eng Hui leading the kids into Toys R Us

The children were full of joy upon entering Toys R Us

The little boy was interested in buying Lego

Pierre Imhof was excited as well during the shopping session

The kids bought toys for themselves which will be used for the centre

Baiduri Bank has worked closely with RIPAS Hospital throughout the years. Besides being a major sponsor of the Annual Blood Donor Day, Baiduri Bank has helped finance the development of various areas within RIPAS. In 2008, the Bank donated B$27,000 to the Child Development Centre, RIPAS Hospital for the set up of the sensory integration and audio visual rooms, books for feeding clinic, wheelchairs, commodes, chest walkers and stroller buggies. In 2009, Baiduri Bank donated B$8,200 to help cover the cost of educational aid at the Pediatric Occupational Therapy In-Patient Service Unit while in 2010, B$7,500 was donated to the Child Development Centre, RIPAS Hospital.

This morning’s activity is part of the B$15,000 pledged in July this year to RIPAS Hospital for the new Paediatric Haemoto-Oncology Centre. The money is to help furnish the Centre equipment, books and toys for the patients.

The Centre was established to attend to children with blood disorders and with cancer. The Centre consists of 4 rooms and the ward bay which can accommodate 5-6 patients. At present there are 77 patients diagnosed with cancer since 2002.

Thank Mr. Imhof for settling the bills 😀

Group photo with the kids and management of Baiduri Bank

The kids were treated to some “Blitz” yoghurt ice-cream

Sweet moment for father and son 🙂

Date: 27th November 2011 (Sunday)
Venue: Brunei Hotel (Lobby)

0900hrs – Start of Registration and collection of competition apparel
0930hrs – Annoucement of Theme 1 and commencement of competition
1700hrs – Annoucement of winners and prize presentation (subject to change based on judging process)

1. The Canon Photo Shoot Out Brunei 2011 (“Event”) is an event open to all.
2. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis subject to receipt of a valid registration.
3. All information including personal information submitted by the participant to Interhouse Company. (“Organiser”) in connection with the event shall become the property of the Organiser. The participant is deemed to have given the Organiser authorisation to use such information for any purpose (including market research, planning, data-processing, statistical and risk-analysis, research, fund-raising).
4. The Organiser reserves the right to cancel the event at any time without notice. In the event of such cancellation, the Organiser shall use reasonable efforts to inform the participant prior to the date of the event.
5. The stated event timings are subject to changes.
6. Participants must abide by the competition rules, and by any decisions made by the Organizer.
7. Participants under the age of 18 must obtain parental consent
8. The Organiser reserves the right to use any submitted photograph for any purposes without compensation to the participant.
9. The Organiser reserves the right to disqualify any participant who has infringed any of the competition rules.
10. Decisions by the Organiser and competition judges are final. No queries will be entertained. 11. All nationalities are welcomed.
12. By participating in the Event, the participant is deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.

Competition Process

1. Participants will receive Theme 1 at approximately 0930hrs on 27th November, 2011 at the Event Venue.
2. Participants must submit ONE picture deemed suitable for the Theme before the assigned deadline.
3. Theme 2 will be announced immediately after the deadline for Theme 1 submission has lapsed.
4. Theme 3 will be announced immediately after the deadline for Theme 2 submission has lapsed.
5. The Top three prizes will be awarded for each Theme.

Competition Rules

1. All participants must wear the Canon apparel provided during the event.
2. Participants can use any digital camera during the Canon Photo Shoot Out, Brunei 2011.
3. All photographs submitted MUST be in JPEG format and sized to approximately 5MB.
4. Storage format accepted are CF / SD / MMC / XD / MS formats. Participants using other formats must supply their own relevant adaptors / drives for use during the submission of entries during the event. The Organizers will not be held responsible for the inability to read / download images.
5. All photographs will be judged based on the following criteria:
– Relevance to theme
– Creativity in theme interpretation
– Use of colours and light / shadows
– Composition of photograph
6. All submissions for each Theme must be completed before the announced allocated deadline. The Organiser reserve the rights to reject any submission once the deadline has lapsed.
7. All submitted photographs must be taken on 27th November 2011.
8. Submitted photographs must not be altered by any editing software.
9. Participants must submit their entries personally. No proxy submission by any participant is allowed during the Event.
10. The Organiser will not be responsible for providing photographic equipment including camera, spare batteries, lenses or additional memory cards. All participants are expected to come prepared with all their photographic equipment.

The voice behind Upin dan Ipin was also at the Awards

Wu Chun & ISB pledge for “Green”

It was a touching moment for students of ISB students as they had the opportunity to host the ever popular figure in Brunei and Asia, Wu Chun himself, who was in Brunei for a short trip. Wu Chun who is also concern about the environment, pledges for Fitness Zone to go green. He was interviewed by the students of ISB for the BGIC where he was being filmed.

ISB has been heavily involved in promoting and creating awareness on “Going Green” and this has certainly created a stronger brand on ISB for their continuous support for improving the environment in Brunei. Having Wu Chun’s presence really made a difference and this will boost and inspire students to practice “green” within themselves.

It was also the first time I heard of the “humming bird” story during the video interview. So something new for me to learn too 😀

I learned of the “Humming bird” story from the boys

Their classmates given moral support to the interviewers

The students interviewing Wu Chun on “Green” issues

Photo opportunity with superstar Wu Chun

Wu Chun had a quick group photo with ISB students

She was so happy that she kept saying this after her photo with Wu Chun

ISB students saying goodbye to Wu Chun

Projector for your entertainment

I know this is overdue and today I’m gonna share my experiences as a guest while watching MBA students of UBD presenting their innovative product presentations to the Vice Chancellor of UBD, Dato Paduka Dr. Hj Zulkarnain and Professor Soon Loo as their projects are being assessed as part of their course subject.

Though their main subject is more into management, the lecturer Soon Loo challenged the students to think out of the box and they were given 5 weeks to prepare an innovative concept and deliver they did.. I was quite amazed by their enthuasiasm as presenters and this really showed how dedicated the students were for the presentation.

The UBD Vice-Chancellor was awed by the presentations too and he was pleased that everyone (the presenters) was out of their comfort zone. He also congratulated every individual and told them to continue to innovate and not stop there.

I hope to see more of these presentations and I’m also impressed that that they even used 3D animations for their concepts especially for “Super Tech Laundry” and “Daffodil” group. These guys are good example for those doing ThinkBig Innovate Business Plan competition and sadly, the presenters from UBD didn’t join the said competition.

Before the end of the day, Professor Soon Loo and the students gave their feedback and support to one another and appreciated each other for their contribution and support in making the presentation not only a success but a memorable one.

Well done, guys… and I’m proud of you 🙂

 UBD Vice-Chancellor Dato Paduka Dr. Hj Zulkurnain encourage to spread the “virus” of innovation among the students. He really enjoyed the presentations by the MBA students and he hopes this will inspire them to excel more.

 

 Team “Kin-ethics” was the first presenters and they had a big vision of the future of mobile phone batteries. They came up with a prototype and a short video clip on their prototype.

 

Team “Kin-ethics” with Professor Soon Loo and their prototype

Shukrin of Team “iPick” explaining the different types of concepts they came up with before their final prototype

Harina talked of the marketing strategy for her group “Sm@rt-lly”

Team Sm@rt-lly showing their folding trolley concept in promoting green

Team “Sm@rt-lly” with their prototype

Noradah introducing her team Super Tech Laundry

I love their concept of laundry though this will require huge space to implement

Team HETTA came up with interesting concept of a “warmer” food cover

Vice-Chancellor taking a closer look of the “Hetta”. Now you can keep your food warm than usual

Team “Daffodil” came up with a concept of niche shoe storage/cabinet

Hannah presented her team “Daffodil”

Professor Soon Loo mingling with the students after an entertaining afternoon session

The students taking photo with the professor

Group photo with all the presenters and Professor Soon Loo

This has been a big problem in Brunei. Two weeks ago, the newspaper reported that the road accidents have claimed 36 lives this year. This has brought a lot of concern to the eyes of the public and also the National Road Safety Council. This is a worrying rate, considering that only 26 people died from 25 fatal road accidents last year which is the lowest numbers recorded by the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) since 2005.

Yesterday the National Road Safety Council paid a visit to the prone accident areas such as Mentiri Roundabout and U-turn in front of Hua Ho Tanjung Bunut. Leading the visit was Chairman of the National Road Safety Council Dato Paduka Hj Awang Alaihuddin. Prior to that, a discussion was held and briefed by the Royal Brunei Police Force on the reasons for the accidents in prone areas.

The purpose of the visit is to further reduce the number of actions and also to support the vision of “Brunei Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020” by increasing more awareness among the public. Images courtesy of Imelda of Media Permata.

Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin being briefed by the committee

They made site visits to accident prone areas

One of the accident prone areas is Mentiri Roundabout

Dato Paduka Hj Alaihuddin being interviewed by the local press

A good reminder from The Brunei Times

Standard Chartered Bank today awarded prizes to winners of its $ave & Build contest that was held during September and October. Yang Mulia Awang Haji Mahrub bin Haji Murni, Permanent Secretary (Core Education), from the Ministry of Education was Guest of Honour at the prize presentation ceremony and presented prizes to the winners. Also attending the event was Dr Haji Junaidi bin Haji Abd Rahman Permanent Secretary (Higher Education), Awang Haji Suhaila Haji Abdul Karim Deputy Permanent Secretary (Core Education), Awangku Abdullah bin Pengiran Haji Tengah Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) and Hjh Siti Mahrum binti Haji Abdul Halim, Senior Education Officer (Primary Section).

Other guests at the event included senior officials from the Ministry of Education, winners and their families and principals of the winners’ schools.

Lai Pei-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank said in her welcoming remarks:

“At Standard Chartered Bank, we truly believe that financial planning and learning to manage your money well is important for all. By instilling good money habits in our children, they will grow up with sound money management skills that will help them achieve their financial goals as well as contribute to the overall health and wealth of our nation.”

Brenda Low, General Manager of Consumer Transactional Banking for the Bank said: “The $ave and Build campaign was designed to give children an understanding of the skills necessary to manage their financial future while the contest element clearly illustrate the benefits that one can enjoy by saving for a rainy day.”

The $ave & Build Campaign contest was open to all children enrolled at a registered primary school in the country, aged 12 and below and holding a My Dream Account with the Bank. To enter the contest, children had to build and decorate a coin box house provided by the Bank and entries were judged based on artistic creativity and originality, amongst other criteria. Contestants were also asked to complete fun and easy-to-do worksheets on financial literacy.

The contest was divided into two categories, (a) Upper Primary Category: exclusively for children in Year 4 to 6 and (b) Lower Primary Category: exclusively for children in Year 1 to 3. The contest winners are:

Working hand in hand with the Ministry of Education, through this campaign, Standard Chartered Bank reached out to over 40,000 students through all primary schools in Brunei. During the event, the Bank also expressed their thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Education for their strong support in the areas of financial literacy programmes with both its programmes for primary and secondary schools being supported by the Ministry.

Standard Chartered Bank strongly supports the Government’s move to encourage savings and actively educates the community through financial planning roadshows, financial literacy pieces and so forth. The Bank’s initiatives include an ongoing weekly Money Matters column in Borneo Bulletin since 2008, appearances over RTB’s Berita Ekonomi to share financial tips, sharing of financial tips over RTB radio and a Money and Sense column in Brunei Time’s Newspaper in Education series back in 2008. Text and images courtesy of SCB Brunei.

The winners of the respective categories with Guest of Honour Hj Mahrub and Lai Pei-Si, CEO of SCB

Jewel Shim was one of the top three winners

The designs by the students

Today is World Diabetes Day and the theme is to wear blue to create awareness for this campaign. Take a pic of you wearing blue and send to reedz@ anakbrunei.org

Firstly, good day to all the readers. I didn’t expect that I’m gonna take a day off after my quick weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur to cover the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) which was superb. Perhaps the timing of the flight schedule took a toll on me as I had lack of sleep and I was restless by the time I hit my bedroom after my early morning flight. I even missed sending my family off to the airport the same day as I was catching on my sleep.

Now I feel better and slowly recovering back the groove of blogging. It was also a packed weekend in Brunei which I missed too. The successful Covergence 2011 hosted by ProjekBrunei was well received with positive comments. The International Week Jis Concert according to @lilmopiko was pretty good too. KFC Brunei and Mega Strike Bowl at Airport Mall kicked off the 11.11.11 last Friday and it was also the unveiling of The Airport Mall logo created by Mixmediaworx. Baiduri Bank hosted Deepavali dinner last weekend too.

I shall be posting pictures of the events happening last weekend but for now, I shall be posting some pictures from AIM 2011 and I would like to thank my friend for giving me the opportunity to cover the event and also introducing me to the organiser of the event – Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM).

Too bad that Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza wasn’t present during the event and she has the most record for being the most awardee for the Best Female Vocalists (11 times). She wasn’t even nominated in any category. (Maybe because she hasn’t recorded any songs? I haven’t done any research). But it was the first time I saw Yuna live and wow, I was super impressed. She was the big winner of AIM 2011, winning the Best Female Vocalist (Penakut), Kembara Award (for brining the music internationally) and most of all, she won Best Song (Penakut) which kinda created controversy in a way. Why? Because “Penakut” song wasn’t airplay-ed as much as the other nominated songs. But of course, the organisers based on the criteria of music arrangement, song, lyrics, voice and other things and not based on popularity *thumbs up*

Sheila Majid bagged the best album – The Malaysian Philharomonic Orchestra Celebrate 25 years of Sheila Majid. Anuar Zain was one of the big winners for Best Male Vocal and Best Pop Song (Sedetik Lebih). Perhaps the best performance of the night was the duet between Greyson Chance and Najwa Latif.. Simply awesome….

We attended the Post-Party AIM 2011 which was held in one of the rooms at Putra Bukit Jalil Stadium. Not all artist were present but it was still a great crowd attraction for many. I didn’t get to mingle with any of the artists but more of taking photos of them up-close. It was a great experience and it’s good to see how the locals are supporting the music industry and their fight against piracy. In Brunei, piracy is still a huge problem and this could deter the local artists in Brunei to be more creative if their music are not appreciated if fans just download their music for free.

Najwa, Datuk Sheila Majid and Yuna with their AIM trophies at AIM 2011. Photo by Shahrul Fazry Ismail.

This happened somewhere near E-GNC building today. Picture taken from FB *forgot from who lol*

The smoke was quickly handled by the rescue team. Image taken by GC.

The biggest prize achieved by Brunei happened a few nights ago at Pattaya Thailand. It was the APICTA Awards (regional competition) and MTSSR bagged the biggest prize as they beat 24 groups from 19 countries to win the Merit Award from Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards 2011. The project was named” Brunei Experience Multimedia Project” and it all started at the beginning of the year.

Since then, the project had won 3 awards:

1. Winner – The VTIs Engineering and Technology Final Year Project Competition in 2011
2. Winner – Brunei ICT Awards 2011 Tertiary Category
3. Merit Award : Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards 2011

MTSSR is the first to win the merit Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards 2011 for Brunei. They competed with other universities in the tertiary category though MTSSR students are in diploma level. The “Brunei Experience” is an interactive multimedia using the latest technology in Adobe Action Script Animation, XML, Google API and High Definition Video. The MTSSR group was given a standing ovation by the judges for that day during their presentation.

Supervisor : Haji Suhardi Bin Haji Suhaimi
Students : Abdul Rashid Hj Osman (Group Leader), Mohd Rafiee Hj Rahim, Fatin Liyana Suhili and Dk Siti Syuhaidah Pg Hj Bahruddin.

For their efforts, AITI has awarded them with BND 25,000 to further develop their project. According to Abdul Rashid, the project funds will be used to develop the project in promoting Brunei tourism. MTSSR would like to take the opportunity to thanks, Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry (AITI), Ministry of Education, Department of Technical Education and everyone in MTSSR who support us especially our principal, deputy principals, Computing and Information Technology Department, Welding and Fabrication and English Department.

Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) won the Merit Award in Secondary category. So it’s a double win for Brunei. Their project was “WaSeven Facilities Reservation” which is about reserving facilities in their school by using a simple system. CHMS will also be awarded BND 25,000 for their efforts.

Such awards do show that Brunei Darussalam are no push overs in terms of ICT development. We have the talents but we just need more support, programmes, incentives and better facilities to give more motivation for the youth for their creativity in ICT. Thumbs up to AITI also for providing funding to the Merit Award winners. Images below are courtesy of Saini, Library Department of MTSSR.

MTSSR group was welcomed by the Minister of Communications at Brunei International Airport after their victory at APICTA Awards at Pattaya, Thailand

MTSSR’s project first award back in January 2011

MTSSR won BICTA 2011 Tertiary Category

Chung Hwa Middle School also the big winners for Secondary level

COME AND SEE THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BRUNEI’S MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF SPEECHLESS!!! YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT!! Written and directed by our very own Mrs Rowena Bracken (Head of Drama at ISB) with the help of Mr Richard Edwards and Miss Marieta with music – think Glee, Romeo and Juliet and Westside Story all set in 2 modern day high schools.

Friday 18th November 2011: 7.30pm

Saturday 19th November 2011: 2pm

Saturday 19th November 2011: 7.30pm

3 chances to watch a spectacular piece of musical theater. Tickets are on sale at the ISB Main office. Adult: $15 Child/Student: $10 Family (2 adults, 2 children): $40 The tickets can be buy on the night too if they still have seats so it is better to buy it before the night!

Featuring songs from the Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga, the Stereophonics, Pink, Cats, Rent and many more It’s going to be a weekend to remember, you don’t want to miss it!

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I just left for KL yesterday for a quick weekend trip to cover the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) tonight which is happening at Bukit Jalil Stadium. This is perhaps the first of its kind that I’m going to do coverage and I would like to thank my “friend” for giving me this opportunity. I won’t spare much details as yet but I shall be updating on Twitter @ranoadidas on the red carpet and the actual show later tonight (well, that depends if my DIGI line gets good reception).

I will be having two more trips to KL before end of 2011 – One for RedBull Rookies finale and hopefully for the Asia-Pacifi Nuffnang Blog Awards 2011 – and both happening this December. Sadly enough, my Bangkok trip is postponed due to the flood crisis in Bangkok and another trip that I will miss out is ASEAN Bloggers Summit next weekend.

I won’t be posting much today and guys, have an awesome weekend.

I can’t remember how trips I’ve been on AirAsia.. and the perks of having aisle hot seats —> no neighbours haha.. Or I just plain lucky

Hello ladies… Always a pleasure to have you on board

Yummmmm… I never missed ordering this on my flights on AirAsia.. I highly recommend you this when you book online

Seeee.. I told you it looks yummy and tasty too.. I don’t recommend you to order on the spot because hot meals normally run out quickly

This is the first… AisAsia is giving out TuneTalk sim cards to interested passengers and I was one of them :p

You can then register at the TuneTalk counter after the immigration counter

A quick meeting with Michelle from AirAsia.. It was a pleasure to have finally met you in person 🙂

Then I caught up with Liz and Leo who were on the same flight with me

I tried the LCCT public transport to KL Central. Only cost me RM12.50 and this is way cheaper than catching a cab. The 20-min bus ride will send you to one of the train station then it’s another 40 min train ride to KL Central

I’m amazed by the train. It has YES Broadband connectivity and the trip only took 40 mins to KL Central. Oh yeah, this boy almost didn’t wake up on the final stop *lol*

I took a long afternoon nap since I slept quite late last night and I did some last minute shopping at night. Well, I ended up buying one item only

I checked in at Piccolo Hotel. I stayed here once during my F1 FAM Trip few years back and I have a pretty big room to myself. Oh yeah, the perks of having two beds :p

You’re the Apple of My Eye: Wowww.. Just woooww!!! I’m always a sucker for romantic movies but this kind of genre, I do have high expectations but this popular Taiwanese movie hit the right note and I was mesmerized till the end. Yes, I teared up inside and I’m pretty sure this movie won’t be released in Brunei due to some of the contents. This is the best movie I’ve seen this year. Period. Verdict: 9/10

Yes, I will be catching the AIM tonight live at Bukit Jalil Stadium. The invitation card said “glamourous” for the dress code *lol* I’m not gonna dress up extravaganza :p

 

KaPOW Burger will have a special buy 10 basic KaPOWs and get the 11th for Free! As part of 11.11.11! Have you been KaPOWeD? *T&C applied. Kapow stations opens 5:30pm onwards later. So have you tried @KapowBurger? 

 

All BarelyThere members will entitle extra 11% discount which mean you could enjoy 10% + 11% discount for all items while non member still be able to enjoy 11% discount. They sell Hello Kitty items, lingerie, costumes, games etc. You can call 824 8680

 

Starting from 11:11AM to 1:11Pm, customers of Mr. Baker’s Bakeshop can enjoy a buy one gets one free deal on cakes, pastries, breads, buns and mini cakes etc on a first come first serve basis. No advance booking and while stock lasts only. Promotion only applicable at our main branch at Batu Bersurat. Follow @MrBakerBakeshop for updates

 

For FES Retro, they will be having special promotion at their new outlet (Times Square). The 11th paying customer will get a free polo tee and meal voucher

 

Yayy…. I’m flying today to Kuala Lumpur via @AirAsia and this will be the fourth time this year on AirAsia. Awesome!!!

 

Make sure you make your way to KFC’s newest outlet at Airport Mall. There will be tons of activities lined up later. Way to go, @KFCbrunei

The official soft opening will take place this morning and only open to the public by 3pm. Once you bowl there, you don’t just bowl but you also feel the experience. Two thumbs up!! Follow them on Twitter @MegaStrikeBowl

Thank you, @thannsanctuary for participating in the 11.11.11 gimmick.. So just read the poster guys for their promotion today

“Hi, cuppies for today are Vanilla and White Choc Cheesecake, Choc-Salted Caramel, Lemon Love, One-Bowl Choc. Pls kindly reply if you’d like some. Thx & Stay Sweet!” – Birthday celebrant Handara. Do call 861 0656 for details and happy birthday by the way

Immortals: Plot could have been better and there weren’t much twist either. Visually, it was awesome at times but I felt something was missing. This is no way near the level of satisfaction I had for 300. Nonetheless a commendable effort. Verdict: 8/10 though a 7 would be justifiable

Read below for the updates of the Airport Mall logo and it’s looking wicked too 🙂

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There will be tons of activities at KFC Airport Mall later so do check it out!!!

The launch of the Double Zinger Burger…. Now you’re making me hungry!!!

On the eve of 11/11/11, KFC Corp., the brand famous for 11 herbs and spices announced today that it has discovered an unpublished “food autobiography” of the company’s founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, hidden in the company’s Louisville archival storage facility for the past 40 years.

The original autobiography provides an authentic look into the life of the world’s legendary entrepreneur and is centered on his passion for food, hard work and the importance of home-style country cooking. In it, the Colonel shares his personal memoirs and perspectives, life lessons, anecdotes and stories about everything from food to family, business, hard work, customers and franchisees and importantly, some of his own favorite personal recipes.

An excerpt from the opening chapter reads:

“This is a new kind of book. There’s never been another written like it as far as I know. It’s the story of a man’s life and the story of the food he’s cooked and eaten, running right along with it. The food I’ve liked, the work I’ve done and the way I think are all the same thing. I’m going to tell how I grew up and at the same time how you can have the kind of food I grew up on. I’m making room in these pages for real old-time American country and farm cooking before it’s forgotten. I was a farm boy and lean toward farm cooking. To me, my recipes are priceless.”

The Colonel learned to cook down-home, country-style food at an early age from his mother and carried those skills with him throughout his life. In the “food autobiography”, he shared for the first time his personal collection of favorite recipes that he gathered and perfected over his lifetime, including his very first recipe to make light bread which he mastered at age seven. A range of dishes are included for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with instructions on the right way to make biscuits, pancakes, omelets, casserole, pies and much more. One of his goals for the unpublished book was to provide inspiration and practical lessons for the home cook as well.

“We’ve uncovered a new secret of the Colonel’s and we want to share it with millions of KFC fans around the world,” said Roger Eaton, Chief Executive Officer, KFC Corp. “Colonel Sanders was a lifelong cook and sage and his life lessons are just as powerful and relevant today as they were forty years go. He is known for creating delicious home-style meals, developing recipes from scratch and sharing his strong beliefs with friends and family along the way. That’s why we are so delighted to let KFC fans know we will be releasing the ‘food autobiography’ next year,” added Eaton.

At the age of 65, Colonel Sanders turned a $105 Social Security check into a global chicken empire and until his death at the age of 90, traveled 250,000 miles a year visiting KFC restaurants worldwide.

The original manuscript for the “food autobiography” was discovered by accident by a 30-year veteran of the company who immediately realized the value and significance of the find. The Company believes that if someone less knowledgeable about the brand had found the document, it likely would have stayed in the archives and remained undiscovered for years.

The original “food autobiography” has been put in the KFC’s vault, next to the Secret Original Recipe®, which the Colonel made famous. The vault was modernized and remodeled in 2009 to go high tech. The custom-built, digital FireKing safe protecting KFCs secrets weights more than 770 lbs. and has a one-half inch thick steel door. The computerized safe also has a dual-opening system that requires both a smart key and a personal identification number (PIN). A built-in silent alarm and time lock feature provide additional layers of safekeeping which alert the security team of any attempted intrusion and allow access to the safe during pre-set periods of time. The vault is under 24/7 closed circuit monitoring as well. Text courtesy of KFC.

Something to start off your meal

The soup of the day then was lentil soup

Seabass as the main course

I had the beef shanks as my main course.. Thumbs up!!

From the set lunch, you can choose either dessert or soup

It was great catching up :))

The promotion at Savy’s Brasserie

The Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council is a non-profit organization and we have been around for a good 11 years. We try our best within our means to educate the society on HIV & AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, teenage pregnancy and social issues.

They give accurate information about HIV & AIDS and they are here to tell you that no one is immune to HIV. The best ways to prevent HIV is through education and correct behaviours. BDA Council have worked very hard to address the widespread misperception that HIV/AIDS is just “an old social problem”. They pay visits to schools, youth clubs & community gatherings to give talks, run workshops, forums and give free consultations.

Help them reach out to more people. Help them educate your children to ensure that they grow up to become responsible adults. Help us to spread correct information about HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections so the society can make healthy life choices.

They are an organization who really cares for the society’s perception of this disease because lack of accurate information can lead to irresponsible behavior and making wrong choices that can change your lives forever.

Join them to mark World AIDS Day this year. They will be organizing a charity bazaar and a dualthlon on the 11th of December 2011. They also welcome companies, organizations and individuals who wish to help fund our event and help us raise money to run better workshops and talks to educate your children, family and friends about respecting yourselves to get to ‘zero new infections’. Oh, for your information, the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is “Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infection, Zero AIDS-related deaths & Zero Discrimination”

Remember, no one is immune. A person living with HIV looks just as healthy as who ever you are looking at right now- you can’t tell who’s got what. Go to www.facebook.com/worldaidsdaybrunei for more information and you can also follow on Twitter @BDAIDSCouncil

The SocMed gang had a fun outing few days ago at the dry run of MegaStrike Bowl. I had one of the worst in terms of scoring *lol* Regardless, it was the fun factor and of course, the more the merrier. I’m impressed with the interior of the MegaStrike Bowl and it seems that they have put so much effort in building up the bowling area. I can’t imagine how they would bring the huge machinery to the 3rd floor and everything was done within less than 4 months.. Amazing!!

Now with three public bowling options available in Brunei, the culture of bowling is coming back! I remember I used to be an avid player (socially) and it was good for passing time with friends. Ok, those were my teenage years. Now bowling can get its groove back if Mega Strike Bowl play their formula right which I’m pretty sure they are on the right track.

Utama Bowling has been around for more than 25 years if I’m not mistaken and now they will face stiff competition unless they revamp or upgrade their facilities. Today (and many weeks, months to come), most visitors will lead to Mega Strike Bowl and this will be another pulling factor to draw the crowd to the Airport Mall.

Congrats to the guys behind Mega Strike Bowl and they are humble in person too. The SocMed gang will be organizing a mini-competition in December so stay tune for that. For now, let’s bowl for fun 🙂

The registration and payment counter

I love the new balls

The guys from MOFAT were at the dry run

Yooooo… BAG Networks represent!!!

So who got the highest among you guys?

Is it true about big size shoes?? 

The awesome ladies from The Brunei Times

They were watching video clips on the making of Mega Strike Bowl

The Cosmic Bowling session will depends on the demand of bowlers. Perhaps, it could only a weekend thing or three times a week.

It is such a spacious place. The cost of bowling is $6 per game, $1 for shoe rent and $1 sock for ladies and $1.50 for men

I’m pretty sure BruneiTweet bit my lowly score of 63 points *lol*

Fadhil the man was enjoying two games of bowling that he sweat more than playing football

The management team of Mega Strike Bowl with the local media

The Airport Mall, the country’s up-and-coming shopping destination, will be unveiling its all-new logo, created by Brunei’s award- winning creative agency Mixmediaworx, the same agency that created the international APEC CEO Summit logo for Singapore two years ago, on November 11, 2011.

The Airport Mall’s new logo reflects futuristic theme of progress and excitement, coupled with the elements of multi-coloured, multi-dimensional and multi-faceted designs. Creative Director at Mixmediaworx, Hamdi “NJ” Matussin said: “The Airport Mall logo is created to inspire. With an array of wide-ranging outlets at the mall catered to all walks of life, this logo is a distinct blend of exuberance and flair, youthfulness and stability, with modernism and a touch of class.”

NJ added: “The Airport Mall’s initials ‘A’ and ‘M’, have also been incorporated into the logo in a subtle, yet effective way, further demonstrating the sheer innovation and all-around appeal of The Airport Mall.”

Dk Hjh Asiah Pg Hj Damit, a representative from The Airport Mall said that their grand opening will be in January next year. “But we want a historical date, we have chosen that to fall on November 11, where we will reveal the logo’s identity,” she said.

Mixmediaworx’s engagement stretches beyond just logo creation, the main aim is to provide consultation and marketing for the mall, for it’s long-term strategic direction.

In the near future, visitors can expect a new and fresh exterior of the mall, with a re-designed interior and consistent branding throughout the mall to match its identity.

Along with The Airport Mall’s identity launching on 11-11-11, visitors can also expect the opening of the new 22-lane bowling alley, Mega Strike and the opening of KFC (B) Sdn Bhd’s 11th branch in Brunei.

Current tenants at The Airport Mall include Korean cosmetic brand Tony Moly; well-known Bruneian travel agent Darussalam Holdings; Cosmopolitan College, Urbanchic Boutique; MAYA Silk, gadget store NASH and SKH Supermarket. There is also talks about DST and Matadoe coming on board in the not too distant future.

The Airport Mall is currently 80 per cent full in terms of confirmed tenancy. The announcement of a partnership with creative firm Mixmediaworx last week, will see the property gain a strong and recognizable branding w kxith exciting out-of-the-box concepts await in the months to come. Text courtesy of Mixmediaworx.

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 recently held at STPRI

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

Closing date is 14th November

ITPSS is also running a website design competition and stand a chance to win a MacBook Air. Click image to see more details.

Doing the Lady Gaga moves for the audience

Luk dropped a lady shoe while doing the cat walk

“Rolling down the river” dance by Urban Vibe

Luk of Century Travel (Manggis) was full of joy as he was one of the lucky winners

Lucky draw winners that night

Wafi from Darussalam Holdings got a prize too

They won trips to resorts and hotels at KL and KK sponsored by Tourism Malaysia

Woww.. She’s flying to London.. One of the grand prize lucky draw

Another winner for the trip to London

Urban Vibe with their last performance of the night

I have to say these guys were impressive that night. Abacus Brunei made the right choice for entertainment 🙂

Before the night ended, everyone did a 5-minute Zumba session

Video presentation of Deseo

The face of Deseo and winner of Deseo talent search

Denise with the Top 5 finalists

Clothings from Deseo

Lexy did bring some cheers from the crowd

Lots of guests turned up for the event

One of the consolation winners

One of the best dressed guests that day

Rachel was announced the best dressed guest

Denise with the ladies wearing Deseo dresses

Denise with her parents

30 winners have been drawn by Holika Holika to catch CNBlue Concert in Bangkok and also a two night stay at Bangkok which is currently under flood crisis. Hence, the concert has been postponed to February 2012 and it’s slated for the final week of February 2012.

During the draw, Doris Lee, Holika Holika sales manager and selected guests were asked to draw names. As part of the package, the lucky winners will receive free air tickets including accommodation, as well as tickets to the CNBlue concert and on top of that, each will be given BND 100.

The lucky drawn campaign was organised by Holika Holika and they had to spend a minimum of $50 and above on a single receipt at any Holika Holika branch and they had to fill an entry form too.

The trip is a way for Holika Holika to treat their customers for being a part of the cosmetics line’s vision, which is to “create a dream come true for all individuals”. Winners will be notified by Holika Holika.

Below are the list of the 30 winners.

1) Law Yen Yen
2) Nazirahwati Binti Talip
3) Dk Nurul Hazimah Pg. Mohin
4) Chong Siew Yin
5) Noraisah Abdulllah Tee
6) Nan Ni Ni Hlaing (Annie)
7) Jacky Chong
8) Jenny Koh Fong Jtuan
9) Wong Siaw Ling
10) Carol Lim You Zhen

11) Edah Buntar
12) Esther Elizabeth Sihawa
13) Pang Ze Yuan
14) Helena Soh Ai Choo
15) Aimi Zawani Ajamain
16) Meriam Bte. Hj. Lamit
17) Muhd Ibnur-Waie Bin Ali
18) Elli Goh Mei Tieng
19) Angie Teo Chen Chen
20) Siti Nurromeyna Khairah Binti Abd. Rahim

21) Hjh Aisah Mohamad
22) Ong Siew Eng
23) Azim Jaya
24) Siti Aisyah Abdullah
25) Fatimah Hj Timbang
26) Nauyah Binti Hj Hasshim
27) Evelyn Chang
28) Lim Lee Min
29) Jessica Chong
30) Ysabelle Chong

She’s flying to Bangkok!!!

She’s flying to Bangkok too!!!

Another excited winner who will be catching CNBlue in February

Emily (in pink) was unlucky not be one of the chosen ones

Thanks to @denogoh of @TheBruneiTimes who is currently in Honolulu for the coverage of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hawaii this week. I shall be posting pictures behind the scenes and Hawaii is one of the places that I want to visit one day. I’ve heard so many great things about the place.

I’m also following @timothy_ongTM (Dato Timothy’s Twitter) on the updates at Honolulu, Hawaii. Thanks for the pix @denogoh.. well, at least both of us are flying to Bangkok next year for the CNBlue concert *lol*

Deno Goh and Ubai are currently in Honolulu, Hawaii

One of the stations for APEC

Now this looks pretty Hawaiian to me

Click image to find out more

This is another regional blogging event that many are fighting seats for. It’s no easy task but hey, this is still worth a shot. Next month, Nuffnang will be hosting the Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011. It will be held at Putrajaya Marriot, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards is brought to you by Volkswagen Malaysia and Putrajaya Marriott

Two years ago, the award was held in Singapore and the ever-popular @xiaxue bagged three awards including Region’s Best Blog. So who will it be this year? The nominations are closed and it will only be listed on the website on 15th November 2011.

Today I’m aiming for that special seat and to be part of the prestigious event this December and hence I’m pointing out three good reasons why I should be part of the 500-guest list 😀

1) This could be the first chance for a Bruneian to be part of this prestigious event and furthermore, no Bruneian has been represented in such event (please care to correct me if I miss out). I do hope a few more Bruneians can be part of the regional event. It would be a shame for Brunei not be listed among the 500 attendees. Let’s put Brunei on the map.

A coverage of such event in my blog will generate more interest for my readers and they can also learn from the experience. I plan to do a live update through my blog and Twitter too. Apparently, someone has nominated my blog for the upcoming awards (Thanks to whoever you are).

2) To meet-and-greet other regional bloggers apart from Brunei. With the number of blogs slowly fading away after the emergence of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram etc), it would be a privilege to meet existing bloggers who have made a difference in different parts of the world. I do hope to bump into superstar bloggers such as @Xiaxue (Singapore) and funny man @KennySia (Kuching) whom have bagged awards in 2009 Asia-Pacific Nuffnang Blog Award. I’m also rooting for my friend @SuperAdrianMe (Singapore) get shortlisted as a nominee because I love what he does.

3) The concept of Nuffnang has proven to be a success and it has been ongoing for years. It’s quite interesting that a friend of mine also works in Nuffnang and it would be indeed a great honour to meet the actual guys behind Nuffnang and I would also take the opportunity to interview the founders of Nuffnang. Keep it up!!!!

So there you go, guys!!! Nuffnang, if you read this, you know who’s the best bet to represent Brunei and I do hope others will get selected too.

The past winners and finalists of The Asia-Pacific Nuffnang Blog Awards. Image taken from Passportchop

Ok, yesterday I witnessed and truly enjoyed the insightful presentations on innovation by the MBA students from UBD. Not only they are in tune with their innovative ideas but they surely showed some passion and love too. It was also great to meet up with Soon Loo (center) who travels back and forth to Brunei and inspire the students. More updates of the presentation this week.

After a few years, Zul Faden (formerly known as Zul F) finally debuted his solo album with the collaboration of Phuturephase Production and Music Expression. Formerly under the management of Origin Artistic Management, he gained creative control of his music and almost all his songs in the new album “Memori Cinta” are written by him.

Two weeks ago, Zul Faden performed a few songs to commemorate the launch of his debut solo album as well as the launch of his website www.zulfaden.com. The launch took place at Jerudong Park Mini Amphitheatre and he’s also the ambassador for the said venue.

There was also performance by our popular singer Maria and Lily Chiam. Too bad Hans Anuar wasn’t there to perform the song “Sepi” but they did improvise by having a music video of the single with Hans Anuar’s voice streaming out of the audio while Zul Faden sang live. Interesting..

It was also a surprise moment for Zul Faden as the organisers did a surprise advanced birthday for him. The cake was sponsored by Eric from Mr. Baker’s Bakeshop and ironically it was Eric’s actual birthday too.

Congratulations to Zul Faden on the success of his debut album and I do hope you soar high in your music career. It’s good to see our music local scene being recognised and I hope this momentum will spur more local singers.

Guest of honour receiving souvenir from Zul Faden

Zul Faden belting out of his songs

A duet with Maria

Maria, Lily Chiam, Zul Faden and DJ Izan

A surprise greeting song from Expression Music

Mr. Eric presenting birthday cake to the Zul Faden

Eric giving his testimonials on Zul Faden’s success and talent

VIPs and guest witnessing the launch of Zul Faden’s album

The famous hairstylist Moore won a voucher for answering a pop quiz

Another guest was brought on to stage for another pop quiz

Peaches and Dea posing for RA

Man, this is tough… Not to have my facial hair trimmed or shaved and it has only been 9 days and we are three weeks away from getting it trimmed or shaved *lol* So peeps, it’s #Movember month where it’s a campaign to highlight the awareness among men on prostate cancer in Brunei.

#Movember has been around for a decade but this is pretty new in Brunei and thanks to the trio @mujahidjohar @zulfadly @thewheat who successfully launched the #Movember campaign in Brunei and you can follow them on Twitter @movemberbn and they also have the support of the National Cancer Center (NCC).br />
The campaign will end on 3rd December though I won’t be around and there will be activities on that day and perhaps a session for “public shaving” (for facial only of course *lol*). Venue is yet to be confirmed. For now, you can visit this website from The Wheat [here] and you can follow them on Facebook [here] or Twitter @MovemberBN. If you have any queries, you can email at MovemberBrunei(a)gmail.com

Want to be part of the campaign? Courtesy of The Wheat. Click image to enter

Guess who??? Click image to find out

Click image to enter Facebook page

Click image to enter website and start shopping

Suite Lola is a solution provider for online shoppers especially those who spend more of their $$$ online than shopping physically. I’m a regular online shopper when it comes to books (I source them from Amazon) and the delivery and the pricing have been great so far for me.

So how does Suite Lola accommodate or make your online shopping more enjoyable? Let’s put this way.. Have you ever experience a situation where you can’t access to the wide range of products especially from the US? Have you ever had problems of shipping your goods to Brunei because for a fact they don’t ship certain products to Brunei? This could be the fact that some retailers only accept US Credit Cards.

Or perhaps, you are very particular about shipping charges hence Suite Lola will provide you the best information to save on shipping costs. Just put this way — Choose any products you want to buy online (from US, UK, Canada or Singapore sites) and use Suite Lola to facilitate your shopping needs.

Winnie Sia browsing through Suite Lola and she signed up on the spot

But first thing is first, you need to register as a member of Suite Lola and they will need two requirements from you – 1) a photocopy of your IC 2) a photocopy of your utility bill such as your phone or electricity bill. Don’t worry as these requested items are treated as confidential. The purpose of these is to make sure that the registered person shopping through Suite Lola is legit and also for security purposes for tracking good delivered to your doorsteps.

Signing up is FREE and for regular users of Suite Lola, you will be eligible to be a premium member where your shopping becomes cheaper as well as shopping rates too.

Suite Lola has two types of services:

1) Self-service: Use your Credit Card to shop but you use Suite Lola for shipping
2) Concierge service: Where retailers don’t accept your CC so Suite Lola will buy and ship for you. A small fee is required for regular members but once you are a Premium member, the fee is waived.

Hmmm this might be a slightly confusing for starters but once you get the hang of it, it’s all good. You can click here for more about shippinbg. Not to worry as Suite Lola also has a FAQ section for any queries that you have. This, for me, is one of the best idea for Bruneians and residents who are spend a lot on online shopping.

For any queries, you can email suitelola(a)gmail.com. And yes, there’s a LiveHelp online chat on their main page of Suite Lola too. Do stay tune for updates next week on Suite Lola.

You can read Debbie Too’s update. Click [here]

Now I can shop at UK site such as Adidas (hmmm nice StarWars collection) and let Suite Lola facilitate my shopping needs. This is a screen shot taken from Adidas UK website.

The screen shot of Suite Lola website. If you don’t know where to shop, then enter Suite Lola as they have more than 400 online shops for you to browse thru. Click image to enter

New bags of Hello Kitty at Barely There, Tanjung Bunut. Call 824 8680. Click image to enter Barely There’s Fan Page

Guest of Honour Dato Paduka Ali Apong, Chairman of BEDB, urged the local businesses to be innocative and enterprising and not to depend on domestic market for future growth. He believes that Brunei can be a big player globally in terms of innovation and technology. Dato Paduka Ali Apong also spoke off building customer relationships, R&D innovation and the ease of doing business

It was great Local Brunei Development forum hosted by Asia Inc Forum. The keynote address was given by Dato Paduka Ali Apong, the Chairman of Brunei Economic Development Board, and he emphasized the importance of customer relationship, R&D innovation, enterpreneurship and intellectual property rights. He hoped that these can help to acheive the vision of “Wawasan Brunei 2035”.

I really enjoyed the line up of speakers that day and of course, the invited speaker of the day, Brenda Bence, who shared her advice of the importance of branding. I believe this is what is lacking in Brunei – branding and producting positioning.. Though it exist, not much emphasis has been given on branding and this is one of the reasons why businesses fail.

I hope to see more of this forum as it will aspire more businesses, corporate industries and even government sectors on the importantce of creating local business in the country. Thank you, Asia Inc Forum for the insightful forum. There will be more coverage this week on the rest of the sessions.

Invited guests at the Local Business Development forum

Brenda Bence with moderator, Andrew Dy

Mohd Roger Ainsworth, General Manager of Megamas Training Company asking a question

Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, Ken Marnoch, Dato Paduka Ali Apong, Pierre Imhof and Stuart Kemp

So which brands represent you once you see this slide? I think you know which one will represent me 😀

Invited guests at the Local Business Development forum

Michelle Kho and Sophia Siu learned a few things on branding and customer service

Click image to enter Facebook page

The Adventures of Tintin. We caught the sneaks yesterday at The Mall Cineplex and judging from Rottentomatoes, it had a pretty high rating (85%) and furthermore, it’s a Steven Speilberg + Peter Jackson movie. There have been tons of hypes with the popular comic Tintin and I grew up reading their graphic novels (Though I have to say I don’t remember the characters very well until the movie brought me flashbacks of the past).

So what are my views of the movie? According to Winnie, the director kinda changed the bits and pieces from the original script of the graphic novel. To me, it was well paced though I’m not concerned of the changes in the script. However, I felt a lack of chemistry and also the charisma from Tintin himself. The development of the story could have been tweaked and focused more on his character.

There are some scenes of violence (gun shots and sword fights) so this movie won’t be ideal for lil kids unless you’re not too concerned about it. Graphic wise, it’s the best I’ve seen for an animated movie. It’s good to Tintin turned into a movie. I was entertained but I won’t say that the movie was that absorbing. Verdict: 7/10 but lilmopiko gave it a 6.

Tower Heist. I’ve seen a lot of Ben Stiller movies but I was disappointed with Little Fockers (3rd installment of Meet the Parents). To see him team with Eddie Murphy, I thought it was a huge gamble as well and this is due to the fact that most of Eddie Murphy’s movies have been failures (Imagine That, Meet Dave) apart from the Shrek series. So I had low expectations on this movie but to my surprise, I kinda liked the movie.

The plot was slightly different and there was more humour element than the usual Ben Stiller slap-stick comedy so I thought that was kinda cool. Eddie Murphy didn’t get that much time screen and sometimes it’s better that way too since he can get a bit annoying on screen. This is another movie that I do recommend you guys to catch. An above average comedic social drama. Verdict: 7/10

Paranormal Activity 3. How can a movie of this magnitude can still bring frights to cinema goers? The formula for Paranormal Activity kinda of movies are usually based on the degree of suspense it can deliver to us. Just like how Blair Witch Project managed to persuade us to watch the movie for different elements of surprise. So to have a third installment for Paranormal Activity is a tall order and I was hoping that the producers haven’t exhaust themselves with same old ideas.

But guess what… The movie succeeded in giving me the spooks and more to my movie partner then Winnie Sia *lol* Thumbs up to the direction and the editing of PA3 and I’m still curious how the actual “ghost/spirit” looked like. I remember someone tweeting that Paranormal Activity Tokyo Night was entertaining which is the Japanese version. Do catch PA3 which is still showing in cinemas after 3 weeks which shows how popular this movie is in Brunei. Verdict: 7/10

RA One. How does he do it? Sharukh Khan doesn’t seem to age, does he? He just turned 46 last week and he doesn’t appear in his mid-40s. Anyway, his latest flick RA.One is the talk of the town and when that happens, even our SocMed group got sucked in to watch the flick last week. Did you know RA.One had the biggest opening week in India, raking in almost US 40 million?

Box office success aside, this doesn’t mean that the movie might be well received among critics but it did get a fresh tomato rating on Rottentomatoes surprisingly. My thoughts in a few words? Great dance/soundtrack, wonderful costumes and props, but suffered in a shaky, unrealistic plot. Well, this is the part where you leave your brain home. 60-70% of the action sequences were “over-the-top” but isn’t that your typical Bollywood action flick?

The humour was a saviour in some way and the chemistry between the characters were slightly messy. I was drawn by the presence of Kareena Kapoor on screen though. You can catch this movie at Seri Q-Lap Cinema but I was slightly put-off by the price-tag of the movie even on a week night ($10). This Bollywood film was entertaining but had lots of flaws. Verdict: 6/10