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You can win dining vouchers or even a room voucher at Brunei Hotel. Click image to enter Facebook page

The redevelopment of Supa Save Seria which started early February this year, will be bringing a whole new shopping experience with the convenience of a bank, cafe and other exciting retail outlets under one roof. With the help of local creative agency Mixmediaworx, this popular supermarket has also been working on a re-branding exercise that will be rolled out progressively, beginning with a logo refresh followed by some exciting campaigns lined up for the coming year.”

Sometimes you will have to experience something that will opened up eyes and help others along the way. This is what Aaron Sitai, owner of GadgetPlus Store, shared during his bad experience when he was victim of car theft a few years back. This is pretty common in Brunei where you just simply leave your car unattended when you leave your engine on and take for granted that no one will enter your car. Unfortunately things may not be as peaceful as you think it is.

So walaa….. in come the idea of Smart Pass where it kinda solves the issue of security even while leaving your engine running. The Smart Pass and KeyFree Touch are pretty handy and now thanks to Aaron, these Korean made products are made available in Brunei.

So how does it work? Simple actually.. It’s like a RFID tag and just place the Smart Pass on the censor from your screen of the car and your doors will be unlocked or locked for that matter. If you want to know more about the Smart Pass, you can go down to the Indoor Stadium and check out the demo for both the Smart Pass KeyFree and also the KeyFree Touch. The Fair will be ongoing at the Indoor Stadium from 10am to 10pm until 1st January 2013.

The Smart Pass KeyCard

You can also use the Smart Pass on your smartphones too

You can check out the demo at The Fair at Indoor Stadium

Oh by the way, GadgetPlus Store will be running a simple competition at the Fair. You can win a free Smart Pass or Keyfree Touch? They are having a public competition “Guess the PIN Code & Pick and Scan” here at the Indoor Stadium Berakas. With the “Guess the PIN Code”, you need to tap in the correct combination of four digits 1-4. So should you unlock the door, you are the winner!!

With “Pick and Scan”, you need to pick the correct Smart card from a bag full of smart cards. If you picked the card that unlocks the doors your a Winner! Contest runs today till the 1st Jan. Winners receive Apple and Samsung Accessories and go into the final draw to win The Smart Pass and Keyfree Touch modules.

All of these competition happening at the Fair and you can contact Aaron at 710 9929. You can also go to their Facebook page here for updates.

By the way, I have this installed in my car

I had installed near the rear window of my car

It takes at least half an hour to install

Thanks Aaron for the final tweak

Jack Reacher. Such an untimely movie especially after the Sandy Town shooting and those who have watched Jack Reacher would have known what I’m talking about. Tom Cruise still has what it takes to be an action hero. Though I have to say the opening scene may be a bit disturbing for some due to the graphic violent nature. The plot may be a bit unrealistic but I don’t mind giving this an excuse and enjoy this entertaining popcorn action movie. Perhaps the style of execution was the biggest draw for me in Jack Reacher. I won’t be surprised if there will be a sequel for this. It didn’t open that well in the box office but I still find it as an entertaining thriller. Not all of you will have the same views as I do. The movie also has some good sense of humour to make the thriller in a lesser serious mode. Verdict: 8/10.

Chinese Zodiac 2012. As the Miz of WWE would say, “Really?… Really??” I’ve been catching most of Jackie Chan movies and they have been mediocre as of late. The only that stands out for the past three years was The Karate Kid and if you count his voice as the Monkey in Kungfu Panda movies. CZ 2012 was simply terrible almost 3/4 of the movie. There are so many talking points here that I don’t know where to begin. I think for sure is the unnecessary switching off language from French, Mandarin and English. And who the hell is that French woman who was perhaps the Jar-Jar Binks in the movie – totally annoying.

The plot was far, far thin and normally I would say leave your brains at home for some movies. For this, even if you leave your brains home, you will still find this movie ridiculously absurd. I didn’t even know that the duration of the movie was pretty long (2hr 20 mins). Jackie Chan, your time is up!!! If this was your last movie (Expendables 3 aside), please please make it the last. Your stunts were truly amazing in CZ 2012 but it’s not even good enough to save this movie let alone the short cameos by the other celebrities towards the end of the movie. You have to ask yourself, what’s your intention of making this movie? Verdict: 5/10.

 

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You can win dining vouchers or even a room voucher at Brunei Hotel. Click image to enter Facebook page

The redevelopment of Supa Save Seria which started early February this year, will be bringing a whole new shopping experience with the convenience of a bank, cafe and other exciting retail outlets under one roof. With the help of local creative agency Mixmediaworx, this popular supermarket has also been working on a re-branding exercise that will be rolled out progressively, beginning with a logo refresh followed by some exciting campaigns lined up for the coming year.”

RA says bonus, bonus, bonus… This will be the talk of the town this week and of course, jam, jam and more jam… Today’s headliner in BB talks about the bonus buzz and I believe the government officers are getting their bonuses starting tomorrow if I’m not mistaken. That’s one of the perks of being a government servant.

Now touching on that subject, I remember when I was still a kid, when asked what I wanna be when I grow up, I imagined myself being an architect. This was because I was into interior design and I used to buy ID books from Bookers International back then and became “wowed” by the photos of different types of home and how I wished I designed my own home one day. Yea, one day :p However, before uni years, I chose a different path – a more business oriented course. Why? To help my mom’s business initially after I graduated and I don’t know why I didn’t opted for any government posts or even have that thought in my head initially. Perhaps I have already planted in my head that I will work in a private sector. The closest to a semi-government job I applied is Brunei Economic Development Board during the John Perry’s era. And I was rejected on my application as a Business Analyst *lol* I guess it was meant to be. Otherwise I wouldn’t have this opportunity to be a full time social blogger and things might have taken a different path should I be accepted by BEDB then.

Anyway that was slightly off topic and guys, do spend wisely on this festive bonus season. I’ve already seen many advertisements on the newspaper advertising their special promotions in time for the bonus period. I, for one, won’t be enjoying the luxury of that bonus feeling but then again, I already grateful and appreciative of what I have going on for me and that for me is a bonus all year round 😀

Another headliner which I came across on The Brunei Times today is the rise of divorce is higher after 10-15 years of marriage and this data has been increasing the past 5 years. I know of a few whose marriages haven’t lasted more than 3-5 years and they are pulling or have pulled the plug. For me, I have not thought of settling down and age for me is not any concern. But of course, I will have an advantage if I was married earlier in terms of bringing up children. Then again, my priority is not too rush into full time commitment when I feel that I need to take care of my own self first before committing into a life time relationship with another.

When I saw from The Brunei Times’ article that irrecoincible differences is the top reason for divorces, then it pretty much says that it’s either one of them doesn’t accept his/her differences or compromise about new findings or situations that one feels uncomfortable. So here’s my principle… Invest in myself before I take that big step and one day I know I will find the right one and time is not a factor for me. If time is a factor, then it’s very likely mistakes can arise. This is just my 2 cents and there’s no pun intended.

Number of divorce statistics in Brunei

 

Take advantage of Bossini’s Salebration Sale

If you want affordable range of clothing, then Bossini does deliver. For your info, Bossini has its 2nd outlet at Mabohai Shopping Complex on the 1st floor and its first being at Shakirin Complex in Kiulap. The brand itself is from Hong Kong and it’s quite popular in other regional countries. Bossini only made its debut in Brunei in mid 2011.

This time round Bossini have a special promotion at both outlets. Under the Brunei Salebration Sales, you can get 10% discount and an additional 10% if you are a member of Bossini. And for any 3 items you buy, you get additional 20% off for Best Buy items and also for any 5 items, you will get additional 40% off for Best Buy items.

You can follow updates on Bossini on their Facebook page.

The ladies section at Bossini

T-shirts and jeans at Bossini

The kids’ section at Bossini

Different types of t-shirts at Bossini

Shirt for men

This is the 2nd outlet of Bossini at Mabohai Shopping Complex

Click image to enter Brunei’s Bossini Facebook Page

 

NYE’s dinner at iLotus and win prizes such as iPad mini

The menu at iLotus for NYE

 

There have been many feedback on where Shiiz Candies is. For your info, Shiiz Candies only operate on a weekly basis and last weekend was their final operation for 2012 before they continue again in the new year. Starting back in April 2012, co-owners Hafiiz Ramle and Sajidah, didn’t expect the tremendous responses from the public.

Perhaps the biggest hit among Shiiz Candies’ menu are the Hotlanta Wings which comes in three flavours – Sissy, Honey and Bloody Spicy and the Hotlanta Cheesesteaks which comes in three flavours – Sissy, Bloody Spicy and Mushroom. I’ve tried the Hotlanta wings and my personal favourite is the Sissy flavour and wowww… I tried the Bloody Spicy Cheesesteaks and it was super super spicy… and apparently Devon came up with the Bloody Spicy sauce and the flavour paid off. So if you really want test your spicy taste bud, Blood Spicy might be just the one for you.

So peeps.. If you want to try out Shiiz Candies goodies, then you will have to wait until 2013 for their service to be back in operation. You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram @shiizcandies and so far they have 3,300 followers and they will be having a special promotion for followers once they hit the 5,000 followers mark.

Hafiiz was busy preparing for customers last Sunday. It was another big hit too.

This is the Bloody Spicy Cheesesteak I had and this is super yummy and spicy!!

The Hotlanta Wings in Sissy sauce are awesome!!

Thanks Anisah for bringing me there 😀

Boba Tea, a Taiwanese franchise, opened its 2nd outlet in Brunei, located at Gadong

The craze is still here. So far I know of four brands of bubble tea that have a strong presence in Brunei. I have yet to try Boba Tea though I have been viewing some of the pictures on people’s instagram. This morning was the first time that I tried Boba Tea and I kinda like it too. If you ask me, my personal favourite flavour for any bubble tea is always coffee based.

For your info, I visited their second branch located at Gadong, same row with Pizza Hut Gadong. Their first outlet is located at Kiulap which was opened last year. I highly recommend the sweet sour drink at Boba Tea because of its refreshing taste. I also enjoyed their coffee based ones and I won’t mind coming back for more.

They also served new items such as the frozen yoghurt. Boba Tea has quite a lot of flavours to choose from the menu. Congratulations to Becky Li, the owner of Boba Tea, on the opening of your 2nd outlet. All the best!!! By the way, you can follow Boba Tea on instagram @bobateabrunei

Becky Li, the owner of Boba Tea, holding my favourite drink – Coffee ice-blend 😀

The logo of Boba Tea

The sweet sour Boba Tea is super refreshing!!

Becky being interviewed by Syazwani of Borneo Bulletin

There’s seating area at the Gadong branch

Some of the frozen yoghurt at Boba Tea

 

Woww!!! Two months ago he broke the record for the most watched video on YouTube. If anyone do it, then it’s PSY who famously known for his Gangnam Style video. The video has just surpassed the 1 billion mark views on YouTube. Now it will be a tall order for anyone to reach that milestone set by PSY. Now the pressure is what will PSY next video be?

By 21st December, PSY’s Gangnam Style video hit the 1 billion views mark

 

Belluno is located at Times Square

Have you tried Belluno’s gelato mochi?? It’s really good stuff because of its flavour and it feels quite refreshing as well because they (mochi) are chilled. My favourite flavour has always been the mango ones. And yes, they have quite a few flavours including durian. The new flavours that have just been introduced this week are Taro Queen (yam) and Banoffee Pie which are really tasty. I believe the Banoffee Pie will be a popular flavour among the rest and I highly recommend you that too.

Belluno is located on the 1st floor at Times Square, near the food court area. You can also follow them on instagram @bellunogelatomochi

So what flavour are you?

The Taro Queen flavour – Yam taste

I think this will be a popular one – Banoffee Pie flavour

I had both new flavours and I love it!!
 

 

Click image to enter website

The redevelopment of Supa Save Seria which started early February this year, will be bringing a whole new shopping experience with the convenience of a bank, cafe and other exciting retail outlets under one roof. With the help of local creative agency Mixmediaworx, this popular supermarket has also been working on a re-branding exercise that will be rolled out progressively, beginning with a logo refresh followed by some exciting campaigns lined up for the coming year.”

RA says there has been many talks about the Mayan calendar and there have been fears going around about doomsday or the end of the world phenomena. Today is supposed the final day of the Mayan Calendar. Based on this article, the link between the Mayan calendar and the end of the world likely began in the 19060s and 1970s with a misinterpretation of Mayan heiroglyphs.. Ok, I don’t know what that means anyway *lol*

I’ve been reading twitter feeds and on social network and even my friends have been asking me personally if such thing will happen. Of course, I brushed it off.. This is not our belief to start off with. Apart from that, I would like to share a lesson to my readers about an optimist and pessimist. When you give this scenario whether it’s good or bad, an optimist will always see the brighter side of the situation with confidence and deep appreciation. However, a pessimist, thinks otherwise. He or she would tend to stress on the draining energy or unfavourable outcomes especially when a negative thought has been planted in his/her head.

Hence, it’s pretty interesting to see people’s reaction to this prophecy. A friend of mine which I won’t disclose had a pessimistic view and somehow it kinda owned her in a way that she had this unnecessary fear. For your info, today is supposed to be the day but nothing happened. And now others are poking fun at failure of the prophecy. Oh well, fear not my friends.. It’s all just a myth :p

So lately I’ve heard a few changes in the private sector where CEO and GM are being replaced or left vacant. You may have read about BEDB’s take over of SLA too in my previous post. As of yesterday, the leading telco in Brunei, DST, has a new interim CEO Hj Suhaimi Hussain who held the position of CTO of DST. Former CEO of DST Idris Vasi has been released from DST who has served the company for 2 and a half years. I’m not quite sure based on what grounds Idris was released but the Board of Directors know best what’s right for the company. Let’s hope the 3G base stations are in placed by next year to reduce 3G network congestions as stated by the former CEO and of course, the introduction of 4G network to Brunei by the first quarter of 2013.

Another one that has left the building is Desmond Acheson who served as the General Manager of The Empire Hotel & Country Club. He has served in the position since 2009 and he tendered his resignation and served his final months as GM coinciding before the biggest event hosted by The Empire Hotel which was the Royal Trophy. Well, it was a good thing that the Royal Trophy happened in Brunei but I heard it costs millions of dollars to host the prestigious event and I still remember how the organisers were still sourcing for sponsors. I covered the press conference a year ago with regards to the Royal Trophy and I was already shocked by the amount of money needed and even a year of preparation, such amount is a tall order even for Brunei to host (in my opinion).

However, it was good to see the relevant agencies supporting the Royal Trophy during the actual event and too bad I wasn’t there to witness the spectacle where team Asia beat team Europe for this year’s edition of the Royal Trophy. Perhaps the biggest impact The Empire had apart from the Royal Trophy was the Korean Amway group where they stayed at The Empire Hotel for two weeks with at least 2,400 Koreans coming in four waves. That time, The Empire Hotel enjoyed almost full occupancy back in November because of the Amway group.

I wish Desmond and Idris the best in their future and to the Mayan Prophecy, thanks for the “fear” factor you have implanted in others. Today indeed is our best day and tomorrow will be a brand new one. Don’t forget to vote the poll on the top right corner on how your 2012 year has been. Happy weekend peeps!!

 

I highly recommended Angel to try out Minang House at Lucky Plaza and she couldn’t stop complementing on how good the food is especially the ayam rendang 😀

I didn’t catch up with friends in Singapore but I caught up with Angel (right) and my new acquaintance Melissa last Saturday

Orchard Road was filled with Xmas decoration

It seems that most of the deco had a lot of heart shapes

There were some minifigurine of Lee Kuan Yew displayed outside Mandarin Gallery

Angel did a quick Gangnam Style pose in the middle of Orchard Road

Both love the ice-cream bread while I preferred it with wafer

They were selling xmas hats for charity

Nice deco outside Mandarin Gallery

The gymnast from China showcasing (& stretching) their talents

This one was pretty cool and a lot of illusions too

The fountain outside Takashimaya

I like this photo somehow

Another huge Xmas tree inside Takashimaya

The Ferroro Rocher not as big as last year’s

Outside Ion

Another Xmas tree outside Ion

 

 

Click image to enter website

The redevelopment of Supa Save Seria which started early February this year, will be bringing a whole new shopping experience with the convenience of a bank, cafe and other exciting retail outlets under one roof. With the help of local creative agency Mixmediaworx, this popular supermarket has also been working on a re-branding exercise that will be rolled out progressively, beginning with a logo refresh followed by some exciting campaigns lined up for the coming year.”

Pehin Yahya with Ivan Ballesteros, nephew of late legendary Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros, planted a special tree, the Bucida

Too bad that I missed the biggest golf event in Brunei last weekend which was Royal Trophy which team Asia won against team Europe in this year’s edition which took took place at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.

Anyway there was a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the late legendary Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros and the ceremony was graced by Pehin Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya and Ivan Ballesteros where they planted a Bucida tree.

It was funny Ivan shared that his uncle Seve spent most of his golfing career hitting the trees and produced amazing recovery shots. Hence there was a lot of love and sentiments that Seve have for trees.

The spot where the tree was planted is also marked by a plaque, bearing the inscription ‘In memory of Seve Ballesteros (1957-2011) great golfing legend and founder of the Royal Trophy’. The plaque was also autographed by Ivan Ballesteros.

Also in attendance were Dato Paduka Awg Hj Ali bin Hj Apong, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Chairman of BEDB, and Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Othman, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. Images courtesy of Nazirul Hakeem of Borneo Bulletin.

Ivan Ballesteros with officers from Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources

The plaque signed by Ivan Ballesteros

 

A popular gaming event

Now this what I call an awesome gaming event for Licence 2 Play at Marina Bay Sands Expo Hall, Singapore. I have previously staged Brunei Cyber Game and it was just good enough for the Brunei community and I kinda missed organising such events of that scale. Last weekend Brunei also had their version under the flagship of TFF EA CON which was another huge success. Of course, when comparing with neighbouring countries, they can produce more extravagant features.

The interesting bit about Licence 2 Play was that the event was orgnanised by Singapore Press Holding in association with SCOGA which is a non-profit organisation (a link between government and gamers). I only attended the 2nd day as I was in KL on the 1st day. It was a great crowd puller which drew in around 100,000 visitors and yes there was an entrance fee which is $5.

I hope to make another visit again next year. Thumbs up for the great event 😀

Hmmm they need your IC though during the registration as a visitor

The World of Tanks booth was pretty impressive

…. maybe because their booth had hot ladies

… and they also can play

Hello there…

Another creative booth at L2P

The young and the old enjoying their matches

Yay!!! I get to meet the model for Ghost in the Shell

I was sandwiched by Ion Ginga and Martha Asahi *gulp*

Ok, I love this cosplay costume

Hmmmm … Is this suppose to be the Merman from The Cabin in the Woods?

The ladies at the earphone booth

Have a break!!!

FIFA 13 tournament also featured at L2P

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A popular gaming event

One of the finalists of the cosplay competition and she said she won’t join next year because of her studies

I would have thought this costume would have got top 3 but didn’t

He was also a finalist but was voted Top 3

The judges presented the third place winner of the Cosplay competition

The winner of the Cosplay award and he promised to the Gangnam dance right after

Mortal Kombat vs DC looks freaking good

Click image to enter website

The redevelopment of Supa Save Seria which started early February this year, will be bringing a whole new shopping experience with the convenience of a bank, cafe and other exciting retail outlets under one roof. With the help of local creative agency Mixmediaworx, this popular supermarket has also been working on a re-branding exercise that will be rolled out progressively, beginning with a logo refresh followed by some exciting campaigns lined up for the coming year.”

Now Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong has three postings – as the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Chairman of Brunei Economic Development Board and now with the consent of His Majesty the Sultan, Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong is the chairman of the Board of Directors of Sungai Liang Authority (SLA) which will be on an interim basis.

I was a bit shocked reading today’s newspaper because of the reshuffling that is taking place at Sungai Liang Authority (SLA). Now the duties and responsibilities of SLA have been transferred to the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) and this would mean more responsibilities for BEDB and I believe they are the right driver for SLA’s initiative. The transfer was consented by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam through the Prime Minister’s Office.

For your info, the other appointed Board of Directors of SLA are Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Roselan Hj Mohd Daud; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Hjh Ning-Lela Dato Paduka Hj Mohamad; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSMDSU Dr HjMohd Jamil Al-Sufri; Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Development Dato Paduka Hj Suhaimi Hj Gafar; Managing Director of PetroBru Dato Paduka Hj Matsatejo Sokiaw and Chief Executive Officer ofBEDB Vincent Cheong.

For those who are not aware, SLA is supposedly to function as a one-stop agency to supervise the progress of projects at the Sungai Liang Industrial Park and foster relations between Mukim Liang communities and SLA. The project started way back in 2007 and it was under the chairmanship of Pengiran Kerma Raja Pengiran Hj Kamarulzaman Pengiran Pekerma Setia Diraja Sahibul Bandar Pengiran Hj Ali from 2007 until 2012.

Let’s see what’s the plan here from BEDB on SLA’s project. Sometimes change is necessary to bring new energy to an organisation. A similar case happened a few years back where BEDB came under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office.

  

 

20th December 2012 marks the 20th year that KFC has been in Brunei and to celebrate it, KFC wants to do something special for their customers and friends that have helped them achieved this. As a way of saying thanks, on 20th December 2012, at 8:12pm KFC will be launching a 20th Anniversary music video on their facebook and will also be launching a special edition 20th Anniversary woven bags at their outlets. We chose this date and time (20:12,20.12.2012) because it’s quite special and we’ll always remember it as a day we give our customers a BIG thank you,” says Del Goh, General Manager.

KFC’s 20th Anniversary music video, titled “So Good” written and performed by Andy Suzuki & The Method, whose recent visit to Brunei received warm welcome from their fans. Aside from the music video, there will be a full studio version available at radio and a TV commercial of 30s will be available at the cinemas.

For the non-woven bags, customers can get it free at any KFC outlets in Brunei when they spend B$20 and above in a single purchase, while stock last. For the whole month of December, KFC is already giving away different gifts for any purchase worth B$20 and above in a single receipt.

A father son moment on stage where Nelky Goh, Managing Director of KFC, received his long service award his son Del Goh, General Manager of KFC at the 20th Anniversary of KFC Brunei last Monday
 

 

Caliente’s Xmas promotion. Call 2234549 / 7202985 for reservation

Made your plans yet on Christmas lunch? Caliente is having a promotion on 24th and 25th December.. On Monday it will be on dinner while Tuesday will be on lunch and dinner. There is the Santa package which is $45 per person or the Rudolph package which is $38 per person. Oh yea seats are limited as well so better make your bookings earlier – call 2234549 / 7202985 for reservation at Caliente, located at Regent Square.

Do visit their Fanpage for updates on Caliente Spanish Restaurant too.

Egg’s Benedict – ala carte order

Salmon Alhumado – Ala carte order

Crepes Rellenas De Setas – ala carte order

Pancakes – ala carte order

Breakfast Set for only $5 with tea or coffee

Try Caliente’s Breakfast Set for only $5.00 inclusive of coffee or tea (picture above). Or you can also try ala carte dishes for breakfast – Egg’s Florentine, Egg’s Benedict, Pancakes, Omelette, Crepes Rellanas de Setas and Salmon Alhumado and prices vary.

We serve Breakfast only on Tuesday – Friday at 8:00am till 10:30 am. Visit us at Regent Square, Kiulap or call 2234549 / 7202985 for reservation.

This a white-rumped Shama is “unprotected” and it is reported being sold at Jerudong Beach. Image by Adam Hanif of The Brunei Times.

For your info, there’s a new established government agency on Wildlife Division where they are sourcing on wild and exotic animals and birds in Brunei. Recently some of the exotic birds are being caught and sold in local markets and apparently this is considered illegal. So if you happened to come across exotic animals or birds being sold, do report to the Wildlife Division.

Both Dr Joseph Charles, a biologist and senior lecturer at UBD and Jungle Dave, a wildlife enthusiast, share a similar view that the exotic birds need to be protected or else it will lead to extinction. To read more of the article, do read here.

 

Andy Suzuki & The Method were recently in Brunei to write and perform KFC’s 20th Anniversary Music Video titled “So Good”

The song used in KFC’s 20th Anniversary Music Video titled, So Good was written and performed by Andy Suzuki & The Method. “We wrote them a story, about our feelings towards our customers whom have given us 20 years of sogood and they turned it into a wonderful song capturing the main essence of what we want to say,” says Jonathan Bong, Senior Marketing Manager.

For example:
“When you feel the morning light, who would you like to see? and When the stars burn bright, won’t you think of me?”

 KFC looks forward to everyday where their customers are the first on their mind in the morning and last on their mind at the night.

“It’s been 20 years, since we first met. Do you remember that old feeling or did you forget?”

Many of us at KFC remember the expressions of customers when we first open the doors of our first outlet to this very day and we hope that this song can help those that were there to relive those memories too.

“Some things may have changed, we won’t ever be the same. You made us so much better, since that first day”

We may have changed since 20 years ago, but it’s to improve ourselves, to serve you better.

“We will be your shelter when it starts to rain. Everyday like Fry Day, Sundae again.”

We want to pamper you when you are feeling down, we want to make your everyday feels like a holiday. (Fryday and Sundae, a pun on Friday and Sunday).

  Aside from the music video, there will be a full studio version available at radio and a TV commercial of 30s will be available at the cinemas. This is the first time that KFC have produced a TV commercial and music video locally and they would like to credit Shazanas Production House for their help. KFC would like to take the chance to thank all the staff and their families, friends and especially Trinity advertising & event management and UBDFM for their help in casting.

 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Hmmmm Peter, Peter, Peter…. I totally love your Lord of the Rings trilogy and I have watched it over and over again because the cinematic experience was awesome on each series. The Hobbit’s first installment was another much anticipated movie in this festive season and I felt that I didn’t have that same experience as I had with LOTR. It reminded me so much of the Star Wars where the prequel kinda lack the mojo too. Don’t get me wrong. Visually The Hobbit was freaking amazing though I thought it was too “real” because of the new frame technique deployed by Peter Jackson. And yes, I caught this is an IMAX 3D and I have no complains on the visuals and the cinematography. However, I would still give the visual award to Ang Lee’s Life of Pi for now.

Movie wise, it has some good moments, some maybe draggy moments and a few flaws here and there. I know some movies have their flaws but when it comes to Peter Jackson, my expectations are higher. One big thing I felt was missing was the depth of the characters of the dwarves. I’ve actually read the Empire (film magazine) and it has descriptions of each of the dwarves personality. However, the movie failed to translate that knowledge I had on the screen. The direction could have been stronger and I felt the movie was kinda long. Well, LOTR movies had the same duration but it didn’t feel long for me. I think you get the gist what I’m trying to say. Needless to say, I still enjoyed the movie but it was surely not an epic. Now wonder The Hobbit only scored 65% on Rottentomatoes while LOTR movies averaged at 92%. Verdict: 7/10.

Bacherolette. I saw the poster at the cinema in Singapore and the first thing I saw was Kirsten Dunst. I used to adore her in Spider-man movies and ever since, she hasn’t been in many movies or maybe I have been ignorant.. Hmmm this movie was just an average romantic comedy movie. I won’t spare so much on writing this review. Frankly speaking I wish this was the first movie of the movie marathon I had yesterday with A Werewolf Boy which was one of my top movies of the year. There were tons of profanity though and one scene where Dunst was hmmmm ahem you know haha which is kind rare. Finally I realise how “green” Dunst is but me likey likey. Sadly, the movie was a letdown. Oh yea, Fat Amy is there as well. Verdict: 6/10.

Argo. Woww!!!! One thing I have to salute about Ben Affleck is his ability to direct and also being part of the movie. He did it with The Town and I really enjoyed that movie. Now he came up with Argo which is based on a true story that happened in Iran and it was superb from beginning to the end. I’m not a big fan of political movies but I have to give this an exception. It’s one of the movies that will keep you to the edge of your seat and the experience is much more rewarding after every obstacle they went through each scene. It was a bit weird to see Affleck sporting a hairy beard *lol* and he pulled off a great performance too. I doubt this will be showing in Brunei and I was glad it was still showing in Singapore. Keep it up, Ben. Looking forward to your other upcoming movies. Verdict: 8/10.

A Werewolf Boy. Gosh… I went to this movie with no expectations and I didn’t see any preview or even read the summary of the movie. Of course the title suggests that it’s gonna be a thriller horror perhaps and if it was a Werewolf movie by Hollywood, I would think twice about catching it. Yes, this is a Korean movie and I’m a big fan of Korean movies for the past few years. Boy oh Boy… this movie was surprisingly good from start to the end.. I never thought such movie would make me intrigue all the way.. It was humorous, touching, edgy and most of all, I ended up crying.. I meant weeping in the final third of the movie. Wow!!! I was invested in the two main characters that I was emotionally drawn. A great score too for the movie that also made the difference. This is one of the best movies of 2012 and after googling it, A Werewolf Boy is the 3rd biggest box office in Korea. I highly recommend you to catch this and I don’t know if this will be shown in Brunei. It’s been a while since I really enjoyed a Korean movie. Oh yeah, there’s a good message about commitment and compassion and it’ quite powerful. Verdict: 9/10.

Life of Pi. There were so much expectations on this movie as people were drawn to the spectacle trailer months before it was released. Ang Lee has been quite in the Hollywood scene but he was well known his hits such as Hulk and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even Brokeback Mountain. Now with Life of Pi, he attempts to create that emotional value with the audience. So did he succeed? For me, it was a yes and no situation. The ending was also an open ended situation which was doable for Life of Pi. I was hoping for more an adventure rather than spending more time of the main character Pi connecting with Richard Parker the Bengal tiger.

Visually I have to admit it was amazing though I thought the best parts were already shown in the trailer so no surprise or wow element moment there for me. One thing that kept me wondering why wasn’t Coldplay’s Paradise song included in the actual movie but it was a good score in the end of the preview trailer. I was hoping for that song to appear but it didn’t. I have to salute Ang Lee though for turning this challenging novel into a movie and if anyone can do, he’s the right man for it. Yes, I expected more in terms of the “fun” factor and lack of emotional drive. Well done on being nominated as the Best Picture and Best Director in Golden Globes Award. Verdict: 7/10.

Wreck-it Ralph. I also came into the movie with high expectations though I didn’t see the trailer for this. The feel I had for this movie was similar to that of Pitch Perfect. I was simply amazed how creative this animation was and I believe Wreck-it Ralph was a saviour for Walt Disney Pictures which has been struggling to produce enjoyable films. Well, it was a huge success for The Avengers also under Disney but other than that, they are recovering from a slide.

This movie is equally entertaining for adults and kids and it was probably more rewarding for adults since it reminded us of the gaming industry back in the 80s and 90s. The translation of a video game into reality was witty and creative and alone has earned a point or two for me. Plot wise it was good and lessons can be learnt from it which is good for the kids and even adults 😀 I suggest parents bring their kids to watch Wreck-it Ralph and you will definitely enjoy the ride. I don’t mind watching this again really and there are still tons of screens showing this at The Mall Cineplex. Verdict: 8.5/10.

 

 

I lost track of how many shabu-shabu restaurants are they in Brunei. I heard a lot of good reviews about Yugo BBQ. Located at Gadong Central. Image taken from Yogu BBQ Facebook page

Image taken from Yogu BBQ Facebook page

Sharon and Dayah having their meal at Yugo. I shall try this out soon.

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It was another great outing with the family and after months and months of waiting, the wait is finally over. Supposed I was to suppose to head over there with CR but she beat me to it *lol* Legoland Malaysia has been the talk of the town in terms of places of interest especially during the holidays. Quite a lot of Bruneians have stepped foot on Legoland located at Johor.

For your info, LEGOLAND Malaysia is the sixth LEGOLAND built around the world and also being the first in Asia. If you happened to be in Singapore, then you can go across the border over to Johor Baru and pay a visit to LEGOLAND.

Mind you there are still other phases that are yet to be completed. There are tons of visit around LEGOLAND and I had a good time though the weather was challenging. My siblings didn’t have enough experience and wanting more. Well, there’s always a next time 😀

Just check out the pictures I posted.. Sorry for the lack of captions!!