Click image to enter website

 

Click image to enter Facebook Page

 

Download SnapFeed app on your smartphones and check out the latest deals in Brunei and also get rewarded from respective merchants such as BurgerKing, KFC and Sushi Tei to name a few.

 

Mr Alex Liew, Sales Manager of Digi-Mark Enterprise (left) with Jonathan Bong, Senior Marketing Manager, KFC (B) Sdn Bhd (center) during the launch of the promotion last week

Coinciding with the Dino Expo that’s currently happening in the Sultanate, KFC is offering a special Limited collectibles Dinosaur Egg toy and introducing a special Dino Meal Combo at it’s outlets.

The dinosaur egg toy comes in few variations of different colours and can transform into different types of dinosaurs. Customers can purchase the Dinosaur Egg toy for only B$1 with any chicken purchase at any KFC outlets in Brunei. Although a children’s toy, many adults might find the toy interesting as it’s similar to those sold in the market decades ago. “Just as chickens and eggs relates to KFC, the dinosaur egg toy will relate to many adult’s youthful times” says Jonathan Bong, Senior Marketing Manager, KFC (B) Sdn Bhd.

Wanting something more than the Dinosaur Egg toy, customers can also try out the Dino Meal Combo. The meal combo consist of one piece of chicken, three pieces of the crispy prawn along with a portion of the fragrant Colonel Chicken Rice, one regular serving of the fresh coleslaw, a regular-sized Revive drink and one dinosaur egg toy, all for only $6.80. “More than 500 million years ago, giant prawn-like creatures called anomalocaridid used to roam the world so it’s only fitting for the occasion that we have to include our new product (crispy prawn) into this prehistoric Dino Meal Combo”, added Bong.

Present for the product launching is Mr Alex Liew, Sales Manager of Digi-Mark Enterprise, representing the joint venture companies of Digi-Mark Enterprise, A.T.P.D Sdn Bhd, Explorer and Weicom Enterprise who brought in the ASEAN largest Dino Expo to Brunei.

As the official food and beverage provider for the ASEAN Largest Dino Expo, KFC will be present at restaurant section of the Bridex Hall to serve the dining needs of visitors during the whole event from 7th March to 12th April 2015. As an added bonus, every one Dino Park ticket purchased since 20th January 2015 onwards are entitled to received one B$3.50 KFC coupon that can be used at any KFC outlets in Brunei for any purchase, valid until 30th April 2015. Customers that have not received their KFC coupons will be given to them upon showing their Dino Park ticket at the info counter available at the Bridex Hall during the said event.

The Dinosaur Egg toy limited collectibles and KFC Dino Meal Combo will be available at all KFC outlets starting 7th March 2015 for a limited time only, while stock last.

The dinosaur egg toy comes in few variations of different colours and can transform into different types of dinosaurs. Customers can purchase the Dinosaur Egg toy for only B$1 with any chicken purchase at any KFC outlets in Brunei

 

Maria Grace Koh, a former student and now a vocal trainer at Brunei Symphony Music School.

Symphony Music, the sole authorized school in Brunei for Yamaha Music Education, now offers vocal classes conducted by Brunei-born international recording artist and song-writer – Maria Grace Koh. Better known under her stage name “Eia”, she has a wide wealth of experience performing locally and abroad. Many of you may have been familiar with her success, competing in World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in 2013 and 2014 in Hollywood, winning medals and her passion has always been music.

Did you know that Maria has her first formal training in music in Symphony Music School? She was only 3 years old when she enrolled in the Junior Music Course. She completed ABRSM Grade 8 Piano a few years later and that have planted her success to where she is now. It’s good to see Maria giving back to the community and also a gratitude gesture towards the Symphony Music School for developing her into an iconic musician in Brunei.

Maria will be conducting vocal classes covering a wide range of genres from contemporary pop to Broadway and Jazz. Each class will be conducted on a one-on-one basis and lessons will be structured according to the level the student would like to go, whether it is beginner, intermediate or professional level. A 30-minute class held four times a month cost $80.

The school also offers a wide range of music lessons, from piano to guitar and vocal lessons for all ages. For more information on registering for the new vocal class or just any other classes available at the school, please contact Symphony Music School at 2430573.

Anna Tang, a representative from TCY Motors, Maria Grace Koh with a representative from Symphony Music School and Mark Paren

 

A session being held at Aiko and Taro Playhouse for kids to learn and grow

What is happening to the younger kids in the past five years? I’m not referring to the unhealthier lifestyle (though it is still slightly related) but more into the culture of reading. With the age of indigo (the age of information) setting in, there’s no denying the fact that technology has become a stumbling block for children to actually read. Instead they are more attracted to the gadgets such as tablets or even spending more time watching cartoons. This has become a challenging factor for parents as they want children to be educated and have fun too. So there’s a way to balance things out and one of the places that I would recommend is Aiko and Taro Playhouse.

One of the best time for children to learn something new is from the age of 4 to 6 because that’s how our right brain works in stimulating activities. If you want your children to be skilled at something, for instance learning English or Chinese or even making Origami, this is the best age group and you will know never that it will become a habit and in a long run, become part of their lives. Same applies to reading or taking up educational activities such as art or music. I planned to educate my future children on the essence of reading to prepare themselves for primary and secondary classes because I want the best for my future children.

The owner of Aiko and Taro Playhouse, JC Yong, is passionate on encourage children to explore educational activities in a fun environment. His daughter has been groomed through early reading by using simple exercises consistently until she was able to absorb and learn more. Yong is proud to share that her daughter is able to read novels at a very young age and by reading, it can open many doors of opportunities especially subjects that students learn in classes.

Yong believes in his theory of the “Feel Concept” – to Feed, to Expose, to Encourage and to Lead. First step is to Feed knowledge to the kids and once they absorb that, then the next step is to Expose them to arts and music to see if they have interest. When we are kids, it’s always important to Encourage to express freely as well and don’t forget to Lead them to the culture of reading.

Aiko and Taro Playhouse has wide range of books and kids can learn around 300 books per year once they grasp the techniques of reading.

I highly recommend to parents who want their children to be exposed to educational activities especially pre-nursery stage and you will never know what interests can be unlocked from your children. You can call 8727 898 and it’s located opposite Aneka Rasa Restaurant at Unit 4, 1st Floor Block C, Bangunan BPD Hj Md Yusof, Kg Kiulap. You can also follow them on their Facebook Page and instagram @aikoandtaro for updates.

An educational activities for the kids

Learning at the same time

Plenty of story books to catch interest of the kids

Do get the FEEL. Do click image to enter Facebook Page.

The map

 

Enuf said. Good one, Pizza Hut Brunei. Double the smiles.

 

The amazing launch of the Spring/Summer 2015 (SS15) collection at Amorita Resort, Bohol, the Philippines

[Late post]: I’ve been busy recovering from my lack of sleep due to the Chinese New Year visits. I still have pending stories and today I’m gonna talk about FitFlop. Yes, FitFlop. I recently was invited to the Philippines for a media coverage for the launch campaign of the FitFlop SS15 collection at Bohol Island, the Philippines. I remember covering a shoe event in Malaysia a few years ago but I must say this private small event had more of an impact to me especially if it just relates to footwear.

FitFlop Philippines hosted delegates of the media from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and their local media who had the privileged to see some of the 300 new designs for the FitFlop SS15 collection. During the 2 day event, we were educated on the different types of FitFlop that will be in the market. I’m not sure when the Spring Summer 15 collection will reach Brunei market but should be in May or June if I’m not mistaken.

I didn’t know much about FitFlop but I know my mom is a huge fan of FitFlop especially when she shops at Metro, Paragon, Singapore. But I never knew what is so good about them until I saw Jill Coglan’s quick introduction about FitFlop. She is the Global Sourcing & Product Development Director at FitFlop Asia. I shall revealed more of her drive for FitFlop in my next post. She has been in this field of shoe line for 24 years and only 3 years in FitFlop. She is one of the reasons why FitFlop has been so successful in Asia.

The Indigo from the SS15 Collection. Targeting more of the youthful users.

The media from Indonesia

Joill Colgan, Global Sourcing & Product Development Director at FitFlop Asia with the host Stephanie Henares

The range of Indigo FitFlops being worn

One of the models being photographed wearing an Indigo collection from FitFlop

Photo opportunity with a FitFlop model

So what’s so special about FitFlop? Well, they have a strong trademark where the footwear boasts MICROWOBBLEBOARD™ which is a triple density midsole. It’s just pure comfortable and I owned two now courtesy of FitFlop but sadly not many range for men since the brand suits more for the female gender. Now FitFlop has a great brand positioning which is “WEAR THE SHOES. RULE THE WORLD” and it’s no surprise that the brand has sold more than 20 million pairs.

The Spring/Summer 2015 collection (SS15) is all about looking good and feeling good. Among the 300 designs, this season includes the all-new SuperJelly™ sandals (slightly cheaper than the normal ones) which makes use of a trademark waterproof material made stylish in a variety of vibrant toe-thong designs, neutral slides or the multi-strap twist design. Ah, I’m typing this I know so much about FitFlop *lol* Yes, it’s always interesting to learn in-depth of a footwear that focuses more on my gender counterpart.

While staying at Amorita Resort, Bohol, the Philippines, the media was fortunate to see the four different types of collection being showcased. There are the Indigo, Lustre, Garigue and Tera Nova collection. I shall display more of the collections as well on my next post together with my exclusive interview with Jill Coglan.

For your info, FitFlop started in 2006 and founded by Marcia Kilgore. The brand has grown into new heights and its mission is simple – to create the most comfortable footwear in the world. Only in 2014, FitFlop has made its way to the Brunei market and selling quite well in Hua Ho Departmental store. I would like to thank FitFlop Philippines and Hua Ho Manggis for giving me this opportunity to cover the SS15 media launch in Bohol, the Philippines.

Nice beach called Alona at Amorita Resort, Bohol

Trying out my new FitFlop sandals

The showcase of the Lustre Collection from FitFlop

It was a white theme event

The models showcasing the Lustre collection of FitFlop

With the Indonesian media mostly from magazines

Azli Azney of The Brunei Times and Jas Gill, Director of Mcgill Marketing Pte Ltd (distributor of FitFlop to Brunei)

 

Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah the Royal Patron for International School Brunie’s Borneo Global Issues Conference with the deputy ministers from Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and Education, the management, the Executive Principal of ISB, the Secretaries-General for BGIC and representatives from the local participating schools of BGIC 2015

After two years of hiatus, the ISB’s Borneo Global Issues Conference is back but sadly there were no international school involved as compared to previous years. Nonetheless this will give more opportunities for the local students to be involved with the current issues facing around the world.

the 11th Borneo Global Issues Conference (BGIC) at the International Convenction Centre (ICC) was graced by Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah the Royal Patron for BGIC. The theme for this year is to “Combat World Diseases” and Her Royal Highness urged our Brunei youth to take a healthier lifestyle and hopefully it will reduce the demands on the healthcare system. Her Royal Highness also stated how information has become more accessible to the youth through internet for them to learn of diseases such as Avian Influenza, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and the newly known Ebola.

Her Royal Highness presented a mock cheque on behalf of ISB to the JUMP! Foundation, a non-profit youth empowerment organization and it was received by Tara Yip-Bannicq of UNICEF Haiti and the JUMP! Foundation.

The event ran for four days and today is the final day of BGIC. The only surprise was the non appearance from the Ministry of Health as this theme relates to health.

Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah in the group photo

Her Royal Highness handing out certificate of participation to a student representative

Her Royal Highness speaking to Beatrice, one of the Secretaries-General of BGIC

Her Royal Highness handing out certificate of participation to a student representative

Her Royal Highness attending the opening of BGIC

Her Royal Highness handing out a mock cheque to Tara Yip-Bannicq of UNICEF Haiti and the JUMP! Foundation

Tara’s presentation

The regular invited guests of BGIC

The welcoming party

It was a pleasure to have met Tara and apparently she was a classmate of my friend from Brunei. What a small world!

 

Happening later 9am, 9th March at Mabobai Shopping Complex

 

Reuben Chin to carry the torch for Brunei Area K6 in Labuan end of March. His journey begins here after winning both International Speech Contest and Table Topics Contest last night. He won’t be limiting his challenges and bro, you have control. Congratulations yesterday. More pictures to follow

 

Bollhasan Mahadi the grand winner who will fly to Dubai with Hitesh Ramesh Bhawnani, Director of YMRM Galleria and Narrender JB, Managing Director of YMRM Galleria

YMRM Galleria held the draw for their Shop and Win lucky draw recently at their flagship premises in Tungku Link. The Shop and Win promotion began on December 19 last year and concluded recently on February 20. The entries were drawn by customers of the outlet and members of the local media.

The grand prize winner for a Trip for Two to Dubai was Bollhasan Mahadi from Rimba, Gadong, who was represented by his children, as he received the call while he was away in Miri, Sarawak.

 Nur Dini Liyana Hj Jali, the second prize lucky winner, received an iPhone 6s. Meanwhile, third prize winner Dr Joel Moncherry received an iPhone 6 while Hjh Zatul Hijanah Hj Musa went home with Samsung Note 4 as the fourth prize lucky winner. There were 15 additional shopping vouchers as consolation prizes. Present to hand over the prizes were the Director of YMRM Galleria, Hitesh Ramesh Bhawnani, Managing Director of YMRM Galleria, Narrender JB and Director of Public Relations of YMRM Galleria, Abdul Hamid Abas.

The YMRM Shop and Win promotion was held for over two months and ended right after the end of Brunei Salebration.

During the draw last Sunday

During the draw last Sunday

Abdul Hamid Abas, Narrender JB and Hitesh Ramesh Bhawnani

Nur Dini Liyana Jali winning an iPhone 6s. Image courtesy of Raghadah Agus of The Brunei Times.

 

Can you take the heat?

It was close yet so far. Thanis Lim, our renown Brunei food blogger, was given the chance to be part of the MasterChef ASIA but he had to turn it down due to work commitments. However, the options are now open to you if you are interested to be part of MasterChef ASIA. The great thing is that you don’t have to be an expert in cooking and it’s only open to 18 years and above. Just make sure you don’t have a diploma or degree from a culinary school.

Do check out their website for details. Do you have what it takes to be the first ever MasterChef ASIA? It will be nice to see a Bruneian representative in this show.

Click image to find out more

Check out the requirements and looks like we Bruneians are eligible to join

 

Now you rent dresses instead of investing in them. Only at Divina.

Divina Brunei Sdn Bhd has provided a better solution where now you can easily rent the dresses (for a minimum of 4 days). This means you won’t have to fork out unnecessary for a dress that your children will hardly wear. The dresses are also suitable for special occasions such as weddings especially for the flower girls.
If parents want to have a special theme birthdays for their children, this is a great idea for others to rent to fit to the respective themes.

They also have dresses of Elsa and Anna from Frozen

They even have a baby version of Elsa

Divina Brunei Sdn Bhd also rents out accessories such as hair veil, tiara, hair accessories. For those who want packages, Divina has different packages. Refer below for details.

Premium Set 1 $48

1 Dress, 1 Hair Accessory, 1 Cardigan/Shawl, 1 Hair Veil, 1 Petticoat

Premium Set 2 $88

2 Dress, 2 Hair Accessories, 2 Cardigans/Shawls, 2 Hair Veils, 2 Petticoats

Premium Set 3 $168

4 Dress, 4 Hair Accessories, 4 Cardigans/Shawls, 4 Hair Veils, 4 Petticoats

Premium Set 4 $228

6 Dress, 6 Hair Accessories, 6 Cardigans/Shawls, 6 Hair Veils, 6 Petticoats

Divina Brunei Sdn Bhd closes every Monday. Otherwise the business is open daily from 10am to 6pm. It is located at Unit 4, 1st Floor, Bangunan Hj Hassan Abdullah, Spg 32 Kg Menglait, Jalan Gadong. You can check out their Facebook page or call 223 0759 or 872 2028.

Some of the dresses for rent

Some of the dresses for rent

Hair accessories also for rent

At Divina

Location of Divina

 

With my toastmasters buddies Supatra Lee and Jason Koo during the 31st National Day celebration at Taman SOAS

Generasi Berwawasan. That’s the theme this year’s National Day, the 31st for Brunei Darussalam. I attended the parade once again at the Taman SOAS. As usual, I woke up slightly late but still managed to catch the marching parade. I caught the boat from Batu Satu and had a drop off at Yayasan area. It seems I have finally found a solution to parking woes should there be a Royal event at Taman SOAS. Otherwise, I would have to find parking at a distance which requires a lot of walking to the event at Taman SOAS. So if you are planning to cut short your trip to town especially events like His Majesty’s birthday or National Day, use the boat. It will save you all the inconvenience.

Almost 30,000 people were involved in the National Day celebration and one great thing about our community is that we are united as a country. Brunei has grown from strength to strength and it boils down to the leadership of His Majesty the Sultan. This year, the National Day logo is a shape of a blossom-flower which represents the country’s vision as a Zikir nation and also supporting and upholding His Majesty’s titan towards achieving 2035 vision.

Generasi Berwasan which means “Generation With a Vision” represents greatness and patriotic values of our youths and they will help to achieve Brunei’s Vision 2035.

My thoughts of Brunei: Though many has showed their complains about restrictions such as entertainment in Brunei, I’m still proud of the country because of its peacefulness. The implementation of the Syariah Law last year may have installed fear and some opted to reside outside Brunei. It has been a year since the implementation but business (and life) goes on like normal. The only strange outcome from my findings is that small petty crimes seemed to be on the rise as I kept reading the local newspaper every now and then.

Oil prices have dropped significantly worldwide and it will definitely affect Brunei in a long run if oil prices keep dropping. With the current Vision 2035, it is still a long way to go and we shouldn’t simply rely on oil and gas for economy growth. Unemployment among the youth seems to be on a slight increase, reading from the papers a few weeks ago. With the upcoming LegCo happening today, we will see what issues are being addressed and how the Ministers of the respective Cabinets respond to the issues being raised.

Nonetheless there are so many great things to appreciate about Brunei. We have an awesome, popular iconic figure of Brunei – His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei. We don have to pay taxes especially income tax. Education and health is free. Traffic congestion is minimal. Cost of living is cheaper compared to regional countries. Petrol is still subsidized by the Brunei Government. Brunei is a very family oriented society and high tendency parents will pick their children from school during lunch hours.

We live in a laid back community and I have foreign clients who commented similar accounts as well. My foreigner friends are used to the fast paced environment and they said the slow pace in Brunei has its ups and downs. For the past two years, we have been experiencing new franchisees such as Starbucks and Burger King to name a few and more Bruneians are beginning to grasp the concept of franchises.

I could go on and on. Let’s just stop here for now. It is time for the youth to step up and contribute to our country in achieving His Majesty’s Vision of 2035.

 

Click image to find out more

If you happen to be in Malaysia this weekend, why not pop by “My Music Festival 2015” or MMF2015 which will take place at Sunway Surf Pool and apparently it’s the “largest Malaysian Live Band Music Festival” ever to be held in Malaysia. Ever heard of British Rock Legends Smokie? They will be the spotlight for MMF2015 as part of their 40th Anniversary World Tour.

MMF2015 is expected to gather Twenty (20) Top Malaysian Live Bands with different genres of music varying from indie, jazz, pop rock, fusion, funk, R&B, & reggae and this will be the first of its kind on such a large scale. Among the live bands and musicians featured, top Malaysian artist like Alleycats, Joe Flizzow, Kyoto Protocol, Heavy Machine, the Blues Gang and many more popular names.

My Music Festival 2015 is supported by Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia. In conjunction with the Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015 or MyFEST 2015 celebrations, MMF2015 is pleased to showcase the best in Malaysian Live Band entertainment in one venue.

Another great thing about this event is that it is FREEEEEEE… and open to public. International tourists are required to register though and there will be a limitation of 15,000 visitors. This is ideal for Bruneians who happened to be studying in Malaysia or in some cases, shopping and holidaying.

My Music Festival 2015 Information

• Date: 8 March 2015

• Day: Sunday

• Venue: Surf Beach at Sunway Lagoon

• Time 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm

• Organiser: OX Entertainment, a division of Memories

Let the fun begin this Sunday and for music lovers, you won’t regret this epic event. You can click here for more stories of the event.

Joe Flizzow will be performing

 

The LegCo is coming. Mobile wars are heating up while AITI makes sure it’s a win-win situation for consumers! New rates of TelBru’s broadband testing the new waters. Another run (Tongkat Puith) happening this weekend. DPMM FC and also Brunei National Team will take sports headlines for the S•League and Brunei’s qualifying match against Taiwan. The Area K6 Contest to select the best toastmasters speaker from Brunei this Sunday. Poppins the Musical by Relentless Entertainment end of March. The upcoming International School Brunei (ISB) Borneo Global Issues Conference (BGIC) And of course, my pending stories to be posted on my blog. March, indeed, has become a busier month than I anticipated.

I’m still not sure if I will be flying to Singapore this month. But I definitely have two places to visit – Kuching and Labuan. Singapore will be in my pending list of destination for March. Then again, I will be heading to Lion City in April for Russell Peters’ gig. Will he impressed like before? My previous take of him in Notorious gig in Singapore was just okay. It’s never easy to be funny because it needs a lot of spontaneous creativity. I also have been attending Zainal Bostaman’s Bruhaha workshop, a local comedy workshop, that hopes to aspire that comedy is a social art and it can be learnt and practice. The workshops have been fruitful and last Sunday we saw a new batch of attendees and this shows that there are people out there who want to learn to be a “comic”. Good job, Zainal, and you have my support!

Zainal Bostaman, founder of Bruhaha Comedy, having his 2nd Bruhaha Comedy Workshop last Sunday

After missing out last year, ISB is back with their BGIC this weekend. I have always love how they run their show every year. This year there will 23 local schools participating and ISB had conducted two days of training by having simulation for the local students to be familiar with the conference. This concept is similar like the United Nations conference where representatives from each country will raise points, concerning issues faced by different countries and how they will come into a consensual solutions and agreements. This is a great platform for students to show their leadership skills. This year, the conference will be run by five experienced students, serving as the Secretaries-General; namely Dean Benavidez, Ha Kyeong Kim, Adam Busko, Marianne Laming, and Beatrice Horas. The main speakers for BGIC are Professor Dr. David Koh, Chair of Occupational Health and Medicine, PAP Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah, Institute of Health Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Ms. Tara Yip-Bannicq, Programme Officer (Social Protection)/Resilience Focal Point, UNICEF Haiti.

The recent training session held at ISB

I shall be busy this week as I will be fine tuning, my script for my speech for the upcoming Area K6 Contest which will take place this Sunday. Basically this is a toastmasters competition among Brunei local clubs – four of them (OTTERS, Brunei Speakers’ Club, Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club and UBD Toastmasters Club). I did an OK job during the International Speech category but flunk in Table Topics as I went off topic talking about relationships and ports *lol* I have definitely improved as a speaker when I looked back at my Humuorous Speech Contest last year. Now I have been given a luck of entering Area level despite finishing 3rd.

Competition will be tougher this time with the likes of Melati Yusof, Reuben Chin and Pranika Lama. They are just hot favourites for me after listening to their speeches last week though I missed Mel’s and I was already impressed with her CC speeches during OTTERS meeting. Seasoned speakers including the likes of Chris Woo, Stuart Lee and Allen Ang have been playing the mentor roles in helping the contestants to reach their goals. So peeps, the time is real soon and it’s happening this Sunday at Multipurpose Hall, UBD at 1:30pm. Entry fee will be at $5 and you will witness all the awesome speakers from the local toastmasters club. The winner of each category – International Speech and Table Topics will represent in Division K Level in Labuan by end of March.

I finished 3rd in Brunei Speakers’ Club International Speech Contest. I am given another opportunity to represent Area Level to compete against the other winners in other clubs.

Relief to all the contestants after delivering their speeches

The heat is on!! Good luck to all contestants

SMARTER Brunei has located a new centre. Yes, it will be one time huge investment of BND 150,000 but it will be more cost effective in a long run. It was nice to see corporate companies and government bodies helping SMARTER for a good cause in helping building new classrooms for autistic students in Brunei. The President of SMARTER Brunei Malai Hj Abdullah shared that the SMARTER branch in Sengkurong will be relocated to Kg Mata-Mata once the renovation is completed (hopefully by May). With the new look and feel, SMARTER Brunei will be able to accommodate more students than before and reach the capacity of 140 students (morning and afternoon session). The private NGO has been struggling financially to cope with paying the teachers but Malai is always grateful that the teachers are tolerable and understanding of the current situation.

So far the classrooms have been sponsored by Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (five classrooms), D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd, Kingston Creamery and Beverage together with the LKY Charity for Autism, DST Communications Sdn Bhd and an anonymous donour. LSL Metal Sdn Bhd will be constructing work on the said centre. Malai Hj Abdullah said he is still open for donors for new establishment and it will also help to pay for the operating costs of running SMARTER Brunei. It’s never easy to run an NGO and this story of financial troubles has become a common issue in the media. I salute to Malai for his perseverance and dedication to make SMARTER Brunei a sustainable institution for the benefit of students.

Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Creamery and Beverage, Malai Hj Abdullah, President of SMARTER Brunei, Low Ser Yew, Managing Director of LSL Metal Sdn Bhd and H Mohd Noor Hj Salleh, D’Sunlit’s Public Relation Officer during the signing ceremony of sponsorship for the new centre. Awesome!!

Did you know that SMARTER has a small bakery? They have been doing some business for quite some time and in this picture, Malai’s son was helping out with making chocolate cookies

Just like my IOS, it needs to be updated to keep up with technology. Same goes for anti-viruses for computers. Today Concepts Computer unveiled PANDA Anti-Virus Pro 2015, PANDA Security 2015 and PANDA Global Protection 2015. Each has its specific functions. PANDA Anti-Virus Pro 2015 will give you a peace of mind from viruses, spy wares and online fraud, for instance. It will be available for $18 a year for 1 PC license. For the PANDA Security 2015, this is ideal if you are regular usage of the internet especially buying things online. This is available for $28 a year per 1 PC license. If go for the PANDA Global Protection 2015, it covers all the aspect given plus the option of improved Parental Control and also encrypt private folders. It’s available for $38 a year per 1 PC license. Also Concepts Computer will be participating in the Book Fair 2015 at the Indoor Stadium, please visit our booths for other great promotions. And for more information please call 2233551, 2233552 or 2233553 or visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom.

Recently also Concepts Computer celebrated the Year of the Goat with an open house for members of the media and invited guests. Present were Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer and Alice Chan who greeted the invited guests. The event started with the traditional Chinese Yee Sang for a prosperous new year. Thank you once again to Vincent and Concepts Computer for continuously giving the best product and services to the consumer.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Alice Chan and members of the media at Concepts Computer Chinese New Year Open House

Unveiling the new PANDA softwares at Concepts Computer

Ever heard of the Shell Eco-Marathon? This is an annual event where Brunei Darussalam has been participating in the Shell Eco-Marathon Asia. This year four teams participated represented by 20 young students recently in Luneta Park, Manila, the Philippines. How did Brunei go? The hurdle most participants always face is to make the cut for the final race. GenNext Pejuang from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) had two successful official runs by the weekend. GenNext Pejuang’s female driver, Dide Nurulaswani binti Haji Mohd Saidi, a 21 year old Bachelor of Science student majoring in Biology at UBD，described today’s achievement for the Brunei contingent, “Today, we had our third race attempt in the morning and successfully completed the full 10 laps in 27 mins. We then completed the fourth attempt, at 28 mins with more efficiency. So, we are very happy and relieved!”

Didie added that it has been a tough journey for everyone, “The most challenging moment for me was during practice runs. It’s been a while since I’ve driven Nakhoda, and it has been shipped (around) over the last couple of months. So, there was a lot of pressure on me. Thanks to my team, friends, supporting staff and volunteers as well as our Team Ambassador, who supported and motivated me, I got over it and here we are. After SEMA, I feel that I’ve grown to become a more responsible person, more dependable, and as someone people can trust.”

Well done to team Brunei for the efforts in the Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) Asia competition. The most important part is the experience factor and being in a team and I believe all of them had a blast in Manila. The head of Delegation was Pg Hj Sofhrin Pg Hj Ibrahim from Pusat Latihan Mekanik (PLM), who was also a supervisor for one of the teams. Funny thing was I was also in the Philippines during that time but for a FitFlop invitational event.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abdul Aziz presented the Brunei Flag to Head of Delegation Pg Hj Sofhrin Pg Hj Ibrahim from Pusat Latihan Mekanik (PLM), who is also a supervisor for one of the teams

Group photo before departure

GenNext Pejuang from UBD

 

I didn’t expect the long break from blogging but I’m back again. You can still stalk me on @ranoadidas instagram for updates though. I have been away and was in the Philippines for the weekend for a FitFlop event. Yes, you heard me right, a FitFlop occasion. I’m actually quite honoured to be part of the media list for FitFlop and it’s slowly to show its promise in Brunei Darussalam, after Hua Ho managed to bring in the brand to the Sultanate last year.

My mom is such a huge fan of FitFlop too especially when she shops at Metro in Paragon, Singapore. The only problem is that Fitflops are catered to females. Literally 98% of their collections are for the ladies. I was giving a few pairs courtesy of FitFlop Philippines during their recent SS15 media launch and I have to admit FitFlop are pretty comfortable sandals. For those who know me, I hardly were sandals for a “reason”. I shall be posting more stories on FitFlop SS15 latest collection in my future post.

I was in Bohol, the Philippines for the launch of the FitFlop SS15 Spring collection. More updates soon.

I missed two big events, well, one was bigger than the other which was the Regata Brunei Darussalam which took place yesterday at the Royal Wharf. It is a yearly event and I covered it for the past three years. It is always great to know His Majesty the Sultan is a regular participant of the Regata Brunei Darussalam. His Majesty was in the boat Rajawali which won the 500m special race, compromising of the Regata Brunei Darussalam Committee Team A.

Another event was DPMM FC’s opening seasoner game against Harimau Muda B where new import Rafael Ramazotti bagged a hat-trick with a 3-1 victory at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium. The new looked DPMM FC retained the services of foreign imports Joe Gamble and Boris Raspudic but it was Rafael (Rafa) that stole the limelight. It could have been a clean sheet for DPMM FC but there were unlucky with the deflection late in the game. Nonetheless a deserving victory for DPMM FC but it is still early days.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam (3rd L), followed by HRH Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel (2nd L) and HRH Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah (2nd R), walking with Sarawak’s Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (L) to the jetty during the Brunei Regatta yesterday. Image taken by Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

Rafael “Rafa” Ramazotti points to the sky after scoring for DPMM FC. Image by PG Khairil Sapyri of S•League Facebook Page

This morning, I attended a press conference held by AITI and it was regards to the official announcement of the FREE incoming calls for both mobile operators – DST and Progresif Cellular. Before the announcement came, both the local mobile operators have taken quick steps to implement the new move of removing the charges for incoming calls. Awesome!! I shall go more into details in my next post. Finally after 20 years, DST has officially removed charges for incoming call and Progesif Cellular have also made it a win-win situation for their customers. This initiative was from AITI for your information to benefit the end users of mobile users in Brunei Darussalam.

My Chinese year celebration has been slightly muted and that’s how I wanted it to be anyway. I’ve been feeling the pinch in terms of my sleeping patterns but it should re-adjust to its usual timing …. in a few weeks’ time 😀 My apologies for those invitations that I wasn’t able to make it. There were simply too many invitations to entertain. I have a few more before the end of CNY which falls this Thursday. This year, I only managed to catch two lion dance performance. It must have been tough for the other associations with the newer laws on lion dance in Brunei.

At Chin Wei’s open house last night

A quick catch up with Lily Chiam over her small CNY lunch invitation

Ok, about time for me to sign off first and blend into my social world of visiting friends (open house). I’m craving for maggi curry but I don’t want to burden our home chef 😀 I’ll just wait an extra hour before I eat at my friend’s open house tonight. Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. You can always stalk my IG aka instagram for updates 😀 and Happy Birthday to my sister, Muji, and love you loads 😀

 

HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (Front Row C), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, in a group photo with the DPMM FC staff and players during the photoshoot session held at Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday. Image courtesy of Sanusi Hussin of The Brunei Times.

 

The Manager of Hua Ho Manggis, Lau (L) and Advertorial Writer from The Brunei Times Md Azli Azney at the airport yesterday. Image courtesy of Obelina Wang of The Brunei Times

Woohoo, it’ s my first trip to the Philippines *sakai mode on* and thank you to FitFlop Southeast Asia for inviting myself to the Philippines for the FitFlop conference event at Bohol, the Philippines.

I am traveling with Azli Azney, reporter from The Brunei Times for the coverage and we will be joined with the media and magazine representatives from Indonesia and the Philippines.

We will be witnessing FitFlop’s SS15 Regional Launch and it’s very likely that the new line will be available in Brunei in the near future.

The new collections for FitFlop – Indigo, Lustre, Tera Nova and Garigue – will be the main features of the launch. I’m pretty sure my mom will be excited since she’s a huge collector of FitFlop footwear as she shops the collections in Singapore.

I shall be posting more pictures on my social media instagram at @ranoadidas so do follow me there for updates. Thank you Soon Tiong for this opportunity.

 

Click banner to find out more

This is a great initiative by the Jerudong International School (JIS Design & Technology Faculty) where they have collaborated with ICON DESIGN Store and BHC Magazine to create a competition based to inspire their creativity at a very young age. We should have more of this opportunities for that particular age group because kids’ mind are so raw and unfiltered that they tend to be more creative than the adults in some aspects. They probably can visualize what we failed to capture.

Now there are two categories that you can enter and this is open to students studying in Brunei from ages 5 to 18 years old and you can fill in the form here. The submission of the design briefs will be on the 8th March 2015.

Do check below for the two categories that for the competition. The first category is simple – to create a public seating space (indoor/outdoor) and the second category is more of a product to compliment the range of designer pieces available at ICON DESIGN store.

For the first entry/category. students must use A3 paper where all the ideas and modeling of concept will be shown on the paper. This is include your sketching of ideas from the start which is more like a brainstorming session. Then chose an idea that you feel hits the mark for you and create a mock up design of the idea. Don’t forget to include a rough dimensions too.

This competition will definitely spur more creativity from the students and I’m looking forward for their ideas and concepts. The deadline once again is on Friday 6th March for the first phase.

Click image to find out more