Click image to enter website

 

 

If you haven’t read the updates on Air Ionizer, then you can click here for the write up. I didn’t know my friend Aaron was there exhibiting his product at TechXpo 2012 at the ICC. His booth will be there until tomorrow (Tuesday) and you can drop by to check out the wonders the Air Vita can do even for a smoky room. I already have one in my room and one in my car.

There are some models brought it by Gadget Plus such as Air Vita Neo, S-Air Vita and Carvita and you check them out at Gadget Plus booth at TechXpo 2012.

Gadget Plus is also selling their Smart Pass, a keyless way to open your car door, which is very convenient for those who does a lot of “stop and go” moments while on the road. Best part is your engine can still be running while your car is being locked. So this is ideal when you go kedai runcit for a one minute pitstop.

HRH Princess Masna being briefed by Aaron on his other product – Smart PAss

With the Smart Key, you can unlock your car without the use of your key and activated through a sensor

Aaron introducing the Air Vita products

The results can be seen using this experiment on smoky environment. Thumbs up for Air Vita, a Korean award winning product.

The Air Vita Neo

S-Air Vita

 

TechXpo 2012 at ICC

HRH Princess Masna at the E-GNC Pavilion

HRH Princess Masna at the E-GNC Pavilion

Her Royal Highness being briefed on BAG Network’s latest Jawi app

Her Royal Highness group photo with BAG Network associates

SOS Brunei app is useful and it’s a joint venture between Alif Technology and 247 Roadside Assist

Her Royal Highness at The Brunei Times booth

Her Royal Highness at Business Oxford Group

Her Royal Highness being briefed by Zul Rahman of Concepts Computer

Her Royal Highness at the brightest booth of them all, Huawei

Huawei is also selling their dongles

Her Royal Highness at ITS booth

Her Royal Highness being briefed by Azizah Ali on Microsoft’s Windows 8

Her Royal Highness checking out the 3D TV from Sony

Her Royal Highness at Interhouse Company booth

OneTech Global training at TechXpo 2012

Her Royal Highness at NBT booth

Her Royal Highness at Netcom Computer House booth

Starra Company at TechXpo 2012

 

HRH Princess Masna in a group photo at BIBD pavilion

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) previewed its upcoming electronic mobile payment service at the TechXpo 2012 yesterday, at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.

A press release issued by BIBD stated that the electronic mobile payment service will soon be offered to BIBD customers. It will be the first cashless mobile payment solution and is one of the added services of the newly launched BIBD mobile application.

QR (Quirk Response code) will be available for visitors of the BIBD booth at the TechXpo to scan, so they can directly download the BIBD Mobile application to their smart phones.

The BIBD Mobile banking platform complements BIBD Online and provides customers with an easier way of accessing their accounts securely through their mobile devices.

Prominent features of BIBD Mobile include enquiry on all types of account balances, viewing account and credit card transaction history, simplifying bill payments to all major billers in Brunei, and ease of paying credit card bills and transferring money to any bank in Brunei or abroad with just a few taps.

Throughout the TechXpo 2012, BIBD will also be offering the public an array of products and services, such as the registration of BIBD Online with instant activation, along with the token. Visitors can also register for BIBD Debit Cards and apply for their BIBD Biometric ATM registration. Text by Nurhamiza Hj Roslan of The Brunei Times.

Hjh Nurul of BIBD explaining the new services offered by BIBD

There’s a phyiscal ATM where you can do your cash transaction at TechXpo 2012

Introducing the new system where you can pay on the spot through your mobile using QR

This is how it will look like

You will get this message once it’s successful

Details will be given as well on your purchase

 

In what will be a milestone towards developing solutions catered towards both domestic and global markets of the IT industry Brunei Darussalam looks set to introduce a new and enhanced locally-designed and developed scoring system to be standardised by judges in the assessment of participants’ presentations in the Asia-Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) 2012, which is being hosted by the country and begins today at The Empire Hotel & Country Club.

“This year we have decided to start from scratch to develop a scoring system based on the work flow of APICTA using all these letters, tools and features within the scoring system,” said Dr Yong Chee Tuan, Chief Judge of APICTA 2012, in an interview with the Borneo Bulletin.

The enhancement to the scoring system is driven by a process of work flow, which relates to the affordability of individual judges to make due adjustments in resolutions and feedbacks on the presentation of participants.

“One of the features that you can’t find in previous scoring systems is the function ‘Suspend’, which means if you score halfway or you want to have a break, you (the judges) can press the button so that the other judges would not be able to do anything. The judge can submit a point and at the same time, if they find out they have pressed wrongly, the head judge can overturn that. We have developed the user requirements,” he said.

The additional features of the scoring system also include allowing judges to provide feedbacks directly to the participants without compromising the change of scores from their colleagues. “Some judges may want to provide feedback to participants such as commenting on how nice if they can make the graphics larger in size, make their voice louder or to present clearer. These are things that you don’t want to say in front of the other judges because you may influence people scoring by directly saying it to the participants,” Dr Yong said.

“What we have also introduced is that the head judge can see the bias, can see the fluctuations because in judging, situations in certain spikes of scoring may exist. This information is made transparent to the chief judge and this year we allow the chief judge to have an overview of everything that is happening and provide some interventions. If we see some scores are not moving or not entering, we suspect something is happening,” he added.

Dr Yong Chee Tuan, Chief Judge of APICTA 2012, delivering his speech

Dr Yong Chee Tuan and Hj Abdul Rahim being interviewed by Fadil from Borneo Bulletin

“We had a trial period and we let the international judges try it out. We received comments for improvements and Alhamdulillah we have the final solution,” said Haji Abdul Rahim bin Derus, Director of ICT at the Ministry of Education, also a key figure of the initiative.

Haji Abdul Rahim also said that such an approach will significantly raise the standards in terms of software development, using our own system that will give Brunei an edge as a country to come up with solutions critical for the industry.

Dr Yong believed that Brunei’s advancement in recent years means that they could also be considered on par with other countries that could be considered as the early adopters, despite at one stage, being viewed, in previous models, as a “laggard” in the industry.

“We have a complete real-time judging system when the scoring and entering takes place. We’re making use of the latest technology in Cloud computing and real-time scoring system. From the many perspectives, it is the projection for Brunei to showcase we are among the players and we are in competition and although it is a small market, it is awry young country for IT technology. Advances such as these help garner the confidence of IT players and industry as they will feel that there is recognition, there is an avenue and there is a direction,” added Dr Yong.

It is a very fluctuating and new industry, he said, and with support from the government, it sets forth the direction for the IT players in the country

The 17 categories for the competition comprise e-Government, e-Learning, Secondary Student Project, Tertiary Student Project, Tourism and Hospitality, Media and Entertainment, Communication, Financial Services, Industry Application, Industrial Application, e-Logistic and Supply Chain Management, Security, Tools and Infrastructure Application, Research and Development, e- Health, Start Up Company, e-Inclusion, e-Community and Sustainability and Green IT. Text by Fadil Yunus of Borneo Bulletin.

 

 

Titan the Robot will be having a few more shows today and tomorrow and you can catch Titan walking, singing, poking fun delighting the crowd. The Titan was brought all the way from the UK.

The following show is Monday 3pm, 5:30pm and 8pm and Tuesday 3pm, 5:30pm and 8pm.. There’s also a photo session on Monday and Tuesday 1pm to 1:30pm and 4:20 to 4:35pm.

 

HRH Princess Masna visited AITI Pavilion yesterday at TechXpo 2012

Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) has a pavilion at the TechXpo 2012 which is launched today. As Brunei’s leading telecommunication regulator and ICT industry promoter, the AITI pavilion aims to promote public awareness regarding its roles, programmes and initiatives.

Public will be able to learn about AITI’s telecommunications regulatory role through its licensing, radio frequency planning and management and type approved exhibits. The regulatory function of AITI has helped to ensure that all telecommunication service providers operate within the assigned frequency to minimise interference. Meanwhile, licenced dealers and type approved equipments such as mobile phones are regulated by AITI to ensure consumers’ interest and safety are taken care of.

Companies and businesses can find out more about AITI Grant scheme, ICT Accredited Business (ICTAB) and ICT Competency Program at the AITI Pavilion.

On the international front, AITI will display information regarding Brunei ICT Award (BICTA), Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award, ASEAN ICT Award and ASEAN CIO Forum, where AITI played a part in organising these prestigious events.

One key exhibit which will be showcase at the AITI Pavilion is the vast potential of the Fibre to the Home (FTTH) project. FTTH offers the high speed and large bandwidth which can cater to the media rich applications such as High Definition Interactive TV, Video-conferencing etc..

At the pavilion, public will be able to witness the high definition content on the Smart TV connected to the FTTH network.

As a forward looking organisation, AITI knows that its most valuable asset is the AITI staff. Testimonies from AITI staff will also be displayed where the public can learn more about the people and culture of AITI. AITI will also be listing job opportunities as it sets to expand next year.

Members of the public can look forward to a quiz cum lucky draw “AITI GUESS” and stand to win attractive prizes. The first prize will be iPad Mini, the second prize is a PS3 Slim 250GB and the third prize is a Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos.

HRH Princess Masna visited AITI Pavilion yesterday at TechXpo 2012

Group photo of HRH Princess Masna with AITI associates

AITI quiz competition with awesome prizes. Only at TechXpo 2012

Once you finished answering the questions, insert your paper in the box

 

A first look on the new Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 Shooting Brake may create a puzzled thought amongst Mercedes aficionados and enthusiasts: is it a four-door coupe or an estate?

Unveiled ‘to the general public at the Jati Transport Gadong Showroom on Saturday, the glistening CLS 350 can be categorised as a defining and eclectic synthesis that blends the pragmatic comfort with a high performance of both motoring genres.

Roomy for five normal-sized adults, the CLS Shooting Brake has an imposing stance of a large sports car, with its long bonnet and roof sloping towards the rear end of the vehicle, this is one high-end car you would love parked in your garage.

One must remember that this is a Mercedes, and the brand is synonymous with luxury and fine performance-the CLS Shooting Brake is no exception.

The entry-level is the CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY that generates 306hp from its V6 3.5 litre engine, whilst its more powerful sibling engine the CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY produces a 408hp courtesy of its V8 biturbo 4.7 litre engine.

Or you can opt for the chest-pumping CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake that produces 525hp, with an equally powerful torque of 700Nm that is significant in fast overtaking with its tremendous accelerative thrusting power.

But why the name Shooting Brake? Daniel Loo, Marketing Executive of Jati Transport says the term comes from in the days of horse-driven carriages of the wealthy where the animal was strapped to keep it under control, hence the name Shooting Brake.

For more details on the CLS, make a visit to the Gadong Showroom today. This model is expected to be launched early next year.

 

Over 100 people attended the Movember Tweet Up at KFC Gadong Central on Wednesday, an event co-organised by Movember BN, BruneiTweet and KFC Brunei.

The symbol for “Movember” is the moustache, but the campaign goes much deeper than the presence of facial hair. It was meant to raise awareness about men’s health issues such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, depression and so on affecting millions of men across the globe.

The gathering was supported by B:Read, Muzikaliti, BT Youth Speak, SCOT Brunei, UBDFM, Instagram B.I.G Series, Counter Attack, Brunei Cosplayers and Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council among others.

Open to the public, those who attended received a free Krusher drink, sponsored by KFC Brunei.

“Movember”, derived from the combination of the words ‘Moustache’ and ‘November’, is a growing worldwide campaign involving the growing of moustaches throughout the month of November.

Delwin Keasberry as known as “BruneiTweet” on Twitter said, “In February 2012, I was involved in organising the first official tweet-up at the Airport Mall which saw over a hundred people from the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram online communities in Brunei gathered for a casual catch up.”

“The general feedback received was that it was great meeting people who we connect with online for the first time in person. Similarly, the idea behind the Movember Tweet Up was to engage the local community in a fun and social way to raise awareness about men’s health.”

Participants who attended the Movember Tweet Up were given a moustache-on-a-stick with “Man Up. Get Checked.” written on as a reminder to take matters of health seriously.

“Publicity for the event was broadcasted primarily via social media. It was heartening to see this exercise create discussions about men’s health online in the lead up to Movember Tweet Up,” Delwin added.

Zul-Fadly Osman, Founder, Movember BN shared that “Movember BN was founded last year with the hope of promoting men’s issues in general and it created quite a hype with the help of social media”.

“The idea of Movember is using the moustache for men, like for example the pink ribbon for breast cancer, which originated from Adelaide and is now an international worldwide movement.”

“More often than not, men are not known for sharing about their health issues. We cannot change that mind-set overnight but it is events like this that will slowly get our men in Brunei to be more open about their health,” Zul-Fadly shared.

Del Goh, General Manager, KFC Brunei highlighted that “KFC supports this campaign because of the awareness it brings”.

“I strongly believe in a balanced lifestyle one that enables us to indulge in the things that we love but also to be aware of the importance of healthy living,” he added.

“It’s the same reason why we keep running our 3-on-3 Street Basketball competition. The last one for this year is already underway, with the finals happening this weekend at Airport Mall once again.” Mei Fung Lee of The Brunei Times.

 

The Smart Pass do come in handy

I was introduced to this unique gadget by Aaron Sitai, the owner of GadgetPlus Store (GPS) and he showed me a quick demo on how convenient a Smart Pass can do for car owners.

Let’s give this scenario. I drive down to “kedai runcit” and I normally buy my goodies or newspaper and it’s just a 30 second pitstop. We have the tendency not to turn off the engine and just leave it on and take for granted that Brunei is a safe place. Well, you will be surprised. It happened to my friend and in a matter of seconds, he lost his valuables in the passenger seat.

So now, with Smart Pass, you can safely lock your car with your engine still running by tapping the Smart Pass on the censor of the device (Smart Pass RF Reader). Now these are pretty ideal especially those who fall in this category and also companies that does a lot of delivery services to their clients. Of course, it’s still convenient for the usual drivers like us too.

Not to worry, peeps, as it won’t harm your ECU as the fitting won’t tamper with it. The best part is that if you have your existing central locking system, it is still compatible with Smart Pass.

The Smart Pass locks the car by just tapping it on the Smart Pass RF reader

You can even put the Smart Tag in your smart phone for convenience

If you buy one, it comes with a Smart Pass RF Reader and two tags (a card and one for smartphone)

Each box set comes with the Smart Pass device and two tags – one for your smartphones and the other a credit card sized tag. For your info, each Smart Pass RF Reader unit can allow up to 7 authorized smart tags to be registered onto its system allowing multiple users with an authorized tag to access the same vehicle. Additional tags can be purchased separately.

So far that this awesome gadget works with Korean and Japanese cars. Of course, other continental cars do still work but it might need more work depending on the complexity. So far the cars that have been tested are Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and KIA to name a few. It has also been fitted to Audi, BMW and Chevrolet too.

So what’s the pricing for the Smart Pass?

Smart Pass – $399 excluding fitting fee
Additional Cell Phone Tag $28
Additional Card Tag $28
Waterproof Sports wristband $48

So far the authorized fitters are Autopro Typre (behind The Arch call: 242 7242) and Fong Seng & Co (Goodwood Building, Menglait call 245 0780)

You can contact Aaron directly if you want to know more info about the Smart Pass at 710 9929 or add him on Facebook: Hibernator Awake. You can also view some videos for demo here here and here

I’m pretty sure you have some sort of air purifiers in your llving room or your bedroom or somewhere plugged in your house. I never had one but I tend to come across whenever I visit my friends’ place. Recently I was introduced to Air Vita brand which is pretty cool stuff. It does more than just an air purifier. These three air ionizer that I’m gonna post comes all the way from Korea and the devices have won many awards.. So don’t be fooled by its small size and yes, I’m using both of the products – one for my room, one for my car.

Let me introduce to you first Air Vita Neo (see images below). I have yet to try this product since I’m still using the other (S-AirVita) but this is still a great product judging from its functions. Well, both Air Vita Neo and S-Air Vita have similar functions. Perhaps the most important function is the health improvement factor by enhancing body activation.

I won’t go to technical with its function but basically it will find a way to generate the safest sterlization ion (+-) to the human body through finding the optimal combination of air and maintaining the ion balance. It also an electric dust collector and it purifies the air with absorption into the dust collecting panel maintaining powerful dust collection before ionizing the contaminant in the air.

I will explain one of its awesome advantages of having this product later on.. but first some images of the Air Vita Neo Gold below which is one compact air cleaner and yes, it can be washed too. And you also don’t have to spend on filter because it’s washable. Hence, you save some money on that. You can plug this device all day long and it won’t overheat. Awesome stuff!! If you want to know get hold of the product or want more info, you can contact Aaron directly at 710 9929.

An award winning product from Korea

Air Vita Neo can be plugged and you don’t need to change the filter and it’s washable

You can detach the component and insert a bulb here.. Interesting

Ok, this is the product I’ve been using in my room and I could sense a different smell in my room which is quite refreshing after 2 to 3 days. It won’t happen overnight but you will be able to feel the difference and I was impressed by S-Air Vita.

Here’s an interesting thing.. I know I have yet to experience this but my friend who uses this find this very useful. He’s a heavy smoker and he tends to smoke in his room and his maid kept complaining that his room just stank of smoke. Then he used this product in his room and guess what? the maid stopped complaining though my friend still continue his habit. Some how, this device managed to sterlize the scent of smoke and purify the air environment in the smoky room. Now that is impressive for what a small gadget can do to a room.

I highly recommend the S-Air Vita and at the same time, it promotes good health, clean air and it’s anti-odour. This is also good for those who have sinus as well. You won’t be sniffing as much because of the clean air around. This product is RA certified *lol*

Awesome gadget this.. I’ve been using this in my room

It’s pretty compact and it does wonder for such a small air ionizer

Rinse these every week and you don’t need to buy a filter

I also have this product – Carvita – in my car. This is a version for the car and it’s pretty compact and smaller of course compared to the other two. I’ve been using this for two weeks and it does a great job too. I know I stil have to fix my aircon filter which kinda affects the air flow in my car.

This is the cheapest model of the range and this also doesn’t require filter. The functions are the same as the other products. Another recommended product especially when you are on the road most of the time.

If you want to know get hold of the product or want more info, you can contact Aaron directly at 710 9929.

I have this for my car

You can use cotton bud to clean and yes, no need to replace filter

Idris T Vasi, DST’s CEO announced the trial period for 4G broadband called MiFi (mobile WiFi) during DST Carnival 2012 launch last evening

I believe neighbouring countries are already introducing it and finally the public will get first hand experience of 4G. Though this is only test pad where the public is more than welcome to try out the 4G experience at DST Future booth.

As part of the “DST 4G Broadband Experience Programme”, DST has invited a number of its selected subscribers to experience Internet speeds of 100Mbitls downlink and 50Mbit/s uplink peak rates. However, speed may vary depending on among other things, location and number of users currently using the network. Participants can enjoy the 4G service at several strategic locations including parts of Gadong, Kiulap, Beribi and Seria.

At the carnival, laptops and gaming consoles (such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox) have been set up for members of the public to experience the rapid speeds of the 4G network.

Under the “DST 4G Broadband Experience Programme”, selected subscribers will be asked to share their feedback on the network capabilities. This is to help DST continue to innovate in delivering optimum capacity and performance so as to address the growing demand for mobile bandwidth.

Idris Vasi CEO of DST, Lai Pei-Si, CEO of SCB and Abdul Latiff, a member of DST Board of Directors officiated the launch of D*Card, DST new loyalty card

During the DST Carnival, the first 1,000 D*Card subscribers will enjoy a waiver of the normal registration fee of $25, said DST last night on the sidelines of yesterday’s official launch of the new loyalty card at the Jerudong Park Amphitheatre.

The D*Card is a co-brand card in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank. It is part of the DST Loyalty Programme and also Electronic Cash Card which provides customers with access to privileges through participating merchants in the form of attractive discounts a loyalty points. Customer can opt for the D*Card at their own choice and preference.

According to Suzana Ahamad, the Senior Manager of Group Product, DST, she said, ‘This is another milestone for DST in enhancing its customers’ loyalty programme. We are parting away from the norm of flash card concept for a loyalty programme that is also cashcard enabled. We are all very excited with our launch of the D*Card acts as a cashcard that also offers lots of attractive discounts at various places. both locally and globally.”

Suzana added, “The benefit of having a D*Card is not only having easy access to cash at over one million MasterCard or Cirrus ATMs worldwide, it is safe with its cashless transactions online or at over 30 million merchants worldwide. It also earns rewards points towards gift and cash redemption from your expenses at DST.

“Our D*Card customers can also enjoy the convenience of paying utility bills or purchasing prepaid electricity and mobile top-ups through Standard Chartered Bank’s bill payment website. In the future, we are hoping that D*Card will accelerate or boost for mobile payment or commerce transactions in Brunei through mobile Apps.”

Check out the D*Card booth at DST Carnival 2012

A great response to the D*Card

Meanwhile, Lai Pei-Si, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, said, “We are grateful to DST for their support and we value this partnership with them. Our Standard Chartered eCash card is a great product that offers our customers great convenience and benefits. We are delighted that this will now extend, to DST customers to enjoy and will add to the fantastic customers loyalty programme that DST has in place.”

To emphasise further, DST redemption points obtained through the DST loyalty programme can be used to make Prima bill transactions, purchasing of Easi Starter pack or recharge card, or convert the points to redeem for cash back. With D*Card, DST makes it more convenient for their customers, they can choose to swipe or flash the card at merchants.

During the DST Carnival, the first 1,000 D*Card subscribers will enjoy a waiver of the normal registration fee of $25. Subsequently, the subscribers will be charged a promotional registration rate of $420 for the whole three years of the card validity. In addition to the sign up promotion, D*Card users will stand a chance to win lucky prizes for everyone and $20 loaded to D*Card from now to February 28, 2013. The prizes include three Mini iPads and cash rewards.

DST loyalty programme was launched in April 2003 with free registrations for all DST PRIMA customers and there are more than 80 per cent of DST Prima customers participating in the loyalty programme to date. As for existing DST Card holders, this will continue to remain as a flash card for those who wish to retain until further notifications from DST Loyalty Unit.

Stacking game is back!!!

Lots of lucky draws to be given away

Visit Incomm booth at DST Carnival

DJ Tina on Kristal FM

Fakhrul Razi was the emcee of the night

..And he was also the entertainer right after. Amazing energy!!

The grand prize for the DST Dare Challenge

Kids will enjoy the carnival very much

Check out GetFitCrossFit Battle Royale

The 4G experience on XBox

This is powered by 4G already

Awang testing out the 4G last evening

 

Click image to enter website

Are you ready for Techxpo 2012?

The “Before” scene

The Aiti Paviilion

The “After” scene

Huawei’s presence yet again at TechXpo 2012

HSBC is also taking part

Hui Chiet multitasking during the preparation for TechXpo 2012

BIBD will their own ATM machine there too. Interesting…

 

This is it!!! The moment of truth.. Tonight the winner will be revealed. Last week 10 contestants were eliminated from bFIT challenge which leaves with 10 more contestants. So now there are 10 finalists where they just completed the final task today which is the 5km run.

Last weekend, 10 contestants were eliminated – Lufti Nul Hakim, Pg Hj Hamdilah, Dk Hjh Hazlina, Ak Md Firdaus, Ak Mohd Saharul, Lim Hock Yong, Sumardi, Nurul Hidayah, Dk Roz Aliya and Nurhanisah. Though they are eliminated, they were given Fitness Zone passes as part of their retention programme.

Tonight (1st December) the closing ceremony will be held at Indoor Stadium and the final contestants are zzat, Majdudeen, Farah Dibba, Azim, Muiz, Hj Bahrin, Nadhirah, Nasiruddin, Norazalina and Ak Mohd Hasyim and one of them will be declared the bFIT challenge champion.

B.Fit Challenge is a programme organised in collaboration with Fitness Zone and Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. Members of the public, including family, friends and ex-contestants are welcome to attend B•mobile B.Fit Challenge’s closing ceremony at the Indoor Stadium at 7.30pm onwards.

However, the B•mobile carnival will be from 10am to 10pm for only one day today. So bring your family and friends along to the event.

 

I’m pretty sure you have some sort of air purifiers in your llving room or your bedroom or somewhere plugged in your house. I never had one but I tend to come across whenever I visit my friends’ place. Recently I was introduced to Air Vita brand which is pretty cool stuff. It does more than just an air purifier. These three air ionizer that I’m gonna post comes all the way from Korea and the devices have won many awards.. So don’t be fooled by its small size and yes, I’m using both of the products – one for my room, one for my car.

Let me introduce to you first Air Vita Neo (see images below). I have yet to try this product since I’m still using the other (S-AirVita) but this is still a great product judging from its functions. Well, both Air Vita Neo and S-Air Vita have similar functions. Perhaps the most important function is the health improvement factor by enhancing body activation.

I won’t go to technical with its function but basically it will find a way to generate the safest sterlization ion (+-) to the human body through finding the optimal combination of air and maintaining the ion balance. It also an electric dust collector and it purifies the air with absorption into the dust collecting panel maintaining powerful dust collection before ionizing the contaminant in the air.

I will explain one of its awesome advantages of having this product later on.. but first some images of the Air Vita Neo Gold below which is one compact air cleaner and yes, it can be washed too. And you also don’t have to spend on filter because it’s washable. Hence, you save some money on that. You can plug this device all day long and it won’t overheat. Awesome stuff!! If you want to know get hold of the product or want more info, you can contact Aaron directly at 710 9929.

An award winning product from Korea

Air Vita Neo can be plugged and you don’t need to change the filter and it’s washable

You can detach the component and insert a bulb here.. Interesting

Ok, this is the product I’ve been using in my room and I could sense a different smell in my room which is quite refreshing after 2 to 3 days. It won’t happen overnight but you will be able to feel the difference and I was impressed by S-Air Vita.

Here’s an interesting thing.. I know I have yet to experience this but my friend who uses this find this very useful. He’s a heavy smoker and he tends to smoke in his room and his maid kept complaining that his room just stank of smoke. Then he used this product in his room and guess what? the maid stopped complaining though my friend still continue his habit. Some how, this device managed to sterlize the scent of smoke and purify the air environment in the smoky room. Now that is impressive for what a small gadget can do to a room.

I highly recommend the S-Air Vita and at the same time, it promotes good health, clean air and it’s anti-odour. This is also good for those who have sinus as well. You won’t be sniffing as much because of the clean air around. This product is RA certified *lol*

Awesome gadget this.. I’ve been using this in my room

It’s pretty compact and it does wonder for such a small air ionizer

Rinse these every week and you don’t need to buy a filter

I also have this product – Carvita – in my car. This is a version for the car and it’s pretty compact and smaller of course compared to the other two. I’ve been using this for two weeks and it does a great job too. I know I stil have to fix my aircon filter which kinda affects the air flow in my car.

This is the cheapest model of the range and this also doesn’t require filter. The functions are the same as the other products. Another recommended product especially when you are on the road most of the time.

If you want to know get hold of the product or want more info, you can contact Aaron directly at 710 9929.

I have this for my car

You can use cotton bud to clean and yes, no need to replace filter

 

The best series of Acer Ultrabook – S7

There are tons of great promotion at Concepts Computer

I was helping out for a bit

A hardworking and dedicated team from Concepts Computer

Titan is 8 feet tall and it’s amazing!!!

I caught a sneak preview of Titan the Robot and it was awesome to start off with.. To see it walk from one spot to another and sensing its environment around, I thought the AI of Titan is top notch 😀 I’ve always seen these types of robots on hollywood movies but to see one in real life is pretty unreal and I had that moment of “sakai-ness”..

Looking at the website, Titan has been to many countries such as China, USA, Thailand, Dubai, Hong Kong and now Brunei and Titan hails all the way from the UK. Titan was introduced back in 2010 and ever since, Titan has been a popular (robot) figure and even performed with Rihanna at the Kids Choice Awards *cool*

According to the website, you cna book a Titan for many purposes such as TV appearances, parties, film premiers, award shows, corporate events (which is why Titan is featured at Techxpo 2012), fashion shows, family fun days, agricultural shows and many more. So if you plan to book one, you can click here and of course, this is a robot all the way from the UK. So do mind the charges and the fare.

Anyway, the schedules for Titan the Robot demo is Saturday 1st December at 2pm, 5pm and 7pm and Sunday 2nd December 2:30pm, 5pm and 8pm at the ICC in conjunction with Techxpo 2012. The live demo show will last 30 minutes and you will be able to see the spectacle of Titan. Thank you to the organisers for bringing this iconic machine to Brunei. I’m pretty sure this will be a crowd puller. You can watch some of the videos here and here. And for your info, Titan the Robot’s trip to Brunei was sponsored by Royal Brunei Airlines (RB).

The guy is controlling the robot from his remote

The media was awed by its presence

Titan has its own docking system and it can sit on its dock without any assistance.. Awesome!!

Thomas get up close and personal with Titan

 

For couples planning to tie the knot and seeking advices for their perfect wedding, the 2nd Musical Garden Wedding Fair is the right place to visit. The fair will be held at The Mall, Gadong from yesterday (November 29) until Sunday (December 2).

The exhibition, which will be officiated by Datin Paduka Hajah Rokiah binti Haji Zakiah, the President of Women’s Business Council at 11am, serves as the foundation for bride and groom-to-be to choose from a wide range of choices, services, as well as interesting bargains.

The visitors will be able to find both international and local bridal houses showcasing their collections and packages for weddings and help visitors in planning out their special day. Apart from wedding photography, visitors would also be exposed to trendy home interior plans, beauty packages, DIY wedding favours, utilities and decorations that promise to make your wedding an unforgettable one and exclusive local wedding experience such as underwater photography.

The Most Photogenic Couple Contest (MPCC ’12) will be ongoing throughout the event. People are encouraged to visit the fair and show their utmost support to the Top 5 MPCC ’12 contestants by voting for their favourite one. Last year, Stephanie and Victor were crowned the MPCC ’11 winner and took home a fabulous pre-wedding photography package by our very own talented local photographer, Devin Kho Photography. There will be a fun-filled photo contest open to the public – MGW_InstaPhoto_Contest.

Expression Music will provide live musical performances in addition to the theme and concept of the exhibition and a lucky draw event will be on with amazing prizes to be won. The Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012 promises to be a wedding exhibition that is unique and will give visitors that special heartfelt feeling.

The highlight of the fair is the MGW Lucky Draw where shoppers stand a chance to win an exclusive Underwater Wedding Package which includes boat passage for bride and groom along with six guests; diving equipment; wedding official; photographer with one DVD of 50 images; videographer with one DVD edited version of 10-15 minutes; flower bouquet; and basket of flowers for guests or a holiday to Kota Kinabalu or a stay at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. There are more amazing prizes to be won.

 

Visit the insta booth at Musical Garden Wedding Fair at The Mall and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes

Registration is only $2

The setting at the insta booth

 

Mass Sunnat prayers before Friday prayer for residents of Gaza at SOAS Mosque today

 

Now this is interesting. Click image to find out more.

 

Download the APICTA 2012 apps on IOS

Events are now ‘going mobile’. Mobile users enjoy having all the information they need about a certain event at the tip of their fingers, while at the same time, it also serves as good news to sponsors as they see event apps as a valuable channel in reaching busy clients.

For any type of event, the right mobile app can transform an event to become more popular through instant sharing of news between people. The APICTA (Asia Pacific ICT Awards) 2012 app fits in this category, where the idea is to “allow first-hand information to spread to the public as it happens”, said a local developer from Infindo technologies.

The app, he said, will not only allow the participants but also attendees and visitors from participating countries from other parts of the world to get instant update about the APICTA events schedules, results and news.

It helps to promote Brunei to these countries, along with its culture, people, heritage, as well as boost the tourism industry, as one of the features include a photo gallery of places of interest in the Sultanate.

APICTA’s 16-member economies include Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hj Hadi Iskandar with Pg Sarimah, CEO of InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) during the press conference of APICTA 2012

CEO of InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), Pg Sarimah Pg Hj Abd Latiff lauded the mobile app, saying that it is convenient for people nowadays, especially in Brunei, as they are “mobile trendy”. She also said that the app depicts what is available on APICTA’s website, including event schedules and information that are “very useful for all participants”.

The app includes everything one needs to know about the upcoming APICTA 2012, including the latest news and updates, background of this year’s 156 nominees, as well as guidelines. Currently, the free app is available for download for iPhone users, while the app for Android users will follow in the near future.

Seventeen categories comprise eGoverment to eLearning, Tertiary Student project, Tourism and Hospitality, Media and Entertainment, Security, Tools and Infrastructure Application, Research and Development and Sustainability and Green IT.

The event is an international awards programme aimed at increasing ICT awareness in the community, and assist in bridging the digital divide. By providing networking and product benchmarking opportunities to ICT innovators and entrepreneurs in the region, the programme is designed to stimulate ICT innovation and creativity, promote economic and trade relations, facilitate technology transfer, and offer business matching opportunities via exposure to venture capitalists and investors.

Participants of the awards programme comprise members of the APICTA Alliance. APICTA 2012 is organised by the Ministry of Communications and is supported by The Authority of Info-Communications and Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB).

The event will be held from December 2-5, at The Empire Hotel and Country Club. The judging session for all nominees will be for two days, starting December 3, followed by the awards presentation on December 5. Text by Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

 

More than 4,000 people showed last Sunday at Seri Mulia Sarjana School (SMSS) Musical Play, Peter Pan the Musical at the Jerudong Amphitheatre. It was a sell-out concert and I’m pretty sure most of them are families. I’m impressed with the performances by the students especially Wendy Darling played by Kristel Hanna D. Arce. Mind you that the main character Peter Pan was played a female lead Dessa Lorraine Burca.

The musical was arranged by Samuel French and International Threatre and Music (IT&M London) and they even brought in special equipment where the actors are able to float off the ground for the flying scenes during the play. I thought that was spectacular feat from the play and I have to salute the courage by the young students and pulling the flying stunts to good effect.

Perhaps the downside was the technical glitch that happened occasionally but other than that it was a spectacular show. Well done to the production crew and all those involved in the musical play. Thanks to Leonard and Jackie for the best view seat too 😀

A new extraordinary opportunity to voyage inside Bruneian history. “The state is built entirely on water. It is big and comprised of 30 to 40 thousand people who are predominantly Malay… The Sultan’s palace, the church or mosque and most the main buildings are built on dry land…” (Report of the Colonial Office in 1906 recorded a population of Kampong Ayer at about 10 000 people from 11 villages)

In conjunction with His Majesty 66th Birthday, a new book will be launched this coming Saturday, 1 December 2012 by the Acting Minister of Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Hj Othman.

Kampong Ayer, Kenangan Abadi or Living Memory is the first photographic book ever published about the historical area of Kampong Ayer in Bandar Seri Begawan.  This fascinating publication of 252 pages will take the reader back to how the Sultanate of Brunei looked many years ago. There are more than 300 pictures from the olden days to present, including some photos from the early 20th century and they will remind people what an important part of the country’s history, Kampong Ayer has played.

Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Abdul Latif holding the “Buku Kampong Ayer” book

Post card & gift bag for every purchase of “Buku Kampong Ayer”

“There can be no doubt that Brunei is the “Kampong Ayer” and “Kampong Ayer’ is Brunei.  The growth of water villages is a historical phenomenon, without which the state of Brunei Darussalam would not have existed” said the author Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Abdul Latif bin Haji Ibrahim. Retired government officer, he worked as Curator of Ethnography at the Brunei Museum, Deputy Principal of the Brunei History Centre and also Assistant Vice-Chancellor at UBD. His last post was Director of Balai Kenangan at His Majesty’s Office. Dato Paduka Dr. Haji Latif has always been fascinated by the history and has been working on this project for many years. 

This book is a must have for all Bruneians. A wonderful gift to share. An opportunity for the older people to help their grandchildren understand how people lived in Brunei for the last fifty years ago. 

 A book that will bring together to all generations. The launching will take place this Saturday 1 December 2012 at the Seri Q-Lap Mall, from 2:30pm onwards.

The author will sign the book during the promotion days at Café Au Lait. Between Saturday 1st to Monday 3rd of December and get it for more than 25% less! Promotion price: $35 (Hard Cover) and $28 (Soft Cover) Normal price: $50 (Hard Cover) and $35 (Soft cover).

Senior citizen of 80 years old and above must be born in Kampong Ayer will be entitled to a complimentary copy from the author by producing a copy of his/her IC. (Please collect at Café Au lait at Seri Q-Lap Mall, from 1 – 3 December 2012)

This book was design by Pentagram Design Sdn Bhd. Press release and images by Pentagram Design Sdn Bhd.

 

Pizza Hut Delivery, the market leader in F&B delivery announces its opening of its newly remodelled store in Bunut. This is the first of the Delco (Delivery and Carry-Out) stores to have undergone a major remodelling and renovation to transform into the new Pizza Hut Delivery look. By quarter one 2013, all Delco stores will have been converted to this new look.

 “We believe that renovations talk to our customers and to our staff. When we made the decision to renovate all our existing Delco stores, it is showing faith in the future of our stores. Thus, moving forward, we are offering more than just great pizza; we’re offering a whole new experience in delivery,” said Johnny Liew, Chairman of Olive Tree Corporation, owner and operator of Pizza Hut Brunei.

In view of market expansion, Pizza Hut Delivery has invested in new cutting edge technology ovens which now deliver pizzas in shorter time. “Our new ovens in all our remodelled and renovated stores will change the game in the F&B delivery business. It reduces the baking time required for pizzas; which essentially means hot fresh oven food served quicker to customers”, Johnny said.

Pizza Hut Delivery which serves  hot fresh oven food will have a total of 14 stores by March 2013. Known for its innovative  F&B promotions, it will be launching exciting new menu items soon.

 

Pizza Hut is bringing you their latest product that will surely cater to pizza lovers out there who have an even bigger love for cheese. Pizza Hut Primo at The Mall in Gadong introduced their six-cheese pizza creations for the past few months.

The cheesy pizza topped with a unique blend of six exotic cheeses; Mozzarella, Cheddar, Romano, Provolone, Parmesan and Monterey Jack, all in one served on an all-time favorite crust, the Pan Pizza.

“The aroma of the six cheese is a bonus from the tastiness and cheesiest of the pizza itself,” said Reagan F Arquio, Local Store Marketing Manager for Pizza Hut. He added,”We served it in the Original Pan Pizza because it is our signature pizza and really compliments the taste in the pan pizza.”

“It is crisp on the outside, soft, light and fluffy on the inside, baked to golden perfection in our signature pan,” he explained.

According to Pizza Hut, the cheesy pizza comes in four flavours; the Classic Cheesy Six, the Cheesy Pepperoni, Cheesy Beef Mushroom and Cheesy Chicken Mushroom. The promotion will last for two months starting mid of September until mid November at $14.90 for regular and $21.90 for large.

For the Double Cheesy Deal, two regular Cheesy Six pizzas will cost $24.90 while the Cheesy Triple Deal with three regular Cheesy Six pizzas will cost $39.90. For both deals, customers can also choose which toppings from the four flavours they would like to have.

 

 

Click image to enter website

 

CONGRATULATIONS!! For the 2nd time organizing the Most Photogenic Couple Contest (MPCC), PDCA events is delighted to inform the public that FB voting has now officially closed. They would like to show our gratitude and thanks to all lovely couples who showed their sincerity in supporting and participating at the MPCC’12.

Once again, well done to the Top 5 Couples with the highest votes as following: Sumardi Hedus & Amy Cheong -1084 votes, Teo Kui Liong & Kelly Ng Swee Moi – 934 votes, Keegan & Charlene – 709 votes, Cornelius Cheong & Eva Ong – 655 votes, Ling Yong Quan & Hazel C – 620 votes.

Photos of the Top 5 Couples will then be displayed at the Musical Garden Wedding Fair at The Mall, Gadong from this Thursday (29/11/12) until Sunday (2/12/12) for final round [Final voting close at 5pm on the last day of the exhibition]. So do visit the fair and show further support to your favorite couple!

 

 

 

With an emphasis on fun and education, this year’s TechXpo seeks to offer its participants and visitors a valuable insight into the latest global trends in technology and related areas.

Brunei’s premier technology fair will have its third showing at the International Convention Centre in Berakas from 1 to 4 December.

A wide range of displays, activities, and bargains will be on offer for young and old alike at the TechXpo.

The main attraction is sure to be Titan the giant robot. Flown in to Brunei all the way from the United Kingdom by Ifini Sdn Bhd exclusively for the TechXpo 2012, visitors are warmly welcomed to go to the fair to meet the 8-ft tall gigantic robot to see its amazing abilities up close and personal. Titan is well-travelled across the world, and has performed with celebrities and appeared on television.

More than 80 companies will be taking part in the TechXpo. Among these are well-known local brands such as Sony, Acer, Microsoft, Canon, Dell, Samsung, Akira, Huawei and many more who will be offering dazzling displays, comprehensive information and exclusive promotions on modern gizmos and gadgets.

The STEP Centre of the Ministry of Education will be conducting its “Innovative learning is fun” activity. This is in collaboration with several agencies to introduce innovative learning to school leaders, teachers, students and other prospective stakeholders. There will be opportunities for students to learn in a fun way through KODU, a game-based learning programme for students for Years 4-9. Visitors can also try out the innovations and robots created and exhibited by the winners of the Brunei Robotics Olympiad (BRO) 2012.

Well-established organizations Tech One Global & Microsoft will be running free literacy training during the TechXpo. Qualified instructors and computer units will be available to allow those interested members of the public to have hands-on training sessions.

Visitors to the TechXpo can also avail themselves of exclusive discounts and offers on a wide range of products and services. Amongst these great items will be free health checks, free installations, and one-off discounts.

And as simple as filling in the event’s survey form, lucky early visitors’ will stand the chance to win limited TechXpo door gifts in the daily Spin and Win activity on Plenary Hall Stage.

The TechXpo is a must-visit for everyone. Technology influences all our lives on a daily basis, and where better to be updated on the latest technology trends and have fun doing it than the TechXpo 2012.

The TechXpo will run from 1 to 4 December at the International Convention Centre, Berakas. Opening hours for visitors will be from 12 noon to 10pm on 1 December and for the following days, opening hours are 10AM to 10PM. A convenient free shuttle bus service will run from the Indoor Stadium on a daily basis.

The TechXpo is supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Communications, and Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI). It is organised by InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), and managed by Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd.

There are so many events that are happening this weekend!! and I just don’t know where to start. One for sure is the upcoming DST Carnival 2012 though the only setback is that there won’t be guest appearance of Malaysian celebrities. Nonetheless the DST Carnival 2012 offers tons and tons of activities and I’m wondering how I’m gonna describe one by one in my entry *lol* Maybe I will just highlight some of the main activities and by the way, the theme for this year is “Sports and Lifestyle”

DST will unveil their new Prima Serive where you can have a Prima Multi SIM – 1 Primary and up to 4 supplementary using one single number.. So this means you can different SIM cards using the same number for your mobile and tablet devices.

There will be D’Chef Challenge which is similar to Master Chef (Friday 4pm). On Saturday, 10:30pm, there will a firework display with Dinda performing Katy Perry’s Fireworks number at the Amphitheatre. There will be a Zumbathon workout on Sunday 2nd December 7:30am so it’s open to the public participate. There’s also a DST GETFIT Crossfit Battle this weekend.

Apart from that, there will be local live performances – KFM Acoustics sessions and Open Mic events. There will be lucky draws every single day and the prizes are awesome too. On the 1st day, you might win a iPhone 4s, a Nikon D5100 kit, Macbook Air 11″, Astro Beyond with 3 months subscriptions and many more. On the 2nd day, you might win a MacBook Air, LG Home Theatre, Samsung SIII, iPhone 5, New iPad 3G and many more. For the final day of the lucky draw, you might win yourself a Nikon D3200, Macbook Pro 13″, D*Card with Top Up, Canon EOS 1100D and many more.

The management of DST at yesterday’s press conference

Matnarudin Ibrahim, General Manager KRISTAL and Chairman of DST Carnival 2012 briefing the media on the exciting programs

One of the highlights of DST Carnival is the launch of their new loyalty DST card. This is not just an ordinary card like before. It’s a new one and the great thing is it’s a cash card, a prepaid Mastercard cash card to be exact from Standard Chartered. You can earn points through Pirma usage, EASI starter pack and EASI recharge purchased at any DST branches. There is a $20 fee when you apply the D*Card but for the first 1,000 applicants, you get a waiver fee and it will only be availalbe during the DST Carnival 2012 right after the official launch on Friday 30th November 8pm.

SCB and DST joined forces and now your DST loyalty card can be a cash card too and the new loyalty card is called D*Card

This is how the D*Card looks like

Perhaps the big one is the DST Dare 2012 which is the highlight of the event. The winner will walk away with a Hyundai i30 though you guys have to split among 4 people. You can find out more on their website http://www.dst-group.com/dstdare and the registration has been extended to 29th November. The maximum number of teams (of four) is 200.. For more info, you can call 877 5506 – the DST DARE hotline but do call during office hours. Per team is $60 and there will be consolation prizes for the Top 10 teams.

Once you register, you will get your entry pack at the registration area. Above is the official t-shirt for DST Dare participants!

 

Acer just kept introducing new products this year and yes, Acer has an aggressive strategy for their commercial products. The latest product is the F2 generation of server products which was being displayed last week during Acer Malaysia’s presentation at Rizqun International Hotel to retailers and government officials.

Acer has advanced its server line with a whole new line up of refreshed server products. This time around, Acer has not only updated the specifications to support the latest Intel Xeon processors E5 family, but has expanded its business portfolio and management tools to provide greater flexibility in modern datacenters. .

The new product designs feature Intel’s latest line up of Intel Xeon processor; the E5 family of CPUs, which give up to two times the performance for certain benchmarks, and up to eight cores per CPU. .

The F2 generation, also provides greater expandability and more robust specifications built into every platform.

Richard Soo of Acer Malaysia (centre)

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer

A great turn out from government officials and resellers of Acer

The two products below are the ones that will be one of the main attractions for Concepts Computer during the upcoming TechXpo 2012 at ICC this weekend. The recent release of the Acer Aspire S7 Ultrabook will be a big hit due to the strong demand for light weight notebooks.

Lately more than 200 units of Acer PCs equipped with Microsoft’s Windoes 8 have been sold through Concepts Computer and the numbers are expecting to rise with the TechXpo around the corner. So do drop by Concepts Computer booth during the TechXpo 2012. For your info, Concepts Computer is also the only store in Brunei that is officially certified as a genuine Microsfot software reseller.

One of the latest gadgets from Acer

A great line up of Acer notebooks

Now this is one handy tablet

 

It’s happening tonight at Gadong Central

The event is co-organised by Movember BN, BruneiTweet and KFC Brunei. “Movember” (i.e. Mustache + November) is a growing worldwide campaign involving the growing of mustaches through the month of November. The symbol for “Movember” is the mustache, but the campaign goes much deeper. It is purposed to raise awareness about Men’s Health issues (e.g. prostate cancer, testicular cancer, depression, etc) affecting millions of men across the globe. 

The “Movember Tweet Up” is open to everyone – young and old, women and men from the general public. It is supported by representatives from B: Read, Muzikaliti, SCOT Brunei, UBDFM, Counter Attack, Brunei Cosplayers, Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, etc.
  

Visit Carmotor Auto Parts Company and check out their new quality tyres. Best time to buy since the offer only last a week

 

Winnniieeee… Hope you enjoyed your birthdaydinner last night and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being such a wonderful friend. So much have changed over the years and it’s for the better. You have grown very much from the day I knew you and thanks for your guidance and support through our friendship. Good luck in your thesis and enjoy December when it comes 😉 Love you tons and take care!!

We had an enjoyable dinner at Kitaro Japanese last night. It has been a while since the four of us hung out for dinner.

An interesting cake because of its striking pinkish colour and yea, this reminded us of the old days how cakes look like then

 

This was the only knife available *lol*

My short stint as a chef of Kitaro Japanese *lol*

Seminar at Seaview Hotel, KB and Rizqun Hotel on Thurs and Friday respectively

 

Top Travel Agents – Air Booking with management and Board of Directors of Abacus Brunei

Over 200 movers and shakers of Brunei’s flourishing travel industry will gather at the Centrepoint, Gadong tonight as Abacus, Asia’s leading provider of travel solutions and services celebrates the achievements of local travel agents.

“This annual event is anticipated by travel industry players. It provide travel industry players to meet up with their colleagues as well as an opportunity for Abacus to thank and recognise our travel agency partners in Brunei for their contribution to our growth, not just over the last year, but over the last 22 years,” said Irene Soon, General Manager, Abacus Brunei.

“Year on year booking comparison made through the Abacus system remain strong and is growing despite the challenges from the Airline Direct and the Low Cost Carrier. We are optimistic that this trend will continue and travellers will continue using travel agent as the channel to book their travel arrangement.” Ms Soon added.

Irene Soon also thanks partners; Abacus International, Royal Brunei, Baiduri Bank Berhad, Cityneon Brunei, Malaysia Airlines, MASwings, Royal Brunei Catering Singapore Airlines, Tokio Marine, Tourism Malaysia and TTCO Enterprise for sponsoring the lucky draw prizes for this evening’s event. The Guest of Honour at tonight’s function is Mr Dermot Mannion, Chairman of Abacus Brunei, who will present the coveted top11 travel agent awards.

Also present are Awang Aji Putih and Awang Maswadi bin Haji Mohsin, Directors of Abacus Brunei.

Freme Travel Services Sdn Bhd, Kuala Belait – Top Travel Agent – Non-Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Century Travel Centre Sdn Bhd (Bandar) – Top Travel Agent – Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Freme Travel Services Sdn Bhd (Bandar) – 2nd Place Travel Agent – Air Booking received the award from Mr. Dermot Mannion of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

Ms Lim Yah Hui from Century Travel Sdn Bhd, Top Travel Consultant received the award from Aji Putih of RB and Ms. Irene Soon of Abacus Brunei

BPTV JPKE SCHOLARSHIP for FEBRUARY 2013 intake is still open for registration, kindly drop by Laksaman College of Business to register. Closing date is on the 10th December 2012. For more info, you can call 223 8816 or 223 8818. You can also follow their updates on Facebook here.

 Now book your flights 😀

It’s AirAsia’s 11th Birthday Bash and there will be awesome promotional fares from as low as BND12 (inclusive of airport tax and fuel surcharge) for various destinations like Bali, Clark, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johor Bahru, Hat Yai, Langkawi, Surat Thani, Singapore and many more destinations.

The booking will be from 26th November to 2nd December 2012 and the travel period is from 3rd December to 31st March 2013. And you can fly from Brunei to Kuala Lumpur for only BND 40 (all-in fare) and of course, terms and conditions apply.

PSY’s Gangnam video reached a milestone that’s hard to catch up

A few days ago, in YouTube history, Gangnam Style has become the most popular YouTube video and it has outpaced Justin Bieber’s Baby (804 million views) last Friday. To date, PSY’s Gangnam Style has reached 825 million views and at the rate it is going, they have predicted that it could reach the 1 billion mark before the year end.

Now that’s such an amazing feat and it has an average of 6.1 million daily views.. How I wish that’s the statistics for my website *lol* Sorry to Bieber fans though it’s not such a big deal, right? Well done, PSY.. Now the question mark remains… will his next song or music video bring the same attention?

 

A message from Lily Chiam, owner of Expression Music
 

Expression Music Academy took centre stage yesterday at ‘The Heart Sings’ charity concert, held at the atrium of the Airport Mall in Berakas.

The venue was packed with fans some even watching from the balconies of the second floor eager to hear the musical talents of students of the academy.

Among those present at the concert were Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman, Expression Music Academy owner Lily Chiam, Assistant Managing Director at Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Hj Puasa Hj Jumat, Executive Operational Trustee of Pusat Ehsan Pg Datin Hjh Noraini PDNLDR Pg Hj Abd Momin and other event partners.

The audience were entertained by a number of performances, including a song called Triumphant Lead written by Lily Chiam herself, and performed by a group of female violinists.

As the event was organised for charity, Datin Adina presented cheques worth $1,500 to both Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans and Pusat Ehsan, which was raised from concert proceeds.

In her speech, Datin Adina emphasised that music is more than entertainment, and that music can be a tool for education as well as a great avenue for creativity.

She also added that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports supports the promotion of arts, culture and music that benefits the country and believes that with proper guidance, young music students can be developed to become great performers in the future. Text and images courtesy of Anwar Rosly of The Brunei Times.

Expression Music Academy’s violinsts performing yesterday

   

Woww!! Amazing numbers… There have been dozens of runs this year in Brunei alone and I’m not sure if any of the regional countries are as active as Brunei when it comes to hosting running events. Three banks organised three big ones respectively, followed by other organisers and the numbers have so consistent for the past few months.

Yesterday more than 5,000 people took part in the first ever “Larian Bandar 2012” to mark the 42dn anniversary of renaming Bandar Brunei to Bandar Seri Begawan. The event was organised by BSB Municipal Department in cooperation with CityNeon and Armtrix Enterprise Company.

The guest of honour was Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Hj HalbiHj Md Yussof, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. Also running was Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah and Pengiran Seti Aminah Pengiran Othman. 

For those running the 21km, the timing chip results are out on www.larianbandar.com and well done to the organisers as well as the participants who took part.

 

 

 

 

Skyfall. Ok, I have to admit that this Bond film is one of the best I’ve seen for a very long time. Though I prefer Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Daniel Craig seemed to pull off a great job. This is a different type of Bond movie and not a typical one too. A few chasing here and there but lesser gadgets and Bond chicks which are always crucial to any Bond movie. However, I was still entertained and moved by the story. I know some of my friends complained about the missing elements but I didn’t mind a single bit.

Another aspect that I love about Skyfall is the villain played by Javier Bardem and man, he can really pull off a creepy villain. Half of the reason for this great movie is definitely Javier Bardem. A job well done indeed by director Sam Mendes and I like how he made Bond less invincible. Awesome stuff!! Verdict: 8/10.

Cold War. Hmmmm… I caught this movie at Times Cineplex and this movie was my first movie experience at the new cineplex. I have been fan of Hong Kong movies but as of late, their string of movies have been mediocre. Then came in Aaron Kwok’s latest movie Cold War and it has been a while since I’ve seen his movies. Furthermore, it was a movie about police politics which I’m a big fan of (titles such as Infernal Affairs). However, this movie disappointed me on many levels. The direction was weak and lacking substance. It had potential and it was maybe trying to hard to be another Infernal Affairs. It’s an ok viewing but not on my list of recommendations. Verdict: 6/10.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn II I can’t believe I caught this vampire movie on the first show last Thursday at 10:30am *lol* Mind you, I was cringing in the last three movies of the Twilight series. Strangely enough I only cringed once or twice so I have to say this movie was more than just passable. Bella (Kristin Stewart) looks hot as a vampire though *lol* and I have to admit I was quite entertained and it’s not easy coming from a non-Twilight fan. I love the ending part and a great way to end the series. Verdict: 7/10.

Sinister. This is one dark movie… I totally don’t recommend parents to watch it with their kids.. Trust me on this *haha* but then again, it has stop showing at The Mall Cineplex. Anyway, I was really intrigue by the plot and waiting for each scene to go by in anticipation. The gore level might be too much to stomach for some viewers and the finale is one of the scenes that caught my attention. I would described it as twisted too. Definitely not a movie for children. Verdict: 7/10.The Thieves. I read about this movie before and how it was one of the biggest box office in Korea and of course, I’m such a big fan of Korean movies (thanks to The Host and Old Boy and many more). It’s quite rare to see a Korean movie being screened in Brunei. So I thought why not. So what do I think? Hmmmm.. it’s not all that and it has an interesting touch to it though. The movie reminds me of Ocean’s Eleven but with a more complex twist *lol* Oh yea, there are a mixed of Korean and HK actors too.

I swear that one of the female lead looks like my friend Chin Wei. The movie was only shown at Q-lap Cineplex and I had little trouble catching up with the story since it only had Malay and Chinese subtitles. Oddly enough, halfway through the movie, there was English subtitles then it disappeared after 15 minutes.. So yeah, you have to be alert when you watch this movie. I don’t think there are many screens showing now. Verdict: 7/10.

Paranormal Activity 4. When will they ever stop? The series have already gone to its max and the lifespan of Paranormal Activity has passed its peak. Then again, I asked myself why I did end up watching the 4th installment. Well, the first three were pretty solid so that made my decision to catch the 4th edition. Low and behold, I was pretty much disappointed. The movie has its moments but too few to remember. A forgettable installment which is a good sign for the producers to stop making the fifth. Verdict: 6/10 (being too generous)

Silent Hill: Revelation. Oh my… I should have trusted my instinct but it wasn’t to be since I love movies.. I tried to avoid Rottentomatoes before catching this Silent Hill and I successfully did. This was another waste of my time moment which I could have invested in other things to do. Characters were stale and so were the action scenes. I think I will be wasting my time writing up this review. I gave it a 5 on my instagram but it deserved to be lower. Verdict: 4/10.

Pitch Perfect. I came watching this movie with no expectations and I didn’t realise it was a chick flick. All I knew that the feedback were positive especially from my female friends *lol* And boy, I was truly entertained and I had a good laugh all the way. It’s similar like Glee but using A Capella (vocal without music). My favourite vocal in the Pitch Perfect is Titanium. Too bad it’s not available on Pitch Perfect soundtrack. I don’t mind catching this again. One of my top ten movies of the year. Verdict: 8/10.

Looper. One thing I enjoyed about this movie is the interesting concept. This might require your full concentration as you will need to put the pieces together to understand the tricky plot. I can see how Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been picking up steam in the box office with his recent movies Premium Rush and the blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises and the recent release Lincoln. He was pretty exceptional in Looper but I thought the story was slightly draggy in the middle. I can tell you that this movie is either a hit or a miss. Few of my buddies didn’t like, some did. Del Goh rated it a 9. For me, it was good enough. Salute for its boldness. Verdict: 7/10.

Rise of the Guardians. A much awaited animation and it was a pleasant viewing for me. I kinda enjoyed the plot and how it had a combination of fairy tale stuff going on. For me, Madacasgar is still the top animation in terms of entertainment and fun factor. ROTG doesn’t reach to that level but the messages delivered do have their meanings and I can relate it to my daily life. Paranorman was fun too. If you enjoyed Paranorman, then you can’t go wrong with ROTG and experience the magical journey. Verdict: 7/10.