RA says I’m pretty excited this because loads of things are happening and I will be off for 9 day trip to Bali for the first time starting Sunday. I’ve never been there and it was one of the destinations that I’ve longed for decades and soon that will become a reality as I will be traveling with my close buddies. Too bad WC won’t be able to join us for this upcoming trip.

Tonight I’m invited to a special event and it will be the first time that I will be in a hangar (Sakai mode on again). So I’m not sure what’s up but I have a gut feeling that something big is gonna happen. If its a new plane, even “awesomer”. Let’s see what’s in store for tonight’s event and be sure to catch me on instagram for live updates. I will probably spare two to three posts as I don’t want to flood my instagram.

DPMM FC potential S•League Champions. What a match this is billed to be… Who would have thought DPMM FC finishing top two in the S•League as the coach’s mission was more of a Top 5 finish in the competitive league. Now they have a 50/50 chance of being champions in the S•League as they are only one point away from table leaders Tampines Rovers.

Here’s the scenario on how DPMM FC can win the championship 1) If DPMM FC win and Balestier draw or loss 2) If DPMM FC draw and Tampines Rovers lose. However, if Tampines Rovers win their final match against Harimau Muda, then regardless of DPMM FC’s outcome, Tampines will lift the S•League title. Despite the chances, DPMM FC’s head coach Simunic was more than happy that DPMM FC have finished Top 2.

The only setback for Simunic is the availability of Pg Sallehuddin who is suspended for the final match after collecting yellow cards. He has been a pillar in DPMM FC’s back line ever since Santos was ruled for the season in the final quarter of the season. However, Simunic is confident of any first 11 players he field this Friday. He lauded that it’s a collective team effort on DPMM FC’s success to be in the Top two. He even expressed that the replacement players are hungry for football action and they have performed well whenever they are on the field. I shall be giving away two pairs of DPMM FC tickets on my social network and do follow me on Twitter and Instagram @ranoadidas for the competition.

All the best guys and you have done your best for the last 95%.. Let’s complete the final 5% 😀

So peeps, another great reason to come and watch DPMM FC this Friday 2nd November is because you will stand a chance to win an iPhone 5 and the management are giving away two of those *Awesome* Other great prizes are a Macbook Air, a huge flat screen TV, PS3 console, Samsung Galaxy III and other cool gadgets.. Now aren’t these awesome incentives for you to come and watch DPMM FC play their final game at home grown and furthermore, even a great chance of lifting the S•League title? I’m not sure how the mechanism of the lucky draw will be like though. I shall update you on that. There’s also a sponsor who will be giving away 200 DPMM t-shirts as part of the lucky draw. By the way, the tickets are only on sale this Friday.

These are the top 3 prizes and they will be giving out 2 iPhone 5 by the way. Awesome!!1

The consolation prizes to be won as well

McDonald’s reopens. Another great news is the re-opening of McDonald’s at Gadong today. After a few weeks of renovation, finally McDonald’s have a new look, a new feel and it’s totally different from the old original look. This is perhaps one of the exciting things to look forward to in Brunei considering that McDonald’s look have not changed for many, many years. So today is the day that McDonald’s open its door to the public and I expect a huge crowd today and in many weeks to come.

New things to expect are the new counters where they have a better system for Point-of-Sale which will make ordering faster and more efficient and they have allocated four counters to the usual two or three. The kitchen equipment are totally new and this also helps to make delivery of the fast food more efficient. The outlet is wifi-ready and they even have their own music collection to give a different ambience to the customers.

The big question I asked was the Breakfast menu which I crave for – Egg McMuffin *nom nom* Dk Kemariah, General Manager of McDonald’s Brunei, said that the breakfast menu will be introduced as early as the first quarter of 2013. Woohoo!!! Now that I can’t wait. For now, just enjoy the look of McDonald’s and the current menu they have. Thank you, Kem, for bringing a new energy to the outlet and thumbs up to the team involved as well.

Look at the new look of McDonald’s at Gadong outlet

Look at the new look of McDonald’s at Gadong outlet

The menu of McDonald’s

The queue taken today as of lunch at McDonald’s. Image courtesy of Sabrina Mahmud.

The queue taken today as of lunch at McDonald’s. Image courtesy of Sabrina Mahmud.

The BIG SALE from AirAsia. It is happening right now for AirAsia and who knows you will be traveling to other parts of the region say Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and many more. Too bad I’ve already booked my flight through AirAsia heading to Bali this weekend. Well, I booked it ages ago so I just missed out on the BIG SALE this week. Then again, the travel period is from 1st May to 30 Sept 2013. So book now through AirAsia and grab the awesome deals.

Click image to enter AirAsia website

b•mobile new HQ. For your info, b•mobile will be having a celebration on the grand opening of their new Head Quarters this Sunday. The event is taking place at their new venue – Block C, Simpang 493, Kg Beribi, Jalan Gadong and there will be shuttle buses provided at Land Transport Department car park area. So the public is advised to park there and the shuttle buses will bring you to the event. Check out the poster for details.

Click image to enter website

The Google Development Group (GDG) Brunei Darussalam is in collaboration with DST Communications Sdn Bhd (DST) on the DevFest2012 event. This is the first major event held here in Brunei which will be held on Monday 29th to Tuesday 30th October 2012 in DST Headquarters, Tungku Link.

Last Thursday, 12th October 2012, the organizers, namely the GDG Brunei Darussalam opened the registration at http://devfestbrunei.eventbrite.com/ with a target of 200 participants in mind. The registration was filled up before the registration closing date 18th Oct 2012. The organizers met their target of 200 registered participants from schools, colleges, institutions, universities, government and private sector organizations.

The DevFest2012 event is a two days event, which will comprise of conferences, live hangout on Google+, Codelabs, Hack-A-Thon Local Developers Session Showcase by iCentre incubates, DST Future Apps Android Trainees, BAG Networks and QG Technologies Sdn Bhd, Hack-A-Thon prize presentation at the end of the two days.

DST supports for DevFest2012 as Innovation is at the core of its business. DST seeks to promote local ICT technopreneurship through it’s own training program, Future Apps and also The Future Fund, a start-up fund. DST is continuously on the look out to support local innovation, and being a partner in the DevFest2012, DST hopes to achieve continuous growth in innovation and technology development.

The DevFest2012 event will be inviting familiar enterprising Google figures regionally and internationally, like Ben Salzman, Googles Enterprise Country Manager from Malaysia, Mohd Hadi Shafie Awang Othman at Google Singapore, Uttam Tripathi at Google India, Mike Bikesh cofounder of iTrain Malaysia and 1337 Ventures, Azeman Sulaiman and Firdaus Zailani are from GDG Brunei Darussalam, and Alfred Boediman at Samsung.

The GDG Brunei Darussalam Organizers advises all registered participants for the two days event, to bring their along their devices and laptop. Registration on the event day, Monday 29th October will be opened from 7.30am to 8.15am. The Hack-A-Thon registration will be on Tuesday, 30th October is opened at 7.30am till 8.15am. Exciting prizes will be presented to Hack-A-Thon winning participants.

Click image to enter Facebook page to find out more

So I guess most of you are wondering as much as I do to what this new buzz on business cards being distributed at strategic places. I’ve seen people posting on instagram and twitter whenever these guys or this squad roam around shopping malls and cafes. How long will these go on for before the next phase? I’m sure something will happen sooner or later. Whatever it is, thumbs up to the guys behind the marketing campaign. It has surely created some buzz 😀

Sugar Glider holding one of the cards. Taken off Redefined Journey Facebook Page

Smile More campaign

They spread the happy-ness at The Mall last Saturday

It was all about teamwork

Click image to enter Facebook page to find out more

The competiiton is back once more. Last year the winner were Victor and Stephanie Koh for the Most Photogenic Couple Contest. So this time will you and your partner be the one at the Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012? The winner will win a fantastic package. The deadline of the submission will be on the 30th October 2012. Check out PDCA event page for more details.

For your info, the winner will win a two return air ticket to KK for a pre-Wedding photoshoot by Devin Kho Photography worth BND 980 incluisve of a complete set of photobook.

The Musical Garden Wedding Fair 2012 is brought to you by PDCA Events Co. and it will take place on 29th November to 2nd December 2012 at The Mall.

Click banner to enter website

It’s pretty common to see that most companies have Facebook accounts but lesser focus so much on having their own websites. I’m not sure if it’s the cost or convenient factor but I personally believe a company should have their own corporate website. Creating a website has already been a set back especially for those with little knowledge on website creation. Now you don’t have to worry as much as Innonline Web Builder is a cost effective website development company.

For only $49 a month, you can have your own website and it also inclusive of website maintenance, development services and online marketing services. This is ideal for SMEs and those who are freelancers. Another great feature is that the website builder allows the integration of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter

For the package, you will get unlimited pages, a 10GB storage, unlimited bandwidth and many more. You will be able to view your traffic stats too.

For more info, you can reach on email admin@ innonlinesolution.com and you can also view the tutorial on how you can mange your website once it’s ready.

Click image to view a preview on how innoline solution makes a website through a video presentation

Click image to view a preview on how innoline solution makes a website through a video presentation

These seminars are always quite popular but it doesn’t happen on a regular basis. So this is the best opportunity to get hold of the coachers which is happening this week, one in KB and one in Bandar. And for your info, registration is FREE too. The previous one in September had a great response and now they are back again!!

I’ve always been keen in property but I’ve never really set my intentions to it. I was reading past archives of Azea Property Investment seminars and there was one quote that will encourage those interested in property – “Property investing is a “zero sum game”.

There will be a seminar on 1st November Thursday at Seaview Hotel, KB and 2nd November Friday at Rizqun International Hotel, 2:30pm and 7:30pm. For reservation, call or sms 718 4963 or email sunil.ramchandani@AzeaPropertyInvestment.com

Check out the schedules for Azea Seminar

Below is a quick interview with the organiser of the seminar.

RA: Can you briefly describe why such courses/seminar is in Brunei?
Azea Property: The founder Tang Yang Po, created Azea 3 years ago in Singapore and has been expanding in Asia including Brunei, recruited 900 members in Singapore and 2,000 members in Malaysia. The main purposes of this courses/seminar in Brunei is to provide the public an opportunity to learn how the rich invest in properties.

RA: Does one must have knowledge background on properties? And what kind of properties are you referring to?
Azea Property: No, people do not need to have much knowledge background on properties as we are a coaching / educational company and provide a workshop of Strategies in Property Investments. People can apply the knowledge learnt to any kind of properties.

RA: How many seminars have they conducted in Brunei? And is it gaining popularity? How many pax normally per session?
Azea Property: We have conducted about 30 seminars since 2011. Yes, In Brunei Azea has recruited almost 100 members. Normally between 10-30 pax per session. Thus seats are limited!

RA: Who are your target customers? Does it has to be those interested in properties only? And normally who are the age group?
Azea Property: Anyone can learn, we are targeting someone who wants to learn and apply these strategies in helping themselves. Probably someone in their 25’s upwards.

RA: Can you share an example on the benefits if one has the knowledge given from this course?
Azea Property: One can create passive income and can enjoy also the benefits of being a member because we will also provide investment opportunities & signals.

RA: Is there any fee involved for this seminar in Brunei?
Azea Property:No, preview seminar is free in Brunei.

This morning bFIT participants buying grocery at Supa Save and they have a time limit, calories limit as well as spending limit as part of the criteria. The elimination is tonight. I’m kinda nervous. Stay tune for updates.

This is the crucial day for all bFIT contestants. Out of the 50, ten participants will get the boot from the programme and it will be the first time such elimination is carried out for the inaugural bFIT challenge brought to you by b•mobile and the past weeks have been interesting, fun and of course, emotional.

This morning half of the contestants were grocery shopping at Supa Save as they are buying ingredients and items for cooking later at Hers Kitchen as part of the bFIT programme. There were given a 30 minute time limit to complete the task and it was also important that they choose the right items in terms of calories content. So who will be eliminated tonight? I can feel the tension already.. All the best, guys!!!

A participant thinking what to purchase for the cooking later on

At the cold section

Durian galore. Aziz Idris trying to “rugby pass” to Muiz

Double checking the items in the trolley

The videographers are in full force from Magic

Choosing is always the difficult part

Today is no plastic day so it’s ideal to carry a recycle bag

Checking the weight of the items bought

Judges checking the calories of the items bought

The Chefs (sisters) from Malacca were being interviewed at Seasons Restaurant as they will be in Brunei for 10 days for the Melacca Portuguese Food Promotion.

Cool food promotion.. Or I must a hot, spicy affair.. I didn’t know much about Portuguese food but you will be surprised that their food can be spicy too. The chefs – Chef Joan and Chef Halen Danker – are from Malacca with Portuguese blood and both of them are currently working at a hotel in Malacca. So they are flown to Brunei especially for Seasons Restaurant food promotion.

For your information, they bring in fusion of east and west cuisine from the World Heritage Site endorsed by UNESCO. There are a few dishes to try such as the Chicken Debal Curry, Assam Prawn, Portuguese chilli crab, Lisboa Seafood Paella and they also introduced their dessert Quesidos de Sintro (Honey Cinnamon Cake) and Portuguese egg tart.

Lunch buffet price is $19.90 for adult and $10 for children. Dinner buffet price is $25.90 and $15 for children. 10% discount is applicable to those with RBC Dining Privilege Card. Call 242 2991/2 for reservations. You can also visit them on Facebook for updates.

Beef Ambila

Lisboa Seafood Paella

Chicken Debal Curry – me like this 😀

My dish for tonight

The Roasted Peppered Lamb

Bendi Colek

Portuguese Baked Fish

Mulau – Portuguese Egg Plant

Chef Halen Danker and Chef Joan from the Portuguese Settlement Village in Melacca

Quesidos de Sintro (Honey Cinnamon Cake)

Ok, this is not a Portuguese dish but you happened to go to Seasons, then try the Bubur Pulut Hitam with Vanilla Ice-Cream… Two thumbs up!!! And they are both part of the buffet too 😀

It was my first coverage of the Panaga Triathlon and I thought it was a well organized event. It was good to see a lot of participants and familiar faces joining the competition and it’s the 36th edition to date. According to their Facebook page, there are 94 entries compromising of 124 triathletes and it was the biggest number to date too.

I was quite impressed with Panaga Club itself (sakai mode) as it was my first visit there. Anyway below are some pictures of the event and some of them are taken from Panaga Triathlon facebook page. Well done to all the participants.

The results of the team triathlon category

The results of the women’s triathlon category

The results of the men’s triathlon category

Participants of the triathlon. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

The first leg is swimming

Fadzil in action in the pool

Team Rev It Up

Wana preparing for her swim

After swimming, it’s the cycling category

Go Juls of Rev It Up. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Classic shot. Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page.

Go Nadz.. He finished Top 20 in the men’s category.

Hadi Samid joined the triathlon, dedicating this to his late brother JJ Samid

Running on the beach is not easy feat

The run is at least 5 km

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page

Taken from Panaga Triathlon Facebook page

The winner of the Men’s category – Bjorn de Mönnink

The finishers of the triathlon. Well done

Team Chatworthy took 2nd place in team category. Well done, guys!!

Lo Sheng, Co-Founder & CEO of Muvee Technologies, Singapore, Kim Davidson, Founder of SideEffects Global, Canada, Keeran Janin, founder of MeSixty and Jenny Malai Ali of KFM who moderated the final session of THiNK Big Innovate 2012

Danial Norjidi of Borneo Bulletin doing this work on the spot and surrounded by the ladies

I have always looked forward THiNK BIG events and thank you to Asia Inc Forum and iCentre for the invitation once again. A few good line ups and there is still room for improvements. Sorry, I forgot to fill in the feedback form the other day. A few more track sessions would have been nicer and perhaps but time allowed for international speakers to present their background or profile for the knowledge of the audience. The highlight for me is Ash Singh, founder and CEO of Interactive Sg and Founder & CEO of Angel’s Gate, an entrepreneurship TV show.

Ash Singh’s presentation lighten up the crowd especially it was after lunch and I love his tips for start-ups and he presented 50 quick tips. I thought some of the tips were interesting especially where one he stated avoid business plans.

Here are some of tips given by Ash Singh for start-ups

1) Pick founders carefully
2) Invest in culture
3) Write a blog
4) Decide with date
5) Delay raising capital
6) Improve product daily
7) Reward early adopters
8) Accept imperfect data
9) Recruit with zest
10) Say “No” often
11) Sell something today
12) Cancel unnecessary meetings
13) Keep it fun

Well here are some of the tips for entrepreneurs to take note especially for start-ups.. Oh by the way, Ash Singh is also the man behind the Turbanizer a popular app for Android and IOS. I love his story on how he promoted his app through friends and strangers and now he has a massive following for his app and all he did was asking people, “Have you seen yourself in a turban?” And I think most of us in the room downloaded the app and just had fun with it. Thanks for the interesting presentation, Ash, and I didn’t know Steve Lai are friends with him too.

Mr. Ash Singh himself and he was entertaining too

Ahh.. I was playing around with the app Turbanizer

Anyway, most of the topics discussed were related to Digital Multimedia, Social Media, ICT and entrepreneurship. It was good to see Stanley Han of Koobits back in Brunei and also my social media friend Aulia Halimatussadiah (Ollie @salsabeela), CTO of Nulisbuku.com as our international speakers. I’m particularly impressed with Ollie who has a lot on her plate – an IT player, a blogger, a publisher, a fashion designer, an entrepreneur – and she has many brilliant ideas too. I met her two years ago during ASEAN Bloggers Meet in KL and it was great of Asia Inc Forum to invite her to Brunei.

Another friend of mine Azhani Daniel @emmagoodegg was one of the panelists among the likes of Ollie and Stanley and the session was moderated by toastmaster Del Goh. Azhani is a strong believer in social media and Royal Brunei Airlines is pretty active in this field. She felt it was the best way to interact with customers and from there, they are able to obtain useful information.

I hope to see more international speakers that are as interesting as Ash Singh himself. I felt the audience was a bit shy though to come up to the mic and ask questions. I believe they would be more interactive behind doors but it was good to see some took the courage to ask. Well done to Asia Inc Forum and Icentre on the event and keep up the good work!

Datin Paduka Hjh Adina presented the 2nd prize to On Wan Shi for the iMMerse Character Design Challenge

What do you know.. the two Dels :p

Del Goh, General Manager of Double Down.. I mean, KFC Brunei, moderated one of the track sessions

Del Goh with Azhani Daniel and Aulia talking on social media and the impact of ICT

AITI represent!!!

Stuart Kemp, CEO of Asia Inc Forum, always energetic as ever

A question from Prismworks Event Management

A question from Candas

A question from the Philippines Embassy

The Refresher and TechBrat columnists from The Brunei Times

Winnie Sia wearing a cool t-shirt

Del wanted to snatch away the display

Lunching with the media and an entrepreneur

Hiro of Social Buzz describing his journey as an entrepreneur

See you next year, THiNK Big Innovate Forum

Do click image to enlarge

Business premises will close at least an hour every Friday

RA says Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha to all my Muslim friends. Yes, it’s another long weekend for Brunei as today is a public holiday and it’s good time to spend time with your love ones and also do some contribution to the community. Today is the day of sacrifice (feast of sacrifice) and there will be a sacrificial ceremony where goats and cattles will be slaughtered as part of the Korban ceremony.

In today’s headline, if you missed it, His Majesty the Sultan called for business shops to close during Friday prayers and this is to uphold the country’s Islamic image and prevent muslims from skipping the obligatory weekly prayer. I know this is practiced in Saudi Arabia where all shops are closed during praying time every day. So this is something new for Brunei but only during Friday prayers. I’m not to sure about restaurants though but retailers are already taking notice of the titah. Concepts Computer has already started implementing this rule when I did my coverage earlier this morning. So thumbs up for their efficiency in responding to the titah delivered yesterday. To read more of the article, you can click here.

Speaking of Concepts Computer, this morning they officially launched existing and a new Acer model notebook that has Windows 8 pre-installed.. Awesome!!! There have been a long buzz about Windows 8, the latest operating system by Microsoft as they are entering a battlefield among other operating system giants Mac OS, IOS and Android. Don’t get the wrong idea because Concepts Computer are not selling the software of Windows just yet but the Acer Notebooks will have all the Windows 8 pre-installed. So far there are 9 models from Acer and their latest model is the Acer Aspire M3985. All the device will either be powered by an Intel or AMD processor and running Windows 8 64-bit.

I’m quite impressed with some of the features of Windows 8 though it will be tough on me to convert to Windows because I’m a totally Apple user and I have no reason to swap to PCs. However, I might buy the parallel software that will only me to use Windows 8 on my iMac one day. There are plenty of features to use and once you master it, it’s a solid operating system. You can visit Concept Computer at Kiulap or Gadong or you can call 223 3551 for more details. Next week, they will bring in the S7 Ultra book which will be the most anticipated notebook from the S series.

Ani Suryani, Zul Abdul Rahman and Vincent Pao holding different Acer models with Windows 8 pre-installed

The new Windows button

I was hoping for a handover of any Acer notebook *lol*

There will be an upcoming Charity Expo 2012 starting tomorrow till Sunday and it is managed by Adison Marketing Services and organised by the Departmnet of Youth and Sports in cooperation with JDG Chinese Charitable Association. The event will be graced by Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. So far there will be 41 exhibitors participating and it was announced that 100% of the proceeeds collected from booth rentals and donations by exhibitors will be donated to special causes. 50% will be donated to Dana Belia Brunei Prihatin to aid young entrepreneurs in starting small businesses while the 50% will be donated to poverty stricken families and disabled individuals. There will be a “Car Audio Show” taking place at the VIP car park area of the Indoor Stadium and every visitor will stand a chance to win a prized draw. There will be three prize draw sessions per day and up to five winners per session.

The participating vendors for tomorrow’s event

Hunting for iPhone 5 casings?? Well, look no further as Asanty Collections have cool choices for you to choose from. There are only a few pieces available while stock lasts and if you are interested, they also sell screen protectors for iPhone 5. I would think ladies would love most of the designs because of its striking colours and texture. For more information, you can visit the Facebook page here.

Click image to enter iPhone 5 casing albums

Wanna look at Studded Speedy? Click more for more choices

Happy birthday to Relentless Entertainment who turned 4 yesterday. Wow!!! It’s been that long aye? I remember these guys started off during the days of Zunic Wellness a few years back. They started their dance classes there initiated by Mardi and Amy Cheong and slowly they ventured out and got noticed by the public. They began recruiting for dancers and the family just grew from time to time. It’s no surprise that they are always being invited to perform for private events and lately Relentless Entertainment held an open audition as they are planning to diversify their strengths and not solely focusing on dancing. Good luck to you guys and keep up the great work and inspiring the youth!!

Happy 4th birthday, Relentless Entertainment. Image courtesy of Zatty Joanda.

*LOL* De No Goh responded to the article written by “An unimpressed Reader” and I guess the story won’t end here. Apparently, this is not the first time that Deno has received negative feedback from the public. This is the 4th respondent he received and he’s not totally bothered by it. I remember his previous articles on iPhone and how sarcastically it was written *lol* and I don’t blame him since he’s pro-Android user. Anyway, keep up the good work on “TechBrat” column. It’s always a good read nonetheless. For more of De No’s respond, click here.

De No responded back on the feedback aimed at him. Click image to read more.

For your info, Manjaro Restaurant has closed its door in Kiulap ever since Hari Raya. Now the spot will be taken over by Ceri Cafe, a popular eatery in Serusop. So where is Manjaro relocated? Well, let’s just say there’s no more Manjaro but the owners opened up a new restaurant called Rice Bowl and it’s located at Batu Bersurat – same building as the Victory Bikes store. They still have the popular dishes from Manjaro and of course, new dishes and oh yeah, all the dishes are served in bowl 😀 I shall pay another visit again to try out other dishes. Congrats to Wuei and Pris on the opening.

I love this dish – Corn Beef Kway Teow. Try it 😀

Winnie had the honour to open my Lego Minifig Series 8 and it was almost complete

Whooaa… I can’t believe my cousin won it. When they announced the winner, I was thrilled the emcee announced her name though it was her sister who represented her for the prize presentation. Over 20 entries were submitted for the iMMerse Character Design Challenge and the prize presentation was graced by Datin Paduka Hjh Adina, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. The first place went YAM Pengiran Anak Hamlatul Arsy Mulia and she received a Macbook Pro. The 2nd place went to On Wan Shi (new iPad) and 3rd place went to Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng (Wacom tablet). The prizes were sponsored by BIBD.

Brian Koh, Director of KR Consulting, Javed Ahmad, Managing Director of BIBD, Datin Paduka Hjh Adina, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, YAM Pg Anak Ajeerah Fidrausul Bulqiah receiving the first prize on behalf of her sister, Carolyn Lee Yi Zheng and On Wan Shi

Have you ever tried phone stacking? This is something new in Brunei though this has been practised in other countries. Ok, here’s the thing… All of us are already equipped with smartphones and hence we are so addicted to our phones that quality time spent among friends and families are getting lesser and lesser in terms of interaction. So how it works is the phones are being stacked on top of each other from the diners present. There will be a time limit given, for instance, 30 mins per challenge. So the first person to take his or her phone from the stack will lose and will be penalised accordingly. I think this system is cool but it will take a lot of cooperation among your friends and family to pull this off. We are just to used play with technology especially social media stuff and whatsapp-ing. Anyway, do try phone stacking game soon and see how tempted you are to grab your phone.

A group of us did phone stacking last night at Villa Mauri. The challenge only lasted 3 minutes.

KFC Brunei has started introducing phone stacking and the challenge lasted 30 minutes

Concept Computers are currently having their Epson roadshow at The Mall and they have recently introduced two new Epson printers which are highly recommended because of its ability to print hundreds of pages. Furthermore, the ink cartridges are selling at a very reasonable price of $10 per bottle and you can expect a print yield up to 4,000 pages. The promotional prices are $198 for Epson L210 and $128 for Epson ME-101. According to the management, they will restocking these models as they are hot sellers especially among students.

Epson roadshow happening until Sunday at The Mall

The new printer Epson L210 is pretty awesome and selling like cakes

bFIT Challenge will be heading into elimination stage this Sunday evening. 10 contestants out of 50 will be eliminated from the bFIT challenge programme. After three weeks of training, consultation, team building and many more, it has come to the crucial stage where the judges (compromising from b•mobile, Fitness Zone and HPC) will decide the fate of the eliminated contestants. The team and individual points will be accounted for but the leading team after this weekend round will be safe from elimination. I can’t wait to see the outcome this Sunday and it will be a nerve-wrecking episode because 10 people will leave the programme (and the show) and I could already sense the great bonding they have among themselves.

Last Monday, a nutritionist from HPC delivered his talk to the bFIT participants

RA says it has been an interesting few days and I’m always trying to find something new or interesting that’s happening around Brunei (or outside Brunei). I recently covered Dato Siti Nurhaliza event in collaboration with AirAsia Megastore last Tuesday and that was worth the trip even if it was only a 24 hour trip. I think that’s already the highlight of the week for me and I still can’t believe I was just sitting next to her during the press conference *lol* Ok, that was my sakai moment indeed.. Thank you to AirAsia once again for making it happen.

Before I go on, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Myron and Leslie on the passing of Kathy (their late mother) yesterday. I’ve seen her from time to time during functions and though we hardly communicate but I could feel your courage to go through the pain. May you rest in peace.

Yesterday I attended the Think Big Innovate Forum 2012 and it was a pretty good line up of speakers. I was particularly impressed with Ash Singh, the founder of Turbanizer (apps), who had an interesting presentation on tips on starting a business. Though I have to say that one of this 50 tips that he shared advised us to “avoid business plans” *lol* Now this is something very rare since we have been nurtured by our teachers and business leaders on the importance of business plans. I believe there are pros and cons to this notion.

I was a bit surpirsed that Aulia aka @Salsabeela had little time for her introduction at Think Big Innovate Forum 2012 because this lady is a good inspiration for many young entrepreneurs. A move by the organiser to make her get more spotlight would have made more impact on the audience who made up of mostly young people. She’s a blogger, a write, a publishing company, a fashion designer and a determined entrepreneur. Now that’s an awesome resume to have indeed. Overall, it was a good seminar session organised by Asia Inc Forum and iCentre.

Ash Singh stole the show while being moderated by Delwin Keasberry of Asia Inc Forum at Thing Big Innovate 2012

Aulia Halimatussadiah (2nd left) from Indonesia was one of the panelists at Think Big Innovate 2012

Wow, it’s good to see that BIBD is expanding its benefits by partnering with Royal Brunei Airlines in an agreement where you can earn Royal Skies Miles through BIBD’s rewards programme – Hadiah Plus and Frequent Flyer Programme. So for every $1 spent on BIBD Credit Card, you get two Hadiah Points or with $2 spent on BIBD Debit Card, you get one Hadiah Point. So now with the new agreement, customers can redeem Royal Skies Miles if they want to. The other options they have is redeem cash back or annual fee waiver or an option to donate to charity. Eight Hadiah Points equates to 1 Royal Skies miles. Oh yeah, one more thing, to redeem it, you need at least 8,000 Hadiah Points. You can redeem by contacting BIBD’s call centre 223 8181 or by filling in the air miles redemption form at any of BIBD’s branches. Thumbs up to BIBD and RBA on the collaboration.

BIBD’s CFO Hajah Noraini and Acting CEO of RBA/Chief Officer Group Services Maswadi Hj Mohsin exchanging documents on the new collaboration

Another interesting week has been these teasers that have been coming out in the papers which numerous tag lines such as “Smile More”, “Little Things” and “Slow Down” and I bumped into familiar faces handing out cards in strategic places. I caught one at Airport Mall last week. I think something big is happening and I’ve never seen a company really spending a lot of marketing and brand awareness on such campaign. You can visit their facebook page –> redefined journey and you will stand a chance to win a flight too.. Hmmmm.. The clues are pretty obvious but let’s see what will happen next.

Good teaser and creating a good hype over the past week or so

This was taken at the Airport Mall last week

A big shout out to Brunei DPMM FC on their victory last night. They won a hard fought batter and it was also a must win situation if they wanted a good chance to win the S•League title from table leaders Tampines Rovers. Their 3-1 away victory against Hougang United FC gave them a point behind the leaders and now the title decider will be next Friday 2nd November where Brunei DPMM FC will take on Balestier Khalsa at the National Stadium while Tampines will take on Harimau Muda. I still remember DPMM FC coach Simunic said that their target was being in the Top 5 but now with only one point behind and a 99% chance of winning the S•League title, why not just go for the kill. I do hope that the stadium will be filled with DPMM FC supporters and also Brunei supporters as DPMM FC have represented Brunei in the past few years in the S•League and this is also a title decider. I expect the tickets to be selling like hot cakes too.

Sairol of DPMM FC holding the New Paper (Singapore newspaper) and he can’t wait for the final match on 2nd November. He hopes the public will come in numbers for the much anticipated match against Balestier. Well done, peeps!!

Another thing I want shout about is the amazing looks of the new iMac from Apple. Finee.. Apple announced the new iPad Mini but it didn’t steal the show for me as I’m hardly a tablet user. My iPad 2 is only active when I do my presentations or if I fly overseas. I’ve been eyeing for the latest iMac and boy, the screenshots of it doesn’t disappoint. The new 21″ iMac will be out in November while the 27″ will be out in December. I will probably sell of my 2010 iMac and target the 27″ model and the price starts at USD 1799 for the low specs while the 21″ starts at $1299. As for the iPhone 5 or the iPad Mini, they aren’t my priorities unless you want deliver them to me as my birthday present this January 2012 *lol*

Ok, I am sold!!!!!! Can’t wait!!!

For your info, this Monday 29th October, there will be a Google Developers Festival and it’s organised by Google Developers Group (GDG) Brunei and DST and it will feature an invited speaker which will talk on variety of product areas, code labs and all-day application development hackaton. This is part of the DevFest 2012 event. The 2 day workshop hopes to discover local developers, new talents and budding entrepreneurs at the same time. This is indeed a good opportunity to have such workshop in Brunei and with the growth of smartphone users in Brunei, this opportunity must be not taken lightly. Then again, the event has been sold out according to the website registration. This really shows the dedication of our local community in the development of ICT. I shall be covering this event and hoping to gain more knowledge.

A sold out event this week for GDG DevFest 2012

This is a strange incident to take place in Brunei. The power of whatsapp is also quite overwhelming as I received a few of these shocking pictures on my phone. It was not know what was the motive behind the commotion that took place near Gadong. He is apparently a Filipino in his 30s and he just walked naked in public. He also kinda caused some public disorder as he attacked a person and also reacted when he was confronted by the Royal Brunei Police Force. He actually works as a mechanic. As of now, he’s in the custody of the Royal Brunei Police Force. Image was courtesy of Whatsapp (source unknown).

The Filipino was apprehended by the police after the 15 minute ordeal. Not sure what his motive was or why he did it in the first place. Bizarre indeed!!

Do click image to enlarge

Ok, I’m not referring the synergy between me and her *lol* This was taken right after the press conference with Dato Siti Nurhaliza and AirAsia

A newer, fresher AirAsiaMegastore.com is here. The newly revamped online store now offers added enhanced features and provides a more personalized shopping experience for customers. With the new features, customers can save items in the wish list where friends and family can view them and surprise the customers with the perfect gift or compare items that is available at the store to give them a better insight about the chosen items on top of more brilliant features that are available.

The AirAsiaMegastore and AirAsiaMegastore.com were launched in July 2010 and offers customers a plethora of products including AirAsia merchandize as well as fashion and lifestyle products such as cosmetics, perfumes, watches and electronic gadgets. Through the online store, customers from major countries such as the United States, Australia and Canada along with Asean countries including Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

Apart from refreshed website, AirAsiaMegastore also announced is partnership with SimplySiti, the cosmetics brand which was founded by Malaysian songstress Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza who also serves as SimplySiti President. With the partnership, a wider range of SimplySiti products will be available at the AirAsiaMegastore and customers worldwide will be able to purchase them via the online store.

Present at the re-launch of AirAsiaMegastore.com and the announcement of the partnership with Simplysiti are AirAsia Berhad CEO Ms Aireen Omar; SimplySiti President Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza; Tune Talk CFO En Jalludin Abu Hassan and AirAsia iVentures General Manager Mr Dany Bolduc.

Waiting for the arrival of the Superstar

Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza gave her welcoming remarks

Guess who joined the press conference… Hulkie!!!

The members of the press

The members of the press

AirAsia iVentures General Manager Mr Dany Bolduc, SimplySiti President Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza and AirAsia Berhad CEO Ms Aireen Omar

SimplySiti President Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza and AirAsia Berhad CEO Ms Aireen Omar

There was a special press conference segment for the Brunei and Indonesia press *Woohooo* Perhaps the best moment for me was when I was just sitting next to her during the press conference because of the limited space in the room and we had the privilege to ask her more questions.

When asked about Brunei Darussalam, she spoke highly of Brunei market and thankful to Paloma for doing a good job in Brunei. Emie Yusoff, the Vice-President and the Business Development of SimplySiti also hopes that Brunei will increase its outlet (currently 3) to cater to the demand in Brunei. He revealed that it wasn’t easy to choose a distributor in Brunei alone. He hinted that such company must have a good track record, good network and team and most important of all, attitude. These are probably some reasons why SimplySiti have not gone full blast in regional countries.

Dato Siti also revealed that her next target market will be Indonesia and the Middle East. She was also happy to say that her fragrance has equaled her cosmetics in terms of sales and brand awareness. Despite her pursue in business, she still continues her profession as a singer. She will be performing next month in Malaysia and Jakarta in December.

In conjunction with the re-launch, AirAsiaMegastore.com is offering over 50% discount on selected products and for a limited time, those who purchase SimplySiti products will get a free AirAsia shower bag. There will also be Weekly Hot Online Deals where customers can save up to 30% on selected items. Log on to www.airasiamegastore.com to check out the promotions. On top of that, AirAsiaMegastore’s partner Tune Talk is also offering free SIM cards with RM2 preloaded airtime as well as RM20 reload for only RM10. Both offers are only available at the AirAsia Megastore at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang, Selangor.

It was a pleasure indeed to get up close and personal with Dato Siti and thank you once again to AirAsia for making it possible and arranging all the logistics too. Thank you to Natasha and Anita of AirAsia for the arrangement :))

The VIPs checking out the the AirAsiaMegastore kiosk at LCCT

Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza testing out her product

Another photo opportunity at the kiosk

This was sweet when she carried a newborn baby at AirAsia HQ

Another private press conference with the superstar herself. You can tell how close I was 😀

The press member from Indonesia

Thank you AirAsia for making it happen 😀

Do click image to enlarge

Mr. Sung Wook Jo, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the Republi of Korea in Brunei Darussalam (right) hosting lunch with the local media

In an effort to assist in streaming potential agenda in Brunei’s successful biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in accordance with the nation’s Chairmanship for the next Asean Summit in 2013, the Republic of Korea, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, have gathered experts to speak at the Asean Korean Biodiversity Cooperation seminar.

The seminar, which is set to be held from tomorrow to Friday, presents an avenue for the expert panelists to exchange views and experience, and facilitate scientific research efforts on diversity among related countries.

Speaking to the local media yesterday was Mr Sung Wook Jo, Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Brunei Darussalam.

He highlighted that during the Asean-Korean Commemorative Summit in Jeju 2009, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has proposed that the Kuala Belalong Field Centre be utilised as a venue for environment research. In view of this, Brunei and the Republic of Korea have agreed to undertake a joint project to convene at the Asean-Korea Biodiversity Cooperation Seminar.

He said the seminar will further promote the public’s awareness on biodiversity of Asean and Borneo Island in particular. The seminar will carry the theme ‘Current and Future Challenges to Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Asean region.’

“The seminar will focus on talks given by experts and policy makers from the Republic of Korea and Brunei as well as other Asean countries,” said Mr Sung, before adding that at the end of the seminar, a ‘policy-oriented report’ based on seminar presentations and discussions will be tabled. This is to facilitate implementation on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, he said.

The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar is expected to deliver a keynote speech during the opening ceremony for the seminar tomorrow. And yes, the seminar is open to the public at The Core UBD tomorrow in the morning (Wednesday).

The experts include Dr Jin Han Kim, Director of Research Cooperation Division and Dr Byoung Yoon Lee, the Director of Plant Resources Division, both from the National Institute of Biological Resources. Also expected to deliver their papers are experts from the Korean Environment Institute and the e-Government Innovation Centre (eG.Inc) at UBD, as well as experts from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

The proposed venue for the seminar will be at The Core, UBD and the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, Temburong District. Text courtesy of Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

We had lunch at a Korean Restaurant called Silla. It’s highly recommended.

Aziz served us as well. Nice t-shirt btw bro haha

What sexy eyes the new Audi A4 has….

Last Saturday, TCY Motors Sdn Bhd officially lanuched the latest A4 Sedan and Avant model at Radisson Hotel. In my opinion, I love the Avant model because of its design.

Presence during the launch were Teng Ching Ying, Chairman of TCY Motrors Sdn Bhd and Helmut Domas, Acting German Ambasssador to Brunei. The welcoming remarks was made by TCY’s After-Sales Manager Francis Chan and he reminded the guests that all Audi cars have a 5-year warranty and because of its regional support system, it allows Brunei to have a much quicker response on any matter regarding Audi vehicles.

A few good reasons to get the new A4 – a lighter engine than previous model, 28% more torque output, lesser petrol consumption than previous models and reduction of CO2 emissions.

For more information about the new Audi A4 Sedan and Avant, call 244 2333 for the Kiarong showroom or 239 0725 for the Lambak showroom. You can also follow their updates on Facebook.

TCY’s After-Sales Manager Francis Chan gave his welcoming remarks

The chairman unveiling the new Audi A4

I present to you the new Audi A4

The invited guests taking a feel of the new car

Helmut Domas trying out the new A4

CJ and Efra were there at the launch

Jazz Hayat entertaining the guests with some cool numbers

With the organisers and partners for TechXpo 2012

A signing ceremony was held at Seri Kerna Hall, AITI Building, in Anggerek Desa recently for partners of the upcoming TechXpo.

Representatives from event organiser InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) and event manager Sunlit Advertising Sdn Bhd were present at the ceremony, as well as event and activity partners.

Signing on behalf of the event organiser were IFB Chairman Pg Abd Ghani Pg Hj Metussin and IFBSecretary Hj Abd Ghani Hj Omar, whilst signing on behalf of the event manager were Sunlit Advertising Executive Director Dato Hj Danial Hj Hanafiah and Sunlit Advertising Managing Director Jackson Ting.

The event partners for this year’s TechXpo are Brunei Times Sdn Bhd as the Print Media Supporter, Oregon Systems as the Official CCTV Service Provider, BT Forwarding Company as the Official Forwarder, Orchid Garden Hotel as the Official Hotel, Oxford Business Group (OBG) as the Official Media Partner, Ranoadidas.com as the Official Social Media Partner, Bayu Ilham Motors Sdn Bhd as the Official Transporter, Aewon Garment & Embroidery Sdn Bhd as the Official Apparel Provider, Radio Televisyen Brunei as the Official Broadcast Media Partner and Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) as the Official Telecommunications Partner.

The activity partners for TechXpo 2012 include STEP Centre of the Ministry of Education (MoE), who will hold IT-related activities; Tech One Global Limited, who will carry out IT literacy training; and Asia Oceania Regional Software Park Alliance, who will be hosting Business Matching activities.

The TechXpo 2012 will be held from December 1 to 4 at the International Convention Centre in Berakas. This will be the third instalment of the technology fair, that looks to inform and educate industry players and the public on the latest developments, products and services.

This year’s TechXpo is held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific ICT Awards 2012, a collaborative network which focuses not only on knowledge sharing and innovative benchmarking, but also on business facilitation between business communities from the member countries.

The TechXpo 2012 will also feature the first Enterprise Business Matching and Product Sharing Session organised by the Asia Oceanic Regional Software Park Alliance, which is envisioned as a one-stop platform for enterprises to meet and network thus expanding business opportunities, as well as contributing to the development of the ICT industry.

One of the event partners, Oxford Business Group (OBG), will also be providing “The Report Brunei 2011”, a publication launched in Brunei this year in March, to the expo’s VIP members and delegates.

OBG is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm that publishes economic intelligence on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

The TechXpo 2012 is supported by the Prime Minister’s Office, MoE, the Ministry of Communications and AITI. Al-Haadi of The Brunei Times.

Representing IFB and Sunlit Advertising

Representing Oxford Business Group

Representing BT Forwarding Company

Representing who else….

Representing The Brunei Times

Representing TechOne Global

The official t-shirt for TechXpo 2012

Irene and Hui Chiet of Sunlit Advertising

It’s happening tomorrow (Wednesday)

“Embracing the creative evolution”, the theme for this year’s Think Big Innovate Forum, will put the spotlight on creative arts and multimedia as the next most important tools that will spur entrepreneurship and innovation in Brunei.

“We’ve been doing this for five years now, and each year we have central themes; cloud computing, social media, mobile applications, innovation, and this year’s edition, we’ll be focusing on the advent of multimedia and creativity,” said Delwin Keasberry, the programmes manager at Asia Inc Forum, organisers of this year’s conference.

This year’s theme coincides with the country’s recent initiatives to promote creativity amongst the youth and encourage more local businesses to venture into the creative industry, he said.

Such initiatives include the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports’ latest drive towards supporting creative industry development, The Brunei Economic Development’s creative arts facility (CRAFT) and the iCentre’s Think Big iMMerse Challenge.

“We set the trend before things get hot or become mainstream. We believe that in the next few years, for corporations, organisations, NGOs and SMEs, the digital multimedia engine behind marketing will be one of the things that will be used more and more,” said Keasberry. For more insight, you can click here.

The Think Big Innovate Forum, be held on October 24 at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, is expected to bring together 250 representatives of ICT industry players, government, business community and educational institutions. Source: Al-Haadi Abu Bakar of The Brunei Times.

Let’s come and show your support

DeStress Bodyworks celebrate its 9th Birthday this October. They are offering a variety of Facials and Body Relaxation treats designed to relax and treat your skin’s individual needs.

As a way of expressing their sincerest appreciation for your kind support, they are offering a special Aroma massage package of 6 Hours for $ 108/- with free 30mins herbal steam from now till 30th Nov 2012.

Come and join them on our DeStress Open day from 26th-28th Oct 2012. Win attractive Lucky draw prizes from Apple iPad 2 to latest Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Free Door gift for you and your friends when you come in for Skin consultation. Visit us at : Unit 7 & 10 Blk D Muhibbah Complex Jln Gadong Tel: 2428828 / 8771288 and also at A1, 1st Flr Latifuddin Complex, Jln TungkuLink Tel: 2428898

This musical will be a good catch indeed

Seri Mulia Sarjana School on its 20th Anniversary is proud to present Peter Pan The Musical a school production by arrangement with Samuel French and International Theatre and Music (IT&M London) on the 25th of November 2012 at 7:45pm. The musical will be staged at the Jerudong Park Ampitheatre and ticket prices are $15, $35 and $100 available at all Seri Mulia Sarjana School Front Counters.

A well-known and much appreciated musical, Peter Pan the Musical is presented by professional and amateur productions worldwide and is popular for their characters – Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Captain Hook and his sidekick Smee, Tiger Lily, the Lost Boys, pirates and of course TinkerBell.

Peter Pan the Musical will take us to Neverland where children are exposed to endless imagination and creativity, two things that Seri Mulia Sarjana School persistently instills amongst its students as they serve as foundations of numerous possibilities.

This production is being staged by Seri Mulia Sarjana School as commemorative of the school’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. This is also an avenue for the school to expose its students to the performing arts and most importantly to involve the whole school in a community outreach for the benefit of Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah Fund for Orphans. Proceeds from the Peter Pan copyright will also go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Join them in this event and be a part of our community outreach.

If Deno Goh was a jury for the Apple vs Samsung case, it wouldn’t take a rocket science to figure which side he will take :p Today’s article was a response of Deno’s article on the iPhone 5 “A Fruity Disaster”. Click image to read the reader’s comment.