Dayang Nur Syukrina binti Dato Mohd Roselan and Dayang Nurhuaida Fakhriah binti Damit, AMBD representatives during the media briefing.

Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD), following a press conference held on Monday, 2nd May 2015, announced that this year’s National Savings Day 2016 will be launched on today, Wednesday, 4 th May 2016.

The first National Savings Day was declared by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, as Chairman of AMBD on 28th May 2015.

The theme for this year’s National Savings Day- “Financially Literate Generation” was chosen to reflect the goal to raise a financially literate and independent generation. This will also contribute to the Wawasan Brunei 2035 objective towards a dynamic and sustainable economy, as well as highly-skilled population.

In collaboration with Tabung Amanah Perkerja (TAP) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other related agencies, AMBD will be organising a number of activities which include roadshows to primary schools at all four districts. The roadshows, amongst others, will include interactive games on financial management and introduction to currency by AMBD, TAP and relevant institutions and agencies, geared towards primary school students.

On Sunday, 22 May 2016, a Financial Fun Fair will be held at Jerudong Park Playground and will feature a host of family fun-filled interactive programs and activities also by AMBD, TAP and relevant institutions and agencies, geared towards the general public.

In addition, other events planned for in conjunction with the National Savings Day 2016, are the Financial Planners’ Day organized by the Centre for Islamic Banking and Management (CIBFM), AMBD’s training arm, on Thursday, 26 May 2016, followed by a Financial Planners’ Showcase on Saturday, 28 May 2016.

For more information on National Savings Day 2016 please visit www.ambd.gov.bn or email  at corpcomms@ambd.gov.bn

Nurhuaida briefing to the press

 

Awfa Nawawi, Heidi Rahman, Rahman Tarsat, Chris Woo, Jordan Yau, Gerald Goh, Rano Iskandar and Aziman Nasir

New Executive Committee members of the Brunei Speakers’ Club (BSC) for the term 2016-2017 were elected at the SEAMEO VOCTECH, Gadong last night.

The meeting saw the election of Jordan Yau as President of Brunei Speakers’ Club. Meanwhile, Gerald Goh, Rano Iskandar, Rahmat Tarsat, Heidi Rahman, Aziman Nasir and Awfa Nawawi were elected as Vice President Education, Vice President Membership, Vice President Public Relations, Secretary, Treasurer and Sergeant at arms of BSC, respectively.

Congratulations to the newly elected Executive Committee and their term will being on 1st July 2016. You can view more pictures on the Brunei Speakers’ Club website.

Newly elect President, Jordan Yau, giving his remarks

26 active members of BSC turned up last night for the Annual General Meeting

It was fun to listen to all the speeches by the nominees. The highlights of the night.

 

Listen to the podcast review of The Hunger Games finale with co-host @delgoh and special guest Nee Khern

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Rakiah and Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Jeffriah at the SMSS’ graduation ceremony yesterday

I’ve missed the event yesterday because I was attending another lecture on entrepreneurship by Mark Brown. Congratulations to Fatin, Ijah and Muazzam on their graduation and award ceremony from Seri Mulia Serjana School (SMSS) and it’s the 17th edition and the event took place at The Rizqun International Hotel.

In attendance were Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Rakiah and Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Amal Jeffriah. The guest of honour was Pg Ayup bin Pg Hj Othman, the Acting Senior Special Duties Officer, Private Education Section, Ministry of Education.

Congratulations once again 😀 I’m a proud brother and uncle.

Ijah receiving her certificate from guest of honour

Fatin receiving her certificate from guest of honour

Congratulations Muazzam for receiving bronze on his academic year

Two plays will be happening this week and early next week. One is an adaptation from Shakespeare’s Othello and the other is inspired by a local with the play entitled “Jong Sarat”.

The first play I will brief on is the Shakespeare’s Othello which will be performed by the students from the English Department Literature Team from Pusat Tingkatan Enam (PTE) Meragang. It will be happening tomorrow, Thursday 26th November and 28th November at 10am at the Lecture Hall, PTE Meragang. You can get tickets (only $1) by contacting 710 7876 or 813 0577.

I’m most likely to come for one of the shows of Othello. I’m a big fan of broadway and plays and to see our local students perform is something I’m appreciative about. It’s a good thing that there’s an avenue for students to showcase their talents, let it be actors or those behind the scenes as they all showcase their talents and abilities in the creative industry. Kudos to the team and the organiser.

So come let’s support the future generations of our country by supporting the play. You can also follow their updates on Facebook (/ptemeragang) or instagram @ptemeragang for updates.

Jong Sarat. Next up is SEEDS’ 7th play to date. SEEDS stands for Students’ Extracurricular and Educational Dramatic Society and this was formed back in 2008 under Sekolah Menengah Awang Semaun with the help of Brunei Amateur Dramatic Society (BADS). These are also initiative from students and teachers in helping to nurture and unleash their creativity and talents to the eyes of the public.

They had a preview last evening and unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend. Here’s the thing though. I won’t be able to make it even for next week’s dates of Jong Sarat (The Dream that changes everything) as I already committed in doing my speech and role for Toastmasters. My apologies in advance for this matter. I’ve attended previous SEEDS play before and I was amazed. I trust they will produce another fantastic show.

Get your tickets for either of these production nights:
30th November 2015, 7pm
1st December 2015, 7pm

Tickets are available at Sekolah Menengah Rimba for the following days and times:-

Wednesday 25th November:
7pm-9.30pm

Friday, 27th November:
3pm-9.30pm

Kindly contact for more information (via message only):
Telegram: telegram.me/seedsjongsarat
Whatsapp: +6738678673

You can also follow them on their website www.seedsbrunei.com or Facebook Page or instagram @seedsbrunei and if you are on instagram, just see their updates on #seeds7

The cast of Jong Sarat #seeds7

The musicians of Jong Sarat #seeds7

The Props designers of Jong Sarat #seeds7

Get your tickets now for Jong Sarat

You can connect your bracelets with on the Charmazing app and earn points

The launch of the Charmazing at Times Square

Forget Candy Crush.. (especially for the young female teens).. I just came across a new addictive game for the girls and it’s more on wearing accessories and earning points through sharing or connecting with other owners of the particular accessories. This items that I’m talking about is no other than Charmazing (bracelets with charms).

Now Charmazing has a unique way of interacting with other Charmazing users – through means of the Charmazing App (now available on Apple Store and Google Play). You can now explore into the virtual world where you can wear, share and trade with friends and connect with other designers, simply by playing with the App. Awesome, huh? This trend has been popular outside Brunei and Best Eastern (leading bookstore in Brunei) has brought in one of the STYLE ME UP collection to the Sultanate and I believe this will be a huge hit among teenagers.

The Charmazing starter kit

The Charmazing starter kit

The workshop of Charmazing at Times Square a few weeks ago

Check out Charmazing on Youtube

They have different range of collections to choose from Charmazing. Of course, the best to start off with the starter kit and it costs below BND 10 and you can also download the App and start connecting with other Charmazing owners. There are four sets in total and the biggest set is the Charmazing Deluxe Kit (the complete set with 6 bracelets with 12 assorted charms).

You can follow Best Eastern’s Facebook page or their instagram @besteastern_bookstore

You can also check out charmazing.com for more details on how to play around with it.

Available now at Best Eastern

It was a day to remember for 229 graduating students during the afternoon session last Wednesday of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)’s 27th Convocation as they received their Masters Degree and diplomas yesterday from His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD.

The recipients in the afternoon included master’s degree and diploma students, who were clearly happy to be receiving the reward for their studious efforts.

One such recipient was Hajah Azratul Azrina binti Haji Md Zain, who was the only student in the Diploma in Education course this year to attain a Pass with Distinction.

Hajah Azratul is a Business Art and Technology teacher from Sayyidina Husain Secondary School in Jerudong with five years of experience. Speaking to the Bulletin, she credited her success to hard work, giving her best and good support from the people around her.

On the course itself, she shared, “It taught me how to better handle students, how to approach students with different learning styles, and focusing more on SPN21 and how to communicate and collaborate well.”

She highlighted that she now feels better equipped after having undergone the course, and that she is looking forward to continuing her service as a teacher and also hopes to continue upgrading herself with higher qualifications.

Hajah Azratul also expressed her thanks to her lecturers, her family, friends and colleagues for their support.

Another recipient was Haji Mohammad Redzuan bin Haji Botty, who received a Masters of Education by Coursework, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education.

“Alhamdulillah, for the past two years of undergoing Masters of Education in Mathematics I have managed to obtain a lot of knowledge, skill and experience from discussions, academic readings as well as research that I carried out last year, and Insya Allah I will be able to fully use all that in my profession as a teacher and an education officer at the Ministry of Education.”

Haji Mohammad Redzuan teaches at Saiyyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School, but also aids in teaching at primary schools and at the Brunei Darussalam Teachers’ Academy on some days.
Sharing some advice, he said, “To those still studying, always stay motivated and always make an effort to strive to get out of your comfort zone as well as to try things as long as you can try things.”
This, he said, includes carrying out research, having independent learning, and not relying solely on lecturers or other people.

“Importantly, always know how to divide your time,” he added.

Norhafiza Rabiatul Adawiyah Noorazmi was another to graduate yesterday, receiving a Masters of Teaching in Secondary Education.

She said that she was happy to know that her hard work has paid off and to have received her certificate.

Speaking with the Bulletin on her experience, she shared, “The course was year-long and we taught classes in the morning and attend lectures in the afternoon, so that was like every day of the whole year for two semesters, but I know now that with this it was all worth it.”

Sharing some words of wisdom, she highlighted, “People should just go out there and go for an adventure to look for opportunities, and not to let it slip away by waiting.”

“I’ve recently been accepted to the English apprenticeship under the Brunei-US English Enrichment Programme, so I’m very lucky that after this I will be heading to Hawaii next month and we’ve started our course last year, so Alhamdulillah. So just be independent, go out there and don’t be scared,” she added. Text courtesy of Danial Norjidi, Izah Azahari & Wani Roslan of Borneo Bulletin.

Yesterday it was more of a pampering session. The morning session we paid a visit to Dermaster. It’s Thailand’s premier beauty and anti-aging service and it sounds like a niche market but when you compare with the services in Singapore, the prices are pretty reasonable and competitive against the regional countries.

What impressed me first is the service and the facilities Dermaster provides. It’s huge, three storey high and it even has a royal suite and specifically rooms for exclusive members. This show that they really take care of their customers.

They have 10 certified professionals ranging from different specialists (skin, hair, aesthetic, hair) and they will provide you a thorough consultation to tailor to your needs.

What caught my interest is the aesthetic and body center. I have heard of Thermage but never much of it until yesterday. It does wonder to your skin and the procedure is non-invasive, using radio frequency cosmetic procedure. Normally this will costs a bomb in Singapore but at Dermaster, it’s almost half the price.

Another that caught my eye is the “cool sculpting”, a revolutionary non-surgical body contouring treatment that eliminates stubborn fat (like mine) *lol* Yes, I do have a lot of side handles but of course, I have myself to blame for the poor control of food consumption on a daily basis. When I saw the presentation of “coolsculpting”, I was like… yes… finally..

However, an international officer consultant advised me that cool sculpting will be more effective after you tried all possible ways of losing weight such as exercising and dieting. If all natural methods seem to fail, then “cool sculpting” would do the trick. Oh well, but I’m quite impressed that Dermaster’s consultants don’t simply take in customers for the sake of earning but they will give their best advice possible and that’s how you win the trust of the customer. Thumbs up to Dermaster on that.

There is so much I can talk about Dermaster but I will leave it to you to do your homework. You can visit their website here for more details. By the way, there are also some Bruneians who used Dermaster’s services. Interesting!!

We went through a presentation on what Dermaster is all about

Something that I need to look at *lol*

One of the treatment rooms and they have plenty

The members area

The room for the exclusive members of Dermaster

This is quite a big place. It’s like all in one beauty center.

Wing getting her face scanned

Impressive technology to get a 3D picture of her face. And it’s quite detailed

They even have a small cafe to cater for their clients. They even have menu written in arabic. This is because they have high volume of Middle East customers.

Group photo with the lady in charge and the media. Thank you for hosting and showing us around.

Now this is the best experience massage I had in a long time. Maybe it was the first time I was given a body scrub as well as aromatherapy. The experience lasted at least two hours and it was so good that I fell asleep when Pui told me that he heard me snoring like a baby *lol*

After a heavy lunch, we were rewarded with a spa treatment. The service was pretty good. We were served with a soothing tea and a wet towel. They will of course take down details and preference so we will get the best experience within that two hours. The rooms were impressive with sufficient amenities to make you feel comfortable and like home.

I highly recommend you to give Divana Virtue Spa a go and mind you, you will have to do advance booking because of the popularity of the spa. It even bagged many awards internationally so you can tell how high of quality it offers. You can check out their website for more details and it even has a high rating on Tripadvisor with over 100 reviews. You can’t go wrong with Divana Virtue Spa. I feel whole after the treatment. So can you.

A nice cooling entrance at Divana Virtue Spa. It’s good to relate with nature.

Drinks were being served before treatment

The Divana staff taking down our profiles and also asking for oil preference

The rooms I had with Mr. Pui

I feel so blessed and pampered yesterday. A wonderful 2 hour experience.

We were served mango sticky rice after the session

With the owners of Divana Virtue Spa. Thank you for the experience.

 

The closing date is soon!! Hurry!!! click image to check out Facebook page.

It’s good to see such sporting events done by educational institution. I’ve seen Business School coming up with one last year if I’m not mistaken. Previous years, I remember UBD had a small run event as well. The event that I’m gonna blog about now is a running event done in a bigger scale and championed by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

A few days ago, a “Green Pledge” was conducted at the UBD Campus as a curtain raiser for the UBD Green Run 2014 happening on 14th September 2014. The idea of the pledge is to raise awareness on UBD’s green initiative.

There was a short welcoming remarks by Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq, UBD Assistant Vice Chancellor, who pledged to two things to raise awareness on green. Firstly, he will walk around the campus of UBD instead of driving back and forth and secondly, he will set his air condition to 28 degrees in his room. Both pledges he made will be carried out until the 14th September. He thanked all the sponsors and supporters involved – Armtrix Enterprise, Fitness Zone, Plus Magazine, Rentokil, Maju LSK Sdn Bhd, Greencity Concept Sdn Bhd and Goh Hock Kee Motors.

He praised the likes of Persatuan Mahasiswa UBD (PMUBD) and Alumni Guild for their close collaboration and support in organising the UBD Green Run and also not forgetting the all committee members and the 120 volunteers of the UBD Green Run 2014 for their unwavering support to host the UBD Campus Green Pledge.

The closing date for the UBD Green Run 2014 is Sunday 31st August 2014.

For more updates, do check out their instagram handle @ubdgreenrun or hashtag #ubdgreenrun or also their Facebook page.

Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq, UBD Assistant Vice Chancellor with the organising committee and sponsors during the UBD Green Pledge last Wednesday

Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq pledged to walk around the campus and also set his air-condition to 29 degrees

Students and the public signing pledges

Dr Mohd Ayub Sadiq signing his pledge

Have you signed yours?

Payment for the registration of the UBD Green Run. Do take note!!

 

RBAF Obstacle Course Challenge 2014

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces will be organising RBAF Obstacle Course Challenge 2014 which will be happening on 28th September 2014. This is the first of its kind and I was wondering myself when will Brunei come up with an obstacle race just like how Singapore has been conducting for the past few years. So it’s really good to see that such sporting event is being held in Brunei and I’m pretty sure the interest will be high. Furthermore, after posting the image on my instagram, there have been tons of tags and mentions to spread the awareness among their friends. So that’s a good sign to see the high level of interest on obstacle challenge race.

The venue of the event will be at Royal Brunei Air Force, Rimba from 0630 hours to 1200 hours. The distance for men will be 10km with 9 obstacles and the distance for women will be 5km with 4 obstacles. The registration fee will be $50 for public and $30 for RBAF personnel.

The registration form can be retrieved at all RBAF gyms or you can contact Major Sufian bin Hj Mohammad Yassin 8982 066 for more details. This is the information that I have for now. I shall keep you posted on other materials soon.

RBAF Obstacle Course Challenge 2014

 

Breaking news: Official statement from AirAsia: AirAsia confirms there was an incident with Flight AK 278 at Bandar Seri Begawan International Airport, Brunei today at approximately 1600hrs.

All passengers and crew on board disembarked safely and there are no injuries reported for this incident. There were a total of 102 passengers and 7 crew on board.

Our ground services personnel are currently attending to the needs of all passengers concerned.

Our team is working with the relevant authorities to identify the root cause of this incident, and AirAsia will provide further updates as necessary.

Passengers disembarked from flight AK 278 after an unusual landing at Brunei International Airport. Image courtesy of Whatsapp.

A personnel from the fire department, helping to carry bags of the passengers to an assembly point. Image courtesy of Whatsapp.

Image courtesy of Whatsapp

The AirAsia plane that landed unusually on the runaway and skidded off to the grass area. Hats off to the captain of flight AK 278 to ensure everyone is safe. Image courtesy of Whatsapp.

Passengers are all safe. Image courtesy of Whatsapp.

The bus chauffeuring the passengers to the assembly point

 

The famous Tapak Kuda from M. Hana Bakery. Now it’s open for orders

Guess what, guys?? You can now order your cakes and biscuits just in time for Hari Raya and for many years, my friends have ordered through M. Hana Bakery because of the choices they have and they are yummy too. For your info, M. Hana Bakery has been one of the biggest household name when it comes to home made cakes and biscuits. But this time, they will only do cakes and cake roll.

The top selling ones are 1) American Chocolate Cake which now has 3 layers instead of 2 previously and 2) Tapak Kuda. Therefore, M. Hana Bakery has stocked up their materials to cater for the growing demand for both items. Other items for order are Kek Lapis Coffee Princess, Bueno Marble Roll, Tik Tak Roll, Kek Vico, Oreo Cheese Cake and many more (just check the order image below).

You can download the order form for cakes and biscuits [here]. The deadline for the final order is on 12th July 2014. For SMS bookings, you can contact 710 4474 or 7153030.

Cheese cake 9” x 9” for $15

American Chocolate Cake (3 layers) – 6” x 6” for $18 or 9” by 9” for $22

Oreo Cheese cake 9” x 9” for $18

Cake Vico 9” x 9” for $20

Kek Lapis Favourite Nutella 6” x 9” for $30

Bueno Marble Roll (Green orange) and Tik Tak Roll (white roll)

Kek Lapis Coffee Princess 6” x 9” for $20

I’m in love with their Tapak Kuda

Peah, Mel and Bakar devouring the Tapak Kuda last night

Seng Yee having a roll too

Check out the order available. Click image to download order form in PDF format

 

Pao Jian Wan of Concepts Computer (2nd from left) with Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer with the staff of Concepts Computer unveiling some of models that are going on discounts

This is how Concepts Computer gives back to the community and I always love their promotion because it involves the youth especially students. This is a very great deal for students and even teachers as they enjoy certain discounts on selected items such as the Acer notebooks and Epson printers to name a few or perhaps an Acer smartphone. Not to worry as membership pen drive holders will also benefit from the ongoing “Back-To-School” promotion. Check out the press release below given by Concepts Computer. Thumbs up to the promotion and happy belated to the man behind Concepts Computer, Mr. Vincent Pao. You can follow more updates on Concepts Computer on their Facebook page.

Education is one of the most important part of a healthy and growing society, which is why Concepts Computer is always glad to do promotions when it comes to “Back-To-School” periods. And as July/August is one of the larger “Back-To-School” period in Brunei, that is in terms of returns to primary and secondary schools and also more importantly, in terms of the start of higher education at institutes like UBD and ITB, Concepts Computer will be rolling out a huge selection of specials and promotions from well-known brands like Acer and Epson.

On offer from Concepts Computer is a slew of laptops from Acer, over ten models. Listed will be a sample of models that will be available during this period. First is the Acer Aspire E1-432-29574G50, available in black and on promotion for $468, usual price was $528. The Acer Aspire E1-432-29574G50 is an affordable 14” laptop with an Intel Celeron processor and is perfect as a beginner’s laptop, and a great introduction to IT literacy for young children. Next is the Acer Aspire V5-472P-21174G50, available in 2 colours, either champagne ice or cool steel, selling for $618, down from usual price of $718. The Acer Aspire V5-472P-21174G50 is a great introduction model for those looking to learn touch-screen computing on a Windows 8 machine. With an Intel Pentium processor, 4GB of RAMs and HDMI connectivity, the Acer Aspire V5-472P-21174G50 is also perfect as an at-home multimedia console that streams all of your multimedia onto your High Definition HDMI-connected TV screens.

Next model from Acer is the Acer Aspire V5-473PG-54204G50, also available in 2 colours, champagne ice or cool steel, on offer for $868, usual price was $998. It comes with touch-enabled screen, HDMI connectivity, an Intel i5 processor and a 2GB Nvidia GeForce graphic card, making the Acer Aspire V5-473PG-54204G50 the perfect multimedia laptop on-the-go. Next is the Acer TravelMate P645G-MG-54204G52, available for $1,108 per unit, down from the usual price of $1,308. It is classed as a business laptop, with it’s anti-shock HDDs and Acer’s patented Bio-Protection fingerprint security scanner, making the safety of your business-related data secure wherever you are.

Concepts Computer will also have 2 models from Acer’s portable line of smart phones and tablets, first is the Acer Liquid Z3S smart phone which during this promotion will be $128 and comes with a free 4GB micro-SD card, adding more space to an already affordable and utilitarian smart phone. Next is the Acer Iconia W3, a 32GB Windows OS tablet, on promotion for $398, down from the usual price of $428, making Windows-based smart tablets more affordable.

Acer Iconia W3, a 32GB Windows OS tablet,

Some of the Acer notebooks on promotion

Many of the Acer Aspire models on promotion

Epson printers making a name for itself especially among teachers and students. Now you can enjoy some discounts on selected models of Epson printers

Also on offer will be the full line of Epson L-Series printer with external ink tanks, ranging from the affordable Epson L-210 ultra high-yield all-in-one colour printer to the very robust Epson L-1800 A3 6-colours photo printer. With every purchase of any of the L-Series printer during this “Back-To-School” promotional period, customers are entitled to receive free full set of inks and free ream of papers. All Epson L-Series printers comes with genuine external ink tanks, a full set of bottled inks and 1 year warranty coverage, making the L-Series the best printing solution when it comes to quality and cost.

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer said, “Concepts Computer has always had a close relationship with students and teachers and the Bruneian education sector in general so it’s not a difficult step for us to cater to their needs specifically.” He continued, ”These promotions not only ensure a well-equipped student base in Brunei but also a well educated and IT-literate group of people who will be technically savvy and a huge resource for Brunei as a whole in the future.” Zul also noted that the promotions are not limited to those in higher education like universities or institutes, it is also open to students in primary and secondary education levels.

The “Back-To-School” promotions will be available from the 5th of July til the 26th of July, and will be open to all teachers and students, please bring proof to show that you are either a teacher or student in the form of ID, report cards or a formal letter from the respective educational institute. Also this promotion will be open to all Concepts Computer members, just show your membership pendrives when you make your purchase to take advantage of these promotions. To those who are not members, do not worry, registration will be open during this period as well. For even more information, please visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/2/3.

It’s always a great sight to see Vincent Pao behind the camera and working hand-in-hand with the media

Concepts Computer associates posing for the media

Check out the promotion deals at Concepts Computer

Concepts Computer celebrated Vincent’s birthday last week.

 

I only dropped by last Saturday just to check out the “Revelation of Muslim Clothing” exhibition. I believe it was a great success and it was great to see big names from Malaysia showcasing their products to the Brunei market and yes, there is such a demand for these products that they offer. The exhibition also had special talks on Aurat and Muslim clothing with the title “Aurat oh Aurat, I Cover Up for Allah SWT”. You will be surprised that there are many things we assume that what covering Aurat is and there are many things to learn about Aurat itself.

The Revelation of Muslim Clothing event also comprises of an area for ‘Used & Wearable Clothing’ as well as Hijabs, Baju Kurungs, Baju Melayu, Jubah, shoes, shirts and pants which is free of charge for the public, as well as 100 over Ramadhan goodies.

One of the names that caught my eye was Miss Nina whom I made acquaintance during her days in Teh Tarik Crew and they did perform once in Brunei Darussalam. I doubt she remembered me *lol* and now she’s doing quite well with her fashion label Mizz Demeanor and Madeena Clothing (a Muslimah fashion label). Another famous designer from Malaysia is Calvin Thoo who was recently in Brunei as well for the showcase.

Check out some of the pictures below. Some of the images taken from @feekscada @madeenamy instagram and images courtesy of Aziz Idris and Syazwani Rosli of Borneo Bulletin.

Hajah Izyan Ahmad Khalidi, the Managing Director of IWN Enterprise, the organiser of the “Revelation of Muslim Clothing”. Image taken by Syazwani Hj Rosli of Borneo Bulletin.

Hajah Izyan Ahmad Khalidi presenting Ramadhan goody bags at the event last weekend. Image by Aziz Idris of Borneo Bulletin.

Afiqah Ibnu with celebrity Mizz Nina of @medeenamy design line. Image taken from @feekscada

Mizz Nina at the event. Image taken from @mizznina1780

Afiqah and Zuraidah

A talk on Aurat

The event took place on the 7th floor at Centrepoint Hotel

The Madeena collection

Guess who was there? The passionate singer himself Fakhrul Razi who was selling his debut album Mutlak

It’s good to see @franatics_bn helping out the selling of his album

 

Acer Liquid Smartphones

Check out Acer Liquid smartphones

 

HSBC Personal Internet Banking

Click image to read more

BIBD – Let’s Go Mobile!

Let’s go mobile? Click more to find out!!

Icon Design Store

Click to enter website

The podcast review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What’s your take?

 

Numismatic enthusiasts at Numismatic Showcase organised by Koleksi Zul Zidane at S.C.G. Outpost Enterprise, Citis Square. The showcase sale will be until Sunday 30th March 2014.

Numismatic collectors eyeing some of the collections on display

The uncut RM2 dollar

The classes BND 50 note will be sent to US for accreditation

Check out the old notes

 

As another step to promoting the Sport of Paintball in Negara Brunei Darussalam, we have decided together with RBTS Paintball Arena to hold The 1st PERSATUAN PAINTBALL KEBANGSAAN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (PANTAS) BIG GAME!!

Don’t have anyone to play with??? Don’t have a team!?!? Don’t SWEAT!! Come and meet everyone in the paintball community!!! Bring your family and friends to come and play with us! Don’t worry we’ll sort the teams out, all players on all skill levels will be mixed up so that we can have a fun filled paintball day and get to know each other.

Details:

– max 50-70 pax

– max 10 teams

– max 7 players per team

– 2 Groups

Game format:

– round robin total elimination

Pricing – $85/- per pax

Included:

– all gear (Bring your own playing gear if you have them)

– 500 paintballs

Extra paint:

– $140/- per box of 2000 paintballs

– $40/- per 500 paintballs

Lets have fun and support Brunei Paintball!!!

For booking contact:

Email – pantasbrunei@gmail.com

Bandar/Tutong players: Kalel – 8611311, Pg Shahminan – 8733366. Charm – 8115500

KB players: Fairul – 8874055, Azeim – 8839146

Are you ready for some action this Sunday? Image taken from PANTAS Facebook.

It will be $85 for adult and guaranteed that you will have a blast. Image taken from PANTAS Facebook.

The promotional poster for Sunday

 

HSBC Personal Internet Banking

Click image to read more

BIBD – Let’s Go Mobile!

Let’s go mobile? Click more to find out!!

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With a Hollywood theme, Netcom Computer House celebrated their annual dinner at Mutiara Ballroom, Radisson Hotel. The event was welcomed by Vincent Goh, Managing Director of Netcom Computer House and he shared about the vision of the company to his employees. There were lucky draws and performances by the staff.

The event also honoured long serving staff – Mary F. Yanez, Grace Q. Lamela, Jean G. Vasquez and a special mention to Jackie Lim for her 10 years service to Netcom Computer House.

For you info, Netcom Computer House have five outlets – Kiulap, The Mall (Gadong), Mulaut, Tutong and Kuala Belait. They are the largest IT retail chain store in Brunei Darussalam.

Jackie Lim receiving her 10 years service award for Netcom Computer House

Jean G. Vasquez, Mary F. Yanez and Grace Q. Lamela receiving their 5 years service award

Vincent Goh, Managing Director of Netcom Computer House giving away lucky draw prizes

Vincent Goh picking some of the lucky draw

Vincent Goh giving away lucky draw prizes

Wady posing for the camera

Group photo of Netcom Computer House

 

Following his stratosphere jump in 2012, extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner is tackling his next big challenge on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. The Austrian will obtain a racing license and become a race driver with the Audi race experience team on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.


The Audi race experience makes it possible for Audi’s customers with sporting ambitions to enter racing. But never before has the program, which the Audi driving experience has been running since 2010, had as prominent a driver as this one. “It’s fantastic that we’re cooperating with Felix Baumgartner this year,” says Klaus Demel, the head of the Audi driving experience. “As an extreme athlete, Felix Baumgartner has been thrilling millions of fans around the world with his daring actions that combine ingenuity and exceptional technical demands. Now we’re familiarizing him with our sport, offer him a professional environment with our team, and are very excited about this new, joint challenge.”

As a guest entrant, Baumgartner has been gathering some racing experience in recent years during occasional runs in the one-make cups of the Volkswagen Group. The big difference in the 2014 season: the Audi R8 LMS ultra provides him with a 419 kW (570 hp) ‘pure-bred’ GT3 race car. The 44-year-old is completing an extensive preparation program before competing in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on June 21/22, 2014. His team-mates are equally prominent: The five- time Le Mans winner Frank Biela (D), the three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner (D) as well as the GT and sports car pro Pierre Kaffer (D) will be his colleagues in the cockpit.

“This task is totally exciting and I’m looking forward to driving races in an Audi,” says Felix Baumgartner. “During initial tests in the road-going Audi R8 I got to know the Nürburgring, and in the Audi R8 LMS ultra I’ve clocked a few kilometers on various tracks as well. I regard this task as one of the major projects in my life. The environment is perfect, the atmosphere is fantastic, and I feel really well taken care of by the Audi race experience. But it’s also clear that I’m basically starting from scratch because this sport is new for me.”

Felix Baumgartner to drive the Audi R8 at Nürburgring for 24 Hours

Former professional rally driver Josef ‘Sepp’ Haider, now the Audi race experience’s sporting director, is one of the instructors of his Austrian compatriot. “Felix is approaching his new task in exactly the manner that is the hallmark of a pro,” says Haider. “He’s eager to learn, has good judgment of the physical conditions, and is totally motivated. All team members have come to respect him in the initial tests. I’m very much looking forward to our joint journey.”

The team will be fielding another R8 LMS ultra in the 24-hour race. The drivers of this car have already been confirmed. Already last year, Dominique Bastien (USA), Rahel Frey (CH) and Christian Bollrath (D) formed a team. Christiaan Frankenhout (NL) will be supporting the Audi race experience as a driver for the first time.
Felix Baumgartner’s 2014 Nürburgring program:

• March 21–22 VLN, test and setup runs

• April 05–06 Qualification race, Nürburgring 24 Hours

• April 26 VLN, 56th ADAC ACAS H&R Cup
•May 17 VLN, Adenauer ADAC Simfy-Trophy

• June 21–22 Nürburgring 24 Hours

 

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In today’s headline in The Brunei Times. Get a copy now!!

The Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) competition for 2014 was launched today at the Dewan Seri Kerna, AITI building in Anggerek Desa. The Guest of Honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Communications. Yang Mulia Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Sertia Dato Paduka Haji Mohamad Yusof, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Chairman of AITI and Chairman of BICTA Steering Committee accompanied the Minister to the launching ceremony.

The event began with a recital of the Surah Al- Fatihah and Doa Selamat which was read by ….. The ceremony then proceeded with a welcoming speech by Hj Yahkup bin Hj Menudin, Chief Executive of AITI and Chairman of BICTA Working Committee. In his speech, Hj Yahkup highlighted that Brunei can have a global marketplace and this year’s theme is “Empowering a Digital Nation”. He is right about one thing – opportunities are aplenty and we do have the expertise. Of course, the aim here is to have a global reach in our capabilities and make that a reality. InsyaAllah.

The Guest of Honor then proceeded to launch BICTA 2014 with the BICTA video which gave the audience a glimpse of the timeline and prizes for BICTA. There were three presentations that were conducted by successful companies who have received grant from AITI. The companies are MeSixty Sdn Bhd, PHMD Publishing Company and Socialbuzz Advertising. These companies presented on how the AITI grant has helped in their operational activities.

BICTA, was initiated by the Ministry of Communications in 2004 with the main objective to stimulate innovation and creativity in local ICT industry amongst individual and organizations including SME and education Institutions. It aims to be the benchmark for local software development through competitions amongst each other and winners will be nominated to represent Brunei Darussalam in the annual Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award held in the regional. This year APICTA will be held in Pakistan..

Interested SMEs, Education Institutions and individuals who are motivated to create and develop the most innovative, intuitive, interactive and creative ICT products and services are welcomed and encouraged to showcase their talents in BICTA and to compete for a chance to win attractive cash prizes. The cash prizes for the top winner in each of the three categories are $10,000 for ICT Industry Project, $7,000 for Tertiary Student Project and $3,000 for School Student Project.

The Minister launching BICTA using Google glass

The Minister and other invited guests from the government and private sector

Chief Executive delivering his welcoming remarks

Aside from the awards for the 3 main categories, there is also the ‘Royal Patron Award’ which will be awarded to the “Best of the Best” product among all the categories, that is, the best amongst the first place winners in all categories. This biennial Royal Patron Award will be handed out by the Crown Prince at the BICTA 2014 Award Ceremony in September. In addition, there are 3 other special recognition awards this year namely ‘Islamic ICT Award’, ‘Community Services Award’ and ‘Young Developers Award’.

The Islamic Award is to encourage local talent to create solutions, applications or software that shares the Islamic knowledge, upgrading the Halal process, increase the Islamic law on business matters or Islamic social life style through ICT usage. Community Services Award is any application software, hardware or its combination to support the community in Brunei Darussalam with the aim to promote the rights and needs of particular groups; or to improve the wellbeing, quality of life and standard of living of the community with the ultimate intent to bridge the digital divide. Young Developers Award is meant for the most innovative ICT software, hardware or integrated solution developed by a participant under the age of 12. Through the Yong Developers Award, AITI hopes to generate the interest and support from the younger generation in ICT.

A series of workshops will be held from April onwards. This will be open to all interested participants of BICTA 2014. All schools and local ICT companies having their own ICT products and services are encouraged to participate. Application form can be obtained online from www.bicta.gov.bn. The deadline for submission online or to AITI’s office is on 11th August 2014.

Image courtesy of AITI

Khairi, one of the recipients from the AITI Grant

Liam of MeSixty, one of the recipients from the AITI Grant

Group photo with the Minister

Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of Total (Brunei), is an avid sailor and he recently competed in a friendly race at the Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 with his associates from Total (Brunei). His team came fourth in the invitational race in the private sector category. It’s all about the experience, the team work and the spirit that the organisation had last Sunday. It was good to see them participating in this prestigious event. Hope to see you guys competing again next year. Images courtesy of Total (Brunei).

Team Total posing for the camera in last Sunday’s Regatta Brunei Darussalam 2014 at the Royal Wharf

Yves Grosjean, the General Manager of Total (Brunei) and Rasimoon Adinin of Total

Team Total in action

Team Total in action

That’s a cool t-shirt for the event

Total team high in spirit during the race

Today’s the last day to register

Interested to rent a booth? Go to our website www.larianamaltongkatputih.com and you may get your downloadable forms there. Today is the last day of submission, the 5th of March at the 2nd floor, Bahagian keusahawanan & Pekerjaan, bangunan kementerian kebudayaan, belia dan sukan. #Brunei Full payment is needed upon submission and we will issue a receipt. Don’t hesitate to give this number 8659779 a ring.

Blood donation today at The Airport Mall organised by Pizza Hut Brunei starting 2pm later