Get a copy now available at Best Eastern or you can read Inspire at the local cafes in Brunei

Yesterday was a historic moment and a milestone for the 50 listed influential women residing in Brunei Darussalam. I believe there are more out there to date and of course, the editor need to pull the right resources in a given amount of time before finalizing the 50 influential women in Brunei. The second issue of Inspire is now available at Newsstand such as Best Eastern at a price of $5 or you can drop by and read them at most of the coffee shops in Brunei.

Yesterday was another launch of the Inspire edition. The guest of honour was Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and she inspired the audience about being sincere and truthful especially at workplace. She’s also a proud grandmother and emphasize the importance of family.

It was great to see Lee Yingshi, the gold medalist at the SEA Games for Wushu. Only 20, she shared to the audience that to keep doing sports to keep yourself healthy and also study smart in your studies.

Shaun Hoon made a great speech and dedicated it to his daughter who has been inspiring him. Well done on the special edition and I know how much work you have invest in this magazine.

For me, the women who have influenced or inspired me these past few years are as follows – My mom, my best friend Sophia Siu, Linda Chandler, Lily Chiam and my late godmother.

Hj Abdul Rahman Hj Metassim; Director of Aewon Garment and Embroidery giving a souvenir to the guest of honour, Datin Paduka Hjh Adina Othman

Unveiling the second edition of Inspire

Some of the 50 Influential Women attended the launch event

More 50 listed women from Brunei

I can’t wait for Cecilia’s book on the 20 women she wrote about. To released by early July.

Datin Adina values sincerity and family during her speech

Shaun Hoon the man of the moment

Mother and daughter 🙂

Lee Yingshi, the Wushu gold medalist answering some questions

Jane Keasberry, Principal of St. Andrew’s School

Group photo with the Deputy Minister

What follow next are the common rituals – selfies

…. and another selfie…

…. and another selfie…

…. and another selfie…

…. and another selfie…

…. and another selfie won’t hurt…

…. and what ever happened to the word usie? …

Mother and daughter

The social media lady power

 

Wu Chun and Calvin Chen making their own burgers at Burger King Brunei

Calvin Chen is currently in Brunei. I should have taken a photo with him. He was recently featured in 3 Peas in a Pod movie which I have watched twice

Some sauce on Wu Chun’s customized burger

Two celebrities at Burger King… Hmmm what are they up to?

 

It’s great to be back again but not dreading for work. I have countless piles of work pending and I don’t even know where to begin with. Probably an assistant would have suffice. I tend to be freer whenever I’m abroad and I feel under pressure whenever I’m in Brunei. Some even suggested that I get a PR status in Singapore since I was born there too. Singapore was fun. My trip was shy of a fortnight and I had a splendid time with my family especially my mom who is recovering from a minor surgery. I was also there in Singapore to celebrate her birthday earlier this week before I head back home.

A few highlights for me was the Earth Hour in Singapore, the release of the Adidas FX Flux in Singapore (though there is a big downside to that) and also the quick sneaks of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 hosted by Sony Pictures (Singapore). And of course, I was able to catch up with a few of my buddies in Singapore too. I shall be making another trip back if time permits and I hope to be there in time for the exclusive premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 before it will be released the following week.

I have yet to settle here back in Brunei and I’ve been spending more time catching on my deprived rest. I know this myself that I need to organise my things to get back in shape. I’m also pretty behind in my fitness level as I have registered for the 21km race for Sundown, end of May, in Singapore. So there are many things under my checklist before mid year kicks in and time has been flying pretty fast I must say. The other guilty thing(s) that I’m aware of are my resolutions for 2014 which I pledged for myself on 1st January 2014. I would say that I’m only 2% on it and this is already mid April *lol* Talk about commitment, aye? I hope my baby steps can give a much needed boost to get me going for my resolution.

I recently attended the BIT Council meeting and I learnt quite a few things that were shared among the members of the BIT Council. This actually stands for Brunei Information Technology Council and it’s spearheaded by the Minister of Communications. We recently were given a book which has a case study on Brunei’s indices rating on technology and it is being reported that we are pretty far behind when it comes to affordability. Many of us have questioned the credibility of the findings as it contradicts the predicted patterns of the consumer ends side of the things. Perhaps there wasn’t much explanation given in-depth on the findings and I believe the government have spend quite on a fortune on it too.

Recent weeks have been challenging indeed. Making new friends, reconciling ones and sustaining the closer ones. I have learnt the different types of characters that I’ve gone through and it was also a great reflection of myself too. Despite the awareness that I have, the choices I have made may not be favourable in the eyes of some. I have yet to reach my highest self and give myself a kick in the butt that I can do better. My connections with my trusted ones have been haywire to say the least. I have probably judged my own being too and allow others to judge my well being and actions. For now, it’s a rebuilding journey ahead. Lessons after lessons with many distractions along the way. Well, that’s how life is, right?

I’m gonna enjoy my Sunday and recover back from my sleepy eyes. Have a great Sunday, peeps!!!

Oh, below are some of the photos that I felt like sharing with your guys.

During my mom’s birthday earlier this week. Thank you, mom, for being a great provider to the family and continuously supporting us since Day 1. I surprised her with some flowers I bought from Takashimaya. Though there aren’t as big as others but this small gesture has more meaning and it was the first time I actually handed a bouquet of flowers to my mom personally 😀

Yazid Yakub what sapped me this picture earlier this afternoon and I wept a little seeing this photo. It shows how much I missed my high school years back in Geelong Grammar School, Victoria, Australia. Yesterday there was our class reunion on 94’ and sadly, I wasn’t able to join Yazid and the rest down under. The picture was taken during our final year prom night to mark the end of our high school years. Thank you for the memories 😀

A nameless soft toy given to me by @lilmopiko @timelessrealm. I have no idea why I was so attached to this toy and I carried with me wherever I went. Not until my trip to Penang in 2012, I lost it and till today, I couldn’t let go that feeling of attachment. Many lessons can be learnt here.

A match that I didn’t bother to catch live on TV but just rely on social media for updates. This was the rematch between Manny and Bradley and the Filipino managed to avenge his defeat by an unanimous decision. This is a great shot by the way.

Some billed this as a title decider. I think not. There are still plenty of points to play for. Should Liverpool beat Manchester City and Chelsea this month, it’s a high possibility the title could be virtually Liverpool’s. The season hasn’t been this exciting for many years as it has become a three horse race.

I tried these Burger King’s Drummets and I was impressed. It’s available now at our local franchise store at Bandar

I caught Wrestlemania and my reactions were pretty mixed. I love the finale though but the saddest part is to see The Undertaker’s streak to end by Brock Lesnar. Then again, it has to happen one day and Brock is a much better candidate to do so. Hulk Hogan didn’t do much to host Wrestlemania so I don’t see why the big hype. By the way, I had to fork out USD 60 for the PPV as I was watching it on WWE.com on my notebook.

These wireless Jabra earpieces are awesome especially for my runs. The only problem which can be annoying is when it’s trying to pair with my phone device. It may take some time to detect. A few days ago, I accidentally left these earpiece on the McDonald’s tray at Singapore. There goes my Jabra piece. How careless of me!!!

Great deals for those purchasing the Acer Smartphones at Concepts Computer. If you are senior citizen or even a teacher or a student, you can now get these Acer smartphones and you will be given a 2600 mAH powerbank (while stock lasts). Pretty cool, aye? So do drop by Concepts Computer and check them out. I shall be writing more on these special promotion by tomorrow. Stay tune!!

Chef Cathy from Royal Brunei Catering was participating in the recent FHA 2014 Culinary Challenge. She didn’t win in her category but she really enjoyed the experience. Her colleague Chef Ahmad bagged Silver Medal under the “Class 3B Pastry Showpiece”. RBC sent 8 chefs to compete in the Culinary Challenge recently held in Singapore.

There was quite a crowd at the recent FHA2014 held at the Singapore Expo. My feet were aching just walking through most of the halls. There were 10 halls altogether. Apparently those who attended previous FHA events said that there weren’t much difference.

Finally it rained in Singapore after weeks of dry spell. I’m also sporting my current favourite walking shoes too – Adidas FX Flux though I’m still bummed out that I missed out the Prism Flux edition.

I bumped into an old friend at the Changi Airport and she was transiting from her Umrah trip via Singapore. We kinda have matching head covers 😀

BIBD presentation for the final monthly “Barakah 5” winners presented by Caitlina Hj Haliluddin, Assistant Managers of Products & Segments, BIBD. Each of the winners received 100,000 Hadiah Points. The winners will join all the previous monthly winners for the grand prize of the Jaguar XF.

There will be a garage sale today. From 9am to 2pm. Venue: Simpang 38 House No. 22 Jalan Chempaka. Call 8989132 for details. Expect some toys, books, home decor and many more. The earlier the better. Who knows you will find some classic gems 😀

The UBD Spectacle 2014 is here.. I shall be paying this a visit pretty soon 😀

Some of the art installation at the UBD Spectacle 2014. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

Fiona the podiatrist was trimming my new customized insole for my running Adidas shoes and thank you so much for the great service. I shall talk about this soon and share with you my experience at The Sole Clinic at SOHO2, Singapore. I would definitely recommend you to try this place if you have problems with your feet or leg especially for runners.

The interesting phenomena that took Brunei by storm. This was the most trending picture last Tuesday. This image belongs to Rachael Yeo 😀

If you happen to be in Singapore, do visit Pasarbella. Interesting place with

Such a sad news to know that the Ultimate Warrior passed away. He was just on Wrestlemania 30 and came on RAW and passed away a day later. He is definitely a legend superstar for WWE and it was good to see him being inducted in the Hall of Fame

Another friend I bumped into in Singapore and we did a quick shopping at Zara. Happy belated Aziimah 😀

Mom bought a stack of this iTunes card at Qisahn at Far East Shopping Centre, Orchard Road. A USD 15 card only costs BND 20. Good deal, aye?

I miss this place already. This was my regular jogging spot at the Singapore Botanics Garden. The only place that I can appreciate nature and the green while burning my calories. The swing does bring some childhood memories.

A failed attempt to join the tai chi group at the Singapore Botanics Garden

Kristal FM taking snippets of the new menu at Sapphira bandar branch. More on that soon.

Gundam fans out there? Well, this special promotion is only at ISETAN at Shaw House, Singapore until 17th April

My Adidas haul in Singapore recently. Thanks Mom 😀