Her Royal Highness Princess Amal Rakiah with Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet recently at the FV pop-up store at The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Another photo opp with the Malaysian designers

I’m such a noob when it comes to fashion stuff. After being aware of Zalora and KLIHF, I only knew of FashionValet’s existence and never realised how big Fashion Valet is until recently. They are humungous to begin with.

You can tell how success a fashion portal is when it crashes from time to time (whenever they have new releases of their scarfs).

Apparently FV is quite popular here in Brunei and according to Vivy Yusof, co-founder of FashionValet, the market share for Brunei spenders are 15% and increasing. Hence, it’s such a timely manner for FV to make their presence felt physically in Brunei. Vivy wanted Bruneians to have a real feel rather than relying on virtual imagery on the few hundred collections under FashionValet.

Vivy was very overwhelmed with the responses from the public as hundreds flocked in to make purchases from the 30 designers where Vivy selected to bring to Brunei. The weekly event has been more than a success and Vivy vows to learn from their first showcase in Brunei held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club. This is because more than 60% of their inventory was bought in the first two days and thanks to the special discounts given to Standard Chartered Bank customers last weekend and also to the top FV spenders from Brunei.

I had the privilege to be invited by the team from FV for a Sungkai dinner last weekend and also interviewing the co-founder herself Vivy Yusof. Just one word to describe her – humble 😀 and I could see how dedicated she is in taking care of her fans as she continuously accepted photo requests from the incoming guests. I salute you Vivy for your constant high energy and being so accommodating at the same time.

Brands available for purchase at the event included Alia B, Syomirizwa Gupta, nh by Nurita Harity, emel by Melinda Looi, Poplook Premium and Mimpikita.

This is the biggest Raya campaign FV has worked on thus far. It is also one of the most exciting and rewarding times for FV and its customers as the Raya festivities inches closer.

The FV pop-up store will be at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom of The Empire Hotel & Country Club until June 17, open from 10am to 10pm. I believe by now there won’t be much choices due to the great responses from the public. Sometimes I wonder if the economic downturn has no effect on FV loyal customers.

Team FashionValet posing for the camera. Vivy and her husband are truly thankful to the team for helping them out in this journey

Familiar faces that are big fans of FashionValet

 

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development handing out donation accompanied by Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director

BIBD today continued its commitment towards elevating the welfare of under privileged families in Brunei with donations towards more than five thousands recipients from all four districts.

BIBD also handed out special prizes to eleven orphaned students in recognition for their dedication to excelling in their education through the “Skim Hadiah Galakkan Pelajar-Pelajar Yatim Cermelang 2015”.

This was presented by Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Bahrin bin Abdullah, BIBD Chairman and Minister of Development, who was accompanied by BIBD Managing Director Yang Mulia Mr. Mubashar Khokhar.

The donations were handed out together at a ceremony held at the International Convention Centre in partnership with the Community Development Department (JAPEM), Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, BIBD’s core values is always within supporting our society,” said Mr. Mubashar Khokhar, BIBD Managing Director. “BIBD is dedicated to support the Brunei Government and the country’s initiative in helping communities to develop and move forward towards achieving Wawasan Brunei 2035.”

In keeping up with the spirit of Ramadhan, the cooperation with JAPEM is part of BIBD’s multi-platform efforts in providing support to the Brunei community, which includes BIBD’s annual Sirah Amal programme and the on-going development of its BIBD Advocating Life-Long Learning for an Aspiring Future (ALAF) programme.

 

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You can check out the mock condo at Jalan Aman. Contact 717 5612 for appointment

I’ve heard of the condos along Jalan Aman and only yesterday I had the privilege to wonder around the mock condo of Aman Hills Residence which is slated to be completed in 2017. This could be the first where the developers are building both a condominium and a shopping mall under one umbrella.

As mentioned by Feeona Abdullah, sales representative of Proland REalty, some of the 60 units of the condominium have been taken and of course, there are still units available if any of you are interested. I kinda love the concept of the condo at Aman Hills Residence and anyone who stays here will appreciate the facilities it provides and also the convenience of shopping outlets in the coming years.

The mock condo has a four bedroom (one master bedroom), a jointed living room and dining area with a dry and wet kitchen area. The mock condo doesn’t included the furniture and other electrical appliances such as refrigerator and air condition. However, upon request, these items can be included with a different price range for a fully furnished condo.

The long spacious area with a size of 2,152 sq ft

The TV area. As mentioned, the mock condo just showcasing how it looks like with furniture. The prices stated are all unfurnished.

The master bedroom at the very end with a bathroom attached

As I mentioned earlier, there will be shop houses (two storeys), ice skating rink, bowling alley and Do-It-Yourself Hardware Store and not forgetting the influx of franchise brand in the food & beverage industry.

If you refer to the prices, the Aman Hills Residence offers different price range as low as BND 288K to BND 428K (unfurnished). Another gimmick offered by the developers are that once you buy the property, you can also earn rental with a 5% guaranteed rental returns per year for five years as it will be fully managed by Proland Realty. So you can say it’s a hassle-free investment with good returns.

For viewing of The Aman Hills Residence, you can contact 717 5612 for appointment and she will be more than happy to assist you.

The wet kitchen

One of the smaller rooms in the 4 bedroom condo

The pantry/dry kitchen area

The bathroom/toilet

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The shop that I frequent in Singapore – Toy Outpost at Plaza Singapura. Image taken from their website.

That’s how it is. When you create opportunities and there is a huge demand, then it’s ideal to have new entrants into the market. I have been noticing the late surge of cube stores in Brunei. I saw this concept at Singapore many years ago at Plaza Singapura and I thought it is such a great way to sell items without dealing with high operating costs. I frequent there a lot because they mostly sell figurines and mini-figures (lego) and WWE products. They are very focused in their theme so I know I won’t be wasting my time and most of the items on display would relate to me. Of course, I also like to hunt for novelty products.

Now Brunei is more like an untapped market and we are beginning to enjoy the concept of window shopping at cube stores. This can help to promote small businesses or SMEs to start off their business on a smaller scale and test the market. Those who make a side business through means of social media will find this very handy indeed.

The concept cube store that was the so called pioneer was SCG Enterprise. It started in Seri Q-Lap Mall and now expanded its services at Citis Square. Now malls in Brunei are showing similar trends of cube stores. Well, it’s a good thing for the owners of the cube stores because it’s also a good income for them to sustain in maintaining cube stores and it’s more of a perpetual income on the basis of subletting the cube spaces.

Let’s just hope that we won’t have too many of it as our market is pretty small. In my opinion, the biggest advantage for cube store owners is location and maybe on branding presence. The latest one I saw was at The Mall Cineplex and it has a very clean, fresh concept. It’s very ideal especially for movie goers who would spare some time to shop before catching a movie.

Good luck to all the SMEs and who knows one day I might need a cube space of my own 😀

The latest cube store that I came across outside The Mall Cineplex

As part of their Ramadhan activities, Total E&P Borneo B.V. (TEPB) organized their fifth annual Ramadhan Charity, which provided in-kind assistance to the local communities where Total operates, namely Kg Lumut 1 & Kg Lumut 2 in Mukim Liang (where the Total Onshore Processing Plant is located) and Kg Sabun in Mukim Serasa (where Total Logistic Base is located). Total also planned another donation handover for an orphan of their former staff.

Focusing on the assistance to the local community mentioned above, a total of 10 Total staff volunteers were split into two teams to handover the donations concurrently to five (5) households in Kg Lumut 1 and Kg Lumut 2 in Belait District and another five (5) households in Kg Serasa, Brunei & Muara District.

The  donations consisted of daily necessities like rice, oil, bottled water and other food rations and utilities prepaid cards provided by the company and also personal contribution by Total staff members. The assistance was intended to help the underprivileged individuals of both villages to better celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which is just around the corner.

The Total volunteers & MPK Lumut 1 representatives in a group photo at the residence of Dyg Hayati bte Japar in Kg Sungai Bakong

Dyg Sukarelawati (2nd right) in a group photo with the Total volunteers and MPK Lumut 1 representatives

Fauzi bin Osman (middle) receiving the donation from the Total volunteers at his residence

The recipients were selected based on the list of provided by the Islamic Religious Council Department. As they are mostly listed under the ‘faqir’ & ‘miskin’ or underprivileged individuals category, it is understood that they are currently receiving fixed term financial assistance from MUIB under the Baitul Mal fund. In addition, some recipients were also selected based on further consultation with the respective Village Heads. Donation to local community in Kg Lumut 1 & Lumut 2, Mukim Liang, Belait District The Total volunteers in Kg Lumut 1 & Lumut 2 was led by Zulhilmi Rambli, Corporate Communications & CSR Executive. In addition, the group was also accompanied by several representatives from the Lumut 1 Village Consultative Council (MPK Lumut 1) led by Awang Ho Chang Fui.

One of the recipients, Sukarelawati binti Ismail, 41, resides in Kg Sungai Tali Lumut 2. It is understood her husband passed away just over a month ago. Now, she is a single mother with five children. Her family currently resides at her in-law’s house. It is understood that she supports her family mainly by jointly operating a food stall at a nearby location. In addition, her family also receives a fixed term financial assistance from the Baitul Mal fund to cover expenses of her children education.

Meanwhile, the team in Pekan Muara and Kg Serasa was led by Muhammad Rasimoon Hj Adinin, Head of HR, Corporate Communications and CSR. Present to assist the Total group of volunteers were several representatives from the Village Consultative Council of Masjid Lama, Pekan Muara, Sabun, and Pelumpong. The MPK was led by its Head of Village, Pengiran Haji Mohamed bin Pengiran Haji Osman @ Othman. One of the beneficiaries is Awg Suhaimi bin Hj Masri, a 40 year old father with 7 dependents – a housewife and 6 children. He earns a living by going out fishing at sea three to four times a week. Without any fixed income, the family relies on a fixed term financial contribution from the Baitul Mal fund.

Pengiran Haji Mohamed bin Pengiran Haji Osman @ Othman (Ketua Kg of Masjid Lama, Pekan Muara, Sabun, and Pelumpong) handing over the donation to Abdul Rahman bin Inchut in Kg Serasa as Rasimoon Adinin (2nd left) of Total looks on

Group photo at the residence of Awg Suhaimi bin Hj Masri in Kg Perpindahan Serasa

 

Times Square Shopping Centre is having its next lucky draw prize presentation of the 5th Lucky draw campaign on Sunday, 9th August 2015 at 2.00pm. This would be the third draw of the 5thLucky draw campaign in 2015.

In order to join, customers may shop, dine, stay in Times hotel or watch movies at Times Cineplex (Times Square branch) then submit the receipts of the day to the lucky draw counter located in front of Dee Jay.

There are no minimum purchases required and all customers may participate as many times as they wish. This however, does not apply for purchases made at the food court. 20 daily winners will be contacted everyday where these winners are then shortlisted to join the lucky draw prize presentation.

So there are plenty of reasons to head to Times Square and be part of the lucky draw. You have at least a month from now to shop and dine. I’ve been dining and watching movies on many occasions. Perhaps a better time to put my name in the draw 😀

The quarterly draw at Times Square Shopping Centre back in May 2015. The next will be in August. Good luck 😀

You are even entitled when you catch a movie at Times Cineplex. We caught Awang Semaun two weeks ago with my social media buddies.

 

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Let’s help Azeemah who will be trekking at Mount Snowdon to raise funds for Syria through the Human Relief Foundation’s Blanket for Syria Appeal. It’s good to know that she has reached her target and the event is tomorrow. Saturday 15th November. You can still donate for the good cause and good luck, Azeemah :))

A message from Azeemah’s fundraiser page: I, Azeemah Natasha Hj Mohd Khairul Zaki from Brunei Darussalam, will be trekking Mt. Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales for the purpose of a charity hike organised by University of Sheffield’s Islamic Circle. However, to make this possible, I need to raise at least 150 pounds.

Inside the war-torn country, an estimated 3.2 million children have been forced from their homes. Another 1.5 million children have fled the country and are now living in over-stretched refugee camps or villages. The most vulnerable children are those who remain inside Syria, who risk death, illness, abuse and exploitation on a daily basis. The humanitarian needs are incalculable, thus we need your help to raise money and awareness for Syria through the Human Relief Foundation’s Blanket for Syria Appeal.

Thank you for your time and generosity! May God bless you. End.

You may click here to donate.

 

Big Hero 6 podcast review with co-host @delgoh and special guest @sengyeeciara

Interstellar podcast review with co-host @delgoh

 

Click image to enter website to find out more. Download Baiduri Bank Deals App on your smartphone and enjoy many benefits from the app.

 

I managed to get a dosage on my way back from Bali the other day. It’s amazing how the Taro Pie is doing so well in Brunei. See, I told you that the Taro Pie is awesome 😀

Sinofood Express, the franchisee of the BURGER KING ® franchise, would like to apologize to all our guests for the insufficient stock of our Taro Turnover due to popularity which was not anticipated by us.

Our shipment for the Taro Turnover was delayed therefore this item will not be available for a couple of days in Burger King. We are trying our best to bring the Taro Turnover in for our guests as soon as possible and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.

For further updates on Burger King® Brunei, visits our Instagram @burgerkingbrunei and Facebook at www.facebook.com/bkbrunei.

 

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Malppy.com is asking the ladies to brace themselves now as it’s that time of the year again when boyfriends/husbands decide to let his manhood go wild. Hey, they are talking about Movember here! This annual 30-day event involves the tradition of men growing moustaches during the month of November in order to raise awareness of men’s health issues.

Malppy.com is not letting go of this opportunity to raise some awareness as well and they are definitely doing it their way. Being an online fashion store, they are getting both the men and women to be involved this time around. Yes, I have spotted some female-friendly moustache items in the store and they are featured in this weekend sale! Yes, expect to see ‘staches here and there and even not, their deal is impossible to miss!

Members of Malppy can now express your fashion sense and at the same time show your care for this cause with Malppy.com as this offer only valid for 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) If you haven’t registered yet, you better hurry and register right away to enjoy their knockout deal this weekend exclusively for members only! Visit their website now at www.malppy.com and don’t forget to Keep Calm and Shop Online.

OH WAIT! There’s MORE…. Malppy is also giving out FREE Movember String Bags throughout the month November for any transaction above $50, now how cool is that?

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