His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, as personal representative of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, bestowed medals to 636 recipients yesterday at Istana Nurul Iman.

Six hundred and thirty-six individuals including government officials and staff, uniformed personnel and members of the private sector were awarded with state honorary medals yesterday in a ceremony held at Istana Nurul Iman.

By command of 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, His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, represented the monarch in conferring the medals. Text by Azlan Othman of Borneo Bulletin. Images by Azrol Azmi of Borneo Bulletin and Zaim Kasmat of The Brunei Times.

Congratulations to all the recipients. A well deserved accolade and thank you for your contribution to Brunei.

The cabinet ministers in attendance

Faustina Woo Wai Sii, Lieutenant Ade Roddiane bin Haji Mohd Rosdi, Frankie Ngu and Vivi Rohkininissmah binti Hj Mahmud

 

The winners of the 2nd round lucky draw of Red Bull Boost & Win at SKH Airport Mall

25 winners were feted for the 2nd round of lucky draw for the Red Bull Boost and Win contest. The event took place at Sim Kim Huat Department Store at Airport Mall. The prizes given were identical to that of the first round – 3 shopping vouchers, 5 PowerKad value of BND 30 each, 7 Prepaid Card worth BND each and 10 consolation prizes of Red Bull gift packs.

Don’t worry, there are still on going draw where the final draw will be after end of May. So keep buying Red Bull until the 31st May and who knows you will be enlisted to participate in the draw.

Present were SKH director Hou Leh Hui, Valentine Hon, general manager of Kingston Beverage & Creamery, and Kevin Robin Jon, sales and marketing manager of Kingston.

To join, just purchase a can of Red Bull Energy drink (gold or less sugar), attach the pull ring tab to the contest form and drop it in contest boxes in participating outlets nationwide.

Participants can obtain the contest form at over 200 retail outlets in the sultanate, or download the form from its Facebook page at ‘Red Bull Brunei’ or you can get the form from the participating outlets. For more updates, check out its Instagram @redbullbn

Kevin Robin Jon, sales and marketing manager of Kingston Beverage & Creamery (left) with Hou Leh Hui (2nd from right), SKH Director and Valentine Hon, general manager of Kingston Beverage & Creamery (right) and the winner of the SKH shopping voucher

 

Luminox Spec Ops Challenge 3053.SOC.SET

44mm, carbon reinforced polycarbonate case and case back, tempered scratch resistant mineral crystal, water resistant to 200 meters, signature black PU strap, and Luminox self-powered illumination. Swiss Made. Retail price: BND 743.65

I know there are many fans of Luminox from Brune Darussalam. You can get them at Chang Ein Hong watch dealer at The Mall (Gadong) and Yayasan Complex. Last year, Luminox made its presence felt in the Sultanate by having a Luminox “Space and Time Converge” Exhibition at The Mall and it was a great timing to showcase to the public what’s great about the Luminox brand.

For you info, Luminox has a strong relationship with the Navy SEAL team for over 25 years for the reason being that SEALS discovered the unique self-powered illumination technology found in Luminox watches and the rest was history. Luminox continued to enhance the technology and specs to meet the demanding requirements of the Navy SEALS.

To make it more interesting, Luminox created a special event for the journalists called the Luminox Spec Ops Challenge, a programme developed by Luminox with retired Navy SEALS to give a chance to civilians to train like a SEAL for a day. The event took place in Langkawi in September last year.

I know my friend Aziz Idris had the opportunity to part of the programme which lasted 6 hours which was trimmed from the a 24-week programme, dealing with basic underwater demolition. From this programme, the journalists will understand the experience the Navy SEALS have to go through and get a glimpse of the mental and physical challenge throughout the procedure.

Aziz Idris (2nd from right) of Borneo Bulletin participating in the Luminox Specs Ops Challenge in Langkawi last year

The 6 hour intense training conducted by retired Navy SEALS person

Hence this is where Luminox introduce the Luminox Spec Ops Challenge (L.S.O.C) watches, sold in two different sets.

One featuring the traditional 3050 Navy SEAL Colormark (3053.SOC.SET) design with its trademark “Colormark” bold numerals on the dial and bezel on a PC carbon dial and PU strap, and the other, on the 4220 Authorised for Navy Use (A.N.U.) (4223.SOC.SET) model which was a direct collaboration with the SEALS, refined to specifically address the needs of maritime commandos, featuring a stainless steel case, with screw crown and case back, sapphire crystal, multi-jewel Swiss quartz movement and 10 year lithium battery.

Do check out other Luminox models at Chang Ein Hong outlets in Brunei. Images provided by Luminox.

 

Liyana Yus addressing the media on her role as ambassador for Jollibee

Liyana Yus with team Jollibee during the launch

I’m a huge fan of jollibee because of their chocolate sundae and not-anymore-available Nasi Lemak (due to low demand). Of course, their Chicken Joy is still one of their best sellers and I would it rate it my top 3 fast food chicken in Brunei.

Last Friday, Jollibee unveiled their latest project where the Philippines fast food franchise appointed its first local brand ambassador Liyana Yus famously known for her role in Brunei’s first featured film “Yasmine”.

The event took place at Times Square Shopping Centre and it was a press launch event to officially introduce Liyana as the face of Jollibee in Brunei.

Liyana has been a huge fan of Jollibee since she was a kid and her favourite is still ChickenJoy. Did you know that Jollibee in Brunei was the first ever international outlet outside the Philippines? And yes, the first outlet is at Utama Bowling back in 1987. Amazing!!!

The signing ceremony between Liyana Yus and Jhing Perais, Country Head of Jollibee Brunei.

Jhing was very delighted to share the special moment for Jollibee

The ceremonial bite from Jollibee

Present during the launch were Jhing Perais, Country Head of Jollibee Brunei, Leony Rodriguez, Jollibee Head of Marketing and Din Kamaluddin, producer at Origin Artistic.

Jhing was excited to announce the new partnership with Liyana and he believes that the young talent of Liyana embodies Jollibee’s excellence in the fast food franchise.

For Liyana, this is the first opportunity for her to be an ambassador of an international brand. I’m pretty sure this will open doors for more opportunities in the near future.

So far, there are 12 Jollibee outlets in Brunei and it will be growing from time to time.

I did highlight to Jhing on the defunct menu item, Nasi Lemak, but let’s see what happens. Let’s hope it might make a comeback even if it’s a just promotional offer. Don’t worry, we have our social media team + Liyana to push your product too 😀 Congratulations Liyana and Jollibee on the new milestone.

Now that’s a lot of Chickenjoy

Congratulations Liyana

Hi-tea-ing with the media

The Jollibee drive-thru at Kilanas

The new chocolate sundae with nuts. Apparently it’s the bomb!!

Thanks Lena for recommending the new sundae :p

As you know, Jollibee is all about product quality at an affordable price. What more can you ask for? It’s crispylicious, juicylicious inside out and anyone can afford it. The family oriented fast food chain has made it one of the most popular fast food chain in Brunei.

I wasn’t aware also of their latest drive thru at Kilanas which will be a big hit among the residents residing near Kilanas. For this commitment, you can see that Brunei remains a key market for Jollibee in its vision to become one of the biggest QSR brands globally.

I still remember the founder and chairman of Jollibee Foods Corporation (the Philippines), Tony Tan Caktiong, addressing a keynote speech at Asia Inc Forum event at The Empire Hotel & Country Club back in 2007. What an inspiring story and the legacy lives on!!

What makes Jollibee another success is the ability to localise the taste for Bruneians and now, with the Jollisavers, patrons can enjoy Spicy Chickenjoy and Crispy Chicken Burger with rice. You can follow @jollibeebrunei on Instagram for updates and competition.

 

Check out the great deals from BIBD on the current roadshow of Luminox watches at The Mall until this Sunday

Luminox has taken Brunei by storm and it’s great to know that many Bruneians are aware of the Luminox brand. The brand had a major exposure when Scott Cassell, an expert counter-terrorism operative and a consummate undersea explorer, came to Brunei and promoted the Luminox brand last year and that has helped to escalate the awareness of Luminox watches to the Bruneians.

Yesterday was a great occasion as the Minister of Communications Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, officiated the launch of Luminox “Space and Time Converge” Exhibition at The Mall which will end on 2nd November. This is the first time that Luminox under the partnership of Crystal Time (Singapore) and Chang Ein Hong hold an exhibition for Luminox. This will be a week long event as they will give time for the public to learn and be educated on the strengths of Luminox brand.

Of course, the biggest draw of the lot is the Luminox XCOR Pilot Professional Ana-Digi where Brunei became the only 3rd country in the world besides Singapore and Malaysia to have the watch available in the market. Awesome!! Of course, the other draw is the presence of a giant model of Lynx Mark II spacecraft by XCOR at the atrium of The Mall. If you are lucky enough, you will also get a chance to take some selfies with the astronaut.

It was such a soothing occasion as the guest of honour is also fond of space exploration to begin with especially during his younger days as a student. He shared his knowledge of the Sputnik and the Apollo. Of course, the popular iconic figure Neil Armstrong was mentioned as the first man to land of the moon and hence the famous phrase came about – “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

I didn’t even know that the Minister himself is a fan of watches. He cleverly linked time pieces with the ongoing advancements that we have been going through such as transportation, electronics and computers. He sees this exhibition as an avenue to spark creativity among the Bruneians in terms of invention and also for the betterment of our country.

Also present were Abdul Mutalib Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Md Yusof, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications, Mohammed Riza Dato Paduka Hj Mohammed Yunos, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Mohammad Hj Daud, Jennifer Tan, Executive Director of Crystal Time (Singapore), Pamela Tan, Brand Manager of Crystal Time (Singapore) and Chong Ain Hong, General Manager of Chong Ein Hong Watch Dealer.

The Minister of Communications is huge fan of space exploration and I learnt a few things from his speech. Insightful!!

Jennifer Tan, Executive Director of Crystal Time (Singapore), thanked the Minister and also the team for making the exhibition possible

Pamela Tan, Brand Manager of Crystal Time (Singapore) shared a few things what the Luminox XCOR Pilot Professional Ana-Digi is capable of withstanding (even from a blender and a microwave)

The invited guests from yesterday’s launch

The ribbon cutting ceremony to kick off the showcase of Luminox

The VIPs looking at the range of Luminox available

The Minister touring around the exhibition

Members of the public are welcome to visit the Luminox “Space and Time Converge” Exhibition during this period and enjoy special privileges on purchases of Luminox watches. Exclusively for BIBD Debit Card holders, with every Luminox purchased, they will receive a free Luminox Adventure Knife and take part in a lucky draw to win a Luminox watch. Awesome!!

Also do follow @luminoxbn on instagram and they are currently running an IG competition and who knows you can stand a chance to win a Luminox Space Goodie Bag.

Another reason for the exhibition for Luminox is spread awareness that Luminox has been chosen to be the official timepiece for the pilots of XCOR Space Expeditions. So far, Luminox have covered all three dimension of mankind – land, sea and air. Now with this new time piece, Space is the limit. It was also shared that almost 30 Luminox watches were sold last Sunday alone which shows a good demand for the said brand. Remember, peeps, do watch out for the counterfeit products that are deceiving and do buy and promote genuine watches from Luminox.

Magdelene Tan of Crystal Time with Aziz Idris from Borneo Bulletin sharing a moment with the astronaut

Malcolm Lim, Managing Director of Kingston Beverage & Creamery is a Luminox fan too

The astronaut holding the Luminox XCOR Pilot Professional Ana-Digi watch

The Luminox XCOR Pilot Professional Ana-Digi watch

I wore the watch for a good two minutes 😀

The Luminox XCOR Pilot Professional Ana-Digi watch is pretty cool

 

First ever episode of The Reel Show with the full review of Fury with spoilers too [Beware]

 

Recently, the Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Brunei Cancer Centre (TBCC) and LANEIGE Brunei Darussalam conducted a Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign from 15th – 19th October in conjunction with the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated yearly in October.

The event held at the Atrium, The Mall, Gadong with the theme “Your Health is in Your Hands”, with the objective to raise continuous awareness of breast cancer and its prevention to the community, in particular amongst young women in the working age group in Brunei Darussalam.
The closing ceremony was held on Sunday, and was graced by Dr Hajah Maslina binti Mohsin, Director of Health Services, Ministry of Health. As part of the activities of the final day, a “Healthy Snack Competition” was held, in which students from MTSSR studying catering and food services competed to prepare healthy and delicious snacks and drinks from ingredients that were selected beforehand.

The guest of honour, as well as supporters of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign were invited to “Have-A Go” at preparing their own healthy snacks and drinks.

Laneige Brunei Darussalam presented a mock cheque amounting to $7000.00 to the Dean of the Institute of Health Sciences, University Brunei Darussalam, which was raised from activities and the sales of t-shirts throughout the month of October which will go towards cancer research.

The successful Breast Awareness Campaign two weekends ago at The Mall

Happy faces

Healthy food competition

Food blogger Thanis Lim

Supporting for a good cause and raising awareness

The Jerudong Park Medical Centre celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month with an attractive offer on Breast Screening Package valued at only BND99. The promotion will run until 14 November 2014.

Last week, this was announced in a press conference by Aini Zulfa binti Hj Asbinin, the Marketing Executive, and Dr Shyja Abraham Sequeira, Radiologist from JPMC’s Department of Diagnostic Imaging (DDI).

The screening package entitles a patient to One Doctor’s Consultation and Mammography. While waiting for the medical results, patient will be given a complimentary breast self-examination lesson, which is excluded from the normal price.

The aim of a screening mammogram is to detect cancer at an early stage, where the hospital can offer treatment options and control the spread of the tumour.

During the mammography procedure, most women think the process is painful. There will be a little discomfort as the breast will be compressed between two plates, which are done to flatten and spread the breast tissue. It gives optimal compression to the breasts without causing excess pain to the patient. Each session of the four x-rays lasts for a few seconds.

According to statistics, the numbers of breast cancer in Brunei are quite high where patients suffer more as it spreads causing disabilities. If we detect at the early stage, it will limit the sufferings of the patients as well as family members. Through this breast screening programme, not only to detect cancer at an early stage but also educate the public.

Chances that abnormality is cancer during mammogram are very rare as maybe only one out of thousand persons screened will be cancer positive. Risks of having breast cancer are if you have a first degree relative with breast cancer, such as mother or sister who developed breast cancer before the age of 50.

“As part of our Breast Cancer Awareness Programme, we are pleased to hold this promotion to draw women’s attention to the importance of breast screening. We advise women to practice self-examination at home monthly and report any suspicious abnormality like a lump or nipple discharges to their doctor even if they have had a recent normal mammogram,” mentioned Aini Zulfa binti Hj Asbinin, the Marketing Executive of JPMC.

“Every woman should have a breast screening once every two years. For ages 40 to 49 years, breast screening should be done once a year. Ages 50 to 69 years should have it done once every two years”, stated Dr Shyja Abraham Sequeira, Radiologist from Department of Diagnostic Imaging (DDI) of JPMC.

Women must be 40 to 69 years old to be entitled for the screening package as this is the age range where most abnormalities are detected. If patient had a mammogram less than a year back, they are not advised to take up the screening at this juncture.

Physically disabled women can undergo the screening as the machine used also caters for immobilize persons if they are able to sit on a wheelchair with extra effort but the screening cannot be done for bed-ridden patients.

Patient is required to set up a pre-appointment where they can contact the Department of Diagnostic Imaging (DDI) directly at 261 1433 ext. 2224 or e-mail to ddireception@jpmc.com.bn. Patients are advised to come 15 minutes prior to the appointment.

If patient is new to JPMC, they are required to pay a one-time fee of BND10 at the Main Reception, Level 2 of JPMC. Patients must bring their passport or identity card for registration purposes. Package inclusions are not exchangeable with other services and any unutilized tests or services are non-refundable.

JPMC’s Department of Diagnostic Imaging (DDI) is one of the most modern imaging departments in Southeast Asia. They offer a comprehensive range of services such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Multi Slice CT Scanner, Digital Dental Imaging, CR Radiography (X-Ray). The clinic is open every Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and on Saturday from 8am to 12noon. For more information, please visit their website at www.jpmc.com.bn.

Today’s article in The Brunei Times 28•10•2014

John Cena who was recently in KL gave words of encouragement to all the cancer warriors out there

 

The Jerudong Park Medical Centre is offering an attractive promotion for professional teeth whitening treatment valued at BND799 (Usual price is BND1000) with free initial consultation. This promotion will run from 15 September to 15 November 2014 and can be redeemed till 30 December 2014.

This was announced at a press conference by Ak Danny Pg Tajuddin, the Marketing Officer, and Dr Ravi Pai, Consultant Endodontist and Head of Dental Department of JPMC. Also present was Dr Dharma Rai, Consultant Prosthodontist at JPMC.

“Oral health makes a huge presence in our lives especially in our simple daily activities. With our promotion, it can help to enhance the whiteness of your teeth in just a single visit to our Dental Clinic”, mentioned Ak Danny Pg Tajuddin, the Marketing Officer of JPMC.

“Professional In-office Teeth Whitening Procedure is the quickest way to whiten teeth under carefully monitored conditions which allow for the safe, controlled use of whitening gel – yielding results that are visible immediately”, stated Dr Ravi Pai, Consultant Endodontist and Head of Dental Department of JPMC.

Teeth discoloration is caused by natural darkening and yellowing as people age, drinking tea, coffee or fizzy drinks, natural and artificial food colorings, smoking and tobacco stains.

Ak Danny Pg Tajuddin, the Marketing Officer of JPMC, Dr Ravi Pai, Consultant Endodontist and Head of Dental Department of JPMC and Dr Dharma Rai, Consultant Prosthodontist at JPMC

An appointment is required for the treatment, where patients are advised to come 15 minutes earlier prior to the appointment time. Before deciding whether teeth whitening is suitable for the patient, the dentist will first conduct a comprehensive examination of their teeth and gums to ensure proper teeth healthcare which is free during the promotion period.

They will also consult on their oral hygiene and lifestyle habits to determine if they will benefit from the treatment. Patients with extensive dental work, expectant mothers and children below 16 years old are not recommended to go through the procedure.

The procedure takes up approximately 2 hours. Patient’s gums and mouth are first protected with isolation materials. The dentist will carefully apply the whitening gel to their teeth and uses a patented blue light to oxidize the gel during the procedure.

The procedure is normally painless; however a very small percentage of patients may experience a minor sensitivity during or after the procedure. A sensitivity relief gel will be used to tackle the sensitivity.

The teeth whitening treatment can last up to 2 years if the patient take care and maintain the brightness of their teeth.

JPMC’s Dental Clinic offers a comprehensive range of dental services such as orthodontics, prosthodontics, endodontics, implantology, oral surgery, general dental procedures and more. The clinic is open every Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and on Saturday from 8am to 12noon. For more information, please visit their website at www.jpmc.com.bn.