Posts Tagged ‘singapore’
Final entry for 2014?
Ahh.. Could this be the final entry for 2014? Well, depends on my mood. I’m just back from a 10 day break and spent it in Singapore with my family. This is one reason why I simply took a rest from blogging and just enjoy my mini break. A well deserved mini break and preparing myself for 2015. This is also the first time I’ve been away in the month of December and only a total of 5 days I’m in Brunei. Yes, I definitely missed home and my friends and of course, toastmasters which I ended up going last night at UBD toastmasters meeting.
Though it was a 10 day trip, I packed myself meeting tons of friends from Singapore bloggers Tiffany Yong, Renzze and Adrian to local Singaporeans to friends in Brunei working and residing in Singapore. I also visited Madam Tussaud’s wax museum at Resorts World Sentosa with my siblings though they compared it with the UK and preferred the London version which is way bigger and better. We only lasted last less than one hour at Singapore’s so that really says a lot.
Movie wise, I surprisingly only caught two movies which was Annie 2014 (6/10) and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (6/10). There were simply not much interesting releases in the final third of December 2014. I could have watched another viewing of Gone Girl (8.5/10) which is totally uncensored as compared to the Malaysian version but gave it a pass. Do check out my full review of my Top Ten movies of 2014 on The Popcorn Panel (podcast) with my regular co-host @delgoh.
Perhaps the saddest part of December is the recent tragedy of AirAsia flight QZ8051 which is still reporting missing for the past two days. It was supposed to arrive on last Sunday morning in Singapore from Surabaya and the AirAsia Airbus lost contact a few minutes later after the pilot requested to divert the stormy path. My prayers to the 162 people on board and their family members and next of kin and friends.
I was a bit traumatized as I was catching the evening flight back to Brunei from Singapore and that’s just a trigger reaction after this becomes the fifth major airline crash in 2014. First it was the mysterious MH370, the MH17 being shot down, Tranasia Airways Flight 222 in Taiwan, Air Algerie Flight 5017 and now AirAsia QZ8051. I do hope the search of the QZ8051 will be conclusive. As of now, there are many speculations rather than conclusive findings.
On a high note, my year will end with two of my good friends getting hitched. First up is the couple of Tahir Abdullah (aka Terence Han) and Melati Dato Paduka Hj Yussof who had their nikah recently and I shall be seeing you guys early next year for your wedding celebration. The other couple is Richard To and Joanne Tan whom will be celebrating their wedding later tonight. I had the privilege to be one of the Heng Tais (brothers) and it was my first experience as well. It was pretty interesting because we all had to suit up in Power Rangers outfit *lol* Definitely something for me to remember in 2014.
If this is my final entry for 2014, I wish you all a great year ahead in 2015. Come to think of it, I still remember my resolution for 2014 but only done like 10% of it. Looks like 2015 will be an affirmation for my 2014’s resolution 😀 Happy new year to my readers and thank you for supporting me all this while.
Spend time with my siblings playing FIFA 15 on the Xbox One in Singapore. I’m surprised my younger brother is pretty good in the game.
Tiffany Yong enjoyed more of Annie 2014 than I did. The chemistry was lacking and it didn’t carry enough emotional impact like it did for me when I saw the original Annie.
Had a good dinner with Singapore bloggers Renzze (aka Karen) and Raphael at Le Steak. I suggest to order the lamb rack.
Guess who I bumped into? Oprah Winfrey 😀 … But at Madam Tuassaud’s ho ho ho
A great catch up with Yazid in Singapore. Thanks for the advanced gift bro. I shall see you in January InsyaAllah.
I didn’t foresee this coming at Orchard Road and this was taken an hour after December turned 25th.
I caught PeterPan Musical Broadway at Resorts World Sentosa. My verdict: Only a 7. Winnie enjoyed it more and it was also her first musical show experience.
The headlines to remind the public for future incidents
The Krispy Kreme colour trademark matches my Adidas outfit 😀
Congratulations Terence and Mel 😀
The missing plane AirAsia flight QZ8501
My final toastmasters meeting of 2014 at UBD last night
My first Heng Tai experience at #trickyjotowedding Check out the hashtag on IG for more updates.
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Pop Mee
Yesterday’s queue at Tanjung Bunut. It’s bonus time and most of the salaries are from BIBD if I’m not mistaken. Good thing I’m not in Brunei right now. Image courtesy of Jason Rumpun.
The scene taken last night and maybe this is no coincidence that there was such a queue of this magnitude. The happiest bunch are definitely the kids. A great payoff session. Image courtesy of @serirabakri
Now where can you make use of your bonus? Of course, the current ongoing Brunei Salebration. However, I opted to shop outside of Brunei because of the varieties it can offer and also with great discounts everywhere. Furthermore, I’m more into the quality it offers. This is one of the shops in Singapore that has discounts up to 50% on their clothes and apparels.
From BIBD: Dear Valued Customers,
Kindly be informed all BIBD branches will be closed today due to technical problems.
BIBD is working hard to resolve this delay and customers are encouraged to use other banking channels such as ATMs, CDMs, BIBD Online, BIBD Mobile and BIBD Cards which is operating as normal.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and we thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter. Do follow their Facebook Page or @bibdbrunei instagram for updates.
Friday, 19th December 2014 marks the end of Times Square’s 7th Mini Carnival that was ongoing for 15 days since 5th December 2014.
The 7th Mini Carnival at Times Square Shopping Centre which was held in conjunction with the school holiday, featured several fun games such as the popular Balloon Popper, Ball Toss, Basketball Arcade Machines, Skee Ball, Mini Golf, Shooting Penguin, Shift Unleashed 2 and the Bouncer. Customers were able to win prizes simply by collecting coupons from playing any of the games at the carnival. The event was made more festive with stage activities such as Guess That Soundtrack!, Musical Chairs, Random Race Challenges and a lot more.
Times Square Shopping Centre also made the carnival merrier with the celebration of its 4th Anniversary since it opened in 2010 with a cake cutting ceremony and appearance by the mascots on 19th December at 8pm. The management had a warm celebration with their valued tenants and customers where they extended their gratitude for supporting Times Square Shopping Centre since the day it opened. Present to grace the cake cutting were the general manager, Amal Majidah and marketing manager, Lim Yee Liang.
2014 at Times Square will close with the Year End Exhibition that will begin on the 27th December 2014 until 4th January 2015. So stay tuned with future fun activities that will be held in Times Square Shopping Centre and get updated with all of Times Square’s events by following us on Facebook or Instagram as well as our website at tsqbrunei.com
For further information, please call 2338208 or 2338006. Image and press release courtesy of Times Square.
Pg Salleh Ab Rahaman Pg Hj Damit, advisor of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd and Christopher Chee, General Manager of D’Sunlit with the partners for Consumer Fair 2015. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.
Hj Md Kamarul Azaman Hj Ajimain, Marketing Officer of BIBD and Pg Salleh Ab Rahaman Pg Hj Damit, advisor of D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd. Image courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.
D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd put pen to paper yesterday at its office in the Beribi Industrial and inked agreements with 16 event partners for the 15th edition of the popular consumer fair.
Scheduled for January 28 until February 1 next year at the International Convention Centre in Berakas, the fair is sanctioned by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and will feature local business as well as businesses from countries such as Malaysia, Iran, China and Singapore.
A wide array of products ranging from food and beverages to fashion and technology will be on display at 430 booths that will be there at the fair.
Signing on behalf of D’Sunlit was its advisor, Pg Salleh Ab Rahaman Pg Hj Damit, witnessed by the General Manager of D’Sunlit, Christopher Chee.
Signing on behalf of Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) was Marketing Officer Hj Md Kamarul Azaman Hj Ajimain, while signing on behalf of Kingston Beverage and Creamery Sdn Bhd was Sales Executive Davis Wee. Logistic Director of Syarikat Perniagaan Malar Setia Chee Wah Lim was the signatory on behalf of the company.
Signing on behalf of the event partners were representatives from Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Oregon Systems, IBIC Sdn Bhd, RIPAS Hospital, Braun Sdn Bhd, Ho Tai Company Sdn Bhd and MagicLee Entertainment.
During the five-day fair, various activities such as a unique theme park, lucky draws, and entertainment for children will be held as well as charitable activities such as a blood donation drive. For more on what to expect about the upcoming fair, visit www.bruneiconsumerfair.com or contact D’Sunlit Marketing Department at 2453666. Text courtesy of Azli Azney of The Brunei Times.
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The Highlight Reel
Acer Aspire
Click image to enter ICON Design Store website
Click image to enter Citroën Brunei
Free labour charge on repairs for Peugeot. Click image to enter website to find out more.
Click image to enter website to find out more
Review of Annie 2014 starring Rano Iskandar with special guest Singapore blogger Tiffany Yong
With 2014 almost ending, I have to say that my year has been fabulous. Normally you will hear familiar things such as having a roller coaster year but if we do end of high note and feel at the present, very likely tend to forget the bad days and sum up the year to be much better than previous year. I haven’t been blogging as I’m currently taking time off for a bit and spending my holidays in Singapore to cap off another awesome year.
So how do I rate my 2014? Honestly it was one of the best years I had in many years. For many reasons but I won’t be sharing all my best moments with you, only some. Maybe the most exciting part for 2014 was able to travel to places like Seoul and Moscow. Well, I didn’t expect to fly to Moscow but Seoul was one of my sought places to travel. I would like to thank you Harley Davidson for bringing me to Seoul for and also to MOE and Bluebox Services for making my Russia trip possible. Where will 2015 bring me? For sure, I have set a date to fly to Manila and guess what? The Philippines is the only ASEAN country that I have yet to travel. Surprise, surprise.
This year, I also truly appreciative of my close friends and my new found ones. It’s true that the closer ones tend to be the most challenging ones because of the level of expectations I have on them. These expectations have been making my relationship with my buddies challenging for many years. Somehow, this year, I feel much lighter than before and I was able to feel much freedom rather than feeling suffocated with my negative thoughts (with having a thought that I’m not enough for them). This year, I’m truly grateful for my strong bonding relationship with my close buddies and you know who you are.
I can’t believe that I actually made it to Moscow, Russia, this year and it was an unexpected journey. This is one of the highlights of 2014 as I hardly travel to Europe and secondly, having a ICI document (passport for Brunei PRs), it will be tricky to travel to European countries.
Since the first picture was taken at Burger King Moscow, let me share with you my favourite snack of 2014 – Burger King’s Taro Pie. Not the one that Gladys is biting but the one on her left hand 😀 Did you know Taro Pie was sold out? But I’m glad it was re-stocked to the delight of Burger King fans.
My other highlight was my Seoul trip back in May 2014. I was happy that Harley Davidson chose me to represent the social media for Brunei. In this picture, Alice and I were at the Trick Eye Museum (adult version) in Seoul.
We had a mini dress up competition at Harley Davidson Headquarters at Seoul. This is the first time I bumped into Malaysian celebrity Michele Lee, a presenter of Football Overload.
One of the reasons I’ve been flying out is for the personal growth workshop sessions I have been attending which has been ongoing for many years. The best part of this journey is rediscovering the strengths in terms of my mental and emotional state. Sometimes you will never know what kind of breakthroughs you will have along the way and I’m blessed to have a great environment around me and mixing with the right crowd too. I’ve never seen the core team so committed with their vision of empowering and making this world a better place to live.
Who would have thought my love for toastmasters grown so immensely after rejoining back as a member after a three year hiatus? Of course, all of this was reignited by my close buddy but along the way, I found my core value within myself as a toastmaster and that is to contribute and be a better leader. People who are not aware will think that toastmasters are just platform for good speakers. It’s more than just that. It’s to nurture and give the members and guests a chance to learn something about public speaking at all levels from beginners to advanced speakers.
Speaking of toastmasters, I’m totally impressed with one of my friends, Amran, who has improved immensely as a speaker and a leader and he is a truly a role model for many. He unexpectedly won also his first Table Topics last week and for someone who was so shy to speak in public last year, we have seen such tremendous change. One of my best highlights of 2014 was my mid-year trip to Kuala Lumpur for the Toastmasters International Convention to witness one of our members of Brunei Speakers’ Club to represent our club and District 87 in the International Speech Contest finals. Awesome!!!!! My aim next year to join the contest for International Speech category. This year, I managed to bag 3rd place in the Speech Evaluation Contest *surprised* while I gained experienced in the Humourous Speech Contest.
For the first time in many years, I enjoyed this year’s summer movies as compared to previous years. From Godzilla to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to Guardian of the Galaxy and finishing off with one of the biggest blockbuster for Bruneil, Yasmine the movie, locally produced by Origin Films. Yes, I’m a movie buff and my love for movie will hardly fade away. I’m also happy that my podcast movie review has been a success for this year and for those, who have been listening and downloading the podcast, thank you so much. The popular podcasts for The Popcorn Panel for 2014 is Yasmine (almost 1,000 listened), Big Hero 6 (650) and Transformers 4 (580). Because of The Popcorn Panel, you will hardly see a written movie review on my blog. I shall be blogging more on my reviews by next year so you will have two mediums of my actual review of the movies. Overall, a great movie experience for 2014. Do watch out for my Top 10 movies of 2014 early in January 2015.
This year, I met a bunch of new friends during my travels. Though English is a language for them but we still managed to converse. Life is full of unexpected beginnings.
What more can I say? We all cross path back in 2009 and it was always great to look back at older pictures and remind what great friendship I have made with my friends. Though Winnie has left for Penang, the friendship still remains solid.
Toastmasters is another avenue to learn and grow as a leader and also support one another in a conducive environment. These are my toastmasters buddies and this was taken during the Toastmasters International Convention 2014 in Kuala Lumpur. One of the top 3 highlights of my 2014 indeed.
After slacking off in Year 2011 for Toastmasters, I rejoined back in June 2014 and began doing my speeches. This was my third speech manual (CC3) which was entitled “The Art of Showmanship” where I impersonated The Rock and talked about how much of an entertainment WWE (or wrestling) is.
Early in March, I went to Singapore to catch both Hollywood stars starring in The Amazing Spider-man to promote Earth Hour in Singapore. This shows how much I’m a big fan of movies and I even had the privilege to catch a special preview screening of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in Singapore.
My love for WWE might have faded. Maybe because the WWE universe isn’t as exciting as before. My urge to catch RAW on Tuesday also has faded. Regardless of my less interest in WWE, I was more than excited to catch WWE Live in Kuala Lumpur. Ironically I had an invitation to catch John Cena live during a press conference and I’m not much of a John Cena fan. I managed to ask a question to him personally with regards to the title achievement in comparison with Ric Flair. The overall experience was awesome because I finally get up close and personal to a WWE Superstar. The wrestling show itself was full of adrenalin and that is purely due to the engaging crowd at Indoor Stadium. Let’s hope for another WWE in Asia and I won’t mind booking another flight to catch one.
Finally, to finish off a wonderful 2014 is my renovated room which has been so messy and old-school for the past 20 years. I didn’t spend that much on the renovation but more on spending on new furniture such as my single bed (though it has yet to be assembled in my room lol) and I have a new wardrobe area. The only item that hasn’t been completed is the extension of my bedroom to another room (office area). The new feel has made my environment more conducive and I feel so much better that I don’t have the feeling of suffocating and constrained. The extra space in my room does make a difference and I feel much more like home. There are still a few tweaking to do here and there. Other than that, I’m more than happy of my current room. Maybe you can try and renovate your room and see how your energy will be for the next few months. Oh, by the way, I dispelled the rumours that people thought I was gonna get married just because I was renovating my room.
There are many more I wanna share and I shall leave it for here. I won’t be recapping my 2014 in monthly formats but I will be highlighting the happenings in general and how it has impacted the country and myself overall. Thank you for all my friends who have been the change agent in my life. My advice: Always focus on the positive aspect of your journey while those negative ones, well, either you change your perspective of your thoughts or simply ignore the negative (though that’s tough as we are human beings).
Too surreal to be true.. I was only yards away from WWE Superstar John Cena who paid a visit to Kuala Lumpur back in August. Thank you so much for the opportunity though I didn’t like his guts so much but he does have important values such as supporting the breast cancer awareness campaign.
Though my room is incomplete in terms of renovation, the newly look has made me feel much more lighter and I feel more energized whenever I wake up or do my work. So do renovate your room because it can make a difference energy wise and a much more conducive environment.
Check out the C Class at Jati Transport Showroom
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Preview: DPMM FC vs Balestier Khalsa FC
FREE ADMISSION tonight
The final tier round hasn’t been smooth sailing for DPMM FC. Having a six point cushion at one stage and losing two home games, DPMM FC have themselves to blame for the major slip but they can bounce back and make their final home match count against Balestier Khalsa FC tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.
The back-to-back home defeats have piled pressure on DPMM FC and the two week break was much needed for DPMM FC to get back on the drawing board and learn from their mistakes. I do hope that the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup qualifiers won’t have a draining impact on the players as most of the DPMM FC players were being featured for the qualifiers and they only have two days rest before continuing the S•League match.
DPMM FC head coach Steve Kean felt that it won’t be a disadvantage for DPMM FC players (after returning from a taxing AFF Suzuki Cup qualifiers) who will go up against a crucial tie against Balestier Khalsa in the remaining fixtures of the S•League. He shared that most of the young players were being featured and it shouldn’t be a problem especially to the senior players when they play tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium.
The only player that might be doubtful is Shahrazen Said who nursing a slight hamstring strain but Kean is happy to have Rodrigo Tosi returned after serving his suspension which will give more attacking options for DPMM FC. The imports have been training on their own when the local players were in the AFF competition.
Kean felt that the points on board more important and if DPMM FC can win all their remaining fixtures, the S•League title will be DPMM FC’s first. Currently Warriors FC are leading by four points though DPMM FC have two games in hand. Hence it’s vital that DPMM FC get all three points tonight and put pressure on title contenders Warriors FC.
It’s sad news for Tampines Rovers as their title defence came to an end two nights ago when they lost to Warriors FC. The result meant that there will be a new champion in the S•League and it will be a two horse race between Warriors FC and DPMM FC. Albirex Niigata FC (S) still have a mathematical chance of winning unless Warriors lose their last game of the season.
Do catch DPMM FC tonight against Balestier Khalsa FC and the match entrance is FREE. Do spread the news.
Steve Kean being interviewed by the press
A customary part of training to work as a team
The standing so far
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Sentosa Spooktacular 2014
Correspondent from Singapore: 2013’s Sentosa Spooktacular was a raving success, seeing a record-high of 15,000 visitors. Thus, Sentosa Spooktacular decided to partner with Thailand’s leading movie studios, GMM Tai Hub Co. Ltd. (GTH) and produce the annual Halloween event for the next three years! So peeps, there are two weekends left to enjoy Sentosa Spooktacular.
My guest blogger Tiffany Yong had a Spooktacular experience recently
This year, the whole of Fort Silos is transformed into the thematic village of Laddaland (GTH’s 2011 award-winning horror hit movie) while seeing three haunted houses based on the movies: Countdown, Alone and The Swimmers. So it’s three movies within one movie (if you get the picture!)
The Sentosa Spooktacular Map
Welcome to Laddaland
Based on GTH’s well-received movie Laddaland; story has it that a family of four abandoned their old lives and moved into Laddaland, ready to settle down in a beautiful home they could call their own and live their dreams. All is well until they found out about the ruthless murder of a Burmese maid in their neighbour’s house. Savagely beaten, her mangled body is found stuffed inside the refrigerator. A wrongful death always results in a vengeful soul. Even the innocent ones are not spared from strange sightings and mournful cries.
Fort Siloso is now transformed into the village of Laddaland. Upon entering Laddaland, you will see rows of old houses until you reach the home of Thee , his wife Parn, his rebellious teenage daughter Nan and lively young son Nat. What seems to be a dream house in the day will turn into your darkest nightmare when night falls. As the dark village (or ex-Fort Siloso) comes to life in the wake of the night, you will start seeing the poor haunted souls who only want to have some fun (and take loads of pictures)
You can never be sure what you will find in your path…or off the path; as ghosts and ghouls play hard and work hard in bringing to you Asia’s Scariest Fun.
Countdown
Backstory: “4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!” Enter the mad house where insanity and danger come washing over you in waves. Join 3 friends – Jack, Bee and Pam, as they planned to celebrate the start of a new year in style. Lose yourself in their excitement as they wait eagerly for an acquaintance to join them for some fun. The climax draws near when their acquaintance shows up and proves to be the life of the party. However, there is just something about him that you cannot seem to put a finger on. A game master always has a game plan. Can you play the game by his rules, or will that be too much for you to handle? Encounter freak-shows and battle hallucination while you struggle to find your way out of this crazy house. With the mad man hot on your heels, can you make it out alive in this game of countdown?
Horro-o-meter: 3/5
Countdown was not exactly a horror (ghost) film, but more of a sadistic thriller which is still very scary (in my opinion). I realized that the whole experience would be scarier if you’ve actually caught the film and anticipate what might happen in each section of the trail. Countdown was the only movie of the 4 films that I’ve watched before here to see the review which made the whole experience so much more memorable as I felt as if I was going through the “ordeal” like Jack, Bee and Pam.
Alone
Backstory: You may think it is cute to have Siamese twins as next door neighbours. Conjoined at the stomach from birth, Pim and Ploy are Siamese twin sisters bounded skin-too-skin, organ-to-organ, for life. They even shared the same affection for a boy named Wee. Always the jealous one, Ploy flew into a blind rage when Wee had eyes only for Pim. Years later, Wee is seen happily married to Pim, and both are leading a decent life in South Korea…without Ploy.
Pim had survived the operation, which separated her from Ploy – the same operation which left her sister dead. Given her vicious personality, Ploy is not one to leave peacefully. Back to haunt her sister with a vengeance, she is about to make sure that her sister regrets ever being separated from her.
Help Pim to survive from the curse of a bond that runs beyond skin-deep. She has detached herself physically from Ploy, now she needs to know how to detach herself otherwise. Do not look over your shoulder, for you are never quite alone too.
Horro-o-meter: 4/5
Look out for the twin-ghosts accompanying you while queuing to enter. People with night blindness might have difficulty crawling through the dark tunnels and eerie rooms with mechanisms that will shock you if you are not careful
The Swimmers
Backstory: Perth is the school’s star swimming athlete. After a fatal accident that killed his long-time crush, Perth is devastated. He turns to the familiarity of the pool, seeking peace and solidarity in being underwater. However, the swimming pool is no longer safe; it is now haunted with ghosts of dead swimmers.
Perth begins feeling a presence next to him as he swims up and down the pool. He pauses, mid-stroke. He sees nothing, yet he feels something constantly next to him. What happens if that happens to you? You can’t see nor hear anything out of the ordinary, but you can feel them for sure. They are the cursed souls of drowned swimmers, and they are on the hunt for new victims to join them in the waters. What would you do then? Remember, you cannot scream underwater…
Horro-o-meter: (4.5/5)
Perhaps the scariest out of the 3, people with claustrophobia might be freaked out when you enter and climb through what seems like the insides of a human? The realistic human (or monster insides) and gory parts actually made my heart freeze for a moment(s), in fear of what might appear at the very end.
Review
This is a good place to walk around and enjoy yourself with the ghost without rushing. You would most likely have ample time if you arrive on time (Took me 3.5 hours without Fast Pass). I really like how each haunted house is a walkthrough into the movie with similar scenes and horribly gross reenactment. But too bad, to avoid over crowding, each ticket only allow entry to each haunted house once.
The “ghosts” are wandering around and hanging around the place where most people would be, meaning the queues and this mean your wait is not at all boring. Take loads of photos and do not try neglecting the wandering souls or you might find them eyeing on you.
If you are wondering if the reduction in the number of haunted houses will mean that it is not as value-for-money compared to the previous year (that’s what I thought initially), you are actually quite wrong. The time spent in each house is actually extended by three to four times as compared to the 2013.
Each walkthrough last about 20-30minutes, and when I go through them with my female photographer friend (who’s extremely scared of such haunted stuff), besides the screams, the words I kept hearing from her was “Why so long? Is it the end?”
P.S. The toilets are located near the entrance (by the haunted playground). Be careful of who’s knocking outside when you are doing your business!
Sentosa Spooktacular Dates:
October: 24, 25 | 31
November: 1
Time 7pm – 1am
Ticket Prices
General Admission Ticket: $66.60/ticket
Fast Pass: Additional $32 (Skip queues for all haunted houses) | $15 (For 1 house)
For more information about the promotion prices, check out the Sentosa Spooktacular Website
xoxo
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Halloween Horror Night 2014
Halloween Horror Night 2014 at Universal Studios
Report from Tiffany from Singapore: Halloweeeeen from Singapore! The month of October means exams for most students, but to the rest, it means Halloween! Last year, I did a review on the Sentosa Spooktacular and many asked me to compare it with Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Nights. So this year, thanks to Resort World Sentosa, I managed to meet the Minister of Evil who has taken over the Halloweens Horror Nights 4 providing all horror fans with the most number of event nights, most number of haunted houses and most number of scare zones since its launch in 2011.
The official promotional video
Universal Studios Singapore will be transform on those nights into city centres, schools, arm barracks and demonic circuses to scare the hell out of everyone.
Know Thy Enemy: Plan Your Escape Route
The Map
4 Haunted Houses
1.The Lab
The Lab
This is the Secret Site of Alien Experiment on the Homo Sapien that you will see after passing through the Scary Tale zone. In the L.A.B (Laboratory of Alien Breeding], evil aliens designed to extinguish the human race are born and breed in the test tubes. Although I didn’t manage to witness the scariness, according to my other blogger friends, this is the scariest of the 4 houses with the human-alien hybrid and lab haunted-ness!
2.Mati Camp
Minister of Evil has put the sergeant Major in charge, and he takes torturing of recruits very seriously. Here, you will get to witness soldiers put through sadistic training, as well as gross cannibalism and mutilation. Are you having some lamp chops or steak for supper?
6.Jing’s Revenge
Revisiting Hua Xing Secondary School, you will get to witness how a bully victim called Jing hung herself 10 years ago, and as the horrors of the past is reenacted, you might be involved as a witness or a victim.
P.S. Beware of serious bullying case (like being splashed with water in the face)
8.Jack’s 3-Dementia
Entering the house with a paper 3D glass, you will find yourself surrounded by demonic clowns hidden in the distorting and disorientating illusions. If you are afraid of clowns, this might give you nightmares and put you to tears. If not, the illusions might make you giddy and make you walk out wondering where you are.
4 Scare Zones
A. Scary Tales
This is my favourite part of the HHN4 where well known fairy tales become scary. Besides the big bad wolf, and the evil queen, characters such as Dorothy from wizard of Oz had also become bad!
Well, do try to interact with Magic Mirror from Snow White and he might tell you who’s the fairest of you all!
B. Canyon of the Cursed
Here, the cowboys from the wild west have all transformed at night and as you walk through the cursed canyon, you might see the many dead men and women who had once rode into this land lured by the gold of the Nevuro Tribe.
P.S. They love still do love taking pictures
C. Demoncracy
Tiffany Yong with a demon
Here, you will get to meet Succubus, a demon in the form of a voluptuous women who drives her victims wild with desire while sucking out their life force. Also, look for Abaddon, the Destroyer with his bunch of demons and fallen angels released from the Abyss roaming the Earth.
D. Bogeyman
In this dark playground, be wary of the children you come across. They have long forgotten what it means to be human and will do the bidding of the Bogeyman. Relive some of your childhood horrors here and just be careful of what’s in the closet.
Recommended: Jack’s Nightmare Circus
Held at the Pantages Hollywood Theater, resident serial killer, Jack the Clown, introduces a series of aerial acrobats, contortionists and other freaky friends at his Nightmare Circus. Initially, I was amused by how un-nightmarish the whole performance was. But as the show goes on, I was wowed by how the performers go to extremes to terrify and even disgust the audience with their feats of daring and acts of torture.
My friend said that this was his favourite part of Halloween Horror Nights 4, as it was very cool to be able to watch gross sword swallowing and tongue-poking stuff taking place right in your face. An additional show at 1.15am was even added by popular demand, so I guess that says it all!
Survival Tips
A word of advice for everyone, if you are not planning to get the Express Pass (additional $50), be at Universal Studios Singapore on time (7.30pm) and plan your survival trails well! There’s simply too many fun (or scary) stuff to complete within one night. As I was trying to aim for the last train back home (at 11.50pm at Harbourfront MRT Station), I had to give some of the haunted houses and scare zones a miss!
Get yourself hydrated with some shots or brain juice! It’s available everywhere!
No Want Horror? Go For a Night Ride Then!
Besides the haunted houses and scare zones, there are still some parts of the Universal Studios untouched by the Minister of Evil such as the Far Far Away land where it is still protected by the Fair Godmother’s magical powers.
Rides/ Performances that are available are the:
3. Revenge of the Mummy
4. Accelerator
5. Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle
10. Madagascar: A Crate Adventure
11. Enchanted Airways
12. Shrek 4-D Adventure
13. Canopy Flyer
*Lights, Camera, Action! hosted by Steven Spielberg is not available
*Numbers as seen on the USS map
Halloween Horror Nights 4 Dates:
October: 3, 4, 5 | 10, 11 | 17, 18 | 22, 23, 24, 25 | 31
November: 1
Time 7.30pm – 1.30am
Ticket Prices
General Admission Ticket: $68/ticket
Buy 3 and more (Web Special): $61/ticket
Buy 3 Get 1 Free (RWS Special) $204
Express Pass: Additional $50 (Skip queues for all haunted houses and selected attractions)
*Valid for use in combination with any Halloween Horror Nights admission tickets Frequent Fear Pass
*Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event and not included with regular day admission to the theme park. But you may upgrade your admission tickets at an additional SGD$50 to “Stay & Scream)
For more information about the promotion prices, check out the #HHN4 Website (http://halloweenhorrornights.com.sg/).
xoxo
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Curiousity still killed the cat
I finally made use of my Royal Skies and earning points for my travels. I should have done five years ago when I’m starting to frequently fly here and there. I was told that the Dreamliner for Royal Brunei will go to Singapore on Friday and Sunday afternoons.
The Brunei national netball team were also on the same flight as they will be competing in the Asian Netball Championship in Singapore. Good luck!!
This competition looks interesting and let’s see how our Brunei team will do.
The most talked about run in my instagram because of its novelty. It’s happening in Singapore on 1st November.
Caught up with Lily Chiam at Nana’s Cafe and they served awesome Maccha drinks and ice-cream
Del’s a happy camper when he purchased the Sandcrawler Star Wars Lego. Costs a fortune too 😀
Staying at this hotel for the 2nd time and liking it so far
Doing my blog here and I feel more imaginative in this kind of setting
Something that cinemas in Brunei should do and I’m sure this will be a big hit 😀
I’m devastated that my Sam the Tennis Machine is damaged *boohoo* I’ve spent a fortune on it of the love of tennis and so eager to play but it didn’t turn out as expected. I bought the machine from a newly found friend Kenny Chea who is another passionate tennis player and he already gave me a good deal for the machine.
I believe the machine was mishandled at the cargo area (either in Singapore or Brunei) and this must have caused the components to be faulty. The wires were disconnected and the batteries fell out from the deck. Oh well.. That’s partly me to blame for not double checking and making sure the box was probably handled with much care at the cargo area.
Now I’m back in Singapore and I brought the 22 kilo machine with me to be sent for repair. I wonder how much it will cost me but at this point of time, I just felt devastated. It’s like owning your first iMac but it just won’t start at the first attempt.
My tennis buddies are already too eager to play with the machine so I apologize for the delay due to this misfortunate event. We will get a taste of “Sam” but for now, let the humans do the work 😀
A month ago when I was testing out Sam the tennis machine and I was impressed. I bought the machine on the spot back in Singapore.
Fast forward a month later, it’s back in Singapore and I never got the chance to even play with the machine. It seems so troublesome to bring this heavy machine back to Singapore and I’m glad I didn’t have to pay excess baggage but still….
The components inside were not in placed and this must have been resulted from a huge impact during handling of the box. I’m yet to find out the cost repair for this.
Another event that I just missed today is the UBD Convocation 2014 which just took place at 9am today at the Chancellor Hall. I will definitely cover but just that I’m currently not in Brunei at the moment. It’s the biggest calendar of the year for UBD and it is very special as well since His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam present the certificates to all the graduates of UBD. Awesome!!
A big shout out to Ruebin Chin, Nina Kifwari, Rebecca, Jordine, Winnie Sia, Ismah Ismail, Alicia, Nadia and a few more. Any of you who wants to contribute their selfies, you can email to ranoadidas gmail 😀 Congratulations once again to all my friends. You have done our King and our country proud. Keep it up!!
The graduates of 2014
The graduates of 2014
The graduates of 2014
Don’t forget to send your pictures to ranoadidas(8)gmail 😀
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Walking fingers
Acer Liquid Smartphones
Sales at Icon Design Store
Click image to enter Peugeot Brunei’s website
Click image to enter Citroën Brunei
BIBD’s latest promotion
Top up tia. Click image to enter website.
His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel during the Hari Raya celebration at ISB. Image courtesy of Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin.
Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah during the Hari Raya celebration at ISB
In attendance were members of the Royal Family, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel, Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim, Her Royal Highness Princess Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah and YAM Pengiran Anak ‘Abdul Haseeb.
It was amazing to see kids performing while their parents attended to support the Hari Raya celebration and it was entertaining too. It’s never easy to be on stage to perform but they did quite well nonetheless.
The pupils were from Year 2 to Year 5 of ISB. The event conducted with a fashion show featuring primary students donned in “Malay costumes” and the distribution of Malay cookies to the pupils.
His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel and Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah during the Hari Raya celebration at ISB. Image courtesy of Dean Kassim of Borneo Bulletin.
His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Muntaqim. Image courtesy of ISB Facebook Page.
This performer was quite entertaining. Image courtesy of ISB Facebook Page.
After 10 years, Mariah Carey is back to Malaysia brings us more hit songs to share not only with her Malaysian fans but also fans from all over the world! Mariah Carey “The Elusive Chanteuse” Tour In Malaysia 2014 is organized by IME Productions and supported by Malaysia Major Events, an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia will be kicking off on 22nd October 2014 at 8pm at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are excited to have Mariah Carey to perform here in Malaysia in October. Mariah’s live concert in Malaysia 2014 is a wonderful way to bring people together and we are very proud to be able to support it. Such event will further complement arrivals for Visit Malaysia Year, especially from the fans from the region and it also complements Malaysia’s position as a favourite destination for live entertainment in South East Asia. This event is expected to bring in approximately 3,000 fans from across the region with an estimated tourist spend of over RM15 million. Malaysia Major Events is glad to reward fans with this priceless opportunity to meet their favourite idol and hear to her sing their favourite songs.” said Tony Nagamaiah, General Manager, Malaysia Major Events.
It’s good to see her back in the music scene
Mariah’s concert in Kuala Lumpur is expected to draw a huge international attention. Wherever fans are, they are very welcome to catch her in Kuala Lumpur and grab an opportunity visiting attractions of Malaysia while staying in the country. The ticket prices are categorised into VVIP RM680 (number seat), RM580 (number seat), RM480 (number seat), RM380 (number seat), RM280 (free seating) and RM120 (free seating). Online tickets purchase are through official ticketing agency website www.ticketcharge.com.my or call for TicketCharge hotline +603 92228811 or IME Productions hotline +603 21666166 for ticket and concert information. I shall be running quizzes on my instagram @ranoadidas pretty soon so stay tune for that.
An iconic artiste that needs no introduction, Mariah Carey is the best-selling female artiste of all time with more than 250 million albums sold to date and eighteen Billboard #1 singles (seventeen self-penned) including ‘Fantasy’, ‘Always Be My Baby’, ‘Hero’, ‘Touch My Body’, ‘One Sweet Day’, ‘Without You’, ‘We Belong Together’ and the global smash hit Christmas single ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’, more than any solo artiste in history. With her distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific song writing, and producing talent, Mariah has defined the modern pop performance. As a singer, songwriter and producer, she has been recognized with five Grammy Awards, nine American Music Awards, Billboard’s “Artist of the Decade” Award, the World Music Award for “World’s Best Selling Female Artiste of the Millennium,” and BMI’s “Icon Award” to name a few.
Fans can prepare themselves for some mesmerising great time as the unparalleled American songstress showers her love, greatest hits and remarkable new singles to millions of people who have adored her widely acclaimed songs. For more information, please log on to IME Facebook http://www.facebook.com/imepmy or TicketCharge website www.ticketcharge.com.my
Click image to enter website
Oh yeah… The Singapore Toy, Game and Comic Convention is back again. This will be the third year running that I will be attending the event. However, this convention won’t be Marvel driven as compared to last year. There will be a dozen of pop culture personalities that will take the stage this weekend in Singapore. I shall be flying to Singapore for this trip and it will be a short one.
My co-host of The Popcorn Panel @delgoh will be flying as well and we shall be updating you guys on my website and do wait for our experience that we will be sharing on our podcast for The Popcorn Panel.
My focus probably will be more on the cosplay people and the exhibitors. I’m not quite familiar with the comic artists or writers as I’ve been so outdated when it comes to comics. Will STGCC be more interesting than last year? We shall wait and see. My bucket list one day is to attend the Comic-Con in the States. For now, the minor Asia version of Comic-Con will do.
You can check out the line up here for more details.
Let’s see if they are any interesting cosplay this year
Some of the pictures taken from last year’s edition
Let’s see if they are any interesting cosplay this year
Let’s see if they are any interesting cosplay this year
Taking the new C-Class for a test drive last Sunday. Verdict: I love it. Click image to read more of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The new C-Class is pretty awesome!!! I recently did a test drive and it’s one of the best cars I’ve driven this year *hands down* Even the royal blue colour that I test drove was excellent. My old car was a C180 back then but that was history. Fast forward 15 years later, the C180 now is much more transformed car.
The all-new C-Class is 100 kilos lighter and provides better aerodynamic and new economical engine. Of course, safety has been the priority of Mercedes-Benz and they are of high standard.
I kinda enjoyed the suspension while giving it a quick drive along the bump stretched road and the car does speak for itself. It’s also one of the most innovative luxury car to date.
In terms of appearance the new C-Class adopts a progressive approach with its clear yet emotional design and its high-class interior.
To me, it’s the best C-Class design from previous models. It’s very striking with a dynamic design Those who own this car will have an emotional feel to it and you will be impressed with the technology and its engineering.
It’s quite spacious as well and the interior feels luxurious and sporty at the same time. There have been quite a few interested parties as well for this car and I won’t be surprised that this model will sell quite well in Brunei.
You want to read the new C-Class in full details, you can click here. You can also drop by Jati Transport in Beribi to find out more about the C-Class (standard, AMG and the 250).
Driving like a bawse
A great ride indeed.. I can’t wait to further test drive the car
Love the colour of the C-Class
This is the C-Class 250 which was sold already. My brother was too late :p
Public viewing at Jati Transport
The public getting a sneak peak of the new C-Class
Taking a photo opportunity with the new General Manager of Jati Transport, Alfred So and of course, my brother who is eyeing on the Mercedes-Benz GLA
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Das Auto revisited
Super fun. Though I had to be separated from the media and blogger buddies after 72 hours together, it was a fun experience nonetheless. A great company and an awesome host made the trip more fulfilling than it already was. Thank you, firstly to @volkswagenbrunei (Maju Motors Sdn Bhd) for flying us all over to Singapore and also to Volkswagen Singapore for taking care of us and feeding us well too. Not forgetting my amazing stay at Grand Hyatt in Singapore too.
The main reason why we are in Singapore is to test drive some of the cars that have been waves in Singapore and of course, in Brunei. It’s amazing the growth of Brunei with regards to Volkswagen models and there have been a major increase in terms of sales and growth alone in Brunei market in the past four months. In fact, what Brunei is experiencing was what Singapore experience a few years ago when VW suddenly became a popular brand in the Singapore market.
For this post, I will feature Volkswagen main showroom on Alexandra Road, Singapore. Now this is what I call a showroom. It’s like a one-stop centre and once you enter, you can feel that inviting feeling especially for customers and there was already a sitting area (plenty) just after you enter the showroom.
I was also amazed by the number of collections of merchandise under the Volkswagen brand. I managed to purchase some stuff for my friends who requested for it. We had a mini tour and thank you, Colin Yong, senior manager of Public Relations for Volkswagen Singapore, for the tour and also for taking care of us by the time we reached Singapore until departure.
We were also welcomed by Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Singapore, and he has done a brilliant job in positioning VW as one of the reputable brand in Singapore and he also has helped to push Brunei market to where it is now. Maju Motors Sdn Bhd have been achieving new milestones in terms of sales of units and they managed to record a consistent number of sales since May 2014 to July 2014, selling 100 units on each month. That’s an amazing feat for Brunei market.
Colin Wong then showed us three video presentations on the Tiguan TSI, Polo and finally the Golf R. So far, Brunei will be launching the Tiguan TSI by end of August while the Golf R have been sold out from the 1st two shipments but you will be able to order on the 3rd shipment. The Golf R is expected to make its way to Brunei by end of September.
I will share more of the experience of the Volkswagen cars in my next post and for now, just see some of the pictures taken during our short trip to the Volkswagen Showroom on Alexandra Road.
You can visit their website at volkswagen.com.sg for more details and for this weekend, Volkswagen is having great deals for Volkswagen pre-owned vehicles specially for the National Day weekend!! So for the Singaporeans out there, do drop by their showroom at Alexandra & Das WeltAuto Showroom from 10am to 6pm.
Check out the pre-owned Volkswagen at Volkswagen Singapore showroom this weekend. Great deals, indeed!
I miss these guys already. Thank you to the media buddies for making it fun.
Being briefed by Ammirul of Volkswagen Brunei before handing over to Volkswagen Singapore
Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Singapore giving a few welcoming remarks and the status of Volkswagen in Asia-Pacific.
He talked about Brunei’s recent roadshow at The Mall, Gadong.
Great numbers from Maju Motors. Impressive indeed.
The amazing Golf Polo which I shall talk more about later on
Are you a GTI fan? This is taken at the Volkswagen Singapore Showroom.
Check out the merchandise from Volkswagen. Many reasons to visit their showroom.
The merchandise section.
One of the pre-owned golf cars and they did a great job in making it look new
Another pre-owned Golf car
A cool gimmick for customers to play around with
The ladies also don’t want to miss out the photo booth
Dinner being hosted by Volkswagen Singapore at Carousel a few nights ago. Yummm!!!
Thank you Volkswagen Singapore for hosting dinner
My first car that I test drove a few days ago. More report on that on my next post on my driving experience on Volkswagen cars as well as driving in Singapore 😀
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Das Auto
RA says the hardest part is to get the ball rolling. The momentum hasn’t been great. Blog wise I mean. The same goes for jogging. Once you take that mini-break, it’s hard to get the rhythm back but it does take one small step and eventually and gradually, you will be back in shape in no time.
The same goes for blogging. Blogging for 11 years already a milestone. I have lost that essence of what my real blog is all about. For those who have read my pieces before (before as in 8 to 9 years ago), the content was purely based on my thoughts and also my personal diary of the things that I do with my daily life and my social network of friends.
At present, it’s a different ball game. 70 to 80 percent of my content is based on social events and happenings in Brunei and outside Brunei that can be related to my readers. I probably would say 95% of the time that is that case because I hardly pour any thoughts like I use to and even the “Ugly Truth” segments haven’t been prominent enough to make up that remaining 5%.
I recently stumbled upon the Bru Blah Blah blogspot and it has been a while since I read blog different blog contents other than the familiar ones we know. I find this blog quite hilarious as they are quite sharp in pointing of observations in our Brunei culture on the things we normally do. I recommend you to get the blog out. These are the kinds of contents that I kinda miss and crave for at times. One blog that came to mind was the classic “Memoirs of a Poklen” and that has some excellent writing with a blend of humour too.
These days, because of the rise of social networks, the number of bloggers have decreased tremendously. Once, we had like more than 1,000 blogs based on the listed ones on Simpur Nation. Now, I can count on my finger tips on the number of active bloggers in Brunei. Ok, maybe slightly more than 10 and that’s a huge difference compared to a 1,000 back in 2005/2006.
I’m currently outstation and we just completed our overseas assignment on the recent Volkswagen test drive and the best part was that we were given the opportunity to drive on Singapore road which I never had the chance to do before in my whole entire life despite the country being my second home.
So a big shout out to Volkswagen Singapore and @volkswagenbrunei (Maju Motors) for making this trip an enjoyable experience and guys, do stay tune to our full report on our experience of the Golf cars that we drove yesterday. For now, you can check out the hashtags #volkswagenbrunei #vwbrunei for updates on your recent test drive sessions.
Though it was a short trip, we had fun driving the different models of the Golf and of course, we had fun among each other’s company. Image courtesy of AnakBrunei
Our dinner was held at Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts and thank you Volkswagen Singapore for hosting and treating us to a great dinner.
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