Rano says woohooo.. it's gonna be a long weekend but the sad part is the "distance". I just have to be patient and keep myself busy with CNY house visits and collecting "red packets" LOL.. CNY is this weekend and so is MLD... I mean Valentine's Day for those who celebrate it.
Last weekend was quite busy: The launch of Next Element, the Learning Ladder Society bazaar, The Red Bull Female Driver selection (congrats Mell and Liana), the launch of the BMW X1, the relaunch of Kreativgarten to name a few. I did miss one of the happening gigs of the year which was by "A Band Once" which drew almost a record 1,400 crowd.. I'm just gonna say WOW!! Well done boys!!! Keep it up!!
I just finished watching Glee Season 1. I decided to watch it because of all the hype that my friends were rambling about and also on a topic trend on Twitter. I have to say it's not bad at all but there are some moments that loses my interest.. But for me, the best episode was the first and the fourth some reason *lol* Syafiq of ABO thinks Glee is gay because of the men singing like Zach Efron.. I don't think Glee is a season for everyone. I kinda enjoyed it but to some extent. It won't be my top 5 favourite series.
So guys, I know most of you are waiting for the RA Twitter Competition.. Well, it is gonna start tomorrow and all I have to say right now is follow me on Twitter (@ranoadidas) and you will just have to participate in the "Question of the Day" and for every mention, you'll get one lucky draw voucher and I will only count the first mention of the question. There will be a bonus question once in a while and that will earn you 10 lucky draw vouchers. The competition will run from tomorrow until 15th April 2010. I shall spare you more of the details tomorrow. So guys, better follow me @ranoadidas on Twitter and stand a chance to win a iPhone/Blackberry Storm, PSP-Go or a Lacie 500Gig Hard Drive. Thanks to the sponsors b.mobile, ETA Games@Cineplex and TTCO Wave Sdn Bhd for the prizes.
Anyway, thanks also to all the HSBC credit card holders who SMS yesterday for the FREE vouchers (movie tickets, Hua Ho vouchers and Kaizen vouchers). HSBC almost had 200 entries and those who SMSed will be notified by today.. So congrats to those who took part and thanks once again guys for taking part on my Twitter "Question of the Day?"
SCB hands over "Learning Room". Standard Chartered Bank (Brunei) has been very supportive of Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAC) and recently SCB handed over a refurbished "learning room" to BDAC.
“Standard Chartered strongly believes that education is the key to making a difference in reducing the spread of HIV and AIDS, as well as addressing and reducing the stigma that surrounds one of the biggest global challenges the world faces,” said Danny Quah, CEO Standard Chartered Bank in his address during the handover ceremony.
The Learning Room, located at the Banglo Maktab Duli PMAMB in Gadong, can accommodate up to 50 persons in a theatre-style setting and has a portable projector screen, portable projector and white board to facilitate learning and discussion.
“We would also like to thank the BDAC and its members for giving us the opportunity to work with them, all for the mutual objective of spreading education on HIV and AIDS in our community,” Quah added.
On behalf of BDAC was Hjh Rosmah, the Honorary Treasurer, who received the handover of the plaque for the Learning Room from Danny Quah.
Special promotion for N&W. Nails & Wax has been around for more than a year and but the name suggests more than just "nails and wax". Nails & Wax provides services like "Facial and Massage" as well which is handled by a well recommended masseuse Lulu. So you'll be really pampered throughout the process ;)
So what are you ladies waiting for? And the great this is for 1st timers, you can enjoy 50% off all facial and massage treatments! So they are just a call away ----> 718 2884... Below are the promotions going on for the next few weeks!!! Starting from 8th Jan 2010 till 10 Feb 2010.
So what are the ongoing promotions? NAIL POLISH (OPI, ESSIE, CHINA GLAZE, ORLY) From USA is now selling for two @ $30. I can say it's the lowest price you can find here..
Then don't forget the Nails & Wax also does nail art on your nails (Refer below) and if you want to impress yourself for the festive season (CNY), then you can drop by Nails & Wax and get them done. But you need to make appointment first and for students, there's a 15% discount for students so that sounds like a good deal :)
Time fly so fast and yes, it's almost Chinese New Year which also falls on Valentine's Day. So aren't you guys excited about the festive season? Well, I'm kinda not since she will be outstation for a family trip. Anyway, that's besides the point..
Most of you will want to dress up and look pretty and gorgeous for the big day (CNY/Valentine's). So there's still ample time to be pampered (mani+pedi or massage or facial) or be waxed by the Waxing Guru Stephanie Yi. She will leaving on Valentine's Day so she still can service you ladies until the 13th February so you can impress your men *LOL*
Please call for appointment at 223 2884 or 718 2884... to book in early!!
Valentines Day Promotion
Full monte waxing @ $130 (if you want to impress your hubbies lol) and you'll get one FREE underarm waxing worth $30. For other waxing services, there will be a 15% discount from 11 Jan 2010 till 12 Feb 2010.
Get Rewarded from HSBC. Firstly, I would like to thank my Tweeps for participating in the recent poll with regards to preference of CCs in Brunei..and the response was very overwhelming! And guess what, HSBC is responding to the poll here by giving away treats exclusive to all HSBC credit card holders...
All you have to do is SMS to this number +673 8 888 999 and it's only applicable to the first 200 customers. (Only for today until 5:30pm)
So what's the catch?? well, you have a preference of a Kaizen Voucher worth $20 or Hua Ho Voucher $20 or 2 cinema tickets including popcorn... ain't that good or what?? but yes, only for the 1st 200 customers and you can only SMS from this time to 530pm, 8th February 2010.. Yes, you only have a few hours to participate.
Below are the steps as follow
Step 1 - Please choose the gift of your choice:
A $20 Kaizen Voucher
B $20 Hua Ho Cash Voucher
C 2 movie tickets including popcorn
Step 2- To claim your gift or your choice, SMS to +673 8 888 999 the following text: Gift of your choice
e.g. A 00654321 4922940012345678
So what are you waiting for guys (with HSBC Credit cards)? SMS away to earn your freebies :)
Who's Got Talent Season 2 up for registration. Ok, this is how it works.. You need to upload your video that you showcase your talent at Gayabmobile.com.bn and your video will be screened by the management to see if the videos are appropriate for the public viewing. The last entry to upload will be on the 18th February.
Then once the entries passed the screening process, there will be a public vote via SMS, starting on the 20th February and and top voted participants will have to perform live which will be judged by professional judges in the music industry.
I shall notify you on when the voting begins.. But this is only applicable for b.mobile subscribers.. And yes, there will be cash prizes for the winners.. The prizes will be bigger and better than before.
Anyway, just to let you know that it's open to anyone residing in Borneo including Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam. This year's competition is divided into four categories namely Singers, Bands / Musicians, Dancers / Dance Groups and Unique Talent (anything from magic tricks to football tricks to yoyo tricks).
So far the videos that are uploaded are just singing... Guys, I know they are many talented people out there and you can upload anything you want (of course, screening process is required). I saw some local youtube videos that can actually make it big on Gayabmobile.com.bn..
Ok, one of the videos that I think should join the competition is Maria Grace Koh's video.. She's not just a talented swimmer but a potentially great vocalist. Check out her video of her acapella version of "Stand By Me" and you can check out her other videos here.
NSC and Computer Fair at Jefri Bolkiah College. Jefri Bolkiah College of Engineering calls out to all students and public communities in the Belait District and we also would like to extend our welcome to other those from other districts to come over and check out our 2-day humble NSC Book and Computer Fair to be held in our College Multi Purpose Hall in conjunction with the 5th National Skills Competition 2010.
Participating the event are agencies such as Concept Computer Sdn Bhd, Paul and Elizabeth Book Services, Teras Maju Sdn Bhd, Pustaka Remaja Sdn Bhd, ILM Academy and Arnz Enterprise to name a few.
Look great for the festive season. That's what Joyce, the ambassador of P'Fection Beauty Concept, wants you ladies to look like. The beauty salon is a one centre for face, skin and body care and they are having a special promotion for CNY (check poster).
Below are the "Prosperity Prizes" if you spent $1,200 on a single receipt
1st price - B$1888, 2nd price - B$1688, 3rd price - B$988, 4th price - B$888, 5th price - B$688, 6th price - B$588 and consolation prices x 100pcs. P'fection Beauty Concept will be closed from 12th February at 2pm till 16th February for chinese new year celeration. Business will be resume on 17th Feb, 10am till 3pm. There will be a lion dance performance on 17th feb between 10am to 12pm. I shall update you on that.
You can call 223 7620 and ask for Joyce or Ping-Ping for more details. A few of my friends are also costumers at P'Fection Beauty Concept.
Summary of O and A Level results. The Examinations Department under the Ministry of Education has released the Brunei-Cambridge GCE 'A', 'AS' and 'O' Level results for the October/November 2009 session.
Sixty candidates or 2.21 per cent obtained at least 4 'A' Level's including one candidate from Maktab Duli, two from PTE Katok and 1 from Sayyidina Ali Secondary School who achieved 5 'A' Levels.
br /> From the figures, 13 candidates achieved excellent results by obtaining grade A's in at least four 'A' Level results comprising 7 candidates from Maktab Duli, two from PTE Berakas and four from Sayyidina Ali Secondary. Thirty-six candidates obtained grade A's in three 'A' Level subjects where 14 are from Maktab Duli, 5 from Maktab Sains, four from PTE Berakas, two from PTE Katok, one from Sayyidina Othman Secondary School and 10 from Sayyidina Ali Secondary.
In all, 10 subjects have shown between 2.46 per cent and 25 per cent compared to candidates in 2008. The subjects include Malay, Art and Design, Economics, History, Hafaz al-Quran, Computing, Thinking Skills, Psychology, Business Studies and Sociology. A 100 per cent pass was achieved for Further Mathematics compared to 2008.
Meanwhile, for GCE 'AS' Level, 1,276 out of 1,617 or 78.91 per cent obtained at least one 'AS' level, which is an increase of 0.8 per cent when compared to 2008.
Overall, candidates who have achieved at least 2 'AS' level is 52.63 per cent or 851 candidates, which is an increase of 7.97 per cent whilst 53.39 per cent of school candidates have increased to 8.03 per cent compared to 2008. Overall, 87 candidates from 1,617 candidates or 5.38 per cent have achieved one grade 'A' in at least two subjects.
For GCE 'O' Level, from 7,555 who sat for the exami-nation, as many as 3,986 or 52.76 per cent have managed to obtain at least 3 'O' Level, which is an improvement of 0.42 per cent compared to 2008. From a quality stand point, as many as 898 candidates or 11.89 per cent have managed to achieve 8 to 12 'O' Level, an increase of 47 candidates or 0.16 per cent. As many as three schools have achieved 100 per cent in obtaining at least 3 'O' Level and 23 schools comprising 17 government schools and 6 private schools, which shows an increase of between 0.66 per cent and 26.32 per cent compared to 2008.
Total candidates who have achieved at least 3 'O' Level in government schools is 53.12 per cent. Meanwhile, as many as 252 candidates or 3.58 per cent have achieved grade A's in 5 to 10 subjects, which is an improvement of 0.25 per cent. This achievement includes 171 candidates or 2.43 per cent from government schools, which is an increase of 0.12 per cent compared to 2008.
As many as 41 candidates or 0.58 have achieved excellent results with aggregate 6 and grade 1 in six to nine subjects. The figure is an increase of 0.11 per cent compared to 2008. Two candidates from Chung Hua Middle School, Kuala Belait have obtained grade's A1 in nine subjects whilst four candidates have achieved grade's A1 in eight subjects including 3 from Chung Hua, BSB and one from PJN Pg Hj Abu Bakar Secondary School (A), 11 obtaining grade A1s in seven subjects including 3 candidates from Chung Hua Secondary School, Kuala Belait, two from Chung Hua Secondary BSB, two from Maktab Sains, three from Chung Ching Secondary, one from Sayyidina Hassan Secondary and one from Yayasan Secondary School.
Twenty-four students obtained grade A1's in 6 subjects comprising nine from Maktab Sains, three from PJN Hj Abu Bakar (A), three from Chung Hwa Secondary BSB, three from St Andrew Secondary, three from PJN Pg Hj Abu Bakar (B), one from Ma'Had Islam Brunei, one from Muda Hashim Secondary and one from Seri Mulia Sarjana Secondary.
As many as 252 candidates, or 3.58 per cent, obtained grade A's in 5 to 10 subjects, an increase of 0.25 per cent from 2008. The candidates comprise two students or 0.03 per cent who obtained grade A's in 10 subjects that include one from Chung Hwa Secondary, BSB and one from Chung Hua Secondary KB. Nine students or 0.13 per cent obtained Grade A's in 9 subjects comprising one from Maktab Sains, three from Chung Hwa Secondary BSB, one from St Andrew's and four from Chung Hua Secondary School KB.
Meanwhile, 19 candidates or 0.27 per cent have obtained grade A's in eight subjects comprising seven from Maktab Sains, one from Sayyidina Hasan, two from PJN Pg Hj Abu Bakar (A), one from PJN Pg Hj Abu Bakar (B), seven from Chung Hwa BSB and one from Chung Ching Secondary.
As many as 58 candidates, or 0.82 per cent, have obtained grade A's in 7 subjects, 83 or 1.18 per cent have obtained grade A's in six subjects and 81 candidates or 1.15 per cent have obtained grade A's in 5 subjects.
Students who have achieved at least 3 'O' level from two schools, namely Maktab Sains and Chung Hua Secondary BSB, total up to 90 per cent and 96.40 per cent respectively.
Overall, candidate performance who achieved grades A-C for subjects in Mathematics Syllabus D, Mathematics Syllabus E, Biology, Chemistry, Science (Physics and Biology) and Science (Chemistry and Biology) has increased between 1.25 per cent and 100 per cent compared to 2008.
It is also reminded that candidates who wish to obtain their result slips may do so at their schools whilst private candidates may obtain their result slips from the Examination Department, MOE (office hours). Source: Borneo Bulletin.
New vet in town. I don't know much about vets in Brunei as much as I know of pet shops. So for the first time, I finally paid a visit to a newly local vet located at Gadong (Batu Bersurat). It's called Akeso, the new animal vet clinic, and it handles cats, dogs, birds and even fish..
They have an examination room, a surgery room and a board room for animals. Akeso's veterinarian will help to diagnose animal health problems; to vaccinate against diseases; to perform minor surgery if required; to treat wounds and many more. And why you should go for Akeso?? Because of its competitive prices and great service.
Akeso is also selling shampoo and anti-allergic products for dogs and cats. And there will be more products coming in the near future. So where's it located? It's at Batu Bersurat, not far from Harun's Gym.. Spg 6, Unit 6,, Block A, 1st Floor Desa Complex.
It is open from Monday to Saturday 8am to 6pm. They also provide house call service where they will come to your house at your convenience. For contact details, you can call 242 5819 or 890 3385.
Great performance by ISB. Last week, I attended a musical drama "King and I" hosted by International School Brunei (ISB) at the Empire Theatre. They had 3 shows which was opened to the public. According to the press release, Executive Principal David Taylor was proud of the people who were involved in the preparations over the last few months. I didn't catch the whole show but from what I could see, it was a good show - great casts and performances.
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Two new Roadster editions from Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz is now offering special editions of the SL and SLK, both of which feature a stylish interior with numerous sophisticated highlights. The optional designo magno night black matt paint finish accentuates the exclusive, sporty appearance of the SL Night Edition, while the special designo graphite paint finish makes the SLK Grand Edition a real eye-catcher. Both of these new special models combine the advantages of a roadster with those of a coupé, and are both thoroughbred sports cars and comfortable everyday cars.
SLK Grand Edition (stylish grey) is underlined by the elegant design graphite paint finish. It comes with 18 inch light-alloy wheels with five triple spokes, silver-coloured fins (bonnet) and headlamps matching the paint finish. Now these are two cool cars that might just burn the road.
8 ladies made it to the finals of the SmartWoman Driving Course organised by Red Bull. From the 80 applicants Red Bull Brunei received, 20 ladies were shortlisted after an interview conducted on all the applicants. Red Bull's all female Rookies Team picked their Top 20 candidates to attend the SmartWoman Driving Course organised by Asia Advanced Driving Academy (AADA) . The main aim of the Red Bull Rookies Racing Team project was to unearth 2 Female drivers to join the 3 Malaysian counterparts to participate in the Sepang 1000km Endurance Race to be held from 3rd to 5th June 2010 at Sepang International Racing Circuit.
So the 20 ladies had to undergo a defensive driving session held at Jerudong Park car park and on Sunday 7th February, out of the 8 finalists, only two will be chosen to represent Brunei. The final 2 candidates will be trained in Kuala Lumpur from February until the race. Radio Televisyen Brunei is the official broadcaster of the Red Bull Female Driver Search in Brunei reality project.
The top 8 finalists are Liana Radzak, Jade, Sara, Ziana, Mell, Aljay, Zana and Yenny. Congratulations ladies and good luck in the finals.
Chef Nite at Rizqun Coffee House. Try out the Chef Nite until 12th February 2010 which is $25 for adult and $12.50 for child. Do try the fried ice-cream or the Tepanyaki meals or the Rizqun Mee Soup. The Gear Box (Soup Tulang) promotion is back. For reservation, call 242 3000 ext 7811.
Dr Martinsen educates the public on "Deep-water Sedimentary Processes and Systems under the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Distinguished Lecture Program 2009-2010. Their purpose is to foster scientific research to advance the science of geology and to inspire high professional conduct.
Hence the AAPG Distinguished Lecture Series 2009-2010 was brought to Brunei for a presentation and it was sponsored by TOTAL E &P Borneo BV (TEPB) in collaboration with the Petroleum Geosciences Department, UBD. TEPB is committed towards sustainable development and knowledge-sharing. By encouraging discussion on specific technical issues such as lecture also acts as an informal training too. TEPB also sees this as means to foster relationship with academics and those interested in the oil and gas industry.
It was Dr Martinsen’s fourth of 11 international lectures. Among the audience were students and lecturers from the Petroleum Geosciences Department, TOTAL’s associates (including its new General Manager), government officers mostly from Petroleum Brunei & Petroleum Unit, and private sector including BSP.
The launch of Next Element. When? It's tomorrow if you are interested to catch the new dance club in town (Fitness Zone, The Mall Gadong) and the launch will be at 2 pm. In the YouTube video, you will a few Next Element instructors (Kham, Dani and Caraul) and registration for students have been happening for the past week or so.
The dance classes will start on Monday 8th February, 2010 and you can start registering yourself at the new dance club in town.. There are quite a number of different classes to join and it's very defined and specific. So do check out their launch tomorrow at 2 pm at The Fitness Zone, The Mall. Do join their facebook Fanpage by clicking here or call 7190 484 for more info.
Toby turned 1. The birthday celebration was last weekend for Toby's birthday and man, he's soooooo cuteee!!!! Thanks Clyde and Rachel for the invitation last weekend and for your info, Rachel will be re-launching her Kreativgarten tomorrow (Sunday, 7th February) from 9am to 11am at Jaya Setia Square (Opposite end of the X-Ray near airport).
So what's the catch on the relaunch of Kreativgarten? Well, the first 25 families will get a gift pack and there will also be a launch promo where you can enjoy 10% off retail items and also $25 off all the Kindermusik courses.
HRD Services' "Study in UK" Exhibition drew more than a thousand. It was a packed event few days ago when HRD Services hosted "Study in UK" Exhibition at the Grand Hall, The Empire Hotel where 30 universities from the UK to part. I would have to say that choice of venue is the best so far to accommodate the hundreds of students and parents flocking in and it was pretty organised because of the traffic flow.
I was also in search for some postgraduate courses for myself but still contemplating since I prefer to continue it down under. I found one or two prospectus that I like during the fair but I hope I can a similar one down under.
British Council has a successful study exhibition. Right after HRD Services organised their "Study in UK" exhibition, the British Council had their UK Education 2010 Exhibition which was held at Rizqun International Hotel. Again, it was solid packed from start to finish. Seminars were held as well to give more information to students. Also present was the British High Commissioner Rob Fenn who presented the lucky draw prize to the winner.
"Britain is proud of its universities but we don't take our Bruneian customers for granted. I hope every potential student visiting the fair will find what they are looking for and that by furthering their studies in the UK will be their passport to academic excellence and a prosperous future," said the British High Commissioner, who presented an iPod Touch to Umi Khairiyah Zamri, who pre-registered online for the exhibition.
Avatar sank the Titanic. Yes, peeps... Avatar has claimed the "King of the Box Office" as it outgrossed Titanic (US $600 million) as James Cameron latest flick has earned $606 million in North America alone and it has accumulated around $2.2 billion worldwide as compared to Titanic's 1.6 billion back in 1997/1998. And the great news is the money is still coming in.. So I have no idea where will Avatar end up in terms of box office receipts..
I believe Avatar will reach at least $680-$700 million in the North America alone because it still has the strong legs to do so and with the boost of the Oscar nominations (including Best Picture), this will give more run for Avatar. Did you know that it took Avatar 47 days to reach $600 million whereas Titanic needed 252 days to reach $600 million.
Then again, one can argue that the price admission was way different back in the Titanic era. Furthermore, most of the audience in North America caught it on 3D which is more expensive that the usual ticket price. So that will have more impact on the revenue generated for Avatar and hence, it's no surprise that it caught up with Titanic like peanuts.
Interestingly enough, in terms of admission of tickets, Titanic is still way ahead with 128 million ticket admission whereas Avatar, at this current stage, has 61 million ticket admission. So attendance wise Titanic is still the widely watched movie in our modern era. But let's not take credit away from Avatar because of its phenomenal success. Though I would have to say District 9 and Star Trek are better flicks overall for me in 2009 :)
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Defying all odds... Our own "Polar Girl" Najibah Eradah PAM Al-Sufri has done our country proud. It wasn't an easy path for her especially in preparing for Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. Sponsorship and attracting funds (to support Era's expenses for the training and the expedition) were pretty tough.. I was pretty surprised not many local prominent companies seize the opportunity to support our local heroine who has tremendous for Brunei. Well, I think it's a lost opportunity for them. But I salute BARA for standing by Era from Day 1 to the end and they were also involved in making Era's journey possible by holding charity events and publicity.
She has already turned into a Brunei icon and I hope she gets awarded in the upcoming Brunei Youth Day later this year and I hope she gets more acknowledgement from our country. She became the first Bruneian woman to ski to the South Pole and that's a very historical moment. During the press conference, she mentioned that she became more determined when people doubted her because she's small and won't last the whole journey. Apparently one of the ladies had to make a u-turn because of frost bite *ouch* If I was given the opportunity, I'll probably think three or four times and end up turning down the offer.
Last Saturday she had a warm reception from her family, friends and sponsors when she arrived at the Brunei International Airport. She was also welcomed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Press conference was held for Era hosted by Kaspersky Lab who are the main sponsor for the Commonwealth Women Antarctic Expedition. It's one of the leading IT international companies that battle against computer malware and neutralizing IT threats. Harry Cheung, Mananging Director of Kaspersky Lab, Asia Pacific, represented the main sponsor during the press conference.
Harry Cheung said that he was immensely proud of Era and her colleagues. "From the time we heard about Era and her team's quest, we knew we had to support them. Throughout the expedition, Kaspersky Lab has been part of the team and we feel a great sense of achievement. Every day, Kaspersky Lab's staff overcome the challenges of cyber crime, computer malware and IT threats in order to keep our customers secure. Ambition and desire to overcome obstacles are qualities Kaspersky Lab shares with the women in this team."
During the press conference, Era shared her experience from the beginning of the journey to the end. Probably the most challenging moment for the ladies was when they experienced a storm in the earlier part of the journey. It was those moment when anyone can just call it quits. Kaspersky Lab's CEO and Harry also went to the South Pole to great the ladies upon the completion of their journey.
So what's next for Era? To inspire the youth in Brunei and believes anyone can achieve their dream if they set their mind to it and never to give up. She was really determined to prove people who doubted her from the start and she showed that we Bruneians can do it.
Awesome Zinger.... It was fun yesterday when I twitted the picture of the Zinger and most of them recognised which burger it is. So why don't try out their Tower Crunch Combo as it comes with KFC's version of Nachos known as Chacho's with BBQ & Mayo Dip. As for the Zinger burger, it has the zinger chicken meat of course, the hash brown, slice of cheese, veges and spicy sauce that makes the burger juicyyyyyyyyy.... So do tame your hunger with KFC Zinger.
