A busy weekend for weddings. I've cancelled by trip to Thailand this week due to the H1N1 situation. So this gives the chance to cover two weddings this weekend. I remember someone telling me that this website is more like a wedding site *lol* Perhaps, we all know that this period (July to September) is where most couples are getting married and this includes some of my friends :)
Last night was one of the series of weddings that I attended. It was Mas Idris' Berbedak ceremony which took place at a new apartment at Serasa. I have to say it is a pretty cool apartment (More on that later). Congrats dude and don't get nervous later on the "nikah".
8 winners to fly tonight. Jati Transport Sdn. Bhd. held their prize presention at Beribi Showroom on Friday, 26th June 2009 at 2:00 pm to present the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience in Sepang, Kuala Lumpur ticket to eight (8) lucky winners. The prize includes airfares, accommodation and a ticket to participate the Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience in Sepang, Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 3rd July 2009.
The Mercedes-Benz Driving Experience equips drivers with advance safety and defensive driving skills. It covers aspects of driving safely including details such as the correct way of adjusting your seating position, to detail such as the correct position of your hands on the steering wheel. These are just a couple of the many things people will learn. Others are how to react in an emergency situation, what exactly does ABS do, what is the different with ESP on and ESP off and many other features in Mercedes-Benz cars.
The eight winners were drawn from purchasers of a new Mercedes-Benz over the last three (3) months from 1st April to 15th June 2009. The special promotion for Mercedes-Benz buyers will treat each participant to the excitement and thrill of handling the new C-Class around parts of Sepang F1 track under the watchful eye of Mercedes-Benz instructors.
Prizes were presented by the General Manager, Mr Phil Myhre and Sales Manager, Mr Ho Ley Hoon of Jati Transport Sdn. Bhd.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 27 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1), bringing the total in the country to 93 cases. All these cases are still being investigated and undergoing treatment.
The Ministry of Health also confirms the death of a 12-year-old child early this morning. The patient had Auto-immune Hepatitis end stage live failure and pneumonia and has been in critical condition since 26 June 2009. Laboratory tests confirmed that the patient was positive for Influenza A (H1N1). The Ministry of Health is investigating the background of the patients Influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Situation summary of cases as of today:
1. Cases in different age groups:-
* 58.4% of the reported cases are made up of people of ages 20 years and below
* 36.4% of them are in between the ages of 20 and 40 years of age
* 5.2% involves those above the age of 40
2. A total number of 21 patients has been discharged from Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah Hospital, Tutong.
3. Current epidemiological study shows the history of infection:-
* 56% cases has travel history to other countries (ie. United Kingdom, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor, Lawas, Bintulu, Miri, Labuan, Singapore, Philippines and Laos)
* 25.8% cases are through contact
* 18.2% cases are not yet known and is still being investigated.
In view of the increasing number of reported cases, the Ministry of Health would like to emphasize the importance of the public in adhering to the visiting regulations at all government hospitals:
* To only visit during the stipulated visiting hours.
* To limit 2 visitors for every patient.
* Not to bring children aged 12 years and below to visit patients at the hospital.
For those who have just returned from overseas or showing symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1), they are advised not to visit patients in the hospital.
The Ministry of Health, continues to advise the public, who have recently returned from affected countries within the past 7 days, and having symptoms, to seek immediate medical attention. It is also advisable to reduce social activities and crowded places such as:
* Community gatherings * Shopping centers * Markets * Stalls * Restaurants * Cinemas * Swimming pools and the like
The public can help to prevent the spread of respiratory infections by maintaining good personal hygiene:
* Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and dry them using disposable tissue or the like * Use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers if there are no hand washing facilities * Cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough and discard used tissue in the dustbin * Avoid from people who has influenza like symptoms * Avoid from going to crowded places.
For further enquiries and information, the public can contact the Healthline 145 during office hours and 8220991 during none working hours.
Malaysia Airlines and Royal Brunei seal expanded code share agreement. 1July 09 marks the historical moment whereby Malaysia Airlines and Royal Brunei start its code sharing flight between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuching, Sarawak. This is in addition to the Kuala Lumpur – Bandar Seri Begawan route that both airlines have been code sharing since March 2004. With these new services Malaysia Airlines and Royal Brunei will code share on all services between Malaysia and Brunei.
Now, Malaysia Airlines will put its code on Royal Brunei’s twice ( 2X ) daily services between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu and twice ( 2X ) weekly services between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kuching.
In conjunction with the MHDAY, Malaysia Airlines Brunei team led by the Area Manager Brunei, Mohamed Safri Abdullah, clad in blue MHJuara T shirt, took the initiative to celebrate it at the Brunei International airport. The MH Team gathered at the boarding gate and surprised the MH/BI passengers with a small token of goodies. This is part of our gesture to show our appreciation and our continuous support on the MH/BI code share flight to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. This inimitable Malaysian sense of graciousness is branded MH=Malaysian Hospitality, with MH being the airline’s flight code.
With this development Malaysia Airlines has combined the three popular tourist destinations of Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Bandar Seri Begawan into one attractive package either as a stand alone or as a stopover product for customers on long haul trips,” said Area Manager Brunei, Mohamed Safri Abdullah.
This occasion is being enhanced with full support received from Royal Brunei Airlines and Tourism Malaysia.
Promo fares to Kota Kinabalu are also available from BND54 per way (exclude airport taxes) at all MH ticket office and appointed travel agents.Also, in conjunction with the Malaysia Airlines Travel Fair, Malaysia Airlines is offering a promotional all inclusive fare of RM198 (one way) from Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Seri Begawan from 22nd June until 5th July 2009.
For more information, visit www.malaysiaairlines.com
Audi TT Limited Edition Coupe coming soon. The car was showcased to Audi dealerships including T.C.Y Motors during the Audi SE Asian Marketing & Product Round Table in Yogyakarta, Nov 2008.T.C.Y. Motors will receive shipment of ONLY 3 units out of 40 for the Asean market, to be available for Brunei in the next few weeks. [Pictures courtesy of John Tan]
Business as usual for DPMM FC. It was another straight forward game for DPMM FC but they struggled at times to break the defence of Balestier Khalsa who are at the foot of the S.League table. DPMM FC scored early through Shahrazen Said through a corner kick while Rene Komar scored in the final minute to put the game beyond doubt.
It wasn't much of a fight really. Even at times when Balestier had possession, DPMM FC's goal was hardly threatened. I would say that last night's performance by DPMM FC was slightly off tone but they managed to get all three points. Simunic was a relief man after the match.
"I expect a very tough game. We were suffering until the second goal came. It was a good game but it wasn't easy. All the games we played at home have been very tough - Sengkang, Woodlands, SAF FC."
"It's a pity Hamid won't be playing in the next game because of four yellow cards. I hope we will be able to get more points away from home."
The result positioned DPMM FC back to third place and in contention for the top spot while Balestier Khalsa are still lavishing at the foot of the table.
Nail & Wax July promo. Nail & Wax will be having a special promotion for the month of July 2009. The establishment has been around eight months already. For those who are not aware of what Nail & Wax is, it is what we call a "pampering haven" where you can get your nails done. They also provide facial, massages (and foot spa) and of course, waxing which has been picking up in the country.
So make you appointments at 223 2884 or you can drop by Nails & Wax (above Excapade Sushi at Regent Square, Kiulap) and make your bookings there too. And congrats to Stephanie who recently earned an international certificate on "waxing" which means that she can perform waxing anywhere in the world.
Anyway, below are the promotion for July 2009.
1) Whitening manicure + pedicure spa @ BND 63 (worth BND 159)
2) Detoxify massage @ BND 63 (worth BND 98)
3) Whitening facial @ BND 63 (worth BND 80)
4) Facial + Upper lip waxing + Half leg waxing @ BND 163 (worth BND 198 - Fully pampered package)
5) Half leg waxing + Detoxify massage @ BND 163 (worth BND 198 - Total Body care package)
* This promotion is only limited to the first 63 customer per item
* Spend more than BND 150 - receive BND 10 Kimchi Restaurant voucher
* For people whose birthday falls on 15th July, you'll receive a free foot massage if you spend on any other items/service at Nails & Wax.
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Are we ready for H1N1 "Worst Case Scenario"? HRH Crown Prince calls on all parties to be prepared to face any eventuality. HIS Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince [pic inset: Infofoto] and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday questioned the country's preparedness with regards to the recent spread of Influenza A (H1N1), calling for all parties to be ready for the "worst-case scenario".
In the sabda made prior to the National Disaster Council Meeting at the Fire and Rescue Department headquarters, His Royal Highness said that even though we may feel that the situation is under control at the moment, we must be prepared for any eventuality, especially since no proven prevention measure, such as an effective vaccine, has been found yet.
"Are we prepared to face a sudden increase in infections (cases), which is much more than (initially) projected?" His Royal Highness asked. "What steps have been planned if the virus mutates and has greater potential to cause deaths?
"Do we have the logistical capacity and sufficient manpower to implement a mass quarantine?" His Royal Highness added.
These are the questions that we should be asking and contemplating, to which the answers will require the input, ideas and understanding of all the relevant agencies, His Royal Highness said. [Click here to read more on Ubaidillah Masli's article in The Brunei Times] *Notice the irony?*
Catch DPMM FC vs Balestier tonight. Last home game only had 5,000 crowd and I don't expect the crowd to reach the 8,000 mark as it usually does. Perhaps the H1N1 flu cases have been affecting the attendance level in the stadium. Nonetheless the show must go on and DPMM FC is in a must-win against bottom team Balestier.
A win will put DPMM FC back in contention for the S.Leagu title. Currently Gombak United is leading the pack, followed by SAF FC. DPMM FC will be without the services of Ivan Jerkovic (injury for a month) and Azwan Salleh aka Param (suspension). Simunic will be playing Oh Dogg Yi and Hardi Bujang in the starting line up.
So catch DPMM FC vs Balestier tonight at the Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium at 8:15pm tonight.
Sultan Cup this July. The Brunei Basketball Association (BBA) will be organising the Sultan Cup in conjunction with the 63rd birthday celebrations of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam starting on July 18 at the Brunei Basketball Association Court in Batu Bersurat.
The aim of the tournament is to promote basketball in the country. It is open to players with a valid Brunei identity card. "Usually we have around 16 to 20 teams joining in the tournament so we are expecting around the same number this year," said Lim Fung, BBA secretary.
Registration forms can be obtained from the Brunei Basketball Association Court. Completed forms with registration fees of $300 for the men's category and $200 for the women's category can be sent to the organising committee at the same venue before or on July 10.
For more information, please call Mr Soon at 8770316.
At the mean time, my Ranoadidas ladies team will be participating in this tournament for the third year running. The ladies have been training lately to be fit for the upcoming tournament. However, we will be missing Wande (left Brunei) and the Rai sisters (left Brunei) and our centre Raaufah (injury). But we have a few back up players and I do hope this year that the ladies' team will be competitive.
Annabelle wins You've Got Talent competition. Last Monday, 14 year old Annabelle Pei Pei beat a good list of finalists brought to you by B-Mobile Communications. The event was also co-sponsored by HSBC. I notice that the dancers didn't have what it takes to overcome the talents of the singers. Rhythm Fusion were the best dancers of the day but only managed to grab fourth place.
Third place of the competition went to Louise Ann Kendrew and second place went to local band Magabu and I thought they were pretty good. And as usual, Annabelle, one of the top performers in Kristal Idol, stole the show with a cover version of "I will always love you".
Cyclists sweat it out in HSBC Challenge. A total of 350 cyclists sweated it out under the scorching sun for the second Heart of Borneo Challenge 2009 yesterday morning. More than 20 HSBC staff and over 200 individuals including 20 cyclists from the neighbouring country, Miri, participated in the challenge.
The guest of honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar, Minister of Industry and Primary resources who also took part and led the cyclists during the challenge.
The cycling event began and finished at the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah complex. The throngs of cyclists took off at 7am and ended at 2.30pm where the participants traveled more than 120 kilometres all the way to Bukit Beruang, Tutong before returning to the finishing line.
In an interview with Mr Lim Boon Teck, the Manager Corporate Sustainability of HSBC, he stated that the response for the Heart of Borneo challenge was good, "almost all of the participants have made it to the finishing line despite the hot weather".
He also said the aim of the Heart of Borneo Challenge is as a platform to raise awareness among Bruneians on conservation initiatives and to adopt a lower-carbon emission lifestyle."We hoped the public will give their full support for our initiatives in energy conservation and reducing the climate change therefore saving our environment."
The HSBC Heart of Borneo Challenge aimed at raising funds towards establishing a 25ha field study plot at Kuala Belalong Field Study Centre in Temburong. The 25ha research plot will likely include over 1000 species of trees which is more than the forest in all of North America or Europe.
The money raised from the Heart of Borneo challenge will proceed to a research project fund for scientists in helping progress further in monitoring the impact of climate change on the forests of Brunei and vice versa.
Over US$ 330, 700 is required to help carry out this project reach its goal, thus HSBC is fully committed to contribute their support and commitment in making this project successful. [Borneo Bulletin, Farah Ahmadnawi]
42 cases so far at press time. The Ministry of Health has confirmed 10 new cases of Influenza A (H1N1), bringing the total in the country to 42 cases.
* The 33rd case is a 22-year-old female who just returned from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
* The 34th case is a 25-year-old female who just returned from Singapore.
*The 35th case is a 29-year-old female who just returned from the Philippines.
* The 36th case is a 14-year-old male
* The 37th case is a 22-year-old female
* The 38th case is a 38-year-old female
* The 39th case is a 15-year-old male
* The 40th case is a 9-year-old male
* The 41st case is a male
* The 42nd case is a 10-year-old female
All these cases, are still being investigated and undergoing treatment, and are in good condition. The Ministry of Health wishes to inform the public, that at present, out of the 42 confirmed cases, a total number of 233 close contacts, needed to be quarantined for 7 days. Out of the 233 close contacts, 38 are no longer in quarantine. These contacts do not have symptoms. However, due to their exposure to the cases, needs to be isolated and given tamiflu for preventive treatment. A majority of these contacts are quarantined in their own respective homes.
The Ministry of Health emphasizes the importance of the public’s social responsibility in preventing Influenza A (H1N1), therefore it is urged that the Government Departments, supermarkets, shopping centers, cinemas and the like to provide, disease prevention facilities for public use, especially hand washing facilities equipped with soap dispensers, along with gel/liquid sanitizers at all entry points.
In safeguarding the public’s safety, the Ministry of Health, continues to advise the public, who have recently returned from affected countries, within the past 7 days and having symptoms, to seek immediate medical attention. It is also advisable to reduce social activities and crowded places such as:
* Community gatherings
* Shopping centers
* Markets
* Stalls
* Restaurants
* Cinemas
* Swimming pools and the like
For further enquiries and information, the public can contact the Healthline 145 during office hours and 8220991 during none working hours.
Anyway, there was a fatality case of the celebrity due to the swine flu.
Muiz, Hasher and Md Basri big winners. Last Sunday, new champions were crowned for the Pro Evo Soccer 2009 as well as Call of Duty 4 in the 4th Brunei Cyber Game. Though the number of participants have dropped due to H1N1 scare, there were still a handful of players that turned up during the tournament. Notably missing were the gang from Lumut (Alif Akmal, a former champion, Amal, Zul, Rai, Andy) as they were preparing for Alif's sister's wedding *Congrats* Saifuddin was also missing from the championship as his family was busy preparing for their cousin's wedding.
In the PS3 Pro Evo Soccer category, Abdul Muiz Ismail defied the odds by beating favourite Hasher (Hilmi Shah) 5-4 in a thrilling finale despite playing with one man less. Strangely enough Hasher played with AC Milan and he has yet to achieve the top prize in the BCG, finishing 1st runner-up on many occasions *correct me if I'm wrong* Third place went to young, talented player Md Elmi Shahri Hj Osman.
In the PS2 Pro Evo Soccer category, Md Basri won his first championship as well after beating an experienced player Efra Effendi who also made his solo final in PES competition. Efra, known for his tag-team credentials with Yusra, lost 2-0 to eventual champion Md Basri. Saifullah finished 3rd in the category.
In the RockBand 2 category, The Covers retained their championship and almost lost the semi-finals by the closest of margin to Nightlife Commandos who finished third in the tournament. Emanon came 2nd in the final round of RockBand 2.
In the Call of Duty (PS3) category, Hasher may have come 2nd place in PES 2009 but he was crowned champion in COD 4 with Wafy and Md Hafizuddin coming 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Thanks to Baiduri Bank for being the major sponsor of the event and also to Panacom for lending the 20 units of their Philips TV once again for the consumer fair. Thanks also to Seri Kandi Restaurant for sponsoring the meals for the officials and also to Aewon Garment and Embroidery for the caps and the jackets. And thanks to Pelangi FM for the promo and the announcement on the radio.
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Rano says what a busy Sunday it was. I missed covering the Heart of Borneo Challenge by HSBC. I missed the "Frozen" gimmick that was held at The Mall yesterday. I missed the softball finals of the 2009 MB Invitational Cup where PLK Zombies (Men's) and Legends from the Philippines (Ladies') won their respective categories.
This was because I was too tied up with the 4th Brunei Cyber Game and also the Rockband 2 competition held at The Mall in conjunction with the B-Mobile roadshow which was solid packed. The Consumer Fair 4 (CF4) at the ICC broke attendance record as it registered 58,000 visitors in the span of four days. That's like one fifth of Brunei's population (or I could be wrong). Salutes to Sunlit Advertising for putting up a great exhibition. The BKN roadshow (part of CF4) was also successful as they want to put the message across to parents on the dangers on drug usage.
I'm too lazy to type at this moment actually *lol*. I had a late night after a long telephone conversation and today's supposed to be my rest day. So I'm taking a bit of my sweet time to upload today's news so do bear with me on this :) Anyway, before I continue my entries, I would like you guys to check out The Brunei Times website's new layout. It looks more professional than before and I'm quite surprised that the stories are uploaded in the morning rather than the usual afternoon period. So you can check it out here on their new layout.
Media Appreciation night by PMO. Thank you to the Prime Minister's Office for the extended invitation for the media appreciation night. The PMO has played a very active role especially the recent E-Government Strategic Plan 2009-2014 launch and the roadshow which was held at The Mall recently and the media has played a positive role in doing so.
"This (the e-Government) is one of the efforts made by the Prime Minister's Office in executing aspirations of His Majesty's government as the primary moving mechanism in providing services to customers and the public. It will be more efficient, convenient, customer-focus, cost-effective. Overall, it will be better than the previous system," said Azhar Haji Ahmad, the Acting Director of the e-Government National Centre.
The event took place at Amigos Restaurant hosted by the guest of honour Dato Seri Paduka Eussoff Agaki Haji Ismail, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office. Also present was YAM Pg Anak Khairul Khalil bin Pg Syed Hj Jaafari. Other medias were also present from the Brunei Press, The Brunei Times, all Chinese newspaper, RTB, Info Department and local house production.
The next roadshow will be held in KB on July 4th at Dewan Bandaran.
Catch Feby Mercelia at The Mall. She can really woo the crowd.. As part of the "Loyalty Club" launch by B-Mobile Commuication Sdn Bhd, the Indonesian artist Feby Marcelia performed at The Mall for the past two days and she will be making another appearance tonight at The Mall. As some of you will know that Feby is popular from the show "Mama Mia" and also for those fanatic fans can catch Indonesian band Kangen at The Mall tonight.
For those interested to sign up for the "Loyalty Club", you still can register and be part of the Club. I have yet to register one. I better sign up soon :)
In the mean time, there's also the finals of the "Who's Got Talent competition?" which will be happening tonight at The Mall if I'm not mistaken. So make your way to The Mall this evening and the catch the finalists as they battled out for the $1,500 cash prize.
