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Outsourcing is the key. If you can't seem to get things done and you dont have the expertise, then I suggest you find some who does and it will make your life much easier. So this in this case is application for the "Halal Certification" where it has been a very interesting and an eye opener for most of us Bruneians. Recently 10 restaurants have been awarded and certified with a "Halal certification" from The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) I'm not saying that the other thousands resraurants in Brunei are not halal.. They are but it's just that MORA has new regulations for local restaurants to comply in order to be endorsed with the "Halal Certificate".
r So basically for restaurant owners, you can either go straight to the Ministry of Religious on your own or you can hire a consultancy services (private one) and they can handle your paperwork and the whole tedious process. So this is where Ha Management Services comes in.. There are like a consultancy agency made up of retired people who have the know-how and the expertise of the process of the application of the "Halal Certificate". This is because most of the team are made up of former government officers in MORA and they know how the system works.
I spoke to the Chairman of Ha Management Services, Dato Rahman Mohiddin, former Permanent Secretary of MORA, in a short interview and he created the team solely on providing niche services to assist the government as well as their clients. His company was appointed by RMS Group and the company managed to get Fratini's Restaurant in Gadong its first Halal Certificate. This means that we Malays/Muslims won't have doubts whever dining at Fratini's. According to Dato Rahman, a few more branches are under the process of obtaining the certificates.
Just a quick recap of what Ha Management Services do - they are simply a consultant agency that can help you (from Day 1) on applying the "Halal" cert for your restaurant. So in fact, you don't have to go back and forth for all to MORA. Let Ha Management Services do for you. Accoridng to Dato Rahman, more than 10 restaurants signed with Ha Management Services to help them with the process. The process normally takes at least 4 months and it also depends on the size of the menu and the staff involved as well.
The minimum fee is $1,500 which is pretty reasonable, considering all the process and tedious work they have to do especially on the menu items. Dato Rahman mentioned that their target market is the niche market. I believe this is a great move and furthermore, they have the expertise and the know-how of the process which gives them the competitive advantage. And did you know by having the Halal Certificate, this can really boost your sales of the restaurant. Recently Fratini's have beeing enjoying great sales ever since they received their Halal Certificate.
So if you want to hire Ha Management Services, you can reach them at info@ha-management.com or call 823 0993.
In conjunction with Nuzul Al-Quran and the holy month of Ramadhan, Royal Brunei Catering (RBC) Staff Welfare & Recreation organised a religious event on 3rd September at the Muhibah Function Room located at Royal Brunei Recreation Club.
The event started with Ratib Al Attas followde by Khatam Al-Quran. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications and RBC Chairman, Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Hj Awang Alaihuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya DiGadong Seri Lela Dato Seri Utama Hj Mohd Taha presented the Gift Appreciation to three invited Imam from Brunei Muara Mosque. Ministry of Religious Affairs.
It was concluded with "Berbuka Puasa" followed by "Maghrib prayers" and dinner. Attending the ceremony included invited guests from Religious Department, media representatives, RBC Board, management, staff and family.
Times Square is the current buzz right now but I don't think it will affect the Gadong crowd/traffic at all. Because on my way back from Times Square, the Gadong area was still solid packed even before Sungkai. Anyway, I had a quick visit to Times Square and I managed to take a few shots which will be published on RA of course.
Reviews have been mixed from peers. Some reacted, saying they have been there and it's nothing new to them. Some lauded the existence of two huge shops such as Giant and Super Save (not the QAF one). For more of my thoughts, you can click here.
The official opening of Times Square will be before mid October 2010. So expect a grand opening by then..
Cool-tones held a prize presentation ceremony on Tuesday 31st August 2010 at iCentre for a lucky draw winner of Cool-tones most downloaded local artist tones. Prizes are presented by a staff of Modasys Technology, provider of Cool-Tones and 3g.com.bn. Three lucky draw winners won themselves Sungkai buffet vouchers sponsored by The Coffee Zone & an Invitation to Cool-Tones Awards courtesy of Cool-Tones.net & 3g.com.bn. The winners are Hjh Rosni Hj Abd Razak & Noramzilah Binti Amdan.
Meanwhile, Cool-Tones & 3g.com.bn will be having Cool-Tones Awards in September in conjunction with their 3rd year anniversary. The Cool-Tones Awards event is to appreciate our own Brunei Artist on their achievement & their contribution to local music scene and also to appreciate their value customers. The Cool-Tones awards voting for top 5 finalists now open to all B.Mobile & Cool-Tones Subscribers. To vote type ”CTA (artists code number)” and send it to “38833”. Top voter will stand a chance to win a phone & only top 10 sms voters will be invited to Cool-Tones Awards.
Change your tyres before Raya. I did mine exactly last year but so far my tyres are still in fine condition but maybe it will need replacing in the next few months or so. Anyway, if you are interested to change your tyres, then drop by Komala Tyre Company located behind the Arch near Kiulap roundabout.
They have a special Hari Raya Promotion right now with discounts up to 50% on selected tyres. There are more choices for the selected Hankook tyres and promotional prices are ranging from $49 to $189. Of course, it also depends on the profile of the tyres and many customers buy Hankook tyres because they are affordable and the quality is still there.
So check out the images below.. Oh yeah, the promotional items are for CASH TERM only.
Have you heard of Run Flat Tyres? Well, top of the range Hankook tyres have these types known as HRS tyres. So basically if you are driving and suddenly one of your tyres get punctured, you can still drive on the road as fast as 80km/hr and it won't go flat.
Apparently, most luxury car owners who drive Mercedes-Benz and BMW buy HRS tyres and they are cheaper too than the other brands. Furthermore, Hankook carries more choices of run-flat tyres.
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BIBD + SOH = Smiley faces of the needy. BIBD held another charity drive last Saturday and this time, it was with the partnership of "Sounds of Hope" led by Amalina Abdullah. The targeted area was at Kg Ayer for those who are facing financial challenges. So BIBD + SOH hopped from one household to another, donating clothes, hampers, money and of course, they were more than happy to see the presence of the contributors.
BIBD have been aggressive in their social corporate responsibility and their main aim is also to brighten up the lives of the less fortunate. Initiated by the bank's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) team, the bank will continue its programme with visits to homes in the Kuala Belait District thus further highlighting the values of caring for society as well as strengthening its commitment in ensuring that the bank's CSR objectives are met and are aligned with the guidelines of Islam.
Collection of contributions commenced on the first day of Ramadhan in which BIBD CSR allocated boxes within the bank for staff to contribute in donations, which have inadvertently sent out the message that charity plays a significant role in Bruneian society. Thumbs up to our local bank, BIBD, for their generousity and social contribution to the community. To me, they have branded themselves more than just a "bank" so keep it up :) Images below are taken by our birthday celebrant, @marul69 of BIBD and taken from BIBD's Facebook Fan Page.
Laneige Facebook competition winners. The Laneige competitionwas held on LANEIGE, BRUNEI facebook from 13th AUG until 31th AUG, and there were 14 participants who joined the contest and 5 winners were announced. Over 1,342 facebook users voted the photos on wall.
The grand prize winner is Mohammad Helmi Fadrin B. Abu Bakar with 246 votes. 1st runner up is Kartini Haji Sapar with 202 votes. 2nd runner up is Katherine Mak with 181 votes. 3rd runner up is Daphne Mak with 173 votes and the 4th runner up is Hj Khairulzam Hj Jefrey with 152 votes.
The grand prize winner, Helmi, has been a Laneige user for over 5 years. He claimed that using Laneige product not only made his appearance look good but also helped to boost his inner confidence. In business world, appearance is considered an important element to individual's success. However, if you lack the inner beauty, your confidence will be diminished. To maintain your skin, looking good is not easy, you must put your effort into it. This actually applies to everyone at any age, regardless of gender.
This is a regional contest that also held in Singapore Laneige, and Malaysia Laneige, to celebrate the remarkable effectiveness of Water Bank Essence, This is one of the star products at LANEIGE, with patented technology that can infuse moisture boosting care for clear radiant skin. When skin is dull and stressed due to frequent exposure to harmful contamination of the environment, free radicals and pollutant, Water Bank product line purifies skin and supplies energy to skin cell sand restores transparency and vitality. It can protect the skin from moisture loss for over 12 hours, especially suitable for those who always stay in air-conditioned rooms that can easily make our skin dehydrated.
Huge discounts at YMRM. This is one of the most sought after places when it comes to Hari Raya and yes, as usual, YMRM is having huge discounts especially on their furniture. They have brought in genuine leather sofas and YMRM are selling at a very reasonable price. The special price of $2XXX with three sofas is only valid until nextSunday 12th September 2010. The said furniture was valued at $5999 and YMRM has slashed its price for the festive season for a limited time only. So it will be a good idea if you can drop by their branch at Jalan Tutong and Tungku Link Highway.
YMRM also has a wide range of Senjang, Kain and also songkoks to choose from. Even the Songkok is selling as low as $1 only (especially the folding ones). And if you want to decorate your house with "cuculs", YMRM is also selling them at a very reasonable price.
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Brisk business after certification. Today, Fratini's Restaurant received the Halal certificate endorsed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The handover took place at Fratini's Restaurant where a representative from the Ministry of Religious Affairs handed over the Halal certificate to Adam, one of the Directors of Fratini's Restaurant. Also present were Hafiz Musa, the Director of Fratini's, other representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and also representatives from ha management services (a private company who deals as an agent for applying the Halal cert).
According to Adam, sales have been improved since the publication on the papers last weekend as patrons become more confident of Fratini's. I believe the Halal certification does make a difference and this actually has erased doubts about the "halalness" of Fratini's. Last week, 10 restaurants have been given the Halal certificates and Fratini's Restaurant is one of them.
I won't be surprised that many local restaurants are now targeting to apply for this Halal Certificate. For Fratini's, it took them 5-6 months in order to get the Halal certificate. The process of the application also depends on the menu, ingredients and the staff from the restaurant.
Congrats to Adam and Hafriz on their success on getting the Halal Certification. Oh yea, don't forget to dine at Fratini's for their special promotion where you can enjoy 50% discount on pizza and pastas only until the end of Ramadhan. The promotion is only cash-transaction only and it's available at Yayasan, Gadon,g KB, Jalan Muara and Seria. You can check out LFHW for their numbers :)
Rano says the search is finally over. According to reports, they found the body of the late Liau Badar that ended the fourth day search after the famous drama actor was missing from his normal fishing trip in Jerudong. Facebook messages have been flooding among Bruneians to pray for his safety but as day goes by, the chances became slimmer. My deepest condolences to the family of the late Liau Badar. Al-Fatihah.
I would like to apologise to my sponsors/advertisers and my readers for the recent instability of my website that has been inaccessible for the past few days. This will be temporary (I hope) as the team from Skali (my server provider) are making sure that the server will be more stable in the future. I can tell you it's also frustrating on my side to deal with this issue and it's like losing two of my essentials - notebook and camera. So I do hope you guys can bear for a bit more and I'm very, very (banar, banar) sorry for the inconvenience that I caused and thank you once more for your support :)
This is the fourth week of Ramadhan and it has been a great success for LoveFoodHateWaste (LFHW) crew as we have bettered ourselves in terms of hits generated (120,000 hits in three weeks) on the website. With great publicity on the newspaper, blogs, radio, cinema and word-of-mouth, LFHW has become a household name in the Brunei blogosphere and thanks to you guys for the great support.. Now the next question is to make it sustainable after the Hari Raya period. Our creative team will be sitting down to discuss on strategies to make this into a viable website for readers and our clients. And mind you, we are venturing into iPhone applications as well to bring more momentum, a big thanks to Infindo, the leading Apps creator in Brunei Darussalam.
So what else is new? Well, I've been bored of foursquare and I haven't been updating my whereabouts for the past few weeks or so. So for those granting request to be buddies on 4SQ, sorry… as I'm planning not to be as active as before unless I want to highlight a particular place and on another note, I would still want to be the Mayor of the Roundabout Kiulap *lol* Twitter, for me, is still an awesome social networking tool compared to Facebook in some ways.
Another hot news is our own local talent who made it big on Australia's X Factor, Harry abu, who made headlines down under during one of the auditions. It was reported that Harry Abu, 36, from Brunei, is living a double life in Australia, and he won the heart of the judges compromising of Ronan Keating, Natalie Imbruglia and Guy Sebastian after belting a powerful number, This is The Moment". His YouTube video has been circulating among Bruneians and even made a story in The Brunei Times. It was such great timing, considering the popularity of one hit wonder Zek, whose "Apology YouTube video", that scaled new heights with more than 50,000 views in just a week before it was removed. Harry Abu may not have matched the rate of hits that Zek had but his exposure is potentially huge. So hats off to our Bruneians for creating such a phenomenal buzz among Bruneians.
One awesome news that I wanted to share is that I'm now a proud owner of the iMac 21" *woohoo* I will share more about that soon. But first thing is first.. Apple has announced some new cool gadgets notably the new iPod Touch which has a camera and Retina Display. AWESOMEEE!!!!!! Will that be in my list?? Well, if I'm getting an iPhone 4, then the new iPod Touch wouldn't be necessary. But I could change my mind like how I change my mind about not investing in an iPad.
Another great gadget which I've never own is the iPod Nano. Now they have unveiled the smallest iPod nano which is now in a shape of a small square.. It's probably the most innovative iPod nano to date. Another announcement is the latest version of iTunes 10 where they have incorporated a new social feature called Ping. According to the report, Ping is like Facebook or Twitter plus iTunes. And now you can share music among Ping users.. Awesome!!!
Been to Grand Borneo? This is to recap my experience staying at Grand Borneo a few months back with my SF buddies. So far it was a good experience and I think they were 12 of us that stayed at Grand Borneo as it was very convenient in terms of shopping and dining at 1 Borneo. So it's great to see that they have collaborated with b.mobile where now you stand a chance to win a complimentary stay and dinner at the Grand Borneo Hotel.
Below are pictures of the SFs taken at Grand Borneo and there's a high possibility that we will be staying at Grand Borneo for our next trip. Who knows? :)
