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Rano says "Good Morning, #brunei" and man, I had a late night last night... business didn't go as planned last night LOL and I caught up with a few mates after a great badminton workout.. Yesterday I had no single coverage at all so I had an impromptu lunch with @nis8886 and @mallyabs (thanks for the treat, cuzzies) at ET cafe.
I spent a fortune (well, I think it's expensive) on my replacement battery for my Macbook Pro (the previous edition) but at least it juiced up my notebook life to more than 4 hours.. My old one would only last me less than 2 hours and it really annoys me. Then again, I can't blame the notebook since I treat it like my notebook. Sometimes I have the urge to invest in the new MacBook Pro but nah.... maybe I'll wait for the next generation ;)
This weekend I will be busy "logging" for a CV course so I won't be covering much event apart from the opening of the ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference VIII. I won't be able to the attend the Songket Wedding launch and even JIS Music Concert Showcase (Sorry Maria and I wanted to catch your Glee version too *boohoo*). But don't worry, I hope to get someone to cover for me while I'm busy..
Anyway, I've booked my flight for KK trip featuring the SuperFriends Getaway Part II which will kick off next week. Now that I can't wait and simply just be with my buddies and just be the REAL old me... Sometimes I miss the "joker" in me and I've never seen myself as the serious guy though my appearance in public suggests otherwise.. But deep inside, I'm a naughty little kid who's full of pranks and sometimes I don't even know my limits LOL. But KK, we're gonna bring some loving to you soon.. Woohooo.
Yesterday, I found an interesting fact that yesterday that the only six people including the Deputy Ministers that took the jab on the first day but the number improved to 16 yesterday at the Indoor Stadium. Is this because of the lack of awareness or is the public still skeptical about it? The temporary suspension of the vaccination could have harm the confidence of the public for some reason. I could be wrong but with the 3 deputy ministers taking the vaccination, I'm pretty sure the vaccines are 100% safe. However, it's still pretty sad that the numbers are deeply disappointing as compared to the long queues few weeks ago.
But seriously, don't be scared of the needles. I'm pretty sure they are safe. Anyway, I found some interesting facts that I won't disclose. I'm not too sure if this issue will be brought up to the upcoming LegCo and plus H1N1 hasn't really been a big issue as many have treated it as a common flu.
Answer a question, win BND 50. So.... would you like to win BN 50 by simply answering a question?? Well, there's a catch.. You stand a chance to win it and plus you need to add yourself as a fan of HSBC-Brunei Fan page on Facebook.
10 winners will be awarded with BND 50 and you have today until 24th March 2010 to answer. So click on the image below to join HSBC-Brunei fan page. Good luck, guys!!
DC, AR dominate votes. So, now you guys know who had the most votes for the preferred local photographer. As for most of the "Question of the Day", there's no right or wrong answer. It's your choice and everyone's entitled to their opinion, right? It doesn't mean that they have to the best but it's the people that you may have worked with previously and the great communication between the photographers and the clients.
I have received lots of responses but not as much as the Twitter vs Facebook QOTD. But it was still great enough to determine who stands to be the most preferred photographer.. Those who answered are also eligible for the lucky draw as part of my RA Twitter competition where you stand a chance to win an iPhone 3GS or a PSP-Go handheld or a Lacie 500 GIG hard drive. Thank you once again for your participation and guys, it's not too late to follow @ranoadidas on Twitter.. my followers have steadily increased every single day and that's good news..
Below are the votes received for the photographers and congratulations to David Cheok, Ahim Rani and Jason Ong to make the top three of the lot. Like I said, the votes doesn't determine their level of skills or professionalism in their field but by the preference by the voters. I ended with 16 votes but I don't count myself in the ranks because I don't see myself in that field but more of a straightforward photographer for the sake of blogging *LOL*
1) David Cheok - 46 votes
2) Ahim Rani of Candid Syndrome Brunei - 39 votes
3) Jason Ong of Masamichi Studio - 30 votes
4) Jan Shim - 26 votes
5) Reeda Malik of Anak Brunei - 16 votes
6) Mobil Studio (Khaliq/Kurapak) - 15 votes
7) Hitam Putih - 15 votes
8) Pause by Bald -14 votes
9) Flo - 13 votes
10) Devin Kho - 12 votes
Mercedes-Benz merchandise on sale. Hey guys.. Do grab this chance as Jati Transport Sdn Bhd is having a special sale of their merchandise such as pen, caps, t-shirts, key chains and many more and you can find them at the showroom at Beribi. Some of the selected items are discounted from 30% up to 70% and that's a very good deal for you to take advantage of.
The new 2010 Tucson launched. Last Friday, the all-new 2010 Hyundai Tucson was officially launched at Setia Motors Showroom at Beribi. YAM Pg Anak hj Abdul Ghaffar was the guest of honour and he unveiled the new 2010 Tucson for the visitors to catch a glimpse of the Tucson.
Good news is that for anyone who buys the Tucson, he or she is also eligible for the lucky draw which runs until 15th June 2010. The all-new Tucson, which also known as ix35, is the latest version of Hyundai's compact CUV. Its design is based on the Hyundai ix-ONIC concept that is characterised by a sleek and sporty overall look created by fluid lines and sculpted styling.
Designed at Hyundai's European Studio in Frankfurt, Germany and assembled in Korea, the all-new Tucson is expected to be no less of a record seller than the previous version, 2,600 of which are on Brunei roads. Images below by Prime Media.
The ISB BGIC VIII coming soon. Just a few more days to go and the much anticipated ISB BGIC VIII will kick off this weekend. For those who are not aware, BGIC stands for Borneo Global Issues Conference. The conference will be held at the International Convention Centre as usual. This year, there will be 22 schools participating, six overseas and sixteen local schools, totaling to over 300 participants, the highest number so far for BGIC.
Lately International School of Brunei (ISB) has been hosting training session for the local schools to get grips with the do's and don'ts and the sessions also helped them to familiarise and polish up before the actual event. It is great to see our local schools participating in this event and the number of schools involved have increased over the years. I've even seen some comments on Twitter where former delegates were praising about the idea of being in BGIC and how they missed being a part of it.
The Keynote speaker for this year's ISB BGIC VIII is Kate McAlpine, a children's rights activist and researcher, which is tuned with this year's theme, "The Rights of Children" in conjunction with the United Nation's 20th anniversary of The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
In 1997 Kate founded Mkombozi, an NGO which works with over 1,000 street children and youth. It is now one of the most renowned child rights organisations in Tanzania, winning the STARS Award in 2008 for the most effective child protection agency in Africa. She is currently coordinating a new initiative, the Caucus for Children’s Rights, which is a network of organisations and individuals who are committed to advancing rights, welfare, protection, and empowerment of children and youth in Tanzania.
HSBC is the main sponsor of this student-managed conference this year, which is also generously supported by MIPR and BLNG. The Conference will be held at the ICC from 12 - 15 March 2010.
Some of the general topics that will be discussed during this year's BGIC are such as tourism in Borneo, the growing problem of orphans and abandoned children, improving the lives of children who are slum dwellers, human trafficking and protecting children from exploitation.
I will be covering the opening ceremony of the ISB BGIC VIII this Saturday and I would like to wish all the participants and the organisers the best of luck. I believe this year's BGIC will be awesome ;) Keep the great work, lads..
Guys, what say you? There have been rumours going around about the "re-shuffling" that might take place sooner or later on the Cabinets of our Government. I can't confirmed on that yet but normally, our Cabinets undergo reshuffling every five years. So if it does, it will be interesting to see who will be running the show in the near future.
Anyway, my buddy Anak Brunei recently ran a survey on our "Ministries" to see how efficient, effective and also the level of friendliness the Ministries are. So if you want to participate in the survey, you can click here. There will be an upcoming LegCo which will take place soon. So let's see what are the topics raised in this year's LegCo.
Recap from Brumanch Talentime. Ok, I don't have much information on BruManch Talentime that happened last February in the UK. However, Norfadilah Mahamud emailed me some pictures of one of the performances by a certain group (Syukri Jumin, Norfadilah Mahamud, Siti Munirah Hamzah, Mizah Rashid, Amal Ibrahim, Siti Asmah Ali, Syazmin Saprudin, and Farah Hamid). It's a "Cur Pisang" performance and all the students are from Hull.
The best singing group went to The Plum Duos - Syukri Jumion and Syazmin Saprudin. Their performance was a medley of seven songs. I don't have their pictures but you can view their video on youtube below. Images below are by Alif H Besar and thanks to Norfadilah for the update.
Bigelow, Bullock bigger winners. I watched the Oscars yesterday and it was great to finally see a woman director bagging the Oscars for once. The ironic thing was Katherine Bigelow, the Director for the low-budget "The Hurt Locker", was in the same category as Best Director with ex-husband James Cameron for "The Avatar". Now that's something for an achievement and the day also marked "Women's International Day".
Sandra Bullock also won the "Best Leading Female Actor" for her role in the Blindside (highly recommended). The funny thing was she also earned a Razzies Award for the Worst Female Actor for her role in "All About Steve". So technically she becomes the first lady to win both an Oscar and a Razzies award at the same time. I've not seen "All About Steve" but I heard it was a dud.. So I wouldn't want to invest my $2.50 to buy that particular movie LOL.
I do recommend you to watch the "The Hurt Locker" because it's a very tensed movie and I can see why it won the Best Picture as well, beating the likes of District 9, Avatar, Precious and many more. I caught this movie in the plane, on my way to Japan last year, and it's not a movie for all of you because some might find it boring to an extent. But I did like it and I wished I've watched it on the big screen. "The Hurt Locker" won 6 Oscars while the over-rated "The Avatar" snatched three Oscars including Best Cinematography.
A win for "The Best Picture" for "The Avatar" would have boost more revenue for the James Cameron's epic movie. It has already raked in USD 720 million in North America alone, surpassing Titanic's USD 600 million. The movie is still showing though Alice in Wonderland has stole the thunder in 3D cinemas with an impressive haul of USD 116 million in its opening weekend. It was the best 3D opening compared to The Avatar that opened at USD 78 million. Though that won't be a reflection that it will beat Avatar overall because USD 720 million is a huge task to overtake.
Anyway, in our local cinemas, I do highly recommend you to catch "My Name is Khan" and from what I heard, the cinema is still packed with patrons, even after three weeks of screening.. This really shows how damn good this movie is and I do have to warn you that the movie is 2 hrs 30 mins long. But surprisingly, there is no bollywood dance or whatsoever. The theme is very good and it has a good morale to the story as well. That's it from me for my movie updates..
Bunut outlet rules in Cheesy Tower Bites Competition. Last week, there was a competition among Pizza Hut branches on the Cheesy Tower Bites. The Pizza Hut Bunut Branch was the winner overall with 91 points. Second place went to Pizza Hut Jalan Sultan and third place went to Pizza Hut Tutong Branch. Around 10 outlets took part in the competition.
This competition has become a regular feature in Olive Tree Company for Pizza Hut's way of motivating its staff and also when there are new innovative products produced by Pizza Hut (Brunei). I will be covering their annual event dinner this Monday evening.. So expect some coverage on RA.. So guys, what's your favourite pizza at Pizza Hut? :) Images below taken by James Kon.
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Rano says I've got a few events under my sleeve today but I'm probably gonna take my sweet time. Today I'm gonna treat my Sunday like a real Sunday and not take it seriously LOL. Normally I will rush myself to cover as many events as possible but naah.. I'm just gonna take it easy.. and plus the weather was great to sleep in as well. [Ok, this was actually meant for yesterday's post but I couldn't be bothered to update lol]
I was chatting to Natalie last night and wow, for such a young kid, she really has a brain of a matured person. Last time I saw her was when she came with her dad to Brunei last December and but sadly she won't be coming this time round with her dad this coming weekend. Anyway, I would like to share one of her entries from her blogspot.
I realised that I'm bad with names... I may know a lot of people but when it comes to names, I'm terrible.. But Natalie did raise a good point that if you call people by their names, it will empower them. And this applies to every single person that u deal with - mutual friends, waiters that serve you in a restaurant, the bell boy, the flight attendant, the cashier, you name it, the list goes on and on..
It will make them happier and enlightened especially when he/she won't expect it coming from you. It will definitely have a lasting impression on them. I know some cafes where waiters/waitresses know my name though it wasn't required of them to do so. So it would be nice if I could return the favour.
Well, according to Natalie's post, if you can't remember people's name, then do either of this - 1) write his/her name down 2) memorise his/her name 3) remember it by heart and let me add that looking back at his/her business card does actually come in handy. Anyway, thanks for the tip, Natalie and I shall see you in April :)
The new X6 now at Dee Jay. So guys, do you want to get hold of the new Nokia X6? Well, it's now available at Dee Jay Home Video and yes, it's a touch screen phone too. It has an internal memory of 32 Gig.. And the X6 is kinda handy for surfing as well.. It's also Facebook ready.. They could have included Twitter too ;)
It uses the Symbian OS v9.4 but I'm not much of a Symbian fan though. The phone is kinda light to my surprise. Definitely a great gimmick phone and it's affordable as well.. So go down your nearest Dee Jay Home Video store to check out the new X6.
Ready to be vaccinated? Yes, the vaccination campaign has been revived after a few weeks of break. According to the Minister of Health, they regret the suspension of the programme as they needed to ensrue that the new batch of Influenza A (H1N1) vaccines in the country meet the Ministry's quality and safety standards. He also released the figures that since March 1 to March 5, there have been 114 H1N1 related cases recorded in the country.
"We don't take this mater lightly. We don't just issue statements saying that it's safe. We say it's safe because we know it's safe. Otherwise, we will not be doing our responsibility to the public," said the minister. "We should have enough vaccines and there will be more vaccines coming in."
Two weeks ago, I had a Twitter survey for the public's thought on vaccination campaign by the MOH. Out of the 180 entries, only 26 said "YES" that they would take the vaccination if the campaign resumes.. Is this because of the lack of confidence from them? or they simply hate needles? LOL perhaps it could be a mixture of both.
Let me recap the public's feedback from my Twitter survey and oh yeah, do follow @ranoadidas on Twitter ;)
Results of the H1N1 vaccination
14.4% said yes they will want to be vaccinated
15% said they have taken the vaccine
53.4% said they won't be vaccinated
17.2% said they will take once the vaccine is considered 100% safe and pure
Secret Recipe still attracting crowd. I remember when it first opened a few months back, there have been tons of complain from the public from the service to the quality of the food. Perhaps this is normal whenever you open a cafe/restaurant. Most of the feedback came from the patrons who dined at Secret Recipe at The Mall outlet.
I made a decision to pay a visit a few weeks later and I had my hi-tea with Jessie back then in January to see what the big fuss is all about. Then again, it was during hi-tea and not during peak hours (especially lunch). But I must my experience then was not bad... Jessie liked her tom yum noodle.
A few weeks later, I went to the Serusop branch with @farah15 and it was a much better experience. Service was surprisingly fast and the outlet is pretty big too. Then my third round was with @stephanie_yi who had a so-so experience because she didn't like her salad and Japanese Soba but the curry mee kinda saved her night.
My fourth experience was just last week and I bumped into Lela who "tapau-ed" her favourite which was the Lamb Stew... So I actually ordered what she had and wow, I think I'm in love with the lamb stew.. I won't say that it's the best lamb stew but it's a good recommendation.
So what's my take on Secret Recipe? From all the earlier feedbacks that I received, I believe SR has finally buckled up and acted on the constructive criticism. But in my opinion, I like the Serusop outlet for some reason. I can't comment much on the food just yet because I haven't tried most of them. But the lamb stew, you can't go wrong with that..
5th Belait Travel Fair. It's partnership between RBA and Abacus (Brunei) that has brought a lot of success in the annual Belait Travel Fair which will take place on Saturday and Sunday. I hope I will be able to wake up in time for the official launch and there will be tons of prizes to be won as well. According to Halim of Abacus, the Belait Travel Fair has always been a popular event, attracting the people from town to visit OGDC for the travel fair.
So for those interested to book your tickets cheaper, do drop by OGDC tomorrow and Sunday from 10am to 7pm and you will stand a chance to win vouchers from many vendors. I know I have yet to make my bookings for my KK and Kuching trip.. So perhaps I can make mine tomorrow. So it'd better be an early night for me tonight (easier said than done).
Reasons to visit the Belait Travel Fair at OGDC:
1) If you book, you stand a chance to win a flight to the UK for 1st prize
2) If you book, you stand a chance to win a flight to Aussie or NZ.
3) Cheaper fares during that period
4) Chance to win prizes for "Fly a Plane" game for those who make bookings
5) Purchase a trip to Shanghai business class and get one FREE (cool)
6) Earn triple mile points
7) Public will be distributed with 30% vouchers from RMS Diner, Fratini's, Zaika
Three locals watching Man U vs Liverpool match. Oh well, Liverpool's season may be over because it's a three way race among Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal. Then again, it's for the love of the game and three people from Brunei will be watching the Manchester United vs Liverpool at Old Trafford on 20th March. I was there last season where Liverpool thrashed United 4-1 but I doubt it will be a repeat. But should Liverpool win, they will do a huge favour to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Hj Abdul Mutalip Shahminan won the grand prize of the BPL SMS quiz competition organised by b.mobile and Cool Tones. The other lucky draw winners were Md Nazeli Hj Md Salleh and Janariah bte Daud, both who subscribed with BPL WAP and Cool Tones. All the three winners will get a chance to watch the match from the VIP box seatings.
Second place winner Hj Mohd Hairol Hj Sani took home a LG 42' LCD TV, along with an exclusive Manchester United jersey signed by Ryan Giggs. Third place winner Ak Mohamad Herman Pg Duraman walked away with an iPhone 3GS (16GB) and a Liverpool jersey signed by Fernando Torres.
b.mobile Senior Manager Nurul Haniah Jaafar (Nana) presented the prizes during the ceremony.
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Rano says it sucks to be me sometimes because I don't abuse my power. Today I felt that I can be powerful as I want to be. Few years back, I have abused it and regretted what I have done and apologised to the parties concerned. Like in the Spider-man movies, they have stated that with great powers, come great responsibility. So guys, better be nice to me LOL ;)
So yesterday, I ran a bonus question on @KRISTALfm on @JennyMalaiAli's show and wow, great, great responses from the listeners especially my followers on Twitter. Some would disagree with my prediction that Twitter will one day take over Facebook.. Well, it's hard to say for now but if you ask me, I normally update my Twitter more than FB for the simple reason that it's quick and plus it's addictive to get updated on my followers on current events.
Did you know that those who uses both Twitter and FB, the majority chose Twitter over FB? We are talking 70% of them and that's such an alarming rate. Give it another six months and you'll see a high usage of Twitter. All I can say is Twitter has more purpose than FB. Anyway, a big shout out to @JennyMalaiAli for pulling off a great interview.
Congrats to @farahanas for winning a small gift for guessing the bonus question on @KRISTALfm and yes, you can collect your prize. Just show our IC to claim your stuff. But sorry, you didn't get the 20 points for the bonus question. Congratulations to @redhotlover307 @JNHhmz @Muizziskandar for winning the 3rd bonus round of RA Twitter Competition. Next bonus question will be posted next week. Thanks for participating guys.. You guys rock!!!
5th Belait Travel Fair. It's partnership between RBA and Abacus (Brunei) that has brought a lot of success in the annual Belait Travel Fair which will take place on Saturday and Sunday. I hope I will be able to wake up in time for the official launch and there will be tons of prizes to be won as well. According to Halim of Abacus, the Belait Travel Fair has always been a popular event, attracting the people from town to visit OGDC for the travel fair.
So for those interested to book your tickets cheaper, do drop by OGDC tomorrow and Sunday from 10am to 7pm and you will stand a chance to win vouchers from many vendors. I know I have yet to make my bookings for my KK and Kuching trip.. So perhaps I can make mine tomorrow. So it'd better be an early night for me tonight (easier said than done).
Reasons to visit the Belait Travel Fair at OGDC:
1) If you book, you stand a chance to win a flight to the UK for 1st prize
2) If you book, you stand a chance to win a flight to Aussie or NZ.
3) Cheaper fares during that period
4) Chance to win prizes for "Fly a Plane" game for those who make bookings
5) Purchase a trip to Shanghai business class and get one FREE (cool)
6) Earn triple mile points
7) Public will be distributed with 30% vouchers from RMS Diner, Fratini's, Zaika
Ok, guys, do you know that the F1 Sepang is just around the corner? And it's on its 12th edition (Has it been that long already?) and it's confirmed that they will have Lionel Richie for the F1 Gala Cocktail. According to Razlan Razali, the Sepang International Circuit, the responses from fans for the search of the opening ceremony dance crew has been overwhelming and he predicted a grand show of 1Malaysia spirit for the world that day.
Expect a strong 160,000 spectator in the three-day event in the 2010 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix which will be on April 2nd to 4th.
So do visit the Tourism Malaysia booth at the Malaysia Showcase happening now till Sunday.. If you're at the booth, you can drop by the "Shopping Secretariat Malaysia" counter where you can have information about the F1 Grand Prix Sale, The Malaysia Sale Carnival and Malaysia Year End Sale. You can also purchase F1 tickets at the counter.
It's still not confirmed if I will be sent again to cover for the F1 in Sepang this year. Let's hope the Tourism Malaysia HQ will bring me once again to KL ;)
