Children are our future. Yesterday HRH Princess Sarah, the Royal Patron for BGIC, officiated the opening of the ISB BGIC VIII at the International Convention Centre and the theme for this year's BGIC is "The Rights of Children" and this is such a timely campaign to raise this issue. Keynote speaker Kate McAlpine, the Director of Roho Ltd, is an activist who helps to defend the rights of the children especially in Tanzania.
HRH Princess Sarah pointed out that our local culture and family values play an important role for children and their upbringing. She emphasised that education is a must with a basic health care and a safe environment. HRH is very much aware that not all is smooth sailing for some cases around the world. The issue of child abuse is not just a national issue in their respective countries but an international concern as well.
Kate mentioned that it's important for us to invest our time with children because they are the future of tomorrow. The small little things that we do can have a phenomenal impact on children. She addressed the alarming situation and her role is make sure that the rights of children are recognised and protected.
The ISB BGIC VIII was attended by 300 students, compromising of local and international schools. The event will conclude today and I'm sure the students had some fun during the forum. I shall be posting more coverage on the actual forum soon. As for the now, the pictures below are taken from the opening ceremony of the BGIC VIII.
Rano says today feels like a brand new day and sometimes I keep reminding myself that it should be a brand new day and that's how we move forward and not get dragged by the past or the yesterdays. Firstly, my apologies for not bloggin' yesterday.. I did my content for the blog half way but my heart was somewhere else - fulfilling the needs of others.
The past three days I've been busy with the "self-awareness" course also known as CV. I'm already a graduate and it doesn't mean you know it all. I'm still at the beginning of the learning process and everyday I have all these thoughts in my head just like Clovis who likes to keep asking questions regardless of his abundant knowledge about life. Anyway, that's one reason why I haven't focus on my updates on my blog and I wasn't able to attend any of the coverage invitations during the weekends (Songket Wedding showcase, F1 Bahrain live telecast at Jati Transport showroom, Wu Chun's appearance at Fitness Zone, Twinkle-Twinkle launch, bits of BGIC) and I even neglected my Twitter too.
I realised the choices I made are what I choose to be and not because I was conditioned in any other way. But that doesn't mean I neglect my other obligations and to every problem, a solution is always there.
This week I will be heading off to KK with the "Superfriends" and that should be super fun and I can't wait to take some time off from work and other obligations. But you can expect that my blog will be updated for sure :) I don't even know how the name "Superfriends" ended up as the clique.. Before that whole "Superfriends" thingy, RA6 (clique) was the baby boomer. Then the group just grew while some slowly faded away. I was on hiatus for a year or two LOL but I'm glad I'm still a part of them.
So this week it's gonna be fun, fun, fun.... I'm loving forward for the trip and meeting up with the gang.. Ok, I think I've blabbered too much and I'm beginning to get off track.. Before I end, I want to dedicate my day to my mates whom I met last August - SS, WC and MK. You guys are simply amazing people and it was really fun to work with you guys last weekend.
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.
Rano says "Today's the best day of your life" and make that your intention everyday when you wake up.. Well, I didn't say it when I was awake but at least I felt energised and it's 5:50 am.. It's difficult to spare some time for blogging especially when my mentor Linda is in town. I've never missed her sessions since August 2009 but I will eventually next week since I will be outstation. Anyway, welcome back to Brunei, Linda..
It was a funny moment yesterday because I was given a task to translate for the class.. Yes, translate... from English to Malay.. I'm pretty sure that my peers know me very well how bad my Malay is. Of course, I should be ashamed of myself for not speaking Malay fluently. My years in Australia (since high school) have kinda affected my mother tongue and I doubt I will even stand a chance to work in the government sector.
Anyway, yesterday was a great experience which only last 5 minutes LOL.. Even Rozana and I (combined) had trouble translating to the class and I kept spoiling Rozana's momentum.. We had our Google Translator on standby and we even had our notes prepared on certain words that will definitely popped out in the class.. But I can tell you that I learnt quite a lot within the short space of time. So is anyone willing to help me brush up my Malay? LOL...
To my readers, I would like to address that I won't be blogging much today and there might be a chance I won't be posting anything tomorrow.. Well, that depends if I have the time to do so because the class takes up almost 15 hours daily. Hence you noticed why I only did a one-liner for the pictures :)
This morning I will be covering the ISB BGIC VIII and I can't wait for that either. As for tonight, if time permits, I also want to catch the JIS Music Showcase (a sold out gig). That should be a blast and I wish Maria, Joan and the rest, good luck and I hope to catch a glimpse of your performances :)
Guys, have a great Saturday and Sunday and stay positive.. If you're feeling down, you can always count on Mr. RA to lift you up ;)
Awareness and education still lacking. Few days ago, I paid a visit to Kg Ayer with a group of UBD students on their assignment study on water pollution in Kg. Ayer. I never really learnt what goes behind the scene when it comes to cleaning the water village. During the two hour visit, I noticed how the rubbish are piling up underneath the foundation of the water village.
Anyway, I won't spoil much details as yet because due to some sensitive issues that needed some attention before I start posting incorrect information to the readers. I'll just post some pictures for you guys to see the development in helping out the rubbish issue in Kg Ayer.
I would like to thank the students (Qeelz and friends) for inviting me for their research. It was an educational boat ride indeed :)
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Rano says today I'm supposed to do some coverage on the LegCo session which is happening right now at the Legislative Council. I'm not too sure how the public can participate in the forum but it will be nice if they could come up with a way for the public to get involved. I believe topics such as the credit cards will be raised as it has affected consumer spending behaviour and of course, the economy.
This weekend, as I've mentioned earlier, I will be pretty tied up as I'm volunteering for logistics and assisting a course. So I have to turn down almost all invitations for coverage but I will be attending the opening of ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference VIII at the International Convention Centre.
So did you guys read of my post on the preferred local photographers in Brunei Darussalam? Interesting results I must say and a few of my friends asked if who are my favourite photographers. Ok, if I were to choose three photographers for my wedding *LOL*, it will be Jan Shim, David Cheok and a toss of a coin between Ahim Rani of Candid Syndrome Brunei and Jason Ong. So there you go, peeps.. I've given my honest answer ;) There were some notable mentions that didn't make the top ten in terms of votes and they are Wafiy M and Aiman Besar who both had a few votes too.
Speaking of photography, sometimes I wish I dedicate some time on my photography. I never shoot in RAW or I never do much post-processing on my pictures. Is there a workshop on editing photos? Or is anyone who are experienced in this field willing to teach me? LOL.
Oh yeah, I have yet to do my review on my Ayam Penyet outing.. Maybe I will post it this weekend and you can see if my reviews are spot on or not. People asked me if I'm sick of it yet and yes, at one stage I was because I had like 8 Ayam Penyet in 4 days LOL. All in all, I had 12 Ayam Penyet to date and I think it's about time I do my posting. However, I still want to try the Ayam Penyet at Ahad's Burger and apparently, the KB-ians are raving about it.. So yes, I will make a trip there one day :)
Anyway, guys, don't expect much coverage this weekend because of my hectic schedule and do enjoy your weekend and love yourself more :D It's amazing how it can uplift you without you realising it ;)
Below are some shots of today's news and I wish I'm at the LegCo right now.. But now I'm catching it live on RTB 1 and as @TareqM said, "It should be an interesting LegCo this year." I hope to cover the session next week and update you guys on the topics that are being discussed.
One more month to go. RA Twitter Competition: follow @ranoadidas on Twitter and participate in the "Question of the Day" and you can stand a chance to win iPhone 3Gs, PSP-Go handheld and Lacie 500 Gig Hard Drive. The twitter competition will be ongoinguntil 15th April 2010. So every three to four days,"Question of the Day" will be posted on http://www.twitter.com/ranoadidas and all you have to do is participate by mentioning @ranoadidas as you answer the respective questions.
So far the responses have been great and it's good to know that my Internet users are active in Twitter. Some even find Facebook annoying and prefer to spend more time on Twitter. Yes, yes... I'm confident that Twitter will be on par as Facebook or even more addictive in the near future.
So today's Question of the Day is pretty easy but you still need to do some homework or some sort.. Well, it ain't that hard anyway.. With the power of Google, you can get your answer for today's Question of the Day and this is the first time that you need to get the answer correctly for QOTD.
Then all you have to do is mention @ranoadidas and give your answer and you stand a chance to win an iPhone 3Gs. And guess what, you will also stand a chance to win 3 Mercedes key chains and 5 invitation tickets to catch F1 Live Broadcasting at Gadong Showroom this Sunday evening. The prizes for the Mercedes-Benz merchandise are sponsored by Jati Transport Sdn Bhd. The QOTD for this round ends Friday midnight.
Twinkle-Twinkle products. There will be a showcase this Saturday at the Polo and Riding Club Poolside to showcase the some bling-bling casing for Blackberry and Nokia E71 and E63. They are also bringing in Kenneth Jane Lane accessories (click here. For more info, you can contact Watiey 867 7370.
Asah Mata Workshop. I attended a worked hosted by Ahim Rani of Candid Syndrome Brunei and the facilitated by Saiful Nang of Candid Syndrome and it's such a great workshop to start off with. The idea of the workshop is for the participants to understand the concept of "Photo Essay" and wow, it's not that easy to create one.
No matter how good your photos are but if it doesn't relate to the concept or topic of the essay, then the photos are useless. Saiful Nang and Ahim Rani gave some pointers and constructive criticism on some of the assignments given to the participants. Around 50 photographers signed up for the 2-day workshop and I believed many benefited from it as well. I hope to see more photography workshop in Brunei.
Win Cash Reward$. “B-Mobile’s Loyalty program is organising a new ‘Flash & win Cash’ Campaign from this 1st March -31st May 2010. This campaign is aimed at creating more awareness of B-Mobile’s Loyalty Program in which B-Mobile customers (both postpaid & prepaid) can enjoy great savings when they spend at over 70 of B-Mobile’s participating merchants. Each month for 3 months, B-Mobile will be giving away BND$500 cash for those who purchase & dine by using the Loyalty Club Card or flashing the SMS Rewards (type ‘Rewards’ and send it to 38383 for prepaid user). Some of the merchants in conjunction with this ‘Flash & Win Cash’ Campaign are also coming up with better offers/promos than the usual offer for the next 3 months.
There are QAF Eurokars, LJ Tuition School, Sin Hup Huat & Max Centre, Rizqun International Hotel, Laniege, The Centrepoint Hotel, Century Travel, Abdul Razak Apartment, Underten, Shopilicious Zone, Ideal Cafe & Grill, Baklasia, MS Titanstar: Aussino, Paloma, Pick & Mix Chocolate Paradise, Dewi Martha Tilaar, Cheezbox, Gripps Cafe, QQestore, QQ Mobile Shop, Eyewear Optical Co., Twinkles Jewellery, Rainforest Gallery, J.L Jewellery, Deseo , Classic Touch House ware and Gifts and Pro Auto K.
For a full list of the other merchants (click here). Any b.club member that spends at any of the listed merchants will be given a voucher in which they have to fill in and attach with their receipt of spending and that will be pulled into a draw for the cash prize. Winners will only be announced in June 2010. For more info visit www.b.mobile.com.bn/rewardclub or call B-Mobile’s call centre177.”
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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
