6th Abacus Holiday & Travel Fair

The 6th Abacus Holiday and Travel Fair opened yesterday and will last for two days at the Sutra Hall, Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong. There are plenty of promotions and bargains offered by airlines and travel agents and loads of prizes (including air tickets, Apple iPhone, etc) to be won. The first 100 customers using American Express/Baiduri Credit Cards will be entitled to an exclusive gift. There's still time as today is the last day to pick up some bargains and maybe win some prizes? Good luck! By the way, there's a typo error on the invitation card; the "t" is missing from the word "invitation". Update: The Fair has been extended for one day till 31st October 2009.

Angeline's 2nd Birthday

Last Tuesday, right after returning to Brunei (from Kota Kinabalu and the plane landed at 6.40pm), I rushed to attend a friend's daughter's birthday at Jalan Subok (don't even have time to go home and shower!). Angeline is 2 years' old and and her parents occasionally brought her to our house at Kg. Mata-Mata to visit. She's so cute and adorable and I couldn't help pinching her cheeks every time I see her! Happy Birthday, Angeline (by the way, her Chinese name is Wee Ching as you can see from her birthday cake).

1Borneo HyperMall @ KK

I was in Kota Kinabalu yesterday (in fact I've been there many times) and this trip I decided to take some pictures of 1Borneo and post them here. 1Borneo is the largest lifestyle hypermall in East Malaysia and houses more than 100 concept stores of various branded goods, 4 international and regional hotels with a combined total of 929 rooms, 1,008 units of condominiums, Autocity Showroom, an Oceanarium & Discovery Centre (with over 500 species of marine life) and a Handicraft and Cultural Centre which showcases Sabah's rich cultural heritage. "Come discover 1Borneo, where a new lifestyle unfolds" is 1Borneo's slogan.

Mangrove Paradise Resort

When I first heard about the Mangrove Paradise Resort from a close associate; my first reaction was "is there such a place in Brunei?". I decided to check it out and so on a fine Monday morning (that's today after an assignment in Serasa), I drove to the location indicated (Spg. 912, Jalan Kota Batu) and there it was; a chic little place with a seafood restaurant, a conference room and 15 chalets, overlooking the Brunei River. There is also a pond where guests can go fishing for a fee. The promotional rate for the chalets is B$128-00 inclusive of breakfast per night. This place opened on 1st October 2009 and is usually full during the weekends (according to the receptionist on duty) so to avoid dissapointment; do book in advance. The phone number is +673 2786868.

Proposed Refurbishing @ Traders Inn

The above sketches are the proposed designs for Traders Inn's refurbishing which has been in the planning stage for sometime now. The proposal was done by Jurum Interiors Sdn Bhd, which has its trendy and tastefully decorated showroom and office situated at Wong Siew Sing Building, Gadong (honestly, I've never heard of Wong Siew Sing Building until now and I've been in Brunei for more than 28 years!). Since Traders Inn has been in operation for 10 years now, the timing couldn't be better. As it is still at a preliminary stage, nothing concrete has been decided yet but I'll keep posting on any new developments. Have a fantastic weekend!

AMEX Gold Charter Membership

Last week, American Express (AMEX) sent me an invitation to join the "AMEX Gold Charter Membership" which "brings to you a higher level of recognition with more benefits in addition to the privileges that you currently enjoy with your American Express Gold Card " and is "available by invitation only". The privileges include Double Membership Reward Points, Charter Customer Assist 24/7, Extended Warranty (on purchases made with the AMEX Gold Charter Cards) of up to 48 months, Automatic Travel Accident Insurance of up to S$350,000-00 and all these at the same membership fees! Sounds so tempting! Wow, I can't wait to get my hands on this card!

To Post or Not to Post?

Here is an interesting news article in yesterday's Straits Times on a fellow blogger who was threatened with a law suit for a "bad review" on some desserts she posted online concerning a pastry shop in Singapore (the latest news I read in the blogosphere was that the pastry shop had finally decided not to sue). According to lawyers interviewed; "criticism in an entry is allowed by law if it is based on fact and made without malice". If the food or service of a particular restaurant is not up to standard, I would not patronize it in the future but that doesn't mean others would not like it as well (one man's food is another man's poison). So, do we post a negative review (not that my opinion really matters) and break another man's rice bowl? Personally, I would rather not do it but if I do come across a good restaurant, I would certainly recommend it and blog about it!

BAH 2nd Charity Gala Dinner

Brunei Association of Hotels (BAH) will be organizing its 2nd Charity Gala Dinner on 7th November 2009 at the Empire Theatre and part of the proceeds will be donated to Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam (a similar event was organized last year and Smarter Brunei was the beneficiary). Tickets are priced at B$100-00 each and sold in tables of 10, 8, 6 and 4. This year's performances and programmes have been outsourced to Expression Music and it promises to be "An Evening of Lifestyle". So make a note on your calendar and we'll see you there! (The author, yours truly, is the current Honorary Treasurer of BAH).

Enter The KL Dragons!

The KL Dragons are in town and we managed to arrange a quick photo session at the hotel where they are staying in before they leave for their practice session this afternoon at 1.30pm. The KL Dragons will be up against the Brunei Barracudas tomorrow afternoon at the Indoor Stadium at 4.00pm and this match is the return leg in the Asean Basketball League whereby during the first leg (on 14th October 2009 in Kuala Lumpur), the KL Dragons lost to the Brunei Barracudas 76-94. Good Luck to both the KL Dragons and the Brunei Barracudas! Update: The KL Dragons won by a margin of 3 points; 76-73!

Malaysia Airlines "Open House" @ Millennium

Malaysia Airlines held its Hari Raya Open House at Millennium Restaurant this afternoon from 3.00pm to 5.30pm. Mr. Mohamed Safri Abdullah, its Area Manager for Brunei was on hand to welcome invited guests. Amongst the distinguished guests was His Excellency the Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei, Dato' Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari. Thank you for the invitation!

Empire "Hari Raya" Open House

Last night, The Empire Hotel and Country Club invited the tourism industry partners, diplomats, bankers and media to a Hari Raya Open House at the newly constructed "Grand Hall" to showcase its latest venue. At more than 2,500 square metres in floor area, it is the largest banquet hall (besides the Plenary Hall at ICC which is 3,258 square metres) in Brunei Darussalam capable of accomodating 2,000 guests (banquet style) and 3.400 guests (theatre style)!

Cake Decoration Demo @ BIBD Raya Open House

Patisserie Cake Shop's pastry chefs were invited to give a demonstration on the fine art of cake decoration for Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam's (BIBD) Hari Raya open house at Jerudong Park Polo Club yesterday afternoon. Above are some of the samples at the said event.