Monday 3 December 2007

Besides Sustenance, Time in Brunei is Abundant


sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei

About Brunei Darussalam, Choosing Brunei Darussalam is not without "risk." Agus S. Djamil many get hints from his friends about his decision. Nationalist accusations no longer targeted to himself. "One great when people say I do not love my country," he said. He never once denies the fact that he is a citizen of Indonesia (WNI). In Brunei, Agus actually feel a lot not served as a public relations official from Indonesia. Why not, when you meet with new people, for example, many who told him about the maid, gardener, or a driver who is a citizen of Indonesia.
Well, Agus was once asked what his job. So, he replied worked in the prime minister's office. The questioner immediately silent. "Not cocky, but we were also able to show that sometimes need to be," said the father of six children who like to read and write it.

He never denies Indonesia, even while many of the problems in the Mother Earth. For example, in the capital is going demonstrations or other issues, Agus trying to explain what happened. "I never dodged. I am proud to be a citizen, "said grandson KRH Hadjid, chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee in the early days of Muhammadiyah.
Even so, he admits that there is another life that can not be acquired in Indonesia. For example, about lunch. Every morning he, his wife, and his son set off together. The first route is to deliver their children to school. Only after that, stopping at the office Agus.
Car and then taken home by his wife, Ria H. Purwaningsih, and Agus working in the office. At lunchtime, Ria will pick up their children and Agus to go home. They had lunch together at home. Leisure time owned Agus is abundant.
"There is also no overtime. 48 furlough days, Friday and Sunday off, "he said. This becomes virtually impossible to come by in the country, including major cities.
Leisure time as much as possible to obtain Agus. The reason, he now needs a lot of opportunity to be able to write down his ideas into a book. At the time of his leave, he campaigned for the idea that Indonesia immediately turned my face and utilize to the greatest prosperity of the nation.

source :
http://kerabatnusantara.wordpress.com/2007/11/04/selain-rezeki-waktu-di-brunei-melimpah/

Saturday 20 October 2007

Brunei Darussalam Official Telephone Directory

Brunei Darussalam Official Telephone  code Directory Publisher. Find contact details and location of businesses, companies, people, residential or Government .

Brunei Yellow Pages (Official) - Business, Companies, People, Government, Location Search.

Brunei Darussalam Official Telephone Directory Publisher. Find contact details and location of businesses, companies, people, residential or Government listings. Restaurants, Cars, Hotels, Real Estate, Properties, Shopping,company etc on our online directory

http://www.yp.com.bn/

Wednesday 10 October 2007

Trip to Pulau Selirong (Mosquito Island)

Fishing traps Pulau Selirong
Fishing traps Pulau Selirong
Yesterday, my coursemates and I along with Dr. Irene and her husband went on a trip to Pulau Selirong (or Mosquito Island). After only three hours of sleep and sahur, headed straight to UBD to meet up with my friends and off we went to Serasa Beach. After some chaos (some got lost) took a half an hour boat trip to the island, east of the Brunei Bay. This was my first time there after listening to many lectures about eco-tourism and wildlife there by my lecturers so I was excited to go here.
Sunrise at Serasa
Sunrise at Serasa

Unfortunately, we didn't have Dr. Charles, one of my Biology lecturers whose expertise is on small mammals and birds, with us to help identify the different calls of birds. Also, unfortunate we didn't get to see snakes and most importantly, the Orang Belanda, or the proboscis monkey. Perhaps we could have, had we gone earlier.

Go visit any local tourism agent if you're interested on a trip to Pulau Selirong. Don't forget to wear appropriate clothes and footwear, bring a bottle of water and a lot of patience. All it takes, is a little bit of silence and you will be able to see wildlife roaming around one of the best mangroves of the world.

http://lazy-turtle.blogspot.com/2007/10/trip-to-pulau-selirong.html

Sunday 30 September 2007

His Majesty 61th Birthday Celebrations in 2007

His Majesty 61th.Birthday Celebrations  (in 2007)
holidays in Brunei Darussalam, in Bandar Seri Begawan Capital, to see the colourful parade procession and Decorative Float from various organisation in Brunei Darussalam..in conjunction of our His Majesty 61th.Birthday Celebrations  (in 2007). Wow.....we can see a lots of people from all walks of life, watching this memorable events and it started with the fireworks displayed, wonderful and beautiful. So many things happening last nite at the Taman Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin.

His Majesty 61th.Birthday Celebrations  (in 2007)
 This one is showing the cultures of our Brunei Darussalam
His Majesty 61th.Birthday Celebrations  (in 2007)Colourful float carrying massages by itself
From the Automobiles Associations of Brunei DarussalamFrom the Automobiles Associations of Brunei Darussalam it's the real car on the floats.

Show from Brunei Energy AssociationShow from Brunei Energy Association...(BEnA's)
This is the most decorative floatThis is the most decorative float we saw last nite, I made to understand they won the First Place in this competition last nite, crafted and imaginative float. Well done!
FOR OUR BETTER FUTURE
This is the good massages for our people of Brunei Darussalam.......'FOR OUR BETTER FUTURE'
the cultures of people in Brunei DarussalamMulti coloured float....say massages the cultures of people in Brunei Darussalam
cultures and Heritage of Brunei DarussalamShowing our cultures and Heritage of Brunei Darussalam.
His Majesty 61th Birthday Celebrations in 2007 source :
http://arab-families.blogspot.com/2007/08/grand-nite-shows.html

Friday 14 September 2007

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) is the largest Islamic Bank company in Brunei Darussalam, providing personal and business banking services such as deposits, financing, investments and other banking services.


It was formed after the 2005 merger of two earlier local Islamic financial institutions: Islamic Bank of Brunei and Islamic Development Bank of Brunei. With a majority government shareholding, it is also committed to Brunei Darussalam’s National Vision 2035 of attaining developed nation status.

Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Berhad operates as an Islamic financial institution in Brunei Darussalam. It offers savings accounts; personal, corporate, education, and development financing, as well as hire purchase financing for vehicles and consumer products; investment products; life and non-life insurance products; and SMS banking services. The company was incorporated in 2005 and is based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. It has branches in Brunei Muara, Tutong, Kuala Belait, and Temburong districts.

Address: Lot 159 Jalan Pemancha, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8711, Brunei

http://www.bibd.com.bn/

Monday 10 September 2007

Ecotourism Generated at Pulau Selirong Forest Recreational Park

The heart of HRH Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the PMO has been attracted by the pristine mangrove forest at the Pulau Selirong Forest Recreational Park, after his consent to visit the park on June 26.
Mangrove species are dominating the park. The park is one of the upscale aquatic ecosystem places in the country, which accommodates one of the preferred ecotourism places after Ulu Temburong National Park for local and overseas lovers of nature.
Rhizophora, micronata is the species that commonly found in the park. Due to its bark's natural appearance, it is commonly known as 'Bakau Minyak.
Since January 2000, more than 2,150 visitors have been attracted by the park, according to the official records of the Forestry Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.
At present, the park has state-of-the-art facilities and in order to give more insight into the development of the rare marine ecosystem to nature lovers, additional wooden walkways constructed within the pristine.
It is expected that more visitors come and enjoy the captivating mangrove forest conditions..
Boat is the only means to reach the site, however, it is only a 30 minutes ride from the city. Comprising mangrove species, the Selirong Island has spread over approximately 2,000 hectares.
Since the old days, the region used to be a rich source of food and construction materials including poles.
From dawn-to-dark, one can witness small-scale fishing activities around the region. Furthermore, one can also have the chance to see the proboscis monkey on the island with the flying fox.
http://news.ebookers.com/news/ecotourism-generated-at-pulau-selirong-forest-recreational-park/186/

Wednesday 1 August 2007

Brunei Border Control Post

Brunei Border Control Post at Sungai Tujuh
Brunei Border Control Post at Sungai Tujuh 
(border with Sarawak, Malaysia)
Hopped across the border from Brunei Darussalam into Miri, Sarawak around noon. No queues. Shopped around Miri for a while and had a quick lunch before heading to Miri Airport. My luggage was overweight and luckily my mother found someone kind enough to share baggage allowance with me.

A typical Brunei Customs at Sungai Tujoh Control Post
 Brunei Immigration Control Post
 Brunei Immigration Control Post, right after the Customs
 Immigration Control at the Malaysian-Sarawak border
 Immigration Control at the Malaysian-Sarawak border
 ASEAN bridge to go to Miri town
 ASEAN bridge, costs RM10 to pass through to go to Miri town

source :
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/07/back-in-island-republic.html

Thursday 19 July 2007

World Maps of Brunei Darussalam


Brunei Darussalam location on in Southeast Asia is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo. It is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia and its coastline is with the South China Sea, also it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang.

What are the geographical coordinates of Brunei Darussalam?
Latitude of Brunei: 4º30´ North of the Equator
Longitude of Brunei: 114º40´ East of Greenwich

source :
http://www.mapsofworld.com/brunei/

Brunei Darussalam Flags
Flag of Brunei
Officially adopted on June 30, 1911 Portugese Falg consists of two vertical stripes in green and red color with coat of arms on the boundary of the two colors at equal distance from the upper and lower edges.Facts About Brunei









Facts about Brunei
ContinentAsia
Lat Long4°53.417'N114°56.533'E
CapitalBandar Seri Begawan
Largest CityBandar Seri Begawan
Official LanguageBahasa Melayu
Major ReligionOrthodoxy, Undeclared Atheism, Islam Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy ,Jews, Others
National day1 January (1984)
Form of GovernmentUnitary Islamic absolutemonarchy
PresidentHassanal Bolkiah (Sultan)
Prime MinisterAl-Muhtadee Billah ( Crown Prince)
CurrencyBrunei dollar (BND)
GDP$21.907 billion 2012 estimate
Calling code673
Time ZoneBDT (UTC+8)
Internet TLD.bn






Tuesday 17 July 2007

Driving Test in Brunei Darussalam

Asoh Raya Driving School
Information About Brunei Driving Theory Test, Went for my driving test at Kuala Belait Land Transport Department this afternoon. It sure was a very hot afternoon. There were only 3 of us taking the driving test, a girl from Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali, a friend from UK and me. All of the candidates are from my school - Asoh Raya Driving School Brunei Darussalam.

The parking went very smoothly. I did not hit any poles even in parallel parking. Neither did I roll down from the ramp after braking on it. If I did not see wrongly I scored rather well in this section. However, I made some mistakes while driving on the road, especially while using those small roundabouts.

Anyway, I'm glad I passed my driving test. My instructor was also relieved as I wasn't a easy-to-teach student, haha. I had spent a total of SGD460, including exam fees and processing fees. Rather expensive by local rates. Amazing, only spent a total of 14 hours learning to drive in just 2 weeks.

The officer later reviewed with me the mistakes I committed throughout the test. No reviews on my parkings. All my mistakes were at the mini-roundabouts. I marginally cut into the right lane when I am supposed to be on the left. Another mistake was not stopping for a stationary right side vehicle. The vehicle was not moving even though the lane is free.

Part of circuit in front of Bahagian Ujian Memandu - parallel parking lot
Bahagian Ujian Memandu
 The ramp - where the car must stop and brake in the middle then climb over it using 1st gear.

As usual, the civil efficiency of Brunei has deteriorated. My driving license will only be issued next Tuesday, and it is only a handwritten piece of paper. The rude counter lady at Jabatan Pengangkutan Darat refused to listen to my appeal and loudly insisted on Tuesday, nabehzz... Pay SGD10 for license still so slow! I think I have to leave my IC behind this time. Hopefully my dad can help in expediting the process.

source :
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-25-driving-test.html

Saturday 14 July 2007

Driving Theory Test in Brunei

brunei Jabatan pengangkutan darat

Information About Brunei Driving Theory Test, for get The Brunei Driving License. Finally sat for the driving theory test at Land Transport Department Brunei Darussalam. There were only 3 of us sitting for the test this afternoon. Probably most have opted for the morning test session. The result will probably take 3 working days or more to be processed.

Meanwhile I think I should start taking driving lessons. Each lesson costs $15 and lasts for an hour. It is almost the middle of June now, and there are only two and a half weeks left before I will be returning to Singapore again. Finished watching Heroes Season 1, and am now eagerly anticipating its second season, haha...

Now that the test is over, I can go and pursue other matters at hand... Not much plan on how to spend the remaining week though, and some of my friends will be visiting KL next week, so I guess I'll just concentrate on my driving lessons at driving school Brunei.

source :
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-10-10-minutes-to-midnight.html

Thursday 12 July 2007

Crowds in Kuala Belait Beach

Playground before reaching the Kuala Belait beach
 Playground before reaching the Kuala Belait beach

Go to the Kuala Belait beach. It is a Chinese tradition to go to the beach on this special day. Saw a group of my secondary friends there, but I didn't went up to say 'hi'. By avoiding contact I saved them the trouble of trying to cook up some excuses on excluding me. It's not the first time by the way. Also I see no need to establish a strong rapport, since we are not very close. Anyway they are all rich kids, so I guess it doesn't matter.
Saw a sunset by the beach. I really don't know what is so beautiful or mesmerizing or romantic about sunsets. You get to see them every day in Brunei - while driving, by the beach etc. Here are some pictures taken for the day and share to you.

Kuala Belait beach

Kuala Belait beach

Crowds at the Kuala Belait beach during evening time 
Kuala Belait beach

Kuala Belait beach

Kuala Belait Beach in sunset.
The glowing orange sun hanging precariously above the horizon

Kuala Belait beach 
Gentle waves lapping at the shores

A view back inland from the Kuala Belait sandy beach

source :
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-15-day-egg-stood-up.html

Wednesday 11 July 2007

Registered For Driving Theory Test in Brunei

kuala belait map
Time flies! In just a blink of an eye I am back home for almost a week after visiting Brunei. Things had been rather slow this week, but I'm glad everything is going along smoothly and want to share to you.

I have managed to enroll myself in AsohRaya Driving School Brunei Darussalam. I have no idea why there are suddenly so many people in Kuala Belait registering for a driving license. I had a hard time scouting for schools to accommodate my one month schedule.

Registered for driving theory test next Wednesday afternoon, and thereafter I can start my driving lessons. Hopefully everything goes well, as wrongly identifying a road sign will be given immediate failure. I opted for the test in Malay Language, a language I am rather familiar with. The total estimated cost is about SGD400+. A little expensive by local rates, but is still all right as their cars are brand new!

Haven't been doing much lately. Been watching Prison Break Season 2 and Heroes. Completely addicted to Heroes, haha.... Met a friend at Smart this afternoon. She was rather shocked to see me back in town. Time to contact some old friends...

Suddenly I found Kuala Belait in Brunei Darussalam a little small... The only thing I like about here is the friendliness of the local populace. Strangers can just chat up without fearing any ulterior motives from the other party, and are more willing to lend a helping hand, as encountered a few times, unlike "cold" Singaporean society. Spaces abound, and everyone owns a house sitting on a piece of land and at least a car - these are just basic necessities!

Kuala Belait registering for a driving license
source
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-6-another-post.html

Wednesday 4 July 2007

The Day in Kuala Belait

Kuala Belait Hospital
Just Share, Went to visiting the dentist in Brunei early this morning. I was supposed to visit the dentist yesterday morning, but it turned out to be a stormy morning, so my sister (the driver) decided to continue sleeping and as result I continued mine.
It was a smooth process during this visit. No missing files whatsoever. It only costs $3 for check-up and scaling. Brunei Darussalam citizrnship benefit, have it free anyway. Passed by the gynecology section on the way out and it was so FULL of people. So many newly-borns and expecting mother!!

The morning was sunny and lacking a mode of transport, I walked home. Kuala Belait town is rather small and breezy, thus it was a rather enjoyable walk. I could give myself a little tan and the breeze will keep me cool. Along the way, I took some pictures as my camera was in my bag.

Kuala Belait Hospital
Another view of the Kuala Belait Brunei Hospitals, adjacent to the dentistry section
 Road leading to Kuala Belait town center
 Road leading to Kuala Belait town center - the tallest building in town looms in the background
The Jubilee Monument beside Belait River

  The Jubilee Monument, beside Belait River
 Went OGDC (Oil Gas Development Center) in Seria Brunei Darussalam, my neighboring town with my secondary classmates to catch a movie, Blades of Glory for $6 on Sunday. Honestly speaking I did not know that there was a cinema there, albeit a small one - 75 seater. There were only less than 10 of us watching the movie at that time. It was hilarious, and we being the largest group, practically had the cinema to ourselves.

I will be taking my driving theory test tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully everything goes well. I am a little nervous as Section A - identifying road signs, requires the answers to be immaculate. A single mistake in this section will warrant a "Fail" stamp and no issuing of "L" license.

source
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-9-day-just-ended.html

Tuesday 3 July 2007

Grand Sales Hit The Kuala Belait

polo grand sale
Just Share, The Grand sale has hit Kuala Belait Brunei Darussalam, with prices being slashed as much as 50%. Bought 3 Polo Ralph Lauren shirts in one go, as one shirt is now less than $16, like cheap hotel in Brunei?
Quality is not bad. My maid bought 3 as well - color series. It was a hard time trying to find the sizes, and blue ran out of M and L sizes, left XL and bigger sizes.

source
http://ykwang84.blogspot.com/2007/06/brunei-day-23-untitled.html

Sunday 1 July 2007

Nyonya Restaurant Brunei

I had an overseas guest today and I decided to bring him out for dinner tonight. While on the way to fetch him, I was thinking “where to go?”. I felt like wanting to be entertained, perhaps seeing someone singing tonight to relax my mind. Can only think of 2 places i.e. Nyonya Delima Satu and the Empire Hotel. Decided to go to Nyonya instead as I know that the entertainment there is more fun. I also invited Bruneian to join me for the dinner.

About Nyonya Restaurant 

As far as I know they have 2 branches, Gadong and Delima Satu. The one at Gadong don’t have singing entertainment, only the Delima Satu branch has it. The performance starts around 8:30pm on 1st floor. Monday and Thursday is an off day for their singers. The singers are actually the waiters and waitress. Delima Satu branch also offer Dim Sum for breakfast and lunch. Gadong branch don’t offer Dim Sum (I think so). Foods there are not that cheap but affordable. It’s a good place to bring guests or having special occasions dinner.

I would recommend anyone to try out having dinner there at least once. Remember not to choose Monday or Thursday night if you want to see the singing performance. 10% discount on HSBC credit card.

The address

No. 26 & 27, Ground & 1st Floor
Block D, Kg. Delima Satu
Mukim Berakas BB4713 B.S.B, Brunei Darussalam
Tel : 2340038
Fax : 2340039

Gadong: No 3, Bangunan Hasbullah 1, Jln Gadong. Tel: 244-7090 
Yayasan: Block E & F, YSHHB Complex. Tel: 223-1236

searchterm: 
Nyonya Brunei restaurant
Working Hours: 
Gadong: 8am-11pm Serusop: 8am-11pm Yayasan: 10am-10pm
244-7090

source :
http://bruneirestaurantreview.blogspot.com/2007/01/singing-waitress-nyonya-delima-satu.html

Nyonya Restaurant - Gadong

Whenever i mentioned Nyonya Restaurant, people always tell me how good is theirButtermilk Chicken.
Out of curiousity, so Me and Hubby paid a visit to Nyonya and wanna know how truthful the comments are.
There are few branches of Nyonya. 1 in Gadong (the main branch), 1 in Yayasan, 1 in Delima.
The Yayasan branch is more towards cafe rather than restaurant to me.
So this time we visited the Gadong branch.
The designs of the restaurant is really great, especially their dinning tables.
And really great ambiance and suitable for couple to go there and 'pak toh'
We choosed to have our meal on the upper floor and there were nobody except us and Mr. Waiter.
It made me feel like Hubby 'pao' (booked) the whole upper floor of Nyonya and have romantic dinner with me... HAHAHAHAHAHA
Btw, we ordered their Curry Lamb Rice and Buttermilk Chicken Rice.
We were so shocked when the Buttermilk Chicken Rice arrived.
The portion was so littleeeeeeeeeee....
The Curry Lamb's portion was alright.. but not the Buttermilk Chicken.
Ok Ok, back to the 'taste' part.
They didn't lie to me.
It does taste GREAAAAT!
MUST TRY LER!
The Buttermilk Chicken i mean.
The Curry Lamb ok ok lar.. kinda regret didn't order the Asam Sliced Fish instead.
Guess the Asam Sliced Fish might be better than the Curry Lamb.
Out of so many places who serve Buttermilk Chicken.. so far, Nyonya is top on my list keke..
I just hope they can improve in the portion servings lar..
Really too little.

http://www.food-hungry.com/2007/06/nyonya-restaurant-gadong.html

Wednesday 6 June 2007

Scene of Muara Beach....

Muara Beach in brunei
Since my last visiting Brunei, possibly several years ago, 
Muara Beach is now completely change... its cleaner and relaxing....
Muara Beach in brunei
Ships turning to the Muara spit to enter Muara Port
Muara Beach in brunei
Christmas trees?...
Muara Beach in brunei
A children playground
Muara Beach in brunei
Brunei Fishing Spot on the beach...
source :
http://phoenix4bn.blogspot.com/2007/05/site-and-scene-of-muara-beach.html

Monday 4 June 2007

Scene of Serasa Beach....

Serasa Beach in brunei
Hey, a crab walking in one of the stones... 
if one observes, you will find many crabs along the rock surface
Brunei Fishing Spot, Fishing in the afternoon, it beats fishing in Jerudong beach they say...
Serasa Beach in brunei
Serasa Beach in brunei
restaurant menu of Serasa Beach in brunei

Part of the recent $8 reclaimation and rehabilitation of Brunei Serasa Beach...

the govt should do more of these, especially near our coastal areas where the sea water seemed to get closer to homes and areas previously do not have much sea water...

Try the restaurant which serve some seafood... its not the Yacht Club, but the food is not bad... this chili crab cost $8 per 500 gramme... beware though, one must bring mosquito repellent if you want to eat there at night, the restaurant does not provide any insect repellent...

source :
http://phoenix4bn.blogspot.com/2007/05/site-and-scene-of-serasa-beach.html

Brunei Share : The legends surrounding of Bukit Tempayan Pisang

The legends surrounding Bukit Tempayan Pisang can be promoted to attract tourists. This suggestion was yesterday made by Minister of Hom...