Hospital Tutong terima sumbangan alat perubatan (mp-22/6/07)

Satu majlis penyampaian sumbangan yang berupa peralatan untuk kegunaan perubataan telah diterima hari ini (21/6/07) oleh Hospital Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (PMMPMHALB), Daerah Tutong.

Sumbangan pertama yang merupakan sebelas buah peralatan dan perkakas perubatan telah diterima dari Koperasi Badan Kebajikan, Sukan dan Sosial (BKSS). Koperasi BKSS diwakili oleh pengerusi koperasi berkenaan bagi Daerah Tutong, Awg Haji Mun Taha bin BPKDP Hj Md Said.

Sementara itu, sumbangan kedua berupa mesin pernafasan telah diserahkan oleh Dyg Norsiah bte Abg Hj Daud, Pembantu Pegawai Kebajikan Perubatan bagi mewakili Dyg Zainaltul Ihsan bte Tujuh yang mana ianya adalah sumbangan dari keluarga mendiang Dyg Rusiati bte Tinggi bagi kegunaan hospital tersebut.

Kedua-dua sumbangan telah diterima oleh Pemangku Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Hospital PMMPMHALB, Awg Mohmad bin Hj Abd Hamid.

Dyg Norsiah (kiri) menyampaikan sumbangan

Tutong Hospital receives generous contributions (bb-22/6/07)

TWO generous contributions in the form of medical equipments and apparatus for hospital use were handed over to Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (PMMPMHALB) Hospital. The event took place at the hospital in Tutong yesterday (21/6/07).

Representing the co-operative body of the Welfare, Sports and Social (BKSS) of the Ministry of Health was Awg Haji Mun Taha bin BPKDP Hj Md Said, chairman for the co-op in Tutong District. The body donated eleven equipments and apparatus to the hospital. Meanwhile, Dyg Norsiah Abg Hj Daud, Assistant Medicine Welfare Officer of the hospital handing over an oxygen concentrator equipment on behalf of Dyg Zainaltul Ihsan bte Tujuh. The machine was donated by the family of the late Dyg Rusiati bte Tinggi.

The two donations were received by the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Tutong’s Hospital, Awg Mohmad bin Hj Abd Hamid.

Hj Mun Taha(left) donating medical apparatus and equipment to Awg Mohmad

School holiday a perfect time for family get-together (bb-19/6/07)

When comes to school holiday, children will be cheering a lot. For majority of them, it is a fun-filled occasion and an opportunity to mingle with their peers and friends with at least one extra benefit; they have a longer period of excitement compare with any other normal days as they could ‘shield’ themselves away from a mountain of books at least momentarily. When the school reopens, the have the freshest mind and body to cope with the new lessons and to certain extent, rejuvenates themselves to greater heights.

Lifting a water-filled plastic bottle with a fishing rod

However, the social gathering is not limited to younger lives alone. Parents usually use the occasion for a family get-together or reunion as they quite often too preoccupied with office assignments and daily household chores. By holding such event, parents make full use of the platform to bridge the differences and further bond and cement a parents-children relationship through informal gathering such as celebrating one’s birthday or marriage anniversary.

Blowing a balloon

A kid trying hard to bite a cracker

The atmosphere is by far livelier if held at open spaces such as a beach. A prearranged hive of family activities is definitely awaiting and adding up to the merriment of the day’s at the beach.

running in a sack

Appreciation dinner for committee members (bb-18/6/07)

Committee members of the National Co-operative Seminar held last month were congratulated and praised for their sheer commitment in ensuring the event a great success.

This was stated by the Acting Director of Brunei Industrial Development Authority (BINA), Pg Sharifuddin Pg Hj Matali at an appreciation dinner hosted by the department held at a hotel in Gadong recently (16/6/07). He said team effort is always on the forefront and the driving force behind the successful implementation of the seminar being organized by BINA only for the second time in 8 years since 1999.

He was also happy to note that their efforts also received compliments not just from co-operative communities but from other business players, individuals and other related agencies who were participating in the two day seminar held from May 22-23. The seminar entitles ‘Empowering co-operative movement towards entrepreneurship’ brings together some 500 participants from the host county including from Sabah and Sarawak.

As a fitting tribute to officials of the department who were either transferred or retired from government services, Pg Sharifuddin presented them with souvenirs and wished them well and every success in their future undertakings. About 150 officers, staff and invited guests attended the event.

A former staff of BINA receiving a souvenior fro Pg Sharifuddin

Photography in the eye of a beholder (bb-16/6/07)

WHEN I was first introduced to a digital camera technology several years ago, I could hardly envisage that I would be more than a casual photographer let alone taking it seriously. With minimal basic knowledge of photography, flipping through an instruction manual is rather tedious and cumbersome to get accustomed with jargons and acronyms of photography.

Sticking to the default settings and exposures was an obvious solution for a novice like me. Shooting numerous practices was not without a hiccup right on the onset but gradually I began to capitalize the basic features quite comfortably. I was in cloud nine and appreciating the values of my newly found ‘fame’. However, it was not long before I encountered some bad patches filling most of the photos. One brighter day or outdoor activities, they are perfect but when it comes to gloomy or dark surroundings, the problems prevailed with the likes of dark crescent-shaped shadow and evil glowing red satanic eye effect (red-eye).

My best buddy

Consulting a colleague (who is a photoblogger), he says there are a host of reasons particularly when a flash is deployed. A point and shoot camera (the one that I have) is vulnerable partly since they tend to be used in low-light situations like restaurants and living rooms and its onboard flash unit (non-removable) is located very close to the lens. The best solutions for avoiding redeye are either to abandon flash altogether or, if I have to use it, to move the flash unit as far away as possible from the lens. Unfortunately, neither bounce flash nor moving the flash is possible with a camera’s built-in flash.

One of my many shots using the basic menu; close-up photography

Then he came up with a suggestion to switch to DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) as most of the shortcomings could be fixed or minimized. I presume moving to another format is a pretty good idea but it is not a necessity unless for competition or money-spinning endeavor. On the other hand, I duly believe producing decent photos is an added advantage especially for a freelance journalist. Soon rather than later, I come to a realization that by integrating photographic skill with the composition of my script or article is paramount to preserve its values and effectiveness of the information being delivered to readers.

He touted further if I were to capture super quality pictures with artistic values such as blurred background or macro photography, DSLR is the best option since it employs interchangeable lens, meaning to say that I have a total freedom to choose either wide, normal or telephoto lenses to get the desired outcomes. Not to discredit me, he added owning both a point and shoot digital camera and DSLR are pretty fine since they compliment each other and suited for different situations. For quality preference, DSLR is the perfect choice but for convenience (occasional photographing), the point and shoot sometimes wins out.

Well, with prices for digital cameras falling and within reach of the average digital photographer’s budget, it could not have been a better time to get into the world of DSLR. But what brand and specs should I choose? In my pursuit to find the solution, I come across an over-repeated question overwhelming the net which says “which manufacturer makes system best suits my particular photographic needs?” The author says it is too vague to answer without knowing more about our needs and budget.

Really, though, it comes down to personal choice. He advises prospect buyers to make a list of the type of features they need to suit his photographic requirements and work out a basic budget. Browse online or go to a camera store, check out the various cameras and lenses that fit their budget and decide if they feel right or play with the camera controls - do they make sense, does the camera grip feel comfortable or does the maker offer the equipment they want at prices they can afford?

After weighing in the pros and cons of DSLR, I narrow down my selection and finally end up with EOS (electro-optical system) Canon. As a novice with a big appetite to venture out into serious hobby or career in the future, sadly, my dream model was out of stock and as enthusiasm got the better of me, I fork out a beginner’s set (350D) instead. I admit this is not the best model that I intent to own in the first place but based on the author’s experience, why going for the mid or specialized models if the features are underutilized unless if it fits the budget? However, mid or high end models are sought after models among photojournalists or professional photographers as they consider their endeavors challenging and worth investing on high value ends.

That’s lead me to another issue, do I need the complete set or just the body alone? The good thing about purchasing DSLR is the liberty either to purchase body or just lens kit. First of all, the whole point of a camera with interchangeable lenses is we can attach whatever lens we need. Unlike a simple point and shoot camera with its non-removable lens, we aren’t limited to whatever the manufacturer builds into the camera. Second, everyone has different needs and budgets. So it’s usually desirable not to include a lens so we can choose the lens or lenses which are right for us, not some generic lens. Third, what if we were to buy another camera? Then we would have two of the same lenses, unless we are camera savvy, we could own two or more cameras of different manufacturers.

A beginner's version of sunset

Other factor benefiting the owners is the compatibility of third-party lenses made by lens manufacturers such as Tamron, Tokina and Sigma. These lenses are affordable and I have one from Sigma nicely fitted with my 350D. It works out be a sensible investment since the price is reasonable but offers the same convenience and quality in comparison with other lens maker. Third party makers also produce lenses in a variety of market categories (not limited to specific categories) and choosing the higher end of the product line is the best solution.

A runner is silhouetted against the sun's ray

Having said that, Canon do sell many EOS cameras bundled with lenses. Such lenses are called kit lenses, but frankly not all kit lenses are of a particularly high quality. We are often best off buying the camera body which suits our needs and finding a good lens to match it. They are so many lenses in the market and in the case of Canon products, they are classified as consumer lenses, midrange zooms, prime lens and specialized lenses. The biggest deciding factor is, as always, money because photography is fairly an expensive endeavor. Only we can decide what our priority is; low initial purchase price, mechanical reliability, compatibility, user interface or optical quality. My take? I’d go for the complete set and stuff it with other lens for variation and greater coverage range.

Since I consider myself an advanced beginner and giving the fact the new digital economy is constantly revolving, best off buying an expensive lens and attaching it to a cheap camera rather than the other way around. And not entirely coincidental, this approach will also result in better photographs. Quality lenses, of course would produce desirable results but other imperative factors worth considering in producing quality and creative photos such as focal length variation, proper selection of ISO speed and correct application of shutter speed and aperture (f-stops).

I recall a statement from a photographic expert which is still echoing through the back of my mind; “Whoever the person behind the camera, he will be the one who determines the overall quality shoots.”

Child Development Centre nearly engulfed by fire (bb-29/6/07)

A walkway shading project linking a cluster of child development centers went awry when an overloaded electrical wiring may have been the cause of the mishap which nearly damaged one of the centers housing special need children at Beribi on 9/6/07.

Some quick action manned by personnel from Beribi Fire and Rescue Department who rushed to the scene immediately upon receiving a distress call managed to douse off the affected switchboard from sparking a fire.

A gutted switchboard

According to staff at the center, the children have already finished the day’s lesson at 10 am when the electricity supply went off at about 11.20 am. They managed to scramble to safety after realizing something must have gone wrong when her colleague rushed back inside and alerted them that she noticed smoke billowing from the roof of the single storey bungalow after fetching her belongings from her car parked at the vicinity of the building.

Deputy Minister of Health, Pehin Dato Hj Hazair (centre) arriving at the scene

Another witness from a nearby center said, he heard a minor explosion apparently from coming from the switchboard before the building was partially engulfed by smoke and in a few minutes later, the fire and rescue personnel arrived and managed to control the situation. The cause of the mishap is still under investigation.

Among present at the scene were the Deputy Minister of Health, Pehin Dato Hj Hazair and other senior officials of the ministry.

NCA a platform for entrepreneurial opportunities (bb-29/5/07)

THE recently concluded co-operative seminar has generated a wave of enthusiasm not just within co-operative circles but to other business players in the country. The two day congregation drew the participation of some 500 representatives comprising of co-operators, chambers of commerce, SMEs, youth councils and agencies engaged in co-operative development activities.

The second of such kind being held at national level since 1999, it is not surprising though the long gap is attracting a wider attention especially after co-operative sector has been recognized as the third engine of growth in the sultanate’s economy.

With a theme ‘Empowering co-operative movement towards entrepreneurship’, the seminar assembled some of the best experts from Malaysia and co-operative advocates from the host country delivering on a wide range of topics on how to develop, stimulate and diversify business activities that will lead to entrepreneurship culture among co-operators. Co-operatives are also urged to form strategic alliances between private and government entities to remain sustainable and competitive.

In his opening speech, the Minister of Industries and Primary Resources, Pehin Dr. Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat stressed the importance of striking a right balance between a ‘producer society’ and a ‘consumer society’ which is notably lacking in the country’s community. He said if this ‘threat’ is not addressed seriously, the trends will imbalance the wealth patterns and jeopardize the nation future economy.

Madam Hjh Hayati stressing an important point during while presenting her working paper

The minister also underlined the imperativeness of co-operative sector as the third economy generating source after public and private sectors. In this regards, co-operatives have shown their relevancy and its competitive capabilities comparable with commercial sectors, the minister pointed out.

On the reactivation of National Co-operative Alliance (NCA), he said the apex body will play an active role of unifying and steering the co-operative movement on par with other co-operatives’ alliances. The alliance will provide a platform for affiliates to voice out their ideas, thoughts and concerns and members could take advantage of the various entrepreneurial opportunities available to them once it is affiliated with the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).

Members of rapportteur finalizing a seminar resolution

Meanwhile, Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab, the deputy minister outlined some opportunities and progress achieved by other government agencies within the ministry. He also touched on a cost saving practice through the concept of ‘economy of scale’ and the need for co-operatives to explore ‘supply value chain’ for products and services either for domestic or export-oriented market.

Members of press at work

He touted co-operatives to undertake new business approach to compete with other players in this era of economic globalization. To achieve this, co-operatives must equip themselves with trained management workforce, knowledgably skillful and adopt professional methods if they want to venture out into non-traditional activities without compromising on the solid attributes laid out in co-operative’s philosophy, principles and values, he added.

On the final day of the seminar, a 10 point resolution was adopted and handed over to Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah by the head of the rapporteuer, Pg Ahmad Pg Hj Metassan. The essentiality of solid understanding of co-operative is the main prerequisite embedded in the resolution before entrepreneurship could be infused on individuals or organizations. To speed up entrepreneurship among co-operatives, training and education must be taught continuously. Collective supports from all parties are also indispensable reaching out to all levels within co-operative communities to guarantee its effectiveness.

Co-operatives must be innovative and adopt ‘best practices’ from renowned and established co-operatives. Forming a strategic alliance, technological acquisition and professional management are among factors that would determine the success of co-operatives. Students must be exposed to entrepreneurship and integrate it into school’s activity so that this culture takes root in their earlier stages of learning. For future leaders, youths are advised to join co-operatives and learn to be more responsible by contributing to the nation’s economic growth.

BINA organizing committee members in a group photo

ANGKASA extends support to NCA (bb-25/5/07)

Without having updated accounts, a co-operative is not able to know its financial status, delaying the development of the co-operative and its ability to move forward and excel as an entrepreneur. In this respect, the Pre-Audit service has been offered to Malaysian co-operatives by ANGKASA for free to enable them to complete their accounts as required by the Malaysian Co-operative Act. Through the service and maintenance approach, the team helps co-operatives to tidy up their records and prepare statements quickly and efficiently in line with the act.

This was stated during a dialogue between Malaysian-co-operative apex body (ANGKASA) and a revitalized National Co-operative Alliance (NCA) Berhad of Brunei Darussalam. The ceremony was chaired by the head of NCA, Pehin Orang Kaya Dewa Pahlawan Dato Paduka Awg Hj Dani Hj Ibrahim and ANGKASA was represented by two of its vice-presidents, Associate Professor Hj Mohamad Ali Hassan and Hjh Armi Hj Zainuddin. They were in the sultanate to attend and present working papers in the just concluded 2nd Co-operative National Seminar held from 22-23 May in Centrepoint Gadong organized by BINA.

Other fundamental attributes emphasized by the vice-presidents are the inculcation of in-depth awareness and the spirit of self belonging among members to their respective co-operative bodies. Since co-operatives are based on equality, solidarity, self-responsible and honesty, the organization is theirs and every member must actively participate in all activities to reach its objectives, benefits and the socio-economic being of its members.

Pehin Hj Dani with Prof Mohd Ali (far left) and Madam Armi (right)

The dialogue is timely held and it is in line with the body’s objective to unify co-operatives under an umbrella of NCA. The session is also used to explore the possibility both bodies could co-operate and ANGKASA is willing to assist NCA especially in areas of education, training and information dissemination. ANGKASA is also extending an invitation to NCA to visit their establishment in Kelana Jaya, Selangor.

ANGKASA is a member of the Geneva-based International Co-operative Alliance (ICA). Since its establishment in 1971, it has 3,184 affiliated co-operatives with over 4 millions individual members.

Other services offered by ANGKASA are salary deduction for co-op members and government personnel, SEKKOP software, SOLA online and rehabilitation service while its future direction among others, to continue focus on the development of young co-operators, promote integration of co-operatives in specific areas for a synergetic effect and continue to enlarge its membership base.

The function which took place at BINA’s headquarters in Gadong on 24/5/07 was also attended by NCA affiliates and BINA officials.

National Co-operative Seminar starts tomorrow (bb-21/5/07)

THE 2nd National Co-operative Seminar themed “Empowering Co-operative Movement towards entrepreneurship” will be held at Goldstone Conference Hall, Centrepoint Gadong starting tomorrow, 22 May till May 23, 2007. The two day conference is expected to gather co-operative experts and lecturers from Malaysia and the host country deliberating diverse topics on how to spur economic growth through co-operative business enterprise.

A keynote address will dominate the proceeding on the opening day which will also see four papers being presented and three more on the following day. A forum is also due to take place in the last day of the seminar entitled “Diversifying activities empowers co-operative economy.”

Some 500 participants are expected to attend the seminar represented by co-operative leaders, business persons, agencies involved in co-operative movement development, chambers of commerce, SMEs and youths council including participants from Sabah and Sarawak.

The opening ceremony will be graced by Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Hj Ahmad bin Hj Jumat, Minister of Industries and Primary Resources while the closing ceremony is expected to be officiated by his deputy, Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah bin Hj Abd Wahab.

Meanwhile, a dinner gathering scheduled on May 23 is to take place on May 22 instead. The venue remains unchanged and it will take place at Songket Ballroom, The Rizqun International Hotel, The Mall, Gadong.

Among the objectives of the seminar are to spur co-operatives to proactively involve in businesses which will lead them to entrepreneurship, enhancing capabilities towards a more professionally managed co-operatives, sustainable, competitive as well as encouraging co-operative entity to venture out into other profitable investments. –

A cultural rehearsal took place at Songket Ballroom, The International Hotel for a dinner gathering

Muhammad Adi emerged champion in al-Quran reading competition (bb-20/5/07)

A representative from the Brunei Islamic College, Muhammad Adi Adham bin Ramlan emerged as the champion in the al-Quran reading competition in Category B (under 12 years) for boys’ section for religious and Arabic preparatory schools in the Tutong District. He beat Muhammad Mu’adz bin Ramlee from Penanjong Religious School and Mohammad Hadiyuddin bin Januddin into second and third respectively.

In the girls’ section, Nurul Syakirah bte Azmey representing Penanjong Religious School captured the honour beating her compatriots Noor Azimah bte Ali Rahman from Sinaut Religious School into second place while An Nur Bazilah bte Hj Haslan from Tumpuan Telisai Religious School was placed third.

The competition was held separately at Brunei Islamic College yesterday (19/5/07) with boys’ section held at religious hall while in the girls’ section took place at the gathering hall. The competition drew a participation of 23 contestants from religious and preparatory schools in the Tutong District and was held for two days.

Prizes to the winners were generously co-sponsored by the host school, Jim Print Sdn Bhd, City Vision Sdn Bhd and Pustaka Remaja. They were presented by the college’s principal, Ustazah Hjh Omi Kslum Hj Mohd Noor and Mohd Zameri Hj Nayan, Students’ Affairs official. The winner from each section will represent Tutong District in the semi-final level which will ebe held in a later date.

Ustazah Hjh Omi Klsum presenting the prize to a winner