Gerai Ramadhan Weekly Report

It's been almost two weeks since the 1st day of Ramadhan. I'm still workin my ass off with my fellow business project participants at Bandar Seri Begawan running our day to day operations at the 'Gerai Ramadhan' every afternoon. Business is pretty good as always. There have been ups and downs but we managed to reap some cash and sustain for another couple of weeks before we finally wrap up for Aidilfitri.

The capital may not be the most crowded and happening place to purchase Sungkai delicacies, when compared to the Stadium and the Fish-market area, but there is particularly an advantage; parking. Indeed, with not too many people dropping by that place, there is always room for more cars. I'm not saying there aren't people at all. We've been having quite good sales especially during weekdays when there are people working in the private offices in the capital visiting the place after office hours. But of course, like all gerai ramadhan out there, the disadvantage would always be the weather. If it rains, it rains.


During the course of operation, I've been seeing a lot of old friends visiting us. Some I haven't seen for many years. That's what Gerai Ramadhan is all about, it's a reunion centre. Singles are finally attached, some shrunk, others bloated, goatees grown, nerds finally make thousands of bucks, etc. The royal couple (from the recent wedding) even came down. They're like celebrities.

Our pizzas are selling pretty well like pan-cakes. If it wasn't for the kids, those pizzas would be leftovers in the freezer. We managed to get a vendor from Mister Pizza and we get them delivered around 3pm. We usually got 4 flavors; Honey Chicken, Mushroom Tuna, Meatosaurus and Pepperoni. Surprisingly, Honey Chicken is a hit. I don't really understand why Bruneians love Honey Chicken so much. I myself prefer cheese pizza or Pepperoni, just the way Pizzas are supposed to look, smell and taste like.


So for those reading this blog who have not visited our Gerai Ramadhan, please visit us sometime soon. In the meantime, you can check out the collection of photos of the whole activitiy at my photo album. I will update more photos soon as I'm still taking more pictures till the end of Ramadhan.

The history of Aura

Photo by ranoadidas.com

Aura was formed on the 25th of July 2007. In the beginning, the 7 members only discussed about structuring the partnership business without any solid business idea in mind yet. It was a difficult challenge given to every business project groups of Sekolah Perdagangan, as they were given the priority to conduct businesses that restricted the selling of food and drinks to protect the school canteen. All of the groups were also encouraged to diversify the business by reaching the outside market instead of focusing on operating inside the campus.

It was a difficult task for Aura to figure out what would be the best idea for businesses that actually worked in their position as Business Students. We were limited to coming up with a product and/or service that actually sells, or at least a need for students in Sekolah Perdagangan. Eventually, the group concluded that the business school students would want things for free and that they will only spend their pocket money solely on food and drinks. But after several brainstorming sessions, the members discovered an interesting and exciting business idea that could lead the group to success. It is advertising in the shape of magazines.

The idea of advertising magazines came to mind when one of the members of Aura stumbled upon a popular advertising magazine in the country, Buyers Guide. The magazine served as a model for their core idea. Additional ideas begin to shape up as the members decided to alter the product's approach, which is focusing primarily on students. After days of research, the group concluded that there is market potential for student-oriented products and services, provided that a vehicle is provided to promote these products and services directly towards the targeted customers. Eventually, the Aura Magazine was invented.

The Business Project Begins

The Business Project for our intake has finally commenced. Last week we were assigned to form groups, elect general managers for each team and come up with ideas for business. So far we've had more than 5 meetings consisting of brainstorming, researching and structuring our enterprise project, and we were given 3 weeks to prepare ourselves before the launching ceremony on the 15th of August.

The business project will be running throughout our final years as of this month until May of next year. That's a total of 10 months. It's what the super seniors called the year of hecticness. I'm elected as General Manager of the group that was assigned by the coordinator. For me, it's not just a title. I have to make bold decisions, long-term planning, monitor the progress of my team, motivate them and conduct meetings whenever possible. In the words of Uncle Ben to Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility".

The idea that our team had brainstormed for our core business in this project is concerning advertising. It's still in the process of research, but I do believe that this idea will work, despite that we're no longer allowed to sell foods in campus anymore. My team and I have faith with this idea.

And so, without further adeu, I would like to present to you our company:

An Ex-smoker's Journal: Major Withdrawal Symptoms

This has been my 7th Day since I puffed my last stick of cigarette. These past few days I've been through major withdrawal symptoms, and it has not been pretty. I've been experiencing mood swings. Its like having a period for guys. I'm not kidding! I got occasional crankiness in the mornings, because normally I would light up in my car on my way to school. There's also the occasional dizziness in my head, especially in the afternoons. A mild fever in the evenings. There's a funny sensation when I take a piss. I crap a lot more than usual. What's even worse, I had this cough a couple of nights ago, and I thought I saw dusts or ashes coming out of my mouth and falling down the sink in my bathroom. Hmmm, must be the tar from my lungs. And so, I went to do some research on the internet. According to one article, these symptoms are pretty much temporary and it will last in less than 2 weeks. It is normal for me to cough out bits of gray particles as my lungs are in a healing process since I haven't been consuming any poisonous chemicals for days. Yeah, healing processes do hurt, especially after quitting cold turkey. But after realizing that these withdrawal symptoms are a natural process to get the bad stuff out of my body, its no wonder I crapped a lot more than usual.

I'm gonna have to do some exercises to counter this pain, or at least keep it at minimal. After typing this blog, I'm gonna pay a visit to the stadium. Which reminds me, ever since I quit, my appetite has been soaring up. If that is so, I could gain weight from eating a lot. The reason for the new sense of hunger is due to the fact that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. Smoking between meals seems to eradicate the need for the snacking behaviors which I'm experiencing right now. Shit! I gotta start running!

But on the brighter side, there's been a dramatical change in my breathing. It seemed to get better and better. My sense of taste and smell has heightened than before. Last Wednesday I bought myself a carrot juice, I thought it tasted way better than the last carrot juice I had a week ago, and yet it was the same brand! And I didn't really need to sniff on something to identify the scent; I could actually smell the scent from inches away now. Finally, my teeth has never been whiter! I don't stink of cigarettes anymore so I washed myself up less. Everything is so fresh; my hands, my hair, my clothes, my car, my room, my mouth (I could kiss all of you to prove it!)...

Hopefully my mind will be as fresh after these withdrawal symptoms are finally gone. As of now I'm still kinda sick, like a mild fever. Sigh. Last night I had a terrible nightmare; that I actually turned into this:

Nicotine Patch

It's been 6 years since I lit up my first cigarette. I was 18 back then. Before that I used to be heavily against smoking, dissing my smoker friends who started puffing at very early ages. I didn't expect that I would turn out to be like them. It was pressure that made me joined the nicotine club. The sensation of inhaling the nicotine into my lungs, the nice soothing puff of smoke blowin out of my mouth, the warmth of the heat near my lips. All those things made me feel high enough to keep me at a relaxed state, despite being aware of the dangers and risks of smoking death sticks.

These recent days I've been experiencing a further decline in my energy and stamina. My breathing is crap, and I tend to be sleepy and tired in some occasions. Worst of all, I felt a strange pain in my chest one morning when I got up. It wasn't very pleasant. I got all cranky during breakfast, which only a nice cigarette on the highway could help lift my morning drive up again. To make things worse (or exciting), smoking is usually in session under the tree at the school car park during breaks, and that's when I join the nicotine club and enjoy a stimulating conversation with the rest of my smoker gangs. We're like a family under that tree. Its hard to imagine losing them if I decide to quit, but then again, its harder to imagine losing my life if I didn't.

Its time to make a bold move. Quit smoking! I know I've done this several times these past few years but I feel that giving up so easily is not an option for me. I just gotta keep trying until I can prove to the world that I can. I just finished my last pack two days ago, and today's been my 2nd day since I started quitting. I've had minor headaches yesterday, and expecting some pains in my body, probably in the process of healing my damaged and toxicated organs. This is gonna be one hellova ride!

I've been introduced with new friends over the course of my life, and these new faces have been helpful enough to encourage me to quit smoking. A bunch of em were actually ex-smokers! So its really good to know that I'm not alone in doing this. I appreciate all their encouragement and advice. In addition, I could also tell the difference between my healthy smoke-free friends and my cruddy heavy-smoking buddies (apologies to them for this bold statement).

My worst enemy right now is not the cigarette; It's the addiction. I must ensure my willpower is strong enough to counter-attack addiction. One thing's for sure, I gotta give my lungs and heart a break from all those toxics. And more importantly, I need my energy back. In the end, I wanna live long and have a healthly life without the need of smoking. Also, I don't want my family to suffer in the future from the deadly second-hand smoke.

So why did I kept smoking even though I quit once before 3 years ago? It really took off pretty well, but I ended up kicking back to my old habits before I even realize it. It must have been the pressure from my friends. Majority of the people around me are smokers. So I felt kinda left behind, knowing that I used to smoke before. Cool, I used to cough and wheez a lot too.

Hopefully this time I quit for good, before I turn into this:

History Lesson: The VHS and Laser-disc Era

"Hey dude, can I get a copy of Episode 16 of Prison Break from you?"

"Sure, just gimme your pen drive!"

How easy it is to actually get movies, music videos and TV series for free nowadays. You simply copy them from your friends through your trusty flash drives, store them all into your hard disks and watch them through your notebook. Back in the 80's and early 90's, getting 2 half-hour episodes of Transformers would have to be droppin to the nearest Video Cassette store and purchase those big black cassette tapes in bulky plastic covers (which made them extra heavier). They used to cost about $20 a piece.

I used to have this favorite video cassette shop that I usually visited almost weekly when I was just in my primary school years. The little store was at Mabohai Supa-save (back then the supermarket was called 'Smart') on the 1st floor. The weird thing was, that video store looked like a porn shop coz it was pretty dim inside with miniature neon lights decorating the shelves.
Some of the videos I got there was Ultraman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Doraemon, and a bunch of movies like the Ninja Turtles and Robocop.

VHS heaven... or hell

Having a VCR in your household was a necessity, while owning a computer at that time was pretty much a luxury. Every time my dad got back from his overseas trip, he usually brought back a lot of cassette tapes of Tom & Jerry and Bugs Bunny cartoons just for me to watch all night. He never got me porn. Nowadays parents, not knowing much about the contents of their purchase, bought their kids DVD movies that show lots n lots of tits (usually pink in color), teenage couples 'doin it' and hot gay action. Yay, free porn for the kids!

Happy hour

Rewinding was a chore. Can you imagine how hectic it was to actually having to rewind the tape all the way back to the beginning every single time you wish to replay your favorite flicks? But I got a way of getting myself preoccupied though. I could actually get a drink from the fridge and prepare a light snack (toast bread) while waiting for the rewinding process to finish. (hmm, no wonder I got so fat back then).

The transition from video cassettes to video-cd format was a wonderful experience, as you could finally watch movies through those ever-popular compact discs in the mid 90's. They were selling like pancakes, and they were selling somewhere between $10 to $15 during their glorious times. The problem was, an hour and a half movie required 2 Cd's for storage and you had to change Cd's to progress in the middle of it, so couch potatoes had to get their ass up to pop out Disc 2 from the other side of the CD jewel case, eject the CD tray from the player, take out Disc 1, slot in Disc 2, return Disc 1 into the case (I tend to stack them all on top of the player till they became the Himalayas) and press 'play'. Whew. Good thing ya didn't need to rewind them like the good ol' cassette tapes.

Then the DVD emerged. But I don't really wanna cover on DVD's coz its still a popular medium to watch movies in this decade (Hi-Def DVDs are still a long way to becoming mainstream in our country). Remember those large pan pizzas that you couldn't actually eat? Exactly, I'm actually talkin about the Laser discs. They were the granddaddy of DVD's.

When you owned a mighty Laserdisc, you'd laugh at the poor ol cassette tape. They were far superior in quality and performance (at that time). The track-skipping feature was introduced, making it easier to switch to different lengths of the movie. Unfortunately they were so big, and even bulkier than the tapes, you can't even fit them in your backpack or glove compartment. And they're freakin heavy too. If you were a midget, you could actually topple yourselves off from carrying those horrible things. Bringing them to school was impossible, you could get caught easily. Heck, it was much easier to trade cassette tapes and VCDs among my classmates.

And yes, they're freakin expensive. My dad, the crazy karaoke laserdisc collector he once was, had tons of 'em when I was a kid. They usually filled the shelves overshadowing my collection of cartoon cassette tapes. Its funny that there are no trace of those laserdiscs now, not a single one existed in my house. Probably evaporated into thin air thanks to the rising temperature of our planet.

God help me...

Year 2, The Next Challenge Begins

I just got my result from my first year-end exam. After several months of hard work and determination, I've successfully managed to achieve 6 straight Destinctions on all my subjects. At first I couldn't believe it. I knew that I didn't actually perform very well in my accounting and economics, but it came as a surprise knowing that I got excellent results overall.

But that doesn't mean I could celebrate. I'm only half-way there. Although it does seems like its gonna be an easier path for me now that I've built up my foundation and reputation to ensure my graduation in a couple of years time, I may need to keep up with this momentum and bring it to the 2nd and final year if I wanna make sure that I could get the best access to the best college or career. Not just 'a' college or career, but 'the best', or in other words, 'prestige'.

My sources tell me that by achieving straight destinctions for this course (accumulating with the final year results), I'll be able to skip Higher National Diploma, which leaves me to several options. Either I could apply for a degree course or a scholarship for overseas studies. Or perhaps enrole for a high-profile career in a prestigious organization. But these are merely speculations; I may have to investigate on this matter further. It's only a National Diploma, anyway. It would be great though if I could skip 3 years of HND, I could catch up with my old buddies who I've lost reach a few years back, coz I didn't actually continue my studies for 4 years since 2001 until 2005.

This accomplishment means a lot to me, and it could be an encouragement for my fellow classmates to keep up with me. One of them actually approached me and asked how I actually did it. But its actually a matter of what he/she 'did' to actually 'not' achieving it. Personally, I'm just trying to open his/her mind, and that I always welcome anyone who's willing to accompany me to the road of success. After all, a win-win solution is the best solution. In order words, synergize. I'd be more than happy to see my fellow classmates and friends to be on the same path as I am. My motto has always been like a fellow soldier in the trenches of war, "Leave no man behind!". Oh, by the way, the answer to how I actually did it, its simply this: Desire!

16 months to go. Next week is orientation week for the new batches. New faces. New chicks. Hahhaha. Typical conversation between the guys at the parking lot slash smoking area; New chicks. Ahhh, how I miss my first orientation week a couple of years back. Now it's gonna be our turn to 'me-ragging' the juniors. After that, it's gonna be a more challenging year in which we are gonna embark on starting up our 7-month Business Project, then comes the big exam again, and finally the 6-month Industrial Attachment to wrap-up our course.

So, celebrate? I'm just gonna enjoy my new iPod for now and watch Transformers at the cineplex next week. The real celebration would have to be after I got my accumulated results by the end of the course. Hmmm, I feel like going to Singapore again...

I miss you, Orchard Road...

My new toy

Here it is at last, after months of waiting. Say hello to my little friend. The Apple iPod Video is finally in the palm of my hands. Its black, its 80 gb and its gonna be my fitness partner throughout the semester break. I just got it yesterday.

I've uploaded all my mp3's (that's 3000 mp3's in my hard drive) into it and playlisted all my favorite tunes from iTunes. And my cover-flow collection is 85% complete.

Other than playing music, I'm also gonna use this iPod as my highly durable and impact-resistant portable hard disk. Compared to the cheaper portable hard disks sold in stores, this baby will hardly ever gonna crash. 80 gb is pretty much enough for me to carry for now. After all, I already have a 300 gb portable hard disk residing in my room (coz I couldn't carry it around due to its weight and the need to connect to an electrical socket).

Right then. I'm off to buy more accessories for my new toy now.

The Story of GrowingStar Sdn Bhd

One of my greatest inspirations of a successful entrepreneur in Brunei is Mr Robin Leong. He is the owner of Growing Star Sdn Bhd. The company sells Ikea furniture and household items. A year ago I’ve conducted an interview with Mr Leong for my assignment and he was more eager to share his wonderful story on how it all started.

Before venturing into the world of business, Robin Leong worked in Royal Brunei Airlines for 15 years. He was an engineer who managed to climb the career ladder until he reached up to the level of Senior Strategic Marketing Officer.

By the time he reached the peak of his career, Robin realized that it was the end for him to progress further in the organization. Furthermore, he had to work at late hours and was given more responsibility, although his salary was considered sufficient for himself and his family. He never intended to run a business at that time.

One day, Robin and his friends visited a preview of the Anthony Robbins Personal Development Program at Sheraton Hotel. Robin was very curious and decided to enroll for this program which was held in Singapore. After registering, the group flew to Singapore and took the 3 day course.

The Anthony Robbins Personal Development Program in Singapore introduced Robin to a whole new experience in self-motivation and the power of thinking big. He learned to overcome fear and was fascinated at the exciting and fulfilling opportunities of becoming an entrepreneur. He finally found his ultimate goal in life; to start up his own business and be independent.

Anthony Robbins totally changed his life. After returning back from the course, Robin decided to do something big. His first step was to quit his job in Royal Brunei Airlines. Along with his group of friends, still highly motivated and very enthusiast of the exciting program they got into earlier, Robin formed a group of consultants for business motivation and development program. Inspired by Anthony Robbins, they made good use of their inspiration’s teachings and tools to conduct their own consultancy program for LiveWire, a business development workshop sponsored by Brunei Shell, sometime in 2001.

Robin’s First Business Attempt

After some minor setbacks, however, Robin Leong decided to go for a different approach in his career. He quit his consultancy program and ventured into retail business a few months later. Being a family man, he has a passion for children, and drove him to set up a small toy store in Shakirin Complex, Kiulap, called Growing Fun.

The concept of this toy store was providing fun, safe and educational toys for toddlers and children, ranging from colorful crayons to educational puzzles. The toys were in excellent quality and did not possess any choking hazards. Along with his wife, Robin focused on running the toy business full time.

Robin also has a passion for Ikea furniture, which he regularly purchased for his house and his shop from the Ikea Mall in Singapore. One day, one of his regular customers noticed a few of these furniture while shopping in his toy store in Kiulap and they were really interested in them. Robin told them that they were not for sale.

As more customers enquired about Robin's furniture throughout the weeks, he finally realized that selling Ikea Furniture would be a great idea. He finally offered to help his clients on getting the particular furniture without the burden of having his customers traveling all the way to Singapore to get them. In return, he would have to mark-up the price of the goods ordered to pay for his traveling and accommodation expenses and an extra profit.

Eventually, Robin’s customers favor more on purchasing Ikea furniture than his toys. He became more involved in traveling to Singapore to get his clients’ orders. After several business trips, he knew what he really had to do.

The Establishment of Growingstar Sdn Bhd

No sooner when more orders came in, Robin Leong finally decided to shift his business into a new direction. With the toy business abandoned, he embarked on selling Ikea furniture in Brunei. Growing Fun was then changed into Growingstar Sdn Bhd, a home furniture store selling Ikea products, ranging from table sets, armchairs, sofas, cabinets, drawers, stools and kitchenware.

Robin set the business up in Bangunan Warisan, Mata-Mata, Gadong and rented up to 5 units to fill up the spaces needed to occupy his bulky furniture and products. Unlike his previous business attempt, the furniture business is a more profitable and exciting venture for Robin.

The concept of Growingstar Sdn Bhd is simple. Robin purchases several furniture, one each of different models for each different category, from the Ikea Mall in Singapore and displays them at his 3 unit showroom for his customers to look at. Robin also relies on Ikea Catalogues that he subscribes to show his clients the products that they can purchase from Growing Star. His clients then select the particular product and Robin will make orders from the Ikea Mall in Singapore. The goods are then delivered to Growing Star in Brunei, and he then marks-up the price as affordable as possible for his clients.

The idea here is that Robin gives his clients the ease of getting Ikea Furniture faster without having to travel to Singapore to get them. Although these products are sold cheaper at the Ikea Mall in Singapore, the cost of accommodations e.g. traveling expenses, hotels, food etc, will be incurred if we have to buy them ourselves, so there is not much difference than getting them from Growing Star. Furthermore, getting them from Robin's store saves time and effort.

The Company’s Growth

With a strong financial back-up from his good business partners and the bank, as well as strong sales over the years, Robin Leong wasted no further in registering Growing Star as a private-limited company. He was able to maintain good cash flow in the business and employed more local workers to work in his company.

Like any other businesses, Growing Star Sdn Bhd also had its ups and downs. But with a positive mindset, Robin has been able to cope with these problems and keep his company in good management.

Over the past 2 years, Robin expanded his Ikea product range. He also provided special offers and discounts during the festive seasons e.g. Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year. Robin believes that customer care is crucial to his business, and so he maintains his pricing at an affordable rate and provides the quickest and efficient delivery to his clients.

Now, Growing Star Sdn Bhd is one of the most popular and well-recognized quality furniture distributors in Brunei. Robin still runs his business full-time, and is currently in the process of expanding his business by setting up several more branches in the country.

Then & Now

Robin Leong is now happily running his enterprise as the Managing Director of Growing Star Sdn Bhd. He manages his day-to-day running of the business in his small office located in his showroom. He is finally independent from working for someone else and finds being an entrepreneur a more challenging and exciting career compared to his previous job as an engineer in Royal Brunei Airlines.

Although Robin still has to work extra hours and has even more responsibilities, the business is a more fulfilling and rewarding experience for him as he is the boss and all the profits made by the business go to him. He earns more than his previous job. Even though he has achieved his dream of being a successful entrepreneur, he believes that success is just part of a journey.

Consultation Week

Its consultation week in Sekolah Perdagangan, and this year, I'm not assigned to do anything. Unlike last year, when I was totally occupied running here and there in campus. At least I get to write my first blog in blogger right now.

Not much is happening here. Last year's consultation was more happening. This year's so quiet. There's an exhibition booth operated in one of the incubators, and they're displaying Sony Vaio. The seniors are totally clueless on where they're gonna set up their booths for their business project. I feel really bad for them and wish I could lend a hand. Hope they get everything set up soon.