Hey Folks! I am blogging live from the Makati Shangri-La in Manila. I will be here for the next couple of days for the ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum. Clever me decided to book the the 2.25 a.m. Cebu Pacific flight from Bandar Seri Begawan. I arrived at 4.25 a.m. and by the time I got out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it was about 5.45 a.m. I am now rested up and I am ready for the ASEAN 100!

One of the advertisements at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Greetings Readers! Last week I got to meet a number of local fellow entrepreneurs including the team behind the soon to be released book, Business Icons. I got to know Khairi and his team and found out about the idea behind their first publication venture. Khairi has kindly lent me a copy for a sneak peek. (Well, more like I twisted his arm until he lent me one. I could not wait until the official launch.)

Business Icons tells the stories of 10 successful local entrepreneurs in detail and this 1st edition will feature the likes of Pehin Orang Kaya Ratna Setia Dato Setia Haji Awang Abdul Hapidz bin Pehin Orang Kaya Laksamana Haji Awang Abdul Razak (from Abdul Razak Holdings), YM Dato Paduka Haji Idris bin Haji Abas (from Arkitek Idris), YM Han King Juan (from Jing Chew Restaurant), YM Pehin Kapitan China Kornia Di Raja Dato Paduka Lau Ah Kok (from Hua Ho Department Store) and YM Awg Rano Iskandar (from Ranoadidas.com).

Greetings Readers! Just a brief post about the Brunei Energy Expo 2011 at the BRIDEX Hall last week.

About the Expo: "The three-day energy expo coincided with the 29th Asean Ministers Energy Meeting (AMEM) and its associated meetings. Officially hosted in the Sultanate, the meetings were aimed to cover the pressing needs and issues regarding energy within Asean and the Asia Pacific regions...Aside from government and educational institution exhibitions, non-government organisations (NGOs) and businesses were also represented. The expo is intended to provide a platform for energy minister and leaders of Asean and dialogue partners, senior officials, managers and experts from governments, national and multinational banks, project developers and consultancy service providers, among others, to interact and share knowledge on the latest energy technologies and initiatives." ~ The Brunei Times

Here are some photographs from my visit to the Expo on Friday 23rd September 2011.

Happy Saturday folks! This week, on top of the many Raya Open Houses I attended, I also got to meet a number of fellow local entrepreneurs. There is much to share about my new friends, but for now I will just share this quote by Steve Jobs ~ “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

The Awesome Four behind Brunika

Greetings folks! United Motors are currently hosting the global "Test Drive a PROTON" campaign here in Brunei. It is part of the Grand Prix VIP Challenge and the global grand prize is a trip for two to the Grand Prix in Brazil (!). How do you get involved? Basically you need to go to the Grand Prix VIP Challenge website and answer five questions. If you Purchase or Service or Test Drive a PROTON between now and Saturday 15th October 2011, you are entitled to additional rounds of gameplay online.

Greetings Readers! It has been a week of corporate Raya Open House visits - a week of festive music, chit-chat, ladies looking lovely in their colourful baju kurung's, gentlemen looking sharp in their cara Melayu's, great hosts and of course, food, food, food. I wrote in a previous post that when you are invited to an Open House, you are essentially being told Make yourself at home and don’t rush off. I want to spend some time with you. What a privilege.

It has been good getting to know people better, putting faces to names and enjoying great company. After being away for so long, this Raya has been one of immersion for me. It has helped me feel more Bruneian. Experiencing Raya is so different from reading about it!

Here are some photographs from my week.

iCentre

In exactly a week's time, I will be in Manila for the ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum. The annual event is a "flagship regional event" by Asia Inc Forum and it gathers "the most outstanding next wave of leaders from the region who will shape the future of ASEAN". Previous Forums were graced by leaders such as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia (2003), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore (2005) and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia (2006). This year, President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines will be present and dialogue throughout the Forum will revolve around the theme "One ASEAN".

I have been to a number of conferences and forums across the last 10 years or so, and I have learnt a few things along the way. Here are seven conference survival tips I will surely be exercising in Manila at the ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum.

1. Take a Step Back

Strange things happen when you put hundreds of people in the same room at the same time. The energy levels rise, introverts become alpha sanguines, vision becomes telescopic and it is easy to get lost in a crowd. Take a step back, collect yourself and plan your next moves. Are there people in specific you want to meet? The keynote speaker perhaps? A famous author? Most likely there will be a group of other fans around him or her. If so, take a step back, put on a thick face, and make your move. You need to be very deliberate.

Don't get stuck in a moment