Greetings Readers! This video is so epic, I just had to share it!

Greetings Readers! Approximately two weeks ago, fellow Bruneian netizen @emmagoodegg and I had the great privilege of meeting Foreign Secretary William Hague just after he and Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education launched the "BUBA Awards" Schools’ Competition. The British High Commission here in Brunei had pre-arranged that we spend some time with him. In the lead up to the meeting, I read up about Mr William Hague. Here are just some facts about him.

• He was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 12 May 2010.
• He was elected to Parliament in 1989 and is the Member of Parliament for Richmond (Yorks).
• He has written two books. The first one published in 2004, a biography of William Pitt the Younger won 'History Book of the Year' at the National Book Awards. He then published his second book, a biography of William Wilberforce in 2007.

Photograph with @emmagoodegg and Mr William Hague

Photograph by @emmagoodegg

I went a little deeper and googled him. Mr Hague's name surfaces through a variety of news articles ranging from talks related to the Middle East to talks about modern day Burma. After having done my research, I went to the meeting on 27th April 2012 with the question "Who is William Hague?" in my mind. When I met him, I phrased my question to him like this. "Mr Hague, you are certainly a well-achieved man. I would like to get to know the man behind the name. Could you please share about three of your proudest achievements to date."

The first thing he spoke about was a political achievement. Mr Hague spoke about how he designed the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995 which ended discrimination against disabled people and improved opportunities for them in the UK. He then spoke about his book William Pitt the Younger which won History Book of the Year and noted that was "immensely satisfying". Finally he spoke about the work he was involved in now with the British Foreign Office. Mr Hague spoke about his engagement with emerging powers and his involvement in expanding British diplomacy which was "tremendously exciting".

See more photographs of William Hague's visit to Brunei here and read @emmagoodegg's write-up on the meeting here.

Photograph by @hanisham

Mr William Hague and Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education

Mr Hague with the Minister of Education and local school principals

PRESS RELEASE - GEAR UP FOR WALK RUN CYCLE WITH HSBC’S FITNESS CLINIC

As the HSBC Walk Run Cycle (WRC) event approaches faster than anticipated, HSBC has just the right preparation for it. In collaboration with Fitness Zone, a Fitness Clinic is organised exclusively for the event and WRC participants are cordially invited to join the full-scale training and group workout.

Fitness Zone which has been in popular demand lately for its gym facilities and spinning classes will accommodate the next Fitness Clinic at their Kiulap branch on Saturday, 05 May 2012 at 6.00pm.

On the day of the training, participants will learn more about fitness and tips from Fitness Zone coach, Michael Mogard, who graduated from the University of Iowa in Health Promotion and Sports Studies and is a qualified CrossFit trainer.

Fitness Clinic scopes out for the most important concerns of the WRC participants, such as pre-training, warm up advices, injury prevention tips, performance tips, and nutrition recommendation. HSBC is hoping for a great attendance on the day of the Fitness Clinic and wants participants to benefit from this free facility in order to be amply prepared for the event.

The HSBC Walk Run Cycle 2012 will take place at Taman Hj Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) at night on Saturday, 19th May 2012 at 8.30pm. This charity event pays tribute to organizations that provide training and education to special needs children of Brunei Darussalam. Support is needed for this cause, and all HSBC branches are catering for this on-going donation. Visit an HSBC branch today to support the cause.

Michael Mogard at the Clinic on the weekend on 28th April 2012

Michael Mogard with Wu Chun at Fitness Zone, Kiulap

So I saw an article in today's paper which read "Traffic police nab 53 speeders in 180 minutes". I decided I would poke a little fun and created the following picture using an X all the Y meme. Memes kind of make a 'heavy' subject like speeding a little lighter don't you think?

Press Release - Foreign Secretary and Brunei Minister of Education launch "BUBA Awards"

Foreign Secretary William Hague and Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong, Minister of Education, officially launched the "BUBA Awards" Schools’ Competition on Friday 27 April.

BUBA stands for the British Universities’ Brunei Association, which brings together forty eight (48) British universities and colleges with a track record in the Brunei market. In the past, the organisation has focussed on maintaining levels of customer satisfaction in Brunei. Now, in response to the Brunei government’s focus on economic diversification, the knowledge economy and research, and the emergence in Brunei of strong partners for British universities, BUBA aspires to a more strategic role. BUBA’s members seek to involve Bruneian academics and institutions in their own research networks. The “BUBA Awards” announced today are intended to advertise that opportunity amongst future generations of Bruneian researchers; and to reinforce the habit of collaboration between the UK and Brunei, strengthening the research base in both countries.

On 27 April the Ministers signed a letter of invitation, addressed by BUBA to the Brunei schools that offer A Level/IB Colleges in Brunei, in terms agreed between BUBA and the Brunei Ministry of Education and strongly supported by the participating schools and colleges. Schools and colleges taking part in the BUBA Awards are Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah, Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan, Pusat Tingkatkan Enam Meragang, Pusat Tingkatan Enam Katok, Pusat Tingkatan Enam Tutong, Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali, Jerudong International School and International School Brunei.

Photographs courtesy of the UK in Brunei Faacebook Fanpage

Greetings Readers! Today, KFC swung open the doors of their 13th branch in Brunei, located at Gadong Central. They have also advised that the Gadong Central branch is their new Bruneian head-quarters. Visit the KFC Brunei Facebook Fanpage for more details. So Good!