Assalamualaikum and Hello to all,

We, the Brunei Birmingham Students Society (BBSS), are proud to present you all the 10th MAD Paintball event in conjunction with Brunei’s 26th National Day. This event will take place on the 27th February 2010 (8.30am- 5.00pm) at Cosford Paintball Site, Wolverhampton.

For interested teams, the format is basically 16 players per team whereby 12 players will be on field and the remaining 4 players as reserves. The entry fee is GBP 480 per team regardless number of players which includes food and drinks. Only 14 teams will be able to compete on first come, first served basis.

The registration will open on 10th January 2010. The Registration Form and MDP2K10 Infopack can be downloaded from the links below:-

Downloads:

MDP2k10RegistrationForm

MDP2k10InfoPack

Please be aware that the deadline for registration is on 31st January 2010 and the payment deadline would be on the 3rd February 2010.

For further inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at mdp2k10@gmail.com or 07938563916 (Razan Zulkifli, 10th MAD Paintball Head Organizer).

Notes from the organizer:

- Generally, you will be provided with Tippman 98 (NOT Ions) but Warped Paintball have high-end markers up for rent at GBP 25 for the whole day. The host has a limited number of high end-markers, so book with us fast (first come, first served).

- Each team will be provided 10,000 paints.

- Lastly and most importantly, we will be having a mass battle (maybe 50 vs 50 players) at the end of the day. Hosts do require a little extra payment which will be GBP 5 per person.

Sincerely,

BBSS Committee 09/10

Committee members 2009/2010

The new academic year has started and we have yet to meet and greet the new students. We are looking forward to introducing ourselves and the society,as well as getting to know everyone.

There may be some who don’t know about this session, so please let as many Brunei students in Birmingham know about it. If you need to contact us, please feel free to drop any of the society members a message. Hope to see you there!

—

Food: Potluck. We would really appreciate if each house contributes at least one dish.
Dress code: BBSS Shirt

Birmingham is a big city located in the West Midland region of the UK. It is considered as the second city of UK or known as the Muslim capital of Britain due to its large number of Muslim population. Birmingham has one of the best shopping areas in the UK and being in the Midland,s it is very accessible and cheaper to travel to other parts of UK: Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, London, Cardiff, where there are a large Bruneian student population. They are approximately 2 to 3 hours away both by coach (bus) and train. Birmingham also has its very own International Airport which offers over 1000 direct and indirect flights.

Within the city itself, there are 3 train stations: Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill. Once you arrive in Birmingham at any of these 3 stations, you will find yourself already in the city centre so it is very convenient to travel to Birmingham even for a day trip because you can actually stop by Birmingham, do your shopping and take a train to another place.

You can say that Birmingham is a shopping heaven because the Bullring Shopping Centre is one of Europe’s largest city shopping centres and UK’s busiest shopping centre. Halal food and meats are easy to find in Birmingham, there are many halal takeaways, restaurants and butchers around. We have a Chinatown where there are oriental shops selling oriental foods like Indomee, ABC soy sauce, Maggi Sauce etc. Rag markets, Indoor and Outdoor markets are available if you need to buy fresh fruits and veggies, fresh seafoods, and halal meats can be found at the Indoor markets. Watching movies at the cinema is cheaper compared to other parts of the UK at £3.70 per person with student discount. More student discounts are available at most shops provided that you show your valid student ID. Also, with coupons printed from studentbeans.com, you can get more student discount deals. Being a student is heaven =) Birmingham is a cheaper version of London.

Birmingham has 3 universities and 2 university colleges : University of Birmingham, Aston University, Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham and Newman University College.

I’m going to talk about the University of Birmingham and Aston University only because I’m not familiar with the other universities. And currently both universities are in one of the top 50 universities list in the Brunei Ministry of Education scholarship requirements.

I am currently in my 3rd year at the University of Birmingham (UB). It’s a very old established university and has a very huge campus and beautiful building achitecture. It is 8 minutes by train or 20 minutess by bus away from the city centre. Being slightly far away from the city centre, clearly the surrounding residential areas are mostly occupied by students giving the university a very nice and safe environment to study. You can find most of your needs here without having to go to the city to shop. In the university centre, we have our own stationery shop, bookshop (a 3-floor Waterstones), two convenience shops, bank branches (HSBC, Natwest, Barclays and Lloyds TSB) so if you wish to deal with a bank it’s easy to do it from Uni, an airline branch (you can book plane tickets from here), money exchange, optical shop, hairdresser, bar, computer shop, post office, cards and gift shop, insurance branch, souvenir shop and few cafes and one halal section in our food court.

In terms of university facilities, there is a huge main library and other primary libraries, prayer rooms, student guild where you can seek advice, a representation centre and meet the student body, computer facilities, sports centre (gym, courts, swimming pool, sauna, numerous football pitches).

As you walk outside the university gate, you’ll find numerous Halal fast food chains and other shops. Student halls are within short walking distance from the Uni. Most houses outside the university are rented by university students making it a safe student area. It is advisable to stay in a rented house because the Birmingham University accommodation halls are expensive. There are numerous letting agents available outside the university if you’re having difficulty finding a house. House rent is approximately £50-£70 per week.

Currently there are 13 Bruneians studying in Birmingham University.

Aston University. I can’t say much on this as well. It’s situated in the city centre itself, about 5 minutes walk away from the shopping centres. It is smaller compared to Birmingham University but has more Bruneians studying there, about 20 people I suppose.

There are few Bruneians studying at Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham as well.

Although we Bruneians study at different Universities, most of us live close to each other at Pershore Road which is 15 to 20 minutes away by bus to the city centre. It’s a very peaceful environment and we look out for each other. Every Thursday night, we have Isya’ jemaah prayers and a small sort of dinner gathering among us. We also have sports activities almost every weekend. We call ourselves the BiB (Bruneians in Birmingham), and we are trying to promote more Bruneians coming here because it’s not only the best place to study, it’s also the best place to be. I love my time in Birmingham.

This is what I promised some of my juniors back home in Brunei; a glimpse of Birmingham. A place of Guaranteed satisfaction. Over here is just like another London but with a less hectic environment/crowds/noise.

The two main Universities in Birmingham for Bruneians are University of Birmingham and Aston University.

Let me just start with University of Birmingham since that’s the one I go to.

This is Grange Road Gate. The university entrance that is the nearest to the Engineering, Law and Chemistry Schools and the Sports centre. It’s also near to Uni accommodation, mainly Victoria Hall, Jarratt Hall (where I lived last year, which is just 5 minutes walk) and Douper Hall.

UoB layout is circular,the Clock tower marks the centre of the Uni. That’s the Rugby/Soccer field.

The Clock Tower.

On the right is the Art Building and on the left is Physics.

This is Aston Webb, where plays, concerts, talks are held and where the freshers usually go to for registration.It’s a big building with several big assembly and lecture halls. Admin/Finance offices are also situated here.

Mechanical Engineering Building.

This is the Main Library. Situated just next to the Art Building, it’s a 5-floor library. Internet access and online archives are available.

This is the Medical School.Its practically isolated from the rest of the world… wahaha. What I meant was, it’s situated outside the Uni circle. They have quite a tight security ,probably because medical reasearch students are very dangerous? Hehe.. but the have their own cafeteria, library, prayer rooms and car parks. Moreover, they have all their lectures in that building. Unlike some of us, e.g. ME. I’m a Chemical Engineer but I don’t usually have my lectures in my School, for ECS (elec stuffs) I have them in the Physics Building, and lectures to do with Mechanics, I have them in the Mechanical Building.

The University’s Sport Facilities.

Place for hockey, futsal, rugby, soccer and football.

This is the scenery just outside the library. It’s also the hangout place for students during spring/summer till mid autumn, when the sun’s up the longest during the day.

I get to chill around with Nisa and Azrul, both my seniors, during autumn last year. You don’t get to do that in Brunei yeah? LOL. The building at the back is the University centre. Banks, gift shops, a salon, Spar, cafes, PC/Phone shops are located here.

The Chemistry Building(Howarth).

Far Right is the E-learning Centre, a building full of computers. It opens until late. Students who take the train home prefer to do research here than the in the Main Library.

Between the E-Learning Centre and Medical School is The University Station. It’s a very, very convenient means of transport in Birmingham, besides buses. It makes stops in the city as well, namely Five Ways and New Street Station.

BRISTOL ROAD

Just on the other side of Grange Road is Bristol Road. Along Bristol is also the South Gate.

As for me, Jarratt Hall is practically the best place to stay, besides being close to the University. If I’m not in the mood to cook, I can just go out to Bristol Road and have a choice of five to ten Halal restaurants or fast food outlets.

I can shop for groceries nearby. There’s convenience stores like Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Premier and a 24-hour Tesco in just walking distance.

Flower shop in Bristol Road as well.. LOL.

In Bristol Road, there are frequent buses to the city and to Pershore Road as well. Pershore Road is where most of BiBers live. From there it’s a 30 minute walk to South Gate, or 5-10 minutes by bus.

CITY CENTRE

This is the main train station in Birmingham. Miss your friends who are studying someplace else? Just take a train on the weekends and spend a night or two at your friends. The station is right in the city itself. There are bus stops right in front of it.

Birmingham’s FAMOUS  Bullring. The place for shopping!

Inside the Bullring.

Other individual outlets outside the Bullring.

The Indoor Market. A place where you can buy meats and veggies. Halal meat is available here and somewhere in Pershore Road too.

ASTON UNIVERSITY

I do apologize for the lack description for this Uni. I can’t say much about the pictures here because I haven’t any idea which building is what. The only place I go to at Aston Uni is the Woodcock Sports Centre. BiBers play badminton and netball alternately almost every week.

Aston University is located in the City itself. Bruneians studying in Aston take a bus from Pershore Road to the Uni.

Tha’st the lake, it’s in the middle of the Uni. There are goose and ducks around it every day.

I guess that’s the clock tower, or should I say Clock Building?

Why apply to study at Birmingham?

Birmingham has its own airport! Eurotrip anyone? You don’t need to go to London Airport first, you can go straight from Birmingham. Birmingham’s the second biggest city after London. So any event, like celebrities/plays/concerts, Birmingham is for sure on the list. It feels like home here, it’s convenient for Muslims. There’s even a Chinatown here for you to get whatever you want. Maggi? Chilli sauce? Yeo’s? Spices? Everything is available here. There are approximately 40 Bruneians in Birmingham and we look out for each other. We’re very close friends. Undergrads, Postgrads, PhD, seniors, juniors, we know each other very well. We even have friends coming over to Birmingham to spend their holidays with us so that they don’t really miss home. We celebrate all occasions- Hari Raya, Christmas, Chinese New Year. Whichever race you are, your occasions are guaranteed to be celebrated! Oh, and we have surprise birthday parties for everyone. EVERYONE. I’m glad I chose Birmingham. I never felt like an outcast even on my first day here. So do apply to Birmingham. Doesn’t matter which Uni because the society is a whole Birmingham. Hehehe…

BiBers! During Takbir Raya.

This is a photo in UoB, me and Nisa joined Christmas Carols and we sang in Japanese..wahahaha!

Syukur Alhamdulillah, this year’s BBSS Easter BBQ event was a success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisers for their hard work as well as the previous BBSS committee from 2008/2009.

The event started at about 3pm. Besides food, we also had games to fill the day which included creating your own lyrics to a popular song, popping balloons which were tied to an opponents ankle by stepping on them and ‘blind pentagon’ to name a few. The points collected were based on Easter eggs, but the twist was we were allowed to steal eggs won by other teams. The BiBers were divided into 3 groups where Group 1 had collected the most Easter eggs and won the game. Congratulations! Group 3 was the 1st runner up. And, Group 2 was the 2nd runner up. Congratulations to all!

Here is  the newly elected BBSS committee for 2009/2010. Thank you to those who voted.

President - Razan

Vice President - Naili

Finance Officer - Yani

Religious Officer – Hanif

Public Relations & IT Officer - Radhiah

Sports Officer – Shuhir

Events Coordinator – Hakimin

Voting closes on Monday 13th April 2009 at 10pm. All votes are anonymous and in fairness, voters can only vote once. Nominees may feel free to vote for themselves if they wish to do so. Votes are only open to members of BBSS i.e. Bruneian students currently studying in Birmingham.

President and Vice-President
• Lead the Brunei Birmingham Student Society
• Responsible for the overall management of the society
• Welcomes and assists new members and updates the list of members
• Represents BBSS at any events held at other societies whether at a formal or informal level
• Encourages members to participate in events, organising and contributing towards the society

Finance Officer
• Manages the financial aspects of the society
• Produce and update committee members of the financial issues from time to time.

Religious Officer
• Responsible for the religious activities in the society.

Public Relations and IT Officer
• Developing and maintaining good working relations with other Brunei student societies, as well as informing other Brunei student societies of upcoming BBSS events.
• Responsible for running the BBSS website. Maintaining and updating any information, current news and events of the society, as well as other related Brunei students societies events on the net.
• Informing and inviting BBSS members to its society events.

Sports Officer
• Responsible for the running of the society’s sport activities at any level, either internally or externally.

Events Coordinator
• Manages and organize any society events.
• Initiating and planning BBSS events, trips and gathering activities.

Events Coordinator
( polls)

Sports Officer
( online surveys)

Public Relations and IT Officer
( online polls)

Religious Officer
( online surveys)

Finance Officer
( surveys)

Vice-President
( polls)

President
( online surveys)

How are your Easter holidays so far? Well now it’s that time of the year where we all go out in the sun and have a nice BBQ.

Everyone is invited. Let’s have some barbecue food! See you soon.

Alhamdulillah, the term is coming to an end and the official start of our easter holidays is tomorrow. For all of us, the coming holiday is our time to get cracking on revising for the final exams. To release the pre-exam stress, BBSS has plan(s) for the upcoming weeks.

Price per people: £24.65 (booking will be made online as group booking)

Please RSVP to Mallie ASAP by 2nd April. Otherwise your booking will not be included (unless you want to buy the ticket on the spot – which costs few pounds more). Transport costs will be informed later as we need to know how many people are going first.

The next event would be our annual BBSS Easter BBQ – the date has yet to be confirmed (but make yourself available during the last 2 weeks of April). More details about the event will be posted in due time.

Here are the results:

Badminton

Women’s singles
1st- Shuhir Serbini (BBSS)
2nd- Raihan Lamit (Bruwick)
3rd- Nurliyana Hj Md Noor (Newcastle)
4th- Diyana HY (BBSS)

Men’s Singles
1st- Darren Chai
2nd- Alif Morzuki
3rd- Eric Lim (BruNotts)

Mixed Doubles
1st- Sanny Choo and Amalina Daud
2nd- Momiji
3rd- Legends
4th- BruMingham

Football
1st- Destroyerz
2nd- Senna
3rd- BruManch Ravens
4th- Bernazzz

Netball
1st- BruNotts Adhara
2nd- BruManch
3rd- Red Ayamz

Our very own defending champion, Shuhir Serbini