Many apologies for the lack of information at the moment on the website and on Facebook. Our new Information Secretary is working on the website as there have been several cases of hacking and spam. So keep a lookout for a new and improved secure website to be hosted on a new server.

Just for your information several posts have been made on the forum by students who are coming to the UK. If you can help them out then please reply to them on the forum.

The following are the posts just for your information.

From labibah:

“Hi! I’m new and I have just been awarded the BAS scholarship. It’s sad to know that my allowances don’t cover my accommodation fees at the halls. So, I am now looking for a private house I could live in near the University of Southampton. If anyone has any information please tell me. I would really appreciate that.

THANK YOU!”

From Shawn Lim:

“Hi, im a 3rd year medical student from the University of Queensland and im interested in doing my electives over at the UK, so just wondering whether any of u guys can shed any light on that? like which hospital is good for students? im pretty keen on emergency medicine. Im in the process of application to UCL atm, is there any other uni i can try and apply to?”

Hope your summer is going well.

 DK HJH FATIN SYAHIRAH PG HJ MATUSIN, University College London

VICE PRESIDENT:

NUR AMIRAH IZZATI HAJI MOHD NOOR, Bedford High School

 GENERAL SECRETARY:

 WAN BAZLAA SYAFIQAH HJ ABD KARIM, University of Greenwich

DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY:

ABDUL HAADI AMDANI, London Southbank University

FINANCIAL SECRETARY:

SHINLING LIM, The London School of Economics

ASSISTANT FINANCIAL SECRETARY:

NURULINANI HJ JAHARI, University of East Anglia

INFORMATION SECRETARY:

PG. ADRIAN PG. SALLEH AB RAHAMAN, University College London

ASSISTANT INFORMATION SECRETARY:

HJH AJEERATUL ABDULLAH, University of York

SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (UNDERGRADUATE):

NADIAH KASMADI, University College London

SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (A LEVEL):

NUR SYAMIMI BAKAR, Cheltenham Ladies’ College

SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (POSTGRADUATE):

KATHRINA HJ MOHD DAUD, University of Manchester

SPORTS SECRETARY:

AK MOHD HIDAYAT PG HAJI OMAR, University College London

ASSISTANT SPORTS SECRETARY:

MOHD AIZUDDIN BIN ROSLAN, Leeds University

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS SECRETARY:

RASID BIN ALI, Queen Mary’s University

ASSISTANT RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS SECRETARY:

NUR ‘IZZATI IBRAHIM, Queen Mary’s University

Each Union member may vote for a candidate by sending in their votes to bsunion.elections@gmail.co

m with “Votes” as a subject heading. Please be reminded that you may only vote for a candidate in the positions in which he/she is nominated for. You do not have to vote for all positions but it is advised that you do. If you want to vote for more than one candidate in a particular position you may do so by putting the candidates in the order of preference. e.g. for financial sect, I vote for 1. Miss X 2. Mr Y 3. Mr Z.

We will only be counting votes that are sent in between the voting period stated above, so if you have sent in your votes before, please send them in again (after the voting period commences, of course), regardless of whether or not your votes have changed. The results of the elections will be posted on the website by the 11th of May, and the AGM will be held at a later date, when everyone is free from the chains of exams and dissertation deadlines. The full list of candidates is up on the Union website: www.bsunion.org. Please visit the site for more details on nominations and voting.

Kind Regards,

 BSUNION CANDIDATES 2009/2010:

PRESIDENT

1.     Fatin Matusin (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, Chemical Engineering, University College of London

Fatin was a core member of Brunei Cultural Night 2009. She brought to the production a wealth of traditional dance experience and together with Huda choreographed some of the best dances that BSUnion has seen in its events. As everyone knows choreographing dances is not an easy feat and requires patience and creativity, and also an accommodating ear that is willing to listen to criticism. During the production she also had to replace a cast member at the very last minute. She had to learn new lines and had to appear in far more scenes than she initially signed up for. This shows she can handle the stress and pressure of adapting to changes and responding to crises. In fact, she might have been one of the most stressed out cast members other than the producers and directors as she had to change several times during the play (at one point three times over two scenes). She also has a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh. In my opinion these are her strongest traits and electing her onto the Council will no doubt be the right thing to do. Above all she is an excellent character capable of being your friend, your advisor and your leader.(Testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman)

2. Nur Amirah Izzati Mohd Noor (BSUnion Nominated)

2^nd year, A-level, Bedford High School

Izzati is first and foremost an overwhelmingly driven and proactive person. Not only is she firm (very serious!!) when anything involves other people, she is a great non-believer of procrastination so you can depend on her to get jobs done as soon as possible and perfectly put together as it is imaginable. Her CV includes her leading Peer Group Helper(’05) and the Student Council (’07) in various events and roadshows, and being Prefect and Head of House in her current school. If her extensive organisational experiences aren’t enough, she is extremely approachable; never was there a time when she did not try to help me out when asked. The best thing about Izzati is that even though she sounds like (is) a downright smartypants, she loves socialising and is considerate of everybody around her. This lovely girl is never a bore! (Testimonial by Izazi Mosli)

 VICE-PRESIDENT

1. Fatin Matusin (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, Chemical Engineering, University College of London

2.  Ajeeratul Abdullah (Nominator annonymous)

1^st year, BSc Mathematics and Statistics, University of York

3. Nur Amirah Izzati Mohd Noor (BSUnion Nominated)

2^nd year, A-level, Bedford High School 

GENERAL SECRETARY

1. Wan Bazlaa Syafiqah bte Hj Abdul Karim (BSUnion Nominated)

1st year, BA in Journalism and Public Relations, University of Greenwich 

Bazlaa, or Baz, is enthusiastic, hard working and dedicated to whatever she puts her mind to. As a cast member of Brunei Cultural Night 2009 (she played Nurul, the quintessential Malay girl) she was not afraid to take on the challenges of acting as a character who was in many ways quite the opposite of her. Criticisms and suggestions were accepted gracefully and she was happy to learn from the directors. Just like Nurul, Baz is caring, friendly and lively, easy to talk to and approachable. This was reflected during the course of rehearsals as she was a well-liked member of cast. Not only was she easy to work with, she was also always up for a post-rehearsal drink at Bonda or Melur. Her studies in journalism and public relations makes her more than capable to handle the vast amounts of paperwork that a General Secretary faces on a regular basis. However, it is her friendliness, diligence and effective team working skills that makes her a perfect candidate for this post. In fact, when I asked her if she wanted to be part of the next BSUnion team, she replied, “Yes! That would be awesome!”. Testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman

 DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY

1. Wan Bazlaa Syafiqah bte Hj Abdul Karim (BSUnion Nominated)

1st year, BA in Journalism and Public Relations, University of Greenwich

2. Nurulinani H. Jahari (Nominator Anonymous)

Bsc Meteorology and Oceanography, University of East Anglia 

3. Abdul Haadi Hj Amdani (BSUnion Nominated)

1st Year, BA Tourism and Hospitality, London Southbank University

Haadi is generally known to be a happy and easy-going person. Although he doesn’t live in Brunei Hall, he is well-liked and offers a laugh or two sometimes at his own expense. During Brunei Cultural Night rehearsals, he was disciplined and on many occasions took on the role of the leader of the cast. As the production of the play expanded and progressed, he became a central member of the team especially in managing the choir alongside Hanna. Perhaps the thing to highlight about Haadi is the fact that he is willing to take on roles outside of his comfort zone and learn new things. Despite never having sung in a choir before, he joined the BSUnion choir for the Brunei National Day Celebrations and Brunei Cultural Night eventually becoming the conductor. Initially signing up to play for the role of Orang Kaya Jaafar for BCN, Haadi was then also asked to take on the role of Kareem. In essence, he had to learn to play two different roles, one a successful businessman and father of two young men and the other a youth in the modern era. Those who saw the play will no doubt have witnessed the ease with which he changed from one character to the other. His studies in Tourism and Hospitality only add to the strength of Haadi’s character. If he is elected a member of the council I am confident that he will provide innovative ideas that will boost the profile and efficiency of BSUnion. Most importantly, and all his friends can attest to this, he is reliable and at the same time a doer and listener. From December to the end of March he was simply speaking a great asset to BSUnion and definitely he has more to offer. (Testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman)

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

1. Shinling Lim (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Economics, London School of Economics

2.  Mohammad Khairul Anuar Haris (Nominator Anonymous)

 1st year, Business Computing, Queen Mary University

3. Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohamad (Nominator Anonymous)

1^st year, English and Related Literature, University of York

ASSISTANT FINANCIAL SECRETARY

1.     Shinling Lim (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Economics, London School of Economics

2. Zai’mah Hamid (Nominator Anonymous)

Bsc Pharmacy, University of East Anglia

3. Nurulinani H. Jahari (Nominator Anonymous)

Bsc Meteorology and Oceanography, University of East Anglia 

INFORMATION SECRETARY

1.     Ajeeratul Abdullah (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Mathematics and Statistics, University of York

2.  Shenna Wong (Nominator Anonymous)

2nd year A-level, Oswestry College

3. Pg Adrian Pg Salleh AB Rahman (BSUnion Nominated)

MPhil/PhD Computer Science, University College London

 Adrian was a key member of the Bruneian Postgraduate Symposium in March 2009. He arguably had one of the toughest jobs handling design (he obtained the designs for posters and the programme booklet), IT (he went through thirteen powerpoint presentations by himself to ensure compatibility and full functionality with different computers for presenters), audiovisuals and recording of the event (he stood for over five hours to record the event and then subsequently transferred them from tape and edited them for the DVDs). This is precisely what an Information Secretary is required to do other than ensuring that students are sent emails. When asked to do something, Adrian never failed to deliver. His dedication is not in question as even post-Symposium he remains as an active member of the committee. At the moment he is designing a website that will build on the work done at the Symposium (more details for postgrads and other interested parties will follow once that’s all set up). His computer skills are evident in his studies for a PhD in Computer Science and this is a highly essential and relevant skill for an Information Secretary. Vote for him and hopefully you will find yourself on the receiving end of a new and improved communications system and website. (Testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman)

ASSISTANT INFORMATION SECRETARY

1.     Ajeeratul Abdullah (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Mathematics and Statistics, University of York

2.  Zai’mah Hamid (Nominator Anonymous)

Bsc Pharmacy, University of East Anglia

 SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (UNDERGRADUATE)

1. Fatin Matusin (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, Chemical Engineering, University College of London

2.     Nadiah Kasmadi (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year Environmental and Civil Engineering, University College of London

Nadiah was a valuable member of the Brunei Cultural Night production. She acted, she danced and most memorably she cried. She played the character of Fatimah bte Hitam with dedication and brought tears to herself and others when she decided to leave Ali. Perhaps what struck me the most about her was her willingness to do all she could to bring the character to life. This is an important characteristic for the role of Social and Welfare Secretary. She professed an inability to dance but when asked to perform she did it to the best of her abilities. During the scene with Manis, the kampong tranny, she was able to stay in character all the while fighting the urge to laugh at the brilliant and humorous performance before her. These events are just examples of the strength of Nadiah’s character when she puts her mind to a task. Those who know her will also know that she is sweet and caring. So vote for Nadiah =) (Testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman)

 3.   Ajeeratul Abdullah (Nominator anonymous)

1^st year, BSc Mathematics and Statistics, University of York

4. Nur Aufa Sulia (Nominator Anonymous)

2^nd year, A-level, Chealsea Independent College (next year, 1^st year University)

5. Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohamad (Nominator Anonymous)

1^st year, English and Related Literature, University of York

Rabiatul is one of the most enthusiastic and understanding girl I’ve ever met. She always has the warmest smile on her face that will make you feel at ease when talking to her. Her studies in English Literature trains her to think beyond the sentences and critically seek the meaning, which is a rare skill but an excellent combination for the post. The role of social and welfare secretary is to be available to students if they wish to express their concern with the society or just about anything! So, Wouldn’t you want to be open to someone you can depend on like her?

6. Majidi Haji Bakar (Nominator Anonymous)

4th year, Dentistry, King’s College London 

SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (A-LEVEL)

1.     Nur Syamimi Bakar (BSUnion Nominated)

2^nd year A-level, The Cheltenham Ladies’ College

Mimi, as most of us know, is one of the friendliest faces around. Her positive attitude towards almost everything makes her a very approachable and nevertheless humble person. Underneath the sweet personality of hers, she has the ability to carry large amounts of responsibilities without fail. Having worked with her previously, there is no doubt Mimi gets her job(s) done amazingly well. Whether it is something small or big, she manages to impress everyone with her creativity and commitment. Her high level of creativity and motherly nature have always contributed to the successes of her works, and SHE MAKES IT FUN FOR EVERYONE! She has her way around working with people – making herself not only respected, but well liked by everyone. Lastly, if you vote for Mimi, be prepared for surprises cuz this girl can catch anyone off-guard with the amazing things that she may come up with! (testimonial by Izzati Mohd Noor)

2. Nur Amirah Izzati Mohd Noor (BSUnion Nominated)

2^nd year, A-level, Bedford High School

3. Nur Aufa Sulia (Nominator Anonymous)

2^nd year, A-level, Chealsea Independent College

4. Farhan Murni (Nominator Annonymous)

1^st year, A-level, Oundle School

Farhan, unlike most of the other A Level student, had to start fresh when he came to UK because he was not part of the MS community, nor the Sayyidina Ali community. However, now he is one of the most known people among the first year A Level scholars. He is also now gathering the prospective Medic students to make an organisation that works together so that all the Bruneian students aiming to do Medicine have as much chance as possible to get into a decent medical school. I see that he has the ability and drive to be an A Level representative. Since he is also not a part of a clique and is a good friend to almost everyone, it will be pretty easy for any one of the A Level students to approach him and inform him of their worries or concern about the union

5. Afifah Othman (Nominator Annonymous)

1st year, A – level, Queenswood School 

6.  Sarah Hanaa Haji Ahmad Ghazali (Nominated by Syazwana Haji Souyono)

A level, Shrewbury school, 1st year

Ex-head girl of Maktab Sains PSBS, truly the most dedicated and diligent person I know. She will not disappoint. (Testimonial by Syazwana Haji Souyono)

SOCIAL AND WELFARE SECRETARY (GRADUATE)

1.   Kathrina Hj Mohd Daud (BSUnion Nominated)

 SPORTS SECRETARY

1. Ash-Shazly (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Physics, University College of London

2.  Ak Mohd Hidayat Pg Hj Omar (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc in Project Management for construction, University College London 

Hidayat, or Dayat, is one of the biggest supporters of football and Arsenal FC in Brunei Hall. A conversation with him at the dinner table often boils down to the stats in the latest Arsenal game, names of football players Arsenal should buy and planning where the best place would be to watch the next match if live coverage isn’t available on freeview. This is more so when other Arsenal fans are sitting at the table with us. Besides being an Arsenal fan, Dayat is a keen sportsman who plays football on Wednesdays and Saturdays, basketball whenever there is a basketball tournament by ICUBS, badminton twice a week, and snooker and pool every now and then. He was also a keen member of the BSUnion choir, lending his deep bass voice for Brunei Darussalam’s National Day celebrations organised by the Brunei High Commission at the Dorchester, having trained at SOAS, Brunei, and, previously performed at the SEA games. Perhaps his defining trait is his friendliness. He is well known in Brunei Hall and always has a joke or two to entertain the people around him when he isn’t hard at work studying for university. Those who know him will be ensured a laugh or two to lift their days. His degree in project management means that not only is he an effective organiser, but he is also continuously learning how to improve. I am confident that he has all the skills necessary to ensure that Bruneians in the UK will have a memorable and enjoyable Winter Games should he be elected. (testimonial by Shahyzul Rahman) 

 ASSISTANT SPORTS SECRETARY

1.   Ash-Shazly (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Physics, University College of London

2.  Shinling Lim (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc Economics, London School of Economics

3.  Ak Mohd Hidayat Pg Hj Omar (BSUnion Nominated)

1^st year, BSc in Project Management for construction, University College London 

4. Mohd Aizuddin bin Roslan

1st year Geophysics in University of Leeds

Aizuddin, now where do I begin? He is a football enthusiast and one of our netball teams most loyal supporter – a great team player, always getting involved and ready to give a helping hand. With his bright personality and great sense of humour, Aizuddin will not only keep himself motivated with a task but he will keep you motivated as well!  He is also one of the most responsible and dedicated boys I know – when his mind is set, he never fails to deliver. This was well proven time and time again during his post with the BruLeeds 08/09 Committee. His readiness to take a post with the committee during the early months of his first year also shows how comfortable he is with a leadership position, hence I have no doubt about his capabilities in being part of the BSUnion team.

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS SECRETARY

1.  Rozailah Hj Abdul Rahman (BSUnion Nominated)

BSc Psychology, University of East Anglia

2.  Rasid Hj. Ali (Nominator anonymous)

1st year, BSC Physical Geography, Queen Mary University 

ASSISTANT RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS SECRETARY

1.  Rozailah Hj Abdul Rahman (BSUnion Nominated)

BSc Psychology, University of East Anglia

2. Nur’izzati Ibrahim (Nominator Anonymous)

1st year, BSC Biochemistry and Forensic Science, Queen Mary University

3. NurFaizah Kadir (Nominator Anonymous)

1st year, BA Geography, Queen Mary University

Thank you for making nominations for the elections. I am currently just updating the list of candidates and the old list has been REMOVED and is INVALID. Please check back at about 12.15am for the updated and official list of candidates.

Because I’ve already mentioned before that we are extending the nominations period, we urge you all not to vote until the nomination period is over. That is, please vote after the 8th May, because new nominations are still being sent to our email NOW and we want you to make your decisions after the list of candidates is finalised. This is to ensure that you won’t change your mind over and over again after looking at new nominations. That being said, we are only accepting nominations at the moment, and votes sent through email will not be counted until the nomination period ends. So if you have sent in your votes, please send them again after the 8th of May, it doesn’t matter if your votes have changed or not.

Elections will be done via email, as an AGM would not be feasible for us, considering it is exam period and other obvious issues. The election committee will be counting the votes during the weekend of 9th-10th May, and the newly elected Council will be informed by Monday, 11th May. Please be aware that Voting Period commences 12am, 9th May, and ends at 12am, 10th May. This is a 24 hour voting period, and your votes will not be counted if you send them in before or after this 24-hour period.

 We apologise for all this mess

It has come to my attention that the email we sent about the elections has failed to send out to our mailing list, therefore not everyone will be informed about the elections had they not check the Union website or facebook page. I am deeply sorry for this, and assure you that it will be fixed as soon as possible. Hopefully the email will send out to every registered member soon, so the news about the elections would reach all Bruneian students in the UK and Eire. Under that reason, I have decided to extend the nomination period until Friday the 8th May, 2 weeks from now. I hope this extension will be of most help to everyone in deciding who best suits the positions in next year’s Council. The AGM will therefore be held on the 9th May, 2009.

Election procedure is as described below, and we will inform you again in emails and the website when the nomination period is about the close.

Kind Regards,

Nur Shahidah Shahbudin

BSUnion President 2008/2009

• President
• Vice President
• General Secretary
• Deputy General Secretary
• Financial Secretary
• Assistant Financial Secretary
• Information Secretary
• Assistant Information Secretary
• Religious Secretary
• Assistant Religious Secretary
• Sports Secretary
• Assistant Sports Secretary
• Social and Welfare Secretary
• Postgraduate Social and Welfare Representative
• Undergraduate Social and Welfare Representative
• A’level students Social and Welfare Representative

If you have someone in mind who would be perfect for any of the posts above, or you would like to nominate yourself, please send   in your nominations to bsunion.elections@gmail.com. Please include your name, the name and place of study of the person you would like to nominate, the position, and a few lines explaining why you think the person would be good for the job. Note that we have a few amendments to the positions from last year: 1) Lady Vice President is now no longer a position in the Union, because a majority vote of the councillors has deemed it redundant with the Vice President role.  2) We have created three new minor positions under the Social and Welfare department. Postgraduates, Undergraduates and A level students will have a representative to look after their social and welfare and protect their interest as a member of the Union. If you know someone who will be very good at these roles please send in your nominations. Obviously, these roles have to be held by people who are in the appropriate level of studies, i.e the Postgraduate representative has to be a postgraduate student during their term, and etc.  The nomination period will last for a month, so the voting period will be sometime before May. Please send in your nominations early and tell all your Bruneian friends!

The Brunei Students’ Union in the UK and Eire (BSUnion) and Imperial College Union Bruneian Society (ICUBS) proudly present:

BRUNEI CULTURAL NIGHT 2009

“TIUPAN SERULING” (WHISTLE OF THE FLUTE)

Experience our truly amazing culture in this spectacular performance you won’t want to miss!

Brunei Darussalam is a country on the northern coastline of the island of Borneo, South East Asia. Not many people know that (specifically non-Asians), and we Bruneians admit it. Culturally, we are very similar to Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. What makes us truly unique, however, is our strong cultural identity combined with our peaceful way of life. The calm, sandy beaches reflect the very essence of our tranquil and laid-back people. The clear sky and modest buildings symbolise our country’s strive for peace and solidarity. Come to Leceister Square Theatre this 28th of March to watch a wonderful performance organised by our very own Bruneian students showcasing this young nation of ours, in commemoration of Brunei’s Silver Jubilee on the 23rd of February, 2009 and the Brunei Students’ Union’s 50th year of establishment.

For under £10, you can have a taste of delicious Bruneian food, enjoy a variety of patriotic performances by our very own Bruneian students and immerse yourself in the emotionally gripping play, narrated from the perspective of a Bruneian boy called Azam. Our experienced production team promises you excitement and cultural enlightenment, alongside great food and company through out the night/evening. Listen to our music, try our food and be entertained by the vast array of cultural experiences we have to offer in this grand celebration of our nation’s 25th National Day!

Date: Saturday, 28th March 2009

Times: MATINEE show starts at 2pm (doors open at 1.30pm) & EVENING show starts at 6pm (doors open at 5.30pm)

Ticket prices: £6 for Matinee & £9 for Evening

Venue: Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7BX.

DIRECTORS: 

Noor Affizan Rahman – Writer/director of the past 5 UCL Malaysian Nights at Bloomsbury Theatre.

Rasyeedah Samid – Talented actress who has been involved in various theatre productions.

MAIN CAST:

Orang Kaya Jaafar – Haadi Amdani

Ali – Mohammad Yazid bin Haji Mohd Yakub

Fatimah – Nadiah Kasmadi

Azam – Mohd Iqbal bin Hj Mohd Caesar

Nurul – Wan Bazlaa Syafiqah Bte Hj Abd Karim

Maya – Vanessa Teo

To BOOK your tickets, please send your name and the number of tickets your require (and don’t forget which show- matinee or evening) to brucn09@gmail.com. Alternatively you can contact either Shahidah at 07511012180 or Amal at 07515489439. Get your tickets early to avoid dissappointments!

For more information and tickets, please contact:

Shahidah – 07511012180

Amal – 07515489439

brucn09@gmail.com

Looking forward to see you there