Vietnam Travel Tips

Geography

Land area : 330,991 km2 Population : More than 78 million On the world map, Vietnam lies at the center of South East Asia making an S-shaped stretch of land on the East side of the Indochina peninsula, facing the Eastern Sea ( South China Sea) on the Pacific Ocean. Vietnam's coastline is more than 3,260 kms in length or almost twice that of the country from North to South, a natural endowment that gives it a great tourism potential. Vietnam has common borders with many countries: to the North with China, East and Southeast with Laos and Cambodia. Other neighboring countries include Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei. The topography is very diverse with mountain ranges, rivers, forest, sea, highland, deltas, etc. Although it is a country that is located entirely in the tropical region, it has areas that enjoy conditions of temperate zone like Sa Pa or Da Lat, which has been dubbed Switzerland of South East Asia by passionate travelers.

Climate

Vietnam is located in the tropical zone characterized by sunshine, high rainfall, humidity and monsoon. Most mountainous regions are temperate. The annual average temperature is from 22ºC to 27ºC with two distinguished seasons in general: the cold and dry one from November to April and the other hot and wet from May to October. Especially the North has four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The best time to visit the country is from October to April.

Currency

The Vietnamese currency is Dong (VND). Banknotes in circulation are 100 Dong, 200 Dong, 500 Dong, 1,000 Dong, 2,000 Dong, 5,000 Dong, 10,000 Dong, 20,000 Dong, 50,000 Dong and 100,000 Dong recently issued by The State Bank of Vietnam. The rate of exchange is approximately 1 USD = 14,950 dong. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the bank, exchange bureau or hotel reception desk. Travelers' cheque and most of Credit cards are accepted in the major cities.

Visa

The entry visas are obtainable from the nearest Vietnamese Embassy, a travel agent or upon arrival. The validity of tourist visas is about one month and could be extended. Photo, passport and personal data required should be given.

Local Transportation

Bus, train, taxi, cyclo, taxi-motor "Xe Om", Xe Lam ( like Tuk Tuk in Thailand ) and car, motor & bike for rent are available in the major cities.

Emergency Call

Police: 113. Fire Brigade: 114. First Aid: 115.

Healcare Centers

HANOI : Vietnam International Hospital, Phuong Mai road - Tel: 5740740 (24 hour emergency clinic). International SOS: 24 hour alarm center and medical emergency teams. 31 Hai Ba Trung. Tel: 9340555. Fax: 9340556. Medex: A1 Van Phuc, Suite 109-112, Kim Ma. Tel: 8430748. Fax: 8461750 (24 hour emergency: 090401919) HCMC : Alain Carpentier Foundation - IMC - Heart Institute : 520 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Dist.10 (24 hour emergency : 8654025 Out & In Patient services - Western doctors). Colombia Asia Saigon : 8 Alexandere de Rhodes, Dist.1. Tel: 8238455. International SOS : 65 Nguyen Du, Dist.1. Tel: 8298424, 8298520 (24 hour emergency) . Fax: 8298551.

Airport

The following are airports for international flights`arrival in and departure from Vietnam. Airport tax is payable: 10 USD for international flights . 02 USD for domestic flights at main airports and 01 USD at others. City Name of Airport Distance ( km ) Airport Tax ( USD ) Taxi ( USD) Dom. Inter. HANOI NOI BAI 35 02 10 10 HCMC TAN SON NHAT 05 02 10 05 DANANG DANANG 05 02 10 05 HUE PHU BAI 14 01 08

Electricity

Electric current in Vietnam is 220 volts at 50 Hertz but outlets of 110 volts at 50 hertz are somewhere also available. Today, most outlets are flat pins. The rest are round pins.

Post and Telecommunication

Vietnamese postal system offers you most telecommunications services. At present, telecommunications fee in Vietnam is said to be the most expensive in all over the world. But the situation is changing overtime. Otherwise, you could find herein some special services such as: EMS ( Express Mail Service ), DHL Worldwide Express, Freight Forwarders... Email & Internet : Thank to the technology, E-mail and Internet services are available in most hotels and posts in Vietnam. An other place where you could find the same service is Cafe Internet in the street of major cities. Normally the post will charge you 100 VND per minute for internet service ( about 0.006 USD ) but it could be 150 VND ( 0.009 USD ) or more in the hotel or Cafe Internet. Evident, isn't it ? Telephone Box & Telephone Card : Telephone box is the cheapest way for you to call home . You can find telephone box at post offices or in the street of major cities. Telephone cards are on sales at GPO, shops, restaurants, book stores... Mobile phone : In Vietnam, GMS ( Global Mobilephone System ) is presently operated by two main suppliers: VINAPHONE and MOBIFONE so your mobile phone could be used here by roaming service. These suppliers offer also VINA and MOBI Pre-Paid Card service. The best way for you to use mobile phone in the country is to rent a mobile phone and buy a pre-paid card. It is easy to rent a mobile phone at your hotel or at a Mobile Phone Service Center in the street. According to Officials, CDMA will be operated from January 2002 and replace GMS time over time. Time : Like Thailand, Vietnamese timing zone is seven hours ahead of GMT/UTC. So close to the equator, Vietnam has no daylight saving time (summer time ).

Film and Photography

It is so easy to find in Vietnam popular color print film brands including Kodak, Fuji, Konica, AFGA. Western-made slide film, batteries and spare parts for cameras are also available. You can develop your roll at any Photo Processing Shop by the latest Japanese one hour color printing equipment. One thing to keep in mind: recheck your roll store before going to visit somewhere and buy more film immediately in the street if it is not enough film for you to take photo because you will be charged by sellers at tourist spots at an extremely expensive price when buying film these.

Business Hours

Office hour is from 07h30 to 12h00 and 13h00 to 16h30 and working days from Monday to Friday. Some offices are open on Saturday until noon. Museums are usually closed on Monday but you can visit temples and pagodas every day. Opening hour for most shops is at about 08h00 till 18h00. In busy streets, shops are closed later at night.

Public Holidays

The following are vietnamese official public holidays : 01 January : New Year`s Day Late January to mid-February: Vietnamese Lunar New Year ( 04 days off ). 03 February : Vietnamese Communist Party Foundation. 30 April : Saigon Liberation Day 01 May : International Workers`Day. 19 May : Birthday of the president Ho Chi Minh. 02 September : National Day.

Food

Every day, Vietnamese people eat rice by bowl and chopsticks as western people eat bread by knife, fork and dish. There is a wide range of sauces, snacks, soups, noodles, desserts and tropical fruits. Travelling to Vietnam is a good time to taste these delicious dishes. Otherwise vegetarian food, dietary dishes and western menu are also available at restaurant.

Drinks

At some hotels in Vietnam, water are potable but you can not drink it from public water system in the street. There are too many kind of drinks such as: coffee, tea, mineral water, fruit juices, soft drinks, alcohol, wine, champagne and liquor... The most suitable for you while travelling is the mineral water sealed in plastic bottles ( well-known marks like La vie - Vittel France... ). At leisure, you can drink coffee and Vietnamese green tea or coconut milk, coca-cola, Pepsi. If you like alcoholic drinks, you should taste local beer 333 and Hanoi Beer or local alcohols made from rice. Otherwise if you are curious or adventurous to try a little bit of snake wine or the like. It said to be more powerful for men. Frozen drinks usually are better than drinks with ice.

Accommodation

In the whole country, there are enough kind of accommodation for your choice from dormitories, camping, guest houses, mini-hotels to luxurious hotels. On the other hand, a system of houses, apartments and residences for rent are also available. If you want to be more independent and come back to the nature, camping in jungle is at your disposition or you want to discover the local life, you can share and pass the night at a house of local inhabitant in some remote areas.

Entertainment

Cinemas, opera house, theatres, discos, karaoke ( sing along ), pubs, video games, video parlours, sport clubs, fitness centers and other recreations are available for you in major cities.

Information provided by Vietnam Tourism Board.

5 Tips For a Healthy Kidney

The kidney's major function is to excrete the waste products from the body. Through its more or less 3 million functional unit called nephrons, this vital organ is responsible in cleansing the body of acidic wastes coming from physiological processes. When these toxic substances are not properly excreted, they amass inside the system and consequently cause the other vital organs to be dysfunctional as well. This will result to organ shut down, coma and eventually death. It is important therefore, that you must be aware on how to keep your kidneys healthy. Here are some tips that you could easily utilize.

1. Drink lots of water

The body is composed of 60 - 70 % of water. Without water, cells would not survive and biochemical and physiologic processes in the body would not occur properly. The common knowledge is to drink at least eight glasses a day. You could do better if you increase your intake: two glasses upon waking up, one glass before and after every meal and two glasses before going to bed.

Drinking water before each meal will also lessen your "hunger" for more carbohydrates thus is a supportive measure when you are dieting. Ice-cold water is not advisable, as cold temperatures will deter the metabolism of foodstuff. Lipids are hardened and are more difficult to digest. The kidney responds to water intake accordingly. A healthy kidney would reabsorb what the body needs and dispense any excess. The more frequently you drink, the more you micturate. This action would enhance the excretion of metabolic wastes and would retain the integrity of the kidneys, making it healthy.

2. Avoid salty foods

Sodium chloride is the chemical name of our common table salt. Sodium and chloride are electrolytes and are responsible in maintaining water electrolyte balance and the acidity and alkalinity of blood. If they are ingested in excess, they can cause an imbalance and cause their accumulation in the kidneys, which would lead to kidney dysfunction eventually. A healthy kidney needs lots of water to "cleanse" it of impurities and of metabolic wastes.

3. Avoid alcohol

Alcohol is a diuretic, a substance that causes frequent urination or micturation, but it also causes the prevention of the excretion of other substances like uric acid. This would result to kidney stones or gouty arthritis. Uric acid is one of the causes of nephrolithiasis or kidney stones. A healthy kidney would properly excrete uric acid and other waste products.

4. Don't control your urge to urinate

If you feel like urinating, then do not stop the urge. Go and relieve yourself. The kidneys could only hold as much water as it can. Although kidney cells are elastic, imagine if that elasticity is persistently brought to its full capacity. Eventually it will wear out. One exercise for urinary incontinence is to control your urge to urinate, but well, you do not have that condition, so go on, and use the john.

5. Live a healthy life

The body is like one, oiled machinery. If one portion is not functioning well, then everything is affected. Eat well, sleep well, and live well. Meat fat can cause several diseases, so chomp on your veggies. Smoking can cause lung cancer, so throw out those life-threatening sticks.

Your kidneys have more chances of staying healthy if all of your body organs are healthy too.

5 Summertime Tips to Prevent Kidney Stones

Summer heat, sweat, and dehydration have always been a perfect recipe for kidney stones. And as the world warms, scientists now say, those painful formations will become more common. Since it's as important as ever to take precautions, here are five tips:

1. Drink a lot of water. For people with a history of kidney stones, the Mayo Clinic recommends drinking 14 cups of fluid a day.

2. Don't shy away from lemonade. Lemonade increases levels of citrate in the urine, a substance that helps prevent kidney stone formation.

3. Avoid food high in oxalate. If you're prone to calcium oxalate stones, you may want to avoid foods high in oxalate. The NIH keeps a list of foods high in oxalate that includes (from higher oxalate to lower): rhubarb, spinach, beets, swiss chard, wheat germ, soybean crackers, peanuts, okra, chocolate, black Indian tea, and sweet potatoes.

4. Eat less salt. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that people not eat more than 1,500 mg of salt per day (about 1 teaspoon). According to the Cleveland Clinic, eating too much salt can lead to excess calcium in the bloodstream, a situation that can cause the development of stones.

5. Cut back on meat. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends no more than two servings a day. The breakdown of proteins in red meat forms uric acid, a substance that, in excess, can produce uric acid stones, as well as gout.

I want unlimited bandwidth for my web site. Where can I get it?

The bandwidth of your site is the amount of data transferred from your hosting server account to the visitors of your web site. The visitors include web surfers who stumble upon your web site, search engine bots, and you (when you upload files using FTP).

Each web hosting server is connected to the internet with a network line which may be a fiber optic line, a cable line or a simple electrical wire. The amount of data transferred by these lines is limited. So the issue of unlimited bandwidth is false! That said, let us understand why web hosting companies offer unlimited bandwidth in their packages and where you can get it.

Unlimited or unmetered bandwidth - Myth or Fact... or just plain marketing trick?

Several web hosting firms offer unlimited bandwidth. Does this mean they are misleading prospects? Is unlimited bandwidth just a marketing gimmick?

The thing is no web hosting company can offer this feature even though they put it boldly in their advertisements because their net connection can carry only a limited amount of data.

So unlimited bandwidth is a myth!

Does this mean you can sue them for lying? Oh no... read the small print attached to the unlimited bandwidth phrase.

How can web hosts advertise unlimited bandwidth?

Each web hosting company has a fixed amount of bandwidth because the network lines they use can carry only a fixed amount of data. They know that most web sites hosted on their servers will consume only negligible part of the bandwidth. To put it in figures (even though these are very fuzzy), a smallish web site of a company getting 500 visitors per day will probably have about 5 to 20GB of data transfer per month. [This, as you might know, depends on the number of pages viewed by each visitor, the file sizes of the pages, the file size of images and multimedia elements on the web pages etc.].

Any way, web host companies know with reasonable surety that web sites hosted on their servers will take up only a small amount the bandwidth. It would be rare if a web site reaches the bandwidth levels they have set (which you can get in the small print). And, so companies offer unlimited bandwidth in their web hosting packages.

I like to think that unlimited bandwidth offered by different web hosting companies has more to do with helping new prospects than a marketing trick. It is easier for beginners to understand the concept of unlimited than trying to work out the numbers for their web sites. Experienced web developers know that unlimited bandwidth has more truth in it than someone walking over water - The good Lord above is excused from this.

Is it fine to take a unlimited bandwidth hosting plan?

If you are just starting a web site, an unlimited plan would be a good idea. Though we know by now that there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth, you would soon be able to gauge how much of data transfer your web site gets each month. At least you would not have immediate problems with your web hosting company. As I mentioned above, a smallish business or company web site with about 50-100 pages would not reach significant bandwidth levels. Read "What is bandwidth and how much do I need for my web site?" if you want to know how to calculate bandwidth for your web site.

However, if you plan to put a lot of music or video files (or any other large files) for download, you might just run into problems if your web site suddenly becomes very popular. (We all wish that our web sites start getting tens of thousands of visitors in their first month, however, we must keep our vaulting ambition in check. All web sites take time to get properly indexed by search engines and then have decent rankings for search queries).

Where can you get web hosting plans with unlimited bandwidth?

Web hosting industry is very competitive and several web hosting companies offer unlimited bandwidth in their packages. You might say - "Now that I know there is no such thing as unlmited bandwidth - should I trust companies offering it?"

As I mentioned before, if you are just starting off, there are no problems in putting your web site on a package with unlimited hosting. At least, you don't have to worry about the amount of data transfer the next few months even if your web site suddenly starts hitting it high on visitor numbers. And if that happens you would realize that your web site has outgrown the features offered by the server and that would prompt you to shift to a new and better web server.

Final word: For most beginners, web hosting packages with unlimited bandwidth is as safe an option as one in which the bandwidth limit has been explicitly mentioned.

Printing tips -- Acrobat and Adobe Reader -- Windows and Mac OS

Note: Visit the Adobe Reader Help and Support page for help with top issues.

Print comments

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You can print comments from Adobe Acrobat in these ways:

• By printing the pop-up comments as they appear on the page
• By summarizing comments in a separate PDF file, which can then be printed

Print pop-up comments

Print your comments as sticky notes on the page.

1. Choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (Mac OS).
2. Select Commenting.
3. In the Commenting pane, select Print Notes And Pop-ups.
4. Click OK.
5. In the Print dialog box, choose Document And Markups from the Comments And Forms menu. Your pop-up comments are visible in the Preview pane.
6. Click OK or Print.

Print comments summary

A comments summary is a separate PDF file created from a compilation of the comments in your document.

1. Choose File > Print. In the print dialog box choose Summarize Comments, or Select Comments > Print With Comments Summary (Shortcut CTRL+T).
2. Choose a layout and other desired options.
3. Click OK.
4. In the Print dialog box, click OK or Print.

Note: To preview your comments before you print, choose Comments > Summarize Comments.

Print as image

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Problems can occur when you print a PDF file. For example, a PDF file can contain damaged content such as images or fonts that Acrobat cannot render during the printing process. Choosing Print As Image bypasses that rendering operation by sending the printer a rasterized image of the document.

1. Open the PDF file in Acrobat.
2. Choose File > Print.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Select Print As Image near the top of the dialog box.
5. Click OK, and then click OK again to print.

This Adobe Captivate demonstration illustrates how to use the Print As Image feature. For help, see "Viewing Adobe Captivate Demos in Knowledgebase Documents" (kb403894).

Print multiple pages per sheet

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You can print more than one page of a PDF file onto a single sheet of paper. This printing option is much like the multiple slide feature available in applications such as Microsoft PowerPoint.

1. Choose File > Print.
2. Select Multiple Pages Per Sheet from the Page Scaling menu.
3. Select your desired options from the Pages Per Sheet and Page Order menus.
4. Click OK or Print.

Scale pages (page scaling)

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Page scaling reduces, enlarges, or divides pages when you print. If the printed PDF output is larger or smaller than expected, then select Page Scaling in the Print dialog box.

Set page scaling

1. Choose File > Print.
2. Select an option from the Page Scaling menu. For a complete description of each option, see "Printing Adobe PDF Documents" in Acrobat Help.

Set default page scaling for a PDF

Set default scaling on a document-by-document basis as well as other print options.

1. Open a PDF in Acrobat and choose File > Document Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab and select the desired options for the Print Dialog Presets.
3. Click OK to dismiss this dialog.
4. Choose File > Save, or File > Save As to apply the new defaults to the PDF file.

Print PDF file with mixed page sizes (Windows only)

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1. Choose File > Print.
2. Select Choose Paper Source By PDF Page Size.
3. Click OK to print.

Print discontinuous pages

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In Acrobat, you can designate discontinuous pages to print in the print dialog box (see "Basic Printing Tasks" in Acrobat Help). You can also choose the pages you want to print before opening the print dialog box.

1. Open the PDF file in Acrobat.
2. Click the Pages tab.
3. Use Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Mac OS) to select desired page thumbnails.
4. Choose File > Print. In the Print dialog box, "Selected pages" is highlighted in the Print Range pane.
5. Click OK or Print.

Print duplex (double-sided) and staple

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Options such as duplex printing and stapling are controlled by the printer, not by Acrobat. The information for such options is stored in the printer driver and PostScript Printer Description (PPD) file associated with a particular printer. If your print driver supports these features and you use Windows, make sure that the features are enabled.

Enable duplex printing and stapling

1. Choose Start > Printers And Faxes.
2. Right-click your printer and choose Printing Preferences.
3. Click Advanced.
4. Expand Document Options > Printer Features.
5. Select the desired options and then choose On from the menu.
6. Click OK, and then click OK again to exit the dialog box.

Print duplex on Windows

1. Choose File > Print.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click the Layout tab.
4. Make a selection from the Print On Both Sides pane.
5. Click OK, and then click OK again to print.

Print duplex on Mac OS

1. Choose File > Print.
2. In the Print dialog box, choose Layout from the Copies And Pages menu.
3. Make a selection from the Two-Sided menu.
4. Click Print.

Print color as black (Acrobat in Windows)

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You can print all of the non-white colors in your PDF file as black. For example, choose this option for printing to an inkjet printer when you don't want to waste color ink on an early draft.

1. Choose File > Print.
2. Select Print Color As Black.
3. Click OK to print.

Spam Filtering-Killing The Patient To Cure The Disease?

OK, everyone hates junk e-mail and wants to do something about it. Since we're in the newsletter publishing business, we deal with this on a daily basis and are noticing a disturbing trend.

Basically, anti-spam efforts are choking the life out of e-mail.

Here's what's happening. Spam is a continual nuisance and ISP s are pressures to help keep it out of your inbox. In addition, a lot of companies think that "solving" the spam problem is the financial opportunity of a lifetime. Combine these two facts, and you have everyone trying to install mediocre spam filters as fast as they can be developed.

The problem is that there's no real good way to keep the junk out and the good stuff in. One person's spam is another's digital gem. And the filters are not even close to getting it right.

Look at it this way-imagine if the post office had a filter set to only deliver the "good" stuff and destroy any junk mail. Should they throw out everything but bills and hand written letters? What about magazines? Coupons? Requested information from a certain company? What if they mistake your tax return for a piece of junk mail?

That's a ludicrous idea, isn't it? There's no way anyone could sort your mail for you-they simply would not know what you wanted to keep and what you wanted to pitch. It just wouldn't work-and the same is true with all these spam filters.

It seems that ISPs are so obsessed about nothing unwanted landing in our inboxes that they don't care if any of the stuff we want gets there either. Unfortunately, a recent poll discovered that 88% of end users (that's us) don't care if legitimate e-mail gets blocked-as long as they don't get as much spam! I don't know about you, but I'm in that 12% that wants to get all of my e-mail.

To those who agree with the 88% who don't care if they lose legitimate e-mail, think about this. What if you placed an order with a company that was getting blocked by your ISP? What if you had a problem with your order and sent them an e-mail to get it straightened out? They get your e-mail and-being a good company-reply immediately. However, since they are blocked by your ISP (and probably don't know it) their reply to you never gets to your inbox.

So, now you get all upset because an internet company you ordered something from never replied to your complaint. Truth is they did, but your ISP prevented you from receiving the reply. See the problem?

It's out of control and I see three possible outcomes:

1. They come up with a spam filter that works. (Not likely, remember the post office analogy?)

2. E-mail filtering gets completely out of control and e-mail is no longer a reliable means of communication. (The road we're currently on). This possible future prompted us to create the Newsletter Reader .

3. End users (that's us) complain to our ISPs that we are not getting our e-mail correctly. In my opinion, we should NEVER EVER have even a single piece of e-mail filtered that we wanted in our inbox-period. That's the standard we should set (and the way I think it will be).

What good is e-mail going to be if you can no longer rely on it?

So, before you jump onto a spam filtering system-or complain to your ISP-be sure to keep this little sermon in mind. You may get more spam without the filter, but at least you'll also get all your regular e-mail.

~ Steve

Brunei Travel Trips

Travel International

AIR : Brunei’s national airline is Royal Brunei Airlines (BI); it flies to Abu Dhabi, Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane (four times a week), Calcutta, Darwin (twice weekly), Dubai, Frankfurt/M, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur (daily), Kuching, Kuwait, London (daily), Manila, Perth (three times a week), Singapore, Surabaya and Taipei. Air carriers to Brunei include: Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways International.

Approximate flight times : From Brunei to London is 17 hours, to Los Angeles is 18 hours 30 minutes including stopover in Hong Kong, to New York is 23 hours 20 minutes including stopover in Hong Kong, to Singapore is 2 hours and to Sydney is 12 hours 40 minutes including stopover in Perth.

International airports : Bandar Seri Begawan (BWN) is 11km (7 miles) south of the city. Airport facilities include a bank, bureaux de change, car hire (Avis, Hertz and National Car Systems), duty-free shops, post office, restaurants and shops. Taxi services are available to the city with surcharges after 2200. Lower rates are charged by taxis leaving from the airport car park.

Departure tax : Br$5 for flights to Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines or Singapore; Br$12 for all other destinations.

SEA : Ports at Muara and Kuala Belait are the entry points for sea cargo. There are passenger services between Singapore and Muara port. Ships and water taxis run a service between Bandar Seri Begawan and the Malay city of Labuan (Sabah).

ROAD : There are access roads into Brunei from Sarawak at various locations, although some are unpaved.

Travel Internal

AIR : There are no internal air services.

SEA/RIVER : There are water taxi services to Kampong Ayer, with stations at Jalan Kianggeh and Jalan McArthur. Water taxis are the most common form of transport in Kampong Ayer, Brunei’s renowned water village. Fares are negotiable. Regular water taxi and boat services also ply between Bandar Seri Begawan and Bangar (in Temburong), Limbang (in Sarawak), Labuan and some towns in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

ROAD : There are approximately 1800km (1080 miles) of roads in the country; the best-developed road network is in the Brunei-Muara district, including a coastal highway which runs from Muara to Jerudong and then on to Tutong. Traffic drives on the left. Bus : Services operate to Seria (91km (57 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan), Kuala Belait (16km (10 miles) from Seria), Tutong (48km (30 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan) and Muara (27km (17 miles) from Bandar Seri Begawan). There is a bus station in the town centre and the city bus system is well maintained and inexpensive. Car hire : Self-drive or chauffeur-driven cars are available at the airport and major hotels. It is important to specify whether an air conditioned car is required. Documentation : An International Driving Permit is required to hire a car. A temporary licence to drive in Brunei is available on presentation of a valid driving licence from the visitor’s country of origin.

URBAN : Taxis are available in Bandar Seri Begawan. Fares are usually metered; if not they should be agreed before the journey. There is a 50 per cent surcharge after 2300. Tipping is not necessary.

History and Government

History : In ancient times, Brunei was a powerful trading nation controlling most of Borneo and part of the Philippines archipelago, with extensive connections throughout South-East Asia. The country was occupied briefly by the Spanish during the late 16th century. Part of the Spanish colonial mission was always the vigorous dissemination of Catholicism - in the previous century, Islam had been adopted in Brunei as the principal religion. In the mid-19th century, Brunei came under British influence when the seafarer, James Brooke, was granted control of the Sarawak region (now part of Malaysia) in return for protection against pirates. The island of Labuan was also ceded to Britain, thereby reducing Brunei to its current borders.

In 1888, Britain declared ‘North Borneo’ to be a British Protectorate, under which the territory was governed by a British resident, with purely nominal powers available to the Sultan. This arrangement continued - apart from a period of Japanese occupation between 1941-1945 - until Brunei’s transition to independence began in 1959. That year, a new Anglo-Brunei agreement was signed, under which the UK assumed responsibility for defence and foreign affairs but passed control of all other matters to the Sultan. Three years later, the North Borneo Liberation Army instigated rebellions, during which a state of emergency was declared. As a result, the Sultan assumed the power to rule by decree. Since then, with the benefit of its vast oil wealth, Brunei has undergone steady, if somewhat unequal, development. The country is in many respects comparable to the Gulf sheikhdoms - small, exceedingly wealthy and more or less surrounded by larger, poorer nations.

The government of the country rests in the exclusive hands of His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, 29th in the dynasty, 35 years on the throne and certainly one of the world’s richest individuals. Sultan Bolkiah (for short) took over in 1967, following the abdication of his father, Sultan Omar, who remained chief adviser to the new ruler. Political activity in his realm is kept on a very short leash. After toying with orthodox politics, the government invoked the concept of Melayu Islam Beraja (Malay Islamic Monarchy) as a state ideology at the end of the 1980s; Islam consequently has become a steadily stronger influence in the life of the country. Electoral politics have generally been an anathema to the Sultan. Political parties, specifically the National Democratic Party and the National Solidarity Party, were allowed to operate openly for a brief period in the 1980s and again in the mid-1990s, although were ultimately suppressed. The Sultan’s intention to maintain the leading role of the dynasty was reflected by an official announcement in August 1998, stating that his eldest son, Prince al-Muhtadee Billah, will succeed him as Sultan upon his death or retirement. However, the image of the dynasty has been somewhat damaged by revelations of the profligate and debauched lifestyle of the Sultan’s brother, Prince Jefri, who has since been declared bankrupt.

Abroad, Brunei pursued a more active foreign policy during the last decade, joining the Non-Aligned Movement and establishing diplomatic relations with China, Vietnam, Iran and Myanmar. A military cooperation agreement was signed with the USA, supplementing that with the UK. Brunei hosted an ASEAN summit in July 2002, which agreed co-operative measures in the field of counter-terrorism among member states. Brunei is also involved in the search for a settlement of the awkward and potentially dangerous dispute over the Spratly Islands, the South China Sea archipelago claimed by six countries, including Brunei itself and China. Relations with Malaysia have improved since the resolution of various long-running border disputes.

Government : Brunei is a traditional Islamic monarchy, with supreme political power vested in the Sultan. He is advised by the Privy Council, the Religious Council, the Council of Cabinet Ministers and the Council of Succession.

10 Tips to better print design

With these tips I hope to help novice designers on their way to better print design. The tips are for print design in general: doesn't matter if it's a brochure or a poster or a identity. In no particular order.

1) Remember to bleed

The bleed is the part on the side of your document that gives your printer that small amount of space to move around paper and design inconsistencies. No matter what guidelines they have on their site, the printer will use anything you throw at them. A 3mm bleed on all sides is a safe standard for your work.

The settings in InDesign are right there in the new file dialog… but hidden! You need to hit the 'more options' button before they become visible. If you already have a document open you can find them in the file > document setup dialog. Read more in the article What is bleed.

Bleed settings in Adobe InDesign

2) Overprint is fun

Is your budget limiting you to only 2 Pantone(PMS) colors? No problem. Try to experiment with overprint options to get a look with more depth with a limited color palette.

You can even work with photographs with only 2 Pantone's, just do them in duotone or monotone.

3) Think outside the paper

The human mind fills in gaps and will see the bigger picture if you aim for it. Using the border of your paper can be great fun and another tool to work with.

Thinking inside…

Thinking outside…

Obviously, this is not the final solution to all your design problems. It should help you to see that your work doesn't end at the edge of the paper.

4) Paper size standards are great, but don't let them hold you back

Square booklets, for instance, make for a more interesting reading experience, while smaller sizes (A5 for example) are much easier to take with you. Fly away from that standard A4 and take some risks.

5) People read

In conflict with some designers of the last 5 years I still think form follows function. This means in print design: If your working on something that contains textual content concentrate on the content.

You should use typography as a element in your design, however you should always aim for optimal readability.

6) Amount of content: less is more

If you have some kind of idea that there's too much on your page; there is indeed to much on your page. Define what's really necessary and remove any visual noise. It may sound cliche but it's true: less is more. If the client makes you cram too much content on one page, tell them.

7) Stick to the grid

Working with grids is the key to any good design. Using it's proportional relations, composition guidelines for the base of your design is a good idea.

A simple but well excecuted 3-column grid in a magazine

Don't always go for the standard 3-column setup. A 7 column setup offers a lot of playful combinations… 2 column overlaps, a 3/3/1 setup with a sidebar and so on…

8) Typography is king

If the typographical setup is bad, no amount of lines or other elements will fix it. The fonts you use the most in your project set the voice for it's overall feel: don't pick the first font you like; think about what voice it should have and the best way to communicate this to your target audience. You can have a lot of fun with the basic well designed fonts: Helvetica, Swiss or Akzidenz Grotesk will save you from the worst typographic horror-scenario's.

It takes a while to get to know a font. A good way to get good with a particular font is to pick a list of 5 to 8 fonts you think could work for you and concentrate on those. That's also a good way to find out which fonts mix and which won't.

9) Invert

Need to give a bigger impact to a quote or logo? Invert it. White on black (or on any dark color for that matter) will always give your design or typography more strength.

Normal

Inverted

Be careful with smaller type sizes (8pt. and lower) as these will be possible problems for your printer as ink always flows around a little when just printed. This effect is called trapping. Of course this all depends on what kind of paper it's printed on, printing speed and other factors. Ask your printer about exceptions.

10) Be demanding about photographic content

You should always demand high quality source material to work with. When working with photographic content for example the "trash in, trash out" rule applies. A good photo can take your work to another level, a badly lit low resolution photo will ruin your work. Most clients will send you what they have for grabs… most of the time they don't understand quality or image resolutions. Bug them a bit and they'll magically come up with better material.

These are by no means rules or guidelines, just some tips.

Vitamin B12 For Healthy Living

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as meats, fish, milk, eggs, and cereals. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin and it is stored in the liver that assists the human body in many critical processes. This complex form of vitamin is considered unique among all because of the presence of the cobalt, a form of metal ion. The most common advantage of Vitamin B12 is its ability to speed up the metabolic activities and increase one’s energy level.

This vitamin ensures the smooth functioning of life processes and this is very important for maintaining healthy nervous system. The DNA production and red blood cells formation are regulated by proper intake of vitamin B12. The deficiency of this vitamin can disrupt the body’s natural formation of red blood cells, which will eventually lead to anemia. Vitamin B12 is needed for tissue and cell repairs and this helps in the synthesis process of DNA.

Vitamin B12 when taken with folic acid will significantly reduce the neural tube defects, a type of birth defects. Both of these vitamins lower the homocysteine levels in the body as the increased homocysteine levels play an important role in cardiovascular disease and birth defects. Vitamin B12 is very important for the production of myelin, a protein component that is present in the fat layers covering the nerves.

In addition, this vitamin is very helpful in proper digestion of foods and absorbs other essential nutrients for the human body. Vitamin B12 protects the body from pernicious anemia. As vitamin B12 is very important for several body functions, it is possible for the body to get deficient with this vitamin. This deficiency normally starts with the symptom of fatigue. Therefore, it is essential to include foods rich in vitamin B12 in the diet.

Further studies have revealed that vitamin B12 also help in the treatment of male infertility, asthma, migraine headaches, and depression. Vitamin B12 along with other vitamins reduces the occurrence of stroke and Alzheimer’s heart disease. Methylcobalamin is the coenzyme of vitamin B12 and it exists in the body-friendly form. Therefore, this coenzyme can be used in the natural form without any kind of ingestion. In this form, vitamin B12 can directly penetrate into the bloodstream and produce several benefits.

Another form of this vitamin B12 is hydroxocobalamin, which is believed to be the effective treatment for cyanide poisoning. Studies have shown that the absorption of vitamin B12 decreases with the increases in age. Therefore, this vitamin should be taken in the supplement form for a healthy living and this is very helpful for adults above fifty years.

The deficiency in vitamin B12 can be easily identified by fatigue, slow reflexes, memory problem, stammering, jerky limbs, weakness, anemia, and finally severe deficiency can result in brain damage. Also, vitamin folate and vitamin B12 are critical for the formation of DNA and RNA. Vitamin B12 is essential for proper functioning of certain enzymes that performs carbohydrate metabolism and controls fat.

Foods That Help Burn Fat

We all know that eating whole grains is better for our overall health than eating refined carbs and that saturated and trans fats will increase the amount of fat stored on our bodies. But what about foods that help the body burn fat faster? If you need to lose a bit of weight, it’s not just a matter of eating healthy. If you can incorporate foods proven to increase your daily fat burn, you will see faster results from your weight loss efforts.

You could go out and purchase fat burning pills but you are risking your health with the chemical ingredients most of them use. The safest alternative is to feed your body what it needs to naturally burn more fat on its own!

Here are some of the best fat burning foods that are found readily in any grocery store and are easy to incorporate into your favorite meals and snacks.

Cinnamon

This one makes it to the top of the list because it has been proven to also dull the appetite and temporary lower blood sugar, which is beneficial if you are diabetic or at risk for diabetes. A little goes a long way with cinnamon, so it can be added into dishes in small amounts where you don’t really taste it, and you will still get the health benefits.

Fresh Fruit & Berries

There is a reason the Grapefruit Diet is still around today! Adding citrus fruits, bananas, and a wide variety of berries into your diet will equip your body to lose weight and burn fat more efficiently. When berries are out of season in your area, buy them frozen without any sugar or other added ingredients. Pure orange juice is always an alternative when fresh oranges are hard to find.

Try frozen blueberries and sliced bananas in your cereal or make a morning smoothie! It’s a tasty treat even kids love.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

This is one of the few supplements (along with garlic) that is not a gimmick. Take a pure fish oil supplement every single day to speed up the metabolism and protect your heart. Garlic is helpful as well and can be taken as a supplement to avoid bad breath.

Ginger

Not only is ginger proven to rev up the metabolism so you burn off more calories awhile after consumption, but it can clean out the body. Forget the harsh stimulant colon cleanses! Just work some ginger into your diet along with watery vegetables like asparagus and you will get those benefits along the way as well.

Hot Peppers

Not everyone can tolerate really hot peppers, but they literally heat up your body on the inside so your heart rate speeds up and your metabolism lifts. Try dicing up fresh hot red peppers and adding them into a salad or purchase cayenne pepper seasoning and sprinkle it over your meals.

Water

This may not technically be a food, but you should be drinking as much of it as possible to boost metabolism and keep your body burning fat efficiently. There has been some debate over whether you need eight glasses a day or not, but drink as much as possible just for the fat burning effects and forget the rest!

There are some other foods that have the potential to help you burn fat faster, but these are the ones with guaranteed results that are easy to find, relatively affordable, and which really taste good.

Open Your Mouth and Check for Cancer

If you have a mirror close to you, reach for it and say “aaah!” Open your mouth and check if there are sores. Now if you see some, go to your doctor and have them checked. Oral cancer is a cancerous tissue in a person’s mouth. This is caused by metastasis from a nasal cavity, lymphoma from the tonsils or melanoma affecting the cells of the mucus in the mouth.

The most common oral cancer is the sqaumous cell carcinoma which begins in the tissue located in the line of the mouth and the lips. This is because oral cancer often revolves around the tissue of the tongue or the lips.

Oral cancer may also take place on the floor of the mouth, gums and cheek lining. Sometimes, it can also be located at the palate or the roof of one’s mouth. Squamous cell carcinoma are malignant and have the tendency to spread quickly.

The cause of mouth cancer is still being researched on. There are lot of possibilities how one can incur the disease. One of which is if he has the history. Like lung cancer, oncogenes are activated when DNA mutates.

Like lung cancer, smoking especially tobacco smoking, can also lead to mouth cancer. To elaborate more, heat from cigars, cigarettes and tobacco pipes can irritate the mouth’s mucous membrane. Chewing tobacco can also create irritation on the oral membrane, and recent studies have given more credit to chewing tobacco and snuff to causing mouth cancer in prolonged users.

If smoking is not enough, alcohol is also an activity associated to mouth cancer. A person is at a high risk to have oral cancer if he drinks and smokes heavily. Their risk is double than a heavy smoker or a heavy drinker.

If one is wearing dentures or fillings, one must always consult his dentist because if these aren’t cared for, then luekoplakia can occur. Luukoplakia is an infection in the mouth due to dirt seeped into the gums from fillings or dentures.

Studies show that men are more prone to oral cancer than women. These men are beyond 40 years of age.

The symptoms of mouth cancer are:

- Lump or skin lesion on the tongue, lip or any area of the mouth

- These lumps are usually small and often pale in color. Sometimes is could be discolored or just plain dark.

- It could also come in the form of a hard-edged crack in the tissue of the mouth

- Most of the time, this goes unnoticed because it is painless but as time progresses when the tumor is at its extreme stages, burning sensation in the mouth may occur.

A person must also check if they have:

- mouth sores

- tongue problems such as the abnormal aftertaste of the food he eat

- a difficult time swallowing

If the condition of the patient takes a downward turn, the treatment is for the surgical excision of the tumor. But that is if it is small enough. If not, radiation therapy is the alternative way. If it is an advanced tumor, the treatment is chemotherapy. But the chemotherapy for oral cancer is a combination of both surgery and radiation therapy.

Because of the side effects that can occur during surgery for larger cancers, the structure of the neck and head must be taken care of. That is required to give a functional result.

Those who can survive oral cancers are 50% for those who have theirs at the advanced state. Those who are in stage 1 are 90%, that is why early detection helps in the survival of those afflicted.

Rehabilitation follows after cancer treatment. These are movement, swallowing, chewing and speech exercises. These can help the patient use their mouth in a normal way again.