Pehin Capitan Lela Diraja Paduka Goh King Chin and Datin Chang Nyuk Kee celebrating their milestone in their 50th wedding anniversary. This is such a cute moment.

Last night marked a special occasion for Pehin Capitan Lela Diraja Paduka Goh King Chin and Datin Chang Nyuk Kee as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in style. Pehin Goh is no stranger in the Brunei community. He is the Managing Director of Goh Hock Kee Sdn Bhd (Mitsubishi, Chevrolet) and also a former Legislative Council member. He is also well loved by the Brunei community.

Last night’s celebration was held at the ballroom of Manggis Mall and present to witness the special celebration were diplomatic corps, business partners and associates, family friends and members of the media.

His son, Jake Goh, delivered a speech and shared his gratitude to his parents and also to the invited guests for attending the special event.

There were also donation being presented to various associations with a total sum of BND 50,000. The beneficiaries were Chung Hwa Middle School Bandar Seri Begawan, Tutong and Kuala Belait, Chung Ching Middle School Seria, Pai Yuk School, Temburong, Chung Hwa School, Kiudang and Labi, Ching Lian School, Sungai Liang, Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajah Maryam and the Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei.

The 50th wedding celebration were officiated by the cutting of their anniversary wedding cake by the couple.

Pehin Capitan Lela Diraja Paduka Goh King Chin and Datin Chang Nyuk Kee cutting the anniversary cake. Image courtesy of Bahyiah Bakar of Borneo Bulletin.

Family picture with Pehin Capitan Lela Diraja Paduka Goh King Chin and Datin Chang Nyuk Kee

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism in his welcoming remarks during the launch of brunei.events portal
 

The guest of honour with other stakeholders under Brunei Festival 2017

Who says that Brunei has nothing to offer especially during the holiday period? According to Yang Mulia Awang Wardi bin Hj Mohammad Ali, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism), Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, there are plenty of events to look forward to and not necessarily those who are traveling during the holidays will be away for the whole of December. Hence there are enough activities for the residents of Brunei Darussalam to enjoy from late November to December 2017.

Yesterday marked the launch of the www.brunei.events, a portal and application for tourism services for the general public as well as incoming tourists to be aware of any events in Brunei Darussalam. So what kind of events will be posted? There will be events such as roadshows, exhibitions, conferences, cultural activities, festivals and workshops. Just imagine it as the Time Out version of Brunei Darussalam.

The portal which will be available soon for mobile apps is a collaboration with Brunei Tourism Board, Progresif Cellular and Mixmediaworx.

The official launch took place at the Tourism Information Centre, Galeri Sini at the Royal Wharf and it was graced by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.

Some of the main events lined up for December includes Brunei Film Blitz, Brunei E-Sports Tournament, Muslim Youth Camp, The Alpha Race, The Autofest, The Superwoman Run, Spotlight finals, Larian Festival Seni Belia Diri 2017, International Food Fair and not to forget the Bandarkuceria in all districts.

Wardi highlighted that this will be a yearly calendar for the upcoming Brunei December Festival. He hopes the objective of this event is to spur the growth of international tourist arrivals to Brunei Darussalam and also by having a yearly event, this will hope for a repeat participation from current vendors. Having these events in Brunei will also help to stimulate the domestic growth within the economy.

Also in attendance were Foreign Dignitaries

YB Dato Seri Setia Hj Ali bin Apong visited the organiser of the Superwoman Run slated for December

Siti Kaprawi briefing the minister on Larian Festival Seni Belia Diri 2017

Suherdy bin Suli, Managing Director of Andika Samudera Event Management will be organising a Hotwheel Bike and Car Show from 29th to 31st December

The BMW X5 cars will be the official car for Brunei Festival 2017

Traditional music is always soothing to the ears

How the portal looks like. Click image to find out more.

Last night T.C.Y. Motors exclusively hosted invited customers and prospects to celebrate Audi’s success year in the Formula E series. It’s good to know that Audi drive Lucas di Grassi (Brazilian) was crowned the new champion of the worldwide Formula E electric racing series back in July.

Audi is the first German automobile manufacturer to race in Formula E. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler started the fourth Formula E season in Hong Kong in December last year and captured the second place in the team’s standings this season.

For the Audi dealer/importer, T.C.Y. Motors, it was also a great opportunity to launch a few models – the new Audi A5 quattro and the sexy Audi S5 at its showroom/headquarters in Kiarong last night.

John Tan, the Marketing Manager of T.C.Y. Motors (Audi), was very engaging and descriptive in teasing the audience in unveiling the new Audi A5 and the new Audi S5.

For Brunei, the refreshed Audi A5 (available in 2 and 4 door versions) is the most “car tech” packed vehicle on offer featuring the Audi Virtual Cockpit, the navigation with voice command, Smartphone interface including Apple’s CarPlay and an impressive Bang & Olufsen sound system.

The new A5 also features a new petrol engine (252hp/370Nm) with exhaust turbocharger. Both 2-door coupe and 4-door Sportback models come with quattro permanent all wheel drive as standard for Brunei.

Check out the Audi A5 Sportsback

John Tan gave away an Audi fidget spinner to a young fan

An Audi A4 driver won herself an Audi phone charger

Quite a crowd at Audi Showroom at Kiarong last night

The Audi S5 has much sexier appeal – quick, nimble and stylish. The Audi S5 combines quattro all-wheel drive with precise steering, adept brakes and sharp handling. It is powered by a 354-hp turbocharged 3.0 litre V-6 engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The S5 has a more sporty design and design than the Audi A5. The wheels are more exclusive for the 5S edition.

It also comes with the Audi Virtual Cockpit and similarities with the Audi A5 – be it the Smartphone interface and the Bang & Olufsen sound system.

In a nutshell, the Audi S5 is a levelled up performance equivalent of the Audi A5.

Guess what? The 3 units of the Audi S5 were quickly bought even before the unveiling. Now that’s an encouraging news for Audi and its dealer.

So much to love about the Audi S5 and if you want to view the Audi A5 and the Audi S5, do drop by the Audi showroom at Kiarong. The sales person will be there to assist to your inquiry and hopefully you will be able to test drive both cars.

Check out the Audi S5

The Audi Virtual Cockpit

The Smartphone interface and the Bang & Olufsen sound system

Many have been eyeing the Audi S5 and three have been sold so far as we speak

Great food by @e.a.t_bn last night. Impressive!!

Apart from the A5 and the S5, the big hit Audi Q2 still looks damn sexy and affordable too

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Hajah Nurul Amal Munjiatul Athirah, Junior Producer at Origin Film, Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board, Siti Kamaluddin, co-founder of Origin Films and Din Kamaluddin, co-founder and producer of Origin Films during the press conference of Brunei Film Blitz at Progresif Headquarter

Wanna win cash prize for showcasing your talent? There are two categories – The Open Category for BND 5,000 and the 48 Hour Film Blitz for BND 10,000. The respective winners will also walked away with a camera.

This was announced by Wardi bin Haji Mohammad Ali, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Tourism) at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT)and the Secretary of the Brunei Tourism Board and Siti Kamaluddin, the founder of Origin Artistic Management at Progresif Headquarters last weekend.

The event known as Brunei Film Blitz will be finale for the Brunei December Festival 2017 and it will be held on 29th to 31st December 2017. The three day event includes a screening of shortlisted films, master classes with industry professionals, a 48-hour Film Blitz and an awards night.

So let’s go in-depth with the categories: the open category is where film makers can submit their films of any genre (fiction, documentary or animation). It must be shot in Brunei Darussalam and the entry can be of length below 12 minutes duration inclusive of titles and credits. You can send in your older clips but short films made before 2016 will not be accepted. You can send in as many short films as possible. Of course, the more the merrier. The first prize will be BND 5,000 prize and a camera.

As for the 48-hour Film Blitz, it’s new of its kind film competition. The challenge comes when the participants were only given 48 hours to create a short movie. The other catch is that the participants will be given a “secret ingredient” that has to be included in their films. The grand winner of this category will win BND 10,000 and a camera.

The interesting thing is that both categories are open to all walks of life – meaning it’s open to Bruneians, Permanent Residents and everyone, and I mean, everyone, be it tourist. The condition is simple. Just make sure the videos/films are shot in Brunei Darussalam to be eligible. This also means all film makers in Brunei can partake in this contest. Don’t be shy 😀

On Friday 29th September, Origin will host a workshop with industry professionals. For your info, the juries for the competition will be international film makers and sponsors.

Wardi was very excited that this event will help to spur the creativity among the locals and at the same time, showcasing what Brunei Darussalam has to offer. He also hopes tourists will join in the contest. Siti Kamaluddin wants the entries to be creative and open, unearthing their talents in film making in Brunei context. So you can even talk about things like ambuyat, durian, kampung ayer, simply anything.

Registration is already open and you can download the form here and then submit to Origin Artistic Management, Unit 7 BT Complex, Jalan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa BE2513, Brunei Darussalam.

You can also follow @bruneifilmblitz on instagram for updates.

Team Mardi and Amy working around the clock during the rehearsal of Shrek the Musical at JIS Arts Centre Theatre

Relentless Entertainment Brunei will be holding their fifth (5th ) musical production, ‘Shrek’ The Musical this weekend.

The musical will take place for two (2) days – Saturday, 16th September (7.30pm Premier Show) and Sunday, 17th September (1.30pm Matinee show and 7.30pm evening show) at the Jerudong International School (JIS) Arts Centre Theatre.

Tickets are priced at $25 & $35 (Based on seating zones) and are available for purchase at Relentless Studios (B21, 2nd Floor, Gadong Central), R&C Café (UBD Library), The Coffeebean & Tea Leaf Times Square, Supa Save Mata Mata & Supa Save Seria outlets as well as YippyTune Music School (B19, 2nd Floor Gadong Central).

Tickets will also be available at the door during the performance but do contact please contact 8243222 / 7186225 if they still have seats.

Rano’s thoughts: I’ve seen quite a few musicals produced by Relentless Entertainment and my favourite has been Belle. The production value also have improved over the years and the JIS Arts Centre Theatre is always a great venue for a musical play.

I paid a visit during their rehearsal recently and the team has been really hard as always to make this a success. The team have been practising for at least three months and during the rehearsal, they looked solid.

The costumes looked awesome and even the props!! Do watch out for the giant dragon on stage.

Princess Fiona and Shrek

Team Lord Farquaad

Lord Farquaad and the gingerbread man

At the dragon’s liar

The fairy tale creature

Shaun Hoon, the founder of Inspire magazine, will be sharing a compilation of the most powerful stories and lessons learned from the publications

Inspire will be launching the first of the 8 Masterclass Series starting Monday, 18th September, for the next 4 weeks. The organizer will be kicking off with the title on “The Art of Selling” by sharing about why the top sales professionals succeed, and interesting observations such as the similarities and differences between selling a pair of $100 shoes and a $1 million oversea property from personal experience.

The Masterclass Series will be conducted by Shaun Hoon, the founder of Inspire magazine, who will be sharing a compilation of the most powerful stories and lessons learned from the publications. According to Shaun, this is an initiative to help counter the wary mindset faced by business owners today, who are going through the current economic challenges. Shaun noted: “We can either sit there and whine about the situation, or come together to remove the scarcity mindset through education and collective thinking.”

What makes these Masterclasses unique is that unlike academic studies, they do not engage in discussing theories or hypotheticals. “Each Masterclass is guided by powerful stories of success and failures, for students to gain from the strategies that worked and learn through the lessons from prior mistakes, to level up their game.” According to Shaun.

“It is my objective to conduct these Masterclasses in a small, intimate setting to create the perfect conditions to help attendees to broaden and foster a growth mindset through two ways interactions, whilst being supported by likeminded people that will encourage and make each other accountable for succeeding.” He further added.

These Masterclasses are for the people whom the organizer describes as “the students of life”, those who want to find purpose and give meaning to their work, change the world for the better and those who are serious about lifting their games.

What attendees are expected to Learn from these Masterclasses include:

• How to be a masterful communicator.
• How successful people think and function.
• How to create business opportunities out of nothing.
• The life skills required to overcome any adversity.
• How to discover your value, and life purpose and how you can make a difference.

According to Shaun, what makes these Masterclasses valuable are not just the lessons from his own experiences, but some of the sharing of the most powerful stories and strategies used by the most successful people whom he interviewed in Brunei and around the world for Inspire magazine. Some of them includes: Robert Kiyosaki, Fan Bingbing, Marshall Goldsmith, Shila Amzah, Dato Timothy Ong and Wu Chun.

The organiser will be giving out 5 complimentary slots for each session to students and individuals who are financially strapped. You can download the full details about the Masterclasses at www.YesInspire.com/training. There are limited seats on each section and you can contact 717 4286 or email shaun@catalyst.com.bn for bookings or details.

Sabre Travel Network (Brunei) Sdn Bhd hosted the Brunei Travel Fair 2017 last month at the Banquet Hall, International Convention Centre and yesterday was the prizes presentation to honour the winners of the lucky draw campaign that took place during that weekend.

So how did it fare? Pretty good in fact. It attracted more than 13,500 visitors to the travel fair and the bookings received increased by 24% from last year’s. That’s pretty encouraging number considering the economic climate of Brunei Darussalam.

Irene Soon, General Manager of Sabre Travel Network (Brunei), appreciated all the partners and supporters involved in making the travel fair another success.

The prize presentation ceremony took place at Emperor’s Court and it was attended by Sabre Travel Network (Brunei), Baiduri Bank, Royal Brunei Airlines and travel agencies. The prizes were sponsored by Sabre Travel Network (Brunei), Baiduri Bank, Royal Brunei Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

The winners.

Malaysia Airlines sponsored returned tickets and the winners were Dk Majeedah Pg Hj Jeludin, a return flight ticket to Penang via Kuala Lumpur and Muna Atiqah Abdul Nadir, a return flight ticket to Langkawi via Kuala Lumpur.

Royal Brunei Airlines sponsored air tickets and Royal Skies Points and the winners were Lim Shar Lun, winning two return flight tickets to any Royal Brunei Airlines long haul destination, Mohd Saiffuddin Mohd Yusop, winning two return flight tickets to any Royal Brunei Airlines short haul destination annd Hj Shahri Hj Zainal, winning 50,000 Royal Skies points.

As for the Sabre Travel Network winners, they were Mahani Md Yussof (GoPro Hero 5), Norhayati Malai Abdullah (Matrix HD TV), Ms Chong Nyan Mee (Philips TV) and Malinee Bumrungkit (Mayer Healthy Fryer).

For the Fidget Spinner Competition organised by Royal Brunei Airlines, the winners were Md Shahirul Azuan Md Effendi for Category A and Wan Farhan Hj Ibrahim for Category B. Both of them won a return flight ticket to any Royal Brunei Airlines short haul destination.

For the Travel Agent category, all the destinations – Ho Chi Minh, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and London belonged to two travel consultants from Pan Bright Travel for their top selling destinations during the travel fair.

For the top Travel Agents award, Freme Travel Services came first while Pan Bright Travel Service came second and Darussalam Holdings finished third.

Good luck to Relentless Entertainment crew for next weekend’s event

Relentless Entertainment Brunei will be holding their fifth (5th ) musical production, ‘Shrek’ The Musical.

The musical will take place for two (2) days – Saturday, 16th September (7.30pm Premier Show) and Sunday, 17th September (1.30pm Matinee show and 7.30pm evening show) at the Jerudong International School (JIS) Arts Centre Theatre.

The exciting two and a half hour show is set in a mythical ‘once upon a time’ sort of land featuring Shrek, a hulking green ogre who, after being mocked and feared his entire life retreats to a swamp to exist in happy isolation. Suddenly, a gang of homeless fairy-tale creatures (Pinocchio, The Three Bears, Ugly Duckling, Big Bad Wolf, etc.) raid his sanctuary, saying they’ve been evicted by vertically challenged Lord Farquaad. Shrek goes on a journey to get his swamp back and is given a deal to rescue Princess Fiona for his swamp back.

The musical is supported by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, Brunei Tourism Board, Progresif Cellular Sdn. Bhd. , YippyTune Music School as official Vocal Coach, The Faceshop as the official make up sponsor, Dragons and Pixie Dust and Karen Then Make Up as Official Special Effects Make Up Artists, Offset Printing House as the official Print Partner and ticketing partners R&C Café and The Coffeebean & Tea Leaf.

Tickets are priced at $25 & $35 (Based on seating zones) and are available for purchase at Relentless Studios (B21, 2nd Floor, Gadong Central), R&C Café (UBD Library), The Coffeebean & Tea Leaf Times Square, Supa Save Mata Mata & Supa Save Seria outlets as well as YippyTune Music School (B19, 2nd Floor Gadong Central).

With a total of 50 talented local cast members of different age groups performing, Shrek The Musical promises to be a fun, entertaining and colourful family event.

For the past 10 years Relentless Entertainment, a local performing arts, education and events management company has worked closely with local talents and artists and hopes to develop as well as establish a vibrant creative industry for the vast amounts of talents in Brunei.

This will be the first time they are organizing two (2) musicals in a year. Earlier this they produced Musical Mania, which they also announced, will be a yearly event.

Producing and organizing theatre musicals is the company’s way of providing the many aspiring local actors, singers and dancers a platform to perform and showcase their talents, to give all stage crew members the experience of working behind the scenes on a musical production and to show that Brunei / Bruneians are capable of producing musical shows of high standard with local talents.

Relentless believes that a musical production is a positive event and will have a positive impact on the community and all involved. The cast and crew are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growing performing arts industry in Brunei Darussalam.

For more information on Shrek the Musical or upcoming Relentless Entertainment Events, please contact 8243222 / 7186225 and follow @Relentlessbrunei on Instagram

The co-founders of Relentless Entertainment – Sumardi Hedus and Amy Cheong – during the press conference last Tuesday

Some of the main cast for Shrek the Musical – the princess, the donkey and Shrek himself

Mark Raine, Mercedes-Benz Cars vice-president of sales and marketing (Malaysia), has been active in the car scene lately, leading record sales for Mercedes last year with almost 12,000 units sold in 2016. There are many interesting factors that contributed to the growth of Mercedes-Benz in Malaysia and also in South East Asia.

What has made the premium brand a success as of late? What are their recipes to success and sustainability? I have the privilege to interview Mark Raine during my short visit to Kota Kinabalu last week. Mark is a very easy going lad and very approachable. Thank you for hosting the media and customers last week and arranging a great three day event in showcasing how Mercedes-Benz is not just a product but a lifestyle.

Interviewing Mark Raine at Shangrila’s Rasa Ria

Rano Iskandar: Can you share the growth of Mercedes-Benz and its growing presence in South East Asia?

Mark Raine: I believe we have a holistic approach in our brand, Mercedes-Benz and this has been a huge factor in our growth and being a brand leader in the premium category. We don’t only have the best car but also focusing on customer centric in a way of doing our business, to give a more positive customer experience before and after sales. Even the process of buying a Mercedes is taken into account such as having a competent website, digital approach and also the consultation process. All these are essential in the buying process so in the end, the customers are happy with their choices. This is already half the victory in catering to what the customers want.

The real deal starts after the sales and we at Mercedes emphasizes deeply in this area as this will determine our loyalty of our customers. It has proven a success and it is no doubt that the growth of Mercedes in the premium sector has increased despite the downturn in the economy in SEA.

The extension of the models from Mercedes-Benz has helped to elevate the growth of the brand in the premium sector. These are such as the SUV models – the GLEs, GLCs and GLAs being introduced in the market.

Rano Iskandar: Speaking of the trend, is this segment a huge trend in the region for Mercedes and how it came about?

Mark Raine: Yes, this is more of a global trend that SUVs have impacting the trend. However, there was little choices in the premium segment. We have a gut feeling and took a gamble in this segment and we believed that SUV is the thing of the future. This was also the key element of positioning of the Mercedes brand (in the SUV segment), focusing on lifestyle and affluent customers. This has helped to rejuvenate the brand while improving on innovation and technology.

Rano Iskandar: Why Kota Kinabalu as the prime destination for the #hungryforadventure ?

Mark Raine: The destination speaks for itself and we want to associate the mindset of our customers that our brand offers endurance, great positioning for different walks of life such as taking your children to school or on the weekend, bring your bike for a spin or going for a round of golf and lastly Kota Kinabalu gives a sense of adrenalin which resonates with our brand. We were fortunate that we have different weather conditions during our hill drive this morning at Sabah National Park and it showed what our SUVs are capable of.

We at Mercedes tend to organize events like this twice a year. We will invite our stakeholders along such as the media, the customers to showcase what SUVs are about and also being a premium brand, we want to be approachable to our customers by having a touch and feel on what Mercedes have to offer.

Rano Iskandar: Which model in Malaysia has been a top seller?

Mark Raine: It will be the C class and it targets all walks of life. However, it’s not the only model that has been popular but the compact cars and other models such as the E Class that was launched last year in Malaysia. Pretty soon we will be launching the new E 350E the latest hybrid brand. In terms of growth, it will be the SUVs and the GLC is the best selling in Malaysia and we sold over 3,000 units since its launch.

Mark Raine, Mercedes-Benz Cars vice-president of sales and marketing (Malaysia), posing with the latest Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 at Hap Seng Star showroom at Kota Kinabalu recently

Rano Iskandar: Why introducing the GLC 200 if you already have the GLC 250?

Mark Raine: We have the GLC 250 which is a brilliant product. It’s an SUV 4WD and offers great speed and comfort, positioning it as a very sporty, luxury model.

However to a certain extent, we are only capturing a lot of market but there are customers who want different qualities and traits and their mindsets are different from other customers. Hence the GLC 200 repositions itself in more exclusive luxury segment. It comes standard in on-road package or off-road package. The interior package also makes the value perception of this vehicle very, very high. The GLC 200 is just a notch below the GLC 250, hence makes it more affordable for most customers in the market. The unique selling point of the GLC 200 will be the exclusive luxurious appeal with high value perception and many features at a very competitive price.

Rano Iskandar: The GLC 200 is locally assembled in Malaysia. Is there any difference from the ones being imported?

Mark Raine: No difference at all. Same car, same quality, same quality checks. In essence, the same car. In South East Asia, we have a local production because we have tax exemptions and it makes the pricing more attractive.

Rano Iskandar: The GLE 43 Coupe OrangeArt Limited Edition. Share me more about it.

Mark Raine: It’s already available through order. It’s very limited and exclusive order. It’s very eccentric and flashy feel. It has a 21 inch AMG wheels with the OrangeArt Edition exterior package. We even have the Night Package. The eccentric and unique edition features extravagant design highlights including striking expressive decals in the orange on the front apron and the AMG wheels painted in high-gloss black and rim flange painted in orange.

The GLE 43 Coupe Orange Art Edition making it a high end personalised edition giving that special, individualized character and it’s definitely a striking appeal.

I had the privilege to test drive the GLC 200 and it will available in Brunei market hopefully by November 2017

Loving the feel and the drive. Of course, I love the AMG GLC 250 but this model is still good enough to keep me satisfied

A nice touch when I opened the door of the GLC 200