The all-new 2nd generation Audi Q5(right) next to the previous model

The first generation Q5 celebrated its debut in April 2008 at the Auto China show in Beijing, and it was introduced on the market just a few months later. The SUV with the four rings appealed with its sporty-versatile character and state-of-the-art technology. The three turbocharged engines that were offered had power outputs from 125 kW (170 hp) and 176 kW (240 hp), and a newly developed seven-speed S tronic could transfer engine forces to an optional quattro drivetrain.

In subsequent years, Audi progressively extended its engine line-up – with power-enhanced evolutionary stages, new four-cylinder engines and powerful V6 gasoline engines. In the model changeover of 2012, which included many new solutions in infotainment and assistance systems, two entirely new variants were added to the line-up: the Q5 hybrid quattro, which could drive all-electrically for short distances, and the SQ5 TDI, the first S model from Audi to have a diesel engine. Its sonorous biturbo V6 had a power output of 230 kW (313 hp), and in the final evolutionary stage in 2015 it even output 250 kW (340 hp) and 700 Nm (516.3 lb-ft) of torque.

The Audi SQ5 TDI became a top-selling vehicle – like the entire model series. From 2009 to 2015, the Q5 established itself as the world’s most successful SUV in its class, winning over an above-average share of new customers for Audi. In its last full sales year, it still dominated in markets of all key sales regions – especially in China where it had a 65 percent share in its segment. Production sites in Changchun, China and Aurangabad, India supplemented production at the main plant in Ingolstadt.

The new Audi Q5, which is produced in Mexico, is launching into an SUV market that continues to grow worldwide with great dynamism.

The all-new Audi Q5 for Brunei will be packaged with great tech and quattro all-wheel-drive as standard

Sakinah Hj Enchi @ Tiapsah, General Manager of Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd during the press conference on Monday

Some awareness that Schindler Group is a Switzerland company that was founded back in 1874

It’s quite interesting to see a company that deals with lifts and escalators (something we take for granted) is involved in bringing awareness to the community through a roadshow and also giving back to the community.

I’m pretty sure that you have used the escalators and the lifts at The Mall, Gadong. For your info, the company that made it possible is Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd and they have an office located in Kiulap. Their office has been around for many years already and the Switzerland company shows why it’s important to open an office here in Brunei – to provide the best service to their customers and clients.

The most important core value of Schindler Liftec is: SAFETY. In Brunei alone, the amount of people they have transported from floor to floor have been a huge responsibility of the land owner and also the company that provides the actual lifts and escalators.

Hence, Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd will be hosting a Safety Awareness Roadshow this Friday, 24th November 2017 at the Mall Gadong. There will be activities for the kids and children in promoting the awareness of lifts and escalators and to prevent incidents from occurring.

Donations will also be given to the MPK as well as the orphans from Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd as part of their corporate social responsibility.

The press conference was chaired by Sakinah Hj Enchi @ Tiapsah, General Manager of Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd who briefed the media for the upcoming event at The Mall, Gadong. She said that the company wants to make a difference for the better. They believe that every interaction with the customer, partner or passenger should be a positive one and bring confidence to their customers and passengers alike.

Sakinah Hj Enchi @ Tiapsah with Ken Lee Seck Kiat, Sales and Marketing Officer, Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd

The items that will donated to the MPK and orphans this Friday

The escalators at The Mall installed and maintained by Schindler Liftec Sdn Bhd. Image courtesy of vagabondwithfamily wordpress

Jeff Goo Jia Jie, Managing Director of J3Smart with the winners of the promotion and the marketing team of J3smart

Jeff Goo Jia Jie thanking the winners for their participation

Well done to the winners of the J3smart.com promotion. They walked away with products courtesy of J3smart.com and there were five winners – Fadillah bte Gassireh, Voon Tung Yea, Siti Junaidah bte Hj Zulkifli, Zumailanisa Hj Mydin and Jess Eng Eng.

All they had to was repost the J3smart.com promotion on Facebook. Recently the online shopping company had a free shipping promotion to commemorate the 11:11 (11th of November) sales. The representative said that the J3smart.com earned an estimate of BND 70,000 of sales. Some even ordered a piano and a sofa from the online store. Amazing!!! It just shows that you can buy small to big items through j3smart.com

They will be introducing a new prepaid card system especially those who doesn’t have a credit card or don’t have a debit card to purchase items through the portal.

The finalists doing a draw to determine their prizes

One of the winners receiving items from the showroom

Some of the items that were ordered during the 11:11 sale with free shipping. They have arrived in Brunei.

Yes, iPhone X protective screens are also being sold on their online portal

Also iPhone X casing 😀

Abang Md Saifulizam bin Abang Zamhor (right) was the grand winner of the Canon PhotoMarathon Brunei Darussalam 2017. Congratulations buddy 😀

The winners of the Canon PhotoMarathon Brunei Darussalam 2017 with the judges

Abang Md Saifulizam bin Abang Zamhor has emerged as the grand prize winner of the Canon PhotoMarathon Brunei Darussalam 2017 last Sunday, winning himself an all-expense paid photography trip across Japan as part of the PhotoMarathon Asia Championship, travelling alongside winners from 12 others countries. Three of his photos were selected by the judges in the Top 20 pick. Well done, buddy!!

The Canon PhotoMarathon is always a popular event, attracting more than 300 participants where they were given three themes and the images will be reviewed among the four invited judges by Interhouse Company.

The winners are as follows:-

“Left Behind” theme
1st place – Ling Yang Hui
2nd place – Awangku Fathur Rahman bin Pengiran Haji Mohammad
3rd place – Abang Md Saifulizam

“Upside Down” theme
1st place –  Masadezam bin Masle
2nd place – Lim Kian Chiong
3rd place – Codie de Vera Canezo

“The moment” theme
1st place –  Nurhani Basirah binti Haji Chipli
2nd place – Shah Faisal bin Mohd Yakob
3rd place – Pengiran Haji Mohd Heris bin Pengiran Mohammed

1st place – Ling Yang Hui for Left Behind theme

2nd place – Awangku Fathur Rahman bin Pengiran Haji Mohammad for Left Behind thee

3rd place – Abang Md Saifulizam for Left Behind theme

Ling Yang Hui receiving his first prize for Left Behind theme

3rd place – Codie de Vera Canezo for Upside Down theme

2nd place – Lim Kian Chiong for Upside Down theme

1st place –  Masadezam bin Masle for Upside Down theme

Masadezam bin Masle receiving his first prize for Upside Down theme

3rd place – Pengiran Haji Mohd Heris bin Pengiran Mohammed for The Moment theme

2nd place – Shah Faisal bin Mohd Yakob for The Moment theme

1st place –  Nurhani Basirah binti Haji Chipli for The Moment theme

Interhouse Company Deputy Managing Director Vincent Goh and Wrixon Wong, Canon Singapore Pte Ltd gave the grand prize to Abang Md Saifulizam bin Abang Zamhor. He was a bit surprised during the short interview. He didn’t expect anything and he even decided to join the competition in the final minute. He trusted his old classic Canon EOS 40D and his kit lens for his chosen shots.

Well done to Interhouse Company for another great contest.

Md Saifulizam with his Canon EOS 40D with his kit lens

He was still scratching his head that he won the grand prize

Md Saifulizam’s shot that got selected

Md Saifulizam’s shot that got selected

Hello Hasmin. Good to see you again 😀

Steven Goh behind the scene

The associates of Interhouse Company

Appreciation Day at Mercedes-Benz Autohaus Showroom yesterday

Ho Ley Hoon, Sales Manager of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd, Alfred So, General Manager of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd , Kenny Ng, General Manager of Emerging Markets, Daimler South East Asia and Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd

Yesterday was a great day for the public as they enjoyed the festivities during Customer Appreciation Day hosted by Jati Transport, the authorised auto dealer for Mercedes-Benz and it was held for the first time at Mercedes-Benz Autohaus Showroom. Hundreds of customers came with their family to enjoy the food and the entertainment provided by Jati Transport Sdn Bhd.

Present during the Customer Appreciation Day were Andrew Chiam, Executive Director of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd, Alfred So, General Manager of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and Kenny Ng, General Manager of Emerging Markets, Daimler South East Asia.

The customers enjoyed the activities provided such as face painting for their children, lego games, photo booth and not forgetting the discounts on their merchandise items.

This event is to appreciate the loyal customers of Jati Transport Sdn Bhd and continue the strong relations with the company and their customers.

Mercedes-Benz Autohaus Showroom was opened mid year to the delight of Mercedes-Benz customers. They have a much bigger showroom as well as service centre to service all the Mercedes-Benz cars in Brunei Darussalam. Hence, Jati Transport has two authorized workshop, one at the main headquarters and the other at the Autohaus Showroom. According to Stephen Reid, Service Manager at Jati Transport, their service centre does around 800 Mercerdes-Benz car per month. Now that’s a lot of servicing and they have around 22 certified technicians and electrician to help with the servicing of their customers’ cars.

Food was the main attraction yesterday. I love the satay 😀

What a young talented girl! She had a big cheer from the crowd after her performance.

The service centre of Mercedes-Benz Autohaus and this is where most of the simple servicing are carried out

Did you know Mr. Softy van is a Mercedes-Benz? 😀

Now this is a beast because of the striking black colour of the newly launched GLC 200. Apparently this already belongs to someone else.

Face painting was popular as well

Lots of families showed up for the packed event

Boba Tea drinks were sold out by noon, distributing out 500 cups in total. Amazing!

The photo booth section

The access point was narrow but it didn’t stop customers flocking in for the Customer Appreciation Day

Customers also had the opportunity to see the newly launched Mercedes-Benz GLC 200, a variant addition to the premium SUV segment in Brunei Darussalam. I had a first look and a bit of a test drive at it a few months ago back in Kota Kinabalu during a short trip hosted by Jati Transport.

I knew it will be a big hit in Brunei because of customers can enjoy the high-end features on a premium SUV at a competitive price. The GLC 250 was already a big hit when it was introduced in Brunei a few months ago.

The GLC 200 is additionally powered by a 2.0 litre four inline engine, producing an output of 135 kW (184 hp) and 300 Nm of torque. It also comes with a standard nine-stage 9G-tronic automatic transmission. The units are already being booked as we speak, leaving only a few units left.

Mercedes-Benz in Brunei Darussalam have been a popular choice despite the economic downturn. As customers now looking for more value added in a premium brand, Mercedes-Benz does deliver and that’s one of the main reason why Jati Transport have been doing moderately well in the car industry.

Do visit Jati Transport showroom or call 244 1763 or 244 1777 for more information.

YESSSS, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 is already in town 😀

I had a pleasure of driving the GLC 200 in Kota Kinabalu back in August

It’s definitely a good ride.

Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi appointed as the new ASEAN Secretary-General as it was at the 31st ASEAN summit in Manila, Philippines last week. Image taken from apec.org

H.E. Ambassador Motohiko Kato paid a courtesy call to Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (right) and shared opinions on bilateral economic issues and other issues. Image taken from http://www.bn.emb-japan.go.jp

Lim Jock Hoi, a seasoned diplomat of Brunei Darussalam, will be helming the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, following last night’s announcement by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee confirmed Lim’s appointment as the next ASEAN secretary-general on Tuesday evening during a speech to mark the start of Singapore’s chairmanship of the 10-nation bloc in 2018.

Lim, a permanent secretary at the Brunei Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, will take on his new role in January to replace current ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh of Vietnam. Minh will conclude his five-year term at the end of this year.

Lee expressed his gratitude to the outgoing ASEAN Secretary-General in Tuesday’s closing ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit, held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila.

He said that Singapore, which takes over as ASEAN chair from current host the Philippines, looked forward to working closely with Lim and the ASEAN Secretariat to strengthen community-building efforts.

Lim entered the Brunei government in 1977, having served in foreign affairs and trade roles. Most recently, he was Brunei’s chief negotiator in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade talks until its conclusion in 2015.

Media reports say Lim’s experience will help push forward negotiations on the ASEAN-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a trade pact that rivals the TPP and is set to conclude next year.

In running the Secretariat, Lim will be responsible for overseeing a staff of about 300 and managing more than 1,000 ASEAN meetings each year.

The ASEAN secretary-general is appointed by the ASEAN summit for a non-renewable term of five years, selected from among the ASEAN member states based on alphabetical rotation.

From what I heard: Apparently the ASEAN Secretary-General has a higher rank than the our own ministers in Brunei Darussalam. That’s an interesting thought. His position will also require a lot of traveling as his capacity as the ASEAN Secretary-General. I wish you the best and congratulations for being appointed by the Brunei Government to be the ASEAN Secretary-General.

Dato Roderick Yong was the 7th Secretary-General of #ASEAN and the first from Brunei. He served from 1986-1989. Image taken from @ASEAN twitter

Pg Hj Mohd Rosdimar, Manager Director of At-Taqwa Travel Tours, gave his welcoming remarks to the Umrah pilgrims at Al-Falaah School at Sg. Akar earlier this morning

Pg Hj Mohd Rosdimar with the officers for the December Umrah at the briefing

This morning, At-Taqwa Travel Tours Sdn Bhd held a briefing for their umrah pilgrims who will be performing their umrah this coming December. Around 400 pilgrims will be heading to Madinah and Makkah under the care of At-Taqwa Travel Tours Sdn Bhd and they will be flying in different batches from 2nd December to the final batch on 28th December 2017. I shall be flying off on the as the third batch on 9th December 2017 Inshaa Allah.

The briefing was held at Al-Falaah School at Sg. Akar where representatives from At-Taqwa Travels Tour and their liaison officers (logistics team) were present as well as a representative from Takaful Brunei. Manager Director of At-Taqwa Travel Tours Pg Hj Mohd Rosdimar Pg Hj Omarali gave a welcoming remarks to the pilgrims after a blessing prayer by Ustaz Abdus Salam.

Pg Hj Mohd Rosdimar was very appreciative of At-Taqwa Travel Tours’ pilgrims in trusting in their service. He mentioned that this is the second year that At-Taqwa Travel Tours are organising Umrah for the residents of Brunei Darussalam. The response has been very encouraging and he believes that the company’s core values – efficient, reliable, quality and service – will be instrumental to the growth and success of At-Taqwa Travel Tours. He believes that providing real service, we must add something which is priceless or not measurable. He also instill the value of sincerity and integrity in At-Taqwa Travel Tours.

The briefing was led by Pengiran Fakhrulrazi bin Pengiran Haji Omarali, the Head of the Haji and Umrah Department. Accompanying him were  Awangku Mohd Nassiruddeen bin Pengiran Haji Yussof, the Chief Financial Officer and Haji Shamsul Bahrin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, the Chief Operating Officer and a representative from Takaful Brunei. There was also a brief ceramah by Ustaz Hj Khairul Nazif.

The briefing touched on preparation for the pilgrims such as bringing the appropriate documents, wearing appropriate attire and the dos and the donts while in the Holy land. The briefing was useful in prepping the pilgrims for their upcoming Umrah pilgrimage and some of the audience were given opportunities to ask questions.

The pilgrims were also handed over a luggage, powerbank, pillow neck and a bottle as a token of appreciation from At-Taqwa Travel Tours Sdn Bhd.

Next week there will be another briefing for the pilgrims where there will be given a practical demo on Umrah such as Tawaf and Saie to be held at Sg. Kebun Sports Complex.

This is a good initiative by At-Taqwa Travel Tours Sdn Bhd to give more added value to their customers in preparation for Umrah. For more updates, you can follow their instagram @at_taqwa_travel_tours or you can call, 243 1234 or 719 1676. Some images courtesy of Sazali Ariff and whatsapp.

Some of the attendees this morning

Some of the 400 plus pilgrims attended the briefing

The briefing led by Pengiran Fakhrulrazi bin Pengiran Haji Omarali

Haji Shamsul Bahrin gave some information on the preparation for Umrah

Ustaz Abdus Salam leading the prayers

There will be 8 batches flying with At-Taqwa Travel Tour

DJ Daffy and Sazali Ariff will be flying for Umrah too

The hardworking officers from At-Taqwa Travel Tour

Ustaz Hj Khairul Nazif will be heading for Umrah in December

Ustaz Hj Abd Kahar will also be flying for Umrah in December

Ustaz Abdus Salam will also be heading for Madinah and Makkah this December

Mr. Aziz in the house

I will helping with social media updates on At-Taqwa Travel Tours

With the officers for December batch

The goodies for the December pilgrims. Awesome stuff 😀

Our luggage model, DJ Daffy

Pilgrims receiving their token of appreciation from At-Taqwa Travel Tour

Wendy Pao, Market Development Executive at Bilster Technologies and Norsurya Hj Sabli, Executive in charge of Business Development at Bilster Technologies holding the external hard drives which are on promotion at Bilster Technologies

The holiday season is coming and Bilster Technologies will be offering attractive packages on selection of laptops and gadgets for a limited time. There was a demand in terms of competitive price and promotion especially when it comes to HDD (Transcend, Western Digital and SeaGate). Check out the latest promotion from by Bilster Technologies.

The range of external storages will be inclusive of a FREE pedometer watch (worth $18) for every purchase. This offer includes the Transcend 2.5” 2TB external HD, the Western Digital 2TB MyPassport external HD, SeaGate 2TB Slim external HD, SeaGate 4TB Slim external, SeaGate 4TB Personal Cloud external HD and SeaGate 4TB Personal Cloud external HD.

Norsurya Hj Sabli, Executive in charge of Business Development at Bilster Technologies said, “It’s coming to the end of the year and we at Bilster Technologies would like to offer our customers another chance at purchasing great products at great prices, before the holiday rush of December and more promotion will be coming.”

This is a popular one because of its robust and durability

This would be my perfect choice as it will be convenient for me to transfer wirelessly

The different range of HD available

Also on offer is the Dell Inspiron 11 3162 which is an 11 inch laptop powered by Intel Celeron processor with 4G of RAM. This ideal for word processing and surfing or if you simply want to check and reply emails. It will be also Windows 10 ready. It’s now available for only $498 and every purchase will come with freebies – cooler pad, earphones, mouse, pedometer and a VR Box. Cool.

The other one on promotion is the Dell XPS 13 i5-7200U touch display laptop. It has a touch screen display, Intel i5 processor, 256GB SSD Storage and this is a powerful machine on the go. Guess what? It also comes with free 1 year license of Microsoft Office 365 Personal for every purchase. The price tag is $1,988 and comes with a Transcend 500GB external HD, cooler pad and pedometer watch.

Bilster Technologies is located on the ground floor, Citis Square and it opens from 10am to 9pm. For more information, you can call 223 0871 or 223 0872.

Dell XPS 13 i5-7200U touch display laptop being packaged with great goodies including an external hard drive

The best deal in town for only $498 and with goodies as well

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Have you heard of Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd? It’s one of the logistics company that offers door to door services and it aims to provide total logistics solutions to their valued customers.

You don’t have to worry as much as they cover your freighting matters, logistics, distribution and supply chain solutions. If you run a company, Sivli Logistics also offer you as a long term business partner. I suggest you check them out as they offer pretty competitive rates.

They also have a great team to look into your logistics needs. They provide consultations and updates to tailor to your needs. The team is also very open to ideas as it will be invaluable when it comes to sparking ideas for improvement and innovation.

So what kind of services do Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd offer?

Sea, Air And Land Freight Matters
(LCL, FCL & Conventional Modes)

Door To Door Freight Forwarding Services
(Free Survey And Price Estimation!)

LCL, FCL, Break Bulk Cargoes Clearance At Port

Air Cargoes Clearance At Airport

Import / Export Arrangements

Rental Of Transportation Services

Personal Effects Packing And Door To Door Delivery

Air Courier Arrangements

Manpower Supply

Warehousing

Check out the list of services they offer

There are a few companies that have already engaged with Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd and they are quite happy with their rates and services. One of the corporate companies distributes phone accessories having been using Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd service for a few months now. So Sivli Logistics is also looking for new partners to work with and do reach them and learn what they have to offer.

Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd is pretty strong when it comes logistics between China and Brunei as they do frequent shipping in a month to deliver their goods to their customers. Another advantage is that Sivli Logistics owns a huge warehouse in China for the convenience of their customers in terms of safety and security reasons.

They are also very ethical with their pricing and be transparent with their customers with the prices. As a token of appreciation for Sivli Logistics Sdn Bhd customers, they will be offering special waiver fees with a promotional code from my blog and social media. Do check out their website at www.sivlilogistics.com for details. They also have a Facebook Page for your convenience.

So are you ready to partner with Sivli Logistics, your preferred logistics partner? Call +673 2654478  for details.

The logistics team unloading the item from the port

The logistics team taking care of the items upon arrival at Brunei port

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Now speaking forwarding company, Sivli Logistics have also a sister company that deals with online shopping. It’s good to know that online shopping is getting pretty popular in Brunei Darussalam and about time to. In the past few years, not many were confident on paying things online and hence online shopping didn’t had much progress.

It was nice to know that Sivli Logistics created an e-commerce website called J3smart.com and it was launched earlier this year to give more shopping options for Brunei consumers.

There are items that might be of interest to locals as I had a quick browse on their e-commerce portal. The best part of shopping with J3smart.com are that 1) they are very efficient in their delivery (within a week) 2) the items are pretty competitive and cheap as compared to others and 3) they also provide warranty which brings confidence to the customers.

You can even buy things such as furniture as well. Amazing!! The other best thing about J3smart.com is that the fact that you can ask them to shop for you if the particular item you are looking for is not available on the website. All you have to do is send them an image of the product and its details and let them to the shopping for you.

So what are you waiting for? Ready to shop to the next level?

Many benefits shopping with J3smart.com

Some of the items available to order