B&O PLAY today introduced a new member to its family of wireless speakers for the home that brings people a beautiful and simple way to live with music. Designed by award-winning Cecilie Manz as a standalone speaker with multiroom audio capability, B&O PLAY M5 gives people a seamless way to connect to music they love, disperses the highly-acclaimed Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound evenly in all directions, and is clad in a premium wool-blend fabric that adds beauty and warmth to any interior arrangement.

“B&O PLAY M5 delivers perfectly on our vision of speakers for the home that play beautiful music and look wonderful doing so. For people who dream of a home where music flows through every room and speakers double as design objects that are controlled from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet, B&O PLAY M5 marks the perfect beginning to that journey”, says Jens Jermiin, Head of Global Marketing at B&O PLAY.

Sound that matches your interior

With its visually stunning appearance, the design of B&O PLAY M5 is inspired by the idea of using sound as part of your interior decoration. B&O PLAY M5 builds on the design language of B&O PLAY A6 and B&O PLAY A9, and drawing inspiration from this family B&O PLAY M5 is covered in a premium and acoustically transparent wool- blend fabric from Danish high-end manufacturer Kvadrat. The wool-cover can easily be replaced to fit your interior decorations, and using delicate multi-coloured threads the fabric provides acoustic transparency while maintaining the aesthetics in nuances that complements the speaker.

Dedication to superior craftsmanship

The speaker top is a disc made from crafted aluminium, which has been pearl blasted and anodized to create a matt and luxurious appearance. The disc provides a mesmerizing viscosity-based tactile functionality toned down to the essential, and with a 15 percent movement in each direction the disc will adjust the volume and calmly rotate itself to its neutral position – not too quickly and not too slowly as a testament to the beauty of functional design. Pressing the disc gently downwards will play or pause the speaker, and using the same gesture with an inactive B&O PLAY M5 will make it join other music experiences going on in your home.

“The design of B&O PLAY M5 is inspired by the way people use sound in their everyday lives – as a natural focal point for the family. The shape signals that sound is projected from all angles and visually, it can blend in or stand out in your home depending on personal preferences”, says the award-winning Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz.

B&O PLAY M5 now available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living

B&O PLAY M5 now available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living

Fill your room with True360 degree Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound

Underneath the aluminium disc is a body manufactured from rigid polymer to house a large acoustic chamber that delivers the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound optimized for the home.

• B&O PLAY M5 comes with True360 degree omnidirectional sound that lets you enjoy equally perfect sound no matter where you are placed. Three evenly distributed tweeters, a full range capable front facing midrange driver and a powerful 5” neodymium powered long stroke woofer that fires all its energy down towards a carefully designed dispenser, provide a uniform dispersion of well-balanced Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound all around.

• Three pre-set sound modes optimise the acoustic performance of the player depending on its position in the room. People can choose free standing, corner or wall position in Beoplay App.

• To optimize B&O PLAY M5 as a standalone speaker, B&O PLAY uses a proprietary Ambient Technology solution to create a true stereo sound experience from one single speaker. B&O PLAY creates this stereo like sound by psycho-acoustic knowhow and DSP capability to boost signal queues minimized by the physical size of B&O PLAY M5.

• The unique acoustic setup in B&O PLAY M5 is capable of beam direction and beam width control – a simpler version of the technology that Bang & Olufsen use in the prestigious BeoLab 90 speaker and the Bang & Olufsen patented reflected audio technology.

Connecting spaces with Chromecast built-in

B&O PLAY M5 comes with Chromecast built-in1, so the entire family can stream millions of songs from more than 100 music streaming services up to 96KHz/24bit lossless such as Spotify, Google Play Music and Pandora. Chromecast built-in is powered by the cloud, so you can connect more than one device to your speakers at a time and keep on using your phone while you stream your music. Answer a phone call, play a game or send a text with no sounds or ringtones to interrupt the music experience.

With B&O PLAY M5 you can easily connect to any Chromecast-enabled speaker to create a multi-room experience that lets music flow seamlessly through every room in your home. This includes the B&O PLAY speakers B&O PLAY A6 and B&O PLAY A9, which both come with Chromecast built-in and is a perfect solution for extending the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound and beautiful design throughout your home. B&O PLAY M5 also supports Beolink Multiroom, Spotify Connect and QPlay 2.02 and at the same time embraces Bluetooth and Apple Airplay.

Now the B&O PLAY M5 is available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living, Kiarong. Do drop by to check it out.

BeoPlay M5 Wireless 360 Speaker review. Check it out!!

Baiduri Bank recently concluded a debit card promotion where customers who signed up for a new Baiduri UnionPay debit card or paid for their purchases in selected Asian destinations using their card were automatically entered into a draw to win travel packages to selected destinations in Asia.

At a prize presentation event held at the Banking Hall of their Kiarong Branch today, eight lucky customers went home with travel packages and other travel accessories after they were selected as winners in Baiduri’s “Travel and Get Rewarded with UnionPay” promotion which ran from 1st November until 31st December 2016.

Nurul Nazurah Binti Alias won a 4D3N family vacation to Disneyland Hong Kong, while Awang Haji Metusin Bin Haji Abdul Rahman walked home with a relaxing 3D2N getaway to Bali for 2 and Siti Nurul Amalina Binti Haji Mohamad will be enjoying an exciting 4D2N trip to shopping city Kuala Lumpur with a stopover in cultural city of Malacca. 5 consolation prize winners namely, Sheena Winifred Hendry, Hajah Rokiah Binti Haji Abdul Ghani, Siti Noorazean Binti Haji Jamil, Chan Ban Chang and Chia Suk Ling received a Samsonite Aerial Spinner Luggage each.

Ms Winnie Ang, Manager of Consumer Financing in Baiduri Bank was on hand to present the prizes to the winners. Elaborating on the promotion, she said, “Aside from providing users with cashless convenience and PIN based security, customers who signed up or use their Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card during the promotion period stood a chance to win amazing travel packages.”

Ms Winnie Ang, Manager of Consumer Financing in Baiduri Bank, giving away the prizes to all the winners

Customers also enjoyed a fabulous 5% cashback on all their transactions made on their Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card in any of the selected countries, applicable for cumulative spending of up to BND3,000 during the promotion period.

The Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card is accepted at over 2,000 local merchants and more than 26 million UnionPay merchants in over 150 countries. The card also allows cash withdrawals at all Baiduri ATMs and over 1.9 million ATMs worldwide.

It requires a personalized identification number (PIN) to be keyed in by the cardholder for any transactions to be approved, thus, giving cardholders a high level of protection from fraud or misuse of the card. The Baiduri UnionPay debit card is the only PIN based card currently available in Brunei.

For more information on Baiduri Bank’s current promotions and events, the public can also follow Baiduri Bank Group on Facebook or @baiduribank on Instagram and Twitter.

The official launch with the ribbon cutting with the master franchise and the guest of honour, the Malaysia High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam last weekend

I dined in twice at Manhattan FISH MARKET and I quite like it. I’m familiar with the franchise after my first try in Singapore a few years ago. It was just a matter of time before it made to Brunei market, considering the number of franchises that have been popping up in Brunei Darussalam.

Last week on 15th February, the Manhattan FISH MARKET finally had their official launch. For the record, it is an award-winning casual dining restaurant specializes in American style seafood, offering a wide variety of lip-smacking products ranging from Manhattan Fish n’ Chips to Garlic Herb Mussels and not forgetting their signature dish the legendary Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter, an ideal dish for seafood lovers.

Manhattan FISH MARKET (Brunei) is managed by Nutrafood Resources Sdn Bhd which owns the franchise rights for Brunei market and they are confident of the brand’s success and hinted that there will be two more outlets in the Sultanate.

Haslinda bin Mohd Fauzi, the master franchisee for Manhattan FISH MARKET (Brunei) delivering her welcoming remarks

George Ang, CEO of Revenue Valley Group, a holding company that operates The Manhattan Fish Market.

A token of appreciation to the guest of honour, Datuk Ghulam Jelani bin Khanizaman, HIgh Commissioner of Malaysia to Brunei Darussalam

George Ang receiving memento from Haslinda

Garlic Herb Mussels

Salmon anyone? 😀 Yummm

Grilled flaming lobster platter

Fishy Chicky Bang Bang. It’s fish and chicken served in cheesy sauce. This is a popular dish among patrons in Brunei.

Ice cream served with friend oreos.. Interesting combo 😀

Manhattan FISH MARKET’s concept for fresh and flavourful seafood goes back over 180 years ago, with its inspiration drawn from the famous Fulton Fish Market located in Manhattan, USA. Patrons who step into the warmth restaurant are pleasantly greeted by its décor evoking a deeply rooted sense of the historical market and original inspiration with a contemporary touch.

I was privileged to be invited for the launch of Manhattan FISH MARKET last week and we were treated to a gastronomical feast in a 5 course meal. Yummy!!!

I’m honestly impressed with the quality of the dishes and I hope they can remain consistent in this competitive market (in the F&B industry).

Haslinda demo-ing the flaming action

Well done to the CHMS entourage for putting up a good show. Click image to enlarge.

Story by Abdul Hakim Yakof of Borneo Bulletin: Students and former students of Chung Hwa Middle School (CHMS) had a blast enlivening the Tiong Hua community’s Chinese New Year (CNY) get-together, with performances following the ‘Innovative Youth as the Prime Mover of National Vision’ concept, which combines unique Brunei traditions with the latest innovation.

The event opened with a Hadrah performance, and was followed by the singing of the national anthem by the school’s brass band, and the ‘Ikrar Taat Setia’ oath reading.

After the traditional Tiong Hua dance performance involving firecrackers and a lantern formation, as well as a lion dance, the guests were treated to a CNY song performance and a Syair delivered by students. Young students of the CHMS Wushu extracurricular activity then showcased their acrobatic and martial art skills in the ‘Panda’ performance.

A contemporary dance dubbed ‘Thousand Yachts are Sailing’ told the story of how the ancestors of the Tiong Hua community of today landed in the Sultanate.

After the traditional Malay ‘bermukun’ performance, the dance troupe performed the Malay dance ‘kesubukan,’ which combines modern dance moves and tells of how youngster behave towards their elders and society.

Following this was the ‘Let the Earth Resound’ performance, believed to bring happiness and prosperity.

Members of the Legislative Council Yang Berhormat Hafimi binti Abdul Haadii and Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Ash’ari who were present during the celebration

Speaking to the Bulletin, former student Aizat Rosli said, “We’ve been performing for the Tiong Hua Chinese New Year get-together for seven years now and we still get nervous – even though you can say we are experienced.

“We are fortunate to have performed in front of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam,” he added.

“We staged three dance performances at the event. We are relieved, knowing that we were able to deliver despite some of us feeling under the weather,” said dance troupe member Bryan Wong.

Dance troupe member Limyi Shien said, “Although the Chinese are a minority in Brunei, it’s nice that His Majesty takes notice, coming down to join in the celebration.

Chen Hui Yen, performance coordinator, said, “This year we had a combination of Chinese and Malay performances as Brunei is home to different religions and races. We are trying to express a sense of unity, showing that we can all live peacefully together.

“Some 250 students and former students performed this year. We are very happy and appreciate that His Majesty is always able to join us in this celebration. We are honoured to have performed for His Majesty, it means a lot to the students,” she added.

Behind the scene

Behind the scene

It’s happening today (Sunday, 19th February) till 5pm at No.21, Simpang 18, Jalan Anggrek

Mock plane models for sale

Waiting for guests to come

The Architecture Lego for sale

The Architecture Lego for sale

Check out the Coke collection and collectibles for sale

Even the Harley bike is up for auction

Macalister being the scenes and he has also been helping out in preparing for this event

Pranika Lama and Dalton Lim helping out with the Estate Sale for the past week or so

Hello Seng Yee :p

Yang Mulia Dr. Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, Permanent Secretary (Core Education) of Ministry of Education handing over mock key to Mr Barnaby Sandow, Principal of Jerudong International School for the new Sport Complex last Wednesday

Mr Barnaby Sandow in his welcoming remarks before the hand over

The Board of Directors and Principal of Jerudong International School (JIS) held a “Handover Key Ceremony” of the new Sports Complex designed by local architects, EcoBumi on Wednesday, 15th February.

The guest of honour was Yang Mulia Dr. Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, Permanent Secretary (Core Education) of Ministry of Education. Other distinguished guests included guests from the Ministry of Education, Darussalam Assets and the Board of Directors of Jerudong International School. For your info, JIS is now under Darussalam Assets.

The ceremony started with the recital of surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat by Cikgu Mohammad Norisham bin Hj Kamis followed by opening remarks by Mr Barnaby Sandow, Principal of JIS. “The new Sports Complex provides JIS students with further opportunities to be the best that they can be. We look forward to welcoming the Bruneian community at our community sports events in the future too.”

Following the ceremony, the guest of honour and distinguished guests were given a guided tour of the newly established sports complex. The key features of the new sports complex are the two large indoor multi-purpose courts, an indoor 8-lane, 25 metre swimming pool, a fitness suite and 2 classrooms. The excellent indoor multi-purpose courts will facilitate students to be able to do team sports such as Basketball, Netball, Volleyball, 5 a-side Football and other court games.

Director of Sports, Chris McGeorge raised that, “students have missed at least 50 hours from PE time in the past academic year due to poor weather conditions such as lightning and now with our new indoor facilities we are able to run PE classes smoothly despite any bad weather we may encounter.”

Located near JIS’ Boarding houses, Ugama block and the current V-Block sports field, the new Sports Complex is a wonderful addition to the facilities at Jerudong International School.

The 8 lane 25 meter swimming pool

It also has a security code (lock) to enter

The guests having a tour around the Sports Complex

The multipurpose sports hall and they were training indoor tennis then. Cool 😀

Guest of honour with associates from Darussalam Assets touring the premise

This is another sports hall

The representatives from the respective schools receiving donation from Pierre Imhof, CEO of Baiduri Bank, during the CNY Open House hosted by Baiduri Bank Group at The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Chinese New Year might be over but the celebration in terms of Open Houses are still around. Few days ago, I attended a few and one of them is Baiduri Bank Group which was hosted at The Empire Hotel & Country Club in conjunction with the Year of the Rooster.

Present was Pierre Imhof, sporting a traditional chinese attire for the CNY Open House. The Chung Hwa Middle School performed another stunning drum performance.

It was a cheerful moment when the under privileged students received donations from Baiduri Bank Group. The recipients were from CHMS, Chung Hwa Kidding, St. Andrew’s School and St. George’s school.

Thank you once again, Baiduri, for the invitation.

Stand a chance to win this book

Enrich your life with #VorsprungdurchTechnik and tag a friend in the comments from @audibrunei post (based on the video below) for a chance to win The Book of Challenges! It’s 45 pages of Audi innovation that packs in even more than what you see in this video. 7 winners will be randomly selected by lucky draw when the giveaway ends next Thursday (23rd February 2017). #quattroThursdays

Tag and comment on the IG post and stand a chance to win a 45 page book of Audi innovation

I attended the launch of the Brunei Gastronomy Week held at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism building yesterday. It was launched by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism.

Now what can you expect during Brunei Gastronomy Week which will run from 22nd to 26th February? Selected cafes and restaurants will introduce local cuisines in a more modernized and sophisticated way. I managed to view and did some tasting on the samples given yesterday after the launch. There’s something definitely to look forward to next week.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is an initiative by the Brunei Tourism Board under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism and also coinciding with the upcoming 33rd National Day celebrations. They have collaborated with local cafes and restaurants and even Royal Brunei Airlines.

There were dishes such as the Bamboo Chicken, Acar Buah-Buahan, Sup Kembayau, Sup Tahai, Nasi Katok, Soto Brunei and many more.

On 23rd February, Royal Brunei Airlines will be serving local cuisines in all regional flights and the travel agents will work closely to help to promote to their passengers who will be visiting Brunei Darussalam.

The Guest of honour with the board members, general managers and chefs

The Guest of honour with the general managers and chefs

The Guest of honour with chefs

Royal Brunei Catering is one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week

Urbn Kitchen is also one of the participants of the Brunei Gastronomy Week

The Brunei Gastronomy Week will also be judged based on the given criteria to give incentives to the participating restaurants and cafes. The judges will make their rounds and sample the dishes served and the winners will be announced at the Tourism Industry Award ceremony in April.

This is a very good initiative by Brunei Tourism Board and this will help to create more awareness on local cuisines and also promoting the restaurants and cafes as well as improving the quality of the dishes.

The Brunei Gastronomy Week is a way to celebrate and create awareness on Bruneian cuisine, a way to encourage more hotels and restaurants to serve Bruneian cuisine in a more sophisticated way, to improve on the state and elevate the presentation of Bruneian dishes that be part of a fine dining experience and it’s a way to provide a unique Bruneian gastronomical experience to visitors within and outside Brunei.

The Deconstruct Nasi Katok

The Minister touring and sampling food for the Brunei Gastronomy Week

Representing Royal Brunei Airlines

Kolo Mee with prawn from My Town Cafe

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer with Mr. Shimizu Tomoya, Epson Country Manager (Malaysia), Mr. Eric Tang, Epson Sales Manager, Retail Division (Malaysia), Alice Chan, Finance Controller of Concepts Group with associates of Concepts Computer during the launch of the new Epson printer earlier this morning

Today, Epson, a top printer-maker for the last 10 years, with the help of Concepts Computer, will be launching the latest printers from Epson in Brunei, a multi-function A3 printer with a continuous ink tank system in the form of the Epson L1455; it can print, scan, copy and fax with a total print-out of up to 10,000 pages total, and in duplex mode as well, making the Epson L1455 perfect for SMEs and even large corporate offices.

With the launch, Epson and Concepts Computer will be expanding its market-leading range to offer even wider selections, allowing schools, businesses or professional users to choose the most suitable model for their needs and take business printing beyond ordinary volumes to an extraordinary amount of pages.

A3-sized printing provides users with more creative and flexible options for all business printing needs, and gives the ability to go beyond normal limits of A4-sized printing. A3 printing will also make it easier to print larger and clearer architectural plans, spreadsheets, diagrams and charts, bringing out maximum clarity and details in your print-outs, making it easier to submit official government submissions as the need arises. A3 printing will also create greater visual impact when creating posters, newsletters and marketing materials when printed full from edge to edge. Add to this the value of a first party continuous ink tank system, A3 printing would now be easier and cheaper, making it a valuable, economical tool for those with large printing needs.

The first of it’s kind, on offer from any Printing Solutions provider; Epson will be unveiling the first duplex A3-sized multi-function printer with an external refillable ink tank which has not been tampered with by a third party. It will be the first printer with an affordable consumables solution through first party refillable continuous ink tanks. The Epson continuous ink tank printer will utilize Epson’s proven Ink Tank System to deliver reliable printing with unrivaled economical costs. It will also feature Epson’s fast ink top-up technology for easy mess-free refills; special tubes in the printer will ensure smooth and reliable ink flow at all times.

Vincent Pao delivering his welcoming remarks

An interesting invidual, Mr. Shimizu Tomoya, who hails from Japan but currently based in Jakarta, taking care of Indonesia and Malaysia market. He spoke how Epson continues to be innovative and investing more into R&D

A token of appreciation to Mr. Shimizu Tomoya

Eric Tang making his yearly visit to Brunei and presented product knowledge on the Epson L1455 printer

The new A3-sized Epson L1455 printer will be available for $1,318. It will utilize the standard Epson 644 colour inks but the Epson L1455 will also utilize the water resistant blank ink Epson 7741, which will make the black print outs be more versatile. Each of its colour consumables will be available for $10 per bottle for the Epson 664 series bottle inks, and $28 for the water resistant black Epson 7741 bottle ink; making the Epson L1455 one of the cheapest upkeep for any A3-sized printer available in the market and perfect for business use.

As you know that Epson has been a popular product and gaining more product awareness since it’s inception in the Brunei market in 2010. This has been the popular choice among students and businesses due to its cost effective measures and also its quality. I also learnt from today’s sharing that Epson invested heavily in R&D to further embed new technology into Epson products. It’s no surprise that Epson is among the Top 10 in Japan for its patent and registration.

Vincent Pao, General Manager of Concepts Computer, said, ”Concepts Computer puts a lot of worth in value and we believe that this new printer model on offer from Epson will be valuable to businesses and most corporate users not only in terms of monetary value, that is cost-saving, but also in terms of value in usage, that is print quality and product quality, making them great tools for any IT-centric usage.”

Zul Abdul Rahman, Marketing Executive of Concepts Computer, added, “Third party modifications of printers is one of the main concerns for Printing Solution providers right now, as it affects print quality, machine durability and is sometimes toxic especially with the usage of unknown refillable inks, which is why Epson is trying to curb this problem by putting a lot of effort into research and development to come up with a larger range of continuous ink tank printing solutions”.

Also present during the launch was Epson Country Manager (Malaysia) Mr. Shimizu Tomoya, and Mr. Eric Tang, Epson Sales Manager, Retail Division (Malaysia).

For more information, please visit your nearest Concepts Computer showroom or call 2233551/2233552/2233553.

The new A3-sized Epson L1455 printer will be available for $1,318 and it’s a multi function purpose. Now available at Concepts Computer

The inks for Epson

Product demo to the resellers in Brunei