The Mercedes-Benz C Class – World Car of the Year. Click image to enter the website to know more.

Holy cow.. I’m so in love with the Mercedes-Benz C 180. I rode it for a couple of days and wow, wow, wow!!! It reminds me why Mercedes is always a great comfort for a cruise and plus it packs some power on the road though it’s not much of a use since we can’t break the speeding rules here :p

I kinda find it strange that many prefer the CLA over the C180 because for me, I would take the C180 any day. I’ve test driven both models and the C180 has a slight edge for me. It’s no surprise that the Mercedes-Benz C Class was named 2015 World Car of the Year.

So why would you settle for less? Further more the price of the C180 is pretty reasonable on the road. Even my friends were surprised by the price tag. You’re paying a reasonable premium price for an awesome luxurious car.

First let’s talk about the design. There is so much difference from the previous C Class models and the latest one is much edgier and sleeker especially the front appealing look with the sporty central car embedded in the nose. I love the blue colour of the C180 and it stole some praises from my friends too.

There is so much to like about the interior too – the cockpit and the control panel near the arm rest area. It makes things more convenient for the driver. I could control the ambient lighting inside the car to the climate control. It might take a while to get used to it at first but once you mastered it, it gives you many option as a driver.

I felt comfortable on my seat and it just fits me nicely. I’m not used to the low setting since I’ve been driving an SUV for a decade now. Sometimes it takes me a while to get out of the car even after I’ve reached home because I was too comfortable in the driver seat.

Loving the colour of the Mercedes C180. Caught many eyes on the road.

The driving experience of the C180

Nicely lit during night

Enjoy my ride on a Sunday 😀

Ok, now the drive experience is what gives me a lot of thrill. I love to play with the Agility Select Function, allowing you to choose from Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport +. Of course, I chose the Sport + (Vrrrrrooomm….). The Eco and Comfort modes were fun … for a little while. I just needed some boost on my ride and once I tried Sport+ it was tough to get back to Eco unless the tank is running low.

The Sport+ sharpens the throttle and adds weight to the steering while stiffens the dampers. My passenger buddies were too thrilled when I took them on the Sport+ cruise on the highway. Of course, the AMG C 63 would have better experience on the Sport+ mode with better suspension and steering. The C180 uses the 7G-Tronic Plus transmission which helps to reduce fuel-consumption and emissions without compromising for power.

So ladies and gentlemen, if you happen to drop by Jati Transport showroom, I highly recommend you to test drive the Mercedes-Benz C 180.

The control panel and also where I stuffed my gadgets

Listening to my favourite song/score during all my rides

In the comfort of the C180 after a heavy lunch with Pranika at Red Chillies

The young boys were in for a thrill of their lives

The interior of the C180

Comparing with my brother’s C250 and of course, his car is more powerful than the C180

 

I have this is an awesome ride. The Mercedes-Benz C180 and there is so much I wanna talk about this car. Stay tune for more review of the C180. Like they say, “The best knows no alternative”. Click image to know more about the C-Class saloon from Jati Transport.

The interior of the Mercedes-Benz C180. Classy and my kind of feel.

 

Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah (centre) of Divas playing as a stopper in the recent ORA Gryphons Fast Pitch Softball Tournament

Cudas scoring a run and they won the tournament with a perfect record of 7 wins

Divas finished fourth at the ORA Gryphons Fast Pitch Softball Tournament 2016 in Singapore yesterday.

Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah was among those who laced-up for Divas at the three-day tournament.
Divas defeated Wolvens 7-6 in their final round-robin match after losing 11-6 to eventual winners Cudas at the Raffles Institution Softball Field earlier yesterday.

The country only representative in the tournament collected 12 points after four wins and three losses sitting only behind host ORA Gryphons who are in third place with 15 points.

Champions Cudas collected maximum 21 points after winning all their games, meanwhile, Maiko Japan, a Japanese team based in Singapore finished second with 18 points to their name.

Divas kicked-off their campaign on Friday with a close 3-2 defeat to ORA Gryphons before bouncing back with an 8-7 victory over River Valley High School.

The faced Cudas in their third match on the same day, but the match was abandoned due to bad weather.

The next day saw Diva defeated Raffles Institution 7-6 but they lost to Maiko Japan 3-2 in their following match.

Divas defeated Mudball 12-7 later in the day, their biggest win in the tournament.

“The first game with Cudas this morning was a continuation from the first day as the game was stopped after 58 minutes due to lightning…we started off rather sleepily and made a few errors which cost us the game,” said Divas team manager Sofiah Isa in an interview with The Brunei Times yesterday.

“Nevertheless, I think we played extremely well and exceeded our expectations…and we were presented with the fourth place trophy which was unexpected as we only came to this tournament to see where our level is in the region.

“We enjoyed this tournament and each and every player have gained a lot of exposure. We have definitely learnt a lot from here and are very proud of our achievement.

“Each and every one of us have improved after every game and by the end of the tournament our coach (Gedda Valencia) can be proud to say that all our players managed to hit well,” Text by Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh and images courtesy of ORA Facebook Page.

A Divas player trying to reach home plate

Hit and run

Divas team player manager Sofiah Isa in action

Divas receiving a trophy from the organisers

Team Divas in Singapore. Image courtesy of Divas

 

Ben Affleck in the recent interview. But who cares… the movie made tons of fortune over the weekend

Who’s your favourite Batman?

Who cares if the movie sucks, right? As long as you can still make millions of dollars. I somehow wonder if Zack Synder the director of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has the same ego as Michael Bay. It’s okay to make shitty movies, just as long as you have strong brand around it. Just look at Transformers and we never learn our lessons too as moviegoers that no matter how bad Transformers is, we will still have the urge to catch it by hook or by crook.

Now the same applies to BvS. Critics have been harsh on them and with a low rotten tomatoes scoring of 29%, it defied the odds as it smashed box office records for the month of March. It raked in USD 170 million over the weekend and it’s the fourth biggest opening ever. Worldwide is even better. They have earned a total of USD 424 million. Now they are capable to overtake the success of another popular superhero Deadpool. We shall wait and see.

What are my thoughts of the movie? I caught it twice actually and beginning to understand some of the plots that might be a little confusing for first timers. I also spotted some “easter eggs” moments. Want to know more of my review? Just click here or listen to my podcast for my review (spoiler free).

As for Zack Synder, you’re lucky that the fans are still willing to pay for your hit-and-miss movie.

Podcast review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Jason Rumpus on the popcorn panel

 

It’s still uncertain if this will be brought in to Brunei. We shall wait and see

 

Creative Arts Festival with Shenny

Top 10 Summer Box office predictions with Rano Iskandar (The Popcorn Panel) and Del Goh (The Reel Show)

Top 10 Summer Box office predictions with Rano Iskandar (The Popcorn Panel) and Del Goh (The Reel Show)

 

Book the C180 now and enjoy FREE upgrade to 17-inch 5-spoke wheel in tremolite metallic, high-sheen finished. Call 244 1763 to book a test drive or visit their Beribi or Gadong showroom at Jati Transport

Stuttgart/New York. Mercedes-Benz wins three categories in the prestigious “World Car Awards 2015”. Christoph Horn, Head of Global Communication Passenger Cars Mercedes-Benz and Rob Moran, Director Mercedes-Benz USA Communications, received the awards on behalf of the brand with the three pointed star at a ceremony held on the occasion of the New York International Auto Show.

Particular success was enjoyed by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which won the “World Car of the Year 2015 Award”. The S-Class Coupé was voted “World Luxury Car 2015”, while the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car picked up the award for “World Performance Car 2015”.

Mercedes-Benz was the only automobile manufacturer to make it into the final round of the awards with five vehicles. This commanding performance is unprecedented in the 11-year history of the “World Car of the Year” awards and serves to reflect the tremendous popularity of the Stuttgart-based brand among their customers. The international jury for these prestigious awards is made up of 75 renowned automotive journalists.

Mercedes-Benz has found favour with the jury in previous years too: in 2014 the S-Class won the category “World Luxury Car”. In 2012 the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY was the winner in the category “World Green Car”, while the same award was taken back in 2007 by the E 320 BlueTEC.

 

Posing with a special hard cover edition of this month’s BHC magazine

Happy 3rd birthday, BHC Magazine

How time flies very fast and I remember covering the first ever launch of the BHC Magazine at the same venue three years ago, a project spearheaded by Stuart Lee, the Project Director of BHC Magazine. Last week, Butra Home Concept (BHC) Magazine celebrated their third anniversary.

You will probably know or heard of BHC magazine and it caters to the audience who love about homes and decos and also featuring the Brunei homes. The magazine has now evolved into a lifestyle guide and for readers of BHC, you can also download the book on your IOS powered phone (iPhones). For Stuart, the magazine is a success when someone picks up the magazine and read thru and not just the milestone that it has achieved along the years.

Congratulations to the team behind BHC Magazine, Azlan Ahmad, Group Chief Executive of MixmediaGroup and Amir Noor, Editor of BHC Magazine.

Azlan Ahmad giving his welcoming remarks

The cake cutting ceremony

Hui Chiet of Red Bull (Brunei) among the attendees

Nathan Ambrose and Stuart Lee

Finally caught up with my long time friend FJ

It was quite a packed event

Me in a Box Photo Booth

The lucky winner of the 42” tv

Guests during the third year anniversary

The current edition of BHC magazine (on photo)

Del Goh and Stuart Lee

Lucky draw for their third year anniversary

 

TrueVector Designs are going to hold ANOTHER EVALUATION TEST for those who couldn’t make it the last time and are still interested in pursuing a career animation. So who are they looking for?

-Traditional 2D artist

-Sketchers

-Desk & Notebook scribblers/doodlers

– A good command in English

So what are you waiting for? Don’t hesitate to join us by sending in your CV and portfolio to our email at hello@truevectordesigns.com or truevectordesigns@gmail.com before 15th May 2015 (Friday)

Successful applicants will be informed to sit for the test which will In shaa Allah be on 18th May 2015 (Monday).

 

Audi A3 Sedan – Prime Edition

Audi A3 Sedan – Prime Edition

T.C.Y. Motors Sdn Bhd as the sole agent for Audi in Brunei in its efforts to constantly offer customers ‘something different yet exciting’ is pleased to introduce a new sporty variant of the Audi A3 Sedan- the Prime edition.

The Audi A3 Prime edition is a 1.8 turbo (180hp) model fitted with exclusive sports styled exterior body kit from Audi’s Genuine Accessories offering. The body kit includes a distinctive front spoiler; side sills, a new design rear diffuser incorporated with the rear apron- all of which can be available in either Brilliant Black or the car body colour, topping off the package is the standout tailgate spoiler in Carbon which finishes the Prime sports look.

An additional option to the package is the exclusive cast aluminium 18-inch wheels in 5-arm Velum design which is sold separately. The Audi A3 Prime edition is available now for viewing with other current offerings at Audi Kiarong showroom during operating hours.

The sporty design at the back

Upon request – exclusive cast aluminium 18-inch wheels in 5-arm Velum design