Yay!!! The sleepless nights begin today until Hari Raya. Why? Because of Euro 2016. I have to say that I’m not that excited for this year’s Euro 2016 tournament. Firstly not so much hype about it even among my peers. I was more concerned of the transfer market of who’s who. Secondly, I didn’t know that the opener of the Euro 2016 until 10 hours before kick-off, thinking that it will happen this Sunday. Lastly, I didn’t bother to buy any Panini stickers for Euro 2016.

My personal favourite team is still England though I doubt they will go that far in the tournament. Records haven’t been in their favour and plus they don’t have what it takes to be taken so seriously. They are simply not as consistent like other countries such as Germany and Spain. The favourites are still these two and also the host France who beat Romania 2-1 in the opening game.

It was a pretty good effort from Romania and they gave the host a few scares. In actual fact, Romania could have shared the spoils as they had two great chances that went begging. It was the efforts of two Frenchmen playing in the Premier League that settled the score – Giroud and Payet.

It’s good to see a football tournament back again! However, for the Copa America, I’m not as excited as Astro isn’t showing any live telecast of that tournament. Boohoo..

Payet scoring a screamer and the eventual winning goal against Romania. Image by Clive Rose/Getty Images.

Giroud opened the scoring with a header. Image by Darren Staples/Reuters

 

The crazy sales happening tonight until midnight at both Tungku Link and Batu Satu branches

At the Tungku Link outlet.. Don’t forget that Batu Satu also has the crazy sales in conjunction with the upcoming Hari Raya

The Crazy Sales are back and it will come back from time to time during the period of Ramadhan. Yes, Galleria YMRM are always great in doing awesome promotion and sales. Just recently last Monday, they brought back the $1 sale for the benefit of the regular customers and today (Saturday), the crazy sales are back starting from 8pm till midnight.

Ramesh Jiwatram Bhawnani, the founder of Galleria YMRM, expressed his sincerity in holding such sales and promotion and it was a gesture of giving back to the community after the many years of support they have given to the establishment. It was also another way for the local spenders to support local retailers and help to improve the local economy.

Despite the turbulent economy, Ramesh was surprised with the recent growth in sales at YMRM. The reason being is that the locals and even expats know what they are paying for – affordable and still of good quality. YMRM has become a household name for offering such great offers and not compromising on the quality. Even members of the Royal Families frequent to buy materials for baju melayu and baju kurung.

So grab this opportunity for the Happy Hour sales at YMRM Galleria (Tungku Link and Batu Satu).

One of the branded fabrics (high quality) for the ladies

They have more new collections that just came from a new shipment

A simple design with high quality material on discount

The super affordable section, a good choice for budget spenders

They even have cheaper senjangs for young boys

The below $20 range of Senjang

Sending from Trengganu and the designs are pretty unique

The high end Senjangs with delicate workmanship

They also sell Kain Songket if you wanna make baju or dress out of it

Ground Level of YMRM.. There is also the mezzanine floor

Don’t forget the lights too outside YMRM Galleria

Cucul for your home to lighten up for the festive season

 

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

 

Wanna win a pair of Adidas Predator boots? Listen to our (delayed) podcast to find out more

 

HRH Prince ‘Abdul Mateen receives a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in International Politics, from Kings College London in the United Kingdom on July 21. Image courtesy of His Majesty’s Office.

The most liked photo on my IG in many months and I can see why. His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours in International Politics, from Kings College London in the United Kingdom.

The son of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam received the conferment of his degree at a graduation ceremony held at the Barbican Centre in London two days ago, His Majesty’s Office announced yesterday. Other members of the Royal Family who were present at the graduation were His Royal Highness Prince Hj ‘Abdul ‘Azim, Her Royal Highness Princess ‘Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah, and Her Royal Highness Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah.

Congratulations to Your Royal Highness on the achievement 🙂

 

 Zakat contribution

BIBD today handed over two mock cheques to the Islamic Religious Council of Brunei for the purpose of Zakat contributions for BIBD and its customers. The event took place at the Ministry of Religious Affairs Office in Jalan Menteri Besar, Berakas.

BIBD’s Zakat contribution for 2013 amounted to B$ 2,355,519.40, whilst Zakat contributions from the customers of BIBD for the period of 2013-2014 amounted to B$ 241,816.24.
The mock cheques for the contributions were handed over by the Chairman of Shariah Advisory Body for BIBD and its subsidiaries, Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Setia Raja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaili bin Haji Mohiddin to Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahman, Minister of Religious Affairs on behalf of MUIB (Islamic Religious Council of Brunei).

Also in attendance were Yang Mulia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Aziz bin Orang Kaya Maharaja Lela Haji Yussof, Deputy Chairman of the BIBD Shariah Advisory Body along with BIBD Managing Director, Yang Mulia Javed Ahmad.

Handover of donations to Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Setia Raja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Awang Haji Suhaili bin Haji Mohiddin to Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahman, Minister of Religious Affairs on behalf of MUIB (Islamic Religious Council of Brunei)

The concept of Zakat is to donate a portion of one’s wealth to the eligibility group of people named as asnaf Zakat mentioned in the Holy Book of Al- Quran in Surah At-Taubah: Verse 60. The act is considered highly honorable as Zakat is not only to cleanse one’s wealth but also provides spiritual purification, drawing Muslims closer to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala.

The significance for Zakat in society is that to eradicate the poverty via an approved methodology in providing and managing the society’s economy and finance. Zakat is the 3rd pillar of Islam, making it is compulsory on Muslims, provided they meet the conditions which are the required nisaab (the minimum amount of wealth i.e 85 gram of gold or their equivalent in cash that one must have before Zakat is payable) and haul (the possession of assets for the whole hijrah year).

In order to help its muslim customers meet this religious obligation, BIBD strongly urges its customers to utilize their branches to pay their Zakat at its many counters at its many strategic locations in Brunei Darussalam. Press release and image courtesy of BIBD.

 

Brunei Panini Collectors’s Group with representatives from Adison Marketing at Hadfa Catering Restaurant

Last evening, Brunei Panini Collectors had a sungkai gathering at Hadfa Catering restaurant. It was organised by the Brunei Panini fans themselves and the event started off with a prize presentation for their quiz competition. There were some interesting prizes including ‘tiga ikat durian tempatan”. Following that is a lucky draw for every one present at the event. Adison Marketing also gave out prizes for the winners of our facebook contests.

The Panini Collectors group also gave out a token of appreciation to The Brunei Times and Adison Marketing. Images courtesy of Adison Marketing.

The head of the group giving his speech

Marathon enthusiast Danny also won a prize

Nice shirt

Ready to break fast

Check out Bert Khtree’s collection of World Cup Panini 2014. Amazing!!

 

You still have chance to catch Yasmine and the crew tomorrow

Liyana and the crew recently at Kaka Restaurant with Pusat Ehsan. Image courtesy of @yasminethemovie

Students from Pusat Ehsan greeting the stars of Yasmine. Image courtesy of @yasminethemovie

Liyana with her young fans at Brunei Hotel. Image courtesy of @yasminethemovie

Liyana with Aman. Image courtesy of @yasminethemovie

Sungkai-ing with Yasmine and the gang

The customary Yasmine pose

Check out the Yasmine fan club. Click image to enter.

 

Check out the Happy Video created by @emmagoodegg and The Collective and shot by Origins Film

Associates from Burger King

Happy faces from Brunei

 

The media with associated from Royal Brunei Airlines

Royal Brunei Airlines had a small soiree (gathering) at the Bilik Sejahtera, Royal Brunei Recreational Club to celebrate a milestone reach of almost 100,000 fans on Facebook.

It’s no small feat that Royal Brunei Airlines is one of the top businesses on Facebook with their amazing social media engagement with fans and customers. RB not only uses the social media platform for their latest airfare promos, but keeps the public apprised on corporate news, to listen to their customers feedback and comments, as an Emergency Response Team for Social Media Crisis and to bond, engage and be friends with customers and potential customers. As of 12pm on 23rd June 2014, they have 99,938 fans on Facebook, and anticipate hitting the big 100K over the weekend. They also have 10K followers on Twitter, close to 9K followers on Instagram. They also utilize Google+, Pinterest and Youtube as part of their social media engagement. So peeps, do enter their Facebook page here and do like the page if you haven’t.

Royal Brunei joined Facebook back in October 2009, and the number of fans increased significantly after their innovative rebranding journey, which started out with an intriguing viral campaign that caught everyone’s attention. Their success in social media is a collaborative effort of their Digital Channel, Marketing, Brand Comms, Customer Relations, Customer Call Centre, Royal Skies, MIS and HR departments.

To celebrate the occasion, RB invited members of the media, staff and close affiliates for high tea, and an opportunity to take pictures commemorating the 100K followers.

Azhani Abu Daniel, Head of Corporate Communication, Royal Brunei Airlines, giving her welcoming remarks

Royal Brunei associates looking at the photo kiosk

Getting the shots printed

Posing for the camera

The “selfie/usfie” challenge. Last submission by 27th June

 

It’s happening this Thursday

Time Out with Liz respects the holy month that’s just around the corner so this months episode will be held on Thursday evening 26 June 2014 at Kaleidoscope Kiulap.

We have another great line up of guests. This time under lifestyle audience will get a chance to get personal with the Brunei cast and director of Yasmine the movie launching very soon to audiences everywhere. Meet and chat with Siti Kamaluddin , Liyana Yus and Nadiah Wahid to find out how you too can go the extra mile to achieve the impossible.

Many Bruneian’s love starting home based businesses especially in the food industry. Meet Ben Sia. Find out more about his drive to make awesome pastries and what makes him different .

Lastly, meet Ruby Chong. One of the contestants competing in hollywood next month representing Brunei and find out more about her ambition. All this and more. Get your seats now for only $10 a seat ( this month only) from now until showtime. All you have to do is email timeoutwithliz@gmail.com or visit www.Facebook.com/timeoutwithliz and inbox us there.

I can’t wait for the premiere of Yasmine. Catch Liyana this Thursday

Also do catch Ben Sia on his passion on pastries

…and of course the young talented Ruby Chong and I still remember her performance at JIS Music Showcase. Amazing!!

 

Redemption date is 11-12th July 2pm to 9pm and 13th July 11am to 6pm. You will get a free towel for a 80% complete album and for the 100% completed album, you will get both towel and a Fuleco Plush Toy. Do make note while stock lasts.

 

It’s happening this Wednesday

Enjoy shopping and taking part in the activities in the upcoming ASEAN Consumer Fair 2014 and stand the chance to win the grand prize of a Toyota Etios courtesy of NBT (B) Sdn Bhd and other fabulous prizes.

Visitors to the ASEAN Consumer Fair 2014, 25 to 29 June at the International Convention Centre, need only fill out a questionnaire to be entered into the lucky draw. No purchase is necessary. 10 names will be drawn every day by visitors to be entered into the draw that will be held on Sunday 29 June at 4pm. Terms and conditions apply.

Other activities to be held at the upcoming fair include several spin to win wheels, an ice cream competition, a Price-The-Hamper contest, and Yasmine movie-related activities.

For further details on the lucky draw and other happenings at the ASEAN Consumer Fair 2014, visit www.bruneiconsumerfair.com or check out the D’Sunlit Facebook page (sunlitbrunei). You can also look out for ASEAN Consumer Fair 2014 articles and advertisements in the newspapers.

 

Guess who’s coming this September

 

Check out the debut podcast of Dugout Treble which is dedicated to World Cup highlights, news and opinions starring Rano Iskandar and co-host Jason Rumpun.

 

Happening today at Hua Ho Manggis

 

Lau Soon Tiong, manager of Hua Ho Manggis, thanked all the sponsors and partners of the event

Yesterday, Hua Ho Manggis Mall launched the Hua Ho Football Fiesta for the delight of football fans and Hua Ho customers where they can enjoy plenty of activities until the following weekend. Most of the activities are related to football, one of the popular sports in Brunei Darussalam, and the event is also coincided with the ongoing World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

One of the highlights of the Hua Ho Football Fiesta is the Hua Ho FIFA 14 PS3 tournament. There will be two categories which will be the World Cup category (round robin) and the knock out category (single elimination). The winner of World Cup category will get an iPad Mini, SCB $50 Mastercard Cashcard and a World Cup replica trophy. The winner of the Knock out category will get a $200 Hua Ho cash voucher, a Red Bull tumbler and a winner’s trophy. There will be consolation prizes as well. The entry fee will be $10 for World Cup category and $8 for Knock Out category. Each of the participants will also get a Panini Sticker Album with some stickers and a Johnson & Johnson Listerine. Interested parties who want to sign up for the tournament can visit Hua Ho Manggis Mall atrium level from 10am to 10pm. The tournament will be from 20th to 22nd June 2014.

Currently, at the Hua Ho Manggis Mall, there is the KFC 11 Foosball Challenge which ends on 19th June 2014. There are many fantastic prizes to be won for participants. The 1st prize will be an Adidas Brazuca Rio official match ball, a Golden Boot Champion’s Trophy, Hua Ho Sports Voucher, KFC merchandise, FKC Food Voucher and Revive Drink. There will be other fantastic consolation prizes for the participants.

Standard Chartered Bank will be having a special promotion for shoppers at Hua Ho Manggis Mall. From 10th to 22nd June 2014, you can stand a chance to win a 60” Sony 3D Internet TV or Liverpool FC merchandise when you shop with you Standard Chartered Hua Ho MasterCard at Hua Ho Manggis Mall. There will be a “spin the wheel” activity as well.

There will be a photography competition. Simply “SNAP, PRINT and PASTE” of the Hua Ho Football Fiesta event. Once you snapped a photo of the activities of the event, then simply slot your SD card into the Canon Selphy CP-910 printer to print your selected photo. Once printed, fill in your details and paste your photo on the board for display. The judges will assess the photos at the end of the competition date. Top 3 winners will win a Canon PowerShot S110, a Canon IXUS 310HS and a Canon PowerShot A2500 respectively. This activity is sponsored by Interhouse Company.

There will be ongoing quizzes during the Hua Ho Football Fiesta and the public can win goodies sponsored by Concepts Computer.

Red Bull is organizing a mini football activity where those who buy a Red Bull are entitled to play and you can stand a chance to win Red Bull merchandise, Red Bull drinks or even gadgets during the event.

There is also a photo booth of the World Cup backdrop, a mascot and the World Cup trophy replica organised by Stationeight.

On Sunday, 15th June, there will be a Panini World Cup stickers trading from 4pm for Panini sticker collectors.

The final prize presentation will be on Sunday 22nd June 2014.

Lau Soon Tiong, manager of Hua Ho Manggis, gave his welcoming remarks before officially launching the Hua Ho Football Fiesta. The purpose of the event is to bring the community together and enjoy the football related activities in the spirit of celebrating the ongoing World Cup 2014.

The Hua Ho Football Fiesta is brought to you by Hua Ho Manggis Hall. The event partners are Ranoadidas, KFC, Standard Chartered Bank, Armtrix Enterprise, Interhouse Company, Kingston Creamery & Beverage and the official radio station is Kristal FM. For more updates, you can check on their instagram @huahosports

Hua Ho Football Fiesta happening until next Sunday

Group photo of Pehin Kapitan China Kornia Diraja Dato Paduka Lau Ah Kok with the sponsors and partners of the event

Vincent Goh of Interhouse Company showing some pictures printed on a Canon Selphy CP-910 printer to the guest of honour

At the Stationeight booth and you can take photo with the World Cup mascot

Pehin Lau paying a visit at Concepts Computer booth

Pehin Lau at the SCB booth

Pehin Lau talking to celebrity DJ Daffy

Pehin Lau at Red Bull area

Zul Abdul Rahman trying out the speed foosball

 

Click image to enter Official Panini Brunei Facebook Page

 

Chan Key Hong, Executive Director of Maju Motors and Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Singapore, with the management of Maju Motors and Volkswagen Group Singapore

Volkswagen Brunei has taken its flagship by storm in the past few months. Why? Just in May alone, Maju Motors, the local distributor of Volkswagen in Brunei, hit the 100 units mark which is the highest ever target for Maju Motors. Their VW Polo 1.4 was the biggest seller among the models and Maju Motors is excited as they will be unveiling new models in the near future. They have already unveiled the family orientated vehicle called Sharan and I was quite impressed with the features (More on that later on my next post). For now, I wanna highlight the growth of Maju Motors in terms of delivery and after sales service.

In the past 12 months, I could see a gradual progress at Maju Motors as they invested in upgrading and renovating their showroom and the result was pretty rewarding especially to their clients and potentially new ones. Their advert campaigns have catchy and effective to draw and entice new customers and breaking that barrier that Volkswagen do cater to all kind of personalities of their clients. There are some models that are made affordable also to the Brunei market without compromising the quality that Volkswagen delivers. So you will tend to see different walks of life behind the (Volkswagen) wheel.

The local media and bloggers have also made an impact on Maju Motors’ development in the past few months. I have to honestly say that compared to where Maju Motors was a few years ago and now, it has a tremendous change and thanks to the leadership and courage that Chan Key Hong, Executive Director of Maju Motors, who drove the company to newer heights and he himself was truly amazed by the company’s sudden growth especially in Brunei’s competitive automative market.

Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Singapore, was appreciative of Key Hong’s handwork and commitment in bringing Volkswagen to another level in Brunei Darussalam but he didn’t expect the sales to reach a 100% growth in just a matter of months. He shared with The Brunei Times that it is also important to look at the service side and brand after from the sales as these are key components in sustaining the growth. He said even though Brunei has a smaller market but it is nonetheless an important market in Southeast Asia. He praised the commitment and the effort done by Key Hong and his team.

So peeps, if you are interested to see the Sharan and other Volkswagen models, do head down to The Mall, Gadong, and check out the Volkswagen roadshow brought to you by Maju Motors and also receive a free The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf voucher when you test drive. The last day of roadshow is Sunday, 15th June 2014.

Once again, congratulations to Chan Key Hong and his team for the outstanding milestone last month and it was also a pleasure to have finally met Dionne from Singapore whom I have been liaising with through emails.

Check out my post tomorrow on the impressive Volkswagen Sharan.

Chan Key Hong, Executive Director of Maju Motors shared about Maju Motors’ milestone and its future

Steffen Schwarz, Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Singapore, loves the number 100 and he was impressed with Brunei’s growth in terms of Volkswagen brand

The Volkswagen Jetta at the roadshow at The Mall till Sunday. Do check out the other models

The Volkswagen Vento at the roadshow at The Mall till Sunday. Do check out the other models

Steffen Schwarz and Chan Key Hong unveiling the Volkswagen Sharan. More on that tomorrow.

Dionne of Volkswagen Group Singapore speaking to the media

The Volkswagen Roadshow at The Mall, Gadong till Sunday

 

Dato’ Mohd Ali Abd Samad, one of the Board of Directors for Malaysia International Franchise Sdn Bhd, Selina Cho, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia, Fauzi Awang, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gloria Jean’s Coffees Malaysia & Brunei, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Mohammad Hj Daud as the guest of honour, Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Afflon Dato Hj Hamidun, Gloria Jean’s Coffees-PGGMB franchise partner cum Managing Director of Altco Jaya Sdn Bhd and Haznah Md Hashim, Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia cutting the ribbon to officiate the 3rd GJC outlet at PGGMB building last weekend

When those working in town heard about Gloria Jean’s Coffee coming to the capital, there were a lot of happy faces especially those who love their drinks and this also gives a healthy competition and more choices for customers in Bandar. Brunei has been a booming place for franchises and it’s no surprise that GJC is making its mark in Brunei. The third outlet was opened recently at Persatuan Guru-Guru Melayu Brunei (PGGMB) building. This building itself has a history and I remember back in early 2000s there were supposedly two to three eateries at the ground floor of PGMMB but the plan didn’t materialised and Brunei Shell Marketing instead took over the ground floor for its office.

Fast forward to 2014, history was made when GJC becomes the first food & beverage outlet to open its door on the ground floor area of PGGMB and I do hope this will spur more businesses to open at PGGMB to bring more traffic to town.

For your info, GJC is an Australian brand and it started off from Sydney. The good part about GJC franchise model is that the franchisor is able to give the franchise to different business owners instead of just one company. So in Brunei, the three outlets of GJC have three different owners unlike other well known franchise brands. This system has been successful and who knows we will have more different owners of GJC in the near future.

Last Saturday, Altco Jaya Sdn Bhd collaborated with Wonderful Lifestyle Sdn Bhd, the master franchise partner of Gloria Jean’s Coffee in Malaysia and Brunei, to open its third outlet at PGGMB. The guest of honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Mohammad Hj Daud. Also present was Gloria Jean’s Coffees-PGGMB franchise partner cum Managing Director of Altco Jaya Sdn Bhd Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Afflon Dato Hj Hamidun; Manager of the Gloria Jean’s Coffees Mohammad Radhi Afflon; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gloria Jean’s Coffees Malaysia & Brunei, Fauzi Awang; one of the Board of Directors for Malaysia International Franchise Sdn Bhd, Dato’ Mohd Ali Abd Samad; Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia Haznah Md Hashim and Deputy High Commissioner of Australia Selina Cho.

To celebrate the new branch, loyal customers can get the chance to enter the exclusive Football Mania “Guess the Team” promotion, available at all branches that is held in conjunction with 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will last until June 21.

Thank you, Amiel Afflon, for the invitation 😀

Guest of honour signing the book

A toke of appreciation for guest of honour

Group photo with the guest of honour

During the opening of the 3rd outlet

The interior of Gloria Jean’s Coffee at PGGMB

Awesome teamwork from the barista last weekend

Amiel Afflon with his friends during the opening

The location of Gloria Jean’s Coffee at PGGMB

Have you bought yours yet?

Now this will take some time to get the groove going. I bought my first sticker album and so far only purchased 3 stickers and I have yet to open it *lol* But the craze has been happening already and the usual hot spot for the gathering has always been the food zone at Gadong Properties. The gatherings have been quite a popular one and today will be another gathering at Food Zone from 4pm onwards.

I have even saw an article that Justina Baharun has completed three World Cup sticker albums and she spent 10 boxes of stickers.. Now that’s what you call a fanatic. I will definitely be a late bloomer for this craze and big shout out to Ho Tai Sdn Bhd for making this craze possible. The local company is the sole distributor of Panini stickers in Brunei and they have been running some contest as well.

You can click here on their Facebook page and follow updates.

The gathering is today later at Food Zone

One of the gathering nights at Food Zone for swapping and trading