Going Places December 2019

DECEMBER 2019

Kuala Lumpur’s 2019 Best New Restaurants

MY Guide To Birmingham, England ■ Inside Japan’s Largest Fish Market

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Europe’s Christmas Markets In Pictures ■ Chef Emmanuel Stroobant

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December 2019

Contents EXPLORE 38

PHOTO: WILDFLOWERS

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Kuala Lumpur’s top tables in 2019

Navigator GP ON THE WEB

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Our exclusive digital content

FROM THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF 8

MY GUIDE 30

Birmingham, United Kingdom

EDITOR’S NOTE

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MAIL ROOM

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE SEE

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE DINE

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE STAY

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE ART

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Upcoming events for your calendar

What’s new in the world of dining

Hospitality news and options

Follow us:

goingplacesmagazine.com

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facebook.com/goingplacesmagazine

@goingplacesmagazine

What to see in the art world

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CONTENTS

PHOTOBOOK Seasonal Shopping 52

123RF

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Features

CHEF’S CUT 78

Emmanuel Stroobant, TV Chef and Owner of Michelin-starred Saint Pierre

IN PROFILE | Dato’ Azmar Talib Talib 32 Chief Executive Officer of TRX City Sdn Bhd

FASHION + ACCESSORIES

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THE CURE

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EXPLORE | Setiu Wetlands Wetlands

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WARISAN | Deraman Beritma Beritma

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The globetrotter’s styling guide

Lotions, potions, spas, and more

Model ecotourism hub in Terengganu

GIZMOS + GADGETS 66 Cool gadgets in focus this month

ENTERTAINMENT

SAINT PIERRE

Merungkai kisah di sebalik Gendang 24 Musim

103

Your in-flight entertainment guide

SEEN + HEARD

112

Events in Malaysia and around the world

Inside Malaysia Airlines NEWS

87

FLEET

92

ENRICH QUICK GUIDE

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XAVIER MAH CONSULTANCY

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Europe’s best Christmas markets

SAFETY & SERVICE INFO 95 WHERE WE FLY

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EXPLORE | Toyosu Fish Market 46

Inside one of the world’s largest seafood markets in Japan

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Go online for more stories

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PEXEL

goingplacesmagazine.com

Places To Be Awed By The Night Sky

Read Me Online

Mankind has always been fascinated by the night sky, ever since ancient times.

From the shores of Lake Tekapo in New Zealand to the pristine beaches of the Maldives, here are five places where you can lie underneath the stars.

The in-flight magazine of Malaysia Airlines is available at your digital doorstep.

Visit goingplacesmagazine.com and get inspired!

NOEL FOO

Surf our website for exciting travel and lifestyle ideas, reviews of the best hotels, dining establishments and much, much more.

Unique Museums Like us on facebook.com/goingplacesmagazine and follow us on instagram.com/goingplacesmagazine For advertising enquiries, contact Spafax Networks Sdn Bhd at +603 7960 0711 or email mhmedia@spafax.com

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Museums today are no longer just for history and art. Malaysia is home to many creative museums, some of which remain relatively unknown to locals. Whether it’s a museum dedicated to cats, or one housed in a decommissioned submarine, we look at some of the quirkiest and most fascinating museums found across the country.

Travel Inspiration Travel stories are more than just tales of adventure, of love and friendship and overcoming fears; they can also inspire us to take our own journeys. We compile a list of five inspiring stories that can spark a serious case of wanderlust.

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FROM THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

Dear Guests, It is my pleasure to welcome all of you on board.

As we inch closer to the end of the year, it’s only natural for us to reflect and look back on the year that has passed. It gives us a sense of perspective, as it makes us learn from the experiences we’ve had.

Here at Malaysia Airlines, in spite of all the challenges and difficulties, we’ve enjoyed unwavering loyalty from our passengers. They’ve supported us constantly, always giving us feedback and sharing their experiences with us.

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Hence, it’s only apt to launch the Fly Malaysia campaign in support of Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020). The Fly Malaysia campaign celebrates the beauty of Malaysia, from its diverse and rich culture to its enchanting nature, and most importantly, its kind and supportive people. Fly Malaysia intends to thank Malaysians and foreign travellers alike for their loyalty by providing them with better service, greater flexibility and more unique experiences.

Capt Izham Ismail

Group Chief Executive Officer Malaysia Airlines Berhad

In celebration of this, we’ve also launched the One Year Rewards Campaign, a two-month-long promotion for Malaysia Airlines travellers. We’ve partnered with 10 Malaysian-preferred brands to come up with attractive prizes to be won by Malaysia Airlines customers. All prizes and rewards will be valid throughout the year of 2020. This campaign aims to create buzz for our customers and for a lucky few of them, prizes to kick off 2020 on a positive note.

Finally, with Christmas around the corner, a time of giving and celebration, I urge everyone to take a step back from the distractions of work and stress to enjoy the holidays with families and loved ones, and to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Christmas is also a time for being thankful for what life has given us. Be sure to spare a thought for those less fortunate by sharing your time or donating to worthy causes.

As always, we thank you for travelling with Malaysia Airlines. To Malaysians travelling home for the holidays, I wish you Merry Christmas and welcome home. To the rest, we hope you have an amazing trip or stopover in beautiful Malaysia.

Thank you for choosing to Fly Malaysia. ■

malaysiaairlines.com facebook.com/malaysiaairlines @malaysiaairlines youtube.com/MalaysiaAirlines s.weibo.com/weibo/malaysiaairlines

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plus.google.com/+MalaysiaAirlines twitter.com/MAS tvs.youku.com/malaysiaairlines line/Malaysia Airlines

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Some of you are likely to be on your way to London, or perhaps Tokyo. In our travel features this month, we present two destinations that have never been covered by Going Places, at least not under my watch. If you have a day to spare in London, why not take the train to Birmingham?

James March, a long-time resident of the City of 1,000 Trades, writes that it has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.K. outside of London and will host the Commonwealth Games in three years, a remarkable turnaround for a city that once could only be described as having “more canals than Venice”.

Editor

It’s been a truly busy year and I’m looking forward to the slower pace of activities as we wind down the decade.

We started 2019 by asking travel experts where people should go this year. They came up with a list of five favourite destinations – Egypt, Sydney, Easter Island, Indonesia and Myanmar – that I hope you have taken inspiration from by visiting at least one of them. In between, we’ve packed the issues with more local and international travels, hoping you will discover a gem or two in the destinations; insightful conversations with industry captains; stories of selflessness and compassion; our chef series; and more.

Since it’s the holiday season and many of you are wondering where to book that Christmas or New Year’s lunch or dinner, we’ve decided to conclude 2019 by listing the exciting restaurants that have opened in the capital Kuala Lumpur this year. Twelve made the list. From Ember Modern Bistro’s progressive menu to Malaysian breakfast staples fused with something from a Melbourne brunch at Tapestry, Sean Yoong writes that 2019 has been a banner year for Malaysian restaurateurs and chefs to showcase their skills. His story is on pages 38-42.

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Since it’s the season of giving, we’ve curated a list of gift ideas for Christmas in our fashion, gadget and wellness sections. If you’re looking for inspiration for fragrance, shoes, a sports watch or an extra-special Christmas ornament shimmering with 90 crystal facets, we might have just the thing for you. Gifting can also come in the form of your time.

It’s the most precious, in fact. Do find some time to spend with loved ones and friends, especially those you have not seen in a while, for life is fleeting. No place is too far to get to.

It just needs a little planning.

It’s been a fantastic run for the team and me this year. From all of us, we wish you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a great year ahead. ■

DECEMBER 2019

Kuala Lumpur’s Best New Restaurants Of 2019

MY Guide To Birmingham, England ■ Inside Japan’s Largest Fish Market

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMBER MODERN BISTRO

goingplacesmagazine.com | 10 | December 2019

Julie Goh

If you’ve been to Tokyo or are on your way, you’ve likely heard of the famed Tsukiji Fish Market. Well, that market is no more. It’s been moved to a new facility in eastern Tokyo.

The Toyosu Fish Market is a modern, purpose-built facility that’s much more hygienic, according to its vendors and workers. Our writer Eris Choo, who was taken on a tour of the facility, writes “if you’ve ever been to Tsukiji, the atmosphere and techniques at Toyosu are comfortingly familiar, down to the practice of ikejime – the traditional method of slaughtering fish to maintain the quality of its meat.” Do read the rest of her story on pages 46-49. It’s a truly insightful account of what goes on inside Japan’s multi-billion-dollar seafood industry, one of the largest in the world.

Europe’s Christmas Markets In Pictures ■ Chef Emmanuel Stroobant

On The Cover Twelve innovative and downright delicious venues made our list of top new restaurants in Malaysia for 2019. Story on pages 38-42.

18/11/2019 11:25 AM

THE MAIL ROOM

Letter of the Month Despite many letters praising the in-flight staff for their friendliness and professionalism, I would like to give my utmost focused recognition to the ground staff handling check-in. During the school holidays in mid-August, my wife and I and our two-year-old child took the earliest flight from Kuala Lumpur to Bintulu. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we arrived late at KLIA to check in our luggage. We looked at the long queue at the checkin counter due to the holiday season; it was almost impossible to check in our luggage in time. My wife became nervous as there were many luggage to be checked in and some of them were very large and would be stopped by security if we hand-carried them. Fortunately, one of the ground staff approached us proactively and with a calming tone offered to help us check in at the fast lane at one of the counters. We managed to check in on the dot and fly back to Bintulu uneventfully. As a Malaysian, I was proud of our ground staff because they magnified true Malaysian Hospitality. Their friendliness and professionalism were quite contagious, be it comforting my young child to guiding panicked adults like me and my wife. Syabas to Malaysia Airlines’ ground crew!

going places SPAFAX MALAYSIA BUSINESS DIRECTOR SUE LOKE sue.loke@spafax.com EDITORIAL EDITOR JULIE GOH julie.goh@spafax.com SENIOR WRITER ERIS CHOO eris.choo@spafax.com

ART DIRECTOR EURIC LIEW euric.liew@spafax.com

WRITER NOEL FOO noel.foo@spafax.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER NURFARAHIN KAMARUDIN nurfarahin.kamarudin@spafax.com CONTRIBUTORS

ADLINA AZHARUDDIN, RUBINI KAMAL, PY CHEONG, SHAMSUL KHAN @ K K LARKHAN MOHD, GEORGINA YATES, JOHN LIM, VENETIA DE SILVA

CHEW CHIEN YUNG Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia ADVERTISING & MEDIA SALES

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I was delighted to pick up the September issue of Going Places on my recent Singapore-Kuala Lumpur flight. For a change, the cover featured my all-time favourite person, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I reckon there is no one in this world who would have been willing to make a historic comeback at the ripe old age of 93, to lead a nation. On this beautiful albeit hazy afternoon, sitting in my national carrier and reading about the nation’s number one man, I feel a sense of pride and joy. Kudos to the Going Places editorial team and the crew of Malaysia Airlines.

PADMINI PILLAI Jitra, Kedah, Malaysia

I am writing this at 37,000 feet on the way home. I am part of Malaysia Airlines, flying the A330. I read Going Places regularly, but I find the September issue special. I loved the article of the interview with our Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but what I really liked is the issue’s cover. The choice of a dark background with Tun’s dark suit is not easy to shoot, but the picture was nicely lit, with nice shadows and details in the suit. The lighting set-up and post-processing were really well done.

Secondly, Tun’s expression is just amazing. He looks relaxed, comfortable, and it does look like he was having a good time. This is one of my favourite covers of Going Places.

MEGAT ARIZAL Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I had a pleasant time flying from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu recently, and I attribute it mostly to your excellent staff, Chong Pek Thai and Eva Thong. They were very attentive to the needs of the passengers such as requests for blankets, pillows, extra meals and drinks. They managed to keep a professional, well-groomed appearance, worked efficiently and yet were still able to extend warm and friendly service to passengers.

Keep up the good work.

FADZYLIE DULLIE Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

SENIOR SALES MANAGER SHIRLEY CHIN shirley.chin@spafax.com

SALES MANAGER EMMY AIZA emmy.aiza@spafax.com

SALES MANAGER VANNES CHING vannes.ching@spafax.com

SALES MANAGER KHAIRUL ADZMAN khairul.adzman@spafax.com

SPAFAX CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER NIALL MCBAIN CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER SIMON OGDEN

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ASIA PACIFIC JEAN-MARC THOMAS

SPAFAX MIDDLE EAST EDOUARD BERTHIER edouard.berthier@spafax.com

SPAFAX USA MARY RAE ESPOSITO maryrae.esposito@spafax.com

SPAFAX EUROPE TULLIA VITTURI tullia.vitturi@spafax.com

SPAFAX CANADA TRACY MILLER tracy.miller@bookmarkcontent.com

SPAFAX UK STEVE O’CONNOR Steve.OConnor@spafax.com SPAFAX ASIA-PACIFIC AGNES LAW agnes.law@spafax.com

SPAFAX SOUTH AMERICA FRANCISCO AZOCAR francisco.azocar@bookmarkcontent.com

PUBLISHER MALAYSIA AIRLINES BERHAD (1116944-X)

1st Floor, Administration Building, South Support Zone, KLIA 64000 Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Tel 1 300 88 3000

PRINTER TIMES OFFSET (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD

(194695-W.)

Times Subang, Bangunan Times Publishing, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia Tel +603 5628 6888 Fax +603 5628 6899

Each month, Going Places will select a Letter of the Month and the winner will receive a gift. For December, the winner will receive 2D1N stay in the Grand Room at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Hotel, inclusive of daily breakfast at THIRTY8 for two worth USD335 (RM1,400).

Going Places welcomes your comment. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity and are published in the language in which they are written. Please include your full name, contact number and location when writing to us at mhmedia@spafax.com.

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Going Places is published monthly by Spafax Networks Sdn Bhd for Malaysia Airlines Berhad (1116944-X).

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of Malaysia Airlines.

All rights reserved. Copyright @ 2019 by Malaysia Airlines. Opinions expressed in Going Places are the writers’ and not necessarily endorsed by Malaysia Airlines and/or Spafax Networks.

They are not responsible or liable in any way for the contents in any of the advertisements, articles, photographs or illustrations contained in this publication. Editorial inquiries and inquiries concerning advertising and circulation should be addressed to Spafax Networks.

Malaysia Airlines and Spafax Networks accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photography, illustration and other editorial materials. The Editorial Team reserves the right to edit and/or re-write all materials according to the needs of the publication upon usage.

Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless they are accompanied by sufficient return postage.

18/11/2019 12:15 PM

Travel Concierge

SINGAPORE TOURISM BOARD

goingplacesmagazine.com | 13 | December 2019

The inside track on the best accommodations, dining options and calendar of events from Malaysia and around the world.

Christmas Street For the whole of this month, catch Singapore’s greatest seasonal after-dark attraction, Christmas On A Great Street. Now in its 36th year, the annual Christmastime light-up of Orchard Road covers a 3.8 kilometre stretch of the main thoroughfare and connecting streets. Besides taking photos with adorable little Santas at unique set pieces, enjoy various activities at three Great Christmas Village venues at Shaw House Urban Plaza, *SCAPE and Grange Road Car Park. Enjoy over 30 amusement rides and game booths, including the Duplex Carousel and Bumper Cars, watch nightly music performances, savour delicious street food and shop at pop-up stores.

When: Until 1 January | Where: Orchard Road, Singapore orchardroad.org

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©TAN NGOC

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©TA NGUYEN HIEP

©SENTHIL KUMARAN_TAMED TUSKERS

TRAVEL CONCIERGE | SEE

Creative Snapshots

Celebrate Sustainability

Photography enthusiasts visiting Siem Reap this month may be interested to explore some of the exhibitions hosted under the Angkor Photo Festival. This 15th edition of the five-day festival will feature a series of indoor and outdoor exhibitions, nightly slideshow projections, portfolio reviews, artist talks, panel discussions and workshops. This year’s programme will feature works from the event’s professional workshop alumni, such as Vietnam’s Linh Pham and Ha Dao, India’s Senthil Kumaran and Nepal’s Uma Bista. There will also be a unique Mobile Tuk-Tuk Exhibition, where images will be mounted on five tuk-tuks and taken outside of the Cambodian city for those in the countryside to enjoy.

Held just outside Pattaya in southern Thailand, Wonderfruit is a renowned festival for art, music, food and ideas that celebrate sustainability and catalyse positive impact. This certified carbon neutral festival builds its pop-up site out of sustainable or upcycled materials and encourages visitors to observe green practices, such as avoiding single-use plastics and composting food waste.

Festivalgoers can opt for the full experience by camping near the festival grounds instead of booking a hotel in nearby Pattaya.

Be enlightened by talks and workshops on wellness and sustainability, explore the fascinating art installations and enjoy music performances from almost 100 acts in every genre from electronic to world music.

When: 3 – 7 December Where: Participating arts and culture venues and dining establishments in Siem Reap, Cambodia

When: 12 – 16 December Where: The Fields at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand

angkor-photo.com

wonderfruit.co

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Events+Happenings

NARENDRA KAMESHWARA

goingplacesmagazine.com | 15 | December 2019

NARENDRA KAMESHWARA

For more calendar listings, visit goingplacesmagazine.com

Martin Garrix

MANUEL HARLAN

Calvin Harris

EDM Superstars One of Southeast Asia’s biggest dance music festivals, the Djakarta Warehouse Project returns to downtown Jakarta next month with some of the biggest stars of the EDM world headlining the event.

Global DJ phenomenon Calvin Harris will be making his second appearance at the festival this year, along with EDM prodigy Martin Garrix. Grammy-winning artists Zedd and dubstep legend Skrillex will also perform in the Indonesian capital. Other talents scheduled to perform are leaders in their respective genres: Oliver Heldens, Salvatore Ganacci, R3HAB, Martin Solveig, Jeffrey Sutorius (also known as Dash Berlin), Yellow Claw and Jonas Blue.

The Greatest Show Be captivated and amazed as Circus 1903 transports audiences back to the Golden Age of the circus. The show returns to London after its successful autumn tour, bringing a huge cast of thrilling, graceful and entertaining acts. The award-winning puppeteers from War Horse bring life-sized, lifelike elephant puppets back to the circus ring. Another new featured act in Circus 1903 is the daring Wheel of Death act from Brazil. Ringmaster David Williamson leads this spectacular troupe, comprising acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, aerialists, strongmen, knife throwers, musicians and more in the epitome of live variety entertainment.

When: 13 – 15 December Where: Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia

When: 19 December – 5 January 2020 Where: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, U.K.

djakartawarehouse.com

circus1903.com

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World’s Largest free-flight walk-in aviary

+603-2272 1010

www.facebook.com/klbirdpark

www.klbirdpark.com

klbirdparkmalaysia

Hornbill Restaurant @ KL Bird Park +603–2693 8086

TRAVEL CONCIERGE | DINE

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Restaurant Openings, News+Reviews

Modern Malaysian From the pioneers of refined Malay dining in Kuala Lumpur comes an original venture: SPG by Bijan. A playful interpretation of the colloquial term ‘Sarong Party Girl’, the tapas bar and grill is located in the attached bungalow next to Bijan restaurant, and is accessible via an adjoining doorway. Expect exceptional food and exotic cocktails, served in an elegant and chic atmosphere with hand-printed tiles, floral batik motifs and mural walls that lend it a nostalgic feel.The menu features a plethora of Asian-inspired signature cocktails, like the Stinkini, featuring martini, dry vermouth and savoury notes of pickled petai; and the cheeky Yellow Fever, infused with gin, turmeric, honey and tonic water. Snack on Malaysian tapas with a twist, such as the addictive signature treat, the Ah Ran Sini (after the Italian arancini) – deep fried rice balls stuffed with the flavours of nasi lemak – or the Muhibbahger, made with fluffy Chinese bao, Indian cucumber raita sauce, and tender, juicy pieces of ayam percik. facebook.com/Bijanrestaurant

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE | DINE

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Thrilling Tapas

Those keen to explore the mesmerising world of ramen won’t find a better place than Japan’s Ramen Expo, which happens over four consecutive weekends (including Fridays) throughout December. Held at Expo Commemoration Park (commonly known as Banpakukoen) in Osaka, the Expo will feature up to 40 vendors from Japan’s most popular ramen regions, with each weekend hosting different groups of ramen masters cooking up their specialities at the park. The festival is best explored with a group of friends to sample the different ramen styles from Hokkaido, Osaka, Tokyo, Oita and more.

Spanish cuisine comes to Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur in the form of The Tapas Discovery, a menu specially curated by the hotel’s new Executive Chef, Filippo Abisso. More than your regular tapas selection, the menu carries a heavy influence from the chef’s Italian heritage. The discovery begins with a serving of Tuna Tartare paired with homemade avocado guacamole, shallots, capers and crushed pistachios, followed by Beef Carpaccio or Burrata with Beef Bresaola, made with two- to three-month-aged beef. The stars of the menu are a selection of Saganaki Prawns, a Greek dish of seared prawns with feta cheese, tomato and herbs sauce, or Wagyu & Foie Gras Mini Burger. The tapas menu ends with a selection of either Chocolate Pecan Brownie or the traditional Italian fried pastry, chiacchiere. The Tapas menu is available at the hotel’s Altitude restaurant.

ramen-expo.com

banyantree.com/en/malaysia/kuala-lumpur/dining/altitude

Ramen Galore

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Restaurant Openings, News+Reviews

TOURISM AUSTRALIA

goingplacesmagazine.com | 19 | December 2019

For more dining options, visit goingplacesmagazine.com

Ducasse’s Debut

Celebrate the year-end with the freshest air, food and music at Taste of Tasmania, Australia’s biggest and longest-running food and wine festival. Held at Princes Wharf, Salamanca Place, the summer party starts from 28 December to 3 January, and features over 70 artisanal food vendors, as well as 65 artists performing across five stages to make sure it’s one big party on the island. Participating food stalls to watch for include Tasmania Sea Urchin Dumplings; Eliza's Restaurant, serving her famous signature smoked paprika and coconut crumbed Tassie mushrooms with aioli; Taylor & Smith Distilling Co, an independently owned local micro-distillery serving small batch gin; and palawa kipli, Tasmania’s only Aboriginal street food business, which serves up sustainable dishes using native produce, from wallabies and local indigenous herbs to crickets.

Singapore’s dining scene has another star-studded addition with the opening of Alain Ducasse’s restaurant at the 122-year-old Bar & Billiard Room in the iconic Raffles Singapore. A fitting addition to the revered landmark, BBR by Alain Ducasse is a modern Mediterranean restaurant serving cold-cut meats, seafood and pizzas from the kitchen helmed by Chef de Cuisine, Louis Pacquelin, who has worked with Ducasse for many years. Appetisers to go for include classics like Pulpo a la Gallega, tender grilled octopus dressed with paprika and olive oil; Riviera Salad, served with tuna belly and crispy chicken pancake; and Pissaladiere, an onion and anchovy tart. For signature mains, order the Cataplana de Marisco, a filling shrimp and shellfish stew, and Langosta a la Menorquina, where lobster is served in its shell together with tomatoes, bell peppers, fennel and bisque. Meat lovers aren’t left out, with the Lomo a la Brasa, a grilled striploin steak served with a tantalising green sweet bell pepper sauce being the recommended choice. If you’ve room for dessert, have the Pizzetta al Cioccolato, a delectable dark and milk chocolate pizza, and Tiger Story, a serving of signature vanilla entremets.

thetasteoftasmania.com.au

bbr-byalainducasse.com.sg

A Fan-Tassie Time

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE | STAY

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Hospitality News+Reviews

HONG KONG

Seasonal Cheer As the Christmas season rolls around, the most premier of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort’s three properties, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, is offering special packages where guests can book two types of themed suites, the Kingdom Club Cinderella Suite and the Kingdom Club Frozen Suite. Hotel guests will be welcomed with a complimentary cookie and a unique Christmas towel in each room. Enjoy a Christmas Buffet feast at the Enchanted Garden Restaurant or a special Christmas and New Year’s Eve Set Dinner at the Victorian-themed Walt’s Café.

Hotel packages include theme park tickets where families can have a magical experience with the Frozen 2 themed show, A Magical Frozen Snowfall, the Frozen Fantasy Gardens Village, the Mickey and Friends Christmastime Ball and ‘A Holiday Wish-Come-True’ Tree Lighting Ceremony, as well as meet-and-greets with Disney characters and mascots. hongkongdisneyland.com

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TRAVEL CONCIERGE | STAY

TOMOOKI KENGAKU

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SAUDI ARABIA

Prime Location

MALAYSIA

Oasis In The City

Located six kilometres from Al Masjid Al Haram, the world’s biggest mosque and Islam’s holiest site, Park Inn by Radisson Makkah Aziziyah is an excellent choice of stay for pilgrims and international travellers alike. The brand’s second property in the city houses 355 comfortable rooms and suites, equipped with modern necessities and wireless high-speed Internet access. Savour a full range of dining options at Al Sharq Restaurant or explore the lobby café and its selection of sweet and savoury snacks. Guests can take their time to unwind and recharge in the hotel’s gender-segregated fitness centre and spa, which offer many kinds of hydrotherapy treatments, a steam room, sauna, hairdressers and a nail spa. The hotel also has two meeting rooms with capacities of up to 100 guests for business travellers to utilise. Muslim pilgrims staying here will appreciate the hotel’s close proximity to multiple holy sites, including Mount Arafat, Mina, Muzdalifah, Jabal Thawr and Jabal Nur.

Set high above Kuala Lumpur’s vibrant Bangsar district, Alila Bangsar is a unique urban retreat that blends relaxing accommodation with a lively city vibe. Its 143 rooms and suites feature an elegant and modern look, with subtle, natural tones and in-room facilities such as a large-screen television, comfortable bed, minibar and safe. The Alila Living Room, located on every guestroom floor, offers free-flowing refreshments throughout the day. Unwind by the pool on Level 40, where an open design provides guests with spectacular views of the city, complemented by tropical-style landscaping and luxurious loungers. Wine-and-dine options are aplenty, including Entier, a French semi-fine dining restaurant with an avant-garde approach, the Pacific Standard cocktail lounge, and Lido Rooftop Bar. Alternatively, opt for wholesome, delectable dishes made from fresh, quality produce at Botanica + Co on the ground floor.

radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-makkah-aziziyah

alilahotels.com/bangsar

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KEMENTERIAN PELANCONGAN, SENI DAN BUDAYA MALAYSIA

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JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI

TRAVEL CONCIERGE | ART

KEITH HARING STUDIO, BY WILLIAM COUPON

JEAN MICHEL-BASQUIAT, BY WILLIAM COUPON

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, MUSEUM SECURITY (BROADWAY MELTDOWN) 1983 ACRYLIC, OILSTICK, AND COLLAGE ON CANVAS, 213.0 X 213.0 CM PRIVATE COLLECTION © ESTATE OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT. LICENSED BY ARTESTAR, NEW YORK

KEITH HARING UNTITLED 1982, SYNTHETIC POLYMER PAINT ON VINYL TARPAULIN WITH ALUMINIUM EYELETS, 213.5 X 220.0 J W POWER COLLECTION, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY, MANAGED BY MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART PURCHASED 1982, © KEITH HARING FOUNDATION

Exhibitions, News+Reviews

Friends Till The End The works of two great friends, activists and artists, the late Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, are showcased side-by-side in a monumental exhibition gathered by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines collects some 300 pieces of art from the pair, including one of the most expensive U.S. paintings ever sold, Basquiat’s Untitled (1982), which brought in USD110.5 million (RM462.7 million) in 2017. The artwork is so arresting it was afforded its own solo exhibition in 2018, and you can see it, along with hundreds of other significant pieces, in the NGV from 1 December. The two artists both enjoyed short careers, but their impact on society and the art world was extremely significant and still resonates today. They both used symbols, signs and language to convey political messages through their artwork, tackling issues such as racism, capitalism, social injustice and the AIDS crisis. Both artists died within two years of each other, with Basquiat passing in 1988 and Haring in 1990, but their legacies live on and they are considered the most influential American artists of the 1980s.

When: 1 Dec – 13 Apr | Where: NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006, Australia ngv.vic.gov.au

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UNTITLED, FROM THE SERIES OUR TRIBE, 2018 © THE SARTISTS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

NECKLACE, CARTIER 2005 PLATINUM, WHITE GOLD, DIAMONDS PRIVATE COLLECTION

UNTITLED, FROM THE SERIES FAMILY WORK, 2018 © HADAR PITCHON COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

UNTITLED, 2018 © ARIELLE BOBB WILLIS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

TRAVEL CONCIERGE | ART

Dress Code

Tokyo’s National Art Center plays host to a dazzling display of Cartier treasures, with the exhibition Cartier, Crystallization of Time this month. This is your last chance to gaze upon some 300 Cartier creations, all made during the last 50 years. Over half of the display has been loaned from private collections, giving an enviable insight into how the other half lives. The pieces are displayed under three categories: ‘Material Transformations and Colour’, ‘Forms and Design’ and ‘Universal Curiosity’, which helps to show how the creative output of the brand has evolved and flourished over time.

The prestigious FOAM Museum in Amsterdam, which is dedicated to the medium of photography, launches an intriguing exhibition that asks what fashion means to the individual and how we use it to communicate our personal values. Adorned – The Fashionable Show comprises a collection of imagery from a selection of emerging photographers who all work primarily in fashion photography.

Through their eyes, the subject of fashion and ultimately personal expression, within which issues surrounding social inclusion, diversity and politics are intertwined, are thoroughly explored. Some of the contributing photographers have already been discovered and are hugely successful on the fashion circuit, while others are rising stars of the scene. This is a cutting-edge show that’s a must-see for anyone interested in fashion, style and the ways self-expression can be celebrated through the lens.

When: Until 16 Dec Where: The National Art Center, 7 Chome-22-2 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo 106-8558, Japan

When: 13 Dec – 11 Mar Where: FOAM Museum, Keizersgracht 609, 1017 DS Amsterdam, Netherlands

nact.jp

foam.org/nl

Golden Hour

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FRITZ KOS ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1979 STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA SOURCED FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE STATE LIBRARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND REPRODUCED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE LIBRARY BOARD OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827) PITY C.1795 COLOUR PRINT, INK AND WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER, 425 X 539 M, TATE

MODEL OF PERTH CULTURAL CENTRE, NORTH VIEW, C1985

WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827) 'EUROPE' PLATE I: FRONTISPIECE, 'THE ANCIENT OF DAYS' 1827 ETCHING WITH INK AND WATERCOLOUR ON PAPER, 232 X 120MM THE WHITWORTH, THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER

W.A. ART GALLERY, NORTH ELEVATION, 1977 PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT OF WA, ARCHITECTURAL DIVISION

Exhibitions, News+Reviews

Pen To Paper

Seventies Style

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a poet, artist and engraver who – though his visionary work was largely neglected during his lifetime – is considered a leading figure in English poetry and art. Though many know him for his penned masterpieces, few know that he was also an expert with a paintbrush. The Tate Britain is determined to change this with the largest exhibition of the late artist’s work that this generation has ever seen. William Blake features some 300 of the artist’s original works. The show also features a re-creation of the small domestic room Blake first revealed in art pieces in 1809 for a truly unique immersive experience. Finally, in another room, the Tate Britain achieves Blake’s lifelong dream to showcase his works in a huge space through the power of digital technology.

The Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth celebrates the 40th birthday of its Brutalist building with a series of exhibitions and events under the umbrella title AGWA 40. First erected in 1979, the building was designed by Polish-born architect Charles Sierakowski and served as a bold example of late Brutalist design.

Explore the history of the building with exhibition Perth Brutal: Dreaming In Concrete, and see how the new layout transformed the way that the gallery was able to display art. Delve deeper into the art of the 1970s with the fascinating show That Seventies Feeling … the Late Modern, which also showcases some of the finest works to visit the gallery during the decade.

When: Until 2 Feb Where: Tate Britain, Millbank, Westminster, London SW1P 4RG, U.K.

When: Until 17 Feb 2020 Where: Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000

tate.org.uk

artgallery.wa.gov.au

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Special Feature

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Now, imagine the same experience in Asia, Europe, Oceania, Canada and America. Seems like a stretch? Not with JCB Card, the international payment brand from Japan. With 30 million merchants worldwide, JCB cardmembers have access to unique offers and promotions, from shopping discounts to free gifts and services.

In Malaysia, receive discounts at countless food and beverage outlets, from El Cerdo to The Whisky Bar; at fashion and jewellery boutiques such as Poh Kong and Aurora Italia; and at spas, nail salons and even for tailored experiences like cooking classes. In Singapore, get special

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discounts for shopping, dining or travelling services and entertainment experiences like a ride on the Singapore Flyer for a 360 degree view of Singapore.

JCB PLAZA LOUNGE, SINGAPORE

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Cardmembers can also call the 24-hour multilingual JCB Plaza call centre for help to make reservations at any of its merchants prior to their visit or for emergency assistance in case of an incident.

For more information on JCB benefits and services, visit www.global.jcb/en.

Besides special benefits and privileges, JCB is also known for its outstanding hospitality with its own lounges around the world to cater to the needs of cardmembers everywhere. There is JCB Plaza in Tokyo and Kyoto as well as JCB Plaza lounges in nine cities including Los Angeles, Honolulu, Guam, Taipei, Singapore, Paris, Seoul,

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MY GUIDE | Birmingham, U.K.

City Of 1,000 Flavours Nicknamed the City of 1,000 Trades due to its industrial heritage, Birmingham has blossomed into a vibrant city with a reputation for culinary excellence.

Words James March | Illustration Maggie Li | Art Direction Euric Liew

goingplacesmagazine.com | 30 | December 2019

‘More canals than Venice’ was once the only thing of note that you could say about Birmingham. It was a sad, selfdeprecating boast that summed up the city’s post-war decline.

Recently however, things have changed. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a city that now boasts the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the U.K. outside of London (four) and will proudly host the Commonwealth Games in three years.

Welcome To The Second City To know the City of 1,000 Trades is to know its heritage, which starts on the canals. These days, they’re unrecognisable from the smoky industrial heyday of the 19th century. A walk down the Gas Street Basin is one of the most pleasant experiences a visitor can have in Birmingham, especially at night, when the colourful lights from the bars and restaurants of Brindley Place reflect on the calm waters of the canals.

The Library of Birmingham opened to great fanfare in 2013, and its distinctive design and spacious interior have made it a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike. The top floor offers a sweeping panorama of the city, but the real hidden gem is the Secret Garden on the seventh floor. This quiet green space offers similar views to the top floor and is a surprising, welcome retreat from the busy streets below.

Malaysia Airlines flies twice daily from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR), United Kingdom.

In the Good To Know section, find out how you can get to Birmingham from London.

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Discover more about the history of Birmingham at the excellent Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which often features special art exhibitions. For a more interactive experience about what life was like for the people who lived in the city during the Industrial Revolution, the Birmingham Back to Backs, with its well-maintained 19th-century terraced houses, is the place to go. To get an idea of the working conditions of the past, take a short walk out of the city into the handsome neighbourhood of the Jewellery Quarter. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is a fascinating time capsule – an immaculately preserved workshop

that looks exactly as it did when the resident company ceased trading in 1981.

Cuisine & Culture If the Birmingham of the past was shaped by industry, then the Birmingham of 2019 is defined by gastronomy. From award-winning fine dining restaurants such as Purnell’s through a potpourri of fabulous independents, there has never been a better time to eat in the U.K.’s ‘Second City’. Some of the country’s most creative cooking can be found at Digbeth Dining Club. This lively street food event is held every weekend in the cultural hotspot of Digbeth, just south of the city centre.

The culinary reputation of Birmingham would be nothing, however, without the contribution of its immigrant population, who started to arrive in the city in the post-war years. Birmingham’s most famous dish, the Balti curry, was developed over 40 years ago by the local Pakistani community and is still popular today. Head to the celebrated Balti Triangle neighbourhood for some of the finest South Asian flavours anywhere in the U.K. Located less than two kilometres from the Balti Triangle, Central Mosque has been the focal point for Birmingham’s Muslim community for over 40 years.

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Just south of the mosque is Cannon Hill Park. Birmingham has more green spaces than any other equivalent-sized European city, and Cannon Hill has a great

community feel to it. Nature lovers can enjoy the Wildlife Conservation Park next door, but the main park is also home to an arts centre, tennis courts, crazy golf, and a boating lake. For those seeking refreshments, the cafés, restaurants and bars of the beautiful, village-like Moseley neighbourhood are only a short walk away.

Good To Know INDEPENDENT BIRMINGHAM Birmingham’s wildly creative independent food scene is one of the biggest reasons to visit the city. Visitors should download the Independent Birmingham App for discounts at over 110 independent cafés, bars, restaurants, theatres and experiences, and an interactive map on where to find them.

GET OUT OF THE CITY Birmingham is a big city of over one million people, but its centre (known locally as ‘town’) is surprisingly small and walkable.

Two of its most exciting neighbourhoods, Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter, are within a 10-minute walk of the city centre.

TAKE THE SLOWER TRAIN There are multiple train options from London to Birmingham, but for the most value for money, take the Chiltern Line train from London Marylebone. It’s around 30 minutes slower than the Virgin train from Euston, but tickets can often be incredibly cheap. Off-peak tickets to Birmingham, if booked in advance, can be bought for as little as £5.50 (RM30).

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William Shakespeare is by far the most famous figure to come out of the Midlands, and a day trip to his hometown of Stratfordupon-Avon is within easy reach of Birmingham. Less than an hour by train from Moor Street Station, The Bard’s medieval hometown is compact and walkable, with pleasant streets of wooden Tudor houses and a pretty waterfront.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace is the main attraction, but those looking for the full experience should head to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to see a play in action by the world’s greatest dramatist.

Visitors looking to do some festive shopping should head to the famous Bullring shopping centre.

Its odd, bulbous shape is not to everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly unique and has become an iconic part of the Birmingham skyline.

Birmingham is also home to The Electric, the U.K.’s oldest working cinema. Dating from 1909, it is particularly special at Christmas when it shows classic festive films and runs special theme nights accompanied by seasonal food and drink.

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It was the largest mosque in Western Europe when it was opened in 1975 and now welcomes visitors of all faiths who want to worship or learn more about Islam.

Where To Stay Christmas In The City Birmingham is one of the country’s premier destinations at Christmas, and its famous Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest authentic German market outside of Germany and Austria. It is the centrepiece of the city’s festive calendar and runs until 23 December. Thousands of visitors from around the country head to Victoria Square to enjoy the traditional Christmas music and hundreds of stalls selling everything from mulled wine and German Bratwurst to local arts and crafts.

The Christmas Market extends almost the whole way down historic New Street, where the lights are at their brightest.

Birmingham has plenty of hotel choices for all kinds of travellers.

The French-inspired Hotel du Vin is a luxurious and wonderfully located option in the city centre.

The Jewellery Quarter’s Bloc Hotel is cheaper, and its rooms are chic and perfectly formed.

It’s also a stone’s throw from the elegant Georgian setting of St Paul’s Square, where some of the best bars and restaurants can be found. ■

About the writer James March is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, U.K. He spent three years living in Canada and France, which ignited his curiosity about the wider world. He now writes for various travel websites and publications.

18/11/2019 12:49 PM

IN PROFILE

Game Changer Spread over 28 hectares, Tun Razak Exchange is poised to become Malaysia’s international financial district and Kuala Lumpur’s new central business district, says TRX City Chief Executive Officer Dato’ Azmar Talib.

Interview Noel Foo | Photography courtesy of TRX City goingplacesmagazine.com | 32 | December 2019

Tell us briefly what Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) is.

area first and foremost, and the Greater Kuala Lumpur area?

The TRX project is a 70-acre (28-hectare) master-planned development in KL city centre, envisioned to be a dedicated international financial centre. It was conceptualised to enable KL as a financial hub, by creating an ecosystem supporting a seamless business environment for financial services firms, multinational companies and ancillary businesses.

TRX will expand KL’s Golden Triangle, shaping a new CBD. As a government-backed project, we’re able to do things that surpass what a typical developer is willing to commit to, as we can look beyond the bottom line.

We are now in phase one of the development.

Two office towers are operational, the first being Prudential Building, housing their new Malaysian headquarters. The second building, Exchange 106 – Southeast Asia’s tallest tower – is currently awaiting its first tenant to move in.

By the end of next year, they will be joined by HSBC and Affin Bank.

Apart from commercial, retail, hotel and residential development, TRX will also have a unique public realm and a cultural centre as well as other public facilities uncommon to city development.

We designed TRX to be a lifestyle destination that will be alive beyond office hours. TRX is jointly developing the lifestyle quarter with an international property and construction giant, Lendlease, which will have a four-storey retail mall and a 10-acre (four-hectare) rooftop park, unlike anything you have seen before.

Billed as Malaysia’s first international financial district and Kuala Lumpur’s new central business district (CBD), how will TRX complement the Golden Triangle

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So we’re able to create a city-changing project, not just in terms of reorienting KL’s business centre but also in influencing the habits of KL’s residents. We aspire to take KL to another level like what KLCC did 20 years ago. We invested heavily in infrastructure to enhance the hub’s level of service, making it relevant and able to stand a longer test of time.

Aerial view rendering of TRX

TRX is putting in about RM3 billion (USD716 million) for the infrastructure, including to upgrade and construct new roads and pedestrian links coming into and going out of the district.

We will have direct connections to SMART and MEX highways that will cut travel time to the airport to 45 minutes. We are also working with DBKL to upgrade the roads near TRX, like the streetscape along Jalan Gading that will link TRX to Bukit Bintang, and the traffic dispersal improvement of Jalan Tun Razak.

Right now, the KLCC and Bukit Bintang area anchor the existing CBD, but the Golden Triangle has yet to reach its full potential as one district.

We believe with the enhanced connectivity and ease in congestion, both by MRT and new roads, the current face of the Golden Triangle will change. TRX is in the centre of this evolution – it has seamless road connectivity and the biggest MRT interchange in the city that will feed into

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Dato’ Azmar Talib

Bukit Bintang, and all the way to KLCC – this can really boost KL’s profile as a major international shopping destination.

Urban green spaces have become an important part of modern cities. What can we expect from TRX in this area? Will green spaces and parks feature in TRX?

The park will be the centre of this community, where we can hold concerts and cultural events. We have playgrounds, picnic spots, sports facilities as well amenities for private and corporate activities. If you are working in TRX, during your lunch break for instance, you can come down to relax in our gardens and forest trails.

See, when we designed TRX, we designed it for tomorrow’s living. Sustainability features are built in at the masterplan level. For example, we have an on-site water treatment and recycling plant. More than 80 percent of the water used in TRX will be recycled, so potable water demand can be cut in half.

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Almost a quarter of TRX will be green spaces.

Apart from the rooftop park, we also have four public plazas. Our green public realm serves as a pedestrian network, connecting one side of the district to the other, and we emphasise outdoor comfort in a safe and secure environment. Here, pedestrians are prioritised, which is why you will see minimal vehicles at surface level.

What about connectivity, specifically public transportation into and out of the district in view of TRX’s location in a massively congested area during rush hour?

the pedestrian links to the most vibrant area in Kuala Lumpur.

Beyond being an international financial district, TRX also has a big focus on leisure and lifestyle. Could you please describe the concept of the retail aspect of TRX?

We are very excited to bring the new retail concept here, which will be a game changer – a unique concept of a “park in a mall and a mall in a park”. This place will be the new destination for families, for tourists, for KL’s residents. We believe it will even be a new benchmark for international standards.

The district itself is designed to create an active and interesting lifestyle where people will live, work, shop and play in a well-articulated, safe, conducive and vibrant environment. It does not stop there; the district will have its own district

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management to ensure the level of service, including maintenance work, security and other daily operations, meets the expected standards of an international financial district.

We are very accessible as both MRT lines will intersect at TRX, and the place has something for everybody – the best dining options, some in alfresco settings facing the park, and new-tomarket brands for those who love shopping.

There will also be a hotel and residential towers adjoining the retail mall.

The retail component, The Exchange TRX, has a 2.5 million square feet (250,000 square metre) gross floor area and will be linked to other major shopping points in the CBD. Imagine a dedicated, vibrant pedestrian walkway that connects TRX to Pavilion and the rest of

Yes, KL’s traffic is legendary, and for TRX to be a successful and effective business centre, we have to be seamlessly connected, not just physically but also in terms of our digital infrastructure.

Having an MRT interchange on-site helps us become a new nexus, truly KL’s new heart; you can travel from any last point of the MRT 1 and MRT 2 and reach TRX within 45 minutes, which is quite fantastic. And on top of direct connection to MEX and SMART, we will have direct links to the upcoming Setiawangsa Pantai Expressway, which will connect us to 12 existing highways.

If you come to the site right now, you will see major infrastructure works in progress, and this includes upgrading and widening roads that will link TRX to Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Sultan Ismail, direct links that will take vehicles straight into the district, bypassing the existing traffic outside.

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IN PROFILE | Dato’ Azmar Talib

Construction of HSBC and Affin headquarters in progress

goingplacesmagazine.com | 34 | December 2019

In fact, we have built eight kilometres of road – underground tunnels, at grade level as well as elevated roads in the northern site of TRX.

Precious Development, a JV company between China Communications Construction Group (CCCG) and Malaysia’s WCT Holdings Berhad.

As for our digital backbone, TRX’s tenants are the most sophisticated users, so we need to ensure that it is scalable to meet future demands and provides a certain level of comfort for the financial institutions. At the same time, we are adopting smart city technologies to cater for a world-class building management system and smart district management that regulates waste, traffic and parking, as well as urban safety monitoring systems.

How has the response been to the project so far?

What is unique about having a residential address at TRX?

Well for one, you will have the best address in Kuala Lumpur! Quite simply, you will be living in the top-of-the line homes, in the very heart of KL, but you will be far from being walled in. You will have wide, lush greeneries at your doorstep, you have peerless connectivity to other parts of KL, you are part of a social and lifestyle hub, and because TRX is designed to be porous and integrated into its neighbourhood, you can just walk over to Imbi and Bukit Bintang.

Currently, we have two ongoing residential projects: TRX Residences, developed by TRX and Lendlease, and Core Residence @ TRX by CORE

As the master developer of this project, we have faced our share of challenges, but we have been steadfast in the value we bring to the market. In terms of commercialisation, we moved very fast and hit critical mass, both in terms of quantity and quality, earlier than expected. TRX is now KL’s property value benchmark. The feather in our cap was certainly the world-class investors that chose us – global institutions like HSBC, which is investing some RM1 billion (USD239 million) for their new Malaysian HQ in TRX. We are seeing public perception evolving; people are more positive now that they’re able to see for themselves how the district is taking shape. This stability is also bolstered by strong government support.

What are your thoughts about the supply and demand of office and residential space in Kuala Lumpur, specifically high-end residential properties such as those offered by TRX?

We cannot really comment on what others are

TRX will expand KL’s Golden Triangle, shaping a new CBD. As a government-backed project, we’re able to do things that surpass what a typical developer is willing to commit to, as we can look beyond the bottom line.

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bringing into the market. For us though, TRX has always been more than just a property development; it is a very important economic enabler for KL and Malaysia. We are focused on the project vision to create a dedicated financial district that can attract both international and local financial and business players to stimulate economic growth, and ultimately support the development of Malaysia’s financial industry.

At this point, we are concentrating on delivering our infrastructure to support the plot developers that make up about 70 percent of TRX, and we are not in a hurry to sell or develop our remaining plots. All buildings in the district, other than Exchange 106, are either owneroccupied or built specifically for long-term tenants. We need to stress here that we do not do speculative development.

You have been with the project almost from the start. How has your journey been so far?

It has been interesting and challenging in equal measures. I have been in the industry for over 30 years and seen a lot of things, but this project is singular – there is nothing quite like it. I am very proud of TRX’s achievements and thankful for the opportunity to lead the project.

I’m proud of my team. We have a relatively flat structure, with mostly young local talents who have had to sprint the marathon from the start. They have evolved and been able to persevere and continue to protect and create good value for the investors and our single shareholder, the Government and ultimately, the people of Malaysia.

My hope is that TRX will one day be able to develop an intellectual property copyright that will spur Malaysia further. ■

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The World’s

Healthcare Marvel

malaysiahealthcare.org

SELAMAT DATANG

2018

2017-2018

The World’s

Healthcare Marvel

malaysiahealthcare.org

SELAMAT DATANG

2018

2017-2018

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EXPLORE | Melbourne, Australia

goingplacesmagazine.com | 38 | December 2019

1–2. Wildflowers serves up Asian fusion sharing plates, wines and cocktails 3–4. Ember's eggplant salad and sesame dressing; chef-founder Gary Anwar

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KL 2019 Restaurants | EXPLORE

Fresh

Favourites Homegrown culinary heroes helm greater Kuala Lumpur’s most intriguing new restaurants of 2019.

This has been a banner year for a contemporary generation of Malaysian restaurateurs and chefs stepping out into the spotlight to showcase their skills at freshfaced venues. Featuring food that brims with character, here are 10 new dining destinations that could usher in an exciting era of eating out in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and in neighbouring Selangor state.

Wildflowers Wild horses shouldn’t keep fans of 21stcentury Asian fare away from this alluringly atmospheric attraction in KL’s rustic Chinatown.

Wildflowers blooms with rambunctiously original recipes that mingle Chinese with Mexican inspirations, Japanese with Thai, Malaysian with French. Canton comes together with Cancun for pulled duck tacos, braised with five-spice powder, fleshy and full-bodied with a deep, dark umami over wheat tortillas, while Sichuan meets San Luis Potosi for the nachos, swapping the typical dip of cheesy minced beef for sultry chicken mapo tofu. Cocktails also sparkle with unmistakably Asian dynamics: Korean soju for the signature Mugunghwa, Japanese sake for The Last Sumo, and tuak from Malaysia’s Sarawak state for the Spirit of Borneo.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 39 | December 2019

Words Sean Yoong | Photography courtesy of respective restaurants

facebook.com/wildflowers.kl

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Ember Modern Bistro Every evening, Ember pulses with the throbbing heartbeat of a thriving restaurant, as cheffounder Gary Anwar and his culinary crew illustrate their knife work and saucing chops in the open kitchen. Serving KL’s suburban neighbourhood of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Ember marks the culmination of a decade that Anwar spent cultivating his craft in Malaysia and Singapore; his progressive menu hopscotches beyond borders from its springboard in Asia – cold noodles are jazzed up with duck confit and four-citrus ponzu; free-range fried chicken is brightened with Malaysian palm sugar and the Japanese togarashi spice blend; chickpea fritters are made extra-nuanced with smoked yoghurt, honey and traditional local salad leaves. End your Ember experience with a granita like no other, fragrantly and flavourfully weaving together elderflower, longan fruit and torch ginger flower cream. embermodernbistro.com

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EXPLORE | KL 2019 Restaurants

Gooddam Gooddam strives to be one of greater Kuala Lumpur’s great Italian restaurants, punctuated by the pastas of Piedmont and the pastries of Abruzzo, the salami of Veneto and the stews of Tuscany, notably from a Malaysian perspective. Following a culinary training stint near Parma and a subsequent internship on the shores of Lake Maggiore, chef Daniel Yap returned to Malaysia and partnered with a kindred spirit, Miki Lie, in pop-up kitchens before spearheading this sparkling venue – Gooddam’s highlights infuse Italian inspirations with Asian ingredients, including beef tartare with smoked mackerel flakes and fermented beancurd aioli with black pulut (glutinous rice) crackers, or espresso ice cream with Grappa pear paste and local mushroom tuile.

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gooddam.com

If Only The trio of Keith Wong, Jean Ng and Jonathan Teh – who collectively have more than three decades of experience in running eateries, locally and abroad – have collaborated in a distinctive bungalow space filled with hardwood and rattan furnishing (handmade by Balinese carpenters and craftspeople), plus plenty of leafy plants for a tropical-oasis charm in KL’s city centre. The menu pays homage to memories of cherished meals – the Gohma Mee Hun Kueh is the recipe of Ng’s grandmother, exhibiting hand-pulled duck egg noodles with a luscious bite, buoyed by bok choy, minced chicken, slow-cooked egg and mushrooms. We also love the Laksa Pesto Pasta, comprising fettuccine in vivacious laksa paste (the herbs are harvested from Wong’s family orchard of organic produce), bolstered by the brininess of clams and calamari for land-meets-sea sumptuousness.

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facebook.com/IfOnlyKL

Rare: The Food Company Rare casts its net both near and far for prized produce, spanning freshwater tilapia from a fish farm in Malaysia’s eastern Pahang state to red Carabinero prawns caught off coastal Spain, meticulous in sourcing pesticide-free Malaysian vegetables, Japanese salts and Cambodian peppers. The verdant surroundings of a Damansara Perdana residential enclave offer a unique setting for Chef Bryan Tan’s repertoire, fine-tuned via cutting-edge Japanese inflections, with binchotan-grilled tebasaki (chicken wings) sharing the spotlight with a carpaccio of Aomori tomatoes, nectarous with wasabi leaf tsukemono. Beef is also a cornerstone of the kitchen, aged for between 21 and 30 days for a potent depth of flavour. facebook.com/rarethefoodco

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Playte Playte brings enticing elements to the table, propelled by the talents of Brendon Chen, Kae Huey and Sharina Aidid, who first met while studying in Le Cordon Bleu six years ago. Their imaginative use of regional produce, from belimbing to bamboo shoots, Bario rice to Vadouvan spices, results in recipes of ambition and adventure. A two-textured duet of chicken leg and breast, for example, is first poached, then finished off in the pan, enriched with the butteriness of Shaoxing wine-infused clam beurre blanc, completed with braised daikon, deep-fried kailan and parsley oil. Equally admirable is their conviction to furnish these efforts in a casual space at accessible prices.

interpretations of European and Western fare). Come for warm nourishment like nekomanma ‘cat rice’ bowls, blanketed with smoky chicken cubes, shoyu and bonito flakes, or Big Breakfast platters packed with tamagoyaki, teriyaki chicken meatballs, sausage onigiri and Japanese potatoes; stay for sweet sensations like buttermilk pancakes with black teapoached prunes, ooey-gooey toasted mochi, kuromitsu sugar syrup-flavoured ice cream and bubu arare tiny crispy rice balls. Shokupan

toasts are also irresistible, baked with a yudane milk bread method for the mochimochi effect – firm to the bite, springy-soft to the chew. facebook.com/sunbathercoffee

Tapestry Tapestry weaves together the old and the new in KL’s heritage-rich district of Chow Kit, marrying time-honoured Malaysian sarapan (breakfast) staples with the Melbourne brunch.

F&B entrepreneur Tan Boon Wy and his

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The greenery that graces Rata’s walls reflects its respect for honest Malaysian produce: Taking its name from the town of Tanah Rata, RATA relies heavily on vegetables nurtured in Cameron Highlands to round out recipes with roots from throughout this region. Chef Vicneswara Thenamirtham’s pizzas have become a crowd favourite in Selangor’s neighbourhood of Subang Jaya, topped with combinations like prawn sambal and sautéed spinach or lamb ragout and mango chutney, but he truly shines in specialities like marinated pomfret, gorgeously grilled and garlanded with four-angled beans, and locally produced paneer cheese with cauliflower and bell peppers. facebook.com/RATASubangJaya

Nourish On sunny weekend afternoons, Nourish feels like the happiest place in KL’s suburb of Damansara Heights: The brunch crowd feasts on everything from corn bread to crispy falafels to buckwheat pancakes, while pecan pies and egg tarts vibrantly line the counter.

Nourish lives up to its name by conscientiously embracing produce such as organic eggs, pasture-fed beef, and fresh vegetables and herbs, with cakes that shun gluten and refined sugar – the mud cake showcases Nourish’s own-made Nutella, while the orange polenta cake is sprightly with a gentle, graceful zest.

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RATA

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Sunbather Coffee is run by Malaysian siblings from the northern island of Pangkor, but it basks in inspirations from the Land of the Rising Sun, tackling yoshoku (Japanese

5–6. Gooddam is the Italian brainchild of chef Daniel Yap and Miki Lie 7. If Only's Mushroom Fields of sous vide eggs, sauteed mushrooms, grilled vine tomatoes and potato hash served on rustic bread 8. Rare's succulent Carabinero prawns from Spain comes with sushi rice 9–10. Playte's wagyu rump cap (L) and threadfin on a bed of barley and tomatoes (R) 11–12. RATA's lamb ragout pizza; chef and owner Vicneswara Thenamirtham 13. Nourish in Damansara Heights is helmed by the team behind Kenny Hills Bakers

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EXPLORE | KL 2019 Restaurants

14. Sunbather's Flourish Toast and Iced Belgian Chocolate 15. Tapestry's Grilled Chicken with Sarawak Beras Sia and Charred Cauliflower 16. Adu Sugar's duck breast in dried longan curry 17. Zoe Bangsar's anchovy pasta

team have turned a former parking lot into a playground for the palate, with Tapestry’s Rise & Shine being the opening salvo for a planned series of dining concepts. This has fast become one of KL’s most-photographed cafés, with high ceilings that flutter with overhanging tapestries, setting the stage for cheerful meals charmingly presented on local handmade ceramics. Egg enthusiasts will enjoy the Rise & Shine Eggs Benedict, featuring poached eggs with bubble and squeak, beetroot-cured salmon and bunga kantan (torch ginger flower) hollandaise, and The Hainan, soft-scrambled eggs spiced with coffee powder and served with house-made pumpkin kaya (coconut jam). tapestrydining.my

Honorary mentions also go out to Zoe Bangsar (profiled in our August 2019 issue) and Adu Sugar (featured in our September 2019 issue). ■

goingplacesmagazine.com | 42 | December 2019

About the writer Sean Yoong is the founder of Eat Drink KL, a website that has reviewed more than 4,000 restaurants, mainly in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, since 2009. eatdrinkkl.com

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EXPLORE | Toyosu Fish Market

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Deals

A peek into what goes on inside one of the world’s largest seafood markets.

Words Eris Choo | Photos courtesy of Xavier Mah Consultancy

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When the legendary Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo closed its doors in October 2018, it felt like the end of an era. Fondly called ‘Japan’s Kitchen’, the iconic market had been operating for over 83 years and was especially popular among visitors for its tuna auctions.

While tourists can still visit Tsukiji’s outer market and its array of sushi restaurants and shops, wholesale operations have moved to Toyosu Fish Market, a modern, purpose-built facility located two kilometres away. Built and managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Toyosu sits on a manmade island by the Bay of Tokyo, and at 40 hectares is 1.7 times larger than the old market.

It is here that we find ourselves in the wee hours of the morning, the pungent smell of seafood hitting our nostrils. Despite the early hour, the building is already a flurry of activity, with forklifts piling styrofoam boxes into neat stacks and electric turret trucks whizzing their way down the aisles.

about an hour. At Tsukiji, limited slots were open for the public to experience it up close. This is no longer allowed at Toyosu, though visitors can still view it from a second-floor observation deck or at a lower deck, with advance bookings.

Even from afar, the auction is fascinating to observe. Wild tuna can clock in at up to 300 kilogrammes, and the sight of these gargantuan specimens all laid out in a row is not something that one gets to see every day.

At 4 a.m., buyers start evaluating the fish, checking the colour and fattiness on each. When the floor opens, signalled by the ringing of a bell,

1. A tuna auction in session 2. Staff at an intermediate wholesaler cleaning a tuna before it is cut 3. Yamaharu Co., Ltd president Yasuhiro Yamazaki

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We are, in fact, a little late to the party. A typical day at Toyosu begins the night before, with trucks arriving from all over Japan bearing fresh catch. By midnight, the seafood will have been offloaded and sent to different parts of the market; to packing facilities for domestic distribution and export, or to the auction area to be sold off to the highest bidder.

The tuna auction begins at 4.30 a.m., lasting for

Malaysia Airlines operates 12 times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Tokyo (NRT), Japan.

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3 buyers raise their hands using the teyari, or digit gestures, to indicate their respective bids and the quantity of products they want to purchase.

The auctioneer discerns the highest bidder among the many fingers raised and informs the crowd who has won the product. The items will then be sent to the respective intermediate wholesalers, to be sold to businesses such as restaurants, supermarkets and retail outlets.

We follow the progress of the purchased catch to the Intermediate Wholesale Fish Building, where temperatures hover at a cool 20 to 25 degrees.

At one of the shops, the giant fishes are laid out on cutting tables, where they are skilfully carved up with metre-long knives. Each cut is beautifully executed to minimise wastage. We learn that it may take apprentices two years before they are able to slice up a tuna on their own.

Venturing to Yamaharu Co., Ltd – the largest intermediate wholesaler in Toyosu – we find

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company president Yasuhiro Yamazaki. An affable figure in rubber boots and a hachimaki (traditional headband), Yamazaki is one of the many intermediate wholesalers who have shifted their decades-old operations from Tsukiji Market.

The variety at his shop is astounding: plump, juicy oysters the size of human heads, gigantic crabs, live lobsters, sea pineapples and glistening boxes of uni (sea urchin). Most are for domestic consumption, but 30 percent will be exported to places such as Hong Kong, United States and Taiwan.

“The new market is good. There’s temperature control to keep the seafood fresh, and it’s much more hygienic,” says Yamazaki, who has been in the business for over 38 years. “Some people had mixed feelings moving here, since Tsukiji had such a long history. But the people inside the market, as well as their skills, have not changed,” he adds.

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7 Indeed, if you’ve ever been to Tsukiji, the atmosphere and techniques at Toyosu are comfortingly familiar, down to the practice of ikejime – the traditional method of slaughtering fish to maintain the quality of its meat.

Another old business that has made the shift to Toyosu is Daiichi Suisan Co., Ltd, first established in 1948. One of three first wholesalers at Toyosu, they are licensed by the Japanese government to purchase seafood goods from fishermen and suppliers from all over Japan, which are then sold to the intermediate wholesalers within Toyosu. The company deals with 100 metric tonnes of seafood per day.

“Tsukiji was special for the Japanese people.

I remember how seafood used to come into the market on freight trains,” recalls Hiroyuki Taguchi, President of Daiichi Suisan, who started helping out with his father’s business 50 years ago when he was 22.

“Later on, trucks became the main mode of transportation, and the facilities were not designed for it. The open layout also made it easy for pests such as rodents to come in,” he says. “The new facilities at Toyosu are much more sanitary, and we are able to control the quality much better in order to provide the best seafood for consumption, both locally and abroad,” he adds.

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4. Staff at Yamaharu Co.,Ltd preparing to receive customers for the day 5. Daiichi Suisan Co., Ltd President Hiroyuki Taguchi recalls how seafood used to arrive at Tsukiji Market by freight trains 6. Fresh seafood on sale at the market 7. An intermediate wholesaler inspects the quality of the frozen tuna at the auction 8. The facilities at Toyosu are far better than the old Tsukiji market, with temperaturecontrolled areas and better sanitation 9. Fresh cuts of tuna

Old Ways, New Future According to Yamazaki, one of the current difficulties faced by the fishing industry is rising sea temperatures, which have affected the availability of certain types of seafood. For example, the catch for the Pacific saury has been extremely bad; a little over 1/30th of the previous year’s haul.

“The season for fish is changing. It has been difficult to forecast what the seasonal fish will be,” he says. However, Yamazaki is confident that there will still be a constant fish supply – it is simply a matter of adapting to these changes.

“There is a stereotype in Japan as to which month is best to eat a particular fish. Before, it may be best eaten in December, but now it may be good to eat in February instead,” he explains. Yamazaki is keen to study these changes in order to continue supplying good products to customers.

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His sentiment is echoed by Taguchi. “The overall catch has gone down, so it is a luxury for the Japanese to be able to enjoy such good seafood. The domestic fish market may not grow in the future, so we have to look abroad and focus on exports. Since Japanese cuisine is getting popular all over the world, I’d like for people, including Malaysians, to be able to enjoy this as well,” says Taguchi, adding that it is important to export not only expensive seafood but also the ordinary kind that the Japanese eat on a daily basis.

Worth A Visit Toyosu is primarily built for business, so general visitors are not allowed into the wholesale area. While it feels almost sterile and lacks the traditional charm and up-close action one could get at Tsukiji, that isn’t to say that it’s not worth visiting – especially if you’re keen for a glimpse into what goes on behind Japan’s multi-billiondollar seafood industry.

Some of the tourist facilities include a display room near the second-floor observation deck for the tuna auction, which features photos explaining the auction’s history and several interesting exhibits, such as the market’s iconic turret truck. While you’re here, snap a souvenir photograph with the life-sized replica of the biggest bluefin tuna ever sold at the Tsukiji auction – a monster half-tonne specimen.

The third floor of the Fisheries Intermediate Wholesale Market (Block 6) houses more than 40 food stalls, including popular restaurants such as Sushi Dai and Nakaya Tsukiji, both former tenants at the old market. The queue at the former starts as early as 6 a.m., with diners looking for a taste of fresh sushi and sashimi, made from seafood delivered straight from the market downstairs.

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Toyosu Fish Market | EXPLORE

Meanwhile, the fourth floor of the building is occupied by Uogashi Yokocho, which caters to restaurant chefs and other professionals but also offers a wide selection of food, snacks, kitchen utensils and other items for general visitors. This is where you can get spices, dishware, packaging, high-grade chef knives and souvenirs. For a dash of greenery, head up to the landscaped rooftop garden, which offers epic views of the Tokyo skyline from across the bay.

Plans are also in the works for a section where the general public can purchase fresh goods, including fish and vegetables, as well as an onsen, scheduled to open in 2023. ■ The writer travelled to Toyosu Fish Market as a guest of Sendo Ichi Seafood (M) Sdn Bhd and Ocean Trading Co., Ltd.

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PHOTOBOOK

Charming Markets Europe has undoubtedly the best Christmas markets anywhere in the world. From snow-capped cathedrals and ancient fir trees adorned with twinkly lights to delicious gingerbread straight out of medieval cookbooks and the sweet aroma of glĂźhwein, the towns come alive with fairytale festiveness with the first drop of snow.

Photography 123rf.com

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Seasonal Shopping

Tallinn, Estonia

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PHOTOBOOK | Seasonal Shopping

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Traditional Christmas confectioneries in Vienna, Austria

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Oslo, Norway Wooden santas and other toys for sale at the market stands

Krakow, Poland Handmade glass baubles in Cologne, Germany

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Mulled wine or glĂźhwein is traditionally served during Christmas across Germany and Austria for shoppers to keep warm

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Special Feature

The Gift Of

Perfection Magic is in the air as OMEGA unveils four of the most enchanting timepieces in its collection. Each bearing their own unique stories and stunning designs, they all share the same beautiful, luxurious touch of gold. More than just decorations, the watches encapsulate the essence of OMEGA’s finest watchmaking skills, honed over years of commitment to excellence, innovation and precision.

This season of giving, OMEGA invites you to discover the magical innovation from within its own workshop.

Speedmaster 38 MM Switzerland’s green pine forests turn into a shimmering, snowy white in winter. Drawing inspiration from this, the Speedmaster 38mm model in stainless steel and 18K yellow gold complements the green tones with a different kind of sparkle. Here, the dual bezel design is

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cleverly split between a circle of radiant diamonds and the iconic tachymeter scale on a green aluminium ring.

The magic continues with green chronograph hands and markings on an elegant opaline silvery dial with oval subdials and a date window.

Constellation Timeless best describes the Constellation, a truly magical gift for the special lady in your life. Since 1982, women around the world have cherished this classic design, distinguished by its iconic claws, half-moon facets and bezel with either Roman numerals or diamonds. The contemporary take of the new Constellation has been brightened with polished bevels all along the case and bracelet. OMEGA’s choice this year is a 28mm model crafted from stainless steel and 18K Sedna™ gold with a diamond-paved bezel. Its white mother-of-pearl dial delivers a diamond at every hour, as well as a diminutive 18K gold star.

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Seamaster Diver 300M Enter the Seamaster Diver 300M, a classic underwater timepiece that is not only a James Bond favourite but also an icon of a gentleman’s style. Presented on a blue rubber strap, this modern update can be worn anywhere at any time, and features a 42mm case in stainless steel and 18K Sedna™ gold. Blue ceramic is used for the bezel and the dial, with laser-engraved waves that flow between the 18K gold indexes and hands. The watch’s Master Chronometer certification guarantees the highest standard of precision, performance and magnetic resistance.

Seamaster Aqua Terra An ideal gift for the one who is both sporty and sophisticated comes in the form of the Seamaster Aqua Terra model.

At first glance, the 41mm design is all about simple refinement, with a brown leather strap and a combination of stainless steel and 18K Sedna™ gold but delve a little deeper to find magical details paying tribute to OMEGA’s ocean heritage.

The triangular indexes, for example, are taken from diving watches of the past, while the silvery dial features horizontal stripes that replicate the wooden decks of luxury sailboats. Inside, enjoy adventure-ready power delivered by the OMEGA Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 8900.

Speedmaster

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Constellation

Seamaster Diver

Seamaster Aqua Terra

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Special Feature

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Oceania Sonia

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FIN Crossbody Bag

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Go to town this holiday season with Bonia’s shimmery and sophisticated holiday collection.

The More The Merrier

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FASHION+ACCESSORIES

Season’s Sparkle Swarovski has collaborated with Mariah Carey for the holiday season. Together, they have come up with an extra-special Christmas ornament. It shimmers with 90 crystal facets, bearing the words ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and Carey’s initials. swarovski.com goingplacesmagazine.com | 60 | December 2019

Simply Fabulous Giambattista Valli is the latest designer to collaborate with H&M. Through this collection, the couturier brings his unique vision of style to a wider audience, including, for the first time, a men’s collection. Now everyone will get the chance to dress like a superstar in Valli’s eclectic mix of sharpness and frills. hm.com

All Occasions The Diane Von Furstenberg Winter 2019 collection is designed for a woman on the go. Whether she’s heading to a gallery opening, the office or a cocktail party, there is something for her. Polished silhouettes are paired with bold prints to instil confidence and a sense of empowerment. world.dvf.com

Fragrant Carry Henry Jacques’ Voyage collection is a collection of luxe perfume cases. They are crafted with precious leathers and offer a sumptuous, contemporary chic feel. Each one is designed to hold the 15ml flacons of the Henry Jacques Les Classiques while the user embraces the richness of a life of travel. parfumshenryjacques.com

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The Globetrotter’s Styling Guide

Creatively Diverse For Winter 2019, Manolo Blahnik is introducing a bold and powerful collection. It pays homage to icons, artists and architecture, as well as locations close to Blahnik’s heart. The designs range from strappy heels to bold boots and androgynous slippers.

Casual Chic Tory Burch’s Burch’s latest Resort collection draws inspiration from American folk tradition.

It offers a rustic charm that finds balance in refined tailoring and festive, highshine appliques. A sense of free-spiritedness carries through to the accessories, from sculptural heels to mixed-material handbags.

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Star Power Alexander Skarsgård and Freida Pinto are the faces of Clarks’ current campaign. The two film stars are photographed in various designs by the footwear brand in the cities that are close to their hearts – Stockholm for Skarsgard and London for Pinto. clarks.my

Bright Eyes Fendi is taking eyewear to a whole new level. Inspired by the curling FF logo designed by Karl Lagerfeld, the Karligraphy is both daring and sophisticated. This pair of shades stands out with an oversized butterfly shape, featuring unexpected sharp cuts on the two rimless lenses. fendi.com/ii/woman/sunglasses

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Special Feature

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Small Top Handle Bag in Green Ash

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2-fold 3/4 Wallet In Red

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Medium Shoulder Bag In Shell Coral

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Small Crossbody Bag In Dual Colours

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Give your wardrobe a festive boost with Braun Büffel’s bold colour palettes from the Ophelia collection.

Festive Accents

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THE CURE

Inspiring Health+Wellness

Skin Spa

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Show your love this Christmas with a power-packed skin pampering gift set from Eve Lom. It comes with the popular 5-in-1 iconic cleanser that helps cleanse, purify and soothe skin; a specially woven 100 percent cotton muslin cloth, which gently exfoliates and promotes microcirculation to reveal a visibly radiant complexion; moisture mask that swiftly restores skin’s moisture balance and defends against future dryness; and a radiance oil that instantly nourishes skin with a megadose of antioxidant-rich botanical oils, including anti-inflammatory hemp seed oil, which leaves skin hydrated for up to 24 hours. kensapothecary.com.my

Feline Essence Inspired by the signature panther icon, perfumer Mathilde Laurent has captured the animal’s velvety aura in a limited edition of Cartier’s La Panthère, made specially in conjunction with the classic fragrance’s fifth birthday.

Paying homage to the animal’s feline qualities, agility and sensuality, the result is a magnetic perfume born from gardenia, a flower with a pure, crystalline and carnal scent, married with the sensual notes of musk and chypre. La Panthère Eau de Parfum limited edition is available in 75ml and 25ml and comes in brightly decorated bottles. cartier.com

Dry No More Worry no more about dry skin after cleansing, with the new face wash from Swiss Image. Thanks to the hydration properties, vitamins and minerals of its star ingredient, Alpine Glacier Water derived from the Swiss Alps, skin is not only fortified with essential nutrients but does not become overly dry, leaving it with a long-lasting mattifying effect. The Alpine Glacier Water also helps facilitate the absorption of natural cleansing properties of the Hyssop, which improves complexion and balances oil levels. facebook.com/swissimagemy

Colour Me Bold Get striking, brilliant and luxurious lips with Luxe Shine Intense Lipstick from Bobbi Brown. Infused with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and botanical extract, the moisturising lipstick glides on effortlessly and hydrates lips while providing the perfect coverage of colour and shine to last for hours. Find the perfect shade with 14 hues, from Claret, Paris Pink, Red Stiletto to Showstopper, for a sculpted, plumped-up look. bobbibrown.com.my

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GIZMOS+GADGETS

Our Pick Of Gadgets To Have For more gadget selections, visit goingplacesmagazine.com

Sounds Convenient goingplacesmagazine.com | 66 | December 2019

Audio-Technica recently unveiled the CKS5TW, a pair of waterresistant wireless earphones that can play for up to 15 hours on a single charge. It turns off automatically when placed back inside its case, which includes a LED battery status indicator. audio-technica.com

Your Personal Coach Designed for pure performance, the Suunto 5 GPS sports watch offers long battery life and a host of functions to get users into an optimal training rhythm. Fitness tracking aside, it is also able to indicate stress levels and sleep cycles. There are over 80 customisable sports modes to choose from too. suunto.com

Never Miss A Moment Sony’s Alpha 6600 is a blazing fast mirrorless camera. It features super-fast autofocus that enables a subject to be found in just 0.02 seconds and a battery that can last for over 700 shots. A 3.5mm audio jack further allows videographers to monitor their recording sessions.

Blast From The Past Still have a hankering for classic flip phones? Nokia has released the 2720 Flip that sports a retro clamshell design. This pareddown device has a 2MP camera, Qualcomm 205 chipset, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, expandable by 32GB. nokia.com

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Special Feature

Chocolate Museum & Tour

Spread The Holiday Cheer

With Chocolates Rooted in excellence, Malaysian-born chocolatier Beryl’s Chocolate and Confectionery Sdn Bhd is a renowned brand that creates high quality chocolates which have delighted the taste buds of both local and international consumers alike. Founded in 1995, the brand established its first factory in Desa Serdang, just south of Kuala Lumpur, where they produce and distribute their chocolates across Malaysia and beyond. Today, Beryl’s fine chocolates can be found nearly anywhere, from convenience stores and supermarkets to duty-free shops throughout the country.

After 24 years in the business, the brand has firmly established its position as a major regional chocolatier. With a total of three factories to keep up with the ever-growing demand, Beryl’s has since expanded to produce other confectionery products such as cookies and chocolates for food service industries.

Guided by its commitment to deliver not just quality products but also quality education,

Beryl’s has designed and built a brand-new visitor centre to help guests understand the rich culture behind the history of chocolate-making as well as how delicious chocolates are made.

Designed by renowned Malaysian architect Lok Kuang Wooi, the modern Beryl’s Visitor Centre was named the Silver Winner at the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers (MIID) REKA Award 2018 for Design Excellence.

Measuring almost 1,400 square metres in size, the visitor centre is home to a chocolate museum where visitors can learn about the origins of cocoa and the different types of chocolate and ingredients used in chocolate products. It contains various exhibits filled with priceless antiques, informative illustrations, vintage machines, and an extensive collection of chocolate packaging from around the world. Visitors can enjoy the museum with a free guided tour that also features presentations on the history of Beryl’s and the process of chocolate production.

Chocolate Factory

complete without bringing home some delectable treats to enjoy. At the visitor shop, guests will find all the classic Beryl’s chocolates, including a wide selection of premium products such as Beryl’s Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt, Cocoa Nibs and an assortment of handmade praline chocolates. Do not miss out on the chance to try Beryl’s new Single Origin chocolate bars that showcase chocolates made with single origin cocoa beans sourced from seven different countries. Being the pioneer of the famous creamy Tiramisu Chocolates since 2003, Beryl’s now has a wide range of tiramisu chocolatecoated almonds that have won praises of chocolate lovers all over the world.

With the warmth of the Christmas season right around the corner, there is no better time to spread the festive cheer and spirit of goodwill with the sweetest gifts. Celebrating Christmas with a box of Beryl’s finest premium chocolates is sure to delight loved ones and friends. After all, nothing brings people together quite like food, and nothing brings people together quite like Beryl’s Fine Chocolates. ■

No visit to the Beryl’s Visitor Centre would be

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Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt

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EXPLORE | Terengganu Ecotourism

Wetland

Wonder Passionate local community turns Setiu Wetlands into model ecotourism hub.

Words Alexandra Wong | Photography courtesy of LOCCO

1 2 “We call Pak Harun the fish listener. Like most of the folk who live around Setiu, he makes a living as a fisherman but uses a very special technique. From his wooden boat, he will skindive into the water and use his ears to listen to fish sounds. By doing that, he can tell what kind of fish is abundant in a particular spot. He is so accurate that other fishermen often follow his trail!” Who knew that Malaysia had a real-life Aquaman?!

Gathered in a motorboat on a mangrove river cruise, our guide Alex Lee Yun Ping is the founder of Terrapuri Heritage Village, a boutique eco-resort with the South China Sea on one side and the Setiu Wetlands on the other. The mangrove tour is one of Terrapuri’s most popular day tours, as it offers visitors a fun yet educational opportunity to immerse in Setiu’s hidden charms.

Setiu Where?

Less than an hour’s drive from Kuala Terengganu, Setiu Wetlands is a region many Malaysians may not be familiar with – or have even heard of. Most travellers come to Terengganu for its powder-white beaches and idyllic islands, but scientists have long been excited about Setiu for a different reason.

Malaysia Airlines operates 18 times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kuala Terengganu (TGG), Terengganu.

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Here, the meeting of ocean and rivers flowing from the hinterland into the coast have shaped a unique terrain, where a whopping nine ecosystems coexist in a single location, namely the sea, rivers, sandy beaches, estuaries, islands, mudflats, a lagoon, freshwater swamps and mangroves.

As our boat glides across the waterway, Alex points out birds and animals that our untrained eyes would never have picked up on their own.

On our two-hour journey, we spot monkeys, monitor lizards, kingfishers and an eagle.

They’re just a handful of the 29 species of mammals, 161 species of birds and 36 species of reptiles and amphibians that call Setiu home.

This is also the world’s only place where a viable population of the endangered Painted Terrapins (Batagur borneoensis) is found.

Rich Resources In addition to providing refuge for wildlife, Setiu’s network of interconnected habitats is crucial to the survival of the community: they work symbiotically to filter water, act as storm buffers and provide food and raw materials for its residents.

“Although Setiu is one of the poorest districts in Terengganu, the locals can survive off the mangrove because it is incredibly rich in terms of natural resources. The villagers call the mangroves their grocer,” says Alex.

I understand why during the various pit stops

our boat makes along the cruise. At a fish farm, we learn that Setiu is a major source of baby groupers for the country’s aquaculture industry. Setiu’s economic significance becomes even more evident at a village famed for its cottage industries. Traditional products synonymous with Terengganu, such as budu (fermented fish sauce), fish crackers, belacan (shrimp paste) and handicrafts made from kercut and nipah, long-stemmed grass that grows wild in swampy areas – they all draw their raw materials from the wetlands. Clearly, if something happens to the wetlands, the consequences would be grave.

Changing Mindsets The local inhabitants may be dependent on the wetlands, but for the past few decades,

18/11/2019 1:14 PM

simply chop down the trees to obtain wood, now they help us to replant them,” Alex says.

There are also physical signs of improvement, such as more regular sightings of certain species. “For years, the population of tiger prawns – which fetches lucrative prices – was dwindling. We explained to the fishermen that baby prawns grow along the mangroves and swim out to the sea only after six months, so preserving the mangroves is crucial to their survival. Now that the fishermen are enjoying improved catchment, they are very happy.”

3 4

Setiu scored a major victory when local lobbyists successfully persuaded the state government to gazette 400 hectares of the wetlands as Terengganu’s first state park.

Corporate players have also put their skin in the game; national oil corporation Petronas gave Terengganu RM8 million (USD1.9 million) to conduct eco-training for the locals and to build a boardwalk for the state park.

they have also been exerting pressure on it.

In the last century, the world has lost about half of its wetlands due to intensive farming, deforestation, industrial pollution and the demands of a growing population. Setiu is not spared: A World Wildlife Federation study found that nearly 20 percent of its natural vegetation, particularly swamps and mangroves, were stripped between 2008 and 2011 due to uncontrolled land use.

5 6

1. Nine ecosystems coexist in Setiu Wetlands 2. Terrapuri Heritage Village founder Alex Lee Yun Ping uses ecotourism to improve the livelihood of the locals 3. Mangroves are an incredibly rich natural resource that can support entire communities 4. The white sap of the buta-buta tree can cause temporary blindness 5. Terengganu is famous for its skilled boat builders 6. Setiu is a major source of baby groupers for Malaysia's aquaculture industry

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To reverse the situation, private stakeholders, NGOs and government agencies have been working to increase local sensitivity towards conservation. Drawing on his experience as a veteran tour operator, Alex has largely focused on improving the locals’ livelihoods by using ecotourism as a vehicle of change. Shortly after Terrapuri opened in 2011, Alex began actively engaging locals as boatmen on his day tours, gradually increasing his menu to include a daytime river safari, a night-time firefly cruise and customised tours to visit local boat-makers.

“The locals may not realise it, but they are a treasure trove of indigenous knowledge, which foreigners find fascinating and unique. We want to attract ecotourists who will encourage local communities to rediscover and appreciate their heritage and motivate them to play an active role in safeguarding the treasures within their community,” he explains.

Slowly But Surely Little by little, the efforts are paying off. After undergoing workshops and retraining, local fisher folk have become Setiu’s eco-warriors who understand the importance of protecting their mangroves. “If in the old days, they would

Accessible both by river and road at Pengkalan Gelap, the State Park is anchored by a short but well-signposted boardwalk that cuts through an otherworldly-looking mangrove swamp. I can barely keep up as Alex rattles off a string of interesting nuggets. Pointing to an innocuouslooking tree with small neat leaves, he says, “This is known as the buta-buta (blinding) tree.

The seeds are beautiful and look like marbles, but if you touch them and accidentally rub your eyes after that, you will not be able to see anything for an hour.”

“Don’t worry, there is an antidote of course,” Alex smiles at our alarmed expressions.

Stopping at the dramatic-looking fan palm (daun palas), whose leaves are commonly used to wrap Malay kuih, he says, “It is the dew from the palas leaves. The villagers will store the dew in a bottle and keep it for emergencies.”

goingplacesmagazine.com | 71 | December 2019

Pleasures & Treasures

Traversing the wetlands of Setiu, I’m struck by the magnitude of its rich bounty. The true heart of this place is hidden in plain sight, revealing itself slowly to those who care to know. Changing attitudes, incentivising good practice, forging a consensus between the local government, private sector and civil society about the need to support conservation efforts – Setiu faces daunting challenges, but the passion demonstrated by its community gives me hope.

My thoughts are interrupted by an excited Alex.

“Look!” His eyes light up with childlike wonder as he holds up a heart-shaped leaf larger than his palm. “This belongs to a sea hibiscus. At Terrapuri, we use the leaves to wrap kuih. You should come when the flowers are in season; they drop and float on the river, turning it yellow to welcome you. It’s really beautiful. By the way, do you know that according to the ancient locals, flowers symbolise hope?”

Indeed. And where there is hope, there is life. ■

18/11/2019 1:14 PM

The Going Places Readers’ Choice Awards is back!

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_GP Dec 2019_RCA Nominees02.indd 73

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18/11/2019 12:12 PM

Special Feature

A Majestic Visit As one of the most exciting building designs in the world, the PETRONAS Twin Towers transformed the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur’s skyline when it was officially opened in 1999. Rising arrestingly from a beautifully landscaped park, the two towers of steel and glass soar into the sky at 452 metres, and is synonymous with Malaysia’s gleaming progress and achievements.

more about the Towers from the video wall or enhance the experience up in the sky with the nifty augmented reality screens.

A great way to end the visit is to drop by the Gift Shop for a memento to cherish for years or to purchase a gift or memorabilia of the world’s tallest twin towers for loved ones at home. ■ petronastwintowers.com.my

Designed by the late Argentinian architect Cesar Pelli, the sleek architecture adopts a distinctive post-modern style featuring a blend of Eastern and Western design. With a total of 88 floors, the twin towers meet at Level 41 through a bridge in the sky.

Here at the double-deck Skybridge is where the visit to the PETRONAS Twin Towers begins. At 170 metres above ground, it is the highest two-storey bridge in the world and offers visitors sweeping views of the city. Designed to slide in and out of the towers during strong winds, the bridge has captivated locals and attracted foreign visitors looking for an exhilarating experience.

From the 41st floor, ascend to Level 86 where the Observation Deck is located 360 metres above street level for more coveted views of the bustling city below and mountains in the distance. While at the Observation Deck, find out

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18/11/2019 11:59 AM

Special Feature

FEEL THE

NATURAL EFFECTS OF VITAMIN E The skin is our largest organ and changes constantly throughout life – but harsh environments and nutrient deficiencies can have an impact on skin structure and function, contributing to irregularities such as dry skin.

Introducing BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin,, a natural skincare product which helps to moisturise and protect dry skin, whilst nourishing, soothing and preventing moisture loss from the skin.

It contains a source of natural vitamin E together with lanolin, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil and vitamin A, and is free from artificial colours and fragrances.

First formulated in 1978, BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream has been part of the BLACKMORES range for over 40 years. Most mainstream products at the time were based on petrochemical-based mineral oils and ingredients that didn’t fit with the brand’s natural skincare philosophy.

Adopting a holistic approach, BLACKMORES sought to create a high-quality nourishing skin care cream based on natural ingredients that supported one’s health from the outside in. The base of the product had to be natural, so avocado and apricot kernel oil were chosen with a special mixed tocopherol vitamin E blend.

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Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant naturally present in healthy skin. When applied to the skin’s surface, it provides additional protection as a skin conditioner, protecting skin cells from environmental damage. Lanolin has a similar function to the skin’s natural sebum. Together, lanolin and sebum form a protective waterproof barrier on the skin, preventing it from becoming dry, brittle and cracked from dehydration.

To-date, over two million tubes have been sold internationally, and Malaysian women can now enjoy this skincare range that caters to their different skin needs. Versatile and suitable for all age groups, the cream can be used for the hand, body and face as a daily moisturiser, as a make-up primer for longer lasting make-up, and to moisturise and replenish dry skin on the knees, ankles and on cracked heels.

The BLACKMORES Natural Vitamin E Cream + Lanolin 50g tube retails at RM35.00 and is available at all leading pharmacies and BLACKMORES Concept Stores at Mid Valley Megamall (Kuala Lumpur), Mediplex (Subang Jaya), Queensbay Mall (Penang) and Permaisuri Imperial City Mall (Miri).

blackmores.com.my

18/11/2019 11:42 AM

goingplacesmagazine.com | 78 | December 2019 •_GP Dec 2019_Chef's Cut02.indd 78

18/11/2019 11:21 AM

Emmanuel Stroobant | CHEF’S CUT

Chef

which he runs together with his wife, Edina Hong, he seems to have everything in order. In 2000, he opened the Michelin-starred Saint Pierre in Singapore and has followed that up with the opening of the casual SQUE Rotisserie & Alehouse and Shoukouwa, an intimate and luxe two-Michelin-starred Japanese omakase restaurant. In between, he found the time to be a celebrity TV chef, a father of two daughters, and travel across Southeast Asia to oversee his other restaurants, Saint Pierre KL among them.

In Black

Twenty years after arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Emmanuel Stroobant has achieved TV fame, Michelin stars, a group of restaurants, and a family of four.

Words John Lim | Photography courtesy of Saint Pierre

Don’t let the immaculate appearance of Saint Pierre fool you – not the crystalline lighting, the glistening silverware, nor the creaseless white tablecloths. Emmanuel Stroobant, its chef-owner, loves chaos. It was what drew him to Kuala Lumpur more than 20 years ago.

“When I had the opportunity to be the Executive Chef of Carmen’s, I didn’t even know where KL was,” said the 51-year-old chef as he reflected on his maiden venture into Asia. “I still remember it very clearly: it was October, KL was in a haze; it was dirty, smelly, and dangerous compared to

It didn’t take long for wanderlust to set in, which led him to Australia, where he spent three years working in Sydney, Perth and Canberra before arriving in KL and then hopping over to Singapore, where he has settled down for the past 20 years.

where I had come from, and I absolutely loved it.

Back then, for a European chef arriving in Asia, this is exciting. I felt like I was a kid in a toy shop, trying everything I could get my hands on.”

“At the time, Singapore had a clientele that was well-travelled, more exposed to French food – which was my expertise – and it offered me access to ingredients that I couldn’t easily find elsewhere,” he said.

The now-closed restaurant opened when KL’s fine dining scene was young and ill-defined. “When I arrived, the restaurant scene was a bit rojak – everything was coming in. The menu was a fusion of a little bit of Thai here, some Japanese there, and some Chinese dishes in-between.”

Till this day, Saint Pierre remains a playground for his culinary ideas, shaped by a mix of Asian and European influences. Japanese cuisine has played a big part in developing his simple and elegant approach to cooking. “My dishes today

That was a far cry from where he is now. As the co-owner of the Emmanuel Stroobant Group,

1

goingplacesmagazine.com | 79 | December 2019

Stroobant was always hungry for experiences and never shy to seize an opportunity. His journey into the culinary line began at 16 as a dishwasher. Soon after, he began cooking professionally and was quick to move up, opening his first restaurant in his hometown in Liege, Belgium at the age of 23.

2

1. The main dining area of Saint Pierre, located in W Kuala Lumpur 2. Stroobant's decadent lobster dish

•_GP Dec 2019_Chef's Cut02.indd 79

18/11/2019 11:21 AM

3 4 3

5

3. A pretty plate of seasonal root vegetables 4. Stroobant's creations are shaped by a mix of Asian and European influences 5. Sturgeon brandade (recipe on the next page)

have evolved to bring the focus to the ingredients – I keep it simple to just three or four elements on the plate. When the ingredients are good, we don’t add too much. There’s no need to mash this or transform that into a powder, dust or jelly,” he says.

His stint as the star of Asian Food Channel’s Chef In Black was pivotal in his culinary education.

“Being on TV gave me access to so many places across Asia. It helped me understand the techniques, composition and more importantly, for a European chef, the balance of spices involved in Asian cooking.” It was a gruelling process, he adds, with a 20-minute episode often taking a week to complete, with hours spent doing voice-overs, travelling, and researching.

Today, the result of immersing himself in Asia can be seen in some of Saint Pierre’s signature

•_GP Dec 2019_Chef's Cut02.indd 80

dishes that have helped it attain its Michelin-star status. There are dishes like the sambal-crusted venison, made with figs and green chillies to bring the balance of sour, sweet and heat; seared Atlantic cod, served tableside with warm miso broth; Hokkaido hairy crabs, steamed and scented with lemongrass and corn; and thyme-perfumed French royal pigeon with horseradish jus, accompanied by a wild mushroom nori tart.

The dishes reflect a patient and mature understanding of how cuisines come together in a thoughtful way. It was as recent as 10 years ago that Stroobant came to a turning point in life and how he approached cooking. “There was a time when I was going out every night, drinking, smoking, partying. I drifted because the success allowed me to do that,” he says. “It took me a year to realise that if I kept going like this, I’m going to crash. So I made a 180-degree turn, and I stopped drinking and smoking, went deep into yoga, became a vegetarian, and made time to meditate every day.”

“All of this put together has made me cool in the kitchen. I was the kind of chef who would break plates on the floor, but those (actions) don’t bring anything. If you go into the kitchen angry, banging on the table, there’s no way you can produce food that is good. Food is emotional, and it needs to be cooked with the right emotion, with love,” he says.

So a new Stroobant emerged, mindful as he ponders how he wants to affect the way people eat and think about food. “Sustainability is no longer a choice. We have to think about the future. Right now, we are completely offbalance in the way we produce food. There are so many chemicals, GMO crops and questionably cheap food, and we wonder why cancer is on the rise,” he says.

“I advocate vegetarianism, but if we take beef or fish, I would advocate quality over quantity, also the education of how we eat and why we eat,“ he says, lamenting how mobile devices have taken over real conversations at the table.

“My legacy? I’ll say this: you don’t have to come from an extraordinary background or have rich parents to succeed. I started with nothing, and when I opened Saint Pierre with the help of my in-laws, I was left with only 300 dollars in my bank account. We had no choice but to make it with what (the late first Prime Minister of Singapore) Lee Kuan Yew used to say – raw grit,” he says.

Stroobant’s life may be in order now, but his determination to keep cooking and exploring new ideas remains as strong as ever. “Plans? Oh, there are always plans,” he says with a mischievous smirk, revealing that glint of beautiful chaos that brought him to where he is. ■

18/11/2019 11:21 AM

Emmanuel Stroobant | CHEF’S CUT

Cook Like A Chef

Chef Stroobant shares his recipe for Sturgeon Brandade, New Harvest Caviar, Grape, Cucumber.

– Serves 15 pax.

n 275ml Sturgeon Stock n 150ml Potato Stock n 100ml Brandade Infusion n 3 Egg Yolk n 1 Egg Whole n Salt n Pepper

Method for Brandade Royale 1. Combine all

ingredients and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Strain.

2. Pour 20g mix into 40ml

double wall glass containers.

Cover individually. Steam at 95°C for 30 minutes.

Leave to cool down.

Ingredients for Sturgeon Stock (for 275ml): n 400g Fish Bones (cleaned,

rinsed without blood) n 10ml Grapeseed Oil n 40ml Vermouth n 75ml White Wine (Dry) n 100g Carrot n 40g Onion n 40g Fennel n 80g Leek n 6g Garlic n 200ml Alkaline Water n 1g Coriander Seed n 1 Star Aniseed Method for Sturgeon Stock 1. Pan-fry

bones until golden in 10ml oil. Deglaze with Vermouth and wine. Cool and reserve.

2. Pan-fry

vegetable in 5ml oil and cook until soft. Cool completely.

•_GP Dec 2019_Chef's Cut02.indd 81

3. Combine vegetables, bones and water with spices.

4. Cook at 88°C

for 75 minutes sous vide. Strain and cool.

Ingredients for Potato Stock (for 120ml): n 40g Russet Potato Skin n 8ml Grapeseed Oil n 30g Russet Potato (peeled and sliced) n 12ml Clarified Butter n 120ml Potato Juice (juice of 300g fresh potato) n 120ml Alkaline Water

Method for Brandade and Brandade Infusion:

Method for Pickled Cucumber:

1. Combine and

1. Peel and slice

bring to a gentle boil for 15 minutes.

the cucumber into strips.

2. Combine all

2. Remove from

heat and allow to infuse for 45 minutes.

3. Strain. Separate fish from brandade infusion. Reserve meat and brandade infusion separately.

Ingredients for Cannelloni: n 4 sheets Feuille de Brick Pastry

the elements of pickling liquid in a pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Transfer to a container and allow to cool to room temperature.

3. Submerge the cucumber strips in the pickling liquid and vacuum. Remove from brine immediately.

Method for Potato Stock (for 120ml):

n 50ml Clarified Butter

Ingredients for White Grape:

Method for Cannelloni:

n 150g White Grape (seedless)

1. Coat skin with

1. Brush the

oil and bake at 90°C for seven hours. Allow to cool.

pastry sheet with clarified butter.

Wrap around stainless steel cannelloni tubes.

Method for White Grape:

2. Deep-fry at 180°C until

n 300g Cooked Sturgeon Meat

2. Pan-fry

potato on each side in clarified butter until gold and allow to cool.

3. Combine pan-fried potato with potato juice and alkaline water, cook at 80°C sous vide for 75 minutes.

4. Cool, strain

and reserve liquid.

golden brown. Remove from oil.

Remove excess oil and remove cannelloni from tube. Allow to cool.

n 400g Sturgeon Meat

Ingredients for Pickling Liquid:

Ingredients for Tartare: n 100g Creme Fraiche n 30g Shallot n 10g Chive n Espelette Pepper

Method for Tartare: meat and combine all ingredients.

n 100ml Filtered Water n 45g Sugar n 4g Salt n 100ml White Vinegar n 1g Mustard Seed n 1g Juniper Berry n 1g Bay Leaf n 1g Tarragon n 1g Coriander Seed

n 600ml Cream n Salt

Ingredients for Pickled Cucumber:

n Pepper

n 1 Cucumber

n 600ml Milk

1. Peel and slice.

1. Dice sturgeon

n 1g Black Peppercorn

Ingredients for Brandade and Brandade Infusion:

goingplacesmagazine.com | 81 | December 2019

Ingredients for Brandade Royale

Finishing: 1. Lay a strip of pickled cucumber

on top of the brandade royale, followed by 10g of white grape slices. Then, 5g of caviar.

2. At serving time, fill the

cannelloni with sturgeon brandade. Place on top of caviar.

3. Garnish the cannelloni with dots of creme fraiche and a grain of caviar on each dot of crème fraiche. Serve.

18/11/2019 11:21 AM

WARISAN | Gendang 24 Musim

Deraman

BerÄątma Merungkai kisah di sebalik penubuhan kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim.

Teks Rachael Lum | Terjemahan Yeo Li Shian | Foto LokaLocal

Bold Beats. Meet the troupe behind 24 Festive Drums.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 82 | December 2019

Sebaik saja jeritan penuh semangat daripada pemain gendang utama kedengaran, persembahan pun bermula dengan deraman lembut. Sedikit demi sedikit, deraman tadi bertambah kuat. Sesaat dua kemudian, rentak tari persembahan semakin rancak dan serentak. Sesekali kedengaran bunyi seakan-akan guruh. Disusuli pula bunyi mirip titisan air hujan. Begitulah persembahan genderang spontan dan bertenaga oleh kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim yang berjaya mempesonakan semua penonton.

Menurut pengasas bersama Teater Orang Orang Drum, Zyee Leow, kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim ini dinamakan bersempena 24 musim perayaan yang tersenarai dalam kalendar Cina.

Kalendar ini sering menjadi rujukan para petani ketika mereka ingin mengadakan pelbagai aktiviti pertanian. Permukaan gendang turut dihiasi tulisan kaligrafi Cina yang mewakili setiap musim perayaan. Lebih menariknya, gaya persembahan utama juga menerapkan elemen alam semula jadi yang menyamai pergerakan petani menuai hasil tanaman.

At the passionate bellow of the lead drummer, the troupe kicks off its performance with a low rumble, slowly building to a crescendo. Soon, it bursts into a spirited, synchronised choreography. One minute, you hear thunder. Another minute, the sound resembles the pitter-patter of rain. A typical 24 Festive Drums performance instantly captivates the audience with its powerful beats and spontaneity.

Zyee Leow, co-founder of Orang Orang Drum Theatre, explains that 24 Festive Drums

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Berasal dari Johor, kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim ini diilhamkan daripada gandingan mantap aktivis kebudayaan, Tan Chai Puan dan ahli muzik terkemuka, mendiang Tan Hooi Song. Sejak diperkenalkan pada tahun 1988, persembahan kumpulan ini berjaya menarik minat para pemain gendang dari serata dunia.

Malah, kumpulan ini juga diiktiraf sebagai Warisan Budaya Kebangsaan Tidak Ternilai (Malaysia) UNESCO pada tahun 2009.

Biasanya, gendang hanya memegang watak sampingan dalam kebanyakan persembahan tarian. Berbeza dengan kebanyakan persembahan biasa, persembahan kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim mengetengahkan pemain-

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Bedak Sejuk | WARISAN

1. Pengasas bersama Teater Orang Orang Drum Zyee Leow (kiri) dan Boyz Chew Orang Orang Drum Theatre co-founders Zyee Leow (left) and Boyz Chew 2. Pemain gendang menyalurkan tenaga dan emosi untuk membawa semangat kepada kisah yang diceritakan melalui persembahan mereka Drummers channel their energy and emotions to bring the stories behind their performances to life

pemain gendangnya sebagai tarikan dan tumpuan utama di atas pentas.

Selain membuat persembahan, seorang pemain gendang juga perlu bercerita dan bermain alat muzik. Gabungan semangat dan emosi merupakan adunan terbaik bagi menceritakan kisah di sebalik persembahan mereka.

Persembahan genderang dilihat berpotensi besar dan boleh dipelbagaikan. Inilah tarikan yang membuatkan Leow meminatinya sejak

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takes inspiration from festivals in the Chinese lunar calendar, traditionally used by farmers to inform their agricultural activities. The name of each festival gleams in bold Chinese calligraphy on the drums. Even the core movements are intrinsically connected to nature, dramatising the farmer’s act of sowing seeds and collecting harvest.

Originating in the southern state of Johor, 24 Festive Drums was created in 1988 by cultural activist Tan Chai Puan and the late musician Tan Hooi Song. It has since attracted a fairly strong base of drummers worldwide, with UNESCO listing it as a Malaysian National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

While drums are commonly used to accompany dance performances, Leow shares that what sets 24 Festive Drums apart is that it places the drummers at centre stage. The drummer plays the role of the performer, storyteller and musician. Together, the troupe must channel their energy and emotion on stage to bring out the story behind their performance.

The versatility and potential for variety were what attracted Leow to the art as a student.

“I noticed that there are a lot of movements to it. There are many ways to collaborate.

And the performances you put on the stage are attention-grabbing. You feel like you can stand out.”

With her husband and co-founder Boyz Chew, she started Orang Orang Drum Theatre, which aims to reinvent the rhythm by adding theatrical elements to an already energetic art form.

The result is a blend of drama and martial arts that keeps their 24 Festive Drums performances fresh and innovative.

“Preserving a traditional art cannot simply be about repetition. There has to be some new elements,” says Leow.

In the past, their shows have touched on current issues or incorporated unconventional elements, such as Malay folk songs. Once, they included a rendition of Ikan Kekek (a

18/11/2019 1:00 PM

WARISAN | Gendang 24 Musim

3 – 4. Permukaan gendang dihiasi dengan namanama perayaan dalam tulisan kaligrafi Cina The surface of each drum is decorated with festival names in bold calligraphy

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Kami sentiasa berusaha mencari kaedah baharu untuk menggabungkan keindahan muzik dengan penceritaan dalam setiap persembahan. Hanya dengan cara inilah, keistimewaan warisan budaya masyarakat Cina ini dapat diperkenalkan dan diteruskan.

We are always finding more ways to incorporate music and storytelling in our performances, and this is how we can introduce and preserve this Chinese culture. zaman persekolahan lagi. “Saya sedar gerak tari persembahan ini boleh dipelbagaikan.

Semua persembahan di atas pentas cukup menarik – lain daripada yang lain,” ceritanya.

Dengan bantuan suaminya yang juga pengasas bersama, Boyz Chew, maka lahirlah sebuah kumpulan persembahan baharu – Teater Orang Orang Drum. Ingin mengubah suai semangat dan ritma persembahan genderang artistik sedia ada, elemen-elemen pementasan turut diterapkan.

Hasilnya: gabungan persembahan genderang dan seni mempertahankan diri yang lebih segar dan lebih berinovatif! “Pemeliharaan warisan seni tradisional bukan sekadar mengulangi elemen sedia ada. Elemen-elemen baharu juga diperlukan,” tambahnya.

Sebelum ini, persembahan mereka banyak tertumpu pada isu-isu semasa atau penerapan elemen-elemen luar biasa seperti penggunaan lagu-lagu rakyat masyarakat Melayu. Pernah sekali, gandingan irama Ikan Kekek bersama rentak persembahan mereka turut membantu kumpulan ini tampil juara dalam satu pertandingan genderang.

Terkini, kumpulan ini juga giat menerokai keindahan irama dan kepelbagaian alat muzik

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masyarakat etnik di Borneo. Kini, irama suku kaum orang asli Borneo seperti sape, sejenis lut tradisional masyarakat orang ulu, turut menjadi sebahagian daripada persembahan kumpulan ini.

Kumpulan Gendang 24 Musim kini terdiri daripada lapan orang ahli sepenuh masa dan 12 orang pemain gendang sambilan. Berbekalkan minat dan keakraban hubungan ini, mereka kerap menyertai pelbagai persembahan festival muzik dan pertandingan. Bagi membolehkan orang ramai merasai sendiri ritma persembahan kumpulan ini, mereka juga menganjurkan aneka bengkel genderang dan kelas-kelas di sekolah.

“Kami sentiasa berusaha mencari kaedah baharu untuk menggabungkan keindahan muzik dengan penceritaan dalam setiap persembahan. Hanya dengan cara inilah, keistimewaan warisan budaya masyarakat Cina ini dapat diperkenalkan dan diteruskan,” ujarnya. ■

Untuk maklumat lanjut atau ingin mengikuti bengkel Gendang 24 Musim bersama Leow dan kumpulannya, sila layari laman LokaLocal. loka.fun/traditional-24-festive-drum

children’s song) into their choreography, which earned them first placing in a percussion competition.

More recently, the troupe has been exploring Borneo indigenous music and instruments from different tribal groups.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear the tribal tunes of the sape (a traditional Orang Ulu lute) as part of their ensemble.

Currently, the troupe consists of eight fulltime and 12 part-time drummers. Close-knit and fuelled by passion, they balance their time between performing at music festivals and competitions, giving lessons at schools, as well as offering beginner drumming workshops to those who want to feel the rhythm of 24 Festive Drums.

“We are always finding more ways to incorporate music and storytelling in our performances, and this is how we can introduce and preserve this Chinese culture,” says Leow. ■

For information on the traditional 24 Festive Drums workshop, book a session with Leow and her troupe on on LokaLocal. loka.fun/traditional-24-festive-drum

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Redoxon Gems Mag Ad Size : 210mm (W) x 276mm (H)

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ai157404776019_086_GP Dec2019_MH Insure.pdf

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92 Our Fleet Of Aircraft 94 Enrich Quick Facts & Guide

95 Safety & Service Information 96 Our Network & Those Of Our oneworld Partners

goingplacesmagazine.com | 87 | December 2019

Inside Malaysia Airlines

87 News & Updates

The Malaysian Experience Malaysia Airlines has launched a campaign in support of Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020), called Fly Malaysia. Aside from reiterating Malaysia Airlines’ position as a national icon and flag-bearer of Malaysia, Fly Malaysia will also see the airline working closely with Tourism Malaysia and relevant tourism bodies to promote Malaysia to the world. The campaign will be visible via advertisements and Malaysia Airlines’ social media channels until the end of 2020, with the airline’s wau (kite) logo fashioned with its iconic kebaya motif, complemented with a traditional batik design to represent Malaysia’s rich culture, heritage and diversity. Fly Malaysia will also see Malaysia Airlines embarking on more sales campaigns together with its sister airlines, Firefly and MASwings, to encourage Malaysians to travel local and to connect tourists to Malaysia.

Greater Reach Malaysia Airlines has partnered with British Airways through a codeshare agreement to provide seamless, one-stop air connectivity between Kuala Lumpur and major cities in the United Kingdom. The partnership will allow Malaysia Airlines passengers to book seats on British Airways flights from London Heathrow to Aberdeen, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. All codeshare services will be marketed as Malaysia Airlines flights, thus simplifying ticketing to one document issued by the national carrier. Subject to regulatory approval, Malaysia Airlines will also codeshare with British Airways in Europe, namely in Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Vienna, Brussels, Geneva, Hamburg, Lyon, Toulouse, Paris and Zurich. Meanwhile, British Airways passengers will be able to book Malaysia Airlines flights to 14 destinations the airline serves in Malaysia, including Langkawi, Penang and Bintulu, as well as nine cities in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Vietnam.

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INSIDE MALAYSIA AIRLINES

Commercial Partnership Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines have signed a wide-ranging commercial agreement to significantly strengthen the long-standing partnership between the two airlines.

Subject to regulatory approvals from the relevant authorities, the national carriers will share revenue on flights between Singapore and Malaysia, expand codeshare routes, and participate in joint marketing activities to develop tourism. The new agreement includes Singapore Airlines subsidiaries SilkAir and Scoot, as well as Firefly, Malaysia Airlines’ sister airline. Both groups also plan to offer joint fare products, align corporate programmes and explore tie-ups between their frequent flyer programmes. goingplacesmagazine.com | 88 | December 2019

Feedback_Form_GoingPlaces_FA.pdf

Celebration of Lights

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There was a festive atmosphere in the air as more than 100 Malaysia Aviation Group employees came together for the MAG Deepavali Gathering at the Administration Building in KLIA South Support Zone. The centrepiece of the event was a beautifully decorated ‘Fly Malaysia’ kolam at the lobby of the building. There were also plenty of fun activities, including a Deepavali flash mob as well as a ladoo eating contest and a best dressed competition.

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More Flights

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Malaysia Airlines will increase its flight frequency between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing from seven to 10 flights a week, beginning 1 January. This follows the airline’s relocation of operations to Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK). The move, part of the airline’s network changes into China, is expected to strengthen Malaysia Airlines’ position as a key full service carrier operating into China and will promote bilateral trade and tourism between China and Malaysia.

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Fly In Comfort Economy Class passengers on Malaysia Airlines can now enjoy more space and privacy with the airline’s Neighbour Free Seat (NFS) option, which allows passengers to purchase neighbouring seats or the entire row to travel in comfort. The NFS will be available for passengers at a fixed price on selected routes only and can be purchased as an add-on to their existing travel itinerary via Malaysia Airlines’ website at malaysiaairlines.com, subject to seat availability.

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18/11/2019 1:10 PM

INSIDE MALAYSIA AIRLINES

front-of-house staff that have really cared for the business over the last five years. I have managed to stamp my philosophy and beliefs into them.

We change our degustation menu every 10 weeks. We challenge ourselves to create a theme and dishes that are fun, imaginative and that will make our guest smile. I want guests to sit back and relax. They don’t need to choose what they’re eating. They can just go on a journey through eight courses.

I like my food to be full of flavour. All my dishes are built from a memory, either from my childhood or last week. We all have memories in life and I use them to create my dishes.

Gourmet Menu

In a first-of-its-kind partnership with an international chef, Malaysia Airlines has collaborated with CHEF NELLY ROBINSON to bring on board a unique dining experience above the clouds.

You have achieved much recognition since the days of Northcote Manor. How has the journey been and what is the one trait that has ensured your success?

Nelly Robinson began his career at Michelinstarred restaurant Northcote Manor in the U.K. at the age of 15 years. He was named head chef of Stanley House seven years later before moving to Australia, where he opened his own restaurant nel. in Sydney at the age of 29. The warm personality and creative inspiration of the Gault & Millau chef of the year nominee shines through in the beef short rib he has created for the project. Here, he shares his thoughts on the dish and his partnership with the airline.

and salt content was perfect. Basically, everything has to be perfect before it heads into the sky. Then voila!

In deciding this dish, what is it about Australia that you want to showcase to Malaysia Airlines’ Business Class passengers?

I am very honoured that food from nel. will be on the menu of Malaysia Airlines and hope to do more with them in the future.

I wanted to showcase that Australia has amazing produce. In doing so, I also want to show support to the farmers of this country, who are having a tough time, by getting their produce on board Malaysia Airlines for the world to taste.

What are your thoughts on partnering with Malaysia Airlines?

We have created a beef dish that is slow cooked for 36 hours. It will melt in your mouth! It is served with potatoes, onions and a black garlic emulsion.

What were some of the challenges in crafting this dish that will be served thousands of feet up in the air?

The challenge of creating a dish that will work up in the air is that as a human, your taste buds change at high altitude. So, we as chefs have to make sure that the balance of the dish is spot on. With this dish, it was making sure that the balance of the umami

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Is this your first time partnering with an airline to bring your cuisine to the sky?

I’ve done bits and bobs with airlines before but never put a nel. dish in the sky, which we are very excited about. I have a lot of ideas I want to bring to the table, or should I say tray table, to try and create a new way of dining in the air.

Growing up and starting as a 14-year-old in the U.K., I could never have imagined owning and running my own restaurant on the other side of the world. But I achieved this at 29 years of age. Before this, I was fortunate enough to travel and learn new techniques along the way. At 28, I was travelling back from Hong Kong and said to myself I will open my own restaurant as I was ready for the challenge. We have grown so much in the five years and have many international accolades, including being voted #228 Best Chef in the World in Milan in 2018.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 89 | December 2019

At the end of the day, I just want my guest to be wowed and when they walk out of the restaurant, I want them to say, “I can’t wait for the next menu”.

Now my vision is to grow nel. more. To keep surprising and delighting our guests and challenging the team to keep reinventing new magical menus.

When I got asked if we could create a dish for Malaysia Airlines, I could see that both brands would ally really well. Malaysia Airlines is trying to make food on board more interesting, which is what we try to do with our own menu.

Have you experienced the airline’s famed Malaysian Hospitality?

Yes! I recently travelled to Langkawi with the airline and had a great experience. I love Malaysia – the people, the food, the whole experience!

How would you describe your philosophy on food and cooking?

When I opened nel. in 2015 I knew I had to stand out in the Sydney food scene. I surrounded myself with amazing chefs and

Chef Nelly’s Australian Beef Short Rib with Pommes Anna, Charred Pearl Onions, Black Garlic Emulsion and Umami Dressing will be served in Business Class on all flights from Australia to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu until 28 February 2020.

20/11/2019 11:14 AM

INSIDE MALAYSIA AIRLINES

Proud To Serve

Joint Force Commander LT. GEN. DATO’ SUHAIMI MOHD ZUKI shares his sentiments on transporting peacekeeping soldiers to the frontlines aboard the national carrier.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 90 | December 2019

Clad in dark sunglasses, khaki combat uniforms with digital camouflage patterns, and the signature sky-blue berets of United Nations peacekeepers, soldiers of Malaysian Battalion (MALBATT) 850-7 bid emotional farewells to their parents, spouses and children before boarding the Malaysia Airlines aircraft scheduled to transport them from the Royal Malaysia Air Force base in Subang to the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon.

The 850-strong force was flown to Lebanon in batches each week in October for their peacekeeping duties under the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where they will serve for a whole year.

This year, Malaysia Airlines regained its contract with the Malaysian Ministry of Defence (MinDef) to transport peacekeeping troops to and from their destination. As the soldiers of MALBATT 850-7 disembarked in Beirut, they replaced the returning soldiers of MALBATT 850-6 who have finished their tour of duty there.

In support of Malaysia’s brave soldiers, Malaysian Armed Forces Joint Force Commander Lieutenant General Dato’ Suhaimi Mohd Zuki joined them aboard one of the flights to Beirut and witnessed the transfer of authority ceremony there.

than 40 years of service and is also the chief executive of the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security.

His current position as Joint Force Commander entails overseeing all overseas operations of Malaysia’s armed forces, which include security operations off the east coast of Sabah, operations in Mindanao in the Philippines, as well as the running of a military hospital in Kutupalong, a camp for mostly Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Malaysia began contributing peacekeeping troops to UNIFIL in 2007, as recent decades saw the country threatened with instability, particularly over clashes along its southern border involving groups from neighbouring Israel and Syria.

“But as per today, the situation in southern Lebanon is fine. Our role as peacekeepers is to maintain peace in the areas watched over

by UNIFIL and there have not been many problems there. As long as there is peace there, I consider the peacekeeping efforts to be quite successful,” added Suhaimi.

The peacekeeping contingent flying out

of Malaysia is a force of 850 soldiers and officers, which includes a platoon from Brunei. They will be operating out of two main camps near Marakah and Tibnin in southern Lebanon and will be assigned to watch over other smaller United Nations security posts, depending on the situation on the ground.

“A lot of soldiers from other countries admire how our soldiers are polite and humble when they talk to people and how they handle situations professionally. They have done a lot of humanitarian work and community service like sending our doctors to aid nearby villages, helping to construct buildings, painting schools and teaching computer knowledge to the locals. There is so much that has been done there up until now that I cannot list everything down,” said Suhaimi.

“When we were informed that Malaysia Airlines had been appointed to bring our soldiers to Lebanon, we were all happy and proud to be served by our national carrier.

For the last few flights, I received feedback that Malaysia Airlines has done an excellent job with their preparation and service.

Having spent a year away from Malaysia, our returning soldiers really looked forward to enjoying good Malaysian food on board like satay,” he said.

Having gone through four months of training, Suhaimi is confident that the force is prepared to fulfil their duties in Lebanon.

They have shown loyalty and sacrifice in answering the call to action, leaving behind parents, partners and children to serve their country for a whole year.

“We have prepared them for their duties in Lebanon and Insya-Allah (God-willing), they will be protected so that they can carry out their duties well. To everyone in Malaysia, please pray for the good health and protection of our soldiers. We look forward to bringing every single soldier home safely next year,” he said.

“I’m grateful for the chance to be with my soldiers as we travel there. They are all ready to do their jobs in Lebanon for the coming year. We are quite happy to have Malaysia Airlines bring our soldiers to the places where they need to serve worldwide,” said Suhaimi aboard the flight.

Suhaimi, who joined Malaysia’s armed forces at the age of 18, has been serving in the military for most of his life with more

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18/11/2019 1:11 PM

Maswings

FLEET

ATR 7

B777-200

ATR 72-500

A380-800

Firefly

Maswings A350-900

A380-800 No. of aircraft 6 | Passenger Seating 494 Length 72.72 m | Wingspan 79.75 m | Height 24.09 m B777-200 Max. Cruising Speed 1,102 km/h

No. of aircraft 6 | Passenger Seating 286 Length 66.80 m | Wingspan 64.75 m | HeightATR 17.0572-500 m Max. Cruising Speed 944 km/h

A330-200

Vikin

A330-300 No. of aircraft 15 | Passenger Seating 283 A380-800 B777-200 Length 63.66 m | Wingspan 60.30 m | Height 16.79 m Max. Cruising Speed 980 km/h

A330-200

A330-300

ATR 72-500

No. of aircraft 6ATR | Passenger 72-500 Seating 287 Length 58.82 m | Wingspan 60.30 m | Height 17.39 m Max. Cruising Speed 880 km/h

MasK

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Viking DHC-6 Maswings ______________

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B737-800

A330-300

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Scale 1/200 Date : 23/08/17

No. of aircraft 48 | Passenger Seating 160-166 Length 39.5 m | Wingspan 38.50 m | Height 12.50 m Max. Cruising Speed 857 km/h

MasKargo

Firefly

A330

Viking DHC-6

ATR 72-500

B777-200

B737-800

A330-300

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A330-200F

Firefly No. of aircraft 12 | Passenger Seating 72 Firefly Length 27.05 m | Wingspan 27.17 m | Height 7.65 m Max. Cruising Speed 510 km/h

No. of aircraft 3 | Maximum Cargo Capacity 65 (70) tonnes Length 45 m | Wingspan 60.30 m | Height 16.88 m Length 27.05 m | Wingspan 27.17 m | Height 7.65 m Max. Cruising Speed 1,021 km/h

A330 200f

B747

Maswings

B737-800 ATR 72-500

A330 200f

ATR 72-500

Maswings 72-500 A330-300ATR

Viking DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 400

No. of aircraft 10 | Passenger Seating 68 Length 27.05 m | Wingspan 27.17 m | Height 7.65 m Max. Cruising Speed 510 km/h

No. of aircraft 6 | Passenger Seating 19 Length 15.77 m | Wingspan 19.80 m | Height 5.94MasKargo m Max. Cruising Speed 337 km/h

ATR 72-500

B747 400f ATR 72-500

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B747 400f

ATR 72-500

B777-200 Maswings

B737-800

Viking DHC-6

Viking DHC-6 *Wi-Fi service is available on-board with MHConnect.

A330 200f

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ai157405088624_093_GP Dec2019_Enrich.pdf

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SAFETY + SERVICE INFO

CABIN LUGGAGE HANDLING Passenger and crew safety onboard our flights is our highest priority. In compliance with the airline’s policy and in observing Occupational, Safety and Health Regulations requirements, cabin crew are no longer required to stow passengers’ hand luggages into the overhead stowage compartment. This is to minimise occupational hazard and ergonomic risks faced by cabin crew in the aircraft. Cabin crew on duty will, however, assist passengers travelling with infants, young passengers travelling alone, the elderly, and passengers with reduced mobility. Passengers who are fit and in good health must carry, stow and secure their own hand luggages on board. Hand luggage exceeding the 7kg weight limit is required to be checked in before boarding.

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (PED) For safety reasons and in line with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia guidelines, mobile phones and all PEDs must be switched off once the aircraft has moved out of bay/gate for departure. Whilst cruising, devices placed in flight mode may be used. The devices must again be switched off during the approach for landing until the aircraft is parked at the terminal building. Devices transmitting strong signals must remain switched off throughout the flight, until disembarkation.

The Captain may prohibit the use of devices that can interfere with the aircraft’s system.

LITHIUM BATTERIES Lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries for portable electronic devices (PEDs), including medical devices must not exceed 2g for lithium metal batteries and 100Wh for lithium ion batteries. All spare batteries, including lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries, for PEDs must be carried in passengers’ carry-on baggage only. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits. For PEDs containing non-spillable batteries, they must be 12V or less or 100Wh or less. A maximum of two spare batteries may be carried. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits.

NO-SMOKING POLICY Smoking, including the use of electronic cigarettes, is prohibited on all flights.

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES Electronic cigarettes must be carried on one’s person or in carry-on baggage only. Recharging of the device in-flight is not permitted.

COMFORT & CARE Personal care, baby paraphernalia and first aid treatment are available upon request.

ZERO TOLERANCE OF ABUSE We value courteousness. Any form of threat, verbal abuse or violence towards our staff will be taken seriously. We are committed to supporting anyone who has been the victim of an assault.

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BAGGAGE FOR TRANSIT PASSENGERS We recommend that transit passengers in KLIA reconfirm their final baggage destination at the Transfer Desk to ensure they are identified and loaded accordingly. Just show your baggage identification tag to the Transfer Desk officer.

IN ADDITION TO AIRPORT CHECK-IN, HERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS:

ENTERTAINMENT Movies, TV and Music On-Demand are available on selected flights.

ONBOARD CONNECTION Laptop power points are fitted on Business Suite and Business Class seats.

WEB: Check in online at malaysiaairlines.com. Print out the boarding pass yourself.

USB CHARGING Available on selected aircraft type (A350-900 and A330-200).

FOOD & BEVERAGE All food served is halal. Special meals can be prepared with 24-hour notice. First and Business Class guests may use Chef-on-Call services to book meals 24 hours prior to departure on selected flights. Alcoholic drinks are available on flights over three hours to passengers above the age of 21.

Our cabin crew reserve the right to decline serving and selling alcohol to any passenger who appears intoxicated. Consumption of personal alcoholic drinks is prohibited.

WEB-TO-MOBILE: Check in online. Your boarding pass will be sent to your mobile phone.

Mobile boarding pass can be scanned at airport security and at the boarding gate.

FRESH & FROZEN SEAFOOD Fresh and frozen seafood are strictly not permitted in check-in baggage. They may be accepted in cabin baggage, subject to the destination’s quarantine regulations. They must be properly packed and meet the cabin baggage weight and size requirements.

A maximum of 2.5 kg of dry ice per passenger is permissible if dry ice is used to carry these items. We reserve the right to refuse carriage if the items are not properly packed.

MHMOBILE: Log onto malaysiaairlines.com/ malaysiaairlinesapp to download the Malaysia Airlines app for mobile check-in.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 95 | December 2019

ON-TIME PERFORMANCE Our check-in counters close 60 minutes before departure. Please allow at least 45 minutes for immigration and security clearance. Boarding gate will close 20 minutes prior to departure and late passengers will not be accepted.

PEANUT & NUT ALLERGIES Meals containing peanuts or tree nuts may be served throughout the aircraft. We cannot accommodate requests for peanut/nut-free zones in the aircraft. In addition, we cannot prevent other passengers from bringing peanuts or other tree nuts on board. We strongly encourage those with allergies to take the necessary medical precautions before flying, including travelling with medications such as EpiPens in their hand luggage.

FASTCHECK SELFSERVICE KIOSK: Check in and print your boarding pass at these kiosks at the airport.

WHEELCHAIR ASSISTANCE Wheelchair requests must be made through the Global Customer Contact Centre and/or Ticket Office and/or Malaysia Airlines appointed travel agents at least 48 hours prior to departure. Contact the call centre at 1-300-88-3000 for more information.

UNACCOMPANIED MINOR (UMNR) POLICY We provide assistance for children aged five to 15 years old travelling alone, with 24-hour advance request.

CITY CENTRE COUNTER CHECK-IN: Available at KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur, and in Hong Kong.

*Terms & conditions apply to the above, which is correct at the time of printing. Visit malaysiaairlines.com for more information.

18/11/2019 12:08 PM

OUR NETWORK / MALAYSIA

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Langkawi Langkawi

Penang

Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu

Kota Bharu Kota Bharu

Alor SetarAlor Setar

Labuan

Penang Kuala Terenggganu Kuala Terenggganu Ipoh

Limbang

Ipoh

Miri

Labuan

Lawas Limbang

Mulu Marudi

Mulu Ba’kelalan Ba’kelalan

Long SeridanLongBario Seridan Kuantan Kuantan

Bintulu

(Kuala Lumpur)(Kuala Lumpur)

KLIA

Mukah

KLIA

(Kuala Lumpur)(Kuala Lumpur)

Sibu

Bintulu

Lawas

Lahad Datu Lahad Datu

Miri Marudi

Subang Subang

Sandakan Sandakan

Tawau

Tawau

Bario

Long Akah Long AkahLong Lellang Long Lellang Long Banga Long Banga

Mukah Sibu

Tanjung Manis Tanjung Manis Kuching Kuching Johor Bahru Johor Bahru

LEGEND

MASwings flights operated by Royal Brunei

Greenwich Meridian

Greenwich Meridian

oneworld destinations

CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINT / DESTINATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. LOG ON TO MALAYSIAAIRLINES.COM OR ONEWORLD.COM FOR THE RESPECTIVE ROUTE/DESTINATION MAPS

_GP Dec 2019_MH Routemap.indd 72

18/11/2019 12:00 PM

ASIA + OCEANIA Mirny Mirny YakutskYakutsk

Nizhnevartovsk Nizhnevartovsk Talakan Talakan

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk

Omsk Omsk

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk

Bratsk Bratsk

Abakan Abakan PavlodarPavlodar

Magadan Magadan Neryungri Neryungri

Irkutsk Irkutsk

Gorno-Altaysk Gorno-Altaysk

Semey Semey

Sea Sea of of Okhotsk Okhotsk

Chita Chita

Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude

Petropavlovsk Petropavlovsk

Blagoveschensk Blagoveschensk Khabarovsk Khabarovsk

Ust-Kamenogorsk Ust-Kamenogorsk

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Taraz Almaty Almaty Bishkek Bishkek Tamchy Tamchy Namangan Namangan TashkentTashkent Osh Osh Dushanbe Dushanbe Taraz

Rishiri Rishiri Asahikawa Asahikawa Memanbetsu Memanbetsu ObihiroObihiro KushiroKushiro

Urumqi Urumqi Vladivostok Vladivostok

ShymkentShymkent

BeijingBeijing

Dalian Dalian Seoul Seoul Komatsu Komatsu Izumo Izumo TokyoTokyo Zhengzhou Zhengzhou QingdaoQingdao Busan Busan Hiroshima Hiroshima NagoyaNagoya Xi’an Xi’an FukuokaFukuoka OsakaOsaka Jeju Jeju Tokushima Tokushima Nanjing Nanjing NagasakiNagasakiKochi Kochi Shanghai Shanghai ChengduChengdu MiyazakiMiyazaki Kagoshima Kagoshima Wuhan Wuhan Hangzhou Hangzhou Ningbo Ningbo Chongqing Chongqing Changsha Changsha Wenzhou Wenzhou

Kulob Kulob Islamabad Islamabad PeshawarPeshawar Faisalabad FaisalabadAmritsarAmritsar Multan Multan New Delhi New DelhiKathmandu Kathmandu Karachi Karachi Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Nagpur Nagpur Mumbai Mumbai

Goa

KunmingKunming

Guilin Guilin

Kolkata Kolkata

BayBay of of Bengal Bengal

NORTH NORTH PACIFIC PACIFIC OCEAN OCEAN

HaikouHaikou

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai Yangon Yangon

Goa Bengaluru Bengaluru Chennai Chennai

East East China China SeaSea OkinawaOkinawa Fuzhou Fuzhou TaipeiTaipei

Xiamen Xiamen Kaohsiung Kaohsiung Guangzhou Guangzhou Hong Kong Hong Kong Hanoi Hanoi

DhakaDhaka

Hyderabad Hyderabad

AomoriAomori MisawaMisawa SeaSea of of Akita Akita Hanamaki Hanamaki Japan Japan Niigata Niigata Yamagata Yamagata

Tianjin Tianjin

Sanya Sanya Da NangDa Nang

South South AngelesAngeles China China Philippine Philippine SeaSeaManilaManila SeaSea

Siem Reap Siem Reap Bangkok Bangkok PhnomPhnom Penh Penh

Andaman Andaman SeaSea

Kozhikode Kozhikode Tiruchchirappalli Tiruchchirappalli Cebu Cebu Kochi KochiMaduraiMadurai Ho ChiHo Minh ChiCity Minh City Trincomalee Trincomalee Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram PhuketPhuketKrabi Krabi Batticaloa Batticaloa Colombo Colombo Hambantota HambantotaBandaBanda Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu Aceh Aceh Koggala Koggala Bandar Bandar Seri Begawan Seri Begawan MedanMedan Tarakan Tarakan Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Male Male Singapore Singapore Pekanbaru Pekanbaru

Guam Guam

Koror Koror

EQUATOR

Gan Island Gan Island

Surabaya Surabaya Jakarta Jakarta

Arafura Arafura SeaSea

Surakarta Surakarta Bali Bali

INDIAN INDIAN OCEAN OCEAN

Horn Island Horn Island

Timor Timor SeaSea BroomeBroome Port Hedland Port Hedland KarrathaKarratha ExmouthExmouth Paraburdoo Paraburdoo Newman Newman

Geraldton Geraldton Perth Perth

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie

Darwin Darwin

Port Moresby Port Moresby

Weipa Weipa

Cairns Cairns

Coral Coral Sea Sea

Nadi Nadi Townsville Townsville Mount Mount Isa IsaCloncurry Cloncurry Hamilton Hamilton Island Island MackayMackay Moranbah Moranbah Alice Springs Alice Springs New Caledonia New Caledonia Rockhampton Rockhampton Longreach Longreach Gladstone EmeraldEmeraldGladstone BlackallBlackall HerveyHervey Bay Bay Ayers Rock Ayers Rock Charleville Charleville Roma Roma Brisbane Brisbane Moree MoreeGold Coast Gold Coast Coffs Harbour Armidale ArmidaleCoffs Harbour Tamworth Tamworth Port Port Howe Island Lord Howe LordIsland Macquarie Macquarie Dubbo Dubbo Newcastle Newcastle WhyallaWhyalla MilduraMildura Wagga Wagga Wagga Sydney Sydney Port Lincoln Port Lincoln Adelaide Adelaide Canberra Albury AlburyCanberra Kingscote Kingscote Auckland Auckland

Melbourne Melbourne Devonport Devonport Launceston Launceston

Tasman Tasman Sea Sea

HobartHobart

Wellington Wellington Christchurch Christchurch

Queenstown Queenstown

GMT +5

GMT +6

GMT +7

GMT +8

GMT +9

GMT +10

GMT +11

GMT +12

A member of

_GP Dec 2019_MH Routemap.indd 73

18/11/2019 12:00 PM

AMERICAS + CANADA Calgary Vancouver Seattle Portland

Gulf of Alaska

Eugene

Redmond/Bend

Santa Rosa San Francisco

Reno Sacramento

Milwaukee

Monterey Ontario Santa Barbara Palm Springs Los Angeles

Chicago

Albuquerque Phoenix

San Diego

Dallas

El Paso

San Angelo

Hermosillo

San Antonio Brownsville Monterrey

Gulf of Alaska

Puerto Vallarta Manzanillo

Ixtapa

Martha's Vineyard

Philadelphia Salisbury-Ocean City

Hudson Bay

Ponta Delg

Mexico City

Belize City

Huatulco Guatemala City San Salvador

Jacksonville

Sargasso Sea

West Palm Beach Marsh Harbour Miami Nassau

Montego Bay

San Pedro Sula

San Juan Saint Maarten

Port-au- Santo Prince Domingo

Kingston

Caribbean Sea

Pointe-a-Pitre Saint Vincent

Aruba Santa Marta San Andrés Island Caracas Cartagena Valledupar Liberia San Jose Panama City

Bridgetown

Tobago

Managua

PACIFIC OCEAN

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Bermuda

Charleston

Key West George Town Havana Varadero Providenciales Cancún Cap-Haïtien Santiago Grand Cayman Merida

Queretaro Morelia

Tampa Sarasota

Gulf of Mexico

Mazatlán

San José del Cabo

Tallahassee

Corpus Christi

Chihuahua

Halifax

Nantucket

Raleigh-Durham Charlotte New Bern Myrtle Beach Atlanta Savannah

New Orleans Houston

Bangor Portland

Watertown Boston Buffalo New York

Pittsburgh Washington Winston-Salem

Nashville

Montreal

Toronto Grand Rapids

St Louis

Las Vegas

Ottawa

Traverse City

Hayden Denver Aspen Colorado Springs Montrose

Medford

Québec

Marquette

Duluth

Port of Spain Georgetown

Yopal Medellin Pereira Bogotá Cali Boa Vista

Lihue Honolulu

Kahului

San Cristóbal Island

Kailua Kona

Sargasso Macapá SeaBelem

Quito

Baltra Island

Guayaquil Talara

Gulf Cuenca of Tumbes Iquitos Mexico

Chiclayo

Leticia

Trujillo

Porto Velho Rio Branco

Jauja

Lima

Ayacucho

Pisco

Caribbean Sea

Cusco Juliaca La Paz Ilo Tacna

Cuiaba

Santiago

Concepción

Porto Seguro Belo Horizonte

Ribeirao Preto Maringa Asuncion

Tucuman

Mendoza

S AT O

Vitoria

Rio de Janeiro São Paulo Curitiba

Iguazu

Joinville Jaguaruna Porto Alegre

Comodoro Rivadavia

La Serena

Ilheus

Santa Cruz

Salta

Copiapó

SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN

Salvador Brasilia Goiania

Campo Grande

Antofagasta

Natal João Pessoa Recife Maceió Aracaju

Teresina

Palmas

Calama

Chilean Sea

Imperatriz

Puerto Maldonado

Iquique

Easter Island

Fortaleza

Maraba

Cajamarca

EQUATOR

São Luís

Santarem

Manaus

Rosario Montevideo Punta Del Este Buenos Aires

Neuquén

Valdivia

Osorno

Puerto Montt

San Carlos Bariloche

Castro

LEGEND

Scotia Sea

Balmaceda El Calafate

oneworld destinations

Puerto Natales

MH flights operated by Emirates

GMT -8

GMT -7

Río Gallegos

Chilean SeaUshuaia

Punta Arenas

GMT -6

SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN

GMT -5

CORRECT AT THE TIME OF PRINT / DESTINATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE. LOG ON TO MALAYSIAAIRLINES.COM OR ONEWORLD.COM FOR THE RESPECTIVE ROUTE/DESTINATION MAPS

_GP Dec 2019_MH Routemap.indd 74

Mount Pleasant

GMT -4

GMT -3

GMT -2

Scotia Sea 18/11/2019 12:00 PM

North Sea Inverness Aberdeen

Glasgow

Newcastle

Belfast Shannon

Leeds

Mariehamn

Oslo

Aalborg Billund

Westerland Amsterdam

Turku

Visby

Gothenburg

Helsinki Tallinn Tartu

St Petersburg

Riga

Aarhus Gdansk Hamburg

Kaliningrad

Kazan

EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST + AFRICA Pavlodar

Moscow

Vilnius

Samara

Kras

Abakan Gorno-Altaysk

Warsaw Berlin Semey Rotterdam Leipzig Kiev London Brussels Dusseldorf Ust-Kamenogorsk Prague Guernsey Frankfurt Polyarny Jersey Ivalo Luxembourg Vienna Quimper Paris Murmansk Basel Budapest Zurich Ljubljana Chisinau Kittila Astrakhan Geneva Rovaniemi Simferopol Zagreb Bordeaux Milan Urumqi Venice Pula Chambery Kemi Belgrade Bucharest Kuusamo Almaty Taraz Genoa Varna Toulouse Bishkek Sochi Oulu Dubrovnik Rimini Marseille Leon Sofia Pisa Kajaani BurgasUmea Calvi Batumi Tivat Trondheim Tashkent Reykjavik Valladolid Tbilisi Barcelona Porto Bari Tirana Kavala Rome Olbia Jyvaskyla Osh Joensuu Yerevan Ankara Brindisi Baku Madrid Volos Mytilini Tampere Cagliari Dushanbe Palma De Lisbon Preveza Kuusamo Helsinki Mallorca Perm Palermo OsloAthens Mariehamn Catania Erbil St Petersburg Almeria AntalyaTurku Thira Kalamata Kulob Stockholm Tallinn Oran Algiers Tyumen Tunis Malta Yekaterinburg Tangier Larnaca Karpathos Chania Sulaymaniyah Tehran Gothenburg Visby Tartu Inverness Melilla Yaroslavl Paphos Beirut Chelyabinsk Islamabad Baghdad Casablanca Aberdeen Nizhny Novgorod Riga Peshawar Aarhus Kazan Edinburgh Moscow Glasgow Billund Tel Aviv Amman Ufa Marrakech Al Najaf Alexandria Gdansk Faisalabad Newcastle Amritsar Vilnius Kaluga Copenhagen Belfast Agadir Leeds Shiraz Samara Cairo Kaliningrad Hamburg Bryansk Multan Shárm el-Sheikh New Delhi Nur-Sultan Kathmandu Warsaw Cambridge Amsterdam Dublin Shannon Hannover Berlin Saratov Birmingham Gassim Uralsk Hurghada Rotterdam Leipzig Dammam Belgorod Kiev London Brussels Dusseldorf Luxor Krakow Karachi Madinah Prague Luxembourg Riyadh Dhaka Frankfurt Marsa Alam Jersey Ahmedabad Abu Dhabi Volgograd Vienna Munich Quimper Kolkata Paris Basel Nagpur Rostov Budapest Jeddah Zurich Ljubljana Taif Nantes Astrakhan Geneva Simferopol Zagreb Bordeaux Lyon Milan Bucharest Abha Mumbai Venice Pula Anapa Belgrade Montpellier Hyderabad Bologna Varna Sochi Vladikavkaz Genoa A Coruna Toulouse Dubrovnik Black Sea Caspian Sofia Leon Salalah Pisa AsmaraBurgas Batumi Marseille Nice Tivat Tashkent Tbilisi Sea Khartoum Valladolid Goa Figari Porto Kavala Istanbul Tirana Rome Bari Bengaluru Barcelona Yerevan Bukhara Ankara Olbia Samarkand Brindisi Chennai Baku Madrid Skiathos Ashgabat Palma De Lisbon Preveza Dushanbe Cagliari Palermo Kozhikode Mallorca Athens Izmir Djibouti Adana Tiruchchirappalli Almeria Erbil Catania Faro Kochi Thira Antalya Kalamata Oran Gazipasa Tunis Malta Algiers Trincomalee TangierAbuja Thiruvananthapuram Chania Addis Ababa Rhodes Mashhad Tehran Sulaymaniyah Larnaca Melilla Colombo Paphos Mediterranean Sea Hambantota Casablanca Baghdad Banda A Beirut Lagos Esfahan Accra Funchal Tel Aviv Marrakech Malabo Al Najaf Basrah Shiraz Male Lanzarote Eilat Cairo Kuwait Entebbe Fuerteventura Tenerife Dammam Nairobi Gran Canaria Dubai Madinah Bahrain Kigali Sohar Riyadh Kilimanjaro Muscat Abu Dhabi Zanzibar Jeddah Dar Es Salaam

Celtic Sea

Cork

Birmingham

Norwegian Sea

Caspian Sea

Black Sea

Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Novosibirsk

Omsk

Nizhny Novgorod

North Sea

Mediterranean Sea

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN Dakar

Celtic Sea

Bay of Bengal

Anda Se

Gulf of Guinea

Luanda Salalah

Khartoum

Dakar

INDIA OCEA

Djibouti

Livingstone Abuja

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Accra

Mogadishu

Maputo

Entebbe

Johannesburg

Gulf of Guinea Cape Town

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

Nairobi Kigali

Durban

Kilimanjaro Dar Es Salaam

Port Elizabeth

Livingstone Victoria Falls

Mombasa

Mahe Island

Zanzibar

INDIAN OCEAN

Harare Mauritius

Windhoek Gaborone GREENWICH MERIDIAN

Greenwich Meridian

GMT -1

Arabian Sea

Addis Ababa

Lagos Windhoek

EQUATOR

GMT -2

Victoria Falls

Harare

Durban Cape Town

GMT 0

Maputo

Johannesburg

GMT +1

Port Elizabeth

GMT +2

GMT +3

GMT +4

_GP Dec 2019_MH Routemap.indd 75

wich Meridian

A member of

18/11/2019 12:00 PM

ow-TB MH-EN DPS Ad Priority boarding-C1 0519 AW.pdf

1

13/08/2019

17:30

Enjoy one status on 13 airlines.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Fly with the brighter alliance.

Welcome to oneworld®, an alliance of 13 world-leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and connecting you to over 1,100 destinations around the world. It’s the smartest way to travel and make your connections to more than 160 countries worldwide.

Enrich Silver oneworld Ruby

Enrich Gold oneworld Sapphire

Enrich Platinum oneworld Emerald

Earn and redeem Enrich Miles on all oneworld member airlines Earn Tier points on all eligible oneworld flights Access to Business Class priority check-in Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating Priority on waitlists and when on standby Access to Business Class lounges Priority boarding

When you are eligible for priority boarding on any oneworld member airline, you have it on all member airlines. It’s one of the many benefits available to you as an Enrich Gold or Platinum member, no matter which cabin you’re flying.

Learn more about how you can travel bright at oneworld.com.

ow-TB MH-EN DPS Ad options 06-09 AW.indd 3

Extra baggage allowance Priority baggage handling Access to First Class priority check-in Access to First Class lounges Fast track at security lanes NOTICE: Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating is subject to the policy of the individual oneworld member airline operating the flight. First and business class check-in desks and lounges are not available at all airports. Fast track is not available at all airports. Priority baggage handling is not available on flights operated by British Airways. oneworld benefits are available only to passengers on scheduled flights that are both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline (marketed means that there must be a oneworld member airline’s flight number on your ticket). American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and oneworld are trademarks of their respective companies. LATAM Airlines (Paraguay) is currently not a part of oneworld. Some limitations and exceptions may apply. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/benefits. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner which provides select alliance benefits to oneworld members. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/oneworld-connect.

29/05/2019 12:40

ow-TB MH-EN DPS Ad Priority boarding-C1 0519 AW.pdf

1

13/08/2019

17:30

Enjoy one status on 13 airlines.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Fly with the brighter alliance.

Welcome to oneworld®, an alliance of 13 world-leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and connecting you to over 1,100 destinations around the world. It’s the smartest way to travel and make your connections to more than 160 countries worldwide.

Enrich Silver oneworld Ruby

Enrich Gold oneworld Sapphire

Enrich Platinum oneworld Emerald

Earn and redeem Enrich Miles on all oneworld member airlines Earn Tier points on all eligible oneworld flights Access to Business Class priority check-in Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating Priority on waitlists and when on standby Access to Business Class lounges Priority boarding

When you are eligible for priority boarding on any oneworld member airline, you have it on all member airlines. It’s one of the many benefits available to you as an Enrich Gold or Platinum member, no matter which cabin you’re flying.

Learn more about how you can travel bright at oneworld.com.

ow-TB MH-EN DPS Ad options 06-09 AW.indd 3

Extra baggage allowance Priority baggage handling Access to First Class priority check-in Access to First Class lounges Fast track at security lanes NOTICE: Access to preferred or pre-reserved seating is subject to the policy of the individual oneworld member airline operating the flight. First and business class check-in desks and lounges are not available at all airports. Fast track is not available at all airports. Priority baggage handling is not available on flights operated by British Airways. oneworld benefits are available only to passengers on scheduled flights that are both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline (marketed means that there must be a oneworld member airline’s flight number on your ticket). American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and oneworld are trademarks of their respective companies. LATAM Airlines (Paraguay) is currently not a part of oneworld. Some limitations and exceptions may apply. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/benefits. Fiji Airways is a oneworld connect partner which provides select alliance benefits to oneworld members. For more information, visit www.oneworld.com/oneworld-connect.

29/05/2019 12:40

HANDSET INSTRUCTIONS

GETTING STARTED For passengers with a seatback personal screen, please refer to the following instructions for use of the remote control. 擁有個人屏幕的乘客請參照以下圖像和說明來使用您的遙控器。 個人スクリーンをお持ちのお客様はお手元のハンドセットを下の画像と合わせてから続けてお読みください。

Business Suite & Business Class A380

Economy Class A380

Business Suite A350-900 1

11 1 13 2

4

1

13 1

1

5 12

9

5 17

4

14

16

1

5 6 7

15

4

goingplacesmagazine.com | 102 | December 2019

11

17

17 7

6

6

14

17 6 4

9

All passengers A333 & B737-800

13

5 17

Business Class A332

13

2

9 6

6

13

14

Business Class & Extra Legroom Seats A350-900

4

13

1 9

11

4 17 7

14

*For Economy Class passengers, access to in-flight entertainment and service functions is via the seatback touch screen monitor.

1

Control Paddle*

1

控制板*

1

上下左右ボタン*

2

Window Display

2

顯示視窗

2

ウィンドウ表示

Mode

3

模式

3

モード

閱讀燈 ON/OFF

4

読書用ライトON/OFF

頻道 UP/DOWN

5

チャンネルUP/DOWN

6

音声ボリュームUP/DOWN

7

明るさUP/DOWN

8

乗務員呼び出し/取消

9

選択/スタート*

10

入力*

11

12

3

Reading Light ON/OFF

4

5

Channel UP/DOWN

5

6

Volume UP/DOWN

6

7

Brightness UP/DOWN

7

8

Button Disabled

9

Select/Start*

10

Enter*

11

Audio/Video Controls To Rewind, Play/Pause, Forward and Stop for Audio/Video

4

12

Back Button To go to previous screen

13

Screen ON/OFF Button To switch the Interactive screen ON/OFF

14

Home Button Shortcut to go to Main Menu

15

QWERTY Keyboard - B738/A333

16

Magnetic Card Reader

17

Cabin Crew Assistance

音量 UP/DOWN 亮度 UP/DOWN

8

呼叫乘務員/取消

9

選擇/開始*

10

確認*

11

12

13

13

14

14

15

15

16

16

17

フライトアテンダントアシスタンス

17

机舱服务员协助

*Not on the Inseat System

_GP Dec 2019_GPE02.indd 102

18/11/2019 1:06 PM

Entertainment

104 FILM REVIEWS 105 NEW THIS MONTH 106 MOVIES 108 TV SHOWS 110 AUDIO/RADIO 111 FILM TALK

PASKAL: THE MOVIE © 2019 . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

N LY TIO UD DUC ENTS O O R V A P N PR UE E IA Y TR S LAY D B MA PIRE S IN

_GP Dec 2019_GPE02.indd 103

18/11/2019 1:06 PM

FILM REVIEWS

WANT HELP WITH WHAT TO WATCH THIS MONTH? FILMMAKER AND DIRECTOR KAM RASLAN MAKES THE CASE FOR THESE MOVIES.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 104 | December 2019

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY PASKAL: THE MOVIE AD ASTRA How did anybody think up the idea for Ad Astra? It’s a beautifully imagined and thoughtful exploration of the space between a son with a very distant father. I mean very distant. Like the space between Earth and the planet Neptune. Set in the near future, Brad Pitt is a fairly low-ranking astronaut who might be the only key to stopping violent solar flares that are threatening all life on earth. You see, his father might be responsible, and he disappeared on a deep space mission two decades before. How does somebody think up something like that?

This is a rare movie. At a time when superheroes dominate the screens, breaking with any sense of the reality of what humans can and cannot actually do, Ad Astra might not be earthbound, but it is rooted in the believable. At some point, and quite soon, humans will be able to venture into the far reaches of the solar system, and what will they find there. Life? Or nothing but lifeless planets circling around a sun?

Older viewers of Ad Astra will recognise hints of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and they might even detect the storyline of Apocalypse Now, where a man is sent on a mission and a long journey to find somebody who may or may not be dangerously insane.

Ad Astra is a rare movie. It is a very good movie, and it also happens to be Brad Pitt’s best performance.

_GP Dec 2019_GPE02.indd 104

One thing is for sure, Malaysian hearts will race when watching PASKAL. Don’t try to fight it, it can’t be helped. It’s nice to feel patriotic when watching a movie. Inspired by a true story and by the Royal Malaysian Navy’s elite special forces unit called Pasukan Khas Laut, or PASKAL, the movie charts the lead-up to a rescue mission on an oil rig. It is thrilling.

With a budget of RM10 million (USD2.4 million), PASKAL is one of the most expensive Malaysian movies ever made. RM10 million is not much for Hollywood (it would barely have paid for Brad Pitt’s hair and makeup), but for a Malaysian movie, it is a big financial risk. But PASKAL went on to make RM30 million (USD7.2 million) at the box office alone, which is a stunning and much deserved achievement. A big budget does not guarantee a good movie, but with PASKAL, the money is well spent.

For too long, Malaysian audiences have been forced to accept poor-quality technical filmmaking, which has been partly due to the low budgets but also due to long-held bad filmmaking habits. But in recent years, in film after film, from arty to action and in different languages, Malaysian films have suddenly become extremely well made, as good as anything else at the cineplex or on your inflight choices. And the hostage rescue scene in PASKAL is thrilling because it has some truly complex filmmaking that has been stunningly well-executed. But it’s not just about the action, because the quieter, human scenes were, for me, the best part of the film.

ICYMI, or in case you missed it. That is what makes a great in-flight movie. It’s the thrill of finding that film you wanted to see but missed, and discovering it’s an overlooked gem. And Solo: A Star Wars Story is the perfect in-flight movie because not enough people went to see it at the cinema, and I don’t know why because it is a really good film.

IDK, or I don’t know. I don’t know what makes Ron Howard a great director, but alongside Steven Spielberg, he is one of the best. A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon and Apollo 13, to name but three. We all know the Star Wars series with the Death Stars, Jedi and fighter jets, et cetera, but Ron Howard doesn’t focus exclusively on those thrills (although they are there). Instead, he takes the camera closer to focus our attention on the characters and their journeys. Solo is about quirky people on an adventure in what is for them a normal setting. But they are believable people. Maybe that’s what makes Ron Howard a great director.

The Story? Well, this is where it all began for Han Solo (played very well by the up-andcoming Alden Ehrenreich). We saw him die in The Force Awakens (oops, spoiler alert) and suddenly we see him as a young, charming but super-cocky young man in Solo. Maybe the sudden jump back in time was too much for moviegoers but I think you’ll enjoy being in the young Han Solo’s company again.

Ad Astra, PASKAL: The Movie and Solo: A Star Wars Story are playing onboard. Check your in-flight entertainment system for channel information.

18/11/2019 1:44 PM

NEW THIS MONTH

HOLLYWOOD

AD ASTRA

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

TWELVE

BRAD PITT, TOMMY LEE JONES, RUTH NEGGA, LIV TYLER PG-13 / / 122 mins / Adventure, Drama, Mystery / E, E+

VIVEIK KALRA, KULVINDER GHIR, MEERA GANATRA, NELL WILLIAMS, AARON PHAGURA PG-13 / / 118 mins / Comedy, Drama, Music / E, E+

ERIK HEGER, WYATT RALFF, JEREMY HOLM PG-13 / / 92 mins / Family, Sport / E, E+

When mysterious power surges strike and threaten all human life, fearless astronaut Roy McBride must embark on a daring mission across an unforgiving Solar System to Neptune to solve the mystery and also uncover the truth about his missing father Clifford, who led an expedition to explore deep space 30 years ago and was never heard from again.

Set in 1987 in England, Pakistani teenager Javed faces racial and economic turmoil while living in Luton. He writes poetry as an escape from the intolerance and the stubborn views of his traditional father. When a classmate introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels between the powerful lyrics and his own struggles and is inspired to find his own voice and follow his dreams.

The kind-hearted young Kyle Cooke is a talented baseball player who is snubbed and denied a spot on the Oakwood baseball team due to nepotism.

Despite facing financial struggles after being recently laid off, his father Ted takes a risk to get Kyle on a rival team in neighbouring Brighton, so that the boy can have a chance to live his dream of playing in the Little League World Series and getting back at the team that denied him.

MALAY

CHINESE

HINDI

MALAYALAM

PASKAL: THE MOVIE

寵我 / MILLION LOVES

लु क ा चु प् पी / ZERO

ഇളയരാജ / ILAYARAJA

HAIRUL AZREEN, AMMAR ALFIAN, JASMINE SURAYA CHIN PG-13 / / 95 mins / Action, Drama / E+

Following the successful liberation of a supertanker hijacked by Somali pirates, Lieutenant Commander Arman Rahmat of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s special forces unit PASKAL is conflicted over retiring from the force. However, a fateful encounter with someone from a painful incident in his past drags him back for one more confrontation during a dangerous hostage rescue mission.

Read our interview with director Adrian Teh on page 111

IN ME

JOHN Y, LO KOON LAN, WILSON LEE, RUBY YAP PG-13 / / 108 mins / Drama / M, E+

Inspired by a true court case in Hong Kong, this is the story of a mother and her 45-year old daughter, whose strange behaviour and excessive shopping make them unpopular.

A local reporter discovers over a hundred caged cats and dogs in their apartment and reports the story, resulting in public outrage, but he later questions his actions when it is learned that they suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

RATINGS:

G / U General audience. Suitable for all ages.

SHAH RUKH KHAN, ANUSHKA SHARMA, KATRINA KAIF PG-13 / / 183 mins / Drama, Romance / E+

Bauua Singh is a 38-year-old man who wears his heart on his sleeve. After having difficulty finding a marriage partner, he finds a companion in Aafia Bhinder, a brilliant space research scientist with cerebral palsy. But wanting more, he later breaks up with her after meeting Bollywood superstar Babita Kumari. The love triangle takes Bauua on an adventure to faraway places in a journey to discover the meaning of true love and a life lived to the fullest.

R Restricted. Not suitable for audiences under 17 years of age.

NR Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

PG P arental guidance recommended. Some content may not

Contains scenes or language that may be disturbing or be suitable for children. offensive. Viewer discretion is advised.

PG-13 Parental guidance strongly recommended. Some content Programmes with Malaysian content. may be inappropriate for children under 13 years of age.

15 Suitable for audiences aged 15 years and above.

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Award-winning movies/programmes.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING

Told first-hand by some of Hollywood's leading voices behind and in front of the camera, this documentary takes an investigative look at the under-representation and misrepresentation of women in Hollywood and analyses the gender disparity and discrimination in the industry.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 105 | December 2019

GEENA DAVIS, NATALIE PORTMAN, JESSICA CHASTAIN, CATE BLANCHETT, REESE WITHERSPOON PG / 96 mins / Documentary / E, E+

GUINNESS PAKRU, HARISREE ASOKAN, LAKSHMIKA SAJEEVAN PG-13 / / 141 mins / Drama / E+

The vertically challenged Vanajan is a peanut vendor who lives with his wife, father and two children. Facing financial difficulties in dealing with his wife’s illness, he borrows money from an unsympathetic moneylender who later pressures him to repay what he owes. However, the successes of his gifted son and daughter, prodigies in playing chess and spelling bees respectively, may yet turn the family’s luck around.

LANGUAGES: A Arabic / C Cantonese / D Danish / E English / ES Spanish / F French / G German / H Hindi / I Italian / IN Indonesian / J Japanese / K Korean / M Mandarin / ML Malay / T Tamil / TA Tagalog

SUBTITLES: A+ Arabic / C+ Chinese / E+ English / J+ Japanese / M+ Malay

18/11/2019 1:44 PM

MOVIES

FAVOURITES

LATEST

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN PG-13 / / 105 mins / Biography, Drama, Musical / E, J, K, E+

HIDDEN FIGURES PG-13 / / 127 mins / Biography, Drama, History / E, C+

New THE KITCHEN MELISSA MCCARTHY, TIFFANY HADDISH, ELISABETH MOSS R / / 102 mins / Action, Crime, Drama / E, C+

New TWELVE ERIK HEGER, WYATT RALFF, JEREMY HOLM PG-13 / / 92 mins / Family, Sport / E, E+

ANNABELLE COMES HOME MCKENNA GRACE, MADISON ISEMAN, KATIE SARIFE R / / 106 mins / Horror / E, K, C+

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL (2019) ROSA SALAZAR, CHRISTOPH WALTZ PG-13 / / 122 mins / Action, Adventure, Romance / E

ISN'T IT ROMANTIC REBEL WILSON, LIAM HEMSWORTH PG-13 / / 88 mins / Romantic, Comedy / E, J, K, E+

NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE SOPHIA LILLIS, SAM TRAMMELL PG / 89 mins / Drama, Mystery / E

goingplacesmagazine.com | 106 | December 2019

New BLINDED BY THE LIGHT VIVEIK KALRA, KULVINDER GHIR, MEERA GANATRA PG-13 / / 118 mins / Comedy, Drama, Music / E, E+

PAPA ROBERT SCOTT WILSON, DAVID PROVAL, PAUL SORVINO PG-13 / / 107 mins / Drama / E

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR YARA SHAHIDI, CHARLES MELTON, JOHN LEGUIZAMO, CAMRUS JOHNSON PG-13 / / 100 mins / Romantic, Drama / E, C+

THE AFTERMATH KEIRA KNIGHTLEY, ALEXANDER SKARSGÅRD, JASON CLARKE R / / 108 mins / Drama, Romance / E

A CHRISTMAS CAROL PG / 96 mins / Animation, Drama, Family / E, J, K

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS PG-13 / / 129 mins / Action, Adventure, Crime / E, J, K, C+

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS PG / 113 mins / Adventure, Family, Fantasy / E, J, K, E+

MALEFICENT PG-13 / / 97 mins / Action, Adventure, Fantasy / E, J, K, E+ For the complete list of Favourites, please refer to your in-flight entertainment system.

AWARD-WINNING MOVIES

New AD ASTRA (AKA LIMA PROJECT) BRAD PITT, LIV TYLER, RUTH NEGGA PG-13 / / 122 mins / Adventure, Drama, Mystery / E, E+

TOP END WEDDING ALAN RICKMAN, GWILYM LEE, KERRY FOX PG-13 / / 113 mins / Comedy, Romance / E, E+

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX JAMES MCAVOY, MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JENNIFER LAWRENCE PG-13 / / 114 mins / Sci-fi, Action / E, E+

New THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING JESSICA CHASTAIN, NATALIE PORTMAN, CATE BLANCHETT PG / 96 mins / Documentary / E, E+

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS KYLE CHANDLER, VERA FARMIGA, MILLIE BOBBY BROWN, KEN WATANABE, CHARLES DANCE, BRADLEY WHITFORD PG-13 / / 132 mins / Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi / E, J, K, E+

SHAFT SAMUEL L. JACKSON, JESSIE T. USHER, REGINA HALL, ALEXANDRA SHIPP R / / 111 mins / Action, Comedy / E, J

THE BIRDCATCHER SARAH-SOFIE BOUSSNINA, AUGUST DIEHL, LAURA BIRN G / / 100 mins / Family, Kids / E

STUBER DAVE BAUTISTA, KUMAIL NANJIANI, MIRA SORVINO R / / 93 mins / Action, Comedy / E

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THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN MILO VENTIMIGLIA, AMANDA SEYFRIED, KEVIN COSTNER, KATHY BAKER, MARTIN DONOVAN PG / 150 mins / Drama / E

POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU RYAN REYNOLDS, JUSTICE SMITH, KATHYRN NEWTON, SUKI WATERHOUSE PG / 104 mins / Comedy, Adventure / E, J, K, E+

BLACK PANTHER (2018) CHADWICK BOSEMAN, MICHAEL B. JORDAN, LUPITA NYONG'O PG-13 / / 134 mins / Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi / E

RATATOUILLE BRAD GARRETT, LOU ROMANO, PATTON OSWALT PG / 111 mins / Adventure, Animation, Comedy / E, J, K

SHAZAM! ZACHARY LEVI, MARK STRONG, ASHER ANGEL, JACK DYLAN GRAZER PG-13 / / 132 mins / Action, Adventure / E, J, K, E+

I, ROBOT WILL SMITH, BRIDGET MOYNAHAN, BRUCE GREENWOOD G / / 114 mins / Action, Adventure, Crime / E, J

SUICIDE SQUAD WILL SMITH, JARED LETO, MARGOT ROBBIE, JOEL KINNAMAN PG-13 / / 123 mins / Action, Adventure, Fantasy / E, J, K, E+

BREAKTHROUGH TOPHER GRACE, JOSH LUCAS, CHRISSY METZ PG-13 / / 116 mins / Drama / E, E+

THE REVENANT LEONARDO DICAPRIO, TOM HARDY, WILL POULTER R / / 156 mins / Action, Adventure, Drama / E, J, K, C+

DUNKIRK FIONN WHITEHEAD, BARRY KEOGHAN, MARK RYLANCE PG-13 / / 106 mins / Action, Drama, History / E, J, K, E+

AVATAR SAM WORTHINGTON, ZOE SALDANA, SIGOURNEY WEAVER PG-13 / / 161 mins / Action, Adventure, Fantasy / E, J, C+

BLADE RUNNER 2049 NOAH SCHNAPP, BILL MELENDEZ, HADLEY BELLE MILLER R / / 124 mins / Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi / E, J, K, C+

TOLKIEN NICHOLAS HOULT, LILY COLLINS, COLM MEANEY PG / 112 mins / Drama, Biography / E, E+

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA LINDA CARDELLINI, RAYMOND CRUZ, PATRICIA VELASQUEZ, MARISOL RAMIREZ R / / 93 mins / Horror / E, J, K, E+

For the complete list of award-winning movies, please refer to your in-flight entertainment system.

18/11/2019 1:44 PM

MOVIES

MALAY

JAPANESE

CHINESE

HINDI

TAMIL

PASKAL HAIRUL AZREENM, AMMAR ALFIAN, HENLEY HII, GAMBIT SAIFULLAH, HAFIZUL KAMAL PG-13 / / 95 mins / Action, Drama / E+

バースデー・ワンダー ランド / BIRTHDAY

铤而走险 /VORTEX BINGKUN CAO, WEIYU CAO, CHENGPENG DONG PG-13 / / 114 mins / Crime, Drama / M, E+

लु क ा चु प् पी / LUKA CHUPPI KARTIK AARYAN, KRITI SANON, APARSHAKTI KHURANA PG-13 / / 126 mins / Comedy, Romance / E+

டு லேட் / TO LET DHARUN BALA, T. ARUL EZHILAN, MK MANI PG-13 / / 99 mins / Family / E+

ज ी र ो / ZERO SHAH RUKH KHAN, ANUSHKA SHARMA, KATRINA KAIF, MOHAMMED ZEESHAN AYYUB, TIGMANSHU DHULIA PG-13 / / 183 mins / Drama, Romance / E+

சர்வம் தாள மாயம்

WONDERLAND MATSUOKA MAYU, ICHIMURA MASACHIKA, YAJIMA AKIKO PG-13 / / 116 mins / Animation, Fantasy / E+

KIDS

HAPPY FEET 2 ELIJAH WOOD, ROBIN WILLIAMS, PINK PG / 100 mins / Animation, Adventure, Comedy / E, J, K, C+

寵我 / MILLION LOVES

IN ME JOHN Y, KOON-LAN LAW, WILSON LEE PG-13 / / 108 mins / Drama / M, E+

PENDEKAR BUJANG LAPOK P. RAMLEE, S. SHAMSUDDIN, AZIZ SATTAR PG-13 / / 104 mins / Comedy / E+

情牽拉麵茶 / RAMEN SHOP

SEIKO MATSUDA, TSUYOSHI IHARA, TAKUMI SAITO, JEANETTE AW, MARK LEE PG-13 / / 89 mins / Drama / E, F, E+

姐妹 / TWO SISTERS

EMILY LIM, LIM MEI FEN, WILLIAM BOO PG-13 / / 96 mins / Drama, Horror, Mystery / M, E+,

“大”人物 / THE BIG SHOT

WANG QIANYUAN, BAO BEIER, WANG XUN PG-13 / / 107 mins / Action, Drama / M, E+

RISE OF THE LEGEND (2018) JAKE ENG, TOSH CHAN PG-13 / / 111 mins / Biography / E+

SENIMAN BUJANG LAPOK P. RAMLEE, AZIZ SATTAR PG-13 / / 120 mins / Comedy / E+

ABANG LONG FADIL 2 ZIZAN RAZAK, SYAMSUL YUSOF, DATO’ AC MIZAL PG-13 / / 91 mins / Action, Comedy / E+

PULANG REMY ISHAK, PUTERI AISHAH PG-13 / / 120 mins / Drama / E+

BUJANG LAPOK P. RAMLEE, S.SHAMSUDDIN PG-13 / / 95 mins / Comedy / E+

洗骨 / BORN BONE BORN

AYAME MISAKI, EIJI OKUDA, MICHITAKA TSUTSUI, YUKO OSHIMA, MARIKO TSUTSUI PG-13 / / 108 mins / Comedy, Family / E+

5 MILLION DOLLAR LIFE AYUMU MOCHIZUKI, RYU MORIOKA, SUMIRE ASHINA, JUNKO EMOTO, SATORU MATSUO PG-13 / / 104 mins / Mystery, Drama / E+

パラレルワールド・ラブストー リー / PARALLEL WORLD

LOVE STORY NICOLE ISHIDA, MIMURA, RON MIZUMA, HIROYA SHIMIZU, SHÔTA SOMETANI PG-13 / / 108 mins / Mystery, Romance / E+

/ SAMURAI MARATHON TAKERU SATOH, NANA KOMATSU, MIRAI MORIYAMA, SHOTA SOMETANI, MUNETAKA AOKI, NAOTO TAKENAKA PG-13 / / 104 mins / Drama, History / E+

TAGALOG ALONE TOGETHER LIZA SOBERANO, ENRIQUE GIL, SYLVIA SANCHEZ, NONIE BUENCAMINO PG-13 / / 148 mins / Drama, Romance / E+

_GP Dec 2019_GPE02.indd 107

淡藍琥珀 / BLUE AMBER

WANG ZHENER, LU YU LAI PG-13 / / 97 mins / Drama / M, E+

五億円のじんせい /

サムライマラソン

SERGEANT HASSAN P. RAMLEE, JINS SHAMSUDDIN PG-13 / / 112 mins / Action, Drama, Romance / E+

P風暴 / P STORM LOUIS KOO, KEVIN CHENG, RAYMOND LAM PG-13 / / 96 mins / Crime, Action, Drama / C, E+

KOREAN 어쩌다, 결혼 / TRADE YOUR LOVE KIM DONG-WOOK, KO SUNG-HEE PG-13 / / 87 mins / Drama, Romance, Comedy / E+

배심원들 / JUROR 8 MOON SO-RI, PARK HYUNG-SIK PG-13 / / 114 mins / Drama / E+

악인전 / THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL DONG-SEOK MA, SUNG-KYU KIM, MU-YEOL KIM PG-13 / / 135 mins / Action, Crime, Drama / E+

말모이 / MAL•MO•E : THE SECRET MISSION HAE-JIN YOO, KYE-SANG YOON PG-13 / / 135 mins / Comedy, Drama, History / E+

きみの鳥はうたえる / AND

YOUR BIRD CAN SING TASUKU EMOTO, SHIZUKA ISHIBASHI, SHOTA SOMETANI PG-13 / / 106 mins / Romance, Music / E+

썬키스 패밀리 / SUNKIST FAMILY HEE SOON PARK, JIN GYEONG PG-13 / / 105 mins / Family, Comedy / E+

क.ग.फ: चै प्ट र १ / K.G.F: CHAPTER 1 YASH, SRINIDHI SHETTY, RAMACHANDRA RAJU, ARCHANA JOIS, ANANT NAG, RAMESH INDIRA PG-13 / / 148 mins / Action, Drama / E+ क.ग.फ: चै प्ट र १ स ो न च ि रै य ा / SONCHIRIYA SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT, BHUMI PEDNEKAR, MANOJ BAJPAYEE PG-13 / / 121 mins / Action, Crime, Drama / E+

/ SARVAM THAALA MAYAM G.V. PRAKASH KUMAR, NEDUMUDI VENU, APARNA BALAMURALI PG-13 / / 131 mins / Drama, Music / E+

ZOOTOPIA GINNIFER GOODWIN, JASON BATEMAN, IDRIS ELBA PG / 108 mins / Animation, Adventure, Comedy / E, J, K, E+

தடம் / THADAM ARUN VIJAY, TANYA HOPE, SMRUTHI VENKAT PG-13 / / 119 mins / Action, Crime, Thriller / E+ தில்லுக்கு துட்டு ௨

/ DHILLUKU DHUDDU 2 SANTHANAM, SHRITHA SIVADAS, MOTTA RAJENDRAN PG-13 / / 153 mins / Comedy, Horror / E+

STORKS ANDY SAMBERG, KATIE CROWN, KELSEY GRAMMER PG / 87 mins / Animation, Adventure, Comedy / E, J, K

goingplacesmagazine.com | 107 | December 2019

掃毒2：天地對決

/ THE WHITE STORMS 2 ANDY LAU, LOUIS KOO, CHRISSIE CHAU PG-13 / / 107 mins / Action, Drama / C, E+

விசுவாசம் / VISWASAM के द ा र न ाथ / KEDARNATH SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT, SARA ALI KHAN, NITISH BHARADWAJ, ALKA AMIN PG-13 / / 104 mins / Drama, Romance / E+

AITHJ KUMAR, NAYANTHARA, JAGAPATHI BABU PG-13 / / 153 mins / Action, Drama / E+

MALAYALAM 2.0 RAJINIKANTH, AKSHAY KUMAR, AMY JACKSON, SUDHANSHU PANDEY PG-13 / / 148 mins / Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller / E+

थे त ाश कें ट फ ा इ ल्स / THE TASHKENT FILES NASEERUDDIN SHAH, MITHUN CHAKRABORTY, SHWETA BASU PRASAD, MANDIRA BEDI PG-13 / / 121 mins / Drama, Thriller / E+

ഇളയരാജ

/ ILAYARAJA AJAYKUMAR, HARISREE ASOKAN, LAKSHMIKA SAJEEVAN PG-13 / / 141 mins / Drama / E+

/ KODATHI SAMAKSHAM BALAN VAKEEL DILEEP, MAMTA MOHANDAS, SIDDIQUE, PRIYA ANAND PG-13 / / 155 mins / Comedy, Crime, Mystery / E+

THE INCREDIBLES 1 & 2 CRAIG T. NELSON, HOLLY HUNTER, SARAH VOWELL PG / 118 mins / Animation, Action, Adventure / E

TELUGU

THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) NEEL SETHI, BILL MURRAY, BEN KINGSLEY PG / 106 mins / Adventure, Drama, Family / E

INDONESIAN MILLY & MAMET (INI BUKAN CINTA & RANGGA) DENNIS ADHISWARA, SISSY PRESCILLIA, YOSHI SUDARSO, JULIE ESTELLE, DIAN SASTROWARDOYO PG-13 / / 148 mins / Comedy, Drama / E+

CARS 3 OWEN WILSON, CRISTELA ALONZO, CHRIS COOPER PG / 102 mins / Animation, Adventure, Comedy / E, J, K, E+

/ F2 - FUN AND FRUSTRATION TAMANNAAH BHATIA, PRAKASH RAJ PG-13 / / 148 mins / Action, Drama / E+

For the complete list of movies for kids, please refer to your in-flight entertainment system.

18/11/2019 1:44 PM

TV PROGRAMMES

COMEDY

DRAMA

SPLITTING UP TOGETHER S2 JENNA FISCHER, OLIVER HUDSON, OLIVIA KEVILLE 10 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

FULLER HOUSE S3/S4

LEGACIES S1

CANDACE CAMERON BURE, JODIE SWEETIN, ANDREA BARBER S3, 8 Episodes / S4, 9 Episodes / / 30 mins each / E

goingplacesmagazine.com | 108 | December 2019

A series about D.J. Fuller, a widowed mother, who gets help from sister Stephanie, best friend Kimmy and Kimmy’s teenage daughter to raise her three young boys. In the season 4 opener, after a catastrophic trip with her two younger sons to see a Santa Claus at the mall, D.J. does everything she can to get Max and Tommy back in the Christmas spirit.

THE RESIDENT S1 MATT CZUCHRY, EMILY VANCAMP, MANISH DAYAL, SHAUNETTE RENÉE WILSON 8 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

DANIELLE ROSE RUSSELL, ARIA SHAHGHASEMI, KAYLEE BRYANT, JENNY BOYD, QUINCY FOUSE 10 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

TRIAL & ERROR S2 NICHOLAS D'AGOSTO, JAYMA MAYS, STEVEN BOYER, SHERRI SHEPHERD 10 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

Legacies follows 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson, a descendent of powerful vampire, werewolf and witch bloodlines with incredible supernatural abilities, who attends a boarding school for supernatural beings. In the season opener, she starts her first semester at the school and reconnects with an old friend who may not be as human as he seems.

THE RED LINE S1 NOAH WYLE, EMAYATZY CORINEALDI, ALIYAH ROYALE 8 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

FRESH OFF THE BOAT S5 RANDALL PARK, CONSTANCE WU, HUDSON YANG, FORREST WHEELER 4 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

WHISKEY CAVALIER S1 SCOTT FOLEY, LAUREN COHAN, ANA ORTIZ, TYLER JAMES WILLIAMS 11 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

THE BIG BANG THEORY S12 JOHNNY GALECKI, JIM PARSONS, KALEY CUOCO, SIMON HELBERG 8 Episodes / / 30 mins each / E

KRYPTON S2 CAMERON CUFFE, GEORGINA CAMPBELL, SHAUN SIPOS, ELLIOT COWAN 10 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

RIVERDALE S3 K.J. APA, LILI REINHART, CAMILA MENDES, COLE SPROUSE 12 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

BLINDSPOT S4 SULLIVAN STAPLETON, JAIMIE ALEXANDER, ROB BROWN, AUDREY ESPARZA 8 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

MOM S6 ANNA FARIS, ALLISON JANNEY, MIMI KENNEDY, MIMI KENNEDY, JAIME PRESSLY 13 Episodes / / 30 mins each / E

YOUNG SHELDON S2 IAIN ARMITAGE, ZOE PERRY, LANCE BARBER 16 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

BETTER THINGS S3 PAMELA ADLON, MIKEY MADISON, HANNAH ALLIGOOD 8 Episodes / / 30 mins each / E

VERONICA MARS S1 KRISTEN BELL, ENRICO COLANTONI, JASON DOHRING 4 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

THE ORVILLE S2 SETH MACFARLANE, ADRIANNE PALICKI, PENNY JOHNSON JERALD 4 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

THE FLASH S5 GRANT GUSTIN, CANDICE PATTON, DANIELLE PANABAKER, CARLOS VALDES, HARTLEY SAWYER 6 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS S1 TROIAN BELLISARIO, ASHLEY BENSON, LUCY HALE 8 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

MURPHY BROWN S1 CANDICE BERGEN, FAITH FORD, JOE REGALBUTO, PAT CORLEY, CHARLES KIMBROUGH 5 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

_GP Dec 2019_GPE02.indd 108

THE KOMINSKY METHOD S1 MICHAEL DOUGLAS, ALAN ARKIN, SARAH BAKER 8 Episodes / 30 mins each / E

LIFE IN PIECES S4 COLIN HANKS, BETSY BRANDT, THOMAS SADOSKI, ZOE LISTER-JONES 7 Episodes / / 30 mins each / E

진심이 닿다 / TOUCH YOUR HEART S1 DONG-WOOK LEE, IN-NA YOO 2 Episodes / 60 mins each / K, E

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW S4 ROBERT TAYLOR, KATEE SACKHOFF, LOU DIAMOND PHILLIPS 10 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

왕이 된 남자 / THE CROWNED CLOWN S1 JIN-GU YEO, SE-YEONG LEE 6 Episodes / / 60 mins each / K, E

ARROW S7 STEPHEN AMELL, KATIE CASSIDY, DAVID RAMSEY 8 Episodes / / 60 mins each / E

SUPERGIRL S4 MELISSA BENOIST, MEHCAD BROOKS, CHYLER LEIGH 7 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

GOTHAM S5 BEN MCKENZIE, DONAL LOGUE, DAVID MAZOUZ, MORENA BACCARIN, SEAN PERTWEE, ROBIN LORD TAYLOR 8 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

THE BRAVE S1 ANNE HECHE, MIKE VOGEL, TATE ELLINGTON, DEMETRIUS GROSSE, NATACHA KARAM, NOAH MILLS 4 Episodes / 60 mins each / E

18/11/2019 4:43 PM

TV PROGRAMMES

TEEN TITANS GO!: YR3 (2015) 13 Episodes / PG / 30 mins each / E

MALAY

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED: YR2 5 Episodes / PG / 30 mins each / E

JALAN JALAN MAKAN ANGIN 2019 - MAGAZINE PG / 60 mins / E+

HELLO: FERRINGHI PG / 30 mins

TOM AND JERRY SHOW: YR1 (2014) 5 Episodes / PG / 30 mins each / E

AIR TANGAN DI RAJA PG / 30 mins

ENRICH JUNIORS & HI-5 EXPERIENCE A #LIFE ENRICHED IN SYDNEY PG / 2 mins / E WACKY RACES 4 Episodes / PG / 30 mins each / E

SHOWBIZ

SCIENCE & TECH

POP YEAH YEAH 2019 - SITCOM PG / 30 mins / E

CHINESE

HINDI

GO FRIDGE PG / 60 mins

BHARTI KA SHOW: KARAN WAHI PG / 30 mins

A DATE WITH LU YU: ANDY LAU PG / 60 mins

JAPANESE TAMIL

5 RENCAH 5 RASA PG / 30 mins THE MAKING OF PASKAL – DOCUMENTARY PG / 60 mins / E+

GILA-GILA PG / 30 mins

EAT, FUN, PRAY PG / 30 mins

SITI AWARE PG / 30 mins

SPORT

TRAVEL

SEE IT!: TO RAMEN LOVERS PG / 30 mins / E+ SORATABI 3000KM: COASTLINE OF HOKKAIDO PG / 30 mins / E+

STUDIO 1.0: GRAB COFOUNDERS,ANTHONY TAN & HOOI LING TAN PG / 30 mins / E

PASSION TO PORTFOLIO PG / 30 mins / E

SOUNDSTAGE

NEO TOKYO, THE FUTURE IN VR PG / 60 mins / E

FROM ICE TO FIRE: THE INCREDIBLE SCIENCE OF TEMPERATURE PG / 60 mins / E

ZABAAN SAMBHAL KE: ROBBERS ATTACK RICH SHEIKH RUSLAN PG / 30 mins

KALAKKA POVADHU YAARU: SRIKANTH DEVA'S GOLDEN VOICE PG / 60 mins, E+ ADHU IDHU YEDHU: MAKE WAY FOR THE ROCKSTARS PG / 60 mins / E+

KOREAN EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES: BARCELONA PG / 60 mins / E

LIFESTYLE

FREEDOM RIDERS PG / 30 mins / E

AUDI R8 LMS CUP: SHANGHAI PG / 30 mins / E

SHOW ME WHERE YOU LIVE: JAPAN – TOKYO MICROSTRUCTURE PG / 60 mins / E

BUSINESS

RELIGIOUS

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KIDS

HISTORY MEET THE MAKERS: THE SWORD MAKER PG / 30 mins / E+ RUNNING MAN PG / 90 mins / E+

LIFE BELOW ZERO PG / 60 mins / E

KIRSTIE’S HANDMADE CHRISTMAS PG / 60 mins / E

JAMIE CULLUM: LIVE FROM ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS PG / 30 mins / E

ARABIC THE CHALLENGE PG / 70 mins / E+

NATURAL WORLD

THE LINCOLNS IN KENTUCKY PG / 60 mins / E

THE SHIP SINKERS PG / 60 mins / E

CNN: TALK ASIA - MAHATHIR MOHAMAD PG / 30 mins / E

THE MYSTERY OF BRITANNIC PG / 100 mins / E

MARKETPLACE AFRICA: PG / 30 mins / E

JEJAK RASUL (ULUL AZMI) 2019 PG / 60 mins / ML

AL KULIYYAH 2019 - RELIGIOUS SHOW PG / 60 mins / ML

INTO THE WILD COLOMBIA: GROWING UP GIBBON PG / 60 mins / E HOPE FOR WILDLIFE PG / 30 mins / E BLUE REALM PG / 60 mins / E

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: WORLD WAR I SPECIAL PG / 60 mins / E

THE BIG FOOD RESCUE 1 PG / 60 mins / E

GLOW UP: BRITAIN'S NEXT MAKE-UP STAR S1 PG / 60 mins / E

For the complete list of TV programmes, please refer to your in-flight entertainment system.

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18/11/2019 4:43 PM

AUDIO ON-DEMAND + RADIO CHANNELS

THE HITS

MANDARIN

MALAY

RHYTHM & BLUES (Not available in A350)

Radio Channels

CHART TOPPERS

including... TOOL (above), H.E.R., Ruel, Midnight Fusic, blink-182, DJ Spoony, Lea Michele, Mahalia, Charli XCX, Liam Gallagher, lost spaces, Scouting For Girls, Rick Ross, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran

including... Princess Ai (above), UNINE, Priscilla Abby, CoCo Lee, Hacken Lee, A-Lin, Jolin Tsai, Eric Chou, Maggie Chiang, Valen Hsu, Karen Mok, Rainie Yang, Jeff Chang, Xue Zhi Qian

including... Yasin (above), Sheila Majid, Ella, The Venopian Solitude, Zainal Abidin, Faizal Tahir, Alif, SonaOne, Dayang Nurfaizah, Ziana Zain, Misha Omar, Exists, Datuk Ahmad Jais, Malique, iamNEETA

JAZZ

JAPANESE

MEMORIES

including... Jordan Rakei (above), Joanne Shaw Taylor,

Macy Gray, Charlie Wilson, Alicia Keys, Stan Walker

including... John Mayer, Ella Henderson, Michael Buble, Sia, Lost Kings & CXLOE, Steve Aoki & Backstreet Boys, Charlie Puth, Joseph, Ally Brooke & Matoma, Lea Michele, John Legend, Faouzia, AJ Mitchell, Alicia Keys feat. Miguel

MALAY FAVOURITES CLUB

(Not available in A350)

including... Leaism, Faizal Tahir, Siti Nurhaliza, As'ad Motawh, Isma Sane, Bunga, The Venopian Solitude, Alif Satar, Sandy Canester, Dayang Nurfaizah, Najwa Latif, Luqman Podolski, Neena, Layla Sania

goingplacesmagazine.com | 110 | December 2019

POP ASIA including... The Bad Plus (above), The Shanghai Sisters,

Dato Mokhzani, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Julian Lage, Cyrille Aimee, Thomas Quasthoff, Nostalgia 77, Dizzy Gillespie, Bria Skonberg, Flabby, Miles Davis, Stacey Kent

CLASSICAL

including... Montserrat Caballé, Sir Richard Branson, The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Benhamin Northey, 2CELLOS, Khatia Buniatishvili, Christian Thielemann & Wiener Philharmoniker, Lang Lang, Leonard Bernstein

including... Nogizaka46 (above), miwa, Masaki Suda, GOT7, Aimer, Luna Haruna, Sawano Hiroyuki [nZk], SEKAI NO OWARI, OH MY GIRL, Misia

KOREAN including... KANG DANIEL, CIX, Ateez, A.C.E, EXID, SEONGRI, Jung Dongha & Oh Jun Sung

including... DARMAS, BEN&BEN, Ricky Martin, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Santana

KIDS including... The Wiggles, Fairy Tales for Kids, Captain Allen Swift, ABC Kids, Little Feet Music, My Little Pony

NASYID

including... Raihan, Sabyan, Mesut Kurtis, Raef, Mohamed Tarek, Hafiz Hamidun, Opick, Maher Zain, Ustaz Abdullah Fahmi

RELAX including... Enya, Above & Beyond, Hauschka, Sleepy John, Jean-Michel Jarre, Emerson Phillips, Jens Buchert, Sherry Finzer

CANTONESE

including... Cath Wong, Leo Ku, Candy Lo, Hacken Lee, Sandy Lam, Leon Lai, Ekin Cheng

INDONESIAN

WORLD

including... Rod Stewart (above), David Bowie, The Doors, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Toni Braxton, Westlife

including... Ari Lasso, Bunga Citra Lestari, Judika, Sheila On 7

HINDI including... Bharat, De De Pyaar De, Luka Chuppi, Simmba, Zero, Namaste England, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Yours Truly Arijit, Vol.2, T-Series Mixtape

TAMIL including... Bigil, Pon Manickavel, Playlist and Chill, The Ultimate Feel Good Mixtape, All About Love: Yuvanshankar Raja, Summer Vibes: Melody

PLAYLIST

(Only available in A350)

including... Defected Presents Most Rated Ibiza 2019, Ultimate…Christmas Hits, Holiday Songs 2019, Mellow Songs, Deep House Hits: Summer 2019 - Armada Music, Chilling Cello, 2010s Hits, Rock Classico

ROCK

(Only available in A350)

including... TOOL, blink-182, Liam Gallagher, The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer, Cage The Elephant

TALK RADIO

(Only available in A350)

including... Mike Birbiglia, Bob Newhart, Flight of the Conchords, Bocey

including... Sofi Tukker (above), Kayzo, Alle Farben, Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge, Flume, Crooked Colours, Gesaffelstein, Big Wild, Martin Garrix, Paces, Friction

COUNTRY

(Not available in A350)

including... Willie Nelson, Maren Morris, Kane Brown, Loretta Lynn, Connie Smith, Jason Aldean, Scotty McCreery, Dolly Parton

COMEDY

HINDI RHYTHMS Including... Maher Zain & Salim-Sulaiman, SachinJigar/Darshan Raval/Neha Kakkar, A.R. Rahman/ Suchi/Blaaze, Badshah, Pav Dharia, Neha Kakkar, Tulsi Kumar, B Praak

(Not available in A350)

including... Mike Birbiglia, Bob Newhart, Flight of the Conchords, Bocey, "Weird A’l Yankovic

LIGHT & EASY (Not available in A350)

including... Susan Boyle, Cate Le Bon, Dami Im, Barbra Streisand, The Piano Guys, EB Duet, Michael Bolton, Boyz II Men, Il Divo

SOUNDTRACK (Not available in A350)

including... Blinded by the Light (OMPS), The Lion King: The Gift, The Greatest Showman (OMPS), Tolkien (OMPS), The World of Hans Zimmer - A Symphonic Celebration (Live)

Audio On-Demand segments depend on your aircraft type. Please refer to your in-flight entertainment system to see which segments are available to you.

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including... millet, Nogizaka46, B1A4, OH MY GIRL, ONF, SoRi x Folded Dragons, Jeong Dong Won, JJ Lin, Chen Wei Ting, Uru, Babylon, Suzy, Jackson Yee, Gladys, Sonnet Son

GOLDEN ERA including... George Benson, Bananarama, Roxette, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Air Supply, Tracy Chapman, Madonna, Alanis Morissette, Morcheeba, The Flying Pickets, Prince & The Revolution, Phil Collins

ROCK ARENA including... Led Zeppelin, Foals, Liam Gallagher, Billy Idol, Joseph, SASAMI, Stevie Nicks, Jimmy Eat World, Angels & Airwaves, Blur, Omni, Frankie Cosmos, The Cars, Mudhoney, Ezra Furman

Passengers with AVOD can enjoy a host of radio shows across a range of genres. Channel numbers depend on the aircraft. Check your aircraft type and then on your in-flight entertainment system to find out.

18/11/2019 1:45 PM

FILM TALK PASKAL: The Movie and The Making of PASKAL documentary is playing onboard.

Check the movie and TV sections in your in-flight entertainment system for channel information.

There are not many Malaysian films like PASKAL: The Movie, which tells the real-life events of a group of commandos from the Royal Malaysian Navy. The movie went on to become one of the most successful films of all time at the Malaysian box office.

Going Places speaks to its director Adrian Teh on the challenges of production and filming, from the training its actors had to undergo to shooting water scenes with a team of actual PASKAL divers.

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communication with the team are paramount. It is teamwork that will deliver a good product, not a solo cowboy director.

Were there specific scenes that were difficult to shoot or execute?

Water scenes! There were so many water-related scenes in PASKAL: The Movie. We needed the help of actual PASKAL members in several scenes to make sure it was workable. Safety during the shoot was my top priority. There was a scene where Arman, Ustad and Gagak had to sneak out of the water. It looked easy from the camera; however, during the shoot, we had three divers, two small boats and dozens of people, including medics, standing by on a platform. It was a very special experience to be able to shoot all the water-related scenes!

PASKAL: The Movie is one of the most successful Malaysian films of all time at the box office. How do you feel about that?

I never thought that the movie would be such a big success. I could barely believe it when it hit RM30 million at the box office. As I answer this question now, I feel so proud and I feel relieved that I did not let down those who believed in me. There was a 40 percent spike in the Navy recruitment after the movie was released. The news came to me directly from the-then Chief of Navy Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin. It showed that the movie had indeed opened the eyes of the Malaysian public. People felt proud after watching the movie and they want to be part of it to serve our country. This was one of the proudest achievements for me as a filmmaker, to be able to create patriotic awareness among our fellow Malaysians.

goingplacesmagazine.com | 111 | December 2019

You’re a fan of Hollywood war movies. Did any particular film inspire PASKAL: The Movie?

Yes, I’m a fan of Hollywood films. Who is not?!

Black Hawk Down was my favourite! Like Black Hawk Down and some of the other Hollywood movies, PASKAL: The Movie was inspired by true events. Hence, the responsibility to tell a better story was greater than any other fictional story that I have directed before. To be honest, I never heard of PASKAL (Pasukan Khas Laut or the special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy) until Frank, my military consultant, told me about this navy commando unit back in 2017. Like many, I initially had doubts about their capability. That kind of thought did flash by. Then I took the effort to study them online, to try to understand our local armed forces better. I got blown away when I realised how capable they were in those missions that they accomplished.

I immediately felt the urge to tell their stories as I was very sure the majority of Malaysians, like me, do not know our local heroes well. Why sing praises about foreign military commandos when we actually have brilliant ones among ourselves? We, Malaysians, do not appreciate our uniformed units because we are living in a peace zone where war is something that happens in TV or movies only. Hence, we don't know the sacrifices our armed forces in Malaysia make.

My study on PASKAL changed my perspective on that. That was how the whole PASKAL: The Movie idea came about. It was actually the first movie project supported by our Royal Malaysian Navy. I could not have done it without their full support throughout the shoot.

What sort of training did the cast have to undergo?

I arranged for all of my alpha team actors to undergo a series of training. We started their training three months before we started the shoot. I requested all of them to be physically fit, trained them to swim the way commandos would. Two weeks before we started our principal photography, we sent them to stay in Lumut, the naval base in Perak, to experience the life of a real commando. In Lumut, they ate, slept and trained together with the actual PASKAL trainees. The intensity of their training was, of course, much lower compared to the actual training. However, it was enough for each and every one of them to have a taste of the “torture” the actual commandos go through. It was a good camp, where they learnt to handle weapons and be in formation to carry out CQB (Close Quarter Battle).

Prior to PASKAL: The Movie, the films you directed were in very different genres, such as horror and comedy. Was it difficult to make the switch to something action-oriented, and what were some of the more challenging aspects of putting the production together?

The biggest challenge of PASKAL: The Movie was to convince my investors to share the vision that I had on the project. I had so many negative comments on the project. The most common one was that me, a Chinese director, was trying to direct a Malay-language film. There were also criticisms that the budget for the project was too big and that I was aiming too high for a project that Malaysia was not ready for. Those who questioned me did not invest in the movie. They speculated and walked away. I was lucky that I managed to convince all my investors to invest in it eventually.

The change of genre did not trouble me much, it came quite naturally to me. I spent time on the script, spent time on the preparation of the shoot, discussed thoroughly with my team about the project. So, everyone was on the same page when the production started. To me, no matter which genre of movie I do, preparation and

What’s next for you?

Where PASKAL: The Movie was about a group of men who sacrificed their family time or even their life for the country, my next project is a complete opposite. This time the movie will be about family, where I tell the story of a commando who decided to retire early to return to his kampung (village) to rescue his family.

Watch out for Wira!. ■

18/11/2019 1:45 PM

Happenings In Malaysia + Around The World

SEEN+HEARD

Festive Colours goingplacesmagazine.com | 112 | December 2019

Pavilion REIT Malls ushered in a lively Deepavali in October at its three malls – Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Intermark Mall and Da Men Mall – with unique recordsetting kolam. Pavilion Kuala Lumpur’s Divine Diwali event, drawing inspiration from flower shows and garden festivals, featured nine intricately designed kolam, including its Biggest Illuminated Flower Fabric Kolam surrounding the Pavilion Crystal Fountain, which received acknowledgement from the Malaysia Book of Records. The event also featured bazaar stalls for shoppers to browse traditional Indian costumes, desserts and snacks, as well as home décor.

Intermark Mall set its own record with the Biggest Peacock Replica Kolam Made of Coffee Grounds, while Da Men Mall featured a special kolam designed by the young children of Global Art School.

Local Showcase The Cyberjaya Multimedia Festival, a one-day festival that celebrates local creative industries, returned for the second year recently. The event, held in Tamarind Square with the theme ‘Light Up!’, featured a wide array of activities, such as live music performances, special movie screenings, mascot appearances, technology showcases and colourful projection mapping displays. Life-sized mascots of local animation series such as Boboiboy, Ejen Ali and Didi & Friends were a big hit with young children and families. The music stage featured performances by young and talented performers such as the soulful folk music trio The Impatient Sisters, R&B and electro-pop singer Leaism, and popular pop-rock band Azlan the Typewriter.

Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon with Bjorn Liljeqvist

Grand Reopening

Educational Visit A delegation from the Mensa International Board of Directors explored the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre during their trip to Kuala Lumpur recently.

Welcoming the delegation was Tan Sri Yong Poh Kon, who founded the Malaysian Mensa Society in 1984 and is the chairman of Royal Selangor International. During the visit, the guests learned about Kuala Lumpur’s tin mining history and the founding of Royal Selangor. After watching a live demonstration on pewter crafting, they tried their hand at crafting bowls using traditional tools and enjoyed a relaxing tea break at the centre’s café.

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As part of the RM54.5 million (USD13 million) facelift of Sungei Wang, the revitalised annexe block of the 42 year old shopping centre was reopened as JUMPA @ Sungei Wang. The updated block has been redesigned to provide a more modern and vibrant retail experience to cater to younger shoppers. The six-storey block features over 100 stores from branded fashion retailers to popular food and beverage franchises as well as family entertainment options, including premier rock-climbing gym Camp5 and MinNature, Malaysia’s largest 3D-printed miniature exhibition. The new block also features themed market spaces such as the heritage-themed Little Asia and the young and hip Urban Street.

18/11/2019 12:10 PM