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Healthier Johor Bahru?
Official Newspaper
The Iskandarian is a public-private collaborative product of IMSF Roundtable by IRDA’s Social Development Dept.
Can Johor Bahru acheive a Smart Healthy City and Community? Read the blueprint »pg 11
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Royals Battle it Out!
Charity Polo Tournament to raise funds for the Malaysian Red Crescent Society »pg 2 website/download : www.theiskandarian.com
More Attractions are Primed to Open in Johor Highlight: Playlands, theme parks and wetlands springing up all over Johor making it a true attractions’ ‘capital’ By Maisarah
newsdesk@theiskandarian.com
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EGOLAND Malaysia has announced the official opening of their Water Park scheduled to open in October 2013 and is the next phase in the LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort plans that will consist of the Theme Park, Water Park and Hotel. The Hotel will open early next year. The opening of the Hotel and now the LEGOLAND Water Park will further enhance the experience for families. The interactive and fully Lego themed Water Park will offer more than 20 unique slides, and over 70 Lego models among its many attractions.
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Some of the highlights include the hugely popular Build-A-Raft River and Joker Soaker. The first is a unique concept where children can customise their own raft with soft Lego bricks before floating down a lazy river. The latter is a fun interactive platform in the wade pool where children can play with water cannons as a Lego jester model ‘tells’ jokes while 350 gallons of water pour down upon them. This will be the largest LEGOLAND Water Park when opened and it will also be the first to have a second gate, which means it can be enjoyed separately or in combination with the Theme Park. >>Continued on page 6 LEGOLAND’S Water Park is all set to open this year
The Iskandarian
Mah Sing launch their Property Gallery at Medini, Nusajaya >>PAGE 27
(pic by : LEGOLAND)
>>PAGE 3
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The Iskandarian
Pickup points TOURISM CENTRES: • Johor Tourist Information Centre @ JOTIC • Kiosk Pelancongan MBJB @ Jln Tun Sri Lanang • Tourism Malaysia Tourist Information Centre @ JB CIQ COMPLEX & JB SENTRAL INFORMATION COUNTERS: • Senai Airport • Columbia Asia Hospital • Regency Specialist Hospital • KFCH • Raffles University Iskandar OFFICE LOBBIES: • City Plaza Tower • Menara Pelangi • Bangunan Pelangi • UDA Angsana Sdn. Bhd. • Menara Landmark • Leisure Farm • KCC The Senai Garden • JBCCCI • IMCCCI • Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) • Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) • Iskandar Waterfront (iwh) EATERIES (F&B): • Annalakshmi • 8Lido • Tutti Frutti • BierHaus HOTELS: • Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel • Thistle Johor Bahru Hotel • The ZON Regency Hotel • Hotel Granada • Traders Hotel • Pariss Hotel Many other participating hotels Gated & Guarded Communities and Others:
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Royals Battle it Out Community: Johor Royals test the turf in a Charity Polo Tournament to raise funds for the Malaysian Red Crescent Society.
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y kind invitation of Her Royal Highness Raja Zarith Sofiah, Marlborough College Malaysia (MCM) co-hosted a Charity Polo Tournament in order to raise funds for, and highlight the work of, the Malaysian Red Crescent Society. MCM parents and friends joined guests invited by Her Royal Highness and His Majesty, The Sultan of Johor at the Istana to enjoy lunch in elegance. The spectators, including numerous pupils from the College, enjoyed the exhibition matches from the grandstands of the Istana Pasir Pelangi polo ground. The teams selected to represent MCM included His Majesty, The Sultan of Johor, His Royal Highness, Tunku Mahkota Johor, His Highness, Tunku Iman, and celebrated players from the Royal Johor Polo Club who were in turn joined by two players from Argentina. Tunku Mahkota Johor and Tunku Iman demonstrated their skill, strength and commitment and, in what was an excellent team performance, MCM recorded a 7-2 victory. Marcus Rooney had a strong game for
Sultan of Johor’s consort Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah with Master of Marlborough College Malaysia Mr. RB Pick Royal Johor. The outcome of the tournament was a substantial sum of money amounting RM26,176.80 presented to Her Royal Highness for the Malaysian Red Crescent Society. “Through our charity initiatives during this academic year we have raised in excess of RM130,000 for a number of nominated
charities, many of which are based in Johor,” said The Master of the College, Mr Robert Pick. The funds were raised through a variety of activities including a sponsored walk, art auctions and cake sales. “We intend to build on our charitable giving as it is a meaningful way in which the college can make a positive contribution within Malaysia and in particular, Johor,” he added
HIGHLIGHTS
O ur P artners
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RM108,566.00 raised by Fight Hunger Troopers after going through ‘famine’ for 30 hours at Southern University College.
Hotlines Johor Police HQ 07-221 2999 / 07-225 4499
JB North Police IPD 07-556 3122
Ministry of Tourism (Johor) 07-223 3171
Tourism Malaysia Johor 07-222 3590 / 91
Immigration 07-224 4233
JB South Police IPD 07-2218 999
Nusajaya Police IPD 07-511 4222
Tourism Malaysia Hotline 1300 88 5050
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Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) 07-233 3000
Please recycle this newspaper after reading. Thank you Published by True Soul Entertainment [14, Jln. Selasih 10, Taman Kemas, 81200, Johor Bahru] Printed by Percetakan Gemilang Sinar/Gan Seng Printing(M) Sdn.Bhd. [No.100, Jalan Tampoi, 81200, Johor Bahru] Copyright of articles, contributions and photos which are published by The Iskandarian is the property of True Soul Entertainment. The Iskandarian does its best to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of its contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibilities for errors, mistakes and inaccuracies. The publisher reserves the rights of this product and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher.
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The Iskandarian
Do’s & Don’ts With Iskandar Malaysia aspiring to reach greater heights, The Iskandarian citizens have a vital role to play whereby we must undergo some changes from within ourselves. A first class mentality has to be instilled where we accept nothing less than top notch performance in all things. To prepare ourselves for that, here is a quick recommended guideline on the Do’s and Don’ts. This will be a monthly column to showcase the good, the bad and the ugly of fellow Iskandarians.
YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVE ON
Iskandar Malaysia
The Iskandarian speaks to everyday teens to derive their suggestions and opinions about Iskandar Malaysia. The Iskandarian also invites all youths to share your thoughts with us via email at: newsdesk@theiskandarian.com How do you think is the best way to get youths involved in culture and heritage programmes? By allowing us to promote the said events at various schools, colleges and Universities and encourage participation. How can agencies work with youths to help them appreciate and participate in heritage and culture preservation? Perhaps, a “traditional dance competition” with attractive prizes could be held or a “Gotong-royong” of preserving cultural sites in JB should also be done through the schools.
The aftermath of haze
-Submitted by Harpal Singh (Masai)
Snap your thoughts and send in pictures to our Do’s & Don’ts segment today: newsdesk@theiskandarian.com
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If your friends are visiting JB, where would you bring them? With the rapid development that has taken place, and if time permits, I’d like to take them to several places such as Danga Bay, City Square, LEGOLAND Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Theme Park as well! Does the upgrading of shopping complexes such bring any impact towards you? Yes, as it looks more conclusive and has a luxurious shopping feel to it. I am actually
Siti Nurzafirah Ghazali Age:19 proud of the transformation that has taken place. What do you think is one key success factor to make JB Transformation programme a success? There has to be an upgrade of basic facilities and most importantly, it has to be wellmaintained. What do you think is lacking in Johor Bahru? I feel that we lack in high technology, and there should be better transportation covering all areas of the region. Do you think there are enough avenues for youths to express themselves in Iskandar Malaysia? Yes, there are enough avenues for youths but more would be welcomed as well.
Chellam is an everyday Joe encountering the trials and tribulations of everyday folks. Chellam’s encounters aren’t merely for comic relief but more to instigate mindset change. Email us if you have any suggestions: newsdesk@theiskandarian.com
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Scholarship Programme
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A new SUN rises in Malaysian Medicine
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he nation’s leading medical experts and educators gathered on 4th July, to share the latest developments in healthcare training in Malaysia. Over 100 specialists attended the second day of an inaugural national conference that discussed innovations in the use of patient simulation. The two day Simulation User Network (SUN) meeting was held at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), a leading British university, which uses several cutting edge patient simulation products at its state-of-the-art campus in Nusajaya. One of the event organisers was Professor Philip Bradley, Academic Dean at NUMed. He said that the use of patient simulators has revolutionised the way medical training is delivered at the university: “The advancements have allowed us to place less emphasis on theory based teaching and instead provide comprehensive handson training that contextualises learning objectives and prepares students for the clinical environment and real-life patients.” The event was hosted in collaboration with Laerdal Medical, a company that has been at the cutting edge of innovative healthcare training since 1960. Patient simulation is traditionally associated with real-life volunteers, roleplaying as medical patients for the purpose of training medical students. This interactive training method is one of the ways the students’ professional communication skills are developed to facilitate the delivery of patient-centric care. It ensures that they are able to diagnose symptoms and prescribe a treatment that will provide a cure while addressing the patient’s own ideas, concerns and expectations. Today the use of simulated patients in the form of mannequins is also becoming more prominent. These lifelike models offer students the opportunity to rehearse clinical scenarios and critical incidents, making it possible to go beyond the development of communication skills and also buildup realistic hands-on experience. The mannequins also improve patient safety. In recent years, significant advances have been made in the field of patient simulators, resulting in mannequins that
are more sophisticated, realistic and readily available than ever before. This has increased the extent to which they can be used for medical training, as well as their effectiveness in such learning environments. One important outcome of the SUN conference is that the establishment of a Special Interest Group for simulation which will provide an opportunity for medical educators across Malaysia who are interested in the use of simulation to get together and share ideas and best practice.
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wenty (20) scholarships of total value RM493,310 will be offered to talented students for the duration of their study at Pegasus International School (PIS) in Bandar Seri Alam, Masai. PIS aims to provide opportunities to these students in an international education programme to develop their fullest potential and equip them with critical skills. The scholarship programme covers the costs of School Fees, Registration Fee and Security Deposit and is open to students in Primary 4 and 5 and Secondary 1 and 2. Pegasus International School, a part of KinderWorld Education Group (KEG), which opened its first pre-school in Singapore in 1986, now operates 14 educational campuses under the brand names of Singapore International School (SIS), KinderWorld International Kindergarten (KIK) and Pegasus International UniCentre in Vietnam. KEG has been in the education business for the past 27 years. To maintain high standards, four of its Singapore International Schools have undergone a thorough process of quality audit and been granted candidacy by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), America. WASC is recognised as an association that accredits international schools. All schools under KEG adopt a unique curriculum which draws the best international curriculum from Singapore, Australia, United Kingdom and United States and embraces innovative teaching pedagogies in a creative
and challenging environment while instituting life-long learning to develop fundamental skills and qualities for success in a technology-driven and globally connected world. Subject to satisfactory academic performance, students from Pegasus International School will be awarded with internationally recognised qualifications, including the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education), Cambridge International AS/A Level Certificate, ACT (American College Test) and GAC (Global Assessment Certificate) which provides access to many universities worldwide. Many students from KEG group of schools have won scholarships (which includes ASEAN scholarships) to continue their education in well-established educational institutions and universities in America, Australia, Singapore and Switzerland and achieved ‘Top Awards’ in internationally recognised examinations. Students from KinderWorld Education Group of schools have scored top results in South East Asia with perfect 4.0 GPAs in the 2009 and 2011 Global Assessment Certificate (GAC) which is a University Foundation Programme. In 2012, some students achieved the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award in the Cambridge IGCSE Examination. Further, other students were named in the President’s List of Berkeley College (US) for outstanding academic achievement with a perfect GPA of 4.0. KinderWorld Education Group has formed sister-school relationships with a number of educational institutions which includes the prestigious Hwa Chong Institution from Singapore. KEG has been co-hosting the Asia Pacific Mathematical Olympiad for Primary Schools (APMOPS) with Hwa Chong Institution in Vietnam since 2009 where students from countries in the Asia-Pacific region have the opportunity to interact and compete with top students in Mathematics. Selected student leaders have also participated in the Student Leaders Convention (SLC) hosted by Hwa Chong Institution in collaboration with Nanyang Girls’ High School from Singapore aimed at encouraging Youths to take initiative to establish connections with their communities and address the prevalent issues in the community. Other schools are John Paul College from Australia, Cornerstone Academy from US, Raffles International Christian School from Indonesia and Rivervale Primary School from Singapore. This extends the relationship between institutions to promote student and teacher exchange programmes, sharing of pedagogical approaches, curricula and teaching resources. As part of the Group’s global plan to provide tertiary education pathways, Pegasus International UniCentre was established in Hanoi Vietnam in 2011 and will soon be in Seri Alam, Johor, Malaysia, providing programmes in Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, English Language and Early Childhood Education. Registration is now open at Pegasus International School and enrolments registered before 31 October are eligible to a wide discount on School Fees and Registration Fees which are applicable throughout a student’s period of study at PIS.
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Last month, Johor Corporation (JCorp) has unveiled the Masterplan for its RM1.5 billion (S$607.4 million) redevelopment of the Tun Abdul Razak Complex (KOMTAR) in Johor Bahru, including the project’s new logo and design of its mall, expected to open in May 2014. Komtar JBCC will also get Southeast Asia’s first Angry Bird’s Activity Park, under an agreement signed with Finnish firm Rovio Entertainment Ltd. The 26,000 sq ft
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indoor theme park will include an activity area, party room, retail shop and restaurant. With Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park holding the fort at Puteri Harbour and talk of more theme parks scheduled to be opened in Desaru, Johor is now indeed the ‘capital’ of theme parks. If reasonably priced, the locals can plan vacations in Johor itself and also keep a lookout for the ample job opportunities that will follow suit.
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Paint Your Life Art Market
Fast Paced Workshops in Raffles University Iskandar’s City-camp
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bus load of Form 4 and 5 students from SMK Sri Kukup came from Pontian to Johor Bahru, to visit Raffles University Iskandar. The purpose was an introduction to Raffles Design, Business and Education & Social Science programmes and to experience workshops in these disciplines. The first workshop was based on the students getting to explore their capabilities in leadership, co-ordination, critical thinking, strategy and planning skills. Secondly, the students got a workshop based on Up-cycling, which according to Fashion Design lecturer Marianne Simmelkiaer, is a major future trend. The students were asked to re-think, or re-design a T-shirt, with a kit of sewing-tools, a big pile of left-over fabrics and secondhand T-shirts. As the students were given only half an hour to complete their up-cycling design, the room was bubbling with concentration,
laughter and high pitched discussions. Without any gender bias, Mrs. Marianne picked out two outstanding designs by two boys, and she was impressed by the effort everyone from SMK Sri Kukup put in the project. She said that, “The reason for conducting this workshop is not only to exercise design, but to emphasize that we have to respect the resources surrounding us, and to remind ourselves to re-use in intelligent ways. Sustainability is one of our topics in our Bachelor of Fashion Design. It is one of many modules such as draping, drafting, sketching and many more. The really good fashiondesigner has to know and balance many areas to make optimum creative decisions and I hope the students found the process inspiring, and will continue thinking about the many possibilities an old T-shirt, or any old material for that matter, actually possesses”.
(left) Her Royal Highness YAM Tunku Tun Aminah attended the event at Kiwanis Careheart Centre.
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ind-hearted artists from all over the state gathered in Kiwanis Careheart Centre on 7th July for a charity art market cum auction. The all-day affair was filled to the brim with enthusiastic artists of all genres and kind-hearted visitors. An art competition was also held for less priviledged kids under the care of Kiwanis Careheart Centre. Artists put up their works and handicrafts of all
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kinds for sale and a few selected pieces were put up for auction which managed to raised RM11,000.00 for the centre. Highlight for the day has to be the arrival of our very own version of royalty in the form of princess YAM Tunku Tun Aminah. The gracious princess, who is an avid art lover showed keen interest in all art creations on display and mingled with the crowd much to their delight. Towards the end of
the day, winners for the art competition were announced and were duly presented with their trophies by Her Royal Highness. Arty Party is a group of passionate artists bent on creating an art culture here at home in Johor Bahru. They also organise meaningful gatherings to promote their cause. Check out Waves Lifestyle events calendar for their next gathering.
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Senai Airport’s current connectivity
Being one of the major gateways to Iskandar Malaysia, Senai International Airport has undergone a major facelift and rebranded itself as an urban lifestyle outlet to serve our valued customer better. The AeroMall is the ďŹ rst stand alone external airport mall in Malaysia worth 80 million ringgit. With a retail space of more than 40 variety outlets and more than 800 parking units, the mall is one of a kind lifestyle hub with shopping, banking, dining and entertainment made easy. TheAero Mall has made the airport no longer a place for air travelers or well-wishers to send off airborne passengers but an attraction to non-air travelers and residents from nearby areas to shop and dine.
Senai Airport’s Airlines & Retail Partners:
..and many more. For a complete guide please visit www.senaiairport.com
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The Iskandarian Monthly Drill
The Iskandarian aspires to be the voice of the rakyat and with that in mind, our Editor has designated this column to be a monthly feature where we get in touch with CEO’s and Chairman’s of organisation and drill them with questions that is in the mind of our readers. If you have anyone in mind or would like us to pose a particular question, feel free to drop us an email: admin@theiskandarian.com. Login to www.facebook.com/TheIskandarian to find out who will be on the next Drill board. Joining the Drill this month is Executive Chef Imran Hamid from Thistle Johor Bahru
How competitive is the culinary world? The culinary world is very competitive, more so with the emergence of new generation chefs. Everyone loves food so as long as there are people loving food, there will be competition in the culinary world not only in terms of job opportunities but also in terms of quality and standards of the food. This is good and keeps everyone striving for betterment.
priority and our lemak and rendang are the sidelines but the westerners keep rice as the sideliner so I learned a lot from observing different habits. However, due to some unforeseen red tape, I returned back to Malaysia after one and a half years and I took up the Executive Chef post at Thistle Johor Bahru. What is your signature dish at Thistle Johor Bahru?
The signature dish is still a work in progress. The Thistle cupcakes have become quite a hit among the patrons but it’s not the signature dish. When there is a lineup of beautiful dishes to choose from, My journey began when I was 7 years it’s quite hard to zero in on a particular old. I fell in love with food from my signature dish. I would like each guest to childhood days in the kitchen at home. choose their own signature dishes. I’ve Upon graduating from UiTM, I did my noticed that Johor still has authentic and internship at Hilton KL and moved on traditional food which showcases the to Shangri-La. I learned a lot from my myriad of cultures that Johoreans like to early culinary days and from Shangri- preserve as part of their heritage, so I’m La, I went to Berjaya Pulau Redang and trying to keep my food to that melting then to Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. pot flavour with Warisan Johor. My food I participated in many competitions will educate visitors from outside and won numerous awards Johor about the true essence including the prestigious of Johorean culture. The Salon Culinaire award by Warisan Johor Buffet “I participated Malaysian Association at the Orchid of Hotels (MAH) Ballroom will and Chefs feature a variety in many Association of of southern Malaysia (CAM). specials like competitions and I’ve worked in the popular many islands Biryani Gam, won numerous in Malaysia, Asam Pedas V i e t n a m , with a variety awards including Mauritius and so of fresh seafood on and I decided such as Sea the prestigious it was time to come Prawns, Squid, back to the mainland Salmon Steak, Red Salon Culinaire” (laughs) and I joined Snapper Steak, Sting Thistle Port Dickson. My Ray, Sea Bass, Mackerel culinary life took a turn at this Tuna and Burasak, ready to be point and I left to London and helped cooked Asam Pedas style, Roti Jala served a friend co-manage a restaurant there. with a choice of Chicken Curry, Lamb We called our authentic Malaysian food Curry or Sweet Gravy. Also available is serving restaurant, ‘Penang’ and we the infamous Kacang Pol, a Johorean served local delights over there. They favourite and a must try which is made ate it as they would eat it here, with the of braised red beans served with a toasted same level of spice and tang and Penang French Baguette and topped with a fried Asam Laksa which is rated number 7 in egg. Chicken and Beef Satay, Otak-Otak, CNNGo International Food Survey’s 50 Chicken Yakitori, Lontong, Mee Rebus, most delicious foods in the world was Mee Bandung Muar and the popular among our top sellers. The taste and Laksa Johor are among the other delights eating style in London is a bit different, served. We will also be bringing back one like for instance over here, rice is given of last year’s most visited stations which Share with us your journey leading up to being the Executive Chef at Thistle Johor Bahru
Chef Imran Hamid Executive Chef Thistle Johor Bahru
is the Roasted Lamb served with mint and we can’t donate excess food to charitable garlic sauces. The Bubur Lambuk Asli and homes so the only way to curb this Bubur Lambuk with Fish and Prawns insatiable behavior is through a mindset are specially created by me change whereby people should and for all the seafood eat what they need. lovers, Stir-fried “The primary Chilli Crabs and If given a choice, Deep-fried Fresh would you still Water Prawns become a chef and thought that all is on the menu why? and Keropok patrons should L e k o r , Regardless of Keropok Ikan, all the issues keep in mind is eat Spring Rolls that I’ve faced, and a variety drop of a dime I in moderation and of Curry Puffs, would answer, yes Deep-fried definitely I’ll be a don’t pile up excess Prawn Fritters, chef. My passion and Deep-fried Quail, my heart is in cooking. food” Pandan Chicken and Being a chef is the best also Fried D24 Durians job I can think of since I can is something to look forward really make people happy through too. We will be showcasing a total of 45 the food they desire. desserts among them being 8 different cakes, 20 types of Malay ‘kuih’ and local How do you handle difficult guests? desserts such as Penderam, Kuih Bakar, Wajik, Dodol, Halwa Maskat, Seri Muka, The customers think they’re always right, Bingka Ubi, Lepat Ubi and Pisang and and there are chefs who get very offended Talam Suji. if a customer complaint about the food but personally, I handle it tactfully. There Are you a chef that follows given recipes are times when the complaint is legitimate to a tee or do you prefer experimenting and times when the complaint is due to a with your own personal touches? lack of understanding of the particular dish by the customer, but representing I will definitely play around, I can’t the hospitality industry, we have to follow a given recipe to a tee. To add a entertain all customers and sift through personal touch, some individual flare is all complaints with meticulousness. needed. For example, if you were to give 3 chef ’s the same recipe; you will get different results regardless. That shows that anyone can muster up a dish based on the recipe but the dish chooses the master. The ‘hands’ play a big part as well. What are your personal thoughts on food wastage? This is tricky (laughs). With buffets being a trend, the primary thought that all patrons should keep in mind is eat in moderation and don’t pile up excess food. There is not need to be gluttonous when going through the buffet spread because there is ample to go around. I know in some countries, the buffet leftover on the individual’s plate is weighed and they are charged by the grams of wastage. Unfortunately, due to hygiene guidelines,
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IRDA says ‘THANK YOU JOHOR BAHRU’ : JB Transformation Open Day saw around 500 attendees witnessing the official launch by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and IRDA’s Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim
Healthier Johor Bahru? Community: In pursuing a Smart Healthy City and Community, Iskandar Malaysia has laid out blueprints and conducting labs to make this dream a reality.
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he Healthy City Lab was set in motion to give an update on the smart and healthy city ambition and to get the Ministry of Health (MOH) to lend their support to improve on facilitation of health care projects’ registrations, licensing and set up of operations. Smart City Iskandar Malaysia was endorsed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the 1st of November 2012 during the 2nd Global Science and Innovations Advisory Council (GSIAC) inter- session with a mandate for the attendee Ministers to venture into related projects in Iskandar Malaysia. Health is seen as one of the key economic sector in Iskandar Malaysia that is in demand but require improvements to ease the doing of business and service qualities. It is also a key indicator for quality of living and its improvement brings great impact to local communities in moving forward to becoming a sustainable metropolis. Among the indicators that was established beforehand to ensure the direction of the lab was to focus on a healthier city with non-communicable
diseases, emphasis on prevention of cardiovascular diseases, physical development of more green lung, more walkways and proper food premises, highly available health services and creation of jobs to be aligned to the New Economic Model (NEM). To ensure the fruits of the lab are seeded for concise growth, the Smart,
Healthy City and Community will be governed by its steering committee chaired by the Director General of Health (MOH) and Chief Executive of IRDA. Key parties will be appointed as project directors and project managers in the working committee. Among the quick win projects shortlisted is the Iskandar Malaysia Healthcare One Stop Centre launching in
Menara Landmark in September this year. Mobile health care services and ‘Personal Health Diary’ mobile app are work in progress projects as well. The agenda is to keep ‘health fun’ by making everyone engaged and taking joy in process of staying healthy. Share your thoughts and feedback on the article by sending an email to daisy@irda. com.my
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JBCCCI Adds More Allies 2013 JCI Malaysia Week Fu Yee Woei is the President of Junior Chamber of Commerce Johor Bahru (JCI JB). He can be reached at fuyeewoei@yahoo.com and president.jcijb@gmail.com
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n ensuring a resounding success for their upcoming JB-Asean Expo 2013, Johor Bahru Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JBCCCI) added both Chinese chambers of commerce of Batu Pahat (BPCCC) and Klang (KCCCI) into their fold of allies for the mega expo. The agreement between the three chambers will bind them to work in tandem and trigger a clause to commit members of BPCCC and KCCCI to participate in the expo as exhibitors.
With Iskandar Malaysia undergoing massive changes to its economic landscape and the inevitable implementation of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) trade bloc agreement to fully remove tariff and non-tariff barriers by year 2015. The three chambers see the need to address the challenges that follow by establishing an international business and commercial exchange platform to promote commercial interaction between domestic and overseas businesses.
JB-Asean Expo 2013 is a mega trade exhibition of international standing, fully endorsed by the Johor State Government and various government/private entities. It will be held in Persada Johor International Convention Center from 19th Sept till 21st 2013. A total of 400 local and foreign corporations are expected to participate as exhibitors. Admission is free and open to public. Additional information on the expo can be obtained through their website – www.jbaseanexpo. com
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st Week of July every year is officially known as “JCI Malaysia Week”. During this particular week, all the local chapters in Malaysia are bound to organise events and activities to promote active participation from the citizens throughout the country. Continuing from last year’s efforts, our National President, Kim Tan has urged all members to promote United Nation Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG) by promoting the specially designed car stickers - “Stand up, Take Action” to create public awareness. Besides that, he encouraged all local chapters to organise a blood donation drive with the objective to help the local community on securing the blood pints in lieu of the coming festive season. On 3rd July 2013, together with Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and ILF Pro, JCI Johor Bahru co-
organized the 2013 Asia Organisational Culture Summit at Grand Paragon Hotel with its theme; Enabling the “Will” to empower the “Skill”. It is a 1day conference showcasing 15 panelists from Asian organisations in Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, China, and Singapore. The main aim of ACS2013 is to highlight the importance of organisational culture in realising business strategies and how culture can be created, nurtured and adapted through measurable outcomes. The event attracted more than 150 delegates regionally. JCI Johor Bahru has introduced UNMDG through conversation with the delegates during the event and this has helped the delegates to further understand about UNMDG. On 7th July 2013, JCI Johor Bahru collaborated with Puteri Specialist Hospital to organise a blood donation drive at IRDA’s Danga Bay Office. Together with this event, we aimed to bring all invited guests, especially JCI Members to understand more about IRDA’s current and future development projects around Iskandar Malaysia. JCI Johor Bahru has managed to raise about 30 pints of blood during the event.
The Iskandarian Issue 12 | AUG 2013 Advertisement
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Calendar of Events >> pg4
august 2013
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Phat Culture The Owners share their S-E-C-R-E-T-S
Dealing with Difficult Situations Your Personal Motivator & Energy Coach, Rose Osman loads you the tips
Eliza & May
The young and trendy entrepreneurs give their two cents about what Phat Culture is all about >>pg2
scan to visit website
Aug 2013 | Page 2
The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle
Editor ’s Note
Priya Manikam editor@waveslifestyle.com
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fter almost a month long of fasting for our Muslim brethren, we’d like to wish Selamat Hari Raya everyone! We hope you have a good celebration/ break before returning back to work! Lots of exciting LIVE concerts are taking place at our neighbouring country including Metallica, yup, you heard me right! Do check out our Music page for more details. Next to me, you see a duo of trendy girls who are the proud owners of Phat Culture – an online shopping experience. If you’d like to check out their collection, just surf their site and your choice will be available to you by a click of the mouse and of course go soft on that credit card of yours! We’ll be continuing to run a few more series of our places of interest in JB, and if you have more or different locations to suggest, email us and we’d be happy to check them out and feature. As always, for those wishing to share their clothing line/recipes or travel tales or like us to review your restaurant/property, drop us a mail at admin@waveslifestyle. com today and be featured. That’s it from me this time.
A peek into F-A-S-H-I-O-N
Meet the “Pretty, Hot & Trendy” or Phat Culture Girls, Eliza & May
PhatCulture is an online shopping experience formed in 2008 by Eliza and May, two restless college mates with the same keen interest in the local fashion scene. They have a wide range of imported items with Free Shipping and also have a Concept Showroom in Aman Suria, Petaling Jaya. A cheeky derivation from the word PHAT, which typically means ‘Pretty, hot and tempting’ in most hip-hop terms and popular culture, but their version means: Pretty, Hot and Trendy.
Tell us what is Phat Culture all about? We are all about delivering fabulous fashion straight to your screens! Beyond just trends and fashion, we’re trying to create a culture among girls and women in Malaysia and across the globe. We believe in creating a culture of feeling confident in your own skin and the freedom of expressing yourself through fashion. How did you come up with the name in the first place? Well, it’s a random story! When we were back in college and first got together to launch an online fashion store, we were brainstorming different names for our brand. I suggested using the word ‘PHAT’ – which means ‘pretty, hot and tempting’ in most hip hop and popular culture, but our version would mean ‘Pretty, Hot and Trendy’, and from there, we launched our dot com at www. PhatCulture.com . You have a Concept Showroom in Aman Suria, P.J. Do tell us more. We moved in about a year ago. It was a pretty big decision for us at the moment – we had just graduated and made a decision to work on Phat Culture full time. From the beginning, we’d always prioritized our photoshoots and as our stocks were increasing, we decided we needed a studio and office space. We picked Aman Suria for its strategic location and it’s easily accessible for us, our employees and our models! Do you have plans on opening such Concept Showroom down south in JB? Why not? If all goes well and Phat Culture grows, we do hope to open booths or small offices across the country so people from all over can take a look at our pieces and be convinced! Did you expect Phat Culture to be well received by the local
market? It wasn’t a smooth ride from the start. We had to learn a lot about the local market along the way but over time we got very good at anticipating trends and what our target audience is looking for. We’re pretty well-received by college girls, women in their early to mid-twenties and we also have customers in their 30s! Among your collection, which is your favourite and why? We are so in love with our Autumn / Winter ’13 collection which is darker with colors like black, brown and oxblood. It’s subtle yet sexy without being over-the-top. But that will be launched sometime in August! As for our current Spring/ Summer collection, we’d say the highlight is our ‘White Romance’ series, taking cue from the wave of the color white that hit the runway earlier this year. It features soft, dreamy pieces … a lot of crochet, lace and pretty prints that we think our customers will really like as well. Are there any upcoming projects in store? Our current major plan is to bring in “something for everyone” – doesn’t matter your race, size, background etc. We will always keep our prices affordable and we’re focusing on expanding our variety and collection to appeal to everyone and also to not have anyone miss out on shopping with us! For instance, we’ve recently started focusing on bringing in fashion with sizes up to size L and we’ve launched a Raya collection inspired by modern Muslimah fashion. Tell us what is the fashion scene for 2013? What should we be seen wearing and not? 2013 has been pretty interesting so far! This year has seen really cool fashion trends like quirky Bart Simpson prints, the rage over denim, stripes and monochrome checkered prints. We’re pretty excited about what are ahead, which we think will be more of festival fashion, wanderlust bohemian fashion and street-inspired edgy styles. We’ve also been seeing statement tees and loud comic prints around! So that pretty much sums it all.
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The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle
Dealing with Difficult Situations
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ajority of the people pray, “God, make my life easier”. Then along the journey, we realize that difficult situations lie in every corner of our lives. We face break ups, broken marriages, tragedy, arguments, betrayals, poverty, debts and many more. Then without faith and understanding, we put the highest power in the blame spot for not granting our wishes. We also label ourselves – (subconsciously), that we are the victim in this difficult life. Now, beyond this unconscious wall of being a victim, we will find the rewards
of peace, joyful life and the true meaning of an easy life. But how do we go beyond this wall? How do we deal with the difficult situations? Shift our consciousness by changing the way we think. Understand this; how we see our lives right now are a product of our minds thinking how it should be. If we stay in the same level of consciousness, thinking and beliefs, nothing in our lives will be shifted. Make
friends
with
the
Musix Buzz LIVE CONCERTS IN SINGAPORE! METALLICA LIVE IN SINGAPORE Date: 24th Aug 2013 Time: 8.00 pm Venue: Changi Exhibition Centre
difficult
By Rose Osman Personal Motivator & Energy Coach www.facebook.com/ yourpersonalmotivator Twitter:@BucketOfRoses
situations, not enemy. The norm is, we choose to run away from it and this is an act of creating ‘enemy’ with the difficult situations. Ponder on this for a while. How can we transform the difficulties into an easy life when we don’t even want to look at it, let alone to love it? Making friends with difficult situation is simple; accept the situation as if we willingly choose to experience it.
Balance life. Easy life attracts difficult situations too and difficult life attracts easy situation! Look closely; none of the situations matter in this context. What matters is living in the duality world, easy and difficulty attracts each other. We cannot experience only one of it because it comes as a pair of a balanced life. Learn this and life may not be so complicating after all.
Free Android OS apps
GEORGE BENSON LIVE IN SINGAPORE Date: 26th Aug 2013 Time: 8.00pm Venue: Kallang Theatre PLACEBO LIVE IN SINGAPORE Date: 27th Aug 2013 Time: 8.00pm Universal Music Singapore & Launch Entertainment is pleased to announce internationally acclaimed British rock band PLACEBO, will be back in Singapore for a brand new concert on 27 August 2013 at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa. *Tickets via www.sistic.com.sg
image: Google Play
SIMPLE Simple is a US thing at the moment, but it’s an interesting digital bank with a new Android app for people to manage their accounts! Helpful features for budgeting and tracking spending add to its appeal. Now you don’t have to waste paper doing your budgeting!
PBA BOWLING CHALLENGE
Source: Universal Music Singapore
Bowling games have a long heritage on mobile phones – Jamdat Bowling was one of the first big downloadable hits back in the pre-iPhone days. PBA Bowling Challenge is thankfully bang up to date, getting you to virtually bowl against 21 famous 10-pin bowling stars. You can even have one-on-one matches against your friends on Google+ or a random opponent.
ASURA CROSS Here’s an entirely modern game from Gamevil: An “adventure fighting” title that sees you building up hero Jin to fight against a series of mysterious foes. Eight game modes and a local multiplayer option provide plenty of action to chew on.
image: Google Play
DEEZCOVR This app is built using APIs from streaming music service Deezer. The focus is on discovering new music, with the app recommending songs and artists you might like, adapting them based on your mood, and then saving the ones you like to a playlist in your Deezer account. Source: Stuart D and Android
Aug 2013 | Page 4
The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle Calendar of Events
august 2013 JB, 1st - 4th Aug KSL Wedding Expo
JB, 2nd Aug Firefly starts JB-Pekanbaru Service
Spore, 3rd Aug “Simply The Best” – Frances Yip Concert @ Festive Grand, Resorts World Sentosa
Spore, 6th Aug Fall Out Boy Live in S’pore @ Fort Canning Park
8th* - 9th Aug Hari Raya Puasa (tbc)
9th Aug Happy Birthday Singapore!
JB, 15th - 31st Aug Mersing Carnival 2013
JB, 16th-18th Aug Cosplayers Gathering 2 by JCAG @ Sutera Mall
17th Aug Festival of the Hungry Ghost
JB, 17th Aug Jitterbug’s Mini Art Market & Social Night by Arty Party @ Jitterbug Cafe, Plentong
Spore, 24th Aug Metallica @ Changi Exhibition Centre, S’pore
JB, 24th - 25th Aug Malaysia Rally 2013-FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship @ JB & K.T
M’sia, 31st Aug
Happy l Nationa ! y Da
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Must Visit Places in JB (Part Two)
ohor Bahru or JB as it is fondly known to the locals is the Jewel of Southern Malaysia. Many visiting Malaysia often give this city a miss as they think there is nothing interesting to see . We are here to prove them wrong and have come up with a list of the most popular places that can be visited here. 1. Johor Bahru Kwong Siew Heritage Gallery This heritage gallery is located at 24 Jalan Siu Nam and was opened not very long ago on 30 October 2010. The building is made of 2 adjoining double storey shop houses that are very old yet charming, with unique designs on it. This place used to be the headquarters of the Kwong Siew Clan Association established in 1878 by Wong Ah Fook, a China-born, successful and influential entrepreneur who developed close links with the Johor Sultanate. Some of the exhibits stored in here comprises; Cantonese opera costumes and scripts, weapons used in Chinese martial arts, lion dance troupe equipment and costumes, old Chinese musical instruments, jewellery, opium pipes, Chinese chess sets, Malayan/Malaysian banknotes and coins, traditional Chinese medicine and fortune teller’s reference books, and many other interesting exhibits. The admission fee is RM5 for adults and RM2 for kids. 2. Johor Art Gallery It is situated at 144 Jalan Petrie (about 700m northeast of the Thistle Hotel). It is also commonly referred to as Galeri Seni Johor which showcases variety of art works. The white 2-storey building was originally built in 1910. Long back, it was an official residence of the Johor Chief Minister, Dato’ Abdullah Jaafar. Therefore, it’s not uncommon that old-timers call this premise as Dato’ Abdullah Jaafar’s building. Due to its artistic value of architectures, this building was then officially launched as an art gallery on 29 January 1994. It houses many aspects of Johor’s culture and heritage and is a popular tourist
attraction for both locals and international visitors. In the year 2000, construction took place to upgrade the place as a proper art gallery centre as well as function as an art education centre (art and design activities). It is worth visiting this place whether you are an art buff or not. 3. Hutan Bandar Hutan Bandar or City Forest Recreational Park is a 13-hectare recreational park that has gotten a lot of publicity from visitors since its opening. It is located at Jalan Tasek Utara (Ulu Air Molek), about 1.5km southeast of the Larkin bus terminal. Maintained by the municipality, it contains seven lakes that surround the tropical forest. There is open-air swimming pool, children’s playground and hawker stalls selling delicious local food. The scenic environment here is what that attracts people to come here for recreational activities such as jogging, swimming, hiking tracks or even spending quality time with family members. There is also an orchid park with many different species of orchids. For nature lovers, you can visit here on your own time and perhaps take photographs of this natural beauty. Entrance is free.
Credits: Written By : By Zaki, Azwan & Nadia from JBCool.com Photography By : Nicholas Vincent
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live Congenital Heart Disease in Children (Part 1) FREE COPY ISSUE 12 | AUG 2013
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Dr. Hew Chee Chin Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgery - Paediatric & Adult Dr. Hew has been consistently performing 350 cases per year and more than 300 closed heart surgeries since 2004. She is now a visiting doctor of Regency Specialist Hospital.
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child with congenital heart disease means he or she was born with a problem in the heart’s structure. It is caused by improper development of the heart during fetal development. The congenital heart defect occurs 8 in 1000 live birth. Some are simple and do not need treatment. Others are more complex and require several surgeries performed over a period of several years. One third of these babies require intervention to prevent death in the first year of life. What causes congenital heart defects? In most cases, the reason defects happen are not known but some connections have been identified as the following: 1. Women who get German measles (rubella) during their first trimester of pregnancy. 2. Women who consume alcohol, use cocaine while pregnant and take antiseizure medications.
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3. Women who have chronic diabetes mellitus and not well controlled. 4. A mother with congenital heart defect has an 8 to 10% risk of having a baby with some type of congenital heart defect, not necessary the same defect as the mother. This mother and baby require prenatal monitoring. What are the symptoms of congenital heart disease? Serious congenital heart defects become evident during the first few hours, days, weeks and months of life, these are: 1. Loss of healthy skin colour. 2. Pale gray or blue skin colour (Cyanosis). 3. Rapid breathing. 4. Swelling in legs, abdomen or areas around the eyes. 5. Shortness of breath during feedings leading to poor weight gain. Less serious defects are often not diagnosed until later in childhood. Signs
and symptoms that may be evident in older children include: 1. E a s i l y becoming short of breath during exercise. 2. Easily tired during exercise. 3. Accumulation of fluids in the heart and lungs. 4. Swelling in hands, ankles or feet.
When to see a doctor? Serious congenital heart defects are often diagnosed before or soon after the child is born. Children with less serious defects may be diagnosed incidentally during school health examination or when the child consults for upper respiratory infection or when the mother notice any of the signs and symptoms as described above.
Types of heart defects 1. Holes in the heart There is a defect between the chambers of the heart or between the major blood vessels leaving the heart. These holes allow oxygen rich blood to mix, too much of oxygen rich blood flooding the lungs causes heart failure, the child will be short of breath,
irritable, poor feeding, poor weight gain and failure to thrive. 2. Obstructed blood flow This occurs when blood vessels or heart valves are narrow. The narrow heart valve forces the heart muscle to work harder, this leads to thickening of muscles. 3. Abnormal blood vessels This is due to incorrectly formed or positioned blood vessels going to and from the heart. 4. Heart valve abnormalities The heart valves cannot open or close properly and blood cannot flow smoothly. 5. Combination of defects Some heart defects are a combination of several heart defects, example: Tetralogy of Fallot, where there is a hole in the ventricular septum, passage between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery is narrowed and the muscles in the right ventricle are thickened. Regency Specialist Hospital provides comprehensive cardiology and cardiothoracic services supported by a team of experienced consultants and a cardiac catheterization lab that comes with modern diagnostic facilities. We offer wide range of cardiac care covering adult and paediatric cases.
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work
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Social Publishing Platform Networking: Glipho’s free Social Publishing Platform for bloggers launches in Malaysia
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ublically launched in Europe and North America in March 2013, Glipho is the free social publishing platform that brings the power of social networking to traditional writing. Its recent Malaysian launch will help international writers expand their reach, plus giving Malaysian bloggers more opportunities to make their voices heard. Unlike conventional social publishing platforms such as Twitter or Tumblr, Glipho is a writer-focused network that showcases longer form content, with a 150-word minimum per post – called a Gliph. Each user creates a profile to publish multi-media Gliphs, and Glipho serves as a communal blog that does the work of optimizing posts for audience generation. The social publishing platform has already taken North America and Europe by storm, and the Malaysian launch is here to meet its rising demand in the nation. Glipho founder and CEO Roger
Planes is confident the platform will help more Malaysian bloggers find their readers. “Malaysia has already proven as a real hot bed for social blogging. We’ve been impressed with the high volume of Malaysian writing on the network, and we are delighted to launch the platform in the Malaysian market.” Current Gliphers come from more than 120 countries, blogging about everything from fashion and food to space exploration and web technology. All content is written, ranked and categorized by Glipho writers, providing them access to like-minded audiences and real-time engagement opportunities that build readership. Glipho makes it easy to create, share, and search optimized posts – with no designing or SEO skills needed. Writers bring the creativity, and the platform delivers the community. So far, Glipho is available on PC and tablets, as well as mobile Android and iPhone applications.
In the heart of NUSAJAYA
“ Where business & leisure meets ” Located within the shopping and entertainment district 192 rooms 3 banquet halls 2 food & beverage outlets
A 4 STAR BUSINESS CLASS HOTEL w w w . h t l g r a n a d a . c o m
Restaurant
Bar-Grill-Live Music
No. 55, Jalan Indah 15/2, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200, Johor Bahru Tel : +607-231 8888 | Fax : +607-231 8889 | Email : rsvn@htlgranada.com
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invest
ACCUMULATING WEALTH? ¬ Profiting from the
Market Uncertainty
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inally, we have experienced a market roller coaster after a month’s rally in June. While there are always ups and downs in the market, the question is, “How can we profit from it?” Before we discuss it extensively, let’s have a look at worldwide scenarios that happened in the last five years: 2008: The US Subprime Mortgage Crisis It happened as a result of mortgages in the US was made out to borrowers with low credit rating. The foreclosure had led to a series of events which eventually caused the collapse of a few highly established financial institutions, such as Lehman Brothers and AIG. Some experts said that this was the most serious financial crisis ever and will lead to global depression for decades. As the market collapsed, many good quality stocks surfaced. 2009: Recovering on the way While many continued selling their stocks in anticipation of the second collapse (double bottom), the world stock markets began to recover in March 09. Those who knew how to indentify highly undervalue stocks and had the courage to accumulate made handsome profits in a year.
2010: The European Sovereign Debt Crisis It started in 2008 following the collapse of Iceland’s banking system, and spread to Greece, Ireland and Portugal during 2009. The crisis became more obvious in 2010 because several European countries faced the collapse of financial institutions, high government debt and rapidly rising bond yield spreads in government securities. 2011: The Downgrade of US Credit rating Credit rating agency Standard & Poor (S&P) downgraded its credit rating of the US federal government from AAA to AA+ in August. The market reacted badly as that was the first time the government was given a rating below AAA. Locally in Malaysia, rumours on the General Election 13 (GE13) started circulating. 2012: The anticipation of the GE13
Komtar JBCC to become CBD icon Business: Komtar Johor Baru City Centre (JBCC) project will help facilitate better business engagement upon completion next May
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ohor Corp (JCorp) through its subsidiary, Damansara Assets Sdn Bhd has undertaken the refurbishment works of the Tun Abd Razak Complex, which is popularly known as Komtar. There will be a 37,626sq m, RM500 million development will see a shopping mall and two high-rise office towers -- the renovated Menara Komtar and the new Johor Land Tower at Komtar JBCC. “Komtar JBCC aimed to reclaim its status as an iconic landmark in the heart of the city as the premier shopping, lifestyle, dining and entertainment destination,” said JCorp president and chief executive Datuk Kamaruzzaman Abu Kassim. “There will also be a new 190room four-star hotel,” he added. Komtar JBCC will have direct pedestrian links to the Sultan Iskandar Building, Johor Baru City Square and Persada International Convention Centre. “In the long run, Komtar JBCC will help to revitalise downtown Johor
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Bahru and contribute to the growth of the local economy,” he said. Komtar JBCC will also see Angry Birds Theme Park in its building. Datuk Kamaruzzaman said the development of the theme park, the first in Southeast Asia, is a joint venture with the founder of the Angry Birds game, Rovio Entertainment Ltd, which is based in Finland. “The indoor theme park covering 26,000 sq ft will be located on the third floor of JBCC, formerly known as Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Komtar).” “The Angry Birds characters introduced in Finland are now wellknown by all age groups worldwide. This is suitable for JBCC which is patronised by various customers, both local and foreign,” he said. In other headlines, Integrated healthcare services provider Pantai Holdings Bhd plans to expand its foothold in the country with the addition of three new hospitals with one of the three to be built in Medini Nusajaya in Iskandar Malaysia by the last quarter of 2015.
Tey Bin Yuen is the author of ‘Life beyond the Comfort Zone’. His books are available at major bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore. He’ll be conducting a seminar ‘Profit from Share Investmen4’ on 8 Sept 13. Reach him at btey2000@yahoo.com.au
With disappointments that the GE13 did not come in 2011, but ‘experts’ said it should be around the corner and advised investors to cash out their money. Interestingly, the Composite Index this year started at around 1500 and ended in 1680. There was no election but the rumours circulated more widely later. 2013 1st half: The arrival of the GE13 Many retail investors cleared their portfolio in advance anticipating a major market correction due to the election.
However, the market continued to move up before and after the election. 2013 2nd half: / tapering of QE3 The US Federal Reserve proposed the tapering of the Quantitative Easing 3 (QE3) due to the improved economy data of the US. However, the regional market reacted unfavourably due to the worry of the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) outflow. Ponder on the above and in the next issue, we’ll explore on how we can learn and profit from these lessons.
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Food Trail to Bandar Maharani - Muar
having a BBQ dinner fare at Mann Chalet at Kampung Seri Pantai.
Tourism Malaysia Johor’s Food Trail Participants
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ourism Malaysia Johor has a popular annual food trail and this year, the food trail goes further afield to the historic riverine town of Muar or Bandar Maharani. The food-filled and fun event took place from 23 to 26 June 2013.
Our pit stop brought us to the famous Muar Soup House and although it was well past midnight, the shop was still a hive of activity; and many were seen tucking into their soup and teh tarik – a perfect ending before bedtime.
Day 1 The trail started from Johor Bahru to Nasuha Herbs and Spices Paradise off Jalan MuarPagoh. Nasuha is a herbs plantation offering restaurants, spa, accommodations, plantation tours and outdoor activities. The place is set in lush greenery and they are also popular for their Biryani. The next stop was at Norseha Ikan Bakar at Medan Sabak Awor where we had dinner. Dinner was a sumptuous spread of fresh seafood such as fish, crabs and squids cooked the traditional way by Puan Norseha and her team. Our tummies filled, we then proceeded to the Tanjung Emas jetty to board the ferry for the interesting firefly tour along Sungai Muar. After seeing the fireflies, it was nearly midnight and we still had space for supper!
Day 2 The first event on the second day was the official launch ceremony of the Muar Food Trail hosted by Majlis Perbandaran Muar at the Muar Traders Hotel. Once the ceremony was over, we were ushered to the Tanjung Emas jetty but this time the ferry took us out to the mouth of Sungai Muar to meet up with the sampans/boatmen fishing for oysters. This was fascinating to watch and I must add that the fishermen dived for oysters without any diving gear! They fished for wild oysters the same way as it was done long ago. After watching ‘oyster fishing’, we went back downtown Muar for Mee Bandung, an iconic local dish. One of the best examples is at Kedai Mee Bandung Abu Bakar. Finally, we ended the evening by
Day 3 We started the day with a sumptuous and scrumptious breakfast at the popular R&H Cafe Sate Maharani. We had the delicious traditional dishes of Satay, Mee Rebus Jawa, Lontong, Tauhu Lentok, and Nasi Lemak just to name a few. Thereafter, we were driven to ‘Kopi 434 plantation and factory’ where we were shown the coffee making process right from its harvesting of the coffee berries, to husking, roasting and packing. No trip is complete without sampling Kopi 434’s premium quality Elephant Brand Liberica coffee (which tasted good) and we subsequently dropped by at their outlet at Jalan Maharani. Next stop was Asam Pedas Mak Pon at Parit Jawa. The fish was very fresh and cooked in a mildly spicy broth of asam and this was a real treat to the palate. After lunch, we proceeded to Homestay Parit Bugis and visited various traditional cottage industries in the village such Tempe, Cakar Ayam, Kuih Bahulu and
Gula Melaka production. Once embracing all the knowledge of these productions, we spent the night at Homestay Parit Bugis. Here, we were treated to a traditional Nasi Ambeng dinner where all the guests enjoyed sharing the delicious food together. This is a great traditional bonding experience not to be missed. Afterdinner entertainments were the amazing Kuda Kepang and Barongan performances. Tummies filled and after having a long fruitful day, we retreated to our respective homes. Day 4 The next morning we bid farewell to our gracious hosts while having a breakfast of traditional kuih-muih (traditional local cakes/ savouries). I would sum up the entire food trail experience as an interesting 4 days getting to know Muar and its people, culture and traditional foods. Tourism Malaysia Johor’s Muar Food Trail 2013 is a very well thought out food tour itinerary that tourists will find very helpful and the next time, you drop by Muar; do indulge at the mentioned places for a local flavour.
All photos by Tourism Malaysia
play An Italian Evening at Gianni’s Oh my FREE COPY ISSUE 12 | AUG 2013
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ianni’s Trattoria is undoubtedly one of the most famous and established Italian restaurants in Johor Bahru. In a recent media introduction event held at their Taman Pelangi restaurant, the attendees were treated to an assortment of tantalising Italian cuisine. Chef Hans Durst, the owner of Gianni’s Trattoria needs no introduction. He explained to us about the delightful food awaiting us while he grated a big block of Parmiggiano Reggiano,
Chef Hans Durst the owner of Gianni’s Trattoria
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the King of Italian Cheeses from Parma, Italy. The particular Parmiggiano is only available at Gianni’s Trattoria and their upcoming branch in Permas Jaya. The Antipasto platter was up first with a mixture of carpaccio, Kalamata olives, artichokes, mushrooms, squid rings, melon, ham, and capsicum. The night went on to showcase the best of Gianni’s among which the Black Ink Pasta Aglio Olio with Fresh Prawns and Mediterranean vegetables with
Mediterranean vegetables with New Zealand lamb
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New Zealand lamb were simply exquisite. A Sauteed Alaskan Cod preserving the flaky meat’s tender texture with sweet sauce tangoed up the palates very well. A dessert of Butternut Pumpkin Soup and Gianni’s Trattoria’s alcohol free Tiramisu was the perfect ending to a wonderful evening. The event host, Ms Jessica from Gastrolution, walked the guests through each meal and shared the finesse of wine which compliments the meals.
Alcohol free Tiramisu
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Chicken
he versatility and the relatively low cost of poultry make it ideal for all kinds of food service operations, right from elegant restaurant to cafeterias, fastfood restaurant to even at homes. Also, chicken are popular among diet conscious people because they are lower in fat and cholesterol than other meats. Chicken has its own cooking problems, so it is important to observe both the similarities and the differences between meat and chicken. Roasting Whole Chicken In most cases, chicken breasts tend to taste dry and not a big favourite with people because it can get overcooked during roasting. So, how to overcome the problem of roasting the chicken legs to doneness without overcooking the breast? Here are some tips to solve this problem:
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• • •
Roasting breast side down for part of the roasting period. Gravity draws moisture and fat to the breast rather than away from it. Basting with fat only, not with water or stock. Separating breast from leg sections and roasting each for different time. Soak the whole chicken in a mixture of seasoning for 12 hours before roasting.
Another method would be to truss the chicken. Trussing means tying the chicken legs and wings against its body to make a compact and solid unit. It has two main purposes: 1. Even cooking. 2. More attractive in appearance, especially when presented or served whole in the dining room. *Article Contributed by KFCH
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ISSUE 12 | AUG 2013
T HE I SKANDAR I AN
PROPERTY
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RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS
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APARTMENTS
Cover Story Hotels are making their way to the southern region and their descend has helped add more juice to the booming property market >>page 27
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VILLAS
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CONDOMINIUMS
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OFFICE/ RETAILSPACE
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All About MRTA
¬ Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) OR Mortgage Level Term Assurance (MLTA) ? A.Devadason CA(M), FCCA, MDRT Deva is a partner in the firm of Dason & Dason, Chartered Accountants who specialice in tax advisory and consultancy. He can be reached at deva@dason.com.my
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ften, as part of the loan package, banks tend to bundle the Mortgage Reducing Term Assurance (MRTA) as an element of financing. The rationale is to ensure that the family is not burdened with settling the outstanding loan in the event the borrower passes away. However, banks are specialists in deposit taking and lending. Assurance is not their core competency as it’s an area that is incidental to their main business. That is why I usually advice to take the MRTA from an insurer whose competency is in the business of assurance. Inevitably, when one does something on the side, mistakes occur when compared to a specialist who does the same area of work day-in and day-out. In my many years as a Financial Advisor, I have come across numerous cases where the bankers gave protection options that did not address liabilities in its entirety: a. Case 1 – Husband and wife are joint owners but loan is on husband’s name. Loan amount is RM250k. Banker gives MRTA of
RM125k each. This is utterly wrong as the borrower is the husband. The MRTA should be on the husband’s name for the entire RM250k. b. Case 2 – Husband and wife are joint owners and borrowers on loan of RM280k. In reality, the husband is the main income earner and the wife’s income is moderate. If the husband dies, the wife definitely can’t afford the instalment. However, if the wife dies, the husband has no problem with the repayment. Banker give’s RM140k MRTA on each party. Correct planning should be RM280k entirely on the husband. c. Case 3 - Husband and wife are owners and borrowers of RM400k loan. Husband is the main income earner while wife is a babysitter earning less than RM1k/ month. However, the husband is diabetic and not insurable. Banker places entire RM400k MRTA on the wife as the husband is uninsurable. I can go on and on with regards to various instances involving bankers who are not properly trained in the fundamentals of insurance planning. It is not just planning an amount, but a planning for a family from facing financial ruin in case things go bad. Not all bankers are bad in insurance planning and not all insurance advisors are excellent. However, a specialist is more unlikely to make a mistake when compared with a practitioner who does things incidentally to their main operations.
Underwriting This is another major problem when taking insurance with banks. In many cases, it is the officer who fills up the form and verbally asks whether the insured-to-be is healthy. The verbal question is asked as a formality with visual judgement made as part of Field Underwriting. Many of these officers’ fail to go through all the specific illnesses (which can be up to 2 pages long) when asking their client. As a result, when the claim occurs, policies don’t get honoured and the insured feels cheated. In insurance, the advisor is tasked with Field Underwriting where he/she collects information by query as well as observation on the current health status of the insuredto-be. Where Field Underwriting fails, a proposal form should not even be submitted for processing. Servicing is another major headache. Many times, just like anyone in employment, bankers come and go. When the claim occurs, the party who originally sold the policy is nowhere to be found. Should a dispute occur, then things become really sticky. It is noted that even insurance agents are notorious for quitting after a short-time but at least the client can walk into the insurance company directly and meet the customer service staff for assistance. Hence, deal only with reputable insurance advisors who come highly referred. *I would like to re-iterate that not all bankers make mistakes in insurance planning.
So, how different is it taking from an insurer rather than a bank? 1. As a start, there are choices whether one wants to cover only Death and Disability or want the 36 Critical Illnesses to be covered as well. Often, banks offer only Death and Disability Cover as a standard feature. 2. The next choice is whether the insured wants any element of savings or just plain coverage without any premium refund. Again, banks usually offer the one with no premium refund. 3. Banks offer MRTA while one can choose either a MRTA or Mortgage Level Term Assurance (MLTA) if taken directly from an insurer. MLTA is suitable where multiple properties are planned to be covered by using only a single policy. 4. In fact, when planned properly, MLTA can be used to settle the outstanding loan in full when there is a sufficient cash or fund value. There are many more advantages such as personalised service, tailor-made solutions, and etc. In a nutshell, deal with specialists of the said field because when it matters most, at least the risk of things going wrong is greatly reduced.
MAH SING’s Double Whammy Hotels help boost the market Property: Launches The Meridin@Medini Property Gallery and Singapore Showroom at TripleOne Sommerset
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he launch of Mah Sing Group Berhad’s The Meridin@Medini Property Gallery also saw Tower B of the Meridin Suites Residences successfully launched. Officially launched by Mah Sing Group Managing Director and Chief Executive, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum and Yang Dipertua Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah, Tuan Haji Salehuddin Haji Hassan, the event was also witnessed by the Group’s senior management team. Situated at No 3 Jalan Legoland, Bandar Medini, Nusajaya, The Meridin@ Medini’s Property Gallery is next to Legoland Malaysia and stands on Phase 2 of the development. An encouraging turnout of close to 540 invited guests graced the formalities which included an official plaque signing, ribbon cutting ceremony and an auspicious 8 Lion Dance. Guests were then ushered into the gallery to view the actual show units of Type A (1 bedroom unit from 521 sq ft) and Type C (3 bedroom unit from 1,064 sq ft).
“The launch of The Meridin@Medini’s Property Gallery coincides with Tower B’s Meridin Suites Residences, which is the last chance to own a piece of The Meridin@ Medini’s Phase 1. After this, we shall preview Meridin Linx iSoVo, or Tower A of Phase 2 in September 2013. This timely event benefits from the arrangement of site visits to Iskandar Malaysia from our new Singapore Sales Gallery launched on Monday, 15 June 2013, at Triple One Somerset,” said Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Leong Hoy Kum during the press briefing.
By Alan Wee newsdesk@theiskandarian.com
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ince Iskandar Malaysia was launched six years ago, it has successfully stimulated the property sector in Johor Bahru with investments worth billions of ringgit from the private sector. The presence of the LEGOLAND Malaysia theme park, Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park as well as foreign universities has further boosted the property market in Nusajaya and Gelang Patah. Upon the completion of other attractions such as LEGOLAND Hotel and other theme parks as well as the proposed developments of Wellness Township and Auto City, property prices are expected to see a hike. With the emergence of Traders Hotel in Puteri Harbour and Marriot International Incorporated’s Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel in Permas Jaya, the fluctuation on property prices is eminent. “This year, we have been opening an average of two hotels a week in Asia and this reflects a great and robust growth for the company,” said Marriot International Incorporateds’ Asia Pacific Chief Operations
Officer Donald J Cleary. Whether the boom in property prices is well received by all quarters is yet to be seen as many locals are feeling that the close to 7 digit price tag on most of the new properties alienate them from purchasing. Analysts say that property market in Johor Bahru is still not at the same level as in Kuala Lumpur and Penang and needs about two to three years to achieve the stage as the two cities.
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The Iskandarian
Quick Reads
IIB To Put Off Further Sales Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB) will put off further land sales in Iskandar Malaysia for the time being, said president and chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Syed Mohamed Ibrahim. “At the moment, we are not selling. Iskandar is still relatively small and fragile. We want our investors to make money. This is part of our strategy, which we call ‘controlled release’,” he told the press at a briefing. The larger of the two projects involves a joint venture between IIB and Mammoth Empire Holdings Sdn Bhd – which built Empire Subang and Empire City in Petaling Jaya – to develop Medini Empire. The Medini area alone, located within Iskandar’s Nusajaya cluster, still had some 10 million sq ft of gross floor area (GFA) yet to be developed. IIB sealed two property deals with private companies yesterday worth a combined RM4.6bil in gross development value in the economic corridor south of Johor.
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Property Investment ¬ Investing in Prime ‘Dim Sum’ Properties from Iskandar Malaysia Ed Cheong is the Singapore founder of the Iskandar Malaysia Investors Forum and Rafflesland Group of Companies which provides platform for property investors to gain insights and world-class investment strategies. He is contactable at iskandar@rafflesland. com and +65 97111271
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or international financial investors, ‘dim sum’ bonds carry a delicious, savoury afterthought. Issued in Yuan currency in Hong Kong, these Chinese bonds are attractive to foreign investors who desire exposure to restricted Yuan-denominated assets. Similarly, Iskandar Malaysia properties are Ringgit (restricted currency)-denominated assets that are touching the hearts of thousands of international property investors. In Singapore, where the latest Nusajaya
property launches are held, investors queue up for ballots that are synonymous with Iskandar Malaysia. The mainland Chinese developer, Country Garden, advertises its Danga Bay project in China calling Iskandar Malaysia a lifetime miracle. Coming back to dim sum bonds, they were originally issued in 2007 mostly by Chinese property companies in small tranches. Buoyed by China’s property and economic growth, now even the biggest global companies have their own dim sum bonds. They include McDonalds, the well-loved fast-food chain and Tesco, the UK supermarket group. Dim sum bonds are now issued in London by major banks as its momentum soars globally. For Iskandar Malaysia, I predict a similar trajectory. More international developers from Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea and Europe will be building high value developments and
marketing them worldwide. With the participation of international players, who may not have prior presence in Malaysia, Iskandar Malaysia will be a gateway for business and foreign direct investments. This bodes well for industry development, job creation and global value chains of Malaysian small and medium enterprises. Industry clustering and talent attraction gains traction when multinationals regard Iskandar Malaysia as the business destination with high liveability standards. As for property investors in Malaysia and Singapore, we have a golden opportunity to gain as a first mover advantage. Just like dim sum bonds, home ground Hong Kong, Chinese investors and industry service providers were the first beneficiaries. Like our favourite local delicacies, we are so fortunate to be at the origination point of a new global favourite called the Iskandar Malaysia Property.
Luxurious Living Spaces Living: Within 8 Acres Of Lavish Greenery in the growingly busy town of Senai is The Senai Garden
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ucked among lush greenery in the bustling town of Senai, The Senai Garden offers great convenience with its close proximity to JB town and the plentiful amenities surrounding it. Other than convenience, The Senai Garden’s low density occupancy of only 392 luxuriously spaced units is all about returning home to tranquillity. With various apartment types (Type A, A1, B, C) and penthouse specifications (Type D, E, E1, E2, F) available for phase 1 of the project which is due for tentative completion towards the end of 2014. Home hunters will be spoilt by the
choices on offer by KCC Development Sdn Bhd, the Muar based developer behind this prestigious project. Apartment living spaces range from 706 sq ft to 1734 sq ft with Type C the largest among all types. Its 3+1 rooms layout is big enough to house any medium sized families with ample space to spare for comfortable living. With complimentary furniture bundled into the package, owning an up-market apartment has never been easier. If penthouse living fits your lifestyle. The Senai Garden offers majestic rooftop duplexes that are sumptuously spaced
between 3136 sq ft to 4293 sq ft. All penthouses are swimming pool facing and some even include a private enclosed space suitable for a rooftop garden which caters well to gatherings, sun tanning sessions or some private family moments. Capacious living among a host of resort-style facilities and secured by an impenetrable 3-tier security system incorporating a 24 hours fully manned guard house equipped with a state-of the-art CCTV surveillance set up. The Senai Garden has it all to properly define luxurious resort style living in the city.
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The Iskandarian Issue 12 | AUG 2013 Advertisement
The Iskandarian Issue 12 | AUG 2013 Advertisement
The Iskandarian Issue 12 | AUG 2013 Advertisement