The Iskandarian October 2016 Issue by The Iskandarian-WAVES Lifestyle

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Iskandar Malaysia’s Official Newspaper, is a synergistic product by True Soul Media PLT & IRDA’s Social Development Division

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The Iskandarian Monthly Drill

We get in touch with CEOs & Chairmen to drill them with questions

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Having the right infrastructure in place for a digital lifestyle is key in ensuring that Iskandar Malaysia can fully - Akram Mackeen live up to its vision CEO, Inneonusa Sdn Bhd

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The Iskandarian Do’s & Don’ts More on pg3

The good, the bad and the ugly of fellow Iskandarians

Proud to see! Placing the Disability tag & parking accordingly.

Home-grown Ska punk heroes Plague of Happiness rocking the stage at Iskarnival Kreatif 2016

Stretch of cars along AEON Bukit Indah. The management should take strict action.

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Its Official, IKEA is coming to JB Anticipation

After months of speculation, the Swedish brand comes clean!

he iconic Swedish home furnishing brand came out of the closet and officially announced the construction of its third and largest store in Malaysia which will be located at Jalan Desa Tebrau, Johor Bahru. The RM592 million project spanning 46,713sq m space will be a one stop destination for all, with the Managing Director of IKEA South-East Asia Christian Rojkjaer adding that the company has had its eye on Johor as a point of expansion for years. He added that the store will be completed by the end of next year and will be able to cater to the needs of 1.8 million people living within a 60 minute drive from the upcoming outlet. “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people, so we are really excited to

Datuk Ismail Bin Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA and Christian Rojkjaer, Managing Director, IKEA Southeast Asia mark the official start of construction be building our first IKEA store in Southern Malaysia.” “In time, we hope to reach six million visitors per year for our Tebrau store compared to seven million visitors recorded at IKEA Damansara (in Kuala Lumpur) annually,” he said. IKEA Tebrau will join two other stores in the country, IKEA Damansara in PJ and IKEA Cheras in KL. The upcoming outlet will also offer some 300 over job

opportunities for Johorians. Known for warehouselike stores and flat-packed selfassembly furniture, IKEA is one of the world’s largest home furnishings retailers with more than 385 stores worldwide. Ikano Private Limited owns and operates the stores in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand and IKEA Tebrau is set to open by end of next year. - by Amin Khairuddin TI

Golfing for a Good Cause

PEGASUS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Gleneagles MEDINI

“In The Arms Of One Who Cares”

he 7th Ponderosa – Southern Lot Charity Golf is back again this year to raise funds for the mentally challenged children, cancer and dialysis patients and for the needy students. The event will be held on 8th October 2016 at Ponderosa Golf & Country Club who is the co-organiser with Southern Lot Sdn Bhd (Southern Lot). “Last year, we raised a total of RM157,932 from participation fees and donations and we hope to be able to raise a proximate amount, if not more,” said Lew Kim Soon, the Organising Chairman who hails from Southern Lot. Every year, Southern Lot jointly-organises the Charity Golf together with the management of

Rotary installs new President

SEND LETTERs or inquiries to RCJBS President Raymess and HRH Tunku Idris Iskandar

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he Rotary Club of Johor Bahru Sentral (RCJBS) held an installation dinner at Double Tree by Hilton, with the royal patron of the club, Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar ibni Sultan Ibrahim gracing the event.

“I’m honoured and humbled to be elected as the 4th president of Rotary Club of Johor Bahru Sentral (RCJBS). With the trust and responsibility entrusted to me, I would like to thank all the members of JBS. With the help of a strong team of Club Officers, I am sure the club will be glorious in its mission to serve humanity,” said Raymess. In conjunction with the theme Rotary Serving Humanity, the club launched its ‘Plant a Tree’ campaign aimed at making a greener city for the future generations. TI

he 7th Asia Klasika Motor Festival was recently held at Puteri Harbour, Iskandar Puteri, bringing an impressive display of classic and collector automobiles dating back as early as the 1920s up to the modern era. His Royal Highness Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar was present on the last day of the festival to take a closer look at the machines on display. For three days, enthusiasts crowded the concourse area to check out the cars and talk to owners and restorers who were more than happy to share their stories. The festival also had several classic bikes on display, including several BMWs, Harlies and Nortons, stopping any passerbyers for a quick look and flurry of photos. - by Amin Khairuddin & Hakim Malik TI

Care Luxury cares for Kg. Asah waterfalls Responsible

Last year’s Charity Golf with organisers and their respective recipients Ponderosa Golf & Country Resort to benefit the same subsidiaries, having identified that they are constantly in need of funds to maintain operations. Those interested in participating in the Charity Golf or wish to donate to this meaningful cause may contact Lew Kim Soon at 019-7113510.

Asia Klasika 2016 at Puteri Harbour

are Luxur y Hotels and Resort gives back to nature by cleaning Kampung Asah waterfalls in Tioman Island under their inaugural corporate social responsibility programme, Care Luxury Hotels & Resorts “Cares” Project recently. Approximately 49 of their staff a cco m p a n i e d by representatives from Civil Defence Department (APAMTioman) and Tioman Development Council (TDC) were divided into four groups to restore and maintain sustainability of the island’s environment as well as to beautify one of the main attractions available on the island for nature lovers. Located 1km from the beach, the waterfalls is

Beauty befalls Tioman’s waterfalls again

Care Luxury Hotels and Resort staff cleaned out with four huge bag of waste at Kampung Asah waterfalls cleaned by removing Luxury’s teambuilding dry leaves, unused activity with staffs plastic bags and other from Hotel Granada, non-biodegradable Desaru Tunamaya and materials such as food Tunamaya Tioman,” and drinks containers said Mohd Yahya that were left behind Hamsain, Care Luxury “Cares” Group Project previously. “ S i n c e Director. “In near future, Kampung Asah waterfalls is the only Care Luxury is planning water fall on the to organise Desaru island, therefore, we Tunamaya Charity Run took the call to hold which is scheduled the clean-up before in mid-December to the monsoon season raise fund for charity starts. The programme homes,” Yahya added. was also a part of Care by Maressa Esa TI

Published by True Soul Media PLT [No.51-B, Jalan Impian Emas 5/1, Taman Impian Emas, 81300 Johor Bahru] Printed by Twinstar Synergy Sdn. Bhd. [Lot2A, Jln 13/2, Seksyen 13, 46200, Petaling Jaya, Selangor] Copyright of articles, contributions and photos which are published by The Iskandarian is the property of True Soul Media PLT. 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 Return of Iskandar Malaysia’s From Biggest Festival Cover Highlight

A revamped carnival that’s set to inspire creativity and innovation while providing stellar performances

Visitors to Iskarnival Kreatif had the chance to try out new things including several creative workshops such as learning pottery

skarnival Kreatif, the first instalment of Iskarnival 2016 pulled off a hype and a crowd of 20,000 people for the two-day event, filled with interactive and fun activities such as gig performances from local and international talents, hackathons, art exhibitions and craftsman exhibitions, workshops and more. The event was held at the Mall of Medini and Afiniti Medini, with several free workshops open for visitors to give a try and explore their creativity. Among the activities was the Craftiviti Provides D.I.Y Body Care Products slots, Bogus Merchandise which lets you do the trick in silk screen printing and sewing and visitors also had the chance to learn more about movie make up and face paintings by AK Academy and Anggun Kasih. As many as 650 participants were seen flocking and discovering their hidden craftsmanship skills at the leather making workshops as well as batik making at the Kraftangan Malaysia booths. The Biji-biji Initiative from KL showcased three major state of the art creations made through upcycling materials that attracted passer byers to experience a self-cycling juice bar, ‘singing’ plants and a showcase of sustainable upcycling product invention such as clutches and bags made of car seat belts. Many local indie product enthusiasts crowded the Mikro Tempatan by Tempatan Fest with a line of local brands such as Costura, Stickybox, Batto, Loaded, Nuori and more. Music lovers were more than pleased with the musical performances at Iskarnival 2016. Offering the best from a very wide selection of genre, the event saw local big names sharing the stage with established international acts. The Centre court stage saw performances from local rapper Kayczar,

traditional Malaysian music buskers Monsoon Market, trip-hop ambient poetry band Wani Ardy & the Guitar Polygamy, Johor based alternative rock stars, Laila’s Lounge along with Indonesia’s celebrated Nusantara Jazz combo Paracetamol. Hardcore head bangers flocked the Blackbox stage for an unforgettable experience with party band The Otherside Orchestra, Kuala Lumpur’s Ska punk band Johny Comes Lately and rock icon Oh Chentaku. Visitors also enjoyed a number of international acts like Singapore’s own pop rock band The Psalms and rock and roll stars The Pinholes along with The Trees and The Wild, an Indonesian ambient post-rock band. The pinnacle of the performances came when audiences flocked in to see the god-father of Malaysian alternative rock OAG making a comeback with Qi Razali, one of the original line-up alongside Radhi. It was followed by an adrenaline pumping closing show by local Ska punk heroes, Plague of Happiness. The second instalment of Iskarnival 2016 will be back mid-October with Naratif as the theme. - By Hakim Malik & Maressa Esa TI

Children of all ages enjoyed the opportunity to learn about soft circuits and coding

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Brick-or-Treat at LEGOLAND Malaysia Interest

The ‘blue’ Sports Carnival

As a promotion in conjunction with “Halloween Brick-or-Treat Party Night”, any children dressed in a costume enters for free

alloween is right around the corner and LEGOLAND Malaysia Resor t has prepared a whole lot of Halloween themed activities for the whole family to join this October. Star ting from midSeptember till 29th October 2016, the park operation hours will be extended to 9pm every weekend where there will be a “Halloween Brick-or-Treat Party Night” happening. As a promotion in conjunction with Halloween, admission to the park from 4 to 9pm on the event day is RM85/ person with any children dressed in a costume enters for free. Happening at the LEGO Kingdoms, the main highlight of the party would be the Brick-orTreat Trail, where children follow a trail and complete a series of Halloween tasks at ten different pop-up tents to receive a limited edition Halloween commemorative brick. Among the spooky tasks were finding hidden LEGO bats, scream your lungs out with the witch, Lord Vampyre’s maze and mummy bowling. Kids also get free goodies sponsored by Milo, Steadler, Julie’s,

Ribena, Canon and many other local favourite for completing the tasks. Other exciting activities include the Monster Catcher Mayhem, a Halloween show at the Castle Stage, Lord Vampyre’s Ballroom Maze and Spooky Miniland Tour. In conjunction with the Merlin’s Magic Wand Global Fun Festival and the recent launch of the party, LEGOLAND Malaysia hosted members of the media along with 100 underprivileged children from five orphanages in Malaysia with

the help of PUDU Rotary Club. Merlin’s Magic Wand is a charity organisation of Merlin Entertainment Group that brings less fortunate children with illness, disability or suffering from poverty to enjoy the facilities at Merlin Entertainment Group’s attractions all over the world. For further information on promotions and activities for “Halloween Brick-or-Treat Party Night” at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, visit www.legoland.com.my today. - by Hakim Malik TI

Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage Committee Chairman, Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan giving prize to the winning contestant Pacificview, Aeron Munajat. About 400 local residents took part in the festivities such as football, kayaking, speed boat race, fishing competition, water wrestling, and duck catching competition, as well as various exhibition booths from private and government agencies. - by Syakirin Daud TI

JEIWA and JUITA to Collaborate

(From left) Casper Bonavent, Director of Operations LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, Young Pil Kim, General Manager (interim) LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort, Shen Ming Director LEGOLAND Hotel and Thila Munusamy, Director Sales and Marketing LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort with winners of the best costumes award and other participants at the launch

Hands-on Outdoor Learning about Environmental Conservation

0 students from seven schools in Johor experienced outdoor learning in the Rakan Saintis Sungai (RSS) programme jointly organised by the Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad (CCM) with the Johor Department of Environment (JAS). The three-day programme was held at the Lagenda Forest Park, Gunung Ledang to raise awareness of protecting and maintaining the health of natural water resources such as rivers and lakes through theoretical knowledge and training. CCM’s Group Managing Director, Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said that this programme provides meaningful learning experiences for students because they can explore nature and see for themselves the adverse effects of pollution.

t was a highly anticipated time for the local residents when Iskandar Puteri State Assembly and Country Garden Pacificview joined together to organise Sea Sports Carnival 2016. The three day carnival which was held at Tanjung Kupang has been done annually since 2014, to restore the nostalgic sea sports activities which were formerly done at Lido Beach. “The state government always welcomes such activities in order to promote healthy lifestyles as well as culturing unity among society,” said Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage Committee Chairman, Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan. Also present was Nusajaya Assemblymen Dr Zaini Abu Bakar, Johor Bahru District Officer Mohd Halim Hasbullah and Head of Corporate Communications for Forest City Country Garden

“ W h e n students get closer to nature, they are more likely to be concerned about the future of our ear th and understand the importance of our natural resources and Thirty students and their teachers took learning we hope to instill outdoors this responsibility in students through the RSS Director General, Rosli Osman was also there to present the prizes to programme,” Leonard added. Among the activities held the students for their efforts and to were hiking, environmental talks, mark the closure of the programme. CCM RSS programme as well as water quality analysis and involves schools in Perlis, Sabah, experiment. CCM C h e m i c a l s Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor. Manufacturing Chief, Mukri Harun Since its inception back in 2010, the with JAS Director, Dato ‘Mohammad programme had reached more than Ezanni and JAS Johor Deputy 1,500 students. - by Hakim Malik TI

President of JUITA, Datin Seri Rosni Omar and Founder, President of JEIWA, Nor Fadilah Mohamed Nizar announcing the collaboration

he Charity Organisation for Wives of the Representatives of Johor (JUITA) announced the collaboration with the Johor Empowerment of Intellectual

Women Association (JEIWA) during a media tea party at the official residence of Menteri Besar Johor Dato’ Khaled Nordin. “ We re co gn i s e the importance of the media, therefore, we, JUITA and JEIWA organised this event to recognise and get to know (better) the media agencies in the state,” said President of JUITA, Datin Seri Rosni Omar Also present was the Founder and President of JEIWA, Nor Fadilah Mohamed Nizar, as well as the author of the Johor Palate recipe book, Datin Kalsom Taib. The event was also attended by representatives of state media organisations other than nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) Johor. - by Amin Khairuddin TI

International Drums Festival 2016

Pic by Wilson TS Teo

ounded in Johor Bahru by cultural activists, Tan Chai Puan and Tan Hooi Song, this year’s 24 Festive Drums pounded up powerful and energetic performances that kept Educity Indoor Stadium thumping. “The event is very timely as we celebrate Iskandar Malaysia’s

10th year anniversary this November and we are proud that it is not just all about building hard infrastructure, but also soft infrastructure which includes the people of Iskandar Malaysia,” said Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, Chief Executive of IRDA who attended the event.

Johor Police HQ 07-221 2999 / 07-225 4499

Nusajaya Police IPD 07-511 4222

Tourism Malaysia Hotline 1300 88 5050

Johor Tourism 07-223 4935 / 224 9960

Senai International Airport 07-599 4500

JB South Police IPD 07-2218 999

Ministry of Tourism (Johor) 07-223 3171

Tourism Malaysia Johor 07-222 3590 / 91

Immigration 07-224 4233

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Hard Rock International Announces Plans to Bring Legendary Vibe Closer to Home

ard Rock International continues the expansion of its Hotel brand throughout Asia-Pacific by announcing Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast. Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast is slated to open in Q4 2017 in Johor. The 365-room hotel will be part of the country’s most anticipated integrated destination resort, Desaru Coast, encompassing enter tainment, restaurants,

shopping, a waterpark and 45-holes of golf, among other leisure offerings. The project is in collaboration with Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd (TAR&H). “With more than 25 million arrivals last year, Malaysia is recognised as one of the leading destinations in Asia where Hard Rock has a strong following and brand recognition. We are confident we will continue to build upon the phenomenal success of the

Hard Rock Hotel Penang with this unique property,” states Leong Wy Joon, Senior Vice President of hotel development in Asia and India at Hard Rock International. Guests of Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast will be centrally

located in Phase 1 within Desaru Coast, overlooking and providing easy access to the Desaru Coast Adventure Water Park, as well as the Retail Village, the resort’s waterfront shopping and social hub. Catering to the distinct needs of the modern traveler, Hard Rock Hotel guests will also have access to the fully equipped Desaru Coast Conference Center and two championship golf courses designed by renowned golf professionals, Ernie Els and Vijay

Singh. At Hard Rock Hotel, guests will enjoy a sparkling pool, complete with poolside bar and grill, as well as an all-day dining restaurant and fast-casual eatery. With no shortage of brand-exclusive amenities and programs, the hotel will feature a full-service Rock Spa equipped with two outdoor treatment rooms and Rhythm & Motion, the brand’s differentiated music-infused spa treatments. TI

Taking the Play to the Streets Highlight

More than 300 audiences turned up for Kulai’s first street theater performance

treet theater is a form of theatrical performance that is presented in outdoor public spaces such as parking lots, street corners and shopping complexes. That was the case for Sekutu Ghuraba’s “Wallahu a’lam bishawab” theater performance, which was set in a random shop alleyway in Kulai, Johor. The title, loosely translated from Arabic means “And God knows best”. Unlike your normal theatrical presentation that usually happens on a stage, the particular platform for that night gave an organic feel to the setting. Presented in Malay, the story revolved around three main characters, the painter, the unemployed and the scavenger. Oppressions and social stigma were among the main theme of the play. With the use of minimal props

Audiences pack the alleyway for the street theater performance and costumes, the cast of ten relied solely on their delivery of the script. With subtle audience engagements and live background music, the show was far from being too heavy to be enjoyed. The director of the play, Mohd Hasnol Hafidz or more commonly known as Bue Hasnol expressed his amazement with the turn out of the crowd throughout the three days the play was staged. “We did not expect

more than 300 people to turn up throughout the three days, and we are very happy with the crowds’ reception to the street theatre concept,” said Bue Hasnol adding that there are plans for upcoming shows in the future. Sekutu Ghuraba is an art collective made up of performers, musicians and artistes that strive to make street performing an art form accepted by our community. - by Hakim Malik TI

Forest City announces Boutique Hotel

ountry Garden Pacificview announced its first hotel development within the Forest City project that’s set to open its doors October this year. The hotel will be located on a 4.23 acre plot of land on island one of the project. The hotel will be managed by Country Garden Hotel Group that operates more than 50 hotel chains in China, where eight are recognised as 4-star hotels. The conglomerate is continuously

working to increase its expertise by working closely with world leading hotel chains including Hilton, and plans to bring its experience in hospitality to the Iskandar corridor. The hotel will offer accommodation from RM250 per room, per night, with a total of 285 guest rooms across two towers. The boutique hotel is estimated to generate a monthly income of RM2,500,000 when it attracts foreigners and out of state visitors for a stay.

Besides the north and south hotel towers, there will also be another block consisting of 132 units of residential apartments. Other features includes a banquet hall for 400 people as well as several dining options for guests. The boutique hotel will offer 240 job opportunities upon completion and the establishment of the hospitality service in Forest City will contribute to the increase of GDP into the Iskandar region. - by The Iskandarian TI

Artist impression of the upcoming Forest City Hotel

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Maslee Benefits from 1MGRIP Empowerment

Better retail management for Maslee staff

n line with the Government’s aspiration of achieving a developed nation status by 2020, Maslee supported its inaugural cohort of 25 staff from Managerial Department and completed the 1Malaysia Globally Recognised Industry and Professional Certification (1MGRIP) under the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), recently. The cer tification was introduced by the Government in June last year to assist employers in signing their staffs for a six months training course to upskill their marketability sets and

to increase local workforce productivity. As for Maslee, all 25 graduates underwent courses in Retail Management provided by Gloasia Skills Academy. “I believe that it is a good platform especially for employees to uplift theirs skills especially in retail management. The courses taken were in a simple scheme of theory and assessments while applying knowledge taught throughout our daily working field. Other teammates and I graduated with better confidence level and had ‘freshen’ up,” said Sapinah Abu Othman, Category Manager of

Maslee. Maslee Tampoi Store Manager, Mohd Elias also suggested that staff from lower positions should also enroll for the courses early for better exposure that will enrich their retail expertise. The first Maslee cohorts graduated in August and Maslee Express General Manager, Gan Hiong Huat was awarded as the Best Student during the convocation ceremony. The retail chain supermarket is also planning to extend 1MGRIP enrollment in future times with more number of workers per cohort. - by Maressa Esa TI

Raya Haji aid for 100 families Responsible

Care United gives back to families in Kampung Skudai Kiri

are United Johor Bahru (Care United) lent a hand to 100 low-income families of Kampung Skudai Kiri recently by distributing food aid hampers in helping them to ease their burden during the recent festive celebration. Each food aid hampers worth RM200 consisted of rice, cooking oil, biscuits, beverages and other food provisions and most of the beneficiaries have been engaged for almost 12 years with Care United. “Care United has been very supportive with Kampung Skudai Kiri’s community and currently, the initiative has been extended up to the 12th year. When they are planning for any events, the community here also hop in and participates to give support and hope that it’ll be a relief to several families who are in need,” expressed Baharuddin Hamis, Committee Chairman of Kampung Skudai Kiri Association. “This has been my second year

receiving food aid by Care United and delighted to be one of the beneficiaries especially during festive season,” said Zainah Amin who lives with family of six. Care United’s upcoming major events are Back-To-School Programme and Golden Years Celebration which are scheduled in October and November 2016. - by Maressa Esa TI

100 families with happy faces receiving aid in conjunction of Hari Raya Haji

Best Student from Maslee Express General Manager, Gan Hiong Huat (fourth from left) and Category Manager, Sapinah Abu Othman (third from left) during Gloasia Skills Academy Convocation in August after finishing Retail Management training course

Kumar and Hossan Leong Comedy Night at Eight Lido Having some laughs for charity

Interest

t was a stellar night out under the stars at Eight at Lido Hill when neighbouring comedians, Kumar and Hossan Leong shook the foundations for a special charity Comedy Night to aid the SPCA of Johor Bahru. Organised by Eight Lido and co-sponsored by Somersby Apple Cider, as many as 250 people flocked to catch the performance and to do their bit for our furry little friends. Guests were entertained by soothing music while enjoying a scrumptious dinner spread before Hossan took to the mic and began warming them up

Kumar rolling out the laughter for a good cause (photo by Eight Lido) for the main act; Kumar. From the moment Kumar stood and walked onto the stage, the iconic and provocative comedian got

the crowd into a roaring fits of laughter with his wit and humour, proving that he still wears the comedy crown up high. - by The Iskandarian TI

Korean Investor to Inject RM2 bil in Johor Based Projects Highlight

The state is set to receive a significant investment from Korea through a trade deal worth RM2 bill from several keen parties

he current amount of Korean investment in Johor so far has reached an amount of RM239 million through several petro-chemical and metal based industries including Lotte Group, Kisware Limited and Fujitech. Menteri Besar Johor Dato’ Khaled Nordin recently travelled

to Seoul to lead a delegation for the six day conference. He arrived at the International Airport after departing from London for the Closing Ceremony of the International Malay Studies Conference at the Royal Asiatic Society. The delegation included the Chief Secretary and Chairman

of JCorp, Tan Sri Dr. Ali Hamsa, the Chairman of the Committee on Education, Information, Development and Cooperatives Johor, Datuk Md Jais Sarday, Johor State Secretary Datuk Ismail Karim and corresponding JCorp President and Chief Executive Datuk K amaruzzaman Abu Kassim.

Khaled was scheduled to be present at the annual dinner organised by Kiswire Limited, a leading player in the metal industry in Johor through four companies which are Kiswire Dies Sdn. Bhd., Kiswire Cord Sdn. Bhd., Kiswire Nepture Sdn. Bhd. and KISWEL Sdn. Bhd. A roundtable discussion

with several Korean industry players was also organised, including several visits to local private hospitals as a new potential investment via JCorp. Until the end of 2015, the amount of foreign investment in Johor was estimated at RM31 bil and provides 12,000 jobs. - by The Iskandarian TI

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HitFat: Carve off those Curves Highlight

7 weeks of sweat and lesser kilos

hen Malaysia is ranked as Asia’s ‘fattest’ country with a statistics showing that half of our 30 million population are obese and overweight, it raises a red flag at the Ministry of Health and of course, the nation to take precautions in maintaining healthy lifestyle from now onwards. To date, the public has vast options to select, from Ministry of Youth and Sport’s FitMalaysia initiative to your neighbourhood Zumba classes in staying fit, healthy, and productive. The Iskandarian team took this opportunity to stay fit by participating in “HITFAT”, a group workout training initiative

by young Coach Seth and friends to produce a fit and healthy community. In the seven weeks of participation in HITFAT 7.0, The Iskandarian team underwent several two hour sessions of vigorous full body weight exercises such as functional training, inter val run, gym session, outdoor hiking and dietary briefing session for three days in a week within a group of approximately 20 participants. One of the ‘biggest loser’ of the programme, Ashikin Marzuki who shed 6.2kg, caught herself improvising fitness strength and healthy diet while proposing to anyone who faces weight problems

to participate and curb those calories. “I am more motivated to regularly exercise and started to eat clean and practise healthy diet. Most of the sessions are after working hours and it does act as a stress reliever and more importantly, I’m aware of the importance to live a healthy lifestyle,” expressed a software developer, Sitinor Zara who just participated in the programme and loss almost 3kg. For more information, interested participants can contact HitFat Training Solution Official Facebook page and be a part of the next upcoming HitFat 8.0 session which is scheduled on 15th October.

Special Children Showing their Love towards Malaysia

Participants of HITFAT 7.0 Johor Bahru New member’s fee is priced at RM250 while existing members can

enjoy RM200 participation fee. - by Maressa Esa TI

Fostering unity at this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival in UTM

Highlight

It was a memorable moment for students of Johor Cerebral Palsy Special Education School (JCPSES) when they had a chance to celebrate national day

ver 120 of JCPSES students and trainees at their best attire gathered at the Cerebral Palsy Hall recently to join the programme, which was held annually by the Johor Cerebral Palsy Association (JCPA). The children seem to enjoy themselves in various activities such as parade, poem recitation, Independence Day performance as well as fancy dress contest. State Unity and Human Resources Committee Chairman R. Vidyanathan said he was fascinated by the programme as it shows the talents of the students. “I was so impressed by the initiative taken to hold this programme. It shows that every single citizen should prove their

love and care towards this beloved country by expressing their patriotism spirit,” said Vidyanathan at the Cerebral Palsy Hall. Also present was the Johor cerebral palsy chairman Y.M. Tunku Yan Nazihah, Council Member of MBJB, Ab. Hamid Halidek and

principal of JCPSES, M. Kanan. Vidyanathan added that every reliable party should come forward to help this people to make their life better. He also presented RM10,000 to JCPA in aid of children and adults with cerebral palsy disorder. - by Syakirin Daud TI

Y.M. Tunku Yan Nazihah, R. Vidyanathan, and the teachers of JCPSES cutting the cake for national day

Visitors to the lantern parade with staffs and students of UTM along with the representative of Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association during the lantern lighting ceremony

ore than 500 students, staffs and members of the public congregated at the B11parking lot in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai for the recent lantern parade in conjunction with this year’s MidAutumn Festival celebration. Co-organised by the Mooncake Festival Secretariat and Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association, the event recreated nostalgic childhood memories of yesteryears. The event also managed to showcase the multiracial unity of the country with participations from various races and nationalities. Gan Yi Reng, head for the department of unity and

information, Student Representative Council UTM expressed his gratitude for the scale of support especially to the students and staffs that participated, Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association and Johor Bahru MidAutumn Festival Committee. “All 400 lanterns we had prepared were distributed for the parade and I am happy to see many races and nationalities being here tonight to experience this cultural exchange themselves,” Gan added. The event is a part of a series of events leading to the 19th Mooncake Festival and Cultural Night 2016 that will happen on 25th and 26th November 2016. - by Hakim Malik TI

Befrienders Johor Bahru Turns Ten Highlight

A decade in providing emotional support to those in need

he Befrienders of Johor Bahru celebrated its tenth anniversary at Pekin Sutera Restaurant recently, showing its strength as an organisation that has endured a lot over the years of providing emotional support to those who need it. The festivities began

with the arrival of the guest of honour, YB Mok Chek Hou and the Chairman of the National Council of Befrienders Malaysia, S. Gangadara Vadivel who were greeted by 24 drums’ performance by several lady members of the NGO. A short candle ceremony was conducted to mark the World

Suicide Prevention Day 2016 before the opening speech by the Organising Chair, Diana Gan who said the evening event will shed more light on the services they have been providing for years as well as to introduce new initiatives. “Only a small fraction of our society takes advantage of the services we provide and

it is my wish that through this evening’s gathering, more will take advantage of our services for the betterment of our emotional health,” said Diana. What began in 2006 as a small organisation with 16 volunteers and limited operation hours, has now grown to 56 trained volunteers with the extension

of service hours from 4pm to 12 midnight and an email befriending service launched last year. The group also has an outreach team that serves the community at the National Stroke Association Malaysia (NASAM), as well as educational institutions like Sunway College and Monash University. - by Amin Khairuddin TI

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Q&A

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Monthly Drill Interview By Editor A k r a m Mackeen is in the driver’s seat of spearheading the Internet of Things (IoT) an d Sm ar t S e r v ice s within Telekom Malaysia (TM) Berhad, bringing fresh and innovative lifestyles to the Malaysia. The Chief Executive Officer of Inneonusa Sdn Bhd, a tripartite joint venture between TM, UEM Sunrise Bhd (UEM Sunrise) and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB), is set to provide smart home and smart city solutions for real estate developments in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. He brings with him over 17 years of experience in operations, product innovation, design and development and business solutions. His previous appointments with reputable MNCs such as Siemens Group, Flextronics Design Asia, Telekom Malaysia R&D and Celcom Axiata, saw him head various development in telecommunications, electronics, automotive and medical devices. He began his career in Singapore in 1999 within various companies of the Siemens Group and moved to Flextronics design Asia before returning to Malaysia in 2006 to head Telekom Malaysia R&D team for product design and development. At Celcom Axiata, he successfully launched Celcom app developer ecosystem programme (LEDC) and drove products and services for the corporate market by providing business solutions covering Enterprise Cloud Applications, Machine to Machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT), Leased Lines, Fixed Mobile Convergence, Telematics and more.

BIO

Tell us more about Internet of Things (IoT) and how ready is Malaysia and Iskandar Malaysia in adapting to it? The concept of IoT has been largely discussed in many platforms, often described as ‘things’ such as physical devices, gadgets, home appliances, cars, and street lights that are interconnected and exchanging data. According to Malaysia’s IoT Strategic Roadmap 2015 which was done by MIMOS, IoT is defined as “Intelligent interactivity between human and things to exchange information and knowledge for new value creation”. It is a complex yet complete solution encompassing three main technology components i.e. connecting things with embedded sensors,

Akram Mackeen

Chief Executive Officer

Inneonusa Sdn Bhd connectivity and infrastructure, and most importantly, analytics and applications. The collection of data coupled with analytics will give us insights on how things work and behave around us, allowing us to make better decisions and significantly improve the way we do things and thus, improving our lifestyle. Inneonusa sees huge potential of IoT in Malaysia as it has the perfect environment to spur IoT adoption due to the high national broadband penetration rate of 77.3%, high mobile penetration at 145.7 % (and observation of multiple handset ownership!) and active mobile social media penetration of 52%. The government had also proactively set up several agencies such as MCMC, MIMOS, MDEC to ensure that the IoT takes off, among other agendas. The continuous upgrading of infrastructures and systems that are happening throughout this country also signifies its eagerness and to some extent, readiness, to welcome the IoT. Prior to Inneonusa, companies that wanted to make their developments or projects smart had to work with technology companies to specifically design and install the various smart devices and enablers. However, the day-to-day operations of the services were left to the developers or facility managers. Unfortunately, most of them have minimal or close to no experience at providing the services because the lack of understanding of the ecosystem required for smart services.

Inneonusa will drive the creation of smart services in Iskandar Malaysia as it is the first company created to specifically operate smart city services. Our service design approach ensures that our solutions are developed with the end user in mind. Services designed by Inneonusa will leverage the latest open platform and technology with multiple innovative business models to ensure ease of adoption, business sustainability and scalability across Iskandar Malaysia.

With all this technology, one has to wonder, is all the data moving around safe? What are some of the measures put in place to keep things secure? When date is collected, it has its own inscription at its collection point (sensor device) and is passed to Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) servers. Data is stored at a centre that is tier 4-ready, ISO 27001 and ISMS certified, and compliant to TIA 942 secure standards. In plain English, yes, they are highly secured.

Tell us more about the country’s first integrated operations centre (IOC) for Internet of Things (IoT) in Iskandar Puteri, Johor The nation’s first IOC for smart services and IoT were established by TM on 30 June 2016 via Inneonusa Sdn Bhd at Medini 6 in Iskandar Puteri, and can deploy smart services to UEM Sunrise’s and IIB’s property development projects.

The IOC serves as a centralised command centre for IoT operations and enables Inneonusa to provide a single nationwide monitoring dashboard and 24/7 support via Artificial Intelligence (AI) to coordinate operations of smart services involving physical devices and sensors, safety and security, smart mobility, city-wide services, energy and facility management, digital signages, citizen portal, vehicles and buildings. The efficiency of the IOC relies on the information and communications that flows into it from a large pool of sensor network which in turn will facilitate other services that optimise the operations of a city, making it more efficient. With this technology, the IOC is able to provide highly customised solutions, improve efficiency of services, increase cost savings and provide personalised experience to end users. The IOC would not have been possible without the strong support from UEM Sunrise and IIB, who are the key developers of the Iskandar Puteri area. They recognised from early on, the benefits of smart city services. Working with UEM Sunrise and IIB has enabled us to understand the property industry in greater detail and has allowed us to develop solutions for property development projects. We are now well positioned to offer the services to other developers in the area.

How important is the ICT sector in the design and planning of Iskandar Malaysia? It is an essential component to ensure that the development is future proof, given how digital lifestyle has evolved at lightening’s speed as we enter the fourth industrial revolution. Given that buyers and end users are more discerning now, developers constantly face challenges in marketing their property and many are also exploring ways for sustainable developments. Smart city services has become a common area of focus in providing added value which can be a key differentiating factor to the developments. Having the right infrastructure in place for a digital lifestyle is key in ensuring that Iskandar Malaysia can fully live up to its vision to be a strong and sustainable metropolis of international standing.

Moving back in time, how did you get involved with this particular industry?

I’m passionate about creating solutions that have a strong positive impact for the end user. My hands-on experience from various industries gave me useful insights in seeing the bigger picture of value creation for the end customer. In connecting the dots between various service enablers, it led me to the telecommunications industry. TI

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peggy loh

My johor stories

Our resident writer, Peggy Loh, actively writes in her blog www.peggyloh.com about matters that are close to her heart. She can be reached at write2peggyloh@gmail.com

Memories of JB’s first Chinese Food Court

Johor Bahru’s first Chinese food court viewed from the corner of Jalan Ungku Puan and Jalan Wong Ah Fook

t the end of the Second World War, around 1945, the first Chinese food court in Johor Bahru was set up at Jalan Ungku Puan, on a plot of land adjacent to Sungai Segget. Emerging from the recent ravages of war, the humble structure for the food court was just a simple, makeshift shelter. The Teochew fondly called this place, pasakkia which simply means ‘small market’ and here was where we once tasted some of the best street food in JB. The food court had permanent stalls that bordered a U-shaped layout with tables and stools for customers to sit down for meals, while mobile stalls that served drinks and snacks, would arrive in the evening and parked along the road in front. It was just too warm to do business under the zinc roofs during the day so the food court only came alive after 5pm for customers to dine-in or for takeaways. It’s ideal location offered easy access to the after-office and dinner crowd and business would go on till late to meet customers’ habit of eating early with a hot supper before bed. JB incidentally, has the distinction of being once known as Little Swatow because most of Johor’s Teochew population originated from Swatow, a Teochew district of Kwantung Province in China. So food with Teochew origins was popular at the pasak-kia. One Teochew staple must be their muay or plain rice porridge, eaten with a variety of dishes that have contrastingly stronger salty, sour or spicy flavours. Unlike Cantonese rice porridge which is a smooth gruel, Teochew rice porridge is virtually a watered-down version of boiled rice with grains of fluffy rice in the broth. A popular stall, situated deep inside the pasak-kia, served Teochew muay with a range of dishes and condiments like

chopped vegetables, braised peanuts, salted egg, salted fish and salted vegetables, steamed whole fish, egg omelet with chai poh preserved vegetables and humble but tasty taucheo (fermented soy beans) sauce. This is a light meal which connoisseurs may enjoy bowl after bowl of muay with a few tasty condiments or they may indulge in more pricey dishes like ngoh hiang (five spice) rolls and braised duck or pork.

Entrance to the popular Chinese food court at Jalan Ungku Puan, fondly called pasak-kia in Teochew dialect for small market Another Teochew favourite at the pasak-kia was Teochew-style stir-fried flat rice noodles, better known as Char Kway Teow. Fans of this fragrant Teochew dish would fondly recall the liberal amounts of cockles and bean-sprouts among the ingredients stir-fried into the noodles that have a distinct taste of sweet dark sauce. In those days when wood-fired stoves were used, the hawker would kindle his fire and flames would dramatically leap into the wok to give the dish a delicious wok-hei aroma! Or-luak, the Teochew name for

oyster omelet, was another popular item here. The long queue for this delicacy was also probably because the hawker had a special skill in frying the omelets with little oil without charring while keeping the oysters plump and juicy. At that time, each oyster seemed to be uniformly big and the omelet was fried with more egg in the batter than flour thickening. Die-heard fans would declare that the hawker was so generous with the oysters that they could taste the oysters with every bite! While Teochew cuisine may have been the bulk of food sold here, another popular stall was the Hainanese chicken rice served by a lady who always looked neat and wore an apron over her traditional sam-foo outfit. The two types of chicken she served – original steamed and roasted in dark soy sauce – were smooth and delicious, especially when dipped in her ginger-garlic chili sauce. And her fragrant chicken rice was so tasty that it could even be eaten on its own! Hainanese beef noodles was another hot favourite and the tantalising aroma from its constantly brewing herbal beef broth, was simply irresistible. Connoisseurs would select their choices of beef slices with tripe and tendons to savour in steaming soup. They may choose rice noodles in beef soup or rice noodles topped with thick sauce and condiments like chopped salted vegetables and roasted peanuts, with a side of soup. Most diners would enjoy refreshing sugarcane juice, pressed from sticks of fresh sugarcane through a noisy juice-extractor on the hawker’s mobile stall. Another popular drink was fresh soyabean, served either warm or chilled. Bowls of smooth soyabean, served warm and flavoured with a generous scoop of syrup, were popular desserts. Regulars at the pasak-kia would distinctly remember the unique feature of dining here because when the tide was low, the secrets of Sungai Segget were revealed. At that time, boats no longer plied this waterway but everyone who lived or did business next to the river, used it as a convenient dump. So, while regulations

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Aerial view of the Chinese food court shows two entrances from Jalan Ungku Puan with rows of food stalls that bordered its U-shaped layout for proper waste disposal were not yet developed and enforced, hawkers would dump all manner of refuse into the river. This in turn attracted all manner of vermin. With the changing tide and the rapid decaying process in our tropical weather, the river inevitably turned into an open sewer. So when the tide was low, diners at this popular food court would be assailed by pungent wafts of a vile pong. But diners, familiar with this hazard, staunchly accepted the river’s stench as part of the dining experience here. They must have found the food prepared by first or second generation immigrants so authentic and tasty that it was worth the temporary discomfort. With the passing of the original hawkers, the nostalgic taste of the food once served at our city’s first food court, is now only a memory. But if it’s any consolation to street food connoisseurs, the recipes handed down to family members continue to be served at different locations in the city after the pasak-kia was demolished in 1986. Since 2004, some of the next generation hawkers have been serving familiar favourites at a back lane near Jalan Meldrum while others continue doing business at various food centres including the Cedar Point food court in Taman Century and the Taman Sri Tebrau hawker centre. TI *(Pictures courtesy of the Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association)

Another aerial view of the Chinese food court flanked by Sungai Segget, flowing parallel with Jalan Wong Ah Fook [Left] and the Arulmigu Rajamariamman Devasthanam Hindu temple, then under renovation [Right] which still remains at its site today

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Thistle Johor Bahru Bags Medals Competitive

Thistle was the only hotel in Johor to grab medals at “Battle of the Chefs Competition” in Penang

histle Johor Bahru (Thistle) is honoured that its culinary team had won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the recent “Battle of the Chefs Competition 2016 Penang International Salon Gastronomique” held in Penang at the Spice Arena. Thistle was not only the first time entering the competition but also the only hotel in Johor to enter for the Battle of the Chefs Competition where more than one thousand chefs from all over Malaysia participated. The hotel’s Executive Chef Mahmood Mohamad took the gold under the category of Class M35 for Malay Traditional Ethnic Ketupat & Rendang Challenge. His dish which was ketupat with ayam rendang won the hearts of the judges. Pastry Chef Ibrahim Bin Md Elah grabbed the silver medal in the Class M03 category which is modern stylish wedding cake. Under the team category of Class M26 which is Surabi Traditional Malay Cuisine (2 Chefs), the hotel chefs Rosfaizah Hamid and Nadhrah Ali won the bronze medal. They had to cook 7 dishes with a time limit of 2 hours. Finally, Chef Mohamed Al-Hafis Bin Razak received a Diploma for his Pasta Angel Hair Pesto Rosso with Scallops dish under Class

M34 which is for the category called San Remo Pasta Hot Cooking. “We are honoured and proud to be the only hotel in Johor to have entered this competition. The chefs worked very hard and practiced for over a month,” said Rashid Gallyot, General Manager of the hotel. “Our chefs are always looking for new ideas on cooking techniques. We encourage them to enter competitions to broaden their scope in the culinary field. The hotel offers a variety of local and western dishes including signature dishes from Johor as it is important to showcase our culture through our cuisine, “said Mahathir Huzaidy Samson, Director of Food & Beverage. TI

Thistle Johor Bahru’s Chefs with their winning medals

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Colours of Unity and Heritage at Tenby

enby Schools Setia Eco Gardens recently took the opportunity to organise a National Day Fiesta 2016 with interactive and hype activities for the students. “In Malaysia, we know how to celebrate and acknowledge National Day. We can see students wearing traditional costumes combined with modern footwear and I think we should be proud of that because we do acknowledge our heritage no matter where we come from” said Diane Metcalfe, Campus Principal during the National Day Fiesta 2016 opening ceremony. During the event, secondary students

from different nationalities were seen participating in a performance of Malaysian history focusing on the era of colonisation to reaching independence scene with numerous stunts. Throughout the whole fiesta, students and staffs participated in several events such as Welcome Flag Dance, Demi Negara flash mob, Sumazau Dance, traditional games of Batik race, tug of war, ‘Baling Selipar’, ‘Tarik Upeh’ and others, sand art exhibitions, choral speaking, poem recitation on Malaysian history, food stalls of Malaysian cuisine and dishes, and many more. - by Maressa Esa TI

Secondary students performing Choral Speaking on Malaysia Independence Day

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Nestle EVERYDAY Campaign Visits Sri Stulang

estle Malaysia made its inaugural stop in Johor Bahru for Nestle EVERYDAY Happy & Healthy Family campaign by visiting Sri Stulang Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) recently, gearing the community to enjoy a bundle of activities such game stations, telematches, colouring contest, and nutritional talk. “It is the first time for Nestle to come and we would like to thank them for organising this event with the surrounding community. We welcome such activities not only here but at other PPRs too. We also hope

Community

Raising awareness on the importance of milk consumption for development this effort will continue in future times with bigger participation from overall Johor Bahru PPR,” said Mohd Nasir Ahmad, Resident Committee Chairman of Sri Stulang PPR. The event raised awareness on the importance of milk consumption for growth and development support and to maintain a balanced diet for

children and adults. The roadshow began in April 2016 at Intan Baiduri PPR, Kepong targeting 100 locations nationwide, pin pointing the Southern region as continuation until the year end. “This event is a great opportunity for the children to mingle and have fun with other kids. They enjoyed all the activities especially the tele-matches and

Children of Sri Stulang PPR participating in the tele-match colouring contest,” said Maslinda Mansur, one of the residents who participated in the campaign. Nestle EVERYDAY Happy &

Healthy Family will make several stops at other PPR in Johor Bahru Central area by end September. by Maressa Esa TI

Double the Holidays!

Winners of MATTA Fair Johor Chapter

hat a lucky day it was for several lucky winners who won themselves another extended holiday packages as Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair Johor Chapter recently hosted Prize Presentation to Purchasers and Visitors of the MATTA Fair held in August 2016. A 45 year old businessman, Tan Kwee Hua won himself a package of travel voucher worth RM8888, a 32” Toshiba TV, two Air Asia return tickets to Hat Yai Thailand and four tickets to MAPS

Animation Theme Park while Second Prize winner goes to Lee Kwee Yong who grabbed home a package of RM5000 travel voucher with two Firefly return tickets and four tickets to MAPS Animation Theme Park. “I was quite lucky myself that I purchased a group holiday package to Korea for 23 members of my family and this is my first time winning a MATTA Fair lucky draw. We will be flying to Korea by end November and it will be a bonus long holiday for me since I won this lucky draw holiday package by MATTA Fair,” said Tan to the media.

As for Visitors category, lucky winners bagged home stays at TAD Marine Resort, Primaland Port Dickson, and other resorts as well as entrance tickets to theme parks. The recently held MATTA Fair Johor in August 2016 had up to 173 booths and 49 participating organisations. Through their Exhibitor survey during the fair, China still ranked as the No.1 most popular outbound destination and surprisingly, Johor Bahru tops the highest spot for inbound destination this year. - by Maressa Esa TI

Independent Economics for Johor Youth

Tan Sri Shahrir Samad officially launching the Indienomics book

* Image is for illustration only

he term “Indienomics” was coined from the word ‘Independent’ and ‘Economy’ and it describe the movement that started back in 2010 by a group of prominent young entrepreneurs. Spearheaded by local brands such as JOHO, Kilang Bateri, Armada Lanun Johor and Hartabumi.com, these bunch produces their products, brands and services without constrains of the conventional framework for businesses and start-ups. The Indienomics book is a collection of 23 stories

written by young successful local entrepreneurs along with prominent icons in the scene. The book was published to attract and inspire more young people in our society to be an entrepreneur. Launching the book was Johor Bahru MP, Tan Sri Shahrir Samad who was also there to officially launch the Ambang Merdeka 2016 celebration in Kilang Bateri. Johan Ropi, founder of Kilang Bateri expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the folks that came that night in the spirit of Merdeka.

“Thank you Tan Sri Shahrir for being here tonight to officially launch the Indienomics book and our Ambang Merdeka 2016 celebration here in Bateri,” said Johan. More than 700 people participated in the Independence Day celebration with more than 80 vehicles concluding their Merdeka day convoy at the event. Get your free copy of the Indienomics book via www.indienomics.my - by Hakim Malik TI

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OCT 2016

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ad & Bounce Squ leases on re Joshua Sim DA MUR

ACCEPTING YOUR IMPERFECTION travel

go local Staycation

Staycation @ Desaru Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort

+Dr. Strange + inferno+

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editor’s I note

t’s my favourite month of the year because it’s my born-day and also Deepavali around the corner. From colourful bazaars selling must-haves for the festive season to mouthwatering sweets and savouries, what’s there not to like! On the Music front, we have collaboration between Bounce Squad and Joshua Simon with Universal Music Singapore for debut single – MURDA and 9-time Grammywinner Nora Jones returns with ‘flipside’. Our teammate Maresa couldn’t stop talking about her recent staycation at

Priya Manikam waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

Tunamaya Desaru Resort which is a perfect weekend getaway for being ‘home and away’ - Flip the page to know why. Peggy goes all Hong Kong (locally) for a quick fix of dim sum, perfect for yum cha or that Instagram moment! Also, we bring you a special feature on Food Trucks in this issue. Two good movies await us this month with Professor Robert Langdon a.ka Tom Hanks’ chase in Inferno and catch Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” who follows the story of world-famous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange who in his quest for healing after

MUSIC UPDATES

Universal Music Singapore

Bounce Squad & Joshua Simon Releases “MURDA” on Universal Music Singapore

ndependent glam pop sensation Joshua Simon and electronic DJ duo, Bounce Squad have teamed up with Universal Music Singapore for MURDA – a killer collaboration for their debut single which has led to a distribution deal with the label. MURDA is a fusion of trap music and

rap with a horror narrative. The heavy dance track captures a confrontation between a man and his inner demons. Joshua Simon says, “With regard to the collaboration with Bounce Squad, I was introduced to them by a close friend. We met for the first time and right away they blew

me away with their musicality. I knew instantly that I wanted a horror sound and I wanted to make a club track that was theatrical. We started at midnight and ended the next day at 10 in the morning. It was crazy.” On the collaboration with Joshua Simon, Bounce Squad adds, “We’ve always been pushing for a different, unique and high energy sound to set us apart from other producers. I’ve been following Joshua’s social media for a while now and I immediately suggested for collaboration with him”. MURDA, produced by Bounce Squad is sonic dissonance at its best. Throw in Joshua Simon’s hypercharged vocals and some rapid fire electro synths to the mix and you have all the right elements for a club banger. Bounce squad is currently managed by Singapore based artist management agency, The Big House. Listen to MURDA here: http:// lnk.to/MURDA

Norah Jones Releases Kinetic New Single “Flipside”

-time Grammy-winner returns to the piano & her roots on stunning new album Day Breaks featuring Wayne Shorter, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Brian Blade. Norah Jones has released “Flipside,” a kinetic new single from her stunning sixth solo album Day Breaks, which arrives on 7th October 2016 on Blue Note Records. The album is a kindred spirit to the singer’s breakout debut Come Away With Me and finds the 9-time GRAMMY-winner returning to the piano and her roots on a 12-song set featuring jazz luminaries including her

Blue Note label mates saxophonist Wayne Shorter, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and drummer Brian Blade. The most rhythmically charged song on the album “Flipside” also carries a powerful socio-political charge. Norah sets a driving bass line with her left hand before Blade’s drums and Chris Thomas’ bass kick in. Smith’s organ swirls overhead while Norah’s vocal build to a shout at the chorus. “I was really affected by the news and everything that’s been going on in the world and in this country over the last couple years. It’s been really volatile and crazy,” Norah says. “I was listening to the Les McCann song

‘Compared to What’ a lot and was very much influenced by how grooving and amazing it is but also how it’s very political and it’s just from the gut.” Fans who pre-order the download of Day Breaks on the iTunes will receive the singles “Flipside” and “Carry On” instantly. Day Breaks is available for pre-order in all formats at the Norah Jones Store. A special 180-gram orange vinyl version of the album will also be available, as well as a deluxe CD version featuring 4 live bonus tracks.

a horrific car accident, discovers powerful magic in a mysterious place. As always, for those wishing to share their fashion collection, travel tales, or like us to review your restaurant/hotel for a staycation, drop me an e-mail at waves. lifestyle@gmail.com and be featured. For more news, do access www.theiskandarian. com The Iskandarian wishes all Hindu celebrants a very Happy Deepavali.

Priya

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The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

Accepting Your Imperfection Let’s see how the lack of acceptance towards our imperfection affects our mind and emotions

Rose Osman has intuitive skills in hacking potentials in human energy for success and healing. She coaches through One-toOne sessions, group sessions and via E-courses on Udemy.com.

yourpersonalmotivator BucketOfRoses www.roselifecoach.com

hen we feel imperfect about ourselves, the first thing we do is to find the image of perfection as reference. Our mind is good at looking into something that we don’t have. To find a perfect image is not hard either. Once we found the image we desire, we unconsciously lock our mental projection that “This is how I should look like”! The mind doesn’t care why we want to look like others. All it does is to project the image we desire.

Then comes the struggle - We try so hard to be that image, that in the process, we create suffering towards ourselves by denying two things; first is our authenticity (body, mind and soul) and the second one is our existence. When our mind finds perfection through others, we become blind to our own beauty. When we stand in front of the mirror, we see the reflection of others. We give priority to the existence of others rather than ourselves. If we do this for years, we lose ourselves in an illusion of beauty and perfection and we no longer know our Self. What if perfection is just a state of mind?

What if the beauty is not bound by the perfection of the object, instead, beauty is depending on our state of awareness in seeing life as it is? Only we can recognise our perfection through Awareness and have Acceptance towards the imperfection. Try this When you look at yourself in the mirror, can you stare into yourself and accept that you are already perfect in this grand creation? Can you forgive yourself for all the judgement, and for once, accept the beauty through the imperfection? Then feel your existence in this magnificent Universe. You will feel alive like never before!

An Energy Coach and A Personal Motivator. Rose Osman uses her knowledge and intuitive skills in energy to coach people to live a joyful life through her coaching programmes on personal & career growth, relationship, love and health.

MOVIES Source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Malaysia

Doctor Strange Genre: Action-Adventure

life of fortune and status or leave it all behind to defend the world as the most powerful sorcerer in existence.

Release date: 27th October 2016 Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Michael Stuhlbarg, Scott Adkins, Benjamin Bratt with Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton Directors: Scott Derrickson Producer: Kevin Feige

rom Marvel comes “Doctor Strange,” the story of worldfamous neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange whose life changes forever after a horrific car accident robs him of the use of his hands. When traditional medicine fails him, he is forced to look for healing, and hope, in an unlikely

Inferno

place—a mysterious enclave known as Kamar-Taj. He quickly learns that this is not just a centre for healing but also the front line of a battle against unseen dark forces bent on destroying our reality. Before long, Strange, armed with newly acquired magical powers is forced to choose whether to return to his

Source: Sony Pictures Malaysia

the great Dante himself. When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.

Genre: Suspense Thriller Release date: 13th October 2016 Cast: Tom Hanks Felicity Jones Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Ben Foster, Sidse Babett Knudsen Directors: Ron Howard Producer: Brian Grazer, Ron Howard

cademy Award winner Ron Howard returns to direct the latest bestseller in Dan Brown’s (Da Vinci Code) billiondollar Robert Langdon series, Inferno, which finds the famous symbologist (Tom Hanks) on a trail of clues tied to

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Staycation at Desaru Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort Fresh sea breeze every morning at your doorstep at Desaru Tunamaya - Part 1 Blue skies and exquisite sea view from every rooms in the resort By Maressa Esa waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

short escape from the busy concrete jungle would definitely be a happy pill for you to enjoy especially when you book a stay at Desaru Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort, which is an hour drive

Junior Suite for a spacious stay

away from JB town. With a capacity of 134 rooms and suites available, every guest is able to enjoy the exotic sea view from their suites balcony. The resort is the third property of Care Luxury Hotels and Resorts apart from Hotel Granada in Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru and Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort in Tioman Island, Pahang. Day One Upon arriving, we had a sneak peek of the white sandy beach while the lobby front desk receptionist arranged our check-in to the Junior Suite located at the top floor in Level 3. Drawing the curtains is definitely a must when your view is a calming blue ocean and cool breeze sea to embrace even on a sunny day. Before our stomach rumbled, we headed down to Pawana Restaurant for lunch which opens daily from 7.00am to 10.30pm. As the resort is an eight month old baby, guests can indulge at Ombak Bar & Bistro for an alternative. We were served with Pawana’s Signature dishes of milky “Carbonara

Spaghetti with Butter Bread”, “Kampung Style Fried Rice with Satay”, and “Beef Bolognese Spaghetti”. We then toured around the resort and were informed that several Standard Twin rooms at the Lower Ground floor were guests’ favourite as they can slide their doors and take 10 steps to reach the pool or walk a bit more to the beach to take a dip. Newly wed couples can book into its spacious Romantic Escape Deluxe Room and have a candle light dinner table set up right at your balcony. Enjoy a fitness session at the resort gym located beside the pool or jog along the resort’s pavement with sea view.

Sea front facing lovely morning jog with fresh sea air. Stay on for a picture perfect sunrise and beauty of the sky. We then had a Western breakfast before heading to Desaru Fruit Farm Agro Tourism. The 30 acres farm is only 10 minutes’ drive away from the resort with over 100 different types of tropical fruits (seasonal and non-seasonal). Although the tour took us nearly two hours under the scorching sun, Ms. Emy diligently briefed and had us try several samples of freshly picked fruits and also brought us to their ‘Mini Petting Zoo’. End the fruit fiesta with Roselle and Misai Kucing tea. If you are planning a trip to Desaru Fruit Farm, admission is at RM27 for the whole package and if you’re not getting enough fun, get dirty with Dirt Cart or go extreme with Paintball War Game at RM65 per pax. We departed back to our resort with a full stomach and had a short rest before heading to a relaxing spa session at Tunamaya Relaxation Spa, followed by an extreme activity that tested our height phobias. Yikes!. To be continued…

Day Two We woke up early for a

Three big plates of cut fruits freshly picked from the Desaru Fruit Farm

14th – 16th Oct

25th – 30th Oct

Calendar of Events JB, 1st Oct Jom Heboh 2016 @ Angsana JB Mall

JB, 1st – 2nd Oct HOMElove 2016 @Persada Johor

JB, 1st – 2nd Oct 2nd MCC JB CATSHOW @ Perling Mall

JB, 1st – 8th Oct 13th JB Arts Festival 2016

2nd Oct Awal Muharam

Spore, 6th – 9th Oct ZAK Salaam India Bridal Expo @ Singapore Expo

JB, 8th Oct Private & International School Fair @Hotel Jen

Spore, 8th Oct DAS 25th Anniversary Carnival @ Tao Payoh, Singapore

Malaysian Rally 2016 @JB & KT

JB, 15th Oct YOYO Charity Run 2016 @UTM JB

JB, 15th – 16th Oct ISKARNIVAL Naratif @Mall of Medini

Asia Fashion Exchange

Spore, 25th Oct Remembrance Noise @Esplanade Recital Studio, Singapore

29th Oct Deepavali

Spore, 23rd – 30th Oct WTA Finals Singapore @ Singapore Sports Hub

Block your dates for this month!

If you need more information on the above mentioned events, drop us an email at: waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

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What is Heart Failure? Dr. Paul Ling Kah Hing Consultant Cardiologist and Physician Regency Specialist Hospital Sdn Bhd

he heart is a muscle the size of your fist. It pumps oxygen rich blood to the whole body supplying nutrients to essential organs like the brain, kidney, and gastro-intestinal tracts. Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump adequate oxygen-rich blood. As the heart’s pumping becomes less effective, blood may back up in other areas of the body like the lungs, liver, swollen abdomen, arms and legs. This is called congestive heart failure. The most common causes of heart failure are: • Coronary artery disease (CAD), a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. This can weaken the heart muscle over time or suddenly as in heart attacks • High blood pressure that is not well controlled • Congenital heart disease (inborn)

• Heart valves that are leaky or narrowed • Infection that weakens the heart muscle suddenly • Some types of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) Symptoms of heart failure often begin slowly. At first, they may only occur when you are very active. Over time, you may notice breathlessness even when you are resting. Common symptoms are: • Coughing and inability to lie flat at

night when sleeping. You might notice that you will have to sleep on more than 2 pillows or propped up and could wake up from sleep after a couple of hours due to acute shortness of breath • Constitutional symptoms like fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite • Swollen abdomen, feet and ankles • Weight gain • Need to urinate at night • Pulse that feels fast or irregular, or a sensation of feeling the heart beat (palpitations) To diagnose hear t failure, the cardiologist usually performs an echocardiogram of your heart. This is an ultrasound scan of your heart where we can determine the pumping and valve function of your heart. The important parameter is called ejection fraction (EF) and if it’s below 40% then you have systolic heart failure.

Entresto, a new medication launched this year has been shown in a large trial called ‘PARADIGM HF trial’ to reduce mortality rate by 20% in heart failure patients in comparison to standard treatment with an older drug.

Monitoring and self-care: If you have heart failure, you will need to be monitored closely every 3 to 6 months. Standard medication will be prescribed and this would normally involve a cocktail of tablets to relieve your symptoms and also to prolong your life. Advance heart failure carries a worse prognosis than most cancers with 90% of patient dying within 1 year.

Other important changes to make in your lifestyle: • Do not smoke • Look out for weight gain • Limit the amount of salt you eat • Restrict fluid intake within 1 to 1.5 litres per day • Exercise regularly to build up your tolerance level

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Dilemma of Single Women

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Awareness

Women should feel comfortable being single and carry the title with pride

he recent statement by Kedah’s Exco in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Mohd Rawi Abd Hamid on the need to assist women to marry had caused a stir among the feminist groups in Malaysia. The term “anak dara emas” which describes spinsters or women who remain unmarried in their 30s or even late 20s was used in his statement. Most of these women were categorised as professionals with stable career and income. In the same news, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom from the PM’s Office advised family members to search for partners for these women as they are too occupied with their careers and will help avoid internet scams run by foreigners that cause these women to lose a lot of money! Therefore, is marriage the final destination to determine happiness for women? Many of these women feel pressurised by the society to find a partner and g e t married once they reach the ‘ripe’ age for marriage when in actual fact they are comfortable with their lives and prefer not to be scrutinised or arranged for marriages. Lily, aged 29 is an example of a professional woman who suffers the society’s expectation of finding a life partner. Her mother feels that Lily is too focused on her career that she has no time to date. Therefore, she took charge in finding a husband for Lily. On the contrary, Lily feels that there is no rush for her to get married and she would like to take her time in finding the perfect man. “I don’t want to get married for the sake of being married. I won’t be happy that way. I want to find a man who makes me laugh and loves me eternally.” Despite feeling uneasy with her mother’s action, she had to obey her wish to fit into the society since the rest of the women of her age are settling down and having children. Women in China also suffer similar stigma and they are termed as ‘sheng nu’ which means leftover women. The age labelled as ‘sheng nu’ is above 27 years old. SK-II, a giant company in beauty created a campaign to inspire and empower women to shape their destiny as a response to contradict this ‘sheng nu’ culture. Statistics by National Population and Family Development Board Malaysia (NPFDB)

Dr. Haliza Zurah Dr. Haliza Zurah is a medical doctor of 8 years of experience hopes to assist the working mothers to balance work, life and emotion. As a representative of JEIWA (Johor Empowerment of Intellectual Women Association), she will cover crucial issues involving working mothers and matters relating to women’s rights, education and more. showed there are now a higher percentage of women with good education background than men; 34.7% and 25.7% respectively. The biggest advantage of being in this position is they are able to make own choices and can afford to be choosy in searching for a life partner. They are independent and able to take care of themselves. We have accustomed to the traditional culture where women should get married and have children after completion of school and studies. The society will continue to judge people who do not comply with the norm. Therefore, the most important way to combat this issue is that the women should feel comfortable being single and carry the title with pride! Never let the society bring down the confidence but continue to shine and carve own path to success. Each individual defines success differently. They should use the time of singlehood to explore own potential and make the best out of it. Another study by NPFDB states that 35.7% of the female respondents feel that finding a suitable partner is difficult while 18.1% wish to focus on career development. Independent professional women are entitled to be choosy in finding their partners because most fear of men taking advantage of their position and income. Therefore, the government should start focusing on nurturing new generation of men who are capable to take care of independent and intelligent women. Our society respects married women more than single women because the latter are seen as incomplete. The concept of saving single women by putting them into marriage is a subtle insult to them. They don’t need to be saved but they need to be respected. We must change the negative stigma and accept the charisma of independent women. Single professional women should not be viewed as a problem in our society as they are productive, and contribute to the country’s economy.

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NUMed Targets More A Boost in Language Student Enrollment Confidence for Gelang Patah Students UK based Foundation in Highlight

Biomedical Sciences is available in Iskandar Puteri

re-university students who wish to pursue Medicine studies, NUMed Malaysia has been around since seven years ago and is currently offering interactive of five years Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme, BSc (Honours) Biomedical Sciences 2+1 programme, and newly introduced Foundation Certificate in Biological and Biomedical Sciences. “Since its initial operation, we have produced three cohorts of MBBS graduates. Students will be getting the same quality of education, courses, staff and examinations as in the UK campus while receiving a benefit of 40% cheaper fees and getting to experience

Parents were briefed in one of the available laboratory in NUMed during its Open Day

L One of the amenities in NUMed for students an extended year of learning in the UK campus. We are also planning to increase the number of student enrollment in future years especially in Foundation programme,” said Professor Roger Barton, Provost and Chief Executive Officer of Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) during the Open Day. To date, NUMed has enrolled almost 650 students in overall Bachelor programmes and 46 students for Foundation programme. NUMed Malaysia opens only one intake per year which is in July and the next intake is scheduled for July 2017. - by Maressa Esa TI

ow English language proficiency is a problem looming o ve r M a l a y s i a n students and the lack of language confidence has been identified as the main culprit. Realising this fact, Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), Malaysia’s biggest single por t operator organised a one day English Bootcamp 2016 for 80 participants from four secondary schools in Gelang Participants had to create an advertisement utilising only Patah. newspaper cut-outs Held at Wisma PTP, the participants were divided into groups spelling abilities as well as their memorisation and assigned to various tasks such as creating and information gathering skills through the the name and logo for their group as well hunt. “I really enjoyed myself today at the as presenting it to the rest. Each group also had to create an advertisement utilising camp and I feel that it is a fun way to learn only newspaper cut-outs which tested their English,” said Rasyidah Abdullah, a form four student of SMK Taman Nusajaya adding creativity. Groups went on a scavenger hunt that she gained the much needed language around the vicinity to solve clues and collect confidence to use English through the practice hints by playing language games and working of listening, speaking, writing and reading in together as a team. They were tested on their the camp activities. - by Hakim Malik TI

Iskandar Malaysia to achieve its Carbon Reduction Targets

s part of its efforts towards environmental education, Isk andar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) announced the commencement of the Iskandar Malaysia Eco-Life Challenge (IMELC) 2016 with the participation from 231 primary schools involving 28,000 students. The implementation for IMELC 2016 is a collaboration between IRDA, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Johor (JPNJ) and Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MIM). The programme started in 2013 as part of a research project funded under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS), and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). IRDA Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim said the IMELC is more than just an environmental education agenda and a social innovation project as it places importance on activating volunteers, promoting greater public, private and people (3P)

PTP organised English Bootcamp 2016 for 80 students from Gelang Patah

Cause

par tnership, and i n c re a s i n g citizen ownership over social issues. “IMELC has a lot of potential in income generation and money saving for schools and households in Iskandar Malaysia. With intensified efforts, we are certain such practices can be incorporated into the Teacher’s gathered to collect the IMLEC 2016 daily lives of all those workbooks Nations University (UNU) as one of who live and work in the successful projects under RCE Iskandar Malaysia (IM). “Education and awareness Iskandar. The IMELC aims to create are important to assist Iskandar Malaysia to achieve its planned 40% awareness of Low Carbon Society reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) (LCS) among students, teachers emissions as it reaches maturity in and their families in achieving the target of carbon reduction 2025,” said Datuk Ismail. IMELC 2013 was brought for IM by year 2025, as outlined in initially to 23 pilot schools (pop. the Low Carbon Society Blueprint 3,790 students), expanded to 228 for Iskandar Malaysia 2025. The primary schools in 2015 (27,628 IMELC runs from 20th September students) within IM economic 2016 and will culminate in the region. IMELC received the grand finals early November 2016. Regional Centres of Expertise The IMELC 2016 consists of three (RCE) Award 2015 - Outstanding categories and the winners will Flagship Projects under Climate receive a good number of prizes. Change Category by the United - by Priya Manikam TI

Best of Both Worlds for Engineering Courses

eptember was a busy month for students as several universities geared for student enrollment and University of Southampton Malaysia Campus (USMC) took the opportunity to organise its Open Day, recently. Focused on attracting preuniversity students from different levels of STPM, Matriculation, MUFEY, A- LEVELS, and IB, the university offers the best of its major course in engineering field similar to the quality of education in the United Kingdom. “Southampton was the first university in the world that offered Electrical and Electronic Engineering courses when we discovered its importance after WWII. We are currently offering a degree programme of 2 years in Malaysia followed by 2 years more in the UK that gives students a global experience while global companies love to hire them”. “Jeremy Fong graduated as Best Student of MEng Mechanical Engineering which now secured a placement in Rolls Royce’s Graduate Development Programme based in the UK for approximately 2 years,”

said Professor John McBride, Chief Executive Officer of University of Southampton Malaysia Campus. At the Open Day, Jeremy expressed that he loved the environment in the university especially during group assignments where he gets to know other students from diverse culture and able to find his passion in engineering lines. USMC is currently offering four years courses of MEng Aeronautics and Astronautics, MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering, MEng Mechanical Engineering, and one year Engineering Foundation programme while student intakes are in April and July. - by Maressa Esa TI

Jeremy Fong gave a brief on his experience in USMC

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Malaysia’s Insurance Sector to pick By: up in the Medium Term

hile a slowing of economic growth and uncertainty over global market conditions are expected to cool Malaysia’s insurance industry this year, regulatory reforms could drive expansion in the medium term. Growth in life coverage is likely to be down on the 6.2% increase posted last year despite rising awareness, according to the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM). Gross premiums are expected to climb by 5% in the life segment and between 2% and 3% for general insurance, according to a statement from credit ratings agency RAM Ratings in April. While short-term revenue flow may lose some momentum, RAM Ratings said the insurance sector’s prospects in the medium to long term were favourable due to a low penetration rate, improved consumer awareness, better product innovation and distribution, and market liberalisation. Deeper penetration, shallow coverage Although roughly half of Malaysia’s population had life coverage as of last year, up to 90% are considered to be underinsured, according to a recent study by LIAM. Malaysia’s insurance industry encourages individuals, especially the breadwinner in a family, to have life insurance coverage equal to 10 times his or her annual salary; however, coverage is often only one to two times an individual’s annual income, according to press reports. As of 2015, the penetration rate for life insurance and family takaful (Islamic insurance) was 54.9%. However, when measured as the value of premiums relative to GDP, penetration amounted to 3.1%, compared to an OECD average of around 5%. Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Plan aims to increase the country’s life insurance and takaful penetration rate to 75% of the population by 2020, or 4% of GDP, representing significant growth opportunities for the industry. Boosting revenue streams Other components of the industry are also set to expand, with regulatory changes expected to increase demand for a range of policy lines, such as automotive and fire. Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), is finalising reforms to insurance regulations that will remove set tariffs for these segments. Under the new regime, which will be implemented in phases starting in 2017,

policy pricing will be based on risk analysis, including personalised driver and vehicle profiling, rather than set by the regulator. “We see the first phase of detariffication as able to encourage the increase in number of new insurance products with the introduction of variation in product features,” said a July report by investment holding company Malaysian Industrial Development Finance (MIDF). “Insurers can freely tailor their new products and price them according to risk profile and customer preferences. Correspondingly, this may result in higher premium income and lower claims ratio, which will be beneficial to insurance companies’ bottom line,” the MIDF report said.The phased approach is designed to allow time for consumers and industry stakeholders to adjust to the new operating environment, with an assessment of the impact of reforms scheduled for 2019 before full liberalisation takes place. Though tariffs will be de-regulated, the pricing of products will still have to fall within the risk-based capital framework issued by BNM, with the bank noting the importance of insurers’ investing in pricing mechanisms and improving operational capabilities. Consolidating the sector Price competition among insurers could potentially lead to a consolidation of the country’s insurance industry through mergers and acquisitions. According to BNM data, as of 2015, there were 40 licensed insurers in Malaysia, of which 33 are direct insurers. Out of this number, 10 firms offer life insurance, 19 offer general insurance and four offer both life and general products. However, local insurer Maybank Ageas, which has signalled its intent to double in size by 2020, has flagged the possibility of buying some of the smaller players in the market, according to company CEO Kamaludin Ahmad. Other players have also made moves to invest in the insurance market, including Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional and Canada’s Sun Life. Late July international media reports said the two were in talks to acquire the insurance operations of the Hong Leong Financial Group, consisting of a 70% stake in Hong Leong Assurance and its 65% stake in Islamic insurer Hong Leong MSIG Takaful, in a deal estimated to be valued at around RM3.2bn ($792m). The potential deal would represent the companies’ second joint bid in Malaysia, according to international media reports.

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Accumulating Wealth Tips & Tricks

Tey Bin Yuen

Time to Tighten the Seatbelt

With such a drastic change of sentiment, can our portfolio withstand the upcoming headwinds?

per share, which is much lower than Q1 at 6.77 cents. The sales of EMETALL gave us

Binyuen is the founder of BY Enrich Resources and the author of ‘Life beyond the Comfort Zone’. He’ll be launching his second book ‘Profit from Share Investment’ on 3rd Dec 16. Pre-order his book with super early bird discount at http://www.teybinyuen.com/ profitfromshareinvestment/

he stock market is always dramatic. After experiencing a little optimism in August, we’ve begun to hear new stories in September. On 9th September, the US stock market has started a correction, seeing the Dow Jones, S&P and Nasdaq Indexes plunged more than 2%. The European market reacted negatively, with the DAX, FTSE and CAC indexes fell over 1% the next day. In Asia; China, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia’s stock markets fell simultaneously with the pessimism widely spread. Domestically, the KLCI fell below the MA200 support and returned back to the bear territory. The lower oil price has seen the Ringgit weakened to 4.13 against the US dollar in mid September 2016. On 9th September, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) reported a 26% drop in investment income to RM8.44 billion in the second quarter ended on 30th June (Q2FY16). According to the CEO of EPF, the poor result was due to weaker global equity prices, and he expected a further slowdown in global economies and increased volatility in equities.

Disclaimer: The companies mentioned above and in this article are meant for study purpose only. It doesn’t constitute any ‘buy’ or ‘sell’ recommendation. Please consult your financial professional if you want to make any decision.

As at 15th Sept 2016, we’re blessed to have made 53% gain or a profit of RM85,810. While there is some luck factor involved, there have been some adjustments done along the way. This time, too, we’ve performed two transactions: Sold EMETALL (7217) On 18th Aug, we sold 30,000 shares of EMETALL at RM0.91. It was done before its Q2 result was announced, because we didn’t expect its Q2 result to be impressive. Later, its Q2 earnings were announced as 2.37 cents

proceeds of RM27,300 and a profit of RM4800. Our cost for EMETALL is RM0.75 per share. Added HEVEABOARD (5095) HEVEABOARD recorded lower revenue and earnings in Q2 as compared to Q1. There are three reasons for this: 1) The lower USD at 4.01 in Q2 compared to 4.19 in Q1. 2) Plant maintenance shutdown 3) Traditional weak season for RTA (ready to assembly) products for Japan

Adam’s Financial Journey

market With the above unfavourable conditions, the company was still able to earn 3.33 cents per share (was 4.5 cents in Q1) and declared a 1.3 cents of interim dividend. In addition, Hevea’s Q2 report shows its cash level standing at RM113 million, which has increased RM20 million from Q1. There is little wonder why Hevea declared higher dividend than before. If Hevea can generate similar cash amount per quarter with little change of its liabilities, not only it could pay more dividend, its valuation will become more attractive. With these considerations, we’ve added 20,000 shares of Hevea at RM1.08 on 1st September, a RM21,600 investment. Dividends received Moreover, in quarter 2, MALAYAN FLOUR MILLS (Mflour) and HEVEABOARD (Hevea) have declared interim dividends of 3 cents and 1.3 cents, respectively. With 25,000 shares of Mflour and 50,000 shares of Hevea on hand, we’ve received RM750 and RM650 cash from both companies, which was a total of RM1400 dividends. With the sales proceeds of EMETALL minus HEVEABOARD investment, plus dividends received, our new cash level is now standing at RM27,150. Conclusion Even with handsome profits on hand, we shouldn’t take it lightly as more headwinds are expected ahead. Therefore, we have adopted a more defensive strategy, which is to increase our cash level and raise our stake in dividend oriented company like Hevea at bargain price. TI

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In the Adam Series, we explain how financial planning is being applied in our day to day life as we journey through different stages and challenges The Growing Up Years – Part Two Pre-Schoolers Money placed in the “Charity Bank” is to be used to help others in need. For example, you may read about a catastrophe or surgery required for a child which requires a lot of money and this will teach the child not only about the value of money but also caring for others by donating. Money placed in the “Spending Bank” is to be used to buy the things the children want and which parents should not buy for them. These would include small toys, sweets, and chocolates and so on. However, they need to understand that once those funds are gone they are not permitted to take from the giving or savings banks to buy items they want. Money placed in the “Savings Bank” is for the purpose of attaining a certain shortterm goal. Examples would be saving to buy that remote-control car or that little doll or to buy a special gift for daddy and mommy’s birthday. Primary Years

By the time children reach the age of 7 they should be ready to move into a minibudget. With this mini-budget, expenditures and income should be recorded in a small notebook. Here, we’d separate the “Savings Bank” into Short-term and Long-term Savings and to teach our children to record their expenses. Short-term savings should be for something for which they need to save for less than a year while Long-term savings is for something they will have to save for longer than a year. For example, they may now want to buy their very first video game machine and what we can do is to tell them to save up for it and we’ll top up the difference or make a ”matching contr ibution” into their “Longterm Savings Bank”. The goal with this minibudget is to

get children into the habit of keeping tabs on their finances and saving for both shortterm and long-term goals. Teen years These are critical years for children—the transition years to adulthood. By this time the basics of personal finances and budgeting should be understood by children and are being applied. Basically in this phase, we want to empower our teenage kids with greater financial decision-mak ing responsibilities. Let them decide on what they want to spend on and allow them to face the consequences. After all, they should be allowed to make some mistakes and it’s better for them to make little mistakes now then bigger ones later in life. Certainly, these decisions will vary by age and personality, but the more opportunity parents allow, the clearer picture parents will have

of whether the children are ready to be financially independent. In addition, parents should also start teaching their kids about the concept of “work-for-allowance”. Children have to realise at some point in their life that nothing is free and the money that their parents bring home each month is hard-earned. Parents can start imparting such concept by getting their children to work within the home during their school-break and pay them a reasonable wage. They will then realise the true value of money and would exercise greater control over their expenses. Conclusion Parents are not raising children; they are raising future adults. So, as parents, we have to be very careful of the seeds we sow and how we go about nurturing them. Otherwise, their growth may be stunted or may not bear the fruits that we intended. Money may not grow on trees but certainly our efforts will bear much fruit in our children. “Fruit” for thought: If money does not grow on trees, how is it that banks have so many branches? TI

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Truckin’ Food Interest

Have you seen those unique food trucks mushrooming in JB?

hen you just want to eat a ready and heavy meal, you can always opt for food trucks! Yes, they are here now in Johor Bahru, and if you have seen them around with their fancy bulky trucks, it is worth the pay for a chill out session with your friends and family. Johor Bahru Food Truck Association President, Yusrezan Samsuri introduced The Iskandarian of their small community encompassing approximately more than seven food trucks that offer various delicacies and beverages which operates in Bukit Indah and Setia Tropika areas. Brader Doug Brader Doug (pronounced ‘dog’) specialises in Coney Dog and Chicken Tacos with other signature Mexican delicacies such as Hot Chicken sandwich, splashed of Jamri Johan’s homemade chicken or beef exquisite savoury pepper gravy and topped with cucumber and tomato slices that cost RM6 per piece. From a subtitler to a food truck operator, the young chap aspire to run his food business prior to

becoming a breadwinner of his family and turned zero to hero in cooking, followed by creating his secret recipe gravy for his products.

feeling from its stringy cheese, sprinkled with black pepper and chili flakes.

Charek If you are bored of the common cold Subway sandwiches, you would probably want to chase a turquoise Mercedes 709 bus to indulge in signature fresh hot sandwiches or wraps from Charek which offers a choice of well-seasoned, succulent, and tender slowcooked Pulled Lamb, Beef or Chicken. You also might want to consider either eating with a big mouth or request to slice your sandwich and be prepared for a sinfully sloppy full pulled meat sandwich at RM9.

YSM Food Truck – Burger EVO Ever wanted to try a black burger? Hop over to YSM (Yusz Streets Meal) Food Truck for Burger EVO, a custom black bamboo charcoal burger bun with juicy pan-grilled beef / chicken patty and crunchy nacho chips for RM6, perfect for that Instagram moment. Keeping the truck minimal, Yusrezan also sells the classic Malaysian favourite street-style burger, hot sausage, oblong burger, and a light meal of cheesy wedges.

BigChef Food Truck The red shining BigChef Food Truck on the go can offer you a mix cuisine of Asian and Western food. The siblings operating the food truck will cook you the best meal they can serve with all their hearts and we have tried out their famous Seafood Udon; a kampung fried style with blazing hot and spicy anchovies to kick that taste buds. Crowd favourite, their signature Macaroni Cheese is up for grabs where you will get the tingling

Deongy Food Truck If you are a big K-pop fan, you have to complete your K-pop senses with Korean delicacies available in Deongy Food Truck. Try their Korean style Fried Chicken ‘Hot & Spicy’ flavour that tackles your taste buds for a bit of hotness and sweet

sprinkled with sesame for a price of RM22 and it surprisingly comes with a pair of gloves, just in case to avoid sloppy hands while dining at the truck! The Diong siblings also caters dried or soup Ramen Hot & Spicy, Toppoki, Kimchi Fried Rice, coupled with hot or cold fruit drinks. All food trucks are licenced and they have their own little kitchen cum workspace in the trucks. For now, you can catch a string of these food truckers at either in Bukit Indah, Mount Austin, and Setia Tropika areas daily from 7pm to midnight. You can follow them in their respective Instagram accounts as per their namesakes for more details and schedules. Until then keep on truckin’. - by Maressa Esa TI

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Old-School Hong Kong Dim Sum at Tasixi

Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum [Non-Halal], 11 Jalan Camar 1/3, Taman Perling, 81200 Johor Bahru. Open daily 6.30am to 5pm Tel: 6016 – 778 9933 Our resident writer Peggy Loh goes scouting for scrumptious food all over Johor Bahru. Reach her for a review at write2peggyloh@gmail.com

Here, a variety of sweet and savoury dim sum are served on big trays by staff who walk around to let diners pick their preferred portions. When Tasixi moved to their present premises with dining spaces indoors or alfresco in the adjacent outdoors and upstairs for private groups, their fans followed. A dim sum meal is best enjoyed at leisure. And to have the pleasure of a fuss-free meal, get there early or be prepared to join a queue to wait for a table.

Façade of Tasixi Hong Kong Dim Sum restaurant at Taman Perling, Johor Bahru

or old-school Hong Kong dim sum in Johor Bahru, head to Tasixi where traditional dim sum is served in a boisterous and bustling restaurant, typical of all good dim sum places. Opened in 1994, Tasixi is one of the oldest modern dim sum restaurants in JB that continues to serve a wide range of Cantonese dim sum reminiscent of Hong Kong yum cha restaurants but without the pushcarts.

Freshly steamed Siew Loong Pau, delicate dumplings filled with meat and soup, are served in bamboo steamer trays of six dumplings per tray

Take your pick from a wide range of sweet and savoury deep-fried dim sum At Tasixi, you will often spot co-owner, Chong Chee Peng, helping to seat customers or having a friendly chat with regulars. While the business expanded with branches opened at Taman Johor Jaya and Taman Impian Emas, Chong is mostly at their flagship outlet and central kitchen in Taman Perling. With an experienced team, skilled in handmade dim sum, customers are kept satisfied with the taste, quality and portions of freshly-made and efficiently served dim sum. An order list on each table is for serving staff to write down order quantities and at the end of your meal, the total will be tallied up for payment at the cashier.

Chong Chee Peng [Standing] with some of his regular customers in the outdoor dining section of the Tasixi Taman Perling outlet Start with an order of Chinese tea from popular brands like Pu Erh (black tea) and Tieguanyin (amber tea), to complement your dim sum meal. Then enjoy the art of convivial and casual dining in eating as little or as much of delicious dim sum as you wish from the proffered trays. There are really no rules but you may begin with choices of savoury items – steamed and deep-fried – before ending with the sweet. Remember to place your orders for freshly served bowls of congee, ‘chee cheong fun’ or rice rolls filled with chopped char siew, prawns or chicken, stir-fried carrot cake and steamed ‘siew loong pau’ – delicate dumplings stuffed with meat and soup. TI

Muar Asam Pedas, Anyone? Interest

Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani now a signature dish at Swiss Inn Johor Bahru

orget Melaka Asam Pedas when we can savour an authentic home cooked taste of Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani at Swiss-Inn Johor Bahru in various choices of fish, prawns or oxtail. Early May this year, Swiss Garden International hosted its inaugural SwissGarden International Culinary Challenge in search for their own signature dish across Swiss-Garden International hotels, resort, and inns. Chef Shahrani Subari and Chef Hikmal from Swiss-Inn Johor Bahru bagged home the

challenge winner title when they presented their “Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani” dish which won the hearts and taste buds of the honourable judges’ line up; Chef Zubir Zain, Marcus Low, and Chef Sabri Hassan. The Iskandarian team took the opportunity to dine in this scrumptious winning signature dish, recently with a choice of Snapper or Jenahak that was freshly cooked by Chef Shahrani for approximately half an hour and served with rice and a side of petai, truly the traditional way.

Swiss-Inn Johor Bahru’s Chef Shahrani Subari presenting his award winning dish of Snapper Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani

Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani served with white rice and petai

“The Asam Pedas Bandar Maharani was a recipe handed down by generations in the family but for this time around since it was to cater at most of the Swiss-Garden properties, alterations were made to create a signature dish with lesser ingredients. For instance, I prefer to prepare lesser number of spice

pastes of shallots, garlic, and shrimp paste,” Chef Shahrani explained to the media during the cooking demonstration. Interested guests can dine at Rilek the Café at Swiss-Inn Johor Bahru which is available daily from 12pm until 10.30pm and price starts from RM18. - by Maressa Esa TI

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PROPERT Y INSIGHT

PROPERTY

RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

APARTMENTS

VILLAS

CONDOMINIUMS

OFFICE/ RETAILSPACE

Cover: Introduction to Horizon Hills and Ready to Move in Unit Sprawling across 1,200 acres the development boasts over 6,000 units that emphasises on quality of life

Go Green with E&O & Khalil Adis talks about Astaka

pg 28

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n exclusive abode perched at the ingress of Iskandar Puteri is Horizon Hills. At first glance, the development emits a nest of calm and tranquility with a low density neighbourhood, large areas dedicated to parks and waterways while navigating across an 18-hole golf course. Conceptualised to be different, Horizon Hills is a joint venture development between two conglomerate developers listed in Bursa Malaysia, Gamuda Berhad and UEM Sunrise. Sprawling across 1200 acres, the development boasts over 4035 units launched from 6000 units prioritising quality of life from home design, environmental architecture to security features. Apart from the open green spaces, there is also a clubhouse of international standards catering to the needs of its residents. The affluent residential township is sculpted around the land’s natural contour with influential work done by world-renowned architect designer, Ross Watson, who transformed a conventionally unproductive terrain into an award-winning par-72 golf course. The product appreciation rate has swelled gradually year by year with proven track record and with recognition in 2012 and 2014 when Horizon Hills was awarded The Edge Value Creation Award for the Residential Category. Horizon Hills has positioned itself as a development which values quality, security and lifestyle. As of today, the community comprises residents from about 41 nationalities including from the United States, Europe, South Korea, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Excellent accessibility Horizon Hills is strategically located minutes away from LEGOLAND, Educity, the Johor State New Administrative Centre in Kota Iskandar, Puteri Harbour Family Indoor Theme

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Introduction to Horizon Hills and Ready to Move in Units Park, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pinewood Studios and Southern Industrial and Logistics Cluster (SiLC). Connectivity to major highways such as North-South highway, Malaysia–Singapore Second Link (Tuas Second Link), Skudai Expressway, JB Parkway (Perling Expressway), and Coastal Highway enhances accessibility. The tranquil township is only 18 km away from Tuas Checkpoint, making it a perfect south side retreat for locals and expatriates who seek homes in an exquisite hideaway.

Available products for sale: The Valley West 1 2 Storey Link House (Completed) Size: 22’ X 70’ – 24’ X 75’ Price: From RM 1.1 mil The Cove 2 & 3 Storey Cluster Homes Size: 35’ X 80’ Price: From RM 1.6 mil 2 & 3 Storey Semi-Detached (Completed) Size: 40’ X 80’ Price: From RM 2.2 mil The Hills 2& 3 Storey Bungalow Homes Size: 80’X100’ Price: From RM 4.0 mil D’Suites Condominium GFA : 628 sqft to 2,534 sqft Price : From RM472, 000 Horizon Avenue 2 & 3 Boutique Offices Size: 22’ X 75’ Price: From RM1.2 mil Estimated completion by Dec 2017 For enquiries, please call : 07-232 3433 No 1, Jalan Eka, Horizon Hills 79100, Iskandar Puteri, Johor gamudaland.com.my/horizonhills

Show units with Interior Design for sales in Horizon Hills: • Completed and ‘Ready to Move-in’ units • Unique and elegant house design and plans • Interior design based on contemporary luxury and resort life living style • Fully fitted and fully furnished units 2 Storey Bungalow Land area: 8,000 sqft Built up area: 5,458 sqft Price: RM 4.5mil 3 Storey Bungalow Land area: 15,000 sqft Built up area: 6,785 sqft Price: RM 6.6mil 3 Storey Semi-Detached Homes Land area: 4,000 sqft Built up area: 4,280 sqft Price: RM 3.3mil 2 Storey Cluster Homes Land area: 3,200 sqft Built up area: 3,096 sqft Price: RM 2.3mil

Facilities: • Offer of golf-membership at Horizon Hills Golf & Country Club • Golf course: 18-hole par 72 International Standard Golf Course • Signature resort clubhouse: Fully equipped with resort facilities such as Swimming Pool, Gymnasium, Dance room, Tennis court, table tennis, reading room, restaurants and more

Strategic Partnership:

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Go Green with E&O Innovative

Learning how to upcycle at Go Green Workshop, Avira

isitors to the recent Go Green Workshop at Avira had a chance to spend the weekend with their family while learning about upcycling and going green. Held at the Avira Sales Gallery in Iskandar Puteri, the event attracted more than 100 visitors to join in the green initiative. The workshop was held in conjunction with Medini Live, a festival initiated by Medini Iskandar Malaysia (MIM) with the support of E&O

as their strategic sponsor. Roping in was also the Biji-biji initiative, Malaysia’s leading social enterprise that champions progressive ideas and sustainable living through the creative reuse of discarded materials. Mrs. Tay who came from Singapore with her three kids enjoyed her time at the workshop. “This initiative is very good and educational especially for the kids and I am glad I spent the weekend with them here, instead of

only shopping for property, we learnt something useful,” she added. Among the activities that happened on that day were upcycled furniture showcase where salvaged materials were turned into functional furniture and accessories, a chopstick lamp workshop and a terrarium workshop. E&O also donated their used banners and buntings to be upcycled into fashionable bags by the Biji-biji initiative. - by Hakim Malik TI

Real Life Case Studies Opinion

The Will – Part One

A.Devadason

CA(M), FCCA, MDRT Deva is a partner in the firm of Dason & Dason, Chartered Accountants who specialises in tax advisory and consultancy. He can be reached at deva@dason.com.my

eath is certain. It’s just a matter of when and how we go off. To our loved ones, our loss can never be replaced but our actions while we are around can mitigate some legal and financial repercussions. One such action that we can do is getting a Will done. Simply put, a Will is the Testator’s final instructions that are expressed in written form. The following are some matters that need to be thought of when getting a Will done. Item 1 – Have you done a Will before? • If yes, then the new Will will replace the old one. Therefore, dates play an

important element when determining your loved ones’ entitlement. • Was the Will done prior to marriage? If yes, marriage automatically nullifies it. A new Will must now be done to carry out your instructions. • Does your Will have at least 2 independent parties who witnessed the signing? This is an important element if ever the validity of the Will is challenged in court. Item 2 – Determining the Executor and Trustee (E&T) The E&T are parties entrusted to carry out the Testator’s wishes. This can be trusted individuals or Trustee Corporations such as RHB Trustees Berhad, Rockwills Berhad and many more licensed entities. I usually encourage the appointment of these Trustee Corporations due to a simple

fact that these are professionals who will carry out the instructions in the Will without being affected by the Testator ’s demise. Individuals may find themselves to be emotionally drained and not being able to execute the due process efficiently. Sometimes, they may even change their minds and discharge themselves from being an E&T. Worse, the E&T may even die together with the Testator should they be involved in a common accident as more likely than not, we are prone to appoint a family member or a close friend to the role of E&T. All this can hinder the entire process and leave parties depending on the smooth execution of the Will in a financial quandary.

Item 3 – Are there any Minor Children involved? Minors are defined by the legal age of 18. In Malaysia, that is the age of majority. Beyond that, a person is deemed to be an adult. Where there are minors, it’s best to think about Guardians should both parents pass on in a common accident. Think MH370. Who will take care of the children left behind if both parents were in the plane together? TI

Quick Reads

Housing Loan for First Timers It was recently reported in The Star that Johorians who were rejected by banks can now turn to a new housing loan scheme introduced by the state government for first-time homeowners. The scheme in collaboration with AmBank Islamic Bhd, is offering RM300 million in loans to those earning below RM5,000 a month and is already available for Johorians to avail. Menteri Besar Johor, Dato’ M ohamed K haled Nordin said, “ The Scheme was expected to help at least 4000 applicants of Johor’s affordable housing scheme (RMMJ) buy homes costing up to RM150,000. As of July 2016, about 24,000 RMMJ housing offer letters had been given out to those eligible but almost 9000 of them failed to obtain a loan approval from the banks, said Khaled. “This is a real problem where many people still do not meet the banks’ criteria for housing loans,” he said b e fo r e w i t n e s s i n g t h e signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the state government and AmBank. Khaled added that the new loan scheme was also introduced to assist small-time business owners, contract employees and those with inconsistent salaries. All applicants will nevertheless be subjected to terms and conditions imposed by the bank. Ambank Group Chairman Tan Sri Azman Hashim said the bank was ready and able to support the state’s aspirations in this aspect. Azman said the applicants must have the RMMJ offer letter issued by the state government before heading to any of the bank’s 21 brances in Johor to apply for the loan. Johor state government has assured that 28,000 units of affordable houses will be built statewide including 20,000 in Iskandar Malaysia within the next five years and would be allocated to the right people.

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Bandar Seri Alam Geared Up Initiative

Community Policing and more patrol cars for crime prevention

eri Alam Properties (SAP) Sdn Bhd recently hosted a ‘Meet and Greet’ with the new Officer in Charge of Police District (OCPD) of IPD Seri Alam, Superintendent Jokhiri Abdul Aziz as well as a Safety Briefing session as part of the developer’s corporate social responsibility effort in caring for 80,000 residents in Bandar Seri Alam.

“The public is entitled to get the best service from the police. We are open for cooperation between police authority and public to identify and address crime and social issues via Community Policing initiative. This is also a part of a first step in support and building confidence from the public to oversee the police in fighting crimes,” said Supt. Jokhiri

during the Safety Briefing session. Jokhiri also mentioned that Community Policing operated in two different ways which are Pre and Post-emptive Crime Prevention, whereas Pre-emptive Crime Prevention should be highlighted and made aware by all walks of life and not fully putting the responsibility towards the police.

Flag off for Bandar Seri Alam patrol cars

Newly appointed OCPD of IPD Seri Alam, Superintendent Jokhiri Abdul Aziz (left), Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation of Johor Chairman, Datuk Freddie Loong and Seri Alam Properties Sdn Bhd Executive Director, Freddie Lee during the launch of second patrol car for Bandar Seri Alam

In line of enhancing security, the developer introduced its second patrol car this year to allow more effective patrolling and security presence since its start in February 2013 with an addition to 10 auxiliary policemen engaged in October 2012. “We view security as one of an important element of a sustainable township as well as to make our residents and business communities feel safe. With the

population increased to 80,000 residents, there is a greater need to organise more patrolling within the residential and business areas in the township to enhance security. In view of that, we have decided to add additional patrol cars this year so that the presence could be felt more by the residents and business communities,” said Seri Alam Properties Sdn Bhd Executive Director, Freddie Lee. by Maressa Esa. TI

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Move Over KLCC, Johor Bahru City Centre is Fast Catching up as Malaysia’s Next Economic Powerhouse – Part One Khalil Adis Khalil Adis was the former editor of Property Report and he has written for PropertyGuru, iProperty.com, Yahoo! Singapore/Malaysia and various newspapers. Renowned for his independent views and insights, Khalil has given talks at various expos and at property launches. He is also on the judging panel of the South East Asia Property Awards (Malaysia).

hile Singaporeans have remained somewhat lukewarm to the proper ty market in Iskandar Malaysia, the special economic zone is going full steam ahead with the unveiling of an ambitious mixed-use development masterplan for Astaka Holdings’ flagship development One Bukit Senyum. Officiated by Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Idris, Menteri Besar Johor Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Astaka’s founder and controlling shareholder, Dato’ Daing A Malek bin Daing A Rahaman and Astaka’s Chief

In-Focus

Banking on its strategic location just next to Singapore, Astaka Holdings unveiled a masterplan comprising two luxury condominiums, an upscale shopping mall, five star hotel, serviced apartments and a Grade A office tower to March 201 are from China, Singapore, United States of America, Japan, and Spain.

Executive Officer and Executive Director, Dato’ Zamani bin Kasim, and the presence of the various stakeholders in Iskandar Malaysia at the groundbreaking ceremony for One Bukit Senyum clearly sends a strong signal to market watchers there are opportunities to be sought amid the slowdown. Top performing economic corridor Indeed, the latest government figures showed that Iskandar Malaysia (IM) still remains the most successful by far out of the five economic corridors in Malaysia. According to data from Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), IM continues to see record investments with RM202.45 billion in total cumulative investments from 2006 to March 2016. Among the promoted sectors, the manufacturing sector recorded the highest cumulative committed investments at RM54.26 billion.

(From left) Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Dato Zamani Kasim, HRH Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar and Dato Daing A Malek A Rahaman at One Bukit Senyum Masterplan Launch Ceremony. Photo: Maressa Esa This includes investment from the sectors of electrical & electronics, petrochemical & oleo-chemical and food & agroprocessing. Followed by investments in the logistics, tourism, healthcare, education, financial services and creative industries at RM6.03 billion, RM6.03 billion, RM2.77 billion, RM1.97 billion, RM1.47 billion and RM0.56 billion respectively. In the non-promoted sectors, the residential, retail and industrial property segments collectively

contributed to a cumulative investments of RM94 billion. This is followed by utilities, government investment, mainly in infrastructure and public works and emerging technologies at RM12.96 billion, RM9.83 billion and RM2.85 billion respectively. Of the RM202.45 billion, 51 % or RM103.50 billion represents investments that have been realised. The top five countries with highest cumulative committed investments into IM from 2006

Here is the first fact out of five that you need to know about One Bukit Senyum: Fact 1: Reputable developer Astaka Holdings Limited (“Astaka”) is listed on the Singapore Exchange. The company is headed by Astaka’s founder and controlling shareholder, Dato’ Daing A Malek bin Daing A Rahaman and Astaka’s Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Dato’ Zamani bin Kasim. Last year, The Astaka won Best Luxury Condo Development (Malaysia) at the South East Asia Property Awards (Malaysia) 2015 one of the most prestigious awards in Malaysia backed by a strong panel of judges. To ensure there are no conflicts of interest and fairness, the awards is audited by BDO, one of the world’s largest auditing firms.I’ll discuss the remaining facts and challenges in the next issue. TI

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