Flash december 2022

JOLLY GOLF’IN - MINI GOLF COURSE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN

Kota Kinabalu, 2 December 2022 - Jolly Golf’in, Kota Kinabalu’s newest and latest mini golf course has officially opened its doors. It is the first indoor mini golf course in Sabah and a good attraction for those wanting to enjoy group and family activities. The course features 18 holes, each with its own unique design that provides different types of challenges to players. Jolly Golf’in is located at Jesselton Point (next to Orange 24HR convenience store). For more information, go to www. facebook.com/jollygolfinkk

Kinabalu International School Awarded Eco School Green Flag Award

Kota Kinabalu, 5 December 2022 - Kinabalu International School (KIS) has been awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award in recognition of the environmental work that has been taking place inside and outside of the school over the past few years. Climate change and sustainability is without a doubt the most important issue that our children’s generation will have to face, and they strongly believe that it is their duty to take action and raise awareness of the impact of the climate crisis through their curriculum as well as extra-curricular activities. At the international level, the Eco-School programme is run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), a non-governmental and non-profit organization aiming to promote sustainable development through environmental education. KIS welcomes collaboration with local schools and communities to expand their sustainable efforts beyond the school community. Find out more at www.kis.edu.my

27TH KOTA KINABALU MUSIC & DANCE FESTIVAL 2022

Scenes during the 27th Kota Kinabalu Music & Dance Festival on 10-11 December 2022.

The festival showcased young acts from various music schools and dance studios. For more information, go to www.kkmusicfestival.my

Hobbycon 2022

Scenes during HobbyCon 2022 at Sabah International Convention Centre.

Since its inception in 2007, HobbyCon 2022 has grown into one of the biggest events of its kind in East Malaysia, and has become a must-go event for Malaysian con-goers, illustrators, comic artists, toy collectors, gamers, cosplayers and fans.

HobbyCon 2022 is sponsored by Tier One Entertainment, Gank, Sakura Color Malaysia, My Game Store, Hado Malaysia, Borenos Fried Chicken and DLive Studio.

It is organised by Kinabalu Impact, powered by Rema Synergy and endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah (KePKAS).

www.hobbycon.my

Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu Celebrates Diverse Sabahan Talents With Inaugural Ewan Lane Festival

ota Kinabalu, 22 December, 2022 - Following its recent opening in October, Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu - the first Hyatt Centric hotel in Malaysia and Southeast Asia hosted an inaugural Ewan Lane Festival on 17 and 18 December 2022. Aimed at promoting Kota Kinabalu’s urban culture and to foster connections with local community, the festival featured street artists, painters, skateboarders, B-Boys and musicians as well as 14 influential and diverse Sabahan artists who performed alongside these emerging young talents.

Ewan Lane, which is located next to Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu and known for its colourful street art, was transformed into a carnival-like atmosphere with skateboard ramps, food trucks and market stalls, attracting a huge crowd over the weekend. Activities included street art jam sessions and skateboarding demonstration and competition.

Officially launched on 17 December, the Ewan Lane Festival was attended by key lifestyle influencers from Malaysia and Brunei, local media and featured skateboarders, musicians and street art enthusiasts, in a celebration of hip hop music and culture, extreme sports, dance, design and art. Some of the famed local musicians who performed live at the festival included Benzooloo - a Sabahan rapper, MKNK - a music producer and songwriter, Hip Hop group - Isobahtos, popular DJ Elouise Shane and urban street dancers from Flexible Crew, among many others.

The main highlight of the festival is the open skate demonstration and session with the “Best Tricks” competition to promote the extreme sport which made its debut at the Tokyo Summer Olympics 2021. The winning trophy of the “Best Trick air/ fly” & “Best Trick Grind” skateboard competition went to Mr Presley Aaron.

“Extreme sports have regained enormous popularity in Sabah, especially since its debut in the recent Olympic event. Local skateboarding community in Sabah aims to nurture talents to become future high performance athletes representing

Malaysia for the Olympic Games. Hence, we’d like to applaud Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu for this great initiative. The Ewan Lane Festival is not only a perfect platform for our local skateboarders to showcase their talents but also a fun and exciting way to educate people about this sport”, said Azreen Amat of Jungle Skate Class which showcased some impressive young skateboarders or riders during the festival. “As a new hotel with a young and vibrant personality, we wanted to bring the local community together in a fun-filled atmosphere combining three much loved activities by the youths here – arts, music, and extreme sports. We are thrilled by the turnout and the positive feedback and are grateful for everyone’s support to make our first Ewan Lane Festival a success. We hope to make Ewan Lane Festival an annual event moving forward promoting urban culture to bring people together,” said Ruben Schrijver, the General Manager of Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu.

Another key highlight was the street art jam which saw an impressive art installation of 10 60cm (height) x 60cm (width) cubes painted by members of the public together with street art enthusiasts and influencers on-site during the festival. Visitors also got to enjoy an array of local snacks like curried cauliflower, spiced lamb rendang with jasmine rice, salt & chilli squid and more, served from the hotel’s ON22 restaurant and as well as other delicious snacks served from a line-up of food trucks amidst colourful market stalls selling local artisanal products.

Ruben Schrijver continued, “Hyatt Centric is a strong supporter of the local street arts scene and we are delighted to offer guided street art tours curated by a resident of Kota Kinabalu, Jared Abdul Rahman, to enable our guests to explore works of street art from raw, organic graffiti to curated, commissioned murals. We look forward to introducing more fresh, authentic and enriching experiences to young, curious and active wanderers visiting and living in Kota Kinabalu.”

UiTM Sabah: Unleashing Potentials, Shaping the Future

Higher learning institutions are a dime a dozen these. While most of them would still cost an arm and a leg, there are still a few establishments that make it affordable and possible for students to further their education and realise their dreams. One of those establishments is UiTM (Universiti Teknologi MARA), who have been providing high quality education for bumiputeras, especially those who are underprivileged. Let’s walk down memory lane and see how UiTM’s Sabah Branch grew into one of the most respected higher learning institutions in Sabah.

UiTM first ever branch campus in Sabah was established on 16 July 1972, located in Sembulan, right in the middle of Kota Kinabalu. At the time, it was known as Yayasan SabahInstitut Teknologi MARA (YS-ITM). The idea of establishing its first branch outside of the main campus (Shah Alam) was made possible with the leadership of the late Tun Dr. Arshad Ayub, the Director of Institut Teknologi MARA at the time and acknowledged as the father of UiTM.

Without the support of the state government, in particular Yayasan Sabah, the YS-ITM campus wouldn’t have been a reality. The effort and work put into by Yayasan Sabah and the Sabah State Government realised the YS-ITM dream to be the driver in pioneering higher education and professional-training in Sabah. YS-ITM was officially launched on 17 August 1973 by the late Tun Datu Hj Mustapha bin Datu Harun. Their first intake consisted of 157 students, all choosing from a total of seven courses that were available at the time.

As the years went by and more students started enrolling, the need to expand and grow became apparent. In 1982, students began to be moved to the new branch in Kuala Menggatal after dorms and other facilities were built. After all the necessary steps were done in 1991, the new campus was fully operational and it still sits in Kuala Menggatal until today. The name was also changed from YS-ITM to UiTM. Another campus in Tawau was also established on 10 June 1997.

UiTM Sabah Branch is able to accommodate up to 5000 students at a time. As mentioned, the YS-ITM era offered only seven courses for students to choose from, including Diploma in Accountancy and Diploma in Administration. Today, in addition to said examples, UiTM Sabah offers an approximate 20 courses, including pre-diploma and bachelor degree courses. This includes Bachelor of Science (Hons.) Biology, Diploma in Hotel Management, Diploma in Tourism Management, and PreDiploma in Commerce.

The courses offered are in-line with UiTM’s general vision and mission, which are; to establish UiTM as a globally renowned university (GRU2025) in science, technology, humanities, and entrepreneurship; and to lead the development of agile, professional bumiputeras through state-of-the-art curricula and impactful research, respectively. UiTM’s core values centre around 3 standards, which are:

1. Excellence - Practising internal quality standards to fulfil the stakeholders’ requirements and expectations.

2. Synergy - Collaborating seamlessly to maximise productivity that benefits industry and society.

3. Integrity - Embracing honesty, respect, and transparency to achieve the highest ethical standard of professionalism.

UiTM Sabah has produced some big names over the years. Among them are the current UiTM Sabah Rector, YBHG. Datuk

Associate Professor Dr. Hj. Abdul Kadir bin Hj. Rosline. Other notable alumni include:

1. Tun Richard Malanjum (Former Chief Justice Malaysia)

2. Tan Sri Musa Aman (Former Chief Minister of Sabah)

3. YB Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun (Minister of Finance Sabah)

4. YB Datuk Ir. Shahelmey Yahya

5. YB Azhar Matussin

6. Dr. Ramle Hj. Kasin (Director General of Malaysian Cocoa Board)

7. Datuk Hajah Diyanah Abdullah (Deputy of State Secretary)

8. YBhg. Datuk Professor Dr. Rasid Mail (UMS Deputy ViceChancellor of Academic and International)

9. Associate Professor Dr. Raman Noordin (UMS Deputy Vice- Chancellor of Student Affairs and Alumni)

10. Datuk Hajah Rosmawati Haji Lasuki (CEO of SICC)

11. Datuk Madiyem Layapan (CEO Invest Sabah Berhad)

12. Dr. Dionysia Aloysius Kibat (CEO of SMJ Sdn Bhd)

13. Cheryl Ellron (CEO and Founder of Makan Bites LTD)

14. Sylvia Pius Labani (GM of Kim Teck Cheong Development Sdn Bhd)

15. Mohamad Afiq bin Zuber (Deputy Public Prosecutor Selangor)

16. Sudermaje bin Iscolto (State GM Pos Malaysia Sabah & Labuan)

Students of UiTM Sabah have also made the branch proud in terms of sports. In 2022, they brought home a number of medals, notably Nurulfarra Adeeba binti Muhammad Ridhwan who took home gold in the field bowling event during SUKMA XX, while Intan Qistina binti Tamring got gold in tenpin bowling during the 33rd Interstate Championship. An annual tournament among UiTM branches across Malaysia called the Karnival Sukan Mahasiswa (KARiSMA) was also held in 2022, with the UiTM Sabah branch bringing home 3 bronze and a silver medal.

UiTM Sabah are collaborating with Unit Agenda Bumiputera - Teraju (Teraju) to develop entrepreneurs through freshwater lobster and chilli fertigation projects aimed at the B40 segment in an effort to empower the economic development of bumiputeras in Sabah. They also have collaborations with:

1. Ministry of Local Government and Housing

2. Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation

3. Yayasan Sabah Group

4. Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS)

5. Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA)

6. Qhazanah Sabah Berhad

7. Sabah Credit Corporation

8. Sawit Kinabalu Group

9. Sabah Land Development Board

10. Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC)

11. Sabah Parks

12. Petronas

13. Maybank

14. TikTok

15. Asia-China Education and Culture Association (ACEC)

As you’ve noticed, the UiTM Sabah has a remarkable history under their belt. They’ve become an established name in the education sector of Sabah and have continued to prove to the world their capabilities in producing students, graduates, and professionals of the highest quality. Let’s all see what the future holds for UiTM Sabah as they continue their mission in changing destinies and shaping futures for the people.

by Noel Jinguli

Image | UiTM Sabah Branch

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Release Date: 5 January 2023

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Director: Kasi Lemmons

Cast: Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders

A joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest female R&B pop vocalists of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.

M3gan

Release Date: 5 January 2023

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Director: Gerard Johnstone

Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng

A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own, which causes unimaginable consequences.

Mummies

Release Date: 19 January 2023

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family

Director: Juan Jesús García Galocha

Cast: Joe Thomas, Eleanor Tomlinson, Santiago Winder

Three mummies end up in present-day London and embark on a journey in search of an old ring belonging to the Royal Family, stolen by the ambitious archaeologist Lord Carnaby.

We don’t see duo groups that well with each other too often these days, especially one with members who have established a lot in the music scene. However, Amin Wali and Feroq Jayfiena work so well with each other, making the “power duo” term an understatement. Not to be reckoned with, this uncle and nephew duo shows that family ties make for a strong bond to achieve something meaningful in the entertainment industry.

Before establishing the group, both Amin and Feroq are known for their separate solo careers in the music industry. Like two birds of a feather, both of them seemed inseparable and decided to form Bfore3. The two of them have such powerful vocals that perfectly complement each other. The story about the name having “3” in it while they’re just a duo is that they didn’t want a cliche duo name. Amin’s brother Ziyo simply suggested “Bfore3” since the number 2 is before the number 3.

In 2021, Bfore3 released a single called “Ceritera Kita”, in conjunction with Mental Health Month. Although the pandemic was one of the inspirations for the song, the lyrics