qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyu iopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopa Malacca Magazine sdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyu qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyu iopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfg hjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcv bnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwe rtyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopa sdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmr tyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopas An Environmental Solution for the 21 Century dfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz cvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklz xcvbnmqwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnm qwertyuiopasdfghjklzxcvbnmqwertyu David Sinclair
st
Malacca Magazine
January 2015
In This Issue
Regulars Cook!
More than 30 Recipes from Pebble Beach Resorts, Shangri La Hotel, China, Thailand, the Phili ilippines, USA, France, Europe and from the UK
Drive!
Range Rover, Maserati Quattroporte, Audi A4 Avant, Bentley Continental, Toyota 86GT
Stuff!
iPhone6, iPhone6 Plus, Lumia Smartphone, iMac Retina 5K, iPad Air2, Blackberry Passport, Passport Samsung Galaxy S Tablet – All Reviewed
Sports
Football: Barclays Premier League Update, Champions League last 16, Autumn International Rugby Results, Formula 1 Update
Play
Pebble Beach Lodge & Golf Links Reviewed
Listen
Wilco’s latest album & D’Angelo’s first for 14 years,, worth the wait?
Watch
Exodus Gods & Kings reviewed? Worthy of the hype?
Read
Personal by Lee Child, the 19th in the famous Jack Reacher series
Game!
2 reviews for you this month – Destiny: the dark below & Game of Thrones Edition One - Fire from Ice
Quotes
Our Monthly, fun take, take on quotes by or about famous people
Features Celebrity
George Clooney Interview
Travel!
Dubai
Stay!
Shangri La Hotel Dubai
Eat!
Manila : Shang Palace Chinese, Circles International Buffet, Peoples Palace Thai Singapore: Hard Rock Cafe
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Jennifer Lopez Interview
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Contents In This Issue ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 2 Regulars ________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________ 2 Features _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _________________ 2
Contents ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 3 About Tangs Media __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 11 About
__________________________________________________________ 12 __________________________________________________________
Overview ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ________________ 14 Why Now? ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 15
Technology _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 16 Waste Rubber ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 17 Zero-waste Factories ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 19 100% Green Rubber compound ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 19 Green Rubber blended compound ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________ 19 Timberland’s Road to Recovery Paved with Earthkeepers ________________________________ _________________________________________ 19
Contact Us ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 21 Press & Media enquiries ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 21 General enquiries ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 21 General Enquiries (US and Americas) _________________________________________________________ _________________________ 21 Global sales or product enquiries ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________ 21
Quotes! ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 22 Stay - Dubai ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 24 Shangri La Hotel, Sheik eik Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates ___________________ 24 Travel - Dubai _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 26 36 Hours in Dubai __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 28 Dubai restaurants __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 29 £££ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ____________________ 29
Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 29 Tagine ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 30 ££ _____________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _____________________ 30
Awtar________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 30 £ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ______________________ 30
Almaz by Momo ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 30 Noodle House _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 31 Arabian Tea House _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 31 3|Page
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January 2015
What To Do - Dubai attractions _______________________________________________ _______________ 32 Deira Souks _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 34 Al-Ahmadiya Ahmadiya School and Heritage House ________________________________ _______________________________________ 34 Jumeirah ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 34 Dubai’s beaches ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 35 Madinat Jumeirah__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 35 Burj Khalifa _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 35 Desert escapes ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 36 Al Ain ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 36 Events and festivals 2014-15 _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 36 Dubai Shopping Festivals ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 37 Dubai International Film Festival ______________________________________________ ______________ 37 Global Village _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 37 Dubai Marathon ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 37 Dubai Desert Classic ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 37 Dubai Food Festival ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 38 Dubai Tennis Championships _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 38 Eat! ________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 39 Peoples Palace Thai ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 39
______________________________________________________________ 39 ______________________________________________________________ Shrimp & Coriander Spring Rolls _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 39 Whole fried fish of the day ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 40 Thai Red Curry with Duck & Cherry Tomato ____________________________________________________ ____________________ 40 Penaeng Curry of Beef ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 40 Morning Glory ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 40
Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant _____________________________________________ _____________ 40
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January 2015
____________________________________________________________ 40 ____________________________________________________________ Pan Fried Dumplings ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 41 Sweet & Sour Pork with Candied Walnuts _____________________________________________________ _____________________ 41
__________________________________________________________________ 41 ________________________________________________________________ Crispy Fried Chicken ________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 41 Yangchow Fried Rice ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 41
Circles Event Café Buffet Restaurant ___________________________________________ ___________ 42
_________________________________________________________ 42 _________________________________________________________ Food Selection ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 42 Carving Station ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 42 Home Baked Breads & Imported Cheeses _____________________________________________________ _____________________ 42
Hard Rock Café (USA) _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 43
_____________________________________________________________ 43 _____________________________________________________________ Chilli Crab Dip ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 44 Chicken Fajitas ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 44
Play ________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 45 Pebble Beach Lodge and Golf Links ____________________________________________ ____________ 46 Pebble Beach Restaurants and Sample Menus ________________________________ ___________________________________ 48 The Tap Room _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 48 Appetizer Menu ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 48 The Chop House ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 49
The Bench at Pebble Beach __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 50 Gallery Café Menu _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 51 Appetizers _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 51
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Sandwiches ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 51 Burgers, Melts & Dogs ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 52 Gallery Specialties ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 52 Milk Shakes ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 52
Game! ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 53 Destiny: - The dark below ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 53 Game of Thrones: Episode One - Iron from Ice ________________________________ ___________________________________ 56 Listen ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 61 Alpha Mike Foxtrot - Wilco __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 61 A generous rous gift for fans: Four discs of outtakes and rare treats ________________________________ ____________________________________ 61
Black Messiah _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 61 Fourteen years after his last album, the R&B star returns with a warm, expansive masterpiece___________ 61
Watch ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 63 Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) _______________________________________________ _______________ 63 Read ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 65 Personal - a Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child ________________________________ ____________________________________ 65 Drive! ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 67 Range Rover Reviewed ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 67 Verdict _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 67 Additional Info ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 67 What is it? ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 67 Driving it ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 67 On the inside ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 68 Owning One ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 68
Maserati Quattroporte Reviewed _____________________________________________ _____________ 68 Verdict _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 68 Additional Info ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 68 What is it? ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 69 Driving it ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 69 On the inside ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 69 Owning it ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 69
Bentley Continental Reviewed viewed________________________________________________ ________________ 70 Overall Verdict ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 70 Additional Info ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 70 What is it? ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 70 Driving it ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 70 On the inside ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 71 Owning it ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 71
Audi A4 Avant _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 71 Verdict _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 71 Additional Info ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 71 What is it? ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 71
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Driving it ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 72 On the inside ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 72 Owning it ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 72
Toyota GT 86 2.0 ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 72 ToyotaGT 86 on the road ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 72 Verdict _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 72 Additional Info ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 72 What is it? ________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 73 Driving it ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 73 On the inside ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 73 Owning it ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 73
Cook! ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 74 Hoi An Vietnamese
Bo Xao Hanh Nam ________________________________ _____________________________________ 74
Pebble Beach Stillwater Grill Thai Snapper with Potato Squash & Reggiano Parmesan “Risotto” with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Coulis & Chive Oil _________________________ 74 Club Sandwich (USA) _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 75 Prawn & Marie Rose Sauce Cocktail Sandwich (UK) _______________________________ 76 Cocktail or Marie Rose Sauce (UK) _____________________________________________ _____________ 77 Lemon Roast Chicken with a cream, fresh Tarragon and crisp bacon sauce (French) _____ 78 Roast Potatoes (UK) ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 78 Yorkshire Puddings (UK) _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 79 Grilled Chicken Sandwich (USA) _______________________________________________ _______________ 79 Grilled Pork Chops (UK) _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 80 Grilled Lamb Chops or Rack of Lamb (French)________________________________ ____________________________________ 80 Prime Rib (USA) ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 80 Vegetable Ukoy with Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Philippines) _________________________ 82 Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Philippines) ___________________________________________ ___________ 82 Pininyahang Manok - Chicken & Pineapple in Coconut Milk (Philippines) _____________ 83 Sweet Pork (Thai) __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 83 Orange Chicken (USA Chinese)________________________________________________ Chinese) ________________ 84 Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice (Chinese) ________________________________ _____________________________________ 84 Pork pot sticker dumplings (USA Chinese) ________________________________ ______________________________________ 85 Sticky Honey Chicken (USA Chinese) ___________________________________________ ___________ 87 Asian Marinated Pork Chops (USA) ____________________________________________ ____________ 87 7|Page
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Sesame Chicken (USA Chinese) _______________________________________________ _______________ 88 Spicy pork spare ribs (UK Chinese) ____________________________________________ ____________ 88 Capital Spareribs (Chinese) __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 89 BBQ Chicken or BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Classic Coleslaw (USA) _________________ 89 Classic Coleslaw (USA) ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 90 Hamburger Seasoning (USA) _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 90 Hamburger Patties (USA) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 91 Guacamole (Mexico)________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 91 Chilli con carne (Mexico) ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 92 Sports ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 93 Football Round-up _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 93
Barclays Premier League
____________________________________________ ____________ 93
Team Round-Up ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 93
Arsenal
__________________________________________________________________________ 93 ________________________________________________________________
Chelsea
__________________________________________________________________________ 94 ________________________________________________________________
Liverpool
________________________________________________________________________ 94 ________________________________________________________________
Man. City
___________________________________________________________________________ 95 ________________________________________________________________
Man. United
______________________________________________________________________ 95 ________________________________________________________________
Uefa Champions League Last 16
________________________________ _______________________________________ 96
International Rugby Union ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ 97 Rugby Internationals - 8th November 2014 ________________________________ ______________________________________ 97 England 21-24 New Zealand __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 97 Back to Black________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 98
Ireland 29 – 15 South Africa __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 98 Springbok stats ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 100 Wales 28-33 Australia______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ 101 8|Page
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Scotland 41 – 31 Argentina _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 103 Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 104
Formula 1 Review _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ 105 The Lewis Hamilton Column________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________ 105 A turning point in the season _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 106 The big double points question _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 106
F 1 Constructors Standings __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 107 Stuff! ________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 108 Microsoft Lumia 535 5 Smartphone Review ________________________________ _____________________________________ 108 iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus Reviewed __________________________________________ __________ 109 The guts _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 112 Apple Pay ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ______________ 113 Camera ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ________________ 113
Apple iPad & iMac First Impressions __________________________________________ __________ 116 The iPad Air 2 ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ 116 The Retina iMac 5K ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ 117 Samsung Galaxy xy S Tablet Reviewed __________________________________________ __________ 118 BlackBerry Passport Review _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 120 In the News ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 125 Headlines & Fun __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 125 In Prison Dining – definitely not In-Room In Dining _______________________________________________ _______________ 125 100 things we didn't know last year _________________________________________________________ _________________________ 126
Gossip ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 131 Sports News _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 132 Steven Gerrard: Liverpool captain to leave at end of the season ___________________ 132 BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty: ____________________________ Error! Bookmark not defined. Getting better with age ________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 133 Man City need Frank Lampard for title race - Manuel Pellegrini ________________________________ ___________________________________ 133
Celebrity ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 134 Did Chris Martin, Lead Singer of Coldplay, spend New Year's Eve with Jennifer Lawrence? Photo of couple at dinner emerges on Twitter ________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 134
Celebrity ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 137 The George Clooney Interview_______________________________________________ _______________ 137
__________________________________________________________ 137 __________________________________________________________ 9|Page
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Malacca Magazine
The Jennifer Lopez Interview
January 2015
________________________________ ___________________________________ 149
Horoscopes ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 154 Aquarius _______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _______________ 154 Pisces _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _________________ 154 Aries __________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ __________________ 155 Taurus _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _________________ 155 Gemini ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ________________ 155 Cancer _________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ _________________ 155 Leo ___________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ___________________ 156 Virgo __________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ __________________ 156 Libra __________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ __________________ 156 Scorpio ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ________________ 157 Sagittarius ______________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________ ______________ 157
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Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine
January 2015
About Tangs Media Tang’s Media specialise in the production of digital publications. The advances in technology, the Internet and the explosion of social media have enabled us to establish a business model that works for our clients, their clients and also for us. Our publications are published in a variety of formats that can be accessed on virtually any device including Windows, Apple and Android, as well as in PDF format. Our software partner is a company called Flip builder – really neat piece of software that enables us to turn our desktop publishing formats into PDF and digital flipping books that have bookmarks, hyperlinks, audio and video directly embedded, if required. The software allows you to read the magazine online, or download a copy to your device in the required format so that you can 11 | P a g e
read and enjoy it offline, at anytime, anywhere on Android and Apple tablets and phones – as well as Windows devices. If you would rather you can also download them in PDF format. If you subscribe with us, we will email you copies of our magazines in your requested format when they are published. One click and you have a new magazine to enjoy and BEST OF ALL OUR EBOOKS AND MAGAZINES ARE ENTIRELY FREE FOR THE READER AND CAN BE FREELY SHARED WITH FRIENDS ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA INCLUDING FACEBOOK, TWITTER, GOOGLE+ AND LINKEDIN
in association with Tang’s Media and scheduled to be published monthly. Please direct your feedback or comments to directly to us at davesinclair20@yahoo.com davesinclair20@yahoo.com.
Happy Reading From everyone at Tang’s Media
P F Chang’s Mongolian Beef
Most of our magazines come under the heading of general interest. Our ebooks are all food based packed with recipes from cuisines around the world. We really hope that you enjoy Malacca magazine, brought to you by
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Malacca Magazine Green Rubber Worldwide
About The Company Green Rubber Malaysia is developing its new 40,000 sft factory facilities in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, in North Port, Port Klang, the major container port in Malaysia. Nearly all manufactured product will be shipped by sea in containers. Green Rubber Malaysia facility will house wellequipped laboratory and the specialized refiners used to manufacture green rubber.
An experienced R&D department supports the Technical Service and Support (TSS) team. A commitment to helping customers formulate Green Rubber compounds suitable for rubber product manufacturers is a critical part of our business. 12 | P a g e
January 2015 Tan Sri Dr. B.C. Sekhar
Green Rubber Global is currently investigating partnerships in many parts of the world and will be seeking qualified individuals and businesses that want to be on the ground floor of a new, green industry. Markets that will play an important role include China, India, Japan, South Korea, Europe, Russia, South America, Central America and North America. Future R&D will be a major focus of Green Rubber Global, as we seek to refine and improve the chemical and manufacturing process, and work with other manufacturers to develop new rubber products based on the availability of DeLink and Green Rubber. Download Green Rubber company profile here. Copyright Š2014 Green Rubber Group. All Rights Reserved | Disclaimer,
The Inventors
Born in Selangor, Malaysia, in 1929, the late Dr. Sekhar is affectionately acknowledged as the father of the modern Malaysian rubber industry. Dr. Sekhar held numerous senior positions in the rubber industry, including his service as the former Chairman of Malaysian Rubber Research Development Board, Rubber Research Institute Malaysia (RRIM), International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRBD), Founder Chairman of the Palm Oil Research and Development B Board and Senior Fellow of the Malaysian Academy of Science. On the international front, Dr. Sekhar, in his capacity as chairman of the
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Malacca Magazine International Rubber Research and Development Board, was instrumental in converting the organization into a dynamic institution. The membership increased threefold under his leadership. The IRRDB successfully implemented the expedition into Brazil for collection of new germplasm. The organization also established an international R&D program, three parts of which were financed through UNIDO Member institutes. Dr. Sekhar traveled widely and attended numerous conferences in all parts of the world. His able and effective advocacy of the strength and stability of natural rubber carved a 'niche' for him in the international elastomer industry. Dr. Sekhar was also the man responsible for the invention of DeLink and Deprotin, two groundbreaking technologies in the elastomer industry which have been significant milestones in eliminating environmental 13 | P a g e
January 2015
hazards.
1974 – 1984
An astounding achiever, Dr. Sekhar received nine major awards, 25 patents, 2 honorary doctorates and published 137 research papers. His name is associated with the Standard Malaysian Rubber Scheme, which he initiated in 1964 and is today used worldwide among producers of Natural Rubber and consumers.
Chairman - Malaysian Rubber Research Development Board 1974 – 1984 Chairman - International Rubber Research and Development Board (IRRBD) 1974 – 1984 Founder Chairman - Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) 1978 – 1987
Dr. Sekhar died in 2006. Career and Appointments Rubber Research Institute Malaysia 1949 – 1974 Head of Chemistry Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) 1964 – 1966 Director - Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) 1966 – 1974 Chairman Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia (RRIM) 1974 – 1984 Chairman - Malaysian Rubber Producers Research Association (MRPRA), United Kingdom
Founder & Board Director Malaysian Rubber Development Corporation (MARDEC) From inception to 1988 Chairman, Malaysian Carbon Sdn Bhd 1979 – 1988 Chairman, PLAAT Group 1978 – 1988 Chairman I T International Tire Manufacturing Group 1981 – 1983 Secretary General International Rubber Study Group (IRSG), London 1988 – 1994 Executive Chairman - STI Global Consult Sdn Bhd & STI-K K Polymers Sdn Bhd 1994 – 1998
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015 vulcanisation creates rubber that is tougher, more durable and stronger.
Advisor to Green Rubber Global and Chairman of the B.C Sekhar Research Centre (a part of the Green Rubber Group) 2000 – 2006
The only problem with Mr. Goodyear's ear's wonderful invention is that vulcanised rubber is nearly impossible to recycle.
Read more
Dr. Vitaly Kormer
Until now that is! relevant solutions Green Rubber™.
in
Overview
Dr. Vitaly Kormer is the counterpart in Russia of the late Tan Sri Dr. B.C. Sekhar, an expert in synthetic rubber who invented DeLink, a mechanochemical process to de-vulcanize scrap rubber. This process was patented and developed into commercial scale processes at commercially competitive prices delivering industrially
14 | P a g e
How can we safely and productively dispose of more than one billion waste tires a year? Meet Green Rubber - a company that will help to solve one of the world's most pressing environmental challenges. When Charles Goodyear invented vulcanisation in 1839, he gave birth to the modern rubber products industry. Everything from car tyres and bumpers, shoe soles and doormats is made from vulcanised rubber (created by adding a number of chemicals, including sulphur, to virgin rubber). The process of
The rubber industry has for decades faced a huge challenge: how to keep waste tyres from filling landfills, leaching into groundwater, poisoning marinee life and providing a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects. In the developing world hundreds of thousands of people catch dengue fever, West Nile Virus and malaria from insects that breed in tyre dumps. Last year 1.3b 1.3bn tyres were thrown away, with 60% of that total coming from Europe and the USA. This level of waste is set to explode given the motor purchases being made in China alone – around 50 million cars a year and counting. Just one set of tyres per year per car would add another 200 million tyres a year to this
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Malacca Magazine total – every year! By 2020 we will be trying to dispose of more than 2 billion tyres every year. The problem is clearly acute and getting worse. One "solution" is to burn tyres as a replacement fuel for coal. However, governments in several parts of the world, including Nova Scotia in Canada, believe that burning tyres causes a whole new raft of environmental problems. Green Rubber provides an environmentally friendly alternative to the vexing issue of what to do with waste tyres. For the first time in the industry's history, thanks to Green Rubber's patented technologies, rubber can be devulcanised and made into new products. The added bonus for rubber manufacturers is that the Green Rubber process will also significantly reduce their costs at a time when virgin rubber prices are at a record high. The Green Rubber process has been developed by a team of scientists in 15 | P a g e
Malaysia over the last decade. The company is now ready to become a major force for good in the global rubber industry. Why Now? Green Rubber is coming to market at the right time, and in the right place Planet Earth. Take a look at the market forces that are driving Green Rubber's entry:Virgin rubber prices are at an all time high and set to go even higher as the economies of China and India continue to grow strongly. The price of synthetic rubber is linked to the price of oil, which is currently hovering above $95 a barrel. Rising rubber prices means Green Rubber's technologies are not only an environmental boon to the industry, but also a compelling cost proposition. Industry estimates indicate that worldwide demand of rubber will exceed supply by 2020. There has been very little growth in the production of several synthetic
January 2015 rubberss which will cause shortages in the supply of polymers such as polysioprene and butyl rubber. Regulatory pressure is forcing the rubber industry to reduce waste and develop a sustainable vision for the future. In 2006 the European Union prohibited tyres fr from being dumped in landfills, so other solutions for waste tyre disposal must be found. The WEEE product take back legislation in the EU, puts pressure on manufacturers to create pathways where their products can be taken back and recycled. By introducing a reusable recycled-rubber rubber compound that only uses established chemicals into the rubber production chain, Green Rubber provides an effective material for the growing number of producers and retailers falling under this increasing public policy pressure. In n the US, environmental campaigners recently won a court decision that is set to stop the burning of tyres for fuel in power plants and cement kilns - a
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Malacca Magazine ruling that increases the requirement for the tyre industry to come up with alternative ways of recycling their products. In the US Congress, a new bi-partisan bill, entitled the Tire Investment, Recovery and Extension Act promises to provide tax breaks for vehicle fleet owners who buy tyres which contain recycled rubber. The public has accepted that climate change and global warming are real threats, thus demanding environmental solutions such as Green Rubber. The rubber industry has come to realise that using recycled materials is a sales and branding tool. Green Rubber's scientists have refined the company's technologies over the last decade to make them an even more compelling proposition for the rubber industry. The Green Rubber process reduces the pressure to clear land for more rubber plantations by providing another sustainable source of rubber compound.
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Technology The process of vulcanization, invented by Charles Goodyear in 1839, made rubber more stable by cross-linking sulfur bonds. Despite extensive research, vulcanization has historically been a nonreversible process with the result that it has not been possible to re-use vulcanized rubber in the production of new rubber products. De-vulcanisation is the reverse of the vulcanization process. In it, the sulphur bonds are opened up and the chemical characteristics of the de-vulcanized material now resemble virgin rubber.
January 2015 effectively uncouple the sulphur cross links in the polymer chain. The process takes about 8 minutes. The crumb is the product of breaking down waste rubber, in a crumbing plant, into smal small particles of about 30 mesh size. The process is performed using standard rubber processing machines such as high shear mills, refiners and internal mixers.
The DeLink reactant is a proprietary and patented chemical mixture comprised of chemicals used commonly in the rubber industry.
The resulting material is further treated, to stabilize certain reactive properties, to yield Green Rubber,, which closely retains the properties of the original virgin rubber compound. Green Rubber may be re re-vulcanized without the addition of any further curatives or blended with virgin rubber compounds for use in a wide variety of commercial rubber b based products.
The process is a mechanochemical reaction in nature, in that it requires mechanical shear to expose fresh crumb surfaces so that the DeLink reactant can
It should be noted that mixtures used for making rubber products are often highly complex and are definitely not just rubber and a few curative chemicals.
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Malacca Magazine For instance, a steel belted radial tire typically contains different natural rubbers, several synthetic rubbers, carbon black, polyester and nylon fiber, steel cords and about 40 chemicals. The process of crumbing strips out the steel and removes fiber. The resulting rubbers and chemicals are processed with DeLink. DeLink works effectively with both natural and synthetic rubbers. Charles Goodyear revolutionized the rubber industry in 1839 by inventing vulcanization. Green Rubber Global finishes the job by making de-vulcanization possible and making the rubber truly recyclable. Copyright Š2014 Green Rubber Group. All Rights Reserved Waste Rubber The history of the recycling business worldwide has shown major changes over the past 25 years. Low oil prices once made it cheap to manufacture synthetic 17 | P a g e
rubbers and there was little interest in environmental issues. The cost of oil, a primary ingredient in tires, is at a record high, which has caused rubber prices to increase exponentially. Environmental issues, spurred by clear and convincing evidence of global climate change, has pushed the environment to the top of the political agenda worldwide. Today, there is an urgency to discover a way to truly recycle and reuse waste rubber, particularly tires. In fact, the countries of Europe and many states in the United States have banned any more tires from being dumped in landfills. The wasting of natural resources has often been found to make short time economic sense, but longterm risks are often associated with this approach. This is especially indicative of the rubber industry. Billions of tires now reside in landfills and illegal
January 2015 dumps around the world, causing pollution from the release of toxic chemicals and the potential for health risks from the breeding of mosquitoes in trapped water. It is well known that there is concern oncern in the US about the risk of spreading West Nile Virus, but in other countries, Malaria is a far bigger problem. Today's steel belted radial tires contain natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, polyester and nylon fiber, steel cords for bel belts, and about 40 additional chemicals. An effective recycling program needs to take into consideration this highly complex mixture. New equipment has been devised to deal with the break-up up of steel belted tires to allow both the rubber and the steel content nt to be reclaimed. The disposal or recycling of tires differs greatly from one country to another. Some countries add charges to the price of a new tire to cover the collection and disposal of the used tire. Countries at
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Malacca Magazine the other end of the spectrum often allow tires to be discarded without any organized collection service, making waste tire collection extremely difficult.
into the air. Countries such as India and China also produce hundreds of millions of waste tires annually, but an analysis of their modes of disposal is not available.
The waste from tires is far greater in volume than the waste from their manufacture.
Waste rubber comes from three principal sources; the largest source consisting of used tires that contain vulcanized rubber.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association in the USA publishes biannually a detailed analysis of the scrap tire industry. The latest report (November 2006) provides an overview nationwide, although there are variances from state to state.
This report shows that, in the USA, the major percentage of tyres that are recycled to produce 'tyre derived fuel' (TDF), a practice also found throughout Europe. There are concerns, however, that the process is not environmentally acceptable, due to the inevitable release of toxins 18 | P a g e
Other sources are waste produced during manufacturing processes and discarded rubber containing products such as latex examining gloves. The first step invariably involves the cutting up of rubber waste into smaller parts. As tires get further processed, it is necessary to remove steel belts and produce steel that is free of contamination so this can be sold on the scrap metal market and reused. Depending on the proposed use of the recycled rubber, the waste may be cut into smaller and smaller pieces as the fiber is removed. The end product is called 'crumb rubber' which comes in various sizes,
January 2015 depending on the diameter of the crumbs. The higher the mesh size, the smaller the crumb. Because more grinding is required to make the higher mesh crumbs, the these command a higher price. The rubber industry has been extremely inventive when it comes to reusing this crumb rubber. By adding adhesive, it can be used as particles to make crumb rubber mats for homes, playgrounds and gyms. The crumb can also be used ass filler for asphalt and used for road paving. For the crumb rubber to be used in molded or extruded products in replacing virgin rubber compound at a lower cost, the rubber needs to be de devulcanized. DeLink has emerged as one of the most viable technologies gies to effectively carry out this purpose. That's why DeLink, and the Green Rubber it creates, will open up a whole new level of opportunity and innovation for the rubber industry, as well as solving a number of major environmental challenges, all at the same time.
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Malacca Magazine Green Rubber Solution There are number of models for which Green Rubber is the perfect solution for rubber product manufacturers.
Green Rubber product catalogue (pdf file download) DeLink Technical Specifications (pdf file download)
Zero-waste Factories Tyre manufacturers typically throw off waste of 5 to 15 percent - it's a cost of doing business. These manufacturers now have another, more profitable option. They can recover this waste and crumb it into granules of rubber. They can then mix two parts of DeLink to 100 parts of the crumbed rubber. As a result, they create a de-vulcanized rubber compound, which can be reintroduced into the manufacturing process. The company ends up with two benefits. It is waste free and the waste cost is eliminated. Plus, the new compound, created from the waste, costs far less than 19 | P a g e
purchasing virgin rubber compound on the open market. Numerous companies in Malaysia, Thailand and China are successfully using this process today.
100% Green Rubber compound This approach can be very successful for rubber products that have flexibility when it comes to the characterization of the final product. In this case, the rubber product manufacturer would purchase the Green Rubber compound from one of our planned Green Rubber manufacturing facilities. The cost, compared with virgin rubber compound, will be a significant reduction. These companies would also have the option of entering into a licensing agreement whereby they can use the Green Rubber name and logo. There will be quality standards and marketing support, and the payment of royalties to Green Rubber.
January 2015 Companies can use a blend of Green Rubber with other natural and/or synthetic rubber compounds, and other additives to customize the compound for more precise characterizations. In this case, our Technical Support and Service staff would work closely with the rubber product manufacturer to customize mize the compound for the exact specifications. Again, there will be opportunities for licensing the Green Rubber name, subject to quality standards and fee arrangements. Copyright ©2014 Green Rubber Group. All Rights Reserved | Disclaimer,
Timberland’s Road to Recovery Paved with Earthkeepers
Green Rubber blended compound
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Malacca Magazine fashion took its inevitable move someplace else, away from boots and bling toward skinny jeans and Converse sneakers, the company was caught unaware. Sales tanked, and the company’s stock suffered a comparable decline. Timberland is a pragmatic brand. It makes a working man’s boot designed for shoveling New Hampshire’s snow, not climbing Mt. Everest, not clubbing.
Thus, the story of how sustainability turned a brand around. Christmas was coming and the company was frantic to develop somethinganything- that would sell.
While the company has long engaged in sustainable practices (like offering employees 40 paid hours each year for community service activities), sustainable messaging has not been a part of their communication strategy, and it didn’t need to be until recently because sales were strong. Its products were adopted as the fashion statement of choice among hip-hop artists, and product sales boomed among urban populations.
It settled on the Earthkeeper, a boot with recycled content as their next new thing. Macy’s displayed it with big used tires and other neat recycled ware, and the thing actually sold pretty well. It was time for a change.
When sales are strong, a company often does not think to spend much time looking inward. When 20 | P a g e
From the sale of that first eco-shoe, Timberland has been on a journey to restructure the face of the company as well as the products it sells. It hasn’t all been chocolate and roses, as Mike Harrison, Chief Brand Officer at Timberland, shared with the audience during a keynote at
January 2015 Sustainable Brands and a follow up interview with Triple Pundit staff: Sustainability as a “gi “gift with purchase” Timberland’s biggest lesson is that its customers, despite being very interested in the recycled content of its products are not really keen to dive deep into sustainability when it gets time consuming. They want a solid, fashionable shoe at a good price, and if it has green components, that’s a bonus. Harrison estimates that 80-90% of Timberland’s consumers care mostly just about green rubber, recycled tires, and how much tree planting the company does, and don’t care to go too much more in depth than that. Timberland’s first forays into sustainable marketing, according to Harrison, came across as being earnest and preachy. The company experimented with ad campaigns like “tread lightly,” and “what kind of footprint will you leave” which we were big winners internally, but fell flat with customers. Timberland customers prefer a funny
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Malacca Magazine and feel-good ad like this one. Despite the fact that the majority of Timberland’s stakeholders are not hardcore greenies – Harrison is still mindful of the 10-20% that cares deeply. Timberland’s extensive CSR report and materials research is available for the activists and NGOs. They aren’t the bulk of Timberland consumers, but if they don’t like what they see, they will certainly be loud about it, it’s important to also be rigorous and appeal to them because they influence the other 80%.
January 2015
Previous campaigns about Darfur, which were areas of personal passion for Timberland employees, were met with confusion or suspicion by consumers. They didn’t get that it was purely altruistic- the right thing to do- and were worried that Timberland had interests in Darfur that they weren’t being straight up about
a lot of education for customers around re re-use, as the customer base is pretty attached to the concept of newness, and weary of wearing old shoes. Harrison seems up to the challenge of telling that story in a way that resonates with his customers.
The alignment of the brand with climate policy made perfect sense from a cause marketing point of view, and in turn the company was able to get traction with policy makers and the general public alike.
Press & Media enquiries
Contact ontact Us Contact Person Person: Stephan Francis Email: sf@greenrubbergroup.com
General enquiries Email: info@greenrubbergroup.com
Be transparent about commercial motives
What’s next?
General EEnquiries (US and Americas)
Harrison calls the Timberland approach “enlightened self interest” and says this resonates strongly with consumers. When Timberland joined BICEP and started speaking out in favor of an international climate deal during the COP15 talks, they were transparent about their motives. As a boot company, cold weather is good for its bottom line, and it was easy for the customers to understand and support their involvement.
Timberland has big plans to keep innovating on the sustainability of its products. The new Earthkeeper 2.0 is designed for recycling, with an embedded thread that aids quick disassembly with one tug. Harrison spoke dreamily about the possibility of incorporating take back programs for their boots, incentivizing customer recycling and creating refurbished shoes for resale. He acknowledged that this move will require
Contact Harris Email:
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Person Person,
Karen
kh@greenrubbergroup.com
Global sales or product enquiries Contact Nieto Email:
Person:
Steve
sn@greenru sn@greenrubbergroup.com
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Malacca Magazine
he
Quotes! Our monthly look at quotes by or about famous people that cover everything from attitudes and business to life in general We came up with this section to add some fun to your magazine. We’ve got quotes and who made them. We’ll leave you it up to you to decide if you would have expected that quote from that person. We have tried to draw from all forms of life, politics, media, business, entertainment, inspirational, moving, funny and stupid. Go to our web site to post your comments and views. So let’s start with the World’s Richest Man in most surveys, Bill Gates, Philanthropist and founder of Microsoft. “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and 22 | P a g e
motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” – Bill Gates
“I had e-mail in 1984! I had an e-mail address then, which means that all you could write to was Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. There were three of us, writing to each other” -
Said by Penn Jillette, Writer, about Bill Gates
“Geeks run the world. Condoleezza Rice is a geek, Bill Gates is clearly a geek, many of the big filmmakers and writers are geeks, and lots of military people are geeks. Anyone who has heard Donald Rumsfeld talk about military hardware knows they are in the presence of a geek.” -
Said by China Mieville, Entertainer
“Bill Gates can't control a high-level-energy dog, because his energy is very low, very calm. Very intellectual, a dog doesn't see that as leadership.”
January 2015 -
Cesar sar Millan, the Dog Whisperer
“We're the only species who follow unstable leaders. This is true - it has little to do with America - around the world, pack leaders are unstable. Animals don't follow that.” -
Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer
“Bottom line is, I didn't return to Apple to make a fortune. I've been very lucky in my life and already have one. When I was 25, my net worth was $100 million or so. I decided then that I wasn't going to let it ruin my life. There's no way you could ever spend it all, and I don't view wealth as something that validates my intelligence.” -
Steve Jobs, Co CoFounder of Apple
“If you're going to be wrong, be dramatically wrong.” -
Alan Hansen, Footballer & Television Presenter, who famously said about Manchester
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Malacca Magazine United, “You win nothing with Kids. They’ve got it wrong!” Of course, he was the one who got it wrong as they went on to complete a League and F.A. Cup Double in England, winning both competitions that year! “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity and I’m not sure about the universe.” - Albert Einstein, Scientist “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” -
Robert Frost, Writer
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
-
Mae West, Actress and Hollywood Star
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Stay - Dubai In our stay section we review a Hotel in our featured destination. This month we are in Dubai – visiting the Dubai Shangri La Hotel, centrally located on Sheik Zayed Road Shangri La Hotel, Sheik Zayed Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Shangri La Dubai is a superb modern hotel. It is centrally located, within about 10-15 minutes from Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Creek Golf Club, Emirates Golf Club and one of Dubai’s biggest attractions, the AlJumeirah complex with its hotels, souks, shops, waterways and great restaurants. Within walking distance you can find Johnny Rockets and a TGI Fridays if you need a change of pace from the hotels restaurants – all of which are very good.
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January 2015
Although in the centre of things, the Shangri La feels set apart from it all and the 4th floor outdoor pool is a showpiece that underlines this.
a smaller snugger bar than the lobby.
Being up above ground level reinforces this feeling as you stand up and look out over the Arabian Gulf shoreline in one direction and Dubai and the desert in the other.
A great place to unwind after a hard day in the office and nd enjoy an aperitif and a few hors d’oeuvres before dinner.
The hotel layout is a little different to normal and the lobby is approached from the rear of the hotel, rather than the main entrance when arriving by car or taxi. The lobby Lounge and the buffet restaurant, both located on the ground floor with the lobby are quite open and feel a little exposed.
The Hoi An Vietnamese Banana Pancake The Shang Palace Chinese and Hoi An Vietnamese restaurants are located on the first floor – along with
One of my favourite things about the Shangri La is the Horizon Club Club.
Each restaurant offers a selection to the club in rotation each day, so there is always something different to try, even if you are there for a week. From 6 pm daily there are a complimentary selection of wines, cocktails, beers and soft drinks available and throughout the day tea, ea, coffee and soft drinks. The Guest Rooms are excellent, Modern, large, nicely furnished and with every amenity. I have also stayed in the suites there and these too are excellent, with a separate bathroom, dressing area, lounge and dining table with a sideboard and an additional powder room for any guests you may have. In room dining is extensive and of the high quality you expect from the Shangri
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Malacca Magazine La. The service is impeccable an it makes In Room Dining an option. Usually, I don’t like to eat in my room, but here I am always tempted.
– an Italian restaurant and the Waves Buffet, both excellent. For the traveller with a decent budget, I would highly recommend the Shangri La – in fact any Shangri La – as they are without question one of the top chain hotels in the world.
Shangri La Deluxe Room The Hotel restaurants are of a high standard and I had two fantastic meals in the Hoi An restaurant, including a marinated chicken that lives long in the memory. My experience of the Shang Palace was a little less encouraging, with one good meal and one bad one – I also got bad service. Not something that has happened to me before at a Shang Palace. I have eaten a lot of times in Shang Palaces around the world and that was my only bad experience – which I must say – the hotel more than made up for the next night.
One more tip, when you register ask to join the Golden Circle. This is their loyalty programme and if you stay regularly with them you will get lots of perks, benefits and preferential treatment, such as In Room Check-in, Complimentary use of the Horizon Club, a big perk, complementary laundry and buffet breakfasts included for free.
Other restaurants at the Hotel include Don Alfonso 25 | P a g e
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Travel - Dubai Our travel section deals with a different destination every month, featuring hot destinations, how to get there, where to stay, play and eat, as well as what to do whilst you are there. This month, to help you get over the winter blues we are featuring that perennial favourite in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai. What can you say about Dubai, because there is so much to say, see, do and take in! To help you out we have split this into sections, including Dubai 36 Hours, Dubai Restaurants and What to Do – Dubai Attractions. I first went there in 1994, 20 years ago and it was, to me, a great place, accessible, but still with an Arabian feel that made it different to almost all other destinations. Since then, the Emirate has exploded and grown into something entirely different.
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January 2015
It is, without doubt, one of the world’s top destinations and rightly so. I feel that the growth has changed it beyond recognition and that it has lost something in the process, but this has been made up for in lots of other ways.
Thai, American, European, African and world cuisine. Madinat Jumeirah is home to an exceptional range of choices and includes fantastic steakhouses, Indian food and Thai restaurants in one location – oh, there is also more shopping!
Great weather, Golf, Activities, Hotels, great restaurants, tons of attractions, some of the best shopping and a ski slope! It also has Abu Dhabi within an hours’ drive and all of its attractions, including the Formula One Grand Prix.
Why go now?
Dubai hosts a round of the World Rugby Sevens and many other world class sporting, business and cultural events. There is no doubt that Dubai can be a rich man’s playground, but it is also much more than that. There are lots of bargains to be had alongside the luxury items and restaurants. There is also something for everyone, with a vast choice of eating options and cuisines ranging from Arabic, Indian, Chinese,
It’s winter in Dubai, and it’s wonderful. While parts of the northern hemisphere freeze, in Dubai it’s a balmy average of 77F (25C). Much to most visitors’ dismay, winter is high season in Dubai, not summer, when it’s sweltering and temperatures can reach 122F (50C). Locals and expats hibernate under the air-conditioning conditioning then, whereas now everyone is outdoors and Dubai takes on a festive ve spirit. Winter means you can still work on your tan and swim in the Arabian Sea, but when you’re bored with the beach, you can do something the heat prevents for the rest of the year – you can walk.
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Malacca Magazine Winter is events time, and it is no surprise, given Dubai’s preoccupation with everything retail, that the season starts with Dubai Shopping Festival and month-long sales.
23) and men’s (February 25 to March 2) tournaments, before the world’s richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup (dubaiworldcup.com; March 31) concludes the season. Getting there
There are other events worth making the trip for. The Dubai Marathon (dubaimarathon.org; January 25), a 10km road race and 3km fun run, proves it’s not only possible to walk here, you can run. Golfing legends enjoy blue skies during the Dubai Desert Classic (dubaidesertclassic.com) January 28 to February 3). On Festival Park’s lawns, Dubai Jazz Festival (dubaijazzfest.com; February 14 to 22) has eclectic musical acts. The world’s best compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships under the stars (dubaidutyfreetennischam pionships.com) in women’s (February 18 to 27 | P a g e
British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) and Emirates (0870 243 2222; emirates.com) fly direct from all London airports (in eight hours). Qatar Airways (0870 770 4215; qatarairways.com) flies via Doha to Dubai, and Etihad (020 8759 2111; etihadairways.com) flies to Abu Dhabi, a one-hour drive away. Where to stay Special treat: One of Dubai’s most luxurious resorts, the One & Only Royal Mirage has sumptuous décor and a marvellous beach. Very romantic. Doubles from £175. Mid-range: Stunningly designed in a contemporary Arabian style, Al Manzil is a comfortable four-star hotel for travellers who want Middle Eastern
January 2015 atmosphere with Dirham’s left over for shopping. Doubles from £117. On a budget: The intimate Orient Guest House boutique hotel offers an experience more akin to a B&B, as well as a rare chance to sleep in a traditional wind tower residencee in the old Persian neighbourhood. Doubles from £70. Prices are for room only On arrival Make a beeline for the world’s tallest building, 825m-high high Burj Khalifa (burjkhalifa.ae burjkhalifa.ae AED100/£17; book ahead online) to savour breathtaking Dubai vistas from the he 124th 124th-floor observation deck. A brilliant way to get your bearings. Once back down at ground level, watch the world’s largest dancing fountain shoot water jets 500 feet in sync with classical music on Burj Khalifa Lake. Then walk for about 15 minutes around the manmade lake by Dubai Mall to the Oriental Oriental-style Ewaan Lounge (theaddress.com theaddress.com) to
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Malacca Magazine recline on cushions in a private poolside cabana under palm trees lit with fairy lights. Feast on Arabic mezze and grilled meats served on bronze trays, and puff on aromatic sheesha as you listen to loud music.
36 Hours in Dubai Day one 7am Take a splash in the Arabian Sea at one of Dubai’s pristine public beaches. They have more atmosphere than the sterile hotel beaches. Umm Suqeim, adjoining Jumeirah Beach Hotel, is an expat favourite with fantastic views of Burj Al Arab. 9am From Jumeirah, take a bus or taxi to “old” Dubai, centered along Dubai Creek. Public abras (small 28 | P a g e
wooden taxi boats) crisscross the creek but it’s more fun to explore in your own boat hired from the abra station near Bait Al Wakeel (£20 for 60 minutes). 10am Alight on the Deira side to stroll the dhow wharves, where the traditional boats load goods bound for ports around the peninsula. It’s fascinating to survey the cargo – from colossal flat-screen televisions to small cars – and peek on board, so don’t refuse an invitation.
January 2015 Skip a restaurant in favour of a food tour with Arva Ahmed of Frying Pan Adventures (fryingpanadventures.com fryingpanadventures.com ). As you taste everything from Yemeni to Ethiopian cuisine, Arva’s four four-hour walking tours take you to Dubai neighbourhoods where tourists rarely venture. 5pm
11am
During winter, Dubai’s parks are packed with locals. Families and friends walk, play backgammon, kick a football, and turn skewers of meat on portable barbecues.
The creek side Spice Souk stalls long ago succumbed to tourism, replacing jute sacks of spices with souvenirs.
Saunter along the water’s edge at Creek side Park, between Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud Bridges, to take in the atmosphere.
But you can still get a feel for old Arabia at the restored Heritage House and Al Ahmadiya School, with their airy courtyards. Afterwards, wander round the corner to the Gold Souq to gawk at the glittering jewellery store displays.
Travellers ellers on a budget should go to a supermarket, buy Arabic bread, tubs of dips like hummus and salads such as fatoush, and head to a park, such as Creek side.
12.30pm
6.30pm Indulge in an outdoor spa treatment in the lush
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Malacca Magazine gardens at Talise Spa (Madinat Jumeirah; £87). If it’s a full moon, they offer yoga (£16) on the beach by moonlight. 8.30pm Dine on superb seafood at a table overlooking sailshaped Burj Al Arab at Pierchic (jumeirah.com; £85 for two), a restaurant at the end of a pier looking out towards the fairy-tale Madinat Jumeirah.
10am Keen to see Dubai from all vantage points? Book a 40minute flight on a seaplane with Seawings (seawings.ae about £230). Flying over the Burj Dubai and Burj Al Khalifa is a great ending to a Dubai trip.
A traditional water taxi with the modern backdrop of Dubai Camel on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai Day two 4am You’ll need to rise early for the drive out to the desert for a sunrise balloon ride over the sand dunes with Balloon Adventures (ballooning.ae) around £170, including transportation to take-off, but it’s worth it. Floating over apricot and peach coloured dunes as the sun rises is nothing short of sublime. 29 | P a g e
January 2015
Noon Pick up affordable local art at a contemporary gallery in the art district of Al Quoz. Alserkal Avenue (alserkalavenue.com) is a new arts complex housing 10 of Dubai’s best galleries, such as Ayyam and Gallery Isabelle Van Den Eynde.
Dubai restaurants
Eating out is one of the real delights of visiting Dubai and there are restaurants to suit all tastes, styles and budgets. Locals eat late. If you reserve a table before 8pm, you’ll be eating only with other tourists; expats eat around 9pm, and Arabs from 10pm onwards.
£££ Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire If you only have one outrageously expensive gastronomic stronomic extravaganza in Dubai, make it a tasting menu at this gorgeous fine-diner diner presided over by French Michelin Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire Gagnaire. Trust us, this will be a meal to remember, as great as any you’ll have in Paris or London. Address: InterContinental Dubai Festival City, Dubai
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Malacca Magazine Festival
City,
Deira
Contact: 00 971 4 701 1199; ichotelsgroup.com Prices: suggestions of the Chef (terrace only; from 6.30pm) including tapas, main, sweets and glass of bubbly for AED310 (£50); Dinner around AED 1,000 (about £160) Opening times: Mon-Fri from 7pm-late
Address: One&Only Royal Mirage, Al Sufouh Rd, Jumeirah
Prices: Mezze and mixed grill around AED400 (£65)
Prices: dinner AED500 (£80)
Opening times: 7.30pm-3am 3am
around
Opening times: Tue-Sun, 7pm-11.30pm
Reservations: for weekends eekends
Reservations: advisable
Payment accepted
Payment accepted
Payment accepted
££
cards
type:
This is the restaurant to go to for one of those Arabian Nights experiences, although of course it’s not Arabian, but Moroccan. And it’s very fine Moroccan cuisine indeed, served up in a sumptuous Moroccan-style room by friendly waiters who spontaneously start clapping and drumming along with the lively Moroccan band.
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daily,
advisable
type:
cards
cards
£ Almaz by Momo
Awtar Tagine
Contact: 00 971 4 317 2222; dubai.grand.hyatt.com
Contact: 00 971 4 399 9999; oneandonlyresorts.com
Reservations: essential; book a table after you book your flight type:
January 2015
It may not be the most fashionable Arabic restaurant in Dubai, but this local institution is a long-standing favourite of Dubai’s affluent Arab expats and is the place to head for the quintessential Arab night out – that means a 10pm start (at the earliest), a neverending feast of Lebanese mezze and grilled meats, a live Arabic band, and belly dancers. Address: Grand Dubai Creek
One of the best shopping shoppingmall eateries, this casual place serves up tasty Maghrebi cuisine in a chic space. There’s an atmospheric sheesha café, a corner selling TT-shirts, books and kitschy kitschy-cool souvenirs for the hipsters, plus an elegant fine fine-dining restaurant attached. No alcohol is served, but delicious mocktails are on offer. Address: Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road
Hyatt, Contact: 00 971 4 409
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Malacca Magazine 8877; mallofthemirates.com
popular, quick and informal restaurants.
Prices: lunch/dinner AED200-350 (£33-57); Saturday brunch (noon4pm) AED90 (£15)
Address: Emirates Towers, Sheikh Zayed Road and Madinat Jumeirah
Opening 9am-2am
times:
daily,
Contact: 00 971 4 319 8088 (although no phone bookings accepted) thenoodlehouse.com
Reservations: no Payment accepted
type:
cards
Prices: AED180-290 (£3046) Opening times: daily, 12 noon-midnight
January 2015 and a great place to while away an hour or two in this part of town. Address: Al-Fahidi Street, Bastakiya Contact: 00 971 4 353 5071; arabianteahouse.co arabianteahouse.com Prices: AED70 AED70-110 (£1118) Opening times: 8am-10pm 10pm
daily,
Reservations: no Reservations: rock up to the restaurant and leave your name on the list if they’re busy Almaz by Momo is a casual place serving up tasty Maghrebi cuisine in a chic space
Payment accepted
Noodle House
This lovely tea house in the breezy courtyard of a splendid old wind-tower building in Dubai’s Persian quarter does delicious traditional Arabian breakfasts, big salads, sandwiches and wraps, and freshly squeezed juices and of course, a wide range of teas.
This casual Asian eatery (now being franchised successfully across the Middle East) is like Wagamama, only better. Busy open kitchens, communal tables, tasty South-east Asian food, Asian beers and good affordable wines by the glass all work to make this one of Dubai’s most 31 | P a g e
type:
cards
Arabian Tea House
Try the thirst-quenching Basta Special (mint and lime juice). Great value
Payment type: cash only Many restaurants have special deals for lunch and quiet weeknights, such as set menus or all all-you-caneat buffets. Friday all all-youcan-eat eat brunches with free-flowing flowing bubbly or cheap booze are popular – albeit dangerous (you heard about the “sex on the beach” scandal, right?). A succulent lamb or garlic garlicladen chicken shwarma (like a mini doner kebab, from a shwarma stand) and a freshly squeezed mango juice make a cheap, tasty snack for just a couple of pounds (around AED20/£3 AED20/£3).
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Malacca Magazine A popular local spot to pull up a plastic chair and stuff yourself with shwarma as you watch the world go by is Ashwaq (Cnr Al Soor and Sikkat al-Khail Streets, Deira; 10am-well after midnight) near the Gold Souq. Good restaurants require smart casual wear while fine-dining establishments expect guests to dress up. For men, at the very least a smart suit jacket is expected, although a tie is optional. Emiratis wear their best dishdashas and abayas, while expats go glam.
What To Do - Dubai attractions
to soak up Arabian culture – in style. Dubai from above There is no better way to take in Dubai and its audacious initiatives than from the air. Take a slow flight along the spectacular coast on a seaplane with Seawings (seawings.ae) or a more dramatic one from a helicopter with Heli Dubai (helidubai.com) or Alpha Tours (alphatoursdubai.com). Aerial spectacles include the sail-shaped seven-star Burj Al Arab, surreal manmade island developments such as The Palms and The World, the skyscrapers of Sheikh Zayed Road, and the world’s tallest tower building – Burj Khalifa – with its head in the clouds. Prices for flights vary; check websites for details. Dubai Museum
Many visitors come to Dubai and spend most of their time in shopping malls. While Dubai’s are more sumptuous than most, there are shopping malls all over the world. What makes a visit to Dubai special is the chance 32 | P a g e
Step back in time to appreciate Dubai’s history (and escape the heat) at this air-conditioned museum beneath the splendid Al Fahidi Fort – Dubai’s oldest building, constructed in 1787.
January 2015 Dubai was settled way back in the Bronze Age, with fine alabaster objects dating from 3,000BC to prove it. You can also check out the first written reference to the sleepy py fishing village and trading port, penned in 1580 by Venetian jeweller Gasparo Balbi who passed through seeking pearls. Or trust me on this and simply enjoy wandering among the kitsch exhibits, including life life-size dioramas and costumed mannequins. Address: Al-Fahidi Street, Bur Dubai Contact: 00 971 4 353 1862; definitelydubai.com Opening times: Sat-Thur, 8.30am-8.30pm; 8.30pm; Fri, 2.30pm-8.30pm 8.30pm Admission: AED3 adults, AED1 children Bastakiya Dubai’s oldest buildings are in the atmospheric Persian quarte quarter called Bastakiya, a five-minute mosey from Dubai Museum.
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Malacca Magazine Dubai has very few historic buildings because the Bedouin were nomads who erected goat-hair tents when they wanted to set up home, while the pearl divers and fishermen lived in flimsy barasti (palm-frond huts) along Dubai Creek. The first to construct solid buildings were Persian merchants from Bastak, southern Iran, who built these handsome homes boasting barjeel (wind towers, an early form of air conditioning) from gypsum, coral and sand. Crumbling until the government rescued them a decade ago, many have been reconstructed, and are now home to art galleries, cafés and boutique hotels. In the cooler winter months, the quarter hosts markets in its narrow alleys. Sheikh Mohamed Centre for Cultural Understanding
expats to Islam Emirati culture.
and
It offers walking tours of Bastakiya, Arabic classes, Jumeirah Mosque tours (including a demonstration of ablutions and prayer, and a Q&A session on Islam; Sat, Sun, Tue and Thur, 10am) and an Emirati feast and introduction to local traditions and ways of life at its regular Cultural Breakfasts (Mon and Wed, 10am) and Lunches (Sun and Tue, 1pm). Address: House 26, Al Mussalah Road, Bastakiya Quarter, Bur Dubai Contact: 00 971 4 353 6666; Opening times: Sun-Thur 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm Admission: no entry fee, but costs for activities vary; check website for details Bur Dubai Textile Souk and Shindagha
January 2015 oldest part of Dubai and site of the early fishing village. While geographical geographically it seems logical to head here after your visit to Dubai Museum, it’s more fun in the evening when it’s considerably cooler and the locals come to bargain at the souq, power power-walk along the waterside, and – during winter and Ramadan especially – enjoy act activities such as rifle-throwing throwing contests and traditional song and dance at the Heritage and Diving Village. During the day, Shindagha is deserted apart from tour groups. The Shindagha waterfront is also an enchanting spot to try some fragrant sheesha or tuck ck into Arabic mezze (try KanZaman, next to the Village) while you watch the fairy-lit lit dhows cruise along the Creek. Heritage Village
and
Diving
(00 971 4 393 7139) Located in an elegant old two-storey courtyard residence, this excellent centre does a terrific job of introducing visitors and
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A five-minute stroll from Dubai Museum is the breezy Bur Dubai Textile Souq, and a further 10minute walk along the waterfront, Shindagha, the
Open: Sat Sat-Thur, 8.30am10pm; Fri, 3.30pm 3.30pm-10pm. Visiting hours during Ramadan: Sat-Thur, 9am-
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Malacca Magazine 2pm and 8.30pmmidnight; Fri, 8.30pmmidnight. Free admission.
During Ramadan, shops close for longer during the day, open after the evening prayer, and stay open until midnight.
Deira Souks If you’ve been visiting Dubai Museum, Bastakiya and Shindagha, it’s convenient to hop on an abra (small wooden boat) to visit the Deira side and the chaotic, ramshackle souks for which Dubai is famous.
Al-Ahmadiya School and Heritage House
Briefly stop by the Spice Souq for the architecture – sadly, in recent years most of the spice shops have given way to stalls selling souvenirs, trinkets and toys – then get lost in the narrow lanes on your way to the Gold Souq.
Al-Ahmadiya, built in the 1890s, was Dubai’s first school and is now an absorbing museum of education. Heritage House, once the residence of a pearling merchant, also dates from the 1890s, and has a lovely courtyard and an array of rooms decorated in period style with more life-size costumed mannequins.
There you can gawp at the glittering displays of jewellery in the shop windows. Gold is not the bargain it once was, but the atmosphere is unbeatable. Open Sat-Thur, 9am-12 noon and 5pm-10pm; Fri, 5pm-10pm. Note that these times are approximate, so give or take 30-60 minutes depending on the individual business. 34 | P a g e
A few minutes’ walk from the Gold Souq in Al Ras area are two small but interesting museums set in splendid, adjoining old courtyard buildings.
Contact: 00 971 4 226 0286 Opening times: Sat-Thur, 8.30am-8.30pm; Fri, 2pm8.30pm Admission: free
January 2015 Jumeirah The well well-off, low-rise suburbs that sprawl along the beach all the way from the dilapidated neighbourhood of Satwa come under the umbrella of Jumeirah Jumeirah. Jumeirah is actually sub sub-divided into the neighbour neighbourhoods of Jumeirah 1, 2, 3, Umm Suqeim, and so on, but as a visitor you don’t need to worry yourself with this. You can drive, cab it, or take a bus along the long stretch in 30-40 minutes depending on traffic. Don’t even think about walking, especially in summer, or you’ll find yourself at one of the myriad doctor’s clinics or small private hospitals on the way. The area features low low-rise villas with luxuriant gardens and enormous sheikh’s palaces hidden behind high walls. Jumeirah is best visited in the morning, when you can begin with a Jumeirah Mosque tour (book through the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding above), before beach beachhopping. There are small
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Malacca Magazine malls with cafés and restaurants on the way.
Dubai’s beaches Dubai boasts some brilliant beaches, which is why most visitors to the city check into a five-star resort with its own private stretch of squeaky white sand, where you can pull up a sun bed within splashing distance of the aquamarine sea. The water is nice and warm too. If your budget doesn’t stretch that far, after you’ve visited Jumeirah Mosque (above), stroll across the road to dip your toes into the Arabian Sea at Open Beach (aka Russian Beach), which attracts the full crosssection of Dubai’s society along with busloads of Russian tourists. Jump on a bus to Umm Suqeim – a lovely public beach popular with expat families – for a swim and stunning views of Burj Al Arab (which make it popular for photo ops too).
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January 2015
Madinat Jumeirah
Burj Khalifa
Dozens of shopping malls have appeared since Madinat Jumeirah opened, including the opulent Mall of the Emirates to the monumental Dubai Mall, but this is still one of my favourites.
The world’s tallest building is indeed a sight to behold, and while you can visit the 'At the Top' Observation Deck (average visits last 60-90 90 minutes, however you can stay as long as you like) at the top for magnificent views over Dubai, and you can admire the shimmering tower from the cafés on the deck outside Dubai Mall, the most spectacular views of all are from swanky Neos, a stylish cocktail bar at the top of The Address hotel opposite.
A contemporary reincarnation of a mythical old Arabian city, it has beautiful architecture and none of the bustle of the bigger malls, making it a pleasant low-key place to shop. There is quality shopping – everything from designer brands to carpet shops, as well as myriad eating and drinking opportunities, from coffee shops to Moroccan, Arabic, Asian and Italian restaurants, as well as rowdy pubs and chic bars. Everywhere you look, you’re gazing across manmade canals and waterways to Burj Al Arab. There’s also a good theatre. Shops open daily 10am-10pm; restaurant and bar times vary and should be checked with individual restaurants.
Call ahead and book a table by the window so you can also take in the dancing fountain show way down below. Sounds silly, but it’s worth it. Call ahead and book a table by the window so you can also take in the dancing fountain show way down below. Sounds silly, but it’s worth it. Address: Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, 1 Emaar Boulevard, Downtown Dubai Contact: 00 971 4 888 8888/8124; burjkhalifa.ae
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Malacca Magazine Opening times: Sun-Wed, 9am-midnight; Thur 8.30am-midnight, Fri-Sat, 4.30am-midnight (ticket sales stop 45 minutes before closure) Admission: AED125 (£22.48) (adults and AED95 (£17.08) children between ages 4 to 12 for a dated and timed general admission and AED400 (£71.93) adults and children for an Immediate Entry ticket which can be purchased upon arrival. Children under 4 years old can go for free day trips. Desert escapes Save some dirham’s to spend a night or two (three if the budget allows) at a luxurious desert retreat such as Bab Al Shams or Al Maha, A Luxury Collection Desert Resort & Spa, where the Arabian atmosphere and desert scenery is second to none. A stay at one of these resorts means you can skip the popular but very touristy desert safaris, and do them in style at Bab Al Shams or Al Maha instead.
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I’m talking desert drives, camel rides, falconry shows, henna tattoos, Arabic feasts, and perhaps a belly dancer or two. At the eco-friendly Al Maha, part of the Dubai Desert Conservation Area, you can also see rare Arabian wildlife. Al Ain
January 2015 Wear lightweight cotton and linen clothing to stay cool, but dress modestly to respect local customs – i.e.,, women should wear skirts to the knees, sle sleeves to the elbows and no low lowcut tops. Men should leave their shorts at the hotel and wear long trousers – or the locals will think they’re naked.
Hire a car for a drive out to the oasis town of Al Ain for a night or two. Significantly more low-key and laidback than Dubai, Al Ain is home to some wonderful forts, tranquil date-palm oases, an oldfashioned but interesting Archaeological Museum, a very good zoo, and small but fascinating souks. It’s worlds away from Dubai; fans of Al Ain say this is the real UAE.
Take a sweater, cardigan or jacket for restaurants and malls, which can get icy cy due to the air conditioning.
Avoid walking anywhere in the middle of the day when locals stay out of the heat and head home for lunch and a rest. The souks and many shops not located in malls close from noon to around 5pm. Plan to sightsee in the morning, lunch from noon onwards, and spend the afternoon by the swimming pool, heading out again around 5pm.
It’s t’s possible to stay out for longer than a few hours without passing out, iit’s still till warm enough to work on your tan by the hotel swimming pool, yet cool enough in the evening to warrant throwing a pashmina around your shoulders.
Events vents and festivals 2014 201415 The winter period, from December through March, is when most festivals and events are held in Dub Dubai, as the weather is loveliest.
Unlike winter in Europe when everyone hibernates, this is when
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January 2015
locals and expats are out and about in Dubai and the city is at its most vibrant.
Dubai International Film Festival
On weekends there will be cricket matches on empty lots and family picnics and barbecues in the parks.
Over a decade old, this superb film festival provides a rare chance to see films from the Emirates and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, along with more interesting independent films from Western countries – as well as provide opportunities to bump into A-list actors and celebrities, including regulars like Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere.
The most popular pavilions are alway always those from Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where you can buy wonderful jewellery, vibrant textiles and distinctive crafts.
Unfortunately winter is also high season in Dubai. Hotels can fill to 100% occupancy and prices raise accordingly so either book ahead or look for last minute deals. Dubai Shopping Festivals June – September (summer edition) January – February (winter edition) Could there be a more quintessentially Dubai event? Expect bargains to be had at sales all over city at thousands of participating retail outlets across the city, along with nightly fireworks, performances, concerts, fashion shows, sporting events, and raffles, with daily prizes including luxury cars, gold and cash. Admission: free Contact: mydsf.com
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10-17 December 2014
Admission: varies, see site Contact: dubaifilmfest.com
Admission: AED15 (£2.50) Contact: globalvillage.ae
Dubai Marathon 23 January 2015 Consistently won by the Ethiopians – they made a clean sweep of the medals in 2014 – Dubai Marathon attracts an outstanding mix of runners from around the world for some of the world’s biggest prize money and one of its flattest courses.
Global Village
Admission: free
2015 dates TBC
Contact: dubaimarathon.o rg
Global Village is like a cross between an amusement park, food fair and World Expo, with 30 pavilions from 65 different countries selling local produce and handicrafts, and nightly cultural performances and from around the world.
Dubai Desert Cl Classic 26 January – 1 February 2015 In its 25th year the Dubai Desert Classic began when the European Tour arrived in the Middle East for the
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Malacca Magazine first time. All former champions attended the 2014 event, including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Fred Couples, delighting golfing fans.
the sports best athletes, with Roger Federer (a part-time Dubai resident) dominating the men’s singles for some years. Admission: varies; see site
Admission: varies; see site Contact: dubaidesertclassi c.com
Contact: dubaitennischam pionships.com dubaidutyfreetennischam pionships.com
Dubai Food Festival 2015 dates TBC Featuring food from over 200 cuisines and events, dinners, classes, food tours, and activities held right across the city, this young festival has quickly proven to be one of the Dubai’s most popular. Admission: varies; see site Contact: dubaievents.ae
Dubai Tennis Championships 2015 dates TBC Held each winter on outdoor courts and featuring professional men’s and women’s tournaments, the event has long attracted some of 38 | P a g e
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Eat!
Manila Telephone: +632
Our Wine & Dine Section covers reviews of restaurants, their food, service, ambience and value for money. They are not paid for and so reflect our honest opinion of their quality. To give us your comments, suggestions or recommendations for future reviews, please email us at tangsmediamagazineeat @yahoo.com. This month we are focusing on Manila and Singapore, featuring Thai, Chinese, Buffet and American restaurants.
Opening Hours: Confirm with the restaurant Reservations: Confirm with the restaurant Website //http:www.peoplespalace thai.com
Our Rating:
January 2015 bar - open to the restaurant - and an outdoor bar where you can relax whilst waiting for a table, or order food and eat al fresco. Compared to restaurants in other city locations, Peoples Palace offers great value for money and a varied menu. Service from the orange shirted staff is aalways pretty quick, if sometimes a little sterile and the menu offers a fair range of options. Drinks list is unusual, with a good choice of smoothies and juices.
8.5/10 Pricing: $-$$ per head (compared to other restaurants in this area)
All in all a top rated restaurant that you must try if you like Thai food! Must Try!
Peoples Palace Thai
Greenbelt 3 Makati 39 | P a g e
In our opinion, the best Thai restaurant in Manila, the Peoples Palace offers fresh modern flavours in a comfortable, modern and refreshing atmosphere. Strangely, the owner and chef originated from Scotland in the UK and settled in Manila and decided to open a Modern Thai Restaurant, decidedly different to the Royal Cuisine usually offered. Always busy, the restaurant offers an inside
Appetizer
Shrimp & Spring Rolls
Coriander
Succulent, juicy and packed from end to end with shrimp, Coriander (Cilantro) and
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Malacca Magazine accompanied with really good dipping sauces
Penaeng Curry of Beef
January 2015 Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant
Main Courses
Whole fried fish of the day
Fried until crispy on the outside but still with moist flesh on the inside this whole grouper is great to share and comes with a tangy dipping sauce that adds another depth of flavour!
Tender chunks of beef, in a thick creamy coconut curry sauce with just the right amount of spice make this either a great lunch or dinner choice! Shangri La Hotel Makati Manila
Side Dish
Morning Glory Opening Hours: Contact Hotel
Thai Red Curry with Duck & Cherry Tomato
Reservations: +632 Website:: la.com
Moist and tender slices of duck breast - cooked to medium - combined with sweet cherry tomatoes, long green beans and fried basil leaves, make a great red curry, served in a rich sauce with a spicy note that does not overpower!
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A very flavourful vegetable dish, made with water spinach, tiny cubes of marinated, crisply fried belly pork, yellow bean paste and red chili give this dish a sweet, spicy flavour that leaves you wanting more! Really, a must try dish. Jasmine rice is served at extra cost, but seems to be unlimited if you say yes!
www.shangri www.shangri-
Our Rating:
9.2/10
Pricing: $$ $$-$$$ per head Category: Chinese Restaurant/Hotel Restaurant
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Malacca Magazine Undoubtedly, in our opinion, the best Chinese restaurant in Manila, the Shang Palace offers mostly Cantonese style Chinese cooking in a restaurant that, although large, offers an intimate and relaxing environment that adapts equally well to corporate entertaining and hotel residents. The restaurant is upscale in its decor and feel, with a menu that is comprehensive in its breadth. There is also a wide choice on the wine list and drinks menu and lots of Dim Sum The service level is as exemplary as it is throughout the rest of the hotel, being warm, welcoming and attentive without being intrusive.
in Manila! The only thing I haven't forgiven them for is taking the Sweet Pork Cutlets off the menu in the restaurant and in room service! I need to ask for the recipe sometime. Must Try!
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a new twist to a classic dish. The sweet and sour is not too sweet and has the right amount of sour to balance the dish dish- with the walnuts providing an added texture and taste profile, alongside the other traditional - and still crunchy vegetables
Appetizer
Pan Fried Dumplings Tender pork, or shrimp morsels wrapped in wanton wrappers that are pan fried to virtually crisp on the outside, but with some softness and bite left. Accompanied by sweet and savoury dipping sauces to develop the palate, these are just one of a line-up of dim sum for which Shang Palace has a great reputation for. Main Courses
Sweet & Sour Pork with Candied Walnuts
If you like Chinese food, then Shang Palace, Makati is the place for you particularly if you are prepared to spend a little more than you would at other Chinese restaurants
January 2015
This favourite is greatly enhanced by the addition of sweet and crunchy candied walnuts, bringing
Crispy Fried Chicken
Gently marinated chicken fried until the skin is crispy, but the meat moist and tender make this simple dish a winner
Yangchow Fried Rice Shang Palace portions are quite large and the Yangchow rice is no exception. Tender free freeflowing grains of rice, mixed with lots of vegetables, egg, onion, seasoning, shrimp, pork and ham make this a winning combination. A large portion should be enough for 33-4 people!
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Malacca Magazine Circles Event CafĂŠ Buffet Restaurant
Shangri La Hotel Makati Manila
Opening Hours: Contact the hotel Reservations: +632 Website: la.com
www.shangri-
indeed. Circles Event Cafe is one of these rarities. As the Breakfast and all day dining restaurant for the hotel, Circles is by far the biggest food and beverage outlet and so lacks the intimacy and warmth of other outlets in the hotel, but it is still a comforting and welcoming environment that has the same exemplary standards as the rest of the hotel. The one price and eat all you want tariff offers good value for money, especially now the wine buffet has been extended into Circles from the lobby lounge.
Our Rating:
Food Selection
8.6/10 Pricing: $$-$$$ per head
Let me begin by saying that I am not a fan of buffet restaurants, so one that can convert me is rare 42 | P a g e
The buffet is arranged into separate stations and is collected on a self service basis from the staff on duty at each section. Waiting staff are responsible only for clearing tables and offering drinks.
January 2015 items, local foods are well represented as are Indian foods, dim sum and Chinese favourites such as roast duck and roast chicken.
Carving Station
My own favourite is the meat counter which offers roast rib of beef and roast lamb alongside a selection of grilled ed and barbeque meats. There is also pizza for those who need a fix! Next to this is a dessert station, groaning with patisserie, pastries and others baked in in-house by the kitchens own bakery and a more conventional selection for those with a sweet tooth! th!
Home Baked Breads & Imported Cheeses
The buffet selection is massive, offering a sushi and sashimi station, seafood and shellfish including oysters, clams and mussels, a salad station featuring over 20 Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine Opposite this there is a cheese and bread station offering more than 20 different cheeses and a selection of 5 or more home baked breads and rolls. What I love about Circles are the high quality meats, the selection of imported cheeses and the fresh bread.
Reservations:
All of these things are expensive in Manila and eating them makes sure you get value for money. Just go there hungry and if you have kids take them. They are sure to enjoy the event too!!
Pricing: $$-$$$ per head
Hard Rock Café (USA)
Web: http://www.hardrock.com Our Rating:
8.6/10
Hard Rock has been offering its mix of simple American favourites, rock music and chutzpah since it opened its first restaurant in London in 1971. In more than 40 years it has seen off all-comers such as TGI Friday's, Chili's and Outback - all very successful in their own right - to remain the preeminent brand in this area, with 175 locations in 55 countries and a scope of operations that now includes restaurants, casinos, hotels and golf courses.
Cuscaden Road Singapore Opening Hours: Contact the restaurant
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January 2015 Part of the joy of travel is the discovery of new things, but what makes the success of international chains is the provision of products that appeal across cultural divides and give travellers the chance to enjoy the comforts of familiarity and knowing what to expect. In this respect Hard Rock pretty much always seems to deliver. All the outlets have the same comfortable ambience, with music, both live and classic and similar drinks lists and menu items. There are one or two menu changes - or additions - in each location. I have eaten in many Hard Rock Cafes over the years – in the USA, Europe, Middle East and Asia and have rarely been disappointed! In the Penang Hard Rock Cafe - adjacent to the hotel resort - I ate one of the nicest club sandwiches I ever had from a chain restaurant - a California Club made with the usual ingredients, plus a creamy lemon mayo and ripe avocado slices.
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Malacca Magazine In Singapore, I found the Chili Crab Dip, which was unlike anything else and quickly became one of our favourites. Must Try!
Chilli Crab Dip
Thick, creamy and zingy, served with warm Chinese bread buns or tortilla chips, this was a great bonus find.
Chicken Fajitas Marinated grilled chicken and onion, served with warm tortillas, fresh lime, lettuce, pico de gallo, thick sour cream and a mixture of shredded cheeses hits the spot!
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Play Our Play section deals mostly, with the game of Golf, and offers tips, instruction, golf course, equipment and resort reviews. This month we are featuring Pebble Beach Lodge and Golf Links near Carmel by the Sea on the Monterey Peninsula, in California USA.
Pebble Beach Lodge and Golf Links It’s certainly not easy or cheap to play here – the best way is to book a room in the hotel then you can make golf reservations at Pebble, Spyglass and Spanish Bay, the courses that feature in the AT & T Pro-Am each year - but it’s well worth it, if you are prepared to or you can afford to part with more than $400 for a game of golf. As always, how many sports give you the opportunity to play on and walk the same ground as 45 | P a g e
sporting heroes like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan or Arnold Palmer. Imagine trying to get a game of football at Wembley, Anfield or The Bernabeu, or a game of Rugby at Twickenham, Murrayfield or Lansdowne Road. Remember the beauty of that next time you get the chance to play at St. Andrews, Carnoustie or Merion. “Pebble” – as it is simply known to many golfers – has iconic status and as well as its’ annual staging of the AT & T Pro-Am on the USPGA Tour, it has also hosted the United States Open Championship on numerous occasions. Carmel also needs little by way of introduction, having been made famous by its’ Mayor and owner of the Hog’s Breath Inn, “Dirty Harry” himself, Mr. Clint Eastwood, one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and a long time resident of the City. Carmel is not really a City, in the proper sense of the word, but is incorporated and thereby revels in the name. It is, however, by
January 2015 the sea and stretches downhill to the Pacific Ocean where beautiful vistas, white san sand and possible Whale sightings abound accompanied by deep blue water and skies. The first time I saw it in the flesh I was awestruck and I suppose I have been ever since to a certain degree. I remember trying to collect my thoughts and some words as I stood on the beach looking along the length of the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. Even though I had seen it on TV countless times the reality was better – often not the case – and I was lost for words. Carmel itself does not look that grand – with lots of Seaside side holiday homes nestled behind hedges and tree lined streets. It certainly does not have the grandeur of 17 mile drive, with its mansions and Cypress Point, but I think is all the better because of it. It feels homely, welcoming, upscale and wealthy wi without shouting about it. Shopping abounds with tourist
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Malacca Magazine shops, specialty stores, pet stores and local food stores. In case you hadn’t noticed Carmel and Monterey are proud of their cuisine and really good restaurants abound – although – they do tend to be on the expensive side. Great steaks, fresh seafood and shellfish are everywhere – not really a surprise with the Pacific crashing in your ears. Carmel does not specialize in American food. Its’ influences are drawn from the Pacific Rim and Europe, rather than the Midwest and it shows in the menus and wine lists, as well as their pricing! The world renowned sculptor Rich McDonald – responsible for the Olympic Rings at the Atlanta Games and the Pebble Beach Millennium Sculpture - has a gallery here. Check it out, it’s amazing! Still, let’s get to the main event and check out the golf course and hotel.
January 2015 To me it was wor worth every cent of the green fee. If, I could I would play there three or four times a year and hang the cost cost, it’s worth it for the pleasure pleasure.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
To get to the hotel, you need to enter the famed 17 mile drive with its famed multi multi-million dollar homes overloo overlooking the Pacific coastline.
The 6th at Pebble a deadly and beautiful par 5
A Pebble Beach Lodge Room
Pebble Beach is one of the few golf courses in America that refers to itself as a links, the British name for courses built on the links land that connects the sea with the mainland.
A long sweeping driveway leads you to a big surprise the hotel is not really a centerpiece of the estate. It is modest and not particularly reminiscent of a luxury resort, but when you check in and are led to your room, you start to understand what all the fuss is about.
Pebble is NOT a links course, but it is stunning, beautiful and truly worthy of its place in the pantheon of great courses. The 18th at Pebble Beach
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The 7 at Pebble Beach The layout of the Lodge appears more motel than anything else at first glance with open porticoes rather than hallways, but inside the rooms and bathrooms are massive and luxurious, with balconies and views over the ocean and golf course. They also have a REAL fire and fireplace, which the room attendant lights each night during the winter months – a lovely touch. The restaurants are good, but no better than in Carmel, although the Spa is something else! Breakfasts are great, but the real treat here is the Golf Course – and the access to Spanish Bay and Spyglass Hill.
Suite sitting area and balcony beyond
The 17th – a mighty par 3 Pebble has a fairly gentle introduction, but things get interesting with the first par 3 that stretches along the ocean. Miss it right and you need to reload. From the back tee this is a daunting hole. 6, 7 and 8 are fantastic holes. For the longer hitter the par 5, 6th is reachable in two, providing that you can get the ball high enough to beat the elevation change. The green is small and perched above the ocean below.
January 2015 The second shot at the 8th is a hard one, over ocean and ravine to a narrow wide green. The finishi finishing holes at Pebble Beach are legendary, particularly 17 and 18. 17 is a very difficult par 3. Over 200 yards to a small tiered green and it usually plays into the prevailing wind. 18 is a gorgeous hole. Overlooking and running along Stillwater Cove left is a water hazard stretching to Japan, better known as the Pacific Ocean.
The 7th is one of the best known holes in golf and stretches downhill to an inviting green surrounded by bunkers and ocean. The green is undulating and quick. The Lone one Cypress The famous lone tree in the middle of the fairway is the marker for a good drive. Get level with or
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Malacca Magazine past it and the green can be reached in two. The green is small, with a large tier to make things more interesting. All in all a memorable finishing hole to a truly great golf course. If you get the chance to play here grab it with both hands. It will be a day you never forget, I promise you. Pebble Beach Restaurants and Sample Menus
The Tap Room
Reservations +1 (831) 625-8535 Renowned steakhouse with vintage wines and spirits After 18 holes, you’re bound to have a hearty appetite. Satisfy it in the warm tavern atmosphere of The Tap Room at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. The
Tap
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Room
is
a
January 2015
wonderful watering hole with a great selection of draft and bottled beers, vintage wines and top quality spirits. It’s also a world-class steak house serving burgers to prime rib and filet mignon. The Tap Room serves only the finest, hand-selected prime and certified Angus beef, grilled to perfection in a high intensity Montague broiler and topped with our famous ale butter.
and a couple of those magnificent burgers at The Tap Room" Turk Pipkin “Miracle at Pebble Beach” • Robb Report • January, 2006
Renowned for its extensive collection of prized golf memorabilia, The Tap Room is a comfortable and inviting place for watching televised sporting events or recounting your successes on the course.
Prime rib, bacon, cheese, sour cream & chives
For reservations, call +1 (831) 625-8535.
Warm potato salad & sauerkraut
Resort attire is welcome. Serving Lunch, Dinner and Late-Night Supper
Hot Crab Dip
Awards & Recognition
Baked oysters with spinach & Hollandaise
America's Best 19th Holes LINKS Magazine • 2012 Travelin' Joe's Best 19th Holes Golf Digest • 2011
Appetizer Menu Popcorn Shrimp Served with cocktail sauce & chipotle aïoli Prime Rib Potato Skins
Buffalo Wings Celery, carrots, cheese dressing
bleu
Grilled Bratwurst
Oysters Rockefeller
The Tap Room Platter Popcorn shrimp, potato skins, calamari & Buffalo wings
"Enjoyed a couple of beers Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine The Chop House
creamy horseradish and au jus
We serve only the finest hand-selected Prime & Angus Beef Meats are grilled in a high intensity Montague Broiler All items served A La Carte Braised Shank
Volcano
Pork
Crispy onions, lettuce & tomato on a sesame bun, served with truffled wedge potatoes Baby Back Pork Ribs
Pickled pumpkin & pork au jus Prime Filet Mignon
Tap Room Burger
Completely trimmed and center Cut
Half pound Black Angus burger, pepper bacon, sharp cheddar on a brioche bun
Half New York strip and half filet mignon Prime New York Steak Boneless center cut strip loin
Roasted Beer Chicken Medley of seasonal vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes with Tap Room Ale jus Braised Beef Short Ribs
Black Angus Delmonico Bone-in center cut ribeye American Mignon
Kobe
Creamed grits with baby carrots, wild mushrooms & cippollini onions
Filet
Prime Rib Slow-roasted and herbgarlic crusted, served with
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Casual dining experience Wood-roasted roasted cuisine Spectacular views
Kobe Brie Burger
Slow roasted & grilled with a smokey barbecue sauce, coleslaw & fries
Prime Porterhouse
January 2015
Reservations +1(800) 877-0597
The Bench A casual, yet sophisticated dining experience overlooking the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links The Bench at The Lodge at Pebble Beach delivers an international menu, featuring European styles and methods, using the innovative technique of wood roasting and open openflame cooking. Offering incredible views of the greatest finishing hole in golf, The Bench is designed with an open open-air atmosphere and includes an expansive dining room surrounding a lively bar, glass-enclosed enclosed conservatory and outdoor dining with fire pits. Chef Yousef Ghalaini, most recently executive chef of Imperial No. Nine in New York, prepares sophisticated dishes utilizing simple ingredients
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Malacca Magazine and bold flavors. Guests can also enjoy one-of-akind craft cocktails, as well as an array of draft beers and wines by the glass. The name of the restaurant, “The Bench,” symbolizes an iconic location overlooking the 18th hole where the current ownership group agreed to acquire Pebble Beach in 1999. A commemorative bench has been placed adjacent to the restaurant, honoring the vision of the owners to preserve the national treasure for future generations. Serving lunch and dinner daily. For reservations, call +1 (800) 877-0597.
Shoulder The Bench at Pebble Beach
Spicy chickpeas, coriander créme fraiche, blue corn tortillas
Appetizers Pork Belly Soy glaze, tiger pickled chilies
salad,
Smoked Prosciutto Strawberries, balsamic
arugula,
Duck Fat Potatoes Truffle salt, black pepper Charred Broccolini Chili oil, Meyer lemons, garlic Wood-Grilled Steak Truffle steak fries, grilled broccolini, chimichurri Pork Chop Bacon braised cranberry beans, Swiss chard, mustard jus Wood-Grilled Natural Chicken Smokey Early Girl tomato fondue, horseradish potatoes Milk Braised Natural Pork
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January 2015
Reservations +1 (831) 625 625-8577 Breakfast & Lunch Golf & resort attire Views of Stillwater Cove Gallery Cafe at Pebble Beach Early-to-rise rise golfers will appreciate a wide selection of breakfast choices – from light smoothies to a filling full plate – as well as the best cup of coffee around. For a casual lunch, try Gallery Cafe’s excellent burgers and ample deli sandwiches with something from the full bar or with the best milkshakes this side of the 1950s. This casual restaurant is located above the putting green and overlooks the 1st tee of Pebble Beach
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Malacca Magazine Golf Links with views of Stillwater Cove. For reservations, call +1 (831) 625-8577. Golf and Resort attire are welcome. Serving Breakfast and Lunch.
Half Sandwich and Soup or Salad
Gallery Café Menu
Appetizers Chicken Spring Rolls Citrus-soy sauce and sweet chili sauce with Asian slaw Loaded Skins
Baked
Potato
Bacon, cheddar cheese, salsa and a balsamic reduction Asian-Style Chicken Teriyaki chicken, romaine, carrots, daikon sprouts, enoki mushrooms, chow mein noodles, candied pecans and Asian dressing Gallery Steak Salad
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Turkey, ham, roast beef or tuna on your choice of bread
Sandwiches Served with one side from French Fries, Rosemary RosemaryGarlic Fries, Chips, Coleslaw, Onion Rings or Mixed Greens Deli-Style Style Reuben Corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing on grilled rye Seafood Sandwich Crab & shrimp salad, Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, pepperoncini & spicy rémoulade on a French roll
Maple-soy marinated skirt steak, romaine hearts, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots & cilantro-lime vinaigrette, topped with crispy fried onions
Grilled Chicken
Traditional Cobb Salad
Triple-Decker Decker Classic Club
Apple Wood smoked bacon, rotisserie turkey, hardboiled egg, tomato, avocado, blue cheese, romaine and cobb dressing
Smoked turkey, smoked Apple-wood wood bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on sourdough
Chicken breast, herb mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun
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Malacca Magazine bread BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwich Tri-tip, onions, Monterey Jack & BBQ sauce, topped with crispy-fried onions on a French roll
Burgers, Melts & Dogs Served with one side from French Fries, RosemaryGarlic Fries, Onion Rings or Mixed Greens Classic Burger
Bacon, tomato, Monterey Jack, bleu cheese & California cheddar Classic Tuna Melt White albacore tuna, Jack cheese & sliced tomatoes on toasted brioche bread
Gallery Specialties Rotisserie Chicken Slow roasted to perfection, choice of two side items
Cooked to your liking Spicy Whiskey-Barbeque Sliders 3 mini burgers with spicy barbeque sauce, pickled jalapenos, crispy-fried onions & coleslaw
English Pub-Style Fish & Chips Lightly battered seasoned cod and French fries Chicken Quesadilla
Ultimate Pebble Burger
Rotisserie chicken, sweet peppers, onions, Pepper Jack and cheddar cheese
All beef patty, barbeque pulled pork, apple-wood smoked bacon, crispy onion rings & cheddar cheese
Milk Shakes
All Beef Jumbo Dog With sauerkraut, onions and relish or plain Gallery Grilled Cheese 52 | P a g e
All of our Milk Shakes are made with our Pebble Beach House Made Ice Cream: Vanilla, Coffee, Chocolate, Strawberry and Mint Chip flavours available
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January 2015
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Game! The Game section reviews games that have been released for game stations such as Playstation, Nintendo Wi-i and Microsoft Xbox.
Destiny: - The dark below Three months after the release, the chances are very good that you know how you feel about Destiny and how you will likely feel about The Dark Below. If the problems that have left many a player crestfallen, even angry, in the weeks and months since the game hit haven't affected your need to keep at the constant grindstone week after week, then The Dark Below at least gives your daily run-through a nice kick in the pants for a few days. The scenario is that new non-player character Eris Morn is one of six warriors sent to go kill big baddie Crota (whose sword you wield during one of the 53 | P a g e
early missions on The Moon in the campaign). She is the only one who survived, and she is now enlisting the help of Guardians to help finish what she started. Eris as a persistent storyteller is a good one, a better one than your previous companion (known affectionately as Dinklebot) at least, and her desperation and posttraumatic stress disorder lurk behind every word. Of course, that story is in one ear and out the other, as it is with most of Destiny's campaign content. You get an initial mission in the Cosmodrome as an appetizer, and it's there to introduce the new screaming female wizard baddie, Omnigul, and a new debuff called Weight of Darkness that comes into play when you start the raid called Crota's End. From there follows a random spewing of new content, all to get your character good and ready to take on Crota's End, the main event. Ultimately, instead of building on Destiny to
January 2015 offer something we haven't sseen or fixing some of the game's biggest iss issues, all The Dark Below does is amplify everything that is both good and terrible about Destiny. The core mechanics haven't changed and don't need to, since the gunplay is the one thing that Bungie nailed right out of the gate. The campaign missions to stop the Hive from resurrecting Crota are challenging, occasionally unique (one of the early sections involves a hectic firefight in planetary AI Rasputin's core while classical music plays as a warning siren), butt ultimately meaningless. Most of them are all too similar to the missions you’ve played hundreds of times before, and the rewards are paltry, with the exception of the new fusion rifle Murmur, which at least has some elemental tricks up its sleeve. Thee same goes for the PlayStation PlayStation-exclusive Strike, which is disappointingly, painfully short.
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Malacca Magazine Better rewards can be had in the new Daily and Weekly Heroics, though these two missions are tied directly to the add-on, so should you not splurge on The Dark Below, there will be weeklies you will not have access to. As it is, the two current missions, even if you manage to roll deep with a fireteam, are aggravatingly difficult.
playlists or a frustrating, sniper-filled hellhole when there's more.
Nightfall has arrived. Are you ready to face the darkness?
Because of these limitations, to stand even a ghost of a chance with most of the new content, you must grind and grind often. The Dark Below ostensibly requires you to be level 28, but there's very little in the pack that approaches doable or fun until you're at 29 or better. The new multiplayer maps--Cauldron, Pantheon, and Skyshock-are fun enough, though fairly nondescript as far as multiplayer maps go, not giving nearly as much of the verticality that the original maps deliver so well. Skyshock in particular can be a vast, empty nightmare on small-team 54 | P a g e
All this is Destiny's biggest post-game problem in a nutshell: After level 20, the game, at its worst, actively impedes you from having fun, and at best, it artificially extends the amount of time you need to spend with it. Even with the tweaks that have been made--the ability to purchase upgrade materials from vendors instead of
January 2015 farming, improved weapon drops, the new level cap---everything you do is in aid of reaching arbitrary goals. The list of grueling tasks continues to grow, and you can add the br brand new insanity that is upgrading Exotic equipment to the list. (If you had Exotics before purchasing The Dark Below, then your progress is now dependent on Xur even having your item in stock that week to upgrade it, unless you are lucky enough to find th the new version of the Exotic as a drop.) The add--on exacerbates the frustration by making the new content reliant on your Guardian being at the highest level possible, which, as it always has, relies on repeating content you've already seen countless time times already. Arguably, the game tries to compensate by making new gear accessible to whoever can afford it from vendors, but that has the added effect of rendering the last two months of many players' work useless, especially the
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Malacca Magazine folks who struggled through Vault of Glass. Ironically, the most fun part of the DLC is a quest to fill a special urn, purchased from weekend vendor Xur. It's a five-step quest in the vein of the Exotic Bounties, with a nice, varied set of objectives and no level requirements. The quest also contains what's possibly the most enjoyable objective in the entire game thus far, where, instead of participating in a normal Public Event in Earth's Skywatch, you get a message stating, "The enemy is moving against each other," which triggers a large-scale Fallen/Hive war, involving every enemy type from both factions. In the middle of the chaos, you must kill a tough-asnails boss knight called Urzok the Hated. The quest is pure madness, and any players passing through can participate; it’s the kind of event that Destiny should provide far more often.
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January 2015
Upon killing Urzok, a quest on The Moon opens up and asks you to kill waves and waves of higher-level enemies using one of Crota's swords, all while the floor is pitted with fiery panels of death. It's hard, but at no point does the mission feel unfair, nor does it seem as though your enemies are there just to soak up bullets. It's Destiny at its most clever, and though the reward doesn't necessarily justify the effort, the game would shine so much brighter were it to provide more of this brand of fun rather than expecting you to spend 20 minutes in the Crucible to earn three more pathetic marks so that you may one day afford your 75-mark weapon.
The PlayStation-exclusive Strike isn't much of a selling point.
As mentioned, all of this is the lead--up to the big show, which is Crota's End. Much like Vault of Glass, it involves a lot of organization: Bungie still offers no raid matchmaking and expects you to have friends that own wn Destiny and are willing to coordinate play times. Crota’s End also brings with it plenty of rough fights, along with an over-reliance reliance on "somebody needs to stand here and wait" puzzles. The raid doesn’t do much creatively with the landscape, perspecti perspective, enemy placement, or enemy types, but there's at least some combat variety and plenty of visually stunning backdrops to ogle when
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Malacca Magazine you get a moment to pay attention. The first moments are almost awe-inspiring, beginning with a leap of faith into an endless abyss, along with a horde of Thrall and a steadily dying light that eventually restricts your ability to move altogether. It's then 20 minutes of fumbling around in the dark with your team, trying to activate new sources of light, and many a mad dash away from lamps that explode once lit. What follows is a series of last stands in which you must wait upon panels to magically build bridges between one platform and the next, and are then beset by high-level bullet sponges. Vault of Glass started similarly, though the stakes are higher here: endless waves of thrall and durable knights swarm you, all while you try to coordinate who remains on platforms, who picks off the Thrall, and who functions as a veritable team medic.
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It isn't uncommon to simply stall for time just long enough for a single gunner to make the run across a platform--and there's very little in gaming as satisfying as the sigh of relief when most of the team is dead, and someone still manages to cross the final bridge. Collectively, these encounters feel like an attempt to do something beyond the norm, but the challenge makes it a demanding adventure that won't necessarily end in victory. As expected, Crota’s End is highly difficult, and as with Vault of Glass, while there's a recommended level of 28, you're not making a dent in the thing until you hit 30-32, which, of course, involves repeating content, over and over, until you get there. To be fair, however, reaching level 30 is certainly easier now than it once was. If you're interested in The Dark Below, you know what kind of game Destiny is.
January 2015 You're okay with the grinding. You have a like likeminded clan that you play with frequently. You've been level 30 since October. You spend two or three hours a day racking up resources esources just in case. You are the Destiny player the game wants, which essentially means that you are a farmer. You find out what kind of product you want, and you invest the herculean time and energy needed to obtain it and then nurture it with constan constant love to bring it to fruition until you decide to destroy it and plant something new in its place. This is Destiny’s circle of life, and The Dark Below does just enough to feed it, if not enough to make it thrive.
Game of Thrones: Episode One - Iron fr from Ice You play and you cry. There is no middle ground. The first major decision you make in Telltale’s
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Malacca Magazine Game of Thrones breaks you. It’s a deceptively complicated choice, a choice you second-guess for the entirety of the twohour opening episode. You would think that making a choice between, say, saving one life and saving many lives would be simple. You have to do what’s best for the house you serve, right? But what if it’s not the best thing for you, personally? What is more important: selfpreservation or your lord’s legacy? “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” So says Cersei Lannister in the HBO television series Telltale’s game is based on, which itself is based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. Game of Thrones makes you participate in the twisted machinations of said game of thrones in an attempt to protect the reputation and ensure the survival of your family, House Forrester.
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The Forrester’s have long served House Stark, a house that is already rapidly spiraling into bad favor when the first episode opens. This places the Forrester’s in an already precarious political situation, which in predictable Game of Thrones fashion, only gets worse.
Get used to those frowning faces. Thrones’ story begins just as the War of the Five Kings is heating up. Five lords all seek to claim the Iron Throne and assume kingship over Westeros. The political climate is hot with peril and tensions are strung so high that lords and handmaidens must choose every word carefully, on pain of losing their status and life if they so much as look the wrong way at someone in power. This stress hangs over everyone involved in the
January 2015 delicate dance of fighting for kingship, but Telltale’s Thrones perfectly communicates the anxiety by focusing on a smaller house that is not directly in the limelight. House Forrester is no House Stark in stature, but in terms of familial loyalty, duty and love, this family is very similar to the ill illfated Wardens of the North. House Forrester is still vital to Westeros, however, as the family controls the majority of the world’s Ironwood, a strain of wood od that is in high demand for its durability and strength. These groves of Ironwood are just one more thing you need to keep track of as you guide the Forrester’ss through precarious situations with other lords and ladies. You play as three members affiliated with House Forrester, and the three in question will change with each episode. Telltale’s tried tried-and-true branching dialogue choices are present in Game of TThrones, along with its simple analog stick
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Malacca Magazine shifting and button mashes to maneuver through fights. And there are quite a few fights in this first episode. Prompts appear for trigger-presses that end with the swing of a greatsword or the stab of a pitchfork. Sometimes these prompts call for frantic button mashing to escape burning debris or wrestle out of a soldier's grip.
Lord Gregor Forrester and his squire, Gared Tuttle Game of Thrones is less about combat and more about verbal parlaying. The emphasis on talking is very much a Thrones thing; just as in the show and books, words carry a weight that can make or break your fate. One wrong word to Joffrey and you’re executed on the spot. A flippant comment to Littlefinger and you’re as good as ruined. Failing to curry favor with Margaery, 58 | P a g e
Cersei, or any other powerful lady in court could spell doom for you when you most need help. Game of Thrones successfully recreates this panic in game form, dropping you in the middle of sticky situations that will be familiar to you if you know the source material. The most chilling of these scenes involves you having to talk your way into favor with a certain unpredictable highborn woman. Your dialogue options suggest that you can lie outright and say everything she wants to hear by feigning absolute loyalty, profess loyalty to the lady you serve and risk bringing mistrust on your head, or go all-in, defending your house and the North in exchange for what could be a horrendous punishment. This scene is the essence of what Game of Thrones tries to convey, a healthy amount of fear coupled with the responsibility to protect your family from extinction.
January 2015 Every decision you make matters. Everything you do has a consequence, not just for you, but for the house you be belong to or the people you serve. If you a kill a man belonging to a rival house, you can bet that rival house will want vengeance. If you reveal your secret plans to another handmaiden, someone else will find out. And if you ask the wrong person to use h his or her power to help you, it could not only bring misfortune onto you but onto your new ally as well, affecting your relationship. The Game of Thrones show paints pictures of a ripple effect that never stops rippling, and this same effect is an omnipres omnipresent thing in the game. It's difficult to explain without spoiling some very intricate political clockwork, but the game does an excellent job of stage-setting setting in a way that makes it immediately apparent every choice will come back to haunt you later.
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Ethan Forrester and his house's Castellan, Duncan Tuttle There are a lot of small details in Iron from Ice, many brief moments and markers that you may miss, at first, due to the episode’s slow pacing. Game of Thrones starts at a slow-burn, with an opening episode that is almost entirely stagesetting for the five more episodes to come. It’s never boring, but there are a few scenes that feel a little too long with slowmoving dialogue. For example, a shouting match against a rival lord that won't take no for an answer runs in circles; he asks for what he wants, you say no, he says he won't leave without it, you offer something else, he says no, you have the option to lie to or yell at him, he goes back to his original argument.
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The pacing is very George R. R. Martin-esque, but in the context of a game it dissipates the momentum. However, these stretches of quieter scenes are worth it when you get to the more heart-pounding climaxes of each playable character’s tale. One of the biggest charms of Game of Thrones is being a part of major events from the show. It’s exciting (and also sometimes devastating) to fight in familiar battles or chat with well-known characters.
January 2015 your eyes and waving a daggerr underneath your nose.
Ramsay Snow is still a crazy person, in case you were wondering
These longtime characters are also voiced by their show actors, adding a deeper thrill to these encounters. I was tingling after completing a scene featuring the sadistic Ramsay Snow - I was on edge, my body completely tense. I didn’t realize I had been sitting completely still, barely breathing with mouth agape as I tried to tell Ramsay all the right things that would just make him go away.
Recreating the sense of anxiety-riddled riddled anticipating that the show is known for is one of the better things going for Telltale’s Thrones, but the best is the Fo Forrester’s themselves.
It’s moments like these that make you feel as though you’re right there in the show, with Ramsay Snow breathing death in
The Forrester Forrester’s are a heartwarming, earthy group that epitomize Telltale’s knack for creating deep, attractive characters.
Spending time with Margaery Tyrell or Tyrion Lannister is enjoyable, but whenever the action turns to these characters you instantly want them to leave.
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Malacca Magazine They, like the Starks, are in a bad place due to a poorly-dealt hand of fate, and their plight, the central story, is genuinely gut-wrenching, horrific, and real. You grow to love these characters because of the brave face that they try to put on and the doubt and pain that nearly destroy them. It’s hard to name one character that does not change in some way due to the events of Iron from Ice, and that character development is both a reflection of author George R.R. Martin’s character design influence and Telltale Game’s ability to birth beautiful broken people that you want to spend time with. You come for Tyrion and Cersei, but you stay for the Forrester’s.
unfairly large heap of teases and promises for the next episode. The pacing is true to its source material - slow, taking its own time - but the payoff for major scenes is worth wading through. If the show makes you scream, the game will make you scream, because it’s difficult not to get wrapped up in the struggle to serve and hold up your house. It’s a game about family told in perhaps the most un-family-friendly environment in fantasy fiction, and in a way that will leave you sick with delight and sadness as the credits roll.
Telltale has again successfully paired itself with a franchise that knows how to wring emotion from its audience. Game of Thrones is off to a slow but not uneventful start, with an almost 60 | P a g e
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Listen Here we post reviews of recently released albums. It could be any type of music, but the review will be honest! Alpha Mike Foxtrot Wilco
Hear how that happened on this four-disc rarities set, which is often so raw it feels less like opening the vault than rooting around under Jeff Tweedy's bed. Hyper-low-fi demo’s of songs like 1995's "Passenger Side" show the first signs of the wry lyricism that blossomed on later albums. Even better are a trove of unreleased cuts that peek at alternate realities – check "Unlikely Japan," - a mellow, trippy flip side to the 2007 live favorite "Impossible Germany." Taken together, it's a comprehensive document of a great band with endless secrets to reveal, even now. Black Messiah
The Wilco Album Cover A generous gift for fans: Four discs of outtakes and rare treats Over the past 20 years, Wilco have gone from plain-spoken alt-country to the pinnacle of experimental folk and art rock. 61 | P a g e
January 2015
D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Fourteen years after his last album, the R&B star returns with a warm, expansive masterpiece Here's to messiahs worth waiting for. D'Angelo has kept the world fiending 14 years for the follow follow-up to his Crisco Crisco-thick R&B classic, Voodoo, but as the man himself purrs in "Sugah Daddy," "Can't snatch the meat out of the lioness' mouth/Sometimes you gotta just ease it out." Black Messiah shows how deep easy can go. D'Angelo and his band have built an avant avant-soul dream palace to get lost in, for 56 minutes of heaven. All over Black Messiah, D'Angelo is a trouble man exorcising his trouble. In "Back to the Future (Part I)," he even jokes about his long layoff: "If you're wondering about the shape I'm in/I hope it ain't my abdomen."
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Malacca Magazine There's a hint of political rage in "The Charade" ("All we wanted was a chance to talk/'Stead, we only got outlined in chalk") and "1000 Deaths," showing off the harsh side of D's ever-amazing guitar. "Another Life" is an albumclosing deep-soul epic in the spirit of Prince's "Adore" or Al Green's "Beware," building on Questlove's drums, some Thom Bell-style sitar from D'Angelo himself and the man's warmest falsetto, stretching out minute after minute – because who would want this groove to stop? It will take at least 14 years to absorb all the pleasures in Black Messiah
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January 2015
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Watch Check out this section for a review of a recent movie release. Anything from Hollywood, Bollywood, Independent and all points in between! Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Rating: PG-13 Director Ridley Scott gets biblical in his epic retelling of Moses leading his people to the promised land
Is it possible to sit through a movie, mentally cataloging its absurdities, and still walk out dazzled? Because that pretty much sums up my experience watching Ridley Scott's eye-candy spectacle Exodus: Gods and Kings, an over-the-top Old 63 | P a g e
Testament epic that's essentially Gladiator with God. The story will be familiar to anyone who's seen Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 Easterseason perennial The Ten Commandments or thumbed through a certain King James best-seller. But as a refresher, the film opens circa 1300 b.c.e., the heyday of the Egyptian pharaohs. John Turturro's dying ruler, Seti, is making plans to hand the throne over to his spoiled son, Ramses (Joel Edgerton), and Ramses' closest friend since childhood, Moses (Christian Bale), has his doubts about the impetuous, heavily eyeliner covered heir.
But he keeps quiet — a smart move since Ramses is the kind of short-fused sociopath who peacocks around the palace with a cobra draped around his neck.
January 2015 After saving Ramses' life in battle, just as a prophecy foretold, Moses travels to the city of Pithom and gets a sickening eyeful of the whip-cracking cracking brutality dished out to the kingdom's Israelite slaves. It's here that a wise Jewish elder (Ben Kingsley) tells Moses of his secret Hebrew lineage and destiny to lead his people out off bondage and into the promised land. Rumors of this true bloodline soon make their way to the paranoid Ramses, who responds by exiling his frien friend. As Moses grapples with his existential crisis, he's visited by God in the form of a petulant young boy with a British accent — a casting choice I suspect many will find problematic, mystifying, or just plain laughable. In my case, it was all three. It's not easy to make an ancient story feel fresh. Just ask Noah's Darren Aronofsky. But Scott and his brooding, fully committed leading man (as if Bale knows any other gear) manage to carve out an intimate character study within the tarted tarted-up
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Malacca Magazine expanse of blockbuster.
a
3-D
As ever, Scott is more interested in your eye than your heart or head. He's a visual storyteller, a builder of breathtaking worlds. And the scope of his CGI-festooned Egypt is massive. The director nails the razzle-dazzle look of the movie, but the tone is all over the place. When God unleashes a series of plagues that make the Nile run red with blood and set off infestations of frogs and locusts as well as an outbreak of nasty boils and pustules, Exodus briefly turns into a cross between a Roland Emmerich disaster flick and a biblical gross-out film. Scott also doesn't seem to know what to do with his embarrassment-of-riches cast. There are characters, like Sigourney Weaver as Ramses' mother and Aaron Paul as a Hebrew slave, who make flashy entrances only to vanish.
Instead, we're given a Moses from Wales (Bale) and a pharaoh from Brooklyn (Turturro) with an Aussie son (Edgerton). This whitewashing was already dicey in the '50s, when Commandments starred such decidedly non-Egyptians as Edward G. Robinson (who always spoke like he had a cigar clenched between his teeth), Yul Brynner, and Charlton Heston in a cotton-candy beard. And yet, before you're able to get too distracted by Exodus' flaws, Scott reaches back into his bag of pixie dust and whips up another grand illusion. These feats all climax with the parting of the Red Sea, the biggest special effect in the history of religion. Scott's bravura version makes DeMille's oncemiraculous money shot look about as quaint as a magic trick bought from a gumball machine.
And for a story set in ancient Egypt, there is a puzzling dearth of Middle Eastern and African faces. 64 | P a g e
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Read
They are all about one man. Jack Reacher.
This section reviews a recently released book, either fiction or nonfiction, but mostly novels. This month it is Personal by Lee Child, the 19th Jack Reacher novel.
Reacher is a loner. Off the grid. He hitchhikes. Or takes the Greyhound. He doesn't have a credit card. Or a phone. He buys new clothes every three days. And throws away the old ones. He owns nothing except a pocket toothbrush. He rights wrongs. He is laconically funny.
Personal - a Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child Someone has taken a shot. At the president of France. In Paris. With a sniper rifle. Like in The Day of The Jackal. But it wasn't Edward Fox. And it wasn't Jack Reacher. Someone else. Who was it? And why? Those are some questions. And Reacher is going to find the answers. By fighting some men. And shooting them. With his bare hands. And some bullets. Jack Reacher. This is the 19th Jack Reacher novel. I've read all the others. If you haven't, start now. You can bingeread them all in three weeks. But then you will be sad. Because you'll have to wait a year for the next one. They are blissfully pedantic whodunits. And also seriously violent thrillers. 65 | P a g e
Irresistible to women. He is Sir Lancelot, Lee Child has said. He is also Clint Eastwood, avenging drifter. He is also a bit Joe Pike. Pike is the taciturn sidekick of detective Elvis Cole in the novels of Robert Crais. Then he got his own series. Pike is ex-military. Like our man. Jack Reacher.
January 2015 Every ex-militar military hero was in the coolest branch of the armed forces. What is the coolest branch of the armed forces? It changes from hero to hero. Joe Pike was Force Recon in the US Marine Corps. Very cool. But Reacher used to be US Army Military Police. Also cool. And useful, if you want to write mystery mysteryaction hybrids. Military police means two things. One, he's a skilled investigator. Two, he could beat up everyone else in the army. Jack Reacher. This time it's Personal. One of the guys they suspect of shooting at the president of France knows Reacher. Because Reacher put him away years ago. For killing a fellow soldier in a bar fight. This guy is Kott. "Most guys have an off switch," Reacher recalls. "But Kott's didn't close all the way." Kott is a really, really ggood sniper. Reacher should know. He's a really good sniper, and he couldn't have made the shot. "Fourteen hundred yards is a very long way, against a head--sized target," he explains to some
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Malacca Magazine people in a room. "The bullet is in the air three whole seconds. Like dropping a stone down a very deep well." Our guy knows his ballistics. Jack Reacher. The French president will be vulnerable again soon. At the G8 meeting. In East London. So the army calls Reacher. And Reacher teams up with the CIA. In the personable shape of a young woman. They go to Paris and meet a Russian intelligence guy. They go to London and meet a Welsh guy called Bennett. MI6 or SAS. Probably both. There's a Serbian gang in Acton. A cockney gang in Barking. Not your usual touristthriller itinerary. As usual the novel has a refrain. A repeated nugget of tactical wisdom. This time it's that in a fight, no one knows what's going to happen. So "the game goes to the fastest thinker". You know who that is. Jack Reacher. It is also Child. good. He makes writing seem Flabby. His sentences pile 66 | P a g e
He is so "literary" orotund. sawn-off up. He
generates momentum.
relentless
At the same time, breathing space. Educational interludes. A whole paragraph on how to kick down a door. Sardonic riffs on consumerism. Always rhythmically placed in the ebb and flow of information. Contributing to the suspense. Child's dedication to suspense. It approaches the Hitchcockian. Reacher taking a complete inventory of a room he is locked in. Or carefully creeping up to a house over many pages. Taking all the precautions. Turns out to be empty. No matter. It makes the confrontation more dramatic. When it comes. Between the bad guys. And Jack Reacher. In London, Reacher sees a very big man. A "giant". You know he will have to fight him. Reacher is 6ft 5in. A lot bigger than Tom Cruise in the movie. Basically invincible. Even his pectorals, fans recall, are bulletproof. But
January 2015 he's smaller than the giant. Eventually the fight happens. Reacher is surprised that his heaviest blows bounce off the guy. He shouldn't be surprised. His heaviest blows bounced off the giant he fought 12 books ago, in Persuader ersuader. But that giant made a mistake. He tried to kung-fu fu kick Reacher. This new giant doesn't. Spoiler alert: Reacher finds another way to kill him. A satisfying resolution to a geometric puzzle. This guy does trigonometry while kicking ass. Jack Reacher. Snipers. Gangsters. Giants. Ex-military military guys with grudges. Different ways to break people's limbs. Or shoot them in the face. Strong and interesting women. omen. Small towns, big cities. Guns and elbows. Coffee. Each new novel a new combination. Of a finite set of factors. It must get harder to avoid repetition. But Child can't stop now. He mustn't stop. Too many people are depending on one man. Jack Reacher.
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Drive!
Verdict 9/10
The Drive section features reviews and pictures of the hottest vehicles around, ranging through sports, sedans, 4x4’s, luxury cars, GT’s, people carriers and even supercars. No caravans though, sorry guys.
One of the best luxury cars money can buy: this really is a bit of an all-round superstar.
Additional Info It’s basically a Bentley crossed with the off road ability of a tractor
January 2015 It might look very much like an evolution of the old model, and the styling is very much of the ‘if it ain’t broke’ school of car design, but the car is completely new underneath, and featur features so much pared pared-back lightweight aluminium it’s a wonder it doesn’t just float away. Driving it
Range Rover Reviewed UK Price £94,695 Brake Horse Power 339 LB FT 516 MPG 32 Range Rover Exterior Shot CO2 Emissions 229 0-62 mph 6.5 seconds Top Speed 135 mph Range Rover Interior from the Drivers’ Seat. Be aware you WILL be jealous of your Driver, if you have one!
Range Rover on the Road
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What is it? The latest version of Land Rover’s full-size Range Rover, this time equipped with a new aluminium monocoque that cost the company a billion quid to develop. It’s bigger but lighter than the old car (up to 430kg less in the case of the new-to-Range Rover 3.0-litre V6 diesel), faster but more efficient and tangibly better to drive.
For once, a car manufacturer’s claims stack up across the board. New Range Rover steers with more fluidity, controls its body better via standard air suspensio suspension and ‘active lean’ software and rides with the competence of a limousine. It’s not a sports car, but it encourages relaxed driving and feels built to take care of everything with the minimum of fuss. It is also faintly startling to drive off-road road for what is still a relatively large and heavy car; this thing will get to places you wouldn’t believe. It’s easy, too. Just leave the new Terrain Response II off off-road software in auto, and you can cross rivers (up to 900mm), climb Mountains
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Malacca Magazine and traverse the most treacherous surfaces, all while listening to Radio 4 and wondering what all the fuss is about. On the inside Do you really need an SClass or BMW 7-Series? Not anymore. In fact, you might not even need that Flying Spur. Land Rover has noted how many Range Rovers are now used as transport for the chauffeured rich and famous, and designed this new one to suit. It has an excellent specification, bigger rear door openings and 118mm more rear legroom, various multimedia options (including a 28speaker Meridian stereo), top-quality materials and impeccable fit’n’finish. There are 50 per cent fewer buttons in the cabin, lending a clean and stylish air, and everything just feels right. There’s even an ‘Executive class’ seating option, with just two big, plush chairs in the rear. Owning One It’s far too early to say much about reliability – that was always one of the 68 | P a g e
big concerns about previous Range Rovers, but we’re promised big improvements here. The model range consists of a 3.0 TDV6 (255bhp, 442lb ft, 37.7mpg) for around £72k, a TDV8 with 335bhp and 516lb ft in the middle and a 500-odd BHP supercharged V8 petrol for a smidge under £100k. The diesels are the cars to go for. Residuals, based on the granite efforts of the previous generation, should be golden.
January 2015
Quattroporte Steering Wheel
Maserati Quattroporte Reviewed Maserati Quattroporte on the Road Verdict Beautiful Lines, just as an Italian Grand Tourer should have.
7/10 The entertaining and imposing new QP could be our limo of choice. Additional Info
Sumptuously trimmed rear interior of the Maserati
Pluses: Charismatic alternative to establishment names, fabulous engine and performance, the Maserati name UK Price £108,125
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Malacca Magazine BHP 530 LB FT 523 MPG 23 CO2 Emissions 278 0-62 mph 4.7 seconds Top Speed 190 mph What is it? Only the Italians could get away with calling a car ‘four door’. Appended to the name Maserati, though, Quattroporte conjures up all sorts of romantic imagery, an idea that the car itself hasn’t always merited since first appearing in 1963. Now, somewhat belatedly into its fifth generation, the QP has finally grown-up, and in more ways than one: in its bid to really take the fight to the German limos that dominate this posh end of the market, the latest QP is well over five metres long, making it much bigger than its curvier predecessor and providing vastly more legroom in the rear. Maserati is clearly gunning for business in China, where size definitely does matter.
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January 2015
That also explains the new QP’s rather brash appearance. Even on vast 21in alloys and in a suitably menacing colour, it’s simply not as elegant as the previous car, and is no longer likely to be mistaken for a four-door Ferrari. Shame.
more settled ride quality than the old car, although it’s on the firm side even for an overtly sporting limo. A top speed of 190mph and a 00-62mph time of 4.7 seconds are good enough.
Driving it
Once again, it’s very Italian. In other words, there are elements that make you smile, jostling with others that make you want to tear your hair out. The interior effectively has three layers, leather, wood and aluminium, all of which can be configured to taste. Although it’s mostly well made, the air vents are plasticky, there’s nasty brightwork on the doors, and the steering wheel is ugly, although it feels good. The main touchscreen works well, but the gear gear-selector is dreadfully fiddly to use.
This is where the Maserati really works, despite its increased girth. There’s a new 3.0-litre twin turbo V6, but the range-topping car is powered by an allnew 523bhp 3.8-litre twin turbo V8, overseen by a former Ferrari F1 engine wizard. Although it’s more polite than the old QP power unit, it gives the Maserati real heart and soul, differentiating it from its equally powerful but less seductive rivals. There’s lots of aluminium in the car’s structure, so even though it’s bigger than before it’s actually more responsive, handles beautifully, and its eightspeed ZF transmission is exemplary. The electrohydraulic steering helps too, with its linearity and transparent feedback. There’s an all-new multilink suspension, so it has a
On the inside
Owning it Maserati claims a combined average of 24mpg, but in the real world we reckon you’d be lucky to get half that, especially if you exercise that glorious V8. The ran range spans the £80k £80k-£110k price bracket, so it
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Malacca Magazine probably doesn’t matter. Less than bulletproof residuals might be more of an issue, and servicing costs will likely be on the steep side, too. For the deeper wallet, then!
From the rear, perhaps the world’s best pure GT? 8/10 Overall Verdict Additional Info
Bentley Continental Reviewed
Bulletproof, big, smooth and utterly buttery super GT that demands lots of respect
Bentley’s attempt to make a fast, pretty and affordable (OK, relatively affordable) GT car, that was enhanced in 2012 with a new V8 engine option. At last broadening the model line-up, the new 4.0-litre motor has been co-developed with Audi but is thoroughly Bentley in its torque delivery, and is not only 10
Yes, it can waft along in isolation as brilliantly as it always has, but the V8 is also that bit more pointy and agile when you want to work the four four-wheel drive chassis harder. It lends itself to dignified performance driving in a way no Conti GT has done before – and the rasp from the exhausts will thrill pedestrians equally so.
LB FT 590 MPG 19 CO2 338 0-62 mph 4.2 Seconds Top Speed 205 mph
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Driving it
What is it?
BHP 625
Bentley Continental Interior Shot
per cent cheaper up front, it also goes 40 per cent further per gallon of ffuel. There’s also a new Speed too – this is also more efficient and, at 205mph, officially the fastest production Bentley ever.
The V8 has only enhanced the Conti GT’s abilities. With 500bhp and, more significantly, just 29lb ft less torque than the W12, it’s a real treat to use. A more alert nature combines with an eight eightspeed automatic and 25kg less mass hung far over the front wheels to turn the V8 into the car you’d always wanted the Continental GT to be. And the new V8 S, with a bit more pow power and even more focus for the chassis, is just about perfect.
UK Price £151,000
The Bentley Exterior – unlike any other – and highly recognisable
January 2015
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Malacca Magazine That magnificentlyengineered 6.0-litre engine in a ‘W12’ layout remains available too, churning out an even more indecent 575bhp in regular form and a walloping 625hp in new Speed guise. At 205mph, it becomes the fastest Bentley ever. On the inside As one would expect, sire, comfortable, beautiful to behold and exquisitely put together. It’s all contrast stitch and pipe, quilt and carbon fibre, sink-in-andrelax leather and more controls than you have knowledge for. There’s also handmade aluminium fascia inserts, walnut veneer and chromebezelled dials all knocked together by the Crewe Company’s master craftsmen. And they earn their wages because the finish of each GT is exemplary. Space in the back is restricted for anyone tall, but up front the driver and passenger are swaddled in luxury and presented with a fascia-mounted touchscreen and the knowledge there are few
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places on earth you’d be more comfortable.
January 2015 Verdict
Owning it 7/10 It’s a Bentley, and so demands to have money spent on it, you assume. This is why the V8 is so great. Nearly 27mpg equals a huge driving range by Bentley standards. Impressively, the Speed W12 is now just as economical as the standard 6.0-litre model, too – both, thanks to the new eight-speed auto, return 19.5mpg. Not green, but better than the lowly 17mpg of before. Audi A4 Avant Top Gear Review This review first appeared in Top Gear in the UK
Audi A4 Avant Drivers Position
Audi A4 Avant Exterior Shot
Recently revised it may be, but the story is the same for Audi: nice, but a BMW is nicer to drive. Additional Info Impeccable quality, economical engines, well priced, lots of choice
What is it? For the fast fast-lane businessman with a load to carry in a hurry, the Audi A4 Avant is becoming the default choice, particularly since it was facelifted and given a distinctive LED running light pattern that apes the all-conquering conquering Le Mans racers. s. Perfect for shifting sleeping Mondeos out of the way. Following the Audi trend, it is a near nearmirror image of the larger A6, and somehow seems to look that bit smarter than the default A4 saloon. There’s a staggering amount of choice within the bulging m model range,
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Malacca Magazine including five petrol engines, six diesel motors and more trims than you ever imagined could exist. It’s all topped by the mighty RS 4, whose halo car effect will be celebrated by every single 2.0 TDIe 136 SE Technik driver. Driving it It’s better than it was here – so, even more composed and secure than ever – but it’s still not class-leading, and is some way from matching the brilliance of the latest BMW 3-Series. Ride comfort is trimdependent (SE is much better than S line) and while all are grippy, it’s the sportier ones that come closest to satisfying like a BMW. Even they don’t quite get there, though. All engines are excellent, particularly the 3.0-litre V6 diesels. In 245bhp guise, the A4 Avant is quite the express wagon, although the 2.0-litre TDIs that nearly everyone will choose are also fine. Manual gearboxes are OK, S tronic dual-clutch autos are excellent - and the pedals aren’t off set to the right here, unlike in the A6. And the RS 4? With its 72 | P a g e
rorty 4.2-litre V8, there’s no doubting the power, but for all its monumental grip and missile-like speed, it somehow lacks the driver-pleasing edge of the old one. Pity. On the inside Beautifully built and with exemplary finish, the dashboard looks a bit fussy in places but is largely as good as you’d expect from an Audi. Seat comfort is top notch and S line chairs drop down so low, it’s almost like you’re sitting in a coupe. The boot is thoughtfully designed, with ample width and a flat load floor. The parcel shelf could be smarter though, and removing it to drop the seats flat is a musclestraining fiddle. Rear space is so-so: be warned, if you carry your business pals in the rear often, they may thank you for choosing a Ford Mondeo instead.
January 2015 alternatives. 2.0 2.0-litre TDI motors are particularly impressive and combine with better better-than-BMW value to work out a few pounds cheaper per month for company car tax. For some, that alone will sell the Audi. Toyota GT 86 2.0
ToyotaGT 86 on the road Verdict 9/10 Glorious return to form for Toyota's rear rear-drive coupe line Additional Info Proves Toyota does know how to do fun with a gloriously simple approach
Owning it
GT 86 2.0 Standard 2d
Audi never quite manages to match the on-paper fuel consumption figures of arch-rival BMW, but the A4 Avant is still decent compared to most other
UK Price £24,995 BHP 200 LB FT 151
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MPG 36
Malacca Magazine
January 2015
best driver's cars you can buy...
slick-shifting shifting gearlever. The rev counter is positioned right in the middle of the dial pack, proudly showing its 7,400rpm red line, although there is also a nod to sophisti sophistication with the availability of colour touchscreen navigation in the centre of the dash. Just don't go looking for the delicate finish of an Audi TT as that's not what this car is about. Instead, it's again about simplicity and focusing on the driver. Pridee comes in the fundamentals, not the soft-touch touch details.
CO2 181 Driving it 0-62 mph 7.7 seconds Top Speed 140 mph What is it? Toyota's chief engineer for the GT86 outlines three key elements that define his new creation: no turbo, no 4WD, narrow tyres. A quick lap time is not the priority from this sports car: rather, driver involvement is. The firm's new rear-wheel drive sports car is here to prove that vehicles do not necessarily have to become ever faster, gripper and less socially acceptable. The sibling to the Subaru BRZ, similarities are oh-so obvious. The differences are confined to the merest detail changes: a slightly different grille, alternative details within the headlight structure (the units are shared), different colours, alternative markings on the rev counter...don't go looking for headline variations because you won't find them. Does this matter? No. Simply see it as two ways of getting one of the 73 | P a g e
Toyota says the GT86 is dynamically identical to the Subaru in every way apart from spring and damper rate changes. Experience here in the UK reveals any variations to be minimal in the extreme - few will tell any difference at all. We may have detected a bit more softness and roll in the GT86, but it's really hard to tell any significant contrasts between them. So, yes, like the BRZ, the GT86 is a fantastic little coupe. Light on its feet, eager to change direction, it also rides beautifully and has delicious brakes. The offbeat flat four engines is sweet and best of all, it's joyfully well balanced when you turn off the stability control and have a bit of fun. Even the electric power steering is masterfully good. On the inside It's all nice and simple in here, with low-set seats and a perfectly positioned steering wheel that nestles into your hands as naturally as the stubby,
Owning it Unlike the Subaru BRZ, the GT86 still comes in at £24,995. Equipment levels are pretty much identical too: the standard trim has two options, sat nav and an automatic gearbox, the latter of which we’d of course avoid. All Subaru offers extra is leather seats, so we’d stick with this one. New for 2013 was the TRD: styling kit and rorty exhaust but no more power, for a ludicrous £31,610. Pointless!
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Malacca Magazine
Cook!
January 2015
For the Beef Sauce Sauté the garlic with chilli powder and add beef stock.
Each month the Cook! Section offers you a diverse selection of easy to cook recipes that taste great. Enjoy!
Hoi An Vietnamese Bo Xao Hanh Nam Courtesy of: Shangri La Hotel Hoi An Vietnamese Restaurant
Ingredients 200g beef tenderloin 40g capsicum 20g white onion, cleaned 20g garlic, peeled and chopped fine 20g spring onion 20g crispy shallots 30g water cress Preparation Method
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Season with oyster sauce, light and dark soya sauce, sugar, salt and pepper Bring to the boil and, then thicken with corn flour. For the Tenderloin 1. Cut the beef into cubes and marinate with chopped garlic, lemongrass, shallots, oyster sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper. 2. Sear the beef on a very hot pan as desired (e.g. rare, medium, well done). 3. In a very hot wok, sauté the garlic, capsicum, spring onion and beef. 4. Flame with cognac then add beef sauce. 5. Sauté for another 1 minute, season if necessary. 6. Serve hot over the watercress.
Pebble Beach Stillwater Grill Thai Snapper with Potato Squash & Reggiano Parmesan “Risotto” with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Coulis & Chive Oil
Ingredients Red Pepper Coulis 1 medium red bell pepper (roasted) 1 oz. yellow onion 1 tsp. champagne vinegar 1 tsp. agave syrup 1 tsp. California extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. fresh oregano 1 tsp. fresh thyme
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Malacca Magazine 1 pinch kosher salt 1 pinch fresh ground white pepper Chive Oil 1 qt. of a bunch of fresh chives 1 oz. California extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch kosher salt Potato Squash & Reggiano Parmesan “Risotto” 1/2 oz. chopped shallots 4 oz. yellow squash, finely diced 4 oz. zucchini, finely diced ½ of a medium russet potato, finely diced 1 oz. California extra virgin olive oil 2 oz. heavy cream 2 oz. chicken stock 2 oz. grated parmesan cheese 2 oz. fresh chanterelle mushrooms Salt and ground white pepper to taste Thai Snapper 8 oz. fresh Thai Snapper (skin on, scales off, bones removed) 2 oz. California extra virgin olive oil Salt and ground white pepper to season fish Preparation Method For the Red Pepper Coulis 75 | P a g e
Begin by rubbing extra virgin olive oil on bell pepper then roast the bell pepper on a high flame, rotating bell pepper as it roasts, then place in a plastic bag, close then let cool for approximately 3 minutes then peel. Remove seeds and stem, place in a blender then add 1 oz. of yellow onion, champagne vinegar, agave syrup, fresh oregano and thyme, extra virgin olive oil, and then blend at a high speed for approx 2 minutes, then season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and set aside until served. For the Chive Oil In a blender, add fresh chives, 1 oz. extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, then blend at a high speed for approximately 3 minutes. Strain and set aside in a squeeze bottle.
January 2015 mushrooms and shallots, cook for approximately 1 minute, add the 2 oz. of heavy cream and chi chicken stock, let it cook for approx 3 minutes until al dente. Then add the 2 oz. of grated parmesan cheese, zucchini and yellow squash, cook for approximately 1 more minute, then season with salt and & fresh ground white pepper to taste – set aside. For thee Thai Snapper In a sauté pan on medium heat add 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil, then wait until hot. Add the Thai Snapper skin down for approximately 4 minutes or until golden brown, flip over then cook for approximately 2 more minutes depending on thickness ss of fish. Then serve with squash & potato “risotto,” red pepper coulis, chive oil and a side of your favorite vegetables.
For the Risotto In a medium saucepan, start by sautéing the potato in 1 oz. of organic extra virgin olive oil until translucent (approx 2 minutes). Then add the 2 oz. of fresh chanterelle
Club Sandwich (USA)
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Malacca Magazine Makes 1 sandwich Ingredients 3 slices bread 1 ½ heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise 2 small handfuls of shredded iceberg lettuce 1 fried egg, cooked to your liking ½ or 1 cooked, skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced 2 slices of Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese 4 thin slices of ripe tomato, 8 slices if the tomato is small, you need enough to cover 2 slices of toast! 6-8 slices of cooked slightly crisp streaky bacon Salt and pepper to taste Preparation Method Take the 2 chicken breasts, if making four sandwiches, rub lightly all over with a little vegetable oil and season on both sides with salt & pepper. Sear on both sides to colour the chicken and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes, depending on the size), take off the heat and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
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Now cook 6-8 slices of bacon for each sandwich, either in a dry frying pan, or under the grill. Cook until the slices start to crisp and then remove from the heat and set aside. Slice the chicken across the breast in an even width. Toast the 3 slices of bread on both sides. On one slice add ¼ of the mayonnaise and spread all over. Season the mayonnaise to taste with salt & Pepper. Add layers of lettuce, tomato, chicken and bacon, using half of the ingredients. Finish the layer with a slice of cheese. Spread the second slice of toast with another ¼ of the mayo and season to taste and put mayo side down on the cheese. Now spread the other side of the bread with mayo, season and repeat the layering process with the remaining ingredients in the same order, putting the lettuce first, then tomato, then chicken and the remaining bacon. Finally cook your fried egg. Once your fried egg is ready, place it on the bacon and then top with the remaining cheese slice. Spread the last piece of
January 2015 toast with the mayo, season and place on top mayo side down. Secur Secure with toothpicks to help hold in place in each corner. Carefully cut into quarters, plate up and serve. Prawn & Marie Rose Sauce Cocktail Sandwich (UK) In the 1970's, prawn cocktail must have featured on nearly every menu in the UK and at any number of dinner parties I'm surprised that we didn't get the prawn on the endangered list! Like most popular things it took a downturn and went from hero to zero. I think it was due to too much exposure and too many bad versions being served by chefs who couldn'tt be bothered to produce a quality dish that is quite easy to make whether it is the sandwich, the actual cocktail, or a salad. I always enjoy eating prawn cocktail, in whichever guise, as long as it has been made with good ingredients and has plenty of prawns, combined with just the
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Malacca Magazine right amount of other ingredients. Ingredients Makes 1 sandwich 2 slices of fresh wholegrain, malted granary or brown bread 200g of cooked, shelled, deveined prawns
Ingredients 10 Tbsp of mayonnaise 3-4 Tbsp of Tomato Ketchup Squeeze of juice of lemon 2 splashes of brandy (optional) Salt Pepper Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Preparation Method 3-4 tablespoons of cocktail sauce (recipe below) Salt Pepper Cayenne Pepper Handful of Chopped Iceberg lettuce 3 slices of ripe tomato 3 slices of cucumber Cocktail or Marie Rose Sauce (UK) This amount will make enough to serve 6 people as a starter or make enough for 5 sandwiches or serve 4 as a salad.
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Make the Marie Rose sauce. Whisk together the mayo and 3 tbsp of ketchup - add the fourth only if you have tasted it and prefer something sweeter. Add one to two tbsp of brandy. Don't add too much because you want the sauce to be thick, not runny. Add just enough to finish the flavour. Now, season to taste with salt and pepper and fold in the prawns to the Marie Rose sauce.
January 2015 evenly with tthe chopped iceberg lettuce. Then add the cucumber and then the tomato slices. Cover evenly with the prawn cocktail mixture and finish with a squeeze of lemon over the prawn mixture. Top with the other slice of bread and cut the sandwich in half or diagonal quarters and serve. As I said before, Prawn cocktail is versatile and can be turned into a starter or a salad, but more on that elsewhere on the site! I have also used the cocktail sauce to make other sandwiches with varying degrees of success - it tastes good with tuna or egg, but, to me at least, if I use meat it doesn't taste as good. However, if eaten as a dip - without the prawns using vegetables like carrot or celery or ready salted potato crisps/chips it tastes great - even the kids like it!
Cover and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Once the mixture has rested, take the two slices of bread and cover 1 slice Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine Lemon Roast Chicken with a cream, fresh Tarragon and crisp bacon sauce (French)
Serves 4 - 6 Ingredients
Season each chicken with salt and pepper, cut the lemons in half and rub cut side down, over the chickens. Heat the oil in a large roasting tin and sear until golden all over. Sit the birds in the tin and then squeeze the juice from the lemons over the top of the chickens. Roast until cooked and set aside to rest, while making the sauce. Save the lemon juices from the roasting tin to add to the sauce.
For the Roast Chicken 2 1.5 kg chickens 2 lemons Salt Freshly ground black pepper 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Cut the bacon into thin strips and dry fry until cooked and crispy. Pour the stock into a saucepan and boil until reduced by half. Add the sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the Sauce 8 rashers of bacon, preferably unsmoked 1/2 pint or 300ml of chicken stock 1/2 pint or 300ml of sour cream 2 tsp of fresh chopped tarragon Salt Black Pepper
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Serve with sautĂŠ or roast potatoes and vegetables. Roast Potatoes (UK)
Preparation Method Preheat the oven 200C/400F/Gas mark6
Add the lemon juices saved from the roasting tin to the sauce and blitz the sauce with a hand blender to create a smoother sauce. Finally stir in the bacon and tarragon
to
January 2015
Ingredients 6 medium Potatoes peeled and cut into equal sized quarters or more, depending on their size Vegetable Oil Plain White Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper Salt Black Pepper Preparation Method Pre-heat heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water, enough to cover them entirely and bring to a boil, then simmer for another 6 minutes. Drain into a colander and allow them to stand for 22-3 minutes. Shake the colander gently to roughen the edges. Sprinkle seasoned flour over the potatoes and then gently toss them to coat. Add a little black pepper and toss again. Heat some oil - about 1/4 inch deep - in a frying pan and fry, turning occasionally, until they are
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Malacca Magazine golden all over. Transfer to a roasting tin and add the oil from the pan. Baste with the oil, sprinkle with some salt and set in the oven. Baste with a spoon and turn them 2-3 times, allowing them to cook for around 45 minutes. Yorkshire Puddings (UK)
Makes around 12-15 Individual Puddings Ingredients 225g (8 oz) Plain Flour Pinch of salt 3 Eggs 300- 450 ml (1/2 to 3/4 pint) milk Oil for cooking Preparation Method Sift the flour and salt through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and half a pint of milk, the whisk the mixture vigorously until you have a smooth batter of a thick consistency. Rest the batter in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, before 79 | P a g e
cooking. The batter can be rested for up to 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7. Once the resting time is complete re-whisk the batter. If it is too thick add some of the remaining milk. Pour oil into each of the moulds in a 12 pudding tray, about enough to cover the bottom and then put into the oven until the oil is smoking hot. Remove from the oven and pour batter into each mould until 80% full. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You can make a large pudding, if so desired. Get an 8 inch by 10 inch roasting tin and use enough oil to cover the bottom. When the oil is smoking hot, pour all of the batter into the tin or the individual pudding mould. Then bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Grilled Chicken Sandwich (USA)
Serves 1
January 2015 Ingredients 1 boneless Chicken Fillet or a bone in Chicken Leg (Thigh and Drumstick) Salt Pepper Oil Chicken is a perfect meat for marinades. It seems to be a canvas that soaks up flavours and transforms them, whether they are Mexican, Indian, Chinese or Asian in nature. Chicken also pairs very well with fruits – plum, lemon, orange and pineapple to name a few! Preparation Method Proceed as you would for cooking steak, but with a lower heat as the chicken needs to be thorough thoroughly cooked through, without being burnt on the outside. When ready to cook, season with salt and pepper, after coating the chicken with a thin film of oil. Seal on all sides and then cook until done, which if pan frying should be approximately 44-5 minutes p per side for a boneless breast. Cooking a chicken leg takes longer than the breast, around 8810 minutes per side. Once again allow to rest for 55-10
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Malacca Magazine minutes before eating, making sure that you remove the bone if you cooked a leg! Serve with any of the following: rice, mashed potato, chips, fries and salad. Grilled Pork Chops (UK)
Serves 1 Ingredients 1-2 Thick Cut Pork Loin Chops Salt Pepper Oil Preparation Method Brush lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper when the coals are ready or the pan is hot. Seal on all sides and then cook for around 5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Eats well with Chips or roast potatoes, apple sauce and a green vegetable like steamed Broccoli. 80 | P a g e
Grilled Lamb Chops or Rack of Lamb (French)
Serves 1 Ingredients
January 2015 will be reduced if the chop has been cut quite thin. Remove from the heat and rest for 55-10 minutes before serving. Mashed or roast potatoes and cabbage are good with lamb chops and, of course, either mint nt sauce or jelly. Prime Rib (USA)
2-3 Lamb Loin Chops (Thick cut is best) or a 3-4 bone rack of Lamb Loin Salt Pepper Oil Preparation Method When ready to cook, lightly brush the chops with oil and season with salt and pepper. Using the same heat as you would to cook a steak, sear the chops on all sides and then cook on both sides until you have the desired doneness, we like medium rare (still pink in the centre), which in the case of lamb chops, should be around 3-4 minutes of cooking per side. Alternatively, if cooking a rack put into a pre-heated oven at 200C for 12-15 minutes, depending on your preference for doneness. The cooking time for an individual chop
And is there anything more truly beautiful than a great prime rib? A deep brown crust crackling with salt and fat, sliced open to reveal a juicy pink center that extends from edge to edge. 1: Choose Well Well-Marbled Meat
Marbling is the streaks of intramuscular fat that run through the meat. The more marbled your meat, the juicier, more flavorful, and tender it'll be. Buying "Prime" graded beef is a good guarantee of this fat content, though it's possible to find ungraded beef with plenty of
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Malacca Magazine marbling as well. If you're not the kind of person who likes fat in their beef, then prime rib is not for you.
3: Season Well, and Season in Advance
2: Buy Bone-in Beef
While no actual flavor exchange takes place between the bones and the meat, there is an advantage to roasting a rib with the bone intact: insulation. Bones have a higher thermal resistance than meat, meaning the meat around the bones will cook slower than the rest of the roast, leaving those sections extratender and juicy. To make carving easier, you can remove the bones from the raw beef and tie them back on if you'd like, or ask your butcher to do it for you!
For best results, salt your prime rib on all surfaces with salt at least 45 minutes before you start cooking it, and preferably the day before, leaving it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Initially, the salt will draw out some moisture and end up dissolving in it. Over time, this salty liquid will dissolve some meat proteins (mainly myosin), loosening its structure, and allowing the salty juices to be re-absorbed into the meat. Your meat ends up better seasoned with less salty run-off. 4: Roast Low and Slow
January 2015 your meat at, the greater the temperature gradient within your meat will be, meaning by the time the center of your meat is a perfect medium medium-rare, the outer layers will be overcooked. You end up with a rosy red center, but dry, gray outer layers. Roasting at very llow temperatures (around 200°F) prevents this from happening. Many recipes will have you start your meat in a really hot oven or in a roasting pan on the stovetop to brown it before reducing the temperature to finish it off. In fact, the opposite method wor works better. Slowly roast at first, then brown at the very end. This allows you to brown the joint faster, which means you end up with less overcooked meat in the layers below. This method also allows you to rest your meat prior to browning it, which means that hat as soon as your guests are ready to eat, you're ready to carve.
The higher the temperature you cook 81 | P a g e
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Malacca Magazine 5: Use a digital food thermometer
Timing is at best a loose guide to when your meat will be ready. It doesn't take into account variables like oven cycles, fat content, convection patterns, or nosy relatives poking their face in the oven every few minutes. A thermometer is the only way to guarantee perfectly cooked meat, and a good instant read one is the best one for the job. Aim for 115 to 120°F for medium rare (125 to 130°F after resting), or 125 to 130°F for medium (135 to 140°F after resting). And remember, a roast will continue to rise in internal temperature by 5 to 10°F as it rests. 6: Let it Rest Like all meat, resting is a way to improve juiciness and texture. As the meat cooks, the temperature gradient within the muscle tissue causes an imbalance in the distribution of juices within. Slicing a hot roast open directly out of the oven will result in juices 82 | P a g e
spilling out all over the cutting board from areas in which the juice concentration is too high. Properly rested meat will retain all this juice as it’s sliced, delivering it to your mouth, not the trash. Vegetable Ukoy with Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Philippines)
January 2015 Combine together the egg, water, flour, salt and black pepper, and mix well. Add all of the vegetables and mix them together Make sure they are well coated Meanwhile, heat the cooking oil and the then drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oils and fry until golden brown. Drain any excess oil through a strainer and on kitchen towel. Serve hot with the vinegar dipping sauce. Vinegar Dipping Sauce (Philippines)
Ingredients 250 grams of Sweet Potato (kamote) grated into strips 1 cup of plain/all purpose flour 250 grams of Squash grated into strips Cooking Oil for deep frying 100 grams of carrot, grated into strips ½ tsp of salt ½ tsp of ground black pepper 1 bell pepper, deseeded, trimmed and diced 1 cup of water 1 medium onion, peeled and diced 1 beaten Egg
Preparation Mix together a 1/2 a cup of cane vinegar, ½ a tsp of salt a ¼ of a tsp of finely ground pepper and 1 tsp of soy sauce Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tbsp of chopped onion. Allow to stand for at least 45 minutes for the flavours to combine
Preparation Method Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine Pininyahang Manok Chicken & Pineapple in Coconut Milk (Philippines)
Serves 4-6 Ingredients 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken either breast or thigh cut into bite size pieces 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 tomato, skinned and diced One 14 oz (400 ml) can of coconut milk One red bell pepper, deseeded, trimmed and diced into chunks 100 ml of evaporated milk 2 ½ cups fresh or canned pineapple, diced into chunks 1 tablespoon fish sauce or 1 teaspoon salt Preparation Method
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Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Using the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add the tomato, red pepper, evaporated milk, coconut milk and pineapple. Stir and simmer for around 10 more minutes to thicken and reduce the sauce. Season with fish sauce or salt. Once the sauce is close to the right consistency add the browned chicken back to the pan and cook for another 7 minutes or so, until the chicken is just cooked Serve with steamed rice.
Sweet Pork (Thai)
January 2015 Ingredients 850 g Pork, preferably belly or ribs, boneless and rind-less 60g or ¼ cup Brown Suga Sugar 4 small red onions sliced 1 cup of warm water 1 tbsp of fish sauce 2-33 tbsp of Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce) ½ tsp of white pepper Fresh Coriander (leaf only to garnish) Preparation Method Put the sugar in a wok with 2 tablespoons of water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and slow boil for 5 minutes or until the sugar turns to an even golden brown. Add the pork and onions and stir to coat. Add the fish sauce, Kecap Manis and 1 cup (250ml) of warm water water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cook uncovered for 20 20-30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is sticky. Garnish with the freshly torn coriander leaf and serve with either boiled or egg fried rice.
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Malacca Magazine Orange Chicken (USA Chinese)
juice of Preparation Method
Serves 6 Ingredients 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt white pepper oil (for frying) 1/2 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon gingerroot, minced 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red chili pepper 1/4 cup green onion, chopped 1 tablespoon rice wine 1/4 cup water 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil Orange Sauce for Stir Fry 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons water 5 tablespoons sugar 5 tablespoons white vinegar 1 orange, zest and the 84 | P a g e
Place chicken pieces in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour together. Mix flour mixture and egg mixture Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook the chicken or else it will taste dry. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside. Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat Add 1 tablespoon oil Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds. Add and stir-fry crushed chillies and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
January 2015 Stir water into remaini remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken. Heat until sauce is thickened.
Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice (Chinese) Yunnan province in southwest China borders parts of sout south-east Asia, and its cuisine has some similarities to some of the dishes of Thai cuisine. This dish combines fruit and a savoury mixture. It’s easy to make and makes a delicious change.
Serves 4 Ingredients Cooked and cooled rice, measured to the 400ml/14fl oz level in a measuring jug 2 tbsp groundnut or peanut oil 225g/8oz cooked boneless chicken cut into cubes 2 tbsp light soy sauce Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Malacca Magazine 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger 3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions 1 tsp sesame oil 1 small pineapple (approximately 225g/8oz), peeled, cored and chopped into 1cm/½in pieces. You can also use canned pineapple that has been well drained then chopped into chunks 2 eggs, beaten and then cooked, cooled and chopped 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced Preparation method Heat a wok over high heat until it is hot. Add the oil, and when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the cooked chicken and stir fry for one minute. Add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, ginger and spring onion and continue to stirfry for two minutes, stirring continuously to ensure that nothing sticks or burns. Add the rice, mixing well and stir frying the mixture until the rice is heated through and well mixed. Stir in the sesame oil, add the chopped egg and the pineapple chunks and stir 85 | P a g e
fry until the pineapple is heated through, taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Mix well, return to the heat for another 30 seconds. Serve at once. Pork pot sticker dumplings (USA Chinese)
Dumpling dough is so easy to make and very different to shop bought, but if you want you can use preprepared dumpling wrappers. Try filling them with your favourite meats, vegetables or fish for a Sunday treat.
January 2015 75g/3oz Chinese cabbage leaves or spinach, finely chopped 1 tsp finely chopped ginger ½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry if none is available) ½ tbsp dark soy sauce ½ tsp light soy sauce ½ tsp salt ¼tsp freshly ground black pepper 1½ tbsp finely chopped spring onions 1 tsp sesame oil ½ tsp sugar 1 tbsp cold chicken stock or water To cook About bout 1 tbsp groundnut oil 75ml/3fl oz water For the dipping sauce 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp white rice vinegar 2 tsp chilli oil
Ingredients
Preparation method
For the dough
(If making the wrapper)
140g/5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting 125ml/4fl oz very hot water Or 16 shop bought dumpling wrappers
For the dough, place the flour into a large bowl and stir the hot water gradually into it, mixing all the time with a fork or chopsticks, until the water is incorporated. Add more water if the mixture seems dry.
For the stuffing 110g/4oz minced (not extra lean)
pork
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Malacca Magazine Tip the dough mixture onto a clean work surface and knead it with your hands, dusting the dough with a little flour if it's sticky. Continue kneading until it is smooth - this should take about eight minutes. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover it with a clean damp towel and let it rest for about 20 minutes. For the stuffing, while the dough is resting, combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Set aside. After the resting period, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it again for about five minutes, dusting with a little flour if it is sticky. Once the dough is smooth, shape it into a roll about 23cm/9in long and about 2.5cm/1in in diameter, using your hands. With a sharp knife, slice the roll into 16 equal-sized pieces (each piece is about 15g/½ oz). Using your hands, roll each of the dough pieces into a small ball and then, with a rolling pin, roll each ball into a small, round, flat, 86 | P a g e
'pancake' about 9cm/3½in in diameter. Arrange the round skins on a lightly floured tray and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out until you are ready to use them. Place about two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each 'pancake' and moisten the edges with water. Fold the dough in half and pinch together with your fingers. Pleat around the edge, pinching with your fingers to seal well. The dumpling should look like a small Cornish pasty with a flat base and rounded top.
January 2015 the water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for about 12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Check the water half-way way through and add more if necessary. Uncover the pan and continue to cook for a further two minutes. Forr the dipping sauce, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. To serve, remove the dumplings from the pan with a large slotted spoon and serve with the dipping sauce. If using a Bought dumpling wrapper
Transfer each finished dumpling to the floured tray and keep it covered until you have stuffed all the dumplings in this way.
For the stuffing, while the dough is resting, combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly. Set aside.
To cook, heat a large lidded frying pan (preferably a non-stick pan) until it is very hot. Add the groundnut oil and place the dumplings flatside down into the pan.
Place about two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each 'pancake' and moisten the edges with water. Fold the dough in half and pinch togethe together with your fingers.
Reduce the heat and cook for about two minutes until they the dumplings are lightly browned. Add
Pleat around the edge, pinching with your fingers to seal well. The dumpling should look like a small
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Malacca Magazine Cornish pasty with a flat base and rounded top.
layer. Sticky Honey Chicken (USA Chinese)
Transfer each finished dumpling to the floured tray and keep it covered until you have stuffed all the dumplings in this way. To cook, heat a large lidded frying pan (preferably a non-stick pan) until it is very hot. Add the groundnut oil and place the dumplings flatside down into the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for about two minutes until they the dumplings are lightly browned. Add the water, cover the pan tightly and simmer gently for about 12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Check the water half-way through and add more if necessary. Uncover the pan and continue to cook for a further two minutes. For the dipping sauce, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. To serve, remove the dumplings from the pan with a large slotted spoon and serve with the dipping sauce.
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January 2015
Serves 4 Ingredients 3/4 cup butter, Âź cup still solid, to be melted later and 1/2 cup melted 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons paprika 1 chicken (2-1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 8 pieces 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup lemon juice Preparation Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a 9- x 13-inch baking pan in oven; remove baking pan from oven. In a shallow bowl, mix together flour, salt, pepper, and paprika, dip chicken pieces into flour mixture. Add chicken pieces to pan, coat completely with butter, then bake 30 minutes, skin side down, in a single
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup lemon juice to make sauce. Turn chicken and cover with sauce. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until chicken is fork fork-tender and no pink remains. Spoon sauce over chicken again and serve. Asian Marinated Pork Chops (USA)
Store-bought bought marinades can be okay, but why not make your own in minutes for a fraction of the cost? These Asian Marinated Pork Chops will melt in your mouth, and each bite is packed with great taste!
Serves 4
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Malacca Magazine Ingredients 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 tablespoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon minced garlic 4 (3/4-inch thick) pork loin chops (1-1/2 to 2 pounds total) 3 tablespoons butter Salt & Pepper, to taste
January 2015
To make a sauce for the pork chops, reserve the marinade and bring it to a boil. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, the pour over the chops.
sautĂŠ until the chicken is cooked and the sauce begins to thicken. Serve rve on cooked rice and garnish with the sesame seeds and green onion.
Sesame Chicken (USA Chinese)
Spicy pork spare ribs (UK Chinese)
Preparation Method Season the chops with salt & pepper on both sides. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic; mix well. Place chops in a 9- x 13inch baking dish and pour soy sauce mixture over top, turning chops to coat thoroughly. Cover and chill 2 hours, turning after 1 hour. Remove chops from marinade and discard marinade. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; cook chops 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve immediately, with rice. Note If you prefer to not use butter to cook the pork chops, you can substitute either peanut oil or light sesame oil. 88 | P a g e
Ingredients
Ingredients
4 tablespoons soy sauce 4 tablespoons pineapple juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 tablespoons ginger (grated) 1 pound chicken (cut into bite sized pieces) 1 teaspoon peanut oil 4 servings cooked rice 2 tablespoons sesame seeds green onions to garnish Preparation Method Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sugar, ginger and chicken in a ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge for about an hour. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the chicken and marinade to the pan and
125ml (1/2 cup) honey 80ml (1/3 cup) tomato ketchup 60ml (1/4 cup) soy sauce 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 3 garlic cloves, crushed 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger 1 tablespoon olive oil 1-11 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder 8 (about 1.2kg) pork spare rib pieces Vegetable oil, to grease Steamed Rice, to serve Mixed salad leaves, to serve Preparation Method Combine the honey, tomato sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, and oil and chilli powder in a small bowl.
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Place ribs in a large shallow glass or ceramic dish and pour over the honey mixture. Turn the ribs to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge, turning occasionally, for 6 hours or overnight to develop the flavours. Preheat oven to 210°C. Line a baking dish with foil and pour enough water over the base to cover (this helps prevent excess marinade from smoking). Brush a wire rack with oil to lightly grease and place in the baking dish over the water. Remove the ribs from the marinade and arrange, in a single layer, on the wire rack. Reserve the marinade. Place the reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Meanwhile, bake the ribs in preheated oven, turning and basting occasionally with the marinade, for 4050 minutes or until ribs are golden brown and sticky. Remove the ribs from oven. 89 | P a g e
Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Divide the rice among serving plates. Top with spicy pork spare ribs and serve immediately with mixed salad leaves.
cooking wine, egg and dry cornstarch. Leave to marinate for 1 ½ to 2 hours Make a sauce with the sweet vinegar, ketchup, the remaining salt, MSG, sugar and water. Heat the oil in a wok to 110-135 135 degrees Celsius (230-275 275 degrees Fahrenheit) and deep deep-fry the pork ribs until they are golden brown in color. Take out an and drain off the oil. Put the pre pre-prepared sauce in the wok and bring to a boil. Add the cooking wine and pork ribs and put over a low heat to absorb the sauce.
Capital Spareribs (Chinese)
Ingredients 500 grams (1.1 lb) pork ribs 150 grams (10 tbsp) water 15 grams (3 tsp) sugar 60 grams (5 1/4 tbsp) ketchup 25 grams (1 2/3 tbsp) sweet vinegar 3 grams (1/2 tsp) salt 5 grams (1 1/4 tsp) MSG 25 grams (1 1/3 tbsp) of cooking wine 1 egg 75 grams (6 tbsp) dry cornstarch 500 grams (1 cup) cooking oil (only 3/10 to be consumed)
Features: Beautifully coloured dark red to brown. Taste: Sweet and Sour BBQ Chicken or BBQ Chicken cken Sandwich with Classic Coleslaw (USA)
Preparation Method Wash the pork ribs and cut them into chunks 6 cm (2.4 inches) long and 2 cm (0.8 inch) wide. Mix with half of the salt, 2 1/2 g (2/5 tsp) of the
Ingredients 1 whole chicken
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Malacca Magazine 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 tablespoons of Cajun spice (or your favorite dry rub mix) Salt & pepper Preparation Method Remove the backbone of the chicken with a cleaver or ask your butcher to do it for you when you buy the chicken. Flatten the chicken "Portuguese style" and put it in a deep enough container so you can cover the chicken after rubbing it. Salt and pepper the chicken generously on both sides, and then coat it with the oil and apply the rub all over it on both sides. Cover the container and let it sit in the fridge overnight or for as long as you can if you can’t wait until the next day. Start your BBQ, preferably a charcoal grill, and when the coals are red let the temperature get back down somewhere between 350 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the chicken skin down and close the BBQ. You want to keep the smoke 90 | P a g e
and the flavor inside the BBQ. You also want your coals to burn slow and low, so by closing the BBQ the coals have less oxygen and burn slowly. Check coloration of the skin after 20 minutes. If the skin is nice and golden flip it and add some coals at the same time if the temperature has fallen below 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep cooking for about 25 minutes until the wings and the legs are easily removable from the body with 2 fingers. If you are turning this into a sandwich, then once the chicken is cool enough to handle strip the skin and meat from the bones Classic Coleslaw (USA)
Ingredients 1 green cabbage, thinly sliced 3 to 4 carrots, julienned 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil
January 2015 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar Pepper to taste Preparation Method Combine the cabbage, carrot and garlic into a large bowl and toss together. Add the salt, oil, vinegar, sugar and pepper then mix well. Let sit for at least an hour, but ideally overnight, in the fridge. Before serving, mix well and add seasoning to your preferred taste. Making up your plate of BBQ Chicken Sandwich Sandwiches & Classic Coleslaw BBQ Chicken 4 buns or servings of bread BBQ sauce (Preferably Warm) Classic Coleslaw Take the skin and meat of the chicken and mix thoroughly with the BBQ Sauce. Then divide the chicken into four servings and put it on your favorite bun or bread. Add the Coleslaw on top or serve separately. Hamburger Seasoning (USA) Ingredients
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Malacca Magazine 4 teaspoons Paprika 3 tsp Ground Black Pepper 2 1/2 tsp of salt 3 tsp of Dark Brown Sugar 1/2 tsp onion powder ½ tsp Garlic Powder 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper Preparation Method Mix all of the ingredients together well and store in a dry airtight container until you are ready to use. When you have made your patties sprinkle liberally, or to taste on both sides and leave for 5-10 minutes before grilling. Hamburger Patties (USA)
and pepper. Divide the meat into the weight quantity you desire, I suggest ¼ pounders, but some people like 2 oz, 1/3lb or 1/2lb burgers, and shape into rounds of the desired thickness, being careful not to overwork the meat or compress it too much. Put a thumb dent in the centre of the burger (this will stop it from rising up too much during cooking), and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the burger to firm up. This will help to avoid the burger breaking up during cooking. As it is pure meat and has no binders or fillers it is more difficult to cook and retain the shape than a processed burger patty. However, the result will be more juicy and flavourful, so stick with it.
January 2015 before turning and then 334 minutes on the other side (if you made a very thick ½ lb burger you will need to at lea least double these times). Makes 17 - 4 depending on size. Guacamole (Mexico)
Ingredients 1 ripe avocado, peeled, stone removed, chopped 1 lime, juice only 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tbsp crème fraîche or sour cream 1 small bunch coriander, chopped Preparation Method
Ingredients 1kg of freshly ground round beef Salt and Pepper to taste Hamburger Seasoning (see above) Preparation Method Season the meat with salt and pepper and mix well to evenly disperse the salt 91 | P a g e
Sprinkle both sides of the patty with as much hamburger seasoning as you desire, leave for 5-10 minutes and then cook. I like to chargrill my burgers if possible. Make sure that your grill is medium hot you want it hot enough to get a sear (or crust) on the burger in 1 minute. Depending on the thickness of your burger cook for 3-4 minutes,
Tip the avocado into a mixing bowl with the lime juice to prevent it from turning brown. Add the garlic, crème fraîche and coriander and mash everything together lightly with h a fork, keeping plenty of texture. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Malacca Magazine Chilli con carne (Mexico)
Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 2 large onions, halved and sliced 3 large garlic cloves, chopped 2 tbsp chilli powder 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp dried oregano 1kg of ground/minced beef 400g can of chopped tomatoes ½ a can of water 2 beef stock cubes Salt & Pepper 2 large red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks (optional) 3 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained & Rinsed (optional) Preparation Method Heat an oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 3. Heat the oil, preferably in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the onions gently for around 8 minutes and they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic, spices and oregano and cook for 1 min, then gradually add 92 | P a g e
the mince, stirring well until browned. Stir in the tomatoes; add half a can of water, then crumble in the stock and season, making sure that the beef has been broken up. Cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Stir in the peppers and cook for 30 minutes more until the peppers are tender. Stir in the beans and cook for another 15 minutes. To serve: Reheat on the hob until bubbling. Serve with avocado or a mixed leaf salad, rice or tortilla chips and a bowl of soured cream. Be sure to save a portion so that you can make your own Chilli Cheese Fries
Chilli Cheese Fries – so much better than the fast food variety – simply re-heat the chilli, cook 2 portions of fries, and top the fries with the hot chilli and a finely diced red onion and finish with lots of grated cheese. Whilst it is still hot mix it altogether and serve. Tang’s Media Group
January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Sports The sports section deals with several popular sports, but please bear with us on this. The nature of a monthly magazine means that the information is out of date when you get it. It is retrospective. We hope you enjoy it, but we look forward to your feedback! Football Round-up Welcome to our round-up of what’s happening in the English Premier League and the Uefa Champions League. Barclays Premier League
Football is often surprising and this years’ Premier League is no exception. The top 3 hold no surprises with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United heading things up. Chelsea has looked strong all season and must now be slight favourites for the Championship having won the last 3 when they have been the Christmas 93 | P a g e
January 2015
leaders. 7 of the last 10 have, in fact, been won by the team on top on December 25th. Still, it will, I am sure, be a very close and tightly fought contest for the title.
the first 19 games and ahead to part two of the campaign?
More surprising are the positions of West Ham and Southampton (4th and 5th) relative to Arsenal and Liverpool who lie in 6th and 10th respectively. I don’t believe anyone would have predicted that as the Christmas top 6 order, or even that that would be the top 6.
This section focuses on a round-up up of what are widely regarded as the top 5 and most supported teams in England. Each month we plan to give a short round round-up of their progress and where their season is headed. We hope you will enjoy it and we will try to be impartial!!
The Premier League season has hit the halfway mark and moves into 2015 with Chelsea at the top of the table and reigning champions Manchester City in hot pursuit. But anyone tempted to condemn the second half of the season to a predictable procession near the top may just hold back after Chelsea dropped points at Southampton and City were left even more frustrated as they lost a two-goal lead at home to Burnley. So, as the season enters its next phase, how will clubs and managers look back at
Team Round Round-Up
Arsenal Arsenal - 5th Season so far Mixed but ended on a high note with wins against QPR and West Ham United that moved them up to fifth in the Premier League. Still do not look like a side capable of turning over their closest rivals, as they have found out against Chelsea and Manchester United, ited, but in a good position and into the Champions League knockout stages again.
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Malacca Magazine How is the Manager doing? Clearly, not well enough for some. There was a banner demanding Wenger's departure after Arsenal's win at West Bromwich Albion and also angry scenes at a train station after the loss at Stoke. Wenger still manages to get the wins to keep the wolf from the door but still has serious issues to address - if he chooses to address them. Credit due for luring Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal. What they need to do next Same old same old. A central defender of authority (maybe not someone who ducks out of the way of dangerous crosses such as Per Mertesacker did at Stoke and Liverpool) and also a commanding holding midfield player. But where will he find them in January? Also, any chance of injuries finally clearing up? Did you know? Alexis Sanchez became the 100th player to score a Premier League goal for Arsenal (excluding own goals) when he netted against Leicester in August.
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January 2015 play at Stamford Bridge in January.
Chelsea
Chelsea - 1st Season so far Outstanding. Just one league defeat so far, at Newcastle, and a real show of strength built on Jose Mourinho's two stellar summer signings Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. Costa has scored 13 league goals and Fabregas has created 13 league goals. Sound investment. How is the Manager doing? Mourinho's expertise has been on show again, moulding the exciting skills of Costa, Fabregas and Hazard with the powerhouse Nemanja Matic and old reliables such as captain John Terry. A perfect blend of silk and steel. Still the consummate coach, although starting to see some conspiracy theories after Fabregas was refused a penalty at Southampton. What they need to do next Not a lot other than keep the likes of Diego Costa and John Terry fit and keep looking in their rear view mirror at Manchester City, who they
Did you know? Cesc Fabregas collected his 13th assist of the campaign against Southampton, setting a new record for most assists in a player's first 18 games of a season. This also equalled the most assists by a player in the 2013-14 14 season (Steven Gerrard).
Cesc Fabregas has been instrumental in Chelsea's title charge and has already equalled Steven Gerrard's league league-high haul of 13 assists last season
Liverpool
Liverpool - 10th Season so far Disappointing. From the high of almost winning their first title in 24 years
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Malacca Magazine last season to just scraping into the top half of the table so far this term. With Luis Suarez sold to Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge injured since August, they have looked a shadow of that thrilling team. Some signs, though, that a little form may be returning and Sturridge should be back in January. A dismal Champions’ League group campaign, with only one win and an early exit, is a real scar. How is the manager doing? Tough times for LMA Manager of the Year Brendan Rodgers although talk his job should be under discussion six months after almost winning the title is unfair. Has struggled to integrate new signings and has on occasion not seemed to know his best side, although he has had to juggle to find a formula. What they need to do next Decide whether Mario Balotelli is worth the bother (probably not), sign a new goalkeeper to replace the erratic Simon Mignolet and find the magical medical formula that actually keeps Daniel Sturridge fit. 95 | P a g e
Did you know? The Reds have scored 22 goals after 18 games so far this season. They had scored 43 after the same amount of matches in 2013-14.
Man. City
Manchester City - 2nd Season so far Denied a club record 10th successive win in all competitions as they lost that two-goal lead at home to Burnley but have shown signs recently of being back to their best, even without Sergio Aguero. David Silva is fit again and the confidence gained from reaching the knockout phase of the Champions League should not be under-estimated. How is the Manager doing? Typically Manuel Pellegrini, under-stated, modest and under the radar, but this is a manager who would like nothing better than to outflank his old adversary Jose Mourinho and he will
January 2015 feel City are in position to do it. What they need to do next Like Chelsea, there should be no major work in January but everyone at the Etihad will keep everything crossed that the world world-class Sergio Aguero finally h has a long run without injuries. He could yet be the title game-changer. changer. Did you know? Frank Lampard's goal against Leicester in December was his 175th in the Premier League, putting him level with Thierry Henry. Only Alan Shearer, Andy Cole and Wayne Roon Rooney have scored more.
Man. United
Manchester United - 3rd Season so far Getting back to something like the old Manchester United before the dark months of the David Moyes era. Definite signs that the Old Trafford juggernaut is moving in the right direction again under Louis van Gaal. Title talk is highly ambitious but top four and a return to
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Malacca Magazine the Champions League is a definite possibility. How is the Manager doing? Exactly as you would expect from someone of Van Gaal's experience and success. A man undaunted, unlike Moyes, by the scale of Manchester United with firm beliefs in his approach and the authority to command complete respect from his players. What they need to do next United need to shore up a defence that gives away too many chances, which may be helped by clearing an over-crowded treatment room. These will be the priorities for the second half of the season. Did you know? United have used a league-high 31 players so far this season, one more than they did in the whole of 2013-14.
Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie have scored eight league goals each this season, helping 96 | P a g e
Manchester third place
United
January 2015 to
Uefa Champions League
Last 16
Less surprising are the qualifiers for the last 16, or knockout stages, of the Champions League. As it stands Real Madrid must be favourites, with Bayern Munich next, then Chelsea and Barcelona. From England, Man. City, Arsenal and Chelsea are through, with Liverpool out and going to the Europa League, going backwards this season, seemingly as fast as they progressed, last year. The presence of Luis Suarez – love him or loathe him – is being sorely missed. Mario Ballotelli has yet to prove an adequate replacement, although not many could fill those boots! Arsenal – with Monaco and Chelsea – with Paris Saint Germain – as their drawn opponents got the better draw of the English
clubs, as Man. City drew Barcelona, surely a short straw! I am not sure Arsenal are favourite to reach the Quarter Finals, but they should and I believe Chelsea will prove too strong and clever for PSG. Man. City will probably not progress, but it is hard to say that, as each year now they get a little stronger. Another big surprise is how Borussia Dortmund – last years’ Bundesliga runners-up up and through to the last 16 can be in the relegation zone at the Winter Break. Their coach, Jurgen Klopp, is taking ng it firmly on the chin, ignoring the loss of Robert Lewandowski and saying that they only have themselves to blame for “looking like idiots.” It’s hard to look past Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but don’t count out the boys from West London just yet. By the way, anyone missing Manchester United yet?
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Malacca Magazine International Rugby Union Rugby Internationals - 8th November 2014
England 21-24 New Zealand Coach Stuart Lancaster insists England “are not far away" from New Zealand despite a 24-21 defeat by the world champions at Twickenham on Saturday. England led 14-11 at halftime, but the visitors dominated after the break despite having Dane Coles sin-binned. Lancaster said: "We haven't got the right result, but we don't feel we're far away. In the first half we were pretty close if not level." It is New Zealand's fifth win over England in 12 months.
“Close, but no Cigar, again!”
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January 2015
The losing run suggests England have some way to go if they are to triumph at next year's World Cup, but Lancaster remains optimistic.
the All Blacks began to dominate minate and they were rewarded with second second-half tries from captain Richie McCaw and replacement Charlie Faumuina.
He added: "We've got some good players watching the game, so we'll keep our confidence and maintain the direction in which we're going.
Former England star Matt Dawson’s Match Analysis
"The All Blacks have played eight games and two-and-a-half months together since we last played them and I thought we put them under pressure. "We created opportunities in attack but obviously there's a period of play they constructed that shows why they have the experience to close out a game like that. "That's what we've got to get." Jonny May's first try for England had given Lancaster's side the perfect start but they squandered a handful of excellent opportunities to turn their early domination into points. England were left to rue those missed chances as
"They lacked the physicality and experience and the New Zealand bench made them pay. "I am confident onfident that England can win in the World Cup against anyone. When the players are fit and the coach Stuart Lancaster works out what to do with the midfield. There is no question they can compete." "We've had one one-and-a-half week's preparation and we've got ot young lads who are 20 and 21 years old making their debuts at Twickenham against the All Blacks - that's a positive," Lancaster continued. "The performance of the pack was excellent - it couldn't have been far off 100% line--out. We put a lot of pressur pressure on their ball and there was some
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Malacca Magazine good rugby on show in the first half.
greater experience was the decisive factor.
"We missed one opportunity in the first half which could have made a difference.
"If your team has more caps than the other and you lose they tell you they are too old and should retire - it's just an excuse," he said.
"We need to work on the accuracy of our kicking, the pressure we put on ourselves playing in and around our halfway line.
Jonny May scored his first try for England in his eighth appearance "When the weather turned New Zealand maximized that opportunity well and when the hooker was in the sinbin they managed that well as well.” "We couldn't get the territory to get close to them in the second half." New Zealand's match-day squad had 1,023 caps compared to England's total of 437 before kickoff, but Lancaster's counterpart Steve Hansen does not believe his sides 98 | P a g e
Back to Black The All Blacks have only lost twice in 40 matches since becoming world champions in 2011.
January 2015 try with relish as he fizzed through a narrow gap down the left and then skinned full full-back Israel Dagg on the outside. The Gloucester wing said: "That has been coming for a while. I have kept going and getting opportunities, and nd that try put us in a good position. I will remember it forever." Ireland 29 – 15 South Africa
England beat New Zealand at Twickenham in December 2012 for the first time in 10 attempts but lost the subsequent five meetings. The All Blacks have won 32 of their 40 meetings with England, losing seven and drawing 26-26 in 1997.
Ireland (6) 29 Tries: Ruddock, Bowe Cons: Sexton 2 Pens: Sexton 4, Madigan
"The big thing that changed in the second half was that we got a wee bit urgent” said Hansen.
South Africa (3) 15
"In that first half England were probably half a click in front of us the whole time, showed a bit more desperation and urgency to get to places."
Under-strength strength Ireland produced a display of discipline and invention to stun the in in-form Springboks in Dublin.
Johnny May will remember his first England
Tries: Coetzee, Pietersen Cons: Pollard Pens: Pollard
The superb Jonathan Sexton kicked Ireland into a 6-00 lead before Handre
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Malacca Magazine Pollard replied before the break. Rhys Ruddock's try straight after half-time helped increase Ireland's lead to 13-3 before Marcell Coetzee's score cut the margin to three points. However, two more Sexton penalties and Tommy Bowe's try put the game out of sight before JP Pietersen's late score. The Springboks went into the game hot favourites after beating New Zealand a month ago but they found themselves unable to match Ireland's remarkable resolve. Ruddock was a late inclusion in the Ireland team after original selection Chris Henry was ruled out by illness. Ireland had heroes all their pitch with Jack McGrath immense both in the scrum and at the breakdown but there was no doubting that Sexton was deserving of his manof-the-match honour.
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January 2015 eighth minute after McGrath had out out-duelled Jannie du Plessis in a scrum.
Rhys Ruddock dives over to score Ireland's first try just after half-time The Irish fly-half conclusively won his duel with emerging Springboks fly-half Handre Pollard as the home side effectively targeted both South Africa half-backs. Springboks scrum-half Francois Hougaard endured a nightmare evening as South Africa's backs moves were largely confined to runs from lively full-back Willie le Roux. Joe Schmidt's players also showed ruthlessness in the closing 15 minutes after replacement hooker's Adriaan Strauss's sin-binning was followed by Bowe's match-clinching try. With Sexton orchestrating, the Irish effectively mixed a kicking and running game in the early stages and the fly-half kicked the opening points in the
Ireland, minus regular hooker Rory Best, struggled in a couple of early line-outs outs and had an escape in the 13th minute as Hougaard's fumble at the base of a ruck just short of the line allowed McGrath to hack to safet safety. Sexton's 24th 24th-minute penalty increased Ireland's lead before the home scrum began to creak for the first time. Tommy Bowe scored one of Ireland's two tries South Africa's scrum dominance forced two kickable penalties in three minutes but their decisio decision to chase tries from line lineouts backfired on both occasions as the Irish defence held firm. Pollard finally opened South Africa's account before the break to cut the margin to three and the visitors must have remained confident as they trudged into the dressing-rooms. rooms. However, they were rocked within two minutes
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Malacca Magazine of the restart by Ruddock's crucial try. Young Irish centre Robbie Henshaw's superb kick had forced Le Roux to concede a line-out deep in Springboks territory and Ruddock burst through to score after Devin Toner had soared to win Sean Cronin's throw. Sexton's conversion increased Ireland's lead to 13-3 but there was still some 36 minutes of action left. The visitors looked right back in the contest on 57 minutes as Coetzee barged his way over after the opting of turning down an easy three points finally bore fruit. Pollard's conversion cut the margin to three but crucially Ireland doubled their advantage within six minutes as Sexton punished Duane Vermeulen's high tackle on Jamie Heaslip.
Springbok stats South African suffered their first defeat against a northern hemisphere 100 | P a g e
Springbok stats team since coach Heyneke Meyer took the job Bakkies Botha was introduced width 15 minutes remaining but the South Africans were then handed a hammer blow as replacement hooker Strauss was yellow carded for his high tackle on Rob Kearney. With their numerical advantage, the Irish produced intense pressure in the 70th minute and it yielded Sexton's fourth penalty of the match as there was to be no repeat of his crucial late miss against the All Blacks 12 months ago. Ireland's remarkable victory was secured within two minutes as Murray's perfectly weighted chip in behind the defence was grabbed by Bowe before he fell over the line. The magnificent Sexton landed the conversion before he was hauled ashore and his replacement Ian Madigan then got in on the scoring act with another penalty
January 2015 before an Aviva Stadium attendance that appeared stunned by the magnitude of the home victory. Pietersen ran in South African's second try in the closing seconds but was it was little consolation for the visitors.
Ireland debutant Jared Payne is tackled by Bismarck du Plessis at the Aviva Stadium
Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw is grabbed by his opposite number Jan Serfontein
Rhys Ruddock, a late Irish replacement for Chris
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Malacca Magazine Henry, is tackled Bismarck du Plessis
by
Rob Kearney out-jumps Bryan Habana in an aerial duel TEAMS Ireland: Rob Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne, Robbie Henshaw, Simon Zebo; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross; Devin Toner, Paul O'Connell; Peter O'Mahony, Rhys Ruddock, Jamie Heaslip. Replacements: Richardt Strauss for Cronin 60 mins, Dave Kilcoyne for McGrath 73, Rodney Ah You for Ross 73, Mike McCarthy for Toner 73, Tommy O'Donnell for O'Mahony 71, Eoin Reddan for Payne 78, Ian Madigan for Sexton 75, Felix Jones for Kearney 75. South Africa: Willie le Roux; Cornal Hendricks, Jan Serfontein, Jean de Villiers (capt), Bryan 101 | P a g e
Habana; Handre Pollard, Francois Hougaard; Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis; Eben Etzebeth, Victor Matfield; Marcell Coetzee, Teboho Mohoje, Duane Vermeulen. Replacements: Adriaan Strauss for Bismarck du Plessis 51, Trevor Nyakane for Mtawarira 66, Coenie Oosthuizen for Jannie du Plessis 71, Bakkies Botha for Etzebeth 65, Schalk Burger for Mohoje 47, Cobus Reinach for Hougaard 57, Pat Lambie for Pollard 66, JP Pietersen for Hendricks 50 Referee: Raymond Poite (France) Wales 28-33 Australia Wales (21) 28 Tries: Webb, Cuthbert, Jones, penalty; Cons: Halfpenny (2), Biggar, Priestland Australia (21) 33 Tries: Folau (2), Kuridrani; Pens: Foley (3); Cons: Foley (3); Drop-goal: Foley Australia beat Wales for the 10th successive time in a thrilling game, sealing victory late on.
January 2015 Bernard Foley kicked 18 points, the most crucial coming in the final minutes as he sent over a drop-goal, goal, then a penalty. Rhys Webb' Webb's try opened for Wales and the teams were level 21 21-21 at the break. The Wallabies had the edge in the second period, giving new coach Michael Cheika a debut win. Warren Gatland saw plenty of positives in Wales defeat by Australia For Cheika's opposite number, Warren Gatland, it was again agonisingly close, this time a day shy of the seventh anniversary of the day he took charge of Wales. The hosts went into the game with only two players who had enjoyed victory for Wales against the he Wallabies - lock Alun Wyn Jones and centre Jamie Roberts. Australia's entire match squad was made up of players who had never suffered defeat by the men in the red of Wales. Cheika also omitted a man who has done as much as
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Malacca Magazine anyone to hurt Warren Gatland's Wales in recent years. Fly-half Quade Cooper was the only current Wallaby to have left the field against Wales defeated, in 2008, when Gatland tasted his only Wales Test success in 26 attempts against one of the major southern hemisphere teams.
questions may surface again. Against that background, Welsh scrum-half Webb also proved predictable, continuing a habit he has become renowned for - by dummying his way over for the first of six first-half tries, converted by Leigh Halfpenny.
Struggle against the best Wales have now lost 25 of their 26 matches under Warren Gatland against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa That has led to criticism that even a coach who had conjured three Six Nations titles and a British and Irish Lions Test series win against Australia could not guide Wales over the line against the Wallabies, New Zealand and South Africa. Questions had also been asked about the mental approach of Welsh players when it comes to such occasions, not to mention accusations of tactical predictability. Those
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Rhys Webb put Wales ahead after only three minutes against Australia at the Millennium Stadium The thrills Webb started made for as entertaining an opening period as any neutral could wish for. But the Ospreys scrumhalf provided some other memorable moments he would rather forget. He could not be held responsible when visiting skipper Michael Hooper burst through Dan Biggar's tackle to send Folau over, Foley converting to level.
January 2015 But Webb's long pass, intended to send Liam Williams over, was instead intercepted by Folau who raced 70 metres untouched and Foley added the extras. George North showed his try-making making qu qualities from centre by breaking free before putting Alex Cuthbert away and Halfpenny converted. Northampton's North was also involved in the next try as he and lock Alun Wyn Jones were brushed aside in Tevita Kuridrani's run to the line. Foley again converted. rted. With Halfpenny departed because of a head knock, Wales spurned several penalty chances. Instead skipper Sam Warburton spearheaded a series of drives before lock Jones drove over. Biggar's conversion left the teams 21 21-21 at the break, but two Foley penalties early in the second half edged them ahead once more. In the meantime Biggar had departed with injury and he was soon joined at half-back back by veteran scrum-half half Mike Phillips.
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Malacca Magazine The former's half-break and latter's drive put Wales in the shadow of Australia's posts after North was thwarted in the act of grounding, Australia conceded a penalty at the scrum and three attempts later, the Wallabies' scrum again succumbed and referee Craig Joubert awarded a penalty try, converted by Priestland and Wales were back in the lead, albeit by one point. Foley's drop goal after a patient multi-phase attack put the hosts back in the role of game-chasers. But instead of turning the table on the Wallabies and striking back at the death as Australia have done so often to Wales in recent years - the visitors retained control and Foley fired over the final penalty to seal victory.
Replacements: C Allen for L Halfpenny (31), R Priestland for D Biggar (48), M Phillips for R Webb (54), S Baldwin for P James (58), G Jenkins for R Hibbard (58), R Jones for S Lee (69), B Davies for J Ball (69), J Tipuric for D Lydiate (76). Australia: I Folau, A Ashley-Cooper, T Kuridrani, C Leali'ifano, J Tomane, B Foley, N Phipps; J Slipper, S Fainga'a, S Kepu, S Carter, R Simmons, S McMahon, M Hooper, B McCalman. Replacements: W Skelton for S Carter (51), J Hanson for S Fainga'a (60), B Alexander for S Kepu (68), J Horwill for R Simmons (68), W Genia for N Phipps (69), M Hodgson for S McMahon (71), T Faulkner for J Slipper (74), R Horne for C Leali'ifano (77).
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Australia has now won 22 of their last 25 games against Wales
Wales have lost by less than 10 points in nine of their last 10 international matches against Australia Scotland 41 – 31 Argentina
Vern Cotter praise for initiative in win over Argentina
Saturday's teams Wales: L Halfpenny, A Cuthbert, G North, J Roberts, L Williams, D Biggar, R Webb; P James, R Hibbard, S Lee, J Ball, A Wyn Jones, D Lydiate, S Warburton, T Faletau.
January 2015
Bernard Foley kicked 18 points for Australia, including this 74th-minute drop-goal
Vern Cotter said he was "pleased" as he marked his first home ma match in charge of Scotland with a 41 41-31 Murrayfield win over Argentina.
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Malacca Magazine The Scots ran in five tries in their first of three autumn Tests, though three late tries for the Pumas took some of the gloss off a good display. "I was pleased the way the players carried themselves," said Cotter.
"They showed some great qualities and really threw themselves around. They played for each other." Cotter arrived in Edinburgh from French Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne and steered Scotland to three wins from four on their summer tour. Argentina was one of the sides beaten in June, along with USA and Canada, but this was Scotland’s’ first home success against the Pumas since 1990. "It's a good win, a hardfought victory," Cotter told BBC Radio Scotland. "I think it's a good reward for the work the players
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put in. We'll take it, it's been 25 years." Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg "The pleasing thing is that we went out there and put into practice what we've been doing all week." Scotland recovered from a second-minute Javier Ortega Desio try and the crowd enjoyed seeing Sean Maitland and Jonny and Richie Gray cross the line in the first half, the 21st set of brothers to play together for Scotland. The head coach continued: "We got off to a rough start. I was really pleased with the character of the players when we got straight back and evened things up. "I was pleased with the initiative that the players took. We varied our game. "They should savour the evening. They deserved the victory they worked hard for tonight." 'Special' day for try scoring Scotland Gray brothers
January 2015 The Scots had Rob Harley and Jim Hamilton sin sinbinned late in the match, the latter just a few minutes after taking to the pitch as a substitute, and it was in that time that they conceded three tries. Prior to that, they had kept Argentina at bay for 59 minutes. Jonny Gray thought the team "performed well in patches against a very good side" but admitted there was room for improvement. Asked about playing beside ide his elder sibling, he said: "It was very special, something I'll never forget." For Richie Gray, the display was, jokingly, "not bad". He added: "We caused a stubborn Argentina side a lot of problems. It gives us something to work on going into a big Test next week." That match is at Murrayfield against New Zealand, 24 24-21 winners over England at Twickenham, before the autumn series ends against Tonga.
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Malacca Magazine "I'll be working hard to think of a couple of new things for the All Blacks game," said Cotter.
"He's come in with different ideas. He wants the boys to have a go and that is exactly what happened." Formula 1 Review
Captain Greig Laidlaw converted four of Scotland's tries "Things that went well we'll be looking to develop, and things that didn't work quite so well we'll be looking at as well to try to get a more complete performance next week. "We'll sit back quietly on Sunday and Monday morning and assess what we've done." Full-back Stuart Hogg scored a second-half try, as did his Glasgow Warriors team-mate Tommy Seymour, and looked to be enjoying the high-tempo game encouraged by Cotter. He said: "The pleasing thing is that we went out there and put into practice what we've been doing all week. I'm absolutely delighted. 105 | P a g e
Please note that since the time of writing Nico Rosberg won the Brazilian Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton finished second. However, Hamilton won the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi to claim his second World Drivers’ Championship, putting him on equal terms with Jackie Stewart and Graham Hill and only one behind Ayrton Senna who won three. Of course, Michael Schumacher leads the way with seven World Championship titles. The Lewis Hamilton Column
January 2015 It's particularly special to me, not least because it was Ayrton Senna's home. He was my childhood hero and, although I'm a lot older now, he was besides my dad - the person who had the most influence on me when I was growing up. Senna was the driver who inspired me, and whom I always aspired to be like. His legacy lives on as strong as ever here in Brazil. I very much feel that when I am coming here. I was on Brazilian television after arriving here and th there was a nice moment when they gave me a Brazil football shirt with my name on it. They said they had a passport for me and would I represent them because they did not have a driver who was winning, or who drives like Senna did.
This column first appeared on the BBC Sport website.
I have never won the Brazilian Grand Prix but it is a race I have always wanted to win and I aim to put that right this weekend.
Lewis Hamilton receives a Brazil football shirt
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Malacca Magazine They said I had such a great following here and, although I'd seen a few flags, I didn't know that. I put it down to a few factors: the connection I felt with Senna; perhaps the way I drive - some people have said that some of the things I do in the car resembled what he used to do; and the fact that I wear my heart on my sleeve and people can sense my passion for what I do - and I hope that speaks to the fans here. The race here always has such a great atmosphere. Hopefully, I can make it six wins in a row this weekend. It would mean a lot. A turning point in the season I feel I have been driving well all year but things have really come together in the last few races. In the second half of the season I feel I have really got a handle on the car and how to work with it to be in a good position on Sunday. I mentioned in my column last week that I had turned it up a bit recently and I 106 | P a g e
January 2015
can explain what I meant by that.
slightly differently. And it has made a difference.
The Belgian Grand Prix in August was a hard weekend for me because of the collision I had with team-mate Nico Rosberg.
That's what I meant by "turning it up".
Rosberg clips Hamilton in the Belgian GP I had more anger after being taken out of the race than I had had in a long, long time - in terms of knowing how it went and losing a lot of points to Nico as a result. But how I dealt with that over the following days was the most significant part of that period. It was the most negative energy I had had all year way more than in Monaco, where Nico went off in qualifying and I wasn't able to do my final lap. I was able to channel it into a positive - bottle it and then use it and rearrange things and approach the next races
You have a difficult weekend and you're like: "I need to get on my training even more the next day. I'm going to run even further and even harder." You're alrea already running hard, but you push it even harder. It's the same in the car. I thought I was driving on my limit before, but now I'm taking it to another limit. It's about pushing beyond where you thought the limits were. I also feel that at the moment I'm dr driving better than I ever have before. The big double points question Everybody keeps asking me about double points at the last race and how that means Nico could turn it around in one go if I have trouble with the car in Abu Dhabi in two weeks' time. Someone eone pointed out here in Brazil that, with my lead now at 24 points, in any
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Malacca Magazine other year I would only need to score one point more than Nico here on Sunday and I would be champion. Now, I could win here and still lose it if things go wrong in Abu Dhabi. It is a bizarre situation and I don't really know what to say about it. I haven't really thought about it too much - that's probably how I'm dealing with it. I'm just going to approach these weekends in the same way I have all the others. It's about making sure I get everything I can out of each weekend and learning from what went before. Hamilton won his first World Championship at the age of 23, driving for McLaren For example, I might have won in Austin last Sunday, but it was not a perfect weekend. I had trouble with my brakes in qualifying - there was a 100C difference in temperature between the two front brakes, which
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meant I suffered with locking wheels. That was to do with brake materials, but I was magnifying it with certain ways in which I was driving. I fixed that in the race, which was why it was better. But it can be better again. Overall, I feel very relaxed coming to Brazil, and very excited to be in the position I am, with such a great car.
January 2015 Team Points 3 Williams 238 4 Ferrari 196 5 McLaren 147 6 Force India 123 7 Toro Rosso 30 8 Lotus 10 The points from both a team's drivers are added together to give the constructors' championship total
Far above and beyond anything else, I want to win the World Championship. It has been so long since I won in 2008 that it really feels like my first one. I had a dry patch for a number of years and you never know when you're going to get another chance. So I want to grab that and not let it go.
F 1 Constructors Standings FIA Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship Team Points 1 Mercedes 608 2 Red Bull 363 Tang’s Media Group
Malacca Magazine
Stuff! This section, being a forward thinking biotech Company is one of our favourites and gadgets are close to our heart. We hope you enjoy reading this. Microsoft Lumia 535 Smartphone Review
Lumia 535 is Microsoft's first Smartphone without the Nokia branding The first Lumia smartphone without the Nokia branding is here, and it’s the Microsoft Lumia 535. A budget 3G (up to 42Mbps) smartphone designed for emerging and pricesensitive markets, the Lumia 535 measures 9.4mm thick, and has a 5inch qHD (that’s 960 x 540 pixels) IPS LCD screen. Naturally, it runs the Lumia
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Denim Update, which in case you didn’t know, is a combination of Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 and several Lumia-specific features. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (8212) 1.2GHz quad-core processor just like the Nokia Lumia 530, the Microsoft Lumia 535 also comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. If 8GB isn’t enough for you, there’s a memory card slot that supports microSD cards up to 128GB. The Lumia 535 is also a dual-SIM phone, with one slot for 3G and the other for 2G connectivity. DualSIM capability seems to be the trend these days for entry-level smartphones; and for Windows Phone devices, it became possible this year with the release of the Windows Phone 8.1 OS. A single SIM version of the Lumia 535 is also available. Suffice to say, the Lumia 535’s rear shell is swappable. Like many existing Lumia smartphones, a range of colorful shells for the 535 will available for sale, so you can switch your style
January 2015 anytime you want. And for those wondering, the 535 packs a 1,905mAh (7Wh) battery.
Dual SIM and micro SD card slots are accessible when you remove the rear shell. Another feature worth mentioning is that in addition to its 55-megapixel rear camera, the Lumia 535’s front front-facing camera also sports a 5MP sensor. Coupled with a 24mm wide-angle angle lens, it ma makes for a pretty good selfie camera. If you think this sounds familiar, you you’re right: the recently launched Lumia 730 also has a 5MP, 24mm front shooter. Of course, this HD camera can also come in handy during video calls; and like many recent Lumias, Microsoft rosoft is throwing in 3 months of free Skype calls when you buy the Lumia 535.
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Malacca Magazine The Microsoft Lumia 535 is priced at US$130 (or €109 in Europe). Pricing and availability details for the Philippine market have yet to be finalized.
one out of the park. TThe enemy can’t wait for the company to fumble.
By David Pogue | Yahoo
The Lumia 535 has a 5inch IPS display with a qHD resolution.
Need to change your style? Just swap the shell! Bright green, bright orange, white, dark grey, cyan, and black … iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus Reviewed iPhone 6 is a thin, sexy phone with a killer camera
January 2015
When Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 last week, it made the front pages of newspapers. It dominated Google Search and Twitter. It triggered an avalanche of sniping and worshipping on the Web’s comment boards. About a phone? Really? Well, that’s what you’d say if you were an alien. If you’re human, you know why all the fuss. The iPhone is not just a phone; it’s a symbol. The phone you own doesn’t just let you make phone calls; it marks you as belonging to a religion. Maybe a cult.
Well, this time, Apple hasn’t fumbled. Its two new iPhones are excellent. Beautiful. State of the art. Worthy heirs to the iPhone throne. There’s nothing actually surprising about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. lus. Partly that’s because in the post post-Jobs era, Apple isn’t as good at suppressing pre preannouncement leaks. And partly it’s because there’s nothing much surprising about any phones these days. They’re mature. These days, designing a phone is a matter of nips and tucks and playing catch catch-up and one-up — as attractively as possible. Meet the family This year, there are two new models: the iPhone Bigger and the iPhone Bigger-er.
Each year’s new iPhone is another test for Apple. The world wants to know if Apple’s still got it, even without Steve Jobs. The faithful want the company to hit another
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Malacca Magazine Their real names are the iPhone 6 ($200 and up with two-year contract) and the iPhone 6 Plus ($300 and up with contract). And yes, that’s the big news: They have bigger screens than any iPhone before them. Steve Jobs used to mock Samsung’s increasingly jumbo smartphones, calling them “Hummers.” But apparently big is what the public wants. So big is what we get. Here they are: the new iPhones, posed next to last year’s model, so you can get an idea of the scale:
What’s wild is that at first, the iPhone 6 doesn’t seem bigger than the iPhone 5. The first thing most people say
when they pick it up is, “It doesn’t seem that big!” You have to hold an iPhone 5s next to it before you really notice. Part of the explanation may be the Apple diet: These new phones are thin. About a quarter of an inch. Thinner than their rivals from Samsung, HTC, or LG. If you order one online, FedEx will probably slip it under your door.
And here, for your reference, are the new iPhones among their Android rivals:
The aluminum body has smooth, rounded edges — a more comfortable shape than the sharpened 110 | P a g e
January 2015 corners of the iPhone 4 and 5 era. The ring around the camera lens on the back protrudes about a millimeter; it’s no longer perfectly flush. The screens are terrific. The smaller iPhone 6’s screen has 1334 × 750 pixels (326 dots per inch), and the Plus’s screen is 1920 × 1080 pixels (401 dpi), which is full high definition. Other phones have more dots or smaller ones, but at this point, everybody is just chasing unicorns; these screens have long since exceeded the ability of our eyes to distinguish pixels. What to do with more screen size. There’s a d downside to having a bigger screen: You have to carry around a bigger phone. The small of hand won’t be thrilled about the added width. The iPhone 6 Plus, in particular, is a pocket pocketfiller. Apple is clearly aware of the drawbacks of gigantism. It has made some tweaks to make the size less awkward. The power/sleep button, for example, is on the side
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Malacca Magazine now instead of the top, so your thumb can reach it. (That’s a problem for people who use a volume key on the opposite edge as the camera shutter. Now when you grip the phone for photography, your thumb naturally falls on the sleep switch — and turns it off!) The plus-sized 6 Plus, in fact, is well on its way to becoming an iPad Nano. As on an iPad, many of its built-in apps sprout extra panes when you turn the phone 90 degrees — like Mail and Calendar, for example:
Even the home screen rotates now, for the first time in iPhone history. (Some of Apple’s own apps rotate this way only on the 6 Plus, not the 6. Other software companies’ apps may rotate on both.)
Also on the Plus: When you’re typing in landscape mode, there’s so much extra space that Apple has thrown in some additional on-screen keys. On the left: buttons for Cut, Copy, Paste, Bold, and Undo. On the right: Punctuation keys and actual cursor keys—a first on the iPhone.
On both phones, if there’s something at the top of the screen, too far away for your shrimpy little thumb to reach, you can touch the home button twice (touch, not click) to make the screen image slide down so you can reach what was at the top.
January 2015
With this larger pho phone now usable one one-handed, what do you really get for all that size? There are some huge advantages to having a huge phone. The obvious one, of course, is more screen. Both models are much better for reading ee-books, answering email, watching movies, surf surfing the Web, and so on. The iPhone 6 Plus may look a little goofy when you hold it to your ear to make phone calls, especially if you’re small of head, but, wow, is it luxurious when you’re trying to consult a map.
A less-obvious obvious advantage to huge is compensating for over over-40 eyes. In Settings, you can specify 111 | P a g e
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Malacca Magazine whether you want your phone to show more, or to show the same thing bigger. Here’s the effect: Apple has moved the Adjust Type Size (and Bold Text) controls out of the buried Settings panel where they used to be. They’re now front and center on the Display Preferences screen. The upshot? With some Settings tweaks, these phones can be godsends for anyone who puts on reading glasses to check her phone.
The guts Inside, Apple has been up to its usual tightening and polishing. There’s a new chip inside that Apple says is 25 percent faster. You wouldn’t notice it without testing the old and new phones side by side. Apps, for example, pop open about a half-second faster on the new phone. Apple says that the radio circuitry inside can tune into 20 bands of LTE (fast cellular Internet), which 112 | P a g e
January 2015
means that this phone works on the high-speed Internet networks of many more countries than its rivals. (The Samsung Galaxy S5, for example, gets six bands of LTE.) That’s a perk only if you travel overseas, of course.
storage than before: They come in 16 16-, 64-, and, now, 128 128-gigabyte versions. That’s a heck of a lot of text messages and photos, although it’s weird that the sweet spot — 32 gigabytes — isn’t in the lineup.
A bigger phone means there’s room for a bigger battery. The iPhone 6 gets slightly better battery life — 14 hours of reported talk time, up from 10; 11 hours of Web surfing on Wi-Fi, up from 10.
The cellular circuitry offers some really cool refinements, although you won’t see the benefits for a while.
The iPhone 6 Plus gets substantially better life: 24 hours of talk time, 12 hours of browsing, and so on. You’ll still have to charge the iPhone 6 daily, but the iPhone 6 plus might actually make it two days on a charge.
The new iPhones still don’t have removable memory cards. But at least you can buy them with more
The iPhone 6 is among the first VoLTE phones (pronounced “VOLty”). It stands for “voice over LTE,” and it means super superclear, rich sound quality — like FM instead of AM — when you’re calling another VoLTE phone. Unfortunately, VoLTE does nothing for you unless your cellphone carrier has upgraded its network. So far, only TT-Mobile has done that nationwide. The other carriers are still experimenting. The iPhone 6 can also place calls over Wi Wi-Fi. You call people the same way, but you get to use your indoor Wi Wi-Fi router, and you don’t use up any cellular minutes.
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Malacca Magazine In fact, if you start a call in Wi-Fi and then walk outside into a cellular LTE area, you don’t even drop the call. To make this work, I had to change two settings in Settings and restart the phone — but it finally did work, and beautifully. These features, too, work only on T-Mobile at the moment.
Apple Pay Two years ago, I sought out a 7-Eleven near my house because it had a contactless payment terminal on its cash register:
I was testing Google Wallet, a feature of some Android phones that lets you pay for things without even pulling out your wallet; you could just hold the phone near that terminal thing. But it took a lot of steps, including tapping in a security code with every purchase. 113 | P a g e
I recently visited the same 7-Eleven. You know what the guy told me? That the last person he remembered using his contactless terminal was me, two years ago. Almost nobody pays by phone-tapping in this country, probably because it’s slower and clunkier than just swiping your credit card. Apple Pay, new in the iPhone 6, will be different, Apple says. The iPhone 6 models have an NFC chip inside (nearfield communications), just like Android phones. That makes them work on those same contactless terminals, of which there are 220,000 across the United States. But you won’t have to turn on your iPhone, open an app, or fool around with credit cards. You just hold your phone (screen still asleep) near the terminal with your finger on the Home button. The screen lights up, shows your preferred credit card, sends you a receipt, and the deal is done.
January 2015 The Home button, of course, is also a fingerprint reader; no bad guy can steal your phone and then start buying stuff, unless he also chops off your thumb. There’s more security stuff, too; you can read about it here. Nobody can try out Apple Pay yet, though, bec because Apple won’t be turning it on until October; at that point, we’ll get an iOS 8 software update that includes Apple Pay features. (One important one: You’ll be able to store your credit card details in the Passbook app just by taking a picture of your physical hysical cards — no typing.)
Camera The iPhone camera is getting scarily good. Here are a few samples:
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Malacca Magazine and an iPhone 5s to a bike on this rig so that they would film exactly the same thing:
There’s now ultra-smooth, ultra-slow motion video, There’s phase-detection auto focusing, which compares incoming light from two pixels for fast, precise focusing — or quick, smooth refocusing while recording video (hallelujah!). The Plus model has optical image stabilization — the lens jiggles in precise motion to counteract the handheld movement of the phone itself, which helps out with handheld still photos, especially in low light. Both phones also have something Apple calls Cinematic Video Stabilization, a software trick that works supremely well. To test it out, I fastened an iPhone 6 Plus 114 | P a g e
Then I rode around rough roads, filming. In my video above, you can see the side-by-side comparison of the two phones’ software stabilization.
January 2015 A few of my favorites: When you tap the Add Photo button (to send a picture as a text message), you don’t have to burrow into your Photos collection; the last few photos you took present themselves immediately. Apple assumes that often, the photo you want to send is one of the most recent. (It’s correct.)
Free features for all Some of the iPhone 6’s features — design, screen, camera — are truly stunning. But you don’t have to ditch your old phone to get all of them. That’s because tomorrow you’ll be able to download the newest Apple software for iPhones, iOS 8. Free. You’ll be reading a lot more about iOS 8 here, but trust me: Its ratio of useful features to glitzy ones is the highest in years. You won’t find many bigticket items changed, but you will find loads of truly ingenious touch-ups that make phone life easier and less stressful.
You can use the fingerprint reader (iPhone 5s and 6 models) to do more than unlock the phone now. You can use it to log in to apps instead of remembering a password. There’s a Hyperlapse Hyperlapse-style time-lapse lapse video option. The keyboard is much better. Now you see the three words you’re most likely to type next, hovering just above the onscreen keyboard. (The
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Malacca Magazine video above shows it in action.) You gain the option to install other companies’ keyboards, like the popular Swype and SwiftKey keyboards. Siri’s command recognition (“Set my alarm”) has always been good, but now its dictation skills have been polished to a shine. It’s much, much more accurate — especially if you have an accent — and you see the words as you’re speaking them now. You can turn on handsfree, “always listening” mode for Siri whenever the phone is charging (for example, in the car). That is, even if it’s asleep, you can say, “Hey Siri” to make it listen to your next command. A word to the armies of the faithful The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are absolutely terrific phones. They’re fast and powerful and well designed. There’s not a single component that hasn’t been improved. These phones are a delight to behold and to be held. 115 | P a g e
But before we part, here’s a question that’s been the elephant in this room for years: If the iPhone is fantastic, does that mean that your phone is no good? You will hear, for example — and it’s true — that Apple did not pioneer many of the iPhone 6’s big-ticket features. Other companies’ phones were first to introduce bigger phone screens; “always listening” voice commands; wireless payments; predictive keyboard words; phasedetection auto focusing; time-lapse video; optical image stabilizers; VoLTE calling; and so on. That’s right: Apple has adapted features that first appeared on Android. Just as Google has adapted many features from Apple. Why does it matter so much? If Apple is praised for doing good work, why does it so enrage Android fans — and vice versa? The answer, of course, is that cellphones are deeply personal. When you buy a phone, you’re making an expensive bet.
January 2015 You can’t easily switch between the Google and Apple worlds; you’ve invested a lot in accessories, you’ve bought apps, you’ve learned that company’s software conventions. And you never want to think your phone is inferior, because then you mi might feel inferior. So you wind up taking a side in this phone duopoly. You join a very silly — and unwinnable — religious war. Judge the iPhone not just for what it is, but for the entire world that Apple has built around it: the apps, the music/movie/T music/movie/TV store, the integration with the Mac and iPad, the built-in in online services. Does Apple generally do an excellent job with all of this? Yes. Judge your Android phone the same way. Does it have a huge, open, lively world of apps and community online? Doe Does it have a well well-stocked movie/music/TV store? Is most of it well designed — and free? Yes. Celebrate
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the
iPhone’s
Malacca Magazine excellence, even if you’re not in the Apple fold. And celebrate the best work of Samsung, HTC, and LG, even if you’re not part of the Android family.
constructed for the event, but to an ordinary small theater on Apple’s own campus in Cupertino.
Because, in the end, competition is what will make your phone better this time next year, or the year after that. The perpetual refinement of ideas, and the necessity to think up new ones, will benefit you — no matter which army you march with. Apple iPad & iMac First Impressions
Here, Tim Cook and his team spent 45 minutes showing off features we’ve already seen: OS X Yosemite, Apple Pay, iOS 8, and so on. Then, at last, Cook took the wraps off the new stuff — probably Apple’s last hardware announcements before the holiday season. There were two new things, which I spent a few minutes with after the show. Here’s a quick look. The iPad Air 2
David Pogue | Yahoo Well, we already knew that this Apple press event wasn’t going to be an earth-shaker. Journalists were invited not to some huge San Francisco auditorium, not to a secret white building 116 | P a g e
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This is actually the sixthgeneration iPad, but it’s called the iPad Air 2. And it is thin. I mean, crazy thin. Its 0.240157 inches thick, or 6.1 millimeters if you’re non-American.
Apple says it’s the thinnest tablet in the world. That record won’t stand for long, though; Dell has already announced its compact Venue 8 7000 tablet, which is 1 millimeter imeter thinner. But never mind; the iPad Air 2 is certainly the thinnest full full-size tablet. On Twitter, the jokes about people accidentally bending it are already flowing like wine. Everything you’d expect to be improved, Apple has improved. There’s a new, faster processor (40 percent faster, Apple says). An improved screen technology that gooses contrast ratios and viewing angles. The same phenomenal camera that’s in the iPhone 6, complete with the super slow slow-mo video and time time-lapse options. For some reason reason, though, the iPad Air 2 can’t
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Malacca Magazine capture video in astonishingly smooth 60 frames per second, as the iPhone 6 models can. And, at last, the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that’s been on the iPhone for a while now. You can use it to unlock your iPad — and to buy stuff from Apple’s online stores — without having to type a password.
128 gigabytes of storage — for $500, $600, or $700. (The latter two prices are $100 lower than before.) The model with a cellular connection costs $130 more. There’s also, by the way, an iPad mini 3, but it didn’t get much love from Apple this time around. It gains the fingerprint reader, but that’s it; the rest of it is the same as last year’s version. Weird, and disappointing. The Retina iMac 5K
In other words, all the categories that Apple improved in this new iPad are the categories it improves with every new iPad; technology marches forward, and Apple makes the most of it. These changes aren’t enough to justify ditching the iPad you bought last year. But if you’re used to a first- or secondgeneration iPad, you’ll probably be astonished at the difference. The iPad Air 2 is available in models with 16, 64, or 117 | P a g e
January 2015
Apple has brought superhigh-resolution screens to the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook Pro laptop — and now to the iMac. (That leaves only my personal favorite — the poor MacBook Air — with standard resolution. And the Thunderbolt display is lacking, too.) This 27-inch iMac packs in a lot of pixels. Apple says it’s the highest resolution screen on earth. Its 14.7 million pixels, if you’re keeping score at home. That is seven times more pixels than your hi-def TV set. (And 67 percent more than even the newfangled Ultra HD 4K sets.)
Photos, videos, and type look really, really, really great on this screen. The price for the base model is $2,500. That’s a nice configuration, actually: 3.5 GHz quadcore Intel Core i5 processor, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card, 8 gigabytes of memory, 1 terabyte of storage. But guess what? This iMac is not the only “5K” screen. Already Dell (again with the Dell) has announced ced its own 5K monitor. But here’s the thing: Dell’s monitor will go for $2,500. Computer not included. By that standard, the iMac price looks very good indeed. The other news The news that will affect the most people, though, is that OS X Yosemite for the Mac is a free
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Malacca Magazine download starting today. And that iOS 8.1 for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches will be free to download Monday. It will bring Apple Pay to the iPhone 6 models and the new iPads, bring back the Camera Roll to these devices, and fix a lot of little buglets. None of today’s news is heart stopping (although yours may skip a beat when you see the iMac). All of it is desirable. All of it keeps Apple’s stuff at the forefront of the latest technology. And in the great religious war of Apple haters and fan boys, none of these announcements will turn down the heat one iota. Samsung Galaxy S Tablet Reviewed
By Anick Jesdanun | Associated Press Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S tablet looks different. As soon as I turned on the screen, I noticed that the 118 | P a g e
January 2015
colors are stunning and vivid. Red looks redder, and greens are greener. The lawn and the trees in “Ghostbusters” look alive, as does a purple-tinted apparition.
colors. They also require no backlighting because the individual pixels produce their own light. That eliminates at least one layer er of material and contributes to thinness.
The Tab S is also thinner than other leading tablets, at a quarter of an inch (6.6 millimeters). The model with the smaller screen is lighter, too.
No backlighting means the screen is able to produce a true black. On LCD screens, black isn’t really black, but more like a patch of night sky with a hint of light from nearby stars.
Samsung Electronics Co. achieves all this by using a display technology previously limited to smartphones. It’s called AMOLED, for active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes. Samsung released an AMOLED tablet in 2012, but it was expensive and didn’t sell well. The new ones are priced more competitively — the same as iPads of comparable size. The Tab S with an 8.4-inch screen measured diagonally, costs $400, while a 10.5-inch version costs $500. Both start selling in the U.S. on Friday. AMOLED screens are more expensive than conventional LCD screens, but they produce richer
These differences are subtle, le, but noticeable once you place a Tab S next to Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX. True black means deeper contrasts in video and photos. No backlighting also saves power, at least for darker images. On the other hand, AMOLED screens tend to nee need more energy to match the brightness on conventional displays. So images with a lot of white and bright colors might actually drain the battery faster. On the 10.5 10.5-inch model, the battery level drained to 80 percent after displaying a mostly white Web page ge for two hours.
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Malacca Magazine By contrast, it drained to just 92 percent with a mostly black Web page. On the iPad Air, it was down to about 88 percent in both cases. Nonetheless, battery life on the Tab S is impressive — more than 12 hours of streaming video on Hulu with the large version and more than 11 with the small one. That’s comparable to what I get on iPads. AMOLED screens have a few other drawbacks besides uneven power consumption: — As much as I like the rich colors, they can sometimes look unnatural. Caucasian faces sometimes look too orange, for instance. — AMOLED screens don’t perform as well outdoors. Although I can still make out text and icons, they are easier to see on the iPad and the Kindle. And while the Tab S is light and slim, the edges and the back don’t feel as smooth as on an iPad. That’s partly from Samsung’s use of plastic
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rather than metal on the back. Both S models have a resolution of 2,560 pixels by 1,600 pixels, which is among the best and translates into sharper images, particularly noticeable with text. But beyond a certain point, it’s really hard for the eyes to tell. The iPad’s resolution is lower, but text looks as clear. Meanwhile, the Tab S lets you control a Samsung smartphone using Wi-Fi. Currently, it works only with the latest phone, the Galaxy S5. You can leave your phone as far as 300 feet away, such as in another room or in the house when you’re in the backyard. The phone’s screen appears in a window on your tablet. From there, you can make or receive calls, send texts and access any of the apps on your phone. Another feature lets you access Windows or Mac computers remotely. The PC doesn’t have to be on the same network, so there’s no 300-foot limit. How well it works with
January 2015 office computers will depend on corpora corporate policies. It worked fine with a Mac laptop on a non-work work network. I like the ability to unlock the device with a fingerprint scan instead of a passcode. The Tab S supports up to eight users, each of whom can store up to three fingerprints. It would hav have been neat for the tablet to automatically pull up the correct profile based on the fingerprint used. Alas, you need to select your profile first. The tablet also comes with lots of freebies, including a 12-month month subscription to Bloomberg Businessweek, and nd introduces a new magazine app called Papergarden. Unfortunately, Papergarden works only with selected titles from Conde Nast, Hearst and a few others at the moment. Businessweek directs you to its own app. Magazines you buy through Google Play use yet another app. As much as I like freebies, I hate confusion. Users of other Samsung devices might recognize other features, including
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Malacca Magazine the ability to run multiple apps side by side and to keep certain files hidden when lending a device to others. On-screen keyboards let you use the control key the way you can on laptops, such as CTRL-C to copy text and CTRL-V to paste. Apple’s market-leading iPads are still the ones to beat, given that they have a wider selection of apps that aren’t simply phone apps made larger. But Samsung has a strong challenger with its new Tab S devices. The stunning colors might be enough to draw customers.
BlackBerry Passport Review
By David Pogue | Yahoo The touchscreen smartphone has become one of the most successful product categories of all time. But its popularity has blasted holes in a lot of other industries. So many other product categories are sinking or sunk: pocket cameras, GPS units, music players, voice recorders, radios.
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They were late to add a camera, late to create an app store. Quality slipped. Marketing was nonexistent. The stock tanked (from $150 to about $10 a share). Market share tanked (from 20 percent to under 1 percent). And with the phones sinking, the BlackBerry tablet capsized, too. Thousands were laid off. The CEO was replaced. The replacement CEO was replaced.
Poor, poor BlackBerry. At its peak, about 60 million people a year bought BlackBerry devices (or had them bought for them).
Recently, BlackBerry says that at it has stabilized, smaller but wiser. It’s going to focus on business customers, exploiting BlackBerry’s famed efficiency and security. As proof, today it offers the first new BlackBerry phone since the new CEO took the helm: the BlackBerry Passport. (I (It’s $600 without a contract or $250 with a two two-year AT&T contract.)
But when the iPhone came out, BlackBerry’s leaders didn’t just miss the boat.
BlackBerry attempts at comeback with its square squarescreen ‘passport’
They were at the completely wrong port.
This is one weird weird-looking phone.
And, oh yeah — the BlackBerry.
Samsung Galaxy S Tablet
January 2015
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Malacca Magazine It is, in fact, the size of a U.S. passport. I mean, plenty of people will suppress giggles when they first see it — or fail to suppress them.
The Passport is big and thick and heavy, with a square screen
Once you get over the awkward size and shape and heft, you start to learn about this thing’s virtues, though, and you feel a little guilty for laughing. First, there’s the classic, beloved, fantastic BlackBerry thumb keyboard. Real keys that actually move. Bigger and more spaced out than on the much narrower BlackBerry
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phones of old. It’s wonderful.
Second, what makes this phone thick is the battery. It occurred to somebody over at BlackBerry that what people don’t like about current smartphones is running out of battery every dang day. So this one goes two, or even three days on a charge. That’s fantastic.
Third, the keyboard itself is a trackpad. Nobody’s done that before. In other words, you can drag your finger lightly across the physical keys to make things move on the screen. For example, it’s how you move the cursor through text — by swiping across the keys.
January 2015 It’s also how you flick words from the BlackBerry’s word wordsuggestion stion feature (recently stolen by Apple’s iOS 8) into the text — by swiping, on the keys, upward beneath the word you want.
You can swipe leftward across the keys to delete a word at a time. Or swipe down on the keys to summon the number/punctuation layout. Finally, you can turn the whole phone 90 degrees (the screen is square, remember?) and use the keys as a very precise scrollbar for webpages.
All of this, plus the big square screen (1440 pixels square), is supposed to
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Malacca Magazine address a common quirk of businesspeople: They often wait to do things until they’re back at a computer. A typical phone is just too claustrophobic for anything more than quick replies.
screen is terrible for watching movies. You’ve got a movie best suited for ants, playing on a huge black empty screen:
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Android app store. (You can even n try running any non-Amazon Amazon Android app on this thing, but they’re not guaranteed to run smoothly.) Entering text I’m guessing that diminishing numbers of young phone fans have ever even tried typing on a physical, clicky phone keyboard; it’s just taken for or granted that text input means tapping on glass. Well, I’ll tell you: Physical keys are a joy.
That logic is a little warped, of course, because lots of phones have huge screens these days. The iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S5 are taller, narrower phones, but their screens have the same number of pixels.
But BlackBerry maintains that reconfiguring them into a square offers a broader canvas when you’re looking at, for example, calendars, ebooks, and maps.
January 2015
Everything else you’d expect is here: front and back cameras, flash, Bluetooth, NFC, removable memory card, quick access to settings, and so on. The sound quality is terrific, both on calls and when playing music or movies. The battery is not removable, however. There’s an app store — there are two, actually. One contains BlackBerry apps (several thousand), and the other is the Amazon Android app store (200,000 apps). Yes, the BlackBerry OS has a built-in Android emulator that lets you run anything from the Amazon
The BlackBerry Passport offers a number of text textentry tricks — some old, some new — that make it even better. For example: Whenever you’re typing, a fourth row of keys appears on the screen, just above the physical ones. It offers punctuation keys, sometimes number keys — whatever is most useful at the moment. The point is that, on this phone, you never have to switch keyboard layouts just to get a comma or an exclamation xclamation point. Hold down one of the physical keys an extra half halfsecond to capitalize it — and to open a row of
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Malacca Magazine accented variations (like é or î). You can dictate text. The recognition is fine, although it’s nowhere near as good as it is in iOS 8. It doesn’t display the words as you speak them, either, as Android and iOS 8 do; instead, you see nothing while you dictate, and then the words appear all at once. BlackBerry 10.3 The Passport is the first phone to come with the new 10.3 version of the BlackBerry software. It offers many large and small enhancements, but the company seems especially proud of BlackBerry Assistant — which everyone else will recognize as “Siri for BlackBerry.” This phone has no Home button. To get back to your Home screens, you swipe the current app up off the screen. So to tell “Siri” to start listening, you hold down the Play/Pause button on the right side of the phone. It’s an impressive facsimile. You can say, “Make an appointment for lunch, tomorrow at 1 123 | P a g e
p.m.,” “Email Cheryl,” “Set my alarm for 7:30 a.m.,” “Play some Billy Joel,” “Text Chris,” “Give me directions to the Empire State Building,” “When is the next Cleveland Cavaliers game?” “Turn off Bluetooth,” and so on. Each time, BlackBerry Siri does exactly what you’d expect. Her voice is less natural than Siri’s. And she takes a long time to process things you say. Even so, the lesson of Siri is now the lesson of BlackBerry: It’s almost always faster to open an app, set an alarm, place a call, or start an email by voice — rather than tapping around for the app you need. Shortcuts You can type BlackBerry Assistant commands, too, which is great whenever it might be awkward to speak commands aloud (library, church, surgery). That’s only one example of the kinds of efficient shortcuts that the BlackBerry has always been so good at. Me, I love these things. For example, when you’re looking at any kind of list (like your inbox), you can
January 2015 press the T or B keys to jump to the top or bottom of the list. N or P moves you to the next or previous ious section of something. In email, press C to compose, R to reply, F to forward, and so on. There are 200 of these shortcuts in BlackBerry 10.3. You’re not expected to learn them all, but over time, you become truly amazed at how thoughtfully they’ve bee been designed. BYOD “BYOD” means “Bring your own device,” and it’s a thorn on BlackBerry’s side. It refers to employees bringing their own personal phones (usually iPhones and Android phones) in to work. Corporate network geeks are a paranoid bunch. As you know if you’ve ever worked for a big company, they hate people mixing personal stuff with company stuff; in fact, they often don’t allow it. They insist on your using a separate phone and laptop for work purposes. BlackBerry has, for a couple of years, off offered a clever “sandboxing”
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Malacca Magazine solution called BlackBerry Balance. In effect, it creates two worlds on the same phone, called Work and Personal. Your work calendar, contacts, and apps are kept separate from your personal ones. To switch modes, you swipe down from the top of the screen and tap either Personal or Work. (In Work mode, your bosses can install their own wallpaper, provide their own apps, and even disable your camera.)
Without your work password, you can’t see any of your company material. Your calendar shows appointment blocks but doesn’t identify them. And if you leave the company, your bosses can delete the whole Work world or Personal world in one swift click. With the BlackBerry Passport, however, there’s 124 | P a g e
another development: something called BlackBerry Blend. It lets you connect your phone to any computer or tablet — your own personal laptop, for example, or an Android tablet or iPad — by Wi-Fi or a USB cable. At that point, using the Blend app on your computer or tablet, you can work with everything on your BlackBerry: email, text messages, BBM (BlackBerry’s popular private messaging system), calendar, files. It’s a live, encrypted link.
January 2015 your overlords are satisfied. When you disconnect, no trace of your phone’s contents remain on the computer or tablet. Unfortunately, BlackBerry Blend wasn’t read ready in time for me to test. I saw a demo but couldn’t try it myself. If it works, it sounds very cool. Passport to anywhere? The BlackBerry Passport is unusual, innovative, and weird. It has pros and cons that don’t line up with any other phone. It feels a little ittle slow sometimes, and of course it’s like typing on a Pop-Tart; Tart; this is not a one-hand hand able phone.
You can use your full-size keyboard and trackpad to work with all the company stuff that’s on your phone. And you can access your company’s email and networks without having to fuss with a VPN (virtual private networking) setup.
If BlackBerry can get its act together and finish assembling all the pieces … if it can get corporate worker bees to try it … if it can somehow get onlookers kers not to point and laugh … then the Passport might have a future, although a limited one with a select audience.
The best part is that nothing ever actually moves to your laptop. Your phone stays corporate-secure, and
But public opinion is a big battleship to turn around. And unfortunately for BlackBerry, the tide is against it.
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Malacca Magazine
In the News This section gives a tiny taste of some of the headlines in the past months from, current affairs to gossip, sports and celebrity. Please be aware, the nature of gossip is that it is not always true, which is why we only publish certain tidbits. Headlines & Fun
In Prison Dining – definitely not In-Room Dining “Doing porridge” is what inmates in UK prisons call serving time. It’s slang for the bowls of gloopy, boiled oats that were once ladled out every morning at lockups across the country. But the saying has taken on a whole new meaning following the launch of open-to-thepublic restaurants inside select British prisons, where convicts work as chefs and kitchen assistants, cooking Michelin-style cuisine.
offenders by training and placing graduates into employment upon their release, three prison restaurants now operate in the UK. The newest is The Clink in south London’s Brixton neighbourhood, opened February 2014. You can find it beyond the menacingly thick-steel doors of Her Majesty’s Prison: a mesh of barbed wire, patrolling guards, sniffer dogs and security cameras. Given that dining at the jail requires an indepth security briefing before a reservation is confirmed, visiting can be, well, complicated. You must book 72 hours in advance, be at least 18 years old and prepared to turn over your mobile phone when you arrive. Handbags and purses must be left behind, pockets need to be emptied and you may be subject to a biometric assessment that includes having your fingerprints and photograph taken. But those willing to comply are in for a unique experience.
January 2015
The Clink's Brixton dining room (The Clink Charity) At the Brixton restaurant, the dining room décor features textured stone walls and mood lighting – you could almost imagine you’re in one of London’s finest hotels. The banquet seating and tables – handcrafted in prison workshops – couldn’t be further rther from the image of prison life. The gourmet menu changes daily. Dishes vary from the likes of pan panseared cod loin with pea crust, confit potatoes, pancetta and samphire, to thyme roast guinea fowl with celeriac rosti and chargrilled vegetables. Dessertt could be a chocolate and chili tart served with lime infused crème fraiche – or a variety of ice creams, all of which are made fresh onsite, every morning. Could a Michelin star be next?
The brainchild of The Clink Charity, set up to reduce reoffending rates of ex125 | P a g e
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Atypical prison fare (The Clink Charity) “We’ve been visited by the Michelin team,” said Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink Charity, with a chuckle. “But we’re not open to the public in the traditional sense as a walkin, walk-out restaurant, so we’re not eligible – though they did say they loved the place.” Of course, some would argue that this 120-seat restaurant is the least desirable place in the country to dine. But they’d be missing the trick; the idea of inmates being entrusted with sharp knives and dangerous cooking utensils is not as fanciful as it seems. Only non-violent offenders can participate, and those who do are subjected to a rigorous interview process (with hundreds of inmates from prisons across the country applying for every job). Successful candidates work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week and each training session is meticulous (knives and 126 | P a g e
sharper kitchen implements are kept under lock and key when not in use). More importantly, The Clink has a serious community purpose at its heart. The project is part of a greater five-step rehabilitation programme to recruit, train, audit, employ and mentor inmates to reduce overall reoffending rates. “We’re focused on the bigger picture,” Moore said. “When you come out of prison you need to have a tough skin. It’s difficult to find work, to get a mortgage, to pay bills. Society is against you and that’s why so many former prisoners reoffend. That’s where The Clink is really making a difference.” The statistics don’t lie. Following the success of the first two Clink restaurants – one located at High Down in Surrey, and Clink Cymru at HMP Cardiff in Wales – reoffending rates have plummeted. Currently 49% of ex-convicts in the UK reoffend within one year of release; for those who serve sentences under 12 months this increases to 61%. But in 2011, the reoffending rate of
January 2015 graduates from The Clink was only 12.5%. The number of re re-offenders for 2012 is believed to be around 6%, another huge drop below the national average.
100 things we didn't know last year News snippets sliced liced and diced for your convenience
Interesting and unexpected facts can emerge from daily news stories and here are 100 such snippets ffrom 2014. 1. The Pentagon has a plan for combating a zombie apocalypse. 2. Seals like to have sex with penguins. 3. Hello Kitty is not a cat she's a little girl. 4. It's quicker - by about three hours - to read the Hobbit than watch Peter Jackson's movie trilogy.
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Malacca Magazine 5. There have been lions in London since the 13th Century - arriving either in 1210 or 1235 - although they may have died out briefly under Henry VI in 1436. 6. Age renders you less certain as to whether a badger or a baboon would win in a fight.
to do the same with an octopus. 14. American teachers are allowed to whack children with a paddle (a wooden bat a little shorter and thinner than a cricket bat) in 19 states.
9. The release of a track by Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson was delayed more than 30 years because Mercury objected to the presence of Bubbles the chimp at its recording. 10. It's possible to charge a Nokia Lumia 930 using 800 apples and potatoes connected with copper wire and nails.
21. Ukraine's navy is equipped with combat sea lions. 22. A porcupine can fight off a pride of lions.
15. There is a "right" way to eat chocolate - you pop a piece in your mouth, let it melt between the tongue and the palate, and then breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose.
24. Los Angeles prison inmates have to pass a "gay-dar" dar" test to stay in the safest wing.
16. It's actually fairly easy to weigh an ant.
26. At the Starbucks outlet in the CIA's Langley headquarters, baristas aren't allowed to write customers' names on their cups.
11. Watching action films makes you eat more.
17. At least three Google employees have lived for months in their vehicles on the firm's California campus, eating in the staff cafeteria and showering in gyms.
12. Sir John Gielgud wrote the script for a gay porn film.
18. The bass line of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side cost ÂŁ17.
13. It's against the law in England and Wales to swallow and regurgitate goldfish, even if they survive, but it may be legal
19. Dollar squiggles on the pavement denote electric cables below.
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for 52 consecutive minutes and then have a 17 17-minute break.
23. Two per cent of Anglicann clergy are not sure whether God is "more than a human construct".
7. Dreams get weirder as the night wears on. 8. Gladiators were mostly vegetarian.
January 2015
20. The most effective office regime is to work
25. Over 88% of individual winners at the Darwin Awards are men.
27. When a person's age ends with a nine they are more likely to seek extramarital affairs, sign up for their first marathon, and run marathons faster than when tthey were slightly older or slightly younger. 28. Popping a criminal's phone in a microwave and closing the door (but not switching it on) stops said
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Malacca Magazine criminal wiping it remotely. 29. In China, Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are known as Curly Fu and Peanut. 30. The most expensive pies of any English league football club are to be found at Brighton & Hove Albion - Rochdale's are the cheapest. 31. It is almost impossible to take a Germanregistered car into Japan.
36. Lawrence of Arabia was offered a job as a night watchman at the Bank of England. He turned it down.
45. Simon Cowell has a saying for people editing shots of him on X Factor: Two words - happy and handsome.
37. The Indian record for staff absenteeism is thought to have been set by a biology teacher who did not turn up for work for 23 years.
46. When making a decision, former England and Derbyshire fast bbowler Devon Malcolm asks himself: "What would Margaret Beckett do?"
38. Senior technology gurus at the White House don't have to tuck their shirts in. 39. Elephants can differentiate between men and women, and between different ethnicities, when they hear a voice.
32. Olive oil and baking powder are rubbed onto parts of the Sydney Opera House in order to maintain it. 33. Tall men get married earlier but short men stay married longer. 34. Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the most expensive Major League Baseball ground in which to propose marriage. 35. There are more bicycles in Copenhagen than people. 128 | P a g e
January 2015
40. There is a brown bear living at the Chernobyl site. 41. The average length of a Best Picture Academy Award-winning film is two hours and 20 minutes. 42. The best way to prevent your headphones from tangling in your bag is to join the ends together. 43. It is illegal to race rubber ducks in some US states. 44. A salmon cannon fires 40 fish a minute.
47. Yorkshire and Humberside are as redheaded as Ireland. 48. There is a symphonic Finnish prog prog-rock concept album about Scrooge McDuck. 49. In Somalia, the word for president also mean means "big head". 50. When Richard III was killed he suffered at least 11 injuries, although some of them might have been inflicted after death. 51. According to OED, Cornish and Welsh have had less influence on the English language than Hawaiian, Swahili or Z Zulu. 52. The US National Security Agency used to
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Malacca Magazine have a Clown Club for staff members. 53. Kenny G's Going Home is used in public spaces in China to tell people to go home. 54. Czech deer still avoid the Iron Curtain. 55. Sir Bradley Wiggins is a fan of the Archers. 56. The largest hunting dinosaur probably ate whole sharks. 57. In Oklahoma, the average marijuana joint costs the same as 2.41 bottles of Bud Light. 58. Group jogging is a crime in Burundi.
61. People are more likely to catch yawns from people of their own ethnicity. 62. Putting broken pottery in plant pots doesn't aid drainage. 63. When given a date far in the future, William Hague can tell you off the top of his head which day of the week it will be. 64. Detainees at Guantanamo are allowed to watch the World Cup but don't see it live - it is made available a day later to ensure nothing subversive can be conveyed. 65. Guinness in 1982 came close to re-launching the brand as an English beer brewed in west London.
January 2015 70. Man-eating eating sharks are nine times more likely to kill men than women. 71. Cate Blanchett and her husband share an email account. 72. Men whose dating profile pictures are taken outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background are most popular. 73. Main characters are more likely to die in children's cartoons than in films for adults. 74. The authorities in Oregon, USA, are very, very particular about getting urine in their reservoirs.
66. Prince is very good at ping pong. 59. It would cost ÂŁ12.6 billion to issue every man, woman and child in the UK with an owl (and ÂŁ69.3 billion if each was to get its own aviary). 60. Some nurses in the UK wear fat suits as part of their training for dealing with morbidly obese patients.
67. When crows drop stones into water to make food more accessible, they display the reasoning skills of children aged 5-7. 68. People called Eleanor are disproportionately likely to get into Oxford University.
75. It's possible for a bat in the UK to fly across the sea to continental Europe. 76. Richard Nixon was interested in the mating habits of pandas. 77. The code A113 is implanted in every Pixar movie.
69. Hillary Clinton hasn't driven a car since 1996. 129 | P a g e
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Malacca Magazine 78. The coat of a dead dog called London Jack, whose stuffed remains were used to collect charity donations at railway stations, changed colour twice. 79. French trains are fatter than 50 years ago. 80. In primates there is a correlation between female infidelity and males having large testicles. 81. The last British Prime Minister to regularly wear a wedding ring in public was Lady Thatcher. 82. Kladdkaka, a flat gooey chocolate cake, is the most googled food in Sweden. 83. The faces of the fastest riders in the Tour de France are 25% more attractive to women than the slowest 10% of riders, although women on the pill had a reduced preference for quicker riders. 84. Early risers are more unethical at night and night owls more immoral in the morning. 85. St Mary's Church is the most ambiguous term on Wikipedia. 86. Researchers at Michigan Technical University have been 130 | P a g e
looking for the existence of time travellers on the internet. 87. The sound of a ticking clock can make women keener to have babies younger. 88. Dead passengers on British Airways flights used to be given sunglasses, a vodka and tonic and a copy of the Daily Mail to disguise them from other passengers.
January 2015 partly based on Francis Ford Coppola. 93. The first bar code on a commercial product was on a packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. 94. Pennsylvania is the most linguistically rich US state - it has five dialects, compared with the typical two or three. 95. There is a once-a-year a bus service from Salisbury Plain to Imber.
89. The Black Death improved public health in subsequent centuries, although no-one knows the exact reason.
96. Comedian Les Dawson wrote a secret romantic thriller under the nom de plume Maria Brett BrettCooper.
90. There are at least three different approved ways of saying Hyundai, depending on whether you're in South Korea, the UK or US.
97. Congo Congo-Brazzaville has a peat bog the size of England. 98. Snakes squeeze tree trunks far harder than necessary. 99. The pope believes that animals go to heaven. 100. The dark side of the Moon is actually turquoise.
91. England manager Roy Hodgson and player Leighton Baines share a passion for the novelist Haruki Murakami. 92. The Star Wars character Han Solo was
Turkish Delight All the way to Sydney Turkish Airlines has announced plans for a nonstop flight between Istanbul and Sydney by
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Malacca Magazine 2016. The 15,000km trip will be the world's longest commercial flight, as well as the first-ever nonstop journey between Australia and Europe. Every great idea needs a first, and Surf Air has become the pioneer of the all-you-can-fly membership. For now, it's only useful for the very few people who frequently fly between Burbank and San Carlos, California, but with free guests, no lines or extra fees, and a bunch of other perks – albeit, for $2,000 a month – travel warriors can hope this catches on. [The Points Guy] Ready for takeoff
All set to go, but too soon to tell what’s ahead Do you love airline fees? Do you love them so much that you’d like to buy an entire year's worth? Well, United Airlines has you covered. The US carrier is offering the option to pay for a year's worth of extras up front, like $349 for a single checked bag, so if you know you'll be taking at least 14 flights in a year where you'll need to check
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luggage, it might be worth it. [USA Today] Air Canada rouge unveiled its new "Glee-inspired" flight-attendant uniforms. The women's version comes complete with neck scarf, while the men will don sweater vests, ties and trilby hats. We can only hope the crew will not break into spontaneous choreographed song and dance. Spirit Or the lack of it Budget carrier Spirit Airlines announced its latest cost-cutting scheme: to do away with traditional bottled wine in favour of the less vaunted, but equally expensive (for the customer), canned wine. The alcohol content will also drop from 13% to 6%, ensuring customers will have an even more difficult time trying to forget they're flying Spirit. Turbulence
Hold on folks, we’re in for a rocky ride IdeaWorksCompany released a study
January 2015 highlighting the 10 global airlines making the most profit from extra fees. Australian giant Qantas topped the list, but – not surprisingly – budget airlines dependent on ancillary fees took up quite a few spots. Curiously missing from the list, however, is Ryanair. Cancelled It’s a no-go go An Air Tran flight attendant lived what has to be every flight attendant's dream this week when she kicked 101 students and 8 chaperones off a plane prior to departure, when the kids were reportedly being – to put it in PC terms – little monsters. Gossip Frank Lampard – Manchester City & allegedly New York City footballer. A New York City fan posted on Twitter a 'missing poster' of Frank Lampard after the 36 36year-old old midfielder extended his loan deal at Manchester City.
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Malacca Magazine and will make a statement on his future on Friday. LA Galaxy president Chris Klein declined to comment on suggestions his club want to sign the Liverpool icon, who scored two penalties in the Anfield side's 2-2 draw with Leicester City on New Year's Day.
Sports News
Steven Gerrard: Liverpool captain to leave at end of the season Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season. Gerrard, 34, became free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas team on Thursday and is believed to be interesting clubs in the US. The former England captain, who made his Liverpool debut in 1998, will not move to another English club. Liverpool offered Gerrard a new deal in November
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Gerrard's former Liverpool and England team-mate Jamie Carragher tweeted: "Sad day for Liverpool and English football with the Gerrard news." But Carragher, who retired in 2013, added: "I think it's the right decision, all things considered." "Steven Gerrard's decision to leave his beloved Liverpool at the end of the season will be received with great sadness at Anfield and beyond - and will leave a hole that manager Brendan Rodgers will find incredibly difficult to fill. The time may be right for Gerrard, 35 in May, to leave as in recent times it has been clear he will be used more sparingly by his manager. But Gerrard remains an iconic figure, a footballer
January 2015 who arguably competes with Kenny Dalglish for the title of the greatest ever to wear the red shirt, and someone still capable of having significan significant influence on Liverpool's fortunes. He will leave the club with the good wishes of those he has given such golden moments as the famous Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005 and the FA Cup final he almost made his own against West Ham am in Cardiff 12 months later." Gerrard, born in the Merseyside village of Whiston, joined Liverpool's academy when he was nine years old, progressing through the ranks to make his first firstteam debut as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers in November 1998. He replaced Sami Hyypia as club b captain in October 2003, and led the club to the Champions League title in 2005, scoring his side's first goal in the Istanbul final as they came back from three goals down to draw 33-3 with AC Milan and then beat them on penalties.
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Malacca Magazine Gerrard also won the UEFA Cup, two FA Cups, three League Cups, one Community Shield and two UEFA Super Cups. He won 114 England caps, having made his international debut in 2000, captaining his country for the first time in 2008 and leading them at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as well as at Euro 2012. Getting better with age Steven Gerrard's passing accuracy in the Premier League (86%) over the past 18 months has been better than at any other stage of his career. His 13 assists last season was also a career high, while his 13 goals was only bettered by his 16-goal haul in 200809. The midfielder stepped down from the role after England went out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil at the group stage. Speculation about Gerrard's long-term Liverpool future intensified following a newspaper interview published in October, in which he said he would 133 | P a g e
join another club if he was not offered a new contract at Anfield. Manager Brendan Rodgers said on 1 December that the midfielder had been offered a new deal, at the same time dismissing reports that the pair had fallen out. Rodgers has said in recent weeks he wanted to ration Gerrard's appearances in order to keep him fresh, and left him on the bench for Monday's 4-1 Premier League win over Swansea. Gerrard was restored to the starting line-up for Thursday's match against Leicester and played the full 90 minutes.
Gerrard has played 695 times for Liverpool since making his debut against Blackburn in 1998
Liverpool won the UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA
January 2015 Cup in 2001 with Gerrard scoring against Alaves
Gerard Houllier made Gerrard Liverpool's captain in October 2003
Gerrard inspired Liverpool to the Champions League in 2005
Gerrard's unfortunate slip against ainst Chelsea last May proved costly as Liverpool missed out on the league, the only major club honour he is missing Man City need Frank Lampard for title race Manuel Pellegrini Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says that the club "need" Frank Lampard for their title push.
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Malacca Magazine Lampard, 36, headed the decisive goal as City went level with Chelsea, beaten 5-3 at Tottenham, at the top of the table after a 3-2 win over Sunderland. The ex-Chelsea midfielder, signed on a short-term contract from New York City, was due to head to the USA but extended his deal until the end of the season. "Frank is very happy to stay here and we need him here," said Pellegrini. BBC pundit Martin Keown said on Match of the Day: "It is quite remarkable from Frank Lampard. He is fourth now in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring list with 176. "That moves him ahead of Thierry Henry. What he does is get himself into a position to score goals. He just keeps delivering and I'm sure Chelsea aren't happy seeing him do it." Fans of Major League Soccer's New York City are "outraged" by Lampard's decision. Fans' group the Third Rail said it "publicly denounced" the move.
City in 15 appearances, 12 of which have been as a sub.
Frank Lampard has featured heavily in New York City's promotional material for season ticket sales He signed for New York after being released by Chelsea in June but could now miss the first three months of the MLS season. Pellegrini said he understood the frustration of New York's fans but claimed it is in everyone's best interests he stays at City for now. "For the fans in New York to see Frank play is an amazing thing," he said. "I hope that he will be there next year. But I think that in this moment the best decision for him, for the club, for New York is to stay here with us." Lampard's winner against Sunderland came three minutes after he came on as a substitute. He has now scored five Premier League goals for
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January 2015
"He has been a top player during his whole career, he has an important amount of goals," said Pellegrini. "He is a very important player for us - that's why we brought him here at the beginning of the season. "It is very important also now that he will sstay with us until the end of the season." City trailed Chelsea by nine points on 1 November but have since taken 29 points from a possible 33. Celebrity
Did Chris Martin, Lead Singer of Coldplay, spend New Year's Eve with Jennifer Lawrence? Photo of couple le at dinner emerges on Twitter He spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day with his estranged wife Gwyneth
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Malacca Magazine Paltrow in order to keep their children happy. But it seems Chris Martin may have made time for his girlfriend Jennifer Lawrence this New Year's holiday - possibly even ringing in 2015 with her. A photo has emerged on social media of the two dining in what appears to be a sushi restaurant in Las Vegas.
Getting serious? This picture has emerged of Chris Martin and Jennifer Lawrence dining together in what appears to be a sushi restaurant; it is not known for certain when the snap was taken Although it is purported to be from New Years Eve there is uncertainty as to when the snap was actually taken, with some users writing that it was actually from December 30.
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It shows the pair sitting in a low key restaurant chatting across the table as they eat with chopsticks. Actress Jennifer wears a grey jacket and black trousers, while Coldplay star Chris is in a casual outfit. The picture emerged as Chris' ex Gwyneth expressed regrets about their break-up - admitting she sometimes wonders if they should have stayed together.
January 2015 over their decision to go their separate ways. 'Of course, e, there are times when I think it would have been better if we had stayed married, which is always what your children want,' she said. 'But we have been able to solidify this friendship, so that we're really close.' The two share daughter Apple, nine, and son Moses, seven. Chris, 37, split from Gwyneth in March and started dating Jennifer in June, following her split from British actor Nicholas Hoult.
With the ex: Chris spent Christmas and Thanksgiving with Gwyneth Paltrow and their children
In a new interview with British Harper's Bazaar, the Oscar-winning actress, 42, admits that even she has had lingering doubts
Having a great year: Jennifer seen out in NY earlier this month; she finished 2014 as the
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Malacca Magazine highest-grossing actor in Hollywood The two briefly split, but are currently dating. At just 24 Jennifer is experiencing a great time in her professional life, having finished 2014 as the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood with her movies taking in $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office. The Oscar-winning actress was named the highest earning thespian of the year by Forbes in an article on Friday thanks to her films The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 and XMen: Days Of Future Past. The penultimate film in the Hunger Games franchise has earned about $333 million in the US and remains in theaters, while Days of Future Past earned $233 million domestically.
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January 2015
Malacca Magazine
Celebrity This section features Celebrity Interviews. This month it is the turn of George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez The George Clooney Interview
This article appeared in Esquire Magazine and was written by Tom Junod.
No one does the Fame thing like Clooney. He floats above it even as he uses it to embellish his influence. He understands his place in the pantheon even as he remains hidden from the inquisitive lens. He's the master. For one thing, he’s lovable, professionally so. For another, he leaves nothing to chance. If he can’t win you over with his fame, his charm, and his good looks, he will win you over with preparation. It’s not that he’s needy, like an actor; it’s that he’s competitive, like an athlete. He’s always 137 | P a g e
been good at making people love him; he’s not about to give up his edge now. Of course, he is not often challenged, and risks the fate of a fighter whose dominance is tainted by a lack of worthy opponents. A few years ago, however, he lost one of his dogs to a rattlesnake. He is a dog guy—a little sign about men and dogs adorns a living-room wall otherwise dominated by signed photographs of dignitaries—and he set about to get another, preferably hypoallergenic. He saw a black cockerspaniel mix on the Web site of a rescue organization and called the number. The woman who answered said she’d be happy to bring the dog to his house, but then she explained that the dog had been abandoned and picked up malnourished off the street. “He has to love you,” she told George Clooney, “or else I have to take him back.” At first, he found himself getting nervous—“freaking out.” What if the dog didn’t love him? Then he
January 2015 responded. “I had some turkey bacon in the refrigerator,” he says. “I rubbed it on me. I’m not kidding. When she came over, the dog went crazy. He was all o over me. The woman said, ‘Oh, my God, he’s never like this. He loves you.’ you.’ ”
He has told this story before. He has even told it to Esquire before. That he tells it again again—that it’s the first story he tells tells—serves to announce what is essential about him: that he’s a man who will do what it takes to win you over, even applying bacon as an unguent. I have done a few of these things things—celebrity profiles—before. before. I have interviewed famous people in hotel rooms and offices, in bars and in restaurants, even, once, on top of a bridge in Sydney, Australia. Where I have not often interviewed them is at
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Malacca Magazine their homes. The home is the turkey bacon of the celebrity profile. It generates, if not love, and then at least, a sense of gratitude akin to what a dog must feel when allowed on the couch. Leonardo DiCaprio met me in a vast hotel conference room, empty but for an end table and two chairs. George Clooney invited me to his house. Of course he did. What distinguishes Clooney from other famous people is that he reliably acts as you wish other famous people would act and does what you wish other famous people would do: often the right thing. His house is of a piece with its owner. It might be described as a man-cave writ large. It is slightly undomesticated. You have to climb to get there, up a switch-backed driveway sentried by security cameras and crowded with greenery that he refuses to cut. You can see why he says he does not have many intruders; you can also see why, when he does have intruders, he says, no shit, they usually do their intruding “dressed as trees.” 138 | P a g e
January 2015 he was a radio broadcaster in Lexington, Kentucky.
You do not see all that much of the house, even when you finally summit the driveway, so absorbed is it into its surrounding three acres and the park that begins where the three acres end. What you see is just enough Tudor-style brick to establish it as a home of Hollywood heritage, and what you see most of all is what welcomes you: the mouth of the three-car garage, open to reveal the only three cars George Clooney could possibly own. There is the gleaming grey Lexus. There is the black Porsche Carrera, sheathed like a sidearm in a black cover. And then there is the 1959 red Corvette convertible, glinting as comically as a hero’s tooth in an old Saturdayafternoon serial. For an idea of Clooney’s pedigree, you need an idea of the Corvette’s: It is original to his family. Clooney’s father, Nick, bought it new, back when
George grew up with it as one of the family cars, and it now has pride of place as a sortt of Playboy Philosophy on wheels. Beyond the garage stands the wooden front door, massive, slab like, arched, trellised with vines, and battering-ram ram resistant. To say that they don’t make doors like that anymore is to understate the case; they don’t make trees like that anymore. Some mogul must have ditched what was left of his soul for that door, and now it gives the house the stately air of a ruin behind which might very well lurk Gloria Swanson. And yet when it opens, there stands Clooney’s assistant,, Angel, and when she walks through the dark-wood wood-and-leather shadows of the house to the kitchen, there stands her boss, trying to make a cup of coffee on a machine he’s forgotten how to use. He has been traveling a lot lately. He has been working a lot llately, more, in fact, than he has in a
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Malacca Magazine long time: as one of the stars of Gravity, as the director and leading man of The Monuments Men, as the producer of August: Osage County, and as the eminence of a new movie he’s been filming in Vancouver called Tomorrowland. His parents were also just in town. No matter: He’s instantly, helplessly affable, his handshake offered as forthrightly as the handle in an old voting booth. He ekes out a coffee, makes himself a tea, and takes a seat on the couch in his living room, with a large-screen TV broadcasting NFL highlights from the mantel of a stone fireplace, and the high peaked ceiling crossed by rough-hewn timbers apparently salvaged from the Fortress of Solitude after Superman decided to modernize. His dog, Einstein, squeezes in next to him; when his iPhone rings, Clooney, without answering, immediately turns it off.
forehead. He has surprisingly fine hands. He smells like soap. The day before, he gave a eulogy at the memorial service for his uncle, Dante DiPaolo. Uncle Dante was married to his Aunt Rosemary— —the late great American singer. He is fifty-two years old. He is wearing a black hoodie zipped to the neck, blue jeans, and boots laced so assertively they squeak when he flexes his ankles. He has a long neck, upon which his long head, adorned by long ears, wobbles like a tulip. Everything is to scale with him. Many people have long eyelashes; he has lashes as long on the bottom as they are on the top. His eyes look like they’ve been caught by Venus flytraps. He is going gray, yes, but if you took a population sample of his hair, there is no doubt that any analysis would reveal that the numbers of black and gray hairs are evenly distributed and have achieved equipoise. He has recently showered, and a careful modicum of product lifts his hair off his
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“I loved the guy,” Clooney says. “I got along with him a lot better than I got along with Aunt Rosie, that’s for sure. He was one of those guys who’d pull you over at a party and give you a few bucks bucks— ‘Here’s a little scratch; go and have a good time.’ I held his hand when he died. He was a professional dancer—you you know, a real hip dude. But the memorial service was so reverential. So when I got up there, I said, ‘You know, I’m looking around at you people, and I’m reminded of Dante getting on the plane with Aunt Rosemary in the seventies, coming back from Rosemary playing the London Palladium. Some band member had given him a ball of hash. And Rosemary said, “What did you do with the hash?”
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Malacca Magazine And he goes, “I’ve got it right here in my bag!” And she’s like, “Are you out of your mind? We’re on a plane! Get over there and flush that down the toilet!” And he’s like, “Aw, c’mon, Rosie. Flush it down the toilet?” And he goes to the back of the airplane, and when he comes back she says, “Did you flush it down the toilet?” And he says, “No.” And she says, “What did you do with it?” And he goes, “I ate it!” He spent the next twelve hours stoned. They carried him off the plane.’
“A lot of people laughed. But there were a lot of older people there, and there was this moment where they looked like they could have been offended, because here it’s a memorial and we’re talking about hash. And I just went, ‘Every single one of you was in a band. All of you were dancers and actors. And all of this stuff was stuff that you talked about and did!’ ” 140 | P a g e
On the walls of Clooney’s home, there are a lot of photographs from powerful people, such as President Obama, who have written him in friendship and in gratitude. There is also a framed selection of neckties that once belonged to one powerful person in particular, John F. Kennedy. There are also many striking black-andwhite photographs of Dino and Sammy horsing around in tuxedos. They go with the bar, which is arrayed with a swank skyline of liquors and cordials and on which is perched the figure of the fox that Wes Anderson used for the stop-motion animation of Fantastic Mr. Fox—Clooney was Mr. Fox; Mr. Fox was Clooney. And then, near the front door, there is the most important artifact in a house that is both full of them and, in its own right, artifactual. It’s an old piece of tile, white, with some words baked on it in black. The rest of the stuff on Clooney’s walls, well, as he says, “You gotta
January 2015 remember that part of my life is people give me things and I put them on the wall, right?” He knew Sammy aand Dean, a little; he knew them as a kid, growing up Rosie’s nephew, but even those photos came to him as gifts—“I “I think I was given all of them during the Ocean’s period. And I like the photos, so I put them on the wall because I thought they were cool and d they were fun, but I don’t think and live and breathe the Rat Pack life.” The tile is different. The tile he found after he bought the house in 1995, with ER money. A former owner left it behind. On it is written the house’s street number. And over the address, ddress, in paint paintbrushed print of aching domesticity, it says THE GABLES. Now, a lot of people, friends included, call George Clooney a throwback. He is a throwback to what they suppose was a different time that created a different kind of celebrity. A lo lot of people even call him the closest thing we have to Clark
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Malacca Magazine Gable, a mantle he has accepted to the extent that he replicated Gable’s rhythms and timing for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and sports a Gablean ’stache in The Monuments Men. But there are a lot of throwbacks in this world. George Clooney is the only throwback that lives in Clark Gable’s freaking house.
He has other houses. He has one, famously, on Lake Como, in Italy, and he has built another in Cabo. In this, he is not so much of a throwback — after all, Leonardo DiCaprio has a house in Cabo. Indeed, Clooney and DiCaprio once ran into each other in Cabo and struck up a conversation based on their common interest in basketball. They 141 | P a g e
January 2015
each have ongoing games, and their ongoing games have attained a celebrity of their own.
and one of the guys I play with says, ‘You know we’re going to kill these guys, right?’
Clooney suggested they might play someday. DiCaprio said sure, but felt compelled to add, “You know, we’re pretty serious.”
Because they can’t play at all. We’re all like fifty years old, and we beat them three straight: 11 11–0, 11–0, and 11–0. 0.
They played at a neighborhood court. “You know, I can play,” Clooney says in his living room. “I’m not great, by any means, but I played high school basketball, and I know I can play. I also know that you don’t talk shit unless you can play. And the thing about playing Leo is you have all these guys talking shit. We get there, and there’s this guy, Danny A I think his name is. Danny A is this club kid from New York. And he comes up to me and says, ‘We played once at Chelsea Piers. I kicked your ass.’ I said, ‘I’ve only played at Chelsea Piers once in my life and ran the table. So if we played, you didn’t kick anybody’s ass.’ And so then we’re watching them warm up, and they’re doing this weave around the court,
And the discrepancy between their games and how they talked about their game made me think of how important it is to have someone in your life to tell you what’s what. I’m not sure if Leo has someone like that.” He was not a child star star— but he was a star, as a child. Acutely aware of his powers now, he was not unaware of them then. “The first thing that I learned—and and I understood it at a really young age age— was that I could get a laugh. Really early, because my mother and father are funny. My father’s a really funny man, and at the time we were growing up, in the mid mid-sixties, and I was like seven years old, they always had dinner parties.
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Malacca Magazine This was back in the old days, when you would have cocktail parties and drink grasshoppers. And my dad would tell, you know, a story, something a little risqué—nothing dirty at all, just a little risqué. And I knew that I could take the next step, right? The-a-little-bit-dirtier version. You know—‘and deep, too!’ And the place would explode! And Dad would kick me under the table—but I always knew that I had that in my arsenal.” He was formed equally by the sense of having an audience and by the sensation of his father’s foot. Nick Clooney was not just Rosemary Clooney’s brother; he was the Walter Cronkite of the local affiliates in central Kentucky and southern Ohio, where Clooney grew up. Clooney remembers him as being “absolutely immovable in doing what was right”—the kind of father who obliged his son to fight anyone who used the word nigger, even if that meant that his son regularly “got my ass kicked”; the kind of father 142 | P a g e
who’d get up and leave a restaurant if he ever heard anyone make a coded remark about “those people,” even if it meant that his son couldn’t finish his shrimp cocktail; the kind of father who made his son work and save his money during the year so that he and the rest of the Clooney’s could bring presents to the poorest family in town on Christmas morning. “Everybody loved my dad, because he stood for everything that was right. And he still does. But growing up that way was not nearly as fun. People love my parents, and I know that. I did not love them, for periods of time. I thought it was, you know, a crappy deal.” He is grateful to them now—grateful, in particular, to his father, for being the guy who tells him what’s what; who tells him to think of the consequences of his actions before he acts; and who, when his son called to ask whether he was “in trouble” for his political stand on the Iraq war, answered thus:
January 2015 “He was like, ‘Do you have a job?’ I said yeah. He goes, ‘Do you have money in the bank?’ I said yeah. So he goes, ‘Shut up. Grow up—you’re you’re a grown man, you know. Freedom of speech means that when you speak ak up, you have to be ready for people to say bad things about you. That’s how it works.’ And I said, ‘Got it.’ And you know, I knew it, but it does help to hear it from your old man.” Indeed, George Clooney credits Nick Clooney for what is the most str striking feature of his ongoing practice of fame: his understanding that appearances matter, and that if you look like an asshole, you probably are. For example, he has declined to enlist in environmental causes not because he doesn’t believe in them but because ause he’s aware how it would look look—“I probably wouldn’t be a good spokesman for an electric car, because I’ll still get on a private jet, and one flight on a private jet undoes all my electric electric-car good deeds.”
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It is often noted that it took him a long time to become a star. He didn’t get parts. Or he got bad parts on TV shows that were good or good parts on TV shows that were bad. He didn’t get the careermaking role on ER until he was almost thirty-three. Like his friends Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, he likes to say he “came from somewhere” and “can still fix a fan belt” on a car. But he was, in many ways, born to be a star, groomed to be a star. And now, better than anyone else alive, he knows how to be one. “I had my Aunt Rosie, who was famous and then not, so I got a lesson in fame early on. And I understood how little it has to do with you. And also how you could use it.”
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As a result, he is not just a man with a healthy ego, as the saying goes; he’s a man with a healthy superego, a famous person for whom fame functions as a kind of conscience. He knows what audiences want from him, in movie theaters; what gawkers want from him, on the red carpet; what reporters want from him, in interviews—and, by and large, he tries to give it to them. Even his lightheartedness derives from a sense of obligation; his casual approach to fame turns out to be one of the things he’s serious about. Being famous is not just what he knows how to do better than anyone else; it’s arguably what he knows how to do better than anything else. He is the president of a club of famous people he doesn’t consider assholes, and he convenes it every time he makes a movie.
January 2015 He has made movies with Brad ad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts, and Cate Blanchett. He has never been in a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio or Russell Crowe. A few months ago, I spent time with Matt Damon while he was on the set of The Monuments Men, and he told a story about Russell Crowe and George Clooney. It involved Clooney reading a poem by Crowe on the night of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, with uproarious results. It was a great story but not, well, a true one. I told this to Clooney, and he said, “Matt’s a storyteller.” Then he said, “The truth is that [Crowe] did send me a book of poems to apologize for insulting the shit out of me, which he did. He picked a fight with me. He started it for no reason at all.. He put out this thing saying, ‘George Clooney, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro are sellouts.’ And I
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Malacca Magazine put out a statement saying, ‘He’s probably right. And I’m glad he told us, ’cause Bob and Harrison and I were also thinking about starting a band, which would also fall under the heading of bad use of celebrity.’ And that’s when he really went off on me. ‘Who the fuck does this guy think he is? He’s a Frank Sinatra wannabe.’ He really went after me. And so I sent him a note going, ‘Dude, the only people who succeed when two famous people fight are People magazine. What the fuck is wrong with you?’ “But then I had a year. Then I had Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck, and he was gonna see me at the Golden Globes ’cause he was nominated for Cinderella Man. So he sends me a disc of his music and a thing of his poetry. I think he said, ‘I was all misquoted,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever.’
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I did take it with me to the BAFTAs, but I didn’t win. I might have used it if I had won. I was nominated for four!” He sends a lot of e-mails. But when he is really serious or wants to keep his correspondence confidential, he writes letters. He is picky about the forms of communication he chooses. He handwrites his scripts, because “I like paper.” He is also prescriptive, as he is in most things. At his villa on Lake Como, he has had, as his houseguests, everyone from Al Gore to Walter Cronkite to Kofi Annan, and still he insists that “at dinner, everyone put the phones away. And so there are not a lot of photos of our times there. Because I want us to live them.” At his house in Los Angeles, he supported the reelection of President Obama by doing what he says was the biggest fundraiser in Democratic history. “Fifteen million dollars,” he says, “right here. The president came here and there were some people who wanted to
January 2015 meet him. And the president and I are talking to them and they’re holding their smartphone cameras up like this. And I’m holding my hand out trying to shake their hand, and they’r they’re like, ‘Smile.’ And I said to the president ‘You know, the oddest thing about what’s happening right now is that we’ve stopped living our lives and we’re just recording them.’ them.’ ” As might be expected, he does not like Twitter. More to the point, he does not approve of Twitter, especially for a certain segment of the population. “If you’re famous, I don’t—for for the life of me me— I don’t understand why any famous person would ever be on Twitter. Why on God’s green earth would you be on Twitter? Because first o of all, the worst thing you can do is make yourself more available, right? Because you’re going to be available to everybody. But also Twitter. So one drunken night, you come home and you’ve had two too many drinks and you’re watching TV and
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Malacca Magazine somebody pisses you off, and you go ‘Ehhhhh’ and fight back. “And you go to sleep, and you wake up in the morning and your career is over. Or you’re an asshole. Or all the things you might think in the quiet of your drunken evening are suddenly blasted around the entire world before you wake up. I mean, when you see, like, Ashton Kutcher coming out going, you know, ‘Everybody leave Joe Paterno alone,’ or whatever he said, you just go, ‘Fifteen minutes longer and a thought process and probably you wouldn’t have done that.’ ” As a result, the famous people he admires most— the ones he claims not just as friends but as club members and counterparts—are those who make themselves unavailable. He loves Bill Murray, for instance, and made sure that he was in The Monuments Men. Why? “Because you can’t get to him. You can’t get him on the phone, he won’t answer your e-mails.” 145 | P a g e
Not that Murray and Clooney strictly abjure the use of electronic communications; indeed, even as Clooney is extolling Murray’s talent for remaining out of reach, he produces an iPhone and scrolls to an antic photo of Clooney hamming it up with some sushi chefs. “We went out to dinner and Bill went to the bathroom. When he was gone, I found his phone and took pictures, so that when he got home this is what he saw.” Then he finds the photo that Murray sent him a few days earlier, on the occasion of Murray’s birthday. It’s a photo of Murray standing with a few friends, showing off his birthday cake. Stamped on the cake, in icing, is an image of the smiling face of George Clooney. Clooney also admires Brad Pitt, for some of the same reasons. “For a long time now, Brad has been the biggest movie star in the world,” he says. “He’s bigger than me, bigger than DiCaprio. And I really admire how he deals with
January 2015 that. It’s not easy for him. But he tries to be the most honest version of Brad Pitt that he can be. And he also remains unavailable. He’s still a giant movie star because you can’t get to him. That doesn’t mean that I don’t think of him as incredibly talented and smart and all those things. But you also can’t get to him.” This is not to say that Clooney can’t get to him. He is well aware of what kind of year Pitt had—aa year that “almost killed him.” And so Brad Pitt became one of the people to whom Clooney wrote. “I saw him in London when he was doing the World War Z reshoot. I called him up and said, ‘What are you doing? I’m doing reshoots.’ He said, ‘I’m doing reshoots.’ We met up. And I was like, ‘How you holding up?’ And he took out a knife and stabbed it in the table and we drank a lot of vod vodka and he just said, ‘This one’s going to kill me, man.’ It was a huge reshoot and Brad was putting it on his
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Malacca Magazine shoulders. He picked it up and put it on his shoulders and took it away from all the people who were screwing it up. Carried it over the finish line. Got it made into a film that was well reviewed and made a lot of money. And I just wrote him an email and it said, ‘This one is all on you, brother. Congratulations, because I know this was a killer.’ You know? You don’t want your zombie movie to be the killer, but it was.” Being Clooney, he does not only write to Brad Pitt, however. He also writes as Brad Pitt. A few years ago, he even had some stationery made up with Brad Pitt’s letterhead. Then he found a book about acting and accents and sent it to Meryl Streep, with an accompanying note. It said, “Dear Meryl, this book really helped me with my accent for Troy. I hope it helps you too.” He signed it “Brad Pitt.” Then he sent another letter to Don Cheadle on “Pitt’s” stationery. As long as Cheadle has been 146 | P a g e
acting, he has dreamt of playing Miles Davis. So the letter informed Cheadle that Pitt’s production company had acquired the rights to Davis’s life story. The letter said that Pitt wanted him to star in it. As Charlie Parker A few years ago, John Bolton, George Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations, asked Clooney to come to New York and address a special session of the Security Council on the subject of Darfur. Clooney was surprised; he was already well-known for his opposition to President Bush in general and his foreign policy in particular. “I asked my father, ‘Why would he invite me to do this?’ And my dad said, ‘Because you’re the liberal who’s gonna chastise the UN, that’s why.’ ” He went, and had no problems with Bolton. It was the other members of the Security Council who were offended by the fact that an actor had been dispatched to address them. “Very heavy stuff. I’m sitting with Elie Wiesel,
January 2015 and the Chinese ambassadors walked out, and the Russian ambassadors walked out, because ause they don’t want to let an actor speak. And the Qatar ambassador starts off by going, ‘I have to post my protest that we would allow a very fine actor in here to speak.’ He’s speaking in Arabic, and he just keeps on going: ‘How dare he come in, and who does he think he is?’ He just goes on and on. And then the British ambassador goes, ‘Well, I have to let Mr. Clooney respond.’ And believe me, I was very nervous doing this, but I just went, ‘You know, my translation cut out after I heard “very fine acto actor,” if you’d like to repeat it.’ And my dad was sitting behind me and kicks me under the table. And I was nervous doing it, but you know, there’s that moment where you go, ‘Well, are you gonna do it?’ And then you go, ‘Well, fuck it.’ it.’ ” Did he get a lau laugh? “Huge laugh.” He was also able to give his speech and have his say and do what he’d been called upon to do.
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Malacca Magazine “It’s funny, but in really stressful moments I’m the Zen master. I can do almost anything. In emergencies, when someone’s hurt… . . . I’ve been in some really wild situations and been able to go, ‘Okay.’ And the same thing in doing something live or anything like that. You know, they pull you up onstage and they say, ‘Do this.’ I’ve always found a way to say, ‘I can take a breath and I can do it.’ ”
He has recently written another of his letters to the current UN ambassador, Samantha Power, urging her to make the United States a party to the International Criminal Court. But overall, his political engagement has diminished since President Obama’s reelection. At his house, he spoke little of politics, more of his political experiences, more 147 | P a g e
still of a letter he’d received posthumously from Ted Kennedy and the political curio that had come along with it. Kennedy had written the letter on behalf of an old friend. The friend had recently found the letter and sent it to Clooney, along with JFK’s wallet, circa 1946. It was not an empty wallet, either; rather it was a time capsule whose contents Clooney laid out on the coffee table as he read out loud the description of the items. There were ticket stubs to a Harvard–Yale game Bobby played in, the Saint Christopher’s medal Kennedy had probably carried in World War II, a postcard from the Statler Hilton, “a very scary greeting card signed Mary,” and, among very many other things, “an empty matchbook from the Chowder Bowl, Palm Beach, which has lipstick blotted on it and I’m sure an interesting story behind it.” It is the one gift appropriate for the man who has everything: an artifact pulled from the
January 2015 back pocket of a man who had, for a time, even more. Nick Clooney ran unsuccessfully for Congress; his son has always denied having any political ambitions. But Jack Kennedy’s wallet might as well be a piece of the True Cross for a guy who has abstaine abstained from the fame of politics to master, more than anyone, the politics of fame. He and Noah Wyle shared a lot of things, at the start. They shared a break—being being cast on a show that became as popular as ER. They shared the advantage of being the charismatic characters on a show anchored dutifully by Anthony Edwards. They shared an interest in liberal causes. They even wound up sharing an assistant, Angel. She worked for Wyle for two years; now she works for Clooney, and she knows better than anyone what made de them, in the end, so different. It wasn’t just the course course— the outcome outcome—of their careers. It wasn’t just the
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Malacca Magazine fact that Wyle never really made it to the movies and Clooney never looked back once he left television. It wasn’t even that Wyle didn’t get lucky and Clooney did. It was that Clooney became a guy gracious enough to ascribe all that came to him as a matter of luck—while holding an ingrained conviction that nothing is ever really accidental. “It was a hard, hard job, ER. We were working sixteen-hour days, five days a week. We were learning Latin, you know, to do the show. But you knew that you were never going to get a second chance to introduce yourself to a wide audience. And I was thirtythree. I wasn’t the young one there; I was the oldest one there. So I knew this was my opportunity. I think all the actors were given a bit of an opportunity that summer on a film. I think every one of them was given an opportunity. And I think most of them were so exhausted from the work that they wanted their summer off. 148 | P a g e
“In fairness, they were also doing a lot. I had the smallest part in the show. And when [Robert Rodriguez’s] Dusk till Dawn came around, well, it was a great part for me, because it was a complete departure. And that movie changed everything for me, temperature wise. It made it so I was going to be allowed to do some films, you know?” It was one of the choices that Clooney made and Wyle didn’t. But it wasn’t the most important choice. The most important choice was the choice not to do something—the choice not to make a choice that Wyle eventually did. “George made a conscious decision not to have a family, because he was hungry,” Angel says. “Also, Noah was young and could take things for granted. George never did. George paid cash for all his houses, because he thinks that will protect him if it all goes away. Look, Grant Heslov is his writing and producing partner now. But he also is
January 2015 the guy who, when they were first starting out together, lent George a hundred dollars so that George could have his publicity stills made. That kind of thing still really matters to George.” Then she tells a story about working for George Clooney. When she first started working for him, he bought her a truck. Last year, he asked h how it was running. Angel said fine. She liked the truck truck—and the thing she especially liked about it was that it had so many dings in it she didn’t have to worry about it. A couple of days later, she walked out of her boss’s house and her truck was gone. A new one gleamed in the driveway. “Hey, where’s the Tesla?” I said when I was leaving his house. I was just giving him shit; I didn’t know if he had a Tesla or not, and was trying to see if even George Clooney was susceptible to Hollywood cliché. “I had d a Tesla. I was one of the first cats with a Tesla. I think I was, like, number five on the list. But I’m
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Malacca Magazine telling you, I’ve been on the side of the road a while in that thing. And I said to them, ‘Look, guys, why am I always stuck on the side of the fucking road? Make it work, one way or another.’ ” We take the Lexus to the new office he and Heslov have rented for Smokehouse Pictures, another old Hollywood house with another full bar and another wall where there hangs another precious artifact, in this case the robe that once belonged to the wrestler Gorgeous George. He’s never been to the new office before, though, and he doesn’t know where he’s going. He won’t use his smartphone for directions; instead he keeps referencing the directions he printed out from a computer, because, you know, he likes paper. He drives along. He talks about Dean and Sammy and does a passable impersonation of Dean. Then he sees a billboard for the movie Gravity, which is opening that week. It’s his movie; and it’s his billboard, with his own 149 | P a g e
helmeted and visored face stamped enormously upon it. As it happens, the billboard stands on the corner where he has to make his turn. “Oh,” he says, “they should have just said, ‘Go to the poster of you and make a right.’ ” It’s not even a smile that crosses his face. It’s a kind of awareness that doubles as a smile, or a wink. He signals. Then he makes a left. The Jennifer Lopez
Interview This Interview was written by Celia Walden and first appeared in the London Telegraph newspaper
'I think it’s a little bit much,’ Jennifer Lopez says with a frown. Her sulphurous live performance on Britain’s Got Talent two days before we meet has prompted a litany of complaints to Ofcom. (The singer’s outfit – a leather thong swimsuit and feather bolero – drew particular ire.)
January 2015 'I don’t think I’m any racier than any other female pop artist. OK, I’ll wear a sexy outfit, but I think it’s more because my body shape’s a little different to other body shapes, so that’s not very fair.’ Today that provoca provocative shape is reclining on a sofa in a two-storey storey suite at the Dorchester hotel in London. She is clad, comparatively demurely, in a cream silk blouse, ripped skinny jeans and studded, hot hot-pink suede Christian Louboutin ankle boots. 'I saw them in Vegas recently and thought, “I have to have them,”’ she explains, girlish excitement taking the place of the strained expression she wore when I was first escorted in (she’s jet jet-lagged and hasn’t stopped since she arrived in London three days ago). 'They were ssold out but when I got to the hotel yesterday there they were waiting for me.’ It’s hard not to warm to her delight, though her reputation is intimidating.
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Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes in Maid in Manhattan, 2002 This is a woman who consistently ranks in Forbes’ list of the 10 most powerful celebrities on the planet. She made an estimated $52 million [£34 million] last year from film deals, record sales, American Idol (on which she is a judge), her clothing line, fragrances and various advertisements. Then there is her appearance. I’ve been lucky (or unlucky) enough to meet some of the world’s most beautiful women, but I've never been discomfited by beauty the way that I am now. Lopez, 42, has a face so exquisite that it’s hard to look directly at it. Those perfectly symmetrical, Puerto Rican features seem sharper than they were back in 150 | P a g e
1997, when she first mesmerised audiences in Oliver Stone’s U Turn, consolidating her screen appeal a year later opposite George Clooney in Out of Sight. There are the finest of lines around her eyes and none of the jarring imbalance one sees in faces that have been filled, plumped or otherwise cosmetically enhanced. Her dark hair has been dip-dyed a honey blonde and, in the video for her new single, Live It Up (featuring the rapper Pitbull, with whom she has collaborated on her past three singles), she flaunts a thigh-high-booted body that should by traditional notions of gravity belong to someone 20 years younger. Lopez kicked off her singing career in 1999 with the album 'On the 6’, which included the hits If You Had My Love and Waiting for Tonight. Live It Up – a catchy summer anthem – has the inspirational lyrics and cheerleader chant we’ve come to expect from Lopez, but the dub-step breakdowns and frenetic
January 2015 Madonna--esque sexual energy feel like new ground for the singer. 'You have to evolve,’ she says. 'I want to be the artist people know me as, but I also want to be me today – with all the experiences I’ve been through.’ Lopez embarked on a new relationship with the 26 26year-old old dancer and choreographer Casper Smart early last year. She separated from her husband, the singer Marc Anthony, with whom she has five--year-old twins, Emme and Max, in 2011 after seven years together. She has admitted that she felt very low after their break-up.' up.' It was hard,’ she says, fiddling with a bauble on her bejeweled hands. 'When Marc and I decided to separate, I thought, “I’m not going to let this turn me into someone unhopeful who doesn’t believe [in love] anymore.” I didn’t want to just survive it. I wanted to grow from it. And I did learn a lot.
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Malacca Magazine 'Most importantly, to love myself first. As women, I don’t think we do that enough. We always love somebody else more than ourselves. 'I did that for a long time and I couldn’t understand why things weren’t working. Then I realised that I wasn’t valuing myself in the way that I deserved. 'You accept things that are less than what you want, and then you wonder why you find yourself in these situations. You think, “I wouldn’t treat anyone in this way so why am I being treated like this? 'Why can’t I find somebody who treats me in the way that I treat them?”’ This is Lopez’s third divorce and her relationship with Smart is the latest in a long and often turbulent romantic history. Her brief first marriage, to the waiter Ojani Noa in 1997, was followed by a stormy two-year relationship with Sean 'Diddy’ Combs.
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At one point the pair was arrested (Lopez was released without charge) after gunfire erupted between his entourage and club-goers in a New York nightspot in 1999. She married the dancer Cris Judd in 2001 but a year later they were divorced and she was engaged to the actor Ben Affleck. Their high-profile romance – they were nicknamed 'Bennifer’ – disintegrated amid a storm of publicity just before their wedding (though not before the two films they made together, Jersey Girl and Gigli, were savaged by critics).
Starring alongside George Clooney in Out of Sight, 1998 Finally, in 2004, Lopez married her old flame, Marc Anthony. 'I want to be happy with or without someone,’ she explains today. 'And find the love
January 2015 within myself that fulfils me – then I can share that with whomever I want.’ Lopez was born in the Bronx in New York to Puerto Rican immigrants, both strict Catholics. Her father was a computer technician, her mother a nursery teacher. Lopez is the middle of three girls; rls; her older sister is an opera singer and her younger sister, Lynda, is an Emmy-award award-winning journalist. All three are close. 'My mum kept us on the straight and narrow,’ says Lopez. 'None of us smoked or drank and we weren’t allowed to hang out on th the street with the other kids. We were supposed to behave like girls and have good manners. I’m glad that we were raised like that.’ She credits the 'strength, outgoing personality and star quality’ she inherited from her mother with propelling her from a 19year-old old backing dancer for New Kids on the Block and Janet Jackson to a Golden Globe winner eight years later (for her role in Selena in 1997).
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Malacca Magazine 'Then from my dad I got the calmness necessary to handle this sort of lifestyle. The combination has served me pretty well over the years.’ Romantic disappointment, age and motherhood seem to have had a positive effect on Lopez, imbuing her with a renewed sense of power – and liberty. 'I feel like I could do anything now,’ she says with a smile. 'Before, I was just going through life. Now I live in the moment and I appreciate things in a different way.’ She refuses to adhere to conventional notions of how a woman in her forties should behave. 'I feel like women are knocking those preconceptions down every single day. 'Every major actress right now is in her forties. The new crop hasn’t really come up in the same way, and it’s the same with recording artists, too. In old Hollywood, by the time you were 28 you were over; it was so youth-driven.
'Now people realise how much better women get with experience and wisdom. It’s a very “woman” moment.’ Lopez’s sisterly convictions strike me as genuine. It may be unsurprising to hear her say, in unembarrassed tones, 'I love my body,’ but the fondness with which she describes its changing shape over the years is unusual. 'I remember when I had baby fat and my thighs were so out of proportion to my ankles,’ she says. 'Then I remember dropping weight and being quite thin. 'Then, when I got pregnant, I remember watching my back, belly and butt grow and thinking, “I will never be the same again.”’ She giggles. 'Then I remember right after the twins were born having that weird jiggly belly – and kind of loving that, too. Because I earned that jiggly belly. Then came trying to get my body back into shape and how long that took. A whole year.’
January 2015 When I point out that the race for celebrities to 'get their bodies back’ seems to have become an Olympic sport, with women appearing svelte on red carpets after a matter of weeks, she cuts me off. 'It’s bull. Sure, you can dress nicely after a couple of months and people will say, “Oh, look how amazing they look in a picture taken from a good angle.” 'But the truth is it takes your body time to go back, and I think these days women are too hard on themselves with that. Nobody bounces back straightaway. You don’t know what kind of Spanx these women are wearing under their clothes, and what other tricks are going on.’’ Nowadays Lopez views her body 'like an athlete does – or a fighter, going into the ring. I do my cardio and I do my workouts with the Tracy Anderson method and this month I’m going to try to be good with my diet.’ When she looks in the mirror, rror, what does she
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Malacca Magazine see? 'I think I’m like every woman,’ she says. 'I have days when I think I look great and days when I think I look c—. But when you have kids, it’s just about pressing on, no matter how you feel.’ Motherhood is Lopez’s 'first and most favourite thing’, she maintains. 'It’s also the scariest thing, so terrifying and daunting. But it brings me so much joy. I think about being a performer and having all these amazing moments on stage and movie sets. 'Still nothing matches the joy I get from coming off stage and having my kids waiting there in the wings. That’s when my two worlds collide and I feel whole.’ Ask her what the twins think of her job and she laughs. 'They know that Mum sings and dances.’ Emme has already taken control of her wardrobe, she tells me.
January 2015
Lopez at a Chanel fashion show last year with her boyfriend and daughter
afterwards. You think, “Oh, OK – this is love. So what is this?”’
'People are born a certain way. They can learn and grow and evolve but they have a DNA to them and from very early on she was in my closet, sitting among the clothes.
Shee hopes, one day, not to have to ask herself the question.
She loves fashion, jewellery and hats – and she’s picked up things from me. I like to lay my outfits on the floor so I can look at them and she’s started doing that, too. 'She’ll have her little jacket and shorts laid out, add a little bag to it and then stand back and look at it.’
Although she bats away rumours of marriage to Smart, Lopez concedes that she does 'want to grow old with someone and have a partner and friend and lover one day’. Until she finds that, she feels at her most complete 'surrounded by my kids and family on my mother’s couch. That’s when I feel myself again. That’s when I really remember who I am.’
Last year mother and daughter were spotted on the front row at a Chanel catwalk show in Paris. It’s something Lopez had always wanted to do with her daughter but the media attention was so overwhelming, she says, she won’t be doing it again. Having children has changed her completely, she says. It has also made her re-examine what love is. I think that was why there were so many changes in my life
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Malacca Magazine
Horoscopes What’s in the stars for the month ahead? Here is our light-hearted look at the birth signs Welcome to January — and another brand-new year. Grab your acoustic guitar and gather your tribe, because the planets are rallying in Aquarius, the sign of teamwork and humanitarian efforts. This could mean picket lines and picket signs — or bridging divides virtually, since tech-savvy Aquarius brings people together through social media and digital avenues, too. Whatever your medium or method, tap into the power of many this January. Back up your data and devices, though: Communication planet Mercury will turn retrograde (backward) from January 21-February 11, which can wreak havoc on technology, travel, and interpersonal affairs Capricorn Work hard, play hard. The Sun is in Capricorn until January 20, so your postholiday and birthday 154 | P a g e
festivities could rage on — no complaints from your zodiac sign. Besides, you'll earn the free time, because five planets will gather this month in Aquarius, your second house of work and money. Your days are powered up with projects and productivity, while your nights sparkle with spontaneity. But, don't overdo it, Capricorn. Structured Saturn is spending the next three years in your 12th house of rest, emphasizing the need for restorative downtime and more sensual, right-brained activity. Relationships take the spotlight on January 4 when a Cancer full moon illuminates your partnership zone.
Aquarius Who's got the It factor? You do, Aquarius. In January, a record five planets tour Aquarius, including romantic Venus, clever Mercury, and sexy Mars. Everyone wants you on their list, at their party, representing their ideas — and you've got the cosmic air rights to be selective now. Passion heats up, too, but you might prefer your freedom to any
January 2015 “confining” commitments for now. Your birthday month begins January 220 with an Aquarius super moon — the first of two consecutive new moons in your sign this year (the next is February 18). Before you launch your capsule collection or grand solo debut, hang tight. Retreat from the spotlight on January 21, when Mercury turns retrograde in your sign. Tweak your genius ideas behind the scenes until Mercury corrects its course on February 11.
Pisces Belle of the ball or princess of the pillow? You'll probably be a bit of both this month, Pisces. On the social side, the sun is heating up Capricorn and your 11th house of group activity, keeping the post postholiday invites pouring in. A sizzling romantic moment could arrive at the January 4 Cancer full moon. But, with a pile of planets in Aquarius, your 12th house of rest and sleep, you may burn the candle down to the wick pretty fast. Get your Zen on and pace yourself, Pisces, especially in the first half of the month.
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Malacca Magazine Excise any energy vampires from your sphere now, too. From January 12 until February 19, Mars will make its biannual stopover to Pisces. You’ll have major momentum for solo projects then — especially if you get rid of old baggage right as 2015 begins.
Aries Goals, ahoy! The year opens with the sun in Capricorn, your 10th house of career and longterm agendas. As the solo sign, you tend to take the world on your mighty shoulders, but now, there's strength in numbers. Your mantra: Don't hate, collaborate! January’s social stars help you find your tribe, and maybe love. Work the interwebs and your ideas could go viral. Just launch them before Mercury turns retrograde on January 21. After January 12, energizer Mars moves into Pisces and your soulful 12th house. Dive into a creative project and plumb your subconscious. You could crave solitude, so conserve your energy and plan a sweet escape near water if you can. 155 | P a g e
Taurus In January, give your worldly, adventurous side some airtime. The sun in your ninth house of travel stokes your wanderlust, so head to a Balinese beach or tour the temples of Angkor Wat. Can't get away? Travel figuratively with an intriguing workshop, or tuck into a personal-development book. But, before you drift into the clouds, Bull, plant those hooves back on terra firma. A cosmic coterie gathers in Aquarius, your 10th house of career and ambition. Make your professional mark, especially at the January 20 Aquarius supermoon. Take a step back and assess those grand goals after January 21, when Mercury reverses course in your career sector.
Gemini Passion, intrigue, merging — all things intertwined could be on tap, as the sun visits Capricorn, your eighth house of sex and joint ventures, until January 20. This month's
January 2015 stars spice up your sex life, and you could feel a click with someone of a different culture, thanks to a cluster of planets touring Aquarius, ius, your worldly ninth house. While one part of you wants to play the mysterious card, another shade of Gemini is in full live live-out-loud mode. You come alive when talking about inspiring topics and exploring new points of view, and these could translate in into a new career trajectory in the second half of January. Let the blue blue-sky visioning begin! Pack your bags this month for a romantic getaway or even just a day trip. Sparks could fly with one of the locals. Just do it before January 21, when your ruler Mer Mercury turns retrograde, making it a tricky time to leave city limits.
Cancer Two is your magic number this month, as stars pile into the most relationship relationshipdriven zones of your chart. The sun is in Capricorn, your partnership house, until January 20. Meantime, ime, five other heavenly bodies sizzle in Aquarius, your eighth house of sex, intimacy,
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Malacca Magazine and joint ventures, turning January into a heat map. The day to rock your guitar solo, though, comes on January 4. The annual full moon in Cancer helps you set lofty resolutions for your personal life and get into action to achieve them. Speak up and express your desires. You may find that one or two special people rise above the fray to help you fulfill them. Just watch that possessive or jealous streak, which can be stoked by all the Aquarian planets — especially once Mercury turns retrograde on January 21. Be careful about reading into things, as you're likely to jump to (erroneous) conclusions before you have all the facts.
Leo Ready, set, click! The stars in January scream "dynamic duo" as they pile into Aquarius, your partnership house. With your solo projects taking less of a starring role until April, now is the time to lock down synergistic collaborators, agents, reps, and romance. Five planets tour your relationship house in January, practically 156 | P a g e
guaranteeing major developments in this part of your life. With Mercury retrograde from January 21 to February 11, an ex could return for a second chance. Proceed with caution, since your judgment can be muddled by Mercury's reversal. Get busy with your wellness revamp early, while the sun is in Capricorn and your health-focused sixth house for the first three weeks of January. Lace up your sneaks for Cross fit or take a hot-yoga challenge — and don't forget to rally a workout buddy to make it both fun and sustainable.
Virgo You've got an appetite for pleasure this month, as the sun tours Capricorn, your lusty and glamorous fifth house, until January 20. But, you'll add the prefix "healthy" to all your hedonistic pursuits, thanks to a mass gathering of planets in Aquarius, your sixth house of wellbeing. You could play mixologist with these cosmic counterforces, downloading recipes for kale martinis and sweetpotato brownies. Still, your best M.O. for
January 2015 avoiding the u unhealthy detox-retox retox rollercoaster is to aim for moderation. Get creative with your interpretation of "cardio" by rocking out on the dance floor or even in the boudoir, since romance could be in the stars this month. When sexy Mars enters your relationship zone for five weeks on January 12, you'll have no trouble finding a willing partner to break a sweat between the sheets.
Libra Set your reclaimed wooden farmhouse table for 20, Libra. Home is where the heart — and the heat — will be for you in January. The sun is cozied up in Capricorn, your domestic fourth house, until the 20th. Relocate, remodel, or go on a major household householdorganization mission. You're in the mood to pore over Pinterest or curl up in a nook with an armful of magazines. But, don't get too o cozy in that cocoon, because this month, five planets will tour Aquarius and your fifth house of love, fame, and revelry. Throw open your doors and invite your liveliest friends over for a
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Malacca Magazine decadent dinner party chez Libra. Late January could bring a walk of fame and some new work opportunities, but you’ll have to promote yourself fearlessly. Watch out for blurred boundaries and the "ex factor" when Mercury turns retrograde on January 21, dialing up the drama in your love life.
Scorpio Inspiration station! Your mind is alive and alert as the year begins. The sun spends the first three weeks of January in Capricorn, your third house of communication and cerebral pursuits, so put your grand ideas and clever visions on paper. January’s social stars also bring a flurry of invitations and cooperative ventures, so seek out synergies. Still, you might find yourself preferring the warmth of your cozy pad to frigid nights on the town.
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Throughout January, a plethora of planets will amass in Aquarius, your home-and-family zone, putting you in domestic spirits. If you didn't get in a proper catch-up with your clan over the holidays, you can make up for lost bonding time. Just do it before the 21st, when Mercury turns retrograde, which can incite family feuds or friction with a roommate. Channel any frustration into a home decor project — or scouting out a new address.
Sagittarius Roll up your sleeves, Sagittarius: The sun is in Capricorn and your productive second house until January 20, putting your nose to the grindstone. It's time to get some grounding routines in place, especially now that structured Saturn is spending the next three
January 2015 years in Sagittarius. Simplify, prioritize, and anchor. Once you get those must must-do items on the agenda, you can build the fun stuff aaround them. And oh, how the good times will roll. Five planets in Aquarius, your social and expressive third house, bring a windfall of new hobbies, projects, and friendships. A chance to see your ideas in print (or pixels) could also beckon, especially if you're a writer. Just beware the communication communication-foiling powers of Mercury retrograde after the 21st. The upside: Old and cherished friends could come out of the woodwork.
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Malacca Magazine
January 2015
Malacca Magazine Welcome to the first edition of Malacca magazine, brought to you by Green Rubber. We hope you will enjoy reading our magazine as much as we enjoyed creating it. We plan to publish it on the third day of every month and you can either download it or we will email it to you. Either way it’s FREE and can be read using Windows, Mac, Android, iPad, iPhone and e-readers. You can use it as a PDF or digital Flipping book available for the above formats.
In this issue: Stay, a review of the Dubai Shangri La, Travel, review of Dubai, Wine & Dine, with reviews of Thai, Buffet, Chinese and the Hard Rock Café Restaurants, Eat! has more than 30 recipes for you to try from around the world, Drive reviews the Range Rover, Bentley Continental, Maserati Quattroporte, Audi Avant A4 and the Toyota 86. We are also featuring the Pebble Beach Lodge and Golf Links and have a bonus recipe for you direct from their Stillwater Fish Grill and another from Shangri La’s Hoi An Vietnamese Restaurant.. Our gadget review features the Lumia phone, iPhone 6 and the Blackberry Passport sport along with the new iMac and iPad. Last, but not least l ast we have a round-up up of the Premier League football, Autumn Rugby Internationals and the F1 World Championship, plus interviews with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Brought to you by:
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