The Iskandarian Feb 2015 Issue by The Iskandarian-WAVES Lifestyle

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

KDN : PP17797/06/2012(032765) | Singapore MICA : MCI (P) 144/11/2014

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian

email: admin@theiskandarian.com

website/e-paper : www.theiskandarian.com

Living in Harmony with Nature and Wellness

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

Official Newspaper

KDN : PP17797/06/2012(032765) | Singapore MICA : MCI (P) 144/11/2014

The Iskandarian, Iskandar Malaysia’s Premier Community Newspaper, is a publicprivate collaborative product by IRDA’s Social Development Division

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian

The Iskandarian Monthly Drill

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

I believe that teachers’ quality in imparting knowledge is relatively vital to students’ performance

email: admin@theiskandarian.com

Property Investment

- Femke Goh Principal KunKwan Sdn Bhd

pg 9

website/e-paper : www.theiskandarian.com

Accumulating Wealth

The Iskandarian

Oil price crisis and its Tey Bin Yuen talks about meaning for housing market profiting from negative pg 26 in Iskandar Malaysia pg 32 sentiments

Iskandar Malaysia’s Premier Community Newspaper

CLEAN UP! Headlines: Soroptimist

Download iskandar.my app at iOS App Store and Google Play Store today!

Scan for Reading Online

INSIDE

International Johor Bahru (SIJB) clean up Kampung Sungai Temon and keep Dengue at bay pg 14

The Iskandarian goes GREEN Why is this issue of The Iskandarian looking greener than usual? Read all about our innitiative

pg 2

Streets Johor has been discontinued and Peggy Loh writes her tribute pg 11

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

The Iskandarian

Our Friends

news The Iskandarian GOES GREEN!

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

Highlight: In conjunction with World Wetlands Day which is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February, The Iskandarian has decided to go green By Maisarah newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

arking the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971, the World Wetlands Day has been celebrated internationally since 1997. The Ramsar Convention, is an inter-governmental treaty that provides a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem. Malaysia signed the Ramsar Convention on Protection of Wetlands in 1994 and a fact not known to many is that the state of Johor has the highest number of Ramsar sites in Malaysia, with a total of three sites located at Sg. Pulai, Pulau Kukup and Tanjung Piai. The three neighbouring mangrove sites are however under threat from erosion and pollution, despite their status as designated Ramsar sites. In 2013, the State Government gave its assurance that there are no plans to de-gazette any of its Ramsar sites and pledged that it will continue to protect the existing Ramsar sites and ensure their status as Ramsar sites were retained. In protecting the existing fragile natural environment, Iskandar Malaysia’s Comprehensive

The Iskandarian Fun Facts • The Iskandarian Newspaper is printed on wood-free paper • Our namecards are printed on soy ink and not petroleum based inks

The mangroves of Sungai Pulai Ramsar Site As the major stakeholder of Malaysia’s Ramsar sites, the people and the government of Johor must celebrate World Wetlands Day by continuing efforts to retain the pride of our heritage. Together we are responsible to unsure our Wetlands don’t end up becoming Wastelands. Development Plan (CDP I) has identified its key objective to address and promote sustainable development.The existing natural environment in the region is only 32,777.33 hectares of land, which is 15.9% of the total area. This accounts for the Forest, Mangrove, Rivers and Water Bodies. This means that based on the existing population of 1.35 million people Iskandar Malaysia, the ratio of persons to the natural environment is only 41 persons/hectare. Wetlands act as a natural sponge against flooding and drought, and protect our coastlines. They burst with biodiversity, and are a vital means of storing carbon. They purify and replenish our water, and provide the fish and rice that feed billions.

SEND LETTERs or inquiries to

facebook.com/theiskandarian admin@theiskandarian.com www.theiskandarian.com

Published by True Soul Media PLT [No.51-B, Jalan Impian Emas 5/1, Taman Impian Emas, 81300 Johor Bahru] Printed by Twinstar Synergy Sdn. Bhd. [Lot2A, Jln 13/2, Seksyen 13, 46200, Petaling Jaya, Selangor] Copyright of articles, contributions and photos which are published by The Iskandarian is the property of True Soul Entertainment. The Iskandarian does its best to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of its contents, the publisher cannot accept any responsibilities for errors, mistakes and inaccuracies. The publisher reserves the rights of this product and no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the permission of the publisher.

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

Inside

Insight

news

Prem Rawat Words of Peace share the elements that make a home complete pg 23

Johor Bahru op collected RM 2.4 million of unpaid fines Offence: Malaysian traffic police collected more than RM2.4 million (S$900,000) in outstanding traffic fines from Singapore motorists in a six-day operation

he operation, conducted from Dec 27 2014 to Jan 1 2015, caught 13,529 drivers with outstanding fines near and at the Johor Bahru immigration checkpoints. Johor Traffic Police Chief Baharudin Mat Taib told a Singapore paper that more than 15,470 fines were paid during this period, with almost $500,000 paid in cash. The rest of the fines were settled by credit card. He added that Malaysian officers will continue to conduct such sting operations regularly. “We will do this regularly. I would say to all drivers: We are not targeting Singaporeans. We will (conduct these operations) against all errant motorists, including Malaysians,” he said.

Superintendent Baharudin would not confirm when the next sting operation would be, sources told that it would likely be conducted during the Chinese New Year period, when many Singapore vehicles head to Malaysia. In total, Singapore vehicles account for 313,661 - or 37.4 per cent - of the unsettled traffic summonses issued to non-Malaysians from 2000 to 2013, according to the police. Many motorists with Singapore-registered cars who drive regularly into Malaysia were surprised when they were stopped at Malaysian police roadblocks. Mr Steve Keh, 40, a Singapore permanent resident who lives in Taman Perling in Johor and drives into Singapore daily for work,

found himself on New Year’s Eve facing 17 outstanding fines amounting to RM2,550. For him, the fines - which were for offences such as speeding - dated back to 2013. “Of course, we have to pay; they take your passport and don’t let you leave with your car if you don’t pay,” said Mr Keh, who works in the maritime industry. Superintendent Baharudin rubbished allegations from motorists that some of these offences were bogus. “We do not force people to pay their summonses without proof,” he said. “My advice to Singaporeans is to check whether they have summonses at the traffic police station and to please pay.”

The Iskandarian

Do’s & Don’ts The good, the bad and the ugly of fellow Iskandarians.

Seen at Setia Tropika’s Welcome Center

-Posted by Kaas Harano

Expose inconsiderate motorists at our facebook rant group: Against Inconsiderate Motorists (AIM)

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news Kembara Medini Brings Aid to the East Coast Responsible: Flood relief for the victims of the recent flood disaster in the East Coast of the Malaysian Peninsula provided by Medini Iskandar Malaysia

ollowing the flood d i s a s te r s t h a t h ave affected the countr y recently, Kembara Medini, a sports and recreational club of Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. organised a humanitarian programme in aid of the flood victims in the East Coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. This flood relief programme aptly named ‘KEMBARA MEDINI PRIHATIN’ was launched by YB Dr Zaini Abu Bakar, State Assemblyman of Nusajaya on January 1st 2015 at Medini’s corporate office in Nusajaya. Ar. Zafreni Salleh, President of Kembara Medini and Zulbahari Abu Bakar, Executive Vice President of Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. also attended the event. Throughout the programme, Kembara Medini club members started an initiative to collect basic items such as food, drinks, medicine, clothes and other resources to be sent to the flood affected areas in the Malaysian East Coast. The aid deployment was executed with the help of Malaysia HALUAN Foundation which was headed by Prof. Dr. Abd Hakim Mohamad. The received necessities and essential items were then handed

The aid deployment was executed with help from Malaysia HALUAN Foundation Medini Iskandar Malaysia

over to HALUAN to be distributed to the flood victims. This programme by Kembara Medini Club was held for the purpose to inculcate good values of care and concern among the community in Nusajaya and acts as a platform to present aid to the flood victims. Dr. Zaini said, “Even though we are hundreds of kilometres away from the flood disaster area, the Nusajaya community has never forgotten the pain and suffering undergone by the flood victims in the East Coast. That is why we have initiated this action to provide a platform

Nusajaya State Assemblyman, YB Dr Zaini Abu Bakar launched the KEMBARA MEDINI PRIHATIN flood relief programme for the Nusajaya community to provide help and aid to the flood victims.” “A s a concerned corporate member, Kembara Medini club is delighted to collaborate with the Nusajaya Assemblyman Office, Malaysia HALUAN Foundation and a few other organisations and individuals in Medini to provide flood relief aid to the victims,”

said Zafreni. Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. who is responsible in the management of the development of Medini also wants to make sure that the physical development of this territory is able to balance itself with the growing community. This is very important as to ensure that Medini goes on to develop as a business, tourism,

investment and career centre. “Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. will continue to play an active role in the community development efforts in Iskandar Malaysia to ensure a more holistic development. It is hoped that this is the start of our development of positive values namely in Nusajaya,” added Zulbahari.

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

Nusajaya Police IPD 07-511 4222

Tourism Malaysia Hotline 1300 88 5050

Johor Tourism 07-223 4935 / 224 9960

Senai International Airport 07-599 4500

JB South Police IPD 07-2218 999

Ministry of Tourism (Johor) 07-223 3171

Tourism Malaysia Johor 07-222 3590 / 91

Immigration 07-224 4233

Iskandar Regional

Hotlines

Development Authority (IRDA) 07-233 3000

Please recycle this newspaper after reading. Thank you

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news Forest City gets green light

Controversial: T he Department of Environment (DOE) has granted its approval to the controversial Forest City project

he controversial multibillion-ringgit Forest City Project, which was suspended for about six months, has finally been given the green light to resume, after being scaled down by at least 30%. Initially planned to cover 1,978 ha, the project, which was suspended for about six months over environmental concerns, has

ccording to a report in a local media, the Johor Motor Hire Purchase and Finance Companies Association treasurer Simpson Tan said that new cars will not cost more because there would not be much difference in the OTR (on the road) prices of the new cars with the GST. “In fact, don’t be surprised if the OTR prices of new cars are cheaper post-GST period as there won’t be any 10% sales tax imposed on the vehicles like now,” he said. Tan said that with the implementation of the 6% GST, car makers would have to waive the current 10% sales tax on their vehicles. This is the logical move as

been scaled down by about 610 ha. The new site reportedly covers about 1,368 ha. Johor Health and Environment Executive Committee Chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat confirmed that he had been informed that the DOE had given the nod for the project to resume and added that he hoped that the developer would fulfil

the conditions attached to the approval. The project, by Chinese developer Country Garden Pacificview (CGPV), will create four man-made islands with a gross development value of RM600bil over a period of 30 years. It is a joint-venture between the state Government’s subsidiary company Kumpulan

Prasarana Rakyat Johor and China real estate developer Country Garden Holdings Ltd. The Singapore Government had expressed its concerns about the project in a note to Putrajaya, resulting in the project being temporarily halted, pending the outcome of the DEIA. CGPV voluntarily ceased construction on June 16 last year because

the DOE had requested a DEIA to accompany the project’s viability assessment and the state government approvals. While property consultants welcome the project as an iconic one for the state, other stakeholders such as fishermen have voiced their concerns about how the project would negatively impact their livelihood.

No GST for Cars Interest: New cars will not cost more when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) takes effect in April this year it has already been laid out in the GST Act that there will no longer be a separate Sale and Service Tax but a combined GST. However, Tan said that those planning to sell their existing cars to used car dealers or to trade in for new cars must be willing to accept low prices. Under the GST regime, he said used car dealers would be taxed 6% profit made from the sale of used cars and not on the selling price of the vehicles.

With the implementation of the 6% GST, car makers would have to waive the current 10% sales tax on their vehicles

“Used car dealers will need to spend money to repair the cars, hence many are expected to offer lower prices to car owners,” said Tan. Yong Ming Motor Sdn Bhd Sales Manager Patrick Yee said that they anticipate sales of new cars to remain good even after the GST kicks in. He added that the GST would not really stop Malaysians from buying new cars as many of them changed their cars every five to six years.

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

New Year Babies Interest: 12 babies were delivered during new year’s day on 1.1.2015 at Columbia Aisa Hospital- Nusajaya

Friendly matches are organised by Cruyff Court Iskandar (CCI) and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB)

Kiddies Kick-Ball Highlight: Young footballers from Cruyff Court Iskandar (CCI) and Chelsea FC Soccer School Singapore (CFCSS) compete in friendly match

oung football talents from the Cruyff Court Iskandar (CCI) and Chelsea FC Soccer School Singapore (CFCSS) recently displayed their skills in a set of friendly matches at the Cruyff field in Sekolah Kebangsaan Mohd Khir Johari. There were two separate teams respectively participating for kids’ Under-10 and Under-8. These friendly matches were organised by CCI and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) and was aimed to encourage growth and skills’ enhancement of the young and aspiring footballers, in line with the philosophy shared by both CCI and CFCSSSG. “Through these friendly matches, the young players shared a platform to showcase their skills and talents, as well as learn from their competitors. This is a great opportunity as I believe these budding young talents will benefit tremendously from competing in a friendly manner. IIB and other sponsors who are referred to as Friends of Cruyff Court Iskandar (FOCCI) are proud to support CCI in its efforts to bring together youths from under-privileged backgrounds to realise their dreams of becoming professional footballers. I am also happy to welcome the CFCSSSG from across the causeway and look forward to watching the next leg of matches,” said President and CEO of IIB, Datuk Syed Mohamed Bin Syed Ibrahim. In the first match, the CCI Under-10 team narrowly lost to CFCSSSG Under-10 team by a score of 7-8. While the second

match had seen CCI’s Under-8 team overcome CFCSSSG Under-8 team by 5 goals to 0. Played in three halves of 15 minutes and 12 minutes each, the teams gave their all and braved the heavy rain to entertain the spectators that included the parents, coaches and families from the nearby areas. By the end of the game, strong friendships had been forged as players and representatives from both sides took photographs and exchanged gifts with each other. Designed to be more than just a football pitch, CCI provides sporting opportunities for underprivileged youths to promote social inclusion and character building. CCI is also part of a worldwide initiative championed by the Johan Cruyff Foundation which is the first Cruyff Court in Southeast Asia and follows the principles of the Foundation. The aim of CCI is to encourage and motivate participating youths to become more socially responsible, learn valuable skills and be more aware of the community around them. Executive Director of CFCSSSG, Ryz Martein, said “The friendly matches are a fantastic opportunity for our young players to experience playing in a competitive environment. It has been great fun for the entire CFCSSSG family to participate and we are pleased with our teams’ performances. The youths from CCI are extremely talented and have been worthy opponents and our players are excited to play in the next leg of matches.”

Two separate teams respectively participating for kids’ Under-10 and Under-8.

2 babies were delivered during the first day of new year 2015 with the first baby at 9.00am. It was ‘balance of the sexes’ with 6 of them boys and the other 6 girls. One of the mothers, an employee of the hospital, Noorul Ayein Raihan, 31, was grateful that her delivery was smooth and most importantly, safe. She had a baby boy through caesarean section. She was expected to deliver one week later but was happy that she followed her doctor’s advice to deliver yesterday when her baby was in the ‘breech’ position. Her husband, Mohd Danial Fiqrullah Abdullah, 31, was with her throughout the delivery process. Her baby’s weight was at 3.2 kg and

is also her first child born on 1st January at Columbia Asia Hospital – Nusajaya. At that point, she and her husband have not selected a name for their son but will choose a good name in accordance to their religion. Meanwhile, another mother, Nurul Aimi Sulaiman, 29, a government officer with the Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB), also delivered her second baby through caesarean at 10.30am. She and her husband has chosen the name Nur Daaryn Airis for their baby girl. Pn Rahani Yaacob, general manager of the hospital, encourage each and every mother to breastfeed their babies for the best interest of both, the babies and their mothers.

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

n line with Iskandar Malaysia’s initiative of becoming an internationally green city and its commitment towards a more sustainable future, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) recently received two units of Electric Vehicles (EVs) from CMS Consortium Sdn Bhd (COMOS) under the COMOS Corporate Vehicle Branding and Leasing Package. Th e ve h i c l e m o d e l provided by COMOS is a Renault Zoe, which will be utilised by IRDA for its official use with logos and branding wrapped around the car. HRH Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum

news Electrified Rides for IRDA

Sustainable: IRDA moves towards low carbon emission with electric vehicles Sultan Iskandar blessed the ground of Iskandar Malaysia Information Centre (IMIC) and officiated the handing-over ceremony which coincided with his working visit to IRDA. HRH Sultan Ibrahim plugged in the EVs to its designated charging output point as a symbolic gesture to mark the official launch and hand-over of the two EVs from COMOS to IRDA. Executive Chairman of COMOS, Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abidin briefed HRH Sultan Ibrahim on the features of the EVs while having a look at the futuristic design of the cars.

HRH Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar blessed the ground of Iskandar Malaysia Information Centre (IMIC)

IRDA’s staff take the opportunity to rub shoulders with HRH Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar and Menteri Besar Dato’ Khaled Nordin

“This is one small way of preserving the earth from air pollution. This effort can contribute towards reducing the emission of carbon gas,” said Datuk Ismail, CEO of IRDA. “Besides the environmental factors, the electric vehicle could be mobilized to complement our public transportation. In fact, COMOS has introduced another service using EVs which is called Ecoride. It has recently been implemented in several tourist places, among others, in Wilayah Persekutuan and

Putrajaya. The same initiative can also be implemented in Iskandar Malaysia. As in Putrajaya, tourists will be able to drive around the area using these electric vehicles that are environmentally friendly and which uses zero petrol,” added Datuk Ismail. COMOS showcased its Renault Twizy Electric Vehicle at the event, which is used for the Ecoride programme and Pat Gear Electric Scooter in addition to its existing mobility solutions for planned future implementation in Iskandar Malaysia.

Hanzhen: A Beautiful Mind Talent: An autistic teenager draws like a professional artist and awes people with his amazing artwork By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

oubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru recently held a special art exhibition that showcased artwork from talented special needs artists from Tokyo, Japan. This art exhibition is a cross-cultural art exchange event entitled “JB-Tokyo ParaArt Exchange 2015”. It is a collaboration between ParaArt of Nippon Charity Kyokai Foundation in Tokyo and Hanzhen, a local Johor Bahru artist. The aim of this exchange is to explore and share knowledge on the development of art as a future income for disabled people, such as Art Commissioning, Art Original/ Prints Sales, Auction, Books, Art Licensing and Art Merchandising. Hanzhen’s new sketch book entitled “Johor Bahru. My City. My Heritage” was launched as a highlight of the event. He personally signed a number of books on that day for some lucky art fans. Hanzhen is a special kind of artist. His autism enhances his artistic skills and capabilities. His hand-sketches are raw and intricately detailed just like how a professional artist does. Both Mr. and Mrs. Yap being architects themselves encourage Hanzhen to pursue his passion in art.

“We don’t want him to stop drawing because it is his passion and he is good at it,” said Mr. Yap, Hanzhen’s father. This special art exhibition was generously sponsored by DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru and was open for viewing from 16-18 January at the Axis Lounge. This was part of their on-going programme to promote and support the local art scene. Hanzhen’s art decorates the walls at the hotel. “We are proud to showcase his talent on our hotel walls because it shows the heritage of Johor Bahru and the talent that this city has,” said Simon McGrath, General Manager of DoubleTree.

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

DRILL

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

EXCLUSIVE The Iskandarian aspires to be the voice of the rakyat and with that in mind, our Editor touches base with CEOs and Chairmen of organisations to Drill them with questions to hear their opinions and perspectives.

Femke Goh

Principal

Monthly Drill

KunKwan Sdn Bhd

Femke Goh is the principal of KunKwan. As she has a great enthusiasm for teaching, she decided to embark in the education industry. Femke’s passion for teaching Mandarin language in particular, sparked from her love for the Chinese culture. She further developed her interest and pursued a Masters degree in Education Curriculum and Teaching Methodology in Beijing Language and Culture University and eventually, she launched into the Mandarin language teaching as a Principal.

What do you feel about the education system in Malaysia? Are there major differences between Malaysia and other countries? Generally, Malaysia’s educational institutes are divided into government schools, independent schools, and international schools. However, a multilingual education system is also catered to the different races in our country while having standardised examinations. Students in government schools need to obtain PT3 and SPM, whereas students in independent schools need to obtain UEC for both Junior and Senior Middle Levels. As for international schools, which are mostly funded by private sector, their students need to take international examinations such as the GCE ‘O’ Level and ‘A’ Level.

Tell us about one of your challenging learning/ teaching experiences at school/university or at KunKwan? From my own perspective, dealing with people from different racial and cultural backgrounds can be

extremely challenging for our tutors. We need to be incredibly organised, especially in linguistic aspect, and possessing an adequate knowledge on how to adapt our classes to cater to the different learning styles of our students. Our students come from Malaysia, Korea, India, Africa, Singapore and also Italy, thus Bahasa Malaysia might not be the only medium of language which is used in our classes. Our tutors need to use body language and objectbased learning in order to simplify complex ideas and concepts.

Quote “From my own perspective, dealing with people from different racial and cultural backgrounds can be extremely challenging for our tutors. We need to be incredibly organised, especially in linguistic aspect, and possessing an adequate knowledge on how to adapt our classes to cater to the different learning styles of our students”

How do you ensure that members of your staffing continue to grow as professionals? Majority of our tutors have a strong background in the education line and I believe that teachers’ quality in imparting knowledge is relatively vital to students’ performance. Our Centre ensures to offer professional and quality learning process to the students. Therefore, it’s indispensable to concentrate on how we provide training to support our tutors. We aim to transform every tutor as a professional trainer and any new tutors who join our Centre will be first assigned to training and assessed to be qualified. Besides that, we strongly encourage our tutors to further their studies or take some additional courses to enhance their professional skills and knowledge.

How will you support a safe and effective school wide learning environment? And how would you work with the School Improvement Team (or equivalent) to battle with the challenges of 2015? Our tutors each have their own personal development to enhance their skills and competencies. In order to maximise their capability and potential, we constantly provide training to the tutors every week, and exchange opinions with one another. Apart from that, we take our students’ feedback seriously. We want our tutors to improve their performance from their weak areas and also know what students expect from them.

You frequently claim that KunKwan teaches the best

Chinese language lessons. How do you measure being the ‘best’? KunKwan means champion in Cantonese and we create a motivational environment for perfect learning. At KunKwan, we emphasise on ‘KunKwanization’, a teaching method that combines all advantages of the second language teaching methods and creative ‘Right Brain Memory’ technique, resulting in our own unique teaching method to our students. Students are also able to book classes flexibly according to our Centre’s timetable, which gives a lot of convenience to working adults. Apart from that, our ‘Tutor On Duty’ is always ready to let students have an interactive time for revisions at our cosy KunKwan Café.

Quote “We take our students’ feedback seriously. We want our tutors to improve their performance from their weak areas and also know what students expect from them”

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

streets

peggy loh

My johor stories Peggy is a regular contributor to NST and actively writes in her blog www.peggyloh.com about matters that are close to her heart. She can be reached at write2peggyloh@gmail.com

Johor Bahru’s unique Temple of Unity

Di” (Teochew). Unlike other Chinese temples that usually bear the name of deities, the Johor Gu Miao is believed to be the first Chinese temple in Malaysia to be named after a State. The strong relationship between Johor’s ruler, Temenggong Ibrahim and the Chinese immigrant community was the underpinning reason for the word “Johor” to be incorporated into the temple’s name. His son, Sultan Abu Bakar, encouraged the Chinese community to live in peace and continued the goodwill relationship started by Temenggong Ibrahim. This annual celebration begins with a lighting-up ceremony at Xing Gong, a temporary shrine for the temple deities at Jalan Ulu Ayer Molek. Two days ahead of the parade, a group of devotees will walk the streets sounding gongs in a symbolic Street Washing ceremony, a ritual of cleansing

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

by devotees from the five Chinese clans, the deities will take to the streets in a colourful procession accompanied by traditional lion dancers, dragon dancers, stilt-walkers, puppeteers, pugilistic troops, cultural dancers, colourful floats and brass bands that may take more than 7 hours to complete. Every year the celebration theme varies according to the Chinese zodiac year – dragon, horse, rabbit, tiger or other animals of the Chinese zodiac. As we celebrate the lunar year of the ram/goat, we can expect spectacular sights based on this theme. The festive mood continues over three days as throngs of devotees converge at Xing Gong to enjoy traditional stage shows that feature classical Chinese operas performed in various dialects. Pilgrims will come from near and far, so expect the road

Front courtyard and façade of Johor Gu Miao or Ancient Temple at Jalan Trus

in China. In the 2009 Johor Tourism Awards event, the JB Chingay was honoured as the Best Domestic Event and in 2012, the JB Chingay was recognised as a National Cultural Heritage. Viewers of the 2014 local movie hit, “The Journey” caught a glimpse of the Chingay parade because it was featured in several scenes when Benji and Uncle Chuan arrived in JB to hand-deliver the wedding invitation to uncle’s old friends. It was a rather far-fetched idea but still fun to watch how the invitation was presented to that friend who was participating in the parade as it passed familiar landmarks along Jalan Wong Ah Fook! In the late 19th century, a group of Chinese community leaders led by Tan Hiok Nee, built the Johor Gu Miao or Ancient Temple which is dubbed “the temple of unity” because deities revered by the five main dialect groups was housed under one roof. Its opening was officiated by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1870 and with their worship united in one temple, the early Chinese community in JB prospered as they lived together in peace. The annual night parade is part of a 3-day religious celebration for the five deities, namely “Zhao Da Yuan Shuai” (Hainanese), “Hua Guang Da Di” (Cantonese), “Gan Tian Da Di” (Hakka), “Hong Xian Da Di” Devotees worshipping outside the ancient temple at Jalan Trus (Hokkien) and when the deities come out for their annual tour of the city “Yuan Tian Shang

nce a year in Johor Bahru, roads will be closed, public transport will be rerouted, many businesses will close early and traffic will be at a virtual standstill throughout the city during the Lunar New Year season. Schools will dismiss afternoon sessions early for students to get home quickly so that they can join the throng who will converge in the heart of the city. In JB, Lunar New Year celebrations do not end after the 15th day of the first lunar month, but extends beyond the 20th day for the annual Chingay parade which is traditionally held on the 21st night of the first lunar month. The JB Chingay parade is an annual tradition that has been kept in this city since the 1800’s without any interruption except during the Japanese invasion in 1942. This spectacular show has been held on such a grand scale that it has not only become a major tourist attraction in JB with foreign media coverage but was also filmed by the Teochew Broadcasting channel for screening

Devotees gathered at Xing Gong, a temporary shrine for the deities in the temple’s annual 3-day religious celebration the route in preparation for the temple deities’ annual city “tour.” This ceremony will somehow trigger off rainfall as Nature cooperates to wash the streets with refreshing showers. In the morning of the 20th day of the first lunar month, devotees will carry the deities from the temple to Xing Gong. Unlike the Chingay in Penang or Singapore which are more tourist oriented, the parade in JB is a religious celebration led by the Johor Bahru Tionghua Association where the temple deities take an annual “tour” to bless the city with peace, prosperity and harmony. Carried on sedan chairs

A section of the JB Chingay parade, the highlight of the 3-day religious celebration when the temple deities are taken on a tour of the city

to be chock-a-bloc with randomly parked cars. Before the JB Tionghua Association built the Xing Gong, the stage shows were presented on traditional make-shift wooden stages set up on a grassy hillock. Now it is better organised with a concrete shelter for the five deities of the Johor Gu Miao. The highlight of this celebration is the Chingay parade on the evening of the 21st day when the deities are taken out in a procession through the city’s main streets. The procession will move in a circuit that starts from Jalan Ulu Ayer Molek down to Jalan Ibrahim through Jalan Yahya Awal and return along the length of Jalan Wong Ah Fook and Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, back to Xing Gong. In the morning of the 22nd day, the deities will leave Xing Gong and be carried into the temple until their annual tour of the city next year. In the evening of the 21st day of the first lunar month which falls on March 11 this year, the heart of JB will be thronged by devotees and spectators who will line the streets to catch a glimpse of this pulsating parade. You are welcome to find your strategic spot for the best view and remember not to fret if you get caught in vehicular and human traffic. Just go with the flow and enjoy the sights and sounds of JB’s annual Chingay parade as the whole community joins in the celebration of JB’s unique temple of unity.

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

By Peggy Loh write2peggyloh@gmail.com

t all star ted with four craf tsmen I met on an exciting Southern Craft Trail in 2008. I was a guest of Kraftangan Malaysia under the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts & Heritage, and travelled from Malacca to Johor to see their “One District, One Industry” initiative. From this interesting experience, I contributed a 2-part feature, On the handicraft trail (NST 14 April 2008) and They cherish their craft (NST 20 April 2008) to Travel Times (now Life & Times Travel), a weekly pullout section of the New Straits Times Press (NST) publication. I strongly felt that culture, ar ts, heritage and human-interest stories like these about traditional craftsmen who are passionate about their art, should be shared with more readers in Johor and got them featured in Johor Buzz, a daily pull-out section with the southern edition of NST. The then Johor Bahru NST Bureau Chief who knew that I’m the Travel Times’ Johor-based writer, encouraged me to contribute to Johor Buzz regularly and write

Thanks, Streets Johor Streets: This is a tribute by Peggy Loh as Streets Johor by New Straits Times (NST) is no longer in publication

“It’s bittersweet that we often do not miss something until its gone forever” Peggy Loh

page first named, My Johor that later changed to Your Johor and finally became Your Say. Readers developed a taste for this 8-page southern section probably because it carried local news and stories that were relevant to them. Most admitted that they will first

Newspapers that shows how the name and design of the original masthead for Johor Buzz finally evolved into Streets Johor opinion pieces to share more about Johor in the My Johor page. When the souther n section started seven years ago, it was called Johor Buzz or JB in short. The name changed to Johor Streets and later evolved to Streets Johor. From covering news and events to food reviews, I had a great deal of fun meeting with organisers, participants, merchants, VIPs and a host of interesting people, to write exciting stories to inform and interest readers. I was particularly pleased when the Bureau Chief told me that he was receiving calls from readers, asking about me and my stories. They had special interest for my stories on page 8 where I literally told “grandfather stories” complete with black & white photos of my growing-up years in JB. Page 8 was the opinion

streets

reach for Streets to scan for any interesting happenings in JB. As a regular contributor, I found that the most rewarding part of writing about happenings in Johor is the positive impact it had on the community, the awareness it created and the encouragement it gave to the event organisers or individuals. Streets Johor, however, has ceased to exist. On the December 31 issue of Streets Johor, a small notice announced that Streets will cease publication with effect from that day. Many readers inadvertently overlooked it and were disappointed when they failed to find this staple section with their newspapers on 1 January 2015! A friend told me that every day he searched for Streets Johor but in vain. He got rather riled up with the delivery guy

This segment on Page 8 of the southern section was first called, My Johor, before it changed to Your Johor and finally to Your Say because he suspected that he must have carelessly misplaced Streets. In fact, he was going to scold his delivery guy for being careless but luckily we met and I clarified the situation, and am glad to have saved his delivery guy a scolding! It’s bittersweet that we often do not miss something until its gone forever. I was compelled to dig out my old and yellowed newsprint copies but was unprepared for that pang of nostalgia as I looked at the different designs for the masthead, layout and columns in older issues. I’m just glad to have stored most of my stories in my blog, My Johor Stories [www.peggyloh.com]. I remember how the Chinese community leaders in JB were thrilled with my feature about the Johor Ancient Temple or Gu Miao in Travel Times and a separate piece for Johor Buzz in 2009. That was because up to then, the temple and Chinese culture in JB was mostly covered by the Chinese media. My painstaking effort to uncover information from non-English-speaking Chinese paid off handsomely when my stories were published in English

for non-Chinese readers to learn more about the ancient temple, Teochew opera performers, liondance lion head-making sifu, dragon-dancers on stilts and a unique race challenge for bigheaded dolls! I was also privileged to work closely with the former

lives of aboriginal people in Johor. As a sociologist, Prof Jamilah published several books and I’m pleased that some of my features published in Streets Johor are quoted in her book, The Professor and the Juita NGO – Smart partnership in social welfare work. No matter how long I have been published, I will never get tired of seeing my stories in print and how they are proudly exhibited or treasured by organisations and individuals. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to learn more about other cultures – Malay, Indian, Sikh and Chinese – as well as charity and community work. Last November, I was at an event with the Social D e ve l op m e nt D i v i s i on of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) where primary school teams presented their

This is a few of my features on a JUITA event published in Streets Johor, quoted in Prof Jamilah Ariffin’s book, The Professor and the Juita NGO – Smart partnership in social welfare work. president of JUITA, the Johor state NGO that was then headed by Professor Jamilah Ariffin, and covered major events organised to improve the livelihood of single mothers, rehabilitate special children and uplift the

My story - Carbon Fighters win Kyoto trip, flashed on the screen, being discussed in that meeting in Kyoto!

ideas in the second Iskandar Malaysia Eco Life Challenge. It was an exciting challenge where the winning team was rewarded with a study trip to Kyoto, Japan. The following month, I received a phone message from my friend in IRDA who was in Kyoto to meet with their Japanese associates. He showed me a photo of the meeting in progress with my published article, “Carbon Fighters win Kyoto trip,” flashed on the screen. His message simply said: “Your article being discussed in Tokyo. Thanks for the wonderful article.” Just as I graciously accepted his “Thanks”, I echo my grateful “Thanks” to Streets Johor for giving me the opportunity to share so many stories with readers and I would continue to do so through The Iskandarian.

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

Southern hospitality for flood relief Responsible: Thistle Johor Bahru reaches out to flood victims in the East Coast of Malaysia

ith deep concern for the welfare of those devastated by the floods in Kelantan, Thistle Johor Bahru spurred into action and put together a collection of items to send to the victims. Thistle Johor Bahru donated boxes of pillows, bed sheets, duvets, towels, food items, baby formula, feeding bottles, diapers, personal hygiene items and cleaning supplies to the Flood Relief Fund organised by the Malaysian Red Crescent Johor Chapter. The hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s General Manager Michael Borostyan handed over the items to Chong Ah Ng, Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Chairman, Johor Chapter and Vice Chairman Lim Min Um. The hotel staff helped in loading the boxes of items onto the MRC truck which made its way to Pahang and Terengganu to deliver items to flood victims in designated shelters. Meanwhile, its sister hotel, Thistle Port Dickson Resort contributed the same

The hotel staff helped in loading the boxes of items onto the MRC truck Thistle Johor Bahru

items to Mercy Malaysia. Philip Ommen, the General Manager, helped in the loading of the items onto the lorry that left Port Dickson to the Mercy M alaysia office in Kuala Lumpur. Thistle Hotels & Resorts Malaysia remains committed to operating in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible manner while balancing the interests of diverse stakeholders.

General Manager Michael Borostyan, MRCJB Chairman Chong Ah Ng, MRC-JB Honorary Secretary Tan Boon Kok, MRC-JB Vice Chairman Lim Min Um and Thistle JBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director of Human Resource Suzelah Ahmad

Thistle Johor Bahru staff working together to help load the donation items

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news

Cultivating a clean environment among Orang Asli Responsible: Soroptimist International Johor Bahru (SIJB) clean up Kampung Sungai Temon and keep Dengue at bay

Villagers and volunteers join forces for a good cause

oroptimist International Johor Bahru (SIJB) led by its President Nooraini Mohd Yasin led a cleanup campaign at Kampung Sungai Temon’s Orang Asli village. Propagating the prevention before cure message, the campaign was well received by the villagers who joined hands with the volunteers to keep their environment clean.

all work together to ensure their village is clean and does not breed deadly mosquitoes’ which can bring about famine,” said Nooraini. Kampung Sungai Temon is best known their seafood restaurants. Commonly known as the ‘Asli Seafood of Taman Perling’, the village consists of orang Seletar or Orang Laut who were the original inhabitants along the Straits of Johor and Seletar waters

Villagers must realise that keeping their village clean is duty that must be kept alive The cleanup was also attended by Johor Bahru City Councillor Muralitharan, MBJB personnel and volunteers from Sri Ara Schools. Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed made an unannounced visit and lauded the efforts of SIJB. “We need to cultivate cleanliness mindset among the villagers or we’ll end up hurting than helping them. We are not here to clean their village per se but to educate them that they must

Commonly known as the ‘Asli Seafood of Taman Perling’, the village consists of orang Seletar or Orang Laut

in Singapore. The Seletar people have been living within the coastline and waters of Johor and Singapore for centuries and before modernisation crawled into the community, they spent most of their time living on boats. “The Seletar people still depend on the sea for their livelihood but it is being affected by rapid development taking place along the coastline,” said a village representative.

Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed lauded the efforts of SIJB

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

news

Environmental NGO goes against odds Effort: Green Earth Society (GES) released 3,000 barramundi (siakap) fishes into the Tanjung Belungkor river

State Assemblyman for Tanjong Surat, Dato’ Ir. Syed Sis Bin Syed Abd Rahman joing the Green Earth Society members in releasing the 3000 fishes into the river

tate Assemblyman for Tanjong Surat, Dato’ Ir. Syed Sis Bin Syed Abd Rahman joined 40 odd members of Green Earth Society, an environmental NGO, at Tanjung Belungkor river en route to Pengerang. Local fishing residents joined in the festival like atmosphere with their boats and makeshift barges. “Fishermen and Orang Asli are clear victims of the land reclamation being carried out at an unprecedented scale along the coastal regions in Johor. These two main groups, whose livelihood depend solely on

GES Members show up in full force

fishing, have been badly affected by the land reclamation and sand mining projects in the state,” said GES President, P. Sivakumar. “The sand dumping on the sea grass would have killed a substantial percentage of sea life, causing destruction to the existing marine eco-system. It would have harmed the marine and terrestrial environment and changed the water current that carry marine micro-organisms that are food for the marine life in the sea.” “Inevitably, all these land reclamation projects would have interfered with the eco-system of the Johor straits,” he added.

GES President P. Sivakumar explaning the process to Dato’ Syed Sis The State Assemblyman who graced the event highlighted that he was very pleased to see efforts of the Green Earth Society and the sincerity of their concerns for the environment. Being born and raised in Belungkor, Dato’ Syed had many fond memories to share with the members of GES. “The unusually destructive Kelantan floods and the Cameron Highlands landslides are a direct consequence of not paying enough attention to the environment and if we are not careful, Johor can see similar calamities,” said the Assemblyman. The fishing and smaller maritime industries has gone

through challenging times in recent times and the fishermen in Tanjung Belungkor complained

of low earnings from traditional catchment areas of just RM20 per day compared to a few hundred per day before land reclamation projects started. The Johor government has said that the development of projects on reclaimed land is not something new as it has been done in other countries such as Singapore and Holland. Referring to the multi-billion ringgit Forest City project, which will see reclamation of a huge part of Straits of Johor to create four man-made islands, the state has said that the public should not be affected by negative views on the environmental impact.

GES’s efforts will help spur others to be more conscious of the environment

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

he Renaissance Johor Bahru was recently awarded a 5-star rating by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. This prestigious award makes Renaissance Johor Bahru the second hotel to have been named a 5-star in the city. Luxury setting, impeccable guest service, excellent state-ofthe-art facilities and high comfort standards have been the key to Renaissance’s award recognition. Dr. Badrul Hisham bin Kassim, Director of Johor Tourism and Marc Cosyns, General Manager of Renaissance Johor Bahru fixed the remaining stars to mark the improvement in the

news 5 Stars for Renaissance

Benchmark: Renaissance Johor Bahru receives 5-star rating from the Tourism Ministry hotel ratings as a launch gimmick. “It is certainly an honour for all of us at the Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel, and the achievement became even more meaningful as we are now reaching towards the completion of our “Quantum Leap” journey. For the past one year and nine months, we have been striving persistently to provide a world class ‘home away from home’ experience for our guests and I believe that this accomplishment will serve as a further inspiration for us to remain committed and

improve even better. Furthermore, we take great pride in establishing Johor Bahru more firmly on the international stage by receiving this prestigious recognition,” said Marc Cosyns, General Manager of Renaissance Johor Bahru. The award could not have been possible without the hard work of the staffs who are also the ambassadors of the brand name. An all-round assessment was conducted on the products and services of the hotel. “ We place a lot of importance on the fact that

(from left) Director of Johor Tourism, Dr Badrul Hisham bin Kassim and Marc Cosyn, General Manager of Renaissance Johor Bahru cut the celebration cake the majority of guests travel for business or leisure and it is the quality and consistency of those

standards which contributed greatly to the Renaissance Johor Bahru Hotel,” added Cosyns.

Back-To-School after a Long Holiday Interest: 438,869 students from all over Malaysia goes back to school a week behind schedule after a long year-end break By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

chool was supposed to start on the 4th or 5th of January (depending on the State’s rest days) this year but was pushed to a week later due to the devastating floods that have hit the nation during the recent monsoon season. Several states on the East Coast of Malaysia were badly affected by the floods and many have lost their homes and valuable belongings. Many schools were also flooded but most of the facilities were utilised in aid for the flood victims. States that were severely affected by the flood situation were Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Pahang and Johor. Other states could still manage the situation and even volunteered to aid the more mangled East Coast. E d u c a t i o n d i re c t o r - g e n e r a l Datuk Dr. Khair Mohamad Yusof said that schools in Perak, Pahang and

Kelantan which are being used as flood relief centres or still inundated by floods have been allowed to postpone their new school term by another week. 41 schools were affected, with four in Kelantan, 18 in Pahang and 19 in Perak. It was a disheartening sight to see the conditions of which the students and their families had to go through. Education is important and there will be no such catastrophe that will prevent and diminish their spirits in looking for knowledge. In another news, Dr. Khair said students enrolling in Form Six would be allowed to use traditional outfits or other apparel as part of their school dress code. They would also be allowed to wear batik attire to school under a move by the ministry to “re-brand” Form Six. Although it was not stated in the directive, students can still wear their uniforms.

KPDNKK Initiates Ops Catut Concern: The Johor Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry is on the lookout for sly business operators

he Johor Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry’s enforcement division is on the lookout for business operators in the state who had deliberately increased the price of goods and services due to the Goods and Service Tax (GST) implementation come April 1.

A total of 120 agency enforcement officers will be put to task in checking all the businesses until the commencement of the GST in the state of Johor. Its enforcement chief Mohamad Mokhtar Yeop, said that the agency is also in the midst of increasing the number of personnel for the statewide

“Ops Catut” check. M a ny re p o r t s we re given about business operators changing the prices of their goods based on fuel prices, logistics and even stock markets. Some even took advantage with the impending GST implementation in April. Prices may be subject to change but until GST is

implemented, there should not be any change in goods and service charges. The first “Ops Catut” exercise was held at the Pasar Borong Pandan in Jalan Pandan where 105 business premises were checked. Vendors were mostly grocery and foodstuff sellers. A t t h i s s t a g e, n o

businesses were compounded for profiteering, but seven traders were fined during the operation for failure to display price tags on their goods. Consumers are adviced to lodge any complaint or queries relating to consumerism issues to the agency’s hotline 1800886-800 or visit: www.kpdnkk. gov.my.

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

ENDORSED BY

Calendar of Events >> pg 4

Feb 2015

www.facebook.com/waveslifestyle twitter.com/waveslifestyle

COVER From the Director of District 9 and Elysium comes ‘Chappie’

Travel: Go local, Eat local, Stay Local

LEGOLAND VIP TOUR

How to Unfold Your Life Purpose (pt II)

Music

Ellie Goulding’s New Single Release >>pg 2

FEB 2015 | Page 2

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

Editor ’s Note

Ellie Goulding’s New Single Release

Priya Manikam waves.lifestyle@gmail.com

hat’s special this month is that The Iskandarian goes G-R-E-E-N! This is done in commemoration of World Wetlands Day on 2nd February. Each year since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided materials so that the concerned agencies and groups of citizens can help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands. Johor has the highest number of Ramsar sites in Malaysia, with three neighbouring mangrove sites that are currently under threat from erosion and pollution. On a lighter note, what’s new in the Music front is that the much anticipated film – Fifty Shades of Grey cover art and tracklisting [Republic Records] has been revealed. The soundtrack includes 16 tracks from legends and superstars such as The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Beyoncé, Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding and more. In this issue, LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort occupies our “Go local, Stay local, Eat local” travel column. It’s no secret that the Resort is a favourite family destination, and with the Chinese New Year around the corner, there is more to look forward to. Need more adventure? Take a food trip to Batu Pahat, Johor where Tony brings us a two part series of the best eats around BP. That’s all from me, and as always, for those wishing to share their fashion collection, travel tales, or like us to review your restaurant/property, drop me an e-mail at waves.lifestyle@ gmail.com and be featured. For more reads, do access www. theiskandarian.com Wishing all celebrants a very Happy Valentine’s Day & a Happy Chinese New Year!

Priya

MU S IC U P DAT E S Source: Universal Music Singapore

ultimillion selling recording artist Ellie Goulding has announced her new single “Love Me Like You Do,” written for Universal Pictures and Focus Features’ hotly anticipated upcoming film FIFTY SHADES OF GREY, which will be featured on the soundtrack. The anthemic new single is being released

via Polydor Records on the 15th of February. Following the enormous success of her No. 1 sophomore album Halcyon Days, “Love Me Like You Do” is the first taste of new music from Ellie Goulding in 2015. To date, the singer/songwriter has achieved a staggering 6 million album sales and 20 million single sales worldwide. In 2014, she

was the winner of the BRIT Award for Best Female Solo Artist, performed on a sold out UK arena tour and featured on Calvin Harris’ huge hit “Outside”. “Love Me Like You Do” was produced by legendary hit-maker Max Martin, the man behind platinum-selling albums including Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and Taylor Swift’s “1989”.

Imagine Dragons to Release New Album

ulti-platinum, Grammy Awardwinning rock band Imagine Dragons will release their new album, entitled Smoke + Mirrors, on February 17th 2015 via KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records. The video for the single “I Bet My Life,” is currently Top 5 at Modern Rock radio. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Jodeb (Zedd + Foxes’ “Clarity”), the video features American actor Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Last month, the Las Vegas quartet performed the song on The American Music Awards and took home the award for “Favourite Artist — Alternative Rock” for the second year in a row. On Smoke + Mirrors, Imagine Dragons use the frenetic energy of life on the road to infuse their music with both raw tension and intense vulnerability. As on their double-platinum full-length debut Night Visions, the band works with sharply crafted beats and grooves to dream up rhythm-driven rock music that’s artful yet visceral. Also revealing the band’s dedication to keeping it homespun, Smoke + Mirrors marks the first release recorded in their new self-built home studio. Formed in 2009 and featuring lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman, Imagine Dragons earned

a grassroots following by independently releasing a series of EPs. After Alex Da Kid signed them to his KIDinaKORNER/ Interscope label, the band made its majorlabel debut with the release of Continued Silence, a 2012 EP featur ing the 2x platinum breakthrough single “It’s Time.” N i g h t Visions arrived later that year and I magine Dragons found themselves on a skyward trajectory that saw the album debut at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, sell nearly four million copies worldwide, and became the No. 1 album on Spotify Worldwide for 2013. Night Visions’ second single, the 9x-platinum “Radioactive,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Rock chart and

earned the band a 2014 Grammy for “Best Rock Performance.” It is the best-selling rock song in U.S. digital history. The third single, “Demons,” hit No. 1 at Alternative and Top 40 radio, and has sold 3.9 million copies in the U.S. The band has sold more than 24 million tracks worldwide.

FEB 2015 | Page 3

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle Motivation

How to Unfold Your Life Purpose (pt II)

An Energy Coach, A Reiki Master and A Personal Motivator. Rose Osman uses her knowledge in energy and Reiki to help people achieve their goals in personal growth, life, love, career & relationships. What makes you feel timeless? We have been conditioned to live within time, and we mostly tend to live the past and the future. But when we live for a purpose, we may at times feel that time has stopped. In the presence of purpose, time becomes powerless to our mind. We no longer attach ourselves to our past or future. We only live in the present moment. Your task is to know the things that you love to do which makes you forget to check your watch - For example, some painters or writers whom can paint or write for one whole day.

What are the things you do that you never complain about? Complaint derives from inner resistance and purpose comes from love. Inner resistance and love cannot live with each other. It also means that in the presence of purpose, resistance dissolves. For instance, have you seen anyone who loves to dance complaint about their steps and movements when they are dancing? What makes you stop thinking? Anyone who loves writing knows that when they write, they hardly think. Painters know

that when they paint, they stop thinking and no dancers think while dancing. For writers, thinking comes when the words are already in place and needs to be structured. For painters and dancers, thinking appears when they stop the motion. So, why does the mind stop thinking? It is because we simply become it. When your purpose is writing, you simply “be” the words. When your joy is dancing, you simply “be” the dance. When your love is about painting, you simply “be” the paint. In other words, when we live our purpose, we just BE it. So love and live, as that’s what life purpose is all about.

MOVIE pREVIEW

By Rose Osman

Personal Motivator & Energy Coach yourpersonalmotivator BucketOfRoses

coming soon

CHAPPIE

PIXELS

ony Pictures Entertainment teams up with iconic video game companies as classic characters come together in “PIXELS”. Set to release this summer in July, PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Frogger, Q*bert, Space Invaders and Centipede joins the cast!

Action Adventure na 5th March 2015 Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, Jose Pablo Cantillo with Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman Director: Neill Blomkamp Producers: Neill Blomkamp & Simon Kinberg Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell Written by: Ben Waisbren Executive Producer: Genre: Rating: Malaysia Release Date: Cast:

Synopsis

rom the Director of District 9 and Elysium comes Chappie, starring Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, with Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman. Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: who is gifted, special and a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings – some good, some bad – and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there’s one thing that makes Chappie different from anyone else: he is a robot. The first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. That’s a dangerous idea – and it’s a challenge that will pit Chappie against powerful, destructive forces that would ensure that he is the last of his kind.

Source: Sony Pictures Malaysia

FEB 2015 | Page 4

The Iskandarian | WAVES Lifestyle

Go local, Eat local, Stay local Calendar of Events

VIP Tour at LEGOLAND Malaysia

February 2015 3rd February 2015 Thaipusam

JB, 6th - 10th Feb By Harish Mustak newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

3rd World Silambam Championship @ MPPG Indoor Stadium

JB, 8th Feb Property Investment seminar @ South Tree Club (STC), Bkt Indah

Model Builders guiding the kids to build Mini Landers

Spore, 12th – 13th Feb Aviation Festival Asia @ Suntec S’pore

Spore, 13th – 15th Feb Singapore Indian International Bridal Mela @ Suntec S’pore

14th February Happy Valentine’s Day

Arrive at LEGOLAND

wo lucky children, Choi Yar Wen, 10 and Aqil Mubarak bin Fadzir, 7 received official LEGO hampers, a 3D 2N stay at LEGOLAND Hotel Malaysia in Nusajaya as well as a VIP tour of the park after winning a photo competition named LEGO Awesome Malaysia.

and a huge smile, “Happy!” This tour is actually a new promotion offered by LEGOLAND Malaysia starting January 2015. The VIP Expedition is designed for guests to experience exclusive LEGO building sessions with Master Model

Shabi the host taking the kids around for the VIP tour Park to other guests. They will then be ushered to a special building area where they will have a one-on-one session with model builders and learn a trick or two on how to build the perfect Minilander. The VIP Expedition can be booked at the price of RM765 for adults and RM665 for children. Annual Pass holders to the

JB, 17th - 22nd Feb International Indian Shopping Festival @ Danga City Mall

Aqil and his family

Spore, 17th - 28th Jan River Hongbao @ Floating Platform, Marina Bay, S’pore

19th - 20th Feb Happy Chinese New Year!

JB, 25th Feb – 1st Mac Pasir Gudang World Kite Festival @ Pasir Gudang

JB, 26th – 28th Feb Jazz Fest 2015 @ DoubleTree by Hilton JB

Happy kid Aqil can’t wait for the VIP tour The winners and their families also got a chance to permanently stay at LEGOLAND by getting a chance to build miniature versions of themselves and then placed at the Miniland area. Both Yar Wen an Aqil became Master Builders just like in LEGO Movie with guidance from the Model Builders of LEGOLAND Malaysia, Hock Chai, Khairul and Zahid. Shabi and Daniel who were the host tour guides led the two families around LEGOLAND Malaysia’s Dry Park and showed them around the Miniland area.

Builders, gain in-depth knowledge in the LEGO brand, fast-track access to rides, and receive free LEGOLAND merchandise amongst others. The VIP Expedition tour is open to all guests and includes a personalised guided tour with a VIP host. What more, guests signing up for the tour will also be able to build a mini version of themselves in LEGO and have it placed in the famous Miniland area.

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

Yar Wen and her family

Model Builders guiding the kids to build Mini Landers When asked how they felt becoming winners and receiving this opportunity to tour LEGOLAND Malaysia, both Yar Wen and Aqil shouted excitedly with one word

resort are entitled to RM200 discount and hotel guests that have admission tickets to the Park will be entitled to the same

The two LEGO families

Spore, 27th – 28th Feb Chingay 2015 @ F1 Pit Building, S’pore

New residents in LEGO Malaysia Miniland

Other great perks include a chance to open the Park with LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort costume characters and enjoy a special lunch at the Park accompanied by costume characters. Guests will start their morning with a scrumptious breakfast at the VIP lounge located at the LEGOLAND Hotel and will be given special access so they can assist LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort model citizens (employees) to open the

discount. To book the VIP Expedition tour, guests will need to call +607-5978888 or email to LLMVIP@legoland.my three days prior to the trip.

Family Portrait

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

live

Words of Peace

¬ Home Sweet Home

Prem Rawat Prem Rawat has travelled the world for over half a century inspiring people to find peace within. Watch “Words Of Peace” on Astro Bernama TV – Channel 502, Every Sunday at 10.00 p.m.

“This existence is your home. And it is incumbent upon you to make this home as comfortable, peaceful, beautiful as possible.” - Prem Rawat

“In this life, there’s so much to understand, so much to learn. There are so many things that we measure ourselves by—whether it’s age, accomplishments, things that are done or things undone. But that’s not the purpose of this life. Things happen. People move on and new people come. It is like the analogy of a home. We all know about home: “Home

sweet home.” “Welcome home.” But what is a home? Home is where wonderful things happen. And it is also a place where horrible things happen. If you are lucky, home is where you will take your last breath. This is where, hopefully you have cultivated a happy environment where you thrive, where you’re not inundated with problems. It is truly a place of comfort—not only physical

comfort but mental comfort and the comfort of knowing that you are at home. And the only way a place can become home is if you work on it. It is not which way the door faces. I have seen happiness, comfort and joy in a hut built of mud, with a thatched roof and a little door that doesn’t lock. But the people who live there are comfortable. Why am I talking about home? This

existence is your home. And it is incumbent upon you to make this home as comfortable, peaceful, beautiful as possible. Because in this home the truest nurturing takes place. Good things happen and bad things happen. You have to make sure that good things happen there, nurture them and bring forward the true joy that this home can offer.”

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

live

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

Kawasaki Disease Dr. Chang Hok Keon A consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Cardiologist in Regency Specialist Hospital. He graduated from Taiwan and registered in the board of Taiwan Society of Cardiology and Paediatrics. His key interest in General Paediatrics, Cardiac Echo and Congenital Heart Disease.

1. Elevated body temperature (fever) – 38-40°C which continues for atleast five days.

kid who was plagued with continuous fever, reddening of the eyes, lips and mucous membrane of the mouth, swollen neck glands and a bright red rash over the skin of the hands and feet, would cause most parents to be at loss as to what really happened to their kids. Upon diagnosis, they may even go hysterical as to what a Kawasaki disease is.

K awasak i disease is more common in Asian boys than girls. It was first diagnosed by Tomiraku Kawasaki, a Japanese doctor in 1967, hence the name. As it affects the lymph nodes,

5. The palms of the hands and soles of the feet often become red, and hands and feet may swell. 6. Swollen lymph glands – the glands on the child’s neck may be swollen (lumpy or either side).

skin, and mucous membranes inside the nose, mouth and throat, it is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Its symptoms include:

4. Conjunctivitis – the whites of the child’s eyes become reddened. Eyes may also be itchy, water, and sore.

2. Rash – the skin will be red and swollen on the palms of hands and the soles of the feet.

3. Red, swollen tongue, often with small lumps at the back (also known as strawberry tongue).

Kawasaki disease can lead to serious complications that can affect the heart if left untreated. The cause is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognised early, the kids can fully recover within a few weeks. Children who have had Kawasaki disease should receive follow up echocardiogram to screen for heart problems.

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

¬ Mega Trend 5: Smart Grids (pt II)

work

The Importance of Mega Trends for Long-Term Sustained Growth Key Drivers for Utilities

he utilities in Asia Pacific are in different stages of planning for smart grids adoption. The stage of development depends on the prevailing regulatory regime in the country, level of deregulation, varying business drivers, and of course progressive thinking on the part of the company’s strategic planners. However, the following have been the broad business drivers for utilities to embark on smart grids planning. • Government Mandates and Funding: Governments across Asia Pacific have been pushing the idea of Smart Grid through regulatory mandate as well as funding for Smart Grid implementation. Australia, South Korea and Japan have already committed a total of US$258 million for Smart Grid development. Government push is the most important reason driving the Utilities towards Smart Grid. • Cost Savings: Catering to peak load power requirement, manpower cost and line losses are the major cost components for the utilities. In several countries, the power requirement

‘peaks’ at certain times of the year. To provide for this excess power, utilities have to build special power plants, which only operate for limited hours in a year. By implementing a sound demand response system, the utilities can save billions of dollars by removing the need for these plants. Manpower cost for meter reading, meter disconnection is also huge for most utilities. Also countries like Japan and South Korea are fighting with problems of an aging workforce. Hence, Smart Grid can help such utilities save cost of workforce as well as solve the problems of ageing work force. • Higher Revenues: The US Economy currently loses US$150 billion every year due to power outages. By accurately pinpointing the outage location and rapidly responding with the use of technology, utilities can restore power and thus start generating more revenues. Also in certain competitive markets like New Zealand, where customers can switch power retailers fairly easily, companies can expand their customer base by providing better service with the use

Manoj Menon Partner & Asia Pacific Managing Director at Frost & Sullivan

of smart grid technologies. Mapping of Business Opportunities • Metering Companies: Smart Meters is the most critical and fundamental par t of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). A smart meter costs almost US$200, which is about 10 times the cost of a normal digital meter. Currently, Smart Meter Deployment presents the maximum opportunity to the firms involved in Smart Grid area. • Network Communication Providers: A secure and robust network is required at local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) as well as home area network (HAN) level to ensure the interaction of the different modules of a Smart Grid and an efficient data transfer so the objectives such as selfhealing, demand response control, time of use pricing etc may be met. Network layout is a major opportunity area in the AMI infrastructure as it is critical to help a Smart Meter meet its purpose. • Software Solutions Developers:

Data Management systems form the brain to analyze the wide array of data collected through a plethora of sensors and Smar t Meters. Opportunities are expected in terms of one time installations, upgrade and maintenance of the software solutions for a particular utility. • Integrators and Consultants: The Role of Integrators and Consultants like IBM and Accenture have become more crucial for pilot projects which implement multiple aspects of a Smart Grid. • Automation and Sensor Vendors: In the process of developing a more reliable and self-healing grid, several fault detection equipment and sensors are to be deployed on the network which would only go on to make the grid more immune from outage there by reducing the power downtime significantly. Currently, such projects have just started picking up in countries like Australia although there is an increased focus on improving Network system in all major pilot projects running across APAC.

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

ACCUMULATING WEALTH

invest

Tey Bin Yuen is the founder of BY Enrich Resources and the author of ‘Life beyond the Comfort Zone’. His books are available at major bookstores in Singapore & Malaysia. He’ll be conducting a workshop ‘Profit from Share Investment’ on 7 Mar 15. Reach him at contact@ teybinyuen.com

Data source: Yahoo! FINANCE

¬ Profit from the negative sentiment

“I’ve sold all my shares!” exclaimed a friend of mine who works in the banking industry. I asked him why did he do that and he responds that 2015 is going to be very challenging, and his industry can’t see anything good from the economy and the stock market. In a way that’s very true. What I mean is that, that’s the market perception by the majority of people. But when everybody has a fear, that’s where the opportunity lies. In this issue, I’ll be helping you understand why people perceive the year 2015 as a tough year for investment, and why it’s also an opportunity. There are three reasons why the market is deemed more challenging this year: 1) The collapse of oil price Crude oil contributes to 20% of Malaysia’s income. With the collapse of crude oil price from USD110 to USD47 per barrel as at mid January 2015, there is little wonder why Malaysia’s market sentiment becomes negative. As one of the main income sources shrunk tremendously, the government will need to cut spending on either capital or operating expenditures. This means our market’s economy activities, such as construction or development, would reduce. 2) The depreciation of ringgit The lower oil price will lead to lower value of ringgit. If ringgit is weakened, it means the spending power for those who earns in ringgit becomes weaker. For example, would you think twice if your kids ask you to go to Disneyland for holidays? 3) The Implementation of GST While GST is beneficial to the country, it’d affect consumer’s sentiment in the short term. If consumers like you and I tightened our spending, there’d be less shopping, less dining in the restaurants, less purchasing and so

forth. As a result, the country’s economy growth will be slower. However, every cloud has a silver lining: (i) The fall of oil price also means cheaper petrol prices for consumers like us. People who used to spend RM500 for petrol every month are now spending RM300 over because of revised oil price. This means they’ll have more cash to spend than before. (ii) The depreciation of ringgit is good for export driven businesses. Started from Q3 2014 until mid January 2015, the ringgit has fallen for more than 10%. This is great news, especially for manufacturers which uses local raw materials. For example, if a company’s quarter revenue is RM100 million (assuming it fully exports and uses 100% local materials), the 10% depreciation of ringgit means the company’s profit would increase nearly RM10 million at no additional cost. So what are the export oriented companies in Malaysia? If you notice, there are a group of companies’ share price which performed exceptionally well amidst market uncertainty such as gloves, furniture, technology industry and so on. And if they have one thing in common - their products are sold in US dollars. You may ask, is Ringgit likely to appreciate against the US dollar in the near term? I’d say, the chances are rather low, having considered the current low oil price and the possibility of US raising its interest rate this year. This implies that the earnings of those export driven companies would increase for quarters to come. To verify, since Q4 results for 2014 will be announced by the end of February, it’d be a good idea to read through their revenues and profits in comparison with the ringgit’s movement. However, in every crisis lies an opportunity. If we’re always prepared and observant, it’s likely we are able to take advantage from the market’s uncertainty.

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

play

Johor kaki Batu Pahat, Johor Food Trail (Part 1) Tony is a very passionate Johor food blogger. He is fascinated by Johor’s unique culinary heritage created by its melting pot of diverse cultures. He hopes that his writings about the delightful experiences with Johor food and the people behind it, visitors from around the world will appreciate the potpourri of Johor culinary art.

rmed with suggestions from Johor Kaki readers, four of us buddies went on a free and easy Batu Pahat (BP) food trail. We had no detailed or specific plan and went with some general idea about where to find well-known eateries through readers’ suggestions. Ah See Kee wantan noodles Our first stop in BP was the legendary Ah See Kee wantan noodles. Ah See has been selling his unique style of wantan mee for 60 years and almost everyone here in BP knows this famous shop. Ah See and his family makes everything at the shop from the egg noodles to the wantans, char siew and their signature sauce. Upon tasting, I loved Ah See’s crunchy, springy noodles and also his unique savoury, aromatic blend of lard, sesame oil, chili and

soy sauce. My companions, however, weren’t used to the sauce which they felt wasn’t robust enough, but we all liked the char siew and wantans.

Location Restaurant name: Chop See Kee Address: Address: 2, Jalan Jenang, Batu Pahat Map: http://goo.gl/maps/o4T2d GPS: 1.853994,102.927668 Hours: 8:30am to 9:30pm

highly recommended by Johor Kaki readers from BP. Mr Lee and his wife have been tending this fish ball noodle stall for over 40 years. Every one of us unanimously loved this fish ball noodles. The homemade noodles were crunchy with a nice bite. The savoury spicy sauce had a pleasant hot sting. These were excellent handmade fish balls made with 100% fresh fish meat.

Location Location: Along “Glutton Street” Address: Junction of Jalan Peng Kai and Jalan Soga Map: http://goo.gl/maps/pThRx GPS: 1.854745,102.927206 Hours: 10:00am to 4:00pm (closed on Tues)

Swee Kee restaurant After the fish ball noodles, we preceded to Swee Kee Herbal Soup for their curry fish head which was highly recommended by the readers. Swee Kee’s curry fish head was excellent. The Ikan Merah fish was fresh and the curry was mildly spicy and had a nice aromatic curry spices and flavours. However, this was very similar to the best curry fish heads in Singapore and Johor Bahru, so it may not have the novelty appeal for tourists or food thrill seekers.

Location Location: Chop See Kee Address: 2, Jalan Jenang, Batu Pahat Map: http://goo.gl/maps/o4T2d GPS: 1.853994,102.927668 Hours: 8:30am to 9:30pm

Ah See Kee wantan noodles Glutton Street After Ah See Kee, we walked to BP’s “Glutton Street”. Despite the name, it’s actually a minor road with several hawker stalls lining at the sides. We went to look for the “no signboard” fish ball noodles stall which comes

The homemade noodles are crunchy

Swee Kee’s curry fish head curry

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

play

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

Valentine’s.....with a difference Promo: Romancing Valentine’s Day with a night view of the golf course

ouples will experience a different kind of open ambiance this Valentine’s Day with dinner overlooking the undulating golf greens lit by night. On 14th February which falls on a Saturday this year, Ponderosa Golf & Country Club located at Taman Molek is offering a 4-course Western set dinner at only RM150++ per couple. Themed “Blessings of Lovebirds”, the dinner will be held at the Golfer’s Terrace overlooking the 9th hole of its 18 hole golf course. The dinner will start with King Louise

French Onion Soup and appetizer of Prawn Cocktail in Apple Salsa. A choice of three main courses will follow with Portobello Mushroom Chicken with Vermicelli, Basil Garlic Cream Sauce and Seasonal Vegetables; or Butter-grilled Salmon with Pineapple and Pepper Salsa, Buttermilk Mash Potato and Seasonal Vegetables; or Beef Wellington with Baked Potato, Sour Cream, and Seasonal Vegetables. The meal will be completed with a Lovey-Dovey Brownie Sunday and Coffee or Tea. The dinner is also packaged with a Novelty Gift

for the ladies which is a box of custom-made Valentine’s chocolates, free Wine or Sparkling Juice for the couple, a photograph taken and gifted as a CD for the couple. To add on to the romance of the surroundings, strollers will be on hand to serenade with love songs and by request. As space is limited, bookings will be on a firstcome-first-served basis. Those who are interested can email enquiry@ponderosagolf.com or call the Sales Department at 07-354 9999.

@home

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

PROPERT Y INSIGHT

PROPERTY

RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

Cover: MB Group goes green

Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort promotes green and sustainable living pg 34

APARTMENTS

VILLAS

REHDA Annual Dinner 2015

CONDOMINIUMS

REHDA Johor had their annual dinner recently and expressed their needs to the state government pg 33

OFFICE/ RETAILSPACE

Propernomy by Dr. Daniele

Discussing a micro-propenomy effects of a macroeconomic budget pg 32

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

Quick Reads

New Chinese Developers Another Chinese property developer is looking at developing homes in Malaysia’s Iskandar Malaysia, unfazed by recent negative publicity surrounding some Chinese projects there and a potential avalanche of residential supply in the special economic zone in Johor Bahru. Iskandar Malaysia is likely the first overseas stop for Henanbased Weiye Holdings, followed by Singapore on top of the group’s expansion plans within China, according to Zhang Wei, group chairman of the Singaporelisted company. Weiye builds residential and commercial projects in Henan province and Hainan Island. As at end-March, it has completed 13 projects with a total net saleable floor area (NSFA) of about 955,688 square metres. It has another six properties under development with a combined NSFA of about 627,038 sqm. “ We have existing customers who may be keen to invest in Malaysian homes because of its international residency scheme,” Mr. Zhang said, referring to Malaysia’s “My Second Home” programme that allows foreigners to live in Malaysia on a multiple-entry social visit pass that is initially for 10 years and is renewable. “The demand we are seeing now from mainland Chinese to buy homes in Malaysia is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. Mr. Zhang noted that Iskandar Malaysia’s attractiveness is underpinned by its proximity to Singapore. He is betting, along with other Chinese counterparts, on Iskandar Malaysia benefiting from that proximity in the same way that Shenzhen – which was designated as a special economic zone in China during Deng Xiaoping’s experiments with capitalism in the 1980s – benefited from its proximity to Hong Kong. When asked to comment on the Singapore government’s concerns over the impact of massive reclamation works being undertaken by two Chinese developers – Country Garden and Guangzhou’s R&F – for their waterfront projects in Iskandar Malaysia, Mr. Zhang downplayed it as a situation that is “very common in real estate development” and “something that can easily be resolved by both sides through communication”.

@home

REHDA seeks stamp duty waiver Highlight: REHDA Johor had their annual dinner recently and expressed their needs to the state government By Maisarah newsdesk@theiskandarian.com

he Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (REHDA) requested for stamp duty waivers especially for affordable homes. Affordable homes has been categorised by the federal government as houses priced at RM500,000 and below. “Affordable homes is the key word in 2015. This is evident in the 2015 Budget and REHDA shares the same aspirations with the government in providing affordable homes to the people,” said REHDA’s President, Datuk Seri Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor

REHDA’s Annual Dinner was filled with glits and glam

(from left) REHDA Johor Branch Chairman Hoe Mee Ling, Datuk Seri Fateh Iskandar Mohamed Mansor and State Secretary Dato’ Hj Ismail bin Karim who also mentioned about the sentiments of the soon to be implemented Goods and Service Tax (GST) impacting the property market. “We have made several

recommendations to the federal government with regards to GST and we have already resolved numerous issues,” said Fateh. The President also requested that the federal

REHDA members dressed in their finest government retains the MyHome Scheme whereby financial assistance of up to RM30,000 is provided for first time home buyers to purchase low-cost houses. REHDA’s 2015 Annual

Dinner was officiated by the State Secretary, Dato’ Haji Ismail bin Karim who welcomed the efforts of REHDA Johor to work more closely with the state government to fulfil the need for affordable homes.

Property Corner

¬ Case Study 9 : House in PJ Reloaded A.Devadason CA(M), FCCA, MDRT Deva is a partner in the firm of Dason & Dason, Chartered Accountants who specialises in tax advisory and consultancy. He can be reached at deva@dason.com.my

ometime ago, I wrote about a friend who wanted to purchase a house in Petaling Jaya but was unsure whether it was a right move. Well, they did purchase a unit with a price tag of RM1m. Although it was not the exact unit which I wrote about, nevertheless, the acquisition led to a loan of RM880k. Knowing that MLTA is superior to MRTA, they wanted me to plan a coverage for the full loan

amount. The entire loan was on the wife, so the plan was on her life. I adviced her that ideally, coverage should be for the entire liability and it should cover Critical Illness in addition to the standard Death and Disability. However, before I came up with the RM880k coverage, the following questions were asked:a. Is this property held for own occupancy or as an investment? b. In the event of financial difficulty, is she prepared to sell it away and be psychologically prepared to either rent or purchase a smaller unit by utilising the net sales proceeds? Her reply was for own occupancy and yes, she is willing to move out in case of a financial

crunch. This posed a dilemma in planning. Since it was residential purpose, then the entire liability should be covered. However, her willingness to move elsewhere also says that she is prepared to sell the unit and only needed coverage up to the time of disposal. The usual timeline for a Sales and Purchase Agreement is around 3 months. By adding another 6 months as buffer, coverage should be equivalent to 9 months instalment. Assuming RM2k/monthly instalment, the coverage should be around RM18k. This is rather low and assumes that the property can be disposed in 9 months, which may be insufficient and financial hardship will occur by the end of the insured period. In the end, we came to a coverage amounting to RM500k

for Life and a further RM250k for Critical Illness. Although she wanted equal coverage of RM880k for both events, the budget simply did not allow her to proceed. It just shows that, when purchasing a property via loan, many fail to include the cost of settling liabilities on top of the monthly instalments. Decisions are made solely on the loan repayment, which sometimes leads to erroneously taking on a bigger loan than one is really prepared for. Conclusion Coming back to the case; although the overall coverage is insufficient, at least she has done a stop-gap measure for the interim period. Should an unwanted event occur, there is adequate time for the family to weigh in their options and decide on the next move.

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

@home

Property Investment ¬ Oil price crisis and its meaning for

housing market in Iskandar Malaysia

n this issue, we will examine the effects of global macro-economic uncertainties on the Malaysian housing market, in particular Iskandar Malaysia’s. Since the third quarter of 2014, financial markets are reeling from key global commodity prices and currency turmoil. The most important is that, there is a continuous price decline in oil. Prices for metals also plummeted. This descent spooked countries dependent on commodity exports such as Canada, Malaysia, OPEC countries and also Australia. Their currencies were negatively impacted. For example, the ringgit dropped to its lowest level

in six years and many analysts are predicting a continue slide down of 3.73 to one US dollar. Over in Australia, iron ore and other metal exports slowed significantly. The Aussie dollar declined on slower trade albeit at a slower pace compared to the Malaysian ringgit. The Aussie dollar has since stabilised. Of course, one can be optimistic to say that net importers of oil such as Australia and Malaysia will not be negatively impacted. However, in reality, both economies depend heavily on commodities and their fiscal and trade balances are experiencing the early stages of slow growth. In my opinion, corporate earnings will

surely decline further with lower tax revenues for these countries. This in turn will lower salaries and confidence in the economy. The stock market will also go down. Therefore, the net effect is largely negative and lingering. In response, Malaysia announced its adjusted fiscal budget as this article was being written with cuts in government expenditure and delay of non-core programmes. Lower economic confidence in Malaysia will translate into slower demand for housing. Moreover, loan rates are likely to climb up to stem both the decline in currency value as well as to stop foreign funds from flowing out. Going

down the sequence of events, slower rental demand will depress housing prices. But there are many bright spots that investors should train their eyes on. I assure you that developers are suffering and they will only be discounting more. Genuine home buyers should start looking for their homes. Over leveraged buyers will also off-load their properties. This is not the first slow down we have seen in Malaysia but perhaps the first in Iskandar Malaysia. I’m glad that it happened earlier than later so that there is no oversupply of properties. Job creation and industry development will now lead the economy and not property

¬ Budget 2015, the strategic planning and the micro

propenomy effects of a macroeconomic budget (pt I)

Propernomy by Dr Daniele Dr. Daniele Gambero is the CEO and co-founder of REI Group of Companies, gives presentations on the property market and welcomes feedback at: Daniele.g@reigroup.com.my

he Malaysian Prime Minister YAB Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak had tabled this year’s budget titling “Budget 2015: People Economy” since last October, and if we compare the past year’s budget and its 5 Trust with the 7 Strategies of the latest one, it’s quite clear of the efforts put by the Government in giving a logic continuity to the Nation’s development and growth. Being in the Property industry, I’ve heard many unsatisfied comments on the 2015’s Budget, mostly coming from the feeling that the property and construction sectors have been taking up the role of Cinderella! Being a “Strategic” budget, we should all read it with a “strategic” eye looking at the big picture that it gives and not concentrating ourselves on a small particular industry.

I’ve read the full text a few times and have been going through the analysis and commentaries, and to be honest, I look at this budget as a possible booster for the final struggle to make Malaysia as a fully developed (with high-income) country. When reading it, we should also remember that in May there will be a launch of the 11th Malaysian Plan that is supposed to be the last one issued as a developing country. A brief commentary to the 7 Strategies of this year’s Budget shows that each of them represents a meaningful and strong statement towards the economic growth and consequently the property market and the people’s growth. Strengthening economic growth

A stronger service sector with world leading positioning of Malaysia as an Islamic Finance Hub is a must and a necessary background to become fully developed. Down line of this is an expected strong demand of office and residential space above all in the various CBD throughout Malaysia. Promoting Domestic Shipping Industry It is a recognised fact that the World Economy is shifting towards East – China, and the South Pacific region are already generating almost USD 400 bil of FDI and the most advanced economies in the World are all moving their interest in this

booming region. Malaysia occupies the center stage from a geographic point of view and promoting domestic shipping industry will surely help to enhance the economic growth boosted by the high demand of logistic services. From a Property point of view; we will see more and more logistic hubs growing nearby international shipping harbours and some possibly will be halal certified opening its doors to unlimited markets. New industrial areas with connected residential township will also immediately follow, making interesting investment spots more appealing. Sources: Department of Statistics, Minister of Home Affairs, REI Group archives

Ed Cheong is the Singapore founder of the Iskandar Malaysia Investors Forum and Rafflesland Group of Companies which provides platform for property investors to gain insights and world-class investment strategies. He is contactable at iskandar@rafflesland.com

sales. In shor t, Isk andar Malaysia stands out as a very promising region if it is only for the singular factor that it’s near to the international finance hub of Singapore. Singapore is expected to ride out the slowdown with a service based economy that is not dependent on commodity export. As a net importer of oil, there is no inflationary pressure. Infrastructure can now catch up both in Singapore and Iskandar Malaysia with industrialisation plans. As they say, when the road is all dark, the light can be just around the next turn. Keep calm and carry on in Iskandar Malaysia!

Quick Reads

Snow World theme park @ Iskandar Malaysia Chinese state-owned company Greenland Group and Iskandar Waterfront City Berhad (IWCB) will be jointly developing a RM3 billion project over 128 acres along Tebrau Bay. The first phase of the Tebrau Bay Waterfront City project, as it is called, will include a snow world theme park, an opera house, a hospital specialising in Chinese traditional medicine and a school. It will be developed over 15 years. Menteri Besar Dato’ Mohamed Khaled Nordin said that this is part of plans to develop the eastern corridor of Johor Bahru, stretching from Tebrau Bay to Pasir Gudang. About 13 local and foreign companies are already actively involved in developing the proposed Isk andar Waterfront City in Danga Bay. Iskandar Water front City has a cumulative gross development value of RM125 billion and is on the western corridor from Johor Bahru to Nusajaya. Greenland Group executive vice-chairman Xu Jing said that Greenland was “extremely upbeat” about growth prospects in Iskandar Malaysia.

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

www.facebook.com/theiskandarian www.theiskandarian.com

FREE COPY

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015

@home

Going back to nature

Benchmark: Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort promotes green and sustainable living with upcoming low-density developments and low-rise buildings in natural wetlands

Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort Residence

Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort Masterplan

ungai Pulai Wellness Resort is a self-sustaining coastal development which encompasses the convergence of a thriving lush natural environment, wellbeing and aged-friendly architectural design. These are all key ideas and proponents for a multigenerational and sustainable living. It also represents a holistic concept in healthcare services, which includes a world-class concierge medical service (CMS) for longevitypromoting lifestyles for the residents

destinations according to InternationalLiving.com’s 2014 Global Retirement Index. This fact presents another potential market for Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort project which also complements Malaysia My Second Home Programme (MM2H) that will invite and allow foreigners to settle down in Malaysia on social visa for up to 10 years. The development comprises of 1,351 apartment units and landed properties, a wellness clubhouse and a renowned international

Sungai Pulai wetlands and public. The Sungai Pulai Wetlands is third Ramsar site after Pulau Kukup and Tanjung Piai in Iskandar Malaysia. Formally known as the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, the Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and its resources. Amir Shariffuddin bin Abd Raub, Director of MB Group said, “We want to establish Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort as a health and wellness resort offering residents a peaceful and tranquil lifestyle, with the availability of basic and noninvasive wellness therapies.” Malaysia is ranked third among Asia’s top retirement

brand hotel located next to the conserved wetlands. The residential precincts will be constructed in four phases and will consist of only low-density developments with building not extending beyond 12

(Artist impression)

levels to maintain the natural green landscape. Residents will be offered comprehensive and extensive recreational and relaxation facilities such as pools, children’s playgrounds, gymnasium, landscaped gardens and lawns and barbeque decks in each precincts. The Resort brings Seven Dimensions of Wellness – Family Health Care, Preventive and Regenerative Care, Aesthetic and Beauty Care, Physical Care, Holistic Health Care, Fitness Care and Concierge Medical Services Care into 160,000 sq. ft. wellness clubhouse that serves all residents. Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort will be applying for the Green Building Index Malaysia and the Green Mark Singapore accreditation. Periodically, these parties will review the environmental measures within the development. This would ensure a sustainable development and promote preservation of the environment. Phase One of the residence as well as the hotel and the wellness clubhouse is targeted to be completed by 2018. Registration for the first phase of the development has been open for registration and is set to be opened for sale for March 2015 onwards.

Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort - WellnessClubhouse Centrecourt (Artist impression)

Residence Living Room

(Artist impression)

Master Bedroom

(Artist impression)

Overall view of the residences

(Artist impression)

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

MB Group is Living Green

Johor champions Malaysia’s eco-diversity with first of its kind wellness resort

ungai Pulai Wellness Resort is a development project spearheaded by Dimensi Panaroma Sdn Bhd, a member of MB Group who aims to rise to the occasion by developing one of the country’s gems into a wellness sanctuary. Promoting eco-tourism and healthy living, this residential project will be one of its kind due to its strategic location and abundant ecodiversity. Highly heralded by various parties, the initiative was officially launched on 11 January at a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on-site at Sungai Pulai – the third Ramsar site in Iskandar Malaysia.

Johor Chief Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Bin Nordin officiated the ground-breaking event for the Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort project with a tree-planting

ceremony. He also went on a boat ride along the Pulai River and took a tour of the sales gallery. Members of the media were given the privilege of getting an aerial view of the entire development area via a helicopter ride. Through the development of the Wellness Resort next to a Ramsar site, Dimensi Panorama aims to accentuate Iskandar Malaysia’s position globally - not only in promoting a valuable and unique eco-diversity, but also a great opportunity for eco-tourism and leisure activities focused on wellness. “We see it not only as our responsibility, but also as a privilege and honour to lead the Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort project near a Ramsar site. This project is our pledge to continuously uphold the Convention’s

mission and objectives of conserving and facilitating the sustainable usage of our prized wetlands,” said Mr. Amir Shariffuddin Bin Abd. Raub, Director of MB Group during his speech at the ceremony. Commending the initiative, Dato’ Khaled said, “Together with the rapid economic development in Iskandar Malaysia, Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort will significantly support the State and the Government’s mission of preserving the natural heritage of the wetlands. This works towards the sustainable development of the region to boost the commercial aspect of the country as well.” “We want to establish Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort as a health and wellness resort, offering residents a peaceful and tranquil lifestyle, with the availability of basic and non-invasive wellness therapies,” added Mr. Amir.

Words from the Managing Director Being in the industry since 1983, how has MB Group coped with the changing trends in the market? MB Group being in the industry for more than 30 years has the experience and expertise in management of property development. This experience has made the Group to be very sensitive to the market and trends that are ever changing and evolving. Feasibility studies and market research strategies are frequently conducted and implemented to keep up with the movement of the industry. Bearing in mind the scope of supply and demand, MB Group is developing the Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort as a step to create a particularly unique demand in the market.

indi Sim is the Managing Director of Dimensi Panorama Sdn Bhd, a member of MB Group. As the daughter of Mr. Alan Sim, the Chairman and Cofounder of MB Group, Cindi follows in her father’s footsteps by venturing into the property development industry after graduating. By sharing the same passion as her father in property development, together they continue to build their legacy with premium-living developments for the community they are a part of. Cindi is currently working on the company’s latest project, Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort –a wellness sanctuary near a Ramsar site in Johor.

How do you see MB Group competing for jobs in Iskandar Malaysia? MB Group has the mission to be a leading property developer by providing sustainable quality living for the community. The Group has a Blue Ocean strategy when looking to move forward. New innovative ideas are key in creating a sustainable development. We avoid competition by creating new niche markets that are unique and one of a kind. In regards to that, the Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort boasts a whole new introduction to healthy lifestyle and sustainable living. The location of the development makes it more special as it sits in close proximity with the Ramsar area and promotes eco-diversity. MB Group is looking into changing the mindsets of

our residents into living green and more environmentally savvy. What are MB Group’s methods in implementing sustainable and green property development? Taking the green path in our development projects, MB Group is treading new waters when introducing a property focusing on healthy wellness living. Consultants who are well versed in the new trend of green technology and architecture, have been very helpful in aiding MB Group realise our aspirations. We do a lot of research on green technologies that can be implemented in our projects such as green architecture, landscaping and healthy living. What is MB Group’s focus? Commercial property or households? MB Group is diversified when it comes to the property industry. Besides being developer of household property development, we have also ventured in major commercial projects like hotels and resorts. High–rise apartments and condominiums as well as being a part of the affordable homes initiative by the government, MB Group gives back to the community by creating conducive and affordable homes for the lower income community. Being known as the White Knight Developer, do you see MB Group rescuing any abandoned projects in Johor? We saved more than 10 abandoned projects in Malaysia and have been called

a White Knight Developer for that. It is a risk, but also poses as an opportunity we are willing to explore. We believe that we are well prepared to face the challenge with our experienced management team. What are the CSR plans of the company? MB Group has an on-going Social Responsibility Programme planned under Dimensi Panorama and its latest development, Sungai Pulai Wellness Resort; the initiative is to commit the guardianship over Sungai Pulai Wetlands. Besides that, MB Group is actively involved in a charitable effort known as “Pertubuhan Pelatih Maha Builders, Johor Bahru” or MB Boys Home to support and nurture young boys for a better future through education and industrial skills training. Situated on a 2-acre land in Taman Sri Amar, Johor Bahru, MB Boys Home offers training such as computer and language skills. Field trips to construction sites, hotels and different business sectors are also organised to provide them the exposure to the working environment. MB Group has a promising outlook in the year 2015. The Group’s land banks are at strategic location such as Johor Bahru City Centre and Desaru. In the coming months, the Group will be launching a number of new developments including the Sky Habitat and Twin Tower Residence at Johor Bahru City Centre, and the Escadia Double Storey Terrace at Desaru.

The Iskandarian ISSUE 30 | FEB 2015 Advertisement

2nd February each year is World Wetlands Day.