PTTI lancar aplikasi pembelajaran dalam talian SPM

KUALA LUMPUR: Pusat peningkatan akademik dan pakar dalam membantu pelajar Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), PTTI melangkah setapak lagi seiring dengan peredaran masa apabila muncul dengan aplikasi pembelajaran khas atas talian sendiri.

Majlis pelancaran aplikasi berkenaan berlangsung 7 Ogos secara virtual di Hitman Studio di Shah Alam dirasmikan mentor usahawan terkenal Datuk Wira Dr Azizan Osman.

Tak ketinggalan dihadiri ikon dan dutanya sendiri MK K-Clique selain artis popular seperti Zizan Razak, Nabila Razali, Iman Troye dan Tya Arifin.

Kehadiran aplikasi terbabit juga menjadi penanda aras baru seiring tuntutan semasa termasuk membiasakan norma baharu era pandemik COVID-19 saat ini.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif PTTI, Siti Farhana Abu Osman atau lebih dikenali sebagai Cikgu Fana berkata mereka tidak boleh terkebelakang dalam hal pendidikan.

“Aplikasi pembelajaran atas talian ini dibangunkan staf PTTI sendiri sejak akhir tahun lalu. Kita berasakan selepas lebih lima tahun memacu dunia pendidikan terutama untuk calon SPM termasuk situasi tak terduga pandemik ini, perlu ada alternatif baru belajar yang tak terduga.

“Justeru lahirlah idea aplikasi ini. Kita juga mahu meneruskan kelangsungan membantu lebih ramai lagi pelajar SPM meningkatkan gred dan keputusan cemerlang secara atas talian,” katanya.

Tambah Cikgu Fana lagi, aplikasi terbabit dilancarkan sebagai usaha untuk mewujudkan ruang pembelajaran khas bagi pelajar SPM.

“Kita yakini aplikasi ini mampu terus mencakna perubahan iklim pembelajaran semasa saat ini.

“Pelajar SPM juga boleh belajar secara atas talian menerusi aplikasi terbabit. Malah mereka juga dapat menonton ratusan video ulang tahun teknik dan skil belajar secara percuma,” katanya.

Menerusi pelancaran aplikasi itu juga pelajar SPM boleh melayari aplikasi www.MampuSkorSPM.com untuk memuat naiknya secara percuma.

“Pelajar juga boleh memuat turun aplikasi ini sama ada di App Store untuk pengguna Iphone atau Playstore (android).

“Ini masanya untuk pelajar SPM terutama calon peperiksaan itu mengakses ilmu dan dapat belajar percuma dengan aplikasi ini tak kira di mana saja anda berada,” katanya.

Ketika majlis berlangsung selain video perasmian aplikasi itu ditayangkan, penerangan mengenai ciri ciri yang dibina dalam aplikasi turut dilakukan.

MK serta artis lain turut berkongsi pandangan dan pujian mengenai muat turun dan penggunaan aplikasi terbabit serta berinteraksi dengan Pengurus Besar PTTI,
Muhd Habibunajjar Sazali (Cikgu Habib)

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Tujuh Cerita Nabi, Sajian Nurflix

Nurflix yang merupakan platform penstriman video kandungan Islamik dan patuh Syariah menerusi segmen Nurflix Junior bakal menyajikan cerita-cerita animasi kenabian yang dijangka menemui penonton mulai Ogos ini.

Penerbit Eksekutif Nurflix Junior, Diana Amir berkata, cerita-cerita animasi yang dibawakan khas dari Turki itu merangkumi tujuh penceritaan dengan 330 episod yang akan ditayangkan dalam dua versi, Arab dan terjemahan serta Bahasa Melayu. Antara tujuh kisah yang akan disampaikan kepada khalayak antaranya ialah cerita Habibullah (Muhammad SAW), Khalilullah (Ibrahim Alaihissalam), Kalimullah (Musa Alaihissalam), Nuh Alaihissalam, Sulaiman Alaihissalam dan Adam Alaihissalam.

“Pada fasa pertama, cerita-cerita ini akan ditayangkan dalam bahasa Arab dengan sari kata bahasa Melayu dan Inggeris. Pada fasa kedua pula, kesemuanya akan ditayangkan dalam versi alih bahasa ke bahasa Melayu. Cerita-cerita yang bakal disajikan ini disemak dengan terperinci di Turki dan mematuhi Syariah dan bersesuaian dengan tontonan ramai,” demikian menurut Diana Amir.

“Majlis para asatizah kami dikenali Nurpath juga telah mula menyemak kandungan ketujuh-tujuh cerita animasi yang dibawakan dari Turki ini. Alhamdulillah setakat ini cerita-cerita animasi ini menepati ciri yang ditetapkan sebelum dipertontonkan kepada orang ramai,” tambahnya.

Namun berikutan Perlaksanaan Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) fasa 3.0, katanya proses pengalihan bahasa itu terpaksa dihentikan.
Menurut Diana, sebelum ini, platform ini dinamakan Nurkids yang mensasarkan kanak-kanak di bawah 14 tahun. Namun selepas perbincangan, belia di bawah 21 tahun turut memerlukan kandungan bermanfaat seperti ini lalu platform tersebut telah ditukarkan kepada Nurflix JR.

“Tentunya kita mahukan tontonan yang terbaik untuk anak-anak agar mereka membesar dengan nilai-nilai Islam,” ujar Diana Amir lagi yang menjelaskan bahawa semua bahan tontonan Nurflix adalah selamat ditonton.

Turut menerangkan tentang perjalanan Nurflix dan Nurflix JR adalah Syah Mohamed yang merupakan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Nurflix yang memberitahu bahawa setakat ini Nurflix telah menerima sambutan positif dengan jumlah langganan yang menggalakkan.
“Setakat ini, kami merekodkan antara 22,000 hingga 23,000 jumlah langganan secara percuma. Manakala mereka yang mengikuti kandungan kami secara berbayar (langganan sepanjang hayat) adalah sekitar 10 peratus buat masa ini.

“Insya-Allah, kemungkinan besar kami akan lancarkan langganan secara berbayar sepenuhnya sekitar Januari tahun hadapan apabila jumlah kandungan kami mencecah angka 1,000,” jelasnya.
Nurflix kini dalam perbincangan dengan platform penstriman Islamik seluruh dunia bagi membina gabungan kerjasama penyebaran kandungan media yang sopan dan bermanfaat untuk generasi.

“Kemasukan kandungan luar ke dalam Nurflix bakal memberi pelbagai peluang pekerjaan dalam sektor pos-produksi, terjemahan kandungan dan alih bahasa. Inisiatif ini juga dibuat agar khalayak akan dapat terus menikmati kandungan patuh syariah dalam dan luar negara yang disajikan kepada pengguna” katanya.

Aplikasi Nurflix boleh dicapai melalui laman web https://nurflix.tv , Apple Appstore dan Google Playstore.

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Productivity Nexus For Retail and F&B Flagship Program to Empower Human Capital Productivity in Malaysia

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The Productivity Nexus has proven its keen initiative of increasing human capital productivity by implementing the Productivity Nexus for the Retail
and Food & Beverage (F&B) industry. This targets a 7.2% growth in labour productivity in the industry to meet the 2020 national level productivity target of RM92,300 per worker, as announced during the Official Launch of the Flagship Programmes held at
Sunway Putra Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The Productivity Nexus for Retail and F&B is a one-stop centre that caters to enterprises to boost productivity while increasing innovation and capturing growth opportunities. The initiatives emphasises the development of a holistic ecosystem in order to increase technology adoption and further strengthen key industry enablers.
The Productivity Nexus is led by highly skilled and specialised individual who is committed in administering the implementation of productivity efforts as governed by the National
Productivity Council (NPC) and aims to forge close partnerships among industry associations and partners to strengthen industry-specific support infrastructure and foster cross industry
collaboration through various industry initiatives.

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Through this, the platform, driven by the private sector and supported by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, aims to empower industry associations to become key change agents
in the nation. This is because the collective power of industry associations offer a strong bridge
to connect with enterprises and knowledge experts in each sector. The event was officiated by YBhg Dato’ Dr Mohd Ghazali Bin Abas, Secretary General of Human Resources
representing YB Dato’ Sri (Dr) Richard Riot Anak Jaem, Minister of Human Resources.

As of right now, the Retail and F&B sector currently employs no less than 2.7 million people which marks a value-added of RM89 billion – recording an 8.3% contribution to the nation’s
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the productivity in this sector remains as one of the lowest. This spurred the implementation of the Productivity Nexus which rides on the premise of sharing the economy’s best practices and being inspired by industry experts to further inspire the rest of the industry. The initiative is slated to involve 80 to 100 selected flagship
companies.There is no denying that digitalisation is the way of the future. Recognising this factor, the
Retail and F&B Productivity Nexus Champion Dato’ Bruce Lim reiterated, “The Productivity initiatives for Retail and F&B have included support for digitalisation of business operation and
honing e-commerce capabilities.”

“By strengthening the Retail and F&B players’ competencies as well as providing necessary assistance throughout this transformative journey, this sector will have the opportunity, backed up by the right skills, to expand internationally,” added Dato’ Bruce.
The flagship programs are divided into three areas; Retail Digitalisation Program, O2O Growth Venture Program, and Top Transformers. Led by the Malaysian E-Commerce Chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah, the first flagship program centres on guiding and equipping selected brick and mortar retail business owners to understand, adapt and master the online revolution. This programme aims to attain sustainable growth as well as increase sales by taking their businesses online.

The O2O Growth Venture Program, helmed by Fave Founder Joel Neoh, emphasises on venturing into new online sales channel and business model to increase sales of businesses.
It also educates on the adoption of digital tools and consumer insights.
Meanwhile, the Top Transformers program is designed for leaders in Retailing and F&B who are tasked to manage people and deliver results regardless of ranking to produce a well-tuned working environment. The program, championed by PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd Group Chief Executive & Managing Director Dato’ Michael Tio, has kicked off in January and will
commence until March.

YB Dato’ Sri (Dr) Richard Riot expressed, “The time has come for our labour capital productivity to be further enhanced by embracing of the digital economy ecosystem. These
flagship programmes are all game-changers for the Retail and F&B industry as well as the people of Malaysia. I am truly pleased to see our nation on its way towards fully grasping the
possibilities the economy of the future holds for us.”

Productivity Nexus for the Retail and F&B industry is proudly supported by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC); Economic Planning Unit (EPU); Prime Minister’s Department; Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK); Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE); and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). This initiative is also slated to receive the support of Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF). Being a privately driven initiative, it is also in collaboration with Bumiputera Retailers
Organization (BRO); Malaysian m Franchise Association (MFA); Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA); and Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA).
Concurrently, K-Pintar has been appointed as the Project Manager and they will be tasked to measure the productivity levels of the participating companies while simultaneously
overseeing the entire project.

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Shell Helix-Waze Launches First Accident Prone Spots Alert to Make Malaysian Road Safer

Shell Lubricants Malaysia, through its market-leading Shell Helix brand of motor oil, has teamed up with Waze, the country’s most popular traffic and navigation app, to launch Asia’s first accident-prone spots alerts.

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The collaboration between the two leading global brands is aimed at making the roads safer for drivers this coming Ramadan and Aidilfitri season.

From May 16 till July 15, 2017, a special alert from Shell Helix will pop up on Waze to remind drivers to be extra vigilant when their cars approach any of the 50 accident-prone spots across Peninsular Malaysia.The locations were identified based on historical accident data submitted by Waze users.

The alert to drive carefully when approaching an accident-prone spot is aimed at helping drivers, especially during the peak travel periods at the beginning of Ramadan; during and after Aidilfitri. The message will only be displayed when the car is completely stationary to avoid distracting the driver.

Shell Lubricants Malaysia&Singapore, Marketing Manager Alex Lim Speech

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-05-25.

According to Shell Lubricants Malaysia and Singapore, Marketing Manager Alex Lim, the company is taking its road safety practices further through its smart collaboration with Waze so that drivers could take to the roads with less worry.

Waze Malaysia Business Manager Edward Ling Speech at Shell Helix-Waze Accident Prone Spot Launching

Uploaded by K Network Media on 2017-05-25.

Waze Malaysia Business Manager Edward Ling said that the accident-prone spots alert is a unique combination of two features in Waze – big data analytics, generated from a vibrant community of road users and the advertisement placement feature.

During the pre-peak travel period, Shell Helix will also be running a special oil change promotion for Waze users and members of the public who catch its Aidilfitri video on YouTube or Facebook to remind car owners to service their cars before embarking on a smoother ‘balik kampung’ journey.

By presenting a unique promo code that will be flashed on the Waze app and also in the video, car owners will enjoy up to RM30 off when they bring their cars in for an oil change service at participating Shell Helix branded workshops and Shell retail stations’ Lubebay service outlets.

Launched in 2014, the flagship Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology fully synthetic motor oil is the first and only motor oil to feature the revolutionary gas-to-liquid technology that converts natural gas into an ultra-clean and stable base oil.

This enables Shell Helix Ultra to deliver higher levels of cleansing and protection, meaning that no other motor oil keeps your engine closer to factory clean. Besides keeping the engine clean, Shell Helix Ultra also helps remove sludge left behind with inferior oils and provides superior wear and corrosion protection which can help to extend engine life and reduce maintenance costs.

In 2016, Shell Helix unveiled Malaysia’s first engine warranty programme, the Shell Helix Engine Warranty (S.H.E.W). The program covered the costs of repair or replacement of 15 engine components that may fail if it is ascertained that the Shell Helix motor oils fail to provide proper lubrication and protection. Available for free to Shell Helix users, S.H.E.W. is available to personal passenger vehicles that are registered to operate within Malaysia which are eight years old or less.  Shell Helix has recently increased eligibility to cars with mileage of 150,000 km or below.

For more information on the Shell Helix range of motor oils and details of the upcoming festive season promotions, please go to www.shell.com.my/helixraya.

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Singapore Property Investment Guide for Foreigners

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In times of economic uncertainty, it is a prudent decision to think about Singapore real estate investments. Real estate investments are perhaps the world’s safest investments. They are investments that cannot be stolen, lost or carried away. Empirical evidence has proved that if you invest smartly in real estate, you are bound to get good results. 

Today, Singapore is regarded as an A-rated economy with strong growth capabilities. It has a stable economy and is a hot destination for individuals who are interested to get long-term benefits. The last few years have seen an exponential growth of foreign investors who are ready to invest here and make some good deals. 

The market of Singapore property investment is favorable for foreign investors for a number of good reasons. The ownership laws here are completely clear and transparent. There is security of property rights too. The laws and regulations protect the buyers and the investor need not have to pay any capital gains tax. The foreigners are eligible for Singapore dollar mortgage loan. All these facilities allure more number of investors to take interest in the real estate market of Singapore.

The Government here has also given a strong commitment to real estate to attract a lot of foreign investors. It is a truly cosmopolitan city where foreigners find it easy to settle. It has a world class infrastructure with excellent roads, ports, and air transport facilities. It is all because of all these reasons that foreigners are interested in Singapore property investment. Findings show that Singapore is expected to benefit from a healthy growth in the market of real estate for many more years to come. 

Investing in the Singapore property can be your alternative source of income. You can go ahead and make the investments in real estate along with your current occupation. The best thing is that you can expect good returns on property investments without taxing yourself. The returns that you scour by investing in the property are more than what you get by venturing in any other occupation. There are several benefits of investing in the property. The feeling of being called the landlord or landlady will seep energy within you. If you are in the right direction, obviously, you can maximize your returns from the property investments.

But, before you go any further and take the decision to invest in any property, you need to have some guide. Here are the guides on the property investments to foreighners that will help you to make the right decision:

Do the research -You need to stay on the top, and for one reason you even deserve it. Property investments are coupled with research. It means you have to carry out research with respect to the location, area and your country. If you have done good research on the location, area and other aspects, surely, you’d see your investments growing.

Allocate the budget for investment – You need to allocate the budget for the property investments by figuring out land value, mortgage expenses, investment route, etc. It is better that you become serious about your budgetary allocations in the very starting! Of course, when it comes to the actual payment, you will need to prepare the payment for deposit and the setting in place of deadlines for payment of other fees (such as stamp duties).

Decide on your goals – Nothing comes out really well without the goals. In case of property investments, you need to set up your goal. You need to think objectively on your purpose behind investing in the property. Do you want to invest for the purpose of earning residual income? Do you want to earn one-time huge profit? Do you want to invest for the future? Think over on your goals!

Experience of property agent – It is a good idea that you will be investing in the real estate market. But, investing without the right kind of professional guidance can put your investments into a complete mess. Therefore, hire a professional and experienced real estate agent. A real estate agent will work as your consultant and you can seek financial advice when you invest in the real estate. A point of caution here! Make sure that you are frank with the property agent and discuss with him openly about the location, price and other aspects of the real estate property that you intend to buy.

Type of property – You need to have good and clear picture on the type of property that you wish to buy considering the abundance of property available in Singapore such as HDB, BTO, EC, Condominiums, Apartments, and Landed Housings. In this case, a real estate agent will be of immense help to you. But, have to put in place your common sense too. You should inspect the property and pay attention to the furnishings, fixtures and other value additions. Property investments are long term and high profile investments by all means. Your satisfaction is of great importance before you finally close the property deal.

Location – One of the key deciding factors in the property investment is the location. A good location will bring you awesome returns in the future. Your investments on the property will double or treble and it would be a sound gain. If the property location is not good, it is less likely that you could see its market value rising. Location plays a very crucial role in the property investment.

Reason for purchase – Are you purchasing the property for your family? Do you want to rent the property? If you are seeing your property as a long term investment and want to rent it, make sure that you check its rental yield. Prime locations usually have very high rental yield because the property in such types of locations are in high demand.

So, be smart and start searching for good deals now!

In the property market of Singapore, all types of properties flourish. There are both residential and commercial buildings for sale in the property launch. The residencial house is mostly in the form of apartments located in various districts of Singapore. The apartments here have the best of facilities and located very close to all the necessary civic amenities. The commercial buildings are built and rented out to companies. You can purchase either the part of the property or also the complete property. 

It is also recommended to choose the right builder so that the quality is maintained. The property websites do have discussion forum which comprise of like minded people who discuss about the property. Participating in such forums can help you get real information about Singapore property and its builders. Taking a calculated risk and investing in new property lauch Singapore would prove great profits.

It is not so difficult to find out about the opportunities that are there in the real estate market of Singapore. There are dozens of platforms that provide plenty of information about real estate bulk purchase and crowdfunding in Singapore. These platforms are for those who want take keen part in the ideas or projects created by the opportunity providers.

The platforms that educate investors and individuals about different real estate projects are really helpful. An investor gets ample opportunity to survey the market and find out what new offers and hot deals are there. If you too are a real estate enthusiast, prefer taking help of these online platforms. They are surely going to help you get positive results.

Majority of people in Singapore are contacting their property dealers and real estate businessmen in order to set up their business or buy a new place nearby. People dream about purchasing property in Singapore and now these dreams have come true by taking a drastic turn. On an average, 10 in 50 men buy property every day in Singapore to make this a better place.

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Must Visit Places in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Planning a short getaway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? This capital city of Malaysia is quite well known for being a home to plenty of unique place of interest. There are alot of things to see and do in Kuala Lumpur. First time international travelers might find it abit overwhelming; but moving around in Kuala Lumpur is pretty easy, so don’t panic. Most of the famous tourists attractions in Kuala Lumpur is located near to each other and reachable easily on foot or public transport. A designated guided tour on busses is also available for your convenience.

Accommodation is also not a problem in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are a wide range of hostels/hotels for you to choose from, depending on your budget. If you are traveling with family or planning for a long term stay, places like bangsar apartments are definitely a good deal. They offer accommodations that gives you the homey feel, complete with all the amnesties that you might need.

New hotels in Kuala Lumpur like Sunway Putra usually offers great promotion via sites like Traveloka Malaysia, so keep your eyes peeled for them whenever you book a hotel for your stay.

Here’s a brief guide on places you can visit during your stay in Kuala Lumpur:

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First of all, before you begin exploring Kuala Lumpur, stop by any Tourism Information Centre and get some brochures or informations that you need. (There are few prominent ones; in KLIA 1, KLIA 2, KL Sentral, Dataran Merdeka and MaTIC Jalan Ampang) These brochures usually contains maps and tips on getting around in Kuala Lumpur. Tourism Information Centre usually offers free souvenirs too; free beautiful postcards, button badges etc. The Tourism Information Centre is a must visit if you are a first time international travelers.

There are plenty of places of interest in Kuala Lumpur but here’s some ‘must visit’ destinations recommended for a 3 days visit in Kuala Lumpur:

1. Petronas Twin Tower

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Petronas Twin Tower is the iconic skyscraper located in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia’s official religion.

2. Aquaria KLCC

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The Aquaria KLCC is a world-class aquarium that showcases marine life and animals from Malaysia and around the world. The oceanarium showcase over 5,000 different exhibits of aquatic and land-bound creatures over a sprawling 60,000 square foot space right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s city centre.

3: MUD Performance, Panggung Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur

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A cultural performance in Kuala Lumpur City Hall that tells the story on how Kuala Lumpur comes about.  ‘MUD: Our Story of Kuala Lumpur’ tells a tale of three young men who made the journey from their village to a small tin mining town to seek their fortune. This heartwarming story is set against historical events of early Kuala Lumpur.

4. Pasar Seni

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Pasar Seni or Central Market is a cultural heritage site with restored art deco facade offering shopping, eateries & an outdoor stage.

5. National Mosque

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National Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. But apart from being a place of worship, it is also a commmunity centre where plenty of religion related activities and events is held. Apart from the 5 times daily prayers, common events that’s held daily over here are Quranic classes and solemnization of marriage. National mosque is open to public’s visit at certain hours during non prayer time.

6. Islamic Art Museum

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The museum is the largest museum of Islamic arts in South East Asia with more than seven thousand artefacts from the Islamic world.

7. KL Bird Park

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KL Bird Park is just 15 minutes walk away from the Islamic Arts Museum.
It is the home to more than 3,000 birds of approximately 200 species of local and foreign birds.

8. Kuala Lumpur City Gallery

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Located in Dataran Merdeka, it is about 20 minutes walk away from KL Bird Park. Kuala Lumpur City Gallery is an interesting tourist information centre with a collection of paintings and photos of KL’s history, plus miniature mock ups of famous city landmarks.

9. KL Tower

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Along with the Petronas Twin Towers, Menara KL Tower is easily Malaysia’s most recognizable and popular landmark. The tower stands at 421 metres with a viewing deck at 276 metres, at least 100 metres higher than the Petronas Twin Towers’ Skybridge; the view is splendid during the day and even better at night. There’s also an eco park and a small petting zoo at KL Tower. If you are not in a rush, you might want to visit these places too.

10. National Museum

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The National Museum is a museum located on Jalan Damansara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The museum is situated in close proximity to the Perdana Lake Gardens and it provides an overview of Malaysian history and culture.

Traveling via public transport and on foot is highly recommended in Kuala Lumpur if you are traveling alone, but if you are traveling in groups or family, taking taxi is much more cost efficient. Before you moan about how hard it is to grab a ride in Kuala Lumpur, please be assured that taxi services apps like Uber is usable in most places in  Malaysia, so just tap away on your smartphones and your rides will be at your disposal.

Malaysians generally speaks English well and are very friendly and helpful towards tourists, so if you need help or have any questions to while traveling, just ask away politely.

Hopefully the brief guide above will be somewhat helpful for those visiting Kuala Lumpur. Before I pen down, I bid you ‘Selamat datang’ and do enjoy your stay in Malaysia.

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Taiwan Welcomes Muslim Travelers in Time for Taiwan Campaign

Taiwan is a small island nation 180km east of China with contemporary cities, hot springs resorts and dramatic mountainous terrain. Taipei, the country’s capital in the north, is known for its busy night markets and street-food vendors, Chinese Imperial art at the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, a 509m-tall, bamboo-shaped skyscraper with an observation deck.

The island of Taiwan was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before Han Chinese began immigrating to the island in the 17th century.

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Taiwan today maintains a stable industrial economy as a result of rapid economic growth and industrialization, and is a destination of choice among tourists and travelers and realizing that, Taiwan Board of Tourism has launched Time for Taiwan campaign recently to encourage Muslim travelers to travel to Taiwan.

While the country enjoys healthy amount of tourists among Chinese dialects speaking travelers, Taiwan has becoming increasingly popular among non-Chinese speaking tourists and also among Muslims.

In the past, it is rather daunting for Muslim to travel in Taiwan as the language used nationwide is pretty much just Mandarin and the food are mostly non-halal. However, Muslim travel to Taiwan is certainly much easier these days as Taiwan has made it a point to accomodate Muslim tourists and travelers.

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See the picture? This is Pineapple cookies produced in Taiwan and has a Halal logo on it. Coming from the land of Roasted Pork and Xiao Long Bao, you may be surprised to discover that Taiwan has not one, but two halal certification boards. The Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THID) and the Chinese Muslim Association have both taken up the mantle of Halal watchdog. Though slightly different in their classification, both are fully Halal certified and safe for Muslims to enjoy. The associations also certify food products sold in supermarkets.The Chinese Muslim Association of Taiwan carries a list of Halal or Muslim friendly restaurants on its website, so if you are a Muslim planning to travel to Taiwan, you might want to check it out.

Taiwan boasts a surprising range of halal food options covering cuisines as varied as Chinese, Taiwanese and Indian. Muslim food is easier to find in more cosmopolitan Taipei, which cooks with no pork, lard or alcohol, but do be wary of street food as most are non- Halal.

Thanks to Taiwan’s government’s push to encourage Muslim travel to Taiwan, more hotels are getting their restaurants halal-certified and adding signs of Qiblah in their rooms pointing to Mecca for the convenience of Muslims to observe their daily 5 times prayers.

There isn’t a centralized listing for prayer rooms in Taiwan, but Taipei does have mosques. A full list of mosques in Taiwan can also be found on the Chinese Muslim Association website.The Association also has headquarters in Taipei City that are worth a visit if you’d like to find out more about Islam in Taiwan.

So if you are a Muslim and has fear of the unknown in Taiwan, worry and doubt no more as Taiwan is now a hub for Muslim tourist and is Muslim traveler friendly.

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The End of Chinese Miracles

What do you know about China? In the distant past, China was pretty much a mysterious world. There’s kingdoms within kingdoms where dynasties and emperors rules, great warriors skilled with martial arts, palace with forbidden harems and such. Ancient China was fascinating and intriguing. But that’s all in the past. If you ask me today what I knew and understand about China, I would define China as a communist country in East Asia and it is the most populated country in the world and is basically the ‘World’s Factory’ that produces quality goods.

Being a Malaysian, I’m no stranger to Chinese goods and products. Malaysia have a pretty good diplomatic and business relationship with China and our country imported almost everything from China, from textile to food to electronic appliances and automobiles, you name it. Visit a mall in Malaysia and you will see almost everything has a ‘Made in China’ label attached on it. Things that’s made in China is everywhere in Malaysia and I daresay that every household in Malaysia would at least have a couple of items that’s made in China in their home.

Frankly speaking, China is like a ‘God of Everything’ for us Malaysians. It is indeed a miraculous country that can produce anything that we could ask for.

I never gave much thoughts on how the goods from China was produced and what it took to accomplish that until I stumbled upon this video by Financial Times.

The End of the Chinese Miracle by Financial Times.

The video is an in depth documentary that takes a look at China’s economy and labour force and investigates how one of the world’s most powerful and populous country’s has reached a critical new chapter in its history that might put an end to all to all the miracles that they have been doing so far.

Why did I say that? Well, take a look at the video. According to the video, since the 1980s, millions of Chinese moved to the cities to find better paid jobs in the factories. From what I understand, this was the biggest migration recorded in the history of the world. These migrant workers would work in the cities for several years, sending money to their families, and saving as much as they can before going back when they get older. These people lived in stuffed communal dormitories, ate in the crowded factory’s canteen and worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. But as time goes by and China developed, the people becomes more educated and well informed than their forefathers, lesser people are opting moving to the cities just to work with minimal wages. The first generations of the migrant workers are already in their golden age and not quite fit for factories employment anymore and the younger generations are saying absolute no to cheap labour. This can only translate to one thing, and one thing only; productivity will slows down and the Chinese economy will go into reverse.

Many factories in China resorted to either closing down their factories and relocating to other places in South East Asia like Vietnam, where they are still in the initial stage of development and minimum wages job opportunities are more welcomed. A sensible option in terms of business, I must say, but there are others who opt to import workers from poorer countries to cater to their needs, which can be very dangerous as it is done illegally. The video offers insights on the lives of the migrant workers and their hardship and is really an eye opener.

Being a business owner myself, I am pretty much worried how this trend will affect Malaysian and global economy in general as China has always been a reliable source of goods, but at the same time I couldn’t help but ponder on the humanitarian side of things.

Financial Times definitely hits the nail this time by documenting this. Is this really the end of the Chinese miracle? Watch the video and let me know what you think and if you are interested for a more in depth reading on the issue, you might want to head over HERE
and read up.

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One Stop Information Portal For BR1M

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BR1M 2016 or rather Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia 2016 is a Malaysian government’s initiative to ease the citizens’ plight in dealing with the skyrocketing cost of living. Launched during Tun Abdullah Badawi’s tenure as Prime Minister of Malaysia as a one shot solution to give back to the people,  the effort is continued by the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The BRIM 2016 aid is upgraded to a few different payment schemes compared to previous payout to household and single individuals. As the government is aware of difficulties that Rakyat is facing, the minimum eligibility of BR1M aid has been raised to RM 4,000 monthly income per household. To date, a total of 7.1 million applicants received the BR1M aid for 2016.

First time BR1M applicant? Application for BR1M 2016 can be made both online and offline. Not sure how to go about it? Well, fret not, just hop over to https://www.br1m.info/.

This website is frequently updated and is packed with information. Easy to navigate and mobile responsive, the website has everything that you need to know about BR1M.

In the website you will be able to find:

* Latest news about BR1M
*Tips on managing your finance
*Official announcement from relevant ministry regarding to the BR1M scheme.
*Guide and tips on making a new BR1M application online and offline.
*Guide and tips on updating your application info
*BR1M payment scheme and schedule
*Guide on checking your BR1M status
*Guide to making appeals for those who failed to get their BR1M 2016 application approved.

Basically the website is a one stop portal for everything that you want and need to know about BR1M, so if you have any questions regarding to BR1M, be it making a new BR1M application or making an appeal, this is the place you would want to go. So what are you waiting for? Hop over and knock yourselves out, and I bid you good luck in your endeavours.

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Eradicate Urban Poverty Through Smart Investment

Living in the city does not necessarily mean that you are wealthy. That is a terrible misconception.

Many urbanites in Malaysia, especially blue collars who are living in big cities, admitted that their salaries are not even enough to cover for their expenses every month. Those who have familial and marital commitment, could be heard complaining about their struggles pretty often, be it while having a chit chat with friends at their regular Mamak joints or ranting on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Let’s admit it, most of us who are living in the city could barely survive the current economy in Malaysia, what more thrive and grow from it, but whining or telling sob stories about your financial struggles or putting the blame solely on the current economic environment is not exactly a solution.

Urban poverty cannot be eradicated by just whining. Complaining will only makes things worst as self pity gets you nowhere and merely escalate the stress that you are having to a much more serious problem and consequently lead to mental illness such as severe depression and acute anxiety. Truth be told, doing such things will only overwhelm you with negative energies and engulf you with negative aura. Those who believed in the Law of Attraction would know that negative thinking and negative attitude could only attract negative people and situations continuously. Do keep in mind that good things can only be attracted by positive attitude.

To get out of urban poverty and improve personal finance, the first thing you need to do is stop complaining and stop making excuse for yourselves. True enough, middle class person could go nowhere by just doing their day job that pays peanuts. But one could actually go further and improve their financial situation if they make some effort to produce side income in order to cope with their struggles.

There are plenty of ways to generate more income and add extra figures to your savings account, but my favourite ought to be investment.

Investment is basically buying or creating an asset with the expectation of capital appreciation, dividends profit, interest earnings, rents, or some combination of these returns. Most forms of investment involve some form of risk, such as investment in equities, property, and even fixed interest securities which are subject, among other things, to inflation risk. But then again, done right, you could not only get out of urban poverty but improve your standard of living as well.

If you are interested to raise the standard of living and get out of urban poverty, you can consider making some investments. Not sure how? Fret not. There are plenty of financial consultants out there who are ready to help you and consult you on your financial needs. All you need to do is consult them and do some homework before you make the leap.

You can check out https://www.personal-loan.my/ should you want to make some investment to generate revenue. The site is dedicated to keep you updated on latest news and hacks in the financial world. The site is both web and mobile friendly and easy to navigate while the articles in the site are well-researched and insightful. It is written in easy to understand compositions and even a novice would be able to comprehend and benefit from the tips given in this site.

Once you browsed the site, you’ll discover that they have plenty of articles covering all things related to finance and economy. It is a great site to browse and study if you intend to invest in unit trust and property or even take personal loan for whatever reason.

I would like to believe that all of us live not to just work to pay bills but to accumulate wealth so that the next generation will have a better life and future than us. So, stop giving yourselves excuses and find problems in every solution and start considering to make a change in your life.

Put a stop to urban poverty. Help yourselves. Nobody can do that except yourselves. That said, I bid you best of luck in your financial endeavour, and may us all be blessed with a better future.

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