May 5 - Malaysia Polling Day - General Election 13

Today, Malaysians go to the polls to decide on the government for the next five years. Currently, the caretaker government is the National Front (Barisan Nasional) which has ruled the country for more than five decades since Malaysia's independence in 1957.

Will Barisan Nasional continue it's 'reign' or will Malaysia see a new government from the Opposition (Pakatan Rakyat or People's Alliance) occupying Putrajaya?

Source: The Star
We will know the results tonight..

Candidates are vying for 222 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats which means some polling centres will have two ballot boxes.

Several states in the country have declared today or Monday a public holiday. Sunday is a workday in some states.

Balloting is from 8am to 5pm. Schools have been used as ballot centres.

Flash floods wreaked havoc in Kuala Lumpur yesterday

Malaysia, not having any active volcano on her soil, does not go through the experience of any volcanic activity. However, visitors to Kuala Lumpur must have had an unpleasant experience yesterday if they happened to be in parts of KL that were affected by flash floods after a thunderstorm in the evening.

Nothing to be proud of, these floods in the city centre, but we could do better, of course. A couple of pictures here on the flash floods in KL to expand on the story.

Weather is not expected to improve today according to the Met department.

Still, enjoy your visit with us! Welcome to Malaysia, Truly Asia!

Polls on May 5, EC announces

Yep, the much-awaited Polling day for GE13 will be on May 5, on a Sunday. Read more..

Malaysia General Election 13 (GE13) is on!

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced this morning that the King has consented to the dissolution of Parliament today, Wednesday.

Elections will have to be held in the next 60 days. More..Malaysia Parliament has been dissolved paving the way for GE13

Kuala Lumpur is hazy today

It is a hazy day in Kuala Lumpur today. Smells like someone's having a huge barbecue party. Air quality looks pretty bad.

As I am writing this, it looks as though we are about to get some rain, which is just what the city needs to wash away the smog that is hovering overhead.

In the image above taken this morning, the Petronas Twin Towers are but a watermark against the sky.

Formula 1 is in Kuala Lumpur this weekend

If you are in Kuala Lumpur and noticed a lot more tourists than usual the past week or so, it could be due to Formula One (F1) being in town.

That's right, this is F1 weekend here in the city. It's all happening at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from 22 to 24 March.

If you are visiting KL as a tourist and was having difficulty securing a hotel room, F1 could also be the reason. Hotel accommodations in the city and surrounding areas have been booked solid and at easily three times the rate of a non-F1 period. Take a cue here, if you plan to visit KL on a Formula One period, best to book months ahead to secure accommodation.

Read more about the huge Formula 1 event on exclusive merchandise sale, exhibitions, concerts, etc.


Image source: formula1.com

Malindo Air on its maiden flight - from Kota Kinabalu

Malaysia's second low-cost carrier takes to the skies today, March 22.  It's maiden flight is from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu at 6:50am.

Malindo Air is more than a low-cost carried being set up positioning between full-service airlines and low-cost carriers. In the local context, Malindo Air stands in between Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia.

Malindo Air takes off from KLIA (KL International Airport)..

Read more about Malindo Air..plus check out pictures of the aircraft.


Image source: malindoair.com

University of Reading to offer free UK-based online courses

Malaysia is not only a popular destination for medical tourism, Malaysia is becoming a popular destination for higher education further boosted by more and more foreign universities setting up their campus here in the country.

Recently it was announced that the University of Reading will soon be providing free UK-based online courses from partner institutions accessible to prospective students directly through their computers and mobile devices.

The University of Reading is in the course of setting up its Malaysian campus in Johor.

From The Star..

THE University of Reading, regarded as one of the better known universities in the United Kingdom (UK), will be providing free online courses soon.

The varsity will launch the initiative as part of Futurelearn together with some of UK’s top tertiary institutions, which British Prime Minister David Cameron announced recently when he led a trade mission to India.

Futurelearn, he said will establish the UK as a global leader in online higher education, offering world-ranking UK university courses to students throughout the world. The online courses will be available to students in the latter part of the year.

The news comes as the University of Reading prepares for its ground-breaking ceremony on the site of its Malaysian campus at EduCity@Iskandar in Johor.
More..Free UK-based online courses