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

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year or Spring festival, i.e., the first day of this most important Chinese festival. It is also the first day of the Year of the Snake. Chinese New Year is celebrated for fifteen days.

You can read about what we do on the First day of Chinese New Year and about the Reunion dinner on Chinese New Year eve.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Auspicious days to start work after Chinese New Year festival

It is exactly a week from today when the Chinese community all over the world celebrates the most important festival of the lunar year, i.e., the Chinese New Year or Spring festival.

Chinese families are busy going about cleaning up their home and shopping for Chinese New Year goodies. The latter includes shopping for new clothes to wear to usher in the new year, decorative items including tangerine plants, pussy willow stalks and other flowering plants to adorn the home, and foodstuff synonymous with the happy occasion.

In Malaysia, more than 30% of the population are of Chinese descent so Chinese New Year is widely celebrated here. If you visit Malaysia this time of the year, you will notice the air of festivity everywhere and a hive of activity all over the country, from villages and small towns to big cities like Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown (Penang) and Johor Bahru down south, neighbour to Singapore.

Another aspect related to Chinese New Year is the annual exodus of people making their way back to their hometown to celebrate the festival with their family. In a few days time, roads all over the country will see more traffic than usual as people begin to make their journey home.

Chinese New Year is celebrated for fifteen days but people start getting back to work towards the end of the week. It is believed that the day one starts work after the Spring Festival will determine whether one will have a good year ahead. What is an auspicious day to start work then?

This article on Auspicious days and dates to start work after Chinese New Year 2013 in Year of the Snake can give you an idea in picking a best day to go back to work.

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year of the Black Water Snake!

GONG XI FA CAI!