LIMA 2017 - Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition

If you are in Langkawi, what a sweet spot to be, that is if you enjoy airplanes and such. This is because Langkawi is hosting the 14th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) 2017. Set to be bigger and better, the exhibition is from March 21 to 25.

Russian knight: The Russian Air Force’s aerobatic demonstration team’s Sukhoi Su-30SM fighter jet landing in Langkawi for Lima 2017 - The Star

The Star reported that:

Aeroplanes and fighter jets worldwide are landing at the airport here and warships and vessels of all sizes are coming in to berth at Resorts World Langkawi (RWL).

With more than 500 maritime and aerospace companies from 36 countries taking part in Lima 2017, the exhibition this year is touted to be the biggest one yet.

There will be 103 aircraft for aerial and static displays and 61 vessels coming in exclusively for the exhibition.

Also in store to provide thrills to visitors are performances by four aerobatic teams – the world renowned Black Eagles of the Republic of Korea Air Force, the Indian Air Force’s helicopter display team Sarang, the Jupiter Aerobatic Team of the Indonesian Air Force and the Russian Air Force’s very own Russian Knights.

The Black Eagles and Sarang will be showing off their skills for the first time in Malaysia.

Air show enthusiasts will be in for a treat as the Russian Knights, who were last here in Lima 2013, are returning to wow the crowd with their spanking new Flanker-Cs (Sukhoi Su-30SM) fighter jets.

Painted in white, blue and red, the performance in Lima 2017 will be the foreign debut for the newly-equipped team.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) will also be displayed.

They include the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator by the United States Air Force, the US Navy’s Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout, the Thales Fulmar UAV by Thales Group, and the AUV62-AT by SAAB.

The organisers are targeting 40,000 trade visitors and some 140,000 public visitors.

The exhibitions and displays for the aerospace segment will be held at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC) while the maritime segment will take place at RWL.

The exhibitions and demonstrations are open to the public from 9am to 4pm on Friday and Saturday, the last two days of the exhibition.

The first three days are for delegates and trade visitors only.

The maritime and warship static exhibition at RWL, however, is open to the public beginning Wednesday, from 8am to 6.30pm.

Entrance to MIEC is RM10 per visitor while it is free at RWL.

Held biennially since 1991, Lima 2017 is jointly-organised by the Defence Ministry and EN Projects (M) Sdn Bhd, with the support of several ministries, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, the police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Fire and Rescue Department, and the Royal Malaysian Customs.

For more information, log on to www.limaexhibition.com or www.facebook.com/lima.langkawi.

Penang - one of 10 destinations in Asia that seem to be straight out of a fairytale

If you have never been to Penang and may sometimes wonder about it, you might find this little snippet of information useful.

Penang, with its tasty mixture of Indian, Chinese and Malay influences, is literally a nirvana for bona fide lovers. From spicy curries to delectable laksas and savoury soups, Penang has a wide array of mouth-watering treats that will definitely appease your taste buds and cravings. As an added plus, most of the restaurant food in Penang is amazingly cheap, allowing you to binge without breaking the bank.

But, there’s more to Penang than its blooming and established culinary scene. Drenched in history, natural beauty and culture, Penang is also rich in ornate religious sites, sand beaches, kampungs surrounded by rice paddies, and sprawling unbeaten jungles. Furthermore, it is dotted with charming, picture-perfect historic buildings that would remind of your fairytale buildings and scenes.


The piece above borrowed from Homeaway by Expedia lists Penang as one of 10 destinations in Asia that seem to be straight out of a fairytale.

Penang is also drawing tourists for their street art (as in image) and other art installations on the island. The street art pieces are mainly the work of Lithuanian artist.

In conjunction with Penang Georgetown Festival a few years ago, certain old walls within Georgetown (Penang's capital) were given a new lease of life, thanks to the talent and efforts of Lithuanian artist, Ernest Zacharevic, Penang Street Art artist.

Mr Zacharevic leaves his mark of beautiful wall paintings of children, of life, all across historical Georgetown. I have friends who have gone a-hunting for these art pieces. The artworks are funny, fascinating, and they tell a story of an era past in this rich historical part of the country.

Some examples borrowed from OnlyPenang below..

Penang Street Art, Ernest’s neighbour, who is actually famous wooden clogs painter, Mr. Ng Chai Tiam, Armenian Street Art Cafe

Penang Street Art, “Children in a Boat” Mural, Chew Jetty, George Town, Penang

Penang Street Art, “Little Children on a Bicycle” Mural, Armenian Street, George Town, Penang

Besides the paintings, another form of art installation to watch out for when in Penang are the wire caricature installations. These metal sculptures blend humour and historical facts of the early settlement days that give some streets their name.

There's even an installation for Jimmy Choo at Lebuh Leith/Lebuh Muntri. This is where the famous shoe designer started his apprenticeship. That's right. Jimmy Choo is a Penangite.

Now, are you stoked enough to go street art hunting (besides food hunting) in Penang? To help you along, here's a map from TourismPenang. It shows all the locations of the art installations, both the paintings and wire caricatures. Print a copy to bring along.

Happy hunting!


For more information about Penang, visit:

- Penang Tourism

- Tourism Malaysia

Time to invest in Malaysia?

Credit Suisse (CS) said it is now time for investors to put their funds into Malaysian stocks as current valuations indicate that local equities are poised for a strong recovery.

Malaysia has underperformed its peers in the emerging markets due to several reasons, among them being the downward pressure on the ringgit as well the selldown in heavyweight sectors such as banks.

Below are 10 reasons to go bullish on Malaysia..

Continue reading The Star: Credit Suisse: It’s time to invest in Malaysia

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman among top 120 Asian universities

This is great news for Malaysia..

The Star:

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Malaya has been listed in the top 100 bracket of Asia Universities ranking 2017 by Times Higher Education (THE).

THE said in a statement that UM, a new entrant in the top 100 list, was placed at 59th while Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) emerged for the first time in the top 120 bracket.

Other Malaysian universities to make it in the ranking are Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Putra Malaysia (within 121-130 band), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (141-150 band), Universiti Sains Malaysia (151-160 band) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (161-170 band).

Universiti Teknologi MARA and Universiti Utara Malaysia ranked at 251+.

THE rankings editor Phil Baty said it was great news that Malaysia has more than doubled its representation in this year's ranking of Asia's best universities, claiming nine places in the top 300 list, up from four last year.

"Overall, this ranking of Asia's best 300 universities proves what a dynamic, diverse and competitive higher education region in the continent is becoming.

Malaysia is a key part of that development but must make sure it does not get left behind," he said.
THE World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research intensive universities across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. - Bernama