MAS ~ KIDS FLY FREE PROMOTION

Malaysia Airlines will commence daily Airbus A380 service on the Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong route effective 1 May 2013. The 494-seater super jumbo will be replacing one of the current B737-800 double daily services on this route. Flight MH72 from Kuala Lumpur will now depart at 9.15am and arrive Hong Kong at 1.05pm, while MH73 from Hong Kong leaves at 2.45pm and arrives in Kuala Lumpur at 6.25pm.

With super deals from only RM380 one-way and RM760 return all-inclusive, customers can now experience refined travel on Malaysia Airlines’ A380 Economy Class which comprises a total of 420 seats. 350 seats are located on the main deck and 70 on the upper deck. The forward recline seats come equipped with individual PED power supply, USB port and 10.6 inches in-flight entertainment touch screen.  There are 8 First Class seats on the main deck and 66 Business Class seats on the upper deck. Sales period : 13 April - 20 May 2013. Travel period : 01 May - 30 November 2013. 

Terms and conditions apply.

KIDS FLY FREE PROMOTION

Family trips are now more affordable with Malaysia Airlines. From 29 April, just purchase an adult seat in Economy Class and receive a complimentary seat for any child aged 12 or below.

Extra 10kg baggage allowance

Mas baggage allowance for Economy Class is now 30kg. That means you and your child can carry more of your favourite things!

Terms and conditions

• Booking period: 29 Apr 2013 to 20 May 2013.
• Travel period: 29 Apr 2013 to 31 May 2013.
• Eligibility: For every paying adult, one accompanied child or infant is entitled to fly for free.
• Valid for Economy Class purchases only.
• Not applicable for promotional fares.
• Complimentary child ticket applicable for first accompanied child. For second child onwards, normal fares will apply.
• Valid for all international sectors, except for Kuala Lumpur-Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur-Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur-Chennai, Kuala Lumpur-Bangalore and all domestic sectors.
• Promotion is not applicable during peak periods, demand flights and subject to seat availability.

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Turkish Airlines flies to Kuala Lumpur …

Istanbul, Turkey

Turkish Airlines has added Kuala Lumpur to its route map…

From 25 April 2013, the Istanbul-based carrier will start operating three weekly flights to the Malaysian capital, with services departing every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. This frequency will be increased to four flights per week from 17 June 2013, with the addition of a Wednesday service.

All services will be operates using the airline’s Airbus A340 aircraft, departing Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport at 0115 and arriving into KL at 1650. The return leg will depart Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 2315, arriving back into Turkey’s largest city at 0535 the following day.

With the addition of Kuala Lumpur, Turkish Airlines will fly to 222 flight destinations in 98 countries. The Malaysian capital also becomes Turkish’s fifth destination in Southeast Asia, following Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta and Singapore.

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Sobering thoughts!

9 Things That May Disappear In Our Lifetime

Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come.

1. The Post Office

Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.



2. The Cheque

Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with cheque by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process cheques. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the cheque. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business


3. The Newspaper

The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services


4. The Book

You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.


5. The Land Line Telephone

Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.


6. Music

This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies." 


7. Television

Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix. 


8. The "Things" That You Own

Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert. 


9. Privacy

If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again.

All we will have left that can't be changed are "Memories"....

And then probably Alzheimer's will take that away from us too !

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Hong Kong - A Muslim-friendly destination

Hong Kong - A Muslim-friendly destination

Hong Kong has been home to a vibrant Muslim community for more than a century. Today, there is an estimate of 220,000 Muslims* amidst Hong Kong’s 7 million population. Muslim visitors will feel welcomed from the moment they enter the country to conducting their daily religious duties. There is also a range of restaurants throughout the city that serve Halal food, with Halal Restaurant Certificate issued by the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong.

In its ongoing effort to attract Muslim tourists, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) recently co-hosted a Hong Kong Muslim Workshop with Hong Kong tour operator, Uni Asia Tours, to update the local trade members on the latest tourism developments in Hong Kong and showcase its Muslim-friendly facilities and services. Among those present were Hong Kong trade partners such as Big Bus Tours, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Cosmo Mongkok Hotel, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Regal Airport Hotel and Mufti Haji Muhammad Arshad, the Chief Imam of Hong Kong and Chief Imam of Kowloon Mosque, was also present at the workshop to share some of the key facilities catered for the Muslim community.

Hong Kong's Chief Imam Mufti Haji Muhammad Arshad shared in his presentation, "Amongst the amenities and attractions catered to Muslim visitors are Hong Kong's major mosques and there are also restaurants throughout the city which serve Halal cuisine such as Indian, Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Western and Chinese." The briefing aims to provide the local trade members in Malaysia a better understanding on the Muslim friendly's facilities in Hong Kong and share insights to assist them to cater to their Muslim clients' needs in tour planning to Hong Kong.

To cater to the needs of Muslim travellers to Hong Kong, HKTB has launched a revamped Muslim Guide. This handy guide introduces the places to visit, halal restaurants and information on mosques around Hong Kong. With this guidebook, Muslim visitors can be assured of the convenience and minimise the language barrier when in Hong Kong.

1. Mosques

Masjid Jamia
If you are in the vicinity of the Central Mid-Levels escalator, make a trip to the oldest mosque in Hong Kong. Every Friday, hundreds of devout Muslims from around the world pass through its gates for weekly prayers. The mosque also conducts Quran recital and religious class for children almost every evening.

Address: 30, Shelley Street, Central
Tel: 852 2523 7743

Masjid Kowloon
Situated just beside the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR and right in front of Grandville road, the Kowloon mosque is one of the most well-known buildings in Hong Kong because of its imposing minarets. In addition to having four floors, the mosque can hold approximately 5,000 people in its main prayer hall. Just like other mosques in Hong Kong, Kowloon mosques holds religious classes for both children and adults.

Address: 105, Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: 852 2724 0095

Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre
This eight-floor-building has everything under one roof including a mosque, office of the Islamic Body, kindergarten, library and eating area. Three main Islamic organisations have set up their offices here - the Hong Kong Islam Association, the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Muslim Youth Association. The mosque can hold up to 700 people.

Address: 40, Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai
Tel: 852 2575 2218

2. Halal Cuisine

Islamic Centre Canteen

Sample some of Hong Kong's famous dim sum at this one and only halal dim sum restaurant located on the fifth level of the Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre. A wide variety of mouth watering dim sum such as siu mai, prawn dumplings and Cantonese desserts like egg custard buns are quite popular.

Address: 5/F, Masjid Ammar & Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre. 40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai
Tel: 852 2834 8211

Jashan Celebrating Indian Cuisine

"Jashan" means "Celebration" in Indian. A true representation of the diversity and richness of Indian culture, The signature dishes here are the Malabari fish curry, Sandal Wood Chicken, chicken or lamb kebab and pulao rice. This restaurant is also one of the QTS merchant (Quality Tourism Services Scheme) where high standards of quality and service are assured. 

Address: 7/F, 1 Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: 852 23127800

Ebeneezer Kebab & Pizzeria

Established in 1993, Ebeneezer's specializes in Kebabs, Curries, Pizzas, Biryanis, Salads, and Fish-N-Chips. This restaurant is one of the most recognised Halal fast food joints in Hong Kong that has two branches in Wanchai as well as one in Lan Kwai Fong. With 12 different kinds of dressings for your kebab to choose from, this restaurant is a must-try!

Address: Shop No.G034A, Discovery Bay Plaza, Discovery Bay.
Tel: 852 29870036

3. Halal Certification and QTS

Muslim visitors can be assured with restaurants displaying the Halal Certificates issued by the Incorporated Trustees of Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong and shops with the QTS (Quality Tourism Services) sign which indicates that they have passed stringent annual quality assessments showing that they:

- Provide clearly displayed prices;
- Display clearly product information; and
- Ensure superb customer service.

The Quality Tourism Services Scheme is organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which also provides assistance for enquiries about purchases from shops and restaurants accredited by the QTS Scheme.

To get a soft copy of the Muslim Tourist Guide to Hong Kong, send an email to sinwwo@hktb.com.


For more information on Hong Kong, visit DiscoverHongKong.com

* Source: Hong Kong Yearbook 2010

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The 8th International Tulip Festival began in Istanbul …

A total of 14 million 420 thousand tulips of 270 different varieties — almost equal to one for each person living in the city have been planted for Istanbul in 2013.

Istanbul is once again preparing to welcome the International Istanbul Tulip Festival. Every April since 2006 the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality has planted nearly 100 million tulips, symbolizing the coming of spring, in İstanbul’s parks, avenues, roundabouts and practically anywhere there is open ground. The result is a tradition of a splendid spring flower festival with bright splashes of color everywhere.

This year, as part of the eighth edition of the International Istanbul Tulip Festival, which will take place on April 1-30, about 14,420,000 tulips — almost equal to one for each person living in the city — of 270 different varieties have been planted in Istanbul.

Please contact us for more details on this unique “TULIPS ” experience ....

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