Bringing Hope To Children of Rumah Kanak-Kanak Kuching

On Saturday 23rd May 2009, about 7 K&D team members along with top management team visited the Rumah Kanak-Kanak Kuching at Bt12, Jalan Kuching-Serian.They took along donated items to given away to the children. They also took along a few treats for the children too. The shelter is under the administration of Malaysia Ministry of Welfare @ Jabatan Kebajikan Malaysia.

After a brief introduction to the shelter, which has about 47 children in residence, K&D team members started off the event with a brief session of speech from the shelter's Principal: Cik Khoriyah, Kuching Call Center Center Head: Miss Evelyn Sambun & K&D staff: Mdm Nancy. The children were happy to see the team, and several ran up for hugs and hand slaps. In this shelter we met many amazing kids and their caretakers. We had a great team of volunteers too that come out to participate in this joyous event. We thank you (En.Azmi Sidik,Roydee) for your kind support! For this visit, the team managed to collect about 18 boxes of clothing, school supplies,stationaries,books & toys. Giving is so much more fun than receiving!

K&D team also has manage to grab a superb deal of party package by KFC(A big thank you to Puan Kamasiah on negotiation part!). With the special appearance of Chicky (KFC's mascot), KFC staffs & K&D team members played several games and danced poco-poco with the children. It was great fun!

By noon KFC , K&D staffs gave out Chicky meals to all of the children, using some of the donated food and drink from the students, and after everyone had enjoyed their lunch, the children returned to rooms. All in all it was a wonderful visit and will remain a special place in the hearts of all those who participated.

*All the photos are taken by Roydee George.

Ditch that softphone! Lets ZUMBA! ^_^

C'mon! Lets ZUMBA after work girls! ^_^

Ehem..readers , it is not a dance club. Part dance, part aerobics, Zumba is an hourlong routine that works almost every muscle in the body. It is an aerobic exercise routine inspired by Latin dance. It was founded by Miami-based dancer and choreographer Alberto 'Beto' Perez and two local entrepreneurs, Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion.

Aerobic Workout & Class Format
A Zumba workout mixes body sculpting movements with dance steps mainly derived from Latin music. The routines feature aerobic interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms. It targets areas such as the gluteals, legs, arms, abdominals, and the heart. A Zumba class is typically not formulaic in that instructors often add on their own music choices and choreographies to make their class presentation locally unique.

Music
Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms.

Unfortunately, Zumba classes are not offered here in Kuching. But those in KL, you can enroll for Zumba classes at CaliforniaFitness!

Have fun Zumba-ing people! Ay carambaaaa!

Rainforest World Music Festival 2009,Kuching,Sarawak,Malaysia

About
Bringing together an eclectic range of musical styles and traditions from all corners of the globe, the annual Rainforest World Music Festival is a fantastic celebration of ethnic music, cultures and the natural environment. During the day visitors can enjoy a lively blend of informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts. Come the evening, the main performers take to the stage and really get the party in full swing. There's also a crafts and arts market and numerous food and drink stalls selling tasty dishes from all over the world.

Where
Sarawak Cultural Village

Only 45 minutes away from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, and a stone's throw away from the quiet beach resort area of the Santubong Peninsula, the beautiful 17-acre Sarawak Cultural Village presents inhabited replicas of the traditional dwellings found in the interior and coastal areas of Sarawak, thus preserving the architectural traditions of the many different ethnic groups that make up the population of Sarawak.

Getting There
Bus: A regular Kuching-Damai shuttle bus service operates from outside the Holiday Inn in Kuching with drop-offs at the resort hotels and Sarawak Cultural Village. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes

How Much?

TICKET PRICE	Type of Pass Adult (RM) aged 12 years & above Child (RM) aged 3-12 years 1-Day Pass RM90.00 RM45.00 3-Days Pass RM250.00 RM100.00

The cut-off date for the sale of 3-day passes has been set on 26 June 2009 after which only daily passes will be on-sale.

For gate sale over the 3-day festival, only daily passes will be on sale and the ticket prices will be as follows:-

1-day (adult) – RM100.00 per ticket

1-day (child of 3 to 12 years old) – RM55.00 per ticket

For more information

http://www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com
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Never been to Miri, Sarawak? Fear not! =)

Getting To Miri

Miri airport receives flights from Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru and Labuan, and interstate flights from Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and other smaller airports in and around Miri.

Airport Transport
Travel agents and hotels usually pick up their guests from the airport. Taxis into town are readily available, paid for by a ‘taxi coupon’ purchased at the airport.

Immigration Formalities
Non-Malaysians need a valid passport, with a minimum of six months validity from their arrival date. Sarawak has its own immigration control; arrivals from Sabah or Peninsular Malaysia still need to undergo immigration clearance. Visitors to Brunei may need to apply for a Brunei visa. For peninsular Malaysians and Sabahans, Mykad may be used for immigration clearance and those intending to stay beyond six months, passport is required.

"Tunggu apa lagik..juh berambeh ke Miri! " =)

Miri International Jazz Festival 8th-9th May 2009 @ Miri,Sarawak,Malaysia

JAZZ lovers, mark this date in your diary. The coming fourth edition of the Miri International Jazz Festival (MIJF) — organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) — will see performances from jazz bands from various countries and their genre of jazz includes blues, fusion, world, smooth and Latino beat.

To be stage at the Pavilion of Parkcity Everly Hotel Miri, the festival will be held on May 8 and 9, 2009. The bands that will be performing the festival are Dites 34 from France, Thompson Big Band (Singapore), Jeff Maluleke (South Africa), Alamode (Australia), John Neptune - Steps in Time (Japan), Bombay Baja (India/England) and Double Take (Malaysia).

As part of Miri's tourism calendar, MIJF 2009 will also see Rumba Calzada making its second appearance at the festival. As in MIJF tradition, the Canadian band which play jazz beat with Latino influence was voted as the crowd favourite at this year's festival. Led by Raphael Geronimo, the band had the crowd going crazy dancing to their blend of Latino beat with Afro Cuban rhythm.

Fans of Rumba Calzada should not miss the chance to see and dance to the salsa beat of their favourite group performing again at the MIJF stage next year. STB is targeting at attracting a crowd of 8,000 to the festival next year and it is optimistic of achieving that target in view of the overwhelming respond towards MIJF 2008 which saw a crowd of more than 6,000 attending the festival during the two nights.

For more info: http://www.mirijazzfestival.com

source:http://www.bt.com.bn/en/life/2009/01/25/miri_jazz_fest_returns_with_new_ensemble