Visiting Malaysia

CEBU, Philippines - AirAsia Zest, the Filipino low cost airline that flies hand in hand with AirAsia Carrier recently launched its first international flight from Mactan Cebu International Airport to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia carrying 128 guests, among them a few selected media practitioners.

Upon arrival in KL, we proceeded to Muar Restaurant for our first taste of Chinese, Indian and Malaysian cuisine.

KL, the capital and largest city of Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia bordered by Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. From the mining settlement in    1857, KL has grown into a reputable urban city today, leading the nation in development in trade and commerce, banking and finance and information technology.

Join us as we explore the colors and excitement of urban life in Malaysia.

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building built in 1897 originally housed important government departments during colonial times. It consists of a copper dome and a 40-meter tall clock tower. 

Dataran Merdeka. When Malaysia declared its independence in 1957, the Malaysian flag was hoisted on its 100-meter high flag pole. Below the square is Plaza Putra where an underground mall can be found and where the dramatic arts community showcases their latest plays and works.

Putrajaya is the new administrative center of the Federal Government of Malaysia and houses the Prime Minister’s Office. It covers about 4,000 hectares and is 25 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. The beautiful landscapes of the natural greenery and wetlands cover about 40% of the whole area making this part a perfect place to get away from the busiest of city life.

Putra Mosque is situated at the western shore next to Perdana Putra complex. It has a pink granite dome on it, and a basement that shares some similarities to the King Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. The mosque can accommodate up to 15,000 people at one time. Appropriate dressing is a must before entering the Mosque. For women visitors, scarf is required. 

i-City theme Park is a modern ICT-enriched township located in Shah Alam, Selangor, considered as one of the richest and developed states of Malaysia. As its name suggests, this one-of-a-kind attraction presents a “lightscape” illuminated with over a million LED lights. It features outdoor theme park rides set in a forest of maples and pines of jewel-toned luminosity. Among the popular rides are the Superswing, Spacewalk, an elevated ride through the Enchanted Forest of digital lights and the traditional favorite, a double-decker carousel.

Snowalk. The first in South East Asia, this 50,000 sq. foot frozen environment at 5 degrees temperature, features several sculptures shaped by a team of 30 of the best sculptors from Harbin, China. You will find igloos, ice houses, slides, a mini-bobsled run, snowmen, ice penguins, and a lot more LED lights.

Red Carpet is Malaysia’s first all-stars interactive wax museum that comes to life via a synchronization of voice and motion. Get up close and personal with the stars in this revolutionary showcase in 6 thematic zones—world icons, celebrities, sport stars, world records, all stars café and Interactive. 

Trick Art Museum renders two dimensional paintings in three dimensions by creating illusion. The walls and floors are adorned with hand drawn 3D images enticing visitors to pose with the paintings. It has 5 themes namely, Masterpieces, Egyptian, Sea Life, Animal Kingdom and Modern Classic.

House of Horror. Be prepared to be frightened by realistic looking mechatronic ghosts and ghouls, such as the bloodied mummies hanging from the ceiling, the headless horseman, vampires, zombies and monsters.   

2014 is primed to be another significant year for the country’s tourism industry as it celebrates for the fourth time VMY -Visit Malaysia Year that has for its theme “We are the host”. This puts Malaysia in a very empowering position to be a perfect host to visitors and hence ensure the celebration remains close to their hearts. 

Chinese heritage

While it is true that the weight of tradition – by solely being – is immense, this long-standing fact doesn’t mean that interpretations of its immenseness are flaccid translations of its score, scope and value.

Cebu Artists Inc.’s (CAI) second group exhibition for the year – Visualization: Chinese Heritage – proudly stands out in illustrating this point.

Currently on exhibit on the third level of the new expansion of the Ayala Center Cebu, Visualization gathers the works of more than 30 of Cebu’s rising stars and visual art maestros, brought together by an unwavering passion to create, matched with the endearing desire to capture beauty in all its shapes and forms.

Featuring more than 50 art pieces that are brought together by Chinese heritage and the Year of the Horse as its theme, the exhibit collects acrylic and oil paintings, watercolors, mixed-media pieces and wood installations that are individually distinct and different in their execution, but are essentially unified in terms of artistic reach, goal and direction.

From strictly representational works to pieces that are steeped in the contexts and subtexts of surrealism and abstract expressionism, Visualization’s value as a show goes beyond sating the interests of its theme, illustrating just how much promise lies behind the eyes of Cebu’s creative talents.

As it is often said that one of the dangers in the visual art realms lies in art being too tailored to a median that’s perceived to be acceptable to everyone, the showcased pieces of Visualization: Chinese Heritage manages to be distinct, successfully accomplishing this feat without being polarizing.