This is a guest post by lifestyle blogger Wilee Tee who went to Johor Premium Outlets last week. Her experience as follows:

Johor Premium Outlets is definitely one of the hottest destination in Malaysia or even in Asia now.

The FIRST Premium Outlet Center in South East Asia is here, in Kulaijaya, Johor.

I have been wanting to go there since they start opening on 2 December to take a look at this premium outlet. Lets see if I can grab some good priced branded stuff home or not *wink*

TADAAAAAAA! ok this is not a good picture.

sorry, I still don’t have a good picture =.= but this is basically its outlook and view from JPO. Pretty good right?

There are only 2 floor in JPO. I heard someone said ‘Here look like Singapore.’ Kinda unhappy, hello what does it mean. ok just joking, don’t hate me. *puppy eyes*

Most of the shops are opened but there are still some not yet opened such as Bonia.

I can’t believe my eyes. The super long queue in front of Coach!!! O.O

After looking around the place, time to check out the awesome discount here. Please don’t disappoint me… hahaha

I see discount EVERYWHERE.

50% not enough? how about 70%?

I have to say something here. People grab the clothes like it is free like that =.= So ended up looking like this in Padini. I think the shopkeepers there are really speechless or helpless LOL

freaking cheap ! time to go there to shop for Christmas/ CNY !

For designer brand such as Michael Kors, I saw a really nice handbag and it has 40% off its original price !

my favourite La Senza has an outlet here too

WHAT? 10 FOR RM50?!

Yes, not joking. *grab*

*Click to enlarge it*

Johor Premium Outlets List of Outlets

Designers Fashion and Sportwear

Suite Store
902 Adidas
436 Armani Exchange (Opening Soon)
334 Armani Outlet
220 Brooks Brothers Factory Store (Opening Soon)
700 Burberry
328 Canali
434 CK Calvin Klein
508 Cotton On
432 DKNY
422 Esprit
516 Flow
416 G2000 Outlet
528 Gap Outlet
532 Guess
426 La Senza Lingerie
430 Lacoste Outlet
524 Levi’s Outlet Store
1000 Nike Factory Store
100 Padini Outlet Store
212 Pink Jambu
604 Polo Ralph Lauren (Opening Soon)
418 Poney Outlet
404 Puma
518 Quiksilver
222 Raoul (Opening Soon)
414 Rip Curl
520 Roxy
330 Salvatore Ferragamo Company Store
234 Shanghai Tang
420 Timberland
216 Tommy Hilfiger (Opening Soon)
308 Universal Traveller
224 Versace (Opening Soon)
606 Zegna Outlet Store

Shoes

Suite Store
512 Charles & Keith Reductions
400 Clarks
316 Geox
304 Pedro Outlet
402 Skechers
300 Vincci

Accessories and Jewellery

Suite Store
412 City Chain
214 Evita Peroni
324 Swiss Watch Gallery (Opening Soon)
306 Tomei (Opening Soon)
320 Wear + When (Opening Soon)

Fine Leather and Luggage

Suite Store
312 Bonia (Opening Soon)
408 Carlo Rino
228 Coach
230 Coach Men’s
428 Fossil
232 Michael Kors
314 Oroton Factory
310 Samsonite Factory Outlet
322 Tumi

Gift and Specialty Items

Suite Store
302 Cosmetics & Designer Fragrances
206 Fidani Chocolate
602 Maybank
318 Royal Selangor
522 The Body Shop Outlet
210 The Cosmetics Company Store (Opening Soon)

Housewares and Home Furnishing

Suite Store
410 Akemi

Food and Beverages

Suite Store
1002 Absolute Thai
502 Baskin-Robbins
401 Crispy Crepe
204 George & Dragon Café
504 Kampachi Japanese Restaurant
200 Starbucks Coffee
500 The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Lists of outlets in JPO. any of your favourite brand here?

Besides various branded outlets, there are a few restaurants available too. If you are looking for a cheaper place to eat, then you should go to the food court in JPO.

The decoration inside is quite nice and comfy.

The price will be a little bit higher than the usual food court but definitely cheaper than the other restaurant in JPO.

Here comes the question, how to get to there?

How to go to Johor Premium Outlets:

By car:

If you are driving, you might want to GPS it :/

There are road sign along the road but sorry I can tell you exactly whats the direction.

OR

you can take public bus

By Bus:
Singapore> Johor

For Singaporeans the bus time table is HERE

Various bus company are starting the new line to this latest hottest destination. You can go to Larkin bus station and you can easily see buses going JPO.

The view from scenery is kinda nice. It was surrounded by palm oil plantation.

One good thing about JPO, it has very big carpark.

Tomorrow 11 December is the Grand Launch of Johor Premium Outlet. Our Prime minister will be there too.

I can see the potential of JPO as becoming the next hot spot in Malaysia. The land around JPO seems like having some construction. Hopefully more awesome stuff to be here !

Accommodations near Johor Premium Outlets:  

Pulai Spring Resorts
Shop & Stay Package available
Free shuttle bus to center

Tel:1 800 88 0313 (Toll free)

Le Grandeur Palm Resort Johor
Shop & Stay Package available
Free shuttle bus to center

Tel:00 607 599 6000

Silka Johor Hotel
Shop & Stay Package available
Free shuttle bus to center

Tel: 00 607 360 1000

Johor Premium Outlets JPO Shopping Hours:

Monday –Sunday

10am – 10pm

http://www.premiumoutlets.com.my

Johor Premium Outlets Address and Contact:

Johor Premium Outlets
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura 81000 Kulaijaya
Johor Darul Takzim
Malaysia

Chriz Liew
Senior Manager – Marketing
Johor Premium Outlets
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura 81000 Kulaijaya
Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia

Phone: (607) 663 1188

Lotsa Love,

Wilee Tee is a Johorian is currently studying in Kuala Lumpur and a part time lifestyle blogger at C’est La Vie. She is the guest contributor for this post and you can read her blog at C’est La Vie.

This will be a 2 series of guest contributions on Bangkok International Motorshow Models pictures. Pictures are contributed by fellow 4×4 enthusiast Steven Ng. As the Bangkok International Motorshow 2011 is coming, I am going to share the 2007 models pictures here. The Bangkok International Motorshow 2011 will be held from 23rd of March until 6th of April 2011 at Impact convention center. The 32nd International Motorshow will expect turnout to be more than 1.6 million!

For now check out the pictures taken at the Bangkok International Motorshow 2007:

Models of Lexus

Model of Beemer (BMW)

Model with K1200 BMW Bike.

Mini Cooper Model.

Mercedes Benz Models.

Bentley Models.

Bentley Model.

Bangkok International Motorshow 2007 was held at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC).

My younger brother who was residing in Los Angeles told me that there is an interesting seafood restaurant that he often visits. The place is called The Boiling Crab. With 6 outlets and counting, The Boiling Crab offers seafood and the whole shebang!

The Boiling Crab Alhambra Main is the outlet my brother and her fiancé visited.

The ambience is very happy get together setting, ideal for families or friends. I was told the place is very popular among locals.

There you will be painted or hand sketched walls with funny pictures such as Cindy Crawfish.

They started off with ½ dozen of raw oysters for US$7.99. It comes with Tabasco Sauce and slices of lemons.

The uniqueness of this restaurant is you get to get your hands dirty. Seriously… very dirty. The table is covered with plastic table cloth and customers are encouraged to use their hands. Don’t worry as they are very generous with the paper napkins.

The seafood comes in basket. Everything comes in a plastic bag with lots of sauce. Choose the sauce wisely from the “original” Rajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper or Garlic Butter. My brother’s recommendation is the Whole Shebang which is everything together.

The shrimp is a very popular dish there. Priced at US$ 8.99 per lb, the shrimps are flavourful and juicy.

The other popular seafood there is the lobster.

Lobsters are seasonal and it weighed according to the market price. My brother loves this! The basket comes handy at the end of the day for shells and remainders.

It was another enjoyable and fun seafood dinner at The Boiling Crab. It is highly recommended for seafood lovers in Los Angeles.

The Boiling Crab Alhambra Address and Contact:

33 W. Main St,

Alhambra, CA 91801

Tel: (626) 300-5898

URL: http://theboilingcrab.com/

This is a guest post by Marina Pliatsikas from Australia.

Many know the Great Barrier Reef as a popular tourist destination in Australia, attracting thousands of visitors every year. The largest coral reef in the world, the reef is the only life form on Earth which is visible from the moon. Now, with the ongoing Queensland flood disasters, experts are concerned for the future of the Reef, but visitors can help by providing ongoing interest and support for the area. Tourism generates the largest source of income for the reef, and is important for its ongoing funding, upkeep, and preservation.

A scenery to die for, Great Barrier Reef

While it’s a given that you’ll probably go snorkelling or scuba diving while you’re visiting the reef, here are 4 unexpected things you can do in the Great Barrier Reef this year.

Stay in a floating hotel

Giving new meaning to the term ‘sleeping with the fishes’, Fantasea Adventure Cruising offers the ‘Reeflseep’ experience to visitors of the Great Barrier Reef as the perfect way to enjoy the Reef in an intimate, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. The package includes, two full days and one night accommodation, all snorkelling equipment, breakfast, buffet lunches and dinner and of course, champagne sunsets overlooking the water.

Sea the Ballet

From the 1^st to the 3^rd of July this year, The Australian Ballet comes to Hamilton Island’s luxury resort, performing pas-de-deux scenes on a stunning open-air stage against the stunning natural backdrop of the ocean. The intimate performance is in its fourth year in 2011. See the photos for yourself – You’ll wonder why anyone books flights to Sydney to see the Ballet perform on an indoor stage!

Learn how to cook or take photos – or both

There are a number of cooking, painting and photography classes you can take part in while staying on one of the islands on the Great Barrier Reef. One in particular, the Hamilton Island Artist’s Retreat runs from Thursday 17 February – Monday 21 February 2011, and will ensure you go home relaxed and with some useful new skills.

Bungy Jump

Technically not on the Barrier Reef, but located nearby in Cairns, A.J. Hacket Bungy is located a tropical jungle north of Cairns, and has seen over 5 million visitors since its opening in 1990. Experience the rainforest from a completely different angle…such as upside-down.

There are always plenty of cheap flights heading all around Australia, so getting to the Great Barrier Reef is easy, with plenty of cheap flights to Cairns departing daily on all major Australian airlines. Then it’s just a short boat trip to any of the islands on the Reef.

An interview with veteran and founder of 4x4WorldExplorer.com, Mr. Thomas Foo revealed his admiration on his Brazil recce trip sometime last year. He chartered a plane to plan his journey from Argentina to Brazil and he stumbled upon one of the greatest phenomenon of the Amazon river.

The meeting of 2 great Amazon river, the “white” Solimoes river and the “black” Rio Negro river.

This meeting point creates a mixture of white and black in colour of the river. The “white” water river are muddy and it looks more like a white brown in colour, similar to colours of the rivers in Malaysia. Thus, the “black” water river actually filled with humic acid from incomplete breakdown of phenol containing vegetation.

Picture taken from a chartered air plane by Thomas Foo.

The place of this natural phenomenon is called Manaus. It is a city in Brazil and the capital state of Amazonas.

Look at the stretch of the meeting point of the 2 rivers. Colours could be clearly seen.

The mixture of colours of both rivers stretched miles and be visibly seen from the air. It is really similar to the colours of mixing a tea with coffee. To be able to see such phenomenon is priceless.

Another picture from the “white” side of the river.

Look at how “black” is the colour of the Rio Negro river. Sources of the river starts from Colombia.

The effects of the mixture of the colours of both rivers. Amazing picture!

*Pictures are credit to Thomas Foo of the 4x4WorldExplorer.com group.*

4×4 World Explorer are veterans in organizing long distance 4×4 expedition styled adventure vacations. Since 1992 they have covered the continents of Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. The Spirit of Adventure is the driving force behind their and please do check out their website at 4x4WorldExplorer.com for their latest South Africa expedition in 2011.

An interview with veteran 4×4WorldExplorer.com traveler, Steven Ng told me about a beautiful canyon in Namibia during the Trans Africa 2008 expedition. The group of  4×4WorldExplorer.com drove from South Africa back to Malaysia. The journey took more than a month.

The beautiful canyon is no other than the Fish River Canyon. It is located at the south of Namibia and it is the second largest canyon in the world! It is also the largest in Africa.

The Fish River Canyon features a huge ravine, in total about 160 km long, 27km wide and almost 550m deep! – Wikipedia.org

The view of the canyon is breathtaking. Going there with a bunch of friends makes it better. The experience is unforgettable and priceless. – Steven Ng

The team of 4x4WorldExplorer.com, mostly Malaysian 4×4 cars shipped to Africa for this expedition.

*Pictures are credited to group of the 4×4WorldExplorer.com group.*

Look out for more upcoming adventures from 4×4WorldExplorer.com at www.4×4WorldExplorer.com. They will be traveling to Africa in March 2011.

This is a guest post by my younger brother, Chun Seong who went to the Comic Con International 2010 last week. Being a 3D Modeler himself in Los Angeles, this was his first time visiting the Comic Con.

He was pretty excited this time around as his new project will be showing at the Comic Con. However, due to confidentiality issues, he couldn’t tell me his latest project. His past projects include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Avatar, The Hulk, Wolverine, AVPR, Meet Dave and many more.

The convention center was packed by enthusiasts for the Comic Con 2010.

The turn-out was pretty good especially at the famous gas lamp area. The crowd was massive that day.

As he entering the convention center, he saw director Bret Ratner. One of his works is the movie X-Men 3.

The Hall H is the biggest hall at Comic Con.

Guess who he saw in Comic Con 2010? WWE Legend Stone Cold Steve Austin (he is in the picture, can u spot him! He was there promoting the action packed movie, Expendables. Expendables is a star studded movie which the cast includes Stallone, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and many more.

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This is a guest post by KLStuff.my’s Gary Leow. Gary is a personal friend and he traveled to Tehran last year for a working project. As we heard so much about the beauty of Tehran, Gary explains his first contact or first hand experience with the beautiful city of Tehran, IRAN. He writes:
The flight was approximately 8 hours from KLIA to Tehran. Tehran is the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Located on the slopes of the mountains and at the foot of the magnificent Mount Alborz, it has been the country’s capital city for over 200 years now. The population of Tehran City itself is close to 14 million people.

First impression of Tehran – feels very uptight because, minutes before the plane lands, there was an announcement to all female passengers to ensure that they put on their headscarf once they leave the aircraft.

While walking towards the check-out point, the airport seems very quiet though it is the main airport in the capital city. Unlike KLIA, it is not buzzing with activities and you see Iranian Police guards along the way. They have that terror looking face whereby you will be killed if you commit an offence kinda look.
At the check-out counter, the immigration officer is very unfriendly. Initial thoughts when they spoke to one another was Arabic but to which later was being told it is Persian. Wordings and markings all around the airport is not Jawi nor Arabic but Persian also.

Coming from an Islamic country i.e. Malaysia, the immigration officer does not ask much questions. They just do their routine check and I’m thru the check-out point in 3 mins. It was very fast but also very quiet. This is suddenly when you notice that everyone around is also very silently queueing for their turns to get thru the check-out counter.
Once thru, we took an escalator down to the luggage bay to wait for our luggage. Surprisingly, the service was very efficient because by the time we got there, our luggage were already out there waiting.

It was still sunny because it is only 3:30pm Iran local time. Malaysia was 8:30pm then. It was Spring and the temperature outside was approximately 16C. A very cooling and nice temperature compliments after a long tiring flight.

Once all my partners has re-grouped, we headed out towards the arrival hall where our liaison person from Tehran is already waiting there, holding on to a card with my partners name on it. “Mozer” was his name.

We greeted and shook hands trying to get acquainted with our liason person. His name was Javan and he speaks a perfect English except for the slight American accent. We chatted while walking towards the entrance of the hall where our car was waiting for us.

As we were walking out, I notice that there is a lot of Peugeot on the side road. Peugeot is somewhat like their national car as in comparison to Malaysia. I was driving a Peugeot then and I was under the impression that we would be picked up by a Peugeot. Unfortunately my dream was cut short when suddenly out of the corner a very familiar looking car turned and stop right in front of us.

Then we all suddenly burst out laughing. What more can we ask for of this trip than to be transported for the whole 5 days with our very own national car a Proton Waja to which in Iran is called a Proton Impiana, left hand drive though. The Proton Waja was our official car for the next 5 days and we have a English speaking guide and a driver for us as well. Apparently Malaysia exports 3 version of our national car to Iran namely Waja, Wira & Gen2.

Javan told us that he is being assigned to us for the next 5 days and he is to ensure that we get all that we asked for throughout our entire stay in Iran. This trip to Iran is to recee a site for our clients in Malaysia who has engaged us to consult them on how to operate and run a hypermarket. So this trip to Tehran is to see and understand the Iranian culture and also to meet up with a few influencial people in Tehran (namely the investors for this project) so as to convince them that they are making the right choice in trying to bring in a shopping mall concept with a hypermarket built in just like our very own Mid Valley Megamall.
Once we have all had a good feel of the cool and nice air around, we all jumped into the car and our journey into the City of Tehran begins. Javan told us that since it is 4:30pm then at that time and the after office traffic has begun, hence the journey will take us approximately 1 to 1:20 minutes to reach our hotel. Also it is because our hotel is situated at the other end of town. So instead of us traveling into town to cut our way across and get stucked in the rush hour traffic, he says we would be taking the outer route (something like MRR2 instead of going thru Pudu) to get to our destination. Traffic jam is still unavoidable at this point but it will not be as horrendous as the one if we are to cut across town directly.

So while we are on our way, we got to know Javan a little bit better and understand the culture of Iranians. Javan is married with no kids. Iranians speak Persian in Tehran but on the northern part of Iran, the language is different and so is south and east. It is only in Tehran that everyone speaks a pure Persian dialect whereas the other parts of the country, there is sort of like a blend to the Persian language depending on where one is.

On one part of the journey, we were passing by areas that look like the desert and it is very dusty with all the vehicles and lorries moving along the highway. Our driver is a speed demon. We were traveling at approximately 130 to 140km per hour. Zooming left and right overtaking cars and lorries on the highway. Thank god it is a Malaysian made car!!

After 30 minutes on the highway, we then hit into town and passing by another airport in town. Javan told us that in Tehran there are 3 airports all together. One is the new International Airport i.e. Imam Khomeini International Airport, one is the old international airport which is now being used for domestic airport and it is known as Mehr Abad airport and the last airport is the Army airport which is on the other side of town.
Our intended project site is actually very near the Nehr Abad Airport according to Javan. In fact the Mehr Abad airport is just exactly behind our project site.
(the project that we will be working on then was the Ekhbatan Mega Mall project and you can find out more information about it here at this URL

After almost 40 minutes into the journey, then we saw something breathtaking. It was the magnificent Mount Alborz, the very sight of this beauty is enough to make one speechless. For me, it was definitely the first time seeing a real snow capped mountain.
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This is a Guest Contributor’s story from a buddy, Elena Khoo. A client turned friend, Elena has traveled to various part of the world and her last year’s trip to Japan was a memorable one. Spent 14 days backpacking in Japan and traveled to 6 cities in 6 days, her trip to Japan was awesome!

We’ve heard so much about Shinkansen (Bullet Train) of Japan throughout the years. In fact, the moment that Elena encountered one in Japan, the attention was not so much about the bullet train.

It was the photographers camped for the Shinkansen that caught Elena’s attention.

“I shall wait with my 2 cameras”

Elena hitch hiking a Shinkansen

Look at the speed of the train

Apparently, she was told, it is a common sight that photographers will camp to take the picture of Shinkansen. As she traveled to quite a number of places in Europe, this was her first. Elena used to stay in France for a few years, and she traveled quite often in Europe back then. The photographers would spend hours a day trying to capture the best shot.

Well, we heard so much about the discrimination on girls in Japan. For that, they had boarding point for ladies only as well as “ladies train” only. Unlike in Malaysia, Japanese line up to board the train. Not forgetting also the cleanliness of the whole place.

Her experience on the Shinkansen was comfortable. Elena didn’t feel the speed at all and the train was definitely faster than Eurostar based on her experience.
It was definitely a great experience from her. There will be more stories from her on her Japan trip from time to time. Thanks again buddy Elena for the story, she’s a darling.
*I am trying to work on the consistency on the guest posts here. I would also like to thank my friends for supporting this guest post column. There will be more interesting stories around the world coming soon. Thanks. *

An interview with veteran 4×4WorldExplorer.com traveler, Steven Ng told me about a beautiful fall in Zambia during the Trans Africa 2008 expedition. The group of  4×4WorldExplorer.com drove from South Africa back to Malaysia. The journey took more than a month.

It came no surprise that there was no better accommodation rather than the Zambezi Sun if you wanted to stay near the Victoria Falls of Zambia.

Instead of the usual welcome drink, the group got a shock by the welcome group of 3 traditional warriors armed with weapons and shields. That was a real shocker but a great welcome.

The hotel was a nice place to stay. Just a couple of meters away from the backyard is the Victoria Falls of Zambia. The hotel is so close that the mighty sounds of the waterfall can be heard carefully all the time from the hotel room.

http://www.go2africa.com/zambia/victoria-falls/livingstone/hotels/zambezi-sun

On the next morning, there were visitors from the wild. It was the wild zebras. Having wild zebras in the compound of the hotel is probably the next best thing from going to the safari.
One of the largest fall in the world.

That day, it was gloomy. A bit of rain but it didn’t prevent us from seeing the massive Victoria Falls.
The Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders) is a waterfall located in southern Africa on the Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are some of the largest in the world. – Wikipedia.org

The Victoria Falls is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the sightseeing on one of the biggest falls in the world, the  4×4WorldExplorer.com continues their journey back to Malaysia.

They called it “the Smoke that Thunders”

Watch the Victoria Falls of Zambia Video (High Quality).

Personally, I’ve been to Iguazu Falls in Brazil and I must say they are equally breathtaking!

Cheers,

Steven Ng of
4×4WorldExplorer.com

*Pictures are credit to group of the 4×4WorldExplorer.com group.*

Look out for more upcoming adventures from 4×4WorldExplorer.com at www.4×4WorldExplorer.com. They will be traveling in Brazil and other parts of South America in June 2010.