Last year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, attracted by the hype surrounding Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, I made a trip down to witness the grand opening of the resort at the prosperous time of 12.18pm. No efforts were spared in welcoming guests into Singapore’s first integrated resort. Upon arrival, the thunderous Lion Dance led the way as enthusiastic and courteous resort ambassador ushered us in.

The resort is the Genting group’s latest crown jewel, a renowned resort giant with 45-year history, the group has enjoyed tremendous success in the leisure and hospitality sectors across Asia. This year, Chinese New Year approaches again, I traveled down to the resort to find out why Resorts World Sentosa Singapore is still the ideal destination – only bigger and better.

Riding the movies

To me, there is really nothing better than seeing movies come to life. I am a die-hard fan of the glitz of Hollywood, which explains why I shrieked on the drive in to the resort where the flags of Shrek’s Far Far Away Castle™ greeted me. I had been to other Universal Studios parks before but I was especially excited to see all the world-first attractions unique to Universal Studio Singapore®

The attractions are spread across seven unique zones. Find the majestic world-first Far Far Away Castle™ at Far Far Away ®. Walk along the streets of Far Far Walk and you might even find Shrek and Princess Fiona waiting to take a picture with you. Or visit the first ever Madagascar™ zone and Move It Move It with the characters from Madagascar at the Meet & Greet. Also, this zone will feature the highly anticipated upcoming ride, Madagascar A Crate Adventure™ – a river boat adventure with the four heroes, Alex, Melman, Marty, and Gloria. Other zones include the futuristic Sei-Fi City™, Hollywood, New York, The Lost World™ and Ancient Egypt™ where the Revenge of the Mummy™ ride is a must ride for thrill-seekers. With so many exciting rides and attractions, the region’s first Universal Studios theme park certainly does not disappoint.

Retail and Gourmet Paradise

Like any bonafide Malaysian, my two greatest passions are eating and shopping. And that’s why Resorts World Sentosa Singapore is a haven with over 60 dining options and over 45 retail choices. For those who love Asian favorites, quality hawker fare can be found easily at the resort. When I arrived, I felt like treating myself to something special ad was delighted to find the numerous world-class restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs like Susur Lee who is behind Chinois by Susur Lee, Scott Webster who presents Osia and Master Chef Tokuoka who serves up authentic kaiseki cuisine at kunio tokuoka.

Opening in early 2011 are two restaurants by Joel Robuchon, L’Atelie de Joel Robuchon, known for its swanky red and black décor and Joel Robuchon is renowned in the culinary world, having a total of 26 Michelin stars among his restaurants worldwide – the most of any chef in the world. With my cravings satisfied, I decided to stroll down to the Galleria to indulge in some retail therapy Luxury brands like Bulgari, Chanel, Piaget, Rolex and Versace make up the exclusive shopping stretch. Also, exclusive to the Galleria is the first Victoria’s Secret retail outlet outside the US. For tourists, the real attraction, though, is the on-the-spot tax rebates.

Breathtaking Attractions

My days at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore were definitely fun-filled, but I felt that the resort really came to life at night with the variety of entertainment spectacles. One of them is the theatrical circus spectacular Voyage de la Vie™ which tells the story of a Boy’s metaphoric journey to adulthood. An original production created in Singapore, it brings together a cast of international stars from over 16 countries for a one-of-a kind event.

Resorts World Sentosa Singapore also features free nightly entertainment. At FestiveWalk™, the Lake of Dreams is a magical dreamlike outdoor display of groundbreaking light, sound and water effects featuring flaming dragons, water cannons and laser special effects. The latest attraction is Crane Dance™ which opened on Christmas Day 2010. The colorful multimedia spectacle of lights, sound, water jets, laser and pyrotechnics features the world’s largest pair of animatronics cranes and tells the story of how they fall in love. The show is helmed by four-time Emmy award winner Jeremy Railton and plays nightly at the Waterfront. These breathtaking performances are definitely the highlights of the nights at Resort World Sentosa Singapore.

World-Class Hospitality

I like to feel like royalty and Resorts World Sentosa Singapore definitely made me feel like a VIP everywhere I went, especially in their hotels. The staff from all four hotels greeted me with cheerful pleasantries the moment I strolled into the hotel lobbies. This reported has to admit that the service standard across the entire resort is remarkable.

Each of the four hotels has a character of its own. Hard Rock Hotel™ Singapore is doused in rock-and-roll charm. Festive Hotel™ is fun and family-friendly; Hotel Michael™ is artist Michael Grave’s first hotel masterpiece and the by-invitation only Crockfords™ Tower is the epitome of luxury. The warmth of Asian hospitality was apparent everywhere I went, from the caring hotel porter who took my bags off my hands to the waiters in the restaurants who always served with a smile. For the privileged guests of Crockfords Tower, there is even round-the-clock butler service to pamper you day and night.

Opening in the near future are Spa Villas™ and Equarius Hotel™, offering even more luxury accommodation options.

Singapore’s first integrated resort has definitely grown by leaps and bounds in its first year. I enjoyed myself tremendously with the many exciting round-the-clock activities, all with an impressive touch of classiness added to the mix. This Lunar New Year, Resorts World Sentosa Singapore has a line-up of festive activities spanning the whole holiday period (see right panel), giving you more reason to visit. I hope that you do and have as satisfying a holiday as I did.

For more information on Resorts World Sentosa Singapore and its variety of offerings, please call +65 6577 8888 or visit www.rwsentosa.com

Mary Dass from Kulim, Kedah had just completed SPM with four credits and a pass in Bahasa Malaysia and English. She was keen to pursue a career in nursing. However, Mary was not willing to venture too far away from her family. Surya College presented her the best solution.

Abdul Kalam’s SPM results were similar to Mary. Abdul Kalam from Penang wanted to be a dentist but did not know how to go about it because of his limited SPM result. Surya College provided a ready bridge to further studies through its Foundation in Science programme.

One of India’s leading education groups, the Vinayaka Mission University (VMU), is collaborating with Surya College, a new allied health science college in Butterworth.

According to VMU pro-chancellor, Datuk Dr S. Sharavanan, a distint advantage of studying at Surya College is the “ready pathway” and “preferred entry” to the Penang International College (PIDC) of the VMU network of colleges and universities both in Malaysia and India. Students will be able to further their studies at diploma or degree level disciplines like medicine, dentistry, biotechnology and pharmacy and engineering.

“Surya’s academic programmes are also recognized as a pre-requisite for entry into other universities and colleges,” he said.

Dr Sharavanan, who is also managing director and chief executive officer of PIDC, which is operated by VMU, says the syllabus for the Allied Health Science programme was developed by a Board of study comprising leading lecturers from Univerty Kebangsaan Malaysia and VMU’s parent university in India.

Apart from Diploma in Nursing, Surya College also offers Foundation in Science and the Cambridge International A-Level programme.

The courses offered will open the door to internationally recognized degree programmes in Medicine, Dentistry and Allied Health Sciences recognized by the Public Services Department, Malaysian Medical Council and Mlaysian Dental Council.

Why Surya college

• Courses are approbved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Malaysian Qualifications Agency
• Ready educational bridge to further studies
• Lecturers and academicians with vast experience and skills
• Very affordable tuition fees (RM45500 for Diploma in Nursing inclusive of accommodation and transport for eligible students)
• Fee discounts and scholarships for students with good grades and SPM high achievers
• Strategically located in Butterworth town centre and 30 minutes from Penang International Airport
• Only five minutes walking distance from the Penang Sentral Bus Terminal, Ferry Terminal and Railway Station

About Vinayaka Mission University

Surya College is an associate of VMU, India. Established in 1981, VMU currently manages 21 colleges and universities in India, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Malaysia.

Nearly 20000 students are presently studying in its various colleges and universities full time and 150000 students are enrolled in the distance education programmes.

At Firenzzi, they understand the importance of efficiency and durability.

That is why their garment steamers are designed for specific uses to help ease those cumbersome household chores. With Firenzzi, you can now feel more relaxed, by looking forward to hassle-free ironing.

Firenzzi garment steamers are user-friendly. Justfill up the water tank and push the power button ON and a continuous flow of steam will be generated in less than 45 seconds.

FGS-20 blue & FGS-21 Pink come with a two-liter water tank that allows you continuously steam iron your clothes for 60minutes. Both models now come with 1,500 watts that give you the extreme power of steam that can be used for your garments, curtains, fabric materials, bed sheets and even toys too.

Firenzzi garment steamer FGS-30 Pearl White is the most accomplished and hassle-free model that can be used on all types of fabrics and delicate materials. Having the highest performance of 1,600 watts, it provides 30%more steam than normal garment steamers.

All Firenzzi garment steamers come with full accessories that allow you to have a complete solution for the hard core areas while ironing.

The flexi folding rack allows you to put on your shirt or evening dress easily before ironing.

The pant press helps you to straighten your pants and shirts with a crisp straigtening line to look more tidy.

The trendy ironing board helps you to iron the collar, pockets and pant pockets too.

It’s difficult to pick up by hand if fur or cotton sticks to the dress and pants.

It’s good ti know that the Firenzzi garment steamer comes with the fabric brush that allows you to clean the fur easily.

The Firenzzi garment steamer comes with two-year warranty on all manufacturing defects to give you peace of mind and for live demonstration, log on to www.asmsb.com

The office is located at B-3A-23, Blk B, Pelangi Square Damansara, PJU 6, Persiaran Surian, 47810 Petaling Jaya, or call 03-77279773 for details.

Where to find Penang Rojak? See here:

1. New World Park
Address : Lorong Swatow,10050 Penang.
Area : Jalan Burmah.
Hour : 10.00 am – 9.00 pm

2. Gurney Drive Hawker Centre
Address : Persiaran Gurney,10250 Penang.
Area : Perasiaran Gurney.
Hour : 3.00 pm – 12.00 am

3. Kompleks Makanan Medan Renong
Address : Jalan PAdang Kota Lama.10200 Penang.
Area : Jalan Padang Kota Lama.
Hour : 9.00 am – 6.00 pm

4. Astaka Stadium
Address : Lilitan Stadium,10460 Penang.
Area : Jalan Dato Keramat.
Hour : 10.00 am – 7.00 pm

5. Macallum Street Hock Seng Rojak King
Address : Macallum Street,Penang(Infront of kedai kopi Sin Hong Leong).
Area : Lebuh Macallum.
Hour : 11.00 am – 5.00 pm

Suitable and qualified candidates are invited to apply for the following positions:

IT Solutions Engineer
IT Group

Requirements & Responsibilities:

• Degree / diploma in IT with / or Professional Certifications MCP/MCSE/CCNP/CCNA.
• Candidate with IBM Tivoli Certification & good pre-sales presentation skills will have an added advantage.
• Knowledge of Microsoft SQL, Cisco NAC, Cisco Trust Agent, LINUX, UNIX and hardware RAID will be preferred.
• To handle software solutioning in IBM Tivoli platform: Security, Storage Management & System Management.
• To provide technical assistance to customers / users in identifying, evaluating & suggesting existing or new application systems procedures and to develop & update user manuals.
• To manage integration, UAT (Users Acceptance Test), POC (Proof of Concept). Participate & conduct special projects and studies to make concept & design recommendation.
• Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply, training will be provided.

Pre-Sales Engineer
IT Group

Requirements & Responsibilities:

• Diploma / Degree preferably in IT related field.
• 2-4 years experience in IT Pre-Sales, knowledge of IBM Tivoli / Lotus Software Solutions with good business contacts.
• Technical knowledge & experience in Storage, System & Security Management products
• Conduct proof of concepts, build bid winning proposals.
• Support sales & prepare RFP / RFI, strong interpersonal & presentation skills.
• Must be self-driven, aggressive, dynamic and results-oriented
• Good team player and strong analytical skills
• Own transport and willing to travel

IT Solutions Engineer
IT Group

Requirements & Responsibilities:

• Degree / diploma in IT with / or Professional Certifications MCP/MCSE/CCNP/CCNA.
• Candidate with IBM Tivoli Certification & good pre-sales presentation skills will have an added advantage.
• Knowledge of Microsoft SQL, Cisco NAC, Cisco Trust Agent, LINUX, UNIX and hardware RAID will be preferred.
• To handle software solutioning in IBM Tivoli platform: Security, Storage Management & System Management.
• To provide technical assistance to customers / users in identifying, evaluating & suggesting existing or new application systems procedures and to develop & update user manuals.
• To manage integration, UAT (Users Acceptance Test), POC (Proof of Concept). Participate & conduct special projects and studies to make concept & design recommendation.

Channel Account Managers

(Enterprise Software)

Requirements & Responsibilities:

• Diploma / Degree holder with 2-5 years of sales & marketing experience in ICT industry
• Build & maintain strong channel partner relationship
• Possess effective presentation skills
• A team player & able to interact at all levels with strong analytical skills
• Drive Business Partner Recruitment, Lead Generation
• Preferable with BMC, CA or Tivoli experience.
• Must be self-driven, aggressive, dynamic and results-oriented
• Own transport and willing to travel
• Minimum 6 years of experience in sales and marketing or related fields with good business contacts.

Project Executive

IT Group

Requirements:

• Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor’s Degree, Post Graduate Diploma or Professional Degree in Computer Science/Information Technology, Science & Technology or equivalent.
• Minimum 2 years relevant working experience, preferably experience in software deployment
• Experienced in general project management principles
• Possess good managerial and interpersonal skills
• Very good understanding of enterprise application
• Possess up-to-date awareness of developments in computing technology
• Applicants must be willing to work in Petaling Jaya with the frequent trips abroad for project implementation.
• Applicants should be Malaysian citizens.
• Preferably people specializing in IT/Computer – Software or equivalent.

Responsibilities:

• Plan and manage sub-programs/project, or group of small projects, across all phases of the project life cycle
• Define detail plans, including planning for and locating project resources
• Identify inter-dependencies with other projects
• Design and Implement an organizational project structure that works effectively and maximizes efficiency.

Applicants are required to send their resumes to info@dancom.com.my or fax at 03-79564634.  PLEASE QUOTE THE POSITION APPLIED FOR.

Wisma Dancom, Lot 5, Lorong 51A/227B, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. www.dancom.com.my

Good luck!