Hershey's opening a plant in Johor

Yipeeee choc coming to Johor!

http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2013/10/05/Hershey-plans-Msia-plant-It-is-expected-to-invest-RM816mil-in-stateoftheart-facility-in-Johor.aspx

Singapore Malaysia High Speed Rail Economic Impact

Read this recent article that the proposed High Speed Rail has been marked by the Government as an Entry Point Project under Economic Transformation Programme which was expected to generate an additional RM6.2 million gross national income per year and create 29,000 jobs in direct and indirect employment by 2020. RM6.2M sounds a little bit low don't you think? Anyhow, it'd be great to have an efficient transport link between the 2 countries, hopefully there's a stop near home as well so we don't have to rely on driving cars all the time.

I Love My Neighbourhood

I love our neighborhood! People say hi, you actually get to know your neighbors, you can walk down the street and be invited into a birthday party and we get together once a month for a street potluck party. Everyone whips up something in their kitchen or buy something from the store, all for the spirit of sharing, socialising and having fun. It's also a play date for kids, sometimes we even have kids performance (singing and dancing) :)

Most important of all, we've made good friends who are like families to us, who are always there whenever we are in need of help. Thank you guys!

To all newcomers, welcome to East Ledang, I hope you enjoy your stay as much as we do.

Have a great Sunday!

Channel Newsasia Documentary on Iskandar

Very recent documentary on Iskandar by Channel News Asia. Congrats Tina John for being in this documentary :)
 

Calling Motocross riders/fans - Enduro Cross event 8 Sep 2013

For motorcross KTM fans, come join the fun at the Enduro Cross event on Sunday 8th Sept 2013. Details are below:

Days Schedule (starting at 9 am): 

• Registration 
• Riders Briefing 
• Stage 1 Trail 
• Kids Moto 1
• Stage 2 Enduro
• Kids Moto 2 
• Stage 3 - Extreme
• Bike recovery, chill and results comilation 
• Price presentation

Ulu Choh is only 15mins north of East Ledang area, by car. 
Driving Directions:


View Larger Map

Start address: Lebuhraya Persisiran Pantai Jb - Nusajaya 
End address: Lebuhraya Skudai - Pontian
Start at: Lebuhraya Persisiran Pantai Jb - Nusajaya 
1. Head northwest on Lebuhraya Persisiran Pantai Jb - Nusajaya - 1.4 km 
2. Slight left to merge onto Lebuhraya Hubungan Kedua Malaysia - Singapura - 4.9 km
3. Take the exit toward Lebuhraya Pontian - 500 m 
4. Keep left at the fork and merge onto Lebuhraya Pontian - 2.8 km 
5. Continue onto Jalan Tanjung Kupang - 7.7 km 
6. Turn right onto Lebuhraya Skudai - Pontian - 2.3 km
Arrive at: Lebuhraya Skudai - Pontian 

GPS Longitude E 103 33' 4" Latitude N 1 32' 46" decimal 103.55 1.541 Deg/Min/Sec 103 33 23 1 32 27

Johor Property Show Happening This Weekend

Just found out that there's a Malaysia property show this weekend in Traders Nusajaya hotel. Here's the write up about this show:

• Exclusive Registration and Preview by Tanah Sutera and Country Garden Danga Bay Property Launch Access Up to 10 Property Developments in One Central Location
• Enjoy Up to 5% Rebate for Selected Property Developments 
• Gain Expert Insights via Our Speaker Sessions about Johor Properties
• FREE Shuttle Service from Singapore to Traders Hotel, Johor Bahru
• FREE Shuttle Service to Visit Actual Development in Iskandar

EVENT DETAILS 
27 July - 28 July 2013 10:00 - 19:00
Level 4, Iskandar Ballroom, Traders Hotel, Puteri Harbour, Johor, Malaysia Persiaran Puteri Selatan, Puteri Harbour, 79000 Nusajaya, Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia

Mom & Baby Expo 2013

If you are expecting like us or have young kids you may be interested in visiting the upcoming babyfair at Danga city mall. Enjoy!

Engineering Series - Managing power spikes / tripped fuses

Hi Residents and owners,

Another in the engineering series for residents and owners living in East Ledang.

IMPETUS:

A fact of living in Johor is power-outs and spikes in our electricity supply. I am sure all of us have experienced power outages in the last few years. Unfortunately there is little we can do for power outs. For those who travel arriving home after time away (even for a day) discovering the circuit breaker has tripped due to a power spike and finding that all that food in your fridge or freezer has gone off (not to mention if you keep fish and the pump has been off for some time).

Power spikes are common (transient voltage issues) and can be managed to some extent. The circuit breaker by design trips (switches off the power) when earth leakage or power spike is detected for safety. This is a good thing. However if we are not around to turn the power back on, the food in the fridge may waste. We can't guarantee we will always been around to switch the power on.

THE FIX:

Lucky the fix is a relatively easy one, perhaps a little expensive (depending how much food could be wasted). Hager makes a plug in device which sits aside the main circuit breaker which in effect resets itself after a power spike. It works like this:

1. A power spike is detected - shut power off.
2. After 10 min timer (delay period) - resets the circuit breaker (turns power back on without intervention)
3. The device will try to reset 3 times in 30 mins. If it detects an actual fault (anything other than a power spike), the power will remain off for safety.
This means if the power trips due to a single spike, the power to the house will come back on without anyone needing to be there.

The Device is around the 700 MYR to purchase and needs to be installed by an electrician (it is very easy installation - 10-15 mins) Hager Auto Reset MZ912 - there are different types depending on the load required.

WARNING:

NOTE: If your electrical system is NOT equipped with Surge Protection Devices, protect equipment from transient as it can damage electrical items. This can be done at the distribution board or at the plug level. (another blog another time....)

Hager Auto Rests can be obtained from:

Genuine Electric Sdn Bhd
126, Jln Ros Merah Dua/16
Taman Johor Jaya
81100 Johor Bahru, Joho
r Pic: Mr. Tan Lian Hua / Mr. Loh Chee Kan
Email: genuine_electric@yahoo.com
Tel: 07-352 5722
Fax: 07-352 5727

Syarikat Elektrik Combi (JB) Sdn Bhd
61 & 63, Jalan Ros Merah 2/3
Taman Johor Jaya
81100 Johor Bahru, Johor
Pic: Mr. Lee Chee Boon
Email: combijb@gmail.com
Tel: 07-356 0208
Fax: 07-356 0209

C.T.E. Electric Sdn Bhd
33, Jalan Sri Bahagia 5
Taman Sri Bahagia, Tampoi
81200 Johor Bahru, Johor
Pic: Madam Chay Ah Min
Email: cte_electric@hotmail.com
Tel: 07-236 5668
Fax: 07-236 5609

Actgen Industry Sdn Bhd
133, Jalan Seroja 39
Taman Johor Jaya
81100 Johor Bahru
Pic: Mr. Tang Pee Tee
Email: joyce_actgenjj@yahoo.com
Tel: 07-357 3133
Fax: 07-357 3136

All the best, have a great NYE. See you again next year.
Thanks.......Ian

Wow We've Been Living in Johor for 2 Years!

My sincere apologies for being M.I.A for quite a while. We were away for a long holiday and are kinda of back at home now :)

#1 Highlight of our trip - the beautiful snow mountains of Switzerland



Our renovation is unfortunately still ongoing and the house still looks like a construction site. As with 99.9% renovations, we experienced some delays so we're running behind initial plan. I'm hopeful that we can have majority of work done by mid Dec (this year :). I also apologise to our dear neighbours who have to bear with the ever lasting renovation, thank you so much for your patience & support!

Here are couple pictures of our mess:

Study Room extension:

Courtyard folding doors made by dear husband:

We are redoing a lot of things (or should I say poor design & mess) done in our 1st renovation by our 1st contractors. I hope no one will go through the same pain as we did.

Besides holidays & renovation, time seriously fly and without realising it, it's been 2 years since we packed our stuff and moved up north from Singapore to Johor.

Looking back at the past 2 years, here are my thoughts of highlights and low-lights of living in Johor:

Key highlights:
- Generally nice neighbours and community, some of whom are like families now. To think of it, we didn't even know our neighbours in our apartment back in Singapore. I think we're very lucky to have met such a group of wonderful people.
- Fresh air, I love winding down my windows on the drive home from Singapore or when we leave home in the morning to smell the fresh air.
- Think 50% off cost of living in general. Groceries, fuel, utilities bill, vet and more, all almost half price we paid in Singapore.
- As per Ian's words, more relaxing lifestyle, less rushing and more space.

Key low-lights:
- Malaysia Boleh but actually Tak Boleh standard, talk and lack of substance, e.g. UEM who's started to slack off in their maintenance and security standards, hence the forming of East Ledang Pro-tem committee. You'd often hear people say "arr it's Malaysia" when something goes wrong, e.g. TNB power shut down for hours, etc I think Johor has a lot of potential, but I sincerely hope that mentality here would improve, skills will be upgraded and most importantly, more would take pride in their work.
- Lack of facilities still. There's still lack of more established, fine dining, expats options in Johor. Not much has changed since Medini lifestyle and Johor premium outlets open, let's hope that things will be more international in a year. Would be nice to have places like Arab Street, Bukit Bintang area of KL, etc in Johor.
- Of course, transport is always more inconvenient. Before going on this holiday, I was leaving for work at 6.30 am during carpooling days. There are times of course when I wish that I can get a 10 mins taxi ride to/from work, but it is what it is.

Overall, we still have no regrets moving here and are enjoying our space and lifestyle very much so. May the best of years still to come and we'll continue to enjoy our time here.

Have a good weekend everyone. Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone who's celebrating, we had some nice turkey dinner and hope you had some too :)

Johor International Ladies Group

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for being M.I.A for so long, life has been very hectic and I hope things are starting to slow down now.

I received an email from a new Johor resident who's just moved over from Singapore. Catherine has created a Meet Up group, called the Johor International Ladies Group. I thought this is a great idea so I'm helping to promote this group :)

Johor International Ladies Group is for ladies of all nationalities and ages living in Johor - especially around the areas of East Ledang, Ledang Heights, Horizon Hills and Leisure Farm. It's for Expats and locals - everyone is welcome.

The purpose of the group is to give women in Johor a chance to make new friends, enjoy social outings and increase their social circle. We can also have Meetups for members with children.

Who should join? Anyone who lives in Johor and would like to make some new friends and increase their social life! Also anyone who has children who'd like to do the same for their kids (and maybe even their partners).

Enjoy!

About 5,000 Singaporeans call Johor home, WOW!

I found this newly published article on The New Paper:

About 5,000 Singaporeans now call Johor home, estimates the Johor-Singapore Community Care Association, a newly formed group that aims to champion the interests of Singaporeans living across the Causeway.

The New Paper interviewed 3 families who shared their stories about moving to Johor and it's similar story one would hear from most of our neighbours (including us). We feel very lucky to have bought our house at the right time and even luckier to have great neighbours.

It is true that Johor is definitely not as safe as Singapore (not many places in this world are), but as long as we are prudent, vigilant and look after each other in the community, the probability of incidents will be reduced. The article also mentioned about Johor-Singapore Community Care Association (JSCA) which is formed to act as voice to speak to authorities for security concerns in Johor. This association can be contacted at contact@johor-singapore.com.

Despite rising crime, S'poreans don't regret buying Johor properties

Temasek Holdings eyes stake in $1.6b Johor project

Breaking news from Straits Times today:

"Singapore state investment firm Temasek Holdings is in talks to buy a stake in a 4 billion ringgit (S$1.6 billion) project in Malaysia's southern state of Johor, Malaysia's Business Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources."

We should check out the The Lido Boulevard project!

2 Storeys Bungalow in Ledang Heights for Sale

For anyone who's looking for bungalow in Ledang Heights, I came to know of this unit for sale. The house is still under renovation but it should be completed soon.

Description of the home:
• 2 storey bungalow
• Land size: 8,748sqf
• Built up: 3,368sqf
• Fully furnished to a high specification
• 4 + 1 bedrooms
• Gated community with 24h security
• Club house (membership required)
• Neighbourhood Shopping Centre
• Park (with central lake)

Images of the house interior design:
The owner is asking for RM2.6mil negotiable with 2 years tenancy agreement.

A brief description of Ledang Heights:

Ledang Heights is an exclusive bungalow only enclave located in the prime residential area of Nusajaya. Designed and laid out to make the most of the 360 acres of rolling hills on which it is located, Ledang Heights offers generous plot sizes to build your desired palatial home. Spaciousness is a definitive feature of Ledang Heights with its picturesque lake vistas and lush green central park while its 24-hour security creates a sanctuary for your total peace of mind. Its unbeatable location makes it only a 30 minute drive from downtown Singapore.

Location:
-10 mins after Johor 2nd Link Immigration Custom Complex
-2 mins to New Johor State Goverment Administrative office(Kota Iskandar)
-3 mins to Mydin and Anjung (Supermarket and food court)
-5 mins to Puteri Harbour Centre
-5 mins to EduCity university
-15 mins to Bukit Indah Jusco, Tesco and Giant
-10 mins to Columbia Hospital and more
-5 mins to Marlborough College


Please feel free to drop a note if you're interested in finding more information about this bungalow. Have a great Sunday Evening!

Malaysia safest country in Southeast Asia, 19th in the world

Read this article today and I must say that I was a bit surprised and skeptical. Malaysia has been rated as the safest country in SouthEastAsia and 19th safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI). The first thing that came to everyone's mind must be "how about Singapore, how can Malaysia be safer than Singapore". It's quite a contrast to all the Singapore blogs and forums that we read before moving to Johor. There were talks about how unsafe Johor is, a guy even said that he's never been to Johor for over 20 years and he doesn't plan to go because of safety issues, hahaha what a douchebag.

Well this latest rating is a good (even though I'm skeptical), but it's good for us who lives in Johor, I hope the government and police keep up the work and make it even safer to live.

Malaysia safest country in Southeast Asia, 19th in the world

This is the "New" scrambler track just near the Setia ECO gardens development. There is a few big hills and some work for a track on going (race day),which is quite a social event as well.

The location is a soil quarry and is just past the Setia ECO gardens business development on your left (travelling from Gelang Patah, marked by two white and blue striped silos just after the entrance.
Chat to Ong at Dirt wheel about getting into this sport- has all the 'Dirt' on it :-0

Post by Ian - please feel free to leave a comment if you're interested to find out more about this riding track.

Rude treatment for journalists during media tour in Nusajaya

A group of fellow journalists were treated not so politely during a recent media tour to theme park organised by a government-linked company (GLC) under Iskandar Malaysia. Read more: Staff lack basic courtesy - Johor - New Straits Times

Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore

A study is being done on the feasibility of constructing an undersea tunnel to link Singapore and Malaysia. Iskandar Regional Development Authority chief executive officer Ismail Ibrahim said the tunnel was likely to be about 1km long, slightly shorter than the Causeway.

It's about time, hopefully there'll be more ways to cross between SG & Johor. I think this is important to prepare for the influx of tourists into Iskandar once Legoland and other attractions open in 2012.

Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore

Giving Iskandar a compelling edge - October 20, 2011

There is still much for Iskandar Malaysia to do if it is to fully achieve success.

The three areas of focus now are on making sure that:

(1) the planning and delivery model works;

(2) that safety and security is ensured; and

(3) that Iskandar's economic and regulatory framework remains independent, with consistent policies in place for the region to achieve long-term confidence and success.

My take on making it achieve full success:
- Ensure safety and security (most crucial) of residents and businesses in this area
- Provide highly skilled professionals and labour...case & point, house building & construction for example
- Ensure developers follow standards of maintaining its properties
- Improves customer service standards of both public and private sectors, make life easier in general, e.g. customer service of TM & TnB to help customers instead, be responsive and responsive.

Last but not least, DO NOT roll out the fingers scan immigration system and create 5 hours jam at causeways again :)

Giving Iskandar a compelling edge - October 20, 2011

School Holidays Causing Jam on 2nd Link Causeway

Yesterday I was stuck on the 2nd link Causeway for 2.5 hours. What was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up a friend at Joo Koon MRT turned into 2.5 hours sauna trip (my car's aircon stopped working too) along the causeway. There were many many Singaporean families taking short vacations and driving to/through Johor. Hundreds of cars were lined up from 1 KM to Johor checkpoint. It took us over 2 hours to clear the 1 KM distance. I reached the causeway at 12 noon and only managed to arrive home at East Ledang at 2.35 pm. Our neighbour was also caught in the jam and it took them over 2 hours to clear the causeway jam as well. Lesson learnt: Be aware of school holidays schedule and not just public holidays. I found this site which is quite useful, hopefully you would not experience a 2 hours jam like we did :)

Happy Sunday!

Security Question in East Ledang

I just read about the recent robbery incident at Bukit Indah. Security is definitely something that we take super seriously.

When we first considered moving to East Ledang, our main and no 1 concern was security. I spent many hours researching and reading many many blogs which were discussing about security in Johor. Some of the comments were quite scary, some even wrote: "I've not been to Johor for over 20 years and I don't plan to visit" while others even suggested carrying guns for self-protection.

Since we've been living here for almost 6 months now, I feel obliged to share our experience and learnings about the security of living in Johor.

A few important points for me on why we chose East Ledang:
- The East Ledang complex is surrounded by fences equipped with movement sensitive infra-red cameras, coupled with guard patrols throughout the day on regular intervals. Visitors entrance into the complex is tightly controlled (Before moving here, we've tried to visit this complex a couple of times but were not allowed to drive in).
- Each house is armed with CHUBB Alarm system which is super sensitive and super loud (you'll definitely wake up the entire neighbourhood if the alarm goes off)
- Police station is located at Anjung, which is the foodcourt area just outside of East Ledang.

Overall, I feel safe in East Ledang and we've not heard any complaints from neighbours so far. I also drive home late quite often from work, but I feel safe driving on the LebuhRaya highway in the evening. There are usually still lots of traffic in the evening.

I use my common sense and take precautions if we go to other places in Johor. For examples: not to show off and wear too many expensive jewellery pieces, not to display cash in public, always using a steering wheel lock, be mindful of where we park the car, etc. I think these are again common sense that you would apply everyday when you live anywhere else in this world (OK - maybe except for Singapore - yes there's no place else I feel in the world as safe as Singapore). Also, residents should act as a community to ensure that we keep the area safe and secured.

So in a nutshell, yes I do agree that Johor is not as safe as Singapore - but where else is as safe as Singapore really? Each of us play a part to be prudent and watch out for our community. I think this will lead to a better and safer environment.