Disember 2013 Edisi 5 Malaysia Welcomes You! Aalborg Adventure Travel Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Packing Tips 1 KEMBARA PLUS ONLINE DISEMBER 2013 Features : Happy Holidays! 03 ‘Tis the season of CONTENTS giving 05 Travel Packing tips 07 Travel : Aalborg Adventures 11 Islamic Tourism : The New 06 Frontier 12 Riding to promote Malaysia in Uzbekistan Visit Malaysia 14 Hidden Gems of Kuala 2014 : Malaysia Kangsar welcomes you 18 Fashion : Happy holidays 21 Makan- Makan: 09 Kek Nenas Terbalik 22 PLUS News : Labu Sayong: Bersedia Hadapi Kuala Kangsar’s Sebarang Kemungkinan Distinctive Heritage 25 Smart Tips : Exercise 16 Kembara PLUS Online is produced by Strategic Communications & Corporate Communications, PLUS Malaysia Berhad 2 KEMBARA PLUS ONLINE DISEMBER 2013 We normally holiday in areas with fresh air, sunlight and some element of nature. All of this has a positive effect on us. Spending time outside in the sun or just in natural light increases our serotonin levels which make us feel happier and more relaxed. Fresh air and exercise also helps us to sleep better. FEATURES We also need to take a break from Social Media every now and again. The influx of Smartphone’s and applications allow us access to Twitter, Facebook at the touch of a button. While this makes for great communication, it’s also easy to become more and more addicted to them. It does us good to be reminded that the world won’t fall apart if we don’t tweet or update our status for a week or two! Holidays allow for families to bond better Holidays give us time to reconnect with our spouses/ partners and families. It provides us with quality bonding time that we don’t often have at home and gives us the opportunity to create memories to share in years to come. Committing to be with parents, siblings, children, and extended and blended family members communicates with actions that these people are important and worth the effort involved in making the journey and sharing the holiday with. They are the people who know everything about us and accept us anyway. In spite of stressful times, family loyalty is a powerful connection. We also need downtime to become inspired, more creative and dream up our best ideas. It’s very difficult for us to be creative and produce great work without thinking time. whether a holiday in the tropics or in winter, enjoy the outdoors as much as possible Few people seem to be aware of suppressed leaving us susceptible how important holidays actually to illness. We’re also less efficient Taking holidays and exploring different places also gives us The year-end holidays are here are for our long-term health and at work and more likely to make a chance to build new relationships. Those relationships wellbeing. In fact, given the benefits mistakes. So any sensible employers add to our support networks and may even bring us again! The Scrooges among you that holidays actually provide, they out there should be encouraging us new opportunities. should be considered more of a to jet off more regularly to prevent may well ask why the need to take necessity than a luxury! burnout, encourage productivity….. Time to rest and unwind also allows us to nurture a holiday at all but it is vitally and their profits! positive thoughts and feelings. If we allow ourselves the We all need to step off the treadmill time we need to relax then we are valuing our bodies, important to have these breaks of our daily routines, chores and So, how exactly does a holiday our health and ourselves. from our routine, even if they are demanding jobs once in a while. help us? Well, we’re normally more Working in a stressful environment active on holiday. We walk, explore, short. Going away and breaking without taking regular breaks can swim and chase round after our from your normal routine is an be damaging to our health and also children. There’s not a lot of need our employer’s businesses. to explain why this is better for us important component of self-care. than sitting in front of a computer Time to reconnect with spouse and create special memories Without proper downtime our all day or slouching on the sofa but bodies don’t have the time they exercise also releases endorphins, need to repair and recuperate. happy hormones, which make us When we are overworked feel better and fights those stress our immune systems become hormones. 3 KEMBARA PLUS ONLINE DISEMBER 2013 4 KEMBARA PLUS ONLINE DISEMBER 2013 For many people, giving is an can’t connect with the people important part of the year-end you aim to serve, as people, then holidays which culminates with nobody is the better for your TRAVEL PACKING Christmas and the seasonal giving alleged charity. of gifts. One of the resources most FEATURES FEATURES tips Too often in our culture, lacking for impoverished people however, the focus of Christmas is autonomy. Think about the way 1. Check temperatures and events at your destination. Only pack is on consumerism. Christmas you volunteer or give charity – what corresponds---do not bring “just in case” clothes. is typically a peak selling season perhaps there is a better way for for retailers in many nations you to increase people’s abilities 2. Choose a central color to pack around. A neutral such around the world. Sales increase to make their own choices, to as brown, black, or tan is a good place to start, then bring dramatically as people purchase follow their own paths and to accessories and accent pieces that go with this color palette. gifts, decorations, and supplies to develop their own abilities. celebrate. 3. A good rule of thumb for trips less than one week is one shirt per Too often, people in a position to day, one layering jacket or sweater, one bottom per every two days The Thanksgiving-to-Christmas help hold themselves apart from (but never less than two pairs of pants), no more than two pairs of season does bring out the best the people they hope to assist. shoes (one you wear and one you pack), underwear for every day, in people, but the spirit of giving And no wonder – for the once-a- and seasonal additions, like a bathing suit. should extend beyond the malls year volunteer, there is little time to helping out charitablecauses. to get to know anyone, let alone 4. If you’re traveling for more than a week, follow the same numbers CHECKLIST What to pack: really understand what their lives as above and plan on washing clothes instead of bringing more. If There are countless different ways are like. If you can, make a long- you’re in a country with a good exchange rate, or aren’t on a tight you can create a positive impact term commitment and open budget, take advantage of the hotel laundry service or dry cleaning. in your community not just for yourself up to the lives of the Otherwise, bring individual packets of detergent. this season but all-year round: for people your charity is aimed at. example, by helping out at an Old Get to know people face-to-face, 5. Make detailed lists of everything you plan to bring. That way you ‘TIS THE Folks’ Home, donating to a charity, as friends and colleagues and can easily see if you’ve allotted six pairs of pants for a four-day trip. or participating in a food drive for equals. Be honest, note everything---including socks and underwear---and the homeless – these are all ways then stick to your list when packing. that a small contribution of your Last but most important, SEASON time and effort will have a huge remember, it’s not about you. Yes, 6. Downsize toiletries. Pick up travel-size impact in the life of someone less it feels good to give, and there’s versions of your favorite products fortunate. no point in feeling guilty about whenever you see them, not just when of that, but don’t do it because it you’re getting ready to travel. If you can’t GIVING After all, people need our help makes you feel good, or because find miniatures, buy small plastic bottles all year-round. Sick children in you earn points towards a and decant from larger products. hospitals, children in battered merit badge or college credit, women’s shelters who have or because it’s part of your 7. Wear your heaviest shoes, sweater, fled their homes in the middle organization’s CSR charter, or for and jacket. That way, you don’t have to of the night, and many others whatever other way that charity pack them. require our bounty year-round. benefits you. Do it because you The same goes for other forms must, because being a giving 8. Before you actually pack your of volunteering – there are person is right. suitcase, pile everything you plan to homeless, disabled, ill, poor, and bring on your bed or dresser. This is otherwise hurting people who And this year, instead of giving your opportunity to eye your clothes need help year-round. during the season of giving and and cull a few more items. If you pack then returning to your “normal directly into your suitcase, you’ll be Poor people don’t need the dregs life” after the holidays are over, let tempted to throw in a few extra items (trust of your life, whether in the form the holidays be a starting point to us, you will).