Take off with Travel for Love on TLC (Astro Channel 728) This Valentine's Day

Discovery and Astro have teamed up to co-produce a travel lifestyle series for the first time, as part of a three-year content agreement and an extension of their distribution partnership. Called Travel For Love (wt), the unscripted series reinvents the genre of travel shows, with the added element of new relationships in a foreign land. The series sees micro influencers sent on the trip of a lifetime to experience all the magic of a new adventure, and the anticipation of meeting someone for the first time. It is scheduled to air on TLC (Astro Channel 728) at 9.25pm, Discovery’s flagship lifestyle channel.

Travel for Love is a social experiment presenting all the thrills of travel, with a refreshing take on the beginnings of new relationships. Kicking off in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, the eight-part series will be shot in different parts of Asia. In each episode, the influencer will discover the amazing local flavours, colourful festivities and culture, and also step out of their comfort zones by travelling with individuals outside of their usual sphere of interaction. Will sparks fly as personalities clash, or will things smoulder and perhaps ignite new, intangible connections? Should a connection be formed, viewers can expect bonus digital content, with the tantalizing possibility of second dates and behind-the-scenes moments. The digital element provides viewers with an additional touchpoint and also helps give more depth to the story as each adventure unfolds.

Anna Pak Burdin, Discovery’s Vice President and General Manager for Southeast Asia said, “Powering people’s passions is part of our global DNA. We aim to fuel the interests of our superfans, on television screens and beyond. With this new series, we are marrying two passion points – relationships and travel – into a new format that not only captures the excitement for travel but also reveals the subtle nuances that are unique to Asian culture. We’re very excited to embark on this travelogue with a twist, together with our long-standing partner Astro in Malaysia.”

Relationships and travel are two content pillars that are popular amongst TLC’s viewers in Southeast Asia. Fans relate personally to the real-life aspirations of real people seeking love in programmes such as 90 Day Fiancé and Love at First Swipe, while wanderlusters are inspired by travel shows such as Wondernesia and long-running franchises like Fun Taiwan.

9D8N Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Itinerary

After exploring many of the main metropolitan of Japan, what else is there to do that spirals outside of the beaten path? I would say embarking on a pilgrimage route. There is just something so sacred about following the trails of religious and spiritual individuals while immersing one’s self in the beauty of Japan’s nature. But of course, times have change and no longer do those wishing to embark on a pilgrimage route have to traverse city to city when we now have trains and buses. Nor is a pilgrimage route exclusively for the religious anymore. 

Kaki Chan & Miraku Chan Oysters Valentine's Day Whatsapp, LINE and Telegram Stickers

February is a very spe-shell month for Kakichan the Oyster because his berthday is also in February. 9 Feb 2016 to be pacific. It was only 3 years later that he met Miraku Chan, the girl oyster. Living his whole life in a shell, it is a miracle that a beautiful girl oyster sardinely a-pier in his life.

Kakichan has been coming out of his shell more often because of Miraku Chan. This Valentines Day, Kakichan will try his best to shrimpress Miraku by giving her a boatquet of red roses, taking her to a movie and a jawsome boat trip.

Redoxon® celebrates Chap Goh Meh with Digital Lake of Health, Love and Prosperity

Huat ah!! 

What a pleasant surprise I got at work today. It's a care package from Redoxon - they probably heard how I have been rasping my way through the weekend with a sore throat post CNY.  Thank you Redoxon for the abundance of vitamin C for me to get well in time for Chap Goh Mei so I can throw oranges into the lake to find Mr Man. 

Nagasaki, Kyushu [Day 4 Part 1] - Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park

I started out this post as the usual day-to-day re-account of my trip there but as it progressed, I felt that the museum and the tragedy of which it served as a reminder deserved a post of its own. So here it is.

It was pouring cats and dogs on our fourth day in Kyushu, the tail end of a storm that has been plaguing that region for the past couple of weeks. There were reports of landslides and flooding in the center part of Kyushu but thankfully none near us. But boy, did it pour that morning.

How You can Help New South Wales Post Bushfire

Booking a holiday to New South Wales (NSW) is one of the best ways to help support towns and people impacted by the pressures of recent bushfires and drought. The majority of the state, including Sydney, South Coast, North Coast, the Hunter Valley and Blue Mountains, is now welcoming visitors – whose vacations to NSW will provide benefits for entire local communities of accommodation providers, restaurants and cafes, visitor sites and small businesses which are both immediate and long-lasting.

When visitors stay local and buy local, it not only provides a financial boost to these areas but significantly boosts community spirit. Here are some of the top reasons to take a NSW trip now and in the coming months that you’ll enjoy and give back.

KLSCM 2020 Sells out In 7 Hours

When an event dubbed as the World's Worst Marathon sells out its slots in mere hours, there must be something wrong with the people who conducted the survey in the first place. Despite being ranked number 1 from the bottom according to Sole Supplier (who they btw), Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) once again proved itself to be the premier race to be at when all of its public participation slots were snatched up in just seven hours.

Hm...I don't see Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon selling out that fast and they are supposedly bidding to be considered a World Major Marathon event. Hah!

Nagasaki, Kyushu [Day 3] - Shimabara

When people ask me about my Kyushu trip, they often ask me: Why Shimabara? What's Shimabara? Where's Shimabara? Well, let me first answer by putting this photo here.

Yes, Shimabara first shot to fame in 2018 when social media picked up on three very peculiar resident dogs that would stick their heads out of the three square holes in the walls, thrilling passersby and travellers alike. The holes in the wall were initially cut in to allow airflow to the garden but upon noticing his dogs' odd behaviour, the owner added more. Now the holes have come their own little viewing window to the outside world. Too cute!

OYO Hotels and Homes' Top 10 List and Milestones for 2019

OYO Hotels and Homes closed 2019 by announcing its Top 10 lists and milestones for its operations in Malaysia.  

●  Starting in Malaysia in 2017 with just under 5,000 rooms and 121 properties, OYO had 17,474 rooms and 270 properties by late 2019.

●   East Malaysia was a key growth segment, with Sarawak recording 51x growth in the number of OYO properties.

●   Cities in Sarawak led in the growth of room numbers from 2018 to 2019:

o   Miri recorded the largest increase with 571 rooms

o   Kuching came second with 567 rooms

o   Bintulu was third with 381 rooms

●   In Peninsular Malaysia, tourist favourite George Town saw the biggest increase in the number of properties at 5,710% comprising 346 rooms.

●   Interestingly, upcoming destination Manjung saw the highest growth in rooms in West Malaysia at 3,750%, with a total of 375 rooms in 2019.

Special AirAsia CNY flights at fixed low fares

Malaysians traveling for the upcoming Chinese New Year are in for a festive treat as AirAsia celebrates Shared Prosperity with special late night flights at fixed low fares between Peninsula and East Malaysia from 21 to 31 January 2020. 

 Fly home from Kuala Lumpur to Sibu, Bintulu and Miri, as well as from Johor Bahru to Sibu at only RM149* one-way all-in-fares and from Kuala Lumpur to Sandakan and Tawau at only RM199* one-way all-in-fares.