#SomewhereOnlyWeKnow: Teaser Released, Features A Lot Of Kris

You’ve already heard that EXO’s (now ex-member) Kris Wu Yi Fan will be featured in an upcoming Chinese movie, “Somewhere Only We Know”. The movie will be based on the romantic endeavours of a career woman and star other rookie actors, although Kris will play the male lead. Filming started on 24th June this year in Prague, Czech Republic, not long after Kris filed for lawsuit against SM Entertainment.

After which, we were treated to a series of pictures that were taken during the filming of the movie, which were posted via the film’s director Xu Jing Lei’s Weibo, and then shared by Kris via his own Weibo. In case you missed it, here:

While the above pictures didn’t really give much insight on the role that Kris will play or whether or not fans will be able to see a lot of Kris, a “Somewhere Only We Know” teaser video will do the trick! One YouTube user uploaded the short 2-minute long clip which shows more Kris than anyone can ever ask for. Also, with what little that we can gather from the teaser video, the story is more or less based on an awkward relationship (because funny moments ensue) between Kris and the older, more matured career woman.

“Somewhere Only We Know” is expected to hit theatres on Valentine’s Day next year. We gotta admit that we really, really do want to watch the film!

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out the song that Kris himself penned for the film titled, “There Is A Place“.


Step-By-By Guide On EPF i-Citra Applications Start Today

With the announcement of the People’s Protection and Rehabilitation Package (PEMULIH), 2 weeks ago, by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, a question bugging everyone’s mind is the application dates for the respective financial aids given. This is mostly referring to the i-Citra withdrawal scheme — where Employees Provident Fund (EPF) members are allowed to withdraw up to RM10,000 per month for the next 5 months.

Well, here’s some great news! EPF has finally announced that the application for the i-Citra withdrawal will be opened to the public today, 12th July. This is slightly contrasting to the date announced by the Prime Minister. Therefore, the new date announced is three days earlier than the initial date. Through i-Citra, EPF members are allowed to withdraw up to RM 1,000 per month for the next 5 months. Here are some examples as shown on EPF’s website:

To be eligible for this program, members should be less than 55 years old and have at least RM 150 in their EPF account. EPF has also stated that the i-Citra payments would be taken from the member’s second account first. If necessary, they will be using the money from the member’s first account. Here’s an example:

EPF members, who are prospective applicants would have until 30th September 2021 to submit their applications via i-Citra’s portal.

Here’s some background information on EPF i-Citra: It is one of the several programmes that were introduced under the PEMULIH package apart from the extension of the free 1GB daily data, discounts on TNB’s electricity bill, Bantuan Kehilangan Pendapatan (BKP) and Bantuan Khas Covid-19 (BKC).

According to the EPF i-Citra website, the maximum amount that could be withdrawn is RM5,000 and the applicant would have to leave a minimum of RM 100 as a remainder in the first account. This payment would be credited directly into the applicant’s bank account. Therefore, the applicants must ensure that their bank accounts are still active and it should be under the applicant’s name.

Here is a handy guideline on how you can apply for i-Citra:

This widely talked about initiative is definitely something to be thought about, for those struggling financially due to Covid-19 and the extended lockdowns. For more information regarding the i-Citra scheme, do have a look at their FAQ page to make an informed decision.

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#ZoukKLGoesBig: Sneak Peek Of Superclub’s August Roster (Miss Nine, Tritonal, Etc.)

Zouk Club KL, Kuala Lumpur’s most iconic party hub, is finally packing up and moving out of its Jalan Ampang venue.

With one more finale party happening in 10 days, emotions are running high as Malaysian partygoers gather to say goodbye to the club at its old venue.

On top of that, it’s hard to confirm what one can expect from the new Zouk Club KL, located along bustling downtown Jalan Tun Razak. We, too, are just a little afraid of the move.

Luckily, the superclub just revealed a sneak peek of what Zouk “residents” can expect from their upcoming August roster. So, while you prepare to dance down memory lane on 25th July for the last time, start making plans to hit up the new Zouk Club KL superclub when it opens for these acts:

We know, right? Dubvision? Miss Nine?? Tritonal?!? True to its every word, #ZoukKLGoesBig. Ooh, we want in! :)

Meanwhile, don’t forget to rock up to Zouk Club KL on 25th July as the milestone event will mark the finale of “Lights Out, Move Out” for Velvet Underground and Zouk Cafe Bar – as well as for the current Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur complex, as the curtain comes down for the final time.

Revellers attending the “Lights Out, Move Out” farewell party can also sign up for launch invites to the new Zouk at TREC and Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur’s membership. There will also be a sneak peek of the new club that would be screened on this night. To add on, for the first 200 early birds – a limited-edition Zouk KL T-shirt.

Due to the change in Zouk KL’s launch date, Dubvision and Miss Nine will no longer be part of the August roster. FTampa and Tritonal, however, are still slated to play at the new club :)

More details to come via Zouk Club KL’s Facebook page from August onwards.


#THG Mockingjay Part 1: “Together As One”

Amidst the chaos, President Snow has finally spoken!

The first teaser video for The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 has been revealed as Capitol TV uploaded a video of President Snow’s official Panem address, “Together As One”:

But wait, is that Peeta aka Katniss’s arena partner/lover standing beside President Snow?

Just few days ago, the Capitol started their propaganda campaign by honouring the “district heroes”. If you have read the books, we are sure you’d have a better idea of what was going on in the teaser video and propaganda posters.

Without spoiling too much, the previous film ended with a dramatic cliffhanger as Peeta was captured by the Capitol and Katniss’ hometown District 12 was destroyed. In the next film, we are expected to see Katniss joining the rebels while trying to save Peeta. Based on the best-selling novel of all time, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” is a film directed by Francis Lawrence and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik.

Stay tuned for more updates via their official website and Facebook page!


Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) Reveals Rey’s Parentage Ahead Of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” Release?

Like every other “Star Wars” fan, we’ve been waiting with bated breaths for the release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi“, the 2nd film in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. We’ve seen the trailer and now we’re just gobbling up every morsel of hint and teaser that we can find.

“Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order,” reads the description on Google. And that’s perhaps one of the biggest questions since “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” 2 years ago – who is Rey (played by Daisy Ridley)? Where did she get her powers from? Why did Luke Skywalker‘s lightsaber call out to her? What is her parentage?

Actor Adam Driver, who plays Kylo Ren in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, may or may not have revealed a major spoiler for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” in his GQ interview recently. In speaking about Daisy Ridley’s character, Adam said, “You have, also, the hidden identity of this princess who’s hiding who she really is so she can survive and Kylo Ren and her hiding behind these artifices.”

Did you get that? He said princess. Wait, did Adam just reveal Rey’s royal origins? But who could her parents be? An Organa? A Skywalker? Did he actually mean a literal princess or was it just a figure of speech to mess with our heads?

We’ll only really find out when the film is released, eh?

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is scheduled to be released in cinemas worldwide on 15th December 2017.

Source: GQ / Featured image: Disney/Lucasfilm.

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Hype’s Exclusive: Deniz Koyu Gives Us The Time Of Our Lives At Zouk KL

Last weekend, Turkish DJ/producer Deniz Koyu returned to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after a year to give partygoers the time of their lives at Zouk Club KL. No stranger to Kuala Lumpur, the last time he was in our beautiful country was in March for Future Music Festival Asia. Although the event got cancelled, the party didn’t stop as Deniz Koyu along with Knife Party and Bassjackers took the party to Zouk Club KL.

Now, a couple of months on, Deniz Koyu makes his way back to Malaysia and we find out if he’s just as excited to be back here.

Hey Deniz! How’s it going? Are you excited to be back?

Hey!! Good, thanks! Yourself? Of course I am. It’s my third time here and I’m also so excited to be here. The last time I came down was in March for Future Music Festival Asia but it was cancelled and we came over to Zouk to play. The crowd was amazing, it’s always so great to be in KL.

I’m good, thanks! As someone who has travelled and played all across the globe, what would you say sets aside the Malaysian crowd from the rest?

Hmm…I would say that the Asian crowd in general is much more excited as compared to the crowd in Europe and America and that’s amazing for us because we can feel the excitement. I think the Asian crowd, even here in Malaysia, are not used to having big DJs play every weekend like in America so it’s still fresh here and it’s great for us to come here because we can feel the love and excitement.

With the way dance music has evolved, how would you say your sound has changed since you first started three years ago?

I think I’ve grown with the scene and what fans want to listen to. From playing shows, I get a lot of feedback and vibes from the crowd. I think when I started 3 years ago, my sound was a little slower, more house music feel, a little less energetic as compared to now. My sound now is more energetic but I think it’s just a phase and the music is moving towards a new direction soon. There’s this new thing called “Future House” that’s going to be the next big thing. I think the sound is going to change a lot next year and this hard EDM stuff is going to slow down. But in general, I don’t really pay much attention to what’s happening around me and focus more on my own thing. As compared to before, now I have done more vocal records and melodic stuff. If you’ve heard my latest track “To The Sun”, you’ll notice it’s more melodic and progressive.

Oh yes, we have and we love it! Speaking of “To The Sun”, is there anything else that we can look forward to from you this year? What are your plans for the rest of 2014 and for the upcoming 2015?

Thank you! I actually have lots of tracks finished at the moment, but we’re still trying to figure out the schedule for release. I’m planning to release one track by this year but I’m not sure if it’s going to work out. I have another one coming up on Protocol Records, that’s a vocal record as well. A melodic track that’s very uplifting and I’ve been playing it at shows for the past 2 months or so and it has always been very well received so I’m quite excited for that one. I also have a collaboration called “Torn Apart” with Thomas Gold. We actually wanted to release it a long time ago, almost a year now, but we always go back to the studio to tweak this and that to make it perfect. I think it’s finished now. Haha. But other than that, a lot of shows coming up. The usual around this time of the year.

Sounds like you’ve got busy times ahead! If you could collaborate with one artiste from any genre, who would it be?

Oh. This is tough. Probably the toughest question ever because there are so many great singers and amazing artistes from all genres. Could be Coldplay or Ellie Goulding or M83, there’s too many. But honesty, if I had to pick just one, if I could choose, it would be Daft Punk.

Ooh! A collaboration with Daft Punk would be amazing! What is on your current playlist?

It would be, wouldn’t it? Someday hopefully. When I’m home and not touring, I don’t really listen to dance music so much because I listen to that all the time. I like indie and slower stuff. I like Chvrches, listen to them a lot actually.

Oh cool! Last one, who’s your biggest celebrity crush and why?

Thank you so much Deniz for taking the time to chat with us. Also, big thanks to our buddies from Zouk Club KL for making this happen. More pics from the night can be found in the gallery below:

If you want more of Deniz Koyu, stalk him via these platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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(NSFW) Jackie Chan Admits To Starring In Porn Film When He Was Younger

Jackie Chan is best known for his action and comedy films, but did you know that he was once a porn star?

For those that didn’t know, the legendary actor previously starred in a Hong Kong adult comedy, “All In The Family” (花飛滿城春), which came out in 1975. According to Wikipedia, the movie contains 1 of only 2 sex scenes the 63-year-old entertainer has ever done.

Many fans were shocked to find out when this news first came to light. Jackie Chan claimed that he accepted the job offer in order to make a living and has no regret over the decision. The famous star also remarked that there is a difference between porn and conservative porn.

“I had to do anything I could to make a living 31 years ago, but I don’t think it’s a big deal, even Marlon Brando used to be exposed in his movies. The porn movie at that time was more conservative than the current films,” he was quoted as saying.

It is also interesting to note that “All In The Family” is the only Jackie Chan movie where he wasn’t involved in a single fight or stunt sequence. You can watch a 10-minute clip of it here.

Sources: Hangat, Lipstiq / Featured image: Google Images.


(UPDATE) #Bersih4: Overnight Rallies To Be Held In KL, Kuching, & KK On 29th – 30th Aug

According to Malaysiakini, Bersih will hold rallies in 3 cities to push for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s resignation plus institutional reforms to prevent prime ministerial corruption.

The overnight rallies would be held in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching (Sarawak), and Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) starting 2pm on 29th August until midnight of 30th August to demand 4 major objectives:

MMO quoted Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah as saying at a press conference:

Bersih 2.0 hereby declares that the Bersih 4 rally will be held on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu from August 29, 2pm to August 30…we are overnight [sic]. We invite all patriotic Malaysians to join the rally to demand for Najib to step down and institutional reforms to be implemented so as to end prime-ministerial corruption.

On the activities that will be held during the rally, Maria Chin said there might be some activities planned for participants who spend the night. Maria added they will announce the exact locations for the rally later.

An excerpt from Bersih’s official statement reads:

The time has come for Malaysians to come forward to demand for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s resignation and a host of institutional reforms to put an end to prime-ministerial corruptions since Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time. All Malaysians are now paying a huge price for the RM42 billion scandal of 1MDB amongst other incidences of corruption, leakages and mismanagement.

Najib has virtually ruled out all possibilities for truth on the 1MDB scandal to be unearthed and criminals to be brought to justice by a series of his political moves on 27 and 28 July:

The abrupt and arguably unconstitutional removal of Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. Since the AG’s Chambers is one of the four agencies of the Special Taskforce on 1MDB investigation, the removal of the AG is a direct interference in the AG Chamber’s work and is meant as a warning signal to the other three agencies: the Police, Bank Negara and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. The constitutionality of such removal — not done on the like grounds and in the like manners as a Federal Court judge — has been rejected or questioned by many parties including the Bar Council.

The co-optation of four out of 13 members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) into the administration, namely Chairperson Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed (as deputy home minister), Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican (as deputy foreign affairs minister), Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (as deputy tourism and culture minister) and Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau (as science, technology and innovation minister). As PAC members cannot be holding executive positions, these appointments are Najib’s unscrupulous plot to disable PAC, the only other public institution which is pursuing the 1MDB scandal with the support of the Auditor General’s Office. The acceptance of executive appointments by Nur Jazlan and his three colleagues is a betrayal of the public trust on PAC to act on 1MDB.

Continued and worsened power concentration through cabinet reshuffle with the retention of the Finance Minister portfolio by Najib himself and the appointment of Zahid Hamidi as Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) who continues to hold the Home Minister portfolio. Zahid has just ordered the three-month suspension of The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily for exposés on the 1MDB scandal. That the PM and DPM simultaneously hold two powerful ministries of Finance and Home Affairs depletes any hope of independent investigations without more attempts to cover up corruption and silence critics.

Bersih 2.0 has previously warned that they will hold a rally should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak fail to answer allegations of his involvement with the debt-laden state investment fund.

According to a report by The Star Online, Dataran Merdeka will be the site of the next Bersih rally, which is scheduled to last 34 hours.

In a statement on Tuesday (11th August), the group said that the Bersih 4.0 would begin at 2pm on 29th August and end at 11:59pm on 30th August.

We have decided to camp overnight at Dataran Merdeka to demand for clean elections, corrupt-free government, the right to protest, strengthening parliament democracy and saving the economy. We invite all Malaysians to join us in a gathering unlike any other in history. Participants are advised to bring camping gear, sleeping bags and other equipment needed for spending the night at the city.

Bersih 2.0 said that police and city officials had been notified on the gathering. They also expressed that they are willing to discuss the rally with Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar to ensure the safety of the public and that traffic flow is uncontested.

“Members of the public are advised to gather in five places before moving to Dataran Merdeka: Brickfields, Pasar Seni, Sogo, Masjid Negara, and Dataran Maybank,” it added.

Sources: MMO, Bersih, Malaysiakini, The Star Online / Featured image from Bersih.

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Hype’s Must Watch: Ip Man 3

“Let’s see whose fist is the fastest. Yours or mine?”

The first teaser trailer for Wilson Yip’s 3rd and final installment of “Ip Man” has finally arrived online and it’s as intense as we expected.

The 3rd film sees Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen reprising his role as the legendary “Wing Chun” master, Ip Man. According to Yen, this might be his final martial arts film.

Both Yen and producer Raymond Wong weren’t initially keen on making the 3rd film, especially since various “Ip Man” films by other film companies were released at the time. After careful consideration, Yen agreed to return for the role due to fans’ anticipation.

The 3rd film will focus on Ip Man’s relationship with his greatest pupil, Bruce Lee. This decision came after “Ip Man 2” briefly showed Lee as a child.

The 3rd film will show Lee as an adult. However, since the film’s producers Pegasus Motion Pictures could not find any actor who could portray his intensity onscreen, they decided to use CGI to portray Lee.

This move has been challenged by Bruce Lee Enterprises (BLE), who intends to stop Pegasus from including the CGI version of Lee, but Pegasus insisted that Lee’s brother Robert, who works as a consultant on the film, owns the star’s intellectual property rights. Thus, it remains unclear if the CGI Bruce Lee will be featured in “Ip Man 3”.

Besides Bruce Lee, the movie will also pit the “Wing Chun” master against an American property developer and a street fighter portrayed by former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson.

Rising star Max Zhang (of “The Grandmaster” and “SPL 2” fame) will also star in the movie, with Lynn Hung, Simon Yam, and Louis Fan reprising their respective roles.

“Ip Man 3” is slated for release on 24th December 2015.

For more information, visit the movie’s official Facebook page.


Have You Met Ed Sheeran?

“If you like Adele, Ed Sheeran might well be the male standard.” – New Sunday Times, September 2011.

“Honey-voiced songwriting phenomenon who’s breaking hearts and conquering the charts.” – Q Magazine, September 2011.

“Sheeran’s voice, alternating between soulful huskiness and stuttering sing-speak is a treat.” – Saturday Telegraph, September 2011.

See, we’re not the only ones who spent the past few days or so raving about a certain Suffolk boy who found his love for music when he learnt to play an old guitar given to him by an uncle. It stirred his interest and started writing songs at the tender age of 11.

By 16, Ed Sheeran was in London, playing as many gigs as he could.

“I was playing every night. Sometimes three times a night. I played every open mic night going. At first the crowds weren’t interested, but I learnt how to make them interested!”, he said.

One night, he played a tiny bar in North London whose website listed every young promoter in town. It was that night that he took the chance to contact them all and lo and behold, a few days later, he had nearly a hundred new gigs lined up. Talk about opening up flood gates!

He would sell CDs of his songs out of his backpack, putting cash in his pocket to get to the next gig, wash, rinse, and repeat. Over the next year, he released  five EPs, each one totally different than the previous – yet totally him.

[youtube id=”ZXvzzTICvJs” width=”600″ height=”350″]

By the time he released the final EP , “No. 5 Collaborations” in January, which ironically featured the who’s who of UK hip hop and grime such as, Devlin, Wretch 32, Dot Rotten, P Money, JME, and Wiley, the support was so strong it propelled him to No.2 in the iTunes album chart after just 24 hours.

When Elton John called his mobile to congratulate him, Ed realised quite how big things had got. Amid interest from numerous labels Ed shortly signed with Asylum (part of Atlantic Records)

His first single “The A Team” garnered over 31 million views on YouTube has charted No.1 on MIXFM. for three weeks consecutively:

[youtube id=”UAWcs5H-qgQ” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Ed Sheeran’s YouTube channel has had 41 million views in the last 6 months and oh, about 1.8 million Twitter followers, and 1.3 million Facebook fans!

His debut album, “+”, successfully became the Biggest Selling Debut Album for a UK male in the last 10 years selling 102,000 copies in its first week and has since been certified Triple Platinum Album in UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The album has also racked up the Biggest Selling Digital Sales on a debut album ever.

You could say it has been a (more than) phenomenal year for Ed Sheeran. He has, after all, received numerous awards and accolades:

Why he isn’t making his way halfway across the globe (read: Malaysia) to perform yet is beyond us, really!

For more information, visit his official website or follow his Twitter account.

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Did Wong Cho Lam Copy Local YouTube Group Dissy’s Music Video?

TVB’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Wong Cho Lam (王祖藍) hasn’t been in TVB’s good books. In early February, Cho Lam had a falling out with a few TVB executives. They were dissatisfied with his work as they supposedly felt he lacked creativity. One issue that they brought up was Cho Lam’s tendency to make new programs out of pre-existing concepts.

Although many hadn’t felt it was a big deal then, netizens now feel it is one. Especially after they discovered some startling similarities between Cho Lam’s music video of “Love You At 105°C (热爱105度的你)” and Malaysian YouTube group Dissy (低清)’s.

Cho Lam’s TVB programme “Happy Camp (快乐大本营)” underwent many changes last year. It was later reinvented as “Hello Saturday (你好星期六)”. In a recent episode, Cho Lam and Singer Yang Yuying (杨钰莹) presented their version of Ah Si (阿肆)’s 2019 song “Love You At 105°C”. The style of the music video was reminiscent of the 80s with large, colourful wordings, transitions and scenery.

Although impressive, netizens soon realised why it looked familiar. Apparently, local YouTube group Dissy had done their own portrayal of the song with the same style in October 2021. Aside from the actors and the backgrounds, the videos looked rather similar.

Netizens were quick to leave comments on the music video, airing their grievances. “(It’s) really obvious, (the video has been) copy pasted,” one comment pointed out. “Copied (Dissy’s)?” another asked. “Shameless plagiarism,” one viewer condemned. Additionally, others claimed they preferred Dissy’s version as they felt it was done better.

Although the videos aren’t exactly the same, it can be argued that they shared similar ideas. Perhaps Cho Lam’s team and Dissy’s group had the same brain child, but performed it differently? Neither party has yet to comment on the issue.

You can compare the two videos for yourself below:


#JDPavilion: Something Exciting This Way Comes For #JDSportsMY

In January this year, sports-fashion retail company JD Sports opened its first outlet in Malaysia, located at Sunway Pyramid.

At that time, the brand, which retails branded sports fashion wear, and outdoor clothing and equipment, was already operating approximately 800 stores worldwide.

Now, it looks like JD Sports Malaysia aka the undisputed “King of Trainers” is ready to expand their presence.

The brand just released a teaser video on their Facebook page moments ago for something exciting that’s about to be unveiled. The 20-second video starts with a cryptic “8” and featured shots from the JD Sports Malaysia Sunway Pyramid outlet grand launch before ending with a not-so-cryptic:

No prizes for guessing where their new outlet will be located ;)

“JD Sports is proud to announce the opening of its largest store in Southeast Asia. The store will be located at the all-new Pavilion Elite that will officially open its doors at the end of this month.
The new JD Sports store is set to open on 2nd December 2016,” a JD Sports Malaysia rep confirmed.

For those of you who are not in the know, Pavilion Elite is a new retail landmark project adjacent to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur which will feature over 70 brands across its 10-level retail podium.

A post shared by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy)

With 30 years of experience in sports fashion retail, JD distributes the latest and best street style sports fashion brands to a global audience.

In addition to brands like Adidas Originals, Nike, New Balance, Converse, Lacoste, Fila, Timberland, EA7, The North Face, Supply & Demand and Asics, JD also distributes exclusive sneakers designed by leading designers specifically for the retailer.

Apart from sneakers, JD also carries an extensive range of sports fashion and street style clothing for men, women and children, comprising polo shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants and jackets.

To mark the occasion, JD Sports will be holding a “#MYJDSTYLE Boomerang” contest on Instagram in search of two new recruits to TEAM JDMY. To participate, contestants must upload a Boomerang of themselves onto their Instagram profiles, showcasing their best kicks and own interpretation of “JD Style”, along with a caption that describes why they deserve to be a part of TEAM JDMY. Participants must also include the hashtag #MYJDSTYLE and #TEAMJDMY, and tag the JD Sports Malaysia official Instagram page (@jdsportsmy).

The winners of the competition will receive invites (2 invites: winner +1) to the official VIP launch of JD Pavilion as well as a RM500 cash voucher to spend in the new store.

For more information, hit up their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram.

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#RapidKL: Shuttle Buses Deployed To Complement KL Monorail Services

From today (Monday, 15th May) onwards, additional shuttle buses will be provided at several stations to assist the public.

According to Rapid KL, the shuttle buses for additional travel options will be made available during the morning and evening peak hours. This move is expected to offer convenience to those traveling to and from work.

“We will deploy shuttle buses at intervals of between 7 and 15 minutes at several busy stations between 7am and 9am, and between 5pm and 7pm,” said Rapid Rail chief executive officer, Datuk Ir. Zohari Sulaiman.

The selected monorail stations are as follows:

“A nominal fare of RM1 would be charged, except at the Hang Tuah integrated station for customers travelling from the Sri Petaling/ Ampang Lines. The fare for these customers would be waived,” Zohari was quoted as saying in a media statement.

He added, “In addition to the shuttle bus services, commuters could also opt for the Go KL free bus services, particularly the Go KL Blue Line, between Chow Kit and Bukit Bintang, and the Go KL Green Line between KLCC and Bukit Nanas.”

For more information, visit RapidKL’s official website and Facebook page.


Hype’s Now Playing: Taylor Swift – Shake It Off

Taylor Swift has not only just revealed a new single but also details of her new album? Oh, what?

Hours ago, the country superstar surprised the world with not only a new album title (1989), cover artwork, and release date, but also the first single off the upcoming album and a video of the new campaign as well. All in the span of half an hour. Yup, trust Tay Tay to not give her fans time to breathe. And pull a Beyonce, while she’s at it!

The new single, titled, “Shake It Off”, is not the average country pop song that one would expect from her. In fact, the Grammy-winning country darling has abandoned her guitar altogether and instead, donned on her best 80s-esque pop superstar swag for the song! “Shake It Off” was crafted by super producers Max Martin and Shellback, both of whom have worked with Swift before on hits like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the song was both catchy and sharp (in terms of lyrics).

Taylor sings an ode to not caring about the “haters” or about what anyone says about you. It’s quite literally her most honest reaction to her haters, with lyrics that say:

I stay up too late, got nothing in my brain
That’s what people say, that’s what people say
I go on too many dates, but I can’t make them stay
At least that’s what people say, that’s what people say

But I keep cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop moving
It’s like I got this music in my body and it’s gonna be alright

Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, Ishake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

We’d also like to add that we love the music video, which was directed by industry veteran Mark Romanek (of Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream” fame). See if you can pick out some of the references to your other favourite artistes e.g. Gwen Stefani, Fergie (of the Black Eyed Peas), Skrillex, to say the least.

On top of a group of professional ballerinas and break-dancers, the video also features a handful of very lucky Swifties that were picked from social media, dancing their hearts out. Aww. Isn’t it such a Tay Tay thing to do, to include her fans?

The album will be released on 27th October and will be available for pre-order tonight on iTunes.

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#Monopoly: Hasbro Secretly Makes Special Edition With Real Money In It

Ever wondered what it’d be like to play Monopoly with real money? Well, wonder no more!

As part of a promotion for the game’s 80th anniversary in France, Hasbro has replaced the iconic paper bills with real euros in 80 regular Monopoly sets. One of those sets will have every play bill replaced with a real one for a total of 20,580 euros.

Ten sets will contain five 20-euro bills, two 50-euro bills, and one 100-euro note, for a total of 300 euros, or around $370. Finally, 69 sets will contain five 10-euro bills and five 20-euro bills (150 euros).

“We wanted to do something unique. When we asked our French customers, they told us they wanted to find real money in their Monopoly boxes,” Monopoly brand manager Florence Gaillard told The Guardian.

The Monopoly sets, released secretly on Monday, will be indistinguishable by weight, though Hasbro notes there will be a tiny difference in thickness thanks to the euro size. The 80 sets will be hidden amongst 30,000 boxes of Monopoly, Monopoly Junior, and electronic and vintage varieties.

Monopoly was originally adapted from a folk game called The Landlord’s Game made by Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips in 1903. It was produced by Parker Brothers in the the 1930s, and went through a few evolutions before looking the very popular title we all know now. It is now available in 111 countries around the world in 43 languages.


Bali & Lombok Airports Closed Due To Volcanic Eruption

If you’re making plans to visit Lombok for the impending holidays, you might want to put your plans on hold first.

Mount Agung, a volcano on the island has erupted and is plaguing nearby resorts and villages with clouds of ashes and volcanic debris. Tests have indicated that the volcanic ash in the vicinity had reached a dangerous level, and this has resulted in the immediate closure of Bali and Lombok airports.

According to Bloomberg, a total of 445 flights to Bali and Lombok have been cancelled, which means about 59,000 tourists are currently stranded and unable to leave the island.

Both Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have also announced that they have cancelled flights to Bali and Lombok following the volcanic activity. According to AirAsia, all affected guests will be kept updated of their flight status via email and SMS, make sure to update your contact details on the site.

The airport closure will remain in effect until Tuesday morning and the situation will be reviewed every 6 hours.


#FindIt: Aliens Sightings In Klang Valley Send Malaysian Netizens Into A Frenzy

Malaysians have been reporting strange sightings in various locations around the Klang Valley over the weekend. Netizens first reported the sighting of a large crop circle in a vast field in Kuala Lumpur on Friday (27th Feb), followed by a group of green aliens! Videos and photos currently circulating on social media indicate that the aliens are here on a search for a certain Walter Woo.

Uh, to be fair, the aliens looked friendly.

They were so friendly, the helpful aliens were also seen making the most of their time in the city; stopping to try “teh tarik” at a local mamak, visiting restaurants along Changkat Bukit Bintang and even trying to use public transportation. The aliens who did not appear to be able to speak, were attempting to communicate through #findit.

Although the mysterious Walter Woo has yet to be identified or located, many Malaysians have embraced this encounter of the fourth kind by joining them in their search for Walter Woo.

See more pictures from the gallery below:

Do YOU know who/what Walter Woo is? Have you seen him/it? Better yet, did you manage to “catch” these aliens in action?

Drop us your Instagram/photo links in the comments box below if you have!

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Netflix’s “Masters of the Universe: Revelation” Review: Does This Updated Classic Still Have The POWER?

Ah yes, Saturday morning cartoons. Who could forget waking up early to watch “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. The latest episode of “Justice League Unlimited”. And of course the legendary exploits of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. Chalk full of idealistic heroes, quirky side characters, iconic villains with a sprinkling of bloodless beatdowns to keep the ratings kid-friendly. With the rising tide of anime and the dwindling of traditional 2-D animation in western TV shows, is this at last the end of an era? Has the sun finally set on that seamlessly endless Saturday morning? Interestingly enough, there seems to be a stay of execution. Dare we say, even a revival.

With Warner Bros showing renewed interest in the classic “Batman: The Animated Series” and the founding of Avatar Studios, the future seems optimistic for nostalgia hungry man-children. Which brings us to Netflix’s very own attempt to capitalize off this resurgence. Enter “Masters of the Universe: Revelation”, the successor to the original “He-Man” series of the 1980s. The original wasn’t exactly a shining paragon of brilliant writing or groundbreaking animation but it does hold a special place in our hearts. The question is: Does it at least do justice to its predecessor?

Right from the very first episode, “Masters of the Universe” looks to throw fans back into familiar territory with the exploits of He-Man and Teela. Their arch-nemesis Skeletor is at it again with yet another evil plan to take over the planet of Eternia. Only this time, however, he finally succeeds in breaking the power of Gray-Skull. Inadvertently erasing himself and He-Man from time and space. Left in the wake of this tragedy, it’s up to Teela, Orko and Duncan to pick up the pieces and carry on. With Skeletor and He-Man gone, the balance of power has shifted. Snake Mountain has left a power vacuum and new heroes will rise to take the place of the fallen champion.

Much like HBO Max’s “Young Justice: Outsiders”, Netflix’s “Masters of the Universe” has a lot more freedom to explore more mature themes and pursue plots of greater complexity. Free from those pesky censor-rating boards. Unfortunately (or thankfully depending on your taste), “Masters of the Universe” doesn’t really bother to do so. All the goofy aspects and tension-killing foibles of the original are on display. As if they never really left. Sure, the plot is grander and the looming wars boast higher stakes for our heroes and villains. It’s all undermined…by our heroes and villains.

The dialogue here…it’s just as corny and exasperating as we remember. The puns here will be the death of us because everyone is indulging in it! Whether in moments of levity or in the heat of battle, you can always count on someone breaking the tension with one out of place phrase. They clash with the graver tone that “Masters of the Universe” labours so hard to establish.

Again we state, it’s really based on your preference. We were honestly hoping for a real sense of growth and evolution to the He-Man Universe. Not to completely abandon its roots per se but to try to innovate with some bold new ideas and compelling character arcs. Instead, the show seems obsessed with taking you through this tour of fan-favourites. Hey, remember Beast Man and Evil-Lyn? Remember Stinkor and Tri-klops? Only in the final two episodes of the series do the creators and writers get to the story they were trying to tell all this while. At the very least, the series ends on a hell of a cliffhanger.

We also question the series’ need to stretch out its plot into five 25-minute long episodes. Not unlike “Eden”, we believe the series would have benefitted from merely being a solid 2-hour long film. Cut out the fat and keep the plot tighter and more focused.

The casting for the show is simply impeccable. In terms of the roles assigned to voice actors, we couldn’t be happier. Chris Wood brings a bouncy adolescent charm when he inhabits the character of Prince Adam. When it’s time for He-Man to emerge though, his entire tone, cadence and sound changes. His voice takes on an almost theatrical like substance as he reads out some of the cheesiest lines in the most regal and commanding of voices. It gets us every time. Other standouts include Liam Cunningham from “Game of Thrones” as Duncan and Stephen Root as Cringer. Faithful to their characters down to a fault.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela was a bit of a mixed bag for us. In spite of the fact that Gellar is given a significant role in this season, it doesn’t take long for her to be thrust into the backseat. Leaving us with little room to better understand Teela. Hopefully, that’s rectified in its future seasons. Lena Headey does a fabulous job as the dastardly sorceress Evil-Lyn! At last, we come to the legend himself, the true voice of the Joker, Mark Hamill. He completely reinvents Skeletor. This version sounds like he’s having a blast just being evil. A stark contrast to the flat delivery of the original. It’s such a treat to see how the actor bounces between wicked gaiety and maniacal cruelty so effortlessly. Then again, he’s had years of experience.

Powerhouse Animation, the studio behind “Castlevania”, is firing on all cylinders with “Masters of the Universe”. They absolutely nail the character models and aesthetics of the He-Man universe. The property has always been known for its over-the-top cyber-viking like designs. Powerhouse has managed to retain the tradition while updating it with richer details to environments and character expressions. If any of you are wondering, the answer is yes. There is more blood and gore in “Masters of the Universe”. Nothing too gratuitous but enough to lend action scenes a little more heft to them.

Rejoice He-Man fans! The series is back in all of its nerdy childhood glory. For newcomers, though, there’s not much for you to get excited about this season. Perhaps there will be, with the epic struggle promised in future seasons. We had higher hopes for “Masters of the Universe” to go above and beyond Castle Grayskull. Instead, it retreats under its safety net like Cringer. As long as Wood and Hamill are reprising their roles, we’ll still continue to give it a watch.

So what did you think of “Masters of the Universe”? Did it hit you in the nostalgic feels or just fill you with second-hand embarrassment? Let us know in the comments!


#MH149: DCA Dismisses False Report About Missing KL – Melbourne MAS Flight

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has dismissed a rumour that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH149 went missing last night en route from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, Australia.

The flight had taken off from KL International Airport at 10:07pm Tuesday (23rd February).

Bernama quoted DCA director-general Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman as saying that the flight has landed safely in Melbourne at 5:21am (8:21am Australian time) Wednesday (24th February).

The rumour circulated on social media was a false report disseminated by irresponsible people that could spark anxiety among the public, he told reporters. The report had said that Flight MH149 had gone off radar.

Real time air traffic tracker Flightradar24 also debunked the rumour late last night, stating that MH149 was safely flying at 35,000 feet.

@switzayu What is the source of that information? MH149 is flying at 35.000 feet https://t.co/wbWWnhGNJI

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) February 23, 2016

It’s always a huge relief to hear that people are safe and sound!

We urge everyone to please calmly verify their news and news sources before jumping into conclusions. Especially information that is being shared on social media platforms. As we always say, don’t believe everything that you read on social media.

Sources: Bernama via The Star Online, Flightradar24’s Twitter.

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#TheRakyatPost: Local News Portal To Cease Operations Effective Today

News portal The Rakyat Post reportedly ceased operations today, as confirmed by The Rakyat Post themselves.

According to The Star Online, the company told its staff of the decision to cease operations at a meeting with several representatives of its 60 employees. The employees were also told that they would have to lodge a complaint with the Labour Department or seek industrial action in order to get their 2 months’ unpaid salaries.

Around 15 employers had showed up to seek guidance from the Labour Department office in Subang Jaya, on the steps required to lodge a formal complaint against the company, The Star Online reports.

The Rakyat Post representative Michael Murty told The Star Online that in December, the employers indicated that there was a problem with funding. After which, in January, The Rakyat Post employees got their December salaries one or two days later than usual. Another employee said that most reporters had been working from home since the middle of January.

For now, The Rakyat Post is still accessible, although it doesn’t look like there has been new articles over the past few days.

“(There is) No real reason why there is no funding. We will definitely file a complaint with the labour office and individually, we might file other complaints but that will come later,” The Star Online quoted Murty as saying.

Eventually, the company asked the staff to go on paid leave. The portal’s English desk staff was asked to go on paid leave on 11th February, while the Mandarin desk, 4 days later.

Last Wednesday (24th February), the staff were told by the company to give them at least one last week to either find funding or they would temporarily shut down the portal.

According to The Rakyat Post’s statement, the news portal will be shut down until further notice as of today. The Facebook post also said that in the coming months, the company will be “undergoing restructuring” and looking at solving their funding issues.

The Rakyat Post, owned by Wespacom Sdn Bhd, began operations in October 2013.

Sources: The Star Online, The Rakyat Post’s Facebook page, malaysiakini.


#AHFODtour: Coldplay Adds Bangkok To Asian Leg Of Tour; Tix On Sale 16th December

Hot on the heels of the 2nd Singapore show announcement, Coldplay dropped another bomb on their Asian fans.

The British rock band has added another date and venue to the Asian leg of their “A Head Full of Dreams” tour, and it’s none other than Thailand’s capital, Bangkok!

JUST ANNOUNCED: Bangkok date and second Singapore show added to the upcoming March/April 2017 Asian leg of #AHFODtour! A pic.twitter.com/JTKCGmxzqm

— Coldplay (@coldplay) November 24, 2016

Thai entertainment company BEC-TERO Entertainment posted up an announcement on their Facebook page shortly after, confirming the news. Coldplay will perform in Thailand’s largest stadium, Rajamangala National Stadium, on 7th April 2017.

Ticket prices for Coldplay’s Bangkok show start from 1,800 baht and will go on sale via www.thaiticketmajor.com from 16th December 2016. However, Citi card members will be given priority purchase from 10th – 12th December 2016.

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#ATP: KL’s Oldest Botanical Garden Turns Into An Art Gallery

The Art in the Park (ATP) is a new event introduced by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to bring public art into the Perdana Botanical Gardens, the oldest and largest park in the city. ATP will be commissioning artists to create exciting and original sculptures and art installations to display in the Perdana Botanical Gardens and appropriate surrounding spaces like the National Monument (Tugu Negara) between 16th October – 2nd November.

A Mayor Sculpture Prize will be awarded to the winning sculpture. ATP will include a series of talks, workshops and a variety of art-related activities specially designed for the Perdana Botanical Gardens and the participating spaces surrounding the gardens such as the Islamic Arts Museum and the Bank Negara Museum and Gallery throughout the festival.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) approached festival director Suryani Senja Alias, through the Tourism Ministry, to help rebrand Kuala Lumpur as a cooler, arts-centred capital. She shared:

We want to educate the public about public art. Right now people think that it (art) is just giant bunga raya, cats and pumpkins, but we want people to think more deeply. They wanted an art event, so I proposed a city-wide festival: like sculptures at train stations and paintings at bus stops! That scared them a bit, so they decided to “experiment” in the Perdana Botanical Gardens first. Our city doesn’t have a tradition of commissioning public art.

She added that DBKL provided seed funding for the festival, which was used by the participants to create their sculptures, after which the artists can choose to keep their art or have it sold to collectors.

According to Suryani, the sculptures use doors from abandoned quarters of Brickfields, discarded drink cans and cement. By using ordinary objects to create extraordinary art it’ll make people see the city in a new light. She believes everyday objects scattered around town tell their own stories about the city and its people, how they live and what they are going through.

The sculptures were made from a plethora of materials: Lisa Foo’s Walk In The Park a 4.5m (15ft) scarecrow made of leaves and branches found around the park, Nizam Abdullah’s Fallen Angel made with discarded car parts, while Tey Beng Tze created a word puzzle Rat In The Park that spells “Art” and “Rat” made entirely from tin cans (a nod to the park’s origin as a tin mine).

ATP festival aims to create a new cultural experience in Kuala Lumpur’s green spaces for residents and tourists, and highlight Kuala Lumpur as Asia’s green capital and creative city. It also hopes to widen the landscape for Malaysian public art where practitioners of 3D works are still few, and enrich the contemporary art scene with sculptures from local and international artists.

For more information, visit their website.


(UPDATE) #iKONCERT: Rookie K-Pop Idol Boy Group To Hold First Concert In Malaysia This August

This August, YG Entertainment’s rookie K-Pop idol boy group iKON will be performing in Malaysia! The boys will be coming here for the first time ever as part of their iKONCERT 2016 Showtime Tour in Asia.

This is not the first time that iKON has hit the stage for a large-scale concert. In October last year, they held their debut “Showtime” performance at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena, which was a sold-out show.

iKON (아이콘) was first introduced in the reality survival program called “Who is Next: WIN” as “Team B”. Team B and their adversaries Team A known as “WINNER” now were both formed from trainees within YG Entertainment.

The teams are friends but they competed against each other in order to debut as the first YG boy K-Pop group in 8 years, after BIGBANG. Team B eventually lost to Team A and continued as trainees, before letting the 2014 “Mix & Match” survival program decide their fate.

Fast forward to sometime in October 2014, it was revealed that iKON’s debut was slated for January 2015. Unfortunately, the plan fell through as the group had to make way for their sunbaes’ (read: senior YG group BIGBANG) long-awaited “MADE” series comeback first. At that time, an insider revealed that iKON had already “made over 50 songs in preparation for their official debut”.

As promised, as soon as BIGBANG wrapped up their “MADE” series promotions, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk quickly released an iKON debut teaser. This was followed by the release of iKON’s double title tracks, “Rhythm Ta” (리듬 타) and “Airplane“, off the first half of their debut album, “Welcome Back“.

The group’s 7 members – B.I, Bobby, Kim Jinhwan, Koo Junhoe, Song Yunhyeong, Kim Donghyuk, and Jung Chanwoo – made their official Korean debut on the 15th of September 2015 through the digital release of their first single “My Type” from their first studio album Welcome Back and made their first debut broadcast on 4th October 2015 on SBS’s Inkigayo.

As of March 2016, the group has sold over 210,000+ physical albums and more than 3.6 million of digital records.

Now ready to embark on their first ever Asia tour, iKON will be hitting up countries like China, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Details for the Malaysian leg of iKON’s “iKONCERT 2016 Showtime Tour in Asia” are as follows:

YG Entertainment has released the ticketing info for IKON’s debut concert in Malaysia on their Facebook and Twitter page.

Offline tickets sale will be available for purchase starting from 11am until 3pm next Sunday (22nd May). The venue of the ticket launch has not been disclosed yet but online sales will commence at 4pm on the same day.

Each person is entitled to purchase a maximum of 10 tickets on any tickets categories. Every ticket also comes with a giant concert poster, provided that you buy the tickets during the ticket launch event. The posters will be given out on a “first come first serve” basis, so be fast!

Ticket prices for iKONCERT 2016 ‘SHOWTIME TOUR’ in Kuala Lumpur are as below:

*Ticket prices are inclusive of 6% GST but exclusive of RM4 ticket processing fee.

IME Productions and TicketCharge will once again be the organiser and ticket providers of YG Entertainment’s concerts. Please contact the ticketing hotline at +603-92228811 or access TicketCharge’s website at www.ticketcharge.com.my to purchase tickets.

For more information, visit iKON’s official website and Facebook page.

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5 Features From iOS 16 We’re Stoked About, Including Using iPhone Camera As Webcam

It’s that time of the year again, Apple has once again announced some new updates; the iOS 16, a new software upgrade for iPhones. This new iOS 16 software will give iPhone greater personalisation capabilities, deeper intelligence, and more frictionless communication and sharing options.

“iOS 16 offers so many updates that will change the way you experience an iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering at the WWDC22 Apple event. “iOS 16 offers new intelligence, sharing and communication features that are going to enhance so much of what you do with your iPhone.” So, without wasting anymore time, here’s 5 of our favourite iOS 16 features:

Make iPhone your own with all-new ways to personalise your Lock Screen:

Showcase your favourite photographs, change the font styles, and display a selection of widgets for quick access to information. Personalise your Lock Screen and display your favourite photographs. You may apply styles that automatically modify the colour filter, tinting, and font style for your Lock Screen, and you can use a new layering effect to make the subject of your photo pop. You may also choose a selection of photographs to shuffle on your Lock Screen automatically throughout the day.

You may now quickly choose between various Lock Screens, each with a different backdrop and style. For ideas, look through a selection of wallpapers with suggested photographs and thematic groupings.

On the Lock Screen, you can display alerts in an extended list view, stacked view, or concealed view. Notifications are also displayed at the bottom of the screen, so they are not in the way.

You can now make changes to a message you just sent or unsend a recent message entirely. You can also mark a message as unread if you are unable to respond right away and wish to return to it later.

While speaking about it in Messages, watch the latest episode of your favourite show or listen to new music with your pals. Shared playback controls keep you in sync at all times.

In Messages, you can now share notes, presentations, reminders, Safari Tab Groups, and more to get started collaborating right away. In the thread, you may see updates on shared projects and simply contact your colleagues straight from the programme you’re using.

FaceTime now supports handoff, allowing users to start a FaceTime call on one Apple device and smoothly move it to another nearby Apple device. Users can start a FaceTime call on their Mac and switch to their iPhone or iPad when they need to continue on the go, or start a call on their Mac and switch to their iPhone or iPad when they need to continue on the go.

Continuity Camera now allows Mac users to use their iPhone as a webcam, unlocking additional features that were previously unavailable on a webcam. With the power of Continuity, Mac can recognise and use the camera on iPhone when it’s close, without having to wake it or select it. And iPhone can even connect to Mac wirelessly for more versatility.

Share photographs and videos with up to five other people in real time, allowing everyone to contribute to the family’s collection and experience more full memories. Family memories are in one place with iCloud Shared Photo Library, where everyone can enjoy them at any time, even if they weren’t taken or altered by you.

Choose what to include based on a start date or the people in the photos. Once the shared library is set up, you can share photos instantly right from Camera, choose to share automatically when other shared library members are nearby, and get smart suggestions for adding photos to the shared library in For You.

In the shared library, everyone has the same permissions for adding, editing, and deleting photographs. Favourites, captions, and keywords all sync, so if one person organises the collection, it benefits everyone.

To use typical operations like copy, translate, look up, share, and more, pause a movie on any frame that contains text.

In images, videos, and camera, it’s now even easier to call phone numbers, visit websites, convert currencies, translate languages, and more.

Daniela Dogliani contributed to this article.

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#Beetlejuice2: It’s Showtime! Winona Ryder Confirms Sequel Is Happening

Say it once, it won’t happen. Say it twice, you might just get a feeling that it’s coming. Say it thrice? You’re totally getting it!

That’s right, “Beetlejuice” fans. All you need is a little patience and perhaps chant the name of the movie 3 times to see Michael Keaton return to reprise his role as Betelgeuse (better known as Beetlejuice) in the sequel of Tim Burton‘s “Beetlejuice”!

Winona Ryder, who starred in the said movie as Lydia, confirmed the report in the latest episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers”. But because there has been no official report about “Beetlejuice 2”, she carefully answered, “I think I can confirm it“.

It was very hush-hush top secret … but then (Tim Burton) was doing some press for “Big Eyes” and and he did an on-camera interview and he said, “Oh yeah, we’re doing it, and Winona’s going to be in it.” … If he said it, I can say it.

However, further details are being kept under wraps as she later said, “I really don’t know much more than anybody.”

Back in February 2014, Keaton told MTV that he will return to the sequel if Burton is directing it. The “Birdman” actor later offered an update to MTV, saying that there’s no script for the sequel yet. However, writer Seth Grahame-Smith was working hard on it.

While promoting his latest film “Big Eyes”, Burton confirmed to IGN that the “Beetlejuice” sequel was already in the works and it was written with Keaton in mind. He said, “There’s only one Betelgeuse, and that’s Michael. There is a script, and I would love to work with him again. I think there is now a better chance than ever.”

I miss that character. There’s something that’s cathartic and amazing about it. I think it’s closer than ever.

Though Warner Bros. has yet to officially greenlight the sequel, fans of the cult classic can definitely expect to see the original cast members returning to reprise their respective roles. After all, Ryder wasn’t the only actor to confirm that the sequel is indeed a go.

Would you like to see the sequel to “Beetlejuice”? Who else do you think should join the cast? We are more than ready for Keaton to pop up in the movie and say, “It’s showtime!”


Ultra Singapore 2018 Announces Line-Up: Afrojack, DJ Snake, Steve Angello, And More

EDM fiesta Ultra Singapore returns for 2018 with a line-up of trance juggernauts including Above & Beyond, Afrojack, DJ Snake, Nicky Romero, and Steve Angello.

The third edition of the festival this year will also see the debut of arching Worldwide Stage, which is a mainstay at Ultra Miami, featuring a surround-sound experience of speakers, screens and lights.

A post shared by Ultra Singapore (@ultra.sg)

Once again, Ultra Singapore is set to take place at the Ultra Park (1 Bayfront Avenue), next to Marina Bay Sands, during Hari Raya on 15th and 16th June 2018.

Tickets are now available at ultrasingapore.com/tickets/2018, with two-day general admission tickets priced at $170 while two-day premium general admission tickets cost $210.

Here’s the full list of artistes performing at Ultra Singapore 2018:

HEADLINERS:
Above & Beyond
Afrojack
DJ Snake
Illenium
Loco Dice
Nicky Romero
RL Grime
Steve Angello
NGHTMRE + Slander Present: Gud Vibrations

SUPPORT
Aly & Fila
Andrew Rayel
Cesqeaux
Coyu
Fedde Legrand
GG Magree
Joyryde
Kris Kross
Nastia
NERVO
Oxia
Popof
Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano
Ummet Ozcan

REGIONAL SUPPORT:
KAKU
Mykris
MYRNE
Rave Republic

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Sam Smith Adds Second Show To Singapore Concert This October

Missed out on the opportunity to purchase Sam Smith’s concert in Singapore? Well, here’s your second chance.

Concert promoters Midas Promotions, and Unusual Entertainment Pte Ltd have just announced a second date to the Grammy winner’s “The Thrill Of It All” 2018 Live in Singapore Tour.

The English singer-songwriter was initially only scheduled to perform on 2nd October 2018 (Tuesday). However, concert tickets were snapped up like hot cakes pretty quickly when it went on sale last week. Several scalpers are even re-selling his 2nd October tickets for SG1,767 (which is 5 times its original price).

Thankfully, the British pop star will be playing a second night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, which will take place on 3rd October 2018 (Wednesday), the day after the first. These concerts will mark Smith’s first in Singapore. As usual, the fastest fingers will get first dips on the tickets.

Ticket sales will go live tomorrow (Tuesday, 8th May) at 10am sharp. You may purchase it here.


#YunaLiveInMalaysia: Malaysia’s Homegrown Darling, Yuna, Comes Home For Concert

Our homegrown darling, Yuna, is coming home!

Malaysia’s very own contemporary pop singer is set to perform live in Malaysia for an exclusive show on 16th October at Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre. Organised by The Livescape Group, the one-night-only show is expected to attract over 3,000 fans.

Yuna, the sensational Malaysian singer songwriter is known for her unique organic blend of contemporary pop, acoustic folk and soulful R&B sound. She began writing her own songs at the age of 14 and started performing solo on her MySpace page in 2006 before she formed a band. In 2008, she released her self-titled EP in Malaysia producing the hit single, “Deeper Conversation”.

The following year, Yuna won her first of several Anugerah Industri Muzik award which is Malaysia’s equivalent of the Grammy.

The talented vocalist is fresh off the 2015 AFC Asian Cup closing ceremony, coming together with “The Art Of Saving A Life” campaign premiering “New Day” and releasing “Material”; a compilation of previously released Malay singles now re-arranged with added freshness.

The “Yuna Live in Malaysia” show will take place at Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre on 16th October 2015. Doors to the show opens at 7.00PM. Tickets to the show are priced at:

Students are eligible for a special student priced discount of RM68 to the show. Tickets to the show will go on sale on 13th August (Thursday) via Ticket Pro.

For more information or to obtain updates on the “Yuna Live in Malaysia” show, hit up Livescape’s website or Facebook page.


Lawson Makes Maiden Trip To Malaysia!

It’s convenient to label a band of good looking young men with a pop sound as a boy band. As far as Lawson, a four-piece British band is concerned, that label is the farthest thing from the truth.

For openers, the band’s debut album, Chapman Square, features 12 original songs written by the band members. To date, the album has spawned the hit singles, “Taking Over Me” and “Standing In The Dark” playing on heavy rotation on local radio stations:

[youtube id=”PsbPkZPKEuY” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Malaysian fans of Britain’s new sensation will have a chance to judge for themselves when Lawson visits Kuala Lumpur from 11 – 14 April on the final stopover of their Asian tour.

Fans who want a pass to Lawson’s showcase on 13th April at Stage Club, Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur at 7:00 pm need only to purchase the deluxe CD version of Chapman Square at Speedy and Rock Corner music retail outlets in Klang Valley. Those with passes for Lawson’s showcase concert will also get an opportunity to meet the band during the autograph session.

Venue: Stage Club, Avenue K, Kuala Lumpur

Fans can also win passes for the showcase contest through contests organised by hitz.fm, Mix FM, My FM, Era FM, Tonton, Gua, Astro Hitz, and Hot magazine. There is also a special fan engagement contest organised by the official media partners where lucky winners will join Lawson for the Petronas Twin Towers visit and a local cuisine dinner.

For more information, visit Universal Music Malaysia’s Facebook page.

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#UTLEGO: UNIQLO Malaysia Launches Collab With LEGO For UT Collection

Y’all will be thrilled to know that UNIQLO Malaysia has launched the UNIQLO x LEGO UT collection in store on 22nd April 2016 :)

UT (UNIQLO T-shirt) collection is a key component of UNIQLO’s LifeWear range. Under the direction of its Creative Director, NIGO (of “Teriyaki Boyz” and A Bathing Ape fame), the UT range has improved in its shapes and silhouettes.

In fact, this spring summer season, UNIQLO’s UT collection is bringing a total of 40 themes celebrating the authentic pop culture from around the world including Marvel Comics, LEGO, Disney, and KAWS.

There is bound to be a UT that adds just the right pop culture statement to the wardrobe of anyone of any age!

Available under the men and kids range, the UTs are priced at RM59.90 and RM39.90 respectively. Check out the collection in the gallery below:

Customers will also receive an exclusive Lego Brick packet for every purchase of 2 UNIQLO x LEGO Kids UTs. This special promotion is valid while stocks last and available in all UNIQLO Malaysia retail stores. So go get ’em fast :)

For more information, visit Uniqlo Malaysia’s website or Facebook page.


Mother Throws Her 2 Little Children Off The Bridge After Arguing With Husband

A CCTV footage recently surfaced around the internet showing a woman throwing her 2 children over a bridge to their deaths.

The shocking incident happened over the weekend on 17th October. This tragic occurrence took place in Iraq at the Al-Aimmah Bridge which crosses the Tigris River.

According to Gulf News, the mother of a 3-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter has been identified and arrested by the Baghdad police. Initial investigations have concluded that the mother committed the disturbing act after arguing with her husband who was seeking a divorce.

It is reported that the other family members are still in shock after finding out about the devastating news and desperately waited by the Tigris river for the bodies to be found. Euro Weekly News reported that the Iraqi Security Forces managed to retrieve the bodies of Hur Mohammed, 3, and Masuma Mohammed, 2, after searching the river for hours.

The paternal grandfather of the 2 children, Abu Tahsin Deraji stated, “This (crime) has long been planned. It’s been almost 2 months since the woman has been separated from her husband.” He went on to explain that they caught the woman with her lover earlier in January, before taking them to her parent’s house.

The grandfather added, “We wanted the divorce to happen in court. They all agreed. We didn’t discuss this subject elsewhere, and we didn’t reveal any pictures (of the affair) to anyone.”

Based on the video, the woman threw both of her children over the bridge without any remorse before walking away. Watch the CCTV footage included in the tweet below (Very Disturbing) :

.امرأة من منطقة الشعبترمي اطفالها من على جسر الايمه ولم تتمكن الشرطه النهرية من انقاذهم واستطاعت القوات الامنية اعتقالها بتهمة القتل وحسب إفادتها انها قد انفصلت عن زوجها وكسب والدهم حق الحضانة ولا يحق رؤيتهم الا بموعد اخذت الاطفال من والدهمو رمتهم بالنهر ليشعر بما اشعر به pic.twitter.com/4ihUBOhhg1

— جعفر الخزعلي (@_767Jafar) October 18, 2020

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Horns: Daniel Radcliffe’s Devilish Look in New Movie Trailer

No longer “the boy who lived“, Daniel Radcliffe is now the boy who has been cursed with horns, as seen in his latest film “Horns”.

Daniel Radcliffe’s fans have been treated to the tailor to the British actor’s new film, “Horns”.

The film is based on Joe Hill’s dark fantasy novel of the same name. The story follows a young man named Ig Perrish who wakes up hungover one day to discover that strange horns growing out of his temples. Later, he’s accused for the murder of his girlfriend. At the same time, Perrish also discovers his new paranormal abilities that gives him the ability to lure the deepest secrets and intentions from anyone he encounters. Ooh.

The movie, which co-stars Juno Temple, Heather Graham, and The Social Network‘s Max Minghella is set to be released this Halloween in UK. “Horns” is directed by Alexandre Aja (Piranha 3D) and written by Keith Bunin. The film has received praises from movie critics after it was premiered at Toronto last fall.

S(an Diego an Diego’s Comic-Con is also set to debut the world premiere of “Horns” next week, along with some other blockbuster movies such as Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.

If you’re a fan of dark fantasy films, check out the teaser trailer below!

The official main trailer has been released after Daniel Radcliffe discussed about the film at 2014 SDCC. Watch it here:


#Disney: CEO Bob Iger On “Star Wars” & Marvel Franchise Futures

As we speak, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is still riding the waves of success 5 weeks into its theatrical run, much to Disney’s delight. But the moneymaker is not just “Star Wars” alone as the Mouse House also owns Marvel, which has had a total box office earnings of almost USD19 billion dollars to date.

Therefore, making Walt Disney Pictures one of the most prominent players in blockbuster entertainment.

Disney has also taken the liberty to keep fans very, very interested in both superheroes and “a galaxy far, far away” by releasing full slates of annual releases planned from now until 2020, for Marvel, for Disney, and for “Star Wars”.

But is that the full picture? What happens after 2020? Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that there will be greater things to come, it seems.

In an interview with Newsbeat, he addressed the future of his 2 prized possessions.

For “Star Wars”, we all already know that “Rogue One” is due in December this year while “Star Wars: Episode VIII” is slated for release in December. A Han Solo film will be coming out in 2018 and “Star Wars: Episode IX” sometime in 2019.

When it came to “Star Wars”, he confirmed that the new era for the series will not end with the arrival of Colin Trevorrow’s untitled “Star Wars: Episode IX”:

There will be more after that, I don’t know how many, I don’t know how often.

What about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), you ask?

So apparently, even with the Infinity War coming towards the end of Phase 3, it’s not going to be the end of all things.

Bob Iger mentioned that there were no plans to stop expanding the MCU, simply because the comics possess an endless supply of characters to support movie after movie as we go along:

Marvel, you’re dealing with thousands and thousands of characters – that will go on forever.

The MCU has already spawned 3 “Iron Man” movies, a couple of Thors, Captain Americas, and Avengers, one “Ant-Man” film, one “Incredible Hulk”, and the record-breaking “Guardians of the Galaxy“.

Let’s not forget that we will soon see a collection of new faces over the next few years, including “Black Panther”, “Doctor Strange”, “Captain Marvel“, and a new “Spider-Man“.

It’s safe to say that with Disney’s ambitions, there won’t be time for any of us to breathe, let alone lose interest.

Sources: Newsbeat, Screen Rant, Money Nation / Featured image from Liberation.

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A Zesty Refreshment!

Tiger, one of the most sought after Asian beer proudly introduced the debut of its first ever radler in Malaysia.  The launch of the sophisticated new drink that features a combination of Tiger Beer and natural lemon juice which took place at KL Live along Jalan Sultan Ismail saw beer drinkers have a jolly good time!

Bruce Dallas, Marketing Director of Guinness Anchor Berhad said. “Radler has proven to be a resounding success in other markets all across the world right now, and is being introduced in Southeast Asia in both Malaysia and Singapore simultaneously. The launch of Tiger Radler in Malaysia is set to solidify Tiger Beer’s market leadership in Malaysia and represents yet another of the innovative ways that we keep the Tiger brand refreshing for our discerning drinkers across the country.”

The launch which was attended by over 500 people saw fans enjoy Tiger Radler for the first time. Guests were also entertained by performances from local comedians, bands and DJs. Tiger Radley is now available in pubs, bars, restaurants and coffeeshops across the country at the same retail price of the normal Tiger Beer.

For more information on this brand new refreshing drink, head on over Tiger Radler’s website or visit Tiger Beer on Facebook.


#Malaysia: Man Eats RM2,800 Flowerhorn Fish; Shocks Netizens

It is without a doubt that seafood, particularly fish, play a big part in our everyday meals. But would you eat a Flowerhorn fish?

A netizen known as Muhammad Firdaus Othman (or Saya Cakap on Facebook) recently took to Facebook to share his Flowerhorn dish. In his post, he said that he seasoned the fish (which cost him RM2,845) with turmeric and fried it with oil. The 28-year-old Perakian also wrote that he cut off the hump on the fish’s head because it was just “fat”.

Commonly known as “Fa Luo Han” or Arowana among Malaysians, the expensive aquarium fish is famed for its colourful appearance and distinctively shaped head. Moreover, many believed that it symbolises good luck and can bring good “feng shui” into one’s home.

After his post, which was uploaded last Tuesday (11th July), went viral, many netizens called him “crazy” and criticised his actions. However, he was unfazed by his haters. In an update, he wrote, “Yes its tasty, sweet, and juicy. Served hot right away from the pan, super delicious fried fish.”

He continued, “What do u mean (this fish) cannot be eaten? Fish is a kind of food. That vivid and beautiful look doesn’t mean you cant touch it.”

As at time of writing, his video has been viewed over 4 million times.

In speaking with Sinar Harian, Muhammad Firdaus Othman said that he “didn’t think anything strange” about eating the fish, adding that he and his friends have not had any side effects so far.

What are your thoughts on Muhammad Firdaus Othman’s fried “Fa Luo Han” dish? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Sources: Muhammad Firdaus Othman’s Facebook page, Asia One / Featured image: Muhammad Firdaus Othman’s Facebook page.


#Marvel: No More Mutants! Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver’s Parentage Confirmed

As you may already know, 20th Century Fox owns the film rights to Marvel‘s “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four“, which is why the mutants and the Fantastic Four members were not included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, both Fox and Marvel share the rights to use Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch as the members of Avengers and X-Men in their respective film franchises.

With Sony‘s recent agreement to let Marvel include Spider-Man in their cinematic universe, comic books fans were hoping that Fox would let the Maximoff twins to be introduced as the mutants in the MCU too. However, the chances of that happening are very slim now, considering the fact that Marvel recently altered the origins of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver – again.

In the cinematic universe, many changes were made towards their origins, especially in terms of their parentage.

Quicksilver (played by Aaron-Taylor Johnson) appeared in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as an “enhanced human” along with his twin sister, Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen). The twins blamed Tony Stark for the death of their parents. The speedster (played by Evan Peters) also appeared in Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past“, but he was introduced as a mutant and briefly hinted as Magneto’s son instead.

But sooner or later, the fact that he is Magneto’s son (or a mutant, to be exact) is about to change because the preview of “Uncanny Avengers #4” confirmed that Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are indeed not the children of Magneto and his then-wife Magda.

In the comics, the twins were originally introduced as the children of a Romani couple Django and Marya Maximoff, who later joined Magneto as part of his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But in 1983’s “Vision and the Scarlet Witch Vol.1, #4”, Marvel altered their origins by revealing that they are actually the children of Magneto and his then-wife Magda Lensherr.

The twins, who were born at the Wundagore base of the High Evolutionary, were placed in the care of the Maximoffs after Magda fled off and died of exposure. The twins then separated from their “foster parents” when their encampment was attacked.

In the current Marvel Comics event “Axis”, Magneto discovered that he is not the father of the twins when Scarlet Witch unleashed a spell that would “crush their bones, boil their blood dry in their veins, rupture their souls, and end the line”. Quicksilver collapsed in extreme agony, but nothing happened to Magneto. Not only did this confirm that Magneto is not their parents, it also confirmed that the twins are not mutants.

Their new origins remained a mystery, until ComicVine debuted a preview of “Uncanny Avengers #4”.

Instead of being the ones who survived Hydra’s experiments in the cinematic universe, they were actually the failed experiments of the High Evolutionary. The experiments gave them powers, but they were then returned to their real parents, Django and Marya Maximoff, so that they can be raised as “ordinary mutants” instead.

We know right, Pietro. “What kind of an answer is this?!”

Does that mean Fox can no longer have them for the future “X-Men” films? Is this a way for Marvel to gain full film rights to use the Maximoff twins in their cinematic universe? Or like what io9 said, are they “retconning for the sake of retconning”? Let us know what you think in the comments box below.

(Sources: Comicvine, Newsrama, Bleeding Cool via io9)

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#TheMartian: 9 Things The Film Got Right, According To NASA

For decades now, Mars, the 4th planet from the Sun and the 2nd smallest planet in the Solar System, has been the centre of attention for scientists, astronauts, as well as the general public.

This is not only because the planet can easily be seen from Earth with the naked eye, there are also ongoing investigations assessing the past habitability potential of Mars, as well as the possibility of extant life.

Early observations through telescopes led some to speculate that the planet was covered with canals that its inhabitants used for transportation and commerce.

Fictional representations of Mars have been popular for over a century, almost as popular as stories about Mars are stories about Martians engaging in activity (frequently invasions) away from their home planet. In Scott Ridley’s new sci-fi film, “The Martian”, which stars Matt Damon, Mars is popularised once more.

Based on the writings of a former computer programmer named Andy Weir, “The Martian” merges the fictional and factual narratives about Mars, building upon the work NASA and others have done exploring Mars and moving it forward into the 2030s, when NASA astronauts are regularly traveling to Mars and living on the surface to explore.

And really, who better to verify the legitness of “The Martian” than NASA themselves? Check one some of the NASA technologies that are already being developed, that appeared in the film!

Warning: May contain spoilers so please read at your own risk!

On the surface of Mars, Watney spends a significant amount of time in the habitation module – the Hab – his home away from home. Future astronauts who land on Mars will need such a home to avoid spending their Martian sols lying on the dust in a spacesuit.

At NASA Johnson Space Center, crews train for long-duration deep space missions in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA).

HERA is a self-contained environment that simulates a deep-space habit. The two-story habitat is complete with living quarters, workspaces, a hygiene module and a simulated airlock. Within the module, test subjects conduct operational tasks, complete payload objectives and live together for 14 days (soon planned to increase to up to 60 days), simulating future missions in the isolated environment. Astronauts have recently used the facility to simulate ISS missions. These research analogs provide valuable data in human factors, behavioral health and countermeasures to help further NASA’s understanding on how to conduct deep space operations.

Today, astronauts on the International Space Station have an abundance of food delivered to them by cargo resupply vehicles, including some from commercial industries.

On Mars, humans would not be able to rely on resupply missions from Earth – even with express delivery they would take at least nine months. For humans to survive on Mars, they will need a continuous source of food. They will need to grow crops.

Watney turns the Hab into a self-sustaining farm in “The Martian”, making potatoes the first Martian staple. Today, in low-Earth orbit, lettuce is the most abundant crop in space. Aboard the International Space Station, Veggie is a deployable fresh-food production system. Using red, blue, and green lights, Veggie helps plants grow in pillows, small bags with a wicking surface containing media and fertilizer, to be harvested by astronauts. In 2014, astronauts used the system to grow “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce and just recently sampled this space-grown crop for the first time. This is a huge step in space farming, and NASA is looking to expand the amount and type of crops to help meet the nutritional needs of future astronauts on Mars.

There are no lakes, river or oceans on the surface of Mars, and sending water from Earth would take more than nine months. Astronauts on Mars must be able to create their own water supply

The Ares 3 crew does not waste a drop on Mars with their water reclaimer, and Watney needs to use his ingenuity to come up with some peculiar ways to stay hydrated and ensure his survival on the Red Planet.

#SpaceVine – Turns out a sphere of floating water makes the ultimate fisheye lens https://t.co/uobci1e8RB

— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) October 9, 2014

On the International Space Station, no drop of sweat, tears, or even urine goes to waste. The Environmental Control and Life Support System recovers and recycles water from everywhere: urine, hand washing, oral hygiene, and other sources. Through the Water Recovery System (WRS), water is reclaimed and filtered, ready for consumption.

Yesterday’s coffee turns into tomorrow’s coffee.

Liquid presents some tricky problems in space. The WRS and related systems have to account for the fact that liquids behave very differently in a microgravity environment. The part of the WRS that processes urine must use a centrifuge for distillation, since gases and liquids do not separate like they do on Earth.

NASA is continuing to develop new technologies for water recovery. Research is being conducted to advance the disposable multifiltration beds (the filters that remove inorganic and non-volatile organic contaminants) to be a more permanent component to the system. Brine water recovery would reclaim every drop of the water from the “bottoms product” leftover from urine distillation. For future human-exploration missions, crews would be less dependent on any resupply of spare parts or extra water from Earth.

The technology behind this system has been brought down to Earth to provide clean drinking water to remote locations and places devastated with natural disasters.

Food, water, shelter: three essentials for survival on Earth. But there’s a fourth we don’t think about much, because it’s freely available: oxygen. On Mars, Watney can’t just step outside for a breath of fresh air. To survive, he has to carry his own supply of oxygen everywhere he goes. But first he has to make it.

In his Hab he uses the “oxygenator”, a system that generates oxygen using the carbon dioxide from the MAV (Mars Ascent Vehicle) fuel generator.

On the International Space Station, the astronauts and cosmonauts have the Oxygen Generation System, which reprocesses the atmosphere of the spacecraft to continuously provide breathable air efficiently and sustainably. The system produces oxygen through a process called electrolysis, which splits water molecules into their component oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The oxygen is released into the atmosphere, while the hydrogen is either discarded into space or fed into the Sabatier System, which creates water from the remaining byproducts in the station’s atmosphere.

Oxygen is produced at more substantial rate through a partially closed-loop system that improves the efficiency of how the water and oxygen are used. NASA is working to recover even more oxygen from byproducts in the atmosphere to prepare for the journey to Mars.

The Martian surface is not very welcoming for humans. The atmosphere is cold and there is barely any breathable air. An astronaut exploring the surface must wear a spacesuit to survive outside of a habitat while collecting samples and maintaining systems.

NASA is currently developing the technologies to build a spacesuit that would be used on Mars. Engineers consider everything from traversing the Martian landscape to picking up rock samples.

The Z-2 and Prototype eXploration Suit, NASA’s new prototype spacesuits, help solve unique problems to advance new technologies that will one day be used in a suit worn by the first humans to set foot on Mars. Each suit is meant to identify different technology gaps – features a spacesuit may be missing – to complete a mission. Spacesuit engineers explore the tradeoff between hard composite materials and fabrics to find a nice balance between durability and flexibility.

One of the challenges of walking on Mars will be dealing with dust. The red soil on Mars could affect the astronauts and systems inside a spacecraft if tracked in after a spacewalk. To counter this, new spacesuit designs feature a suitport on the back, so astronauts can quickly hop in from inside a spacecraft while the suit stays outside, keeping it clean indoors.

Once humans land on the surface of Mars, they must stay there for more than a year, while the planets move into a position that will minimize the length of their trip home. This allows the astronauts plenty of time to conduct experiments and explore the surrounding area, but they won’t want to be limited to how far they can go on foot. Astronauts will have to use robust, reliable and versatile rovers to travel farther.

In “The Martian”, Watney takes his rover for quite a few spins, and he even has to outfit the vehicle with some unorthodox modifications to help him survive.

On Earth today, NASA is working to prepare for every encounter with the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV). The MMSEV has been used in NASA’s analog mission projects to help solve problems that the agency is aware of and to reveal some that may be hidden. The technologies are developed to be versatile enough to support missions to an asteroid, Mars, its moons and other missions in the future. NASA’s MMSEV has helped address issues like range, rapid entry/exit and radiation protection. Some versions of the vehicle have six pivoting wheels for maneuverability. In the instance of a flat tire, the vehicle simply lifts up the bad wheel and keeps on rolling.

Slow and steady wins the race, and ion propulsion proves it.

In “The Martian”, the Ares 3 crew lives aboard the Hermes spacecraft for months as they travel to and from the Red Planet, using ion propulsion as an efficient method of traversing through space for over 280 million miles. Ion propulsion works by electrically charging a gas such as argon or xenon and pushing out the ions at high speeds, about 200,000 mph. The spacecraft experiences a force similar to that of a gentle breeze, but by continuously accelerating for several years, celestial vessels can reach phenomenal speeds.

Ion propulsion also allows the spacecraft to change its orbit multiple times, then break away and head for another distant world.

This technology allows modern day spacecraft like NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft to minimise fuel consumption and perform some crazy maneuvers. Dawn has completed more than five years of continuous acceleration for a total velocity change around 25,000 mph, more than any spacecraft has accomplished on its own propulsion system. Along the way, it has paid humanity’s first visits to the dwarf planet Ceres and the asteroid Vesta.

There are no gas stations on Mars. No power plants. Virtually no wind. When it comes to human missions to the Red Planet, solar energy can get the astronauts far. The Hermes spacecraft in the book uses solar arrays for power, and Mark Watney has to use solar panels in some unconventional ways to survive on Mars.

On the International Space Station, 4 sets of solar arrays generate 84 to 120 kilowatts of electricity – enough to power more than 40 homes. The station doesn’t need all that power, but the redundancy helps mitigate risk in case of a failure. The solar power system aboard the space station is very reliable, and has been providing power safely to the station since its first crew in 2000.

Orion, NASA’s spacecraft that will take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before, will use solar arrays for power in future missions. The arrays can gather power while in sunlight to charge onboard lithium-ion batteries. In case no sunlight is available – for instance, if Orion were to go behind the Moon – there would still be plenty of power to allow it to operate.

For more than 4 decades, NASA has safely used Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) to provide electrical power for two dozen space missions, including Apollo missions to the Moon. Spacecraft such as the Mars rover Curiosity and the upcoming Mars 2020 rover use an updated, next-generation model for electrical power.

RTGs are “space batteries” that convert heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238 into reliable electrical power. The RTG on Curiosity generates about 110 Watts of power or less – slightly more than an average light bulb uses.

In “The Martian”, the crew buries the plutonium-based RTG power source for the Mars Ascent Vehicle far away from the Hab in case of radioactive leakage. To prevent any leak, as suggested in the movie, Plutonium-238 has several layers of strong, advanced materials that protect against release even in severe accidents. The RTG mostly emits alpha radiation, which can only travel a few inches in the air and does not penetrate clothing or human skin. It could only affect human health if it were broken into very fine particles or vaporized, and inhaled or ingested. The isotope is manufactured in a ceramic form, so accidentally inhaling or ingesting it is unlikely, particularly as it does not dissolve in liquids.

In reality, the natural radiation environment on Mars is more extreme than the radiation produced from an RTG. Ionizing radiation raining down on Mars from space is far more hazardous to human health. Current Mars missions are analyzing the Martian radiation environment so that mission planners can design protection systems for future astronauts.

Future explorers will need assured, reliable and durable power sources for survival in place before they arrive. Power system options might include a mix of more efficient radioisotope power systems, solar power, fuel cells, and nuclear fission.

And on that note, NASA ends it with, “Human spaceflight is a dangerous business. NASA is working to send humans to Mars in the 2030s, but there are many milestones to accomplish to ensure that astronauts come back to Earth safely. Astronaut Scott Kelly, currently aboard the International Space Station for one year, put it perfectly: space is hard. The margin for error is virtually zero for every aspect of spaceflight. However, we learn so much along the journey to Mars that furthers our understanding of the universe, and everything we do and learn is brought right back to Earth to benefit humanity.”

Meanwhile, check out this clip of NASA Scientist Josh K. Willis reviewing “The Martian”:

“The Martian” is produced by Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, Mark Huffam, and Aditya Sood. It stars Matt Damon, Michael Peña, Jessica Chastain, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, and Kate Mara. Additional cast include Kristen Wiiga, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Donald Glover as Annie Montrose, Venkat Kapoor, and Rich Purnell.

“The Martian” has been released in cinemas nationwide so go watch it in a cinema near you!

For more information on “The Martian”, visit the movie’s website or Facebook page.

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JJ Lin’s Sanctuary 2.0 Concert Details In Kuala Lumpur Unveiled

If JJ Lin (林俊傑)’s Singapore concert ticket sales is anything to go by – there’s no doubt his Malaysian concert will be a sold out event.

Music fans have been anticipating his return to Southeast Asia ever since it was confirmed that his “Sanctuary 2.0 World Tour” will include Malaysia and Singapore.

In case you didn’t know, the singer’s 1st show in Singapore sold out within 1.5 hours as son as general tickets went live. A 2nd show on 22nd December 2019 (Sunday) was then added and even then, it didn’t take long before concert-goers snapped it up like hot cakes.

We can see why Lin’s concerts are so popular. The visual effects are always top notch, plus the costumes are also designed to complement each stunning performance. In addition to his classic numbers, fans are also hoping to hear some new records.

The details to JJ Lin’s “Sanctuary 2.0 World Tour” Live in Malaysia are as follows:

Concert tickets are expected to go on sale 13th September from 10am onwards via TicketCharge.