Will the Asean Trade Center design be like the World Trade Center in New York? We don't know yet. We'll update this as soon as we got some information.

The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia (DPMM) plans to undertake a mixed development project with a gross development value of RM5 billion in Johor Bahru, its President Syed Ali Alattas said.

The development of the “Asean Trade Centre” project would be carried out on a 16-hectare piece of land along Pantai Lido which belongs to DPMM.

“The project will take three years to complete and construction works will start once all relevant authority approvals are secured,” Syed Ali told reporters here today.

The project would rejuvenate the area with economic activities and transform Pantai Lido into a vibrant city in the future, he said.

Among the properties in the mixed development project will be commercial, retail and residential units.

Source: Malay chamber plans RM5b job in Johor

If you fall to those who are getting married soon, you want to come to this comprehensive wedding event. It is called “Dunia Raja Sehari #5” and it covers basically everything you want for a wedding from the dress, the “pelamin”, food, photography and much more. Check out soon, happening in Plaza Angsana Johor Bahru from 30th March – 8th April 2012.

Special note: Do come and visit a special photography kiosk for attractive and affordable package at the Dunia Raja Sehari. It’s “MySnapSeal.com“. Go there and get fantastic offer and package.

JB dwellers should know better how tough it can be driving through Pasir Gudang highway from Taman Perling to Pasir Gudang. At peak hour, the traffic congestion can be so brutal. It can be worse if an accident occurs or a car simply break down on the side of the road. In other words, we cannot really expect the highway to be smooth at any time. We need to be ready or expect a massive traffic jam if luck is not on our side.

However, today, our Prime Minister, Dato Najib delivered a good news at a meeting with local residents in Taman Setia Indah. He said that government will allocate RM150m to upgrade part of the Pasir Gudang highway from four-lane highway into a six-lane highway. The project will start with Phase 1 involving the route from the Kangkar Tebrau Junction to the Plentong junction (a distance of eight kilometres).

As a Johor Bahru dweller, this is a good sign. I hope that this can be a good start to see the transformation of Pasir Gudang highway to be a more comfortable and reliable route.

Pasir Gudang highway when the traffic is smooth

What will you be doing this coming weekend? Why not check out the Miss Tourism International World final? It’s going to be held in our own city, Johor Bahru, off course.

Globally recognized as a premier international pageant, the Miss Tourism International world final is the ONLY New Year’s Eve pageant that plays host to more than 30 international beauty queens from around the world.

The inauguration of Miss Tourism International was held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia in 1994. Introduced by the president and franchise owner, Datuk Danny Ooi, today, Miss Tourism International contest has set its mark in more than 76 countries.

The Miss Tourism International pageant is by far, the most extensive pageantry effort in promoting the host nation’s tourism industry. Hosting it in Malaysia enables the country to reveal to the world its many beautiful facets, from the bustling cities, the idyllic towns to the sun-kissed islands. With the country’s unique melting pot of cultures, memories of Malaysia would linger the longest in the contestants’ minds.

The contest also serves as a platform to educate and promote tourism and cultural exchange among the participating beauty queens, the Miss Tourism International has grown to be the proverbial vehicle; capturing the essence of the host country and its way of life through the eyes of these beauties.

Watch out!!!

Special appearance by Datuk Siti Norhaliza. She’ll be there too…

For more information, please visit: zon.com.my/misstourisminternational/info.php

Johor Mattress Fair @ Danga City Mall, Johor Bahru

Start: 9 December 2011

End: 11 December 2011

Source: http://expo.dangacitymall.com/2011-12-mattress-fair/lang/en

Hi guys… just to let you know that the latest WAVES Magazine (December) issue is out now. You can get it now by filling up your name and email on the right sidebar (nearby the bottom) of this site. It’s FREE of charge. If you have registered before, there is no need to fill it up again. We will email you the digital copy of WAVES.

p/s: Do you know about the new Johor Premium Outlets? It’s the latest, greatest, modern, different shopping place in Johor Bahru. Check out Johor Premium Outlets here.

Source: http://expo.dangacitymall.com/popular-mega-book-fair-2011/lang/en

This is a guest post by Mike. If you want to be a guest blogger at JBCool, check out our guest blogger guidelines.

Usually, when searching for a hotel to stay, TripAdvisor is the best (by my standard). The main reason is because you will get a lot of reviews/comments from many people who are from all parts of the word. Those who were there for business and also for vacation. It will give you a feeling how locals and visitors view the hotel.

I had to go to Johor Bahru for a few days. Our company has setup a new plant in Tanjung Langsat and I need to check the status of the IT equipments. If this was a vacation, then I would read every single comments from customers before deciding on which hotel, but since this is a business trip and I will be staying in the hotel at night, I just need to make sure that it is accessible and near public amenities.

The secretary proposed a few hotels in Johor Bahru and I choose the Grand Paragon simple for these comments from TripAdvisor:

• Clean room
• Clean bathroom
• Great breakfast
• Free Wifi access available in all rooms
• Location of the hotel itself

The arrival experience was very pleasant. The lobby was spacious. The door staff was pleasant, but I noticed that they pay more attention to tourist from abroad.

The reception staff was friendly and check-in process was fast since my company has made prior booking.

I hurried to the room. Not that eager to see it, but after a long journey, I need to unpack and take a bath. I drove all the way fro Kuala Lumpur instead of flying to JB.

The room and bathroom are clean as expected. With two single bed, a desk, chair and a LCD TV. Most hotels that I visited recently were still using CRT TV.

You will also get an expansive view of the city of Johor Bahru, but the windows could do a little cleaning. If you look at the photo I took below. It’s a bit blurr. It was worst before some adjustment by the photo software.

The bathroom was also decent with toiletries of stock quality. The most important thing that I noticed was there was no leftovers of hairs from the previous tenant. It really turn me off if the room that I am staying have this ‘hair’ issue.

After my bath, I took a short nap. Surprisingly the pillow and bed that I slept on was brand new and the 30 minutes nap that I took really refreshes the body.

Grand Paragon is conveniently located near some shopping centers and eateries. It’s very near to KSL Shopping City Mall and within walking distance to Plaza Pelangi shopping center.

The hotel breakfast wast quite ok, but no matter how good is the hotel food, nothing beats local food. That’s why I always try to find a hotel with eateries near by.

I think, that’s all I can say about the hotel. A good place to spend the night if you are on a business trip.

Oh, by the way … parking is in the basement and it’s free.

JBCool Admin Note: Please refer to the Grand Paragon Hotel page for more details on the location and contact number of the hotel.

Check out Mike’s website about high definition televisions at Coolest TV. The hotels you stay may not have a good television set, but you should get the best for your home.

For those who love shopping and want to get some really cheap quality stuffs, here comes the right event for you… presenting the Metrojaya Jualan Karnival Sale which will take place at Danga City Mall Johor Bahru. Fantastic attire and items at great discount will be offered. You simply cannot afford to miss this great bargain sale.

The Johor Bahru Metrojaya Sale will take place from 26 – 30 October 2011 and opens from 10am to 9pm.

Source: expo.dangacitymall.com/201110-metrojya-warehouse-sale/lang/en

If you are an avid JOHO lovers, you must have known by now about Paso Bumbong that is going to take place soon. People have been asking what is Paso Bumbong. Well, Paso Bumbong is a Johor slang for Pasar Bumbung which means “rooftop market” and it is literally that.

There are more than 40 young entrepreneurs who will be participating for Paso Bumbong. Show your support for these young businessmen from Johor. They are selling creative DIY stuff, vintage clothing as well as their own brands. We will update about the booths later on.

Among the activities:
- Open Mic Session – (will be updated soon)
- Special Performance – (will be announce soon)
- Fashion Show – (akan diadakan dengan penuh sopan santun)
- Cabutan Bertuah -
- Photography Activity by KUKUBESI-

Paso Bumbong 2011 Tentative:

Time: 3pm-12am

Date/day: 27th August 2011/Saturday

Location: ROOFTOP Plaza Seni Johor Bahru!

Informasi Paso Bumbong dalam Bahasa Malaysia

Gerak Gempur Kukubesi merupakan satu pertandingan seni reka grafik yang dianjurkan oleh KUKUBESI sempena Paso Bumbong 2011. Pertandingan ini berlangsung dari 21 Ogos 2011 hingga tengahari 27 Ogos 2011 dan terbuka untuk semua.

Peraturan untuk pertandingan Gerak Gempur Kukubesi ini adalah seperti berikut:

- sila ikut guideline seperti gambar diatas
- size kanvas 800 x 800 pixel
- size karya 770 x 516 pixel
- background hitam
- masukkan gambar anda seperti kedudukan di atas
- font Arial Narrow size 3
- nama , facebook anda , no telefon dan alamat email
- ” sertai kami di facebook : gerak gempur kukubesi ” di bahagian bawah
- sila sunting dalam keadaan yang menyenangkan tanpa menyingung mana2 pihak.

Info pertandingan:

• Terbuka kepada sesiapa sahaja untuk menyertainya
• Jenis suntingan dan tema untuk kali ini adalah GRAPHIC DESIGN atau SENIREKA GRAFIK, contohnya macam iklan raya, iklan poster, korang kena buat poster atau flyers untuk event PASO BUMBONG anjuran JOHO
• mesti masukkan logo PASO BUMBUNG (nama majlis) dan logo JOHO (penganjur utama)
• mesti masukkan tarikh ” 27 OGOS 2011 “
• MOOD RAYAAAAAAAAAA
• Elemen bebas adalah digalakkan

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, sila klik pautan ini agar ia dapat membantu mencantikkan senireka anda: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=258509854168827

• Boleh menghantar seberapa banyak penyertaan
• Tarikh tutup penyertaan pada 27 Ogos 2011 bersamaan hari Sabtu jam 12.00 tengahari
• Sila upload ke wall facebook : GERAK GEMPUR KUKUBESI
• hadiah berupa T-shirt JOHO

Semoga berjaya!

Source/sumber (JohoBaru Blog).

Top 3 photos credited to carlsamsudin.blogspot.com.