In conjunction with the upcoming Ramadan, which is the fasting month for the Muslims, the state government of Kedah will allow its staff to work on flexible working hours, aligned with their needs.

The head of the department will be tasked to structure and prepare the work schedule for their subordinates. In other words, different units or departments may have different working hours from each other.

Such arrangement would include finishing work earlier than usual so that they can return home, rest and prepare for breaking the fast. They can also use up their lunch hour to work instead of for break, and gets one hour extra off.

In the usual practice, the government staff gets to go back one or two hours earlier from the usual time during the month of Ramadan. Some private companies practice similar exercise, and some don’t. A number of government agencies and government linked companies allow the female workers to go back much earlier, as they will be presumably busy to handle all the cooking and other preparation for the break fast.

The normal daily working hours for the government is from 8am to 5pm.

This year’s Ramadan is expected to start on 1 September 2008, subject to moon sighting. The Hari Raya Puasa comes about 30 days after that, tentatively on 1 October 2008.

The health and fitness industry is expected to grow in Iskandar Malaysia after a number of prominent players indicated their plan to set up operation in the corridor’s front yard.

The latest to make the move is Clark Hatch, an established fitness center in Asia with strong presence in Japan, China, Hawaii, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries.

Clark Hatch has just opened its biggest gymnasium in Malaysia in Johor Baru City Square tower, occupying more than 2,000 square meters space. As of today, more than 1,000 people have signed up as members.

The health and fitness industry in Malaysia in general has been expanding for the past few years, propelled by increasing public awareness of healthy and balanced lifestyle.

Iskandar Malaysia (formerly Iskandar Development Region or IDR) was hailed in mid 2006 as a part of the country’s mega infrastructure project. Spanning across over 200,000 hectars, it will encompass both industrial, commercial and housing areas once completed. It is developed to elevate the standard of living, particularly for Johor citizens.

Other than health and fitness, other industries and specialization to be offered by Iskandar Malaysia include engineering, creative and design, services, electrical and electronic, food and beverages (F&B), petro-chemical, metal and manufacturing related services.

1. An entrepreneur is born and not made

2. Money is always the number one motivation for an entrepreneur

3. It takes a lot of money to start a business

4. A great business has the best business plan

5. An entrepreneur is destined for financial freedom

6. Being an entrepreneur always means being your own boss

7. Entrepreneurs always work longer hours

8. Money is the most important tool for a start up business

9. A person needs to have a business experience before starting one

10. A successful entrepreneur has the best product in the market

11. Young entrepreneurs have the highest rate of success

12. Starting a business is an answer to an unhappy job

13. One business failure and that’s the end for an entrepreneur

14. A good business idea means you can easily get financial help

15. A successful entrepreneur can be a successful salaried worker

16. A successful salaried worker can be a successful entrepreneur

17. All entrepreneurs have high degree of stress threshold

18. Most entrepreneurs are the gambling lots

19. An entrepreneur can be successful only in the location he is familiar with

20. An entrepreneur can be successful only in the field he is familiar with

Royal Professor (Profesor Diraja) Ungku Aziz is to be accorded with a special Merdeka Award 2008 for his contribution to the nation.

Ungku Aziz is noted as a respectable figure who has propelled the nation’s prosperity through his brilliant ideas such as the establishment of Tabung Haji, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Berhad (Angkasa) and a number of academic centers in Universiti Malaya.

He served as the vice chancellor of Universiti Malaya (UM) for 20 years between 1968 and 1988, making him the longest serving VC in the university.

Ungku Aziz’s only child, prodigy Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar is presently the Governor of Malaysia’s Central Bank (Bank Negara) and has been at the helm since the year 2000.

Ungku Aziz was born Ungku Abdul Aziz bin Ungku Abdul Hamid in London, United Kingdom in 1922 to a royal family of Johor. He received his education in Sekolah Melayu Batu Pahat, Raffles College, Universiti Malaya (Singapore) and Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.