AA FOUNDATION: "A Rainbow of Hope..."

Don't Duck It Party @ 22 October 2011

2011-10-19T07:11:00.004+08:00

Hello!!

Passionately You campaign 2011 is coming to a close on 22 October 2011, so do come by JayaOne from 12pm to 10pm this Saturday with your family and friends to enjoy fun filled activities and performances.

Here's the Don't Duck It Party agenda, you may find out more at www.dontduckit.com

The activities for the day are FREE breast examination & on-site vaccination, Acoustic Performance by Tony Lee, Go Kart Mania, Cheerleading Performance by CHARM, Quacky Kart Race, Zilwin Magic (Mentalism Show), Don't Duck It Just Walk It, and the main highlight (Raffles Draw & Prize presentation), band performances by GARASU & K-Town Clan.

There'e even a Move It Like Jagger flash mob, please do check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbNmTjtswuk if you're a dancer or someone who loves dancing, learn the moves and join in the fun :D

The main highlight for the night would definitely be the Raffle Draw, there are many exciting prizes up for grabs like a 42" LED TV, Apple Macbook Air, Holiday/ Travel voucher, iPad 2, SONY PlayStation3 and cash vouchers.

We are really excited for the finale and we hope to see you this weekend!!!

Passionately You 2011 is back in action!

2011-07-28T12:24:00.010+08:00

Hello dear readers, greetings from us at AA Foundation. We hope that the 1st half of 2011 has been fulfilling and we hope that the 2nd half of 2011 would be even better.

This year we are proud to announce that Passionately You 2011 is back with a new logo.

Passionately You is a joint community effort by Assunta Hospital, Asia Assistance, Jaya One and PJ Live Arts.

The objective of this campaign is to create awareness on early detection and prevention of Breast & Cervical cancer. The other objective is to raise RM100,000 for Assunta Foundation to help the underprivileged patients seek proper treatment.

This year, there is also a website called http://www.dontduckit.com/ which aims to reach out to the younger generation and to encourage Malaysiansto pledge to support this cause.

The upcoming event for Passionately You is the Buy4Love Jumble sale which is happening on 20 August 2011 from 10am till 6pm.

The Jumble Sale donation drive is going on from 1st July till 31 July 2011 at JayaOne (information counter outside Cold Storage). So if you have used items which are still in good condition, you may donate them there.

We shall be updating more information as the time comes! So stay tuned.

HAPPY 2011

2011-01-03T15:22:00.000+08:00

To our members/ readers/ followers/ visitors and to everyone, AA Foundation would like to wish you a.....

How was your 2010 like? Although we may not know how the year had ended for you, but we sincerely wish that 2011 would be a year of success, hope and opportunities for everyone. If you have not thought of your new year resolutions, it should be a good time for you to think about it and pen it down right now.

In this 2011, AA Foundation's priority goal is to continue helping and reduce the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable at this difficult time. And of course, do look out for our updates and news on this year's PASSIONATELY.YOU 2011, returning and lined up with plenty of exciting events which you would never want to miss.

Stay tuned....

The Last Project of 2010

2011-01-03T14:29:00.000+08:00

The last project of AA Foundation in 2010 was to help raise money to support 4 children with various heart defects. Many of us may not realise that the number of heart defect cases that occur in children are elevating far more than expected, exceeding the number of cases of children diagnosed with Down Syndrome. According to a recent research, there are more than 35,000 cases reported in a year on children who suffer from such heart defects, and not many of them have been able to survive the battle or given the opportunity to undergo immediate and early surgeries.

We came across the news of four families appealing for donations from the public to enable their children to undergo surgeries to correct their heart defects, ranging from as young as a 5-month-old baby (suffering from serious congenital heart disease) to a 14-year-old boy (suffering from pulmonary artesia and ventricular spetal heart defects). Thanks to the advanced medical examination and treatment that is available in our society today, we are able to support these young children and families, providing them with care, love and hope.

For those who have contributed to this good cause with us, thank you for your support. Let us all pray for the successful recovery of these children and continue to send good wishes to each of them.

Bald is the New Beautiful

2010-09-13T12:40:00.007+08:00

If you think you look horribly ugly and unattractive if you're bald, you might be wrong! No... No..., we're not talking about Rihanna or Britney Spears or J Lo here. But we want to show you that BALD can be both sexy and beautiful at the same time. Your next question would be - How on earth is this possible???

Previously, we shared with you an article on how several blilionnaires have pledged their wealth to the society in the US. I came across this article yesterday and found this story aspiring. I honestly admit that I am not as brave as what these people have been doing out there, but I have to salute them for their courage and love for the society. BRAVO!

Fundraising efforts, uh huh... we've heard of food fairs, marathons, roadshows, charity performances, concerts, garage sales, free car wash, etc.... but how about Head Shaving?? This may sound new to some of you who have not been aware of such move. It is definitely not something new but is indeed innovative and a supportive way of raising fund and is used by many fundraisers these days. Its concept is simple, an individual pledges to raise certain amount of money and in turn agrees to shave when someone donates to the cause.

One example is from this pair of mother and daughter who both decided to forego their precious hair for charity's sake. Further coverage on this story can be found at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/12/nation/7022612&sec=nation

(Picture taken from The Star Online)
Anne Marie (on the left) with her mother, Anne Choon (on the right) shaving their heads at the Pure Lotus Hospice of Compassion in Georgetown, Penang recently

In fact, what Anne-Marie and her mum did was not the very first to happen in Malaysia. Lets take a glimpse at our heroes & heroines whom had done us proud. We should all applaud these wonderful volunteers. Earlier this year in April 2010, World Vision Malaysia organised a charity event at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara which was named as "Operation Botak" ('Botak' is a malay term commonly used locally which means bald).

Hairstylists from the Snips Academy shaving the hair of participants in the bid to raise funds for a Mobile Resource Center for the children of Tuaran and Kota Belud in Sabah

In 2008, a 12-year old schoolboy managed to raise around RM10,000 from donors with his act during a charity fair at Kasih Hospice Care in Petaling Jaya

This is not the end. Our famous blogger Mr. Kenny Sia had also done his part for the Sarawak Children's Cancer Society when he honoured his promise that if the funds raised reached RM50,000 and above, he shall SHAVE. And so did he...

(Picture from kennysia.com)
Look how cool he is

We also have some other interesting websites for your reading pleasure:-

1. Worlds Greatest Shave [http://www.worldsgreatestshave.com/index.php]
    This is a foundation set up for leukemia patients in Australia and once held the Guinness World Record
     in 1999 for achieving the most number of heads shaved within a 24-hour period.

2. St Baldrick's Foundation [http://www.stbaldricks.org/]
    A head-shaving event that takes place on St Patrick's Day, the money raised is used to support pediatric
    cancer research.

A point to note:

And this is extremely important! If anyone of you ever decides to shave your head, do check through the company's policies or dress codes allowed in school/ college to ensure you do not breach any of the rules & regulations imposed by your employers or schools/ colleges. Believe it or not, there have been cases where students are suspended from school and staffs fired from work - although it may be for a good cause, it might cause you double trouble. Good luck ~ ~

Asian Hospital Management Award 2010

2010-09-04T12:48:00.000+08:00

Getting ready for the night with our AA Evercare International Inc (AAI korea branch) partners

Ahn Nyong Ha Sae Yo! The Passionately.You team is in Seoul, South Korea this time. The reason why we’re all gathered in the world’s second largest metropolitan area is because of the Asian Hospital Management Award 2010 and for one purpose.... our Passionately.Pink campaign, jointly organised in collaboration with Assunta Hospital has been nominated for one of the categories, hooray... yippie ~ ~ ~

The guests & nominees were all seated for the ceremony & gala dinner to take place

The mission of AHMA is to recognise and promote the best practices in the industry of hospital management within the region. Awards are given annually for all outstanding projects for the past year. Specifically, this award is given in cooperation with the Joint Commission International, Korean Hospital Association and Asian Hospital Federation to recognise a hospital's outstanding achievements and professional accomplishments that has made an impact on its clients and the public, therefore resulting in the hospital gaining recognition as an innovator or leader in the field. The emphasis was given on businesses that can be more or less attributable to the project and what this is as a percentage of the hospital's revenue. In this sense, a hospital that launched a successful campaign with effective methods/ marketing tools and is able to show significant results will be eligible as the winner.

The trophies to be awarded (its heavy!!)

The list of categories to be awarded for the night

Here we are in the Marketing, PR or Promotional Project category represented by ASSUNTA HOSPITAL

AND THE WINNER IS................

Mr. Choy, the CEO of Assunta Hospital, Malaysia receiving the award

YES! We did it! Assunta Hospital was announced as the recipient of the Asian Hospital Management Award 2010, in the category of Marketing, PR or Promotional Project for the Passionately.You Cervical & Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign 2009.

Look, thats our Passionately.You mascot - the cheeky Pink Duck! Quack Quack!

Mr. Choy delivering his thank you speech

The Asia Assistance team

We felt privileged to be in the competition with four other top and reputable hospitals in the South East Asian region. We have been recognised for our efforts which would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers. This recognition is an endorsement for the work we've been doing and it lends further support and motivation to our continued efforts to make Passionately.You a campaign that everyone is proud of. At the same time, we would like to thank all our volunteers who have been involved in the various events held for this campaign for your efforts in carrying out the activities, making this a great success for everyone.

A group photo of all the winners of AHMA 2010

Nobody Can Do Everything but Everybody Can Do Something

2010-09-04T12:07:00.000+08:00

Each single day, there are children who are in desperate need of surgery or aid somewhere in every corner of this world. Our foundation's goal is to be able to lend a hand and raise funds for these children and individuals suffering from various defects and diseases in order to get through and cover the expensive operational costs that their family are not able to afford. Here are some of the individuals that we’d helped so far this year:-

Three days old Matthew Lim Kin Feng was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) where two blood vessels have switched places, and holes in his heart *Taken from sumijelly.com*

Toddler Chong Yao Xuan
who was diagnosed with
liver tumour

Earlier this year, we have also raised some funds for the Haiti Earthquake Victims to help them rebuild their lives and community.

The screams of Haiti being heard around the world

We hope everybody can make an effort to reach the children and families in need by doing your part from now on. Let us help reduce the world's suffering together and may the world be in peace and harmony.

Share Our Wealth

2010-09-03T17:20:00.008+08:00

Have you ever wondered or ask yourself this question – “If I strike a lottery today and won myself $100 million, what will I do with my entire fortune?”

Well, some 40 billionaires, including financial & investment guru, Warren Buffet in the US have opted to join in the footsteps of Microsoft Corporation founder, Bill Gates in pledging their wealth to charity upon their death.

A number of other billionaires have also pledged to put at least half of their wealth into their personal/family foundations, or to make substantial grants to other non-profit organizations. We want to share with you an interesting article that was published in The Star on 5 August 2010.

Click on the URL below for the detailed article: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.aspfile=/2010/8/5/business/20100805074103&sec=business

Recently the "Giving Pledge", a drive spearheaded by both Mr Warren Buffet and Mr Bill Gates was launched with the intent to get wealthy Americans to pledge at least half of their estates to welfare organisations for the purposes of helping the poor, medicare, education, technology innovation, environment protection and arts development. This is indeed a brilliant move!!

We have yet to see such a pledge happening in Malaysia. Would you pledge your assets and property if there was one? Looking at the percentage of the world’s wealthy man pledging their wealth, it sparks a curiosity on how much of the rest of us will follow suit. Most of us would probably think that the billionaires have plenty to live off even though they have given away their monies, but it doesn’t mean that only the rich ones are supposed to share their wealth. If each one of us puts in the effort to give away 5% of a small contribution (whatever amount is affordable), it would definitely cause a much greater impact on our world community.

For those who are interested to find our more about The Giving Pledge, you can visit the link provided at http://givingpledge.org/

AA Foundation Visit to Trinity Children Centre, Petaling Jaya

2010-09-03T15:58:00.022+08:00

Have you ever wondered what kind of life and experience you will be going through if you had grown up without a family or siblings? How often do we sit back and reflect on how lucky we are to be given food, clothing, love, shelter and education… yet we still grunt about what we possess?

Early February this year, we brought our AA Foundation and the entire team to Trinity Children Centre (TCC), which is located not too far from our office in Petaling Jaya. TCC is a place that homes orphans, abandoned, abused or neglected children to provide them care and hope for the young children. TCC consists of both boys and girls, aged between four and seventeen, comprising mainly the Chinese and Indian as well as a small number of foreign nationalities.

(AA Foundation Committees & its volunteers)

We planned our visit on a Saturday since it was the weekend and we were all free. Thought it was good choice… we met up in the office as most of us did not know the direction to TCC. At about 10.30am, we were all ready and started to drove like cars on parade, haha. One car following close to another, there were about 4 cars in total. Upon our arrival, we saw our bosses who were earlier than us, sitting in the hall with the kids. They reached early as they had to rush for a meeting with the clients. Within minutes, children came pouring out the front door, eager to welcome us and interact with them. What a lovely bunch of kids. But, we smelled something fishy when we noticed the children all dressed in their school uniforms.

*TADA* A sudden crisis occurred as we were told that the kids are having replacement classes in school on that day (yes replacement classes on a Saturday!!) due to the Chinese New Year holidays. The next thing that came to our mind, what is going to happen to our plans? Most of the kids were getting ready and waiting for their van to pick them up to school. We did not prepare for any contingency plan and the children have not had their lunch. Thanks to Grace, our AAF “financial controller” who knows PJ area like the back of her hands. We quickly drove to the nearby KFC and bought lunch for the kids. Imagine that we tried to rush for lunch within 20 minutes? The kids enjoyed their KFC, although some of them ate hurriedly before they are late to catch their van.

(Potential Malaysian Idols-to-be, some of the kids took the time to perform a song for everyone of us)

While some of the kids left for school, at noon, the lady who was on duty showed us around the home and we were introduced to the dormitory-style bedrooms where up to 4 to 5 children sleep in a family group, the computer lab, the music room with different sorts of instruments including an organ, guitar, drums, and the little dining hall where the children have to eat in shifts.

(This is where the kids share their room)

(Getting ready to leave for school)

(Some of the medals won by the children)
(Home-made cupcakes by our CEO - Ms. Tammy! Are your taste buds drooling? )

What touched us was the children’s desire and openness to share their daily lives, their personal possessions and photos with us.

We absolutely loved the experience of visiting these children. Although we realize that we may not be able to save and help all these kids, we can all do a little bit to make a difference. For anyone thinking of a trip like this, go for it. You’ll be amazed by what captures your heart and what have been missing from your life. It was for a short period of time but we made a lot of memories in TCC. Meeting these children made our trip more meaningful.

TCC is looking for generous organization and individuals to help defray the monthly expenses. The contribution will assist in the rental for the premise, expenditure for the children’s needs and upkeep of the home. As the intake of the children increases, we need to tap the efforts and expertise of many different types of volunteers on a continual basis to meet our growing needs in helping these children.

To learn more about TCC, you can click the link below:-http://www.tccpj.com.my/index.cfm?menuid=7&parentid=35

IAG April Forum - Final Day 3 and 4

2010-08-10T14:29:00.001+08:00

Left to right: Tamarind Spring's entrance and Grand Palace Pavilion

Day 3 and 4 - Dinner and with K.A.R.A.O.K.E!

The third night, we took the delegates to Tamarind Spring, a traditional Indochinese Village-type of cuisine that won many industry accolades and topped many gastronomes’ scoreboards. Tamarind Spring is also renowned for its lush sensuous appeal. As it was also yours truly's first experience in this beautiful serene restaurant, my first impression of it was : "OMG!" (which stands for "oh my God" by the way). Our ride stopped us infront of the restaurant and we had to walk a few flight of big stoned-steps towards the wooden-looking restaurant. I thought I was in Bali. And I thought I was in for SPA!

The food was all right. However, most importantly, our guests felt special and were able to enjoy the variety and difference in food and environment on their 3rd day here in Kuala Lumpur with us.

The fourth and final night was more of a crazy-and-let-loose kinda party. Us, committees thought of plans on how to end the conference/ trip/ holiday (however you wanna call it) with a big bang. What more than introducing our traditional, favourite, Malaysian past time activity - KARAOKE?!

As many Malaysians think that they can sing, karaoke has been an integral part of their lives. With a little bit of beer, liquor, wine and MORE wine, we got the guests to join in the singing session during the dinner. Some were shy at first, but when the night wore on, 3 microphones seemed not enough for us all....

Guido crooning away...with a stylish pose!

Tammy and Pascal belting out their duet

David did it the "Chinese" way

Brenda and Lorraine captured on a mobile video?! I wonder if its on You Tube now?

Lubov and David didn't miss a beat! They truly enjoyed themselves as well!

Representing the Swiss, the Canadian, and the Mexican: Oliver, Patrick and Rodrigo
harmonizing in their "manly" voice.

A normal beer mug must have been too small for Rodrigo.
He rather drink it all from the jug itself??!

A real talent emerged that night - my partner-in-crime from the Borneo island

The ever so popoular hit song Y.M.C.A was the best highlight of the night
as we danced to the tune all night long!

Guess, that's it from yours truly here from Kuala Lumpur. IAG Forum April 2010 was indeed a spectacular one! It will be a conference that none can forget (we hope!) and a conference where friendships were found and made irregardless of colour, irregardless of race, irregardless of which continent you are from.

See you next time in Paris, this November!

IAG Day 2 - BBQ Party at AA One

2010-07-01T14:10:00.003+08:00

27.04.10 - Day 1 was deemed proper. Proper venue (KLTwin Tower), proper dress code (Black tie affair). On Day 2, we went wild!The party continued on at our very own homeground - AA One building!

Despite the rain, the delegates arrived in jolly mood!

The Chinese Lion Dance group performed the grand openning for us.

Most delegates liked the lions,

but not the little man in the mask...haha!

A little handshake with the man behind the lion for a touch of

good luck! Do you know that the lions brings prosperity

and luck to those who touch them? =)

The Rhumba band performed and entertained the delegates throughout the night

Little stalls filled with delicious delicacies were set up

at the far end corner. Delegates get to pick and choose

what they want to eat in those stalls

First performance by AA's very own staff!

By the way, its all an act, they dont know kungfu actually...

Despite it being an act, the one in the middle (Jack) really did smash the planks - karate style!

Next up: The Malay traditional dance performance... again by our own AA staff!

The Chinese dance came next....I absolutely love this colour! ; )

No...she's not from China. She is our own staff from the Marketing dept!

Reincarnation of Elvis Presley?

They really know how to dance... the rock & roll dance!

Well Done! AA rocks!

Second Performance by AA staff: The band players for the

groupie "The Nobodies"!

"The Nobodies" crooning away... serenaded the guests with 3 songs.

And no, they are not professional singers.

(We composed some of the lyrics on our own)!

Andy doesnt know how to dance..

but somehow, when he danced with Cecile, he seemed pretty good!

Oh dear...! They're wet! =D

If you are in Malaysia, you surely must try our King of Fruits - Durian!

Pray hard that it does not stink!

Patrick must be wondering if he is in the fear factor program

Everyone was happy! Don't you wish you could join us too? :D

Cocktail Party at Petronas Twin Tower - 26.04.10

2010-06-21T15:09:00.002+08:00

I know...I know... You've waited a looongggg time for this blog to be updated. Geez, that's terrible ain't it? =D Despite having moi bosses breathing down my neck and the possibility of having my blogger status being stripped away from me, yours truly here are back in action! Thousand apologies for not updating this blog soon enough (I've been busy... busy and and I mean REALLYYYY busy). But wait no more! Pictures are finally baked, out from the oven, and now back to this blogsite. So lets give a toast to our wonderful in-house paparazzies Paul and Benny for the wonderful work done in capturing the events of the night-to-remember on the final week of April 2010...

Pictures speak a thousand words. From the cocktail party at the Petronas Twin Tower, to the barbeque party at our AA One office, to the exotic dinner at Tamarind Spring, and finally to the final karaoke night at Grand Palace, Pavilion, how can one forget those nights where we let loose and boogeyed the night away with our friends & partners from all over the world?? Well, you can't. If you did not attend the IAG conference this time round, boy, you really do not know what you've been missing!

This was where the cocktail party was held...on the 44th Floor of the Petronas Twin Tower.

The guests arrived and the committees gave them a warm

welcome...just like how we do it in a wedding!

Our guests all dressed in style including Cecile!

They are our VIPs and we treat them like a VIP =)

Guido Horst (Vice Chairman) gave us a welcome speech

Everyone listened attentively to our Vice Chairman's address

Smile for the camera gentlemen!

As the night prolonged, the playful mood began!

The room was filled with great music,

we just couldn't stop dancing!

Lubov, Tessa and Tina gave us their best smile of the evening

From left: Michael, Sharon, Andy

The 3 VIPs of AA International

a.k.a my bosses

IAG Forum 2010 Kuala Lumpur Delegates

The night ended with big smiles all over our faces

IAG DAY 1 - The Beginning

2010-05-14T17:33:00.002+08:00

4 months of preparation for 5 days of conference. Now that it has already ended and our guests had all left to the other parts of the globe, we feel lonely. Silence... heart thumping excitement... all vanished into thin air just like that. Boy, dont we all miss having the IAG Conference around? Us, the committees sure felt that way!

Let me regurgitate the events here day by day, morning to night as we recall back the sweet memories from this conference that was held from 25th April till 29th April 2010 with a total number of 50 delegates from 26 different countries (including Malaysia of course)!

Location: JW Marriot Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

Day 1 - 25th April 2010

The conference kicked start with the Supervisory Board Meeting at Meeting Room Starhill 6. Attendees (in alphabetical order): Brenda Durow (SA), David Ferguson (AU), Cecile Hermetz (FR), Guido Horst (NL), Ron Mayer (CA), Pascal de Medeiros (FR), Daniel Pierce (UK) and the country host himself Andy Toh (MY).

Unfortunately, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board Mr Jan Madsen could not make it to the conference due to the volcanic ash disruption in Europe. Vice Chairman Guido Horst chaired instead in his absence. The day went on smoothly and the delegates were then taken to their first lunch at the Feast Village - Thai food at MYThai restaurant!

Cozy corner at MyThai Restaurant, Starhill Gallery, JW Marriot Hotel

AA CNY 2010 VIDEO by JUSTIN LAI

2010-03-03T10:23:00.000+08:00

Following my post below, the long awaited, much talk-about, saliva-drooling masterpiece video by our photographer cum videographer talent, Justin is finally ready!

Enjoy!

AAN CNY Party 2010 from Justin Lai on Vimeo.

Happy Chinese New Year AA!!

2010-02-27T18:00:00.010+08:00

The Chinese New Year celebration is Malaysia's second largest most celebrated festival and AA makes it BIG this year round!

With more than 300 over guests flocked in to AA's home ground right as the clock striked 6pm on 22nd February 2010, us at AA began to mingle around from the basement (where the main event was held) to the ground floor (where more tables were set to cater for the massive turn out).

Everyone at AA had a role to play, from posing as photographers, to being the entertainers, to food & beverage managers, to registrars, ushers, to drinkers, and even to becoming the God of Prosperity!

Well, enough said from Yours Truly here...I have a better way in describing how the whole event turned out! Are you ready? Lets roll the camera people!

Special plate with AA's design

All on standby - AA party committees had their final briefings...

The AA party registrars put on their biggest smile all night long

as they welcomed the guests

Despite the hot weather, the guests arrived right on time!

AA staff began entertaining the guests...

from one table to another (non-stop)!

There came 2 lion dancers, opening the dinner party,

surprising the guests with loud

drum music orchestrating the lions dancers

The lion dancers had to dance round the "offerings" prepared by AA

as a symbol of us thanking them for blessing the party

(we fed the lions with food - that's the way to 'thank' them)!

The Rhumba Band put on a great show entertaining us
with great music from beginning till the end

830pm - We got a surprise visit by the God of Prosperity!

(personated by AA's staff Teik Beng)!

Everyone wants a gift from the God of Prosperity as the saying goes:

"You'll get richer if the God of Prosperity comes to you!"

Andy & Sharon got a special hug from the God of Prosperity!

How lucky!

Pictures courtesy from Benny Ng & Connie Ngoi's facebook.

Stay tune for more pictures from AA's official photographers Justin, Paul & Sunny.

11th Annual Dinner 17.12.09

2009-12-21T01:09:00.003+08:00

17th December 2009...exactly 8 days before Christmas. Here we are again for the 11th time, AAN's Annual Dinner, held in the beautiful ballroom at Tropicana Golf & Country Club with the theme, "The Masquerade Night". Enjoy the Video below (made & presented by AA's homegrown talented individual, Justin Lai).

AAN 11th Annual Dinner 2009 from Justin Lai on Vimeo.

Face Lift

2009-12-02T20:39:00.001+08:00

As we are nearing the date to our 11th Annual Dinner this December 17th, thought we could do a little face-lift to our little blog. Hope you like it.

Oh, by the way, if you are under immense pressure from your "gaffer", you can feed the little fishes at the bottom right hand corner. Not that it would help much, but a little positive thinking & imagination wouldn't hurt ;)

See you on December 17th! Bring on your masks and put on your dancing shoes people!

Cheerio!

Happy 11th Anniversary!

2009-10-20T09:23:00.000+08:00

A VERY SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO ASIA ASSISTANCE!

HAPPY 11TH ANNIVERSARY!

AA was incorporated on 20th October 1998. There were only 2 employees then. They were the pioneers. The masterminds. The iron LADIES.

Today, AA has 193 staff in total and it is still GROWING!

Happy Anniversary Asia Assistance. May you continue to grow in Asia and throughout the globe.

Earthquake Victims of Padang, Sumatra

2009-10-19T10:59:00.011+08:00

Aren't we glad we are in living in Malaysia? A country protected from natural disasters coming from South China Sea or the Indian Ocean (apart from typhoon/flood) ...though we do feel some mild earthquake tremors whenever our neighbouring country has been strucked with a powerful one.

On September 30th, 2009, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck off the city of Padang off the coast of southern Sumatra at about 6.17pm on Wednesday. Tremors were felt along the west coast of Malaysia including Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor where people rushed out of several high-rise buildings fearing for their safety. No casualties, no damage. We are safe.

In Padang, many people were killed, injuries are mounting, houses destroyed, families with children were left stranded with no place to call home...a resemblance of the tragedy that strucked Bandar Aceh (with an exception of the tsunami) in 2004. Another sad day for our beloved neighbours.

Hospital Penawar, a reputable hospital in Johor will be conducting a mission trip to Padang. As such, AA Foundation would like to assist the people of Padang through support and contribution on daily necessities (no no we are not sending anyone to Padang!). Donations such as blankets, clothes, milk powder, shampoo, biscuits...etc are greatly appreciated. Kindly send them to:-

Collection area: 7th Floor, AA One

Time of Collection: Working Hours
Day of Collection: 19th - 21st Oct (next Monday to Wednesday)

Your generosity would bring a smile to each and everyone in Padang and to the people of Indonesia.

its WACKY BAR! WACKY BAR!

2009-09-30T09:23:00.022+08:00

Wacky Bar PJLA Theatre (Block K), Jaya One

6 - 11 October 2009

Join us for the Wacky Bar Nights and be amongst the first to see this fantastic new production by Passionately.YOU! Your contribution to this program gives our growing community of patients a meaningful and direct opportunity to fight and survive cancer. Your generosity helps them to better cope with the challenges that come with cancer treatments.

Wacky Bar, the play, is set in a place where people meet to laugh, cry, gossip, share, pick up and break up. Filled with a multitude of oddball characters, including the host, Wacky, himself, the place is ripe for all kinds of extraordinary encounters. Whether or not you’ll be imbibing, come, sit back and enjoy the, sometimes real, sometimes crazy, but at all times funny, stories of a typically wild night out at Wacky Bar.

Starring Patrick Teoh, Rashid Salleh, Maya Tan Abdullah, Daphne Iking, Shamaine Othman, Na’a Murad, Ida Marriana, Elaine Pedley, Joanne Kam Poh Poh, Megat Sharizal, Shahredza Minhat, Gavin Yap, Junji Delfino, Iedil Putra, and our very own Passionately.You ambasadress.... Amber Chia!!

PRODUCTION:
Written by Maya Tan Abdullah
Directed by Joanna Bassey
Artistic Direction by Dato' Zahim Albakri
Produced by Teri Choong
Executive Producers include Assunta Hospital, Asia Assistance Network (M) Sdn Bhd, PJ Live Arts & Jaya One.

Get your tickets NOW!!! Call TicketCharge Hotline at 03 - 2241 9999 to get your tickets before tickets are sold out. Or purchase the tickets online at http://www.ticketcharge.com.my/events/wackybar.htm

QUACKY RUN WITH PASSIONATELY.YOU

2009-09-30T09:06:00.006+08:00

Speed up your next Run to Fight Cervical & Breast Cancer!

Do not worry, we're not asking you to run for your life... Come run with Passionately.YOU Quacky Run on October 25th (SUNDAY) and make your running effort really count. This would be one of the biggest event that Passionately.You is bringing to you this year, an approximately 4.5km fun run and walk on a course around Jaya One, Petaling Jaya!

Make your run more meaningful, and more rewarding. It does not discriminate and can strike anyone at any age and of any race. Everyone knows someone dealing with cervical or breast cancer. We can now do our part for these strong and brave survivors or victims that we know of. Knowing that you can make a difference and actually doing it are two entirely different things. Just like saying you want to run a marathon and actually crossing that finish line are totally different. You can make a difference, and only you can seek contributions within your network.

The participation fee is charged at RM40 only, which will be contributed to Assunta Hospital and you will also be receiving a Goody Bag worth a total of RM160 which includes a fashionable yet cool t-shirt, cosmetic products, health products, merchandises, magazines and many more surprises awaiting you. That is not the end, you will also be running with several of our local celebtrities of the upcoming theatrical performance titled Wacky Bar. Do not miss this opportunity and its not a dream if you happen to be running side by side with Daphne Iking or Amber Chia. (see my upcoming post on Wacky Bar)

Registration can be performed in the following manners:-

(1) Online registration - kindly log onto our dedicated website at http://www.hooha.asia/

(2) Manual registration - kindly print out the form attached or get the forms from PJLA Theatre Box Office at Jaya One (entry beside Coffee Bean)

Do reach this message to your family members, friends, relatives or your neighbours and co-workers around you. Come and take on the challenge... see you there my quacky runners!

THE EATZ

2009-07-10T16:18:00.010+08:00

Okayyyyy so I'm back. Back for more juicy news on the update of Asia Assistance. Can you EVER imagine - from serving people in the medical industry, to the car industry, to the tourism industry and now to the - F&B industry?? One word to describe it all - E.X.P.A.N.S.I.O.N!

The other day, i crawled back to the vicinity of the place where I used to call my second home to take a peak at the pretty-much-talk-about-eatery-cafe called THE EATZ. I was expecting some ah-mahs manning the dining place or at least some young college lads to serve me but NO! Behind the counter was Sean, Florence and Raymond, with Shereen cleaning the table...and suddenly out came Sharon calling my name out loud from the little kitchen storage hole, "Ah Wong!" Whooaaa! Did everyone change their jobs just like me?

It was good to see all of them again. I was told that this dining place gets really pack during lunch time and so, if you want to come over to dine do so by 12 cuz the food will be all sold-out once lunch time is over!

Whilst I was there amazed by the success of The EATZ, I was served with a bowl of home cooked 'hong tau sui' (red bean soup) and some nyonya kuih. Absolutely delicious! I was served pretty well by the bosses of AA (ahh yes, I'm gloating at this part as now since I'm the customer, means I'm their boss!)

The price of the food is pretty affordable too. Looking at their menu, ala-Malaysian home cooked food, their set lunch only costs not more than RM6. Not too bad especially in the up-class market in Jaya 1!

So, I'll give 2 thumbs up for The EATZ and 3 for their service! *wink*

The diners...during lunch hour

Gosh, D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!

Some desserts during tea time. Yumm!

Pretty cosy looking dining area

If you are looking for a good, delicious and affordable meal, do come and dine at THE EATZ in Jaya One! You'll definitely come back for more!

THE EATZ (opened since 1st July 2009)
Blk E, Unit LG2-9, Phase 2
(Inside Cold-Storage)

Note: Picture courtesy from Celina's facebook.

Going Green

2009-05-26T20:59:00.015+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a short update of what's happening in AA. (slightly back dated)

On 27th March 2009 @ 10am..

AA had our very own version of 60 Earth Hour, we did it a day earlier so that everyone in the office could participate. All non-essential lights & appliances were turned off for an hour from 10am to 11am.

To make the day even more special, AA staffs were encouraged to come in GREEN!!

Let's see how AA looked like during that hour =)

(everyone working hard as usual when the lights were out)

The hour has came and gone. Cheers to all who participated!!

For more info on Earth Hour click here.

--------------------------------------------------

In April 2009

AA Foundation came up with the idea of a pledge tree as Earth Day was on 22th of April.

The idea was to encourage people to write down their personal pledges on how to make earth a better place. The tree & it's leaves were made out of recycled paper (so no worries about paper wastage). The tree was finally up on 4th May 2009, outside Level 3. It is so huge now you wouldn't miss it.

A peek of our little tree before it blossomed.

The top 10 most creative pledges will be announced soon!!

Update: on our tree

###

Badminton Tournament 2009

2009-04-13T09:31:00.005+08:00

Its bright early Monday morning and before the Monday blue mood sets in, let us divert our charity focus into racquets and shuttle-cocks for now yes? Malaysia may have the 2nd world best badminton player but Asia Assistance (AA) is prolly running closely behind. Yesterday, 12th April 2009, AA held its 2nd Badminton tournament. The 1st was in 2007 where yours truly here was the 1st Runner Up (ahem! Nose up in the air for a second) and this time around, AA's Badminton tourney found its new champions!!

I arrived at about close to 2.30pm at the Badminton stadium, Jln 222 and by then everyone was drenched in sweat. The ladies played menacingly in their game (Sophie, Janice, Vivien, Aishah were amongst the powderful ones) but the focus was more on the men's double match. I will post more later once I get hold of the photos from Sharon's camera.

For now, a big congratulations to Sophie + Janice (women's double) and Boon Jin + Lai Sin (whom put up a good fight with Andy and Taren) in their men's double match. To all the finalist, you were fantastic! Malaysian Badminton Association will be in contact with you soon!

New Cabinet Post 2009

2009-04-05T21:15:00.016+08:00

Gooooodd Evening Asia Assistance! AA Foundation is turning 1 year old!! Before yours truly here relinquished her post as the Foundation President (yes, yes, thank you, big pat on my back... I wanna thank my mama, my papa, my 2008 committees... without all of you, there wouldn't be me (and the foundation) genetically), we marked our first Annual General Meeting with a brand new cabinet post in early February 2009.

As we welcome our new Foundation President Ms Pearl Law, just as we welcome our brand new Prime Minister of Malaysia - the 6th, allow me to feather out a sneak preview of what's coming up in 2009 for this foundation extraordinare....

Following my earlier broadcast from my previous post, Passionately Pink is back! Back with vengence, back with style, back with a swanky groove to serve the community at large. What so different you may ask (yes, Cindy what's the difference???) is this: Picture fashion, picture marathon, picture sweaty hot pants with hairy legs on 2 wheels (I can imagine Tammy rolling her eyes at me somewhere in her room when she reads this), but yeah, this year, Passionately Pink is going to be awesome! So awesome that your body will be intoxicated with excitement when the Pink days draws nearer.

So, as I take my new role as the Foundation advisor (cum blogger - more on this role I would expect), I would like to say....support our cause, support the cause that would bring greatness to the people in need, not just for this country, but for the world at large wherever you are. AA Foundation will bring changes to the people closest to its heart.

Before ESPN airs my Red Devil's match, its time now for yours truly to sign off. Tootleloo! Goodnight!

Asia Assistance, A Decade Old....

2008-12-28T19:32:00.022+08:00

We were indeed lucky to witness a very special occassion in the history of Asia Assistance ....I was thinking, we should freeze the moment, the time, the year that was so memorable to all of us...how should we do it then?

Hence, the blog. I guess, the readers should know by now, this AA Foundation blog is not just to blog on charity events organized by the Foundation, but also a reminiscent of events that encircled around Asia Assistance, the "Godfather" of AA Foundation...

That night, 20th Dec `08, was pretty melodramatic for some of us. Though some were there only for the good food, but most were praying hard in the hope to land on the big win of a big fat 32" lcd tv that was up for grabs in the lucky draw event.

Whatever the reason is, we could not agree more that the Annual Dinner party was a blast especially with the video displaying AA's talent not only in acting, but in video-editing as well. From the Da Vinci Code, to Harry Potter, Heroes to Desperate Housewives and even Hancock made a special appearance in that specially produced in-house video. Whether is Holly or Bolly, it doesnt matter, as the stars are right here in AAWood!

It was an excellent choice of theme by the organizers as we came in style, all dressed up in imaginary beach front hawaiian attire. It made the whole dinner party filled with jubilant colour. Some of us gone a little bit further thinking there would be a surf pool as a surfing board was brought along too! Well, enough said, the best is to have the photos to tell its story...

Come back in 10 years time - 2018, and we will look back through the years to see where we were from here on...this shall be our memory, a reflection of a great history in the making.

The place where the historical dinner was held.

Committees making sure everyone gets a place and no party crashers

The Founder(s) of Asia Assistance gave detailed account on how AA started...GIRL POWER!!

A special gift from AA Thai office

Special appearance from the AA Man. His costume was specially made-to-order.
AA Man a.k.a Mike the Wong!

Best Costume goes to.....

Sharon in her best hawaiian theme

Isn't that a real surfboard??! Awesome!

The girls showing off their 3 years anniversary gift from the Company. Designer watches!

Congratulations to Team PurpleWitch!
The Champions of the Annual Table-Tennis Tournament 2008.

The Game Conductor played some foreign-sounding song for the contestant to sing on stage. And the audience had to guess what song the contestant was chanting...err I mean singing.

The boyz and girlz posing for the camera in their hawaiian-styled outfit

Cake-cutting ceremony!

Happy 10th Birthday AA! See you in 2018!

Raising Funds with A Supermodel

2008-12-23T15:02:00.043+08:00

November 9th 2008 - Passionately Pink ended with a big bang during the Hot Pink Carnival and has successfully raised a whopping RM100,000.00 for the campaign. Hang on... did I just say ended?

Apparently not! Who would have thought a breast cancer campaign created by 4 individual corporate entities would continue its journey in the battle of raising awareness not for their own corporate benefit but just solely for the community? Who would have thought after 3 months of hustle and bustle, tears and joy, this campaign is still very much accepted by the society...including the celebrities?!

It was a sunny morning in mid November when I received a phone call from Adrian,...

Adrian: "Hi Cindy, this is Adrian.."

Cindy: "Errr... Adrian who?"

Adrian: "Adrian, Amber Chia's friend and ex-manager?"

Cindy: "Oh hi! Yes Adrian. What can I do for you?"

Adrian: "Amber will be launching her first personal calendar and she's

planning to do some charity. She told me she heard of your campaign

Passionately Pink and she wants to work with your organization..."

That was how it all started. A Supermodel wanting to work with us in such a noble way. How brilliant! Amber has even agreed to help our campaign by being our campaign spokeperson for 2009- Passionately Pink's first ambassadress! After weeks of discussion and planning, December 9th 2008 was the day history was made.

Amber's poster during the launch and press conference at Assunta Hospital

Sharon kicked start the event with a generous heart

Andy putting pen to paper to mark his official attendance

The official signing ceremony between the organizers of Passionately Pink and Amber Chia

Sharon and Amber side by side

Mr Choy, CEO of Assunta Hospital pinning the ribbon of life

on Passionately Pink's first Ambassadress

Its official!

Amber launched her calendar entitled 'Amber's Sealed' at the same time

From left: Mr Choy (CEO of Assunta Hospital),

Mr Charles Wong (Executive Director of Jaya One),

Ms Sharon Tan (Managing Director of Asia Assistance *hooray!*),

& Amber Chia (Model, Actress)

Thank you Amber, you are truly a beauty with a big heart

Drive Against Breast Cancer - Rally Day

2008-11-17T17:22:00.043+08:00

Gentlemen, Start Your Engine!

It was time to flag off the Drive Against Breast Cancer on 1st November 2008 where our very own William-Mei head a team of sweaty, macho-looking men in their own respective four-wheelers up to our Jaya One lower palm square driveway. This was the day where for the very first time in AA's history, we flaged-off the 2008 AAM 4X4 Malaysian Rally Championship from the starting point of Jaya One to Sepang!

Needless to say, the rally drivers couldn't help but drooled over the 15 girls whom were all clad in their eye-catching Passionately Pink t-shirts holding fluorescent pink banners (and pom-poms) strouting in groups, smiling and waving like beauty queens. All eyes were on the girls (except for our adorable Zack whom rather gobble up the food first before meeting his idol...Amber Chia).

Meanwhile, our very own commander-in-chief, Lorraine A.P in her Air-Force One outfit rambled on the pavement making sure all her little sexy kittens are in place for the final countdown.

"Lets climb up the car now!", upon hearing the instruction we climbed up to the back of the four-wheelers, smiling and showing off our sexy-shaven legs to the crowd of photographers.

Just like an excursion in a turtle-paced fashion, the drivers drove the four-wheelers with us on it moving all around Jaya One vicinity. Boy, we certainly drew huge attention!

As we were moving along on the road, screaming "SAVE THE BREASTS!", our Malaysian Supermodel Amber Chia arrived and stood by the road waving gleefully at us. Feeling the vibe and excitement of the campaign, she joined us on set at the end of our little excursion.

Upon her arrival, everyone was mesmerized at Amber's stunning beauty and her equally great personality. Diva or no diva, Amber is certainly one of the friendliest celeb in town (Right Andy? *wink*)

After some never-ending rounds of photography session with Amber, she was whisked away to the front of the starting line where the drivers eagerly awaited.

Threee, Twooooo, Oneeeee, GO!!! Holding a Malaysian flag and a Selangor flag, Amber and Mr Wong (Jaya One's Developer) both lifted off the flags and the drivers zoomed past us one after another in a journey towards the Sepang circuit.

What a day! Great campaign ends in great fashion. Despite the sun burned and the 35 degrees weather, we have certainly displayed a fantastic team spirit on this rally day! Thank you Asia Assistance, we have done it once again!

*A special congratulatory note here dedicated to William-Mei who has won the number-one spot in the 2008 AAM 4x4 Malaysian Rally Championship!

Way to go, Champion!*

Celebrity Ducks for BID!

2008-10-10T10:51:00.033+08:00

Ahoiiii!! Boyz and Galz, Are you interested in Daphne? Wanna get up, close and personal with Amber?? Or...drool over the hotties that we constantly see from our very own TV screen? Check this out! Our celebrities have creatively decorated their own PINK DUCKS and it is time to BID for the best looking DUCK!!!

The highest bidder will get to touch, smell, kiss and sleep with their favourite celebrity....DUCK!

So wait no more! Come discover and mesmerize with the real celebrity DUCKS at our GALLERY at JAYA ONE (opposite StarBucks).

The Passionately Pink Updated calendar of events

2008-10-08T18:56:00.005+08:00

Please click me to enlarge

Passionately Pink 2008

2008-09-15T12:57:00.031+08:00

We are back! Yes, this time, not with Pantai Bangsar, but with Assunta Hospital. Despite the change of the organizing bureau, our message is still clear and is still the same, which is to know, to prevent, and to cure the mind-set of the people : not to duck a breast exam!

On 14th August, we kicked start the event at Assunta Hospital, with the guests arrival including our very own Chairman Andy who dressed in pink (pink-tie i mean) and who looked exceptionally charming standing next to the respectable DAP MP Ms.Teresa Kok. After few round of speeches and cheque presentations, Teresa then launched the event by hammering a cemented egg to unveil the campaign mascot - THE PINK DUCK. After the launch, the rest of the VIPs went for a cuppa whilst smiling intriguely towards the flashlights coming from our camera crewman Mr Paul Lee's Canon digital camera (they probably thought he was from a local news agency).

Next, on 28th August, Renault joined in the occasion with the launch of the Counting the Ducks with Groovy Goo competition where they unveiled the pink kangoo car stashed with pink feathers and disco ball neatly decorated at the back-seat. 3 angels made up of our very own hot sexy lasses Lorraine, Christine and Lai Kwan whom flounced their way like peacocks and posed by the car effortlessly. Whistles were heard, on-lookers from Oldtown Kopitiam looked on intrudingly, enjoying their first class view without having to budge from their seat (the Malaysian style-lah). If only they do some charity...

Finally, the much awaited Celebrity Duck launch which premiered on 9th September with the appearance of local celebrities such as Daphne Iking, Noryn Aziz, Liza Othman, Goh Wee Ping, Doul, Alef, Salamiah Hassan, Edwin Sumun and many more including a handful of beauty queens which include Melissa Ann Tan, Miss Malaysia/ Universe 2006 (did you know she was one of our Marketeers before?) AA could produce such beauty....

The celebrities were given a duck and a casing each to decorate on their own and these ducks are placed at the gallery (at Jaya One - for beer lovers: is opposite Brussels, OR for the innocent ones (or pretend to be) and does not have BEER in their daily vocabs: is diagonally opposite Starbucks). Each Celebrity Ducks are auctioned at a minimum price (go check out the gallery if you want to know) and the person who has the highest bid, gets the duck! Hooray! Even Amber Chia shows us her creativity. Simply marvelous!

Passionately Pink, Know Prevent Cure, Breast Cancer Charity Campaign is designed to raise awareness, to educate the people, to share the love of the people who has encountered the deadly disease be it in person, or through friends / family. Lets all share the message and stay united in our battle against Breast Cancer!

- Stories contributed by Cindy Wong - Pictures taken from Facebook, Paul and Justin's canon digital camera, and from celebrities themselves.

AAF is up and running!

2008-07-18T03:58:00.001+08:00

Finally, our very own humble blog is up. A little shout out to all the committees who have been very supportive and we will start the first post with a picture of our new office, which is the AA One tower. Located right in the heart of Petaling Jaya, towering proudly at 7 stories height. It's a sight one cannot miss when passing through along Jalan University.