by | Jun 24, 2025 | Business
Karaoke Manekineko was honored to sponsor Lantern Matsuri 2025 at UCSI University! Held on 28 June, this festive evening celebrated Japanese culture with fireworks, food stalls, and traditional games. As a proud sponsor, Karaoke Manekineko joined the excitement and shared our love for music with the amazing UCSI community.
Karaoke Manekineko Malaysia was
honoured to be one of the official sponsors for the highly anticipated Lantern
Matsuri 2025, held at the UCSI Campsite from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Organized by the UCSI Japanese Cultural Society (JCS) and supported by UCSI
University and Student Affairs & Alumni, this vibrant Japanese
cultural event brought together students, families, and culture lovers for a
night of unforgettable memories.
As a brand that shares deep roots in Japanese entertainment culture, we
at Karaoke Manekineko were truly honoured to take part in this meaningful celebration. The
event featured a rich lineup of food and game stalls, cultural
performances, open karaoke sessions, a lively cosplay competition,
and a spectacular fireworks display—offering attendees an immersive
experience of a traditional Japanese summer matsuri.
Our team was
thrilled to contribute to the festival’s vibrant atmosphere by showing our
support and engaging with the crowd. We set up a dedicated booth where visitors
could interact with our team, enjoy casual conversations, and experience the
friendly spirit of our brand. This engagement reflects one of our core mottos—to
revitalize local community and the world—as we continue to embrace
opportunities that bring joy and cultural exchange to local communities.
We extend our
heartfelt appreciation to the UCSI JCS team for inviting us to be part
of such a well-organized and energetic festival. It was a valuable chance to
connect with fans of Japanese culture and music, and we look forward to more
meaningful collaborations in the future.
by | Jun 23, 2025 | Business
A UNSW academic’s innovative research uses ocean currents to optimise shipping routes and reduce the environmental impact of sea transport.
Each day more than 50,000 cargo ships ply the world’s oceans, carrying about 90% of all the goods that are traded worldwide.
Global shipping is an enormous industry – and it’s responsible for 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions: if the shipping industry were a country, it would rank as the sixth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
To find more efficient routes for cargo ships, Associate Professor Shane Keating, a researcher in oceanography and applied mathematics at UNSW Sydney, has developed an algorithm using state-of-the-art ocean models and artificial intelligence (AI).
“With better ocean forecasts, ships can use the power of currents as they travel, reducing fuel use and cutting emissions,” says A/Prof. Keating.
His innovation will deliver ocean forecasts to the shipping industry under UNSW Sydney spinout company, CounterCurrent.
The company is built on 15 years of research studying ocean currents with a focus on forecasting, satellite remote sensing and data science.
“The algorithm is like a Google Maps for the sea, giving the most efficient route in real time based on the behaviour of ocean eddies.”
Mapping the ocean
A/Prof. Keating is an expert in a type of ocean current called eddies, swirling circular currents that are the oceanic equivalent of atmospheric storms.
Eddies are found in every ocean basin and make up 90% of the kinetic energy of the ocean, but they aren’t well represented in existing ocean current forecasts.
By better incorporating ocean eddies in forecasts, Keating says that commercial ships can harness these currents to find more efficient routes across the ocean.
Most ships travel the shortest distance between two points on the Earth’s surface. It’s known as a great circle route.
But that route, although it’s the shortest distance, is not the most fuel efficient route because ocean currents are constantly moving the ship off that perfect geometrical line. The ship has to use its engines and therefore burn more fuel to stay on the line.
By going with ocean currents, ships will travel slightly longer distances over the surface of the Earth, but they’ll travel more efficiently because they’re moving with ocean currents rather than against them.
You can do this in real time if you know where those ocean currents are.
Empowered by satellite images
One of the reasons this is possible is due to improved satellite technology, which now provides images that allow eddies to be tracked.
A/Prof. Keating began to look at how satellites could be used to measure the ocean from space after completing his doctoral degree in astrophysics at the University of California San Diego.
“In the past few decades, satellite technology has completely revolutionised the way we look at the ocean,” he says.
“Before the satellite era, our picture of the ocean was of a giant bathtub of seawater with just a few large ocean currents – like the Gulf Stream and the East Australian Current.
“Thanks to satellites, we now know that the ocean is highly turbulent and chaotic, like our atmosphere, and is filled with thousands of ocean eddies that can range in diameter from ten to 300 kilometres and depths of up to 2000 metres.”
Although eddies rotate slowly, with current speeds of up to two metres per second, the fact that seawater is 800 times denser than air means that each of these eddies has more momentum than a tropical cyclone.
Our view of ocean currents got a major upgrade in December 2022 with the launch of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite.
SWOT is a joint US-French satellite mission capable of mapping ocean currents with ten times the resolution of existing satellite technology.
A/Prof. Keating is a member of the international science team for the SWOT satellite and leads the Australian SWOT working group (AUSWOT), a consortium of researchers and stakeholders working to support the SWOT mission in the Asia-Pacific region.
To make the most of observations from satellites such as SWOT, researchers need to compare them with measurements taken at the surface.
In October 2023, A/Prof. Keating and a team of UNSW oceanographers boarded the state-of-the-art CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator to gather essential ocean data under the satellite’s path as it orbits Earth.
Data collected from commercial vessels also plays an important part in helping improve our understanding of ocean currents and how they might be changing in a warming world.
In April 2024, A/Prof. Keating participated in a voyage on board a 140 metre-long cargo vessel travelling from the Port of Newcastle to Auckland, as part of the Ships of Opportunity Program (SOOP), a global partnership between the maritime industry and research scientists that uses commercial vessels to gather ocean observations for marine weather forecasts.
“It was amazing,” says A/Prof. Keating. “You are travelling across the ocean at the speed of a golf cart, so you can really see the impact of ocean currents on the vessel.”
Putting the puzzle together
A/Prof. Keating’s voyage onboard the cargo vessel gave him an inside look at a virtually invisible industry.
“Shipping is the lifeblood of the global economy, worth a staggering $20 trillion per year,” A/Prof. Keating says, “but we almost never hear about it unless something goes wrong.
“All of that shipping has a huge carbon footprint – over a billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year is emitted by the shipping industry.”
The International Maritime Organisation – the UN body that regulates the global shipping industry – has set a target of zero shipping emissions by 2050, with mandatory uptake of zero emission fuels such as green hydrogen and green methanol.
However, it will take time to replace the existing merchant vessel fleet with ships that can use alternative fuels, and, even then, these fuels will be 6–10 times more expensive than traditional bunker fuel.
A/Prof. Keating’s ship routing technology allows vessels to cut costs and emissions by making small adjustments to the ship’s route to take advantage of natural currents.
Having tested his technology on more than a hundred vessels, A/Prof. Keating has been able to demonstrate consistent fuel savings of up to 20%.
He is now engaging with several shipping companies and ship builders to commercialise the technology and make it accessible to the wider industry quickly.
“It’s a win-win for shipping companies,” says A/Prof. Keating. “They can save money and meet their emissions reductions targets right now, without any modification to the vessel or change in the vessel transit time.
“My hope is that, within the next 5 years, this research will change the way that ships cross the ocean so that shipping companies can meet their emissions targets.”
A/Prof Keating’s research is supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility, the Ships of Opportunity Program, the Australian Research Council Linkage scheme, the Australian Economic Accelerator Seed Grant and the TRaCE Enterprise Academic Fellowship.
by | Jun 23, 2025 | Business
SINGAPORE, June 23, 2025 — In a heartfelt initiative that bridges creativity and compassion, a groundbreaking cross-sector collaboration between Creativeans, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) 3D Design students, and Apex Harmony Lodge brought together social care, education, and design consultancy to empower the next generation of designers to make a meaningful impact through design for dementia care. This rare partnership unfolded over 14 weeks from January to April 2025, culminating in a moving showcase of empathy-led care objects designed by NAFA 3D Design students for the residents of Apex Harmony Lodge.
When Creativity Meets Compassion
Apex Harmony Lodge, Singapore’s first and only purpose-built lodge for people living with dementia, opened its doors to NAFA 3D Design students for a rare, immersive opportunity to design for real needs. Under the guidance of Kimming Yap, Managing Director of Creativeans and Adjunct Lecturer at NAFA, students were introduced to the daily realities faced by residents, caregivers, and social workers at the lodge. These firsthand experiences offered a critical foundation for students to understand the emotional, physical, and relational challenges of dementia care.
Designing with Purpose
What followed was more than a classroom project. Students applied human-centred design and design thinking methodologies to create caring objects that promote dignity, connection, and comfort. From empathetic interviews to iterative prototyping, students transformed insights into tangible innovations that reflect both creativity and respect for the lived experiences of the dementia community.
“Design education too often happens in a vacuum, detached from the real people it’s meant to serve. With this project, we challenged that norm by bringing students directly into the world of dementia care, where empathy isn’t a concept, but a necessity,” said Kimming Yap, Managing Director of Creativeans. “Through deep engagement with the residents and caregivers at Apex Harmony Lodge, students began to understand that design isn’t just about solving problems, it’s about being present, listening, and co-creating with purpose. Our hope is that this collaboration becomes a model for how design education can bridge generations, industries, and communities to create impact where it truly matters.
A Showcase of Empathy in Action
During the final presentation, students unveiled their prototypes to the residents and staff of Apex Harmony Lodge. Their work included a range of supportive caring objects, each informed by deep user insights and feedback gathered through iterative co-design sessions. The showcase was not only a presentation of ideas but a celebration of shared humanity and collaborative innovation.
Designing for Dignity and Impact
This project exemplifies the profound impact design can have when empathy meets cross-sector collaboration. It highlights the value of real-world learning for young creatives and reinforces how partnerships between social care, education, and consultancy can enable design to become a force for good.
“The students demonstrated genuine curiosity and empathy during their visit, taking time to understand the lived experiences of persons with dementia (PWDs) and the principles behind our person-centred care approach. Their thoughtful designs reflected a deep sensitivity to the needs of our residents,” said Amirah Sulaiman, Senior Executive from Apex Harmony Lodge “I truly appreciated their initiative to seek input from our staff and residents, from testing their ideas with us to refining their concepts based on real-life feedback. The final presentations were not only creative but also practical, offering fresh ideas to enhance daily living and engagement for both residents and staff.”
Empowering the Next Generation
This initiative is a testament to the power of collaborative action between sectors not commonly seen working together, non-profit care, education, and design consultancy. It brought together diverse expertise to guide students through a human-centred process rooted in empathy, real-world insight, and creative innovation.
“A heartfelt thank you to Apex Harmony Lodge for the invaluable opportunity to collaborate with them. This experience prepared me for real-world design challenges and taught me how to approach design with empathy. With the residents in mind, I discovered that nostalgic products can be powerful tools to encourage communication and alleviate feelings of boredom and depression. This insight led to the creation of my design, Coinabox, inspired by the Coinafon devices popular in the 1970s,” said Arlena, reflecting on the experience.
“The resident I interacted with was excited about the butterfly sewing toys, which help with hand coordination skills. They tried their best to test the toy using the needle and string, even though the sewing hole was too small. I had a fruitful experience, as the resident shared how she liked to sew during her younger days, and I learned a lot from them.” added Crystal, one of the participating students.
For NAFA 3D Design students, the experience offered a deeply meaningful opportunity to apply classroom learning in a real-world, human-focused context. Through strategic guidance and support, students developed creative confidence, honed transferable skills, and discovered the role of design in fostering dignity and connection. For Apex Harmony Lodge, the collaboration provided new avenues to reimagine care through design thinking, transforming insights into solutions that support daily life with compassion and purpose.
by | Jun 23, 2025 | Business
Manila, Philippines — June 23, 2025 — Taxumo, the trusted online tax filing platform, has partnered with Cebuana Lhuillier, one of the Philippines’ largest and leading microfinancial services provider, to empower Filipino entrepreneurs through accessible business loans and empower MSMEs with simplified tax compliance.
A Partnership Rooted in Empowerment
“Filipino entrepreneurs face unique challenges, from complex tax regulations to limited access to financing. This partnership brings together the strengths of Taxumo’s seamless tax filing system and Cebuana Lhuillier’s trusted loan offerings to provide a holistic support system,” said Geraldine Arboleda, CEO at Taxumo.
For Cebuana Lhuillier, the partnership is an extension of its long-standing mission to uplift underserved sectors. “For over 35 years, we’ve helped Filipinos access financial tools once out of their reach. This collaboration with Taxumo is a powerful next step—connecting the dots between financial access and responsible business growth. It’s about fueling ambition, and backing that ambition with real, timely support,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President & CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.
Taxumo subscribers can now apply for Cebuana Lhuillier’s Microbusiness Loan directly through the Taxumo platform, allowing for a streamlined process that integrates income verification and loan application in one place.
Loan Offerings Tailored to Entrepreneurs’ Needs
Cebuana Lhuillier’s Microbusiness Loan caters to diverse business needs, including working capital, inventory financing, equipment purchases, and short-term cash flow support. Key features include:
Exclusive benefits for Taxumo users include priority loan processing and reduced documentation requirements, recognizing their commitment to responsible business management.
Driving Real Growth for Filipino Entrepreneurs
This partnership is already making an impact for many, from sari-sari store owners to ride-hailing drivers, providing timely access to capital that helps businesses restock, upgrade equipment, and manage cash flow gaps.
Cebuana Lhuillier guarantees strict data privacy, transparency in lending terms, and ethical collection practices, with ongoing financial education through their Kanegosyo Center —a dedicated hub that offers free training, resources, and mentorship to help micro and small business owners grow and sustain their enterprises. Taxumo subscribers are encouraged to explore this opportunity to unlock the financing they need to elevate their businesses.
For more information, visit www.taxumo.com or Taxumo’s Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok Pages.
by | Jun 22, 2025 | Business
Ethereum teeters near $2,500 amid rising sell pressure, DeFi outflows, and geopolitical chaos. With options expiry looming and ETH/BTC at a critical level, is a breakout, or breakdown, inevitable?
Ethereum (ETH) has returned to a pivotal support level around $2,500, following a convergence of bearish catalysts, ranging from declining investor activity and rising technical resistance to geopolitical instability and market-wide liquidations.
As the market braces for continued volatility, analysts are watching both the ETH/BTC ratio and global risk factors for signs of what’s next.
Options Expiry Spurs Volatility Ahead of Key Price Decisions
One of the most immediate sources of price tension is Ethereum’s upcoming options expiry. With more than 56,000 ETH contracts set to expire on June 21, split between approximately 33,000 call options and 23,500 puts, traders are positioned for significant price action.
According to data from Laevitas, much of the open interest is concentrated near current price levels. This alignment raises the likelihood of ETH gravitating toward the “max pain” point, where the highest number of options expire worthless, amplifying short-term volatility.
Investor Confidence Wanes as DeFi Outflows Accelerate
Ethereum’s Total Value Locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) has dropped from 28 million ETH in early May to just over 25 million, representing a 10% contraction in six weeks.
The rapid outflow, highlighted by DefiLlama, signals either profit-taking behavior or a shift in capital to other chains or assets.
This cooling enthusiasm across DeFi platforms suggests speculative capital is retreating, with investor sentiment shifting from growth to caution.
Technical Headwinds Limit Recovery Attempts
ETH’s price has struggled to breach the $2,565 resistance, which coincides with the intersection of the 100-day and 200-day Simple Moving Averages (SMA). After a brief attempt to rally, ETH was rejected and fell back below $2,500, prompting fears of a deeper correction.
Heightened trading volume during the recent decline further supports a sell-off narrative. Analysts are now watching key levels:
- Support: $2,475 and $2,385
- Resistance: $2,525 and $2,700
A confirmed break below support could trigger a slide toward $2,385, while a push above $2,525 might renew bullish momentum.
ETH/BTC Ratio at Crucial Turning Point
The ETH/BTC ratio is another crucial metric. Analyst M-log1 noted the ratio has approached a long-tested support line, with bulls defending it eight times in recent weeks. With seller momentum fading, there’s an 80% probability of a breakout to the upside, M-log1 estimates.
If ETH begins outperforming BTC, this could usher in a broader altcoin rally, a sentiment echoed by analyst Daan, who pinpoints 0.026 BTC as a breakout threshold for Ethereum dominance.
Macro Risks: Middle East Tensions and U.S. Policy Add Fuel to the Fire
Ethereum’s price weakness is also unfolding against a backdrop of mounting geopolitical tension and restrictive monetary policy. Bitcoin has already plunged below $100,000 (a psychological and technical threshold) after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran, with fears the conflict could expand regionally.
Compounding this, Iran’s parliament has reportedly approved closing the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20% of global oil traffic. A complete shutdown would not only spike oil prices but also dent global risk appetite, historically bad news for crypto assets.
ETH Exchange Activity Suggests Bearish Tilt — But Long-Term Accumulation Grows
Ethereum has seen four straight days of net inflows to centralized exchanges, totaling 285,000 ETH, according to CryptoQuant.
This trend indicates sustained sell-side pressure. Meanwhile, futures open interest surged by 720,000 ETH, likely driven by short positions, contributing to over $163 million in ETH liquidations in just 24 hours.
Still, structural signs remain encouraging:
- Accumulation addresses (wallets with no history of selling) have grown by 5 million ETH in June.
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Staked ETH has reached a record high of 35.1 million, with 500,000 ETH added in just two weeks.
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New Ethereum addresses are rising, hitting 800K–1M weekly.
These trends suggest long-term confidence remains intact, even as short-term traders adjust to volatile conditions.
Chart Watch: ETH Poised at Triangle Apex
ETH is approaching the apex of a symmetrical triangle, bounded above by the 200-day SMA and below by the 50-day EMA. A decisive breakout could define Ethereum’s next leg:
- Bullish breakout: Targets $2,850 and possibly $3,000.
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Bearish breakdown: Risks retesting support near the 100-day SMA.
Technical indicators like the RSI and Stochastic Oscillator lean bearish, but neither is deeply oversold, suggesting room for further downside before a rebound.
Conclusion: Ethereum at a Crossroads
Ethereum stands at a defining moment. Despite clear signs of short-term bearish momentum, critical support at $2,400 has not yet broken. Meanwhile, ETH’s correlation to Bitcoin and global risk sentiment remains high, with the ETH/BTC ratio potentially triggering a larger altcoin recovery, or collapse.
In the days ahead, traders and investors should closely monitor:
- Options expiry outcomes
- $2,400 support and $2,700 resistance
- ETH/BTC ratio movement
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Geopolitical developments and oil prices
If Ethereum can hold its ground and break above $2,700, the path toward $3,000 remains viable. But failure to do so, especially in a risk-off environment, could spark a deeper retracement.
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