Last Saturday, we attended an art launch by Akai at SPRMRKT and we were so glad to have met up with some of our old friends whom we haven’t caught up with for a long time. Frankly speaking, it was attending events like these that opened up our eyes to what’s happening in the local arts scene. To begin with, this is Mr. Akai Chew.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Mr. Akai Chew is not just an architect by training but he is also an award-winning photographer. He graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Architecture and hence, you would notice in the following photographs that most of his personal works largely revolves around the themes of fashion, architecture, and landscape.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
During the exhibition, Mr. Akai shared with us that he tries to weave stories into his photographs and that through his photographs, he hopes to spread the message that Man and Nature are deeply and beautifully intertwined.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Some of the event participants checking out Mr. Akai‘s works and interacting with him.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
As mentioned, we happened to catch up with some old friends and apparently, this lady by the name of Irene, is Baby’s college friend.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Little did we know that Irene was the photographer behind all these really meaningful photographs because previously, we saw these little cards that were retailing at Shinnpark [a retail store at The Central Mall] and we were just commenting about how great these photographs were taken and a few weeks after; voila, we got to meet the photographer who took those shots and it so happened that she was someone that Baby know!
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Here are some of the products that Irene is selling at SPRMRKT.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Well, apart from meeting various artists and catching up with old friends, we had an extremely delightful time dining at SPRMRKT and we’re pretty sure you must be wondering what exactly is SPRMRKT because we had the same question before.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
In a nutshell, SPRMRKT is a boutique bistro, retail shop, and an art space, all combined into one. It is a haven for the busy soul yearning for a mixture of bistro eatery and artistic exposure.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Here were some of the finger-foods that were served during the event.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Photographs of yummy desserts that SPRMRKT is selling!
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Since we were craving for something sweet, we decided to try their Salted Caramel Brownie and it was damn good!
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
Please allows us to tempt you with the Salted Caramel Brownie that we had at SPRMRKT!
Yummy Salted Caramel Brownie! *Highly Recommended
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
If you’re an artsy person and you’re looking for a good place to just chill and enjoy artworks while having a fabulous meal, we highly recommend SPRMRKT.
As for us, we will definitely be back to try some of their other food because they serve different kinds of food on different days.
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| From SPR MRKT 2013 |
For more information about SPRMRKT, do check out their website here: http://www.sprmrkt.com.sg/
That’s all folks about the Art Launch and next up, we will be revealing the winners of our Ben & Jerry’s Ice-Cream Vouchers Blog Giveaway, so stay tuned!
We attended the photography seminar by National Geographic Photojournalist, Joe Riis, and it was truly an inspiring session that we had with him.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
We didn’t expected to be given free goodie-bags but Canon was really generous and the goodie-bags contained two photography magazines, a National Geographic pouch, and some other cool stuffs like a Camera Strap!
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
And there was a long line of people just queuing up to register themselves for the photography seminar with Joe Riis.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Some of the seminar participants checking out Joe Riis‘ photography works.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Before the seminar started, those in the theatre were so enthusiastic about the subject of photography that they started flipping through the photography magazines and were so engrossed in reading it.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
During the photography seminar, Joe Riis shared his personal experiences of photographing the wildlife for National Geographic and he showed us the tons of brilliant photos that he took. By the way, Joe Riis is currently the youngest National Geographic Photographer onboard.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Joe Riis showed us a picture that he took when he was working on a project pertaining to the Gobi Bears. Apparently, these are what the Gobi Bears eat.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
This was one of the photos that Joe Riis took when he conducted a photography workshop at the Singapore Zoo.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Joe Riis‘ passion to share his knowledge about the wildlife is clearly evident in the photos that he shot. This particular photo took him nearly two years to take.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
To be honest, we were so awestruck by Joe Riis‘ passion for the wildlife [he's a trained biologist and a core conservationist by the way] and he personally believes that photographs can give wild animals and places a voice in our culture. In fact, Joe shared about his project on the Pronghorn Migration and how as a result of his initiative, helped save the lives of the Pronghorn.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Guess what, after the photography seminar, 6 really lucky participants walked home with an autographed photo board of Joe Riis‘ works! Although we weren’t so lucky, we had the awesome opportunity to get up-close and personal with Joe Riis for 15 minutes!
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Now, we have one really exciting piece of news for all you readers and we’re not sure if you know this but the National Geographic Channel and Canon have partnered to launch the EOS Young Photographer Awards.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
The heart of this inaugural region-wide EOS Young Photographer Awards initiative between Canon and the National Geographic Channel is to inspire youths across Asia to take an active interest in the creative arts and also to know more about the science of photography.
The contest is open to all aspiring young shutterbugs between the ages of 13 and 25 in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, and all aspiring young shutterbugs are to submit their best photographs under the theme of “A Celebration of Colour.” The winner of the top three prizes will be determined by a panel of experts from both Canon and the National Geographic Channel.
In addition to the main contest, there will also be an award based on peer-judging and here’s how it goes.
From 9 April 2013 to 3 June 2013, there will be a special colour theme posted on www.celebrationofcolour.com every two weeks and contestants whom submit a creative photograph based on that colour will be eligible to win a prize which will be determined by the number of ‘likes’ garnered. At the close of the contest, the entry with the most ‘likes’ overall, regardless of colour, will win the Voter’s Choice Award.
In case you are wondering what the prizes are, they are as follows:
Grand Winner [Young Photographer's Award]:
An all-expenses paid National Geographic Photography Workshop for one in the US, plus a Canon EOS 60D with EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Lens
1st Runner Up [Young Photographer's Award]:
Canon EOS 650D DSLR camera with an 18-55mm IS II lens
2nd Runner Up [Young Photographer's Award]:
Canon EOS 1100D DSLR camera with an 18-55mm IS II lens
Voters’ Choice Award:
Canon EOS camera bag and a National Geographic Channel photo book
4X Bi-weekly Voters’ Choice Award (Colour Theme):
Canon EOS Thumb drive and a National Geographic backpack
We hope that through this Blog Post, you would come to know about this EOS Young Photographer Awards and submit your creative entries! The EOS Young Photographer Awards is open from 28 March to 3 June 2013 and you can upload your entries to www.celebrationofcolour.com
Now, if you are really interested in participating in the EOS Young Photographer Awards and you’re wondering how you can shoot an award-winning photograph, read on to find out more about the tip that we got from Joe Riis himself! In fact, from the interview with Joe Riis, we also found out that he is going to be one of the experts that would be on the judging panel for the EOS Young Photographer Awards.
Some general tips from Joe Riis about how you can shoot better photographs.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
As mentioned, I was able to get up-close and personal with Joe Riis for a short casual chat with other Bloggers and here’s some additional tips for you if you’re planning to join the EOS Young Photographer Awards.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Here’s a photo of me asking Joe Riis a question
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Me: If you are the judge for the EOS Young Photographer Awards, how would you decide if a photograph deserves a chance to win?
Joe Riis‘ answer to my question.
Another Blogger also asked Joe why he was so passionate about his work and check out Joe’s reply in the following video.
There you go! It was truly an insightful session that we had with Joe Riis and we certainly look forward to see the winning entries for the EOS Young Photographer Awards!
My greatest gift for the day; a photo with Joe Riis.
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| From Photography Seminar with Joe Riis 2013 |
Happy Clicking Shutterbugs and Good Luck! 
I have always admired the photographs that are taken by award-winning National Geographic Photographer Joe Riis and I am really happy to find out that he will be in Singapore this week to hold an exclusive photography seminar and workshop to share his vast array of experiences, and to provide some practical tips to local photographers. In fact, there was a similar photography seminar that was also conducted by the National Geographic last year but I totally missed out on the opportunity and this time round, I ain’t letting this chance slip by.
So, who is Joe Riis?
[Image Courtesy of Rapid City Journal]
Joe Riis is a wildlife photojournalist who completed his first feature for National Geographic Magazine when he was 26. He has won an Emmy in 2011 for his pronghorn cinematography which was featured in National Geographic Channel’s Great Migration series.
For more information on Joe Riis and his work, you can check out the following link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/joe-riis/ and http://www.joeriis.com/
Here are some works of Joe Riis.
[Images Courtesy of Joe Riis]
Now, if you’re an amateur photographer like me and you want to attend this rare opportunity to learn from an expert like Joe Riis, here are the details for both the workshop and the seminar.
Seminar
Date: 7 April 2013, Sunday
Time: 10am – 12 pm
Venue: LASALLE College of the Arts
The Singapore Airlines Theatre (Basement 1)
1 McNally Street, Singapore 187940
Workshop
Date: 5 April 2013, Friday
Time: [Session 1] 9am – 12pm OR [Session 2] 3pm-6pm
Venue: Singapore Zoological Gardens
80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826
To sign up for either the workshop or the seminar, you will have to download the registration form from the following link: http://we.tl/23CIRniWef
Following which, you will then have to send the completed form to register@thisisanagram.com
The first 200 registrants will receive a confirmation email with the details of the event and to qualify for the selection for the private workshop, simply indicate your interest in your registration form by ticking your preferred workshop session. Successful applicants for the workshop will be notified by 3 April 2013.
In case you’re wondering, both the seminar and the workshop are FREE! However, only the first 200 registrants will get to be a part of this exclusive seminar, and out of these 200, 40 lucky seminar participants will get a chance to participate in a private photography workshop conducted by Joe Riis at the Singapore Zoo! At the private photography workshop, you will have the chance to get up close with Joe Riis as he shares his experiences, tips and photography techniques in capturing wildlife.
Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to learn from an esteemed wildlife photojournalist this April!
Recently, I was invited to attend the Nespresso Atelier Class, which is also a preview of the classes that are available at SAVOUR 2013. I will be sharing more about SAVOUR 2013 in a separate blog post but meanwhile, take a look at the Nespresso Atelier Class that I attended with other Bloggers like Magdalene, Dawn Yang and Juliana.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
To begin with, coffee isn’t a subject that is totally alien to me. Back then when I was a scrawny-looking youth and was working at McCafe as a Barista, we didn’t exactly have any formal training. It was 100% on the job training [also known as OJT] and within a short period of 3 months, I acquired the necessary knowledge to make espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, frappes and other types of beverages. Knowing how to make these coffee beverages were what I was good at, but what I probably lacked was the knowledge of coffee appreciation as an art.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Similarly, many of us enjoy drinking coffee to stay awake but what we probably didn’t know is how we can appreciate coffee. As coffee is an acidic beverage, it is highly recommended that we take in some food before drinking coffee. As such, we bloggers were treated to a sumptuous spread of canapes before we went on to learn about coffee appreciation.
Bacon with Artichokes
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Scallop with Truffles
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Cheese with Tomatoes
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Mini Lasagna
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Here we are happily eating all those yummy canapes that were served.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
After we were done eating, we were ushered to the desk where it was set up for all of us to learn about coffee appreciation.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Allow me to introduce you to the Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine that we used for the Nespresso Atelier Class.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
What I like best about the Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine is that it is really eco-friendly. The aluminium of the panels is made of 98% recycled Nespresso Capsules and it is really energy-efficient as it auto powers off after 9 or 30 minutes. Though it is eco-friendly, it doesn’t compromises on its performance and heats up in only 25-30 seconds! Moreover, it is rather stylish and comes in 6 different colours. You can also purchase a separate milk frother to create interesting coffee beverages like cappuccinos and lattes.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
The Nespresso 16 Grand Crus Coffee Capsules that can be used in all Nespresso Coffee Machines are produced from an exclusive selection of the finest green coffee grown in the world. Only an estimated 1-2% of the coffee grown globally meets Nespresso’s specific taste and aroma profiles. Hence, you can be assured that every Nespresso 16 Grand Crus Coffee Capsules are of the highest standards for quality and sustainability.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Our trainer for the evening, from whom I gained lots of insights into coffee.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
My learning space for the evening. Extremely professional and personalised.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Here are the 3 out of the 16 Nespresso Grand Crus Coffee Capsules that we tried for the evening. My personal favourite is the Dulsao do Brasil because of its smooth and balanced taste.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
The Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine is really easy to operate. Its a simple matter of putting the coffee capsule into the machine, pushing the lever down, and pressing the button.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
And there you go, an instant hot cup of espresso coffee to start the day!
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
From the Nespreso Atelier Class, I discovered that coffee appreciation is rather similar to wine appreciation or even tea appreciation for that matter. To appreciate coffee, you have to make use of your sense of sight, smell, and taste and to begin with, you first use your sense of sight to look at the coffee. You should observe that there is a layer of golden brown crema at the top of the coffee and the bubbles present in the crema should be small and fine.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
If you scoop up the crema using a teaspoon, the crema should stick to the teaspoon and not drip.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Following which, you use your sense of smell to smell the coffee. When smelling the coffee, let the aroma of the coffee sink into your mind and as it does so, try to associate the coffee to something that smells like it. It could be the scent of hazelnut, chocolate, candy, toffee, maple and so on.
Finally, you use your sense of taste and taste the coffee. To taste the coffee, you should slurp a reasonable amount of coffee and let the coffee flow all over your tongue just before you swallow it. After you have tasted the coffee, try to associate the coffee to something that tastes like it and use descriptive words to describe how it tasted. Some descriptive words could be mellow, smooth, balanced, intense, fruity, acidic, and so on.
*Before you go on and taste another type of coffee, it is important that you always cleanse your palate with a mouthful of water.
Having learned the art of coffee appreciation, we were treated to a delightful Tiramisu cake that was made from Nespresso Coffee.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Besides learning how to appreciate coffee, we also had the opportunity to make our very own Cappuccino A La Rose. Here, I had the opportunity to use the Nespresso Milk Frother and using it was a breeze. I just had to push a button and the milk will be heated up and frothed.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
I have to say, the Nespresso Milk Frother really frothes the milk beautifully.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Well, it is rather simple to make the Cappuccino A La Rose. All you need is a shot of espresso coffee, 30ml of rose syrup, and a piece of milk chocolate.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
The first step is to pour the rose syrup into a coffee cup.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Next, you put in 1 piece of milk chocolate into the coffee cup filled with the rose syrup.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Then add in a single shot of espresso into the mixture.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
After which, add some warm milk until the coffee cup is 3/4 full.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
Finally, scoop up some milk froth and fill the coffee cup till it is full.
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
If you wish, you can lightly dust some red icing sugar. If not, this was how my cup of Cappuccino A La Rose looks like. The white stuffs that you see on my cup of Cappuccino A La Rose are not marshmallows but milk froth. Yes, my skills as a former Barista are still intact and working good. 
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| From Nespresso Atelier Class 2013 |
All in all, the Nespresso Atelier Class was an eye-opener for me and if you’re interested in attending such a class, do check out SAVOUR 2013 because they have a whole range of other culinary workshops and classes like these that are available for you to learn and experience. For me, this will definitely not be the end of my learning journey with coffee. I definitely will hope to learn more about coffee as a subject and venture into the art of making wonderfully crafted coffee beverages. Once a Barista, always a Barista!
Last year October, we covered the 1st ever Red Bull Flugtag Event in Singapore and it was really a rare sight to behold.
If you missed out on last year’s 1st ever Red Bull Flugtag Event that was held in Singapore, check out our previous Blog Post about it here: http://awinsomelife.org/2012/10/28/1st-red-bull-flugtag-singapore-2012-was-a-resounding-success/
Well, this time round, we have an interesting piece of news for all of you and that is, the European Red Bull is bringing back the exhilaration of Singapore’s ONLY night-time cross-country and downhill mountain bike race on the 18th of May 2013 with the Red Bull Dark Knights.
Check out a video of the Red Bull Dark Knights to know what the event is really all about!
[Credits to Red Bull Content Pool for the Video]
This is not just any ordinary mountain bike race and mountain bikers in Singapore will soon hit pay dirt with Red Bull Dark Knights staging a comeback on the 18th May 2013. Promising to intensify the complexity of the race, the course is one that is part urban and part trail and it will take even the most experienced of riders about a minute to complete.
[Credits to Red Bull Content Pool for the Image]
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| From Red Bull Dark Knights 2011 |
Participants will be flagged off at the summit of Pearl’s Hill City Park, right next to a restricted reservoir and they will ride a course that features many obstacles from wall rides, stairs, big jumps, rock gardens and even a jump at the finish line from a height of over 10 feet.
[Credits to Red Bull Content Pool for the Image]
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| From Red Bull Dark Knights 2011 |
The Red Bull Dark Knights will be held at Pearl’s Hill City Park
[Credits to Ariffin for the Image]
The main event occurs after night fall, adding an element of difficulty as competitors will navigate their way to
the finish, being guided only by their helmet light and obstacles which are dimly lit.
[Credits to Red Bull Content Pool for the Image]
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| From Red Bull Dark Knights 2011 |
This year, the European Red Bull will invite up to 40 elite local and international riders at the event and expects that the open category will feature no less than 100 riders who apply to compete.
If you’re intending to join the mountain bike race, here’s what you need to know about the race format:
The qualification run for the 100 Open Category riders will begin as early as 4.30pm where only the top 20
fastest times will qualify. These 20 riders from the open category will then join the 40 elite riders after a series
of seeding runs to compete in the top 60 shootout.
The shootout is a process of elimination, where after 3 single runs, the top 30 riders with the fastest times will
progress into the next round. This shootout process repeats itself until the top 10 are selected. The top 10 riders
will then compete in the final race at 9.30pm to determine the top 3 riders of the event.
Prizes for the Top 3 Riders are as follows:
1st Place: SGD 1,000 cash prize + champion trophy + accompanying prize vouchers
2nd Place: SGD 500 cash prize + trophy + accompanying prize vouchers
3rd Place: SGD 250 cash prize + trophy + accompanying prize vouchers
To get your adrenaline pumping, applications for the Red Bull Dark Knights is now open on www.redbull.sg/darkknights and registration will close on 25th April 2013.
Even if you’re not intending to join the mountain bike race, the Red Bull Dark Knights is open to members of the public with NO ADMISSION FEE and you can get right up to the action with prime viewing spots. Personally, we feel that the event is also a good training ground for photography enthusiasts seeking to hone their skills in sports/action photography under low light conditions.
