Last Saturday, we attended the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013 that was organised at Shanghai Dolly by OMY and it was a good time of catching up with our friends from the blogosphere. This annual event is a rather big event for bloggers and it always gets bigger and better every year. The theme for this year’s Singapore Blog Awards is the 1960’s and we found it really meaningful. It was through the theme that we learnt how the people in the 1960’s live and what their culture were like. To be honest, Jacqueline and I didn’t thought of participating in this year’s Singapore Blog Awards 2013 as we didn’t felt like we had the chance of even winning anything. However, a really good Blogger friend of ours, Mag, felt that we had the potential and nominated us for the Best Lifestyle Blog Category.
Seriously, there are a lot of Lifestyle Bloggers in Singapore and even then, the title of a “Lifestyle Blogger” can be rather generic and vague. As a matter of fact, lifestyle can cover anything and everything from topics like fashion and entertainment to topics like food and events. Hence, we were extremely surprised when the results were out and we ended up as the Top 10 Finalists for the Best Lifestyle Blog! Looking back, I guess we have come a long way now and it definitely wasn’t easy as the Best Lifestyle Blog Category was a hotly-contested one.
Although we didn’t clinch the title of “Best Lifestyle Blogger”, it didn’t matter to us because we know that all this wouldn’t even have happened if not for our Blogger friend, Mag, whom believed in us and nominated us. Hence, a very much of our success for this year’s Singapore Blog Awards 2013 is attributed to her. Also, the other group of people whom we would like to thank would be our family members and friends whom constantly and religiously voted for us every single day. Like we mentioned from the very first day, we don’t enjoy canvassing for votes because it is such a tedious and long process. If only the voting campaign was shorter and straightforward, I believe it would have levelled the playing field as Bloggers whom have more followers would definitely have a major advantage over those who don’t.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves at the Singapore Blog Award Ceremony 2013 as both Jacqueline and I wore quirky retro outfit that kinda attracted a little too much attention. It was a blast and it was really nice meeting new people and making new friends.
Here are just some of our photos that were taken during the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013.
A photo of both Jacqueline and I [Credits to Alvinology.com for the Photograph]
A photo of Jacqueline in her retro 1960’s outfit.
A photo of myself in my retro 1960’s outfit.
Here’s a short interview of the bloggers at the Singapore Blog Awards Ceremony 2013
Since we don’t usually have the time for some me-posts [a.k.a personal posts], here are just some heads-up information about our coming blog posts [arranged in order of sequence] that you might want to look out for:
[5 Pairs of Golden Village Movie Tickets Giveaway]-Sponsored by ciNE65
A Preview of the Kia Forte K3
Announcement of the Winners for the $20 NTUC Vouchers Sponsored by SingTel
[2 Packets of Cafedirect Ground Full Roast Coffee Giveaway]- Sponsored by Cafedirect
Announcement of the Winners for the Golden Village Movie Tickets Sponsored by ciNE65
A Preview of the New Nokia 925 Smartphone
Annoucement of the Winners for the Cafedirect Ground Full Roast Coffee Sponsored by Cafedirect
[2 Bottles of Jaillance Semillon Sparkling Wine Giveaway]- Sponsored by Jaillance
Our 2013 Trip to Taiwan [Xinshe Castle in Taichung & Mushroom Farm]
Announcement of the Winners for the Jaillance Semillon Sparkling Wine Sponsored by Jaillance
[2 Tins of Cafedirect Sao Tome Hot Chocolate Giveaway]- Sponsored by Cafedirect
Our 2013 Trip to Taiwan [Carton King & Banana New Paradise]
Announcement of the Winners for Cafedirect Sao Tome Hot Chocolate Sponsored by Cafedirect
Do note that the upcoming blog posts may be subjected to changes as we might be attending some other product launches and events that may fall in between the scheduled blog posts. Nevertheless, we look forward to all of your wonderful participation as we work with our partners and sponsors to bring you great content and products! 🙂
This post is specially written and dedicated to my dad for Father’s Day and also for the Singapore Blog Awards 2013 themed challenge where we are to write about someone or something from the 60’s that inspires us.
As I thought about that one person from the 60’s whom inspires me, one person that comes straight to my mind would be my dad.
My dad is a very conservative and strict man and I likened him to the typical Regimental Sergeant Major in the Army. A man of few words, my dad always puts up a tough front but inwardly, he is actually a very caring and loving father. On most weekends, he would be at home listening to songs from the 60’s and when he dines out, he is usually on the hunt for some good local Asian food.
Found a really old Black Record with Classic Songs from The Beatles.
Posing with the rare treasure!
Like father like son, I gradually come to love the songs that he listens to and The Beatles is still one of my all-time favourite rock bands. One song by The Beatles that strikes a chord with me would be “Let It Be” and it is one of the songs that is found in the 12th and final studio album that was released shortly after The Beatles announced their break-up. I’m pretty sure most people would know this song but if you don’t, check out the song cover that I recently did:
Let It Be Song Cover
Very much like my dad, the hunt for good food is a natural instinct for me and when Jacqueline shared with me about a café that serves tasty local food, we drove right away to Old School Delights.
Old School Delights is located at 215M Upper Thomson Road [Singapore 574349], and they serve local food like Mee Siam, Mee Rebus, Laksa, Nasi Briyani, and many more. With a classic old-school kind of setting, the inspiration behind Old School Delights lies in the owners’ desire to serve home styled food which is prepared in a traditional manner with no MSG and artificial food enhancers used in the food preparation process.
Inside the cosy Old School Delights
When we were there, it was packed with diners and we highly recommend you to make a reservation if you’re planning to dine in big groups.
There are both indoor and outdoor dining areas and if you prefer to have a more spacious space for dining, we suggest that you opt for the outdoor dining area.
The props in the store were really old-school items that could hardly be found in modern Singapore and they even have old-school merchandise for sale.
Old School Props in the Store
Old School Merchandise for Sale
Interesting stuffs that we used to play with when we were still young.
While waiting for the food that we ordered, we were given a toy box which contained some classic games that we could play with to pass time. Some of the classic games include snakes and ladders, country eraser war, five stones, and happy family.
Wanna challenge me to a game of five stones?
Jumbo Otak [Side Dish]- $2.50
Best eaten hot, this large and sumptuous otak wrapped in banana leaf and made with fresh fish meat marinated with coconut milk and ground chilli is truly a local delight.
Choco-Teh-Cino [Beverage]- $4.90
A first for us, the Choco-Teh-Cino is a really unique beverage which tickles the taste buds and in case you’re wondering, the Choco-Teh-Cino tastes very much like hot chocolate and milk tea combined. However, we have to add that for the price of $4.90, it is quite overpriced.
Nasi Briyani [Main Course]- $10.80
The Nasi Briyani is only available during the weekends and I highly recommend it if you’re there on the weekends. Though it is somewhat expensive, the Nasi Briyani is probably one of Old School Delights’ signature dishes. The fried chicken is tender and crisp and accompanied with the fragrant basmati rice, the Nasi Briyani is a sure winner!
Mee Siam [Main Course]- $5.80
A 30-year old recipe comprising a secret blend of 11 fresh grounded spices, Old School Delights’ Mee Siam is a must-try for all Mee Siam aficionados. Personally, Jacqueline feels that the gravy is exceptionally tasty and flavourful.
Chendol [Dessert]- $4.50
We really like the Chendol because it completes our meal pretty well. No artificial sweeteners but pure 100% Gula Melaka and home-made, preservative-free Chendol worms are used to make the Chendol.
If you’re planning to visit Old School Delights, do note that their opening hours are 11:30am to 10:30pm, Tuesday to Friday, and 11:00am to 10:30pm, Saturday to Sunday. Old School Delights is closed on Mondays and if you want to make a reservation, you can ring them up at 64584518.
To walk down memory lane where nostalgia and comfort food are entwined, Old School Delights is definitely the place to consider and we guarantee that the experience will evoke some pleasant memories of your childhood.
Since we’re on the topic of the old times, Jacqueline and I made a trip to Haw Par Villa last weekend for some rediscovery of our childhood days and in fact, Haw Par Villa was an extremely popular theme park in the 1960s.
When we were there at Haw Par Villa, it really brought back many wonderful memories for the both of us and though many people would consider Haw Par Villa as one of the weirdest theme park in Asia, we guess everyone [more or less] would agree that it is a part of our childhood.
The park, originally called “Tiger Balm Gardens”, was built in 1937 by the Burmese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, the developers of Tiger Balm, as a venue for teaching traditional Chinese values. The “Haw Par” in the park’s name is based on the Aw brothers’ personal names – “Haw” and “Par”, which literally mean “tiger” and “leopard”.
A Photo with the Tiger Statue
A Photo with the Leopard Statue
Now, most of its compounds are either sealed off or not operational.
Wonder if anyone remembers what this place was used for in the past.
The park contains over 1,000 statues and 150 giant dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology, folklore, legends, history, and illustrations of various aspects of Confucianism.
One of Aw Boon Haw’s famous Tiger Cars which still exists.
When I was young, I remember playing with the moustache of this statue.
This used to be the amphitheatre where people could catch performances.
The best known attraction in Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell which features gruesome depictions of Hell in Chinese mythology and Buddhism. This attraction used to be set inside a 60-metre long trail of a Chinese dragon but the dragon has been demolished and it is now covered by grey stone walls.
To be honest, when we were inside the Ten Courts of Hell attraction, it still sends chills down my spine and that’s the reason why we didn’t take any photographs inside. However, if you’re wondering how the inside of the Ten Courts of Hell looks like, I managed to find a video on Youtube about it.
Our main mission when we were there was to locate the statues that Jacqueline took photos with when she was in her preschool years and boy, was it tough!
Laughing Buddha [Past], spot any difference?
Laughing Buddha [Present]
Wall Mural [Past]
Wall Mural [Present]
Journey to the West, Tripitaka’s White Horse [Past]
Journey to the West, Tripitaka’s White Horse [Present]
Journey to the West, Zhu Bajie [Past]
Journey to the West, Zhu Bajie [Present]
As you can see from the photos, some of the statues from the past are still around but much of the park has either been cordoned off or demolished. In fact, when I was searching for the Log Flume Ride that was a rather popular attraction in the past, it no longer exists and when I tried finding some other attractions that used to be rather popular in the past, it was no longer there and I kinda feel a tinge of sadness in my heart. Well, even though not much of Haw Par Villa remains, I believe that it will always have a special place in the hearts of those whom have had fond memories there.
If you’re interested to revisit your childhood days or just to check out Haw Par Villa, the most convenient form of transport to get there would be to take the train. The nearest MRT Station is Haw Par Villa MRT Station and the park is open everyday from 9am to 7pm. Admission is free but if you are driving into the compound, you will have to pay $5 per entry and there are carpark lots available for you to park your car.
With this, we hope that you enjoyed reading about the who and what [from the 1960’s’ that inspires us. Also, if you can, do cast your votes for us for the “Best Lifestle Blog” in the Singapore Blog Awards 2013.
Every voter can vote at least once a day till the 23rd of June 2013 and to reward you for voting, you might stand a chance to be one of the 5 lucky winners to walk away with either the JBL Charge Stereo Speaker worth $249 or the JBL Flip Stereo Speaker worth $195, all of which are kindly sponsored by JBL.
The competition is really stiff and every vote counts. We at A Winsome Life are counting on you to help us realise our dream of becoming Singapore’s Best Lifestyle Blog! Help us make it happen!
It was my virgin trip to PasarBella and it was Jacqueline’s second time.
Having saw the awesome photographs that were taken by Jacqueline during her first trip to PasarBella, I told her that I must check it out for myself and try some of the food over there!
So, when we were there, my first mission was to conquer Oceans of Seafood and guess what I had over there?
Yes, you probably got it right! Oysters!
Oceans of Seafood was selling two types of oysters; the Canadian Fanny Bay Oysters and the Australian Coffin Bay Oysters. Both types of oysters were selling at $16 for half a dozen and $32 for a dozen. So, to get the best of both worlds, I requested for half a dozen of oysters where I had 3 Canadian Fanny Bay Oysters and 3 Australian Coffin Bay Oysters.
The oysters were really fresh and I found the Australian Coffin Bay Oysters to be rather creamy. But that doesn’t mean the Canadian Fanny Bay Oysters weren’t good. In fact, I kinda like both of them so much that I wanted to order half a dozen more but was stopped by Jacqueline.
Since Jacqueline ain’t a fan of oysters, she opted for a more safer option by going for the prawns which were served with baby carrots, sweet corn, and smoke salmon with mayonnaise sauce.
Can you see that the prawns formed a nice heart shape?
Personally, I really like Oceans of Seafood for their fresh seafood and when I need to have my cravings for oysters fixed, you probably will know where to find me.
To top it off, the interesting collection of wines from Merchants are usually not found in other wine stores and they are shipped directly from the vineyards to Singapore. Since there’s no middlemen involved, you can be rest assured that you’re getting premium quality wines at rock bottom prices.
Searching for a particular bottle of wine at Merchants is really a breeze because the wines have all been neatly organised by their grape types. This certainly reminded me of the time I’ve spent at Shatec Institutes where we learnt about wine and had to take on the role of a wine sommelier.
If you’re at PasarBella and you just want a nice place to sip a glass of wine and chill-out, Merchants even has got a small little cosy corner prepared just for you.
To find out more about Merchants and their latest wine-tasting workshops, do check out Merchants’ Facebook Page and join their Wine Club as well! In fact, some of Merchants’ winemakers will fly halfway around the world to host regular ‘pop-up’ cellar doors at PasarBella!
For some light desserts, we headed to Bonheur Patisserie to get some macarons and we bought the salted caramel macaron and the strawberry macaron.
Personally, I really like the macarons from Bonheur Patisserie because they are not overly sweet as what some stores are selling and the portion/serving size is just right for taking small savoury bites.
While hunting around for some unique and awesome stuffs at PasarBella, we chanced upon Dottinghill and we were so in loved with their temporary tattoos! They had all sorts of interesting designs and the quality is really superb. For myself, I gotten a fierce-looking wolf tattoo for only $6 and it looks extremely real! I even saw a Father and Son getting the wolf tattoo and it’s really so cool!
If you’re into body art and you prefer not to permanently ink yourself, the temporary tattoos from Dottinghill is something that you must check out! To see more designs that Dottinghill has, you can visit Dottinghill’s Website or Dottinghill’s Facebook Page!
Our last stop at PasarBella was Le Patio and it’s rustic simplicity and homely fare is a guaranteed sensory explosion of taste, sight and smell.
It wasn’t our first time having Paella and it was first introduced to us by our Church friend, Jacqueline [yes, another Jacqueline whom shares the same name as Jacqueline, my Fiancée]. As our first experience with Paella was a pleasant one, we just had to give Le Patio’s Seafood Paella a try.
Truly, Le Patio’s Seafood Paella is really tasty and we highly recommend it if you’re dropping by PasarBella. In case you’re wondering, a portion/box of Seafood Paella like this cost $11.90 and it’s really worth it! And if you don’t know what Paella is, it is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.
For more information and updates about Le Patio, do check out and like Le Patio’s Facebook Page!
Well, it was overall an enjoyable time at PasarBella and we will definitely make it a point to drop by more often as there are many things that we have yet to uncover and try.
Till then, here’s us signing off but before we end, we have an announcement to make!
Our Lifestyle Blog- A Winsome Life, is currently one of the top 10 finalists for Best Lifestyle Blog in the Singapore Blog Awards 2013. As we don’t really like to canvass for votes due to the really tiresome process, may we make a small little request that you vote for us so that we can stand a chance to grab the Best Lifestyle Blog Award?
Every voter can vote at least once a day till the 23rd of June 2013 and to reward you for voting, you might stand a chance to be one of the 5 lucky winners to walk away with either the JBL Charge Stereo Speaker worth $249 or the JBL Flip Stereo Speaker worth $195, all of which are kindly sponsored by JBL.
The competition is really stiff and every vote counts. We at A Winsome Life are counting on you to help us realise our dream of becoming Singapore’s Best Lifestyle Blog! Help us make it happen! 😀
It’s really simple and when you have voted for us, please drop us a note on our Facebook Page or comment on this blog post so that we can get in touch with you and personally thank you for supporting us! Cheers!
Last Saturday, Yours Truly and some other Bloggers from omy Blog Club participated in the Bugis+ Food Trail that was organised by omy Blog Club and we were hosted by 12 different Food & Beverage [F&B] Outlets/Restaurants! We spent 6 hours eating non-stop from point to point and at the end of the day, I was so full that I almost swore that I’m never ever gonna touch any sort of food ever again. In fact, I pretty much stoned for 2 days not eating much but recovered from the “ordeal” on the 3rd day. Anyways, the 12 F&B Restaurants/Outlets that hosted us are:
1. Taipei Station
2. Laksania
3. Crystal Jade C-Jade HK Café In
4. Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill
5. Su-ki ya
6. Manhattan Fish Market
7. Seoul Yummy
8. Ramen Champion
9. Ireland’s Potato
10. Marble Slab Creamery
11. Berrylite
12. Aloha Ma Maison
As I took more than 400 photographs during the event itself, I had quite a hard time doing tons of photo editing and because there were so much food that we had, I decided to make photo collages of the different individual restaurant/outlet that we visited.
In this blog entry, I will be sharing about the first 6 restaurants/outlets that we visited and the rest of the other 6 restaurants/outlets will be covered in the next part of our Bugis+ Food Trail Blogbuster Series.
Honestly, I really miss Taiwan so much that I can’t wait to go back there again in 3 months time. When we were sampling the food from Taipei Station, it really reminded me of the awesome time I had in Taiwan and yes, the quality and authenticity of the food at Taipei Station are rather similar as that which are sold in Taiwan. If you’re a Taiwan foodie like me, be sure to try their Sweet Potato Fries, Oyster Vermicelli, Crispy Chicken, and Honey Oolong Milk Tea with Pearl! Their prices are quite reasonable although in Taiwan, it’s much cheaper. I can’t wait to dine at Taipei Station again for my favourite Taiwanese snacks!
If you’re a fan of Laksa, Laksania is the place for you because they’re the specialist when it comes to Laksa. They even have Laksa Pasta and Laksa Burgers on their menu too! When we were there, we had 3 different types of Laksa Noodles; the Kelantan Laksa, the Singapore Laksa, and the Sarawak Laksa. Personally, I like their Kelantan Laksa the best because of its distinct flavour. The soup base of the Kelantan Laksa is mainly fish and as a result, many hours are painstakingly spent to debone the fishes by hand to create this dish. And oh, we tried their Chicken Satay as well and I must say, they’re really awesome!
By the way, Laksania is also a social enterprise that helps people who have been marginalised by their mental or physical disability to gain employment. They employ the marginalised and enable them so that they can earn a living using their own efforts. Hence, Laksania set up a central kitchen in IMH to hire and train IMH clients.
When people hear of Crystal Jade, the first thing that comes to their mind is Dim Sum and it is no surprise because Crystal Jade has always been rather well known for their finest Chinese cuisine and its Dim Sum.
Well, C-Jade HK Café In is unlike the typical Crystal Jade fine-dining Restaurant. The dining atmosphere at C-Jade HK Café In is rather causal and they serve a wide selection of Hong Kong local delicacies, some of which with innovative crossover of East and West flavours.
Check out Yong Wei [one of the fellow Blogger] enjoying the Crispy Macau Pork Chop Bun!
During the food tasting session, we had the Chilled Hong Kong Milk Tea, Crispy Macau Pork Chop Bun, Deep-Fried Chicken with Fries and Lemongrass, Hong Kong Cart Noodle, Corned Beef and Cheese Toast, and Old Time Hong Kong Biscuit.
Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill is another dining concept by Creative Eateries and it is quite similar as Tajiyama, a Japanese Grill Restaurant also under Creative Eateries.
Seriously, Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill is an awesome place for Japanese Grill Meat because the dining atmosphere is very relaxed and casual.
The meat is flavourful and well-marinated, and it goes pretty well with the Japanese Asahi Beer. With contemporary pop music playing in the background, Rocku Yakiniku Japanese Charcoal Grill is definitely the place to let down your hair and hangout with your friends!
By the way, if you have already received the NS45 Vouchers, you can use it here. And if you’re an OCBC Cardholder, you can get a 10% off the total bill with a minimum spend.
If you’re into Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki, you might want to check out Suki-Ya, a Japanese Hotpot dining concept also by Creative Eateries. While we were there, we sampled 4 different soup bases and out of the 4, I prefer the Kimchi soup base because of its spiciness and flavour. In case you’re wondering, Suki-Ya also has a la carte food items besides their usual buffet. For the price of SGD$27 for Suki-Ya‘s dinner buffet on a weekend, the price is rather reasonable for the high quality of food items that are available.
Manhattan Fish Market is no stranger to us as we have been dining there rather frequently. Honestly, we love Manhattan Fish Market very much because the service standard is always consistent and their food quality and portions are pretty satisfying.
During the food tasting session, we sampled their Fried Country Mushroom, Garlic Herb Mussels, Caesar Salad with Crispy Whitebait, Manhattan Fish ‘N Chips, Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter, Sizzling Brownie with Ice-Cream, and Citrus Mint Beverage.
Baby and I are BIG FANS of Domino’s Pizza and we have been dining there more often than not [about once every 2 weeks] to satisfy our huge cravings for Domino’s Pizza and their awesome Chocolate Lava Cake! So, all thanks to omy Blog Club and Domino’s Pizza, I had my fill of Domino’s Pizza this week when omy Blog Club extended an invitation to attend a ‘makan’ session at Domino’s Pizza [Kovan Outlet] with other Bloggers!
Being the only guy at the event made it a little bit awkward but at least I found out [at the last minute] that Diana, a fellow Blogger [whom was in my team during Nuffnang’s Awana Genting Trip] was at the event as well.
While waiting for the rest of the Bloggers to arrive, some of us whom were early read the Press Kits first and I was quite surprised to find out that all of us were given a dining coupon for a complimentary set of value meal from Domino’s Pizza! Very generous of Domino’s Pizza indeed!
Miss. Linda Hassan [Marketing Manager of Domino’s Pizza Singapore & Malaysia] shared with us about Domino’s Pizza Latest Promotion- the Double Value Deal.
Well, many of you must be wondering what is this Double Value Deal by Domino’s Pizza is all about.
To put it simply, from now till the 3rd of March 2013, you can order 2 [Regular-Sized] of Domino’s Most Popular Pizza [that is the Classic Pepperoni Pizza, Hawaiian Paradise Pizza, and Simply Cheese Pizza] for just SGD $22! This is a huge discount of SGD $27.60 and what’s more, the Pizzas will have an extra 50% topping of Beef Pepperoni for the Classic Pepperoni Pizza, extra 50% topping of Smoked Chicken Breast for the Hawaiian Paradise Pizza, and extra 50% topping of Cheese for the Simply Cheese Pizza! If you’re a big eater like me, you can consider the Large-Sized Pizzas at the price of SGD $36 for 2. Again, this promotion is only valid for the Classic Pepperoni Pizza, Hawaiian Paradise Pizza, and Simply Cheese Pizza.
By the way, the promotion is valid not only for dine-ins but also for takeaways as well! The best part is, delivery is free and the prices that are listed are all nett pricing! If you own an iPhone, you can download the Domino’s Pizza App and place an order via the App and also track your order at the same time!
For those whom prefers to dine-in at Domino’s Pizza, you probably would have seen this monitor which allows you to find out how long more you will have to wait for your order to be ready.
These 5 boxes of Pizzas weren’t the only boxes of Pizzas we had. Surprisingly, the Bloggers [whom were ladies] had an extremely hearty appetite for Pizzas.
A typical Bloggers’ ‘Makan’ Event where it is SOP [Standard Operating Procedures] to snap photos of your food in a way that would make the food appealing and attractive.
The Chocolate Lava Cake from Domino’s Pizza is my personal favourite because the chocolate filling is so rich and moist that it will make you go “oohhh”! You will definitely have to try this because it would be a waste if you visit Domino’s Pizza without completing your meal with a perfect sweet ending!
Well, if your stomach’s growling and you’re deciding what to have for dinner later on, you might just want to have some Domino’s Pizza delivered to the comforts of your home! Also, do note that the Double Value Deal is valid till the 3rd of March 2013! If you prefer to use the phone and call for delivery, Domino’s Pizza Hotline is 6222 6333.
Hello Everyone,
Baby and I participated in the Bosch Automotive Bloggers’ Amazing Race yesterday and altogether, there were 6 teams that competed in this event. Well, if you have missed out on the action yesterday on Facebook and Twitter, here’s a blog summary of the event!
To start the day on a refreshing note, we took Mini Uncle Bob for a swim at our swimming pool downstairs and after the energising swim, we took off in GreenGreen [the name we gave our Green Picanto] and arrived at Ethoz Tampines [our starting point for the race]. There, we had some light refreshments and a pre-briefing for the race. In addition, we were treated to an extremely useful and informative talk on the process of traffic accident claims. Honestly, even though I have been driving for almost 4 years, I didn’t really have a clue as to how the process for traffic accident claims are being carried out, but after attending this talk, I feel that I am more aware of what to look out for in the case of an accident.
So, let me share with you in a nutshell, 5 pointers that you ought to take note of when you encounter a road accident:
1) Do not panic and do not argue with the other driver on who is right or who is wrong.
2) Take as many photographs as you can of the car/s who collided with yours.
3) Note the date, time, and location of the road accident.
4) Make sure you have the particulars of the other driver such as his NRIC, Name, and Contact Number.
5) Ensure that you file an accident report within 24 hours with an approved accident reporting centre.
Also, here are 2 precautions to take note of during a road accident:
1) There will be unauthorised tow-trucks prowling along the expressway hunting for potential victims to earn some quick money. Make sure you never allow them to tow your vehicle. Only allow the authorised tow-trucks approved by your insurance company to tow your vehicle.
2) Do not be gullible when the other driver says that he/she will offer you money for repair costs. In most cases, drivers with integrity are a rare breed and it is always helpful to have witnesses whom are not passengers in your vehicle. Always be vigilant and ensure that you file an accident report within 24 hours. If there are injuries and damaged government properties involved, a police report has to be filed.
Following the talk, Kevin conducted the pre-briefing for the race and off we went to the car workshop at Ethoz Tampines to find out exactly what goes on in the car workshop!
At the car workshop, we were introduced to what goes on behind the scenes when a car is sent for servicing. From diagnosing the problems of a car to general car maintenance and repair, Ethoz has it all! And to top it all, the workshops are all very well-equipped with the latest technology and the service staffs are all professionally trained! You can be very sure that your beloved car would be in the care of good hands.
And so, after all the administration, we took flight for our amazing race and lo and behold, our first station was located in Bishan, a place that I am very familiar with as I am residing around the vicinity. For our first challenge, Baby had to draw out 15 words and I had to guess what the 15 words were. Well, we took a total of 15 minutes to complete this challenge and I reckoned that I should have played Draw Something more with Baby. Sigh!
Our second station was situated at Bukit Batok and I was quite stunned as the distance was quite far! But thankfully, I was very familiar with AutobacsBukit Batok as I frequented that place in the past when I was still studying at Shatec Institutes. The second challenge was also very tough because we were given a minute to memorise 50 pairs of items! I’m wondering why so many mind games ah?! Baby and I completed the challenge in about 3 minutes.
Our third station was Autobacs at Ubi and yes, we had to travel from Bukit Batok to Ubi! Again, because Autobacs is a place that Baby and I frequent the most, we kind of knew our way around. When we arrived, we saw Cheryl and her team-mate and they were trying to complete the challenge. We must say. the challenge at the third station was the toughest of all! We had to memorise a jingle, throw and catch 5 mini Uncle Bobs [without dropping any of them], and assemble a battery packaging; all within 60 seconds!
Finally, our last station was EthozBukit Batok! So now, we have to make our way back to Bukit Batok from Ubi!
Well, when we arrived there, my car was sent for a complimentary comprehensive 18-point check and a complimentary car servicing. While that was taking place, Baby and I had to complete our last challenge and that was to locate the placard that indicated the optimum tyre pressure of the car, and then inflate the tires to the recommended air pressure. In addition, we had to locate the ABS fuse within the fuse box and insert a new fuse for it. This was something quite new to me as I had never done this before and really, this experience that I went through made me more aware of how I can rectify simple tasks instead of just bringing my car to the car workshop!
So… the results were announced and Cheryl’s team emerged Champion for the amazing race. Kudos to Cheryl’s team because they really deserve it!
The Bosch Automotive Bloggers’ Amazing Race concluded with a surprise birthday celebration for all those whom were born in the month of June! We hereby would like to take this opportunity to thank Alvin from OMY.SG, Michael, Joanne, Kevin, the team at Bosch Automotive and the team at Ethoz for graciously hosting all of us bloggers and for inviting us to this really exciting, challenging, fun, and educational amazing race event. It was really a worthwhile experience!
Before we conclude this blog post, we have some awesome freebies for all you readers out there!
We have 2X Mini Uncle Bobs, 1X Bosch Bear Keychain, 1X Bosch ERP Device Cover, and 1X 4L Idemitsu Engine Oil to give away!
To get yourself these freebies, all you have to do is just follow the following instructions:
1). Like Bosch Automotive Facebook Page and Follow A Winsome Life on Twitter!
2). Drop us an email at admin@awinsomelife.org and tell us your name, contact number, twitter username, what freebie you would like to have, and why you deserve it!
3). Wait for us to contact you!
