Asean Family Rally 2009 - Day 1

Thailand has assumed the Chairmanship of ASEAN since July 2008. To foster closer relationship and tourism cooperation with its ASEAN neighbours, Thailand hosted the ASEAN Family Rally (AFR). Team Singapore entered 11 cars consisting of 26 participants.

The following photo essay provides a summary of Day 1 (28^th Feb 09).

At 0600 hours, the Singapore contingent gathered at Stamford Tyres (Jurong) for final briefing before heading towards 2^nd Link.

The convoy re-grouped at Petronas Station (Gelang Patah). Seen here is the pilot of this Jetstar vehicle awaiting instruction to “take-off” and proceed northwards along the North South Highway .

We had fishball noodle for breakfast at this shop in Yong Peng.

Thereafter, some of us have to answer nature call at Ayer Keroh R&R.

And here’s a sign of relief.

We stopped at Dengkil R&R for for lunch.

Everyone enjoyed the renowned Kajang Satay and, fortunately, Irene brought along sufficient cash to pay for lunch :)

As we were ahead of schedule, we drove on at a leisurely pace.

Of course, we made further stops for toilet and tea-break. And here’s another sign of relief.

We finally arrived in Penang and checked in at B-Suites - a relatively new hotel near the bridge that connects to the mainland. The island was busy with heavy traffic as we inched our way towards Gurney Drive for dinner. After the meal, some decided to watch and allow the traffic jam to subside below making their way back to B-Suites.

Others took the opportunity to take pictures at the lobby of the impressive G Hotel.

It was a long day with each car covering more than 700 km. As a result, all of us were tired and had an early night

Asean Family Rally 2009/ Content Page

Daily Reports

Asean Family Rally 2009 - Day 1
Asean Family Rally 2009 - Day 2
Asean Family Rally 2009 - Day 3
Asean Family Rally 2009 - Day 4


Extras
Asean Family Rally 2009 - Post-Event Party

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2009

On 21st Feb 09, it was written in The Straits Times that “some 5,400 riders aged six to 60-plus will be flagged off from 6am” the following day for the OCBC Cycle Singapore event. ChannelNewsAsia reported that the event “attracted not only professionals but also all types of cyclists, old and young. They included one who is 72 years old and another who is just six years old.” If you are looking for the oldest participant, this story from Lianhe Zaobao may interest you. The title can be loosely translated as “A steadfast 80 year-old man mounting the steel-horse again after 50 years”.

I am glad that this 80 year-old man is blessed with such good health. He is my father. We originally planned to enter the 20km Community Ride category together with my daughter, Carmen. Unfortunately, she was too young to meet the minimum age requirement. Thus, the 5km Mighty Savers Kid Rides was the only category that I could participate together with both of them. Below picture shows that amid their excitement at the start line, the extremely hot mid-day sun did not bother them.

There was no prize awarded for our category but Carmen was clearly racing with the front pack. Dad and I rode leisurely past the F1 pit building, S’pore Flyer and part of Marina Bay .

Although the road closure added to the sense of safety and importance, the event had several shortcomings. One of them was expressed below in the message which we received from the organiser via e-mail.

Despite the freebies and goodie bag, our entry fee costing more than $30 per head wasn’t exactly cheap. But I guess Dad and Carmen enjoyed the outing. And that matters most to me.

Mido M8823.4.38.8 – Military-Inspired

The Multifort M8823.4.38.8 (List:SGD590) is one of MIDO’s older ‘soldiers’. Introduced in 1988, the watch has been a popular choice for uniformed groups. Many officers or retiring personnel were presented this Swiss-Made timepiece as long service award. It is an old-style military watch powered by the legendary ETA 2824 automatic movement. The all-stainless steel case (ø 36mm, excluding winder) features see-thru caseback and rated up to100 meters water resistant.

Here’s an example of its superb visibility in extreme darkness. The black dial (ø 30mm) with clear luminous hour/min hands and numeral markers is protected by curved crystal glass.

The decorated ETA 2824-2 Movement features 25 jewels with up to 40 hours power reserve capability. Original leather strap is padded with country-style stitching and stainless steel buckle.

Why choose the Multifort M8823?
The classic design and functional reliability are 2 main features of the watch. Its military-inspired qualities befit the character of the recipients. Best of all, it’s another quality Swiss-Made timepiece proudly produced and backed by Swatch Group 2-year international warranty.
In additional, an individually etched brass plate with the recipient’s name on the cover of this luxury wooden box enhances the overall presentation. It is therefore not surprising that the watch remains a popular choice till this day.

2008 ST Best Buys of the Year

The article on Best Buys of the Year (BBTY) in The Straits Times motoring column is featured annually. For the curious minds, the man behind this compilation is long time contributor, Dr Winston Lee. I count myself as one of Winston’s ardent followers as I have been reading his column ever since I got my driving licence.

The headline “Value wheels” for this year’s BBTY clearly reflects the current economic downturn. Here are the respective winners of the most crowded categories. Thanks to the financial crisis and competition from parallel imports, these cars have never been more keenly priced.

This is clearly a Japanese domain. But the surprising winner of the large sedan category must be the Teana. Its predecessor, called Cefiro, does not handle as well as the Accord while the Camry has better ride comfort. Despite the shortcomings, many units were sold. I suspect the Cefiro’s main selling points were the silky V6 engine (excluding the 2-litre version), minimalist’s design and a large screen GPS unit that incorporates a reverse camera. Many owners were able to look past the fact that the navigation unit was locally installed and the system suffers recurring lags and ‘hangs’. But that’s not to say that the official distributor (Tan Chong) has not done anything about it. They have sourced an improved navigation system for the Teana that claims to be faster, better and more reliable. Incidentally, this new saloon from Nissan was also voted as one of the “Favourite Cars of 2008” by another local publication.

And Tan Chong wasted little time in showing off its newly earned accolade. (See text stating: NISSAN TEANA – The Straits Times’ Best Buys of the Year 2008 – ‘Large Sedans’ Category)

Continuing on The Straits Times’ BBTY, the result of the winners in the segments for executive and luxury sedans, MPVs, 4x4s and sports cars is likely to have less influence in the decision of the end-users.

Under these categories, the buyers are most likely to be guided by brand image, lifestyle and intangible elements rather than fun-to-drive or value for money factor. Still, there’s no stopping SM Motors (agent for Volvo) to put up this XC60 advertisement that proudly proclaims its “Best Buy of The Year – SUV & Crossover” award.

I am agreeable with Winston’s choice that the winner is probably the best buy in its respective category. But it may not necessarily translate to be the best-seller in its segment. Regretfully, the same truth holds for many other things in life including watches, camera, electronic and sports equipment. In short, a branded product may not always be the most ideal product.

A Husband's Love

One customer by the name of Gary Mok called our office last week to enquire about this watch.

We never had such merchandise. From the reference no., we could identify that the watch is a Japan domestic model (JDM). And our counterpart in Japan informed that Orient do not have any stock in hand as the model was produced in limited quantity 1 and half years ago. To meet Gary ’s request, we managed to source one of the remnant pieces from a retail store in Japan . We even arranged the watch to be couriered to us. Here’s another look at this rather unique looking digital watch. Surprise, surprise! It is powered by Orient's trusted self-winding mechanical movement.

Gary collected the watch promptly on the same day of its arrival. That night, he sent this sms to us.

Thank you, Gary . You have given us the opportunity to scale the height of customers’ satisfaction. We trust that the Orient watch will provide dependable timekeeping and memorable moments for you and your family.