Making its debut public appearance, the first Fiat Professional Doblo Maxi roadshow in Singapore will be held at Century Square from 6 to 8 April.

Here are more details:

1st Fiat Professional Doblo Maxi roadshow

Date: 6 to 8 April 2012, Friday to Sunday

Time: 11am to 9pm

Venue: Century Square (area next to taxi stand)

The stars for the weekend will be a white Doblo Maxi (1.6AT) and a bordeaux one (1.6MT).

Special promotions for the roadshow include:

• S$888 off the published price of the Doblo Maxi

• S$300 diesel card

• One-year subsidised instalments

• Existing Goldbell customers get additional S$500 off

Aftersales is very important and the people at Motorviva understand that, hence there are service package promotions as well:

• Preventive Maintenance Package from as low as $1.25/day

• Enhanced Basic Maintenance Package (EBMP) from $1.65/day

o EBMP consists of repairs such as servicing, brakes, clutches, batteries, wiper blades, paint work, car wash and complimentary comprehensive checks

Take part in the games and giveaways from 2pm to 8pm on 7 and 8 April at the roadshow and go ahead and explore the Doblo Maxi (leave your pillow and bolster at home though!). Patrons will also get the opportunity to take instant photographs with the 2 versatile vans and attractive female models.

Prior to the roadshow, you can win for yourself Fiat Professional merchandise through a contest on the Fiat Professional Singapore Official Facebook page. Existing fans of the page just need to share this eDM (see picture below) with your friends and show this activity at the roadshow. If you have not liked the page yet, LIKE it and show this activity at the roadshow. Just for liking the page and/or sharing the eDM, you can have the Fiat Professional merchandise!

Another exciting highlight in celebration of the first Fiat Professional Doblo Maxi roadshow is the chance to win a free overseas stay just by test driving the Doblo Maxi. Starting from 6 April, the first 100 people to test drive the Doblo Maxi during this one-month campaign will get free 3D/2N accommodation in multiple destinations across Malaysia. To book your test drive, visit the website here. Vouchers will be handed to you upon completion of the test drive.

The initial idea was to arrange a visit to Mdm Dara's home some time after the event where we first met - the inaugural charity car drive organised by the People's Association called Love on Wheels: Zoom Zoom with a Heart! [Read the corresponding blog post here.]

I was inspired and touched by the soulful meaning behind the worthy cause that I wanted to create a continuity following this event. After connecting with the beneficiaries, why not develop a platform for subsequent ongoing interaction? Hence, the PAssion Motoring community service arm was formed and registered under Geylang Serai CC. A pure voluntary initiative, I will work with Geylang Serai CC and plan quarterly outings with this same group of beneficiaries that we befriended at the charity car drive.

Held at the community hall of Geylang Serai CC on 1 April, it was a simple afternoon affair with all 50 of the beneficiaries and the participants of the charity car drive. A sumptuous lunch buffet was prepared courtesy of Geylang Serai CC's Culinary Club and while everyone was tucking in, stage performances by keyboardist Tristan Ong (a local music composer) and his lovely vocalist, as well as Stephy Jennifer Heng, a music teacher from Ocean Butterflies, entertained all.

I love making photo collages and decided to make one for Mdm Dara, the beneficiary assigned to Derrick and I during the charity car drive. 

She was really happy to see us both and she touched my cheek fondly when I went up to her to say hi. We were still recognisable despite shedding the pirate costumes... though some of the beneficiaries remembered me as the pirate -_-".

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I took over the duties of the Mandarin emcee at the very last minute when Dr Fatimah Lateef made her entrance. With no prepared script in hand I just puffed out my chest and gave it a shot. Turned out it wasn't too bad, phew!

A huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in helping me put together this post-event gathering for the charity car drive: Dr Fatimah Lateef, Geylang Serai CC, PMET Division at PA, Geylang Serai CC Culinary Club, beneficiaries and volunteers, participants of the charity car drive, photographer Max + videographer, the enthralling stage performers, Derrick for being the emcee and all who has contributed in one way or another ...

One team you would probably recognise is these 2 guys Steven and Charles - the ones who always take part in car rallies with their funky hair wigs!

Don't recognise them? This is how they usually are at car rallies...

Plans for the next outing with these beneficiaries are already in the pipeline - if anyone is interested to join us, please write me a comment here or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You need not be a participant from the charity car drive or any other PA event - PAssion Motoring's community service arm welcomes all!

For more photos of the event, view here.

A few weeks back I was just asking on Facebook for suggestions on what phone I should get next - my existing Blackberry Bold 9780 has served me well over a year (almost 2 years in fact) and it has been through literally hell and water with me as I travelled the world and took it into the fast lane(s) of motorsports.

While the Blackberry is fantastic with emails and I can type really fast on the BB keypad, I need something that can take better photos. I was just at Fuji Speedway two weekends ago and the views of Mount Fuji was simply breathtaking. Unfortunately I couldn't capture good pictures (I left my DSLR in my bag in the boot!) and this isn't the first time I've felt like that about missing the chance to capture a beautiful moment.

Suggestions poured in freely and one reader thought the HTC XE Sensation with Beats would suit me. I was just checking out the features of that when I got an invite to the launch of the new HTC One Series.. 

Maybe it's a sign from above that I should be considering a HTC for my next phone... My last 3 phones have been a Blackberry and I have considered the iPhone, but my options are still very much open. Because I travel rather frequently and I am engaged in motorsport-related activity, a phone that has brilliant camera and video recording functions would be ideal.

Sometimes for certain events I don't really need to lug my DSLR along and frankly I am quite happy to leave it at home. However, I do want to at least take decent photos and it would be absolutely great if I can have a phone good enough to double up as a compact camera and a phone so I don't have to bring both separately.

The HTC One launch was held at Marina Bay Sands last Friday in this huge HTC One World with various 'countries' that are actually stations to try out the different functions and features of the phones. My eyes automatically spotted the two MINI ONE cars and I just had to take photos with the cars...

One of the key objectives for the HTC One series, according to Lennard Hoornik, President of HTC South Asia Pacific, was "to enable the user to remember their best moments in life easily, whether it be capturing a photo or listening to a song", hence HTC strived to "improve these emotional experiences with an amazing camera and authentic sound experience."

What does he mean by 'Amazing Camera'? The HTC One has this all-encompassing technology called ImageSense that holds the following features:

· Superfast Capture - HTC One dramatically reduces the time it takes to capture those key moments. In just 0.7 seconds you're able to take a shot, and with a new superfast 0.2-seconds autofocus, continue to take nearly unlimited continuous shots simply by holding the shutter button.

· Good photos in adverse conditions - HTC One delivers dramatic enhancements in image capture quality even in adverse conditions such as low light, no light or with bright backlighting. The f/2.0 lens on the HTC One X offers best-in-class performance, capturing 40 percent more light than the f/2.4 lenses available on other high-end phones. HTC One also includes HDR, a market-leading technology, for taking great photos even when there are varying levels of brightness.

· Video Pic (Concurrent Video/Still Capture) – With Video Pic you capture a photo and shoot video at the same time. Now, while you're shooting HD video, all you have to do is tap the shutter button and it snaps a high-resolution still photo while the video continues to shoot. You are also able to capture a photo frame from a previously recorded video.

· Dropbox integrated with HTC Sense - HTC One gives you an easy way to save and share your photos and videos. HTC has integrated Dropbox into HTC Sense 4 enabling HTC One customers to get 25 gigabytes of free Dropbox space for two years. That's enough to keep more than 10,000 high-quality photos. Dropbox is also integrated throughout HTC Sense 4, so it's easy to edit, save and share your documents and other kinds of files.

· Sharing your photos and more - HTC One gives you a new way to share your photos and videos. When you plug in HTC's wireless Media Link HD* accessory into your TV's HDMI port, you can easily share your photos, videos, or anything else on your phone with your friends, family or colleagues regardless of the television's brand as long as it has HDMI.

[To read more on the HTC One, you can view the news piece I put up here.]

After attending the HTC One launch and trying out the capabilities of the phone, I think this might just be The One.

The HTC One is available in Singapore from 2 April in 2 versions

- the HTC One X (S$898) and HTC One V (S$398).

Of course, some who do not have a driving licence have no choice but to let the woman drive them around, but I have come across guys who take over the wheel from the woman or even force their girlfriends to take public transport with them just because they cannot stand being in the passenger seat of a female driver.

What's wrong with letting the girl do the driving?

There's this friend I know who has a driving licence but does not own a car, while his girlfriend not only has a car but drives a nice BMW 650i convertible. Every time they go out, he insists on taking over the wheel and when she refuses, they end up in a huge quarrel. Another friend I have cannot afford to have a car hence thinks it is not necessary to get a driving licence and whenever he goes out with his girlfriend, they take a cab because he hates being driven around by her.

I don't know about you but if I were a guy, I would think it nice to be driven around, unless her driving skills are so bad that your life is endangered. Cars have always been a man thing so it's not that big a surprise that some people feel the driver's seat is not for a lady. But I would think that in general, males would hope that their wives or girlfriends make better drivers so that they would take over the wheel instead, especially after a long day at work.

It's not so much about being chauvinistic but more of the inferiority complex of the males. Some guys will just persist on taking over the wheel regardless of the type of car that his wife or girlfriend drives, simply because he feels insecure about her driving.

Yes, societal mindset stereotypes that women are generally not good drivers. That is probably why some men tend to think that they are safer being behind the wheel instead of being in the passenger seat of a female driver.

There are genuinely good women drivers out there, but some women think that the man should drive the car anyway and only take over the wheel when he goes drinking. Not wanting to be driven by a female can be a justification of the male's superiority in a relationship, but I think most men will not mind being driven around by a woman if her driving skills are decent and confident enough.

To all the men who have always been at the wheel and never or hardly driven around by females, try switching seats – Who knows, you might end up preferring to stay in the passenger seat and be chauffeured around.

Recently I have been engaged in a few photoshoots - for magazines as well as for professional photographers' portfolios - and as a result have had more make-up on my face in the last week than I probably ever had for the whole of last year. Those who know me well would know that I don't know how to put make-up and am very comfortable going out of the house with nothing on my face except some moisturiser and sunblock. 

One of the photoshoots I had last week was with professional photographer Ivan Joshua Loh of Pigs Can Fly Photography who has a series named Calling The Shots where he profiles interesting people and prominent personalities across different industries (sports, entertainment, media etc.). He approached me last year to profile me but I took my time to consider because it was a concept that is atypical of me.

I finally mustered up the confidence and courage, agreed to do it and here are the photos:

Calling The Shots

with Ivan Joshua Loh, Pigs Can Fly Photography

Attack of the 100-feet CHERYL

Inspiration for this shot was taken from this picture:

The Stig's Girlfriend Revealed

These photos show a whole different angle of me, seldom (or almost never) unveiled before and I'm sorry if it shocked you even in the mildest manner. I can't really recognise myself either, to be honest.

Some may like this look, some may not.. but to those who like it, sorry it's not gonna be permanent because it is just not me! 

I think I need a facial at Porcelain, The Face Spa soon, after all that make-up...

Thank you Ivan for this 'rare' opportunity and the privilege to be profiled by you!

For more of Ivan's works, check out Pigs Can Fly Photography at www.pigscanfly.com.