Subaru Impreza Challenge 2007

Starting at 7am this past Saturday, 388 people each placed a hand on either a Subaru Impreza 1.5R (MIRT Edition) worth $68,000 or a Subaru Impreza 1.5R worth $58,000 (Singapore dollars.)

40 people per car, split up by boys and girls. Who ever from the guys and girls lasts the longest with their hand on the car....wins the car!

Every 6 hours, they get a 5 minute break to go to the bathroom. When I stopped by, it had been 54 hours and there were 11 guys left and 28 girls still in the race.

Last year, the winner stood for almost 75 hours straight. (This is the 6th annual contest!)

I read that most of the contestants dropped out Sunday night during a THREE hour downpour!

The Ladies:

The Gentlemen:

The timer as I walked by it this evening at 7:20pm. They had been at it for 54 hours already when I came to take a look!

The start of a 5 minute break for 2 of the groups. Apparently it was in the Terms and Conditions that participants can only use this time to use the toilet...no peeing in their pants allowed during non-break times.

*Update!* For the first time, a woman has won the contest. Sandra Yeow won the Subaru Challenge with a new record time of 77 hours and 15 minutes. Kevin Lee won on the guys side with a time of 76 hours.

Officially a Singapore FOODIE!

I think I am officially converted to Singapore's 2 national past times...

1. Shopping - Which I think I have had down since day 3 of my stay....and now
2. EATING!

When I first got here, I swore that I wouldn't be able to handle eating only rice and noodles for each meal. Now with a more open mind...AND the help of my new guide, Makansutra, I've made peace with rice and noodles!

My new goal with my time left in Singapore is to try AS MANY categories of food listed in this book (and trust me, there are A LOT! More than I think I could try in a lifetime in Singapore actually) Oh, and part B of my goal is to try and not end up 20 lbs heavier either ;)

Where else to start than with one of Singapore's, if not it's most famous dish: Chicken Rice

This was the line to order. Hard to see, but most other stalls had no one waiting!


Before...


After...

Next up: Fried Sweet Potato Dumplings!!!

I was pretty skeptical about this one before I tried it, but I figured for 40 (Singapore) cents for a plain one...it was worth the try. There were plenty of flavors: plain or with fillings of Red bean, Black bean, Peanuts, or Pandan Coconut. I got one of the plain sweet potato ones (only 1 so I would keep to part b of my goal...to not gain 20 lbs!)

I have to say...currently, it tops my Top 10 Singapore Food List! Yes, it was THAT yummy :-P

So much more food...but I'm very much looking forward to it! :)

Little India

The other night, I went to dinner in Little India and strolled around the streets afterwards to catch the sights. Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is this coming Thursday so the streets of Little India are all lit up in celebration. (I will be going back tomorrow night to meet up with a friend for dinner, so I'll get better pictures to post then!!!)

"Deepavali, the most important date of the Hindu calendar, occurs on one day during October, and in the ethnic quarter of Little India, the festivities last practically for the whole month of October.

Deepavali is the Festival of Lights, and marks the defeat of the evil King Narakasura by the Lord Krishna. All round the world, Hindus celebrate this day as the triumph of light over darkness, and of good over evil. It marks the new beginning for Hindu devotees, and is a great time of rejoicing and renewal. During this time, Little India throbs with evening roadside stalls, booming music and strings of colourful lights."


All the streets in Little India have these banners of light strung across them.


Mustafa Center is a shopping center in Little India that is open 24 hours a day. I walked around a bit and saw lots and lots of gold shops, along with other jewelry/watches all on the bottom floor. The second level was a Walmart of sorts (clothing, shoes, luggage, cosmetics, etc... all in an organized cluttered mess) I didnt make it up any more floors and there wasn't really anything that I needed.


Walking around, I came across a new friend. I'll have to find out the correct name for this Indian dish. It's a naan-like bread that is topped with a filling and then rolled up like a taquito to be eatten.


For dinner, I went to this Indian restaraunt that had a special...$10 for Fish Head Curry! (Normally $17) I couldn't pass up a bargain so I ordered it. Pretty, huh? :) The cheeks are the best part...I passed on the eyeball though.

*Update: At another dinner a different night, I picked up where I left off on the fish head eating experience and tried the eyeball. I didn't know this, but you don't actually eat the whole thing. You just sorta suck up the gooey-ness that is in between the socket and the pupil (or whatever the white part is) and leave the rest. It actually wasn't bad...very gelatinous.

Chinatown!

I went for a guided tour of Chinatown on Friday night. Here are some pictures from the tour as well as from the next day when I went back when it wasn't dark.


Picture of a street in Chinatown's Night Market.


A Chinese temple


I thought the tiles on the side of this Chinese temple were so pretty. (Also, the building is right across the street from an established red-light district in Chinatown.)


Dried seahorses for sale at one of the Chinese Medicine Shops in Chinatown. Dried jellyfish was in the box right next to this one.


Racks of Chinese Beef Jerkey at a specialty shop. Very tasty!!!