About Dominique

http://dominiquegoh.com

Singaporean Educator, Coach and Hands on Mom of Three. Connect with me on Google+

Posts by Dominique:

Zooming around with Volvo V40 Cross Country

Volvo V40

Volvo V40

The Volvo V40 Cross Country 1.6L D2 Turbo Diesel car is one nifty ride. During the weekends we were invited by Volvo to drive their car from their showroom all the way to the S.E.A(Aquarium) at RWS. The kids were really excited to be able to check out the new model and to visit the Aquarium.

My boys are really into cars. They love identifying the  specifics of the different types of cars that pass by us as we drive along the roads. It is one of their pet topics. You just have to ask then about a specific model and they will be able to tell you about all the product specifications of that particular model down to a T.

Monkey Boy with the V40

Monkey Boy with the V40

Monkey boy was really excited to check out the car. He secretly hopes that we can change our current car to this model. You just have to check out the features of the car and I’m sure you would fall in love with it as he has.

Monkey boy and Tiger girl in the car.

Monkey boy and Tiger girl in the car.

With plush leather seats and many automatic gadgets to boost. The Volvo V40 has outdone its predecessors in terms of  safety and luxury features.  Having a top speed of 210km/h with acceleration 0-100km/h at 8.5 sec it is a car which is able to zoom around on the roads of Singapore.

The V40 has a wide array of drive support features like

  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake
  • Driver Alert Control
  • Lane Keeping Aid
  • Lane Change Merge Aid
  • Blind Spot Information System
  • Road Sign Information.

All these additions do make city driving a lot more easy and safe. It is certainly a welcomed addition which could help one drive around safely in this fast paced city with kids in tow.

The back row of the Volvo V40

The back row of the Volvo V40

The 5-seater has a rather snug back seat due to the design of the car. Doggie boy and Tiger girl can fit in comfortably with granny however if their car seats were installed in the back row it would have been another story.

Tiger girl in her car seat

Tiger girl in her car seat

As you can see it can get rather tight in the back row if I install both the car seats in for Doggie boy and Tiger girl. There wouldn’t be enough space for Monkey boy to sit next to his siblings.

Inside the Volvo V40

Inside the Volvo V40

As our whole family couldn’t fit inside the car we took two separate cars to transport the whole family over to RWS. R, Tiger girl and me were in the V40 while the boys and their granny were chauffeured in the S60 by one of the Volvo employees.

Inside the V40

Inside the V40

I was given a brief introduction to the various controls that I would be operating during the drive before heading off.  I selected Eco mode for the drive and changed the display from a bright red to a soothing green. In this mode I was given information like real time fuel consumption and average consumption from the last few minutes.  With  the consumption level of 6.1L/100km it is certainly very fuel efficient and certainly would save in the running cost of the vehicle.

It has been a while since I last drove a continental car but it didn’t take me long to adjust to the dynamics of the car. I liked the smooth handling and the fast responsiveness of the engine under the different conditions~ speeding up, changing of lanes, sudden breaking etc. It makes driving a breeze.

At $160K it makes a great city car for small families or  executives and is certainly a car I would consider if we do have the spare cash for a 2nd car.

To find out more information on the V40 do check out the Volvo Website.

Disclaimer: We were invited to test out their V40 Cross Country over the weekend. All opinions are 100% my own.

 

Waking Up in Heaven

Book Cover

Book Cover

Waking Up in Heaven: A True Story of Brokenness, Heaven, and Life Again by Crystal McVea and Alex Tresniowski is a really heart warming testimonial about how it was in Heaven as she had experienced being dead and coming back to live.

Many times we really wonder how it is for us after we die.Is there really a place called Heaven? Does GOD really exist?

In this book Crystal shares with the readers her personal experience of dying and coming back to live in 2009. She also shares her painful childhood memories of having suffered through sexual abuse, witnessing her mother go through physical and emotional abuse by her step father, teenage pregnancy, abortion and a whole slew of bad decisions.

Throughout her life prior to her encounter with GOD she has been questioning about the presence of GOD and why he hasn’t been there for her (that is what she though). Being “reborn” she found out her true calling in life to be GOD’s vessel. She was to be his spokesperson about GOD’s love and use her personal life story and experiences as her testimonial.

Through her sharing and walk closer with GOD after death, she has managed to touch many other people and  they were “healed” after being able to open up  and share their own stories of hurt which they had experienced.

My thoughts

I found this book very touching and captivating. Crystal really went through “hell and back” during her growing up years and only through GOD was she able to find her peace and motivation in life.  GOD works in mysterious ways and sometimes we are unable to understand why he sets us such difficult challenges in our lives and wish to throw in the towel.

I personally have had questions about GOD and his existence and had wondered too if GOD was really there for me at times. Reading about Crystal’s journey with GOD has really helped strengthen my personal conviction in Christ being our savior.

Get your copy of the book from Amazon today and enrich yourself about the glory of GOD.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are 100% my own. This post has a compensation level of 3. Please visit Dominique’s Disclosure page for more information.