Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that blogging could give me so many fantastic opportunities. I mean, look at me. My job is literally just to eat and make you hungry.

I guess I am really lucky because I never wanted to be “famous.” I met many wonderful people who helped me along the way, and everything just fell in place. If you have always wanted to be the next online sensation, here’s your chance.

Cineleisure’s Next Online Sensation is a social media competition organised by Cathay Cineleisure Orchard from 1 March – 21 April 2012. Together with QiuQiu and Zoe, I am one of the three judges and we will be judging on three different challenges – Lifestyle, Fashion, and of course, Food & Beverage.

So for those of you, who are taking part in the contest and want to know how I will be judging the second challenge on F&B, read on and find out!

Challenge #2 of Cineleisure’s Next Online Sensation:

Head down to Cathay Cineleisure Orchard from 28 Mar – 1 Apr and review any F&B (Food & Beverage) outlet(s). Be as creative as possible in showcasing the F&B at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard.

The winning blog post will entice the reader, incite their taste buds, and invigorate their stomachs! All blog entries are to be submitted by 1 April, 11.59pm, and will be judged by me.

“Where can I find affordable restaurants and cafes in Singapore?”

I get this question all the time, and it’s always a challenge to come up with new suggestions because dining out is becoming more and more expensive.

Luckily for us, there are plenty of F&B outlets in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard – like Javier’s Rotisserie, Shokudo Japanese Pasta, Xin Wang, Best Fries Forever, Wa Japanese Shabu Shabu, and A.venue Bistro – that are very reasonably priced.

I was having lunch at A.Venue Bistro (8 Grange Road, #03-06A/B Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, Tel: +65 6733 2270), a nice and cosy little cafe on the third level of the shopping mall.

Most of the items on their menu are priced between $5.9 to $14.9, and they have a set lunch that comes with starter (soup/salad), and main course (linguine seafood/fish & chips/sandwich) for just $13.9+.

The food was decent, and I love the ambience of the place. I’d definitely go there to have a cup of coffee (Cafe Mocha retails for $4.8, and Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow is $4.9) and hang out with my friends, before catching a movie at the Cathay Cineplexes upstairs.

I always go to Cathay Cineplexes to watch the latest blockbuster movies because I love that everyone can do some shopping before and after the movie. Level 3 of the shopping mall has many unique overseas and homegrown brands such as Becky Berry, JSHOES, Rockstar by Soon Lee, The Editor’s Market, Pescados, Frederic Sai, FEMMEX, and DEPRESSION. I was very happy to know that JSHOES has a branch in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard as they have really nice shoes for guys.

Anyway, back to the judging part of the contest. I’m sure all of you are wondering how I am going to judge for the F&B challenge, so let me give you some tips.

Find your niche.

What are you good at? What are you interested in? I always believe that as long as you are doing what you like, you will be able to do a good job. Similarly for Cineleisure’s Next Online Sensation, you should take some time to think about what you are good at.

There are so many blogs out there, what makes you different from them? Are you good at writing? Can you take nice photos? Or do you have a strong personality to shine in the social media scene?

Good photographs.

Some people may argue that a good food review is not just about photos because the style of writing is very important. True, but you have to remember that a photo tells a thousand words. I’m a very superficial guy, so good photos are very important for me. I will definitely be looking out for that. But of course, if you are able to write well enough to memorise the readers, you will get a good result too.

Hard work.

Being talented is not enough; you need to put in effort too. Trust me, we can tell when you work hard and put in effort in your posts.

Use your creativity and have fun.

There are so many restaurants in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, so use your creativity and have fun with your food review. I think it’s pointless to do something if you are not having fun, so guys, please have fun and use this as an excuse to eat more.

Okay, some suggestions. Maybe you can do a post on your top five favourite things to eat in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, or a guide to restaurants in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. Tell your readers what is good to eat there.

Be positive and embrace this with an open mind.

And like what QiuQiu has mentioned, be positive and embrace the contest with an open mind. Whether you win or not is not the key, the most important thing is to have fun, and enjoy yourself doing the challenges at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard.

Additional tips for a good F&B blog post:

1) Most people want to know roughly it is to eat at a particular restaurant, so make sure you mention the prices. 2) Include basic information like address, contact details, and opening hours. 3) Tell us what you like, and dislike about the restaurant; give constructive feedback.

Just a reminder on the scoring system:

- Judges’ score per challenge [50%]
- The total level of social media influence of the participants based on entries submitted per challenge [25%]
- The total number of votes from fans on this Microsite [25%]
- PLUS any extra tweets/facebook posts and instagram links put up while doing the challenge will be awarded with bonus points!

The winning team will be awarded with a year-long supply of free Cathay Cineplexes movie vouchers, an OLYMPUS PEN mini E-PM1 camera each, as well as get featured in a larger-than-life-size advertisement in Cathay Cineleisure Orchard for 3 months! Oh my god, a year-long supply of free movie vouchers!! I’m so tempted to take part in the contest. Okay damn it, I am above the age-limit. You guys are so lucky!

Head over Cineleisure’s website to find out more about the contest. And do like Cathay Cineleisure Orchard on Facebook and follow them on twitter to know the latest happenings in the shopping mall.

Blog not just because you want to be famous, blog because you have something to share with the world, and Cineleisure’s Next Online Sensation is a platform to make your dreams come true. I attended The Hunger Games gala premier at Cathay last week, so let me end off with this: May the odds be ever in your favour, good luck!

My food blog has been featured in August Man’s February issue (p126 & 127). This month, they have a special Social Media edition which talks about how Social Media has changed our lives and the way we communicate with everyone. Facebook, twitter, youtube, flickr, and blogs have become part of our daily routine.

In the article, I shared two of my food reviews on the Japanese desserts from Flor Patisserie and the Champagne Dim Sum Brunch Buffet at Cherry Garden.

Have a good week everyone!