Singapore F1 Grand Prix - Final Race (Part 2)

Hi,

Here is another slideshow of more photos taken during the final race.

And a video of the racing taking at the corner opposite Victoria Theatre, and the cars coming out of Anderson Bridge and turning into Esplanade Drive. Turn up the volume to enjoy the roaring of the F1 car engines.

Singapore F1 Grand Prix - Final Race (Part 1)

Hi,

World's First F1 Night Race held in Singapore - a race of thrills and spills..!

Alonso stormed from 15th postition to win the drama packed race!

Massa went from 1st to 13th placing after pitstop blunder while Raikkonen crashed out with 3 aps to go! A Ferrari disaster indeed.....!

We were supporting Massa as we did not want Lewis Hamilton to win. But we are also happy that Alonso won as he deserves it as he has the fastest lap time during the practice and Qualification 1 until his car engine stalled in the 2nd qualification round.

Also, we read that Lewis missed the lunch invitation by our President and all the drivers were present! Arrogant young man....?

My family & I were thrilled to be part of this historic event and we arrived at the venue through Gate 4 around 6pm. The crowd was already there as there were some other events in the afternoon.

Though my wife & I have been attending the practice and qualification sessions over the past 2 evenings, yesterday night was the most electrifying as the crowd was much bigger and the roar of the F1 car engines were fantastic and really got everyone energy level up...

Jason, my son, managed to join us and it was indeed an experience for him too!

Finally, the F1 night race has also given a lot of publicity on Singapore.

Here are some photos taken of the venue and the racing cars turning at one of the corners. Hope you will enjoy it.

Please click on the 'X' on the upper right-hand corner if the slideshow is not showing anything.

Singapore F1 Grand Prix - Day 2

Hi,

My wife & I went to the race track around 6pm and the sun has not set yet but the crowd was already there.

I took my digital camera and I have better shots of the racing cars this time. I wish I have a digital DSLR camera instead!

The newspapers have reported that this first time night race in Singapore, has been very well organised as it is like a carnival. There was abundant food stalls and entertainment in-between the practice runs to keep the crowd attention.

Again, the roaring sound of the F1 car engines really got my adrenalin going and it was really an experience indeed and we are glad to be part of it. Ear-plugs are a must!

Tonight is the actual race itself and we will be going with our son, Jason, who has missed the past 2 evenings as he was away on a school camp.

Please click on the 'X' on the top-right-hand corner of the display if the slideshow is blank.

Singapore F1 Grand Prix - Day 1

Hi,

My wife and I went to the racing track after work and a quick dinner to catch some of the practice sessions by the drivers.

I did not expect much other some noise and the F1 cars just passing us by at high speed initially but ended up staying longer then intended.

But as we got nearer to the gates, the very loud engine noise could be heard and it got our adrenalin going too.

Yes, ear plugs were essential though I doubt it initially. We managed to buy some...!

We entered Gate 6 and was able to see the racing cars making a corner at that part of the race track. As they have to slow down at the corner, it is a good place to watch the racing cars though they were still going very fast.

I did not bring my digital camera so have to use my mobile camera instead so all the photos of the racing cars are terrible but the static photos were acceptable.

We did a fair bit of walking passing a few gates were on site for about 1.5 hours and we are very tired now....; walking from Shenton Way all the way to Esplanade and back to City Hall to catch the MRT home.

Luckily, the crowded was not as bad but I expect it to grow on Sat nad Sun nights though eventhough part of the race will be shown 'live' on TV. Although, u can enjoy watching it from the comfort of your home but the experience on site really get your adrenalin going.

Well, we should be better prepared for Day 2 at the race..... and I will bring my digital camera along though I met a keen photographer and he was telling me that it was very difficult to take photos from behind the fence ( his camera is in the professional range and cost S$6K..! ). A grandstand ticket would be great for photographers!

Please click on the 'X' on the top right-hand corner if the slideshow is not being displayed.

Singapore - Least Corrupt Nation

Hi,

I am proud to see that it is recenlty reported that Singapore is ranked among the world's least corrupt nations.

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Singapore as the 4th least corrupt country in the world.

David

Singapore Formula One Night Race - Countdown

Hi,

Only a few more days to the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, the first night race in the world...!

We received 3 complimentary F1 tickets for the 3 nights, 26 Sep Fri to 28 Sep Sun, of fast racing....!

I was having lunch near the street race track and decided to check it out so here are some photos of a part of the street race track.

Please click on the 'X' on the top right hand corner of the screen if the slideshow is not displayed.

I will keep you updated after I have been to the F1 race this weekend so stay tuned.....

David

Singapore Flag & National Athem

Hi,

It was so good to see out Singapore Flag raised and the national athem played during the Gold medal presentation to our women swimmer, Pin Xiu.

I also saw the interview with the 2 girls, Laurentia & Pin Xiu, on Channel News Asia Prime Time morning news today.

I salute them for their achievements and their dreams.

Singapore Swimmer Won Gold in Paralympics

Hi,

Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu has won the first gold medal for Singapore at the Beijing Paralympics in the 50-metre backstroke finals.

Yip broke her own world record during the heats earlier Monday. She clocked a new world and Paralympic record time of 57.92 seconds.















Yip on Saturday clinched Singapore's first silver at the Paralympics, in the women's 50-metre freestyle finals. Despite not coming in first in the finals, she maintains the new world and paralympic record she set in the heats earlier on Saturday, with a timing of 57.04 seconds.



Singapore has won four medals in the Beijing Paralympics. Rider Laurentia Tan aced two bronze medals in equestrian.


We are so proud of these 2 women...!!!

Congratulations to Laurentia Tan

Hi,

We are so proud of Laurentia Tan for winning 2 Bronze medals in the recent 13th Paralympic games.

She became Singapore's 1st Paralympic medallist when she came in 3rd for the individual championship (Grade 1a) event at the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Centre in Shatin.

Then she won another bronze medal for the individual freestyle test (Grade 1a).

She quit her job as a mental health worker in June 2008 to train full-time, a sacrifice that have paid off.

I think she deserves as much credit and recognition as the table-tennis women team who also won a bronze medal in their Olympic recently.

Also, fantastic support from her parents and grandparents. I doubt she could have made it so far if her parents have not moved her to live in UK when she was 4 years old.

Once again, we are proud of you.......Laurentia Tan .... our true blue Singaporean who lives in UK but still retain her citizenship!

Check out the blog below for more information on her .........

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2008/9/2/nothing-to-lose

No Outside Food & Drinks !

Hi,

I was having a late breakfast & early lunch ( brunch ? ) with a friend in a coffee shop near my home this morning.

A car pulled up and the mother asked her young daughter to reserve the table next to ours. The Primary School girl ( she was in school uniform and from Jason's ex-school too ) came out of the car and sat at the table with a book and a bottle of water.

The coffee lady came to clear her table and pointed her to a sign that says " No Outside Food & Drinks ! ". She also spoke to the small girl but I did not catch what she was telling her.

I was a bit upset as the coffee lady could have waited for an adult to address the issue. I wonder whether the small girl felt intimidated and what is the impact on her. Did she share it with her mother when she came or she may be fearful from then onwards of bringing in a bottle of water into a coffee shop?

I was also carrying a bottle of water in my bag too but no intention to drink it in the coffee shop though. It is more for me when I am walking along the road or even on the bus as I am recovering from a sore throat and cold.

I think the coffee lady or waiters in restaturant should use their discretion and observe the customers before they decide on the actions to be taken.

My mother likes to drink from her own bottle of water as she does not take outside drinks or she would order a cup of warm water, if necessary. But she always keep a small bottle in her handbag and takes it out after the meal...... Yes, she could put me in a spot at times if we are dining in a restaurant..!

We should also give some allowances to children too, I think.

Penang Holiday - Some Photos

Hi

A few photos of my recent trip back to Penang, Malaysia.

Signage outside Gurney Plaza shopping mall in Gurney Drive.

The sea is in the background if you can see beyond the trees.

The latern decoration is in preparation for the coming Hari Raya holidays.

We enjoyed shopping and watching movies at Gurvey Plaza.... cheaper too!

Holiday Beach Resort - where we have our daily breakfast......

Quite a good breakfast spread too .......

This is a newer food court in Penang and quite clean too besides the good food.....


Jason liked the local 'Chee Cheong Fun' but and the sauces are slightly different too, especially the black prawn paste I called "Hair Ko"



This shop is inside the Penang International Airport. Last minute shopping of the local treats but slightly more expensive though, as expected.

Since my father medical result is good and his next check-up is scheduled in a year's time, and they are visitng Melbourne in Australia early next year, I am unlikely to visit Penang so soon.

Singapore in the Olden Days

Hi,

This video is great and really brings back memories of the good old days where life was so much simple and less stress......sigh....



Enjoy it.....

Rainstorm in Penang

Hi,

Just flew back from Penang yesterday afternoon.

While Singapore may be having some sporadic rain during the day over the past week, it was raining non-stop on Sat and Sun in Penang.

There were flood, landslide and trees fallen down onto the road. We were partly drenched while having supper at Gurney Drive hawker centre, one of the famous tourist spot.

We only felt the impact of it when we took a taxi back to our hotel along the beach, Batu Ferringhi, on Sat evening. The taxi was not able to send us back and we have to u-turn back to Gurney Plaza shopping mall as the only road up there was blocked by a landslide and fallen tree.

As this taxi does not have a radio, he has no update on the situation but he painted a bleek picture that it will take hours to clear the road as it is Puasa time and the people is not very efficient.

Luckily, I managed to call my regular taxi driver who drives my family in Pg around and also our neighbour in our Pg home. He made a few calls and got his taxi friend to send us back to the hotel after they have confirmation that the road was opened, which was pretty fast.

As I was also feeling sick ( running nose and headache ), it was a terrible experience if not for our taxi friend to the rescue. The earlier taxi driver was not much of a help and was more interested to get out of the jam and back to the shopping mall.

I now know how it is like to be stranded in a foreign place though I can go back to my parents place but all our luggage was in the hotel and we were flying off the following morning. Besides, I was sick and really wanted to lie on bed and nap for a while.

Well, like Jason said, it was an interesting experience and luckily, it ended well and we were back in the hotel in no time and shielded from the rain which continued till the next morning.

The good news was that my Dad medical results were good and he need not see the doctor until a year's time but I think I will aksed him to re-schedule his appointment to avoid this raining season!

The family was also quite successful in our shopping spree and watched two movies there, as it was so much cheaper.

Glad to be back in Spore, my home!

Orchard Road

Hi,

I took my Dad to have a look at Orchard Road since he was there 2.5 years ago and a lot is happening there........ renovations, new buildings, etc....

During the walk down Orchard Road, we came across a few interesting sights as shown in the photos below :






I thought it was a new MacDonald stall but it is a bus-stop!

Good advertising gimmick!












A nicely put up tent selling mooncake ... it really stood out!





Not forgetting our famous Singapore Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantry in the background.

Payment for every entry into Orchard Road to curb the heavy traffic.......


















Ngee Ann City - huge shopping complex with anchor tenant, Takashimaya.

Wheelock Place in the background, across the road where we have Borders book store, and Apple retail shop on one of its floors.

Orchard Roand junction, some major road and a huge building construction in progress....

Visit Orchard Road in a few years time and you will see all the huge shopping complexes being connected together ..... waiting to empty your wallets...ha..ha...ha....

The locals hardly shop at Orchard Road these days as there are similar smaller shopping complexes in the heartlands like Tampines Mall, Lot One, White Sands, Parkway Parade, etc.......

Touring Part of Singapore

Hi,

My father , from Penang, is visitng me for a week since last Wed.

I have been busy taking him out in the morning till early afternoon daily.

Here are some photos ....

Met my Dad, who arrived in the afternoon, and we headed to the foodcourt in T3 basement for a late lunch since he did not eat the food or snack given in flight. The food court is big and clean, popular with office staff and some students too..!

Taking the travellator in Dhoby Ghaut MRT interchange to connect to the North-South line. My Dad is so impressed with the MRT and air-con bus system here.

Sporeans have been gracious too as a women gave up her seat to him in the MRT twice. He commented that the men were not so gracious though as they waited for the women to give up the seat... so he noticed!

Took him to Vivocity and looked across into Sentosa as we were not keen to go into the island. But we have a very good lunch at Hog's Breath there, very well cooked beef.... should give it a try if you are there......

Showed him the F1 Grand Prix race track preparation; ie the specially installed overhead lights for the first night race and the concrete and steel barriers next to our Padang.

Singapore River basin next to our financial centre and the tall buildings in the background.

Also, went to Bugis Junction and prayed at the Kuan Yin temple in Waterloo Street.

Tomorrow is a rest day but we will be going to Siglap Centre for pizza; something that he miss when he is back in Penang.

These are just a few photos but we have covered quite a few places as his last visit was 2.5 years ago.

I will be flying back to Penang with my Dad on Thu for a short visit, with my family too.

Have a good one week school holiday !

( P/S Jason is complaining that he has almost full-day remedial classes in school + tuition this school holiday. This is the typical Spore education system....!)