Chapter 4: Prep & Shop - II

Countdown - 36 Days : 16 Hours : 31 Mins

Another exciting feature of the F1 besides all the rubber that is going to scorch on the streets is the presence of the Sexy Grid Girls, Singapore is actually hiring Grid Girls and the competition is on between 44 of them as I write this blog...here is the flyer and the official website

Hmm...meeting them is definately on the cards, we may not get access to the Pit Stop where they actually roam around but I hope we bump in to one while we are in the Walkabout zones

I see Riya & Raima Sen representing Force India, well, I can introduce myself as a fellow indian and then my friends I hope you get a chance to say "rest as they say is history" ;)

There you go...pretty huh...thats from Monaco Grand Prix 2008 (pic courtsey F1)


Countdown - 33 Days : 3 Hours : 56 Mins

Early morning today, I scrambled to get online to get tickets for the "Megadance Party", the tickets were going to be on sale starting 9:00 AM Singapore time (6:30 AM IST). Oh, by the way I did hear from the Organiser who gave me the information on the availability of tickets online. Well, you can now officially crow at me coz I did manage to book 2 tickets for the party, Hurrrrahhhh! I need my friend to collect it for me in Singapore before we arrive, going to send him the necessary info later in the day, this is really getting exciting by the day ladies and gentlemen and hopefully this "Party wont stop till I Drop"...

Countdown - 29 Days : 22 Hours : 02 Mins

Good start to the day, called the Tours guy and he confirmed the Visa has been processed for my friend and I can come over and collect the passport. Sweet.

Countdown - 10 Days : 11 Hours : 40 Mins

Wow..cant believe I havent had an update in the last 19 days but trust me there has not been a single day that I stopped thinking about how I'm about to kickass at the circuit ;) Well, the first thing I did over the Weekend was to select the Seats, I wanted, when I travel onboard the SIA. The plane itself is amazing, the brand new Boeing 777-300 ER with lots of features to spoil you. Here is a peek...

Next, I went shopping and found a cool jeans, a pair of tees and a sneaker to complete the Party look. This trip is going to be over before I blink and so there is no elaborate arrangements I'm making. Earlier in the day, I grabbed my new digicam (Sony DSC-H50) and went to the long stretch of road close to my house (Palm-beach) and started taking snaps of fast moving vehicles. Though the F1 cars will zoom on the roads at probably 3 times the average car, I wanted to get a hang of how to shoot fast moving objects using different settings and I must say the camera did not disappoint me. At 15X zoom, it gave me a shot that looked like this.... so crisp, what say?

The last update for the day was from my friend in Singapore, he managed to pick up our tickets to the "Megadance" Party. Well, thats that...all set for the D-Day 10 days from now. I plan to sneek in my other digicam (Sony W-55) and take pictures inside the plane and the airport. Changi Airport in Singapore is an attraction by itself, last time I spent almost 2 Hours sight-seeing but still found the place overwhelming with what they had to offer the tourists.

Oh yes, how can I forget this, my fellow Manager who was to accompany me suddenly developed a medical problem last Week that required him to get operated. There was every indication that he could pull out of the trip, if things continued the way it did. He spoke to his family doc and was reassured that he could make the trip but he should get operated neverthless when he is back. This development will certainly weigh on our minds and we will try to contain our excitement while we are there

Another intresting thing I did was to book my first ever trip to GOA with my bumchums from Ex-Stream Tracmail, I'll be in GOA from 10/16 to 10/19. Man, life is one BIG PARTY or what....I'm telling you guys (single), enjoy it while it lasts ;)

Countdown - 8 Days : 21 Hours : 37 Mins

Phew! Just got off the Singapore Flyer website and booked our tickets for the ride, what is the Singapore Flyer?

"The Singapore Flyer is a giant Ferris wheel in Singapore.Reaching 42 stories high, the Flyer comprises a 150 m (492 ft) diameter wheel, built over a three-story terminal building, giving it a total height of 165 m (541 ft). Each of the 28 air-conditioned capsules is capable of holding 28 passengers, and a complete rotation of the wheel takes approximately 30 minutes

As part of the only Formula One™ race circuit with a Giant Observation Wheel, Singapore Flyer offers one of the best vantage points to catch the race. With most of the city circuit visible from atop the Flyer, motor racing enthusiasts can watch the action from the safe comfort of air-conditioned, glass-panelled observation capsules."

Here is a Peek-a-boo..the damage 900/- INR per person

I missed this ride last time and wanted to squeeze this in our Itinerary this time and to watch the Circuit from the ride is an absolute bliss. We have booked the tickets for Non-Peak time (12:30 PM local time, obviously, coz its cheap) and will not get to watch the actual race from the capsule but can marvel at the Singapore skyline and F1 circuit. This is a must-do-activity in Singapore and how can a regular like me miss that? ;)

Countdown - 3 Days : 21 Hours : 11 Mins

Excitement is getting the better of me as the D-Day approaches. Over the weekend, I shopped for some accessories to go with my outfit and spent a whole deal of time updating my PSP with all the important stuff I need to refer like Maps, Routes, Fares, Destinations, Attractions when I'm down there in Singapore downtown. I must admit, Singapore has made an unprecedented attempt to woo locals and foriegn tourists for this inaugral F1 event, the Official Website relating to F1 line-up is immaculate and so are the other affiliated web sites. I bought a Vodafone Home Calling Card that me and my friend can use to make calls from Singapore, this is a cheap option versus International Roaming although, I plan to have Roaming activated on my phone.

I also received Forex from my Tours guy and we plan to split it before we take-off. Like I said, I'm really going to go easy on my crave this time, lets see if I can hold on to my temptation ;)

Countdown - 1 Day : 23 Hours : 10 Mins

Less than 48 Hours to take-off, I got myself a facial at the Salon, picked up a pair of sweat bands, a couple of tees and socks. Hell, I'm all set and thats a wrap for this post, next one on take-off/landing, D-Day and homecoming. Hope you enjoyed the prep. Chow. Adios.

PS: Oh yea, a little scoop if you are travelling SIA, you can confirm your check-in status via the Internet but it doesn't generate the Boarding Pass (which is why you plan to check-in in the first place). You will end up standing in the line either ways at the SIA counter at the Airport to pick up the actual Boarding Passes. This is coz I'm from the great heartland of India but there are other countries that can print the Boarding Pass directly, check this out, even people living in Pakistan can to do this but not us. Yea, thanks SIA for the honor bestowed.

Chapter 3: Prep & Shop - I

Countdown - 53 Days: 16 Hours : 20 Minutes

I figured out since we may not be in a position to view the action up-close, I should get something that can be bring me a notch closer to the cars/drivers/race track and so guess what I indulged myself in to? A Sony DSC-H50 digital camera, 15X zoom and 9.1 Mpl, the Zoom shots are incredible and it was just the kind I was looking for, complete with lens cover that made me look like a "PRESS" guy, the damage? 20K INR. Check it out here and thats a preview...

Countdown - 49 Days: 18 Hours : 59 Minutes

Just came back after submitting the docs for processing the Visa for my friend, back in the office for some work, listening to Bob Marley (No Woman, No Cry), hmmm so smooth...how about a trip to Jamaica? ;)

Countdown - 46 Days: 21 Hours : 10 Mins

The Tour Operator got back today and informed me that the pics submitted for the Visa for my friend is not acceptable to the Consulate (coz it was not Matte finish it seems) Aaaaargh!!! Does it sound familiar? It happened to me too, talk about deja vu. Well, no choice but to submit new pictures. I dont think the Visa will come this Week, as I had expected

Countdown - 44 Days: 17 Hours : 15 Mins

A very funny thing happened today. I got a package from ABN-AMRO Bank that had a Titanium Credit Card, it was an Upgrade for my Gold card. Hmm...well I didnt mind as long as 1 - Upgrade was free and 2 - the limit was Raised. The card itself was indicated as de-activated and had instructions to call their helpline and get it activated. I got on the phone and I got the shock I had expected, they said the Upgrade would cost me 4K and there was no limit raise. Bullshit!! I said take your card back when the person on the other side said, I'll get a 2 Nights & 3 Days FREE hotel stay at destinations in both India and Abroad. Hmm....well I thought now they were making sense. I headed to their Website for further details and the person was right, there was indeed a Hotel package offered for Upgrades like mine and then I saw something that was an icing on the cake. It said, besides this offer, if I travelled abroad and bought tickets to watch a Formula 1 Race and if I had a friend who bought tickets as well, I can get money reimbursed for one of us. Wowww...I couldnt believe what I read!! Is this really happening to me? Damage Repaired? 9K baby...muaaaawh!!

I immediately got the Upgrade done and got the card activated. Now for the FREE Hotel stay, I see the Foriegn options are for Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket (all in Thailand), have I found my plan for the New Years eve? Maybe :) I always wanted to visit GOA, maybe I'll choose an Indian trip after all.

Countdown - 38 Days: 12 Hours : 39 Mins

Just got an update from my friend in Singapore that he got the tickets with him in person and said it was "Walkabout" types. So what is a "Walkabout Ticket"?...

"Spectators in the walkabout areas can in some cases get closer to the cars than the spectators in grandstand seats, as walkabout spectators are standing about 3 or 4 metres away from the edge of the track. Whilst the barriers lining the circuit are over 4 metres in height, the concrete and triple guardrail that makes up the lower portion of the barrier are only a metre tall. The rest of the protection consists of a steel wire mesh fence that you can see through clearly. To ensure that spectators get a great view of the race, there will be a number of bleachers located along some of the prime trackside viewing locations around the walkabout areas"



Hmmm....I definately dont mind getting close to the cars as much as I can to get a perfect F1 moment captured on my digicam. The damage also seems to be less with this type of ticket, $ 168 SGD thats approx. 5K INR

Countdown - 36 Days: 18 Hours : 34 Mins

I'm at it again, I always heard about these Pre and Post crazy late-night parties after a F1 race and just wished someone will "GIFT" me tickets for one of these happening places. As you can guess, nobody GIFTS you, if you are a nobody and so I started to search the net to see if I can lay my hands on you know what....no fool....party tickets I meant. And BOOM immediately I see this....



Wow!! man, a "Racing Party" huh. Purrrfect! I hit the site and the moment I read this, I knew I wanted to be there, I just wanted to experience the craze, the people, the celebrities...oh la la. This party is going to be ON from 10PM to 6AM local time (right after the Qualifiers), trust me, Singapore is going to ROCK!!

"Large, loud and shamelessly lavish, MEGADANCE SINGAPORE the party of the year, will immediately position Singapore on the “party circuit” of the world. Targeted to be the country’s largest and most funky party set against the backdrop of the world’s first Formula 1 night race, the organisers, Blackjag Consulting, expect a turn-out of more than 4000 party animals"

How does that sound?? I know what you thinking but hold on, dont cuss me already, I still have to get the tickets, then you can crow at me ;) aiight? ;) I reached to my same friend in Singapore and send a mail directly to the Organizer, let's hope for the best. The tickets are priced at $ 100-$ 250 for standing and $ 300-$ 800 for Lounge Areas, I'm going to settle for the $ 100, if not, then this party is over for me even before it starts :( The damage? 3K

But if I was really really filthy rich, I would head straight to Amber Lounge, that's where the big bosses are going to come with their ladies on the eve of the F1, "anybody who is a somebody" in this world is expected to be there. The tickets range from € 500 to € 7,250, how do you like that for a night? Damn is that hot or what!

I went to the Tours guy to check on my friends Visa, it seems the consulate wont accept the application coz the travel departure is more than a Month away, they will be able to submit it next Week, so keep waiting...waiting...waiting...

I think I'll wrap this Post and start Prep & Shop - II...

Chapter 2: Planning

28th July, 2008 - I couldn't stop gushing at the thought of going back to Singapore, I mean I was there like just 8 Months back and here I am planning to pack my bags again. Seriously, a lot of people are starting to get worried with my craze to travel overseas and how I come up with these "Dreams" in a split second when some folks plan these things for their retirement, well thats not me. Check this out for Singapore F1 details

One of the reasons this "Dream" seemed possible to achieve was the fact that I had a Visa for Singapore but I still had to figure out the air tickets and the race tickets and accomodation. Phew! Well I decided to take one-day-one-task at a time.

30th July, 2008 - 2 things fell in one basket and that was to check for accomodation and availablity of race tickets in Singapore. I reached to 2 of my contacts, one was the friend from MS I met on my last trip and one was a team member who worked for me in Wipro. I got to know of the latter only after I returned to India. I sent both the gentlemen a courtsey mail and hoped they would reply, fingers crossed, toes crossed, hair spiked, nails chewed just about everything that could tell you how I was feeling, I was feeling very very very very hopeful ;)

31st July, 2008 - Bling! Bling! You have got mail, the friend from Wipro promised to look for what I wanted him to look for (race tickets) and also he was very gracious and agreed to have me put up at his place while I was there. What are friends for huh?!! :)

1st Aug, 2008 - This time the Wipro friend's Reply knocked me off completely and it took me some time to gather myself, coz he confirmed that tickets were available, not the best ones but still a ticket to get inside the circuit and watch the race, the damage? Approx $ 300 SGD thats Approx. 9K INR. Hmm well, not for everybody, let's put it simply. I gave him the GREEN Signal to take-off

2nd Aug, 2008 - Once I got the confirmation of race tickets, I was scrambling like a mad dog to find the cheapest air tickets to Singapore. While all this was happening, I realized I better tell about my ambitious plan to my immediate bosses. Oh, another thing I forgot to mention, the colleague who agreed to come to China was ready to come to Singapore, so I had to arrange everything for him since it was his first trip. Now the problem was both me and my colleague are at senior level positions in the office and one of us needs to be around all the time to keep a check on business. As was expected, my immediate boss flatly refused to allow us to go together on this trip but I wanted to make this happen, no matter what, so I drafted the final Itinerary

I decided to let my friend go ahead of me on 26th Sep, Fri and I could join him on 27th Sept Sat, watch the race on 28th Sep, Sun and then back home together on 29th Sep, Mon. I can't think of another person who flies to Singapore only to spend his Weekends, probably Enzo Ferrari ;)

5th Aug , 2008 - I decided to call my Wipro friend in Singapore to speak to him personally, he confirmed he got the tickets, it was a 3-Day Pass (from 26th-29th Sep) I was going to miss the Practise but make it in time for the Qualifiers and the Finale. Surprise! Surprise! the friend from MS also got back but there was no encouraging news, if my MS friend had manage to get Corp. tickets we would have got 5-Star treatment at the circuit and watch the race from our private balcony (a la Maonaco style), well, maybe some other day

I was scouring the Internet for tickets and I pounced on a promotional offer by Singapore Airlines for flights between Mumbai-Singapore, the offer was valid for Aug and the trip was to be made in Sept, Purrrfect! I booked 2 tickets for my colleague and myself, this was a straight flight of 5H:25M. Man, what a relief! the damage? 18K INR per person.

Well, we are all set for the BIG Day ahead and the countdown to the F1 has begun for me...officially

Chapter 1: A Dream

7th July, 2008 - 20:00 Hrs IST, I was in the office and watching the news on CNN.com, something immediately caught my attention, it was "The Beijing Olymics 2008" and how the city was gearing up for the Mega event on August 8th, 2008

I immediately went in to an oblivion and started day-dreaming (in night shift) on how it would feel to be a part of man's greatest gift to sport, the Olympics. Now I like different kinds of sports but one of the sports I have followed over the years is Lawn Tennis. I was an absoloute fan of Steffi Graff' and enjoyed the rivalry she had with Monica Seles, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Navratilova et all..on the ground. I made up my mind the very moment that I'm going to China and watch the Ladies Singles Olympic Gold Medal Match scheduled for Aug 18, 2008

When I came to my senses I realized this was easier dreamt than done and wanted to give it my best shot. First task, was to check if there were any tickets available for the event I was planning and to my surprise (I must be the only one planning on getting a ticket 1 Month in advance when others bought it 6 months back) I found the tickets were available for sale online, I rubbed my eyes twice but it was there, 3 tickets up for sale. Well, now I guess I had to check on the transport and this is where I found that despite sharing commonm borders, India and China do not necessarily have direct flights from all the Metros. I put this on hold and went to the next task of finding how can I get a Visa. My regular tour operator (SOTC) had no packages for China but agreed to process the Visa if I could find a sponsor. I used my network and spread the word and quickly I found a guy working for me in my team who had a brother working out of Mainland China. Superb!

14th July, 2008 - I wanted some company and so I asked a collegue if he wanted to go to the Olympics, it obviously came as a surprise to him but he agreed. I found that tickets available online can only be bought by Chinese nationals or foreigners living in China. Now my contact could manage to do that but as days passed I found eveything to be too tight for a scheduled trip. The air tickets were steep, the Visa formailities were complicated and the whole trip would drain us financially and physically. And so there came an end to my dream of making it to the Olympics and watching a Ladies Lawn tennis match. Sigh!

21st July, 2008 - I was slowly sulking in to my chair when I saw another peiece of news breeze through my eyes and this one made me jump up instantly. Hell, why can't I go and watch the Worlds' First Ever Night Formula One Race, The Singapore Grand Prix. Yes....Yes....I can and I will. Thus, another dream was born and this dream I intend to make it successful, come rain or shine. Read on.