D-Day 2 (Circuit Gate # 2, Singapore Flyer, Mustafa Shopping Center)

September 28th, 2008 - After a wholesome experience the previous night, I woke up early around 5:30 AM and started going through the pictures and videos on my camera. Some wonderful memories to take back.

The Agenda today was to head to the Singapore Flyer which is within the Circuit Park, watch the race, do some late night shopping and head to the Airport to catch our flight at 7:30 AM. Let me tell you where I was put up. I was put up at my friends 3BHK flat at Bedok, Block 201, North Avenue 1. It was bang opposite the MRT Bus Interchange and 2 Mins walk to the Bedok MRT Train station. Bedok itself is 15 Mins from the Changi Airport. Last time when I was here, I was put up at the North Bridge Road which, was in the middle of downtown. The place had an Indian Restaurant (Asha's) which is open 24 hrs, can you beat that in a foreign country? There was also other local eateries in the proximity, overall a very ideal location

We got all dressed up and got ready early by 8:30 AM so we decided we will go to the Mustafa Shopping Center to do a "quick" shopping spree and then head to the Flyer, the plan was to come back home and then go. We also carried the Flyer tickets with us just in case, the shopping got delayed, we could go straight to the Flyer.

We took the MRT Train from Bedok and got down at Outram Park and then switched trains and got down at Farrer Park (this station is closest to Mustafa's). We didn’t have breakfast back home so we decided to head for a popular eatry (Indian, Veg) close to the station called Komala's. They served all the local Indian delicacies from North to South. We ordered a south indian meal consisting of dosa, idli, wada and north indian meal puri bhaji. Topped it with chai/coffee. Ah! Nothing like an Indian breakfast in the morning :) That binge my friends cost $ 4 SGD, not bad at all. Now while we were talking over b'fast, it struck us that we cannot go directly to the Flyer coz the Flyer was within the Circuit Park and we didn’t carry the Circuit Access cards, f*** what a dumb thing to do. We had no choice but to make this shopping quickly and get back to the house.

I know what I wanted to buy and headed straight to the Watches section, oh if you want to know more about Mustafa's, click here. I wanted to buy a pair for my mom and dad. After looking for 5 Mins, the saleswoman showed a piece I liked; it was the Reaction Collection from Kenneth Cole. It came with a 2 year International Warranty and cost $ 286 SGD. I thought it was a good one and bought it. Here's a peek...



My friend bought some souvenirs and so did I and we headed back home via a cab. Changed in to different gear and headed to Gate # 2, that was the closest point to the Singapore Flyer. The time was 12:00 PM and our Flyer flight was at 12:30 PM. Now comes the biggest shocker (I should have paid attention when I was researching), the Circuit Gates wouldn't open before 1:00 PM and the Flyer flight was at 12:30 PM. We tried reasoning with the Security guys but to no avail, we lost all hope of getting in on time. I saw a old couple trying to get in as well and we got together and asked the F1 guys to help us out. They gave us the Singapore Flyer Hotline and asked us to request the Flyer guys to postpone the flight. The old guy called and managed to convince the Flyer guys, they wanted to know the Confirmation #, and while the couple had them handy we on the other hand had boarding passes that had the Ticket #and not the Ticket Booking Confirmation #. The Flyer guys wouldn’t budge and it was ridiculous, that's when the JESUS phone (aka iPhone) came handy, I browsed the Internet, logged in to my mail and retrieved the Confirmation #. Phew...F*** unbelievable. We thanked the couple and planned to meet them an hour later at 2:00PM

We had an hour’s time before we could pass the gates and take the Flyer flight so we decided to roam around and check out the Hotels in the vicinity. In one of the atriums inside the hotel, they put out a F1 model car and people could sit inside for free and take pictures or play games. We registered but the queue was long and I had to settle for a pic that had the car minus me. Check it out...

It was time to take the flight on the World's highest Giant Ferris Wheel overlooking the island of Singapore and the Circuit. We entered the main building and took some pictures in the lobby and then entered the capsule. Surprisingly, there was no mad rush (as I would have expected during a F1 event) and we had the whole capsule to ourselves, it gave us a fantastic 360 degrees view. We saw all the important landmarks in all its glory and the Circuit view was fabulous, for a view like that from the Flyer during race hours, you will have to shell out $ 4000....damn but what a view!

We got down from the Flyer in 30 Minutes and it was a total paisa vasool.

We came out of the building and walking by the pathway we saw what looked like a Turn behind the barricades, it was Turn 5 just behind the Paddock Club and it was not occupied (the time was 2:30 PM...and the race was at 8:00 PM). Hell, we wanted to occupy it immediately but we were also feeling hungry, we tried to find something in the proximity but were disappointed, all the eateries around the Paddock club was for the elite and there is no way we could afford it so we had to make our way back to Gate # 7 from Gate # 2 and try something there...

Walking back in the blistering heat, with a fu**al pair of shoes was not easy. En-route Gate # 7 we saw the Aston Martins getting ready for their version of street race. The organizers had arranged for Aston Martins and Porsche street races as a prelude to the F1, not a bad idea, it was a definite crowd puller. We headed to the same McDonalds restaurant we had dinner last night and now had lunch. It was satisfying and full.

We started making our walk back to T5 and prayed it will be free to occupy...the crowd had started to build up and it was highly unlikely that we could get a best spot. The time was 4:30 PM. Lady luck smiled on us and we got our best spot, I didn’t budge until it was time for the Final Race. We saw the Aston Martins and Porsches and I had never seen them in their race avtaar so it was very exciting to see them rev up and race. Finally, it was time for the Grand Finale; the first event had the drivers parade on the race track. Now though we had loudspeakers in and around the circuit nobody heard of the parade and we didn’t get to know until the first car came on the track. I captured Alonso and Hamilton on the cam and couple of others. It was nice to see them in flesh ;) I can go back home and boast I have seen Alonso you know, he doesn’t have a great haircut :)

Next, I could hear the cars starting to rev up...T5 was close to the starting point (only behind us) and one by one they came down the track like a Hurricane. Watch this....

Leading the pack was the pole position winner from last night, the Brazilian Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa. His lead was looking good and he continued that for the first 2-3 laps. Then came the first shocker for the night! Nelson Picquet Jr., Alonso's buddy had crashed his car on the barricade, that gave way for the first Safety Car to come out and that slowed down everybody including Massa, Alonso was already going to pit to change his tyres from soft to hard and he got an advantage moving out faster than others. From thereon it was all going wrong for Ferrari and all going right for Renault. Massa dragged the gas hose and knocked down one of his pit guys coz he signaled him to go too early, Kimi crashed just 4 laps before the race was over and the Ferrari dream to win the first night race was shattered.

Nothing to take away from Alonso though, he was careful all through and maintained his lead and deserved to win, from 14 to Podium is a remarkable feat indeed. If luck smiled on him tonight, I think he was ready to take it, don't we? Well there comes the end to the most exciting, exhilarating, adventurous and thrilling Weekend of my life. I Love Singapore! :) Oh! I Love Formula 1 :)

Watch the Official Video Preview of the race...unbeliveable scenes at the Ferrari pit stop.



The race was over around 9:45 and people started to disperse, again had to walk out to catch a taxi back home. The MRT Train Station (City Hall) was at a distance and I had no plans to take long walks, not after waiting for 4 Hours + 90 Mins of race time. F*** the queue to take taxi looked like an Indian temple with devotees standing to offer their prayers, I prayed myself to move the queue a little faster but it was not to be. It took 45 Minutes to get a cab. While I was waiting, I saw the most expensive club gates of Amber Lounge, man they had 3 artifical waterfalls sliding down inside their club? Which club have you seen that before? And the ladies standing...waiting to get in were from a different world (Europe to be precise). pure extravagance, the tickets to the Amber Lounge was between 5-7K SGD. Man...some people really know how to party

We got home and again I crashed and my legs were so fu****g sore from all that standing, I refused to move my ass an inch from the bed. My friend however wanted to make most of his first trip to Singapore and headed with my host to an Open Air Market in Geylang Sarai for a quick flea market shopping experience, I have heard about it but I just didn't have the strenghth to go there. I stayed back and had dinner and waited for my friend to arrive, he came around 1:30 AM. We got ready and moved out of the house around 2:00 AM to the Airport via Mustafa Shopping Center. My friend still wanted to shop, I can understand, theres so much to take away. For me, I'm taking back unforgettable memories of the city and its inaugral Formula 1 race.

We thanked our host for the wonderful hospitality and hopefully we will meet him again...sooner than later. Took a cab and headed to Mustafa's. Again, I just picked up a packet of chocolates for the guys back in the office and thats about it, my friends on the other got some stuff for his family, we moved out of the shop by 4:30 AM and reached the Airport, did our clearanace and waited to board the plane. I saw the Singapore GP Merchandise Store and picked up 2 race t-shirts, it cost me $ 86 SGD. Gates open, we walked in, got seated and then comes another chic this time next to my friend but the same thing happened, "I need to sleep" ya well, I have heard that before ;)

Just minutes before landing, I picked up the KrisFlyer In-Flight Shopping Catalogue and browsing through the pages, I found an Official F1 Perfum going for $ 50 SGD. It had a free keychain to go with it. It was very attractive and like all attractive things, I bought it. Another first for me, In-Flight Shopping ;) Here it is..

The plane reached on time, again early but I got a rude shock when I stepped out of the Airport, no fu****g taxis to avail. Go to this place, that place, take a coupon, what the f*** was going on? I cant believe the Govt. has the nerve to say they are going to make this place "Shanghai". They cant even have Taxi Stops at the most important place in any city, the International Airport. Then there is the fu****g traffic, it took 3 Hours to reach home. Plane landed at 10:00 AM and reached home at 1:00 PM. Man...felt like flying from First Class to Third Class

Anyways, that's a wrap on this Post and this Blog. Like I always say "You make choices and you dont look back". Not everything went the way we wanted on this trip (like my fu****g shoes and the sad Megadance Party) but on the brighter side it was a dream come true to go back to Singapore in 9 Months and attend one of the World's Most Dangerous and Expensive Sport known to man, the Formula 1. This was my first one and I promise you today this will not be my last one. Amen

Thanks for reading.

D-Day 1 (Circuit Gate # 7, Megadance Party)

September 27th, 2008 - The time was 12:30 AM and I wrapped my shift in office went home early so I can catch the morning flight (11:30 AM) to Singapore. I had already done my packing and so there was nothing major to think about but I could not sleep a wink, just the whole thought of making the Formula 1 trip made me restless. I broke my sleep at 2:30 AM and didnt get to sleep until 2:30 AM next night...read on

The trip to the Airport was a breeze and Immigration and Customs was just as quick. Had got my PSP along and started playing NFS until it was time to board the plane. As was my guess, the Economy Class in a Singapore Airlines felt like Business Class, lots of room to stretch. This time I got lucky (or so I thought) with a chic sitting next to me. The first thing she did was call the stewardess and said "I dont want no one to wake me up till this plane lands" Damn! There goes any chance of a social communication for the next 4:45 Mins. Rotten luck. Anyways, I enjoyed the food and the service and I used my own source of entertainment (my iPhone & PSP) than the in-flight entertainment for the rest of the journey. I tried to close my eyes and sleep but I couldn't whereas the chic next to me just stopped short of snoring and enjoyed the most blissful sleep I have ever seen in my life...man imagine taking her out for a movie with the lights down ;)

The plane landed 20 Mins before schedule (after having taken-off 15 Mins late), that doesnt happen to often in India, does it? Though it was a BIG event like F1 there was no last minute rush at the Airport. Either the Airport authorites managed it well or die hard fans had booked the tickets much in advance (point to remember the race events starts Fri and I came only on Sat)

Oh that brings me to the point that my travel mate had flown to Singapore a day earlier (on Fri), he made the most of it and enjoyed the sight-seeing, shopping, dining and then by the evening we caught up at our common friends house.

I reached at our hosts place like 8:30 PM and then by the time we reached the Circuit, it was almost 10:00 PM (time for the Qualifiers). This time we made good use of the Singapore MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) Trains to go to all the places we had decided to go. It was so simple and non-fussy, you go over the ticket counter for the first time and buy what is called a EZ-Link pre-paid card. Now there is also something called Singapore Tourist Pass (STP) which is more or less the same except EZ-Link card can be used by the residents when you leave. It made sense coz our host friend could use it after we left. So you take this card and flash it at the ticket gates and the gates open and charge is debited. When you reach your destination, you flash the card again and the transaction is complete. Even small kids seem to know how it worked ;) To my right on this pic is our host...

Now we come out of the station and follow the instructions to Gate # 7. Gate # 7 gave a view from the Marina Grandstand and Turn 15/16. We didnt have the Grandstand tickets but what we had was Walkabout tickets which means we could be in the proximity of the Grandstand and watch the race up-close and very personal behind the barricades. Before I proceed, I should tell you about the tickets for the F1. They were beautifully packed in a black box with chambers for 3 different passes with 3 different colored lanyards for Fri-Sat-Sun. The passes had F1 holograms and it looked like a perfect souvenir to take back home. Check it out...

We were on the streets approaching the Gates when we heard it racing....the Formula 1car. The first impression was that off a Trance music building up as we came closer and then like a fighter jet plane the sound was so deafening like I have never heard in my life....the engines made that noise from so far away, you would feel like a hurricane just passed. Now this was just the noise and we still didnt pass the Gates to see it in flesh. The moment we entered we saw the Marina Grandstand that was facing a hughe screen that showed the on-going Qualifiers. Below hordes of people were standing behind barricades and craning their neck to get the best view. I was just worried about getting deaf and the first thing I did was buy the Survival Kit the F1 guys had arranged that had the ear plugs, it was not great but it did the job with my fingers stuck behind them

We walked closer to the barricades and saw the F1 cars in flesh...f*** they just breezed like a slingshot, just 250mph faster. If 2 cars followed back-to-back the sound was unbearable but in the same vien it was thrilling to see the cars whiz past like a rocket. Million dollar cars were put to test by the best drivers in the world, it was an experience I'll never forget. The best part is, 99% of the times (61 laps) they would make a perfect turn at such high speeds, that was unbeliveable, some cars used to rattle and undoubtedly those were not the Ferraris or the McLarens ;) The road was bumpy as the drivers mentioned in the Pre-Race Conference and when I was actually down there, I could clearly make out...the sound of the bumps was ugly.

Well, the Qualifiers was over in no time and out came Massa waving to the crowd, he was going to take the Pole Position on Race Day, the Ferrari fans cheered the loudest. The race over, we hung out at the Circuit Park and the first place we checked out was the Merchandise Stores, there were was one for Official F1 and one for Singapore GP. Like everything else that was overwhelming, the prices of the merchandise was criminal. A simple round-neck Ferrari tee cost $ 160 SGD. I dropped all my plans to buy any merchandise there and then. It was ridiculous really. Now I think I mentioned upteem times Singapore is bloody expensive and their first ever F1 race event was no different.



With dejected looks we headed to the McDonalds restuarant inside the Circuit Park, it was teaming with people of all kinds, shapes, sizes and sex. The girls were looking sexy in their tight hot pants with the prancing horse stiched tight on their butt ;) Check her out..



We got a full meal coz we had to walk some distance to attend the Megadance post-race Party. Talk about walking, hell first I chose the worst pair of shoes I could for the trip, a fu****g pair of ID shoes that looked cool (when I bought it) but pathetic sole inside and outside made me limp for the whole trip and I got fu****g blisters. I don't know what came over me when I bought them and tried it. So moving on...the Megadance Party was held in the Suntec City Convention Center, Level 6. We could hear the music coming down all the way to Level 1 and we rushed only to be disappointed twice in the evening. First, there was hardly anyone trying to get in the line or when we dropped inside. Although, the arrangements were world-class, drinks bar, laser shows, center-stage with 6 DJs spinning and almost 10.000 sq ft to let your hair down. I would have expected it to be brimming and spilling with crowd once the race was over but it was taking awfully long time for the crowd to gather and get on the dance floor. Most of them chose the Lounge to chill and chit-chat. Well, by 1:00 AM there we some more folks than when we came in and so we shaked a leg or two and moved out. Outside the crowd was starting to slowly gather but it was long day for us so wanted to go home and crash. Lesson learnt: Choose a club or a discotheque next time less than 1000 sq ft.

Back to the MRT Station (City Hall) and just in time for the 1:30 AM ki last local, phew what an evening, I crashed in the bed and saw the time...2:30 AM, 24 Hours without sleep...wow. Next day, we had to hit the Singapore Flyer at 12:30 PM and then head for the Circuit to catch the race. We also squeezed in a little shopping spree at Mustafa Center. Over to next post. Chow.