Photo courtesy of ReutersIt's here!
I have to admit I wasn't much a fan to begin with. Every time DB, geetz and FD crowd around the TV screen to watch F1, my adrenalin rush wasn't that high... Well yes, fast cars they are and eye candy every where, but still, I wasn't moved.
But kudos and special thanks to FD who got us all tickets and then made me a convert.
Let's get the facts right first. The Singapore Grand Prix is the first night race in the world, but the 5th street race after Monte Carlo, Melbourne, Valencia and Montreal.
Geetz called up on Wednesday night. "Eh FD got us F1 tickets! Why not you go and watch with DB on Friday and I watch with you on Saturday?" Thinking that I may not appreciate what the hell would go on, I told geetz it was alright and I would just go for the qualifying race.
So DB and I started our F1 day out by driving out at about 5.45pm, and DB made a clever decision to park at Kallang and we took the train and city hall.
When we reached Kallang MRT, I could already sensed that everyone was on tenterhooks - Gate 1 is within walking distance to Kallang station, and MRT personnel and policemen were all on walkies. There was quite a mad rush. DB and I thought, hmm, looks like everyone was serious about this.
Only when we reached City Hall MRT - that was the real thing. Police were on raise platforms, Singapore GP staff in black t-shirts and more boys in blue. The sight of police on raised plaforms suddenly reminded me of dear old Jakarta, where they usually had such a sight at hotel lobbies.
Then the thrilling sound of the car whizzed passed.
That was it! I was an instant convert. The sound of speed, excitement and glamour, all rolled into one. And yes, how did I regretted not taking up geetz's offer to go today for the race day.
Looking at the mad crowd towards Gate 7, DB and I decided to get some Gio-Gio hot dogs to walk and eat at the same time (never a next time cos they were totally insipid).
I pitied the Marina Square tenants as hoards of people were trampling on the floors of the mall but cash registers were just not ringing - everyone just used it as an aircon channel to get to Gate 7... But Raffles City was rather bustling.
While walking towards Gate 7, DB and I also saw lateral views of the cars passing by during the practice session. Many other cheapos parked themselves next to the fences along Suntec to peer through the mesh screen too, putting their ears to risk.
And finally, we were in!
Don't think they are just mere tickets... I can imagine the hard work behind the design, material, placement, barcode and even how to acknowledge used tickets (see the punched hole in the centre) would have sparked quarrels and many politics behind these.... I cannot help but feel for the people who were behind the race, and having a concurrent feeling of pride surged inside me for Singapore (at this point in time, patriotic values preceded the hatred of our rude and insolent orang Singapura).
Practice session was just over, so DB and I decided to talk a walk around the park to soak in the atmosphere. The crowd was amazing:
DB also took a shot for me at the free standing area :D
More interesting sights caught my eye:
My favourite club of the moment :p I thought it was not quite worth the while for them to be here... Having the booze brands would be more exposure... well.And this... was more interesting:
I thought Dr George Quek was pretty smart - not only was it a good chance to introduce Breadtalk and Din Tai Fung (yes, DTF was there too) to an international audience, but it was also a good opportunity to interest potential franchisees. Interestingly we saw him taking pictures of the booths and monitoring the ops rather closely, but after a while strolled off to enjoy the race. He was smiling, but of course he would be, as 2 Flosss buns and 1 iced lemon tea cost S$8 -_- DTF was selling 6 or 8 dumpling and a drink at S$15 -_-
And here is sucker/victim no. X (interpretation in the eyes of the reader):
Well I reckon rental of these tents would also be expensive, hence the nice prices....
Didn't have much a choice as I wasn't in the mood for indian food or secret recipe or squeezing with the race of the crowd to head to hawker village.
Got an sms from CY that I should go for the pit lane walk, but the ushers shared that it would take about 30 minutes to walk there (near Flyer), so we decided against it since the race would start in 30 min by the time we finished the buns it was 0910 hours, and qualifying started at 2200 hours.
Talking about the ushers - these kids were really good - they were patient, sunshine-y, and friendly to the guests, despite the heat and long hours of standing. They were also articulated and ready to take questions any time :D So proud of them was I that I had wanted to take a picture with one of the young girls... Anyway their positive attitude must have rubbed off on Fat - cos he went to ask the usher how much did they earn per hour when he was there last night..... -_-
There were different t-shirts for ushers, ticketing, porters and housekeeping. And I thought the housekeeping kids were great too! They held on to black garbage bags and even had genuine smiles on their faces :) this was a part I had never seen in Singapore and it really touched me. And I dutifully handed my used cup to them too with a smile.
About time that we went up to catch a view, DB and I thought.
We were seated at Marina grand stand... Keep your eyes on those bozos in front.
See how they were blocking the damn screen!!! Ok so the race hasn't started but come on! You didn't have glass as your main diet when you were growing up so get off and talk somewhere else.... #$%& even made me squabble with DB for that. DB and I always have different views about such matters.... soon to be aligned but either one of us will suffer since it is a compromise of values... Ok shall not digress.The race started and oh my god, was it exciting! No pictures of the race did I take cos I was just too busy turning my neck and checking out the main giant screen to keep tabs of who was in front. Bimbo it may so, but after this pole and podium definitely take on new meanings for me... Branding association is so damn important too... I have this warm, fuzzy feeling about Mercedes since I know that is Lewis' team :D
Photo courtesy of Reuters*********
I salute Ong Beng Seng for having the patience and being steadfast in his desire to bring F1 into Singapore... Despite being rejected so many times due to concerns by the Singapore government, his friendship with Bernie Ecclestone had helped to push many things, and F1 was finally brought into Singapore. Seeing that so many tourists have come to Singapore to witness this history in its making, and contributing more tourism receipts and visitor arrivals to Singapore, it really makes me feel happy that my ex-colleagues are doing such good work for the economy, which is really much needed in the midst of meltdowns as witnessed by the crash of Lehman Bros and gang. To all those who thought F1 was frivolous and does nothing for the economy, shame on you... Just take a walk along Orchard Road and see how many tourists are buying stuff - this was a rare sight before F1. I haven't seen that many ang mohs and japs recently until this weekend.
Kudos and cheers to all heroes and unsung heroes in F1's involvement - if we get extra ERS or dividends from the government next year we know who to thank :D
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