A Taste of the Singapore Grand Prix F1 (kinda)

.
I've mentioned before that I'm not really a big Formula-1 fan. I only know the names of a handful of F1 drivers, and I still get confused by who they drive for. I can't distinguish between piston, the gearbox and other technical paraphernalia associated with F1 cars, though I'm slowly learning. However for the past three years, the Night Races held in Singapore have fired up my interest in the sport a little, at least during the September period.

In the first year, I watched it all on TV from the comfort of my living room. In the second year, I watched on TV too but also drove near to the racing area where I could see the bright lights and hear the powerful roar of the engines. This year, I borrowed a pass from my daughter and went into the area for over an hour in the afternoon to watch part of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Race. Then I went home and watched the F1 finals on TV. Who knows - maybe next year  I might actually go in and watch a Night Race :)

Here's a shot of the official F1 programme book and my pass.
. .

Once I cleared the security checkpoint  and entered the enclosed F1 area, there were clear signs showing where everything was. There were also many helpful guides to point out the directions. My pass entitled me to a seat at the Bay Grandstand.

Well, if one can't watch the F1 races, one can always take a photo in front of the big poster depicting the programme schedule :)

It was still early when we got to the seats, and it was very warm too. Should have brought my shades :)

And here's the view from where I sat ...

It's kinda hard taking photos of speeding cars, especially when all one uses is a point-and-shoot digital camera (Canon Powershot SX210 IS). Anyway I tried, and here's a little montage of what I managed to capture ...

I believe the winner of this particular race was SC Global Racing's Craig Baird.

Finally, here's the front page of the local newspaper this morning.  I think you can make out the headline on the F1 results  ...

It was an interesting weekend. Of course, I must add what everyone already knows ... that the Singapore Night Races are always held on or around 26 September to commemorate the birthdays of me and Ah Loot ... LOL
.

Allure of the Singapore Grand Prix F1 2010

.
How time flies! It's September once again, and on the sunny island of Singapore, the main event that's coming up is the Grand Prix Formula-1 Night Races this coming weekend (i.e. 24-26 Sept 2010)

.

.

.

Everyone is  waiting for the roar of the engines ... the fumes from the exhausts ... the super bright lights around the circuit ... global performing stars (this year Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, even the Chippendales :) ...

... and of course the SingTel Grid Girls ...

Anyone coming over to watch?
.

Lobo in Concert

.
If you regarded yourself as A Simple Man or even A Cowboy Afraid of Horses ... If you still Don't Know How to Tell Her About some another person (possibly Stoney) .... If you were perpetually on the lookout for a place called Lodi or a mutt named Boo ... then you probably grew up in the 70s and 80s with the music of American singer-songwriter Lobo (a.k.a. Roland Kent Lavoie).

And if you felt It Sure Took A Long, Long Time for him to come back in concert, well ... your wait is over ... Here's your chance to catch him in a live concert one more time on his "Lobo Asia Tour"  ...

15 Oct 2010, 8:30pm,  Arena of the Stars, Genting Highlands

Lobo was last at this same venue in 2006, where he played to an overwhelming audience.

For more details on this KL show, check out this website.

On the next day, he moves down south and is scheduled for

16 Oct 2010, 8pm, MAX Pavilion, Singapore Expo

I've already bought my tickets for this one !!!!

For details on the Singapore show, click on this other website.


Click on THIS for a complete list of Lobo songs.

And HERE is the official Lobo fan website.

So c'mon on guys.... relive your younger days .... treat yourself to the concert!

And remember to take lots of photos of yourself there in your bell-bottoms for this website :)

Finally one of my favourite songs ... to put you in the mood ...

Enjoy ...

Lipp Kee heads home

.
Alas all holidays must come to an end. Here's CLK and family at Changi Terminal 3, Sngapore, from where they would get onto their flight back to Canada  ...

Until the next time, old buddy.
.

Lipp Kee in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

.
Our friend Chieh Lipp Kee and his family are back on vacation in Asia, all the way from Vancouver where they reside.

His tour will take him, his wife and two daughters (another daughter will join them later) to Singapore, Malaysia (KL, Kuching, Miri) and Brunei.

So far he has met some former classmates in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Here are some photos ...

DAY 1: Crabs at Eng Seng (Singapore)

DAY 1: Trying some Singapore nonya kueh

DAY 2: Lunch in KL

DAY 2: Dinner catchup with some classmates in KL

(which of these handsome young chaps can you name?)

DAY 2: Late night supper in KL

(burp .... that was nice bak kut teh :)

DAY 3: LK trying to look cool at the Petronas Twin Tower, KL

DAY 3: Dinner with more classmates in Singapore

DAY 3: Dinner

DAY 3: Stroll on the Esplanade, Singapore

DAY 3: With Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in background

Well, that's it for now. There may be more photos as he continues his journey to Sarawak and Brunei.

So stay tuned ...

.

From a Small Island to a Smaller Island

.
A few weeks ago, we drove over to the island of Sentosa (which is linked to Singapore by bridge, as well as monorail and cable car).

Sentosa has long been a kind of weekend getaway for Singaporeans and tourists, as there are various sites on the island that are worth visiting (eg. Underwater World, Musical Fountain, a huge Merlion statue, Fort Siloso, beachfronts, etc).

However over the past two years, its attraction has been considerably enhanced by the completion of the integrated resort, called Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), together with Universal Studio theme park. Several new hotels have also been opened, eg. Festive Hotel, Hotel Michael and the Hard Rock Hotel.

RWS is owned by the Genting Group of Malaysia.

This is what Resorts World Sentosa looks like ...

In there is a theatre ...

Here's the covered "main street" area, which has many shops and eateries ...

I can vouch for the food in this Irish pub ...

At one end of the street is the casino entrance. Anyone keen to try their luck?

We did not go into Universal but went near the entrance to take this photo. We plan to visit the theme park in September when my daughter comes back. More photos at that time.

With my sweet tooth, I naturally chose to patronise the candy store and bought some chocs and some popcorn ...

Well, there you have it. A nice visit to the Resorts World Sentosa.
.

On Top of Singapore

Recently we decided to explore the newly opened Marina Bay Sands integrated resort (IR) facilities in Singapore. This was the second IR to open on the island state, the first one being the Resorts World Sentosa, which opened its doors on the Lunar New Year.

The MBS buildings are certainly impressive structures, and for the past year we had been observing the three towers growing higher and higher, and finally the horizontal boat-shaped structure was put on top. I have no doubt it was quite an engineering challenge.

Well, here are some photos from that day ...

The above was on Level 1 of the mall & casino building, where a canal had been constructed to give short rides to the visitors.

Next we bought tickets to take the elevator to the Sky Park, as they call it. It cost S$20 per adult, with discounts for children and senior citizens.

The picture above shows the two orbs making up the Esplanade theatres, while on the right, you can see the seating and performing areas that will be used for the annual National Day celebrations.

I must admit the view from the Sky Park was much better than from the Singapore Flyer, the big wheel that we visited about 1.5 years ago. You can get a sense of the relative size of the Flyer as compared to the MBS tower in the photo above.

This view above is overlooking Clifford Pier and the Financial district.

And this one shows the Marina Barrage in the background.

The other section which was interesting was the swimming pool.  As you can see, the pool goes almost to the edge of the building, and gives the impression that if one is not careful, it's a long drop down to earth. Looks scary but it doesn't seem to bother the swimmers and sunbathers.

Anyway, enjoy the scenery ...
.

Norbert and family in Singapore

.

Our buddy Norbert Liew and family were in Singapore last week. Unfortunately I was tied up with work much of the week but we finally managed to catch-up for lunch at Yum Cha dim sum restaurant in Chinatown on Saturday. It was good to catch up and meet him and his lovely family (including sis-in-law and niece).

Here are some photos we happened to take ...

Photo (1) : Food glorious food ...

Photo (2) : My father also joined us for dim sum

Photo (3) : Smile, ladies ...

Photo (4) : Norbert, his sis-in-law, 2 daughters and young niece

Hope you all had a nice time in Singapore, Norbert and family ...

.

Mark and family in Singapore

.
Mark Chin and family were in Singapore this week. On Friday, we went for dinner at Newton Food Centre.

Afterwards we went for a stroll by the waterfront at the Esplanade Theatres by the Bay (affectionately called "The Durians") to take in the Singapore night skyline.

Click click click! Opportunities for some nice photos ... The new Marina Bay Sands integrated resorts (including the casino) is in the background ... The well-known local joke is that the three distinctive buildings represent the "Father, Son and Holy Goh".

The Merlion and Fullerton Hotel (which was the former General Post Office), backed by the buildings of the financial district, make for quite a nice night view.

There were also some free performances around Esplanade area, which we stayed around to watch ...

... as well as take some shots with the outdoor displays ...

It was good to meet Mark & family. We all had an interesting evening.
.