It's here!

Yes, after months of waiting, keeping tabs on the progress of constructions and road resurfacing, the inaugural F1 night race is finally here in Singapore! Just imagine Messrs Raikkonen, Hamilton and Kovalainen blasting down our everyday streets at 3 times our usual speed.

I'm rubbing my hands in glee, I can't wait...

Here's a sneak preview.

Formula BMW practice session 1. Photo taken at Turn 1 Grandstand, which IMO offers the most spectacular view with cars hurtling towards you at speed.

Q4 2008

Watched Liverpool vs. Stoke City just now, and I was absolutely disgusted with the match. It seems to me that it's going to be yet another bloody false dawn. Bollocks...

It is the end of September, which draws us to Q4 2008. 2 more months to go too, till I complete a year's service in my company. My job is all right for now I guess. Still pretty much learning as I go along and as a freshie, I'm delighted to have the opportunities my boss(es) present to me.

The next couple of weeks and months will be quite a flurry of activities, starting later in the evening (it's already past midnight mind you), a wedding dinner of two very good pals from poly. You know what? We age faster than you might think.

Anyway, some random stuff..


Waited 9 months for this day. Lost a bit of the novelty but still a significant event.

TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 8 RS Grande Date GMT, launched to commemorate the inaugural Formula 1 night race here in Singapore with a limited edition run of just 150 pieces available only in Singapore. The watch is finished in a distinctive black case, bezel and dial with special British Racing Green markings, and a black leather strap finished with BRG stitching. Retail price is a cool SGD8,300. Gimme...

The bane of all drivers

Some people should be taken of the road. Seriously, they pose a threat to all road users, be it other drivers, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians, dogs, cats..

Granted, not everyone is perfect, and everyone has their off-days; myself included, which I will show you at the end of the post. But there is really no excuse on how some people drive. The scenarios below are what I have actually encountered, and I'm sure some of you have too.

Scenario number one:
You are trundling along the extremely left lane, enjoying a routine drive with fine weather to boot. A car in front in the middle lane signals right, and promptly switches to the right lane. You move forward, only to have the car suddenly cut 2 lanes back into your path, right indicator still on.

Can't make up his mind and probably don't have a clue what mirrors are for.

Scenario number two:
You are driving along at a brisk pace (within the speed limit of course), and a car beside and slightly ahead of you suddenly wander into your lane with the driver determined to end up on your lap. You honk, long and loud. The driver gives a "what is wrong with you look" and wanders slowly back into his lane.

If you can't stay in your bloody lane, don't bloody drive.

Scenario number three:
A motorcycle squeezes its way between cars at a traffic junction, narrowly missing your side mirrors to get to the front of the line. When the lights turn green, he moves off at a leisurely pace, holding up a chain of cars behind him, on the right lane.

Please, don't be a moron. Enough said.

Scenario number four:
You are driving along a major stretch of road when the driver in front of you suddenly slams on his brakes, causing you to do likewise. He then proceeds to look left and right light a loss cow before creeping off slowly, still undecided on going straight or turning, without realising a chain collision was almost caused by his selfish action.

Once again, the mirrors prove to be too much of a chore for one to check and a lack of common sense prevails.

Obviously, these scenarios are not exhaustive, but as you can see it is nearing bed time and I'm a little brain dead. Hence, let us just leave it at the final and also my favourite scenario of the day.

Scenario number five:
You are turning out of your lot in an underground carpark into the right direction. A car comes along against the flow of traffic, obstructing you. The self-centred driver proceeds to flash her headlamps at you. You refuse to budge because you have the right of way in any case, wait and see who has got more time to spare. To give the blockhead a taste of her own medicine, a dose of HID highbeam was applied too.

Get your ass back to driving school.

See what I mean? You be the judge.

In writing this post, I don't mean to say that I'm a great driver, because I'm not. But at least I don't pose as a hazard to myself and/or others.

Now, remember me talking about off days? This is what I mean:

Lesson? When you have less than 5 hours of sleep the night before and you're driving a vehicle you're not familiar with, be extra cautious, especially when reversing.

I was not, and hence a close encounter with a tree.

Drive safe and be safe. Driving will be much more enjoyable this way.

Car Care Pages Vol. 4: Rubber

The four contact patches between your pride and joy and the bitumen is something that one has to pay attention to. Not only do they work in tandem with your brakes to keep you out of trouble, proper care and maintenance is also necessary to get the best from your ride.

1. Rotation of tyres are absolutely necessary. This will help eradicate uneven wear, and hence keep the ride smooth and bringing down the noise level.

2. Proper inflation of tyres are also necessary to keep the wear patterns even, keep a smooth and jar-free ride and also to reduce fuel consumption. Check your tyre pressure regularly at every visit to the petrol kiosk as the air pump is readily available.

3. Turning your wheels when the vehicle stationary also creates flat-spots and wear out the tyres faster. As much as possible, don't do that.

4. High-speed cornering puts on additional load on the sidewalls of the tyres, leaving them susceptible to stress fractures.

5. Be sure to get the correct size/speed rating for your vehicle, so as not to affect your performance and fuel consumption. The general guide is not to upsize your tyres more than two times the recommended size.

6. As a more complex operation, the alignment of wheels should also be done at proper workshops equipped with the proper equipment.

7. If possible, try to scan through the thread patterns on your tyres and get rid of the small stones embedded in between. The stones may push deeper into the tyre if left untouched and become a potential hazard, rupturing the tyre and causing a blow-out.

8. If you are planning to load heavy items into your car when moving house, etc, it is recommended to over-inflate your tyres a little to cope with the additional stress.

9. Do not neglect the spare tyre! Do check for any deformation, cracks and such on the sidewalls, and do keep a lookout for the tyre pressure too. Inflate the spare tyre properly even if it isn't used.

10. Remember, proper maintenance of tyres go a long way, and prevents premature wear and tear to other components of your vehicle such as the shock absorbers, steering arm and brakes. Make sure you pay special attention to them!