The Craftsman’s Forge

I’ve got some photos from F1 which I posted on facebook. I thought I had them uploaded to my flickr account, but couldn’t find them, so no posting of the photos… But then again, no trouble in findings pictures of the night F1 race on the Internet. Plenty to go around.

On Saturday night, after cell group, I took the family on a drive past North Bridge road, allowing the kids to hear for themselves the roar from the F1 engines. As we approached City Hall MRT station, the deafening roar from the cars roaring past St Andrews Road was clearly audible, and the kids were going “I can hear cars! I can hear the cars!”.

We took a slow drive past the old supreme court building, enjoying the sound of the engines running down the St Andrews Straight before Turn 17, before heading through the CBD and making a way to the Sheares Bridge to catch the lights from the Singapore Flyer and the Bay Grandstand. By the time we reached the flyover, we were able to see the safety car come out again.

Then, it was a beeline home on the new KPE all the way to Upper Paya Lebar Road. Awesome!

If you’re tossing in bed, wondering if you should be trying to sneak in a 400mm telephoto lens to today’s F1 practice, you probably have too much time in your hands.

Well… that’s what I’m going through. The Singapore GP website states quite clear that lens beyond 300mm in focal length are not allowed, although I’ve heard that they’ve changed the rules through some forums. Strange though… no one’s shown proof of the updated rules. Gah…. I think I’ll forgo the 400mm lens. I’ll probably just bring my 200mm zoom lens. It should be more than enough on a circuit that’s wrapped in steel fences.

Strange that I’m actually feeling bitter sweet about getting tickets to today’s F1 practice. For one, I know that there’s gonna be a huge crowd, and I hate crowds. Second, it gonna be really humid, and the chances for a downpour is high. Lord… its actually pouring cats and dogs now as I write this. Thirdly, the propensity for good vehicular shots are limited due to the high fences surrounding the track. I’ve got tickets to the Bay Grandstand, which doesn’t make for very good photography. I wish I had tickets to Turns 1 and 2. That would have been something to crow about.

Anyways… I’m gonna just get into circuit park, and see how things are. My office is just next to the circuit park anyways. And if I don’t like the crowd situation, I may just leave earlier….

Have been feeling under the weather for the last two days. But I made my way to the office to grab my Great Eastern Primecare card to go see the doctor. After I got my medicine and MC, I headed back home. I knew the buses have all been re-routed, so the only way out of town would be by train, and I headed to the train.

Instead of walking via Citilink (underground shopping mall) as I usually do, I decided to walk along the F1 circuit to see what photos I can take. Didn’t expect to see any drivers onsite, cos they’re all probably sleeping.

I’ll be watching the practice tomorrow night, cos Cisco called again to offer tickets. I didn’t decline them this time. So, hopefully I’ll have better photos tomorrow night. The photos today were all taken with my iphone.

This is the long stretch between Suntec Convention Hall and Marina Square. The actual circuit is already secured, and only a small lane is passable to traffic.

This is the same part of the circuit, but looking the other way. The cars will be haeding this direction instead.

This is Turn 7, and the Stanford Grandstand. Quite a boring stretch…

View of the Stanford Grandstand stretch.

The first F1 car racing down the Stanford stretch… uh.. wrong direction buddy…

A look at the flood lights for the night race.

A view of the Marina Square long straight. The cars can go up to 280km/h along this stretch before screeching to a low of 110km/h to take the Stanford turn.

Will be coming through here tomorrow. Yeah!!!

F1 banners all over the place…

This is turn 9 and a long look to the Padang stretch. The cars will pick up speed before slowing down to 135km/h at Turn 10.

OK. This is it for now.

I was stucked on Nicoll Highway for more than 35 minutes this morning, chiefly due to the Formula 1 track circuit at the Marina Bay area.

Here are the pictures from my office. You can see that the roads are all stucked. Man.. I’m not looking forward to the next few days.

Like my good friend DK says.. “So ironic that formula one slows everyone down”.

I was offered F1 tickets to Friday’s Practice by Cisco this morning. Apparently, they’ve also hired a yacht and there would be a pitpass involved. By all measures, I should have taken up the offer, but I really wanted to watch the race with Elkan and Ariel (Kyla’s a little more princessy, and not interested). The Cisco invitation would be hosted by their regional management, and which would mean difficulty in bring in my kids…

And so… I declined. I got my IT manager to go instead, and she is ecstatic!

I asked for some walk-about tickets for Sunday, but they were all out. So… I guess we’d be catching the action from our living room TV.

Heres some behind the scenes action before the race this Sunday.

Last week was a Watershed week. approximately 2 to 3 weeks ago, Pastor Kai casually asked if I would prayerfully consider taking up the ACGL (Asst Cell Group Leader) role to my son’s fren DT. Actually, I had already some inkling of it, as DT had briefly mentioned it during one of our boys’ late night accountability session cum supper.

I kept the thought in my head for a few weeks, but never really gave it much thought, as I was in the middle of working through an opportunity at work. Truth be told, my mind (in the last couple of weeks) was in quite a bit of a whirlpool, with thoughts drifting in and out about what God was doing at my work place, etc.

I had initially wanted to only begin thinking about it once I had settled the opportunity at work. But, I think God wanted it the other way round. The exhortation to “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you” became a real activity.

As I didn’t reply Ps Kai yet, he dropped me a mail to remind me about it again last week. When I read his mail, I knew in my heart of hearts (Actually I knew from the minute he first asked me some weeks ago) that I really didn’t have any option but to say yes to serving God and His people. I just really wanted some time to think through the repercussions, and the seriousness of the decision, as I was perviously a cell leader in my previous church, and look how that turned out. But, knowing full well that God has redeemed me from my disastrous life, and the fact that He now owns my life, and that I am a Bond Servant of Christ, I could not say no. I asked permission from Christine to do so and replied Ps Kai’s mail to say yes.

After I said yes to Ps Kai, my mind was still quite in a whirlpool, until yesterday, when God spoke very clearly during a slideshow in Sunbeam church (Sunday School). (Thats another story of why I was at Sunbeam church with Kyla for another day)

Matthew Chapter 6:25-34

25″Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

28″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

God’s simple reminder during Kyla’s sunday school was clear as daylight. Yes, I’ve returned the job back to God, but often, the worries of financial stability comes knocking, especially since there is a consideration to close my company’s regional office in Singapore. But, the exhortation to leave all things to God is so abundantly clear, and when the words came streaming through the slides, I felt the unmistakable assurance of God’s Holy Spirit melting into my own heart that morning. Amazing! That God would use a simple message during sunday school to speak so clearly into my life.

So, this coming week, together with DT (who will be the CGL), we’ll be installed as co-servants to our cell group.

-
Paul
a Bond Servant of Christ

Wow!…….

My remisier told me this morning that he was out debt collecting. Apparently there were so many caught off guard and have lost thousands. Goodness… don’t people ever learn not to play with money they don’t have? *tsk tsk*

Looks like things are coming along pretty well. The side retaining walls are mostly in place, and the lighting structures seem to be mostly there. Can’t wait for the inaugural F1 Night race in Singapore!!

I took these photos this afternoon while driving past the circuit.