Initially, it was my sister and her kids that arrived from India, then my parents came from the Philippines a week after.  During their stay here in SG, we had a chance to bring them to some familiar places in the Lion City and we also went on an overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to see the majestic Petronas Towers, taste the delicious and affordable food and grab some really good bargains in the malls.  My brother arrived on Christmas week and spent an Amazing Race-like 3 days with us, going around and soaking up as much of Singapore as he can.

It’s been a great first Christmas here in SG and going offline for a couple of weeks has given me a great opportunity to connect more with my family.  It has also given me time to read more.  I’ve had a lot of surprises this year and one of that is the free book I received from Guy Kawasaki for helping twit about Alltop.  I’ve been devouring his latest book “Reality Check” chapter by chapter the past few days and it’s been both enjoyable and instructive.  Again, I might be offline but I’m still very connected.

Yup, got a pair of free tickets for the Anime Festival Asia 2008 this November 22 and 23 at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibit Centre, Halls 403 and 404 here in Singapore.  Special thanks goes to Animax for the tickets, they’re our partner in Yahoo! Answers and this is part of the perks of the partnership, hehehe.

Anime Festival Asia 2008  (AFA08) will showcase a wide array of Japanese Pop Culture related content and visitors get special access to exclusive content, merchandise and live acts straight from Japan.  For more info about the event, check out their website: http://www.afa08.com/.  Still undecided if I will attend, would have gladly given this to friends who are anime fans.  Oh well, I guess the next best thing I can do is to write another post if I do find the time to go to the event, hehehe.

It was last week when I spotted this display inside Suntec City Mall, courtesy of ING, the insurance company.  A group of people have started to flock around the display, checking out the car and taking some pictures.  Just right for ING to capitalize on the buzz created by the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix this coming September 26 to 28 since they will be present there through the ING Renault F1 Team.

Anyone wanting to be here for the F1 should have started planning weeks ago.  If you’re just starting to plan now, allow me to share some valuable info about the event.

1. Date and Time of the Race:

September 26, 2008 – Friday:
* 1st Practice Session (4:00-5:30pm)
* 2nd Practice Session (8:00-9:30pm)

September 27, 2008- Saturday:
* Final Practice Session (5:00-6:00 pm)
* Qualifying (8:00 pm)

September 28, 2008 – Sunday:
* FORMULA 1™ Singapore Grand Prix (8:00 pm)

2. Ticket prices. This varies depending on the section of the track you choose and the day (if you choose to purchase a 1 day pass only).  All Ticket prices are inclusive of Goods and Services Tax.  The Grandstand areas are the most expensive (more than a thousand S$) but if you’re on a budget you can opt for the walk-about tickets.  Here are the standard prices for adults:

3 DAY WALK-ABOUT – S$168.00
1 DAY WALK-ABOUT FRIDAY – S$38.00
1 DAY WALK-ABOUT SATURDAY – S$58.00
1 DAY WALK-ABOUT SUNDAY – S$108.00

Don’t worry if your ticket is just walk-about because there are walk-about areas which can get you closer to the cars than the spectators in grandstand seats (as close as about 3 or 4 meters away from the edge of the track).

3. Buying Tickets. You can purchase tickets online through their website, www.singaporegp.sg, and through the ticket hotline, +65 6738 6738.  If you are not based in Singapore, your tickets will be couriered to you (with extra cost, of course).

4. Photo-taking. Photo-taking is allowed inside and during the race, however only photos intended for home use are permissible.  All telephoto camera lenses must not have a focal length of greater than 300mm.  Ordinary Ticket Holders must not bring into or use within the Circuit Park any professional video cameras, handy cams or tripod equipment.

5. Conduct. Better eat first before going to the event because you cannot bring in your own food and drinks into the Circuit Park, unless you’re ok to purchase food and drinks sold inside (which I’m guessing won’t be that cheap).  The dress code is smart casual.  Spectators are advised to wear comfortable footwear.

Although I’m not an F1 fanatic, I’m planning to watch the race because it’s not everyday you get a chance to do so.  Since I’m here in Singapore already, might as well grab the chance.  I’ll be content with a one-day pass, maybe even on a Friday.  Regardless, it will be an exciting and enjoyable time.  I just wonder if someone will be blogging about it, or even twitter and plurk about it, hehehe.

Well, apparently some people at the New York Times got a hold of the same pics we’ve seen months before.  Specifically, Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, the guys behind the opinion blog (and book) Freakonomics (described in Wikipedia as melding pop culture with economics), received the photos from a reader named Doranne Lim for their FREAK Shots section (which encourages readers to submit photos they think are worthy to be talked about in that section).

In this particular issue entitled “There’s No Kanye Pill,” they talk about false advertising and deceptive claims and yes, Ms. Angelica Panganiban, described by some as Retoke Princess, was one of the examples.  To see it for yourselves, check out this link: http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/freak-shots-theres-no-kanye-pill/

Another lesson in today’s world, whatever content is uploaded online will always remain online.  Advertisers and marketers beware, the customer is always watching.

1.  Leave them some flowers.

2.  Leave them some To-Do memos.

3.  Spruce up their work area with some creative décor.

4.  Everyone loves presents! Unwrapping presents is half the fun!

5.  Clean their workspace. And to make sure it stays clean, protect it with something.

6.  Let them know you looked after their workspace while they were gone and kept “undesirables” at bay.

7.  Hand-made gifts. We all love them. A little masking tape and some styrofoam goes a long way!

8.  And finally, if they’ve had a bit of an “extended” leave, remind them that not much has changed since they’ve been gone.