Singapore F1 - 2009

Singapore Grand Prix - OH! GOD! What an adrenalin rush! Not just the race but the entire city was plastered with excitement. Media has endorsed Singapore as the "Monaco of Asia" and in just 2 years of hosting the race that they have this on them.
There were so many parties and I had tons of invites and what really sucked for me was that I couldn't get my ass to every one of them so again, I was in the hotel room, looking at all these VIP passes and I needed to pick-and-choose which one's I should attend and MUST attend. Obviously, most of my choices were to those that I "MUST" attend.
The Johnnie Walker Jet Black party was obviously top on my list (due to obvious reasons) and it was a blast. As usual, no one cares about the DJ but the music was good, the crowd was good and the drinks were absolutely marvelous.

The various cocktails that were made available - designed and served by top bartenders around the region. There were ladies behind the bar making my drinks - with lots and lots of luvvvv!!!

The VIP arrival lobby. The welcome was great. We had the chance to sign the JOIN THE PACT board alongside Fergie, Beyonce, Lewis, etc - as we all took the pledge to Never Drink and Drive. They were not physically next to me signing la but their signatures were there and I signed next to it so can pass la wei!

This is my man Max Loong. It seems that we meet once a year in Singapore and only during Singapore Grand Prix. Gotta make better effort at that one!

H-man (Harish) with the "I'm too cool for this crowd" look.

But when got hot girl, that bugger is all smiles. This is the original JW party crowd. Same faces at Amber Lounge last year - same faces at Jet Black this year. This is Karen Chuan - she's taken guys!

Again, Max and I.

Of course, after Jet Black, we headed to Zouk to listen to Carl Cox spin but we didn't last that long there coz we were really tired and sleepy and almost drunk out of our brain.

Harish - the poser.

Overall, the parties were great in Singapore and we need to do something to match that. If only the government supported the alcohol and smoke boys, the country would be alot better with parties and events.

Keep a look out for posts about F1 Singapore and F1 Rocks concert that I attended as well.

Well done Compass Communications

The world of advertising is very interesting. The lifestyle, the glamour, the exposure, the long-hours and of course the HARD HARD partying! But let me tell you what I constantly battle with when it comes to advertising and being a client - PUBLIC RELATIONS!!!!!
After years and months of trial and error, I finally found an agency that not only meets our expectations but also thinks of all the details that I often forget. I am very happy with the recent media coverage that we have had with the recently ended F1 activities. Here are the clips - handsome or not :P lots of photoshop la!

Johnnie Walker at Malaysian F1 - April 5th, 2009

FORMULA ONE! What can one say about this sport....it's absolutely a heart-pumping, ear popping, jaw dropping sport! The energy, the excitement, the uncertainty - all combined, blended together give you the ultimate ride of your life.
I was truly lucky to be able to experience this up-close through Johnnie Walker - of course I'm involved in it with Johnnie Walker.
Some 115 people - combination of consumers, media and select celebs - were hosted at Sepang International Circuit and the seats were amazing - Garnet Grand Stand. Not only did we get to watch the straight shot, but also got great views of the pit action and about 4 different corners of the track. The best part, when the cars approached the last corner, they dropped their gears to 2nd and immediately punched it back to top gear revs - the sound and smell of rubber - it's like an orgasm. All guests were given a hospitality pack - look up - which contained all the crucial element of an F1 race.

At the entrance of the circuit, our very own BMW Sauber Petronas car on display. The F1 car itself sent shivers down my spine.

As I walked into the circuit on race day, this was the view and action. There was so much to see, do and touch (if you know what I mean) - talking about the cars la! Dirty minded people!

An old primary school friend of mine joined me to enjoy the excitement on track. It was his first ever race and GOD! you should have seen him. I don't know which excited him more - the race or the girls!

HOT MAMA Shu Ling - she was like that candy ad - Now you see her, now you don't! She was all over the place like a little kid let loose in Toys 'R' Us.

Celebrity spotting - Resh was a guest of mine at the circuit and guess what - it was his 1st ever F1 experience as well so being an F1 hardcore fan myself, I decided to spend time with Resh and become his personal commentator - I hope he understood what I was telling him. His wife seated here is truly a gem of a person. It took them something like 45 minutes to get to their seats - not that it was that far but the fact that he was stopped every 1 minute by fans to take pictures. Now I have my own reservation and definition about Malaysian celebs but Resh truly is a down-to-earth celebrity and he lives by that. Celebrity = you gotta have talent and he does.

Some track action before the race started and ended pretty much as soon as it started! :(

The grand tour on track by our "new" Prime Minister and Mr. Bernie himself. Have you seen how Bernie's daughter looks like???? She must have followed her mother's looks coz she HOT!!!

We had it all planned man - the dressing of Johnnie Walker and the Vodafone McLaren banner and when Heikki crashed and Lewis was at the back of the trail, the banner came down.
One for the memories - Reshmonu and me. This is probably the only picture that I have taken with any celebrity. Resh -you should be lucky man!
More action on track!And some more.....
Seen here are the usual suspects at the track: L-R: Me, Imran Clyde and Raj Anand. We were real sakai's man!

This was when things started getting interesting - when the sky became dark and rain was expected and rain-it-definitely did!!

The race on wet roads. They should have continued racing coz then Lewis would be 1st coz he's a champion on wet roads.

More rain track action.

Kimi Raikkonen

And this was when they decided to stop the race and keep us all in anticipation on whether the race will be continued so completely stopped!! Guess what happened - they stopped that damm race! How disappointing!

All the cars were lined up while the officials decided on the fate of the race.

Some people even came despite the rain and were all geared in rain-coats, etc. This is my boo Nik and her husband. All that was on his mind - BOOZE!!!!!! On her mind - BOOZE!!!!!

At this point, its official - the race has been stopped and the results:

1st - Jensen Button (Brawn Mercedes)

2nd - Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)

3rd - Timo Glock (Toyota)

4th - Jarno Trulli (Toyota)

5th - Rubens Barrichello (Brawn Mercedes)

6th - Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault)

7th - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes)

8th - Nico Rosberg (Williams)

9th - Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

10th - Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso)

Some of us just couldn't believe it - only 32 laps and they stopped the race. Their reasoning - "track condition suffice but shabby"! This is what happens to us Malaysian's - dream big, built big, talk big but when it comes to maintanence - no where close to getting it done!

With that, ended the Malaysian Grand Prix 2009. We were wet, sad, disappointed and then we all headed to buy beers to drown the sadness.

Formula One Is Back!!!!

It's crucial that I blog about this because it is about what we have planned for Johnnie Walker in March and April.
In line with the global sponsorship of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Johnnie Walker has in the past activated many exciting activities around the sport. Mainly parties and promotions. Why you ask? Simple - everyone loves the sport and the lifestyle around it.
This time around, we are executing many exciting on-ground activities. This is what you can look forward to:
1. Johnnie Walker Consumer Promotion - happening in over 120 outlets nationwide, with every purchase of 2 bottles of Johnnie Walker Black Label, you instantly get a gift - either a long sleeve or short sleeve t-shirt with JW & McLaren corporate partner logo. On top of that, you also get an entry form that puts you in the running to win Grand Stand tickets to the race in Sepang.
2. Johnnie Walker Grand Stand Hospitality - we will host 115 of our local consumers, media and selected celebs at the race track. The hospitality includes the following:
- Central pick up and drop off point from 1 Utama to SIC and back on both days
- Hospitality pack which includes ear plugs, JW lanyards with ID tags and race tickets, t-shirts, caps, umbrella, hand-fans and we feed you too.
- Block seating at Garnet Grand Stand where you get the full view of pit entry action, corners 5, 7 and the last corner before the straight shoot.
- Also, since you're our guests, after the race, your ticket gets you into Jami's concert at the heli-pad.
3. Johnnie Walker Grand Prix Viewing party - hosted in one of KL's hottest spots - Quattro Club on april 5th, loyal JW members of Quattro club, will get a chance to be invited to watch the race live from 3pm-8pm with friends and celebs with free flow of finger food and Johnnie Walker Black Label. To make things interesting, specially developed Grand Prix cocktails will be served to everyone.

So, we cover all angles - if you wanna be in the middle of the heat and burning rubber or you wanna chill out with friends in town, we have offerings for you.

This is not where things ends - look out for July through October - we have exciting plans for you and it's only a matter of time when we share with you what we have in store for you.

See you at the track mates!!!