2008 F1 tickets

Finally collected my F1 tickets from Marcomm. One pair spanning 3 days from 26 - 28 September 2008. 61 laps and 309km of tarmac and rubber burning to be done.

My memories of F1 are mainly filled with legends such as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. I remember seeing them in their cars that go so fast, you can actually see the airflow around the edges of the rear wings.

On the rear of the race tickets, it was printed "Rain or Shine Event"... Well... rain or shine, I will be there to witness the first F1 race in Singapore... and the first F1 night race to boot.

More pics here.

Edna at Kovan

Edna came over with her parents and 3-month old baby brother. Suzanna wanted to see how San is before she delivers. We had dinner opposite in New York New York at Heartland Mall. Both Edna and Lucas were so rowdy when put together. They made so much noise in the booth sitting that we were in.

After dinner, we had some very nice "ice-kachang" like desert from Taiwan. The ice was indeed very fine. And the desert was supposed to be fat-free.

We later we back for some fruits and some tv. They both looked real cute together.

Some pics here at our place.

808 tubes

Have been collecting the 808 tubes on and off for a while. Wanted to build the Shishido 808 amplifier with the inverted interstage design. Most of the parts are here, just lacking of the power transformers. It's really a long term project. Something that I can slowly enjoy the build process with.

Anyways, here's some pics of the tubes. Anyone with spares to sell can contact me.

NDP2008 from home

Was watching the NDP2008 from home last week. Went to take-out some crab and other dishes and had dinner at home. We can see the planes flying past our area before they went to Marina. And can see them drawing the heart shape and other maneuvers from home.

Except that the fireworks are distanced and I'm sure lack the feel of the boom as seen on the spot.

What to do? One pregnant wife, one 3.5 yr old and the uncertainty of getting NDP tickets... It's a blessing in disguise as apparently, this was the first NDP that rained.

Some pics here.

Denon DL-103R + AU-300LC

Above, the Denon DL-103R MC cartridge.

Above, the Denon AU-300LC step-up transformer.

Wow... a match made in heaven? Clarity was the very first impression when I heard this combination sang in my setup just a while ago.

Then came extension on both ends. Bass was deep and tightly controlled... I never heard this before... Sounds very cliche, but it is like day and night transformation... if this is indeed possible..

I've long heard of the raves regarding the 103R and have just swept it aside. But looking at the MC cartridge market, the prices for cartridges range from SGD300 to thousands of dollars. I just cannot imagine forking out this kind of money for a cartridge...

The Denon combination, although not exactly cheap, is really a bargain considering the sonic merits. I was previously using a Grado Blue, with my VSPS, RB250 tonearm and my Thomas Scheu turntable. The sound was ok, but what I heard with the Denon was really many leaps above.

If you are thinking of upgrading from a MM cartridge to a MC cartridge, I would encourage you to check out the Denon pair.

Let it hang loose

June, the lady boss of the shirting shop that I make my shirt at, told me that it's the trend now to wear their watch below the cuff. This was supposedly started by the French. Well... I'm not sure, but not all my shirts can be worn with the watch this way. The Black Seal with the Strap Works Ox Blood, is worn at the 3rd hole. I'm in-between holes on this strap. 2nd hole is a little tight, but 3rd is a little loose. But I do agree that it looks not too out of place. ;)