2008 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix

the first ever night race in F1 history. though i wasn't able to watch it live, i was able to watch it in the family room of our house. haha.

during the first few laps, the race was very boring. things started to become interesting when Felipe Massa (Ferrari) had a pit stop fiasco. the electronic lollipop turned green even though the fuel hose was still attached to his car. he left the pit but stopped at the side because the hose needs to be removed. he was the race leader but because of what happened, he fell 14 places below. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) was the 5th placer but his car crashed during the last 4 laps of the race. it was definitely not Ferrari's night. McLaren-Mercedes now leads the Constructor's Championship with 135 points followed by Ferrari with 134 points.

the most surprising event of the race was Fernando Alonso's (Renault) win. he was 15th from the grid but managed to get on top. i am not a big Alonso fan and i hated him for beating Michael Schumacher in previous F1 seasons. but i felt happy for him. it was his first podium finish this season.

the winners:
1. Fernando Alonso (Renault)
2. Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
3. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)

ps: i really wish i was there to see two of my favorite drivers, Nico and Lewis receiving their awards. dang!

next stop: Fuji, Japan. October 10-12, 2008.

Formula 1 Gran Premio Santander D'Italia 2008

i haven't blogged about the last two races though i was able to watch them. the races were filled with controversies especially the last one where Lewis Hamilton was stripped off his win because of a penalty he made. but he still leads the points though Felipe Massa is just very close behind him (a one-point lead).

anyway, the just concluded race was one of the best races i've seen this season. it's all because of a new face on the podium. a driver from STR-Ferrari or Toro Rosso. of course, you all know who i'm talking about. he's no other than Sebastian Vettel, the youngest winner in the history of F1. he's 21 years old and looks like a teenage boy to me. haha.

when my brother told me that Vettel is on pole, i thought he was kidding me. but when i turned on the TV to watch the race, i was very surprised to see that Vettel is indeed on pole position with the usual winners like Kimi and Lewis at the middle of the pack. even if i'm a Ferrari and Lewis fan (weird combination, i know), i was really happy to see Vettel receiving his well-deserved trophy. it rained in Monza during the qualifying yesterday and the race today, but he still won without any difficulty. it was the first ever win for his team. so let's all be happy for them. :)


the winners:
1. Sebastian Vettel (STR-Ferrari)
2. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes)
3. Robert Kubica (BMW)

next stop: SINGAPORE. September 26-28, 2008. the first-ever night race. i won't miss it for anything.

Eating The Cheshire Cat (Helen Ellis)

* Eating the Cheshire Cat lures us into a world of perfectly planned parties and steep social ladders, where traditional rites of passage take unpredictable and horrifying turns as three girls and their overbearing mothers collide. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, beauty is as beauty does, with axes and knives and killer smiles.

Sarina Summers and her mother will stop at nothing to have it all. Nicole Hicks harbors a fierce obsession with Sarina, which repeatedly undermines Mrs. Hicks's ambitious goals. Bitty Jack Carlson, a nice girl from the wrong side of the tracks, is caught in the crossfire but struggles to succeed outside the confines of this outrageous yet eerily familiar Southern community. It's survival of the fittest. Which girl will come out on top?

Covering everything from summer camp to the University of Alabama's Homecoming game, this fast-paced and unforgettable novel will keep readers guessing until the bitter end.

Among the three characters, Nicole was the one who really got into me. She is so terribly obsessed with Sarina that she revolved her life around Sarina. She stalked her and did everything she could to please Sarina. Aside from her obsession with Sarina, she also like to cut herself. Every time she cuts herself, I close the book and think of something else for a few minutes before reading again. I just couldn't stand it. I once cut my thumb with a blade when I was 8 years old out of curiosity. It hurt like hell so I never did it again. So it somehow amazes me why some people get a kick out of cutting themselves.

Sarina, on the other hand, is the almost perfect and mean girl everyone loves to hate. I don't hate her though. I actually pity her. She does every thing she could to get what she wants but always gets hurt in the end.

Bitty Jack is the nice girl whose life is tormented by Sarina both directly and indirectly. She finally got the explosive revenge she always wanted at the end, but with a conscience that would haunt her for as long as she live.

This book is dark, funny, and crazy. A nice book to read on a lazy afternoon - that is if you don't mind reading about people cutting themselves with blades and chopping off people's fingers with an ax.

Book Shopping 2

I paid my cell phone bill last Tuesday (September 2) at SM Fairview. That was my only agenda in the mall but I decided to pass by National Book Store since they were on sale. I checked out the books on sale but didn't find anything interesting. So I went to Booksale and found books (hardbound, first editions, good copies) at a really low price. They have a promo until October where hardbound books are priced for as low as P25. How's that for a great buy? Here are the books I bought:

top to bottom: Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells (softbound, P15.00); The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller (hardbound, first edition, P30.00); Hawkes Harbor by S.E. Hinton (hardbound, first edition, P45.00)

I'll be back in Booksale soon for more purchases. :)

Book Shopping 1

I had an impulsive book shopping last August 23 (Saturday) at SM Makati. Almost all my book purchases are actually on an impulse. Tee-hee. :P

I first went to Powerbooks, Greenbelt to check out the books since there were only a few days left before the sale ends. I saw a lot of books that I like but did not buy any. I had some important things to buy first so I decided that I'd come back as soon as I buy the things I needed.

I went to SM Makati to buy the things I needed. While I was walking, I saw the book sale that has been going on for weeks. I have seen that book sale in my previous visits to Makati but I never stopped to browse or buy. When I saw the giant coloring books on display, I decided to check out the books on sale. After almost an hour, I ended up with these purchases:

top (left to right): Breakfast in Babylon by Emer Martin; Like Normal People by Karen E. Bender

bottom (left to right): The Appointment by Herta Muller; Eating the Cheshire Cat by Helen Ellis

The books cost P99 apiece. But there was a promo that if you buy one P99 book, you get another one for free (buy one, take one). So in total, I only paid P198 for all these books. I was really happy with my purchases that I did not go back to Powerbooks, Greenbelt anymore. Though on my way home, I passed by Powerbooks, TriNoma. I stayed there for just a few minutes before I get the chance to deplete my savings account.