All Plot Twisted

Oh look at me.

Six races of Formula One 2021 season had finished and this is my first post. Well don't blame me, it's been boring so far, with Lewis dominating the championship as usual and Max occasionally made things a bit fun. The plot we all knew would be happening.

Things got picked up only two races ago, in Monaco, where Charles Lecrerc hit the barriers during the end of Q3, and forced the quali to stop - making him the pole-sitter, and Lewis on 7th HA! Despite Monaco's nature of almost-impossible-to-overtake - which honestly made it a boring one - and Charles' sad SAD home Grand Prix heartbreak which... well, which he didn't even start thanks to the gearbox condition given the previous day's crash, the race eventually ended in such an exciting lineup:

Lando Norris in P3, Carlos Sainz in P2, and, Max Verstappen in P1.

And the whole championship went crazy.

The first plot twist.

Max's win in Monaco made him lead the championship, four points ahead of Lewis. For the first time since I don't know when, finally it wasn't Lewis that leads the championship. It's somebody else. It's Max Verstappen, and to make things spicier, it's his first time EVER leading a championship. Any championship. Of course this made the entire F1 community "freak out". The stats are like a solar eclipse, or a double rainbow, or any other natural phenomenon, where it only happens once in a blue moon.

Next stop was Azerbaijan. And we knew this would be epic. Because the Grand Prix has its own additional interesting stats. Ever since its inaugural start in 2016 - by that time it was still EuropeanGP - Baku never has a driver with most wins. 2016 was Nico Rosberg. 2017 was Daniel Ricciardo - oh my God I miss his heyday. 2018 was Lewis, 2019 was Valtteri and 2020 was none thanks to Covid. Each of them only managed to win once in Baku, and with Max leading the championship, of course WE WANT HIM to prolong the ritual.

And now enter The Race.

Oh God this will be really messy HAHA

I must say, this was the first epic battle of 2021. Monaco was great, but only because of the result. The race itself was meh. This one, the fucking messed-up - in a good way - Azerbaijan Grand Prix, was a crazy race we hadn't seen in a while. Oh and it wasn't only about the race day. Even the Qualifying Round was chaotic. Because there were FOUR crashes, resulting in FOUR red flags!

Stroll was the first to crash. In Q1. Against Turn 15. Front right tyre got instantly dislodged, red flag waved due to severe debris. Giovinazzi was the second crash. Also in Q1, and ALSO against Turn 15 - lol this is getting freaky, eh? Car stopped in an instant, another red flag waved. Third red flag was sadly because of Daniel. In Q2, and this time at Turn 3. Same cause though: not smooth turning.

During these whole quali sessions, it was always been either Lewis, Valtteri, and Max who scored the fastest lap. Typical, eh? Gasly, Tsunoda, and Alonso, however, progressed through and entered Q3, making it a worth-waiting end of quali -- though of course, we already thought that this would end in the usual LVM or LMV setup. However, the second plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened in Q3.

Charles surprisingly scored fastest laps halfway through Q3, .2s ahead of Lewis and .3s ahead of Max. Of course this would only be a temporary shit, and things could easily change because their time gaps were oh so tight. This stayed the same until the very last chance for everyone, where Charles still LEADS and Lewis was still OUT LAP, and... Tsunoda crashed. And session was stopped, and we never knew if Lewis could actually get the pole or not.

BUT HEY, WHO CARES!? Charles was on pole and that's what matters! Max was on P3 and this could only mean that the fight for the leader of the championship would still be on!

Fast forward to Race Day - and oh I swear it was the longest 24 hours of my life.

I don't want to chit chat too much because there will be lots of things to talk about. The lights out? Was blah. No overtakes for the earlier laps, though it only meant that Lewis was not leading. Everyone knew Charles wouldn't stay there forever, c'mon, but at least it'd buy some time for Max to charge on Lewis AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS! Also, Sergio Perez overtook Gasly early on, making it a RB 3-4 which would be a good news for the team because if that lasts till the end, given that Bottas was struggling so bad far at the verge between getting points or not getting points, at least Red Bull would still be leading the Constructors Championship.

Ever since Lewis overtook Charles on lap 3 - see? It's as if his pole was nothing! - everything went just as usual. The guy led the race, bla bla bla. Boring, boring, boring, skip, skip, skip, all the way to... Lap 12. Where Lewis pitted, smoothly to be honest, but he got delayed for some seconds thanks to Gasly passing through the pit lane just right on time - Red Bull's masterBlan? Perhaps...

And this was the start of all twists.

Hamilton's prolonged pit stop really benefited Max and Checo. It was 4 point something seconds! And when Max pitted a lap after that, it took only 1.9 second, and when he was out of the lane, POOF, Lewis was of course placed behind him! This was the time I realized we would be seeing something special at the end of this race. A WIN FOR RED BULL, HOPEFULLY!?

Our joy lasted only one lap. Lap 14, it was time for Checo to pit. We knew this wouldn't matter much to the positions because Lewis's 4s stop was too fatal to benefit him. But I swear the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe. Checo's crew had a bit of problem with the front tyre and his pit was also delayed, up to 4 fucking seconds. What the actual fuck? Why would this kind of thing always happen to the fan of any drivers except Lewis Hamilton's? I mean, it was all so smooth and blessed but why should this kind of thing happen, really?

So after the forever-second pit, Checo moved out of the lane. I honestly didn't care anymore if Lewis overtook him because that's what usually happened: other drivers - including their own Valtteri Bottas - did well, we were happy, and then these other drivers somehow made mistakes and Lewis got back on track only to fight with Max, which most of the time was unfortunate as well, so the Brit won. Every fucking time. But... not this time.

Because when Checo exited the pit, he was APPARENTLY STILL AHEAD OF LEWIS! With so small gap though, BUT HEY, HIM BEING P2 WAS WHAT MATTERS! The teamwork of both RB drivers would be tested here, and Checo's game of defense would totally be maxed out. THIS IS THE BATTLE BETWEEN RED BULL DRIVERS - plural - AND MERCEDES DRIVER - singular - WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN WAITING FOR!!!

Then Stroll crashed in Lap 31. Tyre failure, to be exact, and then hit the barriers. It was actually so sad because he hadn't pitted, and seemed to be waiting for someone else to make errors let's say at... Turn 15? But apparently he was the one having the crash. And just right in front of pit entry, so no one could take advantage of this unfortunate event...

After the race resumed from Lance Stroll's incident, Top 3 remained the same and it was looking really, REALLY fine. The way Checo defended his position from Lewis' attacks was so crazy, and shrieks-making - I lost count on how many screams I did that night. Another battle worth draining my emotion was of Sebastian Vettel, whom went charging on like his old bull self -- overtaking Charles just at the beginning of the restart, and Gasly some laps afterwards.

Everything looked all on track, but then God of F1 said: "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys." And the major plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2021 happened.

Max Verstappen crashed.

The leader of the race, the leader of the championship, crashed. On Lap 46, out of fucking 51. It wasn't a crash between two cars -- it was a crash as a product of another tyre failure. The second tyre failure of the race - and our arch nemesis changed from Turn 15 to Pirelli.

Can you guess how I reacted to this? Well, wrong. No screaming, no screeching, to couch banging, no table flipping, no wall punching, no. Nothing. I was out of words. The only voice that was out of me was so soft, even the most annoying light-sleeper baby wouldn't dare to wake up. I was mindblown, because, BECAUSE OF COURSE I WAS MINDBLOWN -- SHOULD I REALLY TELL YOU WHY???

Max was fucking on a roll, and it was so close for him to win. To win the race and resumed his position on top of the championship. TO WIN THE RACE AND EXTEND THE GAP BETWEEN HIM AND HAMILTON. It was 5 more laps. I swear one minute before the crash I complained to my fellow F1 fans just how 5 laps felt so long and then it fucking happened. Five. More. Fucking laps, and WHY THE HELL SHOULD HE BE HAVING THIS TYRE FAILURE!?

Proof of my complain and how the plot twisted just less than a minute after.

I may be letting all these right now, but back in that day this happened, I really was out of words. It was bullshit. All these emotional rollercoasters since the beginning of the race, oh wait, SINCE YESTERDAY'S QUALIFICATION, all gone, all wasted and useless because this fucking race was going to end like it always ended. "Lewis Hamilton is the winner of Azerbaijan Grand Prix!" oh God I could even hear Croft said that already, even before the race restarted.

I mean, seriously, how did this kind of shit never happened to Lewis? He was a good driver, yes, I can't deny it, but others are as good! But others sometime ran out of luck, so why did this luck never leave Lewis??? Everyone seemed to agree that he's got so much luck, but I just couldn't take that anymore. What happened to Lewis is God play, and it's just beyond my logic.

Well there was a gap between Perez and Lewis, right? Red Bull can still win? Ha ha, of course that's not what happened. Of course God was still with His "Hell no, this ain't over for you guys" crap.

So came the Red Flag.

The fifth this weekend, the one that didn't really feel joyful to me. It was a safety car at first, but then it grew to a questionable red flag and a fucking standing restart. I mean, it was Lap 50 already with the safety car, WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU STOP THE RACE!? So that it would not end under safety car? No, more like so that it would be Lewis who wins. Gosh, I always had these negative thoughts on him but all these can't be just coincidences, right???

After finding out that they'd be doing a standing restart I was like, okay, it's done. Lewis would be easily snatching the first position from Perez, and oh guess what, the Mexican was having problem with the engine. WHAT ARE THE FUCKING ODDS? :) Might as well just shut down the entire Red Bull team and let Mercedes not only win this one, but each and every single F1 race all the way until 2052 no??? So yeah, that was it for this race.

Lewis would be back on top again, points added from winning Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Verstappen stuck with his current points. The gap would be too big for the Dutchman to catch up. The only miracle that would refrain Lewis from winning was if he jeopardized himself, crashed himself to the barrier or to the corners, in the name of sportsmanship and honor to his fight with Max. But lol what the hell that wouldn't happen. He was on the verge of winning, and the chance he'd ruin it was like 1:infinity.

I tweeted that 1:infinity wish, not knowing what would happen next...

Around 30ish minutes passed and the race was finally restarted. Though it was like against all odds, I honestly still had a pinch of hope and that's why I stayed to watch. But of course the hope was false. Not long after the lights out for the second time, Lewis overtook Perez.

Of course. That's what meant to happen. Of course Lewis would win. Of course his luck would bring back his favorite position and of course we couldn't do anything about it. All I could do was just stomping the ground in anger and agony, cursing to God only knows who.

However...

You do remember the time when I said "the power of jinx really existed in F1 universe" right? While everything looked all messed up, God of F1 said, for the final time that night: "Heavens no, this ain't over for you guys."

And the ultimate plot twist of Azerbaijan Grand Prix happened.

LEWIS HAD A MAN-MADE BRAKE ERROR CAUSING HIM A MASSIVE LOCKUP CAUSING HIM TO DRIVE WAY OFF TRACK!

AND I WAS LIKE OH MY GOD IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?? I JINXED LEWIS HAMILTON! AND THAT GUY WAS RUNNING OUT OF LUCK! THIS WAS MUCH BETTER THAN SEEING HIM CRASH! THE RACE RESUMED AND LEWIS WAS ON THE FUCKING BACK OF THE GRID, SEEING HIS EASY WIN JUST FLEW AWAY FROM HIS GRIP!

I SWEAR I NEVER CELEBRATED THAT CRAZY OVER AN F1 RACE, EVEN WHEN DANNY RIC WON. THE TWIST WAS SO UNBELIEVABLE TO THE POINT THAT I THOUGHT I WAS A SORCERER OR SOMETHING!? I BET EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE NON-MERCEDES F1 OUT THERE WAS SCREAMING AND YELLING IN JOY AS LOUD AS I WAS THAT DAY, AND EXACTLY NOW AS I AM WRITING IT.

Phew, okay, caps lock off starting now but SORRY I CAN'T HELP IT! I'M WRITING THIS POST IN THE FIRST PLACE BECAUSE I WANT TO TELL HOW UNEXPECTED THE TURNTABLES WERE!

At first we thought Max would win, and then Lewis would win, and then Max would win, and then the crash, and I swear that crash, I lost all my hopes and faith in everything, EVERYTHING, I WAS LIKE, WHAT KIND OF VOODOOS AND SANTETS AND DUKUNS DOES THIS BRITISH GUY OR HIS TEAM IS USING!? His luck - and skill, of course, but luck fucking takes roles too! - are unreachable...

But then it was Perez who won the race, such a worthy pairing to Max's crazy speed, and Vettel came second OH MY GOD VETTEL! We would really do anything to see him win again! And his performance during this race was fucking uncanny! If things went smoothly and both Max and Lewis were still in the race, he'd be placed 4th and still it was a freaking awesome result! What happened was somehow God's doing, a gift to him for all his amazing hard work. He deserved that podium, really.

I had a shooting the day after the race, and of course I had to wear this.

Anyways, CRAZY RACE!

I know I've said that a whole lot time in this blog - although as a fan, it wasn't enough because we want each race to be crazy! - but I swear this time the craziness was different.

The plot twists were unbelievable.
But then again, we F1 fans love
To be twisted!

A Dilemmatic Fan

Imagine that you're a new fan of something awesome.

You began to love its actions. Its progresses. Its characters, its identities, its colors, its back stories and whatever related to it. You've then been to places they been to. Come to places they fought at. Just be present for them, to support them, for at least these past two years.

Imagine all those fanships you've been through.
And that "something awesome" left.

Daniel Ricciardo is Leaving for Renault.

Fudge, really... anyways, pic's from here.

No, the guy is not leaving F1.
But he's leaving the team I thought I'd cheer for quiet some time.

But to have my favorite driver leaving my favorite team, now it left me with two options: should I keep on Daniel's side, or should I stay being a Red Bull fan, cheering for Max and God knows who the other driver will be? Should I be a fanboy of a guy, or a supporter of a team?

Well I guess I'm the first type of fan.

Dang, it's such a shame, because I like Red Bull. A lot. I grew fond for the team. I bought the car replica when watching the Singapore Grand Prix. I bought the big banner when attending the Malaysia Grand Prix. I'm planning to buy a freaking not-at-all-cheap jersey when coming for Japan Grand Prix later this year, for it'd be so weird to be a part of the Honda-fans crowd while not wearing any Red Bull attributes!

Being on top-tier of the grid, but not necessarily on the highest of the rank, it's really fun to watch Red Bull. There were times when they had to lose, but more times when they won, so it was just so fun with the rollercoaster non-frustrating times! I've been to Singapore, Sepang, and will go to Suzuka for this team, and none of them failed me nor would later. Now that I have to learn how to love Renault, I don't know if I'd have the same euphoria.

Honestly, it's a no brainer consideration, really. I could just support anyone or any team, and still have fun watching F1 despite whoever wins. But still, it's much nicer when you're attached to something, no?

So yea I'm staying with Daniel.
But I guess it's no harm to still follow Red Bull's streak, eh?
Being a double agent or something?

Closer, Closer

So I missed the plan for the second half of 2017.

Damn I've been crazy busy lately you won't ever imagine how it's like to be me -lol who am I again?? But seriously. Juggling with three jobs, two personal projects, and one busy life as an adult at the same time is not quiet like a good idea. I feel like I barely breathe, and have much too limited time to do stuff including to update this blog, and the next thing I know, boom, it's October, and I missed the plan for the second half of 2017.

But no worries. On July, I still had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of the year anyway, so the post will only be full of bullshit. Oh but wait. I knew at least one plan. One, thing, that I did last year so randomly, and I kinda suspected that I'd do again this year. One thing that really matched my "Restart Project".

Formula 1 Race.

Yep. I did it again this year. Was talking to a co-worker about F1, and this little -yet awesome- spontaneous guy inside of me somehow urged me to "buy the ticket for a Grand Prix like right now!" and ta-dah, there I was, in front of my desktop, with my credit card raped.

No, it wasn't Singapore again -man, the price of the ticket was such a ripoff!- so I bought the other one that you might guess. Because as the second GP ever in my entire life, of course I would try the second closest one from home. Yea, it was

Malaysia Grand Prix 2017

Pic's from here.

No considerations. But no regrets. Especially because the ticket consisted all three days of the Grand Prix -the freaking expensive tix I bought for Singapore, was only for the Race Day. But nothing made it better when they announced that it was going to be the last ever Grand Prix in Malaysia. The image of me being a part of the ending of what had been going on for the last 19 years, and how it matched my coming there, I couldn't be any more grateful of that.

The waiting was extra draining, but it was worth the excitement. As when I saw the drivers arrived one by one in Sepang, knowing that they were only 5000kms away and one hour ahead of me, I INSTANTLY FORGOT ABOUT ALL THE WAITINGS!

Then came the weekend. It was oh another spontaneous trip I haven't done for a fair long time. Only packed one bag, which I brought to the office -yes, I didn't want to lose any dayoff so I still went to the office before my flight, caught a late night flight to Malaysia, arrived early on  Saturday morning, took a quick power nap by the airport lounge before heading straight to the circuit which was only several kilometers away from the airport, and decided to stay at a capsule hotel at the airport, well, I must say, I never know anybody who can plan a trip more effective than myself! HA-HA.

Okay enough talking about the trip.

This is not a post about traveling, Vick.

Okay, day one! Day one, was quiet of a bummer at the beginning. Overall it was unbelievable, of course, to be able to wander around the F1 circuit one more time. Plus, this one was much better as I had more access. But I missed the first session of the drivers interview on the stage. And it was Red Bull, the team I'm supporting! Still I got to see Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, even Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel but, I WAS FLYING THERE FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO OH GOD AND I WAS SO CLOSE IN SEEING HIM!

Alright! Chill.

So I missed the interview, not a big deal. It's not like Daniel talked to the fan one by one -if that's really what happened, I wouldn't forgive myself for missing the interview. I still got to enjoy the whole day by taking photos here and there, getting free 360 and free podium jump celebration photo ops, shopping trinkets, enjoying the Free Practice and hell yeah, the main course of the day, the Qualification. After all I returned to the airport fulfilled and hopeful, because on the following day, there was still the drivers signing thing I could take part of.

And so I woke up earlier on Sunday.

Checked out early from the hostel, had early breakfast, and took the earlier bus to the circuit. But of course, when you thought that you did good, somebody else did better. When I got there, the line was like that of a Justin Bieber concert. And that's only the line entering the circuit. When I reached the stage where the signing would take place, God I swear, I felt like I lost any faith in life. It was too long, the queue. And all the people around me were pretty sure that we didn't stand even a chance. But what the heck I tried anyway. Even if it was only Jolyon Palmer, I wouldn't mind -at least he could tell Daniel that I said "hi" to him.

But I think God still wanted me to try harder.
And so they announced that the signing was over.

I was so pissed. Two hours standing, less than halfway to go. If only I woke up even earlier, and ran even faster, I could at least be close enough to the stage that I could shout to attract Daniel's attention. But well it was just a bonus. The main dish was still the main race, and so I kept my head held high and stepped to the grandstand I was assigned to.

Luckily, the race was damn good.

I was so worried that rain would ruin the whole race, but it only showered until a minute before the lights out! So all my worries about this race would end up so boring-ly like Singapore two weeks earlier, it all washed out along with the rainfall. And the race itself was, I may be biased because I was there and it might sound a bit defensive, but the race was to me one of the best in 2017.

The drama was real. The leader changed from the default Hamilton to Verstappen, who had been a bit underestimated because of all the engine problems he suffered. The slippery track made it even more exciting. But of course, the one I screamed so loud about, was Daniel's attempts to regain his place on Top 3 from the Force Indias and Bottas, and, to defend himself from Vettel who surprisingly accelerated like devil from the bottom to P4.

I swear I was all squeaky like an old lady. It was so tight towards the end, between Daniel and Sebastian -I'm sure if there were one or two extra laps, he's done. Best part was, I was surrounded by Ferrari fans. So being all so loud and cringy while Vettel was trying so hard to reach Ricciardo's ass, I swear people were looking at me. But I don't care because I WAS FLYING THERE FOR DANIEL RICCIARDO OH GOD AND THOSE MANEUVERS WERE SO CLOSE!

Finally it ended, and Daniel finished third. Never once in my life I felt so manly -or not?- for supporting some sport stuff with all my heart. Well. What a race. If my day ought to end on that exact second, I wouldn't mind.

But I think God still wanted me to try harder.
And so they opened up the gate for us to go down under.

My adrenaline came rushing. This could be my only chance to get closer to Daniel, remembering that I missed both of the first two chances. Plus, he got podium. Along with Verstappen who finished first. There had to be something going on around the main grandstand.

So I pushed whatever was in front of me. I swifted like an antelope, snatched any empty spot like a cat squeezed itself inside a cardbox half its size. I ran like I've always trained myself days before the race, leaving those slow weaklings before me and joined they who had arrived there in front of the main grandstand. The Dutch national anthem finished playing, and the trophies were all distributed when I arrived in front of the podium. I was so close to him...

I took photos like it was my wedding: A LOT. And even after the drivers left, and people got fed up taking pics, I stayed. I didn't know why but I told myself that I needed to stay, just to fulfill my need to be around the atmosphere. After 30 mins I felt like I had enough, so I began to clear away from the podium front, and walked along the garage.

And I saw these people climbing up the fence in front of a garage. I was too tired to do the same, but like a spotlight from heaven, I saw this one empty spot among these people, ONLY ONE AND I'M NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT LIKE A SWEET SERENDIPITY, calling me with such grand bliss, waiting to be climbed.

You wouldn't believe what happened next. Or you would: I climbed, of course. But what you wouldn't believe is what I saw in front of the fence I climbed.

It was Red Bull's garage.

I don't know how else to say how lucky I was. To stand right in front of their garage. Exactly theirs like, theirs only! And the cars were being dragged inside, the mechanics and engineers were working on some parts with such joy, and us here lining up the fence looking at them with pure happiness. It was quiet for a long time, me standing there doing nothing but looking at the garage. But my guts once again told me to stay for at least 15 more minutes, without knowing why.

And he was right.

People from my right started shouting. That kind of shout in a concert where people realize that it's about to start. That kind of atmosphere in a gig where the main star shows a bit of his presence.

Yep, Daniel appeared.

With Max. And the old lady I unleashed earlier during the race, suddenly came back. As a crazy fanboy who seemed ready to jump in and crouch the idol. My brain was blank, and my mouth kept shouting Daniel's name. Only the name, nothing else. I was blinded by excitement I think I forgot other words but his name. No shame at all, because thanks to that restless shouting, he FUCKING WAVED AT ME, WHAT THE HELL WHY AM I SO EXCITING AND TYPING IN ALL CAPS AGAIN? OH YEAH BECAUSE IT WAS DANIEL RICCIARDO WAVING AT ME, AND HELL YEA IT WAS THE CLOSEST I COULD BE TO HIM!

Fuck, chill Vick, that's not even the best part.

No, I lied. Of course it was the best part.

Although what happened after that was also unforgettable to me. They were appearing in front of the garage to do the trophy shots, as they got double podium that race. My camera never once stopped working. Photos, videos, photos, videos, stupid selfies, photos, I didn't want to miss even one second.

Because I was too lucky, and I wanted to keep this forever.

It looks like a photo taken by journalist, eh? But no. IT'S ME!

No considerations.

But no regrets, at all.

Because all my random plans paid off. All my tight, not-staying-in-downtown-not-even-staying-away-from-the-airport schedule succeeded. And most importantly, my wish to get real close to my idol came true -lol it made me sound like a freaky psychopath BUT TO HELL WITH THAT!.

But I think God still wants me to try harder.
Because after all, I still don't have any photo with the honey badger.

Maybe next time, next time for real.

In Japan, China, or maybe his home Australia,

I'll be actually that close

Appointment with P. Sherman

This,

Is a glimpse of my favorite corner in my bedroom.

Along with many other stuff I didn't snap in this frame, I put these three -plus that cute photograph of my baby days- in random orders. No reasons, no considerations. All arranged just because the angle pleased my eyes.

The kangaroo doll came in first. My mom impulsively bought that from her trip in Melbourne last year, and being confused of what to do with the typical tourist trinket, she just gave it to me. The fish tank arrived after I watched "Finding Dory" just this year. June, or July this year, I guess. It's a build-your-own tank which took me hours to make -including the fishes because yes, those two beauties started from stupid little pieces- so yea, it's such a waste if I don't show it off and of course it's an honor to expose my mini dentist tank on my table tops. And the Red Bull cap, was bought in Singapore, during my F1 trip several months ago -you know the story. It belonged to Daniel Ricciardo, my favorite driver from Perth.

Quiet a few weeks after this scene was arranged,

I realized that there was something on with these three.

But I took it for granted until two months ago, when I finally once again jumped into an AirAsia Big Sale, and successfully booked another big trip. Guess where it will be.

Yep,

A U S T R A L I A

Pic's from here.

The land down under has always been something I'm dying to visit. So by the second I spotted these super cheap flights covering the east coast's top cities, well, I don't care much about anything else. So there I was, laughing in front of my laptop on the low table, teeth colliding as I laughed too much in excitement, head tilted up in pride and satisfaction and a bit of pain, and I caught these three staring at me.

Mom's kangaroo minion,
EAC's famous inhabitants,
And my Aussie guy's hat.

So it was a sign.

Well I don't believe that much in superstitions.

But this one's just too real, and too coincidental.

Maybe, MAYBE, because I had my teeth hurting,
It turned out to be the dentist's way to invite me,

The 42 Wallaby Way

Bully

Okay so no F1 Grand Prix this weekend.

I know, sucks, but I have a good idea.

Let's talk about one topic that has been really much talked about lately.

Yea, it's

"VERSTAPPEN vs FERRARI"

(I like how it all starts with the sound of "VER"s)

So happy I could find such beautiful photo of them three. It's from here though.

Collision between the teenager and the two F1 legends happened all the way back before the summer break, if I'm not mistaken. But of course, the most recognized occurrence, the one where it all began, took place in Belgium.

Pic's from here.

Spa is one of my favorite Grand Prixes. Hamilton's blast from P20 something to podium, Magnussen's big crash, clashes all around the places and then, there were Max vs Kimi.

The two was going on a fierce battle all laps long. And this was actually the time where the trend of Max's underbraking started. Oh yeah the kid played dirty many times in front of the Finn. And boy he was was totally pissed.

And he started to be all in rage and kept on swearing on the radio. I even reached the point where I thought after the race was finished, Kimi would come to Max and beat the crap out of that kid. Because dude, it's Kimi Räikkönen. You don't want to mess with him.

It's like a school drama. Where the big guy felt intimidated by spineless guy who apparently is brighter than him. And he begins to be filled with rage. While the smaller one could just defend himself, in an obvious fear.

And when I thought this was hilarious enough, Mexico served some other comedy.

Pic's from here.

Even better.

Because this happened exactly on the last lap. The whole race was so so but THIS happened, exactly on the last lap, thanks to the drama of Max vs Sebastian.

The junior was on P3, the latter was on P4. It was a virgin-tight close head-to-head catch-up until suddenly, on Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez's infamous turn one, Max slipped and rode off track to get a 'privileged' shortcut, leading him to a podium.

But everyone knows that he'd be given penalty so Seb, being an annoying jackass of his own, interrupted Max's celebration by giving him a super "no, no, don't be happy yet, kiddo" gesture while driving along the then-3rd winner.

It was an intense podium switchings.

Verstappen was there already, chilling with the top 2 -which is of course, the Mercedes guys- while suddenly his face changed. That face. Fuck, so funny. A face of somebody being rejected. And to make it even better, it was a kid's face for God's sake. Yes, he was given 5 seconds penalty, causing the German to be the 3rd in Mexico.

Back on track, Seb was being paraded by his fellow Ferrari crews. Oh my God this was so colossal. The young Dutch was out already, and the podium was all for Vettel.

Shit, man.

Verstappen's face.

And Vettel's parade.

It was worth my slept-early-and-woke-up-late-at-night-because-Mexico-is-like-12-hours-later-than-Indonesia sacrifice.

Just look at Max's face when Vettel's moving towards the podium. SO PRECIOUS.

Lol. This bully.

I actually imagined that scene where Verstappen parted ways with his friends (his team), and his brother (Ricciardo) goes away from some other business. He's riding a bike through a slum dark alley, and the Ferrari gang, co-led by Kimi and Seb, is there already, waiting to beat him.

Ha-ha.

Well. I'm not here to judge who's right or wrong, because obviously Verstappen was being unethical but it was just natural to defend himself. And no I'm not on Max's side because my fave is Daniel it has nothing to do with his partner. I'm bringing this up because I never thought F1 would be this much entertaining.

It's just so funny to see how the Red Bull rookie acts.

And it's even funnier to see how the reds react.

But beware, Ferrari.

You can be the bully off-track.

But it's pretty clear so far that on track,

The kid is your fiery, red bully

P.S.: You do know that the plot twist of who gets the 3rd podium didn't end there, don't you? Yes, Vettel was given 10s penalty for underbraking Ricciardo while fighting with Verstappen so eventually, the 3rd place was for the Australian. Fuck MexicanGP. Best one yet.

The Race I Can't Get Enough

It's been a while since the last time I posted about F1.

It's even been a while since the last time I posted anything here.

Am I losing interest in the series?

Hell. No.

I've just been toning it down a little so I don't spill my blog way too much -I do it on my Twitter account already so I guess that'd be enough. If you ask whether I am still watching the tournament or not, the answer is totally yes.

I was there by Spa during the Belgian Grand Prix. Of course I wouldn't want to miss that one: the race after one month of summer break which obviously, was anticipated. The race turned out to be a major comeback show with lots of twists including uncommon lineup -Vettel and Raikkonen almost on the front, Hamilton on the far back, Sainz's tyre blast, Ferrari clash, and on top of all, of course, the RED FLAG by Magnussen's huge crash, topped with Hamilton's podium despite his start from P21.

I was also there by Monza which race was, fine. A little bit boring though, compared to the preceding GP which served hell of a drama. But I saw Vettel again on podium so it was something refreshing especially because, of course, one of the Ferrari boys had to win in Italy.

Not to mention last week too—I was there in Singapore. Only this time, I'm saying it literally. As I actually flew there to my neighbor, wore my amateur F1-fan spirit on, hailed down to Marina Bay to get the ticket I bought online for

Singapore Grand Prix 2016

Pic's from here.

Fuck.

It was so spontaneous. I mean, most people would think, if I tell them that I watch the Grand Prix, that I had planned it way in advance, bought the ticket since like, last year, and prepared my ass off to come to Marina Bay. Turns out, no.

You knew how my interest towards F1 started. Rio Haryanto. Then I began to fall in love with the whole performance, despite the fact that Rio doesn't shine at all. But still, when I knew that they'd be racing in Singapore, I bought the flight despite all the works and bureaucracy I should be facing at the office, and despite the fact that Rio eventually stopped participating F1. And one more thing that was actually crazy was that I hadn't even bought the F1 ticket yet until a week prior the race, so yes, one word for all of this: fvcking spontaneous -well, two words?

Next thing I know, last week I was in front of Marina Bay Street Circuit already. Damn, the moment of truth. Even until that second—no. Even until this very exact second, I still can't believe that I actually did watch the race. But there I was, in front of Gate 3, stepping inside the edge of the road with Red Bull cap I just bought on my head, living the race air as if I'm one of those avid fans.

And speaking about the race, it went exactly as I imagined. Tough, tight, crazy stuff happened even just a second after the race started -that Hulkenberg crash was really something!- then the Kvyat v Verstappen duel oh, it made the mid-race much more alive the cameras couldn't even take their lenses off of those two. But of course the main drama happened on the leads, and guess what, it got more and more intense reaching the end of the race!

Oh yes, it was my idol Daniel Ricciardo, who was this close to win Singapore GP. He stayed at P2 the whole race, with Nico Rosberg ahead of him. Starting from lap 55 of 61, Rosberg, who hadn't switched tires, started to lose his pace and the 22 seconds gap between him and my brother -so Mr Ricciardo, if you ever EVER read this blog post, yes, I want me to be your brother- kept decreasing and decreasing. It was so fvcking intense, as it was only 2 seconds gap between them, but that damn Rosberg was really good that he could manage leading til the checkered flag waved. If only there was one more lap, Daniel could win. But hey, 2nd place's great! And the best stuff was, he gave a very very entertaining fight -you don't want to hear the story of me screaming and screeching in excitement during the last 10 laps of the game.

Photo belongs to Red Bull Racing's Twitter account.

Crazy.

And you know what made it crazier?
That this time I watched it all live.

Well it's not that I could get a clear vision of each cars and their maneuvers and what they did along the 61 laps, lol, of course not, I don't have that godly skill. I still got to see the whole race in one big screen, as if I was at home watching it with my TV.

But then again, I was there, just several yards away from those people I could only just see on screen this last 6 months. I was there among those people you could see from your TV during the GP. I was actually hearing the exact engine sound, witnessing the black-emerald colors of the Mercedes cars, blue-red-yellow sparks of the Red Bulls, raging vermilion figure of the Ferraris—I heard, and saw them all! Flashing before my very own ears and eyes.

And it's not just about the actual race itself that I still can't stop replaying from that night. It's the atmosphere too. Seeing all those F1 enthusiasts, from the hardcores to amateur ones like me, to those little rascals who only came for the concerts, sitting by the field like a picnic court, gathering with all these people to cheer and watch the race together, walking myself to and fro throughout the circuit to find spots that could get me closer to the cars, and those wonderful fireworks lit when Rosberg hit the finish line... Damn. Nothing failed me!

Even far from the place, like on my way from my hostel in Bugis to the venue in City Hall, the F1 mood was everywhere in the air! With people walking down to the circuit already wearing their lanyards, with all the trinkets of F1 from flags, banners, posters, inside the MRT, by the malls—even when I returned home, I still got to relive the race stuff because apparently my English roommate was also there to catch the GP and we kept talking and talking and bragging about the race... DAMN!

Whatever I did, it was all about F1. 

I don't know about those guys who's been watching Formula One their whole life. But I, clearly, I can't get over it. I can't get over Singapore GP and all its fantastic obscurity just yet. And I'm sure I won't be over it any time soon.

Because well,

For an amateur fan, it was

A memorable one