Professionalism or semi-pro?

Professionalism or semi-pro?

Friday, May 27, 2016, at 11.30am, the race director waits for the drivers and team managers to show up for the drivers’ briefing. Majority of the people needed to be in this room are here, except a few. Two more show up, making a sprint to the room. At precisely 11.45am, the door gets shut and the briefing begins. 

“From this point on, those who are outside this door will do this briefing only 15 minutes into the start of Free Practice 1.” Wow, as I stood there thinking, he’s making a stand. Which is good after all. A few of them never seem to show up on time for all the mandatory events. This would mean they would only be left with less than 15 minutes of a 45 minute free practice session.

Sunday, May 29, 2016, at 1.55pm approximately. The team I have photographing for has won the race. I position myself at parc ferme, waiting for the winning driver to pull up and come out of his car. The driver steps out and hugs his teammate. To my horror, a semi professional fellow colleague has completely ruined my picture by sticking his hand and compact camera to capture that same moment!! “F**K!” as I muttered and shoved his hand away. Shot ruined, I go around and capture other moments as there’s no point crying over something that’s ruined. 

The story of professional drivers & cameramen versus the semi pros will always go on at circuits all over the world. Some people are here to get a job done, while some are just out there to have a holiday & to ruin it completely for you. At the end of the day, the ones who are paid to get it done are always the last out there on the track, and always the last ones to leave the media centre. After all, there are no masters of the track, as we are always learning, we adapt to the situation and get it done. ’Nuff said, let the pictures do the talking instead.

View the gallery here

Shure SE535 Initial Review + FiiO RC-SE1 cables

Lately, I have been playing around with some audio gear. After buying a decent good pair of headphones, I decided the default Apple Earbuds weren't doing any justice to the music I was listening to. Went through all the reviews on various In-Ear Monitors (IEM) and after trying various models from a selection of 2 brands, I decided to go with Shure SE535. The SE535 features triple balanced armatures in the configuration of a dedicated tweeter and two woofers to deliver rich bass.

Box design, simple packaging

During the initial sampling of the IEMs at the store, I didn't play attention to "other" fine details other than the sound signature of the earphones. It was only when I took them out of the box and I realised that the default cable (EAC64BK) that came along with the Shure SE535 was 1.6m (64")! Running thru the Internet, I found out that the Shure SE846 was the one that came with a 1.16m (46") cable as an extra in the packaging.

Went with the brozne metallic color. Turns out it will be a big mistake.

With such a long cable, most daily commuters would have to wind up excess cable into their pockets or carry a reel in their hands.

Decent looking, comes with the default soft foam sleeves (size M).

Carrying case for transporting those IEMs.

Decent looking carrying case was included, plus a 1/4" adapter, a airplane adapter and a volume control adapter. Except implanting the volume control would be not practical as the volume control would be near the output port of your device.

Various accessories inside, including soft rubber flex sleeves (S-M-L), soft foam sleeves (S-M-L) and a triple flange.

Another look at the SE535

SE535 with soft rubber flex sleeves.

The default soft foam "olive" sleeves that came with the SE535 was not really suitable for my ears. I was not able to get similar bass performance to the ones that I sampled at the store. It boiled down to lack of sound isolation for the soft foam sleeves, which seemed to be pushing itself outward. Switching to the soft rubber flex sleeves gave a firmer bass, and it will be the choice for my hearing needs. With regards to cleaning, the soft rubber flex sleeves are able to take a few wash cycles in mild warm water, whereas the foam ones are perishable if water comes into contact.

(From top, clockwise) Yellow foam sleeves, soft rubber flex sleeves and soft foam sleeves that look like olives.

FiiO RC-SE1 replacement cables (length 1.2m)

So with the "problem" with the long cable, I decided to look for replacement cables. I found a really cheap alternative in the FiiO RC-SE1. However, the microphonics on this is really horrible. Any movement/rub/collision with this cable would vibrate mechanical noise and it would be most probably be picked up in the IEMs, unless you are listening to very loud music!


Specifications from manufacturer:

Sensitivity	119 dB SPL/mW
Frequency Range	18Hz – 19kHz
Cable Style	64" Detachable (at ear) with wireform fit
Colors	Available in Clear or Metallic Bronze
Speaker Type	Triple High-Definition MicroDrivers

Jersey shopping experience Kitbag (UK) & Premier Football (SG)

Lately, I've been very unlucky to get jerseys not printed properly. 2 companies, one from Singapore - Chelsea jersey with name not aligned properly, one from UK - Netherlands jersey with front number not aligned properly.

Netherlands 2014-15 Home with Robben 11 printed from Kitbag UK

Notice after I folded, the 11 is badly slanted towards the bottom right.

Chelsea 2014-15 Home with Diego Costa 19 printed from Premier Football (Bugis) in Singapore.

Using the white line as the reference and placing a ruler horizontally between the shoulder seems, notice the misprinting starts from letters "GO" and carries on towards "COSTA", such that it already eats into the 1cm space above the ruler. 

Placing the ruler below, aligned and parallel to the first three letters "DIE".

I contacted Premier Football via phone to their head office in Ubi, and told them I had sent images via Facebook messaging about the misalignment in printing. However, pictures were not enough to prove that it was an error in printing and they needed the Chelsea jersey to be sent to the exact shop which I bought from in Bugis, downtown Singapore. When I sent it there (August 13th, 2014), the retail person in-charge said as communicated in Facebook (with the executive in the head office) the jersey would be sent to their head office in Ubi and the management needed two weeks to make a decision if there is a misalignment in the letters. Outcome: On August 18, 2014, Premier Football contacted me and will replace the jersey and mail the replacement to my place. Thanks for rectifying!

Kitbag from Manchester, UK apologised immediately (on August 13th, 2014) after seeing the picture evidence (sent via Facebook messaging) for the mistake and would reprint the name and number on a new Netherlands jersey and resend it to me via express without any charge. Additionally, I do not have to send the misprinted jersey from Singapore back to the UK. Thanks a lot Kitbag and their customer service officer Loti!

World Cup Jersey Collection

Ok so the World Cup was over, however that did not stop me from buying some World Cup related memorabilia. The biggest dilemma a soccer fan has is when choosing between the replica compared to the authentic version. The replica version is the cheaper of the two, usually more comfortable as it is of a regular cut, while the authentic version is almost double the price of the replica version and the materials used are thinner and lighter. The authentic version is the one the players wear onto the field of play. Nike markets the replica as the stadium version, while the authentic version is known as the match version. Of course the other thing to consider is whether to get the player's name & number set printed, and if the shop selling it is able to print the numbers nice and straight, etc.

Adidas Germany Home Authentic jersey with player name and number printed plus World Cup badges.

Match name printed under the German Football Association crest.

Nike USA Away Stadium jersey.

Nike Netherlands Home Match jersey.

Nike Netherlands Away (L) and Home Match jersey.

Nike Netherlands Home stadium jersey with player name & number with World Cup badges printed.

Netherlands Away jersey classic World Cup finals 1994 by Score Draw

Jerseys that might be kept for collection purposes.

Finally found the stadium version of the Euro 2012 Netherlands Home jersey. Bought the match version way back two years ago.

 

Bunch of FIFA World Cup badges bought from eBay. Letting them go for S$20.

List of Formula 1 Models I am looking to sell if you live in Singapore

EDIT: MAY 21, 2014 Brawn GP Brazil GP 2009 sold.

The following is a list of Formula 1 model cars in 1/18 scale that I am looking to sell, if you happen to live in particularly the west side of Singapore, you may contact me to have a look at the condition before committing to buy.

Items will be sold on: eBay SG
(NOTE: If item is not available online, please contact me via eBay to check availability of items.)

As of May 10, 2014
Year	Model	Item No	Remark
2000	Ferrari F1-2000 M Schumacher	26737	HW
2001	Ferrari F2001 M Schumacher	53956	HW
2003	McLaren Mercedes MP4-17D K Raikkonen	530031806
2005	McLaren Mercedes MP4-20 K Raikkonen	530051809
2006	McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 L Hamilton 1st Roll Out Silverstone Sept 19, 2006	530061884	SOLD 1, left Qty: 1
2007	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 L Hamilton	530071802	Normal Box
2007	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 L Hamilton	530071802	w Lewis signature (Not for sale)
2007	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 L Hamilton 1st Win Canada GP 2007	530071822	Ltd 7,999 pcs.
2008	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 L Hamilton	530081822	Normal Box
2008	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 L Hamilton	503081822	Vodafone Collectors Box
2008	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 L Hamilton World Champion 2008	530081832
2008	Scuderia Toro Rosso STR3 S Vettel Winner Italian GP 2008	150080015	Ltd 4,999 pcs.
2009	Brawn GP BGP 001 J Button Winner Australian GP 2009	150090122	Ltd 4,002 pcs.
2009	*SOLD* Brawn GP BGP 001 J Button Brazil GP 2009	150090622	Ltd 4,209 pcs.
2009	Red Bull Racing Renault RB5 S Vettel	150090015
2009	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 L Hamilton 2009	530091801
2010	Red Bull Racing Renault RB6 S Vettel	110100005
2010	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-25 L Hamilton	530101802
2011	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-26 L Hamilton	530111803

Lego Simpsons Minifigures Series 2014

2014 marks the 25th season of The Simpsons, and with the recently concluded Lego Movie, the creators of The Simpsons teamed up with Lego to produce their 550th episode entitled "Brick Like Me", which was an amazing way to market the Lego Simpsons minifigures. With the recent February release of The Simpsons House (71006) set by Lego, The Simpsons Minifigures Series (71005) are the next in their lineup of promotional material for the 25th anniversary.

The Lego Simpsons minifigures series just arrived at the Bricks World JEM store today (May 7, 2014) and I collected 2 boxes this evening. Thankfully, I had placed and paid for my orders last Friday, because I didn't see any boxes open on display for people to buy.

On the shipping carton, it states "Do not put on shelf before May 1st, 2014". Upon opening the box, you are presented with 3 columns of 20 packets. Since I was distributing 2 sets to friends, I cut a small slit to check for the character in the packet and recorded down the distribution.

The distribution in the box was as follows:

	Left		Right
Back	Krusty	Bart	Scratchy
	Krusty	Itchy	Ralf Wiggum
	Nelson	Itchy	Milhouse
	Homer	Bart	Flanders
	Homer	Marge	Flanders
	Homer	Scratchy	Apu
	Homer	Chief Wiggum	Mr Burns
	Maggie	Chief Wiggum	Apu
	Maggie	Chief Wiggum	Flanders
	Homer	Marge	Grandpa
	Marge	Scratchy	Lisa
	Marge	Itchy	Lisa
	Krusty	Scratchy	Lisa
	Nelson	Itchy	Mr Burns
	Krusty	Bart	Mr Burns
	Nelson	Milhouse	Flanders
	Grandpa	Lisa	Apu
	Grandpa	Bart	Milhouse
	Maggie	Bart	Ralf Wiggum
Front	Maggie	Marge	Ralf Wiggum

In total, you get the following quantities in 1 full complete box:
Homer 5
Marge 5
Bart 5
Lisa 4
Krusty 4
Itchy 4
Scratchy 4
Flanders 4
Maggie 4
Apu 3
Grandpa 3
Nelson 3
Mr Burns 3
Ralph Wiggum 3
Chief Wiggum 3
Milhouse 3



Hope this helps. I will post more photos later!

Cheers!