Zoom, zoom, zoom....

The first thing that strikes you as you approach is the sound. Incessant and loud, it sounds otherworldly - as if some alien species of locust had descended upon Earth and were walking the streets. The sounds were not from alien locusts however, but alien in a different way - they were F1 race cars. I attended the Singapore Night F1 time trials last night, which was replete with all the trappings of a big event, including a concert by Shakira. (More on her later - but let's just say she is easy to look at:))
As I approached the entry gate, I was immediately struck by the difference in security here in Singapore. The guards that do big events are called Gurkhas. Big, intimidating and wielding a famous(some would say infamous) machete in the belts of their pants, Gurkhas require respect, if not fear, upon first inspection. As I approached the gate, three Gurkhas surrounded me, causing me to contemplate for just a moment how to defend oneself against a machete attack. Alas, they just wanted to see my ticket - which I provided in a very slow motion - moving my hands slowly into my pockets and then lifting the tickets slowly out - I've seen enough cop shows to know the exact way to do this. I also tried to plaster a disarming smile on my face, but that didn't seem to matter to the Gurkhas. I got the sense (and maybe I imagined it) that the biggest Gurkha, who also seemed to be the leader, was slightly disappointed he didn't get a chance to slice me with his machete.
After passing through the gate, my friends and I ended up in an open field which had a stage on one end and food all around.
One thing about the concert - and my friends and I briefly discussed this - is whether or not it is appropriate concert etiquette to put your young son/daughter on your shoulders - making a 5 ft 11 inch man now approximately 7 ft tall. It seems that a lot of people where doing this, and that they were clustered right in front of us.
Shakira was good - she is more eye candy than music talent in my opinion - not that I really cared - but she had a couple of danceable tunes. The video for the F-1 is below - it was taken as I approached the gate - I think you can see the Gurkhas, and you can definitely hear the cars in the street a few feet ahead of me. Enjoy - but don't forget your earplugs.