Sunday 29 March 2015

Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix - 27th to 29th March 2015

Just switched the race off, got through the first 30 laps and knew what was coming, couldn't be bothered to watch it. First time I've ever done that. I sat through China/Spain 2013, Russia 2014 but I couldn't manage it.

What's worse, is the races I've mentioned were dull because it was a procession, no overtaking or all about tyre management. This time was different, an early safety car caused by Sauber's not quite so well paying driver Marcus 'Talentless Oaf' Ericcson mixed the pack right up, we had Mercedes in the pack, a Force India and Lotus in the top 3 and a Kimi at the back. 2 years in a row now that Kimi has been hit within the opening laps and had to limp back with a puncture. As I write this now, I don't even know where he finished. He'd just been overtaken by Rosberg. By which I mean, Rosberg cruised up behind him on his fresh tyres and easily breezed by him on the next straight.


I have never switched a race off. I managed not to spoil it for myself whilst at work, I come home and honestly, as soon as the Mercedes pitted under the safety car, I knew Vettel was going to win. What irritates me more is he doesn't work for the wins. I'm sure many people scoffed or frowned at that whilst exclaiming, 'Yes because it's so easy to win a race' The thing is, I dislike Sebastian Vettel greatly, as far as I'm concerned he's a good driver. Not a great driver, he puts it on the front row, and runs away, that's how he wins races. Very rarely has he had extreme pressure all the way through the race. 

In 2011, he walked it, in 2013, the moment Pirelli changed the tyres, he walked it. And 2014, the moment he can't stick it on pole and run away, he falters, getting thrashed by his team-mate in every sense. What's more annoying, the RB10 was a race-winning car. Daniel Ricciardo won 3 races and only once did Vettel stand on the podium when he had that was Canada, where Sebastian finished 3rd. Hungary? Vettel went for a spin all on his own. Spa? He got a wobble on in the early stages at ended up 40/50 seconds behind the leader... his team-mate. He's also less than talented mid-field driver. Take Austria for example, where he ran into the back of a Sauber I think, all on his own, a lap down. 

You'll notice I didn't mention 2012 there. That's simply because despite officially coming runner up, Fernando Alonso was the 2012 champion. No dispute. He drove better all year long and had a car that started out as a pig, and became a warthog with a saddle to give him a bit of a chance. All coming down to the final race, at Brazil, mixed conditions. Perfect recipe for a championship showdown. Alonso finishes 2nd to Button, losing the title by 3 points. But the fact the Vettel took two cars out in Turn 4 on lap 1 and the fact the incident wasn't even investigated was a joke. If it had been anybody else it would've been looked at.


The moment he's back in a really quick car and back on the front row. Look what happens, yet another cruise to victory.

A lot of people are running round now praising what a great job he did and how brilliant he is. Simply because it wasn't a Mercedes who won. I don't care who wins provided it's a good battle to earn it. In 2014 Bahrain, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Japan,  USA, Brazil all had intense battles for the lead. Whether it was Hamilton, Rosberg or Ricciardo taking the win.

I hate races where the leader just runs off. That was the downside with Mercedes dominance, when one faltered the other just cruised to victory. 2014 was a fantastic season because Hamilton and Rosberg were set for a personal duel for the title, which was highly entertaining. This year... Hamilton seems to have more of an edge over Rosberg. I know it's only 2 races in but there seems to be a sizeable gap between the two this year.

I don't know what it is. Might just be my mood. But I did not enjoy that half-race I watched. I'll get to watching the second half at some point, when I can be bothered. 


Cheerio,

Stevie.

Sunday 15 March 2015

Formula 1 Austrailian Grand Prix - 13th to 15th March 2015

So, the Formula 1 season finally got underway. After practice it looked promising. The Mercedes were obviously going to walk it but it looked like it was going to get interesting behind.

I always book the first race of the season off work, it's also my birthday around the same time so I take a couple of weeks off. And since the first full season I watched of F1 was 2012, the past 3 Austrailian Grand Prix were rather good.

I've been looking forward to this season for some time. Hamilton vs Rosberg again, obviously. But can Williams win again? Can Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel bounce back from an awful 2014? How will McLaren Honda fare? I was so excited. And I have never been more disappointed.

I wanted to make these far longer and more in-depth. However if we have races like we had here then I'm going to struggle. What an unbelievably lacklustre race. If that's what you can call it. More like a track day if I'm honest. Mercedes out front, no surprise to anybody but Rosberg never really got close enough to Hamilton for it to get interesting, once Vettel dispatched Massa that was game over, then it just left the recovering Raikkonen to- oh never-mind he retired. If I'm honest, the only real entertainment was Jenson's attitude. Poor Sergio Perez, he hasn't done anything to upset or annoy Jenson Button and McLaren, but because of their woeful situation he wasn't stuck behind the usually calm, fair, predictable Button. He was stuck behind one who was going to defend like his life depended upon. Button's attitude was clear, "I am not coming last" and that's what it was. A battle to not be last. Ultimately he did, but that little battle was the only real entertainment.

Surprise of the day? Sauber. Felipe Nasr specifically. Obviously helped by so many retirements/lack of full grid. But a 5th place debut in a team who didn't score a single point last year isn't bad at all.

What's worse is that I slated Nasr and Sauber. I tore them to pieces when their 2015 challenger was revealed. The livery is not a livery. It is a statement and that is: "Paid for by Felipe Nasr." The colour scheme is not something Sauber would ever opt for without Nasr's presence. A team heading into the Formula 1 World Championship with last years runner up to the runner up in GP2 and a guy who came 6th in his final GP2 year and was heavily out-performed by team-mate Kobayashi in his first year of F1. There are better drivers out there. No question.

I'm not going to take back my words, because ultimately it's only the first race and how he copes under real pressure remains to be seen. His only real competition today was a down on power Ricciardo. It's also hard to measure the man against his team-mate. The ever unimpressive Marcus Ericsson.

There's little else to say. 11 car's finished. Very little action. Very little entertainment.

Malaysia is two weeks away, should be enough time to forget about this race.

Cheerio,

Stevie.

Monday 9 March 2015

ALL THE WORK

You may find this hard to believe, but this isn't my real job. STOP THE PRESSES. SHOCK HORROR.

I know some of you will be taken aback by this news, but really, I earn not a penny doing this. I write for funs, not for monies. But monies would good people.

Outside of the internet, in that pesky real world that's always trying to interfere, a bit like the dog when you're... busy in the bedroom. My job that does give me monies is one in a hotel. Now, if I stop there, you think, "Ooooh look at that swanky fellow, must be quite the man if he's working in a posh 4* star hotel. Oh yes." Well, unfortunately I can't stop there, I must go on and your opinion of me maybe about to diminish. 


I am a room attendant. No, that doesn't mean I have a register and call out room numbers all day to see which rooms have called in sick and which ones have a note from their parents saying they can't do anything today because they have a slight injury.


I'm the best-looking, funniest, fastest, most brilliant, greatest, longest serving, most humble and most loyal full-time male room attendant they employ. I'm also the only full-time male room attendant they employ, but that's not the point.

Room cleaning. A proper dead-end job. A job most people would turn their noses up at. A job on a par with working in McDonalds or a well known supermarket. (Yes, I will give McDonalds the plug. Their milkshakes. Their Chicken Nuggets... Drool) ANYWAY the point is I do a job most people wouldn't dream of doing and hate it when they have to.

However, here's the thing, come closer so I can whisper,

I love my job.


YES. I actually love my job. Let me elaborate, I generally dislike people, certainly customers, so in a job where the only time I speak to a customer is to say "Good Morning" or when they've asked me for toilet roll or something.


Here's my day. I get to work, I get my board with rooms that I have to clean that day. Whilst cleaning my rooms, I put radio 2 on until 12:15pm, then I flip over to watch Bargain Hunt. Then I come home at 2pm. It's great. I go to work, listen to music, watch TV and get paid for it. Obviously I'm cleaning while I'm working. I only have to talk to my supervisors pretty much so everyone leaves me alone to get on with it.

There's so much good to come from my job. Music, TV, no customers, little responsibility and a job where I can come home when I finish rather than sitting at a clock staring, waiting for 5pm to roll up.

Like everything though, it's not all rosy-sweet juicy goodness through the rose tinted looking glass. There are downsides to my job. Firstly, I GET PAID ABOUT NO MONEY. It's minimum wage so it's not great. Secondly, I can never plan my so ultra busy social life because my days off are so inconsistent. Thirdly, half the people I work with are foreign, this doesn't bother me until they try to communicate with me in a different language. You'd think they'd have learnt that I only speak English and any other forms of communication are wasted on me. I've only been there 3 years. 

I hate ambitions, because you either achieve them, in which case, so what? Or you don't, in which case you become depressed and miserable at your failure in life. However, my ambition in life is simply to be happy. That applies to all areas of life, financially, health wise, life-style choices and ultimately where I work.

Yes I don't have much money and yes, sometimes I do think I can do better. BUT then I'll get a really good day, and I'll enjoy it so much that it just confirms to me that I'd rather get little money for a job I enjoy rather than one that pays a bit more but I don't like. 


You work for most of your life, if you don't enjoy what you're doing then you're in for a very not fun time. 

That's all for now.

Cheerio,

Stevie.