Off to Singapore for a few days shooting.

Well, as noted in a previous post, Mrs S. and I are off to relive our misspent youth watching The Cure, and then taking the opportunity to escape the cafe for a few extra days and relax in Singapore. Which basically means watching films and eating.

I am looking forward to taking some photos when I am there, and there is a specific spot I have been itching to take pictures at for ages but never get around to. So, I’m packed and ready!

All neatly tidied away in my padded camera and notebook bag , just waiting for the early morning drive out for a decent few days away - and to meet someone I have communicated with, but never met - and to watch what I am sure will be a fantastic concert!

Apparently though this is not enough - I have to pack clothes, and shoes and sundry other items which will mean lumbering through the hotel like an over-weighted mule. Oh for the carefree days of our early twenties, toothbrush and change of underwear in a sling bag, traveling lighter than a swallow heading south for the winter.

Except for the Amex card in the pocket. Mustn’t slum it, you know.

Non-halal, also not safe for PETA members, just funny for normal people!

Not safe for any of the above mentioned groups maybe, but some of them could do with the same treatment.

Plenty of people would be happy to oblige. Waste of vodka maybe.

Advertising, and media whores.

As a cynical old bastard, who generally despises the advertising industry as leeches and whores, recent years have seen an almost stratospheric rise in manipulative marketing. The blatant “Brand Ambassador” phrase that started to be used around the year 2000 (ish, as I vaguely recollect) which is so horrifically mis-phrased that it should be an embarrassment to the sports/fashion/film etc. person that accepts the 30 pieces of silver to promote the product, as well as the muppet brained consumer that thinks that it constitutes an endorsement of a product by said “famous person” is just the apogee of marketing’s desperate attempts to make us buy more stuff that we don’t need, or even if we are truly honest, often want.

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of selling off the remainder of my watch collection, which I had accumulated over the years, and from when I used to trade in watches for fun and profit. It was, and always has been, one of the most despicably manipulatively advertised products. A 10 buck quartz watch tells the time more accurately than a $100,000 Audemars Piquet. And the advertising for brands such as Patek Philippe has descended into farce - “you never actually own a Patek Philippe, you only look after it for the next generation” Puke - and Audemars Piquet’s latest limited editions such as the Jay Z bling god alone knows what pig ugly over-priced tat. And Omega have become the biggest watch whores on the planet with their daily issued “special editions” and endorsements, so much so that they have opened their own shops around the world. They used to be a well respected, mid range value brand that made quietly efficient, tasteful, well made watches. Now they are just media whores with watches as an almost irrelevant product.
Phew - I haven’t finished ranting, far from it, but as I sit here typing with my Rolex on my wrist (it was a gift from my wife! Therefore I can never sell it, despite the association of Rolex with golf, a sport that I detest with a passion that is worth another post at another time…) I found this. As a motorcyclist, and a camera user, I despair at the whole sordid prostitution of brands which have fuck all connection, however tenuously they try to justify it. I am going to stop now, because my bile is rising, and this next item drove me over the edge. Don’t be sheep, people, try to buy independent or no-logo brands, however difficult it is, and maybe we can stop some of the madness. Just try reading the copy with a straight face, and imagine the advertising group that put this together. It’s fucking unreal.
SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition

PASSION FOR PEFORMANCE™
Full Throttle
Gentlemen: start your devices!

MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, JULY 18, 2007 – Borrowing from the lightning-fast speeds, precision engineering and colorful style of international motorcycle racing, SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today launched a line of turbo-charged flash memory cards – the SanDisk Extreme® Ducati Edition CompactFlash® and the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition SD™ Plus. Both have the quickest read/write times of the SanDisk portfolio*1 and represent the company’s ultimate performance products for digital photographers.

The announcement was made during a press conference at SanDisk headquarters on the eve of the U.S. Grand Prix MotoGP race on July 22 at Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. Present for the launch were Casey Stoner of Australia, a Ducati competition rider who is currently ranked number one in the international MotoGP circuit, and teammate Loris Capirossi of Italy.

The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition cards are the result of a sponsorship and marketing relationship between SanDisk and Ducati Corse, the racing arm of Italy’s famed Ducati motorcycle company. The line-up consists of 4- and 8-gigabyte*2 (GB) capacities for the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition CompactFlash card and 4GB for the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition SD Plus card. The latter features a snap-open connector that enables the card to be plugged in directly to the USB port of a personal computer without requiring a cable or reader. Distinctive bright red labels and packaging bear images of Ducati MotoGP racers and the Ducati Corse emblem.

“With the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition cards, we have reached a new threshold of speed – 45 megabytes per second for the CompactFlash cards and 20MB/sec*1 for the SD Plus card,” said Tanya Chuang, director of worldwide retail product marketing for the high performance imaging market at SanDisk. “These speeds allow for fast transfers of images from the cards, and are especially useful for professional photographers in their work-flow environments.”

The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition CompactFlash card is twice as fast as the SanDisk Extreme III card and is 5MB faster than the new SanDisk Extreme IV card, she added.

SanDisk’s relationship with Ducati Corse, which was launched in January, “takes the marketing of our memory products into a new dimension,” said Wes Brewer, vice president of SanDisk’s Cards and Accessories Division. “Ducati is on the leading edge of motorcycle design and performance, and SanDisk is the world leader in flash memory cards. Both companies share a passion for speed and for pushing the envelope of technology. We feel that SanDisk’s new products will resonate not only with photographers but also with the millions of Ducati and MotoGP fans around the world,” he added.

SanDisk is currently rolling out a worldwide merchandising and marketing campaign that leverages the Ducati MotoGP sponsorship.

Initial distribution is planned for August in North America and Europe, with the cards available through photo specialty stores, high-end niche retailers, high-end department stores, Ducati network shops and other outlets, including on-line. Suggested retail prices are $164.99 for the 4GB CompactFlash card, $314.99 for the 8GB CompactFlash card and $129.99 for the 4GB SD Plus card. They will also be available for pre-order on the SanDisk website at www.sandisk.com/Ducati.

Alessandro Cicognani, marketing and licensing manager of Ducati Corse, noted that SanDisk is one of only a handful of Ducati licensing partners. “This combination of performance, cutting-edge technology and design is a perfect fit for both companies,” he said.

The SanDisk Extreme brand, introduced in 2003, has received awards and accolades worldwide. Apart from faster speeds, SanDisk Extreme cards also are highly durable and can resist extremes of temperature, from well below freezing (minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 25 degrees Celsius) to near boiling (185 F/85C)*3. Both of the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition cards come with RescuePROas ® Deluxe recovery software CD, enabling users to retrieve accidentally deleted images or files.

Because SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash cards are faster than the transfer rate supported by traditional card readers, SanDisk offers the optional SanDisk Extreme FireWire Reader, which supports FireWire 400 and 800 connectivity on recent versions of both the Windows and Mac operating systems.

Along with the memory cards, SanDisk today also announced the SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive, a 4GB device that has a read/write speed of 20MB/sec*1 and embodies the styling of a Ducati motorcycle. (See separate press release).

Ducati, founded in 1926, is one of the world’s best-known names in performance motorcycles. Emphasizing unique engine features, innovative design, advanced engineering and overall technical excellence, Ducati motorcycles have won 14 of the last 16 World Superbike Championship titles – more individual victories than the competition put together. Since 2003, Ducati also has been a leader in the MotoGP World Championship circuit.

SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world’s largest supplier of flash data storage card products, using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Milpitas, California and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.

*1 Based on SanDisk internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes.
*2 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
*3 Based on SanDisk internal testing.

The Green Meanie

I just love the paintwork of this lovingly cared for Volkswagen Beetle that I often see parked outside our cafe. The interior has been refurbished as well, but the pearlescent green paint is the highlight for me. I used to own a lime green BMW motorbike, and now a bright yellow Suzuki, so I definitely have a liking for strong, bright coloured vehicles.

How to ride pillion on a motorcycle.

A friend of mine recently asked me for a few tips on riding pillion on a motorcycle. It caught my attention because it isn’t something that I have thought about for a long time. Mrs S. is the perfect pillion passenger, despite the fact that she thinks we are going too slow when we are already way past the speed limit, and I rarely carry anyone else around nowadays, so I had to think for a few minutes. I hope and trust that my young correspondent does not mind me repeating what I came up with after brief ruminations.

Firstly, a disclaimer: Although I have been riding for 25 years or so, I have never, ever, been a pillion passenger on a motorcycle! Therefore I have absolutely no idea what it feels like

I am too much of a controlling personality to allow someone else to take my life in their hands - which is one reason I hate flying - and would find it difficult to trust someone else’s skills enough to feel comfortable on what can be simply a guided missile, in the case of modern superbikes. Even those riders that I respect, like The Snark, would have a hard time convincing me to get on the back of their bike, although having seen him ride he would be one of the very few people that I would at least have enough faith in their riding skills to try it. But only if he gets a proper, comfortable bike!

So, basically random thoughts, but at least a few of them are very serious, and can make the difference between comfort, or even life and death when riding. Additional tips in the comments section very welcome!

1. Never sit side saddle. LOL.
2. Always plant your feet firmly on the rear footpegs.
3. Do not put your feet down when the rider stops at, for example, traffic lights. Feet on pegs at all times.
4. For women, tight skirts don’t help.
5. Wear some protective gear. Easy in cold climates, a real pain in tropical ones, but at least jeans, a jacket, proper shoes/boots and gloves. Road rash really, really hurts! Imagine acid being poured onto your bare skin - it’s like that. And if you do come off, the first thing you will do is put your hands out to protect yourself, it’s instinctive. Hence gloves, because I prefer having skin on my palms! And you can’t walk without ankles or toes, so no flip-flops or sandals.
6. Helmet, always fastened securely, and try to wear one that fits snugly. That is more important than most people realise. And try not to wear one that looks like it’s previous owner used it for target practice. Best of course is to have your own.
7. Talk to the rider beforehand and agree a few signals, such as if you hit the rider on the right shoulder = Slow Down!! Equally, if the rider is about to take off at full speed, he should tap you on the leg to warn you to hold on tight.
8. Decide if you are more comfortable holding the grip bar behind you, or holding the rider’s waist. Most people use the grip bar, after getting used to the acceleration. Some rider’s also don’t possess suitable waists. Do not attach yourself to the rider like a limpet, because they will not be able to steer correctly using their body weight, or to slide around in the seat for maneuvering.
9. Watch the road well ahead so that you can also see when the rider is going to need to lean. Lean with the rider into curves, trying as best as possible to follow his movements but not quite as dramatically. i.e. If he does a racing corner and hangs off the saddle, just lean at a comfortable degree less than that! You should aim to be at almost the same angle, ideally a tiny bit less.. But never more. And be ready to sit back upright after exiting the turn. Once you get into the swing of it, it is almost as much fun as riding yourself - or so I have been told!
10. And a note for the rider: This is quite important, and often under-estimated, even by an old rider like me. If I am sitting fairly upright, and traveling at say 100km/h and then decide to really accelerate, I will drop into a racing crouch behind the fairing. Thus leaving the previously protected passenger subject to a sudden 100km/h and increasing blast of wind. Seriously, it is the only time I have almost lost passengers!! It is not funny, and Mrs S. does still have to remind me, even now, how dramatic it can be if you are not paying attention and forget you have a passenger.

So those were my quick thoughts. Anything I’ve missed? Please let me know.

The Chicane at Donington Park

See the fear concentration in the eyes?

Chicane at Donington Park, originally uploaded by Grant S.

Now I freely admit that I do not have The Snark’s experience of serious track work, indeed, serious racing, but I used to spend my weekends in the 90’s learning to survive on the race track, in the company of some of Britain’s best pro motorcycle racers. Doing both race schools and track days. My maxed out speed was about 145mph/235kmh under the Dunlop bridge. Seems quite slow until you get to the next corner…

I swear I have a picture of Carl Fogarty (if you don’t know who that is - Google!) at exactly the same place, and he is not leaning over much more than I! Except his knee was almost on the tarmac, and I am adopting the classic police BMW riders upright stance! I am still trying to break that habit after 20 years London traffic dodging.

Perhaps, as The Snark will admit, I am getting closer though, and he will need more speed if we go riding again, because, mate, the SV650 is flying and drifting now! The tyre edges are getting blued. New, sticky, rubber required at next service, I think.

Pork on a stick

Will never, ever, be seen in Cafe Libre! Totally, utterly, not Halal.
Allegedly bloody delicious though

Sold in Taman Desa Pasar Malam, Fridays.

Pasar Malam 023, originally uploaded by Grant S.

 

Independence Day! And something much more important…

Frankly, I couldn’t give a hoot about America’s Independence Day - they don’t deserve it!

But today is the best day of the year - it’s Mrs. S’s Birthday!!!!!!!!

Her age will remain discreetly hidden (but she’s four months older than me-aha!) but she doesn’t look anywhere close to it. Even though I am duty bound to flatter, it’s the plain and simple truth. Alas, pictures do not do justice, so you will have to meet her to decide.

Tonight, a wonderful Japanese dinner, some Sake, and a cosy evening in

And what does she want for her birthday present?!? More gold and trinkets, diamonds and dresses? No. A Nintendo Wii!! How did a geek like me get so very lucky?

Cafe Libre - The next stage.

We are an evolving 40 seater cafe, and very proud of our food and excellent coffee and teas.

We had a last minute booking for 35 for a private function, which then swelled to 50 people, so we had to rush around getting more furniture, food, equipment etc.

Exhausting!

But satisfying!

As I said, we are evolving - so we will start opening later and catering for a different evening crowd. So far a very satisfactory genteel (LOL!) lunch crowd, with nice tea time sets and superb cakes for the afternoon, but wait ’til we roll out the beers, and add the big screen TV and bar seating for the evenings. Then I had better see you all in there!

Resting by the river

Melaka river sunset, originally uploaded by Grant S.

A relaxing, cool evening stroll through Melaka brought some nice picture opportunities.