How to make friends with the neighbours ;)

After 15 or so years noodling around on this 1983 Fender S3 Bullet, I, and many around me , have come to the conclusion that my guitar playing skills are limited at best.

It is a wonderful guitar, one of the last series to be made in the USA before manufacture moved to Korea and Mexico. And the Bullet was discontinued soon after. Although it has a full scale neck, it has a 3/4 body, and was originally designed as a student/starter guitar, but some players still use it as a proper gig guitar due to it’s outstanding tone from those three original Fender pick-ups, and it’s indestructibility under any stage conditions. It produces a superb blues tone, which can be modified to a full, rounded rock sound with a few knob twiddles and good amplification. Getting increasingly rare, it still sells well as a second hand instrument, and continues to gain in value with age. Especially if all original, in it’s custom fitted case.

However, although I can play rudimentary chords and scales, it usually degenerates into a maximum overdrive, flanged and chorused flailing which gives me no end of satisfaction and stress relief, but annoys the hell out of everyone else very quickly!
So I have decided to move on. It is up for sale, but I’m not rushing - just in case I regret it - but to alleviate any withdrawal I decided to get myself a new bass guitar instead. This has done nothing so far to pacify the moaners, even though I plan on being more proficient rapidly (less strings, and no chords, right?!) as I also previously owned a Fender bass back in the 1980’s.

Ibanez make a mean line of basses, and I couldn’t resist this new model. The quality of wood is frankly superb, and the tonal characteristics are those of a traditional passive pick-up bass which suits me fine. because everything can be electronically “modified” anyway

I can still overdrive it through my Marshall practice amp - lovely fuzz bass, yum! - when the urge strikes, but am diligently practising to play it with the traditional “thump” rather than my usual wailing sounds.
So, my neighbours no longer have to put up with wailing flanged feedback, but, instead, subsonic booms that rattle the windows and doors.
They’ll get used to it…..in time.

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Cafe Libre - The blog.

 

In order to separate my disparate interests, and to adequately promote the cafe, which my wife and I are very proud of and will endeavour to evolve into something a bit different from the norm, I have set up cafelibre.wordpress.com. There will be maps, menus and ongoing news.

But give me time - this is very new to me, and I am like an upside down turtle on the beach at the moment, trying as fast as possible to learn how to make this work!

Your patience, comments and constructive criticisms are hugely appreciated. And always will be, our customer’s comments are the driving force for our determination to succeed in a tough marketplace.

Cheers All!

PS - we are also looking for local staff. Both full time and weekend waiting staff, and a kitchen helper/cook with basic food preparation skills. Must speak good English. If you know anyone suitable, get them to drop us a line at cafelibre1(at)gmail.com. Thanks!

Cafe Libre - Food menu

 

“What do mean you ordered scrambled. instead of sunny side up, Dimitri?”

All Day Breakfast - Eggs fried or scrambled, tomato, mushrooms, chicken sausages, baked beans & toast with Tea or Americano 14.90

Set Lunch (available 11am to 3pm daily)– Any Pasta (excl. Mexican Bolognese) or Rice dish with Tea or Americano & Ice Cream 14.90

LIGHT & EASY

English Muffin with butter & jam or honey ( plain or wholemeal ) 2.50

Speciality Toast / Bagel with butter & jam or honey 3.90

Bagel with Cream Cheese 5.50

Fried or Scrambled Eggs on Muffin or Toast 5.30

Extra 1.00 each for cheese,Turkey Ham or Beef Salami or 1.50 for Chicken Sausages

Speciality Jalapeño Scrambled Eggs on Muffin 6.90 Salmon Scrambled Eggs on Muffin 12.90

Cheese & Tomato Toasties ( white or wholemeal bread ) 6.00

Cheese , Tomato & Turkey Ham or Beef Salami Toasties ( white or wholemeal bread ) 6.50

FILL ME UP

Sandwiches on Speciality Breads

Choice of -

Bagel : Seeded Plain or Onion

Sun-dried Tomato : Wheat sour dough bread with sun dried tomatoes,paprika,dried onions,herbs & spices

Veggie : Wheat flour bread with veggie mix of sun dried tomato,onion,celery,carrot,peppers & seeded crust

Seven Grain : Made with rye flour,oats,barley,corn,millet,linseed & sesame seeds

Cheese & Tomato 7.50 Turkey Ham or Beef Salami & Tomato 8.50

Turkey Ham or Beef Salami, Cheese & Tomato 9.50

Corned Beef & Branston Pickle 7.50 Cheese & Branston Pickle 10.90

Corned Beef, Cheese & Branston Pickle 11.50 Lemon Chicken Mayo 8.90 Mexican Tuna 9.90

Special Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Bagel 14.90

 

SOME LIKE IT HOT!

Jacket Potato with butter & Baked Beans 6.75 Jacket Potato with butter & Cheese 7.90

Jacket Potato with butter, Baked Beans & Cheese 8.50

Jacket Potato with Lemon Chicken Mayo 8.90 Jacket Potato with Mexican Tuna 9.90

Jacket Potato with Mexican Chilli ( Chicken or Beef ) 12.90

Jacket Potato with Vegetarian Mexican Chilli 10.90

 

A HEARTIER MEAL

Home-cooked Nasi Lemak with Chicken or OZ Chuck Tender Beef Rendang 10.90

Home-cooked Nasi Minyak with OZ Shoulder-cut Lamb or Chicken Curry 10.90

Spaghetti Bolognese ( Chicken or Beef ) 10.90 Mexican Bolognese ( Chicken or Beef ) 12.90

Vegetarian Bolognese 8.90 Vegetarian Mexican Bolognese 10.90

House Speciality - Spicy Seafood Spaghetti 10.90

Chicken or Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes 10.90

Steak Sandwich with Salad 15.90

Fish & Chips 14.90

 

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Soup of The Day, served with french bread slices 6.50

Mixed Salad ,with Italian or Caesar dressing; as a side 5.00 or as a main 9.50

Feta Cheese Salad 12.50

Caesar Salad served with Roast Chicken or Anchovies 12.50

** All items subject to availability, as our food is freshly prepared daily **

Cafe Libre - Drinks menu.

“I can no longer sit back and allow the international Neo-Con conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.”

COFFEES & TEAS

Americano 4.50 Espresso Solo 5.00 Espresso Doppio 6.50

Espresso Macchiato 6.50 Espresso Con Panna 6.50

Cappuccino 7.00 Café Latte 7.00 Café Mocha 8.00

Iced Americano 5.00 Iced Latte 7.50 Iced Mocha 8.50

Add extra flavour to any of our coffees with a dash of Monin syrup @ 2.00 per shot.

Our flavours include Almond, Caramel, Cinnamon, Hazelnut & Vanilla

Or add an extra shot of Espresso to any of our coffees for that extra “kick” @ 1.50 per shot.

Luxury Hot Chocolate, topped off with whipped cream 8.00

Cappuccino / Mocha / Chocolate Chunk Frappé 9.50

Ice-blended coffee confections – cool and refreshing

Premier’s Tea 6.00 per pot

English Breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, or try our range of naturally flavoured teas: Peach, Passion Fruit, Lemon, Mint, Caramel, Apple, Strawberry, Cherry, & Celebration.

Premier’s Iced Tea 6.50 per glass.

Any of our teas can be offered as an iced drink – try some of the more unusual flavours!

Premier’s Iced Lemon Tea, served with fresh lemon slice 6.50 per glass

Premier’s Herbal Infusion – Camomile or Peppermint & Ginger 7.00 per pot

Premier’s Mint Tea, with Honey and fresh mint leaves 6.50 per glass

THIRST QUENCHERS

Mineral Water 3.00 Soft Drinks ( Coca Cola / Coke Light / 7 Up / 100 Plus / Soda ) 3.50

Esprit ( Lemon & Lime, Passion fruit, Raspberry, Orange Tangerine ) / Perrier 7.00

Thomas Kemper Soda ( Root Beer / Vanilla Cream / Ginger Ale) 7.00

Monin Flavoured Syrup Sodas 5.00

Our flavours include Green Apple, Passion Fruit, Blueberry, Blackberry, Strawberry, Kiwi, Lime & Peach.

Or add a scoop of Ice Cream, to create a flavoured Soda Float 6.50

Monin Flavoured syrup ice blended 6.00

Ice blended fruit smoothie 9.50 (You must try these! OMG - delicious!!111)

Our flavours include Black currant, Kiwi, Mango, Lime, Passion Fruit, Peppermint, Sour Sop, Strawberry,Orange, Grape, Lychee & Pineapple

Freshly squeezed Juices - Apple / Orange / Carrot / Apple & Carrot 8.00

Apple & Pear / Kiwi & Watermelon 9.50

Large glass of iced or warm water 0.50

Sunday ride out.

As also detailed by The Snark, yesterday was an extremely entertaining ride out, through some of the more twisting and challenging roads in the area. There was a fair selection of machinery, and aptitudes on display, but a relaxed and friendly attitude which marks every decent ride, whether you know your peers or are meeting for the first time. Motorcycling is a common bond, which unites all that it embraces, unless you carry your ego along with your equipment - fortunately, there were no such riders on this trip! Everyone pacing out nicely, even if I did have to bugger off and leave The Snark scratching his undercarriage after a while - mate, I almost went up your rear at corners so many times we would have been arrested - and chased along with some decently bigger bikes, giving myself some much needed practice, and Suzi a good workout.

As I am spatially and directionally challenged, I cannot tell you where we went, or how to get there, and as usual I managed to get hopelessly lost after we had all split up and ended up in the very heart of KL, miles from my home! I do this *every time*, sometimes detouring around the whole city. Ah well, a few more years here and I might be able to find out where I live. But my tires were sticky and warm, and I made it home at highly illegal speeds just before the sky opened into a torrential downpour.

A warning, religion and the future.

Well, as usual, controversial views from a polemicist, but as The Federation of Malaya, the secular state, with Islam as it’s official religion, celebrates it’s 50th year of independence, let it think well on into the future, not just of it’s prosperity, but it’s survival in a polarizing world. There is still so much hope here, in this nation, that one thing, and one thing alone, must be rationalized for it’s future as an integrated society. The power that it accords religion. This is not a rant against belief on my part, not an anti-Islamic statement, but a genuine human right that you may choose what you want to believe, but you have no right, no mandate from above, to impose any thought process or belief system on others, be it by political process or more insidiously by “educational” indoctrination.

Personally, I want Malaysia to flourish as a multi-cultural example - which many people believe that it is - and not give in to pressures, powerful worldwide pressures, to regress to an intolerance that can only do it harm. Some people will find the following clip insulting, some may consider it intelligent criticism, but it meant to provoke only rational debate, and not violence. There is enough violence already, enough already. Stop it.