In other news, the second race of the season is happening on Sunday; here's hoping it's more exciting than Bahrain, which felt like a bit of a parade. I still haven't decided who I'm officially supporting, but I did find my instinct driving me to sit forward on the sofa and whisper "Come on, Schumi! Come on!", so perhaps that's a pointer...
Friday, 26 March 2010
Jensen Button learns to drive
Well, learns to drive a taxi, at any rate. In an unusual yet effective ad campaign from Walkers, the small town of Sandwich was transformed into the most exciting place in Britain for the day. Different celebrities were dispatched around the area to try out new trades; among them, Jensen Button, who spent the day having to follow the speed limit in a taxi. I'm quite a fan of Button's - certainly prefer him over Hamilton - but it's evident that even he agrees that it's best for him to stick to racing and leave the taxicabs to the professionals.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Notes on the Salon de Genève
It's March 2010, and that means that the Salon de Genève is under way. Ending tomorrow, we've already seen most of the cars that will be gracing the show, and here are my most comment-worthy picks:
Peugeot BB1 electric. What an ugly, strange-looking car. The electric car industry has already won over a lot of followers - specifically, eco-friendly car buffs - but if they want to reach out into the Top-Gear-watching majority, who buy cars not only based on economy but also on beauty, they're going to have to try a lot harder than this.
Citroen Revolte: add an '-ing' to the end of that name, and you'd be about right. It's beyond disgusting. Look at it! It's a monstrosity!
Speaking of monstrosities, this is another of Citroen's entries; doesn't it remind you of a goldfish?
Then there are, of course, the good bits: Bugatti, who can do no wrong:
Lamborghini, who have gone for their classic lines and have not failed to impress:
Ferrari... hmm, what is that? It looks like a squished, drunk, sickly Porsche. Oops.
...but then there's this: a saving grace, but still not quite in the league of beauty usually lovingly sculpted by Luca Serafini and his ilk. Remember Serafini's 2008 concept? It's the one below the strange red thing that looks a bit like a Honda with a Ferrari sticker. Now Serafini's design: that's a beautiful car.
Strange red thing:
Mercedes took to the stage with an elegant, smouldering creation:
...and then, of course, there were the weird concept cars; the most notable of which was probably the Honda 3R:
Looking like a cross between a hoover and a motorised scooter, it doesn't take the prize for beauty, but it's always interesting to see what happens when you give a designer too much coffee and stick him next to a pad.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
The Formula 1 Season is upon us!
1. Michael Schumacher. Of course he's my number one reason. I was a Schumi supporter for as long as I watched Formula 1, and then, horror of horrors, he left. Now he's back, but there's a dilemma: he's driving for Mercedes GP. I'm not a Mercedes fan. I don't want to be a Mercedes supporter. I like Ferrari. And last year I liked Brawn. In fact, I think I'm possibly just a fan of Ross Brawn's... though that would mean that this year I'm supporting Mercedes & Schumi. Oh, I don't know. It's so hard to decide! Still, a Schumi victory would make me happy. The man is a legend.
2. Button & Hamilton on the same team. Ohhh this will be interesting. I'm definitely more of a Button fan than a Hamilton one. Jensen just seems a little less arrogant, a little less cocky, and a little less annoying. Still, I'm not a McLaren fan. I don't really care what happens with either of these guys, though I'm hoping Button finishes ahead of Hamilton.
3. Massa's back! I love the guy. He always seems so... nice. I just want to wrap him up in a duvet, give him a hot chocolate and tell him it's all going to be OK. Of course, he's driving for Ferrari; I supported Ferrari for a very long time, but really it was Schumacher I supported, rather than the team. Then when Massa was driving for them, I thought I'd support him, because he seems nice. Now I'm really not sure. Schumi's back but on the wrong team, Massa's on the right team but there are better drivers on the grid... what to do? Confusion ensues.
4. Virgin Racing. Well well. As far as incredibly rich men with a reasonable shot at taking over the world go, I quite like Mr. Branson. He still seems human, unlike many people with multi-national, multi-operational, multi-everything companies under their belts. Also, a friend of mine used to work in a Virgin shop, and was invited to a big party along with all the other Virgin employees in the area. Mr. Branson turned up and met each one, shook their hand and spoke to them. Personally, I like that kind of touch. It goes a long way when you show your humble shop-working employees that you like them. Thus, despite it being a definite underdog, I wouldn't be unhappy for Virgin to take some credit this season. They have Glock, and I think he deserves a shot at being great. Though to be honest, I'm kind of hoping Schumi will burst back onto the F1 stage on full form, sweep the floor with the other drivers in all 19 races, and reclaim his title as worthy champion.
*edit* Also, a little later on, when I was discussing all this with Husband, he commented that I was the only person he knows to be excited about Virgin. He implied that it's a sensible thing to be excited about, because "after all, when have you known Richard Branson to fail at anything?" A very good point. I rest my case: this season is going to be fantastic.
We'll see. But it's going to be an exciting year!
Sunday, 7 March 2010
International Women's Day
So, according to one of my Facebook friends, today is International Women's Day. So here are some of my favourite women:
Why? Have you heard her voice? The woman rocks.
Why? Quite simply, because I like looking at pretty things, and they are pretty things who like being looked at. There seems to be a lot of shying-away from admitting that actually, some women - normal, everyday women as well as celebrities and supermodels - like dressing up, strutting around and being noticed. And there's nothing wrong with that.
Why? The kid can act. To have her level of raw talent from such a young age really is something to be admired.
Why? Because it's so refreshing to see someone who is really just herself, all the time. Unassuming, unimpaired, and so obviously a lovely person.
Why? No explanation needed. A great singer, someone who brings a sense of self to everything she does and who looks very comfortable in her own skin.
Why? The voice. Ohhh the voice. And again, the ability to take a song and make it entirely her own.
Why? To be honest, I'm not sure. But I've always quite liked her, mainly (I think) because I see her as less of a sell-out than some popular female artists. She's still very much herself, whilst managing to hold down a reputation in the mainstream. I like that.
Why? Because she loves what she does, she's incredibly dedicated, she makes interesting art and engages with people.
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