Walking Leaf

Wow! What a fantastic event with a huge range of gorgeous models on display – racing cars and promotional girls including! This year’s Autosport International show at Birmingham’s NEC was truly spectacular and the obvious highlight was the 75th anniversary of the Le Mans 24-Hour race. The cars that took part in the legendary endurance race was on display and to see the likes of the Ford GT40 alongside a Jaguar D-Type, McLaren F1 GTR and the Audi R8 was breathtaking.

It was also nice to meet up with my friends, in particular Mike and Yas. I have managed to convince them both to see this show the last time we met (back in October for the anime show in London’s Docklands). Both said it was a wonderful experience to see racing cars up close, especially the Live Action Arena.

The Live Action Arena is a 45-minute performance featuring stock cars, rally cars and the awesome Aston Martin DBR9. These massively powerful racing cars sounded great and despite suffering a lack of grip on the slippery surface, each driver drove these cars with great care not to hit the wall and yet entertaining the crowd.

At the end of a tiring and long day (most of us got up really early to attend the show), we left with a range of photographs stored on our digital cameras and fantastic memories of racing cars in action.

This weekend is the Autosport International held annually at Birmingham’s NEC. It’s the place to go and see the best of motor racing.

I have been to the Autosport show several times over the past few years and even though it can get quite busy during the public days, it’s worth the trip alone to see the range of racing cars on display.

The opportunity to meet the drivers from the world of Formula One, Touring Cars and Sportcars is also great, especially as it is becoming more difficult to meet face-to-face with your racing heroes.

The best part is the Live Action Arena, where the sound and sights of these awesome racing machines are put to test right in front of you! Seeing the Subaru World Rally Car performing some ‘donuts’ is truly spectacular and the noise is simply unbelievable!

This year, I will be meeting up with my old University friends as well as Mike and Yas (I have managed to convince them to come). It should be a fun day out and I look forward to seeing the special Le Mans 24-Hour display arranged for this year.

Last Sunday (December 3rd), I had the unique opportunity to meet some of my motor racing stars at London. That night, a special awards evening was held at the Gosvenor House Hotel near Park Lane.

I meet up with my friends who braved the December cold as we waited to get our autographs from the famous racing drivers.

We stood outside the hotel for around three hours and despite the bitterly cold weather, we managed to get our personal books and items signed by the motor racing celebrities.

As you tell by the photograph, I’ve collected a whole range of signatures on my red Dekra (Michael Schumacher’s personal sponsored) cap. Here you can see me wearing a woolly hat with scarf getting my cap signed by Honda’s racing sporting director Gil de Ferran!

Meeting the drivers was a great honour and it was a friendly atmosphere as I chatted to some familiar faces like Murray Walker, Jason Plato, Matt Neal and Nick Fry. The highlight was meeting the two future British stars, McLaren’s new driver Lewis Hamilton and Super Aguri’s Anthony Davidson.

At London’s Tate Modern, a new sculpture is on display that allows visitors a new way of experiencing a piece of modern art.

The ‘Test Site’ is a piece of impressive engineering created by Carsten Höller.

I had the unique opportunity to try out the slides with a friend during a visit to the popular art gallery. The slides are truly magnificent when you see the large artwork up-close in the cavernous space of the Turbine Hall.

We went on the two ‘smaller’ slides for starters and it was quite good fun as you spiral down inside the glass and metal tube.

Later on, we went to the fourth floor to experience the second highest slide… It took around 10 seconds to travel down four stories in Tate Modern and it was fantastic as it dips and turns in a spectacular rate.

Next time, I will have a go on the highest slide on the fifth floor…

After work, I had the opportunity to attend a book signing at my local Waterstone’s bookshop, featuring the creators of the Gorillaz cartoon band.

The new book, Rise of the Ogre, is a superb autobiography based on the group. The illustrations by Jamie Hewlett are excellent and after seeing his work in a recent Design Museum exhibition earlier this year, I have become a big fan of his work.

Blur singer Damon Albam and the author of the book, Cass Brown, were there alongside Hewlett to sign my copy.

Last weekend, was the London Anime Expo. It was the perfect opportunity to meet the members of the Eternal Sunset and ToykoToys forums by going to this social event.

On Saturday, I’ve planned to meet Yas at Covent Garden in the morning, before joining Mike, Jason and Josh at the Expo in Docklands. I got to Covent Garden around 9am and I noticed a young man waiting outside the Tube station… I thought: “Hmm, I wonder where Yas is?”

I picked up my mobile and called him. Yas answered and at the corner of my eye, there was a young man across the street picking up his mobile at the same time! I said to Yas: “Where are you?” He replied back: “Hi Leaf, I’m in Marks & Spencer. I will be out in a sec.”

I gave him five minutes waiting for him to appear from M&S. At that time, the young man across the street approach me and gave me a look… I think he might recognise me but wasn’t so sure… After five minutes I called Mike and told him that I was meeting up with Yas. When I hanged up the young man who was waiting all this time said to me: “Hi Leaf?” It was Yas all this time!

After a formal introduction, we made out way to the Expo in Docklands. Getting there proved to be a nightmare as there was planned engineering works on the DLR (Docklands Light Railway). We planned to meet Mike, Josh and Jason at the show around 10am and considering they had a head start, expected to get there before us.

In the end, we beat them because Mike got on a wrong train and had to start from the beginning! We finally met up around 10.30am and it was nice to see little Josh and Jason in person!

The Expo was very busy on Saturday, and with so much to see it, we needed to plan out what to do. I told Josh that the signing for Hot Fuzz (with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) would take place around 2pm. So in the mean time, we just went to each stand and look at the merchandising on display.

Mike brought a few stuff while Yas recording some pictures on a digital camera and camcorder. As two o’clock approach, we head to the main Hot Fuzz stand to grab the perfect spot for autographs. Unfortunately everyone thought the same thing and there was quite a crowd. And then, a member of security told us that we couldn’t get an autograph unless you visit the Q&A session beforehand. I think it was a deliberately act of moving the big crowd away from the area…

Jason, Josh and I went to the Q&A but it was packed and we had to stand at the back. The session was quite good showing video clips from the new film and it was amusing to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost answering questions and then throwing free Hot Fuzz t-shirts to the crowd!

After the Q&A, we hurried back to the Hot Fuzz stand for the signing. Already there was a queue… It was badly organised with a lack of security guards prevent people queue jumping but Josh and I were in the line. After queuing up for 15 minutes, we got our Shaun Of The Dead stuff signed by the two stars and the look on Josh’s face was filled with joy and happiness!

We met up with Mike and Yas later on to tell him the good news. He was impressed by our efforts.

In the afternoon, we were joined by Kerry and Matt (from the ToykoToys forum) and it was nice to meet them in person. They were dressed up for the occasion!

After the Hot Fuzz signing, I decided to take the two boys back to Central London. Mike and Yas decided to stay behind at the Expo so that they could attend the Cosplay show. It turned out to be very bad, as you needed a ticket to get in… So Mike sneakily filmed the whole show with his hidden camcorder standing at the back…

I took Josh and Jason around the many shops in the West End, including Playlounge. After going around the different places, the two boys become hungry so I took them to a food hall to grab something to eat.

By now, we were all feeling rather tired so we sat down in the Apple Store to relax (we wanted to play on the new Macs but there were all taken by people writing their emails).

Around 7pm, my mobile rang and it was Mike saying he was at Piccadilly Circus. He had left the Expo show and was now waiting for us.

We met up with Yas and Mike at Piccadilly and I asked him how was the show. “Don’t ask…” Mike said.

Yas and Mike were now hungry after spending all day at the Expo. We needed to go somewhere to eat. Yas mentioned Covent Garden so we decided to make our way there.

We had a nice dinner sitting outside in Covent Garden. We would then joined by two of Mike’s close friends afterwards plus Kerry and Matt, who came straight from the hotel.

By now, it was approaching 9pm and Kerry wanted to go to the pub. But for Josh and Jason, it has been a long and tiring day… Mike asked them if they wanted to go back to the hotel. In the end, we decided to let them tag along and jokily we said we would sneak them in!

We went to this pub near Tottenham Court Road and had a nice friendly chat over a pint of beer. Afterwards, we made our own separate ways back home.

On Sunday, we decided to visit the Science Museum and check out the Game On exhibition. I met up with Yas first at Charing Cross and then join the others at the museum itself.

Spent the next two hours playing classic/modern games such as the Bomberman, Super Mario and Jason’s favourite Halo. Mike thrashed me on Super Mario Kart!

We also jammed on Guitar Hero, which had the main image projected on the wall so that everyone can see our rockin’ performance!

After the exhibition, we made our way to Knightsbridge and had a spot of lunch in a nice Italian restaurant. Everyone had pizza while I had the ‘seafood’ spaghetti. There was even a large pawn on my plate and I didn’t know how to eat it!

We then spent the last few hours in Forbidden Planet, and I noticed Jason was buying so many things as he had a large bag of goodies!

As the day draw to a close, we said goodbye and made our way back to the train station. It had been a really good fun weekend and I said to Mike we should meet up again sometime soon.

Formula One is one of my great passions in life and to visit a design exhibition based on my favourite sport is a dream come true.

At the Design Museum in London, a fascinating exhibit is on display showcasing the innovation in design and the advancements in technology over the past 50 years.

To see the racing cars up close is a wonderful experience. You can’t believe how much the sporting regulation and the use of materials have defined the look of these extreme machines.

Throughout the exhibition, there are number of display giving important information on the changing history of the sport. This includes the development in safety, car design and engine management.

In addition, there is a private screening area to watch archive footage of Formula One. The highlight was the on-board camera action from the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio and Ayrton Senna.

What was the best bit in the show? Seeing the suspended parts of Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella’s championship-winning Renault R25. It looked like a sculpture revealing the work of art in the design of the car.

If only I had the opportunity to sit inside one of the cockpit of these amazing cars…

Just returned back from a very wet weekend at Silverstone and despite being soaked, I was extremely happy to see some fantastic racing action at the track and afterwards a live music show.

I stayed at my friend’s house on Saturday night, but getting there from London was tricky. I left my house quite late in the afternoon and took the ‘tube to Victoria. Brought my rail ticket (which was quite pricey despite being a single…) and when I looked at the boards, I couldn’t see my train… I thought there was a direct route from Victoria station, but no. Every train went to a complete different direction and I had to change on route, to get to my destination… That would take too long I thought so I asked the train conductor if there was a direct train leaving from London. He pointed me to Charing Cross, so I pop back on the tube, arrived at the station and got on board the right train.

The journey took a while and I sent my mate a text message letting him know I was running late. By the time I arrived, it started to rain… He picked me up in his car and we immediate went back to his place to get away from the bad weather.

Spent the night at his house and he told me to expect a long day tomorrow. And we needed to get up quite early to get there (Around 5am)… This was tricky for me, as I usually go to bed really (and I mean REALLY) late on Saturday night - around 2am if I’m feeling tired… So getting up at the crack of dawn - on a Sunday - would be difficult for a lazy person like myself! But strangely, I did get up on time (Perhaps I was feeling exciting to going to Silverstone for the first time?) and after eating breakfast, we made our way to Northamptonshire and towards the Home of British Motor Racing.

Alas, I feel asleep in the car as my mate was driving up the motorway… It was a two and a half-hour drive, but it didn’t felt like it as I was drifting away in my sleep…

I awoke to find Silverstone lashing down with heavy rain! “Great…” I thought as we stepped out of the car heading for the entrance. Luckily I had my coat and ‘monkey’ umbrella to give me shelter from the foul weather.

As we made our way around the track, the racing cars were just out on track preparing for the race. I could see the ’spray’ and the noise was just sensational. Not as loud as a Formula One car of course, but still ear-splitting loud…

We went across a bridge on the start/finish straight, as this allows you straight into the pits and paddock area. Usually you will find security guards patrolling here so that no one can enter the paddock without the right pass. But there wasn’t any.

We were now in the paddock at Silverstone and this is where the racing cars are prepared and if you are lucky, can spot the drivers themselves. We decided to hang around here looking for familiar motor racing faces to sign our race programme or ticket. In the space of one hour, I met several legendary racing drivers like Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, René Arnoux, Patrick Tambay, Stefan Johansson, Christian Danner, Andrea De Cesaris, Jan Lammers and Hans-Joachim Stuck! Impressive, non? Got my race ticket signed by these racing stars and at the end of the day, I was left with a priceless and special ticket pass (see above).

After that, we made our way to different parts of the track to get the best vantage point. Silverstone certainly looks very different when watching on TV… You can’t beat the experience of being there.

We were later joined by others and we decided to watch the main Grand Prix Masters race at Club corner (at the far end of the track). Perfect for taking photographs as the fence wasn’t that high up spoiling the view.

The race itself was entertain. Saw many overtake moves in the hour-long race, and we even saw Nigel Mansell spinning twice at Club! In fact, Nigel Mansell experienced a mechanical problem with his ‘red 5′ car meaning that he was unable to race against the others… It later transpired that the differential had broken on his way to the grid, causing an uneven distribution of power between the rear wheels and making the car impossible to drive…

Such a shame to see Mansell out before the race but at least he put on a good show by spinning three times on one lap!

The race was won by Eddie Cheever, who drove a near-flawless drive in tricky wet conditions.

The 48-year-old American took the lead on the third lap, passing Stefan Johansson the long way around at Club Corner (which was spectacular), and quickly built a sizeable lead.

But by lap eight he was fending off the advances of Eric van de Poele, who had scythed his way through the field from the back of the grid after sitting out Saturday’s qualifying session.

The pair waged an entertaining duel throughout the remainder of the race, van de Poele initially looking faster but making several mistakes in his attempts to find a way past.

On lap 12 the Belgian swept around the outside of Cheever in a bold move at Bridge, only to be repassed soon afterwards when his rear tyres started to overheat on the drying track.

Van de Poele tried to counter-attack but, after two more 360s(!) at Woodcote and Vale, had to settle for a worthy runner-up spot.

Poles Position driver, Christian Danner recovered well from a first-lap spin at Luffield to claim the final podium place.

After the Grand Prix Masters race, we made our way to a different viewing spot. We watched the F3000 race at Corpse (the first corner) and at the entry to the Becketts complex (the fast S-bend). The sight, sound and the speed of the cars were breathtaking.

At the end of all the track action, we went back to paddock to see if there were any other stars whom we can get our stuff signed. And we did with spectacular results! Murray Walker was there. Nigel Mansell again! Susie Stoddart (DTM woman driver) and Andy Rouse (legendary touring car driver).

As the day drew to an end, we were treated to a free and lively concert performed by Katie Melua. Her voice was amazing as she sang her songs from her hit album ‘Piece By Piece’.

So a wonderful day out at Silverstone. Meeting the star drivers and enjoying the live music from Katie were the highlight. Okay, the weather was horrible but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm.

Yesterday evening - July 28th - we (as in the family) went to a fun and amusing designer expo in the back gardens of London’s Victoria and Albert museum. It only cost £1 to get in and only 2,000 people were allowed in to sample the designers’ goodness. But on the warm summer evening, it seems to be double the amount of people and everyone was enjoying themselves.

So what was special with this fair? Well each stall was set-up by a design agency or designer. Instead of showcasing the latest products or corporate branding, it was all fun and games. On one stall you have to hit a ‘rat’ (a black sock with red buttons sown on it to look like eyes!) with a gardening fork tool. The next, drawing a fantasy image for a cover based on the classic Penguin books (my sister drew an hilarious dove with guns based on Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”).

Each stall requires the punter to donate some money to a good cause (charity for the under-privilege children for example) so it was nice to participate in the event.

So what games did I play? Well, how about spin a wheel to win some designer t-shirts, badges and postcards? I actually won some cool prizes including a book on Vikings! There was a raffle as well. Didn’t win the cool design chic (you have to have a number zero on your raffle ticket to claim the item) but I got a free lollipop instead!

Last night was simply spectacular after one of my favourite band were playing live at a packed London’s Earls Court show.

The band were the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I love the funky music performed by the California-based rock group.

I have always been a fan since buying the last three albums - ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’, ‘Californication’ and my personal favourite, ‘By The Way’. The new 28-track double album ‘Stadium Arcadium’ released this year is simply fantastic.

I always wanted to see them performing live someday… Well, my dreams came finally true when I saw them that evening.

Anthony Kiedis - the main vocal - was energetic and incredible, John Frusciante – guitar and backing vocals - was on awesome form with the lead guitar. His skills were truly impressive. Flea – playing the bass and providing the backing vocals was superb. And as for Chad Smith – on the drums - he couldn’t stop hitting away and was full of enthusiasm. He later threw his drum sticks to the passionate crowd at the end!

The highlights was the opening song to kick-start the two-hour live show with ‘Can’t Stop’, a fans favourite and my as well. John Frusciante’s sole version of ‘How Deep Is Your Love?’ was wonderful. Followed by a 15 minute guitar jam at the end of ‘Give It Away’… Sensational!

A great night out and I can’t wait to see them live once again.