Hubby's Need For Speed

As a very, very, very belated birthday gift, I presented my hubby with a racing voucher. His July birthday was celebrated with a few races around the track in October last year. He was a very happy chappy. But I am moving way too fast, even for F1 and my own story.

 

I had been saving up for this experience gift for a while (4 years to be exact) as it was a bit hefty on the price. But I really wanted him to experience it before we left South Africa so it was now or never.

 

The day finally arrived and we pitched up at the Kyalami Racing Circuit all excited and geared. Hubby was the special man and I was his designated photographer/cheerleader/groupie.

 

We arrived about an hour early and we were treated to some finger foods and computer racing games. Afterwards, the drivers were all called to suit up and get ready. Once dressed, they were gathered into a room to discuss safe practices while racing.

Dressed to the nines....in racing gear terms.

 

As there were quite a few drivers who were booked for the "elite" experience, hubby had to wait for his turn on the track. The "elite" experience cost a bit more (about 3 times the normal) and included 90 minutes on the track. My hubby, on his "normal" experience, only had 30 minutes of driving time. I was on a tight budget so opted for the "normal" experience. I think it would have taken me another 10 years to save up to the "elite" experience.

 

I also forgot to mention that with the "elite" package, you also get to put your surname on the racecar, much like on F1 racing. We were so happy to have found somebody with the same surname, albeit it was misspelt with an S rather than a Z in the end.

 So hubby and I waited a while for the other drivers. And then, it was his turn. I went up the spectators' platform to try and take a lot of photos of him around the tracks...but I must admit, after a few rounds, I lost track of him (no pun intended). It was just too difficult to identify the racecar he was in. It was not really in any special colour, it was black, like most of the other racecars that day. Plus travelling at almost 180kmph, who would have been able to catch a glimpse of the driver's face at that pace? So I just took photos of every black racecar coming my way, LOL. I caught one of him eventually.

 30 minutes went by fast. It felt just like 5 laps but hubby said he made at least 8 or 9. See what I mean about losing track of him?

 

Hubby commented that it felt really different driving a racecar. Your face contorted and jiggled in so many ways while driving at superhuman speed. Lots of dynamics and strategy involved. It was truly difficult. Hats off to Schumacher and the rest of them doing this for a living.

 

All in all, a very good birthday present.

ROFL With Trevor Noah

NB: This post is not a proper review and contains no spoilers! I don't think I can deliver the jokes the way Trevor Noah does it. So my suggestion would be to buy the DVD if you did not attend any of his shows.

Hah! Didn't think I'd get this chance to actually go watch stand up comedy as done by Trevor Noah. By the time I wanted to get tickets, I was too late. All his shows were sold out. All 42 days. Lucky there were still 4 days that were waiting to be opened and so I waited with bated breath.

 

After waiting for a few days, camping on the Computicket website, trolling for tickets....the floodgates opened and I grabbed the first ones I could get my hands on. It was not even my chosen night. But who cares about comfortability when it's Trevor Noah we're talking about? I had tickets to Trevor Noah's That's Racist show and that was all that mattered. I was doing the happy dance around the house.

 

If you're not from South Africa and are wondering who Trevor Noah is, let's do a bit of background. Trevor Noah (who surprisingly has a Wikipedia page) is an award-winning South African comedian. He is of Swiss and South African descent. He uses his mixed race heritage as well as spot-on observations about race and ethnicity in South Africa as the leading themes of his comedy.

Going back to the tickets and the show....It was a Wednesday night and the atmosphere within the Lyric Theatre (at Gold Reef City, Johannesburg) was great! You can feel the excitement and anticipation. The theatre was packed. (Sold out, remember?) Trevor Noah walks on stage and starts his laugh-a-second routine. It was excellent! It was simply irresistible. I just could not stop myself. I've never laughed so much that my tummy hurt. He was one mean, lean laugh master. His jokes were fresh and the punchlines just kept coming at you like there was nowhere to hide.

The only regret that I had was that I wasn't able to capture Trevor in action on stage. He moved too fast and kept creating shadows on my photos, LOL. "The Blur" is what he was. So I had to be content with taking a photo with his promotional ad outside the theatre. He was very still then. Hahahaha......

 

Definitely one of South Africa's great.

Dated: 7 November 2012, Lyric Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Williams' Sisters In Action

To say that hubby and I are avid tennis fans is no lie. We love to endlessly watch these sportspeople hit the ball back and forth across the court. We cheer and clap in front of our home TV when the players dive and save a point and hit the ball right on the line to make it IN (or just nearly OUT if you wanna say it that way).

 

We previously had a chance to watch the SA Open at MonteCasino in 2011, where the final was won by South Africa's very own Kevin Anderson. Unfortunately, the SA Open had been discontinued due to the timing of the tournament. The event starts just after the major Australian Open and so, was not really well attended by the big names, especially when they've just wrapped up and played the semi-finals/finals of the Australian Open.

 

But I digress. I have no idea if the SA Open is coming back to SA soils, so we shall move on....

 

When we heard that the Williams' sisters were coming to South Africa for an exhibition match, we just couldn't pass the opportunity up. It was just too good to be true. They were such big names that shaped women's tennis to what it is today. Two champions in their own rights...in one court...in action.

 

The ticket line just opened and 5 minutes later, all the tickets on the front areas were sold out. Although not out front, I was able to book middle seats a few metres away. The view was near enough. The exhibition was held at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.

 

The Williams' sisters were cheered on as they came on court. The game was entertaining to say the least. Venus appeared to be very down to earth, interacting with the crowd a lot more right from the start. Serena was quieter and took a bit longer to create a bond with the audience. Both were equally charming. Their games were excellent. I was awed by the speed and might of how the tennis ball bounced around in court. So this is how real pros play :-)

 

Serena "won" the exhibition after 2 sets. But both sisters won the hearts of the audience, most definitely.

Dated: 4 November 2012, Ellis Park Arena, Johannesburg, South Africa

Back!

Borrowed photo

The hiatus took longer than expected. It was supposedly just a November thingy but it just went on and I decided to take a longer holiday. Until things become normal again.

 

You see, I'm now in my new country, establishing a new home, settling the family in a new place, getting used to new surroundings, learning new ways.....all definitely blog materials....if I let it :-)

 

I hope to get the momentum going for the new year. All the best to everyone and I'm glad to be back for now.