The past weeks have been really busy with work and rides. Mountain biking took a back seat and so was blogging here. I can’t say that I’m really back to blogging here since there are more things that I need to do.
In the mean time, let me share this Vespa I’ve spotted recently in the blogosphere. This is for wordpress bloggers hosting their own blogs especially for those who want a little Vespa-flavah in their blog layout.
This 3-column template was designed by mikozv and it’s so fresh that only five downloads have been logged as of this writing. Thinking of starting your own Vespa blog? This could well be the perfect template/blog layout to start with.
Here’s another series of movie screencaps with Vespas in it. This is actually the long-overdue, second installment of the Guess the Movie (Easy Round) I posted last April. I think this will be just as easy since all the movies where the scenes below were taken are mainstream and quite known.
Pao, my eleven year old niece, gave me a heads-up about this new music video of Gwen Stefani(for old farts out there, she’s the babe who fronted the band ‘No Doubt‘) for the remix version of the song “Now That You Got It“ from her sophomore album “The Sweet Escape” (2006). The song and the video features Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley(son of Reggae icon, Bob Marley). Below is a screencap from the video.
As usual, Gwen’s with the Harajuku Girls — her four-chick, all-Japanese posse cum backup dancers — whom we usually see around her in Gwen’s other music videos. With Marley around, it’s no surprise that the recurring theme and digital setting of this colorful video is Jamaica. Notice too that the girls are scooting around with three Vespas representing the Jamaican colors! You can watch the music video here. Read the rest of this entry ?
Instead of simply listing down the Hollywood movies which featured a Vespa in them, I decided to have a little fun ala FilmWise. I will be presenting screencaps from movies and you try to guess the title of the movie.
I made this round quite easy by presenting ‘character-driven’ images. There are only ten items. Look closely at the screencaps and you’ll see the lead or supporting character(s) from each movie which will serve as the clue. Try to post your answers in the comment section.
Ready? Let’s start!
1. title: ______________________________
2. title: ______________________________
3. title: ______________________________
4. title: ______________________________
5. title: ______________________________
Don’t relax yet. There are five more screencaps to identify. Let’s go!
If professional wrestling is touted as the soap opera for men, then I say that American Chopper- The Series (check Discovery Channel Asia for airtime sched), is THE reality TV for men. There are no strong female leads in this show; it’s all about Teutul patriarch and his son who runs a business creating custom motorcycles (aka choppers) in their workshop called Orange County Choppers. It’s an interesting watch with all the conflicts, shouting (courtesy of Paul Sr.) and sulking (courtesy of Paul Jr. aka Paulie) as they rush to meet deadlines in creating one-of-a-kind custom choppers. The original idea for the show is to focus on the two Pauls but his youngest son (Mikey) proved to be popular with the show’s fans with his witty comebacks and comic relief. His presence is said to have a calming effect on his dad, who almost never shows the same kind of frustration he feels for Paulie.
Though the family are known for their custom bikes, the two Teutul siblings have also been spotted riding scooters, with Mikey seen a on one more than a couple of times in the show. On the latest TV spot promoting the show’s transfer to TLC this coming January 18 (in the US at least), Mikey appeared on a Vespa while the rest of the family stuck with their own creation. See the clip below (thanks to Steve of thescooterscoop.com for the heads-up on this one).
Cool! No matter how funny or oddly unfamilar it looks, a Teutul riding Vespa just need to be profiled so here goes. Read the rest of this entry ?
Last night, my wife & daughter were watching a re-run of the movie, Kim Possible: So the Drama when I heard the distinct sound of a 2-stroke engine. I rolled off my computer seat to catch a glimpse, and saw this:
Why… it’s the dorky Ron Stoppable on Vespa! I immediately searched the ‘net for images of Ron on his scoot but there wasn’t any, ziltch, nada! So during the commercial break, I asked my daugther to lend me her Kim Possible DVD. As soon as she found it, I popped it in my computer, scanned, and captured a few frames for some Vespa screencaps. A’righty then, here’s a chance for another Vespa rider’s profile! Read the rest of this entry ?
My daughter has been a regular visitor of my blog since her feature here. In fact, she’s currently hooked on watching the stop/motion Vespa animation by Jack Salizzoni to the point of asking me to play it for her before she went to school this morning. I’m concerned that she’s turning out to be a Vespa addict more than me. Oh well, there’s no harm in that… or is there?
The other day, she stormed into our room to show something she found while surfing and gaming via disneychannel-asia.com. The cause of her excitement turns out to be this:
New campaign bubbles with elegant quirkiness (excerpt from Chicago Sun-Times – 10/30/06)
The holiday season is fast approaching and wine, liquor and spirits companies are gearing up for their biggest marketing push of the year.Moet & Chandon, one of the more famous top-tier Champagne brands, is doing its share via a new ad campaign from Kirshenbaum Bond/New York that carries the enticing tag line “Be Fabulous.” The tag sounds whimsical, but the print campaign itself strives to be both fanciful and quite romantic, in the way that only a truly French Champagne purveyor could make it.
Each execution portrays a rather off-the-wall scenario that still manages to convey a certain charm. In one ad, a fetchingly elegant and beaming woman attired in a smashing evening gown is perched on the back of a Vespa along with a case of Moet. Her date in the scooter’s driving seat is eyeing her with a big smile, as if to suggest “look what I got for the holidays!” The tongue-in-cheek copy reminds readers to “always travel with a chauffeur.” [read full article here.]
the case of Moet & Chandon being strapped to the rear rack of a Vespa
(screencap from the ad campaign’s `making of’ video )
My original concept for this blog is to profile different personalities (real or ficticious) who are Vespa riders like myself. But I know I’ll run out of entries if I only focus on that particular area. But still, that will be an aspect that I intend to regularly share here.
Since my previous blog entries hardy got any info about myself, allow me to share some bits of (not-so) personal info. I am a big collector of different sorts of original Simpsons merchandise. My biggest claim to fame as a fanboy is having my name mentioned in this book about Collecting Simpsons and having my fanmail printed in Radioactive Man comics #679. Sounds geeky, I know! But these are things a collector’s money can buy. I even have Bart tatooed on my back.
Having said that, allow me to start this Vespa Rider’s Profile series in this blog with a character from my favorite TV show. He’s not the only Vespa rider in Springfield though. There are a a couple more. But for now, let’s focus on him.
If 
when I heard the distinct sound of a 2-stroke engine. I rolled off my computer seat to catch a glimpse, and saw this:
