By Akash Sablok, np ajac

There are kings and queens and then there is real royalty.

I consider someone of royalty if they inspire, lead, motivate, and instill a sense of caring and love. I have been in the presence of such a person, Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group (UK).

With my invite to the Bell Ice Cube – named for its design and colours – I didn’t know what to expect when the release said “Join… Sir Richard Branson.… for an ice sculpture carving competition…”

Sir Richard Branson, Jamie Salé and David Pelletier (photo by Christina Nurse)

What I do know is that Virgin Mobile in Canada is operated by Bell Mobility, a partnership that has helped cellular phone rates stay low for Canadians.

Sir Richard teamed up with business teammate, Bell Mobility president Wade Oosterman in a fun-spirited match against Olympic figure skating gold medalists Jamie Salé and David Pelletier.  The Brit and Torontonian carved out a Christmas tree, while the skaters decided on, what else, an ice-skate.

The event saw Bell Mobility donate $20,000 to Virgin Unite, a not-for-profit organization that focuses on empowering companies to improve their local communities through economic and environmental projects.  The charity has zero overhead – Sir Richard and his Virgin Group of companies take care of all the expenses.  He embodies every trait of royalty, something you feel instantly.

In a brief conversation with Sir Richard, I discussed with him the Little Hugs Big Hearts Foundation that I am part of – an organization that raises funds for Canuck Place Hospice.  He not only listened carefully, he wanted to hear more about it.  He is a true gentleman.

Sir Richard Branson with Bell Mobility's Wade Oosterman, and Akash Sablok (photo by Christina Nurse)

For more information about Virgin Unite and Bell Mobility, please visit:

www.virginunite.com

www.bellmobility.com

Akash Sablok is a TV and print tech/auto journalist (Citytv, Omni, Shaw & TELUSTV) and a BC Notary.

www.akashsablok.com

www.sablok.com

By Akash Sablok, np ajac

Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton & Akash Sablok

Beauty, Speed, Beauty

By Akash Sablok, np ajac

 Not everything that catches ones’ eye at the Olympics is made of gold and hangs around your neck, there’s also gold that hangs around your wrist – I’m talking watches.

 And if that wrist belongs to Cindy Crawford, then… ah, what were we talking about again?

Cindy Crawford with Akash Sablok & FMA Entertainment Weekly's Erin Ireland

 As an official brand ambassador for Omega Watches, Ms. Crawford has been a part of the Omega family since 1995, longer than any other ambassador.  Obviously her beauty is timeless and in person, I can confirm that.    With a crowd of about 50 people, she instantly stood out when she entered the room.  Not because of her height (she’s 5’9”), but because of her warmth and friendliness.

 She is not just a pretty face, she participates in advertising campaigns and is actively involved in events and in product design.  This is on top of her many charitable events – many of which she is personally involved.

 Omega has been the official timekeeper of the Olympics (warm and cold), since 1932.  The days of old saw officials using a stopwatch to keep the seconds in check.  These days, lasers, RF tags, and more tech than the Google campus ensure that all athletes are timed accurately.  We were able to sample this tech with a model bobsleigh race setup at the event.

Premier Campbell Testing his Bobsleigh Skills with Official Omega Timing. Omega President Steven Urquhart Looking On (photo by Erin Ireland)

Akash Sablok is a TV and print tech/auto journalist (Citytv, Omni, Shaw & TELUSTV) and a BC Notary.

http://www.akashsablok.com/

http://www.sablok.com/

For more information about Omega Watches and Cindy Crawford, please visit:

http://www.omegawatches.com/ and http://www.cindy.com/

We’re Definitely Not In Kansas Anymore Dorothy

By Akash Sablok, np ajac

So I had this dream that Vancouver/Whistler was throwing a big party.  There were guests here from all over of the world, including the world’s best winter sport athletes.

We built special venues for them; designated blocks and blocks of our cities and said, hey since you’re here, let’s have a sporting competition.

Then I woke up.

What an amazing feeling to have a wonderful dream be real.

Yes, friends and family, I am starting to believe.  Olympic fever has hit me.

The start of my infection: attending the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies.

We had been invited by one of the local creative producers, a client of mine (did I mention I have the best clients in the world?!).

I was excited, but also a little cautious, this was a dress rehearsal after all.

We took public transportation – Canada Line to the Yaletown station, then good old foot power – walking at least a kilometre to the gates of BC Place.  And when I say gates to BC Place, I mean the security gates – airport style – at the entrance of the Olympic Village area.  Once past these gates, you’re walking another 10 minutes to actually get to the pillow-top venue.

Inside, you realize this is not your father’s BC Place, renovations have upgraded the interior to a level not seen before in Vancouver.  Sit down in your seat and your jaw drops – Dorothy, Toto, and the gang will wonder where they are!

Not to spoil things (too much), we were treated to an audio/visual dessert of videos, acrobatics, songs (Sarah McLachlan was there in person), and speeches.

Each and every piece was magnificently done, each one further confirming that British Columbia, and Canada, is truly the best place on earth to live.

We walked out of BC Place absolutely speechless, more proud of our country than ever before.

If you are one of the lucky ones to attend the Opening Ceremonies live tomorrow, February 12^th, please savour every moment.  If you are watching the event on TV, please hit the record button on your PVR - trust me, you will hit rewind, play, rewind, play, rewind, play….

Akash is a BC Notary Public and Technology/Automotive Journalist based in Vancouver, BC. Follow Akash on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AkashSablok

Four Pieces of Rubber For Five Rings
By Akash Sablok, np ajac

The games are great, the games are fun, the games are exciting!  But what if you can’t get to the games?!

I’m not talking about you getting your rear cramped into a tiny piece of stiff foam the airlines call a seat, I’m talking about getting into your vehicle and driving to Vancouver.

On a side note, if you did fly into Vancouver this morning and were planning on renting a car from Hertz at YVR, start rubbing for a rabbit’s foot for good luck, the Hertz counter has a picket line in front of it.

Back to the roads – icy snowy ones to be exact.  What if you are driving in from Northern BC, Alberta, or say even Ontario (don’t encourage them…)?  We may not have all the frozen white stuff we want down here, but there sure is plenty of it in surrounding areas.

There are several options to get that aforementioned rear of yours to the games: You can snow-shoe it, hitch a ride with a transport truck (scary, illegal), or throw a set of snow tires on your car.

For the tiny little patches of rubber that your car connects to the asphalt with, you may want to consider the Pirelli SOTTOZERO (Italian for stick-a-lika-glue, I think) Winter Tires.

The SOT’s are new for the 2009/2010 season and are designed for high-performance on snow.  Look up the specs for a Porsches’ winter tire package and you’ll see SOT’s as Stuttgart’s standard choice.

These tires are technically "Dual-season" Performance Winter tires developed for temperatures approaching freezing and below from mid-autumn until early spring.   This means you can leave them on your high performance sport car, coupe or sedan for almost three seasons.

Pirelli has put some pretty neat technology into these black doughnuts to make this happen.  The tread compound utilizes cap and base technology - combining two different compounds.  The upper strata (cap) that comes into contact with the road surface uses silanes (ah, don’t ask) to bind the silica and polymer to provide greater stability during hard driving in both wet and dry conditions.

The sub-strata in contact with the casing (base) uses nano-composites (aluminum silicates) dispersed throughout the polymer to provide the stiffness that enhances stability and driving precision.  The tread compound is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern divided into distinct inner and outer elements to blend traction in snow and on ice with drivability on dry and wet roads.

And now from my days as an U.N. translator (Auto-Tech to English): your car sticks to the road, regardless of road conditions.  The most important part about driving in winter – braking – works great with these tires, making for stress-free driving.

Of course the laws of physics will eventually take over any tire… and if you are crazy enough to say, drive 160km/h into a deep turn with snowflakes around you, well, I have your one-man luge sign-up sheet right here.

Drive safe out there people - whether you are heading up to Whistler to get a closer view of the events, driving down to the Lower Mainland for the local events, or just getting out of dodge.

If you are driving for extended periods, remember the 2-15 rule, every 2 hours, take a 15 minute break.  Crank the tunes and get yourself a caffeine pickup.  My choice?  The Best of Bryan Adams and a Matcha Latte from Blenz.

Here are some links that might help you out:
BC Highways Road Conditions:  http://www.bchighway.com/report
BC Highways Cameras:  http://images.drivebc.ca/bchighwaycam/pub/html/www/index-Northern.html
Pirelli Tyres: http://www.pirelli.ca/
Blenz Coffee Canada Locations: http://www.blenz.com/stores.aspx#Canada

Follow Akash on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/akashsablok
Akash's website: http://www.akashsablok.com/