Initially I opted to take a drive in the McLaren MP4-12C, but was fortunate enough to get to drive all 3 brands, including the Aston Martin Rapide & the Rolls Royce Ghost. In total around 10 Mil worth of cars !!

The Aston Martin Rapide was up first, and in practical terms was the pick of the day. The Rapide is a V12 600 NM horse powered car, which has a top speed of around 295 km/h. The car has immense amount of power, and my drive up the coast and back went by rather quick, leaving me wanting more. It is such a versatile car in terms of, you can drive it around town, or you can take it out on a Sunday Morning for a speed test. It also has an amazing Bang & Olufsen sound system included as well. All round, the most “practical” car of the lot & with a price tag of around R3.3 Mil, this car has become a life goal of mine. One day :) Interestingly there are currently around 600 or so Aston Martin’s  on the road in South Africa, making it one of the fastest growing & more popular luxury brands in South Africa at the moment.

Next up was the Rolls Royce Ghost. With around 150 Rolls Royces in South Africa at the moment, and a price tag of around R4.4 mil for the entry level Ghost, I can see why people would want to drive this car. It is the ultimate luxury vehicle. It just has everything. You name it, the Ghost has it. What an absolute pleasure to drive, and even though it is has similar engine specs to the Rapide, it is a totally different drive and in a class of it’s own. The Ghost has an 8 speed gearbox, a 6.6 litre v12 engine with a governed top speed of around 259km/h. It really is a gentleman’s car, and one you aspire to own, and have someone drive you around in it. I was very surprised at the comforts of this car.

Finally, I got to drive the McLaren MP4-12C, the highlight of the day. When I got the invite to the “Best of British Roadshow” press day, I was asked which car I wanted to drive, and after a quick poll on my Facebook page, the response was overwhelming in favour of the McLaren. But, before I had the chance to actually get behind the wheel, I was treated to a drive by Ryan Barwell, the Operations Director for the Daytona Group in South Africa. There is no doubt that Ryan has driven the McLaren a couple of times before, so when he turned to me and said “By the end of the offramp, we should be at around 180km/h”, I knew I was in for a treat. Actually, “treat” is a too fallible word. “Life changing” might be better suited. Look, I can’t vouch to say if we hit that 180km/h. We may have. But seeing as the speed limit on that road is 100km/h, I’m pretty sure we topped out at “around” 110km/h, only about 10km/h over the legal speed limit ;)

Needless to say, the next 7 minutes up the coast to Sibaya from Umhlanga were literally a blur. A heart racing fuel infest blur, that, quite honestly, words fail to describe. The McLaren MP4-12c is a 7-speed, 441 kW amazing piece of machinery. With 3.3 seconds to get you from 0-100 km/h, you are guaranteed of an unbelievable life-changing experience.
Actually, before we got in the car, Ryan tried to explain that feeling to me; “If you have kids, and you watch them achieve something for the first time in their life, like finishing a puzzle, or completing something, there is this sense of sheer elation of fulfillment on the kids face once they have done it. A huge smile, and nothing else matters to them in the world, apart from completing that task. Now that’s how you will feel after driving the McLaren MP4-12C” And, he hit the nail on the head. I got to drive the car back from Sibaya, and for the fear of my MIL reading my blog, I may or may not have hit a speed starting with a 2 and ending with two zero’s along a straight stretch of highway. Maybe. Possibly.

If you ever get the opportunity for a drive in the McLaren, I would suggest grabbing it with both hands. There are only 14 of these cars in South Africa, and an amazing, amazing car.

A huge thanks to the guys at the Daytona Group for the invite. It was a fantastic morning. You can see a couple of pics I took in the Facebook Album I put up. You can also keep up with the Daytona Group on Twitter or Facebook to see what they up to and see launches of any new cars & brands in South Africa.

The inaugural App of the Year Awards will be held at The Venue, in Rosebank Johannesburg in the second week of July. Showcasing locally developed applications that have made an impact on work and everyday life over the past 12 months, the event promises to celebrate South Africa’s technical talent and promote the country as an innovation hub in the mobile space.

Brought to you by headline sponsors MTN Business and event organisers Creative Space Media, the Awards have already been recognised by a number of big names in the local telecommunications industry, with the likes of Apple/Core, Blackberry, Nokia and MTN throwing their weight behind the exciting event.

Invitations for entries are now open in the following categories:

• Best Blackberry App
• Best Innovative HTML5 App
• Best Enterprise App
• Best Windows App
• Best Android App
• Best IOS App award
• Most Innovative App
• Best “garage” App Developer
• Best App development house

The evening promises to be an audiovisual feast and true multimedia extravaganza, attended by leading app developers, members of the mobile industry and local social media celebrities.

To be a part of the mobile industry’s premier showcase and stand a chance of winning some fantastic prizes, please email Belinda at Creative Space Media: Belinda@creativespacemedia.co.za for submission forms and further information. Please note that all entry forms and submission fees of R200 per entry are to reach Creative Space Media by the 18 May 2012.

3 months down the line and both these challenges are now both done. While I didn’t win the Facebook SleekGeek challenge, as the competition was really fierce, I managed to come out on top of the work challenge. Yay !

I am pretty happy with my results overall. The challenge has inspired me to carry on with this lifestyle change. Overall I lost 5 KG’s during the challenge, but the biggest surprise was I lost around 23cm around the waist. My clothes are feeling loads lighter, and I am fitting into so many of my old clothes

I managed most of this by a simple diet change, and also working out. For training I did a couple of things. Firstly I headed down to FluxMotion almost everyday weekday lunchtime to do some hardcore Kettlebells workouts. I know I have raved about these before, but honestly this by the best overall body workout you can do. It just works and you can feel it.

I also worked out when I could at the new boxing gym in Ballito called Ringside Boxing. Andre & Tyron have such an amazing setup going there. Boxing as a cardio workout is awesome. I have never walked out of a workout there with under 500 calories counted on my Wahoo Heartrate monitor.

But, one of the most beneficial exercises I did over the last 3 months has to be Pilates. Yip. Seriously. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant at first, but am really amazed at the results I have achieved. I have been going once a week to TashB Pilates in Ballito, and while it is a bit intimidating trying to do all those funny poses & stretches, I have really made to feel comfortable. Tash & her team are incredible & am seriously loving these Monday evening classes ! My flexibility has improved in leaps & bounds, and it’s with an exercise like this, you can definitely feel a difference.

Overall I am really impressed with my progress, and can’t wait to see where I go with this. Stay tuned !

The service is pretty unique in that you are instantly provided with your card number, expiry date & CCV number. First you need to top up your 1-2-Pay-Online account with any amount you want, and then from there, you can top the card up to a maximum of R200 for each use (they are looking at increasing this) from the account. Whatever is not used is then returned back into your “holding” account. Once you have requested the card you can download a PDF of the card with the first 12 number while the last 4 digits are SMS’d to you, minimizing the risk of fraud.

We tested this out by buying an iTunes Voucher from EvoPoints and had absolutely no issues at all. Payment went through without any issues and I received the voucher instantly. This is a handy type of service if you need to buy something online, but don’t want to risk exposing your credit card, or if you need to be “discreet” with some of your purchases

The guys are working a couple of exciting products, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Disclaimer: I have previously advised 1-2-Pay-Online on some Social Media strategy, but this has in no way affected the above blog post

In South Africa, 80.5% of Facebook users access the Facebook network via Mobile ! That is HUGE !! We have around 4.5 million (the 34th biggest “Facebook Country”) registered Facebook users in South Africa and that means around 3.62 million of them are accessing via the Mobile Facebook site or apps. There are only 2 other countries, Brunei & Nigeria that beat us,with Nigeria at 81.2%

Here is the full infographic from Socialbakers.com

Well, now you can recieve money INSTANTLY from anyone who uses the FNB app within a 500m radius. So, if you out for example and you don’t have your wallet, or need extra cash, you can simply get a mate to transfer you money without giving you an account number. You simply open the app, find the person around you, put in an amount, and the amount is instantly deposited into their account !

I did a little test last night between myself & the wife and it worked like a charm. Seriously. No mess, No fuss !

I am always blown away by the innovation at FNB, and I can honestly say this one is one of the best so far. I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves next !!

The article covers how I landed up at Private Property and what is in store for the future. Really stoked with the way it came out.

You can click on the article below to get a full version if you want to have a read ;) A huge thanks to Alan Cooper for the very cool writeup

You can also read the full story on Alan’s posterous page - http://geekbeard.posterous.com/meet-mr-mobile-marc-forrest

On 27 May the guys from Instagramers Cape Town will be presenting a digital exhibition for TEDx TableMountain.

Images will be displayed on screens at the convention.

The theme for the the exhibition is: NURTURE, Exploring the relationship between Man, Technology and Nature.

The exhibition is open to all South African Instagramers.

For more info check out the Instagramers Cape Town’s Facebook page or follow @igerscapetown on Instagram for more info on what looks to be an awesome event !

More info from the Apple PR

All that said, I came across a very cool e-book today called “instagram uncovered“. Authored by Guy Yang and Audrey Taylor of The Beginners Lens and iPhone Camera Essentials the book covers the ins & outs of instagram and some cool tips and tricks to get your the best pics and perhaps even get them onto the “Popular List”

More info about instgram uncovered:

Sure, you’ve heard of Instagram. Maybe you’ve even got the app and uploaded a few photos…but you might be wondering how you can make Instagram really work for you?
If you’re looking for a way to make Instagram fun, to get feedback on your photos, learn from other and ultimately improve your Mobile Photography, look no further.
Enter Instagram Uncovered! A freshly baked, downloadable PDF eBook designed to give you all of the insider secrets to mastering Instagram! This fantastic resource is packed with nearly 45+ pages of useful tips, tricks and proven ttechniques to help you get inspired, get more likes and follows and send you on your way to the coved popular page. You’ll learn:

• Get 7 proven techniques for getting likes and follows.*
• Learn how to find inspiration on Instagram.
• Avoid typical mistakes.
• Understand best processes for uploading photos.
• Get the lowdown on reaching the popular page.
• Understand what hashtags can do for you.

*All tips and techniques work on both Android phones and iPhones.

The e-book is currently on special for a fantastic $3, so if you keen and love Instagram, I highly suggest downloading a version from the Beginners Lens Website