My Bae Movie Premiere

I suppose this is the result after exploring the features of my laptop. I hope you like it. It's my first Bae movie. Enjoy!

Bessa who?

Remember this camera YJ used in his secret visit to Japan? I thought it was a new generation of Box Brownies. While surfing the net I saw a photo similar to this one in the Amateur Photographer site and the camera is called Voigtländer Bessa III. It's actually available in Japan and will be launched in the UK next month. Robert White the leading distributor of cameras and accessories have only ordered 20 units. Its retail price will be £1900, cheaper than the Leica. So what's good about this camera apart from its vintage look? It has a mechanism that switch between film formats, 6x7 cm to 6x6cm. It has the capacity to produce very high quality picture and comes with an 80 mm f/3.5 and powered with a CR2 lithium battery.It's known in Japan as GF670. Below are the key features.

Type: 6 x 7 type rangefinder folding camera
Film format

6 x 7 and 6 x 6 by selector switch
6 x 7 size: 56 x 69mm6 x 6 size: 56 x 56mm
Film
120 or 220 roll film
Frames
6 x 7 size: 120 – 10 shots, 220 – 20 shots
6 x 6 size: 120 – 12 shots 220 – 24 shots
Lens
HELIAR 3,5/80mm6 elements in 4 groupsAngle of view: 6 x 7 size = 57°Angle of view: 6 x 6 size = 53°
Focusing -Manually controlled helicoid
Focusing range- 0,9 m – inf.
Finder
Coincidence type rangefinder with bright frame and automatic parallax correction.
Macro ratio-X 0,7
Diopter correction
Eyepiece diopter (19mm tread) can be screwed on.
Indicators in view finder
LED- Aperture Priority Auto Mode and properly set shutter speed indicator lit. - Manual exposure mode- Battery consumptoin warning
Shutter
Electronically controlled lens shutter. Shutter speed 4s – 1/500 sec.
Exposure control
Center weighted average metering. Exposure compensation: +/- 2 by 1/3 steps
Film speed
Manually set. ISO25 – 3200 by 1/3 steps
Film winding
By film advance dial
Film counter
Additive type with auto reset, automatically switched to 120 or 220 type synchronized with film type selector switch on film pressure plate.
Battery
X1 CR2 Lithium battery
Size
178mm x 109mm x 138 mm or 64mm (closed)
Weight
1,000g

So you think it's the same camera? I'm not surprise if it is..

Source: Robert White & Amateur Photographer

flaming kitchen

Why were we seated in the sofa spending our evening watching "Hell's Kitchen" when we're both on a 'watch what you eat situation'? I know, my sentiments exactly but it may have a bizarre name, this program is hosted by a 3 Star Michelin chef Marco Pierre White. I don't know much about this man until I watched the last episode of HK tonight. He was apparently the first youngest Brit to receive the stars at the age of 33. Prominent celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsey and Heston Blumenthal were one of his staffs.

The show seem to be a bit mild compared to Ramsay's version in the past. Although White already looked wicked, bad-tempered but didn't notice ill words from him.
HK makes you want to go out and enjoy fine dining. You obviously have to pay a bit more to experience heavenly food. The program's aim was to find the best cook among the celebs and this year's winner is Linda Evans.

Overall, I enjoyed watching at least the finale..to watch some clips please click here.

Cosmo bits and pieces

mmhhh found these videos in You Tube..BYJ's new style eh..still cute and adorable. Thanks to Haruka and Koriataunn for the videos.

Get start kickin'..

Since I barely noticed the Earth's Day and BYJ's 'Kick the Habit' which was an initiative to help conserve/protect the environment, I have come up with own means of kicking the old habits..

As we are heading towards the end of spring, we're nearly finish sorting the garden as well. I suppose my offer to helping the environment is by planting a tree in our garden. The flowers have come out already and I'm so pleased with them.

Also I have started growing some vegetables which I could grow in pots. I haven't grown anything since primary years and have forgotten how much fun there is. Today I planted some lettuces which should be ready by summer. I am also propagating my everlasting spring onions which I got from my in laws. They too have a small area in their garden where they grow carrots, potatoes, broad beans, celery, spring onions, radishes, and rhubarb. That sounds plenty doesn't it? I thought everytime I visit the supermarket I could get hold of some seedlings.

I also would like to share some progress of our garden..we managed to place some decorative stones and few solar powered garden lights. I'm hoping it will work quite well during the evening.

I intend to continue this project and growing our own veges..it's one of the those things I like living in the country..the simplicity of it all.

Thanks to Style for the photo.

In pursuit of the perfect sunset..

For the last three days we have been blessed with three consecutive sunny days. It might sound absurd but British summer like I said is unpredictable. Since I was working the last few days, hubby got the chance to pick me from work. Everytime we come home we were greeted with stunning sunsets. So with his patience and support I had to run back to the house to pick up my camera. Feeling like a pro with a bit of adrenalin rush, off we went. The first photo was taken yesterday and I was disappointed because we got to the spot a bit late. The sun was already gone. I have never seen such big and rounded sun same as those you see in photographs. It was bright red which seem to have a thin silky sheet of cloud over it. sigh...

So today I was packed ready and half an hour early too. I had to battle with my dog as he was more interested in sniffing the path and pulling about. Need more practice in walking him in this situation.

I was almost decided to come home but when we were few yards away I looked and saw the sun out of the clouds. As I walked back a car was heading the same spot too. The guy seem to be there to watch the sunset everyday. The last picture showed his car parked at the same spot. As I headed home I got reminded of the Little Prince. 'When one is so terribly sad, one loves sunsets.. 'was he sad too?

The importance of being BYJ..

Just wondering if BYJ has planned to give us a heart problem..with all the waiting and now with all these new pictures around I bet so many ladies out there are trying to chill and calm their heart rate down..these photos are so gorgeous and what's more they are for a good cause. It left me pondering, whose idea was Kick the Habit? Solely BYJ which I am guessing 99% his and the 1 % from other BOF stars..(excuse me from being bias, think I'm allowed to.. ;-) )To read about this campaign please click here.

Below is a short intro of stars during the photo shoot of the Cosmopolitan May edition shared by Tomato and take note it's sold out!!! Only one man could do that..only BYJ.

Thanks to TWSSG and Xiaoyi's blog for the pictures.

Summer on AB

Some lovely pictures of the Arnaldo Bassini 2009 Summer Collection. I must say these are better than the Spring photos. Thanks to Style and Maron of BYJGallery.

Brits got talent..

Call me a slowcoach but I think I have been in these past few days.. after what happened to hubby I think my life's perspective have been redirected in a different way. It was a wake up call. We definitely have to slow down and look after ourselves. Although I have missed some things happening under my nose I still managed to catch up. Today after watching the Grand Prix qualifying in China and the team I supported ended in the ninth place I felt disappointed but it's only a sport and I won't be able to help if I feel so atrocious towards it.. it's not going to change anything.

Being away last weekend I didn't manage to watch 'Britain's Got Talent'. It's a variety show obviously looking for acts of any sort. The winner will have the opportunity to act in the presence of the royal family in December. The show is very interesting. For me it's like watching hope fulls from all over the kingdom trying to audition in order to meet the Queen and get their talents known. And you must have heard about this one very special act last Saturday which was known not only here in Britain but in the US. It's Susan Boyle's I Dreamed a Dream. To watch her performance please click here. The following are previous winners of BGT.

The 2008 winner was Manchester's George Sampson.

The 2007 winner was Paul Potts singing Nessun Dorma.

The Cosmo..

It's the talk of tinseltown I must admit...BYJ in Cosmopolitan Korea this May!! Wowww at last water amidst what seem to be a never ending drought. If you are a BYJ family , you know what I mean.

So is this that pair of shoes???? The one he's got is grey and this one comes in grey too however what seems to be the answer to the puzzle is if you look on the sides.. Just click here if you want to know what I'm talking about. ;-) Look on lace ups.

Anyway, who cares whether it's Louis Vuitton or something from the High Street as long as he's out and smilling.

Fun with pics

Thanks to L..I found this great way to play with pictures.. obviously BYJ's although I have some good ideas for hubbys ;-) Have a lovely weekend ahead.

Cromer

It's April and Easter. The family was almost optimistic that we would have a good weather this month so a camping trip would be appropriate. Location? Manor Farm in Cromer situated in Norfolk. If this county sounds familiar it's because Sandringham estate is only 20 miles away and so is Park House where Princess Diana grew up. I remember the only time I heard about Norfolk was when the Princess died but never imagine in my wildest dreams that I would be having my regular holidays around this area. Who would ever think?
Back to the location. Manor Farm is situated in Cromer. Like most English seaside you have the pier which shows plays or acts from touring groups or comedians.
Then the arcades on the other side where I played basketball

and car racing. If you have toddlers and young kids the shore is a good place to use spade and bucket in building sand castles. The picture on the left is the Hotel De Paris which overlooks the sea where apparently Oscar Wilde stayed and Stephen Fry a British comedian worked as a waiter. He's known for hosting QI and various documentaries.

While having a stroll in the pier you will find seagulls flying about searching for food. Although there are few things to do, the closeness to the sea and its tranquility is enough to revive ones withered spirit.

BYJ MVs

nope, haven't forgotten him ;-)I hope he's doing fine actually..it's worrying this very long silence although I haven't mooch around since I came back..you must felt the same.MV courtesy of cocossnow and madonoyuki.thanks

Back to back

Hello everyone! I know I haven't been active these couple of days..didn't even get the chance to check what's going on in Baeland. I hope every thing's fine with you all.

Just look after your backs too..and take it easy when you lift or move things. Hubby just climbed up the stairs and hurt his back the other night. I was so scared and actually contemplating on sending for an ambulance as he couldn't walk. Thank goodness for the health service in this country. People here may moan at the National Health Service or NHS for their performance but I believe it's better compared to others.

We may be taxed more but it pays for the GP who comes in the middle of the night just to check you out at no cost. Knowing your illness before visiting he's equipped with a dose of medicine for you to take until the next day when you could pick the continued prescription.. So Alex was seen straightaway by a GP who seem to have a very good sense of humor.

Our overdue holiday with the family has been postponed for another day but I'm glad hubby is better now. Just have to be careful these days.

It's Easter time too. I'm sure other countries such as the Philippines have prepared for this big event. After speaking to mum over the phone earlier I suddenly missed some snacks we used to have during this time. She normally cooks Binignit.

Anyway Happy Easter and see you next week when I come back. ;-)

BoF DVD

Hi friends..It's been a good couple of days and I hope you had a lovely weekend. While catching up with friend's emails I stumbled upon this email from AsianDB. I was trying to remember how it got into my inbox and I think it's because I registered when I was looking for Winter Sonata DVDs.. Sorry no success in buying I suppose. Call me stingy but wait till I win the lottery ;-)

So this DVD is called Boys Over Flowers TV Series Limited Edition 9 discs and the following are the key features.

subtitle: English
audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
release date: Apr 30, 2009
company: Enter One
made in: South Korea
aspect ratio: 1.33:1
case: Digipack
Region Code: 3,4,5,6 / NTSC
Single Side Dual Layer
Audio: Korean
Limited Edition offers:
- Image Photo Pocket Book
- Family Cards 3 qty
- Character Card
- F4 & Geum Jan Di Character Cards 2 qty
Special Features:
- Making Of
- NG Cuts
Oopssss did they say we are using PAL?? Might work might not.. Well you might wanna know if I watch it also right? I have seen up to three episodes so far and it looked interesting. I think this will make me feel sixteen again. ;-)

Busy Sunday

Today has been a a busy one..got up early and hubby decided to finish the Japanese inspired pergola. I managed to paint the wood yesterday. Some were red and the posts in black. He got them all up while cooking for the party this afternoon. I must admit I'm lucky to have him who actually cooks and doesn't rely on me 24/7.

Although most of the day I was glued in front of the television watching the F1 race. I know it sounds pathetic but everyone has their own little extras in life and mine is this sport. If you ask me? I am still devoted to the Mclaren team and have faith in Lewis Hamilton. Jenson might have won the title again but he didn't dazzle as much as Hamilton did. I heard 'God Save the Queen' consecutively this early more than I could recall in F1 history but that doesn't mean I've sold my allegiance to Button. To the Queen 'Yes'.

It's a tough race but such as the many aspects in life. It did rain in Sepang but it was just too much for the drivers to contend. Lewis finished 7th as the race was red flagged due to intolerable torrential rain.

These were his post-race comments:
When the rain came down, it was impossible to drive.

I was aquaplaning everywhere – these were the most dangerous conditions I’ve ever raced in. All I could do was try and keep the car on the track.

It was the correct decision to stop the race because it was just too dangerous for everyone.
I love it when it rains, but this was just too much.

Race results were as follows:

Malaysian Grand Prix Results:

1. BUTTON Brawn
2. HEIDFELD BMW +22.7s
3. GLOCK Toyota +23.5s
4. TRULLI Toyota +46.1
5. BARRICHELLO Brawn +47.3s
6. WEBBER Red Bull +52.3s
7. HAMILTON McLaren +1m00.7s
8. ROSBERG Williams +1m11.5s
9. MASSA Ferrari +1m42.1s
10. BOURDAIS Toro Rosso +1 lap
11. ALONSO Renault +1 lap
12. NAKAJIMA Williams +1 lap
13. PIQUET Renault +1 lap
14. RAIKKONEN Ferrari +1 lap
15. VETTEL Red Bull +1 lap
16. BUEMI Toro Rosso +1 lap
17. SUTIL Force India +1 lap
18. FISICHELLA Force India +2 laps
R. KUBICA BMW +30 laps
R. KOVALAINEN McLaren +31 laps

By the way, the farewell party I helped organized today went really well. It was more like an early summer garden party as the sun shined beautifully. Everyone was merry and champagnes weren't left unpopped. C'est la vie !

To watch the race highlights just click on the title ;-)

What a lot of fiasco..

tsk tsk tsk.... I was wondering should I blog on the current state of my fave F1 team or not? I suppose I have to let go of the mixed emotions after the new fiasco which shrouded the young World Champion. tsk tsk.. Lewis Hamilton has hit rock bottom. You might have read in the papers the true story but I just learned about it yesterday and darn I think the words I was looking for were 'to lie or not to..' Better be honest than greedy though. To read the full accounts of the events just click here.

It's such a shame. I was truly impressed that from 18th place in the grid he ended up in fourth place in the Aussie GP but his Manager thought otherwise- that Lewis deserved a third place. The only problem is if you contest someone's win you have to make sure you have sufficient evidence. In a big sporting event like this one can never hide the truth.

Last month the Queen granted Hamilton an MBE for his success in last year's motor racing event but even a royal seal looks insufficient to bail him out. She apparently watched the race too.

So what's the future for Lewis? Would his 10 year- marriage to the Mclaren end in a divorce sooner than we think? As for the present he still have to conquer the race in Malaysia on Sunday. With this rock on his shoulder and a slower car I could only hope for a miracle.. His forte is racing in a wet weather but the heavens of Sepang might think twice before handing in some help.

Aussie's GP winner Jenson Button continued to dominate the sport by ending on pole position in the Sepang qualifying round. He's British, young and equally handsome as Lewis Hamilton. But does he have what it takes to be the next World Champion? Would this be his long, long, long overdue F1 break? I think we just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

To watch about Hamilton's ride to F1 fame and glory just click the the heading above.

home and away

Hi everyone! Some of you might have wondered what I am up to these days.. apart from striving hard to focus on revisions, work is pretty much the same but the weekend will probably be a busy one. Me and another friend will host a farewell party for a family who will move to Australia. Yes, they are the ones I mentioned before.It will be sad but it's just life.We all move on and have to graze in a much greener pasture at some point in our lives.

It has been a very relaxing day for me though. It just dawned on me how lovely a beautiful sunny day is while sitting in my conservatory reading a book. Of course I was trying really hard to study until I decided to fall asleep. hehehe not much success there but it's just lovely. I kept looking at the garden which should be ready by summer. We managed to plant a white flowering cherry the other day and the buds are just coming out perfectly.Let's just hope Sonny will keep his aim somewhere.

I hope everyone's feeling better these days ;-)The image simply shows how I feel today less the scenery;-)