BYJ Photography Group- Pictures of the Month

It's been over a month since the BYJ Family Photography Group in Facebook was launched. The March theme was 'New Beginning'. A fresh start, a new journey which we hope would continue and bring joy to those who admire BYJ and his passion.

The following pictures I selected as the top three most fitting for this month.

Third Place goes to Myoce's Green and Gray. It depicts the old and new concept. It's simple but the color is rich. The dead leaf symbolized the past while the rest thrive and continue this life's cycle.

In Second Place is Eman's 'Clearing'. This picture seem to take you to somewhere unknown. It's more like being enticed to have a look on what's on the other side. The ray of sunlight gives a feeling of warmth. One has to look closer and intently to this picture to be able to see through its hidden mystical meaning.

First Place is no other than Olga's 'Sunset'. This picture captured the tranquility of the sea. The position of the Sun, rocks and people around are well established in the frame. The orange hues indicated that tomorrow would be another beautiful day.

To watch the slideshow of March's entries just click here.

Brit after Brit

The British summertime has finally arrived hence we had to move the clock an hour forward which meant we lost an hour sleep hehehe but sleepless or not the anticipation for today's race in Melbourne needn't an a alarm clock as my body clock knew it's time for F1.

The season's first race was just fantastic. My favorite driver Lewis Hamilton had to start from the last place of the grid because the team had to change his car's engine but still managed to wheel a third place. How about that from a former defending first black, British world champion?

I mentioned Honda earlier in my post thinking Honda of Jenson Button had come back. But he debuted on a new car this season called Brawn which was also funded by a Brit tycoon Richard Branson. New team name, new car and a fresh start. Cetainly a stunning race from this young Englishman who made it from pole to podium. It just showed he's more than just a pretty face. ;-) He just have to keep winning(losing hehehehe).

As for Lewis it was an unbelievable finish of third but let's hope he will get pole next weekend in Malaysia. A brief interview after the race is found here.

For the race highlights just click here.

By the way this is BBC1's official intro with the theme The Chain.

the graphic designer is probably a big fan of Transformers ;-).

Zin..confessions

So Mclaren team didn't do well in the Melbourne try out today huh? tsk, tsk, tsk .. don't know whether I would feel surprised or not but then again this is still the ever adrenalin pounding F1 if you don't know what I was babbling about. ;-)
However it's the weekend. There is still time to celebrate but less for me as I would be a somewhere at work.. So what happened to my wine tasting career? It's getting there. At least this time I know which wine to choose for a certain meal and could possibly distinguish Shiraz, Sauvignons, Cabernet to St. Emillion. Not as extensive but certainly couldn't be fooled when someone say he/she's good with wine.

You know I have a tendency of collecting good wines, I would love to say fine but to me the finest wines are truly for the rich and famous.. and I'm not ;-)

So the usual trip to the supermarket ended up with three lots of wine. Now the first one I've tried and it's new in the market. It's called Enchante which was launched few months ago in collaboration with Baron Philippe de Rothschild and the Constellation Brands of the USA. It's a Bordeaux Merlot with a hint of Sauvignon and Franc. It's a bit dry but would go well with most dishes. Plus it's very affordable too.

Because of the economic crisis many of these wines had to go on promotional deals in order to sell. For bargain hunters like me it's a great opportunity.

The second wine is like seeing an old acquaintance. It's Robert Mondavi's Heritage Zinfandel.. Personally I haven't tried Zinfandel only RM's Shiraz. This wine will probably make or break my Mondavi's epiphany. Since I don't want to open the bottle to try it for myself I looked for other wine taster's rating on it. On the average it should be a good wine. It bears spicy notes with a hint of tobacco . Now hang on. Did they mean oaky flavor which was noticeable in Mondavi's Shiraz??tsk, tsk. We shall soon find out. Overall, for what its worth, I really couldn't complain more. ;-)

And the last one you probably encountered too. It's the Mcguigan Shiraz. Alex find this wine interesting( spot the irony). I think any Shiraz is fine but has to be blended with Grenache to bring more flavour and make it a better wine.
So folks, hope your weekend goes well.. I am still thinking of a nice trip in one of the vineyards in France.. Italy would be fine. ;-) Take care.

Flowers for you

In the cherry blossom's shade

In the cherry blossom's shade

there's no such thing as a stranger.

-Issa Kobayashi

As seasons come and go our neighborhood have shed the old and made way for new. Remember the winter pictures I took? I went out the other day around the vicinity as I have noticed the flowering cherries have started to bloom. These trees are still popular here in England and you'll find most abode have one or two in their garden.

I am just amazed by the beauty and explosion of flowers you would see in each tree.

Here comes F1

It's the start of the Formula One Grand Prix this Friday in Melbourne while the final run will be on Sunday. Hurray!!!!! I am so waiting for this to come. As you've noticed it's my all time favorite...Been wondering if BYJ watches the grand prix also mmhh maybe.. It's a popular sport but then again couldn't be every one's cup of tea. :-)

Anyhow, what's new this season? Honda is back, BBC is airing it this year and a row have started regarding car construction.. Sounds fun already.

One prominent actress I saw last year was Michelle Yeoh who's the girlfriend of Ferrari's chief executive Jean Todt..I like her and though she's favoring the reds I won't take that against her. hehehe If you want to read about a Sunday Times interview of her just click here. It's a very good read.

What's up with the Mclaren team?The MP4-24 was launched in England with same drivers: Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen.

The official intro don't seem to be out yet but I like this one.. upbeat and catchy.
This one was a review of last year's very unforgettable race.

And the last telecast of ITV. I must say they did a great job.

Birds of prey

Harris Hawk- Someone I know is trained in falconry and she gave me the chance to actually handle this bird. It was daunting but certainly a good experience. Harris Hawk hunts for bigger prey like rabbits, hares, pheasants to anything it finds. Now you rarely find this bird in the wild as they are kept in captivity and one of the UK falconers' favorite bird of prey.

Barn Owl- Like most birds in the UK this bird is highly protected. They are found in most fields and you could see them flying about over dikes and roadside verges.It hunts for mice, mole and other small prey. When I visited a friend's house who kept one it stood perfectly on my arm but when I gave it a chick I couldn't believe how it managed to swallow the thing. You see that little beak??yikes!! it could swallow something bigger than that. ;-) amazing!!

It's a Bird!!!

Hello there! I thought a minute ago that the sun is about to shine but the cloud seems to be holding a fair share of the sky so we are expecting rain and overcast today. Hey, I'm not turning into a weather woman am I? Oh heck!

When I was looking at my kitchen window I saw a Blackbird pirched on the back wall. Now you might be thinking it's a Blackbird but it's not actually colored black but brown. It's a female Blackbird I saw and people here still call it the same although it is brown.

Birds fascinate me. Probably due to the fact that I haven't seem many of them before and like humans you get acquainted with them. They come and visit your garden and if you are eager enough you could provide dwelling place for them throughout the year.

Because we live in the countryside I see them often. On the way to work, in the neighboring field, among the hedges and especially on tall treetops they populate.

Early morning I could here them twitting around looking for food and towards the end of the day, you don't know where they have gone then they are back again the next day.

Among those I see almost everyday are the following. Now you have to pardon me for not using my own photos because I always seem to forget my camera when I see one or I wasn't quick enough. Just click on each name to know more about them.

1. Robin- everyone I think is familiar with this pretty little bird. I see them everyday at work. I just like the noticeable orange/red breast it has.

2. Eurasian Jay- I saw this one pirched on a tree when I was going to work the other day. When I first saw it I thought it was a small chicken because it was rather big compared to the other birds.hehehe It was only tryingto bury its acorn on the ground to hide it..mmhh

3. Woodpecker- It's a colorful bird and always picking ants or other small insect on the ground