LP 34: Madumi (Dirty)

Leaves has fallen and are all over the back garden. Guy Fawkes day has come and gone but the spent sparklers, fireworks rocket and roman fountains are still around. I wonder when can we clean up this dirty garden of ours. I hope the weekend will bode sunshine so we can do the deed. It's hard to rake in wet grass and leaves.

Nalaglag na ang mga dahon at nagkalat sa likod bakuran. Lumipas na ang Guy Fawkes day kaya ang mga basyo ng lusis, kuwitis, at roman fountains ay naglipana. Kelan ko kaya malilinis ang madumi naming lugar sa likod. Sana umaraw sa Sabado o Linggo para magawa namin ito. Mahirap kasing magkalaykay ng basang damo at dahon.

LP 33: Kinagisnan

I should have blogged about her last Thursday. She would have been appropriate as well for the Litratong Pinoy theme of "Maalaala Mo Kaya" (do you remember). Why her?

Firstly, I stayed with her during school terms from Grade 1 (6 years old) up to Grade 6 (12 years old) only going back to my parents during vacations and holidays. She practically raised me during my formative years. With her, I've gotten used to working hard, being diligent, and being persistent with whatever you're doing. She need not tell me words of wisdom. Her actions are enough to instil in me that no problem or job is insurmountable as long as you keep working at it and even if you have to do it a little at a time.

Secondly, she died last week on a Friday in the morning at a ripe old age of 96. I used to say that I honestly cannot remember if I feel close to her. But as tears flowed from my eyes I can frankly say now that she may not be much in my mind but she is definitely imbedded in my heart.

Goodbye Lola Ebia, thank you for all your care and sacrifices for us your family. May you rest cradled God's arms in peace.


Dapat nuong isang Huwebes ko pa siya nai-blog. Tamang-tama rin siya sa tema ng Litratong Pinoy noon na "Maalaala Mo Kaya?". Bakit siya pa?

Una, ako'y tumira sa kanya mula noong ako'y Grade 1 (6 taon) hanggang Grade 6 (12 taon) at bumabalik lang sa aking magulang kapag bakasyon. Siya halos ang nagpalaki mula sa aking kamusmusan. Dahil sa kanya, nakagisnan ko na pahalagahan ang sipag at tiyaga sa kahit ano mang tahakin. Hindi na niya kailangang magbitiw ng salitang aral. Ang kanyang gawa ay sapat na maiwan sa akin ang diwa na walang problema o trabahong hindi makakayanan hangga't patuloy na gumagawa kahit na paunti-unti lamang.

Pangalawa, namatay siya noong Biyernes ng umaga sa hinog na gulang na 96 taon. Dati ang sinsabi ko ay hindi ko matandaan kung naging malapit nga ako sa kanya. Ngunit habang dumadaloy ang luha sa aking mga mata, natanto ko na hindi man siya masyadong nasa isip ko siya naman ay naka-ukit sa aking puso.

Paalam Lola Ebia. Salamat sa iyong pag-aruga at sakripisyo sa amin na iyong pamilya. Nawa'y humimlay kang mapayapa sa bisig ng Diyos.

Make-up Promotional Gifts

Whenever I pass by the cosmetic counters of department stores or pharmacies, I can't help ogling and desiring after the free promotional gifts the different cosmetic companies are giving out. I don't even wait for the conference folder toting, survey taking ladies to chat me up with a view to buying something. I just get on with the business of nabbing these cute traveller-sized cosmetics. I just love the small, dinky, cute give-aways and usually same with the bags they come with. Although the latter is more of a hit or miss. In one rare instance it not only came with a bag but with a small promotional umbrella. How cool is that?

I don't know what I liked more, their smallness or the fact that they're free. Well, not really free unless you buy two or more premium priced product of theirs. And therein lies my problem, I am willing to pay for their expensive stuff in order to get these freebies. How stupid is that? It even came to a point several years ago that I was buying things I don't really need just so I can get the promotional gifts. Analysing my desire for these, I think it's a combination of that 'sale' mentality of women where we get so zealous of nabbing a sale item even if it's cheaper elsewhere at regular price plus the fact that I really really adore those cute little bottles and compact cases. Did I mention I like them very much?

Litratong Pinoy 31: Kadiliman (Darkness)

One night as me and my youngest were locked in tight embrace on the sofa while watching a particularly scary horror movie I glanced over to the window beside me. I felt my heart stop beating when I saw in the middle of complete darkness outside the window a pair of green luminous eyes that was looking at me intently. It's a good thing I recognized that it was that darn black cat of our neighbor. I thought I was going to have a heart attack from fright. Shoooo cat!

Isang gabi habang kami ng bunso ko ay higpit na magkayakap sa sofa habang nanonood ng isang kahindik-hindik na horror na sine, napalingon sa aking katabing bintana. Tila tumigil ang pagtibok ng aking puso ng makita ko sa gitna ng kadiliman sa kabila ng bintana ang dalawang umiilaw na berdeng matang nakatitig ng matalim sa akin. Buti na lang at nakilala kong iyon ay ang lekat na pusang itim ng aming kapitbahay. Muntik na kong atakihin sa puso sa pagka-gitla. Tsupiii!

LP#30: Liwanag (Light)

I am fascinated by old churches. A recent training course in the City of London (financial centre) gave me a chance to get into the old churches within its one square mile area during my lunch breaks. This one is the church of St. Mary Abchurch (double barrelled church!). Inside it was very dark when I first went in that I could hardly make out some of the statues, signs, and decors. After a few minutes the sun suddenly shone fiercely and it came flooding through the huge windows illuminating everything. It's as if the spirits in the church decided to give me a show to flaunt the beauty of the paintings on the ceiling and of the whole church. I wonder what that Hebrew word in the centre of the painting means?

Ako'y sadyang naakit ng mga lumang simbahan. Nag-training ako kamakailan sa City of London kaya't ako'y nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na makapasok sa mga lumang simbahan sa paligid nito sa aking lunch breaks. Ito ang simbahan ng St. Mary Abchurch. Madilim sa loob nang una akong pumasok at hindi ko halos maaninag ang mga imahen, karatula o dekorasyon. Makalipas ang ilang minuto ay biglang suminag ang araw at ang liwanag ay bumaha sa mga malalaking bintana na nagbigay liwanag sa lahat ng bagay sa loob nito. Para bang ang mga espirito ng simbahan ay napagpasiyan na bigyan ako ng pagtatanghal para maipakita ang ganda ng mga larawan sa kisame at ng buong simbahan. Ano kaya ang ibig sabihin ng salitang Hebrew na nasa gitna ng painting?

Litratong Pinoy #27: Aking Kompyuter

Marapat lang na i-blog ko itong aking computer sa trabaho. Baka kasi eto na ang mga huling sulyap at gamit ko sa kanya. Merong darating na tanggalan at walang nakakasiguro sa kanyang trabaho sa gawing amin. Kaya't mahal kong laptop at extension monitor sana'y hindi pa ako mawala sa piling mo. (naks!)

It's just right that I blog about my computer at work. It might be my last few glimpses and use of it. There is a coming redundancy at work and none of us are assured of our work in our area. So my dear laptop and extension monitor I hope I won't have to leave you yet.

Litratong Pinoy #24: Pilak (Silver)

 

Maniwala kayo kulay pilak ito hindi nga lang makinang. Nataranta ako sa paghahanap ng kahit anong pilak sa bahay namin nang maalala kong Huwebes nga pala and kailangan ko ng isang kokodakan para sa Litratong Pinoy. Ito ay isang thermometer na pang dekorasyon. Alam niyo na, yung gawa sa glass na may likido sa loob at iba't ibang kulay na mga glass baubles na may mga pilak na metal na nagsasabi ng temperatura.

Really it's silver except it's not so shiny. I was frantically looking for silvery things around the house when I realised it's Thursday today and I need a photo for Litratong Pinoy. This is a decorative thermometer, you know the glass kind that has a liquid inside and different coloured glass baubles with the corresponding silver metal temperature tag on them.

Olympic Handover

Now that the Beijing Olympics is drawn to a close, London's task of building and preparing for the next Olympics officially begins. As expected, Beijing treated the world to a spectacular presentation in the closing ceremonies. But for us the key moment is the actual handover to the current mayor of London, Boris Johnson, of the Olympic flag and the short very modern 8-minute presentation for London's 2012 Olympics. A stark contrast to the formal, dramatic and epic proportions of the host's show.

Boris gave this rousing but funny speech (true to British nature) after the ceremonies. Click on here and have a listen to what he says.

See this logo for the London Olympics? You don't know how much I hate it. The colour is absolutely jarring. It certainly hurts my eyes. Characters look like jagged jigsaw puzzle pieces that are not fitted together. At first glance I couldn't make out what it says and tries to convey. I don't like it at all. Doesn't it look like a blown up something that was jumbled up together? I do realise now that London Olympics is trying to project a modern and 'cool' image. They could have done the same with a nicer logo with clean lines, equally bright colours and most of all readable text. Mr. Boris Johnson, this would be your next work assignment - replace the London Olympics logo ASAP !!

Another Trip To Cornwall

Okay so the previous post tackled the beaches. Next up is the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. This museum has got a really cool way of ferrying their visitors. You can actually arrive there from the car park by a boat - no kidding! Just make sure you visit during Monday to Friday. They don't have the boat ride on weekends. :(

They have excellent facilities in showcasing the maritime history and anything about sea sailing.

There were lots of hands-on displays that were very good and guaranteed to keep your young ones interested and engaged. It ranged from wind sailing toy boats in an indoor pond to interactive weather quizzes to computer interactive games in steering virtual boats.

The toy sail boats in the pond were particularly impressive because they don't have any motor to propel them forward. There were vents on the side of the pond that blows air. So you were really using wind power and the boats' tiny sails for movement.

I've to Cornwall many times but I haven't been to the tip of the Lizard Peninsula. The very day we arrived we grabbed the opportunity to visit Lizard Point. As expected we were feasted with dramatic steep rocky cliffs that is prevalent in this area. The setting sun provided a dramatic backdrop to the photogenic view.

See the green things growing on the side of the cliffs? They're not grass but a variety of the succulent plant sedum pachyphyllum I guess it must be hardy enough to grow rampant in what must be harsh seaside conditions.

On the way home we decided to stop by Tintagel and we saw this sign along the way.

Tintagel is one of the fabled home of King Arthur. 'Fabled' since nobody really knows if King Arthur is real or a product of a fertile imagination of a medieval writer.

WARNING: Bring your sturdy walking shoes and be prepared to hike and climb up steep stairs and cliffs!

There were no warning of this kind in any of the tourist literatures that we researched on nor even in the sign in the entrance to this English Heritage site. I tell you it's such a disappointment if you're not wearing the right gear since the actual ruins of the castle is way way up high on top of cliffs! Even just the hike from the cafe and visitor's centre is uphill which is an ordeal for someone like me who was wearing open backed slippers with heels. Though if you think you cannot make it back from there are Range Rovers ferrying people to and from the entrance and the visitor centre.

Since I can't climb up to the actual ruins of the castle I have to content myself with the sights down below. It did not disappoint at all. Just look at the dramatic rock formations and caves in the pictures above and below.

Three Beaches

 
This is the first part of my post on our trip to Cornwall this year that is long overdue. We went there last year and so many other times before. I never tire of going to that area. There are so many things to explore and see. Besides the fact that I have to have my yearly fix of being near the sea. Even if I don't have to bathe in it. There's something about seeing the water or hearing the lapping of waves rejuvenates me. Right now Cornwall is my favourite destination here in the UK.

Okay let me begin with the tale of three beaches. The kids (especially J3) definitely wanted to go to the beach and bathe or just lie around. Of course we first went to our favourite - Kynance Cove. We timed our visit with the only sunny day during our time there (courtesy of the Met of course) but we forgot to check the tide times. So by the time we got there it was nearly high tide and in Kynance Cove that means no beach!

As you can see, one of the reasons people don't flock to this area is because of the access which is just fine with us because that means there would be less crowding. Besides the long walk from the car park you have to negotiate steep stairs cut in the cliff side which when wet could be quite slippery.

After only about an hour, we have to leave due to the oncoming tide. Bye bye beautiful Kynance Cove. See you again next time.

Before we went on our next beach, we had to stop and buy our youngest J3 a surfing suit since the water was chilly so she can't stay in the water for so long. As expected she asked a few more like a kite and a surf board with the Johnny Depp design. *sigh* My credit card hurts.

Anyway, the next one we went to is Poldhu Cove. This is where Marconi relayed the first trans-Atlantic radio message to Newfoundland in 1901. We did not go to the Marconi museum but in its beach we did go. This is a more kid-safe with wide flat and very gradual depth. There is a shop for food and other beach paraphernalia and toilet facilities. The sand is fine and white to light gold. Our main complaint is the proliferation of seaweeds on the shore. My daughter does not even want to wade in. So we lay around for an hour again while me and J3 busied ourselves with flying our kite.

Again we have to move and I was getting desperate at this point. As a last resort, I took them to one of the westernmost beaches in England that I know is a safe bet - Sennen Cove. Still you'll never know until you get there but thank god we finally hit the jackpot. I highly recommend this beach folks. It's got very broad flat beach, plenty of room to move around, a little bit of waves to satisfy surfing, lots of lifeguards patrolling, lots of nearby shops, toilet facilities, restaurants, even a surfing school and surfing equipments rental shop.

As expected, the downside of any popular beach is not enough parking nearby. I say 'nearby' because there are lots more further near the entrance of the town but you have to walk about 500 meters steep uphill and I mean really steep. Fortunately when we came it was already late in the afternoon so most people are leaving and we were able to bag a parking space in the only car park facing the beach. It was almost perfect. What can I ask more? Probably warmer waters.

Litratong Pinoy #21: Mithi (Wish)

 

Ako'y nagdadasal kung ang mithiin ay gustong matupad. Maaring sa Maykapal, maaring sa aking sarili sapagkat ang isang mithi ay ang simula ng pagsasakatuparan ng ideya na nag simula sa ating isip at puso.

Kuha ito sa St. Patrick's Cathedral sa Dublin, Ireland.

I pray when I want my wish to come true. Might be to God, might be to myself because a wish is the beginning of the materialization of an idea that started in the mind and in the heart.

This was taken at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.

Times Online Sports Photoblog

I found this blog of Marc Apsland the Times Online sports photographer who's currently covering the unfolding dramas in the Beijing Olympics.

He not only describes the technical details of his photos and the circumstances surrounding the shots but also gives tips to us amateur photographers. Stories behind the pictures are also there besides the human interest stories that is surprisingly well written by a professional photographer such as himself. So click on the link and learn from a master.

Litratong Pinoy #20: Liwaliw

Bakit nga ba nagbabayad tayo para takutin ang sarili natin?
Ito ay kuha sa isang thrill ride na Oblivion sa Alton Towers theme park. Ibibitin ang mga nakasakay sa bingit at biglang ilalaglag ng paharap sa isang malaki at madilim na butas sa lupa.

Matapos ay naglalayag na lalabas sa kabilang dulo na parang eroplano. Wheeee!

Beijing's Coming Out Party

courtesy of BBC Sports

There can be some advantages in staying at home when you're ill. One of them is to get to see the opening ceremony of the four-yearly Olympics in its entirety. I never got to see the previous ones because they're either shown in some ungodly hour or during weekdays or the replay is in some ungodly hour.

So I get to enjoy what Beijing Olympic has to offer yesterday and it was a fantastic, stunning and unforgettable experience. There were so many ooohs and ahhhs that I kept my mouth shut to prevent my jaw from dropping. It must have been so much of an sensory overload if you're in that beautiful bird nest stadium.

Beijing sure knows how to throw a party to announce to the world its 'coming of age' in the modern era. Now let me gear up for the round-the-clock watching of so many Olympic events I'm interested in - rowing, swimming, gymnastics, and I hope they televise the basketball games as well.

Italian Church In London

When I had my training in London last year I did a post in my food blog about interesting sights and food around the area of the training venue. One thing I forgot is to post here of another quirky find.

See this church? It's not just any old Catholic church. It's an Italian Catholic church which judging from the memorials outside has been here for quite sometime. I find it fascinating to see these out of the ordinary places hidden in the nook and crannies of London. At the time, they have just finished a service and was closing up so I did not see the inside. And yes the parishioners are all Italian speaking London locals which considering the number of nearby Italian delis and restaurants make this corner of Clerkenwell intriguingly Italian.

I didn't get a chance to see the inside since they were closing up.

There is some kind of a war memorial in the fenced-off porch in front. I hope next time I can get inside and have a look around.

Litratong Pinoy #18: Dalampasigan (Beach)

Nakalulugod masilayan ang mga batang naglalaro sa dalampasigan. Nakakahawa ang kanilang saya sa pagtatampisaw sa tubig. Kahit na anong lamig ng dagat magsusuot lang ng makapal na surfing suit at sige na uli ang ligaya sa paglalayag sa ibabaw ng kanilang surf board.

It's so delightful to see children playing in the beach. Their exuberant frolicking in the water is so infectious. No matter how cold the sea they'll just don their thick surf suit and continue with their surfing happiness aboard their boards.

Wall-E

 

Last Saturday, I took the whole family to watch the critically acclaimed movie Wall-E. There were lots of resistance from the two elder teenagers thinking that this is another kids' movie and they're much more grown up for that. Hah! No sooner than they started the short film before the main one they were already in stitches. Nobody can resist a Looney Tunes-type of cartoon and that short film certainly was in that category.

I don't try to analyze or be a critic with any movie that I see. The only qualifier I ask after the end of each is - did I enjoy it? Once in a while I come across films that entertains me and at the same time makes me introspective. Wall-E is one of these. While I am tickled by the cute main characters (Wall-E and Eve) the sepia-like beautiful in-a-desolate-way landscape Pixar created is riveting. Makes you think of your responsibilities as a human being to this planet to prevent that cataclysmic scenario from happening.

Okay if I'm honest, Wall-E certainly entertained me - a lot. But it did not grip me as much as Finding Nemo or Toy Story did. After a day I couldn't remember much of the details of the plot. I wonder why? Maybe because the main characters have no speaking dialog? Or the second half of the film is not as elegant and more cartoonesque than the first? As I said I'm not into analysing films so I'll leave it to the professional critics to do the job. I'll just wait for the DVD to come out and add it to our collection.

Litratong Pinoy #17: Sa Gawing Kanluran (Over In The West)

 

Ang pinaka kaluraning lugar sa Englaterra ay tinatawag na Land's End sa probinsiya ng Cornwall. Ang namamagitan mula dito hanggang sa dalampasigan ng Estados Unidos ay ang dagat ng Atlantiko. Likas na maganda ang baybayin sa gawi dito kaya't dinadayo ng maraming turista. Makikita mo sa karatulang ito ang layo ng Land's End sa iba't ibang bansa at lupain.

The westerly-most place in England is called Land's End in the county of Cornwall. The only thing between this place and the coast of USA is the Atlantic Ocean. The coastal area of Land's End is naturally beautiful hence lots of tourists flock to it. On this sign you will see the distance of Land's End from different countries and places.

Bad Day

Siguro alam nyo na dahil Tagalog ko sinulat ito ay dahil magre-reklamo ako. :)
Hindi maganda ang naging araw ko kahapon. Mula umaga hanggang gabi kundi may naiinis sa akin o may kina-iinisan ako.

Unang-una ay itong kasamahan ko sa trabaho. Nagkamali ako ng konti sa salitang ginamit ko sa email invite na pinadala ko sa kanya. Aba, nireject ba naman at sinabi doon na hindi daw niya ine-expect na siya ay magpre-present. Wala akong problema doon sa pagtutol nya pero susmaryosep 1.5 metro lang ang layo nya sa akin sana kinalabit na lang nya ako at sinabi nya ang hindi nya pagsang-ayon. Samantalang kinse minutos bago nito eh masayang nagkukwentuhan kami ng buhay-buhay. Bigla na lang nag-iba ang turing nya sa akin. Pakiramdam ko ay parang bata o pusong mamon o ewan ko kung may topak itong taong ito.

Sumunod naman ang kapit-bahay namin. Nagulantang na lang asawa ko nang paglabas nya ng pinto ay pinuputol nila ang malaking halaman na malapit sa boundary ng aming bahay. Wala na siyang magawa dahil nakalbo na ng husto. Nang makita sya ng kapitbahay sabi ba naman ay - "pinuputol na namin ito okay lang ba?". Eh ano pa bang magagawa eh putol na! Tignan nyo ginawa:

 

Hindi man lang nag sabi bago ginawa ito. Bago kasi nito ay pinutol nila ang hedge at parte ng halaman (bush) na yon na nakalawit sa parte nila. Nagpasintabi sila at sabi namin ay putulin nila ang nasa kanilang side. Baka akala nila porke't hindi namin ginagalaw yung sa ganang sa amin ay bale wala na ang halamang iyon. Naiinis pati mga anak ko lalo na yung bunso kasi nga naman bahayan ng ilang ibon iyon at natutuwa siyang panoorin ang nagliliparang minsang maingay na ibon. At ang bush na yon ang nagsisilbing tabing namin para hindi kami nakita mula sa kalye kapag lumalabas kami sa side door. Iyon din ang proteksyon ng bahay sa minsa'y malakas na hangin na nanggagaling sa harap. Nakakapanibago paglumalabas ako pakiramdam ko parang lantad na lantad kami. Haaaay!

Tapos nagka enkwentro naman kami ng panganay ko. Grumpy siya dahil mag singaw at hindi makaka-kain. Aba nagtatatarang ba naman dahil sa mga problema nya. Ano daw ang kakainin nya. Kapag tinatanong ko naman alam ko daw dapat ang mga paborito nya. Sa madaling salita gusto niya akong maging psychic at hulaan ang nasa isip nya. Kapag nililista ko ang mga alam kong paborito nya lahat ayaw. Haay buhay nanay ...

Kaya nang gabi ay nanahimik na lang ako at nag blog. Mabuti pang kasama ang computer hindi nagrereklamo. Huwag lang mawalan ng broadband access. Hehehe!

Hamilton Wins In German F1 GP

 

Hammi did it again! Lewis Hamilton pounded on the tracks in the German F1 Grand Prix to win it in a convincing show of his racing talent. He led for almost half of the race having pole position at the start. However, the deployment of the safety after Timo Glock's horrific looking crash almost cost him the win. His McLaren team decided at that time not to pit him thinking that he'll be able to get enough lead time later to do his final pitstop even though almost all of the front runners took advantage and were all refueling and changing tires. But the safety car trundled on for four laps - longer than they have anticipated. He finally had to pit from the lead at lap 50 with only about 20 seconds lead from second place Massa. Clearly it was not enough because he was in fifth place as he emerged from the pits. From then on he overtook Kovaleinen, Massa, then finally Piquet to gain the lead again at lap 60 and up to the finish. Great drive Lewis! Wish you all the best in Hungary!

Litratong Pinoy #16: Luntian (Green)

 
Ito ay kuha sa Lizard Peninsula ng Cornwall ang pinaka-kanluranin na probinsiya ng Englaterra. Ayaw ko sanang isama ang ilang ligaw na damo sa harap ng litrato pero isang urong ko pa at ako'y isang kawawang pisat at bali-baling tao. Nakabingit sa malalim na bangin ang lugar na ito kaya't may hangganan ang aking pagpapaka-dakila sa pagkuha ng litrato.

Ang karamihan ng 'damo' dito ay hindi talagang damo kundi isang tipo ng 'succulent' na halaman na tinatawag na sedum pachyphyllum o jelly beans sa mas madaling salita. Nakakapamangha na ito ay lumaganap sa buong kapaligiran ng bangin na ito.

This is taken in the Lizard Peninsula which is the western-most county of England. I really did not intend to include some of the wild grass in the foreground but one more move on my part and I am one poor splattered and broken-boned person. This area is at the edge of a high cliff therefore my sacrifice to photography has got limits.

Most of the 'grass' that you see here is not really grass but a type of succulent plant called sedum pachyphyllum or jelly beans in common language. It's amazing to note that this plant spread out all over the whole cliff face.

Great Sporting Weekend

 

What a sporting weekend it was here in UK. First there was the high-octane thrilling win of Lewis Hamilton in the F1 British Grand Prix. Like last year's monsoon-rain-drenched Fuji race, Lewis proved he is a master of the wet. He continued to pile on the pressure and made almost no mistake while the rest of the field were spinning like pinwheels on the slippery tarmac. He silenced his critics with his masterful win in impeccable style. Congratulations Hammi !

Then there was the drama and extended excitement of the Nadal-Federer cliff hanger of a championship match in Wimbledon. It was just as well that the weather was dreary which was a further incentive to be a sports coach potato for a day.

In the comfort of our living room I often call Lewis Hamilton 'Hammi' whenever I urge him on. The name makes my teenage son cringe. Well I thought the Finnish drivers' names were cute. Names like Miki, Kimi, Heikki, Mikka, etc. So I thought why not Hammi though I don't want it to sound like a pet hamster.

I have been enthralled by this superbly talented young man ever since he came on the F1 circuit last year. People have grudgingly to admit that his entry was a massive boost to the flagging popularity of F1 with his proven ability on the track, his good looks, articulateness, likeable personality, including the accompanying controversy with Fernando Alonzo.

Years before I used to follow F1 but became quite disinterested because the only person who wins all the time was Michael Schumacher. He was a very dominant talent in those days that others simply didn't have a chance. Now there is an injection of young bloods who are more or less of the same abilities that would make each F1 meet unpredictable, exciting and watchable. Besides Hammi, there's of course Raikonnen, Alonzo, Massa, Kubica, Heidfeld, Rosberg, even Vettel. It's a shame that there is a big disparity in the performance of their cars otherwise it would have been extra thrilling. That is one reason why sometimes I prefer watching a touring car race since the cars there are more or less of equal footing so it is down to the driver's ability to win. Though I wouldn't want the extreme uniformity of the American NASCAR stock racing where same cars go around a oval track. For me it is just too boring.