Getting ready for the Royal Wedding

UK flags lined all the way up Regent Street ad infinitum in central London.

Meetings and farewells season

One of my best friends in London will leave the UK tomorrow morning, her best friend arrived and started to live in London last week. 

London is a transit point with a mixture of memories. 

 

Unpublished Article

Articles and photos aren't always used in the final draft: these shots were taken for the Spring issue for the Neighbors' Paper, but didn't end up being used that time. Although this wasn't the final version, it was the original from which the article was based... my first ever written article as an editor!

From trees a community grows!
 
Instead of waiting in line for your own allotment, why not adopt a tree for your family and your community?

Blondin Park Nature Reserve, established in 1997, is supported in its development and management by the Friends of Blondin Park, a voluntary group in partnership with Ealing Parks and Countryside Service.  Over a twelve year period, the Friends of Blondin Park have worked in association with Ealing’s Ranger Service to improve Blondin Park and Nature area, organizing many community events.  Thanks to an Ealing Council initiative award of £30,000 by the Northfields Ward Forum in 2009, constant improvements are made to the area.

On 21st November 2010, around 100 people turned up and organized the planting of 75 trees such as apple, plum, pear, fig, and olive within Blondin Park Nature Reserve and the surrounding Park. The new project was funded by the Forestry Commissions Community Grant Scheme. Rob Russell, a member of the Friends of Blondin Park, spoke enthusiastically about the event: ‘I really enjoyed it. By taking the time to participate, I really felt part of the local community’.  The Community Payback scheme was also involved in this project.

You still have the opportunity to join!  Haslemere Wildlife Nature Reserve will be the next event and volunteers are required for Sunday 27th March 2011 at 11.00 a.m. to help plant 23 fruit trees which may involve some slight clearing of the site. Tools will be available but feel free to bring your own if you wish. Refreshments will be provided (possibly a bbq) and there will be a portable toilet on site sponsored by the Friends of Haslemere for your convenience.  Some interesting specimens have been selected for those that know their apples, pears, and cherries.  Come along to this tree planting day and help bring a real community together!

For more information about the Friends of Blondin Park follow this link.  

UK protesters occupied Piccadilly Circus

On 26th of March, a 1 day strike took place against the present government's cost cuts.  Loud music, smashed windows, smoke bombs...I saw some of them just enjoying themselves like at a festival.

Thinking about it, I just wonder what was the real purpose of their strike.  What will these actions bring to us?  Will UK government listen to us and change their decision?  I am a Japanese living in the UK, so I couldn't help thinking about the difference of reactions towards anger between Japanese people and Londoners, although they are living in an isolated island and suffering from different difficult situations at the moment.

Space Entrepreneurship Talk

I took shots of a Space Entrepreneurship Talk at Queen Mary University of London last week.  Mandali Khalesi from MoonbaseX and Patrick Fullick from CapSciCon talked about the future of the space industry and their new investment conference for space.

PhD students studying from space engineering to material science listened eagerly to the talk and questioned the speakers at length after their presentation.

I felt that the UK space industry has lots of potential to grow in the future. 

TEDxActonStreet Photo Shoot

I took shots for the exciting TEDxActonStreet event organized by minimoko on 2nd March.  (Harry and Elena, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!!)  TED is a conference in the US to disseminate "ideas worth spreading" where leading people from science, culture and art address a wide range of topics in research and practice.  A variety of speakers on the day included Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo, Julie Taymor, an American director of theatre, opera and film, JR, French photographer and artist, and many others.  Participants enjoyed the live streaming from California from 4pm to 3am.  You can see how the event took place from here.  

If you have the opportunity to listen to talks of someone who is really inspirational in a variety of genre anytime freely, why not enjoy and share them with others?

One of my shots was shortlisted in the SPN Project

One of my photographs entitled 'landlord' was shortlisted in the SPN (Street Photography Now) Project.  This project is organized by The Photographers' Gallery and we can submit 1 photography work every week based on an introduction suggested by leading street photographers.  The above photo was chosen as one of shortlist selected by authors of the book  Street Photography Now Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren.  You can also see every shortlisted work from here.  Every work will be shown at the one of talks at Format Festival, International Photography Festival in Derby.   

p.s. Look at his portrait on the top right of the window!  You can find out who controls this house...