Month: February 2016

Super Sunday

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"Window to Summer" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
 “Window to Summer” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！Hello! How’s it going? I hope you had a nice Sunday.

Today is a special day… not because it is Super Bowl Sunday, but it happens to be my wife’s birthday! We did a few things to celebrate: brunch at a popular restaurant, washing and tidying up her car, and I cooked a dinner that she requested. My wife also had a long nap in the afternoon, which I think is well-earned!

Today’s photo is of a couple of vintage cameras and an Instax print. I really like this photo because the print looks like a window to another place and another season. The landscape is Kyushu, Japan in summer. I took it when we were on a special tour of the island. I’ve been to Japan many times (my wife is from Osaka) and when we visit, we sometimes go on tours of areas of the country we haven’t been to as a family. This tour we took was during the summer of 2014 and was so much fun! I loved it. I can’t wait to make more pleasant memories while traveling the world.

As I mentioned in another post, this coming week is going to be a busy one! I’m going to get some rest… the football game is almost over (I can hear it downstairs) but I am going to turn in.

Take care! おやすみなさい！

-B Barron Fujimoto

Busy Saturday

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USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/15 sec, ISO3200
 USA. Texas. Austin. 2016.

こんばんは！Hi, how are you? I am doing well, but I am sleepy… it’s past midnight, so it is actually Sunday morning, but I will post this to Saturday evening. Hey, it’s my blog, so give me a break!

The reason I am writing so late is because we just returned home from my cousin’s house in San Antonio. We visit them every year to celebrate Chinese New Years. This time there were 70 people there! It was a lot of fun and the food was delicious. The drive from our house to their house takes almost 2 hours which is why it is so late.

Today’s photo is of the envelopes we put money into. The tradition is for the family members who are married to give money to the family members who have not yet married. This year there were 28 unmarried family members there! Luckily I had prepared 40 envelopes, so we’ll have a dozen already ready for next year.

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

おやすみなさい！

-B Barron Fujimoto

End of the week

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"Watch, Suu, and NES Mint Box on Sketchbook" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/13 sec, ISO6400
 “Watch, Suu, and NES Mint Box on Sketchbook” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！Hi, how’s it going? Has the weekend started for you?

This week was so busy, and next week will also be a hectic one for me. But before that, we have the weekend which I am looking forward to. Especially for the food! Tomorrow night we will spend the evening at my cousin’s house to celebrate the Chinese New Year. That means lots of delicious Chinese food! We go down to their house almost every year now so it has become a nice tradition for us. Besides the eating, the kids all receive their red envelopes with money inside. Bay and Koa really look forward to this particular tradition!

Then on Sunday, it’s my wife’s birthday so we are planning on going out to brunch in the morning, then having a nice meal and watch the Super Bowl later that day. It should be fun! Also, I am hoping to test drive some new cars… I am thinking that I will buy one this month since I am afraid my Odyssey will break down catastrophically very soon.

Today’s photo is of some of the items on my desk. My son has a sketchbook there (I think it is one of my old ones from Japan) and on top of that is my Casio watch (which is lasting a good long time!), my Pinky:St Suu character, and a NES controller mint tin. The mints are long gone, but I liked the tin a lot so I am keeping it. I am not sure what should go in it but I am sure I’ll find something!

It’s a chilly night here in Texas. Please stay warm and stay healthy!

おやすみなさい！

-バロン Barron Fujimoto

My favorite food

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"Okonomiyaki" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2500
 “Okonomiyaki” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！Hello, how’s it going? Did you have a good day?

Mine was extremely busy, and started early. I arrived at the office at 7am and worked thru lunch all the way about 3:30, then came home and worked until about 4:30. But, I got a ton finished and am feeling pretty good! But enough about work… let’s talk about today’s photo.

Do you know what kind of food this is? It is called “Okonomiyaki” and is my favorite food ever! I first had it in Osaka, when I visited my wife-to-be. She took me to an okonomiyaki restaurant called “Yukari” and I absolutely loved it! Okonomiyaki (Osaka-style) is primarily made of shredded cabbage, mixed with a batter and grilled on a fry-pan like a thick pancake. Other ingredients are added, such as cheese, sliced meat, seafood, noodles, etc. according to your preference. After it is cooked (and flipped a couple times), it is topped with a sweet sauce, Japanese mayo, dried bonito flakes, and a dried green herb (I forget what it is) and eaten, sometimes with small spatulas.

It’s a lot of fun to make at the restaurant, especially drinking a large draft beer! That icy drink hits the spot because the grill pan at the table can make for a very warm dining experience. But that is a lot of the charm of an okonomiyaki restaurant.

Besides Osaka-style, there are other regional varieties, such as Hiroshima-style which has yakisoba noodles and egg. It’s also so delicious! I recommend you give it a try!

By the way, today I noticed that the bone above my right eye is a bit swollen and bruised from the baseball incident last night. I guess I took a bit more damage than previously thought. It doesn’t hurt too much at least.

Well, tomorrow is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend! Got any big plans?

Take care and have a nice evening!

おやすみなさい！

-B Barron Fujimoto

Naked with Black Socks

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Naked with Black Socks – Are you comfortable in front of people, or does the idea of public speaking make you want to hide in the bathroom? Why?

The idea of speaking in front of a group of people makes me incredibly nervous, yes! Before I have to speak, my heart beats so fast and I get anxious. And when I start talking, my voice is often unsure and shaky. But then I become more comfortable and it’s ok and oftentimes a lot of fun.

I used to teach classes of maybe 25 students and I would get nervous at first, but soon it wasn’t a big deal. The key is preparation for me. If I know what I am going to talk about, and also have knowledge about the subject so I can answer any questions that may come up, then that confidence carries me through. But, ALWAYS before I speak, I get those butterflies! It used to really stress me out but now since it happens every time, I am used to it and know that it is a normal part of the process. I try to feed off that nervousness a bit if I can… you know, it’s all about turning things into positive energy for me these days!

This post was prompted by The Daily Post from WordPress.