❤
Category: Misc.
Sense of Place
“Cloud” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going? Today’s blog post will be a bit of a ramble, but hey, it’s my blog, so here goes.
I’ve been lucky so far that I have been able to travel for vacation, and also on rare occasion for work, and I now recognize certain distinct affinities I have for different places. For instance, when I traveled to Japan for the first time, I immediately felt like Japan was somewhere I wanted to live. So much so that I gave myself a deadline of 6 months before I moved there.
On the other hand, when I returned from trips to Morocco and Spain, I didn’t have that feeling at all. It was really fun to visit those places and experience a bit of the culture, but I never felt a deep connection. I’m sure it has to do with being Asian in a non-Asian country, although I haven’t thought too deeply about it yet. 🤔
The same can be said of my trips to Stockholm. I’ve visited twice and although I loved it there, felt safe and free, I was simply just a visitor. The thought of having a life there never crossed my mind. Nevermind the complications of having kids and a family… but even if I were single, I don’t think Europe would be on my list of places to live.
And how about my hometown of Torrance? I love visiting family there and am happy I grew up in Southern California, but I have no desire to live there. It’s just not interesting to me… and speaking about the USA, I’ve lived in Texas for almost 20 years now. Honestly, living in Austin never even occurred to me as a possibility before we moved here. It’s a wonderful place, and the people are so friendly and warm. But no, I have no real affection for, nor interest in, Texas and the moment we have the freedom to leave, I’ll be the first one on the plane. 😆
But back to places that I feel a real affinity for. Obviously, there’s Japan. Whenever I visit, I feel right at home, even though I can only understand maybe 25% of conversations. But I love it there. When I lived there I never considered leaving. It’s somewhere I want to live again. (My dream hasn’t died, haha)
Interestingly, I felt a similar feeling towards China when I visited there last month. After returning home, I felt that same blue feeling (could it be like homesickness?) that I felt after returning from Japan after my first visit there. That’s how I know I feel a real connection to a place – after returning, I have that melancholy feeling. It’s like I am living in a dream. 😌
Anyways, that’s pretty much what’s on my mind these past few days. Thinking about a connection to a sense of place I suppose. Although I live in Texas, I feel like it’s a temporary situation… just waiting to move on really. Someday. 🛫
I hope you had a nice day, and thanks for reading!
またね～
Dog Butt
“Dog Butt” Cedar Park, 2018
Have you noticed that a lot of YouTube videos start off with:
“Hi guys! This is just a quick video of…”
and end with:
“Please like and subscribe…”?
They’re totally unnecessary… I want those 5 seconds of my life back! 😝
Anyways, that’s all I got for today. Oh, that and a Lani photo.
Woof! 🐶
Sunday Activities
“Growing” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going? Have a nice Sunday?
Mine was pretty good. Relaxing but got a lot of stuff done.
The first was to go driving with Bay. He’s working towards his driver’s license and we still need a few more hours on the road. This morning we went on the freeway for a bit, then road driving. He’s getting comfortable driving, and I’m getting more comfortable sitting in the passenger seat! 😀
Back at home, I helped Bay cook a deluxe mac n cheese casserole, then I did some motorcycle maintenance.
I haven’t bled the brakes on my BMW F650 GS in a while, and the fluid was looking pretty dark and yucky. Years ago, I bought some “Speed bleeders” which replace the stock brake bleeding ports, and they turn a two-person job into an easy one-person job. Well worth the $20 or so I paid for them. Anyways, a bottle of DOT 4 brake fluid is only $7 so it’s a cheap and easy job that will save a ton of money vs taking it to the shop.
Next, it was on to some more domestic chores, including washing all the bedding, washing and folding two large loads of clothes, and then cleaning up the bedroom floor to make room for the robotic vacuum. I love that little robot! It’s amazing how much dust and pet hair it picks up. Stunning, and kind of gross to know how much is constantly produced. 😨
Now it’s time to read and relax in our fresh bed sheets. What a great feeling!
Today’s photo is one I took on our deck. There are some tiny sprouts that have come up in our basil pot. I think these are scotch bonnet sprouts that I had planted from seed that Mariko was unaware of when she planted her basil into the same pot. I wonder what I should do with these? Oh well, I’ll figure something out. 😄
おやすみ！
Apple AirPod Bluetooth Delay
So Koa got a set of Apple AirPods for his birthday, but I noticed he was wearing his wired earbuds the other day. When I asked why, he said there’s too much of a delay when watching Youtube videos. I would have thought that there would be some kind of buffering/delay that happens to counter any latency, and there is, but apparently, it’s not good enough.
Today I read this while doing a little research on the issue:
The only case where lag is a problem is musicians with split-second timing needs or scientific measurement apps.
I guess since Koa is an Honors Band percussionist he is ultra-sensitive to the timing, this all makes sense. Oh well. 😔
