Category: Slice of Life

Cold Weather Food – Nabé (Hotpot)

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Nabé Dinner” Cedar Park, 2019

Austin got hit by an Arctic wind today, which started out at 70 ° F, but dropped to the 40s by the evening. But that means the nabé (hotpot) dinner is even yummier! Tonight’s nabé was a simple kombu broth with noodles, hakusai, tofu, and ground pork. The dipping sauce was a crisp ponzu with chili flakes and green onion. It was super! After we ate most of the nabé, the tradition is to put some leftover rice into the broth, cook a bit and then add beaten egg to make a yummy hot porridge. Topped with some nori, it’s the perfect way to finish the meal.

I have to mention that we also opened a bottle of this special saké, which complemented the hotpot nicely. 🍶

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.6, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “Yummy Saké” Cedar Park, 2019

I usually dislike cold weather, but having hotpot on a chilly evening makes it worth it! 😌

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Epic Bicycle Journey

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO500
 “Bike Traveler” Austin, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today our friend’s dad completed an epic bicycle journey: Los Angeles to Austin! It took him a little over 40 days, but 72-year-old Yoshi rode up to family and friends welcoming him at the steps of the Texas State Capitol. It was a wonderful scene, and I was happy to be able to attend. He is a real inspiration!

I often forget that I also completed a long bicycle ride (when I was in junior high): San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was a YMCA trip and I think it took about 8 or 9 days, camping each night. I’d love to do another long bicycle ride sometime… I’ll keep it in the back of my mind. But for now, let’s celebrate Yoshi’s great accomplishment!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO320
 “Finish Line” Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO320
 “Final Stretch” Austin, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Hugs” Austin, 2019

Subaru Snapshots

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/5.6, 1/1900 sec, ISO200
 “Crosstrek Train” Georgetown, 2019

Went to my Subaru dealer for a State Inspection today. Saw a bunch of cool Crosstreks, but of course mine was the coolest (in front!). 😆 The Subaru Outback plushie was pretty cool, though:

Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/30 sec, ISO285
 “Subaru Plushy” Georgetown, 2019

New Timex Weekender

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO3200
 “New Timex Weekender” Cedar Park, 2019

Oh hey, what’s this? A new watch for the collection? Yes! I bought a new Timex Weekender to replace my other Weekender that Bay took with him to college. I love the clean and simple design of the Weekender watches, plus the low price makes them a terrific value. This particular Weekender has the same font as my old one, but the face is a subtle cream color, and the seconds hand is a shiny silver. It also comes with a comfortable 20 mm genuine leather band for a classic and casual look. I really like it, but so does Koa, which means he’ll be wearing it quite a bit as well.

Habit Tracker

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO250
 “Everyday” Cedar Park, 2019

I’ve been using a habit-tracker for the past month or so to log some daily activities. It’s kind of a combination reminder app and tracking app, but the intention is for you to create new habits. For instance, I added my daily sketching, simple stretching and exercises, and Japanese studying. I’d say it’s effective in that now I automatically do my hand exercises, neck stretches, and squats without having to give it much thought, and opening Anki to study Japanese is automatic too. Overall I’m happy with it.

There are a number of different habit trackers and the one I chose is called “Everyday”. I like the fact that I can use the same app on my iPad, my Motorola phone, and in Chrome. It’s super convenient! Not only can you access it via app or webpage, but you can add a Chrome extension so that when you open a new tab, it defaults to the Everyday screen. How easy is that for a reminder!

またね～