Tonight I went to my friend Mikey’s house for Idol Nite 6, which is the sixth time we’ve gotten together to watch Japanese idol music videos (mostly Hello! Project), variety shows, and concert clips. And we also throw in a couple of episodes of Sailor Moon (live action). Mariko calls it our Otaku nite, but that’s fine. It’s a lot of fun, especially because we have plenty of Japanese snacks, beer, and saké!
I don’t have any favorite videos to point out, because they were all really good, but I thought the Sayumi Michishige show ~SAYUMINGLANDOLL~ was particularly interesting. It was fun to take a peek at the fans who attended the show. It was an older crowd as expected, but surprisingly a lot of women were in the audience.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200 ”から揚げ” Cedar Park, 2019
Tonight we celebrated Koa’s birthday with a third birthday dinner! The first one was last weekend at the Brazilian Steakhouse, the second one was a dinner Koa spent with his friend, and tonight was one of his favorite home-cooked meals, から揚げ Japanese fried chicken. We actually have this quite often because everyone loves it, but I was really looking forward to it. 😄
And we also enjoyed a delicious homemade birthday cake! Mariko’s cakes are way better than most you buy here in the States… her cakes are less-sugary, and made with fresh, natural ingredients. I don’t have a sweet tooth, but her desserts are superb!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO2500 “Birthday Cake” Cedar Park, 2019
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/150 sec, ISO200 “Little Monster” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
Isn’t it amazing that dogs can be so cute and affectionate in one moment, and then change to fierce and scary beasts the next? Lani, for instance, will growl and bark at the cat outside the window, but when someone walks up to the front door, she takes it to another level and sounds absolutely vicious! 😲 It’s really alarming. Thank goodness she’s on our side.
The photo above was taken when she began transforming into her non-evil version.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO640 “Thai-style Chicken” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going?
I just wanted to share a photo of another yummy dinner Mariko made for us tonight. It’s a chicken dish with Thai basil and peppers. It didn’t have too much heat but was very flavorful. And then the egg just put it over the top! ❤
In other news, the new asadora has started. Natsuzora なつぞら looks pretty interesting! The main character will eventually become interested in art and animation, so I am looking forward to that part. In fact, the opening title sequence is an old ’70s style animation. Very cool! And I am a fan of Suzu Hirose 広瀬すず who plays the main character Natsu, so that is another plus. 😀 I thought she was great in Anone あのね.
FYI, we subscribe to TV Japan and every morning I turn it on while I make coffee and breakfast. During that time the asadora (morning drama) is shown, so I pretty much see every episode, except during the kids’ Spring Break, when our schedule changes. I don’t understand all the dialog, but as my Japanese study progresses, I find myself understanding more and more, which is really cool!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO320 “Late-night Office” Cedar Park, 2019
こんばんは。How’s it going? I continue to enjoy sketching on the iPad, and the convenience and speed it provides. What is really nice is that I can work through mistakes a lot faster than with pencil and eraser. It lets me try new things without fear of wasting paper or actually needing to buy new stationery or art materials. Also, because there is no cleanup involved, I am more likely to start something completely new. If I simply want to push paint around, I can do that instantly. It’s not physical paint, of course, but I end up scanning the real-world watercolors and pencil sketches to share in the digital world anyway. I suppose drawing digitally, and on the iPad in particular, streamlines the process, and breaks down barriers that were standing in the way of creativity.
Digital drawing for me also goes hand-in-hand with decluttering. I feel like I can reduce the number of pens and paints I keep around. My sketchbooks have been “silent” lately, although I still use notebooks for daily journaling using my favorite fountain pens. But I don’t mind not using the sketchbooks because I don’t really like seeing them laying on the desk. It kind of made me feel guilty of not using them. So I put them away, and the desk is even more clutter-free, even though there’s still lots more that can go. It’s nice to know that I can have all my new artwork contained in the iPad and the cloud. Maybe it’s just a phase, but I am finding joy in NOT creating physical drawings.
Anyway, here’s the latest drawing. I keep getting closer to my own style, or at least I find myself gravitating to this style. A couple of things that are on my list are more body poses, and also male portraits. And the digital medium will help me in those efforts for sure!
I hope you had a good day!
またね～
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I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
