Category: Slice of Life

Seiko SKX007 + Black Zulu Strap – Sparking Joy ✨

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/55 sec, ISO6400
 “Seiko SKX007” Cedar Park, 2019

I’ve been wearing a green Zulu strap with my beloved Seiko SKX007 watch but decided to put the black Zulu strap back on. However, that strap has a kind of yucky smell although I’ve washed and scrubbed it before. Last night I put it in a jar filled with water and dishwashing soap, and let it soak overnight, and this morning it’s nice and clean-smelling. We’ll see if it stays that way. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try an Oxy-clean soak. Of course, I could just buy the same watch band again for $10, but where’s the fun in that?

I’m currently reading Marie Kondo’s Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up which is a nice follow up to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. It’s got more practical information on how to put her methods into practice, including small illustrations on how to fold different types of clothes. But as the title suggests, it talks about how possessions can spark joy, and my Seiko SKX007 definitely does that for me. But pairing it with the black Zulu strap again takes it to another level – the combination just feels so good! I really love it. I plan on keeping it for the rest of my life. 😄

またね～

A Typical Day

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Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/2100 sec, ISO101
 “Sad Elephant” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。Today’s post will just be a list of what I did today:

  • It’s Work-at-Home day for me, so I get to sleep in a little while longer since I can skip the early morning shower and wash up later.
  • I picked up my car from the body shop. They repaired the dent in the hood and replaced the broken windshield. And it’s a Subaru windshield which is great because I was so happy with my old one which didn’t completely shatter when the rock hit it.
  • I ran/walked at lunchtime under the hot Texas sun. It felt really nice!
  • Worked a couple of hours in the afternoon on my backyard deck.
  • Watched the college baseball world series championship game.
  • Enjoyed curry nite 2.
  • Played a bit of Wizards Unite.

And that’s it! Today’s photo is of a sad toy elephant I saw on the ground as I was running. It kind of looks like it could be a drone shot from Africa… poor elephant!

またね～

Homecoming Curry

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
 “Homecoming Curry” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today Mariko and Bay returned from their vacation in New York City, and on the way home from the airport, Mariko said she wanted to make “quick curry”. 🍛 Of course, I thought it was a great idea, especially after eating bachelor meals for the past week. Well, Mariko’s “quick curry” tonight was amazing! Thinly-sliced beef, onion, carrot, and egg made a hearty and filling meal. What a way to celebrate returning home. 😌

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Second Visit to the Blanton Museum of Art

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO6400
 “Art Tour” Austin, 2019

Today I dropped Koa off at UT Austin for his third and final band camp of the summer. The dorm he is staying at is right next to the Blanton Museum of Art, so after Koa was squared away, I decided to check out the artwork. As a bonus, I bundled my ticket with parking so I saved a few bucks. 😁

As luck would have it, I bought my admission at about 3 pm, right when a free guided tour was starting. It was “Best of the Museum” and we stopped at nine pieces of art and had discussions about each one. It was very interesting and illuminating! I’ve been interested in art all my life, but I find it hard to understand the purpose of it. Some of the art we saw today from the early 20th century was clearly made to make a social statement, but other Italian art from the 1600s was more of a depiction of a typical everyday scene. They were very different, but both are “art”. I suppose the hangup I’ve always had in understanding art is that for some reason I thought art should have a singular purpose, but that is clearly not the case. Some art is meant as a protest against the status quo, some art is religious and devotional, portraits can simply be a likeness of the subject, etc. I guess the art is more about the artist’s vision, rather than the objects in the art themselves?

Listening to the museum docent describe what the artists may (or may not) have been trying to say opened my eyes as to what art might mean to me. I’m excited to think about it more, and maybe I can use my creativity to make some more meaningful art. The first step is figuring out what I want to say, which honestly could be a challenge.

It’s funny to think that although I’ve been interested in art since elementary school, took classes throughout high school, majored in Art Studio and minored in Art History, then interned at a museum, that finally at 50 years-old I am giving serious thought as to what art means to me. All this time I’ve just been making things just because I liked the aesthetic. But there can be so much more, right?

I hope you had a nice Sunday!

またね～

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/50 sec, ISO6400
 “Replicas” Austin, 2019

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Replicas” Austin, 2019