Category: Slice of Life

Cultural Shift

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"Austin Clouds" Austin, 2016
Photo info: Motorola XT1064, 3.54mm, f/2, 1/270 sec, ISO80
 “Austin Clouds” Austin, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going this evening?

Today was day 2 of my company’s annual customer conference and I was in downtown Austin all day, taking photographs and helping out with the event. It was a great experience talking with our customers and getting to know them. I am not an expert in what our product can do, so I wasn’t able to interact with the customers on that level, but at the social event it was mostly just shooting the breeze about non-work-related topics. It was great fun!

When I got home, I was thinking about watching the Japanese drama/mystery series I am into, and it got me thinking about how it’s such a cultural mindshift to switch over to that show. It’s hard to describe, but these past two days I was 100% in “America mode” 🇺🇸, surrounded by professionals talking about business and socializing as Americans do.

But what I really enjoy and am attracted to is Japanese culture 🇯🇵, and things like watching Japanese tv shows, listening to Japanese music, and following Japanese Instagram feeds… I am definitely a Japanophile. And although I am American, I love Japanese culture so much! I cannot wait for my life to shift over to that culture again.

During my normal workday, I often check up on Japanese blogs, Twitter, and Instagram accounts but these past two days I have been busy at the conference all day so I haven’t had time to do my normal routine. So I miss my Japanese “alter ego”! 😆 It’s funny but I feel like I am straying away from my desired life. I know it is just temporary, but it’s an interesting feeling to experience!

Anyways, those are just some thoughts going through my head this evening. I’ll have to think about it some more to make some kind of sense of it. But for now… I am in a happy mood.

Take it easy, and see you tomorrow!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Day Downtown

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"Downtown" Austin, 2016
“Downtown” Austin, 2016

こんばんは！Hello, how’s it going?

Tonight I am so tired once again. I spent the day downtown helping out with the photography duties at my company’s annual customer conference. It’s always a lot of fun but it is a loooong day! It’s also tiring because there was a reception at the end of the day and drinks were served! 🍻🍷🍸😜

Tonight’s photo is one I took this morning of the hotel where the conference is being held, and in the distance you can see the Texas Capitol Building. When I went outside to take the photo, the lens fogged up since I just came out from a cool air-conditioned building into the hot and humid Austin air. I had to wait a few minutes for the condensation to clear up, then I took the photo as I crossed the street. I think it came out nice! I used a Canon 60D and an 18-200mm lens (at 18mm) to capture this image.

Tomorrow is day 2 of the 3-day conference, so I better get to bed. 😴

Talk to you tomorrow!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Hello, and goodnight

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"A Cat and Her Boy" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/13 sec, ISO3200
 “A Cat and Her Boy” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！

Due to beer and wine at happy hour, plus pizza dinner, tonight’s post will be short. In fact, I’ll just leave you with a photo of our cat, Yuzu, and her boy, Koa.

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Everything Happens for a Reason

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"Evening Light" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/180 sec, ISO400
 “Evening Light” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s everything going?

Today I read a great blog post about positivity, and in it there was the saying, “Everything Happens for a Reason” and I started thinking about that particular phrase for the first time… and I actually don’t agree with it, at least in the way that it is commonly interpreted.

I don’t believe in fate or destiny, predetermined by a god, gods, or other supernatural presence. No, I think that an infinite amount of events are in motion for whatever reason, natural or man-made, and that in our normal daily lives, we’ll come into contact with some of these events. It’s just being in the right place at the right time. No gods necessary.

Why do we feel the need to believe that everything happens for a reason? Isn’t it enough to know that the thing has happened, and now we have the chance to react to it, and hopefully in a positive way?

I suppose for some it might be comforting to believe that a god or spirit is controlling everything, but to me, that is a frightening idea, especially when you see the unfortunate things that happen to innocent people. (Birth defects and leftover landmines come to mind)

Anyways, the phrase “Everything happens for a reason” seems like the first part of a longer phrase, the second part being, “… so look for the silver lining”. But then why not just remove the first part altogether and simply look for the positive in everything.

************

Today’s photo is of our breakfast area in our house, and the evening light coming in. I thought it looked nice. I like to take snapshots of the mundane things… they might not be great photos, but they are glimpses into real life. There’s some value in that, I think.

I hope you had a nice Monday!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Catching a Ballgame

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"Kids at the Game" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec, ISO200
 “Kids at the Game” Arlington, 2016

こんばんは！

Today we drove up to watch the Texas Rangers play the Oakland A’s in Arlington. It’s a bit of a drive to get up there from Austin but it was fun because all six of us (my family plus our friends Matt and Kumiko) drove up in my mini-van. 🚐

The weather was blazing at the park ☀, and the seats that I had bought were in full sun… it was way too hot and we only sat there for an inning before relocating to a shadier part of the park. In fact, the women didn’t even venture down to the seats in the sun! I don’t blame them. 😩

Must remember to only buy covered seats for the day games!

"Spectators" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO800
 “Spectators” Arlington, 2016

We then found some other seats in the shade, and watched the rest of the ballgame. Too bad the Rangers lost, but it was still fun!

After the game, it was time to head over to Kula Sushi for dinner. That was a great experience! Kula Sushi is a kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt serving style. But Kula takes it even further, because you can order anything on the menu via a tablet, and it will be prepared and sent to the table via another conveyor belt which is above the main belt. It’s very hi-tech! Loved it!

"Sushi Time" Carrollton, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Sushi Time” Carrollton, 2016

Anyways, that is all for today. It was a long drive back home, and now it’s late. In fact, I need to cheat a little and set the posting time an hour back so that I can have a Sunday post. 😜

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto