こんばんは！Hi, how are you? I am doing well, but I am sleepy… it’s past midnight, so it is actually Sunday morning, but I will post this to Saturday evening. Hey, it’s my blog, so give me a break!
The reason I am writing so late is because we just returned home from my cousin’s house in San Antonio. We visit them every year to celebrate Chinese New Years. This time there were 70 people there! It was a lot of fun and the food was delicious. The drive from our house to their house takes almost 2 hours which is why it is so late.
Today’s photo is of the envelopes we put money into. The tradition is for the family members who are married to give money to the family members who have not yet married. This year there were 28 unmarried family members there! Luckily I had prepared 40 envelopes, so we’ll have a dozen already ready for next year.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/13 sec, ISO6400 “Watch, Suu, and NES Mint Box on Sketchbook” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
こんばんは！Hi, how’s it going? Has the weekend started for you?
This week was so busy, and next week will also be a hectic one for me. But before that, we have the weekend which I am looking forward to. Especially for the food! Tomorrow night we will spend the evening at my cousin’s house to celebrate the Chinese New Year. That means lots of delicious Chinese food! We go down to their house almost every year now so it has become a nice tradition for us. Besides the eating, the kids all receive their red envelopes with money inside. Bay and Koa really look forward to this particular tradition!
Then on Sunday, it’s my wife’s birthday so we are planning on going out to brunch in the morning, then having a nice meal and watch the Super Bowl later that day. It should be fun! Also, I am hoping to test drive some new cars… I am thinking that I will buy one this month since I am afraid my Odyssey will break down catastrophically very soon.
Today’s photo is of some of the items on my desk. My son has a sketchbook there (I think it is one of my old ones from Japan) and on top of that is my Casio watch (which is lasting a good long time!), my Pinky:St Suu character, and a NES controller mint tin. The mints are long gone, but I liked the tin a lot so I am keeping it. I am not sure what should go in it but I am sure I’ll find something!
It’s a chilly night here in Texas. Please stay warm and stay healthy!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO2500 “Okonomiyaki” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
こんばんは！Hello, how’s it going? Did you have a good day?
Mine was extremely busy, and started early. I arrived at the office at 7am and worked thru lunch all the way about 3:30, then came home and worked until about 4:30. But, I got a ton finished and am feeling pretty good! But enough about work… let’s talk about today’s photo.
Do you know what kind of food this is? It is called “Okonomiyaki” and is my favorite food ever! I first had it in Osaka, when I visited my wife-to-be. She took me to an okonomiyaki restaurant called “Yukari” and I absolutely loved it! Okonomiyaki (Osaka-style) is primarily made of shredded cabbage, mixed with a batter and grilled on a fry-pan like a thick pancake. Other ingredients are added, such as cheese, sliced meat, seafood, noodles, etc. according to your preference. After it is cooked (and flipped a couple times), it is topped with a sweet sauce, Japanese mayo, dried bonito flakes, and a dried green herb (I forget what it is) and eaten, sometimes with small spatulas.
It’s a lot of fun to make at the restaurant, especially drinking a large draft beer! That icy drink hits the spot because the grill pan at the table can make for a very warm dining experience. But that is a lot of the charm of an okonomiyaki restaurant.
Besides Osaka-style, there are other regional varieties, such as Hiroshima-style which has yakisoba noodles and egg. It’s also so delicious! I recommend you give it a try!
By the way, today I noticed that the bone above my right eye is a bit swollen and bruised from the baseball incident last night. I guess I took a bit more damage than previously thought. It doesn’t hurt too much at least.
Well, tomorrow is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend! Got any big plans?
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “Ehoumaki” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
こんばんは！Hello everyone, how are you doing?
Tonight I am in a little bit of pain (nothing serious). I was pitching to Koa at the batting facility this evening, and a ball that he hit bounced off the ceiling net, over my L-shaped pitching barrier, and hit me square on my glasses and above my eye. I got a small cut, even! The cut hurts a little bit, but luckily I don’t think I will have a bruise. I’m guessing the seam of the baseball made the cut, but who knows? At any rate, I think I got lucky. Next time I shouldn’t look up to see where the ball is, but rather should just cover up a bit.
Today’s photo is of the sushi roll called “Ehoumaki” which is eaten on Setsubun. In order to bring good luck, you need to eat the entire sushi roll (by hand like a burrito) while facing the current year’s lucky direction. 2016’s direction is south by southeast. In addition, you cannot talk until you finish your sushi! I look forward to ehoumaki each year since Mariko makes a super delicious sushi roll!
I don’t have a compass app on my phone anymore, but I do have this little combo thermometer/compass that keep in my backpack. I think this may be the first time it has been useful!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/105 sec, ISO6400 USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
By the way, the weather tonight has gotten cold once again! And we recently had a day in the 80s… Stay warm tonight wherever you are. Have a nice Thursday!
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 35mm, f/1.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800 “Miki” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2012.
こんばんは！Hi everyone, how are you today?
Our family had a pretty difficult day today because late last night, our cat, Miki, passed away. She was 16-years-old, which is apparently the equivalent of 80 human years! We loved her very much and will miss her a lot. She was with us when we brought both our sons home from the hospital, so she has seen them grow from newborns! And my sons have spent all their lives with Miki in the family so it must be hard for them. I’ll miss Miki a lot because she used to come snuggle next to me every night and act as a little heater. I’m sad, but also grateful that we got to share 16 years with her. She was an amazing member of the family.
I think I will turn in for the evening. I hope you have a great Wednesday.
おやすみなさい！
-B
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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?
