Tag: postaday

Watching Zhu Bajie: The Spring Years 春光灿烂猪八戒

, , Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Watching Zhu Bajie: The Spring Years 春光灿烂猪八戒
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Dragon Maiden” Cedar Park, 2021

Tonight I watched Zhu Bajie: The Spring Years / 春光灿烂猪八戒 which tells the story of two legendary Chinese characters and their doomed romance. It sounds like a downer, but it’s more of a comedy with supernatural elements and a good amount of fighting.

The photo above shows Qiru Yang 杨祺如 as the dragon maiden about to kick some butt with her ice sword, while the photo below shows Wei Xiaoxuan 魏晓璇 as a cat demon about to do the same using her supernatural powers. I guess it’s a popular pose to strike in front of curtains. 😄

I enjoyed the film and was surprised that the ending turned into a bit of a tear-jerker! This movie is actually the latest big-screen version of a popular television show in China that has been running since 2000, and features the on-screen reunion of two previous cast members. Amazing!

I hope you had a good day. またね～

Monarch Butterfly

, , Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Monarch Butterfly
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/6000 sec, ISO32
 “Resting Monarch” Cedar Park, 2021

I spotted this beautiful little dude on the bike/running path. I’m pretty sure he was just resting. There are a lot of Monarch butterflies in our neighborhood lately and it’s so nice to see them fluttering and gliding amongst the flowers. I just hope this guy was okay!

Switching up the Handlebars

, , , , , Cycling, Slice of LifeLeave a Comment on Switching up the Handlebars
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 35mm, f/2, 1/105 sec, ISO1600
 “Rossa” Cedar Park, 2021

I decided to switch up the bicycle handlebar situation a bit by putting the Upanbike swept riser bars that were on Mango onto Rossa, then putting the butterfly bars, which were sitting in the garage, back on Mango. Once I replaced Rossa’s flat bars with the riser bars, the riding experience is so much more comfortable!

Rossa is an old mountain bike, and bikes of that era had the handlebars way out front over the front wheel. Modern mountain bikes position the bars farther back (as well as different overall geometry) so the risk of going over the bars is lessened. I don’t take Rossa on any downhills, so for me I just wanted the more comfortable upright position, and the Upanbike handlebars certainly help. It’s so much more fun for me now! As an added bonus, I think they look really sharp. 😁

If you have time, come with me as I take the Rossa’s “new” handlebars for a spin around the neighborhood:

Biergarten and Band

, , Food, Slice of Life1 Comment on Biergarten and Band
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/16, 1/25 sec, ISO1600
 “Krause’s Café” New Braunfels, 2021

Today we went to see Koa’s marching band perform in the UIL Area competition with ~23 other schools. But before that, Mariko and I stopped at Krause’s Café and Biergarten for a late lunch with friends. The beer and food were great, and the atmosphere inside the beer hall was very nice. The weather was just perfect! It was so fun to hang out with new friends. We could have probably hung out for a few hours but we had to get to the band competition for the finals.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/90 sec, ISO125
 “Sausage Plate” New Braunfels, 2021

The stadium was about 30 minutes away from the biergarten and we arrived to find some good seats right on the 50-yard line and halfway up the stands. We’ve seen a few of the bands before, but many were new to us so it was interesting to see the different kinds of shows and music they performed. Texas certainly has an exceptional marching band culture, and we’re fortunate that Koa’s school is one of the best. But what I really think is cool about high school marching band is that all the kids support the other bands and many cross-band friendships are formed throughout the year.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/3.2, 1/120 sec, ISO640
 “Ranger Band” Converse, 2021

It was a long day, but very fun to hang out with friends and listen to lots of music. I hope you had a good day too! またね～