Tag: watches

Nihongo Update

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"Watch Bin" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/17 sec, ISO3200
 “Watch Bin” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I was listening to some Japanese pop songs that I haven’t heard in a couple years, and I was surprised that I understood a lot more than I used to. Actually, I’d rate my comprehension of the lyrics as maybe 20% of the words, whereas before it might have been 5%. But since it’s mostly just bits and pieces, and not even whole sentences that I understand, I only get the gist of what the song is about. Still, it’s fun to hear the same songs and the mystery is revealed a bit more as I study.

I’ve been using the Anki flashcard system on my computer and phone to boost my vocabulary and it’s pretty good! However, I am going to switch from kana to romaji to get in more vocabulary quicker, then maybe I will switch it up and go back to kana for a bit. There’s a mental gap that I am encountering where I am trying to memorize both the meaning while seeing the kana/kanji and it’s kind of frustrating. So to build some momentum, I am switching to romaji (and I also study my kana cards separately as a refresher) and see if I can get more vocab under my belt.

In other Japanese-related news, I have caught up with Segodon so now I can just watch the TV Japan broadcasts when they are shown. And then I am also watching a Sailor Moon episode here and there. Fun to pick up the new words I have learned.

So, some improvement with my Nihongo, and also a bit of fun with the dorama!

Today’s photo is of my watches, sitting in a Kokuyo pen case. I tidied up my desk, but don’t have a good place to put my watches so I just threw them there. I like looking at them, so I don’t put them in the drawer but it seems like they need a better place to hang out than just the desktop. 😆 We’ll find a good home for them someday!

I hope you had a good Saturday!

またねー

Automatic Time Adjustment

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"Timex and Seiko" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
 “Timex and Seiko” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The other day we had to change our clocks to Daylight Savings Time here in Texas. These days, some of our clocks update automatically, while others require manual adjustment. But I think it’s kind of fun to change the clocks! Especially my watches. 😝

But one clock was always a hassle to update, and that’s my car’s clock. For one thing, I’d only notice it was wrong when I started driving, and I couldn’t adjust it because it was unsafe to do so. The clock was my car stereo which (even after 14 years) was a puzzle to figure out. Then when I arrived at my destination, I’d forget to change it, so the next time I’d get in my car and drive, the cycle would repeat itself.

My new Subaru Crosstrek has a clock on the dash, and it has simple + and – buttons, but you have to go thru the minutes, instead of just adjusting an hour at a time. So, I rolled my eyes again. However, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that the clock automatically adjusted to the correct time! I guess it picked up the time from my phone’s Bluetooth connection or Android Auto. How cool! I thought that the dash clock was just a totally separate unit, but I guess not. Yay!

That reminds me of my Sony A77 camera with its built-in GPS which would automatically adjust the time and date. Such a great feature.

Anyways, today’s photo is of two of my watches: the Seiko SKX007 and the Timex Weekender. After taking the photo, I decided to take a little video to illustrate the different hand movements of the two watches. The Seiko uses an automatic movement, which is smoother, while the TImes uses a quartz movement, which is more accurate, but not quite as elegant as it clicks away.

Ok, that’s enough time nerdery for today! (By the way, did you enjoy the “time nerd” joke in The Big Sick? Fun movie!

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

–BEER–

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"Watch and Beer" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/90 sec, ISO6400
 “Watch and Beer” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。 How’s it going?

Tonight’s photo is of my Japanese watch (made in Malaysia) and Japanese beer (brewed in Canada). What I thought was funny was the tiny “–BEER–”text on the bottom of the can labeling. Why is it there? Is it a regulatory requirement? Who knows?

またね～

Switching Watches

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"Leather Band" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Leather Band” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

So the other day I was looking at some reviews of the Seiko SNK809 and one of them featured a watch with a leather band and I thought it looked pretty good. I did a little online shopping for one but then thought that I might take the 20mm band that is on my Timex Weekender and put it on the Seiko. The problem is that the Seiko takes an 18mm band, but just to see what the watch face might look like with leather, I squeezed the 20mm band onto the smaller watch. And it turns out that it not only looks good (in my opinion), but the 20mm width matches the watch better than the skinnier 18mm. As an added bonus, the leather band is much more comfortable than the nylon Zulu strap.

So, I am going to wear the smaller SNK809 at home and then wear the SKX007 when I am at work. I guess sometimes I’ll wear the smaller watch outside too. 😝 I suppose it’s an effort to keep both watches wound, and I’ll try to keep the dates accurate too! I’m curious to see how it works out. But the “new” leather band on the Seiko SNK809 gives it a totally different look. It’s almost like having a brand new watch. 😀

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

Wrist Check

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"Seikos" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO4000
 “Seikos” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The other day, Mariko found Koa’s Fitbit Charge in an old backpack. Koa said he didn’t really want it so he gave it to me, and I’ve been wearing it for a couple days. I wasn’t sure how it would feel wearing it on my right wrist since I usually keep a regular watch on my left. But I guess it feels good. The Fitbit Charge is pretty small and light, so I barely notice it.

The photo above is of my two regular watches. The one on the left is my go-to Seiko SKX007 watch and is always kept wound (automatically) since I wear it often. The Seiko SNK809 with the blue striped band is only worn occasionally, which is why the date is wrong. It’s also an automatic watch, which means that it powers up as you move around. However, if it’s not worn/moved for a day, it will run out of power. To start it back up, you just need to shake it a little bit and then you’ll have to set the time, which is quick. Setting the date is a little more involved because you have to set it to yesterday’s day/date, then advance the hands past midnight to flip the day/date and then keep going until you get to the correct time. (If you just set it to today’s date, you won’t be certain if the time is set to AM or PM) Because it takes a while, and because I also know that I won’t be wearing it again for a while, I don’t bother setting the date on that watch And that’s why it shows Tuesday, the 5th in the photo.

I hope you enjoyed that mini-introduction into the wonderful world of automatic watches. 😝

またね～