Tag: well-being

Sense of Place

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"Cloud" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 37mm, f/9, 1/1250 sec, ISO100
 “Cloud” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going? Today’s blog post will be a bit of a ramble, but hey, it’s my blog, so here goes.

I’ve been lucky so far that I have been able to travel for vacation, and also on rare occasion for work, and I now recognize certain distinct affinities I have for different places. For instance, when I traveled to Japan for the first time, I immediately felt like Japan was somewhere I wanted to live. So much so that I gave myself a deadline of 6 months before I moved there.

On the other hand, when I returned from trips to Morocco and Spain, I didn’t have that feeling at all. It was really fun to visit those places and experience a bit of the culture, but I never felt a deep connection. I’m sure it has to do with being Asian in a non-Asian country, although I haven’t thought too deeply about it yet. 🤔

The same can be said of my trips to Stockholm. I’ve visited twice and although I loved it there, felt safe and free, I was simply just a visitor. The thought of having a life there never crossed my mind. Nevermind the complications of having kids and a family… but even if I were single, I don’t think Europe would be on my list of places to live.

And how about my hometown of Torrance? I love visiting family there and am happy I grew up in Southern California, but I have no desire to live there. It’s just not interesting to me… and speaking about the USA, I’ve lived in Texas for almost 20 years now. Honestly, living in Austin never even occurred to me as a possibility before we moved here. It’s a wonderful place, and the people are so friendly and warm. But no, I have no real affection for, nor interest in, Texas and the moment we have the freedom to leave, I’ll be the first one on the plane. 😆

But back to places that I feel a real affinity for. Obviously, there’s Japan. Whenever I visit, I feel right at home, even though I can only understand maybe 25% of conversations. But I love it there. When I lived there I never considered leaving. It’s somewhere I want to live again. (My dream hasn’t died, haha)

Interestingly, I felt a similar feeling towards China when I visited there last month. After returning home, I felt that same blue feeling (could it be like homesickness?) that I felt after returning from Japan after my first visit there. That’s how I know I feel a real connection to a place – after returning, I have that melancholy feeling. It’s like I am living in a dream. 😌

Anyways, that’s pretty much what’s on my mind these past few days. Thinking about a connection to a sense of place I suppose. Although I live in Texas, I feel like it’s a temporary situation… just waiting to move on really. Someday. 🛫

I hope you had a nice day, and thanks for reading!

またね～

Willpower

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"Food Drive" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: SONY NEX-6, 16mm, f/9, 1/200 sec, ISO100
 “Food Drive” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

As you can see from the photo above, dinner was provided by In-n-Out. But even though I was the one who picked up the food, I skipped buying anything for myself. I had lunch at work and kind of felt like that was enough for the day. It’s funny, but on our China trip, we had so much food available, that it made me realize (or reinforce my realization) that I don’t really need to eat as much as I am accustomed to.

A few years back, I fasted for 3 or 4 days which changed my perception about food, and how much we really need. And that feeling of being hungry is not a bad feeling. I actually like having that hunger! Anyways, on the China trip I decided to eat mostly new-to-me and local foods, but not have too much, and generally try to skip or limit the foods that I’m familiar with, for instance, eggs, sausages, and bread. Instead, I had noodles, dim sum, rice porridge, pickled veggies, etc. It felt great!

So tonight I skipped the Double-double and just had my multi-vitamin. 😀

またね～

Run to Temple of the Sun

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"Temple of the Sun" Beijing, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/105 sec, ISO50
 “Temple of the Sun” Beijing, 2018

This morning I woke up extra-early due to jetlag and decided to go for a run. At 6 am, the streets of central Beijing were surprisingly empty. In fact, I could pretty much run in the middle of the streets if I wanted to! I guess most of the people were beginning their commutes outside of the city, so it wouldn’t get busy until they arrived.

Since I don’t know the city at all, I just ran with Google Maps on and I looked for interesting places and parks, which led me to the Temple of the Sun. It’s a cool little park which has a beautiful pond and other points of interest and is also very popular with runners and walkers. So I was totally at home running (more like jogging), walking, and stopping to take photos.

You know, I try to run in new places, like when I visited Stockholm for business. Running can get you to places really quickly, and since you can stop at any time to take in the sights, it’s a great way to get familiar with a new city. Especially if you can do it early in the morning. 😀

"Sunrise Over the City" Beijing, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/50 sec, ISO64
 “Sunrise Over the City” Beijing, 2018

Running Shoes for Traveling

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"New Clouds" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/200 sec, ISO50
 “New Clouds” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today I ran for the first time in my new On Cloud shoes. I want to make sure they are broken in for my upcoming China trip because I think we might be doing a lot of walking and I’d hate to get blisters because of new shoes. I’m not too worried, though, because these are the same size and model of my old running shoes, and they feel pretty much identical.

But besides breaking them in, I want to improve my stamina for the trip. Before Bay and I went to New York, I started running again in preparation for lots of walking around the city, and it really paid off. I was able to keep up with Bay for pretty much the whole trip! 💪

I have to say though that it was tough on my feet the first two days when I was wearing the Converse High-tops. Once I switched over to the running shoes, it was so much easier! That change, plus leaving the messenger bag at the Airbnb and just taking a small shopping bag, were real eye-openers – travel even lighter than usual and the day is much more enjoyable.

With that in mind, I think I will be taking my lightweight packable backpack which I used on our Disney trip last year for our daily excursions. It weighs almost nothing, but I will be able to throw in my power bank, extra camera batteries, and a water bottle.

Since we are going on a cruise and tour, I am not sure how much walking we will be doing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. One scenario that I can imagine though, is getting tired on the Great Wall excursion.

When I visited China back in 1990(?), our tour group visited a section of the Great Wall, and we really wanted to reach one of the checkpoints to get a souvenir stamp. But dang, the wall was so steep and the steps were pretty big. And we were keeping an eye on the time since we had to be back at the bus soon. Wow, what a workout that was! But we made it to the checkpoint and got our stamps, then jogged back down to the bus. I haven’t thought about that in years, but it is truly a great memory.

Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if that same scenario plays itself out once again. So I ran today with that in mind. 😀

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

My Camera Kit for Travel (and EDC)

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"Siblings" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 35mm, f/5.5, 1/125 sec, ISO6400
 “Siblings” Cedar Park, 2018OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a big trip coming up (to China!) and since I will be taking a suitcase for this trip, it got me thinking about my travel photography kit. 📷 Specifically, with the extra space, maybe I should bring along the Fujifilm X-T10 and its two lenses. And maybe I can bring the 50mm f/1.4 Minolta lens as well. It’s China after all! We’ll be seeing some amazing sights, so I might as well be prepared to get wide shots, plus some tight shots, so the 18-55mm zoom will be perfect. With this in mind, I figured I should get a couple extra batteries (I only have one for the X-T10), so I put a couple in my Amazon shopping cart.

But before pulling the trigger on the batteries, I thought of my recent trip to New York, last year’s vacation to Morocco and Spain, my work trip to Stockholm, and the reason why I decided to just take my Fujifilm X100T.

And that reason can be summed up in one word: Simplicity.

The Fujifilm X100 series of cameras have a fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) lens which simplifies the act of shooting photos. I don’t have to think about what lens to put on and what would work best in each situation. And later, I won’t be able to second-guess my decision. With the X100T, I have to use the 35mm field of view for everything. If I can’t get close enough by moving my feet, then so be it. Forget about that shot and move on. If I must have a super-wide shot, then Lightroom can stitch a couple photos together. But taking the lens choice decision out of the equation makes shooting so much more stress-free, and therefore more fun!

Of course, having the single camera and fixed lens also makes for a smaller and lighter kit. (a nice bonus is that I don’t have to worry about getting dust on the sensor). My back and knees appreciate the lightweight setup, I’m sure! 😀

So, I’ve reaffirmed my choice of travel kit (and everyday kit, to be honest). And here it is:

"Camera Kit" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018

All the items except camera and power bank fit in a Jansport “Digital Burrito” organizer.

Frankly, the power bank is mainly used for charging my phone, and I can’t remember the last time I used the microfiber cloth, instead opting for the Lens Pen. The USB cable does double-duty since it charges my phone.

This setup is so compact, I don’t even need a dedicated camera bag. And since I am usually wearing the camera across my body using the strap, I just have to put the burrito organizer in whatever bag I happen to have. For instance, in New York I used a small MoMA shopping bag all day. It was a great set up! Burrito, power bank, phone, and umbrella in the bag, camera across my body, and that’s it.

I believe that a simpler, minimalistic life can make you happy, and that a simple, minimalistic camera kit can make photography a lot more enjoyable. In fact, I experience it firsthand every time I walk out the door!

またね～

"Camera Kit" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 18mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018
"Camera Kit" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 32.9mm, f/3.6, 1/50 sec, ISO1600
 “Camera Kit” Cedar Park, 2018