Tag: life

Ramen and a Movie

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"Jinya Ramen" Austin, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500
 “Jinya Ramen” Austin, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going? Today was a day of leisure, with a little bit of DIY at home. Everyone slept in late today except for me, since I tend to wake up pretty early even on the weekends. But I enjoy having my morning coffee and watching YouTube or drawing before the rest of the family wakes up.

For some reason, Koa asked to have “real” ramen this weekend so we decided to check out a ramen restaurant that we haven’t been to before. It was just myself and my two sons together today since Mariko was out at a lunch party, and then off to a girls’ movie night. So it was boys’ day and that began at Jinya Ramen Bar. I’ve heard mixed reviews of this restaurant, but Mariko said the one ramen that she had was good so I was excited to try. She did mention that the other ramen that her friends ordered were not good, and I’ve heard similar reviews from native Japanese.

We each got different types of ramen, plus a side of gyoza and fried chicken. I’d have to say the ramen was just ok. Not bad, but definitely not one to recommend when there are better ramen places in Austin. But, I’m glad we checked it out so that we know where it stands compared to other places!

After lunch, we returned home and Koa and I took apart Mariko’s Kitchenaid Epicurean stand mixer to clean out the old grease and relubricate it. That was a messy job, but it went without a hitch. DIY mission accomplished!

To finish off the day, we went to see Solo: A Star Wars Story. I thought it was great! So many cool tie-ins to the original trilogy and I loved the action. The story was pretty good too, and we finally get to see the spice mines of Kessel and the famed Kessel Run, which is definitely not what I was expecting. After a disappointing (to me at least) Last Jedi, I was hoping to like Solo, and I was not disappointed! I can’t wait for the next Solo movie.

"At the Theater" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/17 sec, ISO6400
 “At the Theater” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Start of the Weekend

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"Yakiniku Time" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1000
 “Yakiniku Time” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going? The first day of the long weekend we have here in the States was a hot one! The thermometer in my car showed 95° F, which seems a little on the warm side for the month of May, doesn’t it?

Anyways, today Bay and I went shopping for some gifts he needs for his school, then to REI to pick up his birthday present (a Hydro Flask which was on sale), the to the Jerry’s Artarama for some art supplies, and finally, we stopped at Kinokuniya again. It was a pretty fun outing, and the only thing I bought for myself was an inexpensive oscillating fan for the home office. It makes sitting at the computer a lot more comfortable, especially since the computer is on the ground near my feet and it gets pretty warm – nice in the winter, but not great in the summer.

Later, I worked on an illustration on the computer before dinner, which was a yummy yakiniku (Korean-style grilled meat) meal. It was so good, but the house smelled like a Korean BBQ restaurant afterward. 😁 We enjoyed three types of meat: marbled beef, sliced pork belly, and spicy sausage. The pork was especially delicious. For dipping, we like a simple sauce of sesame oil and salt. Simple but perfect taste to complement the pork.

To finish off the day, we watched the movie Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. It was an ok movie, but there was nothing special nor memorable about it.

I hope you had a nice Saturday!

またね～

Little Notebook

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"No..." Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “No…” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going today?

So I’ve been using my Passport-size Traveler’s Notebook for almost a year now, and I still enjoy it, but I realize that it’s a little limiting. Basically, it’s great for taking notes, but it’s a bit small for sketching. I think it’s difficult because the pages don’t lie as flat as I’d like.

However, I don’t like big, thick sketchbooks either. My preferred size is A5, with spiral binding, and no more than a centimeter thick. The Muji notebooks I bought a few years ago are perfect. I use the dot-grid version for general note-taking both for personal stuff and for work stuff (I have one notebook for each). The paper is smooth and fountain pen ink looks great on it. It’s also nice for sketching!

I’m pretty excited because we’re going to the Muji store in NYC this summer so I can stock up!

I’ve been looking at that Roterfaden A5 notebook and it seems like a perfect solution, but I can’t justify spending that much money on it. I’m sure there’s a cheaper A5 alternative out there that I can use. I just need to do some research! In the meantime, I’ll use my Muji notebooks.

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Today’s photo is a sketch I did in my Traveler’s Notebook. I just drew on an old page that I had written on before. Can you guess what those words mean?

To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.

I hope you had a great day!

またね～

Taking Photos and Staying in the Moment

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"Used Camera" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec, ISO3200
 “Used Camera” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I was thinking about a topic I heard discussed on photography podcasts. It’s basically the question of during special life moments, such as your child’s dance recital or school play, if you should stay behind your camera taking photos, or if you should put down the camera and simply take in the experience with nothing in your way of your senses. It can be difficult because as photo enthusiasts – we love taking photos and want to get that perfect shot.

There are valid arguments to be made for both sides of the debate. On one hand, it’s nice to have photos/video to relive and share the moment, but on the other hand, you aren’t fully in the moment and experiencing life if you are looking through the viewfinder or at the rear screen of your camera. The question is, does the camera enhance your life, or does it get in the way of it?

My opinion is that I think that a happy medium can easily be achieved and you can have the best of both worlds! The keys that I have found work for me are:

  • Know your camera inside and out – You don’t want to waste time fumbling with settings. And set up your camera before the event starts. It’s no fun trying to tweak settings in the dark!
  • Think like an event photographer – Have a shot list in mind. Maybe not a written list, but think of the “must have shots” that you need to capture. Once you take care of those, then put down the camera and enjoy the moment. Keep in mind that for most events, the photos you take at the beginning of the performance will look the same as any other part, so no need to have the camera at your eye the whole time. Just be ready for the recognition and bowing at the end of performances. Again, take the photo, then put the camera down and join in the applause!
  • Automate it – If you want to take video, bring a tripod and set it up beforehand. Then just hit the record, turn off the LCD if possible, and forget about it.

Anyways, those are my tips that I’ve gathered from shooting both student events and corporate events. I hope this helps you “stay in the moment”!

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Today’s photos are of my beloved camera (yet again!). 😄 I have a couple trips coming up, and I am taking my Fujifilm X100T with me as my main camera (with my phone being a backup). There was a time in my life when I would spend a lot of time thinking about what camera gear to bring on vacations, but ever since I bought my X100T, it’s the only camera I want or need. Just the thought of lugging around a heavy DSLR and a few lenses makes me shudder… when I used to carry all the gear it was not fun and definitely made “staying in the moment” more difficult.

You know, a life with less can be a good thing, especially in photography!

"Fujifilm X100T" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/40 sec, ISO3200
 “Fujifilm X100T” Cedar Park, 2018

I hope you had a great day!

おやすみ

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Mosquito Counter-Measures

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"Chemical Warfare" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO400
 “Chemical Warfare” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

The weather here in central Texas has gotten warmer which is nice, but the mosquito season seems to have started early. ☹️

But this year, we have a couple new weapons in our arsenal to fight those pesky bugs. We just received a Hoont mosquito trap, which is simply a UV light and fan. The idea is that the flying insects will be attracted to the light, and when they fly up to it, they get sucked down by the fan into a receptacle below. They won’t be able to escape and eventually will dry out and die. I’m not sure how effective it is indoors, but the light looks pretty cool:

"It's a Trap" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/75 sec, ISO3200
 “It’s a Trap” Cedar Park, 2018

The fan isn’t too loud, but it is noticeable. It’s something you can definitely get used to though – sort of like white noise.

People say it works great outdoors, and we put it out on our deck for a couple days and I can report that it did catch a bunch of moths, mosquitos, and other critters. The manufacturer says that if you keep it running for a few days, you’ll have a mosquito-free yard. I’m not sure about that, but I’m willing to give it try. The only thing I haven’t figured out is the best way to clean out the trap since the recently-trapped bugs will still be alive. I guess we just keep the thing on all the time? 🤷‍♂️

Next up is a Japanese toxic mist “おすだけベープ” (photo at the top of this post) that Mariko bought. One pump of this small bottle will fumigate a room. It looks like a mini air freshener bottle and smells like air freshener as well, but it’s deceptively powerful. I was skeptical of its effectiveness at first, but last night I trapped a mosquito in the home office, then sprayed one quick mist of this stuff into the room, and when I came back about 15 minutes later, the mosquito was in a world of hurt. I know this because it was on my desk, on its back, legs twitching! It was awesome! I have no doubt about it’s killing power. However, because it is so effective, I don’t think you should stay near the mist, even though it smells so good.

But because we do get bit occasionally, we have a couple techniques we use to get through the itchiness. The first is the hot spoon technique, which I talked about in a previous post. But last year we bought a Zap-It! device which uses the same principle, but is much more convenient. It’s basically a micro-stun-gun in that you position the Zap-It! over the mosquito bite, then press the button and it creates a little electric charge and shock. Do this several times all around the bite, and you will be itch-free for a few hours.

"Quick Relief" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO800
 “Quick Relief” Cedar Park, 2018

It’s not as long-lasting as the spoon technique, but the tiny battery-free Zap-It! device is so convenient that it’s our first choice in itch relief. Plus, it is very inexpensive! Makes a great gift. 😆

I hope today’s post was informative and helpful! It might be difficult to find the おすだけベープ spray here in the States, but definitely order a Zap-It! or two. And it comes with a keyring, so you can keep it with you at all times. 😀

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

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