Tag: postaday

Everything Happens for a Reason

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"Evening Light" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/180 sec, ISO400
 “Evening Light” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s everything going?

Today I read a great blog post about positivity, and in it there was the saying, “Everything Happens for a Reason” and I started thinking about that particular phrase for the first time… and I actually don’t agree with it, at least in the way that it is commonly interpreted.

I don’t believe in fate or destiny, predetermined by a god, gods, or other supernatural presence. No, I think that an infinite amount of events are in motion for whatever reason, natural or man-made, and that in our normal daily lives, we’ll come into contact with some of these events. It’s just being in the right place at the right time. No gods necessary.

Why do we feel the need to believe that everything happens for a reason? Isn’t it enough to know that the thing has happened, and now we have the chance to react to it, and hopefully in a positive way?

I suppose for some it might be comforting to believe that a god or spirit is controlling everything, but to me, that is a frightening idea, especially when you see the unfortunate things that happen to innocent people. (Birth defects and leftover landmines come to mind)

Anyways, the phrase “Everything happens for a reason” seems like the first part of a longer phrase, the second part being, “… so look for the silver lining”. But then why not just remove the first part altogether and simply look for the positive in everything.

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Today’s photo is of our breakfast area in our house, and the evening light coming in. I thought it looked nice. I like to take snapshots of the mundane things… they might not be great photos, but they are glimpses into real life. There’s some value in that, I think.

I hope you had a nice Monday!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Catching a Ballgame

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"Kids at the Game" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/1250 sec, ISO200
 “Kids at the Game” Arlington, 2016

こんばんは！

Today we drove up to watch the Texas Rangers play the Oakland A’s in Arlington. It’s a bit of a drive to get up there from Austin but it was fun because all six of us (my family plus our friends Matt and Kumiko) drove up in my mini-van. 🚐

The weather was blazing at the park ☀, and the seats that I had bought were in full sun… it was way too hot and we only sat there for an inning before relocating to a shadier part of the park. In fact, the women didn’t even venture down to the seats in the sun! I don’t blame them. 😩

Must remember to only buy covered seats for the day games!

"Spectators" Arlington, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/640 sec, ISO800
 “Spectators” Arlington, 2016

We then found some other seats in the shade, and watched the rest of the ballgame. Too bad the Rangers lost, but it was still fun!

After the game, it was time to head over to Kula Sushi for dinner. That was a great experience! Kula Sushi is a kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt serving style. But Kula takes it even further, because you can order anything on the menu via a tablet, and it will be prepared and sent to the table via another conveyor belt which is above the main belt. It’s very hi-tech! Loved it!

"Sushi Time" Carrollton, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Sushi Time” Carrollton, 2016

Anyways, that is all for today. It was a long drive back home, and now it’s late. In fact, I need to cheat a little and set the posting time an hour back so that I can have a Sunday post. 😜

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Slow Saturday

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"REI Marker" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4.5, 1/160 sec, ISO200
 “REI Marker” Austin, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going? Did you have a nice Saturday?

Mine was pretty slow and relaxing. I spent the morning downtown drinking coffee and catching up on some YouTube videos and blogs and just generally relaxing.

I also took several photos of random things, one of which is above. Outside the door of the downtown Austin REI, there is a marker in the sidewalk that notes the date and elevation. I thought it was pretty cool. Reminds me of the USGS markers at the National Parks, which I’m guessing was the intention.

This afternoon I finished watching the Japanese dorama “Ie Uru Onna” which stars my favorite Japanese actress, Kitagawa Keiko. I was a bit disappointed that the final episodes didn’t really develop her character further. She was pretty much the same person from the first episode all the way til the finale. And she never once smiled! 😞

800px-ieuru_onna

But I still enjoyed the dorama and laughed quite a bit. I’d give this one a 7 out of 10 rating.

Continuing on my Kitagawa viewing odyssey, I am now watching an older dorama called “Tantei no Tantei” or Detectives vs Detectives. I’ve only watched the first episode of this mystery/thriller but it’s riveting! So far so good as far as the story goes, but Kitagawa’s character is again quite serious and somber. Will she ever smile? We’ll see! 😆

528px-tantei_no_tantei_main

Anyways, let’s have a nice Sunday!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Texas Wine Tasting

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"Round 2" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “Round 2” Austin, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

This evening my wife and I went to a two-hour “Texas Wine Talk & Tasting” by Texas Wine Journal held at Whole Foods. It was all about Texas wines, and we learned a lot about the different regions in Texas, the history of Texas wine, and how Texas wine saved the European wine industry. It was very interesting!

"Wine Class" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/25 sec, ISO3200
 “Wine Class” Austin, 2016

And of course we sampled 8 different wines and were treated to talks by two Texas wineries – Llano Estacado Winery and Brennan Vineyards. Interesting, educational, and fun. Plus the wine! 🍷

I enjoyed it quite a bit. 😄

"Yummy" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/150 sec, ISO400
 “Yummy” Austin, 2016

After the tasting, Mariko and I visited the “Draft Shack Oyster Bar” inside the market and had a flight of beers and some oysters and jerk-chicken. It was a perfect meal after the wine-tasting.

"Oysters and Beer" Austin, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “Oysters and Beer” Austin, 2016

A fantastic Friday evening, and now it’s time for the weekend!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Begging

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"Waiting for a Handout" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO3200
 “Waiting for a Handout” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！How’s it going?

Today’s photo is of our dog, Lani, trying her best to look cute so that I’ll give her a treat. Normally as soon as the camera comes out, she’ll shy away, but this time I was holding a pita chip right above the lens. 😊

I hope you had a nice day!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto