April 20, 2011

ごちそう納豆

今日はこれにトライ。トライというほどのものではないですが。刺身とすりゴマ買ってきただけだし。
ほぼ日のウェブサイトより。飯島奈美さんのレシピ大好き。

わたし最近思うことは、意外と食べ物は何でもいいっていうことです。
もちろん美味しいものは好きですよ。でも、スゴく美味しい同じメニューを毎日でも大丈夫。つまり朝は近所の人気ベーカリーで買ったクロワッサンとフルーツ、お昼は焼き魚定食か韓国料理、夜は納豆ご飯。こんなので一週間過ごせちゃう。
ホテルに泊まって朝食バイキングでいつもの2倍食べるなんてこともなくて、普通にコーヒーとクロワッサンと果物(+サラダかな?)っていう感じ。
夜は大食したくないので、本当はお昼ご飯に凝って料理したいんです。仕事と語学学校行ってたら絶対無理だけどね。

風邪を引いている場合じゃないのに

久しぶりににほんごで。An English subtitle would be - "I'm in trouble."

最近忙しくて、風邪を引いている場合じゃないのです。なのに熱が出てしまって、今日は会社をお休み。ですが、やることが沢山あってせわしなくしている自分がいる。。。もう今日はここいらで一回休みモードに入ります。

荷物の箱詰めを始めました。手近なところで先ずは本から。箱に詰め始めてふと気づく。ソファ脇に積んである小ちゃい山だけで、段ボール一箱分。。。本棚から本を出してみて気づく、本が前後2列に入ってる。。。(笑)今4箱詰めてみて、まだ本家本棚(1.5個)には全く手がつけられていません。こんなに持っていたのか!恐るべし。

ただ、沢山あるという恐れがあるからこそ、これ以上買うのが多少抑えられているので、売って全く減らしても意味が無い気がします。
それに本に囲まれるのは幸せ。
そろそろ図書館がオープンできるかもしれません。ジャンルの広さは誇れます。

仕事も中々忙しいのですが、チャリティセールはやっているし、フランス語は週に4時間(プラス鬼の宿題)だし、歯医者やら食事やら、仕事が終わってもなんか慌ただしい。


Faut pas negliger quelques villages qui sont sacrifiers
- un message que est trouve dans mon ecole de francais
(犠牲になった町を無視するな)というメッセージが学校の裏の陰にひっそり。
ちなみに左は(原子力でライトアップされたエッフェル)。子供が描いた?!

April 19, 2011

Updates on Yarn Sale

Good evening!  Thanks to the popular demands on hard-to-find yarns from Germany and the US, I was able to raise about $150 in 1 day.  On top of it, I will donate the total amount of shipping charges, too.  I am truly grateful for your support.

My dear yarns have found new loving homes, and they will commence their journeys around the world in the next few days.  Just so exciting.

Inspired by Bakesale for Japan event, I decided to do something on my own.  I will knit hats, totally customized and special ones, on commission bases to raise some fund.  For anyone around the world.   More details soon, but please let me know if you are interested at all.

Have a great Tuesday/Wednesday!

Buy My Yarn!

Update: I have received more than 10 offers (many overlapping) in one night, and half of the yarns have found new loving homes.  Merci beaucoup. 

I decided to sell some of my precious stash for charity to donate to Japan Red Cross.  This is really what I can do.  I thought about selling the knitted things, but I guess nobody would want them..

Shipping within Japan is for free.  These are mostly skinny sock yarn, perfect for spring knitting.  Please follow the link to Ravelry for more information.
(If you are not on Ravelry, still interested in buying Wollmeise and Sundara yarn, please leave comments!)

Thank you!

April 13, 2011

Window

I am so into Rob Ryan papercuts these days.  I've had his books for some time, but I am looking at them and his blogs again, I am excited all over again.
For one thing, there will be larger walls that I can hang pictures.  I will start collecting pictures.  Wow, I love big white walls.
Then today I realized, it would be really cool to do something like the image above.  I already have an idea and image in my head.

April 10, 2011

Sakura

If you have a gentle heart to come visit this blog, you've got to be very forgiving for us Japanese to be nuts about sakura (cherry blossoms) every early April.







April 09, 2011

Illuminated

This amazing book became a member of my library several days ago. When I was in pre school, I used to check out all the typeface books from a local library, and tried to learn how to draw proper fonts.  Wish I had this book back then. 
This book helps you draw something like this...


As artists, I know many people try new styles, but I still love those classic styles.  It is interesting that historic styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Neo Classic, etc) in typeface seem to have followed slightly different patterns as in architectural styles.
I am still drawing and above is my first trial of a street scape.  Totally enjoyed it and hope to do it more.  Still.drawing.

April 05, 2011

Zentangle

Sandy, the author of a book called TotalIy Tangled, and I have met at Squam Art Workshops last September in New Hampshire.  That time, I had no idea what Zentangle was, and I wasn't much into drawing anyway.
Since I started to draw, I feel like to draw all the time, and sometimes, I just want to draw "something", just doodle on paper.  Zentangle is perfect for that.  You'll get something nice to look at, while all you have to do is doodle.
It's called Zentangle for its meditative effect.  You kind of forget everything else while tangling.  I love the simplicity of black and white, too. 
Above are my very first trial, after finally acquiring Sandy's book from Amazon.
You can of course draw these without any reference, but the book gives many pattern examples to help you get started.  Without the reference, I have to design every single step, and that would be too much.  I didn't copy everything, but I used many patterns from the book.  Highly recommended.
(The right hand drawing is my key ring. I bought it a few of month ago, became one of my favorite objects to carry around.)

Totally Tangled


I think I am a documentation freak.  I don't carry around notebooks (except the sketchbook) nor to-do lists.  This blog is a sort of an "idea central" or arsenal of thoughts for me.  I like to centralize everything so that I can later search.

April 04, 2011

Hidden in a Yellow Bag

Well, let me explain.  I did not mean to buy another bag.  The same, big and colorful kind, the one big enough to house all my books and cameras, although I swear I did not have a yellow bag yet.
No one has a yellow bag like this.  It's just too cute, besides, the shop only makes less than half a dozen in the same style.


Their only shop that sells women stuffs is in my neighborhood.  The shop attracts me like a magnet, or a flower that attracts bees in the neighborhood.  Everything in the shop is original, peculiar, and crafty.  Like the hook I got (below) together with the bag.

I started reading Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day last night.  Without doubt, it is the most difficult book I've ever read.   In Pynchon's world, one would probably say "strenuous" or "arduous" or "Gargantuan".  After 12 pages, I am starting to get used to it...
Now that I have a perfect bag to hide the immense book.

Unraveling

I am taking an eCourse called Unraveling this spring. (You can find the banner and the link on the right hand side --> ... um, a little down there. )
It's a course designed by an UK photographer Susannah Conway.  If you are a female (it's a women-only course) and moderately comfortable in writing in English, I highly recommend it.
The course is not about taking an amazing photograph, but more about rediscovering yourself and gaining a new way of seeing yourself and your surroundings. Each week, we receive photography and writing assignments, but both are for ourselves, rather than showing them off to the world.
People are taking this course literally from all over the world.  Everyone has a deep well of amazing stories - made me extremely curious about the world we live in.

Around the Boundaries


I stumbled upon this quote through "StumbleUpon" (how did they know I am into quotes these days?) and thought it's a perfect description of this weekend.

So, I went to this performing art event, one of which performers was a friend of mine. He shoots films and takes photos, so performing was new to him. On the other hand, watching such performing art was completely new to me. In some instances, I didn't know whether I should laugh, stay put, or respond to the performances. For me, the whole interactions of people, among the performers, and between the performers and the audiences, were intriguing and interesting.

Today, I went to watch Never Let Me Go with a good friend. The movie was truly and ultra-terrestrially beautiful... and unforgivingly sad. The concept was almost gross, almost. We were both able to watch it to the last, because of its beauty and the magnificent acting.
All in all, it was a great work, and I was glad I did not watch it alone.

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese writer, despite his English upbringing and his writing in English, which makes me proud somehow.

For lunch, we went to a creperie near the theater in Shibuya. They told me they do not allow us to take any photos inside the restaurant. WHY? But I did, anyway.

I actually have drawn for a while at Starbucks afterward - I am still very nervous about drawing in public, but I am pushing the boundary. Thomas Pynchon's book, which, according to my friend, awfully resembles a pillow, is my new challenge.

April 02, 2011

Lens

I got myself a new lens.  It's not an automatic focus one, but the light is great.  Loving it.
Last night's post helped me sleep, but I hated reading it this morning, so wanted to add something as soon as I can.
A long time friend invited me to his performance tonight, and I am going.  Can't wait.
See the light?

Reflection

A weird day, it was.
I guess today was one of the top 10 weird and bad days since I have grown up.  Things are becoming weirder and weirder, and for this reason, I hate being a grown-up and getting older.  Wrinkles and pains and all that are ok with me so far.
I was going to write all about it, and sure I can, but then I am really making an effort to make this blog a positive space, so I won't.  But let me just say one sentence - I just happened to discover a weirdest thing about my ex-boyfriend and it annoys me so much.
When you find out who you thought your trusted friend to be lacking dignity, it is the worst thing because it reflects back on you. Because you chose the person to be your friend in the first place. 
I don't know if I should feel angry or sad or disappointed or ... glad.

Because I was like this, I bumped into my favorite mug and broke it.

But there were some nice things today. 

For example, I received a letter from a couple whom I sat next to on the plane the other day.  I played with their 1 year old son the whole time, which I enjoyed enormously, but/and they appreciated my gesture.  That was his first flight ever and the parents said they were nervous.  They even sent me the baby's photos, which are so so so adorable, I wish I could show you guys how gorgeous he was.

Lastly, I watched Drew Barrymore film called Whip It! and it was cute also.  The pig below is not my invention, I just drew the very last scene.

When you are older, you have plenty of experiences under your belt and there should be less things to surprise you.  That's the way it should be.  Somehow my life feels emotionally harder these days, I can't help wondering why.