夏

というわけで、最近少々浮かれている。

個人的に季節の変化が好きで、食べ物、行事など季節ものに弱い。

といってもカリフォルニアには四季なんてモノはほとんどなく、

地域にもよるけど、１年のほとんどが心地の良い気候で、あとはだれるように暑い日差しの日々が少しあって、貴重な雨の降る肌寒い程度の冬が少しあるだけ。

あとは宗教的ホリデーで季節感が演出されてる。

過ごしやすい事に超した事はないんだけど、ずっと続くとその良さに慣れて麻痺してしまう。

こっちにいると日本とアメリカのどっちがいいかとか、なぜアメリカにいるのか、なんてことをよく訊かれる。

いろんな要素がありすぎてそんなに簡単に一方を選べないし、アメリカっていっても地域によって文化的にも気候的にも差がありすぎて一概には言えないんだけど、気候に限って言えばカリフォルニアの過ごしやすさはすばらしい。なのに、これだけ変化が乏しくて、雨が少ないと、ふと物足りなく感じることがある。そろそろカリフォルニアを出たいと思うのもそれが理由の１つかもしれない。

贅沢な悩みだとは思うんだけど、人なんてそんなもんだ。

四季の変化に伴う文化の深みみたいなものが恋しくなる。

だから、というのも変だけど

夏は夏らしく浮かれていたい。

式

式の写真をFlickrにアップした。
なんだか照れくさい感じもするけれど、興味のある人はどうぞ。

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kazutabu/

和装でやって良かったなぁ。

いずれ消してしまうのでお早めに。

街

結婚式も無事終わり、街に戻ってきた。

帰ってきてからずっと慌ただしかった仕事が一段落して、やっと少し落ち着いてきた。時差ぼけもようやく直ってきたのだけれど、いまいち仕事以外の事が手につかない。メールやら、写真やら、いろいろ整理しなくちゃいけない事は多い。

しかし、それよりもなによりも、今年もいよいよ後半戦、

そろそろエンジンをかけて、本業の方をがんばらなくちゃ。

Japón

I will be in Japan for 2 weeks, starting tomorrow.

It's been a year and half since the last time.

I'm sure it'll go soooo quick, but I'll do my best to take time to appreciate things.

Wedding Wedding Wedding...

This is the painting I did for my friend's wedding a few months back.
He's one of my best friends, whom I consider almost like my family.
We all met in this high school at which we had to live in the dorm for 2 years and spent almost every night doing some crazy stuff.

We now all do different things but still keep in touch.

I did one painting for one of the friends for her wedding in 2007.

Last year in 2008, two other friends from the same school got married (two separate weddings). I did one painting for one of them.

And again this year, two more friends from the same group had their weddings. (This painting is for one of them. I haven't had a chance to finish a painting for the other one yet, but I will.)

Then I'm having my own wedding in next month (although we actually got married last year), and I've been doing some artwork for my own wedding as well.

I think there definitely is some kind of influence to each other about this wedding thing.

And I think I've got some good experience as a wedding painter by now.

Creepy Smile

A study of old man's face.

This smile creeps me out a little.

フェイス・クライマー

最近、あらためてクライミングがたのしい。

けっこう長年やってるし、いつもそれなりに楽しんでやってるのだけど、ケガやら何やらで、登れなくなるたびに、じれったくて、なんだか悔しくて、と考えすぎていた気がする。それが、ここ１年くらいは、だいぶよけいなことを考えずに、楽しめるようになった。

あいかわらず、プレッシャーに弱く、ここぞという時にはのぼれないのだけど。

まぁ、やっぱり登れた方が楽しいけれど、一緒に登る友達が増えたのもいいのかな。

最近時間ないけど、どっか登りにいきたい。

それにしても、ある仲のよい友達がMidnight Lightningっていう

もうクライマーなら誰でも知ってるようなヨセミテの超有名課題を登ったのは衝撃だった。自分じゃないのに、妙にうれしい。でも、くやしい。

良いモチベーションをいただきました。

ちなみに、昔から垂壁を登るのが好きだ。

英語で垂壁を登る事をface climbという。

Anger Management

I wonder why people fight.

Whatever the reasons are, we always compete with one another. Actually, if you think about it, it's not just people who fight. Pretty much every creature on this planet fights to survive. Even plants.

I wonder if this competitive spirit is a source of energy which makes everything alive.

An healthy Western society thinks that war is wrong and wants the world to be peaceful. (although governments sometimes need war for better economy)

The earth or the nature has never asked for peace.

In nature, whatever that wins a fight survives and leave offspring.

It never seeks for peace, but it balances out by itself and creates peace as a whole.

But, for humans, we have to be wanting peace to have peace.

I wonder if we could still be around if we all stop fighting and become very peaceful beings.

I don't think we can....because we would lose one of our purposes to be here.

I like peace and I want peace.

Thinking about such things makes my head spin.

But, it's strange that accepting the fact that we are made to fight makes my mind a little bit peaceful somehow.

Birthday

I just had a great 30th birthday last weekend.
My wife and I together did a bunch of activities like biking, karaoke, eating, and movie, and she ordered this special custom cake for me.
An apple-shape chocolate sponge cake with banana filling.

Why apple? Just because...
Anyway, It looked cute and tasted soooo gooooood.

I'm just grateful that I'm here, and I want to thank everyone.

Elephant Recycle

I don't think any other living things on this planet besides humans think like, "this is good for nature", or "we have to protect the earth."

Of course, they don't have a brain to think about such things. But, more importantly they are the nature and they don't need to think about that to be in it.

They can be pretty selfish and still be a part of it.

Nature usually takes care of itself without having somebody worrying about it unless humans step in and mess with it. The destructions happen but that's also a part of it.

Since when humans became outside of the cycle?

Maybe we still are part of it in different perspective.

It just that when people came up with the concept of nature, we weren't in it.