717 Coffee Instruments

Why these coffee machines that bring me happiest time look much more like a laboratory instrument than a kitchen tool? It's funny to me that the source of daily delight, relax and refreshment has such an obvious look of science and technology. 

716 TRAPPIST-1!

The breaking news that NASA found 7 earth-like planets around the star called Trappist-1, brew my mind. In the time of tons of information media and SNS it seems the surprise is not that huge and enthusiastic, which I wonder why, but I guess I can understand, because we are probably ready for the fact and has been believing the other habitable planet exist is so true. The notion might come not from academic, science studies but more from SF movies, but it is still exciting, because the power of imagination and creation of many SF movies (excluding, personally, the alien-invasion-type panic movies) will be well rewarded.

I've always been wondering what is going on in the outer space, not just our galaxy, but the whole "universe". I've been wondering the world is ultimately the "universe" as we know it, or perhaps there is further world beyond the "universe", and wondering if the "universe" is closed or opened. If we can call the solar system as our world, can we do it in the whole "universe"? It's exciting to know the truth and moreover, to let our imagination go. 

715 Space Station

I think the power of imagination is important, but I guess I have too much of it. So I developed ways to try my tough imagination just for fun, it goes like this, for example:

I imagine my place is like a space station. The air, light, and the gravity is kept only inside the building. Outside, I can only see an immense, dark and quiet space. Thinking that way, is effective in learning to make a deep breathing, as it leads to the idea of how valuable the atmosphere is. We never be able to survive without it in any way, so maybe we had better not take it as granted. 

714 Big Tree

I don't know if there is a way for people to talk with (to communicate with) trees and plants. The theme may sound more of spiritual than scientific. But you can try if you want, just for fun, especially when you are walking in a wood and feeling excellent and relaxed, as if you have a full freedom to use your exceptional power that otherwise you don't recognize in your daily life. Believe it or not, sometimes I feel as if I can speak with trees.

The other day I had a lunch with my friend and we talked about travel. We agreed on how clearly travel makes us more open-minded and sensitive to the nature, air, feelings and all the senses that we tend to forget in our everyday life. We also agreed that we do not see ourselves as a spiritual kind of person, but we cannot deny that sometimes we sense something in between our mind, spirit and body. And we found if really funny that we valued the sense of connection between mind and body so much but we felt awkward to be seen as spiritual person. Maybe because we see our sense very normal and simple, and not that such high aspiration as being called spiritual. 

713 The Third Place

I've recently decided to move on, to leave my current workplace and to join a new team to challenge new job. The choice made me to do something I never did or I've quit to do for a long time. For example I used to visit a Starbucks store in a station many times, every weekday, as the store was located just in front of the office building. A year ago the office moved a bit away from the place, and I naturally quit my habit of visiting, chatting, staying, buying lunch or dinner, and speaking with barista whom I became friends of at the store. Now I come back. Most of the staffs were unfamiliar to me but instantly I noticed Starbucks value (one of the values, I should say) was the place they provided. The place clearly reminded me of the time I spent there, of what I thought, of whom I talked with over a cup of coffee. It's like those feelings has been recorded in the store. The power is similar to the power of sense of scent that strongly connects to the certain memory related to the scent. So it's a sense of place. I wonder how Starbucks can make it to build "the third place" in each of the guest so brilliantly.   

712 To My Best, Old, Distant, or Remote Friend

It's always feel-good to tell "Happy birthday to you!" to somebody I know. The person might be my best friend, old friend, a friend whom I haven't met for years, a friend who lives in miles away. It doesn't matter. It may make little sense to the person who get the message sent from someone who hasn't been in contact with, because the person will no doubt receive tons of Happy Birthday from much closer friends and families and colleagues or neighbors. Still I don't think it is not that nonsense to keep sending an anniversary message once a year. 

Last week I sent a Happy Birthday text message to my best and old friend living in my hometown. She doesn't use SNS so her birthday reminder is not from one of those. It has been in my memory for almost 30 years. She replied back with such delight of my remembering her anniversary, which in turn reminded me of how she was so modest and gentle. Happy Birthday is the easiest and shortest and happiest communication way in life, except for Thank You, and probably, Happy Holidays.