Blue has long been my favorite color. As outfit, I prefer navy blue and my room is filled with fresh green with background white color, but purely the most comfortable and familiar color to me is blue. Naturally, blue is linked to sky, sea, water, snow and ice. Blue always reminds me of something broad, wide, light and transparent but deep. The fact that blue is the brand color of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, the leading social networks, is interesting. Blue is usually not for food, flower, furniture, architecture, music hall, gym, hospital or zoo. Blue is always felt boundless, elusive and illimitable, which reminds me of bright sky.
Hairstylists wear a tool bag which carries scissors and any other items and gadget they need for their work. I always watch them using the bag very efficiently and smoothly and wish the bag would be introduced to my working environment. I am working in the office sitting at the desk, and always using laptop or iPhone. I imagine that would be fantastic if we start working standing (sometimes sitting on chair, of course) and using a very carefully designed tool bag around our waist --- yes office workers definitely need tool bag, to carry smartphones and tablets, portable wi-fi, multiple ID cards, IC cards, business card, earphones, and maybe a pen, a locker key, or toothbrushing tools, etc. From aesthetic perspective I very much like the smart outfit of office workers who are wearing only a fine business suits in elegant manner. But I think the outfit needs updating. We are in the age when we carry computers and smartphones, making a phone call anytime and anywhere without sitting at desk. We need to be more mobile and flexible. We need to be with our many gadgets. I think the hairstylists' tool bag can be a reliable friend in our office life.
I wonder if this idea is possible, but I assume it may be, that the way to avoid bumping into other people in crowded street when texting while walking. If your smartphone or tablet recognize by some sort of sensing technology that you are going to face with people or any other thing coming in front of you, the machine will soon shut down the ongoing application and activate an alert on screen, or simply black out. I think the function, if possible, will meet mixed reputation and might be criticized that it's not user-friendly. Then it's a good thing, because the function will be reviewed, improved, updated and sophisticated.
It's rare to know new artist in the existing and established art universe that we had learned by textbook in art class. I had no knowledge about Otto Nebel, and felt really happy to know his amazing works. He studied architecture and drew architecture in very unique and unforgettable style. He made color palette with rhythmical shapes and patterns for Italian cities. I've never seen such beautiful interpretation of architecture. His works has solid structure, tone, color, light and shade, and poetic quietness. And the color palette for city is quite interesting and attractive, which clearly describes the unique character of the talented artist who learned and truly knew architecture.
The other day I joined Wai Khru exercise lesson for the first time. After the surgery my condition is getting better and I had already started Taichi practice, though I still had some strange feelings and awkwardness in my movement around my abdominal muscles and left foot. But the lesson was not for practicing Muay Thai fighting but for learning Wai Khru movements. Given I like dancing as well as martial arts, it was truly natural for me to get interested in Wai Khru, a kind of War-dance to pay respect. It was only for beginners like me, but the unique way of using the body to perform dynamic but quiet action was really fascinating. It's not like Taichi or yoga, or any activity in eastern culture as far as I know. It's smooth but rhythmical, fluid but bouncy, elegant but strong.
I have a strange (maybe foolish) idea, that the mannequins in the clothing shop can be more attractive and funny. I know they are there for the best look of the clothes and show it to customers. Mannequins are usually in the most elegant, stylish and beautiful posing. It makes perfect sense. But it'll be a fun if we can enjoy the way mannequins work in other perspective. I don't mean kind of avant-garde or sensational ones that is closely tied with the artistic mode of the clothing they wear. I mean, they can be a bit more active, realistic, approachable and funny. As such, I imagine mannequins for example... 1. Looking at its smartphone in his palm 2. Raising its hand to get a taxi 3. Being in the action to wear its backpack on its shoulder 4. Taking a walk with its dog and being pulled by it 5. Fixing its scarf 6. Chatting with other mannequins, putting its hands in the pockets Maybe too daily and boring?, then... 7. Decorating Christmas Tree
I've never joined Star Wars Celebration but I recently noticed the event in 2017 (held in April) meant something, really something to me. I was born in 1977 when the first Star Wars, A New Hope was released. So I'm the same age of the saga. That's great, but it's not actually what I mean, because the movie made a great legend at the time when it was delivered, but my life didn't start with making great deed. What I do in my life comes day by day, year after year without even knowing what it is. What I was really delight to see in the celebration was George Lucas speaking to the fans and audience that the original Star Wars movie was meant for 12-years old kid. And I first met the movie at the age of 12, so I think I know what he meant. I'm happy that I still don't forget that at the age of 12 I could clearly state that the movie had changed my life, means, impacted me in every possible way.
One of the things I think is special about my hometown, or rather, my bond between my hometown would be, whenever I return, I never feel I'm getting old. It's strange because hometown is the place where we spend out childhood and basically, it's all about memory and past. But in my case it's a bit different, as I find something new all the time I come back. Meanwhile in other places and cities where I used to go and have fun when I was a college student it's simply not. In such places I remember the old days and feel I'm getting old, or old enough to forget how I enjoyed the days. But the one and only hometown, which in my case fortunately is still the one of the best places of all to me, seems to have totally different power to keep activating, inspiring, and enlightening us.
Usually I believe the importance of real experience. I go to museums and exhibitions and get fully excited to see the real art works and sculptures. There's nothing that can replace the moment of touching (not literally) the masterpiece of modern or ancient times. But I get also a strange idea, after enjoying a very very clouded exhibition of a famous architect, that a personal exhibition might be possible through our personal tablets and internet. It might be an idea that people can pay the ticket and get the access to our own exhibition site, with taking much time as you can and anytime you like, to closely look at the works and listen to the audio guidance. It may be nonsense, I think. I really think true feelings cannot be reached without truly facing the art or architecture. To walk around the museum and find the one you really like by yourself, is the important part of visiting exhibition. To look at PC or tablet monitor is only the same as looking at TV program or Website. Yes it is. Still, when it's too clouded to see what you would like, or you don't have enough time when the exhibition is open, it may be a way to touch the art and feel something.
Without even knowing why this happened, I totally changed my coffee habit in the last couple of weeks. I use dripper instead of plunger. I found a good coffee shop nearby where I enjoy home-roasted speciality coffee. But that doesn't mean I totally quit going to Starbucks or Tully's. Now I learned the difference. Those worldwide coffee brands from Seattle I think have its own invincible value as the comfortable place where the people who wants the shared value come and enjoy it, and we can talk to or ask to the baristas like our friend. They serve varied range of beverages and it's quite useful when I suddenly need a cup of hot black tea. What I like those global brands is they really care about and study how to attract people who love coffee and make them happy and comfortable. I find coffee is all about which taste I like, but the careful designing of the coffee place is something that cannot be ignored also.
Simply, the most delightful moment when you wake up in the morning would be that you remember you had a wonderful dream. It happened to me this morning. Two well-known artists (or rock stars, to be more precisely) whom I really liked appeared in my dream and we talked a lot. It was in my place and they visited me, liked my place and left cool graffiti on the wall as a token of their friendship with me. I remember I was so happy in my dream. In fact it's been a long time since I last saw such wonderful dream. Well, is there anything more exciting and cool than this experience? I would like to call it a surprising birthday gift from myself to me.
Watching Moana (2016) and Sleeping Beauty (1959), it's simply amazing Walt Disney animation studio has been creating such wonderful works and illuminating the world. Moana is stunning in its cutting edge technology and creativity to visualize the water, wave, light on the sea, action, emotion and storytelling. Sleeping Beauty is, needless to say one of the classics of their fairytales. It's interesting to think about the two iconic heroines, one is modern and high-spirited, and the other is classic and delicate. Frankly I never knew there is dispute on the Disney's description of women characters. I understand it's inevitable to compare old classics to our modern masterpieces with bold ideas and sophisticated concept of today's complex world - such as Zootopia. But movie can be also a fantasy, and fantasy has many aspect from magical fairytales in Medieval Europe to adventurous myth in the sea. Aurora is the most conventional and conservative one, but I cannot deny the charm of her singing Once Upon A Dream, and I find Sleeping Beauty is not the story about her any way, but it's a story about traditional battle of good and evil. It's quite like the battle of Harry, Hermione and Ron against Lord Voldemort. In many ways the true heroines are the three brave fairies, and Aurora is more like a symbol of light and hope. Moana is wonderfully active and brilliant with well-balanced inner excellence, which at the end conquer the evil and create peace in a very modern way. It's interesting to see her way of facing the evil, with muscles and speed against coconut pirates, and with something more delicate and profound against volcanic demon. The modern heroine no longer used sword and shield.
One of the changes I went through these days is my attitude to coffee. I have been heavily drinking black coffee for more than 20 years with 4-5 cups of coffee a day. Now I still love coffee but the amount I take is greatly decreased to a moderate level. I enjoy 1-3 cups of coffee a day and drink a lot more water. I quit making my coffee by french press because it just doesn't fit to my stomach any more (but it will come back again, I suppose), instead I started to make it by dripper. For I've been drinking my coffee by plunger for over 10 years, now I can easily tell the difference of taste between plunger and dripper. It's not good or bad, but I'm just learning to enjoy the difference. I found a very nice coffee shop in my neighborhood where they serve a so-called home roasted specialty coffee. It is really good to enjoy the smell of roasted coffee inside the cafe while waiting for my coffee drink to be served. But I also learned that "home-roasted" is not itself a qualification of good coffee. It is after all to find a best roasted coffee place that fits my taste. Coffee is a very delicate drink of special flavor, and all the other things, the marketing, concept or the branding of the cafe, comes later.
I am 40 years old now, very much feeling thankful and happy to close my 30's and looking forward to starting new decade. I'm not sure if this was because I turned to 40 or I went through surgery and it made some change to my mind, but recently I have started to catch some changes. The same pattern of action or view that I had been enjoying for years now seems not to have such powerful influence on me. And I really need to explore my new or hidden possibilities or opportunities. It is of course not just professional career. Believe or not, I feel like starting to walk into a new path.
I've never seen my grandfathers, who both passed away before I was born. Seeing this nice crime comedy, Going In Style, I wondered if I had seen, talked with or lived with my grandfathers in my life. It was because the casts of respected veteran actors were all very charming, but also the story was in line with the relationships of them between their families and friends. Two of them had each grandchildren and the bond was their strong motivation of life. It is one of the triggers of their wonderful crime plan and the friendship between the old men kept driving them. I always wonder why people do care more about their grandson or granddaughter than their own children. It depends on the family, but I guess it's the unique friendship between the kids and grandparents, as parents and kids are too close to be a friend. If I could talk with my grandfathers, what would they tell me? Would they be friend or mentor? I have no idea and I don't know how I miss someone whom I've never met. But I only imagine it would be cool and fun relationship.
There's lots of masterpiece of the Disney classics, but I found I like these animal stories most. One Hundred and One Dalmatians is a really well-made family drama with beautiful scenery like picture books and continuing slapstick comedy. It starts with almost like a classic screwball comedy. Also the animation of dog's movements and actions are so real, with amazingly, succeeding to mix the reality with expressive faces of dalmatian families, especially, the speaking eyes. Not just the visual quality, it's great to smoothly connect the natural barking of dogs and lines spoken by them. And the simplicity of the storyline and characters is quite stylish. The notorious villain Cruella is completely evil, cruel and crazy (she doesn't need the hidden past stories), and the puppies are little and fragile (yes they have guts to bark at Cruella's henchmen but they don't necessarily be strong enough to beat them), and the other dogs and animals are all friends to the dalmatians and naturally support them. This may be criticized in today's entertainment criteria that it is lack of twist in the story. But after all this is a great and beautiful Christmas picture book in foggy but chic London street and large snowy world in northern countryside. Simplicity is I think an important feature of a great picture book.
It's amazing there's lots to talk about life in hospital, or how it is different from your daily life. There's limited vision, limited sound, and of course limited scent. Actually I didn't even feel the smell of disinfectant or any other relevant smells that otherwise seemed like typical image of hospital. I remember I didn't smell anything at all in the operating room. So I spent days without any certain scent except for meals and washing soap. Like the silence cleansed my ears, scent-free environment worked in the similar way to my nose. Not perfectly the same, though. I kind of got to like the silence, but I prefer to feel and be in good smell, rather than to fully stay away from them. But for the example the smell of smoke, exhaust gas, or fragrance (including mine), pastries and sweets, are felt much heavier than before. My nose seems to have got more sensitive. But it's good in one way - when combined to the familiarity to silence, the sensitivity would be a help to more focus on breathing because the scent of air is the part of it.
Being in the process of recovery, I try to walk as much as I can feel comfortable every day. I have several surgery wounds so at first I cannot walk without limping a bit. Now it has been gradually improved and I can walk smoothly but slowly, at 50-60% of the speed I usually walk otherwise. It's another different experience for me, as I like to walk very fast. Yesterday after about 1.5 hours of slow walk I felt tired and was confused that I didn't walk a long distance. But when looking at the pedometer of my iPhone I was surprised to know I had walked almost the same amount of steps as usual. Even more, I found that I had walked quite a lot in the hospital. The hospital was a large place and even if I didn't notice, the distance to laundry, shower room, lounge, or coffee shop at the ground floor, all worked for me as an initial practice of walking. Now I avoid using public transportation and makes it a daily routine to walk around the neighborhood. During the walk I found a very good coffee shop and nice place to chill out. A slow walk is not just a training and it seems to have an effect to settle my mind and look around the course, leading me to an unexpected long walk.
Bambi is no doubt a classic masterpiece of Walt Disney animation studio. I've only seen Dumbo in my childhood and have never seen Alice in Wonderland or Pinnochio or Sleeping Beauty or Jungle Book, or Fantasia. I assume they are wonderful too. But at start, I would like to appreciate Bambi and its amazing visualization of nature and wild animas, and the combination of them with the outstanding description of fluffiness and loveliness of baby animals. I was surprised to find the story was basically a cycle of seasons and baby bambi growing to be the king of the forest with playing with his fellows, meeting his life partner, fighting back other deer or hunting dogs and running away from hunters and forest fires. These events are sometimes happy, and sometimes disastrous. The change of the four seasons are not the background but the part of the story. It's of course an animated fiction but it looks more than that. I cannot help thinking of the series of work of wildlife animals by Ernest Thompson Seton. This is partly because the animated drawings of animals and nature are very precise and breathlessly beautiful to the extent it becomes an art work, not just a lovely educational film for kids. Especially the expression of nature from rain, thunder, wind, leaves, river, ice, snow, and fire, to the variety of animal actions like rabbit's wiggling its nose and bambi and his father's running down the hill, or baby Bambi's first walking, eating tree bark, sniffing scent of flowers. The description of the dynamism are real and yet it has poetic brilliance. The great and adorable movie is worth watching again and again.
Woody Allen's latest film, Cafe Society is a glamorous work, and I like this movie in a point that is totally personal. The story is located in Hollywood and New York, but this beautiful description of late 1930's gorgeous lifestyle (of course there is irony in it) instantly reminds me of the Craig Rice's detective stories of John J. Malone and his piquant buddies, Jake Justus and Helene Justus in the city of Chicago. Those are one of my early favorite books and its charm is timelessly shining. In reading her works, I only imagined the unforgettable characters, the city, office, cars, bars, socialites, gangsters and nightclubs because I never knew any of the modern films that precisely visualized these images in 30's. Surely there should be difference of cities and the universe of the story, but I was just amazed by the spectacular beauty of the scenes and characters. Blake Lively, seems to be the best and perfect match to the image of Helene, and the luxurious and successful nightclub full of well-dressed people reminds me of the Casino, which Jake owns and manages. In the club, I imagine, there should be Mona McClane, George Brand or Daniel Von Flanagan. This is not the only attractiveness of the movie, but as much as I like the works of Craig Rice, I like this movie, and I think it's fun to appreciate a movie in a very personal perspective.
I remember the morning of my leaving the hospital. As always I got up early and quietly left my room not to disturb my roommates who were soundly sleeping. I went to the lounge with my iPhone, thinking maybe I could enjoy listening to some music. Alone in the lounge, I gave up the idea, just because I was again attracted by the silence. Then an old man appeared and went across the room, saying good morning to me. I said good morning and looked at him. He sat on a seat by the window and opened a book or notebook. Slowly but in a good deep voice, the man started to sing a traditional Noh song that I couldn't understand any of the words. It seemed he was practicing it every morning and his performance was pretty fine, to the extent that it effortlessly made me listen to his song. It was a song about ancient war story. The unique tone and good vibes of the song was truly attractive and calming. Without any sound, in the silence of dawn, I was naturally fascinated by the quiet and flowing music his voice created.
I don't drink alcohol and it is because first I don't like it and second it doesn't fit to my body. So I never envy those who can enjoy drinking (which is perfectly good if they're happy) and never know how it feels like to be drunken. I had been a coffee mania but this summer I proved that I could even do without it. I don't smoke so cigarettes also never be something that is impartible to my life. But these quiet days in hospital taught me that I had been actually stuck with the sound and music. I was musicholic. Everyday my life starts with music and I always listen to music while moving, and I go to bed with listening to music, sometimes all through the night until I wake up. I've been with music almost all the time except while I'm working, training and eating. It's because I believe music makes me happy, probably. However, the ultimate quiet times means more to me. The most quiet and peaceful time in hospital is when you wake up earlier than your roommates and just watch the sky gets gradually lightning, with not making any sound so that you won't disturb anyone in the room. It was around 5:00-5:30 am in the morning. The window was tight closed so I couldn't hear the sound of birds or winds (but I could imagine). I could only hear temporary footsteps of nurses in far away corridor. That was utmost silence, but for the sound of breathing of myself. It was, like cleansing. At that moment I didn't quite realize it, but I learned that even the music I love shouldn't be always poured into my ears. Since I left hospital I get used to the life without music or sound. Sometimes I listen to music and enjoy it much. Sometimes I enjoy radio program, movie, Youtube, anything. But I learned to value the power of silence more than ever.
I find myself as a person who even in hospital tend to do funny things and make people around me laugh, which I definitely do not intend to. I'm not quite sure what is so funny about me but I'm happy to always create something that makes people laugh.
Here's top 3 funniest things I did in hospital and got a laugh from my wonderful doctor and nurses.
No.1: In preparing for my surgery, I put the surgical gown and waited for the nurse to lead me to the room. The moment she looked at me she burst out laughing and said "I'm sorry but you are wearing it backwards"
No.2: Three days after the surgery I was told I needed to take my doctor's examination. Before that, I thought, I should take a shower. And I went to a shower room without having any idea that the nurse was looking for me at the moment and finally I was called in an announcement in the whole hospital. I only noticed my smartphone had a call record from the hospital. I called back and asked awkwardly "Hi, I had a call from this number and I'm actually a patent and in the hospital now..." My doctor was chucking. No.3: The last evening in the hospital I was feeling I was alright and getting better rapidly. And then I sneezed. It was just, really really really so painful that I was about to jump to my feet with the unexpected sharp pain in the surgical wounds. I never dreamed that sneezing needs us to use such a broad movement in the abdominal muscle. This was painful but at the end kind of funny and illuminating.
So I was curious about how it would be like to take general anesthesia at the beginning of the surgery. Doctors provided me detailed explanation and there was little anxiety about it. I was just curious how I would feel it. The answer is, it was just quick. The moment a doctor said to me "we'll start, this might smart a little bit", all I felt at the time and I remember now is a vague sense that my consciousness had been locked as if it were a real physical living thing. The next moment, I was awaken by the doctor's saying "Hi it's over, surgery was done". I had no idea how long I slept. It's awesome technology. The most interesting part through the little experience was the speed of making people asleep and the speed of doing the contrary. I think, as it was not the natural sleep, the process of awakening was also not necessarily natural, drawsy one like we get every morning.
Last week I have been in a hospital to take surgery and sent days of recovery there. I have lots to talk about, or I would like to say lots to learn about the process of surgery and recovery of my body, but not only that I learned a very inspiring lesson throughout the days: the power of silence. Hospital is a very quiet place and it was beyond my expectation. Of course I took with me my iPhone and listened to music every day with earphones, but very often I was totally free from sound (however pleasant it may be) and noise, leading me to learn the power and quality of silence. It's good not only for meditational feeling but also it sharpens your senses, which is important because as the patient after the surgery I was supposed to be sensitive about my pain, movement and overall condition of my body. As a patient I tried to keep monitoring my condition and how I feel, what kind of pain, how much of pain, in which way, etc. in every action I took. I never thought that the utmost silence turned out to be my ally.
The band Oasis had long been a part of my student life and after that. I listened to their music literally thousands of times and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I went to their live performance. It made us all, me, my friend, my big brother and his girlfriend, get too hyper all the evening. I went to London just to feel the sensation around UK rock movement. It was not the age of SNS so we didn't "follow", "like", "share", or "tweet about" the artist. I just liked to read the music magazine and listened to the music as well as watching MTV all day (yes we did have MTV). But the age difference is not the point. I remember those days without SNS and now I like the age of SNS. The change is good, if we use it in good way. Liam Gallagher, the one and only singer comes back with very clearly modern rock'n roll masterpiece, "As You Were". The one and only voice, especially, sounds even more edgy, powerful and subtle, and attractive. The songs, are purely qualified rock music that inevitably kick my mind. It's been a long since I last enjoyed listening to rock music and it's more than happy for me to have it back with Liam, and with no sign of nostalgia. It's wonderfully up to date, tight, well-made and matured. It's amazing and wonderful that Liam Gallagher proves that he is an outstanding icon of modernized rock'n roll.
It's quite natural for me to enter into Kung Fu movies since I started to actually learn Taichi. Until then the world seems to me (because I was blind) one of the coolest martial arts. In a way it's still true in action films and it proved to be even in Star Wars universe. Through learning Taichi I didn't especially focus on the spirit of the legendary Chinese martial arts, but the interest have been growing, step by step, by learning a move in Taichi, and by seeing state-of-art action sequences played by real Kung Fu actors, and by knowing what has been said in real Taichi lesson as well as in movie context. Probably the best way to catch the essence is to listen to dialogue between a mentoring relationship, between a teacher and a student, as I am a student of Taichi. Remake film Karate Kid (2010), everyone notices this is not about Karate though, is beyond my expectation and a very charming, straightforward yet modern sports drama. Simply, the teacher is marvelous and the student is stunning. I can't think of any other modern films that gives pure entertainment and at the same time a deep, moral lesson and thoughts on the powerful but quiet messages that Kung Fu has. "Kung Fu lives in everything, It lives in how we treat people. Everything is Kung Fu." Although the film is addressed primarily to young children, I still cannot get the full meaning of these sentences. But it doesn't require me to think (but to feel), because I guess it is a sense that is beyond words and language.
I should tell you that I'm not a huge fan of this series, but still the team always makes it to boost adrenalin and feeling of simple fun of people handling machines, speed and power. The latest one, F8 is also a nice movie that fully enjoyed me with excitement. Well, I would rather sympathize with creating something marvelous, not crushing them, but the dynamic combination of toughest people on earth and fastest cars is really brilliant. A fan of this movie will pick up some sequence in NYC or frozen field in Russia. But I was fascinated by the opening race in Havana. Because I happen to have got interested in Havana recently, I enjoyed watching the streets and the renowned classic cars that I've never seen and felt the creators of the movie did enjoy filming the city. The race sequence is marvelous and it could even stand alone as a short film. There's lots more to speak about the movie (especially all the unpredictable and funny moments by Jason Statham) but to me this is worth viewing again just for Havana.
It was an unforgettable experience to see the movie for the first time. I like watching movies and almost every time I have been satisfied, happy and excited by the experience. But the "Hidden Figures" provided me something very unusual. After watching it, I was literally shivering with strong sensation. This is no doubt a good movie, a great movie. Not only that this is funny, beautiful and cheerful movie. This is a hidden story of wonderful women behind NASA history and its achievement, which especially blew my mind because I have been always wishing to be a part of NASA (or any other great agent of space development). This includes fine storytelling about family, working women and working mother, joy of normal life, friendship, business, intelligence, leadership, fight for right, respect for engineering and basic science, frontier spirits, and the action, or will power sometimes necessary to break through the world around you. With all those things combined, the movie is magically hilarious, plain and light, like an honorable people with great experience and wisdom in life is making funny jokes and smiling at you, and you're smiling back, but somehow something overwhelm you at the same time.
