やっぱり。。。

project 365 is now downgraded to project what-is-left-of 52. i think i stand a better chance at posting a photo a week than one everyday. :( here goes the first:

Amelie. illustrations by 100% orange.

and here's something else bicycle related that i stumbled upon. my pillow was a little wet after watching it, and no it wasn't drool. definitely worth watching:

it doesn't have to matter

quite a lot happened (a bulk of it in my mind though) and as usual, i'm terrible at expressing them in words. but i do believe it's time to put on a funny polka-dotted hat and remind myself of my new year's "resolution/theme" for this year :　気楽に。。。気楽に。。。

桜舞い散る

and finally, as promised, pictures of the pride and joy of japanese people. there are of course, many types of sakuras, but here in japan, the 染井吉野 (somei yoshino) is probably the most common. i call the someiyoshinos cotton candy sakuras.

i was taking close-up pictures of the blossoms in my school when sugawara sensei came over again and talked to me about the flowers. there was this young tree with flowers a slightly darker shade of pink and it was surrounded by a few sturdy someiyoshinos. it looked much frailer with its branches hanging down than its cotton candy counterparts.

sugawara sensei went on to tell me that that was the 枝垂れ桜 (shidare zakura), and how people usually prefer the someiyoshino, but not he, because...

and he was lost for words. the tiny tree was obviously overshadowed by its perkier cousins and not half as eye-catching. but i could understand why he felt so, even if he didn't know how to verbalize it. and i appreciate that there people in this world with a soft spot for the more delicate beauty in life.

but the following tuesday, i walked through the しだれ桜散歩道, 1 minute away from the school i visit some tuesdays in kitakata, and had my breath taken away. a tiny tree might not make that huge a statement, but put 1000 of them in a row and you get a whole new story. if the somei yoshino is beautiful in a poofy kind of way, then the shidarezakura is just quietly gorgeous.


and i say that because it was actually past the peak time for viewing the blossoms in kitakata. after a heavy downpour the sunday before and strong winds that continued to blow, i wasn't expecting such a turnout. though the petals had already started to fall and little green leaves were peeking out of the branches, the petal-strewn street simply added on to the charm. and there's nothing more romantic than being caught in a moment when sakura petals flutter around you.

and the last picture. did somebody just say dreamy? indeed. and it didn't even need the help of photoshop.

project not exactly 365

i know a part of me will probably regret deviating from the format that i decided on in the beginning of the year. things always seem to look better in a set. and people look for a certain consistency, a style by which to identify the photographer/artist with. of course i use the term photographer/artist loosely. because well, i take photos and i draw, but i won't exactly venture to call myself a photographer or an artist.


but i'm keeping at it, despite being distracted lately. during my month of absence here at the blog, i kept myself busy and picked up a few sports along the way. i've always labeled myself as the one with three left feet, but i'm actually pretty decent. decent enough to enjoy myself. it helps to be grown up enough to walk away from critical voices, of which the loudest is obviously mine.

i wonder what took me so long.

but all is well. yet another change? i think i can deal with that.

project 365

i'm moving my project 365 here and changing the usual square polodriod format to anything-thing-goes. i'm starting to think that as plain as this blog might be, it isn't so bad after all.


perhaps, all the blog needed was a new post.

simple does it

having allowed myself to go on for a month without updating, i am now entertaining the idea of abandoning this blog and starting afresh somewhere else. i've been poking around a trial squarespace blog and like the flexibility that is offered over there. a part of me thinks that having more control over the design would bring back the enthusiasm to blog, but another part of me figures it's all but wishful thinking. paying for a service has never really stopped me from not making use of it, so is it worth depriving myself of eight extra cans of coffee a month for a temporary blog botox? i'm still undecided at the moment but my computer is full of pretty pink pictures that shouldn't be kept waiting.


here's a picture i like, but there's more to come. the golden week is upon us in japan, and hopefully that translate into more time to post pictures. so, do check back soon!