Showing posts with label Images. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Images. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Discovered: Graupel
This is the weirdest precipitation I've ever seen. I would have even asked random on the street about it, but apparently I and some very select people were the only one who was working late on a quasi-snow day.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
And Not Just By Balloon...
My obsession with hot air balloons (mostly as a design form, although I wouldn't reject an offer to ride one) continues. These are not quite as pretty as the ones in Las Vegas, but they are more than sufficient.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
NHK Trophy 2010: Thank God For the Time Difference
Usually, the 13- or 14-hour time difference between the East Coast and Japan creates a lot of logistic difficulties in my life, but for once this halfway-around-the-world business is proving to be quite helpful. In fact, it may directly contribute to the survival of my heart past the age of say, 25.
Although a lot of different headlines find their way into the rotation that is all Yahoo! pages, I definitely was not expecting to see 「真央『思い切りやる』３回転半ぶっつけ本番」when I went to go check my Japanese e-mail. First of all, I did not know that anyone other than my mother actually used ぶっつけ本番. Second of all ,WHAT?
In fact, my love for Mao and her successes is such that I am glad for the time difference even after seeing pictures like this:
Sometimes, I can hardly comprehend their existence. They may just be the team that singularly redeems the Short Dance.
And so... I am soon going to bed. See you, Short Program, during some downtime (HAH) at work.
Although a lot of different headlines find their way into the rotation that is all Yahoo! pages, I definitely was not expecting to see 「真央『思い切りやる』３回転半ぶっつけ本番」when I went to go check my Japanese e-mail. First of all, I did not know that anyone other than my mother actually used ぶっつけ本番. Second of all ,WHAT?
浅田は練習でも成功していない、演技後半に３回転半ジャンプ（トリプルアクセル）を入れるプログラムにぶっつけ本番で挑むことを誓った。I have the utmost respect for and faith in Nobuo Sato, but seriously? This free skate plan might be even more idiotic than Tatiana Tarasova's grand schemes for using the triple Axel. Isn't Mao supposed to be working on her other jumps so she doesn't have to set up for certain disaster, and in the second half of her program no less? I am so, so glad that this will all happen while I am asleep. Lord.
In fact, my love for Mao and her successes is such that I am glad for the time difference even after seeing pictures like this:
Sometimes, I can hardly comprehend their existence. They may just be the team that singularly redeems the Short Dance.
And so... I am soon going to bed. See you, Short Program, during some downtime (HAH) at work.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Coyotes Have Nothing On This
Between a manual high-throughput project at work, having family in town, and translating the Nadal documentary, I've neglected my other posts... although there are various in the works. In the meantime, a huge WTH from Hokkaido:
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20101018-00000028-maip-soci.view-000Wednesday, October 13, 2010
And So It Ends
A brilliant bit of practical tracking and anticipation-building.
He may be a politician through and through, but this is beyond real.Also, I'm sorry if this is incredibly inappropriate, especially considering I took advantage of BBC's generosity for many hours, but the people commenting on the rescue scene had more than a touch of toolishness.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
All Cliches Aside
Tonight I have seen the face of courage.
Am I the only person who was concerned that the shaft had to be kicked into place as it began its descent?
BBC is getting its up-to-date information based on the Chilean Mining Minister's tweets. Unbelievable. I don't know whether to be impressed or hysterically amused.
Okay. There is no way BBC could not tell that Florencio Avalos' child is a boy. Of course this pales in comparison to everything, but really...
Am I the only person who was concerned that the shaft had to be kicked into place as it began its descent?
BBC is getting its up-to-date information based on the Chilean Mining Minister's tweets. Unbelievable. I don't know whether to be impressed or hysterically amused.
Okay. There is no way BBC could not tell that Florencio Avalos' child is a boy. Of course this pales in comparison to everything, but really...
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
A Lesser Panda By Any Other Name
They look a little Siamese-y here, but are still so adorable. I still want one.
The Aspic Police
I've been in a bit of a cooking obsession lately, mostly fueled by Cookpad and facilitated by the free time that a full-time job offers (ironic, isn't it?). Even though I started out my 一人暮らし with the intention of eating my way through steamed vegetables and pasta (seriously, I ate pasta 90% of the time two summers ago and actually didn't mind it all that much), the luxury of having a small kitchen all to myself, a refrigerator too full of groceries that my mother left me, and a sense of needing to accomplish something led me to start investigating actual cooking more thoroughly. Anyway, the point here isn't to talk about the thought process behind my cooking, but rather about Julie & Julia.
I had, of course, known about this film when it was first released, but for whatever reason I was never all that interested in watching it. However, ever since I started following New Dress a Day, which was inspired by the film, seeing it has sort of persistently been at the back of my mind. And then, about a week ago, I read that Olga had recently just watched it and felt inspired to learn how to cook. And so I decided that it was my new must-see.
I don't really follow movies all that much. I usually know what's out there and what's a hit and what's a waste of time, but it tends to take a lot to actually make me sit down and watch something. So when I do watch something, it sort of really needs to be worth it. And this movie was, if only for the colors and most amazing sets. Obviously almost everyone knows the premise of Julie & Julia and it was never my intention to recap an entire film, so instead I'm just going to post some of the best moments, visually.
This is just so... Paris. I spent most of the two hours wishing I were in France or even Europe again, and being jealous of the people who "studied" abroad but really just country-hopped very inexpensively. I know that this is supposed to be post-WWII Paris, but really, these scenes (minus the vested boy on a bicycle and that car) could be from today.
Yellow and red is possibly one of the worst color combinations ever, but here? Using subtle shades of the two colors make it beautiful.
Okay, so this is not beautiful or artistic, but I have the same (stupid) kitchen timer at home and sort of got excited. It is stupid because there is no way to go up or down, so if you wanted 0:45 but accidentally held the button down too long and released at 0:46, well, you have to press Start, then Stop, then Clear, and then get to 0:45 all over again. Stupid.
Turquoise walls, creamy yellow and light brown furniture, pots and pans that aren't colorful on their own but together make for a great collage...
And of course, Paul loves Julia and Eric loves Julie, more than anything, and I really want to know what that is like. I won't think too much about this part, because then I'll start having dreams of you in a black jacket again.
I had, of course, known about this film when it was first released, but for whatever reason I was never all that interested in watching it. However, ever since I started following New Dress a Day, which was inspired by the film, seeing it has sort of persistently been at the back of my mind. And then, about a week ago, I read that Olga had recently just watched it and felt inspired to learn how to cook. And so I decided that it was my new must-see.
I don't really follow movies all that much. I usually know what's out there and what's a hit and what's a waste of time, but it tends to take a lot to actually make me sit down and watch something. So when I do watch something, it sort of really needs to be worth it. And this movie was, if only for the colors and most amazing sets. Obviously almost everyone knows the premise of Julie & Julia and it was never my intention to recap an entire film, so instead I'm just going to post some of the best moments, visually.
This is just so... Paris. I spent most of the two hours wishing I were in France or even Europe again, and being jealous of the people who "studied" abroad but really just country-hopped very inexpensively. I know that this is supposed to be post-WWII Paris, but really, these scenes (minus the vested boy on a bicycle and that car) could be from today.
Yellow and red is possibly one of the worst color combinations ever, but here? Using subtle shades of the two colors make it beautiful.
Okay, so this is not beautiful or artistic, but I have the same (stupid) kitchen timer at home and sort of got excited. It is stupid because there is no way to go up or down, so if you wanted 0:45 but accidentally held the button down too long and released at 0:46, well, you have to press Start, then Stop, then Clear, and then get to 0:45 all over again. Stupid.
Turquoise walls, creamy yellow and light brown furniture, pots and pans that aren't colorful on their own but together make for a great collage...And of course, Paul loves Julia and Eric loves Julie, more than anything, and I really want to know what that is like. I won't think too much about this part, because then I'll start having dreams of you in a black jacket again.
Monday, September 27, 2010
What Is Old, and What Is New?
On the day before her 40th birthday, Kimiko Date Krumm defeated Maria Sharapova in three sets at the Tokyo Toray Pan Pacific Open. Way to deliver in front of a home crowd.
What I noticed aside from the obvious point that Sharapova is having major issues that implicate more than just an uncertain shoulder was that she was wearing her US Open dress. What? The top stars--and someone like Sharapova especially, who makes such a point to be fashionable on court--almost never repeat outfits. And to repeat a dress from a tournament as visible as the US Open... did she lose too early there? Haha. I know this is a really trivial point, but I've really never seen her do this before.
I just added in this picture for good measure, simply because it's kind of cute and the dark fuschia complements the aqua well. And also because it's an example of an unremarkable dress that could be repeated across many tournaments without anyone really noticing.
I actually hit with Date Krumm several years ago at my local tennis club. I remember missing several shots until one of the coaches said in quite a sympathetic voice, "She's nervous," which actually calmed me down. But that's not the point, really. I hadn't known who she was until she showed up at the club and didn't realize that she had been as high as No. 4 in the world, but I was struck by the athleticism and fitness she exuded. Sharapova references Date Krumm's fitness in the press conference after her loss, and it's very interesting to realize that we are all similarly impressed. Date Krumm just seemed to have a really active body--she was just hitting with some club kids, but immediately became sweaty. I guess that's a weird anecdotal point, but it's stuck with me.
What I noticed aside from the obvious point that Sharapova is having major issues that implicate more than just an uncertain shoulder was that she was wearing her US Open dress. What? The top stars--and someone like Sharapova especially, who makes such a point to be fashionable on court--almost never repeat outfits. And to repeat a dress from a tournament as visible as the US Open... did she lose too early there? Haha. I know this is a really trivial point, but I've really never seen her do this before.
I just added in this picture for good measure, simply because it's kind of cute and the dark fuschia complements the aqua well. And also because it's an example of an unremarkable dress that could be repeated across many tournaments without anyone really noticing.
I actually hit with Date Krumm several years ago at my local tennis club. I remember missing several shots until one of the coaches said in quite a sympathetic voice, "She's nervous," which actually calmed me down. But that's not the point, really. I hadn't known who she was until she showed up at the club and didn't realize that she had been as high as No. 4 in the world, but I was struck by the athleticism and fitness she exuded. Sharapova references Date Krumm's fitness in the press conference after her loss, and it's very interesting to realize that we are all similarly impressed. Date Krumm just seemed to have a really active body--she was just hitting with some club kids, but immediately became sweaty. I guess that's a weird anecdotal point, but it's stuck with me.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Feeding the Self
Having my own apartment is lots of fun. The rent and utilities and all that are a little less fun, but I'm pretty sure they're outweighed by the freedom and intriguing responsibility and yeah... freedom. In an effort to keep myself alive and healthy I've been trying to cook meals that incorporate as many vegetables as possible so that I can consume them before they spoil. Yes, the better idea would be to not buy as many groceries at once, but my parents left me with enough food to feed my entire lab for a week, so here we are.
My biggest problem, obviously, is that I do not know how to cook in English, as was discovered on a day I would now very much like to forget.
This one was (too) easy--365 Classic Tomato Sauce with chopped ham, green peppers, and onions to give it some extra flavor. My sister doesn't like multigrain pasta, but personally I am a fan.
Needing to get rid of some 青梗菜 (baby bok choy?), I started hunting around Cookpad. Japanese housewives never fail me! I sort of messed up the order of the steps in the recipe, but in the end everything turned out all right. The spaghetti got a little soft because of the excess water from the baby bok choy, which would have been avoided if I'd boiled the vegetable at the right time, but whatever. I couldn't really taste the ginger that several of the reviewers were raving about, though.
This was an even more desperate move to try to beat the bacteria and molds to my vegetables. A while back I remembered seeing a 白菜 (bok choy?) and pork hot pot dish on one of 嵐's shows, and it looked super easy (after all, it was a bunch of guys cooking) so I decided to give it a try. The original recipe called for a 土鍋 (clay pot?) and alternating layers of pork and bok choy carefully arranged to look like flower petals, so obviously I used a stainless steel pot with vertically stacked layers of pork, bok choy, もやし (bean sprouts?), and えのき (umm... small white mushrooms?). In the end I came to the realization that this was basically a hot pot glorified by five idols, and entirely inappropriate for 70-80F weather. Oh well.
My biggest problem, obviously, is that I do not know how to cook in English, as was discovered on a day I would now very much like to forget.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
To Add Insult to Injury
Oh Rachael Flatt, who on earth told you to defer a year from Stanford? And why did you have to have an extraneous 'a'?
A Record for Anything
These days, it doesn't actually seem to take much to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
You want to know what 庄司智春 is doing? That's right, cracking 43 walnuts with his butt in under 1 minute.
You want to know what 庄司智春 is doing? That's right, cracking 43 walnuts with his butt in under 1 minute.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)