Category Archives: Thoughts

Moments to Myself

A couple of Saturdays ago, Kei took the boys sledding. By himself.

It was a gift to me. A few solitary hours to do with as I wished. Well, almost. I did have a big work project that I had to spend a few hours on, but there was no way that I was completely giving up a Saturday all to myself – a SUNNY Saturday all to myself.

So what is an overworked, exhausted, creatively-drained mummy to do with a few hours to herself? Why, take pictures of course.

I headed down to Mississippi avenue – a place that we visit often but that I never really take time to look at, much less take pictures. I’m usually too busy chasing five year olds or two year olds to making sure they don’t run into traffic or, worse, other people.

Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my family, but being alone for a couple of hours on a favourite urban street suddenly opened a whole new world of opportunity.

Like vintage stores with objects so fragile and beautiful that a two year old would find them irresistible…

Tiny galleries in which I could browse the collection of strangely engrossing (and quite hilarious) photographic art for longer than a five year old attention span.

Wonderfully spiky plants in apartment building doorways that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Replicas of Easter Island relics sporting Christmas lights well into January. (OK, not sure what that was all about and pretty certain the boys would have found it hilarious as well).

Beautiful signs against even more beautiful blue skies.

And, most importantly, more than a few minutes to sit in a cafe with coffee and brunch, read my favourite magazine and just watch the world go by. Perfect.

Australia Day: What You Need to Know

Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and our separation from England (oh, wait…).

Of course if I were in Australia right now I’d be celebrating with beer and a BBQ, but since we are yet to have the President proclaim the day as a national US holiday (I’m working on it), I will take this moment to share a few educational facts about the country of my birth.

  • We pronounce it AL-U-MIN-I-UM because we spell it that way. Same goes for AEROPLANE.
  • The toilets DO flush in the opposite direction, the moon appears upside-down and summer is in winter.
  • THONG is not a dirty word. (Please check in with me if you would like to be schooled on words which are, in fact, considered dirty in Australia but perfectly acceptable in the United States).
  • There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia and only around 20 million people.
  • In 1954 a man named Bob Hawke made it into the Guinness Record Book for downing 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob Hawke then went on to become the Prime Minister of Australia. (true story)

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!


Missing Out

I enjoy participating in the I Heart Faces photo challenges each week – mostly because they give me a blog topic and a reason to dig out photos that may otherwise be forgotten. And every once in a while these challenges spark a thought or reflection that may otherwise have slipped by.

This week’s challenge, “Innocent Wonder” sent me digging through photos from the past couple of months until I stopped at this one.

The obvious connection to the theme is the memory of a day with friends at the science museum. A rare opportunity spending some time with my boys as they explored with their eyes and their hands. In this photo Samuel is digging into a sand bath with his friend Patrick. Every so often he’d find a plastic animal and ask me what it was before burying it deeper under the sand or finding a suitable rock to rest it on.

But more than just a photo, this shot makes me think about moments that I am missing. When Thomas was Samuel’s age, I was blessed with a four day work week and the attention span that comes with having just one child. Thomas and I would visit the science museum at least once a month to play in the toddler area where I basked in the wonder of his learning and development and enjoyed that short, but significant, time we had together – just the two of us. I worry that Samuel is missing out on that same experience and, OK, I worry that I am missing out on it more.

I doubt there is any one person who feels as though they couldn’t do with just a little more time. My fear is that I haven’t been using mine wisely. Kei is in charge of pick up and drop off for Samuel so I took on the duty of putting him to bed each night for a little bonding time. Lately, however, I have been more worried about getting him to bed quickly and without too much frustration, rather than enjoying the short time we have together each day.

He’s only going to be two years old for a few more short months and I realize that I am missing this most precious period when his language development and curiousity for life is at its most powerful. This photo made me realize that I need to pause and take the time to bask in the wonder a little more and worry about bedtime a little less.

2010 A Look Back: The People I Love

3rd and final post in my attempt to wade through thousands of photos and choose my favourites from the year. It began with “The Places I’ve Been“, then “The Things I’ve Seen“. This post will share a few of my favourite photos of “The People I Love”.

2010 was a great year for family bonding. We managed to see almost every single member of our immediate families – both Kei’s and mine. With my family in Australia and Kei’s spread between Ohio and Japan, this was no easy task.

In just twelve short months we:

  • Were witnesses to a beautiful wedding in Melbourne. A wedding that has resulted in the promise of a new little addition to our family in May (nephew #6).
  • Caught up with Aunts and cousins from across Australia, many of whom I hadn’t seen since my own wedding over 11 years earlier.
  • Sent our children off with the grandparents for  their very first overnight stay without us and we all survived the separation -even the grandparents.
  • Watched my three nephews experienced the Pacific ocean for the very first time, all while trying to come to terms with the fact that I now have a nephew in college.
  • Stood back and observed while a twelve year old bonded with his four year old cousin over Star Wars.
  • Traveled back to the place where we first met to visit a mother-in-law who we had not seen in over 12 years – and then marveled at how quickly it felt like no time had passed at all.
  • Felt immense relief and joy when a five year old boy literally jumped into the arms of the grandmother he had never met.
  • Caught up with a long lost brother and his young family – nephews #4 and #5.

Sure, it was expensive and, at times, exhausting, but the one thing that I think about when I reflect on the past year is how incredibly fortunate we are to have a family that remains connected despite the enormous distances that keep us physically separated. Here are just a few of the many photos that I took celebrating this connection.

And finally, our little family on January 1st as we look forward to making more connections in 2011.

Random Musings: December 2010 Edition

Christmas is next week. Next. week. I’m not quite sure how it crept on me but somehow it managed to sneak in there between school and work and family time and general business. Sadly, the blogging has been suffering.

Not that you’ve been missing much. As it so happens, winter is my least favourite season for taking photos. I lost my inspiration somewhere between the yellow color cast of indoor lighting and lack of inspiration offered by the four walls of my house. I think we need to get out more.

Just to prove we are not, in fact, hermits, here is a sample of the few photos I have managed to capture over the past weeks.

1. The kids bundled up on the walk to daycare during a brief cold spell. Although I hate how long it takes to get them into all of this gear, I do love the colourful burst of cuteness.

2. The “arctic blast” sent us a teeny tiny sprinkling of snow (apologies to anyone East of the Dakotas), so I walked back through the park to capture a few photos. I was told off by one of the park landscapers for walking on the public grassed area while it was fragile with frost. Apparently even our grass is ultra-sensitive when it comes to the cold. How many months until Summer?

4. I suppose it WAS cold enough to produce icicles in the pond that were large enough to impale a small child. Anyone else frightened by this photo? Just me?

5. We spent a little time searching local secondhand/vintage stores for the perfect side table to use as a docking station in our office. Although we had no luck on the side table front, we did spot this fantastic couch. Would make the perfect addition to a man cave if only we had a finished basement. It even has a built in record player.

6. It also offered us the opportunity to introduce our children to a rotary phone that (gasp!) plugs into a wall. Samuel still needs a little practice.

7. I finished my Christmas shopping and managed to ship a package to Australia before the deadline. Sorry, just had to throw that in there…

8. This man had a birthday. I won’t tell you how old he is except to say that it starts with a three and ends with a nine. Happy birthday sweetheart.

A Memory Recaptured

I was not a photographer when I lived in Japan twelve years ago. Sure, I took more than a few snapshots during my visit, but I have always regretted the fact that I didn’t have the passion for photography that I have now. In many ways it feels as though 12 months of photo opportunities passed me by and it’s difficult not to feel a small twinge of regret for those lost moments. One in particular stands out as the photograph that got away and I remember, even back then, that I was disappointed not to have captured it on camera.

I was 23 when I first arrived in Tokyo and already fairly well traveled having undertaken the 3 month backpacking trek through Europe that is almost a right of passage for Aussie University students. Still, the bus ride from Narita airport to our hotel in Tokyo was eye opening. I remember looking up at the enormous apartment buildings with thousands and thousands of identical windows and wondering what it must be like to live in such a confined space. I was a long way from my suburban Melbourne home and, for some reason, this image was the one that made it a reality.

When we traveled back to Japan in October, I tried to capture this image on camera. It’s not perfect – taking photos out the window of a speeding train has its challenges – but I was grateful to have captured, on film, this memory of my first visit to Japan. To me, it’s much more than just a photograph.

Five Things I Learned About Japan

I travelled to Japan feeling a little cocky. Kei and I met there about 12 years ago and I lived there for an entire year so I should feel right at home right? Not exactly. Even with 12 months of Japanese living under my belt, I still managed to discover more than a few things that surprised me or pushed me out of my comfort zone – and of course I relished every minute of the challenge.

1. It really can be as crowded as you’ve heard.
12 years ago I lived in a Japanese “city” of 60,000 people – not exactly your bustling metropolis. Kei pretty much lived in the middle of a rice paddy. Sure, we visited Tokyo for weekend trips, but our everyday experience of Japan was far from the crowded trains and busy streets that are shown in the media as “normal” Japan.

Yokohama definitely opened our eyes to life in the city.

After a marathon flight followed by a 90 minute train ride, we finally arrived at Yokohama station. It was about 8pm on a Sunday night and the station looked something like this…

Did I mention that it was 8:00 on a Sunday night?

The Taxi rank looked like this…

… and our home for the week was nestled in this quiet little neighborhood (cough!).

2. It’s easy to find something you’ve never experienced before (and probably never will again)
On our third day in Japan we traveled to Hakone, a lovely little town in the mountains famous for its onsens (japanese bath houses). We spent the day at a huge family onsen complete with a 100 degree pool and fish that clean your feet. No – not a typo. I didn’t have my camera with me but managed to grab a shot of a poster in the hotel we stayed at. There is nothing quite so strange (and weirdly wonderful) as the experience of hundreds of tiny little fish nibbling the dead skin off your feet. I suppose you’ll have to take my word for it.

The same onsen boasted hot baths inspired by drinks. I thought my mother-in-law was kidding when she said there was a coffee pool and a red wine pool but I was proven wrong when we stepped outside to a pool of hot water that gave off a distinct coffee aroma. REAL coffee in the water. Weird but also very enjoyable. We then made our way up the hill to the red wine bath (real bottles of wine added four times a day), the green tea bath, the beer bath and, of course, the sake bath.

Again, no real photos but this poster should give you a good idea. What you won’t get from the photos is the wonderful smell of coffee and wine. I’m considering a red wine bath for our back yard – may be a waste of good wine, but what could be more decadent.

3. The food is just as amazing as I remember.
Oh the food, the wonderful food! No matter how much I try to recreate the experience of Japanese cuisine here in Portland, it will never quite reach the heights of the real thing. From traditional Japanese breakfasts laid out with rice, fish, pickles and the works, to home-delivered sushi that melted in my mouth, the food was definitely one of the highlights.

Check out Samuel with his super-sized children’s meal.

If Thomas had his way we would have eaten soba noodles for every single meal. Thankfully, he was easily distracted by promises of onigiri, japanese curry, ikura sushi and even something a little more adventurous.

I was also able to eat my first okonomiyaki in 12 years. Yes, we made the most of every available eating opportunity, even on the shinkansen…

4. Life in Japan can be a little overstimulating.
It starts with the endless flow of people (everywhere!) and continues with the sounds and the constant visual assault. Although I felt as though I were getting used to it by the end of our trip, I found the incredible amount of visual and audible stimulation overwhelming at first. It isn’t sufficient for them to merely say something on a TV show, they have to emphasize it with Japanese writing across the screen (complete with exclamation points!). Walking into Yodobashi camera (one of Japan’s largest electronics chains) was an insane experience. Not only do they carry every single product on the planet (over about seven floors), but they reinforce every product and price with hanging signs and loud announcements.

But I can’t complain too much – they had a full Canon camera section where I was able to play with my dream camera – even if I couldn’t buy it thanks to the sad state of the US Dollar.

5. If you wait long enough and wish hard enough you WILL see Mt. Fuji.
It took a few hours of willing the fog to clear during our visit to my brother-in-law’s house, but Fuji-san finally peeked out from the clouds – just enough for me to capture a tiny sliver on camera. It counts. (Oh, and my brother-in-law may have one of the best views I have ever experienced from someone’s living room)

More stories and photos from Japan coming of course, but I just had to share these initial thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind.

The Up Side

Every day lately seems to be a struggle with Samuel. Independent spirit is a gentle way to describe him. “I. Do. It. Myself!!” is on repeat. He becomes frustrated and angry when I try to brush his teeth, put the lid on his sippy cup, help him put on his pants, etc. etc. and I don’t even want to talk about what happens when his blood sugar drops a little below normal.

He likes to torment his brother, hit (me and others – something we’re working on) and throw tear-filled tantrums.

But he also tells me he loves me about 10 times a day (often for no reason at all), can’t leave me without a big wet kiss and a cuddle, breaks out into an enormous grin without too much prompting, says sorry easily (especially when he thinks he’s going to be put in time out) and is constantly trying to make me laugh.

I know he knows that all of this makes me more tolerant of his bad behaviour, but I just can’t help myself. The kid is a charmer and he’s adorable.

I guess you could say he has me wrapped around his little finger.

Amusement Park: A Photo Walk

On Saturday morning I managed to drag myself out of bed at 4:30am to head to a photowalk at a local amusement park. Rising at the crack of dawn on the weekend was a challenge, but it was definitely worth it. I feel like I learned more about my camera in just a few hours than I have in many months. It’s amazing what a little photo “me” time can accomplish. I played with motion, lighting, colour and angles and it was just so much fun.

The trouble was culling the 700 or so photos that I took down to my favourite 20 or 30. And now what should I do with them? Maybe a book? Or perhaps I should consider printing some to hang in my house (my house is woefully lacking in the photo display department – it’s tragic).

I had to submit one photo to the photowalk website.  I chose one that I thought was unique to our walk and would grab attention. Which one would you pick?. I have three days to change it so please be honest (and quick) with your response. 🙂

Mosaic Monday: The Special iphone Edition

I know I have been MIA lately. Work is busier than I remember it. Or maybe it’s my life that’s busier and it makes it harder to fit work in. Either way, I have barely found time to breathe. I have been relishing every moment away from the computer instead of enjoying the “me” time that it provides.

On the up side, I have been taking a lot more photos as part of my day job and I love that! It helps me dream of a day when all I do is take photographs from dusk until dawn.

Speaking of photographs, I my iphone arrived a week or so ago and I soon discovered the joy of camera apps. In the mood for a Holga? It’s right there in the phone.

So, today’s mosaic is a collection of iphone pics. It should also give you a tiny glimpse into how I’ve been spending my time lately.

Off to babysit for a neighbour and then enjoy two whole days off from work. I see a visit to the zoo in our future.

Back soon with more – promise!