How to Save money ?

In the Net, there are hundreds of life’s advice kind of site.

How to maintain good relation or before it, how to start, or where to find the mate.

The advice from a very experienced mature person to a very young person saying

how and why she or he was attracted to what sort of the person etc etc.

(In most of the case, the advice was not more than a good common sense.)  

         An advice which took my eyes was how to save the money, by not to reduce

the spending but simply just stop to buy it altogether.  I guess, the woman who was

advising must be saying it from her hundreds of failed experiences.  In certain sense,

it is a simple commonsense though, when the matter involving was a person’s desire 

or the habit, it’s easy to see, common sense may not necessary works. 

When someone drinks, the person may not counting the number of glasses — but

just want only one more glass.   So, to attempt to save a money by reducing the

consumption could be a hardest to achieve. 

I’m not knowledgeable of this kind though =is there such deal viable to negotiate

with a prostitute if a half of insertion could save her charge half ?   May be not.   🙂

Saving the money is not a matter of economics or a business management but 

it is the very trouble of the MIND. 

That advice in the Net, “Stop to buy it completely” is in fact parallel to the Zen.

Zen works on the base of  All or Nothing because of it is either in Mindful otherwise

it is not exists. — In our mind, if the mind of Drink was there, the Drink is there.

= you can’t have “Half mind of Drink” same as a half of the Drug or a half of the Sex. 

As long as a Receptacle of the Drink, Drug, Sex is in the Mind, we can’t stop to take it. 

But once such mind was removed = ie;  the receptacle was not there, we couldn’t

recognize “What the Drink is”  “What the Drug is”  or an image of a woman

couldn’t be connected to the Sex.

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The secret of this “Mind Engineering” is, how to train our Mind = make the

signal jump over the Emotional region of the brain in the Limbic System

which is dealing with Desire, Greed and Want.   To train the Mind, Zen (in fact,

all the Buddhist sects) has the long, repeating practice which ware-out the

Emotion.  ( The brain started to ignore the repeating signals and start to

process the signal without involving the Emotion. = such as a sign-board on the

street, became almost invisible, while you are passing on front of it everyday)

Once the person mastered this Mind, the Drink, Drug or Sex become non-existent. 

And as the Mind will just pass the signal without triggering any reaction =

“Drink ?  — What’s drink ?”   “Woman ? — Yes, I can see it’s a woman.  So, what ?”

Give-up altogether or stop to buy, is much easier than “Reducing its consumption”

because there is no conflict of “Want” and “Shouldn’t” in the Mind.

(And the most funny things was, once the person mastered this Mind-set, he or she

could pick-up a glass without a hindrance but never take more than a sip, because of

there is no desire or attachment NEITHER the Mind of Prohibition or Restriction.)

And this is the best way to save the money and to have a trouble free life.   🙂

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Shake shake (2)

There was a very similar photo of this, taken by a completely different technique

in this blog. = It is interesting to see an image of the 3D movement (depth) in

that photo was still captured as a 2D spread (shift) of the element.

What ever the technique or accident created its image, the matter is how the image

boggle the mind.    And what ever the origin of the image, some of them stuck and

remained in the depth of the mind very very long time.

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Shake shake (1)

There is nothing special of those photos, no trick, they are just

blared photos because of the camera shake.

Camera shake because of the slow shutter speed = 1/2, 1/4 sec’ kind. — And

to have such slow speed, lowest ISO setting and a dark ND filter was used. 

Make the situation worse, I was in a moving bus.   🙂

So, it’s easy to have un-sharp pictures —– just shake the camera.

(Of course, if you like.)   🙂

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Junk to Macro Lens = Recycle of Kyocera Zoom Lens

You might be misunderstanding that I’m playing with cameras for the

sake of blogging. Far from it, behind the scene I’m disassembling

3 times more lenses or cameras.  I only showing them if I found a fun.

In most of the case, I’m doing it just looking for a spare parts or

particular component such as when I needed to get a mirror for an

ultra-low-angle photo-adapter.     —– I was disassembling a Yashica

compact Zoom camera, looking for a Motor and a Gear mechanism.

— Some old film cameras had auto-wind and rewind mechanism which

I could utilize in the other mechanical design.  So, from Yashica, I got

two motors with each gear mechanism, and not only that, I found an

extending Zoom lens barrel seems to be very useful. 

I had used a same kind of barrel to make a focusing helicoid.

This Kyocera-Yashica 38~115 mm zoom lens seem to have a quite 

fancy design.  Front group convex lens has a Canon like Arc-formed

motor for focusing and having aspherical lens, and rear group is pure

diverging concave lens.   And I found the front group lens works well

as a macro lens (used in reverse) = So, mount the lens into the

extending lens barrel = Here I have a x1~x3 (about) macro lens.

This front group lens had a Shutter-aperture-combined blade which

I removed therefore there is no F-Aperture = always fully open !

—– still, this sample photos showed rather good quality and giving

beautiful out of focus bokeh.

But with further test, lens showed strong curvature of the image =

image is not flat = good for 3D subject but not good for a flat object.

(When lens was designed, the aberrations, inherent to any single lens

were corrected by the combination of the other lens.  Yet, in this case, 

such strong curvature of the image needed to be corrected by the 

strong diverging lens of the rear group.  But, as only front group lens 

was used here, the uncorrected aberration became too apparent.

—– Photo above Left showed x3 image.  Its coloring was caused by the

Chromatic aberration.  Photo Middle (x1 size), the best focus was made

to peripheral.  And the Right, best focus was made to center.   The focus

to the center is 4mm different ! = If the subject was 4mm deep shallow

dish, this lens will make a good focus from center to the corner.)

I need to find a good subject. = Ideally, Halloween Costumed insect.   🙂

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Morning Sun

Toward the winter solstice, the Sun is going down south.  It’s mean, it’s

getting lower and lower in the sky.  So, we can see the sun coming through

side of the tree.   And now, the tree got their golden leaves. 

Unlike Wabi-sabi of typical Japanese, I got bad habit to push even farther. 

So, the Curry got to be very hot etc.   And to see twice as much Gold leaves,

the instant twice-rich-magic was to give a double exposure.   😀

While giving double exposure, even the focus has been changed to make

painting like images. —– When crispy sharp picture can be made even

by Phone-camera, I rather like to push opposite direction.

And for this picture — focus was made for background leaves and

to the foreground flower.  (—– I like this water-color effect too.)

— Have a peaceful nice week, everybody.   🙂

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Focus-Shift Flower image

Somebody in the USA contacted me to use one of my old photo which was

taken by a technique of Focus Shift, hence the image has big off-focus

bokeh superimposed on it.  In fact I’ve published such photo many times

like this or this. (though, the gear used or the lens may not be the same)

And even there was such drastic approach.   🙂     But this time, focus ring

was moved manually, and in order to have a slower shutter speed, shooting

took place in the evening, under rather dim light.

And to make off-focus, shift to near or far, or the setting of F-aperture etc,

above all, how far the subject, will make the picture looks quite different.

(still, there is no fixed manner = it’s just case by case.   🙂  )

Funny things of Focus Shift is, first moment, it was focused to the main

subject, then move the focus, generally till completely out of focus though,

why not focused here and there.  = Two subjects will have each clear focus

(and bit of bokeh)  🙂

Camera used here was the Nikon D810 — having had 37Mp image-censor,

there are ample of space to crop the image.

A radio DJ mentioned Xmas —– Oh no, soon it will be the November

—– still, flower patch has few flowers left.    Thanks Goodness.

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Salmon Tofu — simple cooking

Indeed, this was the reason why I bought Tofu. —– I used to invite the people 

to see my work, and in such a case, often I cook and eat the meal together.  

Now, I don’t need to do that since I started to show the photo in my Blog,

even the short viz in the Youtube, = just tell the person “See the blog”.

Anyway, when I cook, Salmon Tofu which I invented was my regular cooking.

—– not because original but above all it is the simplest and easiest cooking.

(no complicated preparation of Dashi etc — just put together and heat)   🙂

Only three ingredients = Tofu, a chunk of Salmon and a fresh Ginger —

well, a drop or two Soy-source. 

When the three were put together, place the bowl into the pan with shallow

water to boil = it’s mean, Tofu in the bowl was steamed. (7~10 minutes boil)

(Or put a cover on the bowl and cook in the microwave cooker for 5 minutes.)

The steam drip down through Ginger to Salmon and to the bottom of bowl

makes beautiful soup as well —– and its taste struck everybody.  (so far)   🙂

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Although this is not a vegetarian, I regard this is the Zen cooking.

= everything was there as it is but nothing else. 

And everything melt together and creates the best by themselves.

No complicated thinking or manipulation = just leave the process to them.

= the nature is having the best in its own.   (Proof of the taste — you try !)

And this nature, we call the Dharma. 

___/\___

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Phenomena

In the afternoon,  I found a glowing rainbow in a corner of my room. 

Obviously it was a sun spot though, — ?     where it was reflected and

coming through ?  —– So, I came to the spot to trace back the light

and found it came through a draftsman’s plastic ruler.  

As its edge was angled, its transparent plastic worked as a good prism.

= and created good rainbow when it was hit by a sun beam.

We are living in a world of numerous physical phenomena

— not necessary we are aware or able to notice it, let alone understand

and able to explain why.   Such as a burning fire, falling apple !, frozen 

or boiling water, or how induction cooker, microwave cooker works etc.   

Among them, a rainbow color must be the most loved by anybody.

Real Rainbow in the sky was created by the light reflected inside of the

water droplets of the mist or cloud. (half of Hi-viz bright tape works in

the same way = each minute grass beads reflect back the light —– other

half works as microscopic 90 degree roof mirror = reflect back the light  

to the same direction where it come from = unidirectional light is bright.   

       When the light travel through such as in the grass or any transparent

material, the light bend a “bit”.  How much the “bit” was depend on the

color of the light. —– Color ?

You may think the sun light is white but you are seeing the mixed light of

rainbow color.  There is NO white light in the world.  So that a white LED

is in fact a Blue LED covered with yellowish fluorescent pigments — its

different mixture makes warmer white or cool white, even pink LED.  🙂

— Any how, each colored light has different energy  (hence even outside 

of Violet = UV burns our skin) all depend on each wave length of the light.

= Red has longer wave length but Blue is short, Violet, UV is much shorter.  

And even shorter wave was used in a Microwave cooker to heat up the food !

= We may not aware why we get sun-burn or the pasta was cooked, — still

those invisible phenomena configuring the world.

Rainbow is not just here to please our eyes. —– It makes us to wonder !

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     A Japanese scientist, Prof. Kajita is going to receive this year’s Novel prize

for Physics for the discovery of  that the sub-particle  Neutrino has a mass.

—– So, what ?   I never seen even a hint of such Neutri-something — though,

it’s said to be flying around everywhere ! — The phenomenon of this particle

was captured by the thousands of photo-detectors  surrounding a pool of

50 thousand tons of pure water by detecting a trace of faint light created by 

the passing  particles.     Dear dear dear, what a work and the toil.

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Karmic Encounter or just a Coincidence ?

From Japan,  group of tourists are visiting northern India / Ladakh.

At the introduction meeting of one group, in a sheer coincidence,

two of the members found  that they’ve got a common connection.   

Both of them happen to be my old friend. 

The guy was a younger member of our Alpine Club and the lady used to

work in the Uni’s Herbalium = a part of the  Science Dept’ where I was

taking botanical photos and assisting their expeditions and field works.

So that, when I had my wedding party in the mountain hut, they were

invited and indeed, both of them were there — long time ago !   🙂

—————— (Some photographs of Ladakh from my friend)

In practice, their encounter wouldn’t have any  real implications to the

two and to myself —– still, it reminded me that I spent more time to deal

with Botanics in the Hervarium, than facing the Rock while I was in my Uni’.

= This fact seems crucial for me to stock-take my Life.

= It’s mean, I haven’t been in Ladakh, Himalaya, Patagonia etc etc, but what

I did for the Ogasawara Expedition left me more legacies, exactly like how

the life in the mountain shelter structured me, far more than the life in the

Alpine Club. (— sorry, I’ve gone too personal though, without having those

underline causes,  Yoshizen couldn’t be existed as I am now. )

It explained well, Yoshizen was not a man sitting on the rock but kneeling

down and watching the flowers.  — and I like this stance.

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It signified my approach to the Zen Buddhism.    Unlike a kind of guru who rely on

the maze of mambo-jumbo (so-called spiritualism), but me to approach the Buddhism

from the factual observation with scientific, neurophysiological aspect was correct.

As the result, to see the Mushin as a fatigue of one’s mind and the No-self as

the jump-process or no-tagging of the Emotion.  Those prosaic definition had no

glorious Mahayana like ornamentation though, have you ever read the words of

Lord Buddha with a mythical embellishment in the original Agama Sutra ?

Lord Buddha was a rational scientist, hence had no delusion or illusion.

So, the original teachings of Buddhism didn’t have any mambo-jumbo.

(In fact, there was an urgent needs to explain that there wouldn’t be any danger to

reborn to an animal or lower cast like as newly emerging “Hindu” preaches,

because everything exists in relation (Karma) to the others, when the body dies,

the soul dies too = nothing remain to reincarnates.    This was what

Lord Buddha taught then, 2500 years ago.  Anything else was a mix-up.)

___/\___

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Still, this is the Zen

Seeing a scratch on the surface of the washing-up

bowl in my kitchen which I’ve been using since I have  

started to live in this flat, I realised that the dirt or  

stubborn coating on the surface of this plastic bowl 

could be removed by just scouring hard.  —– I was 

thinking to remove such limescale mixed stubborn

dirt needs to use a strong chemical such as limescale

remover kind of acid.

—– There was the choices.  

Throw away old bowl and buy new one.

Anyhow, it was only a couple of pound cheap item though, strangely

I couldn’t find the same shaped one in any shop.  

Other choice was do nothing. = as it has been used 15 years, why not

another 15 years. — utterly lazy and sound hopeless though, to make

nothing happen is a kind of peaceful choice and cost nothing too.

One of the famous Japanese monk, Ryokan said to have one pail and

he used it for everything, to wash his foot to serve a rice.   So, use one

bowl only for washing-up many many years wouldn’t make any crime.

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If I can clean it by just scouring, why not to try. = When a spoon edge

made a scratch, a scouring pad made by metal mesh should work well.

—- So, I did. (to the half extent) It IS a simple work = just scouring,

scouring and scouring.  The more scour,  bowl become the cleaner.

While scouring, I just scouring (=Mindfulness) = no thinking.(Mind is

in the Mushin / Void state.)  

This is the Zen. —– soon or later, the bowl will get perfectly clean state. 

Exactly the same process, the Japanese Sword was perfected. (Strangely,

we aim always the better — who asked ? or because of our nature/Dharma)

You may laugh though, the bowl which became clean is the equivalent 

of the enlightened soul.

—– Yet another teachings may say,  neither a bowl nor soul kind of

things was there in the first place, who get enlightened ?

Good question.

___/\___

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