New year’s First Sunrise — (well, almost)

New year’s First Sunrise —– well, not quite.  It’s the second one.  

Yesterday was a bit cloudy = so, this is in deed, the first opportunity

to take picture though ……… I didn’t even go out of my room,

let alone go-up a hill or a beach to take typical photo.

Worse still, I didn’t even rise a bamboo blind.  Still, with a longer 

lens with its shallow depth of field, bamboo-blind was disappeared.  

And at least, the photo on top is a genuine photo of SUNRISE !

—– but, first of all, why do we bother a day next of 31st of December ?    

or So-called New year’s day.  

It’s not even a Winter Solstice-day = just arbitrarily man-named day

= a products of human imagination.     Nothing absolute !

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We human invented so many rules and the patterns for us

to be bound or even enslaved by it.  

Like, if we use English, we have to follow its strict rules.  

Or some of the people created their own God and follow it.

—– so, to take a special significance of the NEW-YEAR’S DAY

—– IS just depends on our mind-set.  

Mind has created “Special Day” and the mind enforce its belief.

—– still, it is only in our imagination.  It might be fun and

able to have a kind of comfort to feel a part of the larger society

though —– we may better to think “Why do I follow this ?”

There could be the other kind of life “If not follow it”.

Enlightenment is to liberate the mind yet I wouldn’t simply say

brake the convention —– to chose the same convention, same

conclusion could be a feasible choice. 

Still, to see it in different eyes, everyday could be a fresh first day.

Have a peaceful and joyful year.

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Yamakake — Delicacy only for Japanese

——– (Soft-yam from Jamaica.  This 2.5″ thick  3″ long (6cm x 7.5 cm)

——— piece will make enough Tororo  for two persons)

What is Yamakake or Tororo ?

It is a kind of cooking with a special source made out of root-vegetable

called Tororo, and Yamakake is a type of Sashimi eaten with this source.

This root vegetable was botanically called Dioscorea, commonly known as 

Soft-Yam or Sweet-Yam which spread most of the hot countries and there

said to be over 600 species, and normally eaten boiled, like a Potato.

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In Japan they are called Naga-imo, Yama-imo, Jinen-jo and in medieval time

they said to be eaten boiled as well (described in a story “Imo-gayu”) though,

now they are cooked only for Tororo and make Yamakake Sashimi.

(Yet in Osaka area, small amount of Tororo was added for Okonomi-yaki and

the Tororo Soba also exists but not very popular.)

Sometime, I cook Sashimi of tuna in Yamakake style, when I got Soft-yam.

What makes Tororo unique is = in the world, only the Japanese eat it raw.

Raw mean just grated it to make slimy juice !   Sound yummy isn’t it !  😀

(In love with such slimy texture, Japanese eat Okura also raw —— just

sliced and mixed with Katsuo-bushi and Soy-source !  = Yummy again.  🙂 )

So that, Japanese has specially designed Grater (Photo left) called

Oroshi-gane (to make Daikon-Oroshi etc. Oroshi of Yama-imo is a Tororo).

To England, Soft-yam comes from Jamaica etc. even from France though,

seemingly it depends on the soil it grows, if it contains such as lots of iron,

it changes the color darker by oxidation and not nice for Yamakake.  😦

(Trouble is, we only discover it after cooked.  :-D)

After grated, concentrated Dashi with Soy-source and a raw egg  was mixed.  

This raw source / Tororo was served on the Sashimi / raw fish =

So that,  it makes a tasty Yamakake.  Wow !

Purist prefer to put pure Tororo for Yamakake though, I mixed it with

Dashi, Soy-source and raw egg to make it like Tororo-jiru for Tororo-gohan.  

And it is advisable to put small fragment of Lime skin (Yuzu or Kunenbo in

an authentic Japanese cooking ) to Tororo, and eat it together with some

Nori ( dried Sea-weed) on top.     Or, some Wasabi is good additive though,

it’s better to chose either Nori or Wasabi to keep a flavour not conflicting. 

Though, eat a fish raw, is a bit

tricky business in the west.  

So, I found a frozen salmon pack

which was made in an automated 

process without having touched by

a man’s hand (or least touched)

seems to be a safer choice.

(it comes from Lidl)

—– though, this was an old story. 

It was the Lidl’s harsh practice when

the item got good publicity kind (like this blog) and started to sell more, Lidl push the price up (in this case to £2 each piece) to suck more profit = soon or later, the fed-up customer dwindled = when Lidl realized that they no longer able to sell, they just stop to sell, instead to put the price back.  So, you can’t see this salmon there any more.

And in the same reason, I used to buy a packed raw tuna from Tesco though, after the price of tuna rocketed, I couldn’t find them any more.

= So, this time I made a Yamakake of Salmon here. The taste and it’s texture, melt in the mouth is an exquisite to us !

—– But, I wouldn’t say “Try” to you at all.  ( You better look away.  ;-)) (So far, no westerner ever touched this = it’s exclusively for Japanese)

Thence, I prepared and stocked-up only for myself for coming new-year.  

Bon appetite to me.   😀

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PS :  I asked my Chinese friend  Shing Lee  how they eat Yam, as I saw

Chinese shop also selling Soft-yam.

So, he sent me the information and the photos.

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The Yam is called 山药 or 淮山 in Chinese. It both grows in

wild at high mountains and man-grown in the field.

Normally, we have two methods to eat:

First, we peel it, and slit it into thin pieces, and then put it into

the hotpot, boil it with ribs.

Second, peel it and put it into the boiling oil, and fried to make

it looks like golden bullion.

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I have not been able to enjoy a Sashimi or raw egg yet.

It seems your Yamakake sound great though, it is

made with raw soft-yam, raw egg and a Salmon.  🙂

Personally, I like put it into the hotpot, and drink the soup.

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Thank you  Shing Lee for your contribution !

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Kan-zakura = Winter-cherry

Cherry blossom in this time of year ? —– you might say.  

But this is not fake or old photo.  This is real though —— 

In reality, actual looks of the cherry is far from Photogenic isn’t it.

= Whitish cherry flower has to stand out under the deep blue sky.

When the flower was under the bright sun-light, the pupil of

our eyes close, hence the sky behind became looks darker.

(It is the same situation of the bright snow-scape, sun and the sky is 

the same though, if the foreground is bright, the sky looks darker)

But when bright sun-light is not available —– why not make one.  😀

So, this is a photography,  completely opposite of the previous post

[What’s there ?] and the recent post such as [Fort’Mason’s —] where

I talked about “What is real or looked as it is” —– instead, here I tried

to create or falsify “Ideal image” with intentional manipulation.   🙂

So, I used a flash-light to brighten-up the flowers = F-aperture was

set for correct exposure for the flowers,  but the shutter speed was

set to make under-exposure for the sky. (make it looks darker)

Took advantage of flash-light,  I took the same flower’s photo

with Double-Density Pinhole.

Pinhole photography sound natural though, in reality, as it needs to give

rather long exposure, it is not necessary good for flower photography.  

( with wind, they move too much.  😀 )  

Use flush-light would be one of the answer. = So, this is an artificial 

creation of an artificial silk flower by Double-Density Pinhole photography

which satisfy my stereotypical idea of “What fluffy flowers should be” 🙂

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What’s there ?

Here the question is ” Is there or not there”  ” What’s there” in

a photo or behind the photography.

This is an obvious subject,  nobody would give any argument

what it is.   And even without photograph, it still exists = photo is

mere secondly image of the existence.  Photo didn’t make it exists.

This image has no significance = It’s just there, like a subject.

But you may puzzle what this is ?  

What photographed here is the whole possession of a homeless person.  

Still some would say “So, what” —– OR others may see the meaning in

social issue or even philosophical aspects “What’s the human existence”

yet, visually they are just a lots of plastic bags on a bicycle. Nothing else.

More than that is all in your mind.

It’s all depends on, whether you make a mountain out of this heap.

Some might be good deep insights otherwise just the delusions.

Before one photographic image,  we have to see what a person

who is photographing has seen or conceived,  let alone aimed.

But who can see it clear —– and, who knows how real what we’ve seen.   

What I’m seeing might be there —– is it ?  Where ? Here or there or behind. 

We may not able to define what we are seeing unless we intentionally

impose a preconception, what I want to see, and reconstruct

the image OR story.

And it depend what we can see or what we know. —– or believe to know.

And if we know, —– can we be any wiser ?   Really ? ? ?

Is there any use,  if I told you what it was ?

In reality, we may not seeing any, let alone knowing, are they

really there.  So, this is the real situation, and how and what they are.

(If you want to see the VOIDNESS in much more symbolic

elaborated image, it is your pretence and the arrogance !)

—– truth might be just empty space.

= Don’t struggle.  Let it be and see just as it is.  Don’t make-up the order.

(F&M’s Cherubs were in a mess of reflection = that was how they were.  :-D)

By nature, as it is empty from the beginning, see as it is, be with it, is Ichijo.

Be with emptiness mean the mind is not there = Mushin.

Don’t impose own order mean = no complaint. What’s wrong with it ?  😀

—– So, it’s nice to be in PEACE.

___/\___

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Citron-Bath in Winter solstices Day for Capybara !

Japanese Mountain Monkys enjoying hot spring bath is well known.

So, how about Capybara enjoying hot bath in the winter.

And today is the Winter-Solstices, the day Japanese makes Citron

bath to keep good health. = So, Capybara enjoying it too.

This is a Park in IZU ( 2 hours journey south-west of Tokyo ) but

quite few Parks keeping Capybara around Tokyo and all of them are

having a hot bath in the winter time.

(People can watch them without offending, nor Police concerns)  😀

—– It was originally discovered when the zoo keepers was using hot

water to clean the area, a Capybara accidentally found it’s nice to

bathe warm water’s paddle => then it was accustomed to all of them.

Japanese Zoo-keepers just followed what Capybara wanted.   😀

—– Peace for the people over there and to the Capybaras alike.   🙂

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Season’s greeting 2014

How the 2013 has been for you ?  

I hope it was a pretty productive year for you.

For me while blogging, do something, see the friends etc etc

2013 has gone almost instant !

(Still in a hind sight there were so many things had happened ! ) 

So, it’s always the question —– have I done enough ?

—– May be.  —– In middle way.   Ha ha ha  😀

(Or, I might have done quite drastic.  🙂 )  

What so ever —– we have to see the next stage. = Let’s face it.

And I wish your best happiness in the coming new year. 

—– Hold the breath, listen !   —– You know, it’s coming.  

( —– —– Tap tap tap ! —- Ha ha ha.   I’m kidding)

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Fort’Mason’s Cherub

These days, all the job for the Angel has been monopolized by

the Cherub or other order has been made redundant.

And the another question is —– wait a moment, in mediaeval time

had Cherub wearing pants ? —– When they started to put it on ?

As far as I remember, I never seen Cherub wearing

dark red pants —– or was that trendy Pampers ?

Anyhow, don’t take it anything serious.   Ha ha ha  😀

And he used be a Cherub, (didn’t you know) still he is a

very very nice Angel.

Fortnum and Mason’s Xmas Window Decoration 2013

Among the big shops in London which one got the most heavy Gothic

taste may be a point of argument though, in my view, a shop selling

exactly the same things 100 of years = Fortnum & Mason must stand out

in its stubborn position.  —– Started to sell the candles to the palace and

expanded to deal with the Tea and established over the years,

Tea is a Tea = no new model or fashion there.  (Herbal tea is not a Tea !)

So the same shop is standing on the same place, looks the same too.

The design of Xmas window decoration is also heavier than Selfridges,

such as against the children’s tale, Fortnum & Mason chose

Greek Mythology — kind of difference. 

So, their taste for ancient Greek leafy pattern is still continuing though,

this years concept is more casual. = story from the next door.

It seems, even the shop stuck to the old tradition, the north Arctic

frontier, where Santa is based on, having a technological advancement

—– now, Santa is using a cart, instead of sleigh.   (Photo Right )

Santa’s new cart !

Any how, —– it’s fun  😀

(Shot by Canon 5D Mk-III, 24~70 F2.8, Pentax 15mm F3.5)

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Selfridges’ Xmas Window Decoration 2013

When it is a Christmas time, there always the special window

decoration of Selfridges is. = It is a long established tradition.  

And what sort of theme the decoration this year has, was

the interest of the people. —– It’s always a kind of children’s

fantasy though, it’s attracts as many as grown-ups too.

But this year’s decoration is not from any book or story —– quite

products orientated design = snow scape around the product.

So, the girly doll to audio gizmo.

Fashion(?) shoes to sports shoes.

—– Sports wear or toys ?  —– and of cause, they sells pants too.  😀

So, the handbag ! —– I have no idea what is a connection

between expensive bag to a snowy mountain.

Neither I have an idea what the Selfridge to do with

glittering naked woman.  😀

So, I couldn’t find whether it was children’s dream or adult’s dream.

Or, executive’s speculation = effect of Xmas campaign ! ?  😀

(Shot by  Canon  5D  Mk-III,  Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm  F4)

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Pre-Christmas Street

Together with some shoppings I went up to the center and I saw

the town has been prepared for the coming Christmas.

Leicester square was having a Fair Ground.

I wouldn’t be impressed by the Swiss Center having colorful LED trick

or see a huge Snowman, still I dropped the jaw

to see the Stature of Eros was in a huge plastic dome  😀

Until decades ago, the drunken people in the Xmas to New-year’s Eve,  

were accustomed to climb up the stature and caused a damage, was an

annual ritual together with jumping into a fountain in Trafalgar square

though, as the England grown into a civilised country, Eros Stature has

been covered-up by ugly boarding —— and now, it’s in a plastic dome !

After some shopping in the China-town I went up to the Oxford Street.

Before, “after Xmas Sale” literally started after Xmas though, with

a rather harsh economical situation,

all the shops are having their Sale already started.

And it is in the season of Christmas Carol, I encountered a Steel-band

playing beautiful Xmas tune !  

I still couldn’t comprehend how and why the slight dent on a

steel-drum can be tonally tuned = What a beautiful invention ! 

They are almost a fixture in a Christmas time,

the Special Window Decoration of the Selfridge.

—————– (Photo right:  LED decoration on the South Molton Street )

————————————————————- ( Photo right: London Rikishow !)

——- (Piccadilly Circus again —– The plastic dome with it’s AD panels

——- seems to be a good business venture.  🙂 )

Same old Trafalgar Square and a Christmas Tree

= an annual gift from the Norway.

Northern side of Trafalgar square is the National Gallery.  

Western side is Canada House and east is South African House.

And there is a mountain of flowers for departed Madiva. 

After walk up Oxford Street to Selfridge and walk down from there ,

it was already the night —– still it wasn’t too dark for a photo or two.

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