Ed Panar

it's a nice feeling to think that these places could be anywhere in the world. like a blank canvas of destination.

Bandit

i really love this photo of Scarlett Johansson.

Holi Week

the other day i had a dentist appointment, and while i was talking with my hygienist, she told me about Holi Week in India. the festival of colours!! where everyone has a grand old time throwing paint at each other to celebrate a spiritual triumph of good over evil.

this just makes me so happy that humans can do such great things with, and for each other still. such a great reminder that the world celebrates with positive action in their own cultural uniqueness.

why can't everyone have this much fun?!

Them

i was surprised to find two of my favourites, Miranda July and Shannyn Sossamon, photographed by the same photographer, RJ Shaughnessy.

Magazines

found some great issues of Lingkaran and one Come Home! magazine the other day at Shirokiya.  my friends found it so funny that i went home with a huge bag of Japanese magazines, haha. one commented after a fit of laughter: "impressive!"  i thought it was funny that they thought it was funny :-)

nothing much going on.  these days are pretty simple, with the exception of constant reading and essays i have to type for my summer class. just another week and a half of this and i'm all done! then 2 days after my summer session finishes, i fly to Las Vegas and LA for vacation! im so excited! it's coming up pretty fast, but i can't feel it's full potential yet because i still have so much work to do.

anyway, hope these wonderful pictures help relax your day as it's doing for mine!

For Dad

i missed Fathers Day, yesterday.  so i'm paying a tribute now.  this is a picture of my amazing dad carrying my sister and me! this is probably my favourite of us as children.  this moment is too perfect. 

he was so wise, so true and genuine, so real and free, the most independent and non-conformist out of all his relatives, he passed down his artistic abilities to me (he was a professional Chinese landscape painter),  taught me an education will get you far but a big heart will get you further, showed me how to respect life. 

i love you dad.  i miss you everyday. 

with all my heart and energy. 

フルスケール・ガンダム、お台場

mounted in Odaiba, Tokyo at Shiokaze park is a full scale replica of one of Japan's most famous action anime:  Gundam!  this life-like monument stands 59 ft. tall (18 meters high).  i think it took 2 days to put up, but its only allowed to stand for 2 months. 

AND it even lights up at night!

かこういいですね~?

Windy Days

i had the privilege of interviewing the wonderful Angie (Windy Days) last week!  i just love her blog and the mood and feeling it encompasses, so i thought it would be interesting to get to know a little more about the mind behind this beauty. the questions i asked her were quite random.  i think it's the little/simple things about someone that makes their lives so grand. 

Make It Easy: How do you perceive love? What does it do for you?

Windy Days: Love to me are the little things you do for someone, like handwriting them a note or knowing all their stories off by heart. It sounds cliche, but a world without love would be meaningless. 

MIE: What is your favourite thing you've done in life so far?

WD: Probably all the times i've spent traveling with my friends and family. One year we camped near the beach, swam everyday and made bonfires at night. It was a wonderful feeling of freedom. 

MIE: Sunrise or sunset? (any particular reason)

WD: Sunset, simply because i tend to feel more awake and inspired at night. As much as i'd like to be a morning person, I just dont seem to be!

MIE: Is there a story behind your blog name? 

WD: Starting my blog was quite spur of the moment for me. it had been an unusually windy day (a large gum tree had even blown down in the middle of my university and caused some chaos).  the name popped into my head and it just kind of seemed right. i started my blog more as a personal thing and never expected to find so many great people through it, so i'm really glad i did. 

MIE: Do you know how your parents fell in love?

WD: They met way back at a university dance in the eighties. my dad asked my mum to dance and the rest is history as they say...

MIE: (a quote from 'Streetcar Named Desire') "Beauty of the mind, richness of the spirit, and tenderness of the heart"... if you had to pick one that best describes you, which would it be?

WD:  Tenderness of the heart.  i think i react to the world in an emotional way and was a bit oversensitive as a kid (probably still am).

MIE: What is the last wish you made?

WD:  To find the perfect job that allows me to study part-time and isn't retail!

MIE:  Which movie best portrays (or would like to portray) your essence of life?

WD: I'd love to live in an Hayao Miyazaki film, in one of those charming villages. otherwise a film by Michel Gondry where strange and wonderful things happen all the time. 

MIE: One thing you can't wait to do in your life/future?

WD: So many things! travel, fall in love, and eat really yummy food. i'd also really like to publish some sort of book or magazine one day. 

MIE: Besides your family members, who do you think considers you their favourite person?

WD: Probably my friend Dave. we are very old friends and he always knows how to make me laugh.

MIE: What is the last/best compliment that you remember a stranger gave you?

WD: An old man at work said i had a nice smile.

MIE: Current obsessions/infatuations?

WD: Finding the perfect winter scarf, plants, Apartamento magazine, childhood, banana crepes, Metropolis bookstore.

MIE: What song, do you think, says so much about you?

WD: Thats a hard question! 'Brown eyed girl' by Van Morrison has special meaning for me and it's a song that reminds me of happy times.

MIE: and finally, What do you appreciate about YOURSELF the most?

WD: An open mind and the ability to laugh at myself. 

i want to give a huge hug to Angie for letting me interview her and providing such naturally wonderful answers! thank you, it was fun! and to top it off, here's some pictures i personally picked/found that remind me of the beautiful Windy Days blog ♥

(photos by Darako, Kenty Chen, Tania Leshkina, & Rico)

Tokyo.Sora

i have not seen a film that i loved in it's entirety in a very long time, but this one changed all that.  Tokyo Sora is a mix between Lost In Translation (which i'm sure we have all seen) and Cafe Lumiere (if you haven't seen this one, its beautiful too).  i just love these types of films: self discovery, longing for some form of companionship, beautiful cinematography, and minimal yet necessary dialogue (which really lets you appreciate and study human behavior in silence.)  their actions really do speak louder than words.

this story focuses on 6 different women, 6 stories, and 1 theme:  changing loneliness.  also, each shot/scene in the film looks like a photograph. it's all so nice!

the Usual Beauty

i realize that i tend to post the same types of photos throughout my blog. (the dreamy lifestyle in Japan.)  i apologize if this gets bothersome and tiring for you all, but it certainly still does the trick for me.  it's sort of self therapy in a sense.  these beautiful photos are done by Nao, a university student in Kyoto. 

i've been quite moody lately.  getting irritated and bothered by silly little issues that i can't change or have no business being mad about.  it's stupid really. i always have to keep reminding myself that, yes, i CAN'T change it and it's NOT my business. oh, me :-p

Malaysian Sensation

Zee Avi makes beautiful music with her guitar and ukulele skills along with her amazing vintage voice. i just love this new artist, especially how she originally comes from Malaysia. other than Thao Nguyen, you dont see this kind of talent very often!

Swedish Mail!

i'm so excited that i received my package today!  i give my love and thanks to Elisabeth and Camilla of Studio Violet!  i ordered the 'cutest couple in the circus' stamps, and along they sent me this wonderful photo of them with a lovely note on the back, a 'welcome to the circus' note, and a t-shirt iron on transfer of those two cool foxes, and an extra mustache stamp!!  i'm going to be stamping everything now!

Jan Von Holleben

i love these photos by JVH! how their simple title explains so much about what's going on in the photo. especially this first one. browsing through this gallery, still totally oblivious to their titles, i was so surprised that i recognized what it represented by JUST hands.

"The Great Masters: The Hokusai" 

"Where we laughed"

"whisper" 

"Paintworks"

"You run, i count to 10"

these past two days, i basically lived at my friends new house.  it was like a mini weekend vacation or getaway.  we took walks around the neighborhood, cooked meals, drank wine, lounged around to music, took naps... i had such a nice time.

ps. i can't wait to interview the beautiful Windy Days!!

Graniph Designs

i remember going to the Graniph store in Tokyo. i believe it was around Harajuku, just strictly an array of wonderful shirts.  here's a link if you want to buy some T-shirts, and here's a link to some of the featured artists that collaborate with the Graniph!