One of my shots on EalingToday.co.uk

One of shots that I took at the public meeting for Ealing Arts Centre on 25th Jan was published on Ealing Today.co.uk.
You can read the article on the meeting more from here.

People's power

I went to a public meeting a few days ago to take shots for the next edition of the Neighbors' paper.  Ealing residents have already been trying for 2 years to get the Council to agree to set up an Arts Centre in the underused Ealing town hall. The purpose of the public meeting was to debate this plan between the Ealing residents, the councillors, and the Regeneration Officer. 

The meeting took more than 2 hours and lots of questions, opinions, and queries remained unfinished.   

While taking photos, I really felt the residents' burst of energy.  If people have something that they really want to convey to other people, no matter what kind of words they use, the real feeling will be conveyed to us. 

There are lots of things to be solved, but I can't wait for the day when this proposal becomes real.

What is this baby dreaming about?

Things around us

Do you know Penhaligon's?  I received the above presents a few days ago and didn't know much about this brand before, so I searched for it a bit.  Penhaligon's is an English-born brand established in 1870 by William Henry Penhaligon, a Cornish barber who moved to London and who became court barber and perfumer to Queen Victoria.  They mainly sell perfume, but also body products like those in the above photo.

The interesting point is that the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II) and the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II *in that connection, his wife, Camilla uses the title Duchess of Cornwall) officially admitted using their products as their toilet requisites.  Penhaligon's shopping bag with gold embossing marks shows this prestigious fact.  
In the same way as Penhaligon's, Gilchrist & Soames is also an original UK brand.  The smell of their soap products is really nice and your hands will soften after using them.  It's worth trying them.

By the way, my point today is not about introducing how these brands are wonderful (of course, there is no doubt that these brands are amazing), but rather about how we choose the things around us in our daily life and how we are concerned about them.  I realized to extent our minds and way of living are influenced by things around us.  

Objects from dishes to body soaps, friends, and even jobs around us are what we chose more or less.  Although we can't choose everything, having our obsessions will make our life more enjoyable.  I just want to say that we should be aware of the things around us and be proud of them, as they lead to the fact that we should take care of ourselves.  For example, Gauguin's lifestyle looks too extreme in some ways, but I understand that choosing his truly favorite things is sure to result in his way of living in Tahiti and creating himself.   

お金をかけるかどうかの問題ではない。自分の周りにあるものに拘りをもつこと。全てでなくても1個でも、、そうすると人生がもっと楽しく、濃く、豊かになれるかも、と思う。もしかしたらそれは自分の人生に拘りをもつことに繋がっているのかもしれない、とも。

昔、友人と旅行に行く話をしていて、友達が海外のコスメブランドの話に夢中になっているのを見て、「何でブランドにそんなに興味があるんやろ、もっと面白いことが沢山あるのに。。。」と思っていたけれど、例えば広告に影響されてではなく、もしそのものの価値を理解していて、自分の気に入ったものを毎日身につけていたいという思いからきているのなら何と素敵なんだろう、、と今になって思う。

自分がいいなと思う人、いいなと思うものに囲まれて（若しくは想像しながら）暮らすのはどんなに贅沢なことか、、、自分の周りにいる大切な人、ものを長く、ゆっくり時間をかけて大事にしていくことは、しいては自分を大切にすることに繋がる気がする。自分の人生に少なからず影響するから。一生は一日の積み重なりと考えると、どういう環境で過ごすか、誰と一緒に過ごすかは重要なことのような気がする。ま、あまり深刻にならず、自分の好き、直感を忘れず、大切にしていけたらなぁと思っているだけです。

大空に羽根を広げてゆっくり今いる場所を俯瞰できるような、鳥のような人になりたい。

I like chocolate, but...

I sometimes prefer sweet red-bean soup with rice cake to chocolate.
I feel I'm Japanese in those moments...

What I like about London is...

Music is everywhere in London.  I often come across a lot of types of music from the traditional acoustic guitar to didjeridoo everywhere; on the street, inside the tube, in front of shops etc.  This fact lets us understand that London is a melting pot of not only races but also diverse cultures. 

The following photos were taken when I went out to central London near Oxford Cirsus last Sunday.  When I was walking down the street, suddenly a drum and fife band was coming towards me.   

Even people who were rushing down the street until a few minutes ago, suddenly stopped and started to listen to the music or clap their hands.  I really like this kind of moment that stimulates us and makes us feel relaxed and joyful in our normal daily life.  London makes us feel free.  

This is my new companion from today...

I bought this NIKE 'LUNARGLIDE 2' (which means moon glider... OMG, these shoes make me feel I'm flying on the moon?!) as my new companion when jogging!  I can't wait until tomorrow...