I wish I had a Hasselblad, if I had a lot of time and money I would buy one. These were some random shots taken with a digital camera through the viewfinder of a Hasselblad.

I found out a couple of years back that people are making pocket shrines, but I wasn’t quite sure of what it was. I did a quick google search, and I found all of these whimsical, glittery shrines small enough to fit in your pocket, so I made quite a few of them myself as well. As with most other things I make, I thought they were more fun to make and not so fun to keep around after I was done.

A couple of years ago I decided to use a different kind of portfolio for a while, so I got a first aid box, and I mounted all the prints on foam board, and had them as little charts inside the box. I was pretty happy with the result, but I think that if I am going to make a new portfolio again, I want to try a different idea. I thought about making my next portfolio like a family photo album or a cabinet of curiosities, but it is a hard line between making something just because it is fun and it is a hobby, and making something you can show clients and employers. If you have seen any creative portfolios around, I would love to see them. I am not planning on making a new one any time soon, but I really want to stock up on ideas for later.

Things have been quiet here on the blog for the past two days, what can I say, real life caught up with me, and I got sick. I am still feeling a bit under the weather, and I am sort of picturing all of these little monsters floating around in my bloodstream and in my head.

I took these pictures a couple of years ago, not knowing exactly what it was that I took pictures of. I just found out today! These little statues have to do with Jizō. Jizō is guardian of the souls of stillborn, miscarried or aborted fetuses, in the ritual of mizuko kuyō.

“In Japanese mythology, it is said that the souls of children who die before their parents are unable to cross the mythical Sanzu River on their way to the afterlife because they have not had the chance to accumulate enough good deeds and because they have made the parents suffer. It is believed that Jizō saves these souls from having to pile stones eternally on the bank of the river as penance, by hiding them from demons in his robe, and letting them hear mantras.” (From wikipedia)

I am wandering around in this country everyday, and I see so many things which I do not understand, only to much later find out what it was I actually saw and therefore rediscover and rethink it. It’s like I am experiencing the same things several times, but with different layers of meaning each time. (In many ways, this is not such a bad thing, to first be able to just see something for the pure visual beauty, and later learn what it means.) I find it strange to walk around in a country, and in many ways be part of it, eat the food, talk to the people, take the train… and yet I am so incredibly on the side of it all. I feel very at home in Japan, but I still think I will always feel like I am observing all of this from the outside, looking in.

Good lord, the days of disconnect continue. I feel so emotional and yet so numb, and all I want is quiet time to snuggle up in the bed or in front of the computer, and have my mind zone out and just be in the moment and watch silly TV-series without thinking about tomorrow. (So that is what I have done for several hours tonight.)

Now, this sounded a lot more mellow in my head than on the screen. The truth of the matter is – I am doing perfectly fine. I have had a great weekend, good friends, many drinks, nice food, karaoke and sushi and junk food, lots of hugs and many smiling faces and everything else a girl can wish for. Now I just need to drag myself back to reality and have my brain connect in, preferably before the keigo class tomorrow.

Life is beautiful, it is just going a little bit fast right now, and I want to stop and smell the mikans without being late for class. Because look! There are mikans on the trees here! Isn’t that amazing?

I made a couple of sketches during one month last summer because I just wanted to get into drawing a little bit again. I feel like the theme song of my life is “not enough time, too many things I want to do”, so I decided to make some time. It actually worked out fine for about a month, before life caught up with me and I had other and better things to do. But here are some of the sketches from last summer. It would be neat to do some similar projects, to take the time out of the day to do something you want to get better at, if only for a week or so.