Carrot にんじん

Hi, it's Tony.

どうも、トニーです。

I eat carrots now.

にんじん食べるようになりました。

It's good.

おいしいです。

And the dog checks on me

犬も確認

表情

どうも、トニーです。

Hi, it's Tony.

満足してリラックスです。

Satisfied and relaxed.

快適リビングルーム Comfortable in the living room

どうも、トニーです。

Hi, it's Tony.

リビングで居ることはへっちゃらになりました。

I've become very comfortable being in the living room.

手作りの鈴付きの首輪（ヘアゴム＋小さな鈴、どちらも100円ショップ）をして、チリチリさまよっています。

I wear a hand-made collar with a tiny bell on it (the tiny bell is sewed onto a rubber hair tie, both purchased at the 100-yen store) (*100-yen store such as Daiso is basically like the dollar store in the US.) So I make a tiny jingly sound whenever I'm roaming around the room.

 草ばらまき状態
Messy eating as usual

それをじっと見つめる犬

...And the dog watches

夜、犬がケージに入って寝た後の方が自由に遊びまわれます。。。

I feel more free to explore and run around after the dog goes to sleep in his cage...





リビングに慣れる。 Getting used to the living room.

どうも、トニーです。

Hi, it's Tony.

入ってはいけないエリア以外、柵なしで、リビングで自由に遊んでみました。

 Today I was running around free in the living room. Only the areas that are dangerous to me were caged off.

部屋の中での散歩はだんだん慣れてきました。
I'm getting used to spending time in the living room.

リビングルームデビュー Living Room Debut

どうも、トニーです。
Hi, it's Tony.


今日は初めてリビングでくつろいでみました
Today I spent some time in the living room for the first time.

柵の中とはいえ、動き回れるスペースはいつもより広いです。

リビングには家族の人間と犬と猫がいます。

テレビの音など色んな音がしたりします。

Even though it was within a caged area, there was a lot more space to run around in than usual.

 There are other family members and a dog and a cat in the living room.
Also, there were different sounds I was exposed to, such as noise from the TV.

最初は緊張していましたが、数時間後には慣れていました。

I was nervous at first, but after a few hours I was cozy.

ニンジンやら草やら、こぼしながら食事してます。

I'm a messy eater.

ウンチは無視して下さい。。。

Please excuse the poops... 

Happy Thoughts

I started this blog in the beginning of the year because I needed to do something and I wanted to make positive thinking into something productive. I was struggling with being in the situation I was in at the time, and I was depressed, worried, afraid.

Cute things somehow relieve stress. Materialism can help relieve stress. Being shallow works for some people to balance out deeper, heavier thoughts. That's why I was planning on filling this blog with cuteness, which is a silly thing but is uplifting. Also, awesome design is something that gives me a rush, especially coming from an art and design background, so I wanted to include that to an extent where I wasnt reminded of stress that is related to my career confusion but just enough for delight.

Life is difficult.

I was born in very fortunate circumstances but things haven't always been smooth for me.

I've seen other people's situations and lives.

Some people look like they have happier,  smoother lives. And some have rougher lives.

I haven't figured out life, but there are things I've seen, experienced, learned, drawn my own conclusions. And I believe that knowledge should be shared, especially knowledge from experience is extremely valuable. I also know that a lot of times, even when we are warned beforehand, we don't truly know until we experience it ourselves. Yet still, I think it's better to have some source of knowledge or inspiration when it comes to trying to get through life.

So I hope to write on this blog. I hope that it helps someone out there somehow. Free opinion available here, and someone who finds it useful can take it.

Ogami Stone Paper Notebook

So today I found this pretty notebook which the paper is made from stone, by Ogami.

When I arrived at the huge stationary floor, I was overwhelmed and I didn't know where I was going to start looking. But the first thing that caught my attention were there notebooks on a shelf at my eye level, and I ended up being interested enough to stay in that spot and purchase it. I didn't even bother to look at other options in the notebook section.

It's kind of ridiculous. This size cost over 700 yen. (There is a smaller one which is about 4xx yen.) I wouldn't have bought it if I didn't have an excuse to be buying a notebook (which I happened to have today, and also an extra excuse to buy an extra nice one.) However, over the years I've learned that being picky about what kind of notebook you use is very important in terms of how motivated you will be to fill it up. And sometimes, pricey notebooks can be really motivational.

I think the same goes with any stationary or other items in your everyday life. Some items just give you a little boost when you pull it out to use it. It can make you feel posh. And you know, this blog is validates these small boosts.

Anyway, it's STONE PAPER. It should cost more. The paper is very silky, and it's supposed to be more durable and water-resistant than regular paper. The feel of the paper really makes you think of stone—for me it reminds me of the smooth stones you use for lithograph printing. The smell of the paper is a smell I've smelt before.

Now I'm wondering: if it's stone paper, is it saving trees, and is therefore an eco-product...?

The binding is just a simple, white-on-white saddle stitch. Beautiful.

When I open it up very preciously, I find more details about this notebook.

The inside covers are patterned, and the first page has this kind of format.

The back cover was what I completely missed when looking at the sample in the store. It has a folder type of function where you can slip stuff in, which is a great bonus.

The inside paper is lined like this.

These photos don't communicate the feel of the paper and the overall notebook at all. If your'e interested, I hope you actually encounter this notebook in person.