28/08
お久しぶりです! この前の火曜日に最後の仕事を終え、来週から4週間の学生生活が始まります。移民者向けの就職活動コースに通う事にしました。ちょっとでも履歴書に書けるスキルを増やそうと簿記の勉強も始めてみたり。これからどんな方向に物事が流れて行くのか検討もつかないけれど、仕事を辞めてコースに通うことがリセットボタンとなり新たな気持ちでスタートした感じです。こうして物事は変化していくけれど、一方で永遠不変なモノもある。私にとってそれはシマシマ柄に対する愛です。お気に入りのシマシマ服を着て学生生活に励むとします。
Hello, it’s been a while since my last post! I just finished my last day at work last Tuesday and I am going to start 4 weeks of student life. I’ve decided to take a job hunting course which specially runs for migrants like me. And, I’ve been studying a basic bookkeeping skill as well, which I could put in my resume. I don’t know where things will lead me, but quitting the job and starting the course is like my personal reset button and I have a fresh new feeling. Things are changing like this, but there’s always something that never changes, too. It’s my love for stripes. Wearing my favourite striped tees and being a hard-working student, that’s the spirit.
07/06
雑誌Eight:48が届きました。カバーのイラストから分かるように、私の大好きなテイストが満載です。新聞紙スタイルなところがまた良し。電車で経済新聞とかを小難しげな顔をしながら読んでいる人達に紛れてひとりこんな素敵なデザイン新聞を読んでいる人がいたら面白いな、なんて想像します。中でもmillergoodmanの特集が特に気に入っています。彼らの木製のおもちゃは大人でも欲しくなる作品で、ShapeMakerなんて見た瞬間に恋に落ちたような感覚。こういうデザイン&アート性の高いおもちゃは子供の右脳的感性をすくすくと成長させるんだろうな。
Eight:48 has arrived in the house. There’re many things I like in this magazine, which you can tell from the lovely cover illustration. Their newspaper format makes it more interesting, too. I imagine this funny situation: one person is reading this awesome design newspaper surrounded by people who are reading complicated ones like a financial paper, with complicated looks on the train. The ace article is definitely millergoodman for me. Their wooden toys are fantastic, which attract not only kids but also adults like us. When I first saw their ShapeMaker, I was easily in love with it. I’m sure toys like that which are beautifully designed and have got a great taste of art will improve children’s right brain sense so well.
22/05
ロンドンに住む友人から結婚式の招待状が届きました! なんだか雑誌モノクルに出てきそうなイラストで、とってもかわいい。ネットのカード屋さんで見つけたそうで、びっくりです。誰かデザイナーさんに頼んだのかと思ってました。私のネットカード屋さんのイメージってニュースエージェントに売ってるようなクマちゃんとかバラの花束とか、そういう類いのカードばかりを想像してました(笑)。こういうデザインセンスのあるカードもあるなんて、いい勉強になりました。Aちゃん、結婚式には残念ながら行けないけれど、最高の結婚式をね!!
I got a wedding invitation from a friend in London! I really like it, very nice. The illustration has got some kind of style you see in the magazine, MONOCLE. I was surprised that she had actually found it at an online shop. I thought she had asked some designer. My image of online card shops was more like newsagent ones, smily bears or bunch of roses, you know what they’re like. It’s good to know you can find a card like that on the web, which has a great design sense. I wish I could say “yes” to the invitation, but unfortunately I won’t be able to make it… Dear A, I hope you and J will have a super happy wedding on the day!!
そしてボブ・ディランのチロルチョコ! これは日本のツアーで売られていたそうです。アルバムジャケットをチロルチョコにする所がアイディア上手な日本。まだボブチョコには手をつけておりません。食べるとしたらどこから手をつけようか・・・。60年代、70年代の頃が好きなのでそこは最後までキープしておこうっと。Nさん、美味しいボブさんをアデレードまで届けてくれてありがとう! 大事に食べるからね〜。
And I got those Bob Dylan tirol chocolates (the most popular bite sized chocolate in Japan), which was specially made for his Japan tour. Turning his album covers into chocolate is a very Japanese idea, they’re always good at new ideas. I haven’t touched any Bob choc yet. Which should I start eating…mmm. His 60s and 70s eras are my favourite, so I’ll keep those days till last. Dear N, thank you for sending me them to Adelaide! I’ll enjoy every single Bobs!
26/04
養老孟司先生とその愛猫まるの本です。ネットサーフィン中にこの本を発見し、すぐに実家の父にアデレード発送緊急要請です。まるの愛くるしい巨体っぷりも感動もので、1ページ1ページめくる度に顔がにんまり。養老先生のまるに対する愛情の深さ、１人と１匹の間にたたずむ素晴らしき関係がひしひしと伝わってくる1冊です。共感できるところがたくさんで、やっぱり猫って私にとっていつまでも特別な生き物なんだなあ。
This book is about Prof. Takeshi Yoro & his loved cat called Maru. Straight after I had found about the book on the internet, I sent an urgent request to my dad in Japan to send the book to Adelaide ASAP. You can’t stop loving Maru’s adorable large figure, you just have to smile at every single page. This book tells you how much he loves Maru and the great bond between them. I can relate to their relationship and think about my cat whenever reading it, cats are a special thing for me and always will be.
この2冊が今のところ欲しい本リスト。I Know How To Cookはデザインもとってもステキなお料理本。内容も大充実でブ厚いです。料理を実際作るかは別として(んんっ!?)、１冊のデザイン本として手元に置いておきたい本です。The Selby is in Your Placeは写真家トッド・セルビーが撮ったお宅訪問写真集で、人選もアーティストやデザイナーなど面白い方々ばかり。それぞれの個性が溢れる部屋の数々がこの１冊に濃縮されて見応えたっぷり。さて、どちらから買おうか・・・。
Those 2 books are listed on my wish list at the moment. I Know How To Cook is a well-designed lovely cook book, thick’n’heavy and huge recipes. It’s another subject if I’ll really cook any of them or not (whaat!?), but I still want to keep it as a “design” book. The Selby is in Your Place is a photo book done by photographer, Todd Selby, which he took the homes of interesting people like artists and designers. You can’t miss great styles and unique characters in the book, it’s like 100% pure concentrate creative juice, haha. Well, which should I get first?…mmm.
18/04
マギル・ロードのマーケットの前日に行ったアンティークショップで好みの古いカメラ用木箱を見つけました。相棒Nも私もちょっと気になるものの、その日は買わず。翌日のマーケットで例の木箱が出ていて、２人で”これはやっぱり買うしかない! バスルームに置くのもいいね”、なんて話している間に後ろから３人組のおばさま達が。い、 い、いやな予感。「これ誕生日プレゼントにいいんじゃない?」とその木箱に興味を示し始め数秒後には速攻お買い上げされてしまいました・・・。心の中で叫びましたよ、”だめえええええ”って。でもその念も通じず、すっかり気分も落ち込み(大変)ご機嫌斜めになる私。大人げない(苦笑)。皆さん、お買い上げ考え中の場合は手を商品に添える(ここ重要)などして周りにアピールしておきましょう。でも神様は見方してくれましたよ。その後に行った別のアンティークショップで今度はタイプライターが入っていた木箱を見つけました! サイズもカメラ箱より大きく、ベッドサイドテーブルに使えると思って購入決定。ヨカッタ、よかった。
We found a cool wooden camera box at an antique shop the day before we went to the market on Magill Road. N and I kinda liked it, but didn’t buy it that day. Then, the box was displayed at the market next day and we both thought we should get it and were talking that having it at the bathroom would be a nice idea. While we were discussing, 3 middle-aged ladies came from the back. Yes, somehow I had a bad feeling. One said it would be lovely for someone’s birthday present and the other two also were getting interested in. My guess was right, they bought “our” box in a few seconds! I was shouting in my mind , “Noooooooo!!!!,” but it didn’t work to them. It made me so upset and I was in a bad mood (very), sorry N for me being like that! Hey, that’s a lesson I can give you, while you’re thinking of buying something you like, simply put your hands on it (important part) and show to others that you’re interested in! But, the God was still on our side. This awesome wooden typewriter box had been waiting for us at another antique shop we headed down after the market. Bigger size and better condition than the camera one. The box was perfect for our bedside table and we decided to get it without any hesitation. The typewriter box rocks!
