Whether it's love or my goals of photography, I want to stay open to anything that excites me. My body is getting old, but my heart can be fresh and I can still enjoy getting stimulated. As I overcome hardship in my life one by one, I get calluses on my heart and I don't get perturbed by almost anything. But, at least I want to keep my sensor as sensitive as possible.

Even though I turned 70 years old, I'm glad when I find something as exciting as my first love as if I discover a mysterious region. I want to keep burning these flamboyant goals in my heart because my life will be more fun with such high spirits.

Tempted by the soft and sweet scent of cappuccino, I entered the café and found a bicycler taking a break while looking at a map(?) and a couple talking happily. As soon as they came in sight, I found myself melting into the daily scene and I felt it was a wonderful Sunday afternoon. And, I just couldn't help pressing the shutter. I didn't want to lose the sensor in my heart to feel this emotion and I want my camera's sensor to feel it, too.

Because humans can control their facial expressions regardless of the real state of mind, it's hard to read their mind just from their faces. This is what people call "poker face." Some people can make it, while others can't. But, I feel satisfied when I can capture their faces reflecting their real intention because the picture turns to be so frank, natural, and congenial.

For people who are photographed, it may be unpleasant to be told that they look natural and nice. But, this is purely about photography, so I want them to forgive me. Unless they are wax models, they have hundreds of faces directly linked with their emotions and because of that I want to photography a variety of faces and figures.

After returning from NY and overcoming influenza, I noticed strange lines in the pictures shot with my camera, the M9-P. I ended up sending it to Leica for a repair. I guess it's due to the defect of image sensor and it needs to be replaced with the new CCD image sensor board. I suspect it will take about a week to 10 days.

About 15 years ago, I had my brain opened due to subarachnoidal hematoma and fixed my brain sensor, but why does my tool need to follow my way? My camera is working hard getting some wounds like I am, and it's great that the most important part will be replaced. In the end of this month, I plan to take a long distance trip to the Columbia River in the east, so I want my car being repaired to return as well because it will be hard for my wife's sedan to run for the long distance.

I think everyone has their favorite places. For me, it's this bench. When I sit on it, I can enjoy hearing faint chatting of from the market. Also, I feel relieved because I don't look conspicuous while I'm not overly isolated. I feel great listening to the sound of salty breeze from the bay and spending time slowly. Today, there was an old man with a rich beard and he seemed to have a good time, I decided not to use the bench because I didn't want to disturb him.

No matter how far I walk to take a good picture, it's so hard to find a subject that I learned in the Academy. I try to take it easy to capture anything that signals me by not worrying about how artistic my photos would be. I still should be able to figure out what and how to photograph. I hope this awareness will change my photography.

This time, as my new challenge, I shot people's faces with the 90mm short-telephoto lens on the M8 and with this angle of view, it's almost impossible to frame without looking into the viewfinder. I could preset the focus by guesstimating, it was so hard to frame and shoot without a camera shake. I also shot with the 35mm, I ended up shooting as usual because I could lose the timing if I check the list of essential points in my head.

My brain had become too heavy with information after the workshop, I couldn't find the subject worth being shot (in other words, there was "nothing to shoot."). Then, I remembered what my friend Eiko (whom I owe a great deal in NY) once said. "Even though you shoot with your intuition like normal, what you have gotten from the workshop will emerge on your photography anyways. So, why don't you just select what satisfy your new eyes?" Her words were enlightening enough for me to be back to how I used to be.

When I started golfing, I used to buy many practice books to study how to swing and I got overloaded with knowledge and my score became pathetic. And, I smiled remembering that, in order to be mindless, I gave all the books to my rival just like a Japanese head of the Uesugi clan Kenshin Uesugi sent salt to the enemy, and I started to improve. The rival was so happy to read the books and his swing started to suffer and he could never beat me for few years since then...