月別アーカイブ: 2018年7月

A baby in the house

Just last week on Sunday I visited Oakhouse Kichijoji 2 with my wife and baby. It was the very first time that my ex housemates see my baby. Both my wife and I wanted to bring the baby to the house for a long time but I heard a baby and mother usually stay at home for at least a month, sometimes even a couple of months, after the birthday. We followed this custom? To stay indoors. There seem to be no scientific reasoning to this practice though.
Anyway, this is how it went.

babyhouse1

Then we were hanging out with the baby for a while. All my ex-housemates must’ve felt weird to see a baby in the house but they were very welcoming. Everyone got to hold my baby once that day!
I was kind of imagining maybe one day my daughter moves into this share house. There will be while different people living in the house but it’d be such a great experience to spend some time in your life in a community like this.
People who live in this share house is so diverse. I wish I could live here as a high school student or something. That would have been impacted me and my life a lot.

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On the same day, there was a BBQ going on and a couple of people who don’t live in Kichijoji was there too. It is always nice to see some people outside the house.
I always see some new people when I visit the house and that is what makes Kichijoji 2 different from other houses.

baby2
Grilling at the backyard

When we do a BBQ like this, there’s always someone who try to marinate things. This time we tried something different. We ordered some meat online and shared the cost. One of us found this BBQ marinated meat on Rakuten and this was really really good.

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It was such a hot humid day. The alcohol disappeared so quickly!
This BBQ is becoming like a weekly thing now. I don’t think I can join every week but it’s such a good way to spend a weekend. I’ll definitely come back here again.

石垣に行ってました、そして黒島へ

黒島は2回目です。

去年初めて行った時、なんかよくわかんないけど、

いいとこだったなぁ〜と思ってました。

 

 

西の浜3

 

 

ただ、

飽きるじゃろ!!

とも思ってました、ほんとになんにもないんだもん。

 

それが、先日2回目訪れたら、あらまぁ。

なんかもう、すごく好き。

なんにもないにもほどがあることをさらに体感しまして。

ぶんぶん手を振っても、ジャンプしても、牛しか見てない。

しかも遠目。

 

 

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0243.JPG

 

さらに目の当たりにしまして。

 

黒島東海岸2

黒島東海岸

 

なんにもないにもほどがあるでしょ。

道すらない、木すらない、起伏すらない!!!

最高標高15mって!! 冗談かな w w w

そして、こんな色の海に初めて包まれて……

 

黒島古桟橋

 

うきうきですわ。w

 

西の浜2

 

どんどん好きになる不思議な島、また行こうっと。

 

 

Testing EPSON home projector

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Just last week I got EPSON home projector in Tachikawa Garden Town. There’s a rental program on EPSON’s official website. This program is for those people who are considering to purchase their projector but eager to test it for a few days. Even though there are so many affordable projectors on Amazon nowadays, buying home projector, especially the one with high resolution, is a big expense. This rental program is only for 5 days but it was just enough to see how it is.

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The projector I tested “Dreamio EH-TW5650”

This is actually something I wanted to try for a long time but I wasn’t too sure if fits well in my apartment. Although the Oak Apartment “Tachikawa Garden Town” is big enough to project something as big as 100 inches on the wall, I still wanted to test if there’s a right space for the projector itself.

Buying TV set was something I wasn’t sure

Ever since I moved in Tachikawa Garden Town in March, I’ve been thinking about what to buy for the apartment. Even though I don’t know how long I’m going to stay here, this is going to be a place where I raise my first kid (for at least a few years). I wanted to make this place as comfortable as possible. However, buying TV set was always something I wasn’t sure. Firstly, it costs. Big TVs like 40-50 inches are very affordable nowadays. My little brother got 50 inches 4K display for 80,000 yen. This is something unbelievable 5 years ago. Still, it’s a big expense and to be honest, I don’t think I cared so much about 4K display.
Then I came up with this idea of installing home projector instead of buying TV sets. These are the reasons why I think this is a good idea.

Saving space

Even if I live in an apartment twice as big as Tachikawa Gardentown I would still hesitate to buy TV sets just because I’d be putting extra stuff in the room. I like the idea of minimalism. Owning less stuff is actually about gaining more. Besides, owning a big TV set means owning a big TV board too. Setting up a projector, on the other hand, does not require any instrument on the wall side. Some people choose to buy white screens for a projector but I knew I don’t need one because the wall in Tachikawa Gardentown is so white that it actually works as a screen.

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The white wall of Tachikawa Garden Town

Even bigger screen than TVs

I usually don’t watch TV programs at all but I like watching movies. I even have an annual membership that I pay a couple of thousand yen a year for watching discounted movies at a local movie theater. I know now is an era of Netflix and other streaming services but watching good movies on a big screen is something fundamentally different from watching movie on a smartphone. Good movies deserve to be seen on a big screen.

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This is as big as 120-inch. Much bigger than the most expensive TVs in the market.

Great thing about home projector is that the size of the screen can be adjusted. As long as you have a white wall and some distance from the wall, even making it 120-inch screen is doable. 120-inch TV does not exist. Even if there is it’d be very expensive. I thought home projector is actually cost effective if I want to watch something on a big screen.

It is as beautiful as high definition TVs

As far as I remember, projectors were not really built for beautiful movie scenes. It is for business where someone needs to show something to a large number of people at once. In a business situation, image quality does not matter much. This was the impression of a projector until I knew about projectors for home use. I did not know there are such things exist in the first place.

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This is how I installed the projector. In Tachikawa Garden Town, there’s a small storage space above the sofa space which is perfect for installing a projector.

I tested EPSON’s mid-range home projector “Dreamio EH-TW5650” and the quality of the image literally blew me away. The projection was so clear and beautiful that I instantly thought I don’t need TV if I have this little machine. If you have the same impression toward projectors like me, I strongly recommend to try one for yourself.

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A high quality projector is actually futuristic

This is the editor side of me talking. Projecting something on the house wall is a futuristic design. I really think the high quality projectors can replace TVs in the near future. For now, buying TV for a living room is so natural that no one even thinks about buying a projector in the first place. I bet these time will change. In some cool museums, there are projectors with Microsoft Kinect to make their displays interactive. I think this is how future home will look like combined with Amazon Echo or something.

For those who are interested in testing projectors at home, here’s the link. It’s all in Japanese but you can basically rent a high quality projector for 5 days for 3,000 yen.

Epson rental projectors
https://www.epson.jp/products/dreamio2/rental/

The house I tested: Tachikawa Garden Town

石垣島に行ってました、鳩間島にもお出かけしたよ。

ただいまー、ちょっと前。

そしてしばらくお家圏内のお宿にいます。なんでだ。笑

石垣島、相変わらず美しく美しく、楽しくって弾けて。

あの陽気な世界をチラと思い返すだけで、

ワクワクしてドキドキして眠気が覚めます(さっきまで眠かった)。

今回は、新しい撮影にも挑みました。

海に入って撮ってたんです、楽しかった!! 

まぁ訳ありですけどね。ちょっとおいしいのでまた改めて書く算段です。

今回、石垣からおでかけしたさらなる離島は、黒島と鳩間島。

そうそう離島ターミナルから船乗るときは150%「マリヤシェイク」を飲みます。

どんなに時間なくても駆け込んで逃しません!!

牛乳味がまっすぐに広がるおかあさん風味シェイクです!

とまこマリヤシェイク

プレーンにいろんなソーストッピング無料でできるんだけど、

今ならグアバソースが期間限定でありますよ、七人本舗へすぐさまどうぞ!

ここでしか売ってないんですよ~。

ちなみに、石垣で古くから愛される「マリヤ乳業」のマリヤ牛乳は、

初めて飲んだ時牛乳味のストレートさにびっくりハマりました。

そのまんまの味です、シェイクも。

★溺愛のマリヤシェイクは女子旅メディア『旅色プラス』さんの連載でもご覧くださいませ。
  「インパクト抜群で、美味しい、安すぎ!ハッピーしかない石垣B級グルメ」

はじめての鳩間島は、青すぎました。

青って概念はこの島から生まれたんじゃないかって思っちゃう。

IMG_4777

比べても仕方ないけど、過去1番青いかも!

ってドキドキしてて、しばらくして、あれほんと? ってなりました。

ここは確かに放心の海、だけど他の島もキレイでしょ。

 (八重山宮古が世界でトップクラスの海と思ってます)

鳩間島

思い返し考えて、なるほどでした。

鳩間島がにいて目にする8割がた海だからかな、どうでしょう。

鳩間島2

むっちゃ小さいんです、面積1㎢未満、人口39人、

集落もアスファルトも一瞬で終わります。

あの小さな竹富島ですら、ありゃ大きかったなと印象が修正されるほど。

鳩間島3

なのでどこにいても、超絶きれいな海の気配が感じられて……

あぁぁぁ心地いい(*´°`*)

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島の北側はなーんにもない大海原。

ガタンゴトンのリーフにちょこんと乗っかって

あっちの大きくて深くて高くて……野太すぎる西表島を眺めてる。

DJI_0152

西側は西表島が1番近くて、穏やかなリーフに囲まれてなんなら泳いで行けちゃいそう。

来る前はこんな小さな島になんで集落?と思ってたけど

長い歴史の中でずっと、西表島とつながりを感じて安心して生活してきたんだろうな。

IMG_4199

南側には集落が。明るくって弾けてて、学校があって、御嶽があって、

住人さんがオープンマインドで! しあわせな時の積み重ねをドカンと知りました。

青い青い鳩間島、本当にこれてよかったです。

八重山の枠を超えて、新しさを見た気がしました。

オークカフェ

前マネージャーの平田さんは、昔カフェの店員さん。
平田さんが「オークカフェ」なる店を開いてくださることに。
住民同士のコミュニケーションが取れるし、うれしーっす♪

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平田マネージャーのハートフルなコーヒー。

シェアメイトとボードゲームしながら、いただきました。
おいしーっす。

シェアメイトが作ってた・・・
なんて言うんだっけ?これ。
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スタバとか、イタリアとかで、食べた記憶だけど、
これが人生で一番おいしかった。
なので、御代わり。

食べると、口の中がかわくタイプのお菓子なので、
またまたコーヒーも御代わり。

うちはキッチンのとこにもダイニングテーブルあり。
ここで作ったり、オーダー待ったり、飲食したりしてた。
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楽しかったし、おいしかったので、
また、開催してほしーーーっす♪

Pizza hack in Tokyo

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Every once in a while, pizza becomes something that everyone wants. I’ve been there and I know you’ve been there too.
A random pizza party took place in Oakhouse Kichijoji 2 last week and I went there with some friends. I don’t know if I should call it a party. Nothing is really planned or organized. A casual hang out might be a better word for this.
Someone just writes down a note on a white board saying “Pizza on Friday night, 8pm?”, then people start writing down their names.
Things never starts on time. Some people start showing up around 8:30pm just because they are hungry. “Where’s the pizza? “ would be the message you see on a group LINE. Kichijoji 2 has a common LINE group where most of its residents share. and finally, some of us who really really want pizza head out to the nearby Domino’s.

スクリーンショット 2018-07-23 0.06.43

You might think those who go out for everyone to buy pizza are nice. That’s not entirely true. It is actually more fun to join the hunting party than waiting with a hungry stomach.

Pizza is expensive in Tokyo


This kind of pizza hangout can happen anytime but usually it doesn’t. Why? Because pizza is an expensive food in Tokyo. Domino pizza and other pizza delivery brands are widely available in Tokyo too. but somehow it’s not something you can eat every week. Not because these pizza are unhealthy but because it’s a luxury.

スクリーンショット 2018-07-22 23.02.22

The image above is a screenshot of Domino pizza’s website. M size is 23cm, L size is 33cm. If you were familiar with the cheap pizza in the States, this pricing would probably be hard to believe. M size pizza isn’t even enough for two guys. 4000 yen pizza has to be as big as a table.

Pizza in Tokyo is probably one of the best in the world


Let’s forget about Domino Pizza for now.
Tokyo is actually known to be one of the best country for pizza. Several of my Italian friends confirm that there are many good pizza in Tokyo. I’ve been to Italy and tried many good pizza. I would still say I liked the ones in Italy better, with respect. I totally agree with what they say about pizzeria in Tokyo.
These are the 5 of the best pizzeria I know in Tokyo.
—————————————————————
L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele (Ebisu)

MASSIMOTTAVIO (Eifuku-cho)

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A full size margarita in MASSIMOTTAVIO. Extremely juicy.

La Piccola Tavola (Eifuku-cho)

Seirinkan (Nakameguro)

PST -Pizza Studio Tamaki- (Akabane-bashi)

—————————————————————
How much do you think these high quality pizza served in a restaurant cost?
1,500 to 2,500 yen for a large size.
You’re not the only one who think something is wrong here.

Pizza hack

I know you can’t always go to the pizzeria, far away from your house. That is why delivery pizza exists. When you do order, though, make sure to check the point below. so you might be actually save some money.

Domino pizza gives you better coupon on their English site


Domino pizza often have better special offer on their English site than their Japanese site. This is some kind of a reverse-discrimination for Japanese people. but this is something you should be aware of.

スクリーンショット 2018-07-22 23.52.16

Place an order at the counter


Pizza delivery station is always hidden in the residential district. So, it’s highly likely that there’s one around your neighborhood. If you find one, try to order at the counter instead of ordering online. They usually give you some discount for the self-pickup. Also, you wouldn’t have to wait more than 15 mins.

Get the plain pizza


Toppings are always overpriced. Getting plain pizza and adding topping by yourself is worth doing it for the value.

スクリーンショット 2018-07-22 23.59.32

L size pizza without toppings are 1700 yen. This can feed 4 people. Just grill a bacon or some veggies you got from a supermarket or conbini. This way you get to minimize the cost of overpriced delivery pizza in Tokyo.
Enjoy your pizza!

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平田マネ追いコン

ソーシャルレジデンス蒲田は、260部屋の日本最大シェアハウス。
そのマネージャーを16か月間してくださった平田さんが異動に。
みんなでパーティーをすることに。

僕もチラシ作りと貼ったりハガしたりを担当。
全画面キャプチャ 20180624 40438-002

いざ当日。
我らがSR蒲田のリード役な方々。
前の黒いユニフォームが今回の主催のふたり。
そして、左の方が、のちほどお見せする3段ケーキを制作。
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1品持ちよりシステムにしたので、準備ですら、わちゃわちゃな混み具合
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よーやく、乾杯♪
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新旧マネージャーの交代式。
はじめての共同作業www
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お約束の・・・って、めっさおいしーケーキがw
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集合写真。誰か嫌がる人もいるとのことで、ちょっとモザイクしてみた。
下の「ひ」「ら」「た」はお好み焼きのマヨで字っす。
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平田マネージャー、おつかれさまでした。
そして、ありがとーございました。

石垣にいます。初めての直撃台風は闇ユンタク

台風8号が去り、電気が戻って来ました。

「はやっっっ!」

心からびっくりして言ったら

「14時間の停電で、はやって感覚w    関東だったら大騒ぎですね」

と言われてハッ。確かに!

かの有名な島時間、えせ島人にも着々と根付いているようですwww

さっき家の前の浜に行ってみました。

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台風直前には緑いっぱいだった浜が、 砂で埋もれてました。

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木は折れまくってたけど、

お隣のヤギもいつも通り無関心な顔してるし

ヤドカリはいっぱい歩いてたし、

すぎてしまうとあっという間ですね~。

IMG_4248

そう、ほんと、台風直前おとといの夕焼けどきはビビって涙ぐんでましたよ。w

それまでは、へー来るのかーって感じでしたけど

友達が気をつけてってLINEくれたから、なんとなく情報見てみたら

石垣の最大瞬間風速がよくわかんないことに。

最大瞬間風速70m???

何いってんだこいつ。よくわかんなくて、もうちょっと検索してみたら

風速70mの力だと、屋根が吹っ飛ぶそうです。


メアリーポピンズ!!!!!!

急に怖くなって、半泣きでカッパや水をバックパックに詰めて

大切なデータはそっちのもここに入れてこうして包んで運ぼうねとか

詳細に提案するのをあたたかく見守ってもらってましたw

で、籠城準備としてたくさんの食料や水なんかも買ってきてもらってたんだけど

元気でない時のビールやチョコが足りない気がして

一番近くのお店、10km先の狩俣商店までキリリと出かけましたよ。

台風前の夕焼け700P7092588
台風前700P7092594
道中ステキだったなぁ……

かわいいんだここのおばあ、大好き。

いつものように高くて丸くて小さい声で

「泳いできたの?」

て言われたら、大丈夫な気がしてきたものです(*´ω`)

その日も泳いでなかったよ♡

台風の前700P7092610
台風前日のゆうやけ700P7092634
帰りもブラボーでした

まぁそんなわけで恐れおののいてたし、

実際すっっっっっごい地響き怒号、風圧で玄関開かないわ

もーーハリウッド映画か!!!!

と突っ込みたくなる瞬間も多かったし

一番荒れてる時間は停電もして真っ暗だったけどね。

その頃からユンタクはじめたら超楽しくっていつの間にやらご機嫌で眠って

気づいてたら美しい朝が来ていたというわけです。

そうそう、きのうは東京に帰れなくなった竹富にいたお友だちが来てたんですよ~。

こういう時こそユンタクですなっっ。

電気もないから仕事もでないし、罪悪感オールゼロのすばらしすぎるユンタク。

半分以上南の島にいる生活を初めて1年以上たちましたが、台風籠城は初めてでした。

ムッチャらしい風物詩を体感することで

島感覚の大切な部分を、少~しばっかり知ることができたかもしれません。

さーーてと、今回の石垣滞在も折り返し地点。

有意義な日々にしましょっと♫

AbemaTV出演

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昨日、スピードワゴンさんのAbemaTVの番組に出させてもらいました。
あと、6日間だけ、無料で視聴可能です。

1か月前に、「ボードゲーム対決にゲスト出演」な依頼を頂いたんす。
以前も、ニコニコ動画さん企画で「人狼強い人対決」に出させてもらった。

とはいっても・・・
僕はゲームが平均よりは強くとも、ルール聞いてすぐ勝てるとかな、神レベルじゃなし。
そのとき昔に住んでいたソーシャルレジデンス蒲田(出戻りで今も住んでる)に、
ソーシャルアプリという部活動みたいなひとつで
【人狼部】(人狼⇒超人気のカードゲーム)があり。

さっそく、元シェアメイトに連絡とり、徹夜で人狼をプレイした。
そのカイあって、イベントでの僕の役割も大成功で盛り上げれた。

今回はたまたま、出戻った260人の巨大シェアハウス
【ソーシャルレジデンス蒲田】に住んでる。
https://www.oakhouse.jp/house/465

みんなフレンドリーだし、ボードゲームのお誘いをすると、のってくださる。
お誘いいただくことも多い。
そして、週に数回プレイ♪

さぁ、スピードワゴンさんと各界の達人と、僕の決戦結果は・・・
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6日間なら、無料のこちらで。
https://abema.tv/channels/abema-special/slots/CmjeiY8y6G2yG3

Backyard BBQ with some new housemates

Later last month in June, I was invited to one of the BBQ parties in Oakhouse Kichijoji 2. Kichijoji 2 has such a good space for BBQ. The backyard is actually big to fit a few dozens of people.

This photo was taken last year at BBQ. I just wanted to show the size of the backyard. This photo is only showing half of the space Oakhouse Kichijoji 2. The ground is covered with some artificial lawn so you can step on it with slippers.

BBQ in Tokyo is not about finding a spot it’s about finding a service provider

Just like other mega-cities in the world, Tokyo is a BBQ-unfriendly city. Where do you think is the best spot for BBQ? maybe in the park? somewhere along a river? at a beach? I used to do some research on this. There’s basically no spot (excluding your own land) where you can BBQ without any kind of permission from the local government. I was shocked to find this out. BBQ is not something you can do as long as you find a place you like. It is a “service” provided by certain people or companies. I thought I can BBQ at any beach as long as I don’t burn things around but I was wrong. So, to do BBQ officially and legally, you need to find a service provider. It’s not about finding a spot.

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Where to find BBQ spots

So, where should we look? Parks are one of the many places you can find BBQ areas. There are many parks in Tokyo from big ones to small ones but not many parks provide this kind of service. For example, Inokashira park is a good park in Kichijoji but they don’t offer BBQ spot. Showa Kinen park in Tachikawa provides BBQ spot. Most parks do not allow people to BBQ. The thing is that these places get very crowded in summer because there are not so many parks like this.
Private BBQ services
National parks are not the only spot you can BBQ in Tokyo. There are many private BBQ places where you pay for the entrance and maybe for the food they serve too.

QuOLA (Musashi-sakai)
http://quola-bbq.com/

Wild Magic (Toyosu)
https://wildmagic.jp/

These services are great. Most of the times you do not need to bring anything. They have all the equipment you need and they clean up after you leave the place. Sometimes they even have nomihodai option too. I guess this is especially great when your time is limited and you want to make the most of your time but… I personally like Kichijoji 2 style BBQ better.

How BBQ in Oakhouse Kichijoji 2 looks like

Unlike the commercialized BBQ programs, our BBQ in Kichioji 2 is much more chaotic. We have to do everything from scratch. Often times, BBQ grills are equipped with the house or the manager buys one for the house if you ask nicely. charcoal is another story. Someone has to go to Donki to get one for everyone. maybe a new grill is needed. Who’s gonna pay for it? Are we splitting it up? What about food? There are many questions to ask and to be answered. You have to figure things out with your housemates.
I totally understand if think this sounds troublesome. Through this troublesome process, though, you get to know your housemates very well. Also the process is actually fun. Let me tell you an example.
At the Oakhouse BBQ on the other day, we had trouble starting a fire. We were trying many things and were doing it for almost an hour. One of the things we did was to use the stove to fire the charcoal.

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This was our last resort. It was so funny we did this though.

The best BBQ is the one you do in the backyard

At last, we managed to start a fire and grill some food. Ahmed actually marinated chickens with his secret Egyptian spices. He was waiting for this moment…. to start grilling.

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This was the best chicken I had in my life. I have to steal his spices.
The BBQ we do here is about sharing food. That’s why no one charges you for anything. Knowing that, people bring some good stuff.

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This wine on the left is the one that Maud. She is French. It wasn’t surprising that everyone at the BBQ thought it was a good one. Yui even brought a hand-made green tea cake. It was really really good.
What I like about this backyard BBQ is that this entire occasion is filled with good intentions. If you ever want to join us, let me know (send a message to my email below). Anyone is welcome to join us.