activity log: 20250601 - tranquil garden
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Atmospheric Conditions
- Bright and summery in the morning, clouds and a bit of rain in the afternoon
- Good day for being outside
- Temperature: 15 to 24 degrees
- Humidity: 54%
Activities
- Went to the Hamarikyu gardens for the first time
- Had a Japanese sweet and some matcha at the teahouse
- Tried out the new Kuretake granulating colors, just some big swatches on leftover paper
- Watched some Nightreign streams in the evening
Thoughts
Another garden down
Hamarikyu was a lot nicer than I expected. Until now, I had always put it off because it doesn't look that great on photos online. But the place is huge, and I really liked the landscaping, especially the pond area on the eastern side that's shaped like a winding river. Just sitting there and watching the scenery was so relaxing. I want to get an annual pass for one of these gardens, they're super cheap and if you go 4-5 times a year they're already worth it. It could be interesting to see the same garden in different seasons.
New colors, new possibilities
The new granulating colors from Kuretake don't dissapoint. The granulation effect is pretty strong, especially on non-absorbent paper. I like all of them, although I'm probably going to use the purple-leaning ones less than the other three. Now I just have to think of a good way to use them. I think I want to do something shapey, geometrical or design-y - so that I can fill one big, flat surface with the granulation color and make the effect stand out.
Nightreign looks ... OK?
I've been watching some Elden Ring Nightreign streams. The game looks like it's fun, and the new bosses are cool, but it seems to be very gameplay-focused, with almost no lore or worldbuilding tidbits. I'm probably not going to obsess over it as much as I did over the base game or last year's DLC.
Listening to
- Bill Seaman - f (noir) (genres: electroacoustic, experimental)
- ✷ Michael Cutting - Luft (genres: electroacoustic, ambient)
- Mamalarky - Hex Key (genres: indie pop/rock, psych pop)
(Albums marked with ✷ are ones that I especially enjoyed)
Reading
- 色彩のヒント (Hints on Color) - Hiroshi Kashiwagi
- 窓の魚 (The Fish in the Window) - Kanako Nishi
Photo documentation
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