PageFlip Firefly Bluetooth Page Turner Pedal

Just got myself a Bluetooth page turner!! 😆😆😆

If you step on these pedals, you can turn the pages forward and back, so it's great when you have to read music while you are playing. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!! So far, it's working beautifully on every app that I want to use this page turner with. I got another weapon. Well, I don't really need to deploy this arsenal till this weekend so I am reading a Japanese novel with it. Well, to read a book, it's much easier and quicker to slide or just tap the screen with a finger, but that's not the point today! I'll step on to the pedals, and I'm gonna enjoy every time the page turns and laugh like a winner!

Apple Pencil!

I was at an Apple Store today. I got an Apple Pencil! 😆 I’ve read reviews on several web sites and it looks like Apple Pencil is the best stylus on the market right now. As the reputation, the response time of Apple pencil is quite good and it is really easy to use. I love that I can write something on the music files in PDF. Another big reason why I wanted this stylus is that, when I brainstorm for composing or arranging or just anything, the best ideas always come out when I physically write it down with pen and paper. I am hoping I’ll replace pen and paper with iPad and Apple Pencil.

Well, the down side is of course the not-struggling-musicians-friendly price tag which Apple is infamous for. Before I started using this 100-bucks Apple Pencil, I told this stylus “hey, I forbid you to break down for next 300 years or so.”

Well, it’s really useful so I'm okay with the price. I’ll use it day & night till it gets completely worn away.

iPad as the second display!!

I just downloaded an iPad app and got myself a second monitor! This is so useful! I should have had iPad long time ago if I knew I could do this.

I can be a really nerdy guy. I am going to download more apps and I am going to take full advantage of iPad!

International String Trio @ Framingham Public Library

International String Trio played a free concert at the library just outside of Boston. It’s been a long time since we performed in our home town!

The sponsor of the concert yesterday was the famous ice cream maker, Ben & Jerry, so there were free ice cream afterwards! I think ice cream is the most delicious thing on Earth in summer! 😆😆😆👍👍👍

Concert in Weston, Vermont!

We played in beautiful Vermont.

We were in White Mountains National Forests in New Hampshire last week and this time we were in Green Mountains National Forests in Vermont. We lucked out to visit such beautiful places two weeks in a row.

We are invited by the music organization of this place every year and play at the church on the hill, and the name of the church really is The Church on the Hill. We had a full house as always. People are good, the views are good, food was good. The whole thing was so perfect.

Gypsy jazz on the beach!

We rocked out on Gypsy jazz right by a nice yacht harbor yesterday.

Living in musician's life is sometimes like a rollercoaster movie, adrenaline surging in my blood, today-is-good-day-to-die kind of adventure, but also we sometimes go to a nice little harbor town like this and just chill and play. It was that kind of a gig. 😄😄😄👍👍👍

Band practice in a garage!

Rehearsing in a garage! I haven't played in one of them for a while! Brings me back good memories when I was in high school!! 😆😆😆👍👍👍

.....and pizzas after the band practice! This is so my high school years! If we go to shoot pool after this, that would be perfect.

Rings Fountain at Wharf District Park!

Found the fountain surrounded with the sculptures of Chinese zodiac characters! I was born in the year of the ox!! What does it mean? I have no idea....

Pizza in Boston!

Pizza hang with my old friend / great guitar player, Ben Sher! We went to this famous pizza place in Boston, Regina Pizzeria. Pizza was killing!! I eat, therefore I am!

Great to hang and catch up with you, Ben!

iPad Mount!

I performed at a windy place in mountains on the other day.

When musicians have to read music in windy places, what we do is quite primitive; just put bunch of clothespins on music and a music stand. Unfortunately, even if we do that, sometimes the wind is just too strong and a sudden blow of a gust takes everything away from the music stand. I think every musician experiences this one way or another. I cannot even describe how I feel when it happens. “Feeling down” is too weak. I see the empty music stand with empty heart and think something like “my life is over,” and the cold wind sadly blows behind me.

This is another reason why I so wanted to put all the music on iPad and read from it. I brought it to the gig to try out in the real battlefield. Of course the major blander I made was that I forgot to put clothespins on my iPad and the music stand, and the wind was shaking my iPad while we were playing. Every time the iPad flapped in the wind even a little bit, I was screaming in my heart, “OH MY 700 BUCKS!” — I’m cheap. Anyway the first thing I did as soon as I came back to Boston was to order this sturdiest bulkiest looking iPad mount. I learnt the lesson. Now I have the right equipment for a professional musician!

Omni Mount Washington Resort!

I came back to Boston around 2 in the morning. I went to White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire today, and that was quite far away. It was deep inside of mountains, deep inside of forest. I was not sure if I could return home safely without getting lost but I laid a trail of bread crumbs on the way, so I just followed it back home. Phew, that was close. 😆😆😆

I played in Mt. Washington today. I have traveled and seen so many beautiful places, and the view from Mt. Washington is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen on earth. Too bad it was a bit cloudy today…

iPad Pro 9.7-inch Model!

Ladies & Gents, it’s iPad Pro!! It took me six years to get one since the first generation iPad came out on the market in 2010. For the last six years, I had been thinking of getting one but I couldn’t really bring myself to actually buy one. I think I did need an iPad in several occasions especially when I was on the road all the time till last year, then I asked myself if it was absolutely necessary to have one. The answer was always “not really.” It is not cheap either. My aunt gave me a Sony Android tablet a few years ago. It is not a bad tablet at all but the connection between those Android tablets and my Apple MacBook is just horrible. I have been in need of carrying around the big folder of music nowadays so I finally made my mind to get it. I wanted the big 12.9-inch iPad Pro but couldn’t justify the 1000-buck price tag for what I use, so I got 700-buck 9.7-inch one.

It’s great. The connection between MacBook and iPad is of course so really smooth. I have transferred about 2000 music to my iPad already. I am so going to use it on tomorrow’s gig.

Oh boy, do I feel good or what. I’m gonna totally enjoy my iPad!

Passport!

I renewed my Japanese passport! It’s good through 2026. Yay!

Well, when I went to a great Indian curry shop or the incredible Italian restaurant which serves killing lasagna, I thought “Gee, maybe I made a mistake which country I should have been born in,” but am glad to be Japanese. I am deeply in love with the Japanese culture — both new & old.

Love?

My heart aches. Is this….. love…..?

I have absolutely no idea why my heart aches otherwise. I think I fell in love after I did 3 sets of bench pressing 175lb barbell. I think if you pump iron too much, lactic acid is over-stored on your chest muscle then you fall in love. People, not to fall in love, stretch your chest muscle before and after the exercise.