NAOMI AT HARVARD

 

 

With Grandma and Mom

With Grandma and Mom after the ceremony.
 

Mom and me

My proud Mom and me after the ceremony—with the obligatory smothering tower of fresh flower leis (hopefully my last).
 

Mom, Grandpa and me

Mom, Grandpa and me with my diploma after the ceremony.
 

Grandma, Grandpa and me

Grandma, Grandpa and me.
 

Mom and me

Mom and me.
 

Group photo

A group photo with my whole Harvard Graduate School of Design support group.
 

Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa

With Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa.
 

With Grandpa and Grandma

With Grandpa and Grandma.

The four photos above, and the photo on the previous page (11), third from the bottom, of graduates sitting during our graduation ceremony in the GSD (Graduate School of Design), were by professional photographer Anita Kan, who has an Oxford Street studio—Photo-Kan—near Harvard. Thank you, Anita.

My dad had to do considerable work with the Photoshop filters “Andromeda” and “Squeeze” (the latter which he actually helped invent, in collaboration with a software developer in the Netherlands—see Sakamoto > Dad visits me in Japan) in order to eliminate the wide-angle lens distortion that is inevitably introduced in the very tight quarters typically encountered in these indoor settings.
 

Uncorrected group photo

These wideangle lens distortions cause people’s faces in the upper corners to appear banana-shaped and the unfortunate people standing on the left or right edges of a group photo to appear even more fat than they may already imagine themselves to be. In other words, this is the most unflattering position to be standing in a group photo, especially for women (…or for men like Uncle Michael, who have always enjoyed good food). From the photo above, you would think my dad is one who constantly needs to watch his weight and food intake.

For example, the photo above is the uncorrected version of the group photo three above. Dad, Uncle Michael, and Grandpa look oblong and unnaturally wide. And, by the way, I don’t look too great either!
 

Grandpa, Grandma and me

For another comparison, the photo above is the uncorrected version of the one two above. My head and Uncle Michael’s don’t look quite right, although Grandma looks fine, since she always manages to cleverly position herself in the center of the picture to avoid any unflattering distortion.
 


 

Charlene

Charlene and her parents (on the right, with Uncle Michael on the left) with one of the candy leis my aunties made to give to my friends.

We enjoyed a very nice dinner at the world-famous Jasper White’s Summer Shack in Alewife, north of Cambridge. Uncle Michael, Aunty Mary and Dad traveled there by train to meet us there and found that the restaurant was very conveniently located just across the street from the Alewife station, so they all got there easily and well before anyone else arrived.

Uncle Tom has said that the lobster there was the best lobster he’s ever had, which is saying a lot, considering that he and Dad had a decade-long pre-Thanksgiving tradition of enjoying spectacular Maine lobster dinners at Lalime’s for years — until Uncle Tom left California for Chicago. The television series America’s Test Kitchen has featured the recipe (which Dad has preserved on videotape —but has not yet reproduced in his kitchen).
 

Charlene's family

Charlene’s parents and uncle.
 

Charlene's family

Charlene with her niece, uncle and dad.

 

Uncle Michael

Uncle Michael enjoying his lobster dinner.
 

Aunty Carol and Grandma

Aunty Carol and Grandma enjoy their dinner at Jasper White’s.
 

At play in Boston

Thanks to Robert, we went to see a play — The History Boys — in downtown Boston, after having a delicious dinner nearby at Pop’s.
 

Uncle Michael at Sam Adam's grave

The next day, we followed the historic “Freedom Trail” to Sam Adams’ grave ...
 

Paul Revere's house

... Paul Revere’s house ...
 

Near North Church

... a small park near ...
 

North Church

North Church

... North Church, where the signal was given to Paul Revere to start his “midnight ride.”
 

Holden Green

Grandma in front of my apartment

Naomi's apartment

A final look at my apartment, before we all had to move out for good.
 

Living room

Living room

The living room was a mess of stuff we had to get rid of or pack for shipping.
 

Miyashitas and family

The Miyashitas, Grandma and my aunties, uncle and Dad were able to enjoy many delicious and memorable meals in Cambridge and Boston.
 

"Statue of 3 lies"

We all toured the Harvard campus much more leisurely after graduation, stopping at the famous “Statue of 3 Lies,” as we Harvard students like to call it. The date inscribed is inaccurate, it’s not a very good likeness of John Harvard and he wasn’t, in fact, the “founder of Harvard University.” But, no matter, it’s all a nice legendary “lie” that I’m proud to be able to perpetuate as a Harvard graduate.
 

Aunty Mary on Holden Street

Aunty Mary enjoyed the flowers in full bloom on our street, Holden.

 

Market on Kirkland

Aunty Mary in front of Savenor’s market, conveniently located across Kirkland Street from my apartment.
 

Waiting at Dalí

Grandma at Dalí

Waiting in front of Dalí.

 

Dinner at Dalí

Dinner at Dalí

Bubbles at Dalí

At Dali

At Dali

We enjoyed a nice tapas dinner at Dalí, only a half block from my apartment. The restaurant staff helped me celebrate with a head wreath, bubbles and very embarrassing loud singing.
 

Robert and Uncle Michael

Robert and Uncle Michael enjoyed the food and atmosphere.

Click on the News link (above, or here) to see what I’m doing now — in Beijing, China!