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Monday/ lacquer art 🖼️

Here is the traditional Vietnamese lacquer artwork (called sơn mài) that I had bought in Ho Chi Minh City.

I love the bright colors and the gold background.

By the way: the Vietnamese have a long tradition of holding their wealth in gold. Vietnamese savers are estimated to have collectively socked away around 400 tons of gold items at home.

So what also happens is that a person building a home or starting a business, would borrow money from a relative in the form of gold— rather than taking out a loan at a bank.

The meteoric rise of the gold price has made a world of trouble for these borrowers, because they have to pay back their debts in gold, as well. They now have to buy it back at almost double what it was say, a year ago. The gold price has tumbled by 10% these last two trading days, but is still up by about 90% over the last 12 months.

Water buffalo are called con trâu in Vietnamese. They are a deeply symbolic animal in Vietnam, often referred to as a “living tractor of the East” due to their role in agriculture. The boy with the kite, and the people on the bridge are all wearing their nón lá (the traditional Vietnamese leaf hat).
Works of sơn mài art done can be very meticulously crafted and time-intensive.
It is a traditional, 800-year-old technique.
I don’t know how much time went into making this piece. The price was US$45. (The minimum hourly wage in Viet Nam is the equivalent of about US $1.00). 
It is possible that the gold background in the artwork was done with gold leaf. 
The artist also used a little bit of mother-of-pearl eggshell— in the flower baskets and above the thatched roof.
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Sunday/ it’s good to be king 👑

Congrats to Team Alcaraz for winning the Australian Open.
He lost the first set against a sharp Djokovic, but then found his footing and did not look back.
Final score 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

Alcaraz has commemorated previous major wins with small tattoos—
a strawberry🍓for Wimbledon,
the Eiffel Tower 🗼for the French Open,
the date of his first U.S. Open title 🇺🇸,
and after his second U.S. Open title in New York, the Statue of Liberty 🗽 and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Word is that he will now add a kangaroo tattoo 🦘 om his leg for Australia.

Post on X from German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
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Friday/ finals weekend at the AO 🎾

Happy Friday.
It’s finals weekend at the 2026 Australian Open.

World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz (22, 🇪🇸) survived his marathon 5½ hour 5-setter semifinal match against Alexander Zverev (28, 🇩🇪) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5.
He will meet Novak Djokovic (38, 🇷🇸) in the final.
Djokovic was not supposed to beat world No 2 Jannik Sinner (24, 🇮🇹) in the semis, but he did: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

In the women’s final Aryna Sabalenka (27) will meet Elena Rybakina (26, 🇰🇿).

P.S. There are AI-animated versions of the matches posted on espn.com in addition to the real ones. Why? Just for fun, I guess. Alcaraz is in green.
The animated players play with an oversized tennis ball. The AI engine is still a work-in-progress when it comes to the finer detail, though— such as showing the hands of the players gripping the racquets.

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Thursday/ Amazon is making waves 🌊

Amazon is laying off 16,000 employees. That’s on top of 14,000 that were let go in October.
The company is America’s second-largest private employer, behind Walmart. It has over 350,000 corporate employees, so these recent rounds of cuts represent about 9% of the company’s overall office staff.

Amazon also announced just this week that they are closing all of their Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh grocery stores. (The Whole Foods franchise stays put and will be expanded. Grocery delivery for orders placed online will continue as usual).

Finally, there is the troublesome matter of Amazon foisting a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump on America.
Oy, Amazon. What the hell?

Here is what Nicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes write for the New York Times about it:
The film’s rollout is huge — a $35 million marketing campaign that includes television commercials during N.F.L. playoff games and a premiere simulcast in 25 theaters in the United States.
Starting Friday, the film hits 3,300 theaters worldwide.
Amazon’s all-hands-on-deck handling of “Melania,” follows Melania Trump, the first lady, in the days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration.
Ms. Trump produced the film, which was directed by Brett Ratner, who has not made a movie since 2017, when multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied those accusations.
Amazon paid Ms. Trump’s production company $40 million for the rights to “Melania,” about $26 million more than the next closest bidder, Disney.

The front page of today’s Seattle Times.
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Wednesday/ rain ☔

Dry January has come to an end, with rain last night and today— about a quarter inch here in the city today.
There will be more on Thursday and Friday.

The cloud cover made for elevated temperatures as well: 48 °F (9 °C) in the morning, with a high of 52 °F (11 °C).

Three amigos ran out to Rookies Sports Bar and Grill (on the right) on Ferdinand St in Columbia City.
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Tuesday/ gold on a tear ⭐

Every time I look, the gold price is up by hundreds of dollars.
Is there an impending upheaval that buyers of gold expect and that the rest of us are unaware of?

Last year some traders predicted the gold price will cross $5,000 in 2026, and they were right.
It’s only January and it already sits at $5,313.30.
That was +192.70 today.

The stamp from Japan is just for fun.
Even the goldfish looks shocked 😲.

From the Definitive Series 1967-69: Fauna, Flora and Japanese Motifs
Issued by Japan Post, 1967
Perf. 13½ | Photolitho. | National Printing Bureau
913 A564 | 7 yen | bright yellow-green & deep orange | Goldfish
[Sources: 2021 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol. 4A, stampworld.com]
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Monday/ all that we have lost

“There is such a sadness for all we have lost, the rage and disgust that propels us forward, unimaginable before, held together by our trust in our democracy, now shattered by video proof, we do live in a police state. Maybe not in your neighborhood, yet, but history teaches that they will arrive.

It was the cameras in Viet Nam that relentlessly showed Americans what was being perpetrated in their name, that turned sentiment against the war. It was the videos in the murder of George Floyd that amassed protest against racism. And it is the videos of Gestapo tactics, used indiscriminately against all of us, exposing villainous lies, that will be that pivot point to what we knew was coming.

We the people do not consent.”

– NY Times reader DL, commenting on a report called ‘Watching America Unravel in Minneapolis’ by Charles Homans.
Homans is from Minnesota, and a political correspondent for The Times. He spent 10 days in and around Minneapolis observing clashes between federal agents and city residents and interviewing immigrants, activists and the mayor.

Charles Homens starts with this summary in his report for the New York Times:
‘Donald Trump’s most profound break with American democracy, evident in his words and actions alike, is his view that the state’s relationship with its citizens is defined not by ideals or rules but rather by expressions of power, at the personal direction of the president. That has been clear enough for years, but I had not truly seen what it looked like in person until I arrived in Minneapolis, my hometown, to witness what Trump’s Department of Homeland Security called Operation Metro Surge.’
[Photo by Philip Montgomery for NYT]
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Sunday/ Super Bowl-bound 🏈

Sam Darnold threw three touchdown passes, and the Seattle Seahawks outlasted the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in a thrilling NFC (National Football Conference) Championship Game on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2014 season.
They will face the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX.
– Nate Atkins and Michael-Shawn Dugar reporting in The Athletic in the New York Times

That’s Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, speaking into the microphone.
Darnold has been with the Seattle Seahawks only since March 2025. He signed a multi-year contract after his strong 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings.
To the right of Darnold, his face hidden somewhat behind his clapping hands, is Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald (age 38), himself hired just the year before in January 2024.
In just two seasons, Macdonald took a 9-8, middling team to 14 regular season wins and a Super Bowl berth.
[Headline from the Seattle Times. Photo by Nick Wagner/ Seattle Times]
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Saturday/ sunny and cold ❄

This January here in the city, has now seen a record-setting stretch of over 10 consecutive days without rain.
Every day has been sunny and cold, and the massive storm system playing out in the rest of the country is also passing us by.

Late afternoon, I ventured out for a quick walk (39 °F/ 4°C).
The ’12’ flag is up on top of the Space Needle.
(The 12 represents the “12th Man” —a tribute to the dedicated fans of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team.)

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Friday/ Japanese postmarks 🗾

Happy Friday.
It is a major sports weekend for Seattle— the Seahawks face the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday for the NFC Championship and a spot in Super Bowl LX.

I spent a lot of time this week sorting the hundreds of loose stamps I had bought in Tokyo, by year.  Here are some ones with nice postmarks and a sports theme.

International Table Tennis Championships, Tokyo
Issued by Japan Post, Apr. 2, 1956
Perf. 13¼ x 13½ |Litho. |National Printing Bureau
618 A369 |10 yen |red-brown |Table tennis players
Postmarked 31.4.5 which means 1956 April 5.
The 31 refers to the 31st year of Emperor Hirohito’s reign (1925 + 31 = 1956).
Softball at 33rd National Athletic Meet, Nagano Prefecture
Issued by Japan Post, Oct. 14, 1978
Perf. 12¾ x 13 |Litho. |National Printing Bureau
1348 A938 |20 yen |multi-colored |Softball Players and Mt Yari
Postmarked 59.7.3 (let’s say) which means 1984 July 3.
The 59 refers to the 59th year of Emperor Hirohito’s reign (1925 + 59 = 1984).
Badminton at 36th National Athletic Meet, Nagano Prefecture
Issued by Japan Post, Oct. 13, 1981
Perf. 12¾ x 13 |Litho. |National Printing Bureau
1485 A1064 | 40 yen |multi-colored |Badminton player and Lake Biwa
Postmarked 86.2.6 8-12 which means 1986 Feb. 6 8am-12 noon
The 86 now refers to the Gregorian calendar year 1986.
Handball at 40th National Athletic Meet, Tottori City Sports Arena
Issued by Japan Post, Oct. 19, 1985
1665 A1233 | 40 yen |multi-colored |Handball Player and Mt Daisen
Postmarked 89.6.21 12-18 which means 1989 Jun.21 12 noon- 6pm (Chofu is a city in Tokyo prefecture)
The 89 now refers to the Gregorian calendar year 1989.
[Sources: 2021 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol. 4A, stampworld.com]
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Wednesday/ a winter storm 🌨️

Reporters Greg Allen and Ava Berger write on npr.org:
A massive winter storm system is forecast to sweep the country this weekend, stretching from Central Texas through the Northeast.

The National Weather Service says the system will dump heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain from the Southern Plains to the Mid-South starting Friday. The storm is expected to move across the East Coast throughout the weekend, according to a bulletin from the NWS posted on Wednesday.
The NWS warned of “treacherous travel conditions, prolonged power outages, and tree damage,” across the southeast U.S.
Government officials in these areas are asking residents to avoid traveling and prepare for possible power outages.

A blast of cold air from Canada will mix with warmer air from the south, bringing significant snow and ice accumulations, forecasters said.

Parts of Oklahoma could get more than a foot of snow, and up to two feet in upstate New York. 
The NWS warns that wind chill temperatures may fall below -50 °F (-45 °C) across the Northern Plains (parts of North Dakota and Minnesota). Those in Texas to North Carolina could feel wind chills below 0 °F (-17 °C).
[Graphic from nytimes.com]
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Tuesday/ a very bad feeling 🫣

This Greenland situation feels even worse to me than the run-up to the disastrous invasion of Iraq in 2003.

A protest against President Trump in Nuuk, Greenland, last week.
Never in the past century has America gone forth to seize other countries’ land and subjugate its citizens against their will.
[Photo by Juliette Pavy for The New York Times. Caption by the New York Times.]
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Monday/ Martin Luther King Day ☀️

Happy MLK Day.
It was one of those Mondays that felt like a Sunday. It was bright and sunny today here in the city, with a high of 50 °F (10 °C).

Here’s a little black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) that I caught outside on the power line. These are small songbirds, well-known for their distinctive black caps and bibs, white cheeks, and gray and white body.
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Sunday/ the Australian Open 🎾

The Australian Open 2026 is underway.

Here is a summary of posts on X (generated by Grok):
Roger Federer stole the show at the Australian Open’s opening. The 44-year-old retired legend teamed with Andre Agassi and Ash Barty for a record-breaking exhibition doubles match against Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter on Saturday night. Federer dazzled with elegant shots, recreated his iconic ball kid catch alongside now-grown Dylan Alcott, and shared a warm embrace with Novak Djokovic courtside while his four kids watched from the stands. The night ended with fireworks and a heartfelt tribute, setting a nostalgic tone as the main Australian Open draw begins January 18 with Jannik Sinner as favorite and Djokovic eyeing an 11th title.

Here is Carlos Alcaraz (22, 🇪🇸) hitting a ‘tweener’ (a between-the-legs shot) against Adam Walton (26, 🇦🇺) on his way to a 6-3 7-6 6-2 victory.
Alcaraz split with his coach of 7 years (Juan Carlos Ferrero) in December.
If Alcaraz pulls off a win at this Australian Open in spite of that, he will become the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam*. (Don Budge from the USA was 22 years, 357 days when he won the 1938 French Championships to complete his Career Grand Slam).
*Winning the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
[Still image from highlights of the match at ausopen.com]
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Saturday/ Seahawks on the rampage 🏈

The Seahawks are through to the NFC (National Football Conference) Championship game and are now one just win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

Matt Barrows, Michael-Shawn Dugar and Vic Tafur writes for The Athletic in the New York Times:

The Seattle Seahawks hadn’t hosted a playoff game in front of their fans in nearly a decade. It took them only a few seconds Saturday night to give the roaring 12s something to celebrate.
Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and top-seeded Seattle never let up, routing the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in an NFC divisional-round game. The Seahawks will host the winner of Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday. Seattle hasn’t been in a conference title game since advancing to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

Headline and picture posted on nytimes.com/athletic
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Friday/ an orca show 🦈

Manuel Valdes writes for The Associated Press:
With breaches and tail slapping, a pod of orcas put on a show near Seattle on Friday.
The close encounter attracted dozens of people to the shore of the West Seattle neighborhood. Whale watchers identified the pod as Bigg’s killer whales, a group that hunts sea mammals and lives in the Salish Sea. The pod was seemingly hunting.

An orca whale breaches the surface of the water off Seattle on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. The whale was part of a pod that swam by the West Seattle neighborhood, attracting onlookers to shore.
[AP Photo/Manuel Valdes]
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Thursday/ happy birthday 🎉

Three of my amigos have birthdays this week.
We went out for something to eat and drink at Bai Tong Thai Street Cafe on Capitol Hill’s Pike Street.
The food was great. After the table was cleared, the staff came out with a cake and props, and delivered a rowdy rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.

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Wednesday/ a few souvenirs 🐘

These little souvenirs out of my suitcase are doing duty on in the kitchen window for a week or two.
They will join the many others I already have, in the display cabinet.

From left to right:
Glass ‘Merlion’ from Chinatown, Singapore;
Encased postage stamp from Singapore General Post Office;
Miniature pyramid depicting Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from the museum store there;
Gilded elephant from gift store at Ream Boutique Hotel, Cambodia;
Miniature Year of The Horse wood carving from a pop-up store inside Takashimaya department store, Tokyo;
Miniature paper weight of Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, bought at Port Klang Cruise Terminal, Malaysia.