Yuki ya kon kon

It was on the news last night - reports confirmed Britain is officially 'chanking'.

Edinburgh, and Britain in general, is experiencing a cold snap which the Daily Telegraph said would "freeze the nipples off Satan". Even headlines are affected - "Water bills frozen" said the Mail yesterday. Of course the media circus is loving it, whipping up fury and pointing fingers at this week's scape goats - council workers. Reports are full of words like treacherous, battling, nightmare, arctic. And that's just the BBC. It's a media madness - News programs have actually got something to talk about that people understand, have a view on and doesn't get boring (like Israel / Iran / Afghanistan). Since communication became instant we have developed into needing immediate solutions for all life's questions - we seem to have lost the ability to understand patience and common sense. Why won't the snow just leave us alone?

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Posted by stupot at 06:32 PM Thursday 7 Jan | Post comment (0) comments

Modern Etiquette #165 - potentially pissing on your chips

I've joined a lot more groups on Flickr, the photo sharing website, over the past six months. I've realised that joining the groups (cycling in edinburgh / location drawing) is a good way to either find out about events or develop techniques, in the case of drawing. I find it positive and educational.

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Posted by stupot at 10:09 PM Sunday 8 Nov | Post comment (0) comments

Burns wis right in mony weys

Up in the morning's no for me,
Up in the morning early!
When a' the hills are covered wi' snaw.
I'm sure it's winter fairly!

Cauld blaws the wind frae east to west,
The drift is driving sairly,
Sae loud and shrill's I hear the blast -
I'm sure it's winter fairly!

The birds sit chittering in the thorn,
A' day they fare but sparely;
And lang's the night frae e'en to morn -
I'm sure it's winter fairly!

Posted by stupot at 06:26 PM Wednesday 21 Oct | Post comment (0) comments

bramble

It's Bramble season - cycle paths and railway lines are spilling over with them. Down in West Kilbride last week I met up with the irrespressible Kirsty Reid. She's a star in many ways. She calls her mummy's Blackberry a 'Bramble', which I think a. is lovely, b. makes perfect sense and c. everyone should call them. Kirsty also draws a mean lion - almost as good an artist as my nephew, Fred!

Posted by stupot at 02:40 PM Tuesday 13 Oct | Post comment (0) comments

Palace to Parliament

After climbing Arthur's seat on a glorious start to Autumn we sat in the secluded cafe at the bottom of the royal mile looking out to the Scottish Parliament. Interestingly you can read the Parliament website in Scots as well as Gaelic.

Posted by stupot at 07:42 PM Sunday 11 Oct | Post comment (0) comments

currently playing

This week I'm still listening to some oldie's - a real oldie from Simple Minds in 1979 from their debut album - Chelsea Girl. Another more recent oldie from Midlake which sounds like it could have been on CSN&Y's dejavu - Roscoe.

Posted by stupot at 04:04 PM Tuesday 28 Jul | Post comment (0) comments

the reasons why

As I was drawing yesterday I thought about it as a pastime, and then cycling, and why I do them. Firstly I suppose, I wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for the amount of focus that comes from both - they can equally become meditation time or thinking time. I believe, although they can often be lone pursuits (cycling empty country roads and drawing down uninhabited lanes), they also open up the possibility for interaction.

With drawing, especially when seated, people are intrigued by what you're up to - they will come and sneak a peek and possibly have a chat. The chance encounter - a rare luxury in modern life. In a city this can also happen with a fellow cyclist at the lights or in the country when passing another two wheels - something, I imagine, the motorist will rarely encounter in a life-time.

Cycling allows you to understand the land intricately - what seems like a flat to the motorist is in fact a long climb, however shallow. Avoiding pot holes means you become fluent in reading roads - you know the exact sequences of traffic lights - you know the pedestrians who will underestimate your speed - you know the drivers who will open their door on you. You know that white lines become ice on a wet day in summer and you know if you don't take a metre then you will be the one taken advantage of.

Likewise drawing allows you to understand the dynamic of a corner of the world like nothing else. You think about Darwin as you subliminally notice the behaviour of insects and birds. Tree's mesmerize you as they sway. A lone, still puddle is violently displaced by a car just as you finish to record it - things will never be the same. Sunlight comes and goes in an instant and shadows gradually creep east. A secret, unmarked building suddenly has a purpose as the tenants return. The unseen demographic can only be identified by footwear and speech. And cobbles, eroded over centuries, tell their own tale.

Posted by stupot at 10:17 AM Monday 20 Jul | Post comment (0) comments

In the Loop

I wouldn't usually take time out to blog about a film (The Damned United would have come first this spring) but it is encouraging that the only film worth going to see last night was a British one (save O Horten and Is Anybody There?). I'm mainly documenting the posters which are Obama take-off's and done very well indeed. I really want to get a set for the house. Peter Capaldi's swearing was the funniest cinema moment for a long time - the audience were constantly laughing. Creativity in the language was in abundance with it hard to choose a favourite phrase. You kind of had to be there - so go there!

Posted by stupot at 07:50 PM Sunday 10 May | Post comment (0) comments

Goteborg Mandag - Onsday

Another Ryanair field. very local. Big port small city. Grey. Eastern block. Clean. Ordered. No yellow lines. steep ramps. expensive. fast police exotic noises. bikes and trams from no where. mopeds on pavements. Italian meal. near the docks. change of clothes. out drinking. most with coffee under a blanket.

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Posted by stupot at 12:36 AM Thursday 26 Jun | Post comment (0) comments

josei-tekina

It struck me a long time ago that there are a lot more effeminate guys in Japan than there are in the UK. It's really not difficult to see. Despite there being more of everything in urban Japan due to the high, concentrated population, there are none-the-less a lot more guys who like knitting. I notice because it's still not cricket to be a gay in the UK - Julian Clary a prime example of being accepted because he's a parody of himself and not real. Most gay people on TV, certainly last time I looked, had some oddity to their character.

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Posted by stupot at 09:20 PM Tuesday 23 Jan | Post comment (0) comments

footprints

Today I had one of those hang-overs where everything is fascinating. I really, geniunely love days like this. The smallest learning, like a life-altering revelation - every meeting, charming. The brain has been numbed and a child-like slow comprehension creeps in. An inocence, an odd purity. Such days are quite focussed in their own blurry way - time standing still and then going at a gallop then standing still and so on. Futsukayoi, 'drunk for a second day', is what the Japanese say. No beating about the bush, in its very literal form, I feel it describes the state a lot better than 'hang-over' which suggests only unpleasantness. The picture shown is what you love and hate about Japan - the overwhelming need to (over) package. I had the usual flood of guilt when I finished todays bento I bought from KYK (I always confuse with the other great Japanese institution who manufature zips) and was left with a mountain of waste which had a life span of 20 minutes. Fascinating.

Posted by stupot at 09:36 PM Monday 8 Jan | Post comment (0) comments

about five days after St Andrews day

Sunday, whilst also seeing the end of the exhibition, was the annual Japanese Language Proficiency Test. As I didn't study at University in the exam sense (I was judged continually), I haven't really smelt an exam since secondary school - back in a time my memory has almost erased. Erased because I'm not big on exams - I was reminded on Sunday of my contempt for petty rules and regualtions. I found the third level a little tricky but found out my strength is in reading - probably a result of sending and receiving emails every day. The examiners at St Andrew's University (that not being the University of St Andrews) had a system of yellow and red cards if anyone was found breaking any of the rules, which I couldn't bring myself to take seriously. Fortunately I managed to keep my head down and straight. For some reason I was surprised that most taking the test were Asian - I sat outside with a few Vietnamese chaps who were freezing their wee balls off in a rather fresh north easterly. The University was in a nice setting near the mountains but was ultimately a very confused place with the buildings looking like they might blow over, being propped up only by the bought-in heriatge. I headed up to Umeda and took the exhibition down, rather happy to have off loaded 3 peices.

Posted by stupot at 07:45 PM Tuesday 5 Dec | Post comment (0) comments

the mark store

As I've always liked drawing, I've always liked going to stationery shops and Japans is like the Mecca of stationery. The delight of becoming excited about buying a very cheap material posession, that most people take for granted, is a nice feeling to have. Especially if you're as tight as I am. Like cash will never die in asia, neither will the mark - it is after all, why the fax machine put email back by 10 years. The mark is such an important part of the culture in Japan that pens are constantly being redefined here. As much R+D seems to go on at pilot as does at honda. If you've ever tried to write complicated Kanji (Japanese characters) on a typical application or order form in Japan then you'll appreciate why there are so many different thicknesses of pen. Going by shelf presence, Pilot's Hi-Tec C is the best selling pen in Japan. I've used one since I was in the UK but a few years ago they were getting difficult to find there. The quality of line that the Hi-tec gives is pretty flawless and for only 210 yen. I recently said that you should visit a builders centre if you ever visit japan. You should also add a stationery store to the list. Tokyu Hands in Osaka has a huge section that any creative would salivate at but the wee local dusty places still possess the charm and prize finds you can't get in department stores.

Posted by stupot at 10:53 PM Wednesday 18 Oct | Post comment (2) comments

matsubazue

what I love about the japanese language is the very visual way in which words are derived from nature. I'm fascinated with the origins of words and that's why kanji (japanese script) is so interesting and my grammar is so bloody awful. The bonus of the leg injury is that I've managed to learn words I would otherwise never have encountered. the word for crutches is 'matsubazue' - matsu being pine tree, ba meaning leaf (or here, needle) and zue meaning stick. for something so ugly and troublesome, it's a beautiful and delicate metaphor.

Posted by stupot at 06:19 PM Monday 25 Sep | Post comment (0) comments

JLPT 3

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is on December 3rd this year and I posted my application last week. The test comes only once a year and I'm using it as an incentive to study. A level 3 examinee is described as "having mastered grammar to a limited level, knows around 300 kanji and 1500 words, and has the ability to take part in everyday conversation and to read and write simple sentences." It sounds about right but I've never been a great student at voluntary stuff although I do find myself getting excited on those rare occaisions when things are clear and my brain tells me it has processed and agreed to the information. There's a long way to go though and whilst money can't buy you intelligence, spending a bit on a test can give you the kick up the arse you were needing.

Posted by stupot at 09:11 PM Wednesday 13 Sep | Post comment (0) comments

yoda and the babelfish

douglas adams was a real influence when I was a kid - the babelfish translating device used in the hitchhikers guide was genius. now that we live in the future, of course, we have flawless peices of technology like the sony talkman and babelfish on the internet. but it's just that they're not.

a simple message from a friend about a weekend meeting translates on babelfish like this: Good morning it is. Then, it pours and this obtains and starts and would like to decide with the around. You will pass to be pleasant! ! Saturday it is the pleasure! ! Then. if you say it in a yoda accent it makes more sense. it's kind of poetic in a way and you get the jist but I certainly wouldn't translate my will on it. I had to help with some translation the other day and I now realise how difficult it is. Japanese is just so formal and english so flexible. to study I must go. for my convenience life.

Posted by stupot at 02:20 PM Friday 28 Jul | Post comment (0) comments

paku-paku

when I was away in Yamanashi last week wiping down the bikes after the race, my friend came over and said "first you need to don-don". I didn't have a clue. My japanese is fairly limited but this was one of the many onomatopoeia's that litter the japanese language and I just couldn't work it out. she picked up the bike and bounced it a few times to rid it of the worst of the water. "ahhh" I said, "don-don".

actually it's simple language when you think about it - in the same way kanji (japanese written characters) is fundamentally a drawing of something. consider that in english you'd have to say "pick it up and bounce it off the ground a few times." I'd rather just say don-don. there are countless times and english speaker will be asked for a translation of a word and there just won't be one. japanese is a very formal language but it is also a lot more concise.

the difficulty though is that where english generally has sound words, like 'cock-a-doodle-doo' or 'bang' and 'crash', the japanese also have words to describe ideas or notions. like 'bara-bara' which means scattered or 'giri-giri' which means to just fit or just in time. there's a good page of examples here.

kari-kari.

Posted by stupot at 09:56 PM Saturday 17 Jun | Post comment (0) comments

cosmo karaoke

the europeans landed in osaka on friday and we went out to play: firstly for a feast, then the mandatory karaoke. should you ever wonder what you might get should you cross a luxemburger, a japanese, an italian and a scotsman in a karaoke booth - it's not a pretty picture - basically a howling mess where everyone picks songs that are in too high a key and far too long. great fun!

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Posted by stupot at 08:10 PM Sunday 23 Apr | Post comment (1) comments

listening in japanese

since I've lived in japan the things you might say I lack have, I would say, made me stronger. my possessions are fewer yet I have less to worry about. I also fear death less but I'm not exactly sure why. it has perhaps been the most surprising result of moving to japan and I think it is a symptom of three possible reasons. one is being removed from familiar things and people, another is spending more time alone, without speaking and the last is living within japanese culture in general. I think it is a mixture of all three.

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Posted by stupot at 04:10 AM Wednesday 5 Apr | Post comment (0) comments

wooing in another language

being at home in the mornings often brings with it the chime of the door bell. more often than not it seems to be the nhk man, apologising from the off like he'd actually seen some of the crap they air. I feel like I may be one of the few punters who doesn't give him a hard time. last week, though, brought the rice man to my attention and today was a miso rep from kyoto. strange.

as the rice guy was from only a block away he didn't do too much hanging around - the miso chap, on the other hand, was happy to explain the finer points of his no doubt delicious fermented stodge. we quickly switched back to sketchy japanese after he asked if my husband was around.

Posted by stupot at 01:06 AM Friday 17 Mar | Post comment (0) comments

mr care

my name is kerr and it's understood here. it's obviously not a usual name, so it's usually clarified properly. in britain this was often over-looked. I would get mail from suppliers down south addressed to 'mr kur', 'mr car' and most amusingly, 'mr care'.

for me, the name has always seemed a pretty straight-forward word to pronounce. like kerosene but without the flamability. perhaps it's just that it's uncommon even in england, but I thought more people would have made the 'simple minds' association and worked it out. seems people have forgotten about poor old jim kerr, the front-man who famously opened a japanese restaurant in glasgow which had about as much atmosphere as eating sushi in a morgue.

anyway - the name is care in japan. I'm possibly the gentle giant. the syllables used to create the name pronounce 'ke' & 'a-'. care. and as I live in a medical district with ke a- centres all over the place, I feel right at home. which is just as well, considering I'm a clumsy bastard.

Posted by stupot at 02:15 PM Sunday 19 Feb | Post comment (0) comments