From Kanji to Cat Eye

I'm Moving!

2010-01-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

To WordPress, that is.

Meet me over HERE.

And now, for my next act...

2010-01-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

...PEONIES!

I love peonies! They came into my world when I attended a cousin's wedding near Atlanta, GA. I was enchanted with their big bushy blooms of feathery petals. When I attempted to find them on the West Coast, I was dismayed to discover that they are only found on the East Coast (as far as I know).

I'm preparing for Blue Light Burlesque's biggest show of the year, the February Valentine's Day Cabaret. I have retired from belly dance but I have not yet retired from burlesque performance. I'm creating a new number for this show and you know what that means, folks, new costume and new choreography! I'm uncertain how I'm going to pull this off because the facet of my identity whom I call "The Artist" (I have 16 facets currently) is MIA. I had considered not doing this show in light of my departure from all things belly dance but especially performance. So somehow I will have to doll myself up and "perform."

I'm not sure when The Artist left. He's been gone for several months I think. Didn't leave a note. Just left behind an empty studio. Maybe he needed a break. All I can say is, he ain't here. I'll just have fun without him, decapitating dozens of fake peonies. I purchased these at a Dollarama months and months ago, in anticipation of this number. The day before yesterday I even managed to do a little bit of marking with the other prop I'll be using, my beige fan veil made especially for this number. That is the type of performer I am. I create an entire set of everything new for a specific number. Gift or curse? Not sure. Thorough? Definitely. My favorite part is problem-solving. How to make the stuff stick to me? How to remove this? How to hold onto that? How to remove this while holding onto that? I honestly don't know if it will be the last new number I'll create, on verra...

A Project: Writing Sample

2010-01-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

I was washing dishes with Alien Beat Poet this morning (I normally wash, he normally dries, we make the best dishwashing machine team) and discussing my need for a writing sample. Unfortunately and foolishly, I did not save the final draft of a paper I wrote in law school which earned me an award. I'm trying to think of the name of the administering entity, something Institute. Darnit, it will come back to me because I suppose that would be a good thing to cite on the CV.

During my final year in law school I took "Advanced Commercial Problems," which was a writing course. We had to write a paper on a rather complex commercial issue and give a presentation on it. We got to choose our topic so this was my chance to do something of particular interest to me (because, basically, all of law school wasn't. Oh wait, starting up the Performing Arts Guild was something interesting I did in law school, lol). My classmates chose topics like secured transactions, mergers and acquisitions, business entities, etc. I turned my eye towards the arts (because that's where my eyes have always turned). The title of my paper was "The Reclamation of Holocaust Era Artwork." I would say that that paper and earning the award was the one and only time I ever felt truly successful in law school, besides graduating.

While I don't have the final draft, I think I can get my hands on the writing sample I submitted to my former legal employer to do an update on the topic.

Another interesting topic for a writing sample is the whole Barnes Foundation controversey. Just for my own edification, and finally a sense of purpose, I may do both.

Hard on the Eyes?

2010-01-09T15:17:00.003-08:00

No, I'm not talking about me.

Everyone okay with this color scheme? Does it bother anyone's eyes?

The Snow March, a Metaphor

2010-01-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

Did you know I considered being a life coach? This would have been one of my cheesy motivational blurbs about reaching your goals...

"The Snow March, a Metaphor"

I truly believe that the everyday things we do in life have great, universal meaning. The principles engaged in something as simple as, say, washing dishes, or walking through the snow, take on vast, cosmic proportions and help us see how possible it is to do "the impossible."

Each morning for the past 2 winters, I walk Alien Beat Poet to work. Rain or shine or snow. We are fortunate enough to live within walking distance from his work, and that the route is quite scenic. The distance is roughly 1.75km each way, so the obvious benefit to this routine is exercise. It's also an opportunity for me to get fresh air while I interact with my environment, a practice that has helped me adapt to the snow and sub-zero temperatures. I essentially grew up in the desert and my genetic makeup dictates that I thrive in tropical climes. Through my everyday romp in the snow I've learned to appreciate the beauty and necessity of winter.

How does this translate into reaching goals? Let's start with this scene:

This is the view of my walk after I have dropped off Alien Beat Poet at work. We take the plowed sidewalk during winter because it gets us there faster and Alien Beat Poet does not have snow boots. This is the start of my journey home.

My goal is that small tower that is in the dead center of the photo (just slightly right of the light pole). It is a clock tower, marking the location that is our beloved Atwater Market. To the right, over the rail, is the frozen, snow-filled Lachine Canal.

This is my favorite time to walk along the canal, when it's snowing and the snow is deep. I know I have a small trek ahead of me.

Let's start walking...

Here you can see the clock a little better. My goal, having been determined, is growing closer and sharper into my view as I walk towards it.

The snow is rather deep in places, uneven. I have an opportunity to exercise and strengthen my stabilizer muscles as I negotiate these paths. I have several choices of path. Hard to see but there is a path that the cross-country skier leaves, the 2 tracks. Then there is the path that is hardened by folks walking their dogs. The dog path is the easiest. I could choose to take a path that is not trodden, which makes my walk a little more challenging. But I get the benefit of more aerobic exercise, strengthen my stabilizer muscles, etc. I can choose to take an easier path to my goal by walking on the dog path. It's still difficult in places because it is entirely uneven. As I walk, I look down to see where I'm going, see where to place each foot. These are the little steps needed to get to our goal. I concentrate where I'm going so that I don't make mistakes or walk on something that may cause my whole leg to go down into the snow. But it happens. I keep going. I especially pay attention to my pacing. I realize how important pacing, momentum is. It keeps me motivated, gets my heart rate up, and it gets me to my goal faster. The wind may blow particularly strong, I may be walking in particularly deep snow, but I try my best to keep my pacing.

Now, if I never look up, I may get lost or lose my path. Since it's all white, I wouldn't really know if I was getting to where I wanted to go unless I looked up every so often.

As I lift my eyes, I see that I'm still on the right track and I can manage my footing. If my nose is too much to the grind, if I'm sweating the small details, I miss the wonderful scenery around me, and I may miss my goal.
So this is pretty much where I like to keep my sites. I can keep an eye on my steps, maintain focus on my goal, and appreciate my surroundings.

Oh no, where's our clock tower? It seems that as we get closer, we lose sight of our goal. That's a paradox. Other buildings get in our way. Our vision, our path becomes obstructed by emergencies, other commitments. But we've kept our pacing so we know we're getting closer. And there are always new things to see along this path. Buildings that seemed so far away take on a new perspective as we see them up close.

Finally, our goal once again comes into glorious view and we see our final destination (for now). There was a point where I could have turned right and gone straight to the comfort of my warm home. But I chose to continue to the Market, where I can get fresh produce that I may need for the day, or my ultimate reward, a capuccino and pointe aux pommes from Premiere Moisson. My snow march has been worth it. I have exercised my muscles, taken in fresh air, persevered, and reached my goal. Really very simple stuff to apply towards things in life that may be much more complicated than this. So are books like "Who Moved My Cheese?" but what an impact it (the book and my snow march) has made on my life and what a lesson to take away. We tend to make things so complicated. Life is complicated. Why not take a simple approach to our complicated lives and see where that takes us?

One of My Most Favorite Art Occurrences

2010-01-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

Giant Pink Rabbit.

This appeals to me on so many levels.

The concept is brilliant (a gigantic knitted pink rabbit on a hillside in Italy).

It's the result of dedication and hard work.

It's HUGE.

It's made by hand.

It interacts with the environment.

It's an installation.

It's a bunny rabbit.

Photo (c) Gelatin Arts.

Kubrick-Fest, Fin

2010-01-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

We capped off our 2009-2010 New Year's Kubrick-Fest with his last film, "Eyes Wide Shut." Knowing what I know now about Kubrick's work, and having seen more of it, I did appreciate the film this time around. We also saw the European version so I'm sure it was less prude than the U.S. version.

This week I plan to get to the meat and potatoes of this blog. Or maybe, I already have been. Durh??

Kubrick to Friendship Books

2010-01-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

After "Barry Lyndon" was "The Shining." Today was "A Clockwork Orange," to be followed by "Eyes Wide Shut." I remember watching EWS when it first came out in the theater. I was so disappointed. I guess I was expecting...I don't know, something sexier?

Perhaps I will appreciate it more today, being more familiar with Kubrick's work, how he operates, what care he takes in crafting each shot, casting stellar actors, and his pacing. Also, I think about the pre-production research that goes into each film. "Stanley Kubrick's Boxes" was completely fascinating and I developed a deeper appreciation for his genius. Not a prolific filmmaker, but a quality one. I also like the fact that he would go into stationary stores and get excited about the latest thing. If he hadn't visited him when he was alive, Kubrick would have loved stationary stores in Japan.

I could (and practically did!) spend hours meticulously browsing the aisles of pens, paper, inks, cards, stationary sets, and journals at those Japanese stationary stores. Which leads me to another memory I had of having over 60 penpals at one point when I was in my early to mid-teens. I took out a penpal ad in "Star Hits" magazine and I think by keeping my gender ambiguous through my pen name "Chit" I got a lot more penpals b/c male penpals were pretty rare. I met the most interesting people who I never did get to meet but we exchanged mixed tapes, dried rose petals, photos (which we had to send back b/c they were the only copies we had), and Friendship Books, I daresay the precursor to MySpace and Facebook.

Each Friendship Book consisted of several stapled blank pages, the first one containing the name, address, and some collage, picture, or design of the first person who entered their information. You then pass this FB along to one of your own penpals, introducing them with a line or 2 on their blank page, and it continues on to other penpals until the book is full and then the last person must send it back to the person for whom the FB was made. Often this is the first person in the book, sometimes a FB was made for someone else. During the FB's journey, you would see your predecessors, and decide, based on their page (naming their favorite bands, what they're into, etc.) if you'd like to write to this person and become penpals with them. Of course, in those days and in those circles, these were mostly folks of the goth and dark metal genre. I wonder who else out there remembers these FBs. Relics of the past!

Kubrick-Fest Cont'd

2010-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Last New Year's Eve Alien Beat Poet and I conducted an Alfred Hitchcock movie marathon. This New Year's Eve our film hero is Stanley Kubrick. We started with "Spartacus" (which I had no idea had been directed by Kubrick), then went on to "Lolita" (weird and annoying). Today was "Barry Lyndon." Thank you, Alien Beat Poet, for raising my awareness of the art that is filmmaking. Apparently, Kubrick had special lenses made for this film to be able to shoot in strict candlelight.The story was captivating and each shot (as we're seeing classic Kubrick now coming into play) was beautifully crafted. "Barry Lyndon" like "Hero"is one of those movies I consider to be a moving painting. Dang that sounds so cheesy but my inner aesthete really loves these kinds of films.

10 More Years to 2020

2010-01-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

2020 is when we get to open our Time Capsule.

Alien Beat Poet and I put one together in West Philadelphia, NYE 2006 into 2007. I don't even remember what's in it!

Kanji & Cat Eye Musing 1

2009-12-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

Damn I loved practicing kanji. I'm not sure why but here were my favorite things about practicing kanji:

The kanji paper. Think of graph paper for the visually impaired.
The way the kanji paper felt after practicing kanji. I need lots of paper underneath what I'm writing because I apply a lot of pressure. The backs of paper upon which I've written feel like Braille. Turning pages was a pleasant crackling crinkling sound, like a thousand-year old document. But no, it was just my kanji practice paper.
Learning a language! Kanji makes sense. The Japanese language makes sense. Kanji are modified pictures. Each kanji has a radical, a signifier if you will. This identifies what type of kanji it is, from what grouping, or what it might refer to. What might make kanji want to pull your hair out is the on-reading (the Chinese reading at the time the kanji was introduced in Japan) and the kun-reading (the native Japanese reading associated with the character). Learning which reading to pronounce generally comes with practice and memorization, seeing word patterns over and over again. There are some general guidelines but are too detailed to go into this bullet list (I digress!).
Kanjis have a certain number of strokes and a stroke order. I love all that meticulous, anal retentive crap.
I love the tangible act of writing so writing in a foreign language was even more fun.
Each kanji was like a tiny picture, a work of art (or attempted art). An aesthete like me appreciates good penmanship and fonts. I enjoyed the act and the art of making my kanji characters as perfect as possible (more of that anal retentive crap).

And while I had already been doing Cat Eye makeup a good 9 years prior to learning kanji, I think learning to write kanji supplemented my Cat Eye technique. Cat Eye is like a one-stroke (2 at the most) kanji which has no pronunciation but a plethora of meaning...

I Love a Good Word: Absquatulate

2009-12-30T13:45:00.001-08:00

Absquatulate. Sounds like something Tony Horton would make you do 6-8 reps. Or something that happens after eating too much Taco Bell. It's a word I found in a delightful read (NOT. It's challenging and difficult and it's making me have strange dreams! But it's like spinach: difficult to eat but oh so good for you) called The Pathfinder, by Nicholas Lore.

Welcome and What Is This?

2009-12-30T09:44:00.000-08:00

Why Kanji to Cat Eye?

Kanji (漢字) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (ひらがな, 平仮名), katakana (カタカナ, 片仮名), Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet (also known as Rōmaji). TheJapanese term kanji (漢字) literally means "Han characters".

Cat Eye makeup is all about your eyeliner.

My life can be summarized between these two points of reference. My life [lives] living in Japan have shaped me into the person I am today. My first memory of cat eye makeup is a photo of my mother holding me when I was 2 years old. She used Maybelline liquid eyeliner. I will never forget that pink and green tube of black magic goodness. It is my one makeup technique I can say in all honesty is perfect, since I've been using it myself for 25 years.

So this blog is me. I'll reveal more of why these two things are so significant in the future. And add what else is going on currently. Welcome and enjoy...