TEA FOOTAGE
Dec. 15th, 2009 | 07:42 am
posted by: ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
muroku
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Fleeting Fascinations
Dec. 11th, 2009 | 10:17 pm
posted by: muroku
I'm just really into "work areas" and want to blend living and workspace---for instance my fantasy is to convert a CA bungalow into a workshop
2) courtyards with fountains and ponds (I'd like to turn one into a cat enclosure). During the early days of my access to the internet I was obsessed with waterworks and pond systems mainly because I kept a herd of turtles...seriously a herd of them. The best I could do was invest in a very large kiddie pool and ran a filter on it occasionally but usually siphoned off the water for the yard.
3) "green" shopping centers with indoor gardens. I HATE dark, concrete shopping centers or bright sterile places...
4) bed & breakfast as "work holidays" where you escape your boring familiar surroundings to stimulate creativity...I totally want to take one week off..spend it at a hotel and work on the net.
5) hotel + tea room + garden combo
6) all houses built before 1920s
7) would like walk through all residential areas in Pasadena
8) Asian grocery stores, especially the Japanese and Korean ones which are competing for cuteness. If I ever become wealthy I'm going to open a mega-shopping mall with a Southeast Asian theme.
9) Ideas on how to turn buffets into an elegant and "healthy" feeling eating areas---went to a Sizzler's for my dad's b-day and was disgusted by people wasting food---furthermore buffets seem to be very unhygienic unless it is staffed by professionals. Okay I know it is just "Sizzler's" but still. Most buffets offer inexpensive fare which is deep fried so it keeps longer :: shudders :: Best buffet is Makino (in Las Vegas) which was spectacular.
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Oraenganman ieyo
Dec. 11th, 2009 | 07:17 pm
posted by: alice_the_raven
(I have returned. How is everyone? I went by aircraft from Mon through Wed. The view was beautiful over there. I ate a lot of sushi. It was delicious. Then, I saw a temple and chanted. Work was difficult. It was because of a stupid butthead. Enough! However, there were a lot of kind people and so over there was good.
Got in some final target practice before I flew out. Only 100 rounds however. Upon my return, I was quite jet lagged for a couple of days.
We had a preparation round for the shiai finals, coming up on the 19th. I won 7, lost 1, and drew 1. My ma'ai or distance is coming along and I'm often able to get an opponent to miss by an inch, leaving me close enough for a counterstrike. One opponent tried a Do cut and I stepped back. As his tip glided by my chest, I popped him on the head. I love the look in their eyes when their cut breezes by.
Somehow, I got tapped to help in the evaluation of kyu students in tomorrow's Iaido exam. Scary, because I'm only Shodan. Kowaii desu ne! (scary) Just display jikishin - true spirit. I'm supposed to have the student call out the waza and then perform it. I'm looking for correctness of the waza, metsuke, timing, and form.
Hypothetically, if I were to ask something of a hypothetical higher up, it would be "not be a butthead" chuseyo - please don't be a butthead. Or it could also be "not be a butthead" kudasai. Hypothetically speaking, of course since this is just a linguistic exercise.
One last thought for the evening - kokoro tadashi karazareba, ken mata tadashi karazu - if your heart is true, your sword will also be true.
Dewa, jaa mata ato de.
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Hajime!
Dec. 6th, 2009 | 06:20 pm
posted by: alice_the_raven
Hitotsu - Kinoo, watashi wa Kendo no shiai o shimashita.
Futatsu - Iaido no renshu o yokatta.
I'm still 50-50 on leaving for a few days. I was working 12-14 hour days for a bit.
We took a bath on real estate taxes for our slum to the tune of $5400. Time to sell.
2nd day of the Winter Shiai - Seven victories to no defeats. Here's a kote nuki men strike. My opponent attacked my wrist, which I moved. When he missed, I made the head cut.
Men Ari!
For Iaido, we worked on the Okuden i-waza set from Kasumi to Torabashiri. I learned to soften my tsukagashira strike as it's more of a feint than an actual strike. In Towaki Sono Ichi, you engage an opponent to the right front by half drawing. The draw should be smooth and soft and then you pull your left hip back to complete saya biki. Then, you tsuki to the left rear.
In Tanashita (under the shelf), you sneak out from under a shelf/desk/table to strike down your opponent. You slide forward with your head low and half draw straight out. After emerging, you rise up and deliver kirioroshi.
Noto can be challenging on this set as you have to be fast and aggressive and you have to make sure that the end of the saya clears over your left ankle.
We then worked on the tachiwaza set, standing, batto style from Yukitzure to Shinobu. A lot of these arts utilize a quick draw from hands down so you have to feel very comfortable with drawing so that you don't fumble with the tsuka as you draw. The other tough skill is engaging the opponent at your right rear as you can only deliver the cut one handed as in Tsuredachi sono ni. We did an interesting thing with So-dome, which simulates you coming down a stairwell and fighting opponents below you. We actually went down a stair and did it. Apparently, this very waza was used during a real battle between the Shinsengumi and other ronin in the 1860s during the restoration of the Emperor.
Shinobu is kind of cool in that it simulates a fight in total darkness. You lure your opponent into a trap by tapping your sword in a different location and then, when he reveals himself, you cut him down.
One of my favorites is Sode Surigaeshi where you push through a crowd to cut down your opponent without collateral damage.
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Koreatown...the last frontier of Christmas shopping
Dec. 6th, 2009 | 07:00 pm
posted by: muroku
You can keep driving down Western Ave and there is an ENDLESS number of all kinds of stores. Korean furniture stores, which sells those neato short tables and some have drawers, dozens of BBQ joints, and I saw two "toy dog" stores and ofcourse swap meets.
Korean swap meets tend to be one or two steps above other swap meets and basically the *same* stuff you may find in Little Tokyo can also be found in Korean businesses for LESS. However, never, never go to K-Town on Sundays. Everyone leaves church after noon and it's THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING APOCALYPSE. I do have to buy some Christmas stuff for co-workers and my mother likes to buy quirky stuff for her friends so K-town seemed "logical" except we didn't heed the warning signs at KIM'S HOME CENTER:
1) There were 5-6 employees in the parking lot wrapping presents for customers.
2) There was a "PARKING LOT FULL" sign
but noooooooo we had to brave the crowds. Every other person bought fleece blankets from Korea. Kim's had a huge selection of house sandals and CUTESHOP bags, coin purses etc (CuteShop is BETTER than Hello Kitty IMHO except it's just not an empire yet the Cuteshop is part of http://petshopkorea.co.kr/intro.html).
We got these awesome lunch totes with matching bentos for co-workers---sooo awesome. Each set was $9.99 includes the tote, 2 bentos and 1 water container.
Next week we may check out Chung's Home Appliance Center.
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Satay on Sunday
Dec. 6th, 2009 | 11:02 am
posted by: muroku
This is what happens when you have an ADD parent. There is no planning or anything you just do it or you have to put up with 6 hrs of verbal abuse (serious I'm surprised I haven't developed migrains). It's like living life minute by minute.
I had to wake up at the crack dawn to BBQ satay outside in the COLD (yes S. CA is cold now)
for her co-workers and we'll eat the rest this evening. There are dozens of ways to marinade for satay and there are different versions in Southeast Asia but this time instead of coconut milk we used buttermilk, coriander root, ginger, tumeric and cumin powder, cinnamon, ground clove and black mushroom sauce (no MSG) which is a replacement for vegetarians who can't use fish sauce. We soaked the bamboo skewers in water for several hours as the chicken was soaking in the marinade and then everything is tossed on a 300-350 grill.
Also roasted a few heads of garlic, onion and yams (or is it sweet potato?). I poked holes in the yam and it made little whistling noises.
I hope my mother can microwave bamboo skewers at work :: shrugs ::.
Many neighbors opened their doors and were like WTF? Because it doesn't make any sense to be BBQing so early in the cold.
Nothing makes sense when you take orders from someone who thinks planning ahead is no fun (-_-).
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THE DARK KNIGHT (contains spoilers)
Dec. 5th, 2009 | 08:29 am
posted by: muroku
SPOILERS behind cut so don't peek if you haven't seen this movie.
Yes it is one of the better Hollywood films for sure but because I'm a fan I do some whining.
( Read more... )