Weekend in Review–Exploring Japanese Fantasy Literature at UQ

Shouldn't a weekend review come sooner than Thursday? Somehow I managed to put off this post until now, but perhaps in the future I should make more of an effort to post about my weekend at the beginning of the week! Oh well. I hope you all are looking forward to this weekend and the beginning of April!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I attended an event at the University of Queensland held on Friday night called Fantasy and Imagination: Exploring Japanese Creative Writings. The guest speakers included Dr. Carol Hayes of ANU, Edward Lipsett, a translator who co-founded Kurodahan Press, and Roger Pulvers, a man of many talents who recently published The Dream of Lafcadio Hearn with Kurodahan Press.

The man focus of the panel was to discuss whether there is something inherently different about Japanese fantasy when compared to Western fantasy, and to pinpoint what these differences might be, if there indeed are any. I found it to be quite interesting and was especially impressed by Roger's insight on the subject. He argued that Japanese aesthetics are intended to be felt through the pores, and that while a Western perception of beauty is something that is unattainable by average individuals (he used ornate castle architecture as an example of this), Japanese beauty is felt every day and is inherently the same, from revered Shinto shrines to the humble everyday dwellings. Pretty neat, huh?

Dr. Hayes and Edward both mentioned the lack of action in Japanese fantasy as compared with Western fantasy literature. As a whole, Japanese fantasy is emotionally driven, rather than plot/action driven, which I think, along with the fundamental differences in the Japanese perception of beauty, is the root of what makes Japanese fantasy different from, say, Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings.

After the discussion, we all filed into another room for the reception, where there were complementary drinks and food (I had a glass of white wine and some kind of chicken skewer, both of which were very nice). I was able to meet many interesting people, including all of the speakers except for Edward, unfortunately. I may have even landed another translation gig, but I'm not going to talk about that, lest I jinx it!

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend Cardmaking for a Cause, an event my husband's co-worker (whose house we stayed at when we had to evacuate during the floods, incidentally) invited me to. It was a women-only event where all the cards made during the day would be donated to local hospitals to sell to patients and visitors, all proceeds raised going to the hospitals themselves to use for improved equipment, etc.

Luckily, all of the cards I made came in prearranged "kits," which meant all I had to do was stick all of the parts together. This actually saved a lot of time, rather than having to conceptualize and cut everything there on the spot. It was quite a nice, intimate event (though I may have been the youngest woman there...), and during the course of 4 hours my table made over 100 cards! And of course we got to help ourselves to biscuits, coffee/tea, and sandwiches, which always is a bonus.

Sorry for the lack of photos today... I meant to take a couple at the cardmaking event but I only ended up getting a couple that are pretty poor quality. As I type, I am busy cooking my Dad's awesome chicken barley soup, so maybe I'll share photos of that next time!

Vintage Find: Children's Treasury of Lit + Chinese Peanut Cookies!

Happy Friday! Or... Thursday evening, to most of my readers on the other side of the world... Don't worry, it's almost Friday!

I can't believe my last update was about something I found at a vintage shop and I'm already back, less than a week later, with some more goodies. I guess someone's on a vintage kick these days (who, me?)... Actually, what inspired my last trip to the Paddington secondhand shops was an intriguing DIY tutorial in my new favorite Aussie magazine Frankie for a "paper wall quilt." Long story short, the project consists of cutting pieces of paper and cardboard into hexagons, gluing them together, and pasting them on your wall to form a quilt-like pattern... Very easy, and a very pretty, unique result! You can use any kind of paper you want, such as origami paper, wrapping paper, or even printed fabric... I thought it'd be great to find a vintage children's book and do a combination of words/pictures, because I love old illustrations. Since my husband is big on music, we're going to go on another shopping excursion to find some vintage sheet music to use, as well. I will definitely post my results when the project is finished! But for now...

First, I apologize for the poor photos... I really need to get better at taking pictures, or start employing some photo-editing magic to make the pictures I take a little more pleasing to the eye... The lighting is just so poor in our apartment. But! Surely you can still enjoy what an adorable book this is! And the price? An even more delicious $2.00! What a steal

I spent a long while browsing through the picture book section of one of the better vintage stores for just the right book. Pretty illustrations were a must! At a grand total of 550 pages, there are certainly plenty of nice illustrations, and each story is done by a different artist, so there is an eclectic mix of styles that is really great. The picture above is one of my favorites, I just love the illustration on the left! The style almost reminds me of The Rose of Versailles. Why yes, they are looking at a rabbit in a basket!

One of the stories is even illustrated by a Japanese woman!

From these two images, you can really see the range of styles depicted in this book! How interesting! I'm totally loving it, if you can't tell already. It's also really nice to see a wide variety of stories from different cultures, rather than just European folktales. There's even the Japanese tale, "The Boy Who Drew Cats," by the ever-famous Lafcadio Hearn.

Shaun and I couldn't help but get a few giggles out of the story titled "Poo-Poo Finds a Dragon," excerpted from Poo-Poo and the Dragon by C. S. Forester, if only because of the over-use of the protagonist's cute but slightly-unfortunte name. Case in point:

I might've remembered his name, but he was so unimportant they cut him out of the excerpt!

 So, in the end, I may not want to cut up this book after all. There are too many fun stories and illustrations! Though it really would make for a great paper wall quilt. Oh, what a conundrum! Shaun suggested we read one story out loud before bed, and as we go through we can decide those we want to save in their entirety and those we don't mind putting scissors to. It's an idea, but luck will probably have it that all the stories we can bear chopping up won't have particularly good illustrations, or something similarly unfortunate. We'll see what I come up with next week!

In other news, I baked Chinese New Year peanut cookies yesterday for the first time! I used this great tutorial by Chocolatesuze, a Sydney food blogger. Unfortunately I was a little late for Chinese New Year, but maybe next year!

I gave some to Shaun to try when he got back from work yesterday, and while I was busy making fajitas for dinner in the kitchen, I could swear I heard giggling, yes, giggling, coming from the living room. He liked them that much! And that's saying a lot, considering he has much experience with authentic Chinese food, and I am but a lowly American trying a recipe for the first time (I'd say kudos to the original recipe, not my execution). He liked them so much, he said, that he wanted to bring them into work and share with his colleagues to show them what a great cook his wife is (and that I should make some for his family back in Sydney sometime, too). Awwww! But wait, maybe they're actually really bad and he's trying to pawn them off on his coworkers? Haha, it's unlikely, he seemed pretty excited about them and I'll admit they were pretty darn good, too, as my first peanut cookie, anyway.

So there you have it! Today I'm looking forward to attending a panel discussion at the University of Queensland (you know, that university I plan on attending for my graduate studies sometime before I die) titled "Fantasy and Imagination: Exploring Japanese Creative Writing." Sounds exciting! My advisor, Professor Tomoko Aoyama, will also be in attendance, so it will be nice to catch up with her again. I'm slightly nervous that the event is RSVP-only, which may mean it is very small/serious? I don't know, but I hope I don't make too much of a fool of myself. That or the RSVP is to ensure they have enough food/drink for the attendees, and in that case I better get a nice cup of coffee, haha. Look forward to a synopsis on Monday!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Vintage Find: 60's Japanese Scarf

Hello hello! Since I'm a big fan of second-hand and vintage bargain shopping, I'd like to feature some of the things I find from time to time. Shaun and I recently discovered that one of the neighboring suburbs, Paddington, is quite the treasure-trove when it comes to vintage shops (we counted at least 4 just in the center of town!), so I hope that our future excursions there will yield some more great items.

This past weekend we spent quite a bit of time browsing around Retro Metro's discount outlet (the original shop was getting so full, they decided to open a second shop for all of their "bargain" deals). There's nothing quite like rummaging through stacks of old tablecloths! Unfortunately, Retro Metro is a little "boutique-y," so their prices don't tend to fall on the "dirt cheap" side of things. Even so, I think it's worth spending some time looking through things, because you can find a good bargain just about anywhere–and we did!

This is a vintage 1960's promotional scarf from Fukuda Printing Co. in Kanazawa, Japan! For those of you who know me, Kanazawa is particularly relevant, as I spent 5 of my teenage summers working for a English-language exchange program with students from a technical college in Kanazawa. 

This baby was $10! As you can see from the close-up, it features a calendar for January and February (though only part of Feb is pictured here). This was most likely given out as promotional material for the company at the beginning of the new year, which is a pretty common practice in Japan. The new year's themed illustration and calendar would encourage people to hang it up in their homes for the first couple of months of the year, and there may even have been a complete set featuring all 12 months total.

Shaun and I were both pretty excited to find this! Since we love all things Japanese and were looking for some unique ways to decorate our abode, this certainly fit the bill! I'll have to iron it (and possibly hem it, seeing as it's unraveling a little), and then we'll probably frame it. Any other ideas for how to display it?

Thoughts on Dead Space 2

Hello hello! What did you all do last weekend? I'll tell you what Shaun and I did...

We played Dead Space 2! Well, Shaun played and I watched (and didn't watch, when it was particularly scary). I managed to snag a copy brand-new for only $40 on Amazon! Shaun played the first one back when we moved to Brisbane last August, and we both thought it was pretty fun, so we had been looking forward to the sequel. With new games having insane price tags like $110 here in the down under, we figured it'd probably be a while before we played DS2... But we got lucky!

(source)

Since I didn't actually play any of the game, but merely watched as Shaun dismembered hundreds of alien-zombie creatures (aka necromorphs), I will refrain from doing a true review and just talk about some of our thoughts and impressions.

For those of you who haven't played the original, the game centers around Issac Clarke, an engineer (pictured in the image above) who is part of what seems to be a rescue mission sent to the spaceship Ishimura. It turns out the ship has been invaded by some kind of alien life force that distorts and reanimates human corpses into necromorphs. Searching for answers and haunted by his dead girlfriend, who was stationed on the Ishimura before the outbreak, Issac delves deeper and deeper into the ship, with minimal chance at escape.

Haha, ok, sorry for my horrible summary. Anyways, Dead Space was quite well received when it came out for being an atmospheric survival horror game with a unique premise–namely, the nercromorphs can only be killed by cutting off their limbs. This provided gamers with interesting gameplay and innovative weapons (Shaun still talks at length about his beloved line gun). The game uses similar techniques as other big names in the genre, such as the Silent Hill series, using minimalistic sound and dimly-lit or seemingly vacant environments to create a sense of eerie foreboding. Though a little slow at first in terms of action, the lack of action works very well to creep out the player (or spectator, in my case).

I recall reading in a couple of reviews before DS2 came out that the creators were looking to up the ante a little in terms of action for the sequel. They certainly achieved this, as the whole game feels like a roller-coaster ride from start to finish. The first sequence of the game even has you running for your life in a straight jacket!

such detailed environments! (source)

 What made Dead Space 2 a successful sequel, in my opinion, was that it built so well on the original formula. Not a whole lot was significantly changed except for the addition of multiplayer (which we have yet to try, as it is online only) and the revamping of the sequences without gravity (which they did a great job of, these were really cumbersome in the original). The Sprawl, where much of the game takes place, is full of very interesting environments, which I think the game really benefited from.

There were a few things that irked Shaun and I about the game, however. The fast pace actually felt too fast at times, and it seemed as though they cut back on the pacing that leads to a good story in order to include more "mindless" action. Shooting necromorphs is fun and all, I suppose, but I really like is a gripping story and lots of tense moments, and DS2 didn't really meet my expectations there. At the beginning of the game I was convinced there was some really interesting stuff happening with the story, but it really fell flat in that regard.

Another issue, and this is one Shaun mentioned but I probably wouldn't have thought since I wasn't playing, is the amount of guns the game gives you. There are so many that there is no real way for you to fully upgrade even one by the end of the your first playthrough (edit: sorry, my mistake, you could upgrade one or two fully, but you'll have to do a couple of playthroughs to get them all). Shaun also noticed that a couple of the guns (such as his favorite line gun) can be used to kill the majority of enemies even up to the end of the game, so there really isn't much of a reason to use some of the the others (such as the flamethrower, he didn't even use that once).


Back on the positive side of things, I did enjoy what DS2 did in terms of character development. While Issac was a silent protagonist in the original, in 2 he has a voice, and we see a lot of his inner turmoil regarding his dead girlfriend and the events that happened in the previous game. I really enjoy that he can be very capable but still be unable to come to terms with what happened in his past. There is also a strong female character who teams up with Issac around the middle of the game, and I'm always excited to see bad ass women in games!

Dead Space had its flaws, but it was still fun to watch, and I know Shaun had fun playing it. It's too bad there was a little too much going back and forth to complete unimportant tasks (a flaw of the first game, as well) and seemingly endless hordes of enemies in the last few chapters, which we both found repetitive. Just like the original, the sound and atmosphere is great, and the game has some of the best graphics I've seen, even on our crappy TV. I know I'd be willing to check out any future sequels (there's been talk of them already), but I do hope they put a little more thought into the story for future installments.

And I know this wasn't really a review, but Shaun says he'd give it about a 8.6/10. That's pretty high, Shaun!

 Thanks for reading!  I'm hoping to get on a two-posts-a-week rotation for a while, so look forward to an increased number of updates! If you're interested in receiving emails when I update, please sign up for the RSS feed on the right! Thanks for reading

Adventures in Embroidery

If you had come to me a year ago and said, "In one year's time, you will be an embroiderer," I probably would've replied, "Pssh, naw, not me." Oh, how minds change! Not only do I cross-stitch, but I embroider now, too! I've always been one for cute handmade things, and I've been knitting on and off for years, but the recent renewal of embroidery and cross-stitch has made me realize that I, too, can stitch fun and awesome things. And so can you!
There are now countless sites/blogs/books that show how versatile embroidery and cross-stitch can be.
The most famous is probably Sublime Stitching, which has been active since 2001 and has patterns for all sorts of kitschy embroidery such as tattoos, sushi, and... vital organs? You can find Sublime Stitching books and kits in the craft section of most bookstores, too!

A little more on the other side of nerdy things are the Sprite Stitch forums, dedicated to all video-game related stitching. From Pokemon to Zelda, Mario to Okami, you can find all sorts of patterns and projects in the various message boards. Some of my favorites include an Okami bookmark and this awesomely detailed "Home Sweet Home" Mario cross-stitch.

Okami bookmark by awenmir

 When my husband and I were back in Sydney to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family, I finally picked up a copy of this Japanese embroidery book I have been coveting ever since I saw a few scans of it online. Even with the jacked up prices of Sydney's Kinokuniya, the purchase was totally worth every cent!

That's right, it's got 500 patterns!

 I swoon over this book. It has so many adorable patterns, all arranged into sections such as "fruits," "animals," and "celebrations." I've been having so much fun looking at it, but difficulty deciding what I can embroider with all of these cute things!

I picked up a couple of tote bags from the local craft store for only $1.50 each the other day, and thought they'd be perfect to practice some of the designs on. Right now I'm working on a fruit and vegetable-themed tote, to be used for groceries, of course!

Beetroot and strawberries!

 I've also been dabbling in making my own designs for various projects, as I have all of these ideas for things I'd maybe, possibly, theoretically like to make a little pocket money off of in the future. Maybe an Etsy shop? I think my skills need to improve a little more before I dive into that, though. I did make this business card holder for my husband entirely from scratch, though, except for the cursive "b," design, which I got from the aforementioned Japanese book.

Unfortunately my poor planning skills mean that this "card holder" is actually too small to hold any normal-sized business cards, so it's back to the drawing board... He'll just have to use his imagination and put it to some other use, I guess! Silly me.

Long story short, I'm loving embroidery! Today I head into the city and will definitely be picking up some more colors so I can add some more fruits and veggies to my tote. Expect more pictures soon!

In other news, I've changed the layout already! I'm pretty finicky, I guess. Tell me what you think? I'm trying to go for something simple yet eye-catching.

Till next time!