Hans and I made a date to go wandering around the back streets of Xiamen and take photos this afternoon. He had made references to checking out the hardcore prostitution street (the xiao jies who work from home or have boys handing out cards in front of the Marco Polo are wimps compared to these ladies), but sadly (and to Hans’ credit), he couldn’t find it. We did, however, find another yarn shop (yay! Yarn!), a temple where the old ladies were watching Minnan gezai opera (歌仔戏), and checked out a bunch of old houses. We also walked through my favourite street market (not for shopping, but for photography), and I used the often-neglected video function on my camera.
If you are in any way squeamish or think being pescetarian makes you a less cruel consumer of animal products, don’t watch this short video.
(I was raised in a family of doctors and/or medical students, who thought nothing of discussing cadavers and what not during mealtimes when I was a young’un myself, so very little can put me off my food.)
Aside from the fact that this is an astoundingly, disgustingly cute picture, wouldn’t it be nice to just take a nap next to a cat?
That is, if you like cats.
I love these aminekos. They’re just incredible.
two cats sleeping, originally uploaded by brendaj.
I’m getting tired of Chinese comment spam. Now they’re copying portions of my posts in an attempt to look legit. Hmpf.
I got this on e-mail from Bex in Japan, and it made me laugh:
Women are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. So, instead, they sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy to reach. The apples at the top think something must be wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.
Now men — Men are like a fine wine. They begin as grapes, and it’s up to women to stomp the shit out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.
This can be found on the Internet (of course). I saw it on marmalade.ca, who also received it recently on e-mail.
… was surprised to discover that neither Neil nor Rhona (nor her pal, Mary) knew what peeps are*. I know they’re peculiar to North America, and I personally have never eaten a peep or seen a peep in the (marshmallowy) flesh, but I know they are candy (a massive candy army). That can be manipulated into making films, acting in plays, rocking out, and becoming experimental subjects. Or ride bikes.
We also went to Havana to spend the last of our vouchers, watched a few episodes of Black Adder, checked out the roundhouses, Huoshaoyu, and I continued my stencilling experiments. Which so far have not been 100 percent successful but not bad for someone who has no idea what the hell she’s doing.
I’m very interested in this stencilling nonsense, but I’m not so interested in buying a whole heap of supplies. So I’m working with my sister’s 10+ year old Giant wax crayons and using that iron Neil bought me for Christmas in 2004 because he thinks he’s funny. I would ask the local shop that paints on t-shirts for money, but 1) I don’t think I could properly communicate what I want to know, and 2) in not properly communicating what I want to know, they will think I am trying to pump them for information so I can set up my own t-shirt shop. The art store has two boxes of Pentel fabric paint, but they are so dusty I imagine I’d take them home to find that all the paint inside the tubes has dried. Acrylic paint is easily available, but the fuckers crack. I hear. I’m not about to buy tubs of paint and then confirm that the fuckers crack, because buying the paint means I have to buy a sponge brush as well. And buy a palette-thing so I can mix the paint (with textile medium, which I have not seen for sale in the art store). And find freezer paper, which is NOT available in Xiamen (my source has so far been The Londoner, hurrah for fish and chips). So there’s a bit of a dilemma with this stencilling thing.
Then there’s the sewing. Now Rhona has ordered a bag and cuff from me, which I am happy to do. But the size of the project means I need sewing machine help, and I’m currently still too scared of sewing machines and I need to at least borrow one to learn how to use it, or else I can stick to hand-stitching but that could mean that by the time I’m finished the whole matching accessories thing might have gone out of fashion in the UK. I dunno.
I’ve got a couple of craft swaps going as well, and one of them is currently delivering a lot of amusement, because it involves me taking someone else’s sock monkey out and around Xiamen and taking pictures. Everyone loves the monkey, so it’s cool. But I think they think I’m mad. And then I’m crocheting this doll, it’s supposed to be a good karma doll. I’ve only just started. I’m a little worried about the details.
And THEN, I’ve got loads of writing to do.
Whew.
* Terry also e-mailed this link to peeps comics.
The comic strip by Beth McMillan, Teacosies with Irony, is very funny. If you craft a lot or know someone who does. Kind of niche.
With
- a new issue of What’s On to organise (three weeks to deadline)
- a white paper to complete (two days to first draft deadline)
- Chinese news articles to read and collect on a daily basis (twice-weekly deadlines)
- craft swaps to, well, craft for (staggered deadlines, but all in April), and
- Neil’s sister and pal to show around (here till the middle of the month)
… I’m a little pretty run off my feet. Tired, with not enough hours in a day to get all the things I need done done.
Neil should learn to crochet just so he can create his own Creme Egg monster, but I know he’ll just think I should do it, and it should hold real Creme Eggs as well.
Thanks to Terry, may I present Cats ‘n’ Racks™. Rawr!
