The Trafalgar

Up on the roof

Went to the Trafalgar’s rooftop garden for a party over the weekend. It’s a nice little spot to escape from the crowds in the centre of London.

(View from The Trafalgar’s roof garden)

PINKY – Super Girls Magazine!

Morning Pep

I usually see this hour (5:39a.m.) from the other side. So I thought I’d add a little perk to my morning brew by visiting the site for Japanese women’s fashion mag, PINKY.

Part of Shuiesha’s (one of Japan’s top cats in the publishing lark) stable of monthlies, PINKY is aimed at fashion conscious twenty-something gals. PINKY launched in 2004 as a sister magazine to the Japanese version of Seventeen, with several staff moving to help set up the newer title.

To my untrained eye, the magazine’s target readership is fresh, cute and girly-graduating-to-feminine, with aspirations of style and sophistication. Earlier this year one of PINKY’s free gift giveaways was a Betsey Johnson x Hello Kitty pouch.

(My two yen on Japanese magazines after the jump)

Deer

Down in the woods

While out jogging yesterday I bumped into a herd of around twenty-five deer. They were bleating and bawling all manner of nonsense to each other. So I joined in.

I should explain that there is a deer park past the bottom of the garden where I am currently staying in the south east of England.

There were several fawns in the herd, probably par for the course for this time of year. Slightly more unusual was the white deer amongst them. As I shambled along short of breath, vision blurring, I must admit the first thought that popped into my head was, “Why’s that goat hanging out with all those deer?”

Kaya

Coconut jam

This is the works. A thick, buttery, sweet spread found in Malaysia and Indonesia. A jar of this green-gold treat found its way into my larder the other day. I’m slathering it over toast like nobody’s business.

Kaya is made from coconut milk, eggs, sugar and pandan leaf. Simple, but deceptively so. Pandan leaves are versatile, finding widespread use in Malaysian, Indonesian, Sri Lankan and Thai cuisine, sweet or savoury. They can also be made into gnarly skirts.

Outside of their natural growing regions, pandan leaves can be found in dried form (and occasionally fresh or fresh frozen) in more adventurous food stores. Thrown them into a curry or use them like vanilla in sweets. Or make that skirt you’ve never dreamed about owning.

. . .

Anger – Lucifer Rising

Feeling happy

Last week sitting in Tom’s Kitchen, where the pork chops were quietly breaking my heart, Rossetti pulled out a bag from under the table. “For me?”, my brain salivated. A peek inside revealed Anger 3, The Devils and The Tempest (Derek Jarman’s).

More (including Anger’s Lucifer Rising on YouTube) after the jump.

Hagaki no.4: Pig! Pig! Pig!

Oink Oink

In Japan pigs go ‘bu bu’. Whatever language they speak, they’re still delicious.

Pig! Pig! Pig!

Hagai no.3: Bunny Love

Pyon Pyon

Compared to other ethnicities, a rather high proportion of Japanese women remind me of rabbits. I’m talking faces – and teeth – here, not costume or bedroom habits. かわいいな〜。

Bunny Love

Hagaki no.2: Saru

Monkey business

Only two cards in and you may have noticed a theme. I only have three types of paint at the moment: burnt umber, cadmium red and titanium white. Mix them, you say. Damn you all to hell, I cry back.

Saru

Hagaki no.1: The Bruna

Dick & Me

I love postcards. It’s a small pleasure to write or receive them from far flung places around the world. Beyond that, they’re a wonderful little artistic medium. And they make swell bookmarks.

So without further ado, I’ll introduce the first card I knocked up now that my tools and materials have finally arrived from Japan.

The Bruna

xxxHOLiC

In the witching hour

I picked up the first volume of xxxHOLiC by the manga collective Clamp. The series begins with a high-school student, Watanuki Kimihiro, who is plagued by spirits, and the witch who offers to help him for a price.