Love & Magic in the Future & Japan

First things first, you gotta watch both of these movies if you haven't already. Watching them is like being spooned by the universe. If I was a useless doctor I would prescribe these movies like a tonic for the sad and lonely. I sometimes want to be a doctor, for the money mostly, but also because I like helping people and stuff. Anyway, this is my contribution to the happiness quotient of the world. Watch these two movies and feel better. 

But why?

Well, they are both ridiculously good, like ten-outta-ten vibes. They are also both deliciously life-affirming which is strange given the presence of a Catbus (see here) and an intelligent operating system that with the perils of Vodacom shitty network coverage and airtime, seems maybe more unbelievable than a fucking Catbus. 

"Her" the top one if you didn't already know, is so beautiful to watch that it falls into the category of movies that you can absolutely enjoy on mute. But that doesn't mean that the dialogue isn't amazing, because it is... Intelligent, interesting and beautiful, the dialogue is still swimming in my brain, albeit bastardized by my poor memory. Also, I really, really loved the colours in the movie, rich hues of orange and brown, and the notable absence of the colour blue. The future according to Spike Jonze is actually a 1930's throwback with the presence of "close", intuitive technology. I kinda hope that he is right, I personally cannot wait to wear Opening Ceremony like it's a uniform. A movie about love. A movie about death, transience and high-waisted pants. I loved everything about it. 

Now on to "My Neighbour Totoro". Goodness! This movie just made me want to wash my mouth out with soap (in the best possible way). It presents a world that is so sweet, innocent and sincere that it made me feel like I've been a bad girl my whole life for thinking otherwise. I only wish that I had watched it when I was younger instead of being introduced to the world via the lunacy of Disney's scare tactics. Actually, just thinking about the movie makes me smile and roar "TOHHH-TOHH-ROHHHH!" 

In conclusion: now I really need to get to Japan and just get knee-deep in some Totoro merch. Also, I need to rethink my haters-hate-everything stance on Amy Adams given her great performance in "Her".

Moomin in Japan!

So add this to the long list of reasons why I have to go to Japan. See here: clickety click!

Minoura Kentaro!

Thank you Japan, you always make the best people. See more here. 

Daiki Suzuki!

Continuing my recent trend of Japanese men, I offer to you Daiki Suzuki. 

He's the creator of Engineered Garments and used to be Creative Director of Woolrich Woolen Mills but then Mike McNairy aka McNasty came through with his irreverent New Amsterdam camo and guns thang so that relationship ended. 

But like, damn, whenever you get money, drop a guap on Engineered Garments and then! (This is the important thing) DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOW/WHERE YOU WILL EAT/LIVE/PRAY/WASH CLOTHES because as usual Japanese takes on Americana aren't for the faint of heart or empty of wallet or actually any member of a third world elite (i.e. South African middle class). 

Three Things That I Love Right Now

1. This book. Sigh. Whelp. Smile. It has it all! Everyday is made better by this bedside companion. 




2. This in my belly. Banana bread is crazy underrated right now. See my love for banana bread here...

3. These words. So true it hurts. 

Yoko Furusho!

Lately Pinterest has been stealing my waking hours. 

In the safe, super-organised world of Pinterest I can indulge my Susie Homemaker tendencies while pinning ubiquitous pictures of Ashley Madekwe (honestly, the girl is sublime). 

But every blue moon I come across something that makes my heart smigh (smile and sigh). 

Just yesterday I found the work of this lovely lady and I fell in love. 

The detail! The colours! The healthy dose of bunnies! I hope heaven looks like this. 

Fantastic things like this make me so happy that the internet exists! 

Click here and here and be happy and amazed too! 

P.S. The last picture is the interior wall of a fast-food chain in Asia. And that folks is why Asia is the best. 

visvim!

visvim, you have to type it like that, no capital letters. You know why? The brand is that cool, that disinterested, that nonchalant and that Japanese...

The stuff is so buttery it's crazy. I saw some stuff in Seoul; I wanted it but then I saw the price tag and realized how uninterested this Japanese label was in my wallet. 

So you're a dude and you like that Japanese dedication to Americana and more importantly you want to win Tumblr?  Want to make them camera shutters blink on and off like an epileptic kid? 

Get on to this label, I mean where you're going to get it in South Africa is beyond me, but hey, you can dream and by Zeus, do I dream of that Navajo Blanket Hoppiland Jacket... dat name. 

Haruki Murakami!

I have always wanted to listen to an audiobook. I think it's because I miss having someone read me bedtime stories. 

I remember once when I was about six or so, I read the whole of Disney's Cinderella to my gran, she listened attentively without saying anything and when I was done, all she said was "you got it all wrong". Hahaha, jeez.   

Anyway, childhood bitterness aside, I recently got Haruki Murakami's memoir This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running as an audiobook. It is fantastic, really, I love him.

I have read two of his previous books and getting an insight into him as a person is such a treat. Firstly, he started a jazz bar in Tokyo fresh out of university (kill me now) and then he just started writing and ascended to a kind of coolness reserved for the likes of Prince, Grace Jones and Olof Palme.  

Also, he has the golden ticket of being Japanese, which like being Swedish or Cape Verdean, means that you are necessarily cool and interesting.

Pigs & Papa

For ten years photographer Toshiteru Yamaji captured this Japanese farmer's love for his dear piggys. 

I just love everything about this really. 

It kinda reminds me of the words of Abe Lincoln: "people are just as happy as they make up their minds to be”.

Learning How To Doodle

I spotted this on Twitter (check me out yo) and it got me all excited and inspired.

I really love drawing, ever since I mastered those 'M' shaped birds I've been doodling up a serious storm!

Jeffrey Fulvimari and Fafi are just the best. 

The above is my attempt at drawing (mostly copying) with a little Star Wars thrown in for good luck. 

Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers!

I watched this movie last night and the whole day I've been secretly smiling to myself thinking of the silliness. 

Japanese quirkiness at its best, I loved it.

Upon googling the main actress, Juri Ueno, I discovered Asian Wiki, which includes featured individual's blood types and comments such as "have my babies" with Skype numbers attached..

I like this kind of dedication, albeit misguided. 

By the way, if you were wondering, Juri is Type A. 

Kenzo!

Kenzo, the Japanese fashion brand that is responsible for every girl circa 2000 smelling exactly the same, has launched a range of caps that make me think that I'm ready to forgive for their olfactory indiscretions.

Murakami

"A certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect". 


Haruki Murakami

Hello Kitty!



The latest trend in Japan is wearing animatronic cat ears "Necomimi", which respond to your mood by using sensors that detect signals from your brain.  

When you are a sad feline the ears are droopy and when you're the cat that got the cream the ears perk up.

Mood rings are dead, now is the time of the kitty.

Japanese Bear Bread!

The world is a more beautiful place when the most stylish people in the world decide to turn their talents to the humble art of bread making.

I want to eat this whole family of bears right now.

By the way, I have never loved a blog title so much.