Posts from — February 2007

Yuka Yamaguchi has a nice website which combines her art blog, with a gallery portfolio of her work and a shop to sell her art. She’s recently started telling people “I’m an artist. I’m self-taught. I make useless toys and art for adult children.”

Her subjects are an unusual and surreal take on life and worth having a click through. The blog is a welcome, frequently updated part of her site, as her personality shines through this.

Plastique Monkey

From Notcot.org

Technorati Tags: art, Japanese, toys, Yuka Yamaguchi

Look up and you won’t have to see the crowds…

Technorati Tags: Chinatown, Chinese New Year, United Kingdom

Do you have a thing for cheerful, bald men? Use these round-bellied Buddhas to keep your desk clutter together!

Buddha desk organiser, £15.50 from “Where did you buy that”

Technorati Tags: Buddha, design, gadgets

The BBC website has a roundup of events and articles for Chinese New Year. There is also an interview with CHI2 musicians Liz and Sarah Liew who, typical of double-cultured generations (British Chinese) draw upon all their experiences for inspiration.

BBC London Chinese New Year

CHI2 Interview

Technorati Tags: CHI2, Chinese, Chinese New Year, music, United Kingdom

Sweatdrop Studios are a group of over twenty UK-based artists working to create manga-styled comics. In the four years they’ve been around, they’ve produced over one-hundred titles and several anthologies, aiming to produce completely original stories with their own characters and ideas.

Nice to see UK-bred manga flourishing! Buy from Sweatdrop online, or if you live in the UK and create your own comics, join them!

Sweatdrop Studios

Technorati Tags: comics, manga, United Kingdom

If you didn’t grow up with him on Monkey Magic, meet our Year of the Pig celebrity, Toshiyuki Nishida! Not only does he play Pigsy, he was also born in 1947 - also Year of the Pig.

Pigsy is probably the second most recognised character from Monkey Magic, who was also known as the Stupid Swine, Lord Hog and Marshall of the Heavenly Hosts.

In Heaven, Pigsy held the position of Marshall of the Heavenly Hosts. He was banished by the Jade Emperor for trying to drunkenly “kiss” the beautiful Spirit of Vega.

Pigsy’s incarnation on Earth is that of a lust-filled Pig monster. He chases women (but rarely catches them) smells women’s dresses (when there are no women around) and when feasting could consume an inordinate amount of food in a very short time!

Pigsy becomes one of Tripitaka’s Holy Disciples in the hope that he will be able to return to Heaven and be with the Spirit of Vega again.

Pigsy’s weapon is his trademark mighty (and glamourous) Muckrake. It is capable of splitting stones and mountains (as well as heads). It was forged for him as compensation for his banishment.

Pigsy was played by Toshiyuki Nishida in the first series of Monkey Magic, and is also known in the world of Japanese entertainment as an actor and comedian.

More information on Wikipedia

Monkey Mania - A Monkey Magic fansite

Toshiyuki Nishida’s Website (in Japanese only)

Technorati Tags: entertainment, Japanese, Monkey Magic, Toshiyuki Nishida, TV

Rabbit-shaped dumplings with a sweet custard paste.

For the uninitiated dim-summer, and just because they’re my favourite, a gleaming portion of chicken feet. Yes, you heard that right…

From East-Asian cuisine resource blog, Wandering Chopsticks

Technorati Tags: chicken feet, Chinese, cuisine, dim sum

It’s the Year of the Pig, so of course the first thing that springs to mind is a pet pig right? This site has some info I didn’t know about why pigs (specifically Vietnamese Pot Belly pigs) make great pets.

Top 10 Reasons Pigs Make Great Pets

1. Price is around the same amount as a pedigree dog or cat
2. Non-allergenic in most cases
3. Clean and odor-free
4. No fleas
5. They are about the size of a medium sized dog
6. Long life span (12-20 years)
7. Non-destructive, unlike a puppy
8. Quickly trained: litterbox, tricks, walking harness, etc.
9. Low maintenance: annual vet visit, generally stronger immune system than a dog or cat
10. Intelligent, Social, and Communicative

Hm. For some reason, I would still prefer a dog or cat..

Remember, a pig is for life, not just for new year…

Look! Ahh.. Year of the Dog hands over to Year of the Pig!

Technorati Tags: Chinese New Year, pet pig, Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig