Hasu Transitoire (The Transient Lotus)

2nd Annual Uni Pasta Night in Shibuya with Brian & Jean. Sealing the deal: Viron baguette, St. Andre French cheese, craft blood orange olive oil and golden balsamic vinegar from Florio's Olive Oil Company in Grass Valley, CA atop fresh greens and cherry tomatoes, with French Riesling to accompany.  Breakfast of champions, Japan style. I'm telling you, the eggs over here are FAR superior to American eggs, even the best organic, cage free, etc., etc. ones. Orange yolks (apparently a different breed of chicken, total lack of antibiotics, and different raising styles) so rich and velvety...and the thick-cut bacon plus French butter wasn't bad either. Lunch at Dhaba India in Kyōbashi. Southern Indian food in the heart of Tokyo. This "Holiday Specials Lunch Meals A" combination was simply delicious. Especially the warm coconut cabbage slaw...must find recipe. The masala chai was especially creamy and served piping hot in a double steel cup set. Much recommen...

There are many ways to fill a day, a week, a life. At present, I am writing a blog, eating aloe yogurt, and listening to Richard Sweat's sweat-hop on SoundCloud in the air conditioning of my friend Brian and Jean's apartment mulling over thoughts and nursing a hangover. Fortunately (minus the headache), I pursued more adventurous endeavors yesterday. Wanna hear about them? I knew you would! Up first was a Shibuya café crawl with my friend Tug (right), an expert on such things and most other matters. He might be the coolest person I know. A cafe crawl through the heart of Tokyo is a very good way to spend an afternoon, I tell ya... Chamate 一茶一坐 Tall diagonal curves, industrial style building on second floor adjacent to Loft Department Store (think really nice Target full of kawaii stuff). Pale green padded benches line the window, which overlooks an alley right off the main drag (well, one of) of Shibuya.  They serve many Chinese and herbal teas, one Japanese tea, dim sum, ...

Korean Air flight attendants : sea foam silk shirts, perfectly creased cream skirts, tiny neck scarves perfectly folded and peaked like meringue, delicate blue hair bow adorning a tight bun. They all spoke softly and never let some trace of a smile leave their face. The Flight : apart from my accidental knife launching incident during lunch, which thankfully my neighbor to the right (a middle-aged man with braces who tried to read the introduction to a Jane Austen novel for most of the eleven hour flight) did not mind terribly, it was a smooth journey. The exit row sure is the way to go…with my backpack in front of my seat, I could work myself almost completely horizontal. With my big black eye mask and purple blanket and pillow, I must have been a sight to the tiny (mostly) Asian populous of the plane who made almost no noise (save one angry baby with the chubbiest cheeks imaginable!) and kept to themselves. In fact, it was likely this very nature of my fellow flyers that made the t...

ON THE CONSTITUTION OF REALITY visions to date timelines and day breaks triangulated mind forms intentions and thought storms perspectives derived on chord and wind cries this pretty patterned paradox that shape-shifting ladyfox all ever becoming…

Jen Mann Alexander Veranese Gabriel Wickbold Ben Grasso "Red and Blue House" Felipe Guga Ivan Sanjuan "Space Tree" Jennifer Nehrbass Alex Binder Shepard Fairey "Nico" Larry Carlson Tom French Mark Schaer Peter Cross "Steam Locomotive" Yigal Ozeri Tanya Johnson Glen Barr

FRIDAY APRIL 9, 5:30-6:30  Lindsey DeWitt, Ph.D. Candidate, UCLA (Buddhist Studies) Mt. Kôya and Buddhist Restrictions to Women in Pre-Modern Japan Art Building Room 317, University of Washington Forever Banished: Restrictions Regarding Women at Mt. Kōya  Mt. Kōya has been one of the most sacred pilgrimage, worship, and training sites in Japan since the ninth-century, drawing devotees across geographic, sectarian, class, and gender barriers. This sacred mountain and its religious institutions are regarded as paradigmatic examples of Japan’s rich religious history and culture, yet most Japanese and Western descriptions ignore the fact that one half of the population – women – was excluded for most of its history. This paper examines the history of women’s restrictions at Mt. Kōya by looking at stories about Kūkai’s 空海 (774-835) mother. I argue that gender, as symbolized by this female figure, constitutes a key variable in the construction of sacred space and...

Finally getting up-to-date with my beloved art world after school/fun-business. Thought I'd share some pieces I've fallen madly in love with... tran nguyen "and the world came tumbling after" tran nguyen --- this is often how my I imagine my brain alex young "latex" ---- paint splatter beauty magic!! alex young "nina kate" alexey malina "flowers" (series) david polumba "strawberry popsicle" ---does it get sexier than this? serena cole "black reign" --- copper and painting john brophy "barometric" --- a real think-piece best ever "implosion" tessar lo "beyond the flowers" brandi strickland "everything i need is where i'm going" ---how I envision strong women brandi strickland "secret source" ---- collage magic! byroglyphics "bebecalyx" ---haunting june leeloo nimit malavia "carry all that i am able" ---incredible shading ...