Dear Envoy

Dear Envoy,

I am 19 and in college. My father owns a large company and he has been given many titles by the government. Since young, I have had a comfortable life.

I am grateful for what my parents have given me. However, I am not happy. My father is very close to many important politicians. On the surface he seems to be good friends with them but he always complains to my mother that all they want is his money. For his business to survive, he says he needs to give a lot of money to these politicians.

I feel very guilty about all this. I am worried that my father may get caught and jailed. I’m becoming very disillusioned about life. These politicians are supposed to be the leaders of our country but they are deeply involved in corruption. Sometimes I feel like running away from home or even committing suicide.

Disillusioned Lolita

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Get The Milky Way On Your Browser

Serge Brunier, a french photographer, offers you a navigable map of the Milky Way on your browser.



A time-lapse video of the Atacama Desert on his site:


Links:

• Milky Way Map
• Sergei's site

About the Milky Way:
The Milky Way is the galaxy in which the Solar System (which our planet is located) is part of. It is a barred spiral galaxy that is part of the Local Group of galaxies.

It is extremely difficult to define the age of the Milky Way but the age of the oldest star in the Galaxy yet discovered, HE 1523-0901, is estimated to be about 13.2 billion years, nearly as old as the Universe itself.

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5 Most Intriguing Japan Matsuris

A top 5 list of the most intriguing Japan related matsuris known to me:

1. Penis Matsuri
A phallic centered festival celebrating fertility. Riding and sucking the object of worship may form part of the festivities.


2. Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
A matsuri which showcases a moss-covered cave (Koke no Domon), which has evergreen draped on the inside and is covered in ice. This festival is held in the dead of winter (late January to mid February).


3. Doll Festival (雛祭り Hina-matsuri)
Hinamatsuri traces its origins to an ancient Japanese custom called hina-nagashi (雛流し), where straw hina dolls are set afloat on a boat and sent down a river to the sea, taking bad spirits with them.


4. 7-5-3 (七五三 Shichi-Go-San)
Shichi-Go-San was traditionally celebrated by court nobles and the samurai class as an initiation of their children into middle childhood. The ages three, five and seven are consistent with Japanese numerology, where odd numbers are lucky.

Children of age three were allowed to grow out their hair. Five year old boys could wear hakama for the first time, while girls of age seven would start tying their kimono with the traditional obi.

By the Meiji Period, the practice was adopted amongst commoners as well, and included the modern ritual of visiting a shrine to drive out evil spirits and wish for a long healthy life.


5. Japansoc Matsuri
A monthly blogging carnival for English speaking bloggers who write about Japan. This is hosted by Japansoc, a major online community for Japan enthusiasts.

This entry, by the way, is a submission to the February 2010 Japansoc Matsuri hosted by Muzachan.

Note: Matsuri means festival in Japanese.

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Year Of The Tiger

Wishing all Chinese readers a prosperous Chinese New Year! Rawr!

Chinese New Year (农历新年) or Spring Festival (春节) is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is often called the Lunar New Year. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (正月) in the Chinese calendar (today) and ends on the 15th. This year is associated with the Tiger (虎) in the Chinese Zodiac.

DIY Palmtop Tiger cut-out:


The Origin:
The beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children.

To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people.

One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors.

People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, the Nian never came to the village again.

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More Mockmoon

Some videos from my favourite Japanese timelapse videographer Mockmoon:



Mists over a lake:


The Milky Way at Hakuba Lake:


Mockmoon's blog (in Japanese)

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Orgasm Patchwork

One night, having nothing better to do, I put together a patchwork image of the faces of various girls in the throes of orgasm.

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Time Out

Mono no aware (物の哀れ, lit. "the pathos of things") is a Japanese term used to describe the transience of things and a bittersweet sadness at their passing.

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