Firstly, an unrelated note here. I know I have neglected this blog for a long time, and I really do regret it. I will try harder from now on. Oh, and my main blog is here, so you might want to take a look.

My last post in my main blog was about iGoogle (Google’s customizable page). I use the tea house theme for my own iGoogle, which I think is wonderful because it changes all the time. I love foxes and the illustration of this particular fox is amazingly cute. Plus it changes during the day. You can see the different illustrations of the upper bar during the different times of the day in the post on my main blog.  You might have noticed the spirits there at 03:14 who eat the oranges which are offerings, they are some kind of a Yōkai which are a class of preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore ranging from the evil oni (ogre) to the mischievous kitsune (fox) or snow woman Yuki-onna.

Here are some Yōkai images that were illustrated during the Edo period. They are ukiyo-e prints, which are Japanese woodblock prints or paintings.

Below is a Kappa, which is a type of water sprite found in Japanese folklore.

Below, there are images of Tengu (天狗^?, “heavenly dogs”) which are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai (monster-spirits) and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami (revered spirits or gods). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. They appear in the children’s story Banner in the sky when the main character trips over one and falls off the face of the mountain. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is practically the tengu’s defining characteristic in the popular imagination.

Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice known as Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the distinctive garb of its followers, the yamabushi.

To add some more differentiation to Yokai, there are also my favorite types, the Kitsune and the Yuki-onna:

Kitsune, 狐, きつね is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; kitsune usually refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.

Foxes and human beings lived in close proximity in ancient Japan; this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto kami or spirit, and serve as his messengers. This role has reinforced the fox’s supernatural significance. The more tails a kitsune has—they may have as many as nine—the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make offerings to them as to a deity.

Yuki Onna (雪女, snow woman) is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore. She is a popular figure in Japanese animation, manga, and literature.

Yuki-onna appears on snowy nights as a tall, beautiful woman with long hair. Her inhumanly pale or even transparent skin makes her blend into the snowy landscape (as famously described in Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things). She sometimes wears a white kimono, but other legends describe her as nude, with only her face and hair standing out against the snow. Despite her inhuman beauty, her eyes can strike terror into mortals. She floats across the snow, leaving no footprints (in fact, some tales say she has no feet, a feature of many Japanese ghosts), and she can transform into a cloud of mist or snow if threatened.

Some legends say the Yuki-onna, being associated with winter and snowstorms, is the spirit of someone who perished in the snow. She is at the same time beautiful and serene, yet ruthless in killing unsuspecting mortals. Until the 18th century, she was almost uniformly portrayed as evil. Today, however, stories often color her as more human, emphasizing her ghost-like nature and ephemeral beauty.

In many stories, Yuki-onna appears to travelers trapped in snowstorms, and uses her icy breath to leave them as frost-coated corpses. Other legends say she leads them astray so they simply die of exposure. Other times, she manifests holding a child. When a well-intentioned soul takes the “child” from her, they are frozen in place. Parents searching for lost children are particularly susceptible to this tactic. Other legends make Yuki-onna much more aggressive. In these stories, she often invades homes, blowing in the door with a gust of wind to kill residents in their sleep (Some legends require her to be invited inside first.)

What Yuki-onna is after varies from tale to tale. Sometimes she is simply satisfied to see a victim die. Other times, she is more vampiric, draining her victims’ blood or “life force.” She occasionally takes on a succubus-like manner, preying on weak-willed men to drain or freeze them through sex or a kiss.

Like the snow and winter weather she represents, Yuki-onna has a softer side. She sometimes lets would-be victims go for various reasons. In one popular Yuki-onna legend, for example, she sets a young boy free because of his beauty and age. She makes him promise never to speak of her, but later in life, he tells the story to his wife who reveals herself to be the snow woman. She reviles him for breaking his promise, but spares him again, this time out of concern for their children (but if he dares mistreat their children, she will return with no mercy. Luckily for him, he is a loving father). In a similar legend, Yuki-onna melts away once her husband discovers her true nature.

ThinkGeek :: Tengu.

Oh no! what have I done?!? After constantly ridiculing people who buy T3 ships as having too much isk to spare, and having further ridiculed the ships themselves as nothing more than expensive e-peen… what do I do? I hear they have dropped below 500mil fully fitted and after a large glass of wine I go and buy myself one on an impulse…. what a complete tool.

Corp Chat:

Akura kawanaka > anyone fly a tengu?
AAAAA> I can fly a tengu
BBBBB > tengu is t3
Akura kawanaka > I realise – I’m looking at buying one
AAAAA > You can bassically solo plex in it fairly easily
BBBBB > you can do that in an Ishtar at a fraction the cost
AAAAA > yeah I know but you know everyone hasn’t got gallante trained up ect
Akura kawanaka > I want it for e-peen purposes
BBBBB > can’t argue with epeen
Akura kawanaka > at least I acknowlege I’m doing it for that reason

Of course, I must now think of myself as far superior to all you tech II-flying Neanderthals. It certainly looks hella cool though:

Tengu Strategic E-Peen Cruiser by starlight

Of course, in order to transport it out to nullsec, I also made a bit of a more sensible purchase. Previously I had bought myself an Occator for the massive cargo hold, but in combat operations it is better to be flying a cloaky ship, and in order to support black Ops incursions I need to be flying a blockade runner, so I bought myself a Viator which has a not too shabby cargo hold of 10,279 with rigs and my skills, but the warping cloak is the main use.

Viator blockade runner undocking

Undocking from jita I was actually more fearful than I am in nullsec…. I seriously hate carrying anything of value through heavily populated areas but anyway…. on the way from jita to my home region of Pure blind I was actually targeted by a crusader, although because I was flying manually and cloaking immediately he didn’t achieve full lock. it was actually a relief to get to the friendly gate camp into the first 0.0 system.

With the tengu at the moment it’s a probing/remote repping/interdiction nullifying monstrosity but I’ll be turning it into a t3 command ship shortly. also at my stop in Jita I bought the Wing command skill and warfare link specialist so I should be able to fit a decent warfare link Tengu within a month or two.

anyway – more pictures:

Press release below about  a new comic, Tengu on the iPhone, from the team behind the innovative live action series, Justice For Hire.

“Tengu: A Ninja/Samurai Love Story” – Now on iTunes’ “Comics” App

A lone samurai seeks the demise of a fabled ninja, unbeknownst to him that the target of his sword is also the object of his heart.  From Veteran comic writer Jan C. Childress comes a tale of action, honor, and love set in feudal Japan.  Available now on the “Comics” App!

Download the “Comics” App on iPhone and iPod Touch FREE: www.iTunes.com/apps/Comics

Official Website: www.CreativeImpulseEnt.com

The Shi Shi; In better circumstances for dancing

The Shi Shi–a mythical snarling lion–bobbed its head up and down in a series of fluent movements. Occasionally, it would stop and erratically shake its mane, shedding white strips on the floor. The men surrounding it shouted “yanyoi!”(give up?).   Suddenly, in a quick direct movement is thrust its head up, inches from me.  After a momentary pause, it tried to drop its head back towards the ground, but stopped abruptly midway down. The Shi Shi was caught on something. With the light above me shaking, I noticed the pull-chain from the overhead lamp was protruding from the lion’s mouth. The two men operating the suit attempted to shake free. I wanted to yell “stop” but in the panic I had forgotten how. Instead, I thrust my hand into the beast’s mouth yelling “matte, matte!” (wait, wait). It was quite tangled; however, with some clever maneuvering we were able to free the costume and avert electrocuting any mythical creatures for the evening.

Seconds from near tragedy. Don't try this at Home kids.

In some sense,  every season is festival season in Japan. Autumn can make its claim to the title as shrines across Japan hold festivals to celebrate the rice harvest. This happens nearly every weekend–and sometimes weekdays–throughout October, as the celebrations are for each shrine or neighborhood and are staggered throughout the month. As they are for different shrines, each festival has it’s own unique imprint on traditions costume and dress, and the festivals depending on where they are located and the size of the shrine can be local affairs or events with national recognition. Last weekend I had the pleasure of  attending my girlfriend’s neighborhood’s festival, which was a small, intimate but extremely lively affair.

In the morning the portable shrine, called a Mikoshi, is carried out of the shrine in a parade like manner with many locals carrying the shrine or playing the role of a fabled character related ot the shrine. The Mikoshi can vary in size and number– some being about the same size as a typical litter (not the cat type) while other can be large, multi-story tall structures that have to be pushed on carts.  The Mikoshi–which houses the temple god– is then taken to a sacred spot in town. Presumably, this is like a day trip vacation for the temple god. Everyone gathers for the day and depending on the shrine, there are usually some sacraments performed involving children and then at night a bigger parade forms when the shrine is taken back to the temple.

At the particular festival I attended, the night parade involved traditional dances by men dressed as both the aforementioned Shi Shi–which is the rather iconic looking lion figure as well Tengu–a half-bird, half-human demon (although not necessarily evil). Both of these creatures are major characters in Japanese folklore– from what I have read, the Tengu was traditionally a conniving villan of sorts until about two centuries ago when it started appearing as an aid to monks or travelers in certain stories.   Either way, I wasn’t able to discern what their roles where in this particular story, nor their affiliation to the shrine, but I did like their moves.

With the roadside fires lit, I knew they would be dancing through the street on their way back to the shrine–a route which passed just in front of my girlfriend’s house. What I did not know was that they would be doing a dinner performance as well. I heard them in the distance  as we ate, I was a little surprised to suddenly find myself dodging the jaws of the Shi Shi–and then ultimately rescuing from the danger of modern life.

Apparently, it is local custom for children of one year of age to place their hand in the Shi Shi’s mouth to receive good luck. I’m about 25 years too late for that(although I may act that age at times), but as I am one year Japanese I’m hoping I deceive the gods into the same result.

Trick or Treat. Tengu and Shi Shi

Di Jepang, ada legenda mengenai seekor makhluk angkasa yang misterius, yaitu makhluk yang dianggap sebagai Iblis dan digambarkan memiliki tubuh separuh burung dan separuh manusia. Makhluk ini disebut dengan nama Tengu. Luar biasanya, satu mumi Tengu tersimpan dengan rapi di Perfektur Aomori.

Museum Hachinohe di Aomori, Jepang utara, adalah rumah bagi Mumi Tengu yang konon pada awalnya dimiliki oleh Nambu Nobuyori, pemimpin klan Nambu yang memerintah Hachinohe di pertengahan abad ke-18.

Mumi itu memiliki kepala manusia, namun memiliki kaki dan sayap berbulu seperti burung. Tengu yang telah menjadi mumi ini dipercaya berasal dari kota Nobeoka (perfektur Miyazaki) di Jepang Selatan. Beberapa teori menyebut bahwa mumi ini sampai ke Jepang utara setelah diwariskan ke beberapa anggota keluarga Samurai yang memerintah Jepang, hingga akhirnya sampai ke Museum Hachinohe di Aomori.

Mitologi Tengu bermula dari sekitar abad ke-6 Masehi sejalan dengan tibanya agama Budha ke Jepang dari Cina. Tengu dianggap sebagai goblin yang tinggal di hutan dan gunung. Mereka disebut memiliki kekuatan supranatural seperti dapat berubah bentuk menjadi manusia atau hewan, dapat berbicara kepada manusia tanpa membuka mulut dan mampu pindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain dengan cepat menggunakan sayapnya.

Kata Tengu sebenarnya berarti “Anjing langit”. Dalam mitologi Cina, makhluk ini juga memiliki tempat tersendiri dengan nama Tien Kou (Tiangou) yang artinya juga anjing langit. Nama ini sebenarnya tidak sesuai dengan deskripsi Tengu. Makhluk ini tidak memiliki rupa anjing, melainkan lebih mirip seekor burung.

Buku Nihon Shoki, catatan kuno yang dianggap paling pertama menyebut Tengu, yang ditulis pada tahun 720 Masehi, menyebutkan bahwa pada abad itu sebuah meteor melintasi langit Jepang dan meteor itu disebut oleh seorang rahib Budha sebagai Anjing Langit (Tengu). Namun bagaimana Tengu berevolusi dari sebuah meteor menjadi makhluk terbang tidak diketahui dengan pasti.

Secara umum, Tengu memiliki dua bentuk fisik. Yang pertama disebut Karasu tengu yang memiliki kepala dan paruh seperti burung. Yang kedua adalah Konoha Tengu yang memiliki bentuk seperti manusia namun memiliki sayap dan hidung yang panjang (kadang disebut Yamabushi Tengu)

Menurut Legenda, sewaktu masih bocah, perajurit legendaris Jepang bernama Minamoto no Yoshitsune yang hidup pada tahun 1159-1189 pernah berlatih ilmu pedang dengan raja Tengu Soujoubou dekat Kuramadera di gunung utara Kyoto.

Tidak ada keterangan dan informasi lebih lanjut mengenai mumi yang dipajang di museum Hachinohe . Apakah ini sungguh mumi setan, makhluk Cryptozoology atau sebuah karya seni palsu dari abad lampau. Beberapa peneliti percaya bahwa mumi itu adalah sebuah karya seni buatan manusia, tapi belum ada bukti pasti yang disediakan untuk mendukung teori tersebut.

Sumber :  xfile-enigma.blogspot.com

Tengu

Mumi itu memiliki kepala manusia, namun memiliki kaki dan sayap berbulu seperti burung. Tengu yang telah menjadi mumi ini dipercaya berasal dari kota Nobeoka (perfektur Miyazaki) di Jepang Selatan. Beberapa teori menyebut bahwa mumi ini sampai ke Jepang utara setelah diwariskan ke beberapa anggota keluarga Samurai yang memerintah Jepang, hingga akhirnya sampai ke Museum Hachinohe di Aomori.

Mitologi Tengu bermula dari sekitar abad ke-6 Masehi sejalan dengan tibanya agama Budha ke Jepang dari Cina. Tengu dianggap sebagai goblin yang tinggal di hutan dan gunung. Mereka disebut memiliki kekuatan supranatural seperti dapat berubah bentuk menjadi manusia atau hewan, dapat berbicara kepada manusia tanpa membuka mulut dan mampu pindah dari satu tempat ke tempat lain dengan cepat menggunakan sayapnya.

Kata Tengu sebenarnya berarti “Anjing langit”. Dalam mitologi Cina, makhluk ini juga memiliki tempat tersendiri dengan nama Tien Kou (Tiangou) yang artinya juga anjing langit. Nama ini sebenarnya tidak sesuai dengan deskripsi Tengu. Makhluk ini tidak memiliki rupa anjing, melainkan lebih mirip seekor burung.

Buku Nihon Shoki, catatan kuno yang dianggap paling pertama menyebut Tengu, yang ditulis pada tahun 720 Masehi, menyebutkan bahwa pada abad itu sebuah meteor melintasi langit Jepang dan meteor itu disebut oleh seorang rahib Budha sebagai Anjing Langit (Tengu). Namun bagaimana Tengu berevolusi dari sebuah meteor menjadi makhluk terbang tidak diketahui dengan pasti.

Secara umum, Tengu memiliki dua bentuk fisik. Yang pertama disebut Karasu

Tengu Mummy

tengu yang memiliki kepala dan paruh seperti burung. Yang kedua adalah Konoha Tengu yang memiliki bentuk seperti manusia namun memiliki sayap dan hidung yang panjang (kadang disebut Yamabushi Tengu)

Tengu berhidung panjang seperti dikenal orang zaman sekarang merupakan hasil penggambaran orang pada abad pertengahan. Dalam cerita Konjaku Monogatari-sh?, tengu digambarkan bisa berlari di udara, dan sebagai hantu berbentuk burung rajawali yang membuat orang kerasukan. Penggambaran tersebut diperkirakan mengambil model dari hantu Temma dalam konsep agama Buddha yang digambarkan berbadan manusia dan memiliki sepasang sayap.

Model awal tengu kemungkinan berubah pada paruh pertama zaman Muromachi. Dalam kumpulan cerita rakyat Otogiz?shi terdapat cerita Tengu no Dairi (Istana Tengu) yang tokoh utamanya bernama Kurama Tengu. Selain itu, Ushiwakamaru dikabarkan menerima pelajaran seni pedang dari Tengu di Kuil Kurama.Dalam Hikayat Heike, tengu digambarkan seperti “Manusia tapi tidak seperti manusia, burung tapi tidak seperti burung, anjing tapi tidak seperti anjing, tangan dan kakinya seperti tangan dan kaki manusia, wajahnya seperti anjing, memiliki sayap di kanan kiri, dan bisa terbang.”

Menurut Legenda, sewaktu masih bocah, perajurit legendaris Jepang bernama Minamoto no Yoshitsune yang hidup pada tahun 1159-1189 pernah berlatih ilmu pedang dengan raja Tengu Soujoubou dekat Kuramadera di gunung utara Kyoto.

Tidak ada keterangan dan informasi lebih lanjut mengenai mumi yang dipajang di museum Hachinohe. Apakah ini sungguh mumi setan, makhluk Cryptozoology atau sebuah karya seni palsu dari abad lampau. Beberapa peneliti percaya bahwa mumi itu adalah sebuah karya seni buatan manusia, tapi belum ada bukti pasti yang disediakan untuk mendukung teori tersebut.

Dari berbagai sumber.

One of my two favorite professors in my college days was a wiry little old Texan named Professor Charles Froehlich. With him I studied three years of Koine Greek (the language of the New Testament), a year of Latin, a history course called “The Classical World,” and Greek & Roman mythology. His influence on me would be difficult to overestimate. I’ve never known a more diligent, dedicated, skillful, and knowledgeable teacher. He remains one of the most awesome human beings I’ve ever brushed shoulders with, and yet he is certainly one of the most humble. Let me tell you some quick Froehlich stories. University teachers are, in a way, public figures, so I feel I have the right.

At graduation ceremonies, professors typically deck themselves out in the fine robes and splendid colors that they’ve earned through rigorous study. Different academic disciplines are represented by different colors, and professors can add ribbons and medals on top of that to reflect their august distinctions. Those ceremonies were always something to see, and I don’t fault the profs who dressed in their hard-earned finery. I learned somewhere along the line that Froehlich had a whole armload of master’s degrees, but I never learned that from him. At graduations, Froehlich would wear a simple, drab, brownish-black robe without ornamentation. In it, among all the peacocks, he looked like a crow. But I couldn’t help thinking of martial arts masters. The ones who are true masters never wear anything flashy, do they? That’s the sort of man he is. (He’s long retired, but still in very good health by recent accounts.)

In yearbook faculty pictures, in which the theology department would be sitting in a group, Froehlich would typically be way in the back, just inside the door, looking windblown, as if he’d ducked in for the photo and in another five seconds would be out the door again, off to more important things.

He would pass you like a speeding train on campus. Usually his necktie would be over his shoulder, blown back by the speed of his gait. But he’d raise a hand as he zoomed past you and call out a cheery “HEL-lo!” But lest you get the wrong impression from that: he was the most available prof on campus. He lived alone in a tiny college-owned house across the street from the campus. But nearly any given evening you could call his extension or knock on his office door, and he’d be there, and he’d always be glad to see you. In his book-filled office, he kept a little folding cot. I suspect there were many nights he didn’t make it back to his house at all. It was always comforting to me to be able to walk across campus at night and see the light glowing in his office window — the one lighted window in the building.

And if any prof should have kept plenty of office hours, it was he: Greek wasn’t easy. Many were the times we pre-seminary students would find ourselves baffled at some late hour, and not to have our homework done for the next day was unthinkable. So we were always popping in on him, and he’d guide us through the tangles with a quick, efficient explanation.

I remember one evening when it took him all of about ten seconds to clear up the mystery I’d been struggling over. With his half-smile, he said, “Fred, if you’d just picked up the phone, you could have saved yourself the walk over here.” But the point was, I never wanted to save myself that walk. When you’re holed up in your room studying declension charts for hours on end, you need to get out. You need the night air, the walk, and the sight of a welcoming light burning ahead of you.

When he was angry at us for being too lazy or slack, I’ve seen him break chalk against the ceiling; but far worse was simply his Look. To know you had displeased and disappointed him was in itself the worst punishment. You just couldn’t be lazy or unprepared in his presence: it wasn’t allowed. I still shudder to recall the guy who showed up on one of the first days of class wearing a hat, chewing gum, and who put his feet up onto the chair in front of him. [Shivery moment of silence.]

Professor Froehlich had a unique way of passing back papers. First, he’d staple the stack together to carry it to and from his office. When he’d hand them back, he’d pry out the staple with a little tool carried, and he’d fling the staple in the direction of the distant wastebasket. Then he’d call out our last names one by one and throw each paper sort-of-toward its owner. We’d be diving and scrambling to retrieve the gliding sheets. It’s probably hard for you to understand this if you weren’t there. Oddly, the way he did it never seemed rude. It was simply Froehlich handing back papers.

He was a great recycler. Koine Greek doesn’t change from year to year, so once he developed good quizzes and tests, he could use them perennially. We’d receive photocopied tests with things like this written at the top (in his handwriting): October 5, 1982  October 3, 1983  October 6, 1984  October 5, 1985  October 4, 1986  October 3, 1987.

And he encouraged us to re-use papers until every bit of both sides was filled up.

It amazed us how he knew exactly where everything was in the Bible and exactly where everything was in our textbook. In answer to someone’s question, he’d say (off the top of his head): “I think if you’ll look at page 142, in the lower left-hand corner of the page, you’ll find the answer to that.” (And he’d also explain the answer.) He always said “I think,” but we all knew perfectly well he knew precisely what he was talking about. Moreover, he had every lesson for the entire course firmly fixed in his head. He’d very frequently say things like, “I know we are glossing over the details of that right now, but if you’ll be patient, on November the twenty-first, in about the last fifteen minutes of class, we’ll be taking that up again in a little more detail, when I’ll tell you about. . . .”

One of my favorite quotes from him is, “One of the best things about getting old is that you can blame your ineptitude on your age.” Heh, heh! As if he ever had an ounce of ineptitude in him! But it’s a comforting quote for the rest of us.

In print, it’s hard to capture the Texas-ness of his speech. We tend to stereotype Texans as cowboys, airline pilots, or oil tycoons. Imagine a Texas voice talking about Hadrian’s Wall or Pontius Pilate or deponent future (“dep fut”) verbs. Who can forget his rant about how the Huns weren’t Germans? It went something like: “Everybody thinks the Huns were Germans. They weren’t Germans! The Huns were not Germans. They weren’t Germans. The Huns were NOT GERMANS.” (That’s just the beginning, but you get the idea.)

Harper Lee tells us it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. Watching Froehlich, we learned that it’s a sin to waste even a second of our God-given time. He treated seconds as precious things. If he kept us forty seconds past the end of class one day, he’d make it up four days later, when he had gotten through enough material to let us go forty seconds early.

When we had a three-day weekend, he’d say, “That should allow you to have several parties between now and Tuesday. When you come back well-rested, we will talk about. . . .”

I still remember one late night before exams, when my friend John D. and I were burning the midnight oil in the snack bar area of the community center, studying our Greek. Like clockwork, Froehlich would dash through there at a certain time of an evening, his tie streaming back over his shoulder, to buy a cup of coffee. As he passed us and we called our greetings, he grinned back at us and said, “Don’t worry; just work.”

I hope you’re getting the picture that he was a truly inspirational mentor. He insisted that you do your very best, and as you strove for that, you realized your best was far better than you’d thought it could be.

Here’s the countdown of the three highest praises I remember getting from him (the kind that you remember and treasure forever after):

#3: “Durbin’s not a genius. He gets these high scores because he pays attention to the textbook.” (Egad, for sure, I’m no more a genius than the Huns were Germans!)

#2: One time I set an “all-time high score” on one of his Latin tests — and he would know, because he archived everything and loved statistics.

#1: The best ever was his compliment on my “Herculean Labor” (what he called our Class Projects) in Greek & Roman mythology. He said something like, “In Greek, there’s a degree of adjectives beyond the superlative. Your classmates feel your Labor should be described with such. I concur.” Flow moment! Soli Deo gloria!

Anyway, to the business at hand! At the beginning of every single class day during the mythology course, he would make us say the following all together:

“Mythology is alive. Mythology is ubiquitous.”

The point was that names and characters and events from the classical myths are all around us in our daily lives, even all these thousands of years later. They run through our literature, our movies, our popular culture. Today I set out to prove that this is true, even in Niigata, Japan in the fall of 2009. I expanded my quest just slightly to include ancient Japanese folklore as well — but the myths of the Greeks and Romans are well represented. And mind you, this was all done on a bicycle ride that took me about half an hour. If I’d searched intensely all day, I think I could have added considerably to this list. But anyway, take a look:

I agree, this one is tenuous, because the spelling is different. (I'm just warming up here.) Dido was the sister of Pygmalion; she founded Carthage and was its queen, and fell in love with Aeneas. She cursed the Trojans.

In Chinese/Japanese mythology, a Kirin is a fantastic creature somewhat like a horse, somewhat like a dragon. If you can find a can of imported Kirin beer, you can see a good picture of one. (A D&D Monster Manual will work, too!) Interestingly, the Japanese word for "giraffe" is kirin. Is this an acknowledgement that anything looking like a giraffe must have at least two hooves squarely in the world of myth?

This is Kinshaitei, the second-closest ramen (Chinese noodle) restaurant to my apartment. Is that a picture of a Kirin I see? There seems to be a connection between this particular style of noodes (Kyushu ramen) and that image. . . .

Remember these? They are Kappas, or river-goblins, still a very popular motif in figurines, dolls, toys, and advertising. These are saying "Keep our river clean!"

This restaurant is called "Tengu." Japanese Tengu are god-like beings that live on mountaintops. They are humanoid in form but can fly; they have bright red faces and very long noses. If you look carefully, you can see the outline of a Tengu face behind the lower set of characters.

Going back West, look at this! This Isuzu truck is called an "Elf"! Don't ask me in what capacity a truck can be an Elf!

Look at the top, the first word under the wiper! Clio was one of the nine Muses. She was the Muse of history.

Cupid is the supermarket where I shop nearly every day. Son of Mercury and Venus, the Roman god of love. Notice the big heart!

Aaaand here's the prize of today's hunt. Athena is a home furnishings store. This one is indisputable. Look at the logo: she's got the helmet, the spear, and the owl on her shoulder. This is the Greek goddess Athena, the warrior, the skillful, the wise one. You'd better believe mythology is alive and ubiquitous!

So here’s your assignment for this week: notice the references to mythology and folklore around you as you go through each day. When you open your eyes, you’ll see they’re everywhere. I won’t limit you to Greek and Roman myth. You can find elves and unicorns, too — any name, any creature from the myths or folklore of any culture is fair game. Places are good, too, such as if you pass through Troy, Illinois. The deadline? Let’s say midnight on October 1st, U.S. time. If anyone cares to keep a list and submit it by the end of next Thursday, you’re in the contest. The rule is that these have to be references you actually see — you have to spot them on signs, on TV, in newspapers, etc. – or hear them. The person who puts together the longest list is the winner.

The prize. . . . Hmm. The prize is that (aside from the prestigious honor) you get to assign the topic of the next blog post. Be as creative as you know how! [I reserve the right to refuse or modify your idea; but I will do my absolute best to accommodate your request.] Sound like a deal?

Okay. One more thing: today I discovered what might be of interest to some readers. We’ve been searching for the way a reader can become a “follower” of this blog — a way that an ordinary citizen can receive an e-mail message when the blog is updated. Here’s one way. There’s a free service called “Feed My Inbox.” http://www.feedmyinbox.com This is extremely easy to use: you enter the address of my blog <fredericsdurbin.wordpress.com> and your e-mail address. Supposedly, the service will send you notices of any updates (though I’m not clear on just what constitutes an “update” — it may or may not include comments, but I’m pretty positive it would include new posts). It only sends an update once a day (IF there’s anything new that day), so as not to fill up your inbox with bunches of announcements. If you use the service, you can enter any number of sites/blogs/addresses that you want updates on. If it actually works [I discovered it on the World Fantasy Convention's site -- they were endorsing it, so it should be legitimate], it seems like the solution for us Internetally-challenged people who are overwhelmed by the whole deal about RSS feeds. This is just a simple message that comes to your e-mail’s in-box.

All right, I’ll stop there. Look around yourself! Mythology is alive!

I do not really post too many gadgets on my blog but I thought this was really cool and wanted to share it.

Feeling stressed at work? Let Tengu reboot your mood. Created by designer Crispin Jones, this USB-powered device sits on your desk and lights up with goofy faces that lip-sync to music—or a harangue from your boss. The original model looked like an innocent peripheral when asleep; this incarnation features gaudy afros and glammed-up attitude.

Tengu Choir

There are select retailers on the web but the Tengu Website is here

- Ice Cream Man

The Sleepers are Terrible. Once you think you have the upper hand they swarm you. It appears ECM makes them run away but risking a ship specialized in that once enough almost cost me dearly. They seem only interested in destroying our ships and settlements but they won’t kill us thankfully. Considering we are the ones destroying them for their technology I don’t blame them.

Other than killing Sleepers we harvest gas, mine rare ore and defend entrances into our system.

I can only hope it is all worth the risk.

Engaku-ji

Ayer volví a Kamakura. Se ha convertido en una especie de bálsamo para mi salud mental. Cuando me siento estresado aquí en Tokyo me cojo el tren y en una hora y poco me planto en mi paraíso particular.

Kamakura lo tiene todo: playa, bosque, un Buda enorme y templos para aburrir… ¿Qué más se puede pedir no? Esta vez me bajé en la estación de Kita-Kamakura resuelto a hacerme una vez más la ruta del Daibutsu, un paseo de una hora a través del bosque con sus subidas y sus bajadas. Sin embargo, al echarle un ojo a un mapa que me dieron en la estación vi que había otra ruta de senderismo que aún no había explorado. La ruta Tennen. Allá que fui.

Muy cerquita de la estación hay un templo que no había visitado todavía. Se trata del Engaku-ji. Por el módico precio de 300 yenes podéis pasar a verlo. Nos os voy a aburrir con los detalles históricos tranquilos. Simplemente mencionar que Tokimune Hojo lo construyó en conmemoración de las almas de los japoneses y mongoles que murieron durante las batallas que tuvieron lugar hace unos 700 años cuando Mongolia atacó a Japón (dos veces). Dentro podéis encontrar un jardín con más de cien esculturas de Kan-non, el Shari-den, un templo donde se guarda un diente de Buda, un jardín zen, un  bonito lago y más maravillas.

Yesterday I went back to Kamakura. It has became a kind of healing balsam for my mental health. Whenever I feel stressed here in Tokyo I catch the train and in one hour, more or less, I can reach my own paradise.

Kamakura has everything: beach, forests, a huge Buddah and many shrines and temples… What else could you ask for? This time I stopped by Kita-Kamakura decided to walk once again the Daibutsu hiking course, a one hour walk trough a forest with some ups and downs. I changed my mind when I discovered that in some map I got from the station office there was a new hiking course that I had’nt explore yet. Tennen hiking course. Off I went.

Very close to the station there is a temple I had´nt visited before. It´s the Engaku-ji. Just for 300 Yen you can enter and have a look. I don´t want to bother you with historical details so don´t worry. Just mention that Tokimune Hojo built this place in memory of the mongolian and japanese souls who died about 700 years ago when Mongolia attacked Japan (twice). Inside you can find a garden with more than a hundred Kan-non statues, the Shari-den, a temple where they keep a tooth from Buddah, a zen garden, a pretty lake and thousand wonders more.

Lo que más me gustó fueron los 10 minutos que pasé viendo como un martín pescador se daba un banquete en un lago precioso. De fondo sólo se oía un chorro de agua cayendo en el agua y las famosas chicharras. Si mi cámara no fuera una mierda hubiera sacado unas fotos dignas del National Geographic.

Después del Engaku-ji seguí la carretera abajo unos veinte minutos hasta que me encontré con el Kencho-ji. Resulta que esta justo al lado de un colegio y llegué justo en el momento en el que salían. Deben estar acostumbrados a los guiris porque no me miraron demasiado ni me soltaron ningún “haro” (hello).

What I enjoyed the most was the 10 minutes that I spent watching a kingfisher having a banquet in the most beautiful lake. At that time you only could hear some pouring water and the famous cicada. If my camera wasn´t rubbish I could have taken some National Geographic looking pictures.

After Engaku-ji I went down the road about 20 minutes until I found the Kencho-ji. It happens to be close to a school and I arrived just in time when they were coming out. They must be used to foreigners because they did´nt look much at me and I did’nt get any “haro” (hello) either.

Del top 5 de templos Zen de Kamakura se dice que el Kencho-ji es el número uno y además el monasterio más antiguo de formación Zen en Japón. Una vez más el Kencho-ji esta divido en varias zonas. La más impactante la del Hanso-bo, justo al inicio de la ruta Tennen que iba buscando. Una larga escalera custodiada por tengus conduce al templo. Los tengus son criaturas mitológicas del folclore japonés. Son una especie de demonios con rasgos animales que habitan en los bosques. Aquí parece que protegieran el templo de visitantes no deseados. Una vez más…lástima la mierda de cámara que tengo.

Out of top 5 Zen temples in Kamakura, Kencho-ji is told to be number one and the oldest zen training monastery in Japan. Once again this temple was divided in different areas. The most shocking one is Hanso-bo, just at the beggining of the Tennen hiking course that I was looking for. A long stair watched by tengus lead to the temple. Tengus are mythological creatures of japanese folklore. They are a kind of demons with animal features wich dwells in forests. Here they looked as if they were protecting the temple from unwanted visitors. Once again…It´s a shame the crappy camera I have.

Encima de la escalera hay un curioso mirador desde dónde, en un día bueno, se puede ver el monte Fuji como en la foto que hay al lado. Esta foto no se me olvidará. Mientras la sacaba estaba sonando por mis auriculares a todo trapo un tema de la Juju orchestra.

Uno de los escolares que os he comentado antes decidió que era un momento estupendo para saltar sobre las maderas en las que yo estaba subido. Me hizo confundir las sístoles y las diástoles. Que casi me cago encima vamos.

At the top of the stairs there´s a nice viewpoint from wich, in a good day, you can see mount fuji just like the picture besides shows. I won´t forget this picture. While I was taking the picture I was listening a Juju orchestra song outloud in my earphones.

Some of the schoolboys I mentioned before decided that this was an awesome time to jump over the wooden strips I was standing. He made my heart to mix up sistole and diastole. I mean  I almost shit myself.

Después de deshacerme en halagos con el chaval (en español, eso sí, pa que no le sangraran los oídos) enfilé el sendero de la ruta Tennen.

After flattering the good boy (in spanish, in order not to cause a major bleeding off their ears) I started the Tennen hiking course.

Creo que hay pocas cosas que disfrute más que un paseo de hora y media por un bosque escuchando tu música (o nada) y sin encontrarte con apenas nadie en el camino.

Esta ruta es un poco más larga que la otra o eso me pareció. También más bonita. Por el camino te puedes encontrar con un campo de golf, bosques de bambú o árboles retorcidos como los de los cuentos de terror. En el camino conocía a Masaki san. Estaba sentado fumando un cigarro en una roca sobre una colina que daba al campo de golf.

- Vivo a 20 minutos de aquí – decía.

- Pues que suerte, a mi me encanta Kamakura – dije yo.

Resulta que tenía amistad con un hijo de Audrey Hepburn que pasaba por Kamakura de vez en cuando. O eso creí entender, porque mi japonés es tan bueno como su inglés.

Pensé que si yo viviera a 20 minutos también vendría a comerme el bocadillo y a fumarme el cigarro allí.

I think there are few things that I enjoy more than taking an hour and a half walk in a forest listening to your music (or just nothing) and without meeting almot anyone in the way.

This course is a little longer or that is what I thought. It is also more beautiful.

In the way you can find a golf course, bamboo forests or twisted threes just like the ones in the terror tales. In my way I met Masaki san.

He was smoking a cigarette sitting in a rock top of a hill facing the golf course.

-         I live 20 minutes from here – he said.

-         You’re lucky, I love Kamakura – I said.

It came out that he was friend with a son of Audrey Hepburn who used to come by Kamakura now and then. At least that is what I understood. My japanese is as good as his english.

I thought that I would also come to this place to eat a sandwich and smoke a cigarette if I lived 20 minutes away from here.

Si seguís toda la ruta hasta el final saldréis por la parte del templo de Zuisenji y después de andar un rato siguiendo la carretera llegaréis al templo de Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. También merece la pena echarle un vistazo, está cerca de la estación de tren y hay multitud de tiendas y restaurantes en esa avenida.

If you follow the course until the end you will come out close to Zuisenji temple and then, after walking the road you will reach the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine.

It’s worth to take a look. It’s close to the station and this avenue has a lot of shops and restaurants.

En cualquier caso de todo lo que llevo visto de Kamakura (aún me falta mucho por descubrir) creo que el templo que más me ha gustado es el Zeniarai Benzaiten, famoso por tener unas aguas en las que las gente lava billetes con la esperanza de volverse ricos. De locos…

I think Zenriai Benzaiten is the temple that I have liked the most out of what I have already seen in Kamakura (not much). This temple is famous for having some magical waters, people wash up their notes there hoping to get rich. Madness…

I’d guessed it would happen. There were numorous small Amarr patrol fleets roaming the low security space in Heimatar, but I’d decided to risk my second strategic cruiser. The Tengu’s hull gleamed in the green-lit system. I landed on a stargate, Minmatar design, and jumped my ship into Kourmonen. Just then, a bit of intel came in from the Militia channels. A pair of Amarr piloted battlecrusiers, a Hurricane and a Harbinger, were camping in Huola. I didn’t hesitate, even with my fleet scattered across four systems. I set a warp to the stargate to Huola, and jumped through on contact.

Sure enough, both ships were sitting at the gate within jump range. I decloaked, aligning my hull to the Harbinger and engaging my afterburner, but I didn’t have time to even lock as both jumped through into Kourmonen. “They’ve jumped. Everyone, get ready to engage.” I burned to the gate, engaging its controls once I was in range. My sensors focused just in time to catch the Harbinger accelerating into the distance. Moments later, again from Militia, I picked up a S.O.S. from a friendly Blackbird. My ship was already in warp before I was able to respond to him. Seconds later, the gate began to grow in the camera drone’s display, my ship landing mere kilometers from the Harbinger. Not even a moment later, the Blackbird crusier both were firing on exploded spectacularly.

I was on autopilot now. The Harbinger was the first target, being my natural damage weakness, and as soon as I had target lock, I engaged the warp disruptor, burning out and away to try and orbit, yellow lasers streaking across the shields. Their levels dipped rapidly, but I’d built this particular ship to have a massive buffer of hit points. Even before he could fire again, the shield was recharging lost strength. A second blast struck my Tengu, rattling the hull with its force, dropping them further, and the pattering of projectile munitions exploded across my ship as the Hurricane joined in. My response was instant. My ship’s launchers began to cycle, throwing salvo after salvo at the Harbinger. The ship, like most Amarr ships, was an armor tank. The shield systems buckled quickly to my superior firepower, and my warheads began to dig deeply into the battlecruiser’s armor.

I hadn’t noticed the fleet comms chatter, but just then, cruisers began to drop out of warp around us. They also began to fire on the Harbinger, which recalled its drones and disengaged its lasers. Desparate that he didn’t get away, I set a course to ram him. The ship’s armor dropped rapidly, as tough as it was, unable to take this amount of damage. Mere moments before my Tengu slammed into it, the ship’s hull finally gave way, a final volley of missiles piercing its heart, turning it into a glorious, burning ball of twisted metal. The Hurricane, still here, was not far from me now.

Not stopping to think, I engaged both my warp disruptor and missile launchers. This battlecruiser’s armor levels were dropping at a rate far higher than the previous target’s. It took only seconds for his ship to succumb, the saw-toothed wedge mangled and useless. “Both targets eliminated.” His escape pod was almost instantly scrambled and destroyed before anyone could respond by one of our interceptors. I stopped my ship, making sure I was well within jump range of the stargate. The icons on the overview changed to empty for both wrecks, then vanished altogether as the fleet’s scavengers salvaged them. Satisfied, I activated the gate. “Jump into Auga, rally at the Republic Fleet station.” I aligned my ship as I spoke, entering warp and emerging a minute later over the station. A few more ships arrived, then the main group. Most docked, but a few remained with me.

The pilots were exchanging friendly banter when it happened. For the past two or three minutes, the prevalent color tag had been a purple star, or a purple fleet icon. All at once, the pilot listing was overwhelmed by orange stars. “All ships dock, all ships dock!” A few didn’t. I wasn’t sure what they were thinking, but ignored them, maneuvering myself behind the station, relative to the Auga stargate. It wasn’t even moments later when the first ship arrived. The Drake battlecruiser landed next to a Stabber and a Scimitar, locking onto all teh ships present. I wasn’t even going to try to assist. It opened fire on the Scimitar, slamming waves of missiles into the smaller ship’s hull. Within seconds, the entire overview lit up with flashing orange as roughly twenty ships landed on the station. Three Falcon recons and a Blackbird targeted me and engaged their ECM modules, while another few ships deployed a cloud of ECM drones. They wanted to be sure I couldn’t fight back. I didn’t engage, instead choosing to sit in place within my nook on the station. The Scimitar exploded in a few seconds, and the Stabber didn’t escape either. That left… Me. The ships crowding the station began to light up with yellow, then red brackets as lasers, projectile weapons, and hybrid turrets pounded against my ship’s shields, which held admirably against the lethal onslaught. A few smaller ships began to try to get ramming positions to knock me out of place. The first hit, knocking me a little out of place, then the second. I docked my ship. Can’t win them all… Wasn’t planning to lose a few billion ISK for a suicide battle.

One of the “Big Three” events on my calendar has come and passed again for another year: The Numata Matsuri.

BIG THREE

Numata Matsuri

Kinder Olympics / When Was The Last Time?

Dance Recital Madness / Dance Recital Madness: Day 2

This was my 10th year of roaming the streets of Numata for 3 days in August … with a purpose.

It’s basically the exact same thing every year, but somehow that’s a good thing. It’s comfort food for the senses: like an old song, holiday decorations, or finding a few slices of yesterday’s pizza still in the fridge.

It ties the year together in a way nothing else can: not even a belt comes close! … or even a really strong belt.

I can’t explain it; it just is … like the word “is“.

Things I have learned over the years:

1. These 4 girls have not grown a centimetre since my first Numata Matsuri in 1998.

2. I can always find a place to pee within 50 meters of my current position.

3. I know which float represents my neighbourhood. It’s the one with the “funny wingy hat” thing.

4. I don’t let the “funny wingy hat” thing fool me. This is serious business.

5. Every year, the distance between where I am and where I want to go is populated with more people who want to talk with me … and slow down my progress.

If I’m with Mr. Badger  or Mr. Pettit, we don’t seem to move at all!

6. One toy will prove most popular and by the 3rd day of the festival every kid will have one. This year it was “The Frog“.

7. Beer has no affect on me at the Numata Matsuri.

8. The “Tengu Drummers” are amazing.

9. I take less photos and drink more beer each year … which has no affect on me.

10. The guy that cuts the ceremonial twine to open up Suga Shrine to the Dashi (floats) and Omikoshi (portable shrine things) is not a high Shinto Priest: he’s as official from the Suga Shrine neighbourhood that does a lot of planning for the Numata Matsuri. This year it was the guy that does the sound boards and mixing at the local auditorium. (I think he calls himself “Shigibom”)

11. If there are 2 nice women who want to talk to me, they will approach me at the same time from different directions … and I’ll always have a big mouthful of food in my mouth … and be standing by my girlfriend.

12. I’ll be standing under the big tree in the Suga Shrine grounds about 10 pm on August 5th next year seeing this … and holding my beer cup in my mouth while I do the tradition final clap with all the other lovers of the Numata Matsuri.

don don don … don don don … don don don … don
don don don … don don don … don don don … don
don don don… don don don … don don don … DON!

Maybe those girls in the great outfits (at the top of the post)  do grow up … but they probably never grow out of the Numata Matsuri.

I hope not; that would be a shame.

note: you are all welcome to come next year … but you are buying my beer.

http://humor-blogs.com/

The Tengu

For anyone that has frequented this blog, you know I have stayed clear of anything that has to do with T3. My “Lego Star Wars” comment caused a few ripples in the EVE Online ocean and wraps up exactly how I felt about T3. I can not remain a bitter little man forever damning the ships to hell simply because I don’t like them. The claims that they are useful, resourceful, and powerful can not be denied. Since the ships are just starting to see their components and their initial costs drop, they may be making a greater appearance on the battlefield. To get capsuleers ready for the jump in technology and tactics, in warps Karox, the happy Caldari pilot who is the mind behind One Man and His Spaceship.

He is going to spend some of his time to provide a detailed analysis of the 4 T3 vessels. The first of his guides deals with the Caldari Tengu. This is new ground Karox is treading on, and he does a fantastic job of explaining the different subsystems, the pros and cons of select systems, and some direction in terms of how you should utilize the many options available to you. Though he offers the disclaimer that he has very little field experience with the ship, his work is one of the more intelligent pieces I’ve seen and certainly the most well presented. If you ever want to go cruising around in one of those, read the guide and get educated before you find yourself floating around in a very expensive T3 scrap pile.

Les nouveaux Tengu’s sont les All Stars.  Ces compagnons USB reviennent avec une personalité décalé.

Tengu - compagnon USB

Chacun a un historique.  Amusant et décalé pour ce gadget USB geek indispensable.  Que vous soyez Rotten, Stardust ou Woodstock, vous êtes certain de trouver un Tengu à votre image ou à celle d’un ami ou collègue pour offrir en cadeau

드디어! 드디어 조립 완료다아아아아!

─ Subsystems:

• Tengu Defensive – Amplification Node
• Tengu Electronics – CPU Efficiency Gate
• Tengu Offensive – Accelerated Ejection Bay
• Tengu Propulsion – Fuel Catalyst
• Tengu Engineering – Augmented Capacitor Reservoir

Tengu 를 지르긴 했는데, 아직 Subsystem 을 다 갖추질 못 해서 조립이 안 돼애애애!

The Forge 리전의 Tengu 가격 변동 그래프 (3일)

The Forge 리전의 Tengu 가격 변동 그래프 (1개월)

The Forge 리전의 Tengu 가격 변동 그래프 (3개월)

‘Several changes have been made to fix the cost of Tech 3 production: the volume of some gases required will be halved; the drop rate of the Neurovisual Input Matrix salvage item has been increased; and the material requirement for the power conduits has been switched from carbon-86 to Scandium Metallofullerene.’

- From EVE Online: Apocrypha 1.3 patch note

과연 이번 Apocrypha 1.3 패치로 인한 가격 변동의 영향이 얼마나 클지, Tengu 를 비롯한 Strategic Cruiser 의 가격은 하락할 것인지…

A new book is now available from Stéphane Meunier, long-time Bujinkan practitioner and head  instructor of Budo Montreal, in Montreal, QC, Canada. 3 years in the making, with over 230 pages and 170  photos directly from the private collection of Soke Hatsumi, this is a fantastic addition to any ninpo library. Copies can be purchased at: http://www.budomontreal.com