Theres Something About May
Sunday 22 May 2005

Nothing of note to report since I last wrote.May brings out the lethargic side of me.Its as though Mother Nature draws her breath after the excesses of cherry blossoms before hurtling headlong onto summer and the rainy season.This brief hiatus results in some fairly unpredictable moody weather.Low humidity days full of energy followed by petulant,sullen sweaty ones.
Did watch a reasonable video recently.'Pieces of April` with Katie Holmes ( late of Tom Cruise and Dawsons Creek fame)..Was well executed.What I liked was what John McTiernan(director of Die Hard movies) calls "the reveals".This movie doesnt treat you like a kid with great clunky music or huge neon flashing arrows to let you know whats going to happen.Rather you learn about Aprils dsyfunctional family through more subtle means..a photo, a gesture,a camera angle.Slight but enjoyable.
Things that make you go WOW
Ocassionally you see,hear,read,experience or more rarely meet someone or something that stays with you.You think about it at odd times or something else triggers its memory.
I encountered this when I was meandering through an exhibition on the human form at a local museum one recent Friday.
The exhibits included some early bits and pieces from Egypt and the usual crowd pullers ie a pretty Renoir and a minor Van Gogh.The Impressionist school is very popular over here in Japan seems there was some cross-influences going on..but thats for another future blog entry...
However the piece that struck me was towards the end of the display.
It was a life size plaster and resin relief by an American artist John Ahearn.Seems he`s developed a method of making moulds and casts of the local populace.Not just their head and shoulders either.In some cases whole body moulds.He then colorfully and realistically paints them.
The piece in question was oval in shape.It depicted 2 brothers.The elder had his arms encompassing the younger one.The elder brothers head rested on the youngers shoulder.Very simple but effective.While I stood there admiring the detail I noticed it also drew other people over to it.They were also attracted to it,maybe it was the shape or theme of a family circle...
Random Thoughts
The Tiger Cafe behind the NHK bulding in Sakae central Nagoya does a reasonably priced cambert and walnut wholemeal sandwich.And a better than average cup of coffee thanks to a shiny silver Italian machine the size of a small wheezing steam locomotive.
One can sit on the sidewalk in comfortable wicker chairs grazing and gazing at the natives laden down with their designer bags and labels or admire the cars parked kerbside.
Or pause and snigger derisively into ones cup as you notice the tall Ukranian girl from the floor above your apartment arm entwined with a Japanese gentleman old enough to be her father being frogmarched down the street..And i thought my job was bad..mmm...