the daily(ish)

This is some of the singing from Beijing’s Temple of Heaven park that I mentioned before…

I think it is absolutely awesome that all these people meet to sing each weekend.  Who wants to start this in Piedmont with me??

the daily(ish)

Sofi and I wandered into the Chen Xiang  Monastery  the other day while looking for the God City Temple.  We never found that temple, and I could have cared less. 

This is only the second time I’ve heard Buddhist prayers being sung.  The first was in Japan when we stayed in the monastery and got to listen to the resident monks one morning, so it was really freaking awesome that this time I got to hear nuns…

 

I’m not sure how long they had been praying, but it didn’t last too long after we arrived.  Timing really is everything.

the daily(ish)

I went to the Natural History museum yesterday and was quickly reminded I’m not really a fan of Natural History museums. I don’t like seeing stuffed animals and I hate replicas of just about anything. I want to see the real thing! They did, however, have a fascinating exhibit going on though that I really enjoyed. It was about sex in nature.

Now, I know some of my American readers are thinking--- OMG- did she say sex was fascinating on her blog?!?! I know they are because that’s how we roll in America. We’re total prudes! Please note that I say “we” because I, too, am a prude. I just didn’t realize I was until I left the good ol’ U S of A and found myself with mouth agape clutching my heart at people making out (read- practically doing it) on park benches, up against buildings and just about anywhere in public throughout Europe and South America. That is NOT okay in the U.S. and although I think my mind has broadened considerably with travel, I’m perfectly okay with clinging to my own culture on this one.

The exhibit was really very enlightening though. It was so interesting to learn about the different mating rituals of different species as well as the technical aspects.

Nature is truly freaking amazing- like a female mallard is routinely forced by males to mate, she can’t fight them off, but to ensure her offspring are getting the genes she deems the best she literally controls a number of internal passages and opens the real one that leads to the eggs only to the one duck she wants to have little ducklings with. Or how about that male guppies hand (fin?) over a sack of sperm to the females that they use at their own discretion to fertilize their eggs. Ooh or that there are 450 species that are known to have homosexual relationships. I guess that whole “it isn’t natural” argument is really out the window now isn’t it?

Aside from all the interesting facts, I’d say the very best part of the exhibit were these Green Porno clips starring Isabella Rossellini…

Absolutely hilarious, even for a prude like me.

the daily(ish)

We went back to the Arlington Hotel for a night of traditional music and folk dancing.  The dancers paled in comparison to the ones we saw last year, but I seriously loved this guy playing the uilleann pipes…

The uillean is one of just three native instruments from Ireland including the bodhran (smallish Irish drum) and the harp. Uillean means elbow in Irish which points out the major difference between these and the Scottish bag pipes. 

Incredibly complicated to play with pumping air with your elbow, playing the whole flute-y part and all the while adjusting the sound with the back of your hand makes that sweet, sweet sound coming from them that much more amazing.

While he was playing I kept thinking about Braveheart, which was weird because that’s set in Scotland.  Well, turns out the theme song uses the uillean pipes, not the Scottish bag pipe.  Just another reason to dislike that disgusting bigot, Mel Gibson.  Not that I needed another.  Although I do want to point out that Braveheart predates my Mel Gibson ban so I’m still allowed to love it, which I do.

the daily(ish)

Finally got around to cleaning out the videos from my point and shoot.  This one is from the light and music show at the Contemporary Arts Festival in Buzios, Brazil…

We had a hard time describing it to people, video projected onto the side of the building with a dj and lots of people dancing in the square…this was all I managed to record though.  It was a fun night. 

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We were ready at any minute to be sprayed with blood and teeth. 

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I finally downloaded the videos from our time in South Africa.  Remember when I said the dance show at Lesedi was really intense? 

This is This is from the end of the show where it was much more of a “dance off” than an actual performance.  The dancers were amazing and it really seemed more spiritual to them than anything else.  Watch until the end because the last girl is incredible!

the daily(ish)

I fell in love with this show, Idiot Abroad, in Ireland last year.  We left before I got to see a couple of the episodes, but thankfully I caught them on a flight to New Zealand.  Rio was my favorite and I literally laughed out loud on the plane while watching.

In honor of our upcoming adventure…

 

 

 

 

***American friends***- if you don’t know this show and you’re a fan of Ricky Gervais- you need to find it ASAP.  Hilarious!

the daily(ish)

Some of the traditional chanting at our Maori show in New Zealand…

Seriously, in person it was intense. Our guide on Sunday was Maori and explained to us that their strategy for warfare was "scare them with crazy". No one wants to fight a madman so they tried to look as insane as possible with showing their tongue and the whites of their eyes.

Now keep in mind the Maori were cannibals and all fighting was done hand to hand with tools designed for cracking your skull open so they could eat your brains. No. Joke.

I don’t even want to imagine what level of “crazy” they were trying to scare people with because their “normal” seems crazy enough to ward off Freddy Kruger.

the daily(ish)

Jules feeding a piggy little kangaroo...
We had all three fed her numerous times, but she was carrying around a rather large joey in her pouch, so she deserved the extra helpings.

daily (more than just a) glimpse

This commercial played continuously through a cab ride in Osaka...



Pure genius.