Season’s greetings

I give you all my season’s greetings. Whatever you are celebrating, I wish you a merry Christmas, an happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa, a great solstice, eid mubarak, a jolly festivus, beatus Saturnalibus, a merry Krishna, etc., as well as a healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year 2017 !

From myself, Miyako, Saya and Caramel.

(And thanks to Toulouse-Lautrec for the illustration)
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Manga paradise

Three weeks ago, while watching the TV show Tokyo Eye on NHK World, I've discovered two manga libraries in Tokyo that I would certainly like to visit one day.

The Tokyo Eye episode that aired November 30th was titled “Tokyo Book Tour.” Its introduction tells us: “In this digital age, people are rediscovering the joy of visiting a physical bookstore. Tokyo might have more bookstores than any city in the world, and this time we look at some of the best ones.” As a travel show dedicated to the Tokyo area (where foreigners discuss sites and attractions they like in the city), this time it introduces us with a dozen notable libraries. Two of them really caught my eyes.

The Tachikawa Manga Park (立川まんがぱーく, located at 3-2-26 Nishiki-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo; website: mangapark.jp) offers 400,000 manga, mostly new and popular titles, to read. The “space is designed to recall an old Japanese home“ and “visitors are free to kick back and simply enjoy reading manga”. You can sit on chairs or benches, lie down on cushions or tatami mats or even hide in a recreated oshiire closet! A dream library for children and teenagers.

The Shojo Manga-kan (少女まんが館, located at 155-5 Ajiro, Akiruno-shi) is a private library entirely dedicated to shojo manga. It offers over 55,000 shojo books and magazines (even some dating back to the meiji-era!). The library is located in the private home of a couple, Jun Nakano and Natsuyo Oi, who are long-time fans and collectors of shojo manga. Since it's private, it is only opened on Saturday and you must first book online. It's a real paradise if you want to study the history of shojo manga.

Also interesting, the latest episode of Tokyo Eye (it aired on December 21st), titled “Tokyo Mottainai!”, is dedicated to unusual recycling ideas which offers a “stylish new twist on a traditional Japanese value.” I particularly like the idea of the restaurant that buys "imperfect" seafood that has gone unsold at the Tsukiji fish market and turns it into delicious cuisine. And the one about the “Mottainai Kids Flea Market” where kids can learn economic skills while recycling their old toys and stuff.

Both shows are still available to watch online (and will stay available for a few weeks).

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Alambic médical

Je n’aime pas trop me plaindre de notre système médical car au moins nous en avons un et il est gratuit. Mais c’est un secret de polichinelle de dire que notre système de santé est malade. Et chaque fois qu’un gouvernement tente de l’améliorer, il semble qu’il rend les choses pires.

Depuis l’été dernier je me méfie beaucoup du notre système de santé. Après m’être retrouvé par deux fois, en rafales rapprochées, à l’urgence, avoir attendu des heures, chaque fois m’être fait rebondir vers une clinique, puis vers un spécialiste — telle une balle de ping pong — puis avoir de la difficulté à voir un médecin pour un suivi: j’en pense peu de bien. Le mieux est de ne jamais être malade. Toutefois, ces derniers temps il semble que plusieurs membres de ma famille doivent souvent visiter les hôpitaux… Et hier, j’avais deux rendez-vous en cliniques, l’un le matin pour mon épouse, et l’autre en après-midi pour moi.

Lire la suite après le saut de page >>

Image du mer-fleuri

Voici d'autres dessins de mon épouse / Here's more drawings by my wife:

Goldfinches and Sunflowers
Chardonnerets et tournesols

© 2016 Miyako Matsuda

Tickets' trap

This sign is located at the corner of Saint-Roch and Durocher streets in Montreal's Parc-Extension borough. It might look like a parking sign, but in fact it indicates that the street is closed one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon (except for local resident, school buses and taxis) to insure the safety of the children arriving at and departing from the nearby school, Barthélemy-Vimont.

It would be a commendable endeavour if it had not been turned into a virtual tickets trap for motorists looking to make their way through the maze of one-ways that characterize Montreal. Each afternoon, there's a police patrol car waiting on the side of the street for the oblivious motorists who failed to notice the inconspicuous street sign. At least half-a-dozen tickets are given each day!

First, the sign should be more obvious and more explanatory. Second, police are supposed to “Serve and protect.” Like protecting the children and serving the citizens. NOT tell them “just pay the fine, sucker”! They would serve better the community if they would simply put their patrol car across the street to block traffic, or put some sort of temporary barrier, and tell passing motorists “sorry the road is temporarily closed for the children's protection.”

Just another example of how this city fails to be community friendly. Just use common sense, damn it!

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Movie capsule-reviews

Pompeii

Another totally unrealistic catastrophe movie. Kiefer Sutherland with a ridiculous brit accent and “John Snow” [Kit Harington] as a slave hero pointlessly saving the damsel in distress. Entertaining but not historic.

[ Bibliothèque — IMdB — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Big Eyes

A Tim Burton movie about the life of American painter Margaret Keane, famous for her children with big eyes art, who had to fight her husband Walter Keane up to court as he took credit for her very successful work. He was a genius of marketing but, as a frustrated wanna-be painter, couldn’t resist to flatter his ego and take credit for “their” success until she got tired of the fraud (and found religion with the Jehovah’s witnesses). Interesting subject, but a quite ordinary delivery.

[ Bibliothèque — IMdB — Official site — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Les Visiteurs: La Révolution

En 1123, le chevalier Godefroy de Montmirail, dit « le Hardi » (et son écuyer, Jacquouille la Fripouille) voyagent dans le temps grâce à la potion d’un mage. Mais rien ne va comme prévu et, dans ce troisième opus, le duo (Jean Reno et Christian Clavier) se retrouve en 1793, soit en pleine Terreur révolutionnaire! Amusant mais la formule commence à se faire vieille.

[ Bibliothèque — IMdB — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Race

An interesting film about the struggle of a black athlete to get into the 1936 summer Olympics and to show that black lives matter — while teaching a good lesson to Nazi Germany. More interestingly, it’s what the movie fails to show that is the most important: despite his four olympic medals, Jesse Owens will be totally ignored after his return to the U.S.A.. After all, the blacks in America were not that much better off than the jews in Germany. He died of cancer at 66 years old, poor, after holding small jobs and making a few business ventures. He was recognized only posthumously with a Congressional Gold Medal awarded by George W Bush in 1990! Not totally accurate, but a moment in history worth remembering.

[ Bibliothèque — IMdB — Official site — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

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Haiku du dimanche

Mon univers est un hospice de clichés
— Et quand tout commence à faire du sens
C’est déjà le début du dernier acte

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Image du chat-medi

Voici d'autres dessins de mon épouse / Here's more drawings by my wife:

Black cat and flowers (“Spotty”)
Chat noir et fleurs (“Spotty”)

© 2016 Miyako Matsuda

Image du mer-fleuri

Pour faire changement (mais toujours pour nous faire oublier les rigueurs de l'hiver) je vous propose pour l'instant des dessins de mon épouse:

To make change (but always to make us forget the rigors of winter) I propose for now drawings by my wife:

Rabbit in the field with butterflies
Lapin dans le pré avec des papillons

© 2016 Miyako Matsuda

Image du chat-medi

(iPhone 6s, 2016-11-13)

Image du mer-fleuri

Soleil futur

(Nikon D3300, 2016-08-08)

Haïku du dimanche

Crépuscule automnal
Signalé par une envolée
— que j’envie cette fuite

(iPhone 6s, 2016-12-04)

Image du chat-medi

(iPhone 6s, 2016-11-14)

Image du mer-fleuri

Aquilegia (Ancolie)

(Nikon D3300, 2016-05-22)

Grave problème de gestion animalière

Hier, suite à une expérience consternante la semaine précédente, j'ai écrit un courriel à mon Conseiller municipal de quartier afin de lui faire part d'une grave préoccupation concernant la gestion animalière de l'arrondissement:


Cher Monsieur le conseiller,

J'aimerais porter à votre attention un grave problème de gestion animalière. La ruelle derrière mon duplex est envahie par des chats errants et je suppose que c'est le cas de la majorité des ruelles du quartier. Ce n'est pas tant la présence de ces chats errants qui m'embête que les graves lacunes dans leur gestion. En fait, ils mettent un peu de vie dans un milieu urbain parfois trop dénaturé et contribuent à éliminer la vermine (rats, souris, mulots, pigeons, etc.).

Je ne les blâme aucunement pour leur prolifération car ils n'en sont pas responsables. C'est nous, les humains, qui avons créés cette situation en abandonnant des animaux (particulièrement des chats) et les laissant se reproduire librement sans la moindre intervention ni contrôle. Je ne crois pas que ces animaux devraient souffrir inutilement suite à une situation dont ils ne sont pas responsables. Nous devrions tenter de gérer la situation le plus humainement possible mais ce n'est pas le cas: la gestion actuelle n'est ni adéquate, ni humaine.

[ Continez la lecture après le saut de page >> ]

Discovery: five new anime to watch

In This Corner of the World

While watching the news on NHK World earlier today, I saw a report on a new anime movie that sounds quite interesting. Based on a manga by Fumiyo Kōno, this historical animated drama tells the daily life of young newly wed Suzu in the Japanese countryside of Kure during the years leading to WWII.

In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に / Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni): Japan, 2016, 130 min.; Dir./Scr.: Sunao Katabuchi; Anim. Dir.: Hidenori Matsubara; Char. Des.: Hidenori Matsubara; Mus.: Kotringo; Prod.: Masao Maruyama (MAPPA), Taro Maki (GENCO); Voice cast: Rena Nōnen (Suzu), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Shūsaku), Natsuki Inaba (Harumi), Minori Omi (Keiko), Daisuke Ono (Tetsu), Megumi Han (Sumi), Shigeru Ushiyama (Entaro), Mayumi Shintani (San), Nanase Iwai (Rin).

ANN / IMdB / Japan Times / Official website / Wikipedia / Youtube

Four more anime titles have caught our attention in the last few months:

Monthly notable news (W45-48)

So far, November was quite a busy month. Besides all the exasperation and exhaustion at work (I feel I am working like a blue-collar — it's my understanding that a white-collar should never sweat at work), I kept busy by going to a vegan fest and the Montreal Book Fair. I also finished watching a few tv series like Poldark, A Place to Call Home, Versailles; and Westworld becomes more intriguing.

Winter finally came (temperature in the minus and a little snow on the ground) but I am ready for it since I already got my flu shot. The world events were mostly dominated by the U.S. election and the unexpected election of Donald Trump (that's the beauty of democracy: people have to right to be wrong!), as well as by the passing of Fidel Castro. I also noted the proliferation of announcements and trailers for live-action movie adaptations: Valerian, Blade of the Immortal (a.k.a. L'Habitant de l'infini; directed by Takashi Miike!), Ghost in the Shell, Full Metal Alchemist, Stranger in a strange land, Starship Troopers, Saint Young Men (Les Vacances de Jésus et Bouddha), etc. ! And I discovered a new Fuyumi Soryo's manga about Marie Antoinette (can't wait to receive it and read it)!

However, I still found some time to stay acquainted (a bit) with the affairs of the world. Here's a “few” notable news & links that I came across this month and that I'd like to share with you, after the jump (in no particular order, in both french and english):

Image du chat-medi

Sleeping yoga



(iPhone 6s, 2017-11-17)

Image du mer-fleuri

Quelques fleurs pour oublier la neige et le froid

Rose d'Inde (Tagetes erecta) de notre jardin

(iPhone 6s, 2016-10-02)
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Première neige

Plus d'images dans l'album Flickr “Première Neige / More pics in our Flickr album “First Snow”

(iPhone 6s, 2016-11-21)