GlobalGranary.org sends its best wishes to Bea Alonso Santiago, Philippines’ candidate to the forthcoming Miss International Beauty Pageant to be held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Japan on December 17.
She is a beautiful, willowy young lady and we predict that she will be bringing back the crown to the Philippines.
Update: Bea Rose Santiago of the Philippines was declared the winner of the 2013 Miss International Beauty Pageant. The contest was held in Shinagawa Prince Hotel Hall in Tokyo, Japan today, 17 December 2013.
These photos of hollyhocks were taken in our front garden this summer.
Due to a rainy spring and long, hot summer (for once) this year, flowers were in abundance. Our roses bloomed continuosly and these hollyoaks gave stunning blossoms. We had not really planted them, they just grew year after year from seeds that probably got blowned by the wind or from bird’s droppings.
Hollyhocks’s scientific name is Alcea. It belongs to Malvacease family, flowering plants of the mallow family which has about 60 different species.
Did you know?
A hollyhock is quite an important flower in Japan. It is called aoi (葵). Its prominence can be found incorporated into the official seal of the Tokugawa shogunate.
I am sure you have heard of the Japanese shogun! They were feudal Japanese military government which existed from 1600 to 1868. The heads of the government were the shoguns.
In Kyoto, the Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) is celebrated. It is one of the three main festivals of the city. Apparently it has an ancient history, originating during the reign of Emperor Kinmei (reigned CE 539 – 571).
Legend has it that there were successions of heavy rains and high winds which ruined the crops resulting in famine and pestilence.
The emperor called his diviner, who said that their deities were not very happy. To pacify the angry deities, the Emperor and the people conducted various acts of valour, adoration and bravery in honour of the deities to appease them.
This event became an annual celebration and has grown into a major festival called the Aoi festival; the hollyhocks leaves believed to protect against natural disasters are the major decoration used.
A true word is not beautiful and a beautiful word is not true.
– Japan
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Add caution to caution.
– Japanese saying
*** Good advice.
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A frog’s baby is a frog
– Japan
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A frog in a well does not know the great sea.
– Japan
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After the rian, the earth hardens.
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Accomplishments remain with oneself.
– Japan
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Beware of returning arrow.
– Japan
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Depend on your walking stick, not on other people.
– Japanese Proverb
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Entering a village, obey the village.
– Japansese saying
(This to me is a version of the more familiar, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”)
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Even a welcome guest becomes a bore on the third day.
– Japanese Proverb
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Even monkeys fall from trees.
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Eggs and vows are easily broken.
– Japan
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Fall down seven times, get up eight.
– Japan
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Farm when it’s sunny, read when it’s raining.
– Japanese proverb
>…
He who hunts two hares leaves one and loses the other.
– Japanese
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If you believe everything you read, better not read.
– Japan
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Luck exists in the leftovers.
– Japan
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Obey the customs of the village you enter.
– Japan
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Perseverance is strength
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Strong people can spin their top in the sand.
– Japan
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Someone who stands behind a wall can see nothing else.
– Japanese Saying
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Spilt water will not return to the tray.
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“The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.”
– Japanese Proverb
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The wise man shapes himself according to his environments, as water to the shape of the vessel into which it is poured.
—Japanese.
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To an ant, a few drops of rain is a flood.
– Japanese Proverb
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Too much courtesy is discourtesy.
– Japanese Proverb
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The reverse side has its reverse side.
– Japanese saying
***
This is like saying there is always another side to every story.
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To teach is to learn
– Japan
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The life of an old man is like a lighted candle in a draft.
— Japanese.
The protruding nail will be pounded down.
– Japan
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The second word makes the fray.
– Japan
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To know and to act are one and the same.
– Samurai Proverb
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”Vision without action is daydream. Action without vision is nightmare.” – Japanese Proverb
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We learn by watching and listening.
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We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
– Japanese Proverb
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When rats infest the palace, the slowest cat is superior to the fastest horse.
– Japanese Proverb
You cannot catch a tiger cub unless you enter the tiger’s den.
– Japan
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Facts & Tidbits about Japan
The Capital is Tokyo which is located in the island of Honshu.
The Sumida River runs through Tokyo.
Shinano is the longest river in Japan.
Yen is the currency of Japan.
Mt Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
Origami is a traditional Japanese paper folding.
Cherry Blossom is the national flower of Japan which is traditionally in season during spring.
Shinkansen is the high speed train system in Japan.
Shashimi is a Japanese dish made of thinly sliced fish.
PlayStation is produced by a Japanese company, Sony.
Kenjutsu is a Japanese martial art meaning ‘the way of the sword.”
Judo is a Japanese martial art which concentrates of throwing techniques.
Samurai is a Japanese warrior associated with the code of honour and loyalty.
Manga is the Japanese term for comic and graphic novels.
Tsunami is a Japanese term meaning harbour wave.
Bonsai is the art of miniature trees.
Ikebana is the art of flower arrangement.
Kimono is a traditional Japanese robe.
Onigiri is a traditional rice balls (triangular with a seaweed wrap.)
Sayonara means goodbye.
Arigato means thank you.
Kawaii means cute.
For Japanese Dramas (Doramas) reviews, click here.
Now that December is upon us, it got me thinking that this year seemed to have gone extra quickly. As if The months have rolled into the next and the next that it was all seamless! I could hardly catch my breath.
I think the reason why 2011 has or going by so quickly is that there seemed to be no silly season this year where news had to be created to make do with the quiet time which usually occur during the summer. This year so much had already happened, bearing in mind that there are 30 days yet to come.
2011 brought us the wedding of the year. Prince William finally made an honest woman of the gorgeous Kate Middleton. She is Waitey Katey no more. With due respect to Pippa Middleton, a special mention must be given to her pert bottom for almost hijacking the bride’s day!!! Let that be a lesson to you brides to be, if your brides’ maids/Maids of honour are gorgeous and likely to eclipse you, ensure that does not happen; make them wear tangerine lace or better yet brown sacks! lol
There was also the wedding of Kim Kardasian and Kris Humpries. It was over before you can take a deep breath from all the brouhaha and the mileage it got from the media. I supposed we were savvy from the onset that the marriage would not last. Kris Humpries was rather weird. He is an overgrown school boy. Not sure about how to treat a woman. It still makes me winch when I remember how he just flung Kim to the sea during one of the Kardasian’s episode. The poor girl lost one of her $70K pair of diamond earrings. Well at least the wedding revenue made up for it. The relationship was not helped either by the rather spoilt bride!
Who can forget the rock&roll wedding of Kate Moss to Jamie Hince, well actually I have. Sorry!!!
But the most unexpected wedding of all has to be Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. I did not even know that they where going out together, I thought she was still married to that Darren Aronofsky guy and Craig was going out with a lovely Oriental girl! Ah love…. when you know, you know!
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Another unforgettable episode this year is a real modern day anarchy in the UK? Yes it started on the 6 of August when a peaceful march protesting the shooting that led to Mark Dugan’s death was hijacked by gangs who rioted, looted and committed arsons to London and other English cities. I was so alarmed and I was not the only one!!! To date more than 3,000 have been arrested. BTW this was the first time I noticed that there are more that 3 policemen patrolling the street of London at a given time. Actually I lied because I saw a hoard of policemen when one of their own crashed his patrol car along Childshill, North London early this year. A least a dozen of policemen were there and a couple more of fire engine trucks and firemen were also present.
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I also remember the Typhoon Perdring which ravaged Navotas,Rizal in the Philippines. At least 5,000 were made homeless by this calamity. I was relieved that my mother and family were safe in Manila.
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Who has not heard of the death of Bin Laden and of Ghadaffi? Despite their deaths, the trouble in the Middle East is yet to cease. Peace is far off the horizon. This year alone saw the culmination of revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and Yemen. Protests have spread through Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco and Oman. The latest being Iran when they ransacked the British Embassy in Iran which has now resulted in the breakdown in the diplomatic relationship, which already shaky to start with, between Iran and the UK.
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I also remember that massacre in Norway by a right wing extremist who killed 69 people, mostly young people. This was so shocking as Norway is refuted to be one of the safest countries in Europe and of the world. My schoolmate who is based in Norway gave us a blow by blow account via Facebook of what happened as she was in the vicinity where the car bomb detonated.
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The heartbreaking news from Japan regarding the earthquake with intensity 9 that claimed more than 15,000 people was sobering.
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This year also saw the death of the last Hollywood legend that was Elizabeth Taylor.
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And the event that is likely to have the greatest repercussion to everyone of us is the global economic crisis. G. It seems we are agog with dread to know whether a second recession is imminent we might have to follow Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Italy to whichever they are destined economically…. very disheartening to say the least.
Apparently the above motorbike which is called Toilet Bike Neo designed by a toilet firm, Toto, has been touring JAPAN.
The bike is very different from your standard motorbike because the Toilet Bike Neo is powered entirely by the rider’s poo!!!
Talk about creating a stink! hahaha
I suppose the rider must ensure that he has a full stomach and can go for No 2 on command. Otherwise he or she must always carry a laxative. Also add plenty of roughage and fibre in his or her diet to make him regular.
I wonder if this innovation will catch on. I think it is very inventive but can be stressful.
