Archive for the 'culture' Category

Getting Jiggly With It

Published
by
Roman Edirisinghe
on February 23, 2008
in blog, cuisine, culture and travel
. Closed

Here’s a video of me enjoying some interesting Japanese cuisine.

Geisha

Published
by
Roman Edirisinghe
on November 6, 2007
in blog, culture, personal and travel
. Closed

Maiko in Respectful ReverenceI was wandering aimlessly around Gion today, when I nearly blundered into a Geisha. It happened when I was crossing a busy street (Shijo-dori), and she sort of appeared out of nowhere. She could have been a Maiko, or apprentice Geisha, but I really don’t know how to tell them apart. As the next hour unfolded, I managed to spot a few more scurrying around, and even snapped up a blurry pic of one being escorted to Pontocho by her matron. This place is so surreal. It’s almost like living in a story. Almost, but not quite. The illusion got ruined when I walked a few more blocks and found myself in the red light district, surrounded by Japanese business men in their starched suits. Eyed warily by seedy sentinels posted outside various establishments, I quickly made my way back to the hostel.

33

Published
by
Roman Edirisinghe
on November 1, 2006
in blog, culture, history, languages, linguistics and personal
. 12 Comments

According to Wikipedia, 33 is:

  • the largest positive integer that can not be expressed as a sum of different triangular numbers.
  • the atomic number of arsenic
  • the “smile to the camera” word in Spanish, as is “cheese” in English. Diga treinta y tres (”Say thirty-three”) is the same as “Say cheese”
  • a recurring, important number to the Freemasons, used often in their sacred rituals

33 was also:

For the sake of amusement, here are Biblical references:

And from Islamic Holy Q’uran:

33 in 69 languages, in order of complexity, highest to lowest (from A Playground of Thoughts):

Blogger Gene Smith has a list of 33 things on his blog, Atomiq.

The TrÄ?yastriṃśa, or the Heaven of Thirty Three Gods, is referenced in Buddhist Cosmology.

Today is World Vegan Day, the Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos), Samhain Day, and All Saints’ Day.

Can you guess anything else about this day?

    Memory Maps

    Published
    by
    Roman Edirisinghe
    on September 30, 2006
    in art, blog, creativity, culture, memories, personal and travel
    . Closed

    Integrating screenshots of Google Maps and using Flickr notes, Memory Maps are visual representations of one’s memories, an annotated satellite view of places steeped in personal meaning.

    I found out about Memory Maps on Lifehacker, and decided it was worth a try. After all, I’ve had an interesting childhood, moving around to different countries, and so forth.

    Check out my Memory Maps photoset on Flickr. The Memory Maps group is worth perusing as well.

    Memory Map of the Black Forest, Germany

    The Lost City

    Published
    by
    Roman Edirisinghe
    on August 14, 2006
    in bizarre, blog, culture, humor, languages, movies and reviews
    . Closed

    I was not impressed with The Lost City, Andy Garcia’s movie about Cuba. My biggest problem is the fact that it was done in English, and the occasional Spanish words, including Havana, were grossly mispronounced. A movie set in Cuba should be spoken en Español.

    For some reason, the English was tough to understand. The fake accents were somehow unable to reach my brain. What I did digest, however, is the following bit of ancient wisdom:

    The bird is in the beak
    Edith is weak