Random | Sleep well so your Monday begins well. It’s all about the unicorns.

Unicorns I love them, Unicorns I love them, Uni-Uni-Unicorns, I love them! Uni-Unicorns I could pet one if they were really real... And they are! So I bought one so I could pet it. And it loves me, And I love it...

Music | Finally White Rabbit and Alice are in Wonderland together

Thank you EVILWS666 for putting them together.

Likewise, I do not take credit for this content.

Cartoon & Food | Shichimi and Motsu

How has your week been? How about some irreverent nutty weirdness to get the weekend on the way?  And how about some nourishment ideas, too?
	“Shichimi Togarashi "Seven Spice" – This traditional seasoning from Japan means “seven flavor chili” and varies by the region. We handcraft our version by mixing together toasted and black sesame seeds, orange peel, white poppy seeds, Hungarian paprika, Chinese chiles, Szechwan peppercorns, ginger and toasted seaweed. The flavor is intense and does a fast paced dance on the tongue filling your mouth with a new sensation.”  – from Savory Spice Shop	“Motsu-nabe is a type of (hot) pot dish, which is made from beef or pork offal. A hot pot (nabe) is filled with soup, prepared beef or pork offal and boiled for a while; cabbage and garlic chives are added. The base soup is usually soy sauce with garlic and chili pepper, or miso. After eating offal and vegetables, champon noodles are often put into the pot and boiled to complete the dish.”  – from Shin-Sen-Gumi

Movies | Revisiting behind the scenes of Persepolis

As a movie, this brainchild of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, is still an artistic feat bringing together many moving parts. For full “The hidden side of Persepolis” and “Behind the scenes of Persepolis” you will need to get your hands on the DVD of it. Absolutely worth it. You will see the dedication of many over two-three years it took to make this movie. Meanwhile, here are some teasers.

December Festivities | Bodhi Day | Three Monks

Celebrated on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, or December 8th in Japan, in many Buddhist countries, Bodhi Day commemorates the day Siddhārtha Gautama got his Buddha shit together after a prolonged sit-in under ficus religiosa – that is to say, he awoke, understood the nature of things, became enlightened. 

     And figuring stuff out is what “Three Monks / The Three Buddhist Priests (三个和尚, San ge he shang)” is all about. This short animation was produced after the Chinese Cultural Revolution and was released at the beginning of 1980s. The story is based on an old Chinese saying “three monks, no water” or “One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water.”

     “Three Monks” is a gentle treatise on how pride can interfere with perceived work allocation and, in my mind, poses a question “Is a major calamity really required for us to get our shit together together?”

Coded Candy | Today Google celebrates 107th anniversary of Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo in Slumberland”

It is nice to be educated, ever so subtly, to rise above one’s ignorance of one culture’s markers – or, in reality, to add to one’s upbringing conducted elsewhere with other bits and pieces to draw upon. 

Today Google did that for me, and no doubt countless others. “Little Nemo in Slumberland” anniversary. The title has a nice ring to it. Let’s see. Winsor McCay was a cartoonist from early 20th century – born in Michigan, U.S. according to his claim, born in Canada according to his gravestone and census reports – North American either way – inclined to depict the landscapes of dreams, both in Little Nemo (yes, the Slumberland) and Dream of the Rarebit Fiend cartoons. Pure fantasy like that is good for the soul, and it’s a pity I did not stumble onto McCay’s work sooner, although the style of the pictures seems vaguely familiar. Better late than never, though. 

Let’s feast our eyes together. Thanks Google team for the pointer and the animated sequence.

Cartoon | The Simpsons opening going real-life style like

“The Simpsons' opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks. Most episodes open with the camera zooming through the show's title towards the town of Springfield. The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The opening was created by David Silverman, the first task he did when production began on the show. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro style piece. This piece has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career. One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that three of the segments change from episode to episode: Bart writes different things on the school chalkboard, Lisa plays different solos on her saxophone, and different gags accompany the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch.” – from Wikipedia

In that case, this is as distinct as it gets.

Related: Interesting Couple | Homer Simpson & Marge Bouvier

Random | Anime vs. Cartoon vs. Computer Animation

I hit an odd labeling conundrum. Is it anime, cartoon or computer animation? What is a difference? See, I saw Afro Samurai, Blood+ and The origin of O-Ren as anime, Serge the Seal and Hipsters in Space as cartoons, but La Marche des Sans Nom as computer animation. It is a case of “when you see it, you know what it is, but cannot verbalize the difference.” I also stumbled upon FanNordicRavenna’s YouTube video that is comparing and fleshing out the difference between anime and cartoons. I have to agree with them, but is my third group justified? Computer animation nowadays, and a lot of the other stuff gets done digitally too, has a different look and feel to it, so I would say yes. What’s your take?

Random | Serge the Seal

Ahh so cute! And so psychopathic. But Serge meets his match… well, a twin of sorts?

And his response never fails… but he has a practical side in the end…

Random | “Hipsters in Space: Judgement-o-tron"

“I am so over my blog… whatever……… LAME!” J

Random | “Hipsters in Space: Fashion Edition”

Whatever… right?

Random | “Hipsters in Space”

Whatever… J

Comics to anime personal landmarks

Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (aka Papcio Chmiel) “Tytus, Romek i A’Tomek” here | Tadeusz Baranowski “Skąd się bierze woda sodowa?”, “Antresolka Profesorka Nerwosolka” and “Na co dybie w wielorybie czubek nosa Eskimosa” here | Walt Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” here | Manga Entertainment “Space Adventure Cobra” here | Manga Entertainment “Ghost in the shell” here