Synchronicity

Yeah, I didn't get it either. They were just there, in front of Hallgrímskirkja, these big black letters, begging me to snap a shot. So I did. And I had intended to write I have no clue what this is all about, but then I saw an article in Fréttablaðið (the daily free newspaper that I've requested not be shoved into my mailbox because life is kinder without being constantly slammed with hype and adverts every day, but which I'm subjected to anyway whenever a new delivery person takes our route, causing that phenomenon known as Middle Class Guilt because now I'm responsible for recycling inky garbage I never wanted in the first place! *sigh*) about the guy behind the word, one Santiago Sierra. He will be installing his stafir at Austurvellir in support of citizens' rights to democracy throughout the world, on this, the third anniversary of the loud and messy protests here in Iceland in the same town square.

On a lighter note, my father Thor and I have been invited to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between the US and Iceland tonight by the US Ambassador to Iceland, Luis E. Arreaga (he has a blog!) at Nasa, a venue located at Austurvellir that some of you are familiar with from it's long lines during Iceland Airwaves (book your tix for 2012 now! They sell out mighty quick!)

Tonight we'll actually be entertained by local musicians who have done the Airwaves festival, LayLow and Of Monsters and Men (that link takes you to an NPR / KEXP shout out : ) who in this video are playing a song from their Airwaves Off Venue Reykjavík Downtown Hostel gig, produced by a very sweet and super talented DJ-Producer American friend of mine, Manny, whose last name is Santiago, like the NO artist's first name, and who interestingly enough was contacted by a long lost friend out in the States after he had seen Manny's Guest Photographer post here on Iceland Eyes. Incidentally, this photo of Manny's was taken at the Reykjavik Art Museum which is hosting the exhibition of which Sierra's NO is a part.

Nice synchronicity, eh?

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Fukuya, Japanese restaurant

Fukuya is one of the higher end jpanese restaurant. Stepping into the restaurant's compound feels different than other places. It has a resort-like feeling to it. I did not take any pictures of the surroundings as I went there for dinner.

We sat in a private room.

Fukuya was the place where I had my first taste of fish sperm. It was definitely an experience I do not think I will crave for again.

We also had hamachi, yellowtail. The one I had in USA wad better.

Of course, what makes this restaurant stand out is the generous portion of sashimi and it tastes really fresh. We had an assorted basket of sashimi which was tastefully decorated. Tuna, salmon, toro, white fish and uni were the sashimi served.

Another must try was their roll, which was unagi with cili padi inside. Thankfully, I have the habit of reading food reviews before going to a restaurant. Hence, I was prepared for this cili padi roll. The cili padi was too much till it made one of the male diner walk out of the room, tearing. So, becarefully with this roll. It did taste good.

We had some other dishes like fried ebi and shrimp tempura, which I think Octopus restaurant does better.

For dessert, I had this japanese
Melon. Tasted like honey dew. A few other diners ordered sesame ice cream, green tea and raspberry ice cream. I had a taste of the raspberry ice cream, and it tasted like heaven. It was simply irrisistable that I had to place one order for myself. So, two desserts for the night.

All in all, the dining experience was fantastic. It is priced above average, but definitely should go there at least once.

An Ode to Onesies

In November I was on Twitter and I saw two particularly great guys I follow @SteMcCormick and @Light_XIII talking about Onesies.  I was confoosed. What were these things?  I actually had to ask them and do a Google search.

My initial reaction was to take the piss: these are giant sleeping suits worn by adults, often in the shape of animals.  Normally they are worn to lounge round in the house; some people sleep in them.

(Technically a Dragon Kigu: it doesn't have feet)

WHO would wear them though?  Well clearly cute intelligent young guys like those two - and then to my horror I realised a complete generational gap appearing on Twitter.  Everyone under 25 either had one, or at least knew what they were.  Everyone over 30 didn't seem to.  I started asking younger people I speak to: yes, they had a Pacman one; or a Skeleton one; or a Dinosaur one.

My friend @NathanMarsh who is at university told me students sometimes go out clubbing in them - a whole group of young people dressed as animals running along, dancing and having a "Onesie Night Out".

Slippery Slope

Within the next 12 hours I travelled the slippery slope from a position of mild disbelief / mocking disapproval to actually *wanting* one.  I decided to ignore this (for him) mild warning from @HyperbolicGoat:

The following lunch time I popped up to Primarni in Norwich to look at their range.  Bargain: for £12, I could be a giant polyester clothed 6'1" monkey.  How <could> I refuse?  As long as I didn't stand too close to a naked flame, all would be fine.

Looking at myself as a giant monkey I of course realise that EVERYTHING the Daily Mail says about Twitter is true.  I have gone from being a respectable City lawyer to dressing as a big brown monkey.  Twitter corrupts innocent minds.  It's dangerous.  There I've said it ;-)

Entering the Main Stream

Now, there's no denying Onesies have caught on.  They are really becoming popular.  Christmas 2011 seems to have become the "Onesie Christmas" - I've heard so many stories of people on Twitter of all ages giving and receiving them.  There are giant pink bunnies, dalmatians, hamsters, and regular hooded onesies being worn across the kingdom.

Guardian Fashion recently asked is it ever okay to wear a Onesie?  Their conclusion was sneering and a bit pants: they even argued that it can never be a sexy look.  Hmpf, look at Joey Essex below having just gone through US Customs.  I'd unzip his Onesie for him any day :o))

Joey Essex.... *swoon*

Why Onesies are Great

So now the point of this blog is to let everyone know *why* Onesies are fabulous.  They're undeniably warm and comfy.  I love putting mine on at the end of the day.  It's snug, I can turn the heating down and I lose roughly half my body weight as it's like being in a personal sauna.

I remember vividly from German literature at University a story by the cutting social observer and 19th century Swiss writer Gottfried Keller.  It is called "Kleider machen Leute" ("Clothes make the Man" to put it in Mark Twain terms).  A penniless tailor, who happens to have one nice coat, is taken in by a town, fed, feted, falls in love with a local girl: all because they are silly and bourgeois enough to assume he must be important and wealthy if dressed like that.  I agree with Keller: we do make judgements based on people's appearances.

FAR MORE IMPORTANTLY than their snugness therefore, for me, is the fact that Onesies are fun.  They look bonkers.  They are playful, they are silly, and we just know that we will be laughing over and destroying photos of ourselves in them within 24 months - just as we look back now at 70s shirts and 80s hair cuts.  They're blatantly ridiculous, and who gives two hoots?  Grown adults dressing in this way? Bring it.  The simple judgement I would make if someone is prepared to wear a Onesie is that they are a laugh.  It's precisely because people can take themselves in such a non-serious way, that I love the item of clothing, and I love people who will wear them.

Thus, I shall conclude with a massive YAY to Onesies. Long may this trend last*  \o/

Yup, I also have a Chicken one. Guilty as charged.

* I seriously doubt it will, but hey :)

3.18am

The effects of drinking chinese tea during dinner = INSOMNIA

This happened so many times already, but how can I resist not having cupS of chinese tea with my dinner...

Bah, I don't even need to try coffee...

New Year Resolution: No drinking chinese tea after 4pm

Golden Globes 2012

Vavavoom lol.. This time round, the theme for the Golden Globes was bridal gowns... N they all looked amazing!

My top two favourites would be Nicole Kidman's and Angelina Jolie's dress.
Brad pitt n angelina looked like Ken n Barbie ;)

Heres the link to the other trend setters for the night: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2087278/Golden-Globes-2012-dresses-You-dont-married-wear-wedding-dress--bridal-chic-hottest-red-carpet-trend.html

Its never too early to plan your wedding dress design.... :)

Fairy

Maybe having seen so many fantastic creatures in the 13th of Christmas bonfire has opened my mind to perceiving the mythical in the most common objects, but regardless of why, once I spied the fairy made by lights in this tree in front of the Central Bank of Iceland I couldn't unsee her. Come to think of it, though, there's evidence to show that this is just the way I'm built, and I'm sure many of you as well. (Isn't this called anthropomorphization...and er, is that even a real word? Turns out it is!)

Regardless of what I see in these lights, I'm hoping that they and many others around town, will be kept lit through the next few months when, post-holidays, we definitely need them most.

On another note, producer Heather Millard (who did the excellent The Future of Hope documentary  - which I've mentioned before - with director Henry Bateman) sent me an email about an event she's helping to organize here with Kisha Mays, the CEO of Just Fearless, in Reykjavik on January 24th called Women Empowering Women. It looks like it could be a very cool evening of network building and support, so I think I'll go myself and take part. If you are here on the Lava Rock during that time you're welcome to come as well!

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Something Silly

I went inter-railing when I was 19 (yes, it was hell) and took a ferry home from Cherbourg to Portsmouth.  During the journey I heard a group of "lads" who were guzzling beer and talking about the oddest thing that has stuck in my mind ever since.  It was supposedly a form of dream analysis or finding out about someone's sub-conscious / true personality.

Here's what you have to do.  I'm going to ask you to visualise a particular thing and you have to close your eyes and get a really clear picture of it.  If I say "Car" you need to think of the first image of a car that comes into you mind and properly sticks in it.  I want to know the colour of it, the model, the age, etc.  Just concentrate until it's there - it may change a bit before fixing properly.

The next thing to note is this is a dream sequence - there does not have to be *any* logic in it at all.  If I ask you to think of a city and then a shop, you can think of New York, followed by your local newsagent in your village.  The items do not need to fit together at all - although they can if you wish.

Okay, all set?

The first thing you need to think of is a FOREST.  Get it really clearly in your mind.  You're walking along through the forest.  Think about the trees, the ground, what you can see and hear around you.  Picture it until it is clearly in your mind.

Next thing I need you to envisage a BEAR.  Look at it and take in all the details - how far away you are, what it is doing, looks like etc.

You leave the bear behind and continuing along you come across a KEY.  Picture that key for me, really clearly.

A little bit further you come to a well or a spring.  There is fresh water to drink.  You drink from it with a DRINKING IMPLEMENT.  Picture that item, just as you have done every thing before.

Next you come across some WATER.  This could be a pool, a stream, a river, a sea - I don't know.  It's your dream.  Fix the water in your head.

You cross the water - it does not matter how - and progress further until you come to a RESTING PLACE.  You're tired after your walk and you rest here.  Take in all the details of the place you stop at.

And hey, ho - we're all done.






What does it all mean?

So what does it all mean?  Well, if anyone who is an actual psychologist is reading this they will probably say this analysis is utter crap.  BUT - I've done this same silly game with lots of people I know quite well and am amazed how I can actually guess some of their responses quite accurately.  Remember this is just a bit of fun.

1) The Forest is your view of life.  The brighter and sunnier it is, the brighter and more positive your view of life in general is.  If you have a dark coniferous woods with packed trees and very little light you are more prone to see life as difficult and challenging.  If it's cold, dark, and winter - well, you've a bleak outlook on life.  A bright coniferous forest with sunlight pouring between glades and well spaced out trees indicates a similarly bright view of life for you.  Bonus points for birds singing, happy little squirrels, pretty flowers and shit like that. 

Also, were you on a path?  I didn't mention anything about one.  If you were just walking between trees, fine.  If it was an actual path stretching off that you could see, it means you have a clear path where you are going in life.  If it is a metalled road then you are really clear where you are heading.

2) The Bear is your view of other people - particularly in social situations.  The bear's position is important.  If it is standing up it is more scary and threatening than if it is down on all fours.  The bigger and more fierce the bear and its position, the more frightening/ challenging you find meeting and dealing with new people in general.

Think about how far you were away from the bear.  If you kept well away that speaks for itself.  If you just ignored each other that's in the middle ground.  If you actually approached the bear and did not find it scary in any way, then again that illustrates how likely you are to be at ease just going up to new people and dealing with them socially.

3) The Key is your artistic side.  Most people seem to go for an old-fashioned type key, but the level of detail is key.  If you spent ages picturing an exquisite old key with lots of detailing, then you have a highly developed artistic side.  If you had a Yale type key then you just think of something that does its job and you're probably an engineer who considers a stick man art (only joking, chill!)

4) The Drinking Implement is your personal standards.  One of the lads drank from a rusty old bucket.  That says it all to me: would you? Ewww! Call me a princess, but I had a sparkling crystal goblet.  You're drinking from whatever you selected and there's an element of personal hygiene and standards involved in that.  The more particular you were about the cleanliness of the implement you were, the more particular (aka fussy or even anal) you will be about such things in your life.  I didn't care I was in a forest by a well - I wanted Bohemian lead crystal and it had to be new, thanks!

5)  The Water is your sex drive.  The faster your water is flowing, the more important sex is to you.  If you had a still calm little pool, it's no big deal to you.  If you've a babbling brook it's becoming more important... get to a fast flowing river and you're starting to become a bit of a stud muffin.  If you had a waterfall, well I'm just not going to comment.  [PERVERT!]

Also the wideness of the water is interesting.  If it was a just a little stream (even if fast flowing) and you could hop straight over, it means your sexual interests are quite narrow.  The broader the expanse of water, the wider your mind in matters carnal.  So there. 

6) The Resting Place is what you'll be happy with materially out of life.  The pickier and more demanding you are about the place, the more things you will have to have before you are happy.  If you had a whole list of demands about shade or sunlight; protection from the wind or sun etc, it is indicative of what you require in life.  An easily pleased person just wants a nice sunny glade to sit down in on the ground; a more demanding one wants a bench.

Anything man-made is upping the demands considerably - I've heard resting places with four poster beds in the middle of the forest.  I'm ashamed to say mine is a tree house and is pretty much pictured below.  I'm never going to be happy, am I? :S (NB it has air conditioning and one of those nice rain water power shower wet rooms too, please). You may have a very clear path through your forest, but your ending place is very simple.  I had no path, but knew what I wanted when I got there. 

Fascinating, isn't it?  The sheer range of things that people can come up in their heads when you say "imagine a resting place in a forest" is amazing.  It is your subconscious that is throwing them up (apparently) and as I said at the start it can be very telling indeed.  I had fun putting together the images for this blog - all of these pretty much represent what appeals to me most and is what is "there" for me when I think of the things.