Japanese Influences

Two things:

#1
I got a new banner courtesy of Cello from japancinema.net! He is a fellow designer but a very talented illustrator. This is no joke. I was thinking I wanted a banner of an illustrated panda but did not have the talent to do so (sure, I have the technical skill, but I can't illustrate worth crap on a computer). Months later, here I am with an illustrated panda, and SO CUTE! This is pretty much what I had envisioned, with my favorite color red and all! Not bad for a guy who just met me. Thanks, Cello! And if you haven't checked out his site, you should. It is a movie review blog of different movies influenced or made in Japan. This means a whole lotta Anime and Kung Fu movies, both of which I am a big fan of!

#2
The lovely Insomniac Lolita tagged me to post one pic that represents my interior design style. If you've seen my Japanese influenced red lantern it should come as no surprise that I like Japanese influenced interior design! Black, white, and red are my favorite color combinations. My interior design style can be described as "Japanese Modern", meaning a mix between Modern interior design with Japanese flourishes. I like the simplicity. I like the squares. I like the contemporary. And yes, I like the Feng Shui.

It doesn't get anymore Asian than this! 1) I am Asian. 2) I love anything Asian, including (but not limited to):

• Eastern philosophy (Taoism, Buddhism)
• Yoga
• Mala prayer bead mantra meditation in traditional Sanskrit
• Singing bowls
• Harajuko street style
• Japanese book binding
• Wall scrolls
• Anime
• Karaoke
• Dragons
• Taking pictures
• Japanese schoolgirls
  
• Martial Arts
• Origami
  
• Bubble Tea
• Sushi
• Miso soup
• Ramen
• Chopsticks
• Tofu
• Rice
• Pandas
• Green tea
• The Asian giggle (I totally do this!)
  
• Haiku
  
• Obscenely cute smileys ~_^ >_<
• Peace signs
• Tila Tequila
• Geishas and
• Dragonflies

Dragonflies, you may ask? Yes, dragonflies! It may just be a coincidence, but one of my favorite insects is the dragonfly. I love anything with dragonflies, particularly jewelry. The dragonfly happens to be an important cultural symbol in Japanese history, especially in art and design. You can see Japanese dragonfly flourishes in wallpaper patterns, paintings, fabrics, furniture and even Samurai weaponry and armory.

Symbolizing courage, strength, happiness and prosperity, the dragonfly was thought of as the harbinger for good harvest in rice plants, since it is their natural habitat. Akitsushima means "Dragonfly Island" and is an alternate name for Japan.

My love for dragonflies and dragonfly designs is synonymous with my love for the Japanese aesthetic, but independent of my Japanese tastes because I had no clue the two were connected until I was in college Art History class (well actually, the "History of Material Culture", but basically the same thing)! It was a happy coincidence that they happened to be one in the same. Isn't it funny how that works? My tastes often seem to converge in that way.

When I was around 12 years old and visiting the Philippines, I would see lots of dragonflies with amazing iridescent colors across the spectrum. Red, blue, green... I tried to catch some by grabbing their wings but I was too afraid. I would watch my titos [uncles] do it without a blink. One day, I was minding my own business when a dragonfly flew unto my shirt! I freaked out and started jumping up and down like a sissy. The dragonfly wouldn't move! Finally, I tried pulling the dragonfly off of me and was horrified to find that while I had pulled the body away, the head remained on my shirt! Without meaning to, I had decapitated a poor dragonfly! It is the one time I can say I caught a dragonfly. I just wish I could be more humane and let it go. Instead, I flicked the head off of my shirt.

P.S. I was joking about the Japanese school girls.
P.P.S. Well, who am I kidding? It's totally true.