It’s almost time for our completion on the new flat! Just can’t wait. In the meantime we had our house demo and made a few photos while measuring for the new wooden floor.

In many ways it actually seems fashionable to go about shouting left and right how every holiday and celebration is commercialized, de-spirited and fake. And of course, most of all the dreaded Valentine’s Day.

Love them all year long

I keep hearing over and over again, how it’s bad, because we shouldn’t cherish our loved ones only one day in a year. OK, so does that mean that everyone celebrating Valentine’s Day ignores (or even abuses) their spouse for the other 364. Statements like the above certainly imply so.

Well if you do, than a fake Valentine’s Day celebration is the least of your relationships worry.

Let’s be honest, most of us are not ridiculously rich, and don’t have all days with nothing to do. This in turn means that most of us don’t have candle lit dinners every single evening. Also unless you live near a free flower supply (like say a country side field) buying a bouquet every day would quickly lead to bankruptcy. And how long can you live on love alone with no food nor roof over your head?

Special days like this are just a nice excuse to do something different. It’s exactly the same as with your birthday and/or names-day. It’s an occasion to celebrate, get together, exchange gifts, greeting and generally something to break out of the usual routine. As an atheist I celebrate Valentine’s Day for the same reasons why I celebrate Christmas and Easter - because I like the tradition. Because certain habits are actually nice when done once a year (like eating carp is pretty much the only time I eat fish).

Show Your Affection Without an Occasion

I’m far from saying that you should limit yourself to Valentine’s only. Yes, I personally love surprises, and just as much as I like getting presents I like giving them. Of course you do not need an occasion to give a gift to your loved one, be it a present or just doing something for them that you know they like.

But this is usually the little, everyday life things we are talking about: cooking his favourite dish, using a perfume he likes, smearing nearly all food in barbecue sauce, holding hands, an ad hoc kiss, a hug when he’s watching tv, and many many more. These are the things that can and probably should be done every day (not necessarily all at once, but still).

However for some bizarre reason these little affection showing acts tend to be put together with things that really are nicer when are done on special occasions. They ARE in fact what makes the special occasions special!

Let’s say for argument’s sake that you do have a candle lit dinner every day. Do you really think that after forty years of doing it daily it will still feel magical? Will it still be something special, or is that just going to be come the new routine?

The Gift Frenzy

We live in a society that really is highly commercialized and full of consumerism, it’s hard to deny that. In that sense getting a gift on a special day like Valentine’s does introduce the additional wait and excitement. Rather than expect to be showered with gifts all year round, and almost immediately satisfying every whim we have, certain holidays give us the chance to make it something more meaningful.

Admittedly some people do turn it into a bit of a competition to get the largest card, the biggest teddy-bear, and  the most impressive bouquet… I do not intend to take part in such race, as do many other people celebrating Valentine’s day, so why condemn the holiday as a whole just because some people go over the top?

Singles Have Feelings Too

It is true that on Valentine’s Day a lot of venues do target couples, and going out as a single might be a bitter reminder that you are alone. It shouldn’t be much of a problem if you are single by choice, should it? That’s the thing, many claiming that it’s their decision, and so on and so forth, in fact secretly would love to find a soul mate.

Now one uncomfortable point is one of the previous arguments: asking for the love and affection parade to be not a one day affair. Would all those unhappy on a single day of increased love expression REALLY want to see it out in the open more often?

I do sympathize with the people that are alone despite wishing it was different. For a long while I was single myself and had to bare with Valentine’s. But you know what? It really wasn’t such a big deal. Yes it did make me feel a bit lonely, however it often also made me realize that I would like to have someone to spend my life with, and it made me think on that day about who am I really looking for. At the end of the day if you really feel so uncomfortable among all those couples that just stay at home for that one night.

Lastly Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about not having a partner. Why not turn it round and make it the night when you find one? Go for a date, maybe go to a mixed or singles only party, there are many opportunities if you just look at things from the right perspective.

I Love Valentine’s

…and I’m not afraid to admit it. I love all kinds of festive occasions. They are something to look forward to, they’re an excuse to decorate your house with a certain theme and maybe do something out of the ordinary.

In some way people are actually afraid to admit that they enjoy the holiday, because everyone else seems to be negative and complaining about it. Just because it is fashionable to say Valentine’s Day is commercial, it doesn’t mean you have to pretend you agree. Even if you agree it doesn’t mean yours has to be like that.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. Enjoy it in your own special way. And to all those on the lookout for their special one, good luck to you.

After being slightly delayed by the snow (yes, I’m definitely slipping into English habits - even buying cards for every occasion…) I’m finally getting back to the Tokyo Day even in London which I have attended on Saturday, 31st of January 2009.

As both my partner and I are quite keen on Japan and Japanese culture we thought it might be a good opportunity to experience a bit of it first hand and learn a few things on the way. Definitely the mention of robots helped make up our minds… Also considering the admission was free we had nothing to lose.

Japanese Robots

Just as you entered the exhibition you were “greeted” by Mega Robo:

The robot would say a few welcoming words while simultaneously mimicking human natural movement and emotional expressions. Obviously no one would be fooled into thinking it’s a living being, however the efforts were still quite impressive.

Just next was a stand with two very cute iDogs, one with girly pink swirls all over, while the other one just pure white.

Following was something I was most impressed with. The tiny i-Sobot - the world’s smallest humanoid robot. There were two of them on display, with remotes actually available to the audience. Unfortunately the controllers had kids constantly glued to them, so it was nearly impossible to have a go for an adult.

Nevertheless the i-Sobots could perform quite a few tricks like walk, dance and perform martial arts moves, and best of all they could lie down, and then stand up on their own!

The last robot on display was the rolling speaker-ball called Miuro. Personally I found it an interesting concept, though I struggled to find a real life application, other than the first minutes of watching the thing bouncing around the floor…

Information about Japan and the Olympics

Apart from looking at different aspects of Japanese culture you could read quite a lot about many topics like tourism, geography, Tokyo’s public transport, cuisine, city attractions, landmarks worth visiting, and more.

I really liked the way all this information was presented. Big boards hanging on lit walls, illustrated with beautiful photographs. There were plenty of details about the Tokyo’s bid at hosting the Olympics, to quote from the event’s website:

“Tokyo has been chosen as a Candidate City to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This panel exhibition showcases Tokyo’s plan to host the world’s most environmentally friendly and compact Games at the heart of the city, which maximises Japan’s renowned cutting-edge technologies.”

Stage Events

Unfortunately I haven’t seen all of the performances, as we arrived quite late during the day, however what I have seen was interesting and novel to see live, rather than on a tv screen. These included traditional music and dancing, Wadaiko and the dragon dance.

Origami

The Origami workshop was the one that did not require signing up in advance. Several tables were available with square bits of colourful paper scattered around. Apart from the penguin, which you have already seen in my previous post there were several other patterns available, like for example the Balloon:

… and the Samurai Kabuto Helmet:

… and a Crane:

… and finally something we got a demonstration of, as there was no instructions available, the two colour Ninja Shuriken:

Tea Ceremony & Calligraphy

Unfortunately Calligraphy was so popular we had no chance of getting in. You can just see a snapshot from the Calligraphy corner:

The other available workshop was the Tea Ceremony. And you guessed it, that was all booked too, unfortunately we didn’t even manage to catch a photo.

Arts & Crafts

The exhibition also had an interesting display of art, as per the official website:

“This exhibition features 24 colour woodblock prints selected from four
different series by Hokusai, including the famous 36 Views of Mount
Fuji, as well as vivid sketches from the Hokusai Manga collection. The
prints, skilfully reproduced by contemporary master craftsmen, provide
fascinating insights into the landscapes and lifestyles of old Tokyo
(Edo).”

When it comes to crafts there was a beautiful display of hair ornaments made from material into amazing flower like patterns.

Related Links:

• Flickr photos from the show by Shigatsuhana
• The Real Japan: Tokyo Day 2009: Japan in London
• Official website