Tattoos and Lost in Translation

Remember the Western celebrity trend for having tattoos done using Chinese and Japanese characters (also Thai, Sanskrit and other languages)? Britney, P!nk, Angelina, the Spice Girls' Mel C all have them. And I noticed some years ago that this trend was catching on around London as well. Why not, it looks cool, right?

Cool, until a friend from Beijing  pointed out to me with some amusement, that the girl at the table next to us had a tattoo on her arm which meant 'Ladies Toilet'.

And this is the thing. I have a very rudimentary grasp of written Chinese and Japanese, but even EYE know you can't translate things literally. How you combine characters matters! Every modern language has nuance and colloquialisms, and in fact the whole way of thinking behind Japanese and Chinese language systems is completely different from Western languages and thinking. So you can't just pick up a dictionary and translate things word for word. You need to know how the language works to convey the meaning ...and also how these characters might be read in the modern context. It's like my Japanese friends who keep saying 'I will meet you around the backside'. This makes perfect sense, logically - it is the back, side of the building. But in everyday British English backside only has one real meaning: somebody's posterior! 

And the same for this poor girl's tattoo.  女 is a Chinese character meaning 'woman' or 'female'. But in everyday Chinese - and you see this here in Singapore too - it is the sign for Ladies Toilets!

There has also been controversy over some celebrity tattoos - which look great but have no or confusing meaning in the Asian language they're supposed to represent. Tattoos are kind of a permanent thing. And you would think that (especially if you're a wealthy celebrity) it would be worth getting a proper translator on board before actually committing to the design! 

Meanwhile, I welcome any input from Japanese or Chinese speakers as to whether Mel C's tattoo (below) really means 'Girl Power' - or not! 

Body consciousness in Singapore & My Daily Juice

Ha! Food and martial arts labels in one post! Well, actually because apparently we're all supposed to be on 'warrior diets'. But mainly because this store is the place I now drop in to after training to re-hydrate at an affordable price :)

Here in Singapore, there is a big fashion for fitness and healthy eating. High protein, high fruit and veg diets, with low carbs, lots of juices, kale, avocado, beetroot, coconut being very trendy right now. Eating healthily is important for all athletes, but to be honest, most of us are not Michael Phelps (who I seem to remember eats large amounts of pizza?) and I strongly suspect it's in large part, a fad. From the States, maybe? I trained for years in the UK among some fairly serious athletes, without all this coming into play! And a lot of trendy juice bars cost a fortune, which is simply impractical for mortals.

Also of course, we have hot weather in Singapore, and this has led to pockets of very body-conscious (or body self-conscious) people. In Northern Europe, your weekend exercise relaxation might be a country walk/run wrapped anonymously in fleeces, wicking pants and a kagool; in SG it might be beach volleyball. That means trunks / bikini. (Argh!) And there are a lot of people here, and venues, which (yes, this came as a hilarious surprise to me, after a lifetime in Europe!) focus on looking good in swimwear, and posing in it socially! (Wefie, anyone?)

Anyway, I'm no Jessica Biel, but I do like a tasty juice after hours of sweating and punching. Mostly after training one craves KFC, so to find a yummy, affordable replacement, without the processed fat and chemicals is defo good!

I stumbled upon this place in an unglamorous mall near Chinatown (and fortunately on my walk from boxing gym to bus home!) Not sure if they've entirely got their market sorted out yet - they seem to do a bit of everything. But I go there for the fresh juices. They specialise in Avocado juices, but there are Kale, Beetroot and all the other fruit/veg options. And most of the juices are around SG$4 (UK £2), which works for me. The only issue is I think it shuts on Saturdays, and around 7pm on weekdays - so if you're training late or after work, no go. But for my daytime training days, it's my go-to! Yum.

Avocado, banana, honey

Avocado, green apple 

My Daily Juice
#01-03 China Square Central
Singapore

Matcha of the Day: Muji instant matcha latte

Yes, Muji in Asia sells food !* And while I was rummaging around I found this! Woohoo! My matcha obsession continues - so what better than to have it at home?

OK I am not sure how healthy this instant version is, but it's easy and tastes pretty OK. It's actually sweet even without added syrup .. in fact it is suspiciously like Starbuck's matcha latte which makes me wonder if they use the same instant stuff! The real deal - such as Tsujiri - is neutral/bitter without syrup. For this instant version, you just add hot water (or water with hot milk like I did) to a tablespoonful of the green powder, stir, drink. The packet costs around SG$6.50, so even if you can only make 6 drinks from it, that's still a good cost saving on getting a daily Starbucks. Worth a try.

 

* Muji in the UK only sells clothing and home/office items (or at least it still did in 2012 when I was last there!)

The Art of Armpit Advertising

Hmm. OK this is not a cultural thing, as these ads are mostly Western brands. But while shopping for sports gear recently, I was struck by the number of armpits that appear in sports and fitness ads. OK, I know we sporty people do some things with our arms up - but we also do a lot of things without our armpits on show. And not sure if pits are really the most impressive part of an athlete's physique either! But most of the ads used them and it started to become a bit of a hilarious cliche. ^^ Just a thought, if there are any sports marketers reading this! 

A Gift of Pickles

I think. Well, OK, I was told they were pickles and they taste pretty picklish! This was a gift brought over from Japan, which is a major treat. And like most gifts from Japan, it came beautifully packaged too. The pickles seem to be vegetables - slices of gherkin type things, and maybe mushroom? - in different sauces.  My Japanese reading is not good enough to translate the labels, so I just went ahead and ate the contents on rice! All good. :)