Apologies again for peculiar formatting in some blog posts. As some of you already know, I have an ongoing battle with Blogger doing unexpected things to content, especially with font sizes and the addition of links and photos.
One day I will get a friend-who-knows-code-better-than-I-do to have a look at this.
In the mean time: it's still hopefully legible!
(Crappy - or perhaps 'クラッピイ'? - became the new word for a Japanese friend of mine recently, and it's catching on!) (The word is mildly rude British slang meaning 'poor quality'.)
Thursday 31 May 2018
Tuesday 29 May 2018
Bonkers British Festivals no3: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling
This happened yesterday, actually. And it's another one which looks suspiciously dangerous. Despite involving cheese.
Basically, on each Spring Bank Holiday, a village in Gloucestershire rolls a large local cheese down a particularly steep hill. And then a whole bunch of people race down the hill in order to catch the cheese. I'm not sure how many people have actually succeeded - turns out the nine pound cheese can reach speeds of around 70 mph (110km/h) and is pretty lethal with momentum! But what makes this seemingly mundane tradition famous, is the crazy falling, flinging and rolling of the humans.
There are ambulances on hand these days, and injuries / hospitalisation are common - from falling down the hill, or being hit by the thunderous cheese... In fact recent competitions have apparently used a safer, foam cheese instead. And burly 'catchers' are employed to catch the flying people at the end of the race. The full title of the event: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake, does make one wonder what the 'wake' actually refers to*!
Winners - basically the first to the bottom of the hill - receive a real cheese as their prize.
This festival is another one which now draws spectators and participants from around the globe. But like the Ottery Tar Barrels, it's an old, local event with obscure origins. Not much has been recorded about it historically, and theories range from roots in a Pagan fertility rite or celebration of Spring (using other foods), to a ritual left by Phoenicians occupying Southern Britain (?! sounds iffy). Until recently, cheese-rolling was held on Whit Monday - a moveable date in the Christian calendar.
There seem to be current issues with the organisation of this event, its safety, crowd sizes and other things. It still runs, but seemingly in a rather loose way! Today several cheeses of varying size are also rolled, and there are a few heats of the race.
The cheese itself is Double Gloucester - a reddish, semi-hard, fairly strong-tasting one from the region. Quite nice melted on toast, actually. Though you might feel differently if hit by a 110 km/h, hurtling nine pounds of it.
Bit more about event arrangements here: https://www.facebook.com/BrockworthCheeseRoll/
*English learners: a 'wake' usually refers to a vigil, or solemn, social reception after a funeral. But apparently it can also mean 'festival' in some parts of the UK.
'Iffy' is informal British English. It means unlikely, unreliable or suspicious.
Also on this blog:
Basically, on each Spring Bank Holiday, a village in Gloucestershire rolls a large local cheese down a particularly steep hill. And then a whole bunch of people race down the hill in order to catch the cheese. I'm not sure how many people have actually succeeded - turns out the nine pound cheese can reach speeds of around 70 mph (110km/h) and is pretty lethal with momentum! But what makes this seemingly mundane tradition famous, is the crazy falling, flinging and rolling of the humans.
There are ambulances on hand these days, and injuries / hospitalisation are common - from falling down the hill, or being hit by the thunderous cheese... In fact recent competitions have apparently used a safer, foam cheese instead. And burly 'catchers' are employed to catch the flying people at the end of the race. The full title of the event: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake, does make one wonder what the 'wake' actually refers to*!
Winners - basically the first to the bottom of the hill - receive a real cheese as their prize.
This festival is another one which now draws spectators and participants from around the globe. But like the Ottery Tar Barrels, it's an old, local event with obscure origins. Not much has been recorded about it historically, and theories range from roots in a Pagan fertility rite or celebration of Spring (using other foods), to a ritual left by Phoenicians occupying Southern Britain (?! sounds iffy). Until recently, cheese-rolling was held on Whit Monday - a moveable date in the Christian calendar.
There seem to be current issues with the organisation of this event, its safety, crowd sizes and other things. It still runs, but seemingly in a rather loose way! Today several cheeses of varying size are also rolled, and there are a few heats of the race.
The cheese itself is Double Gloucester - a reddish, semi-hard, fairly strong-tasting one from the region. Quite nice melted on toast, actually. Though you might feel differently if hit by a 110 km/h, hurtling nine pounds of it.
Bit more about event arrangements here: https://www.facebook.com/BrockworthCheeseRoll/
*English learners: a 'wake' usually refers to a vigil, or solemn, social reception after a funeral. But apparently it can also mean 'festival' in some parts of the UK.
'Iffy' is informal British English. It means unlikely, unreliable or suspicious.
Also on this blog:
Tuesday 22 May 2018
Malaysia's Zombie Love Affair
Well, we've all been in one of those, right?
But anyway, Malaysia as a nation seems to have a thing for zombies. Often comedy ones. I don't know if this is echoed across Thailand and other SE Asian nations (Thailand makes some excellent, non-comedy horror movies, btw). It's not a thing here in Singapore. But on various visits to Kuala Lumpur I have noted posters for locally-made zombie films - usually featuring Malay actors very poorly disguised as campy ghouls. (This seems to be part of the appeal!)
My Malaysian zombie intro was many moons ago with an English-subbed version of comedy zombie stalwart, Mamat Khalid's Zombi Kampung Pisang (Banana Village Zombie) - which is hilarious / ridiculous, deliberately low-budget, and worth watching. Currently the genre can also be seen on public transport, teaching us social etiquette!
I've tried to do a bit more cursory research on Malaysia's comedy-horror and zombie flicks, but most articles / clips come up in Malay, which I only have a rudimentary grasp of! Here are a couple more tasters anyway (including additions from Khalid). Tbf an excellent grasp of the dialogue is prob not required!
Zombi Kilang Biskut (Biscuit Factory Zombies) a follow up to Zombi Kampung Pisang
KL24: Zombies Malaysians with American accents (?!) in this B-movie
Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah (Ghost Sister Lime Comes Home?!)
PS The Pontianak and other Asian female ghosts
These movies also feature a local folkloric ghoul: the Pontianak (a female vampire/zombie). The Pontianak is supposed to be a vengeful spirit who suffered a stillbirth, was stillborn, or died in childbirth. The Pontianak can take on the guise of animals, or a beautiful woman to trick innocent men (those dastardly beautiful women, all evil spirits I tell you!) Oddly - or, probably, not so oddly as I suspect there's a historical link! - traditional female ghosts across East / South East Asia have similarities, and look the same: with the long-hair/white-dress thing going on. (See also types of Japanese Yūrei made famous in The Ring and other classic films.)
Also on this blog:
But anyway, Malaysia as a nation seems to have a thing for zombies. Often comedy ones. I don't know if this is echoed across Thailand and other SE Asian nations (Thailand makes some excellent, non-comedy horror movies, btw). It's not a thing here in Singapore. But on various visits to Kuala Lumpur I have noted posters for locally-made zombie films - usually featuring Malay actors very poorly disguised as campy ghouls. (This seems to be part of the appeal!)
My Malaysian zombie intro was many moons ago with an English-subbed version of comedy zombie stalwart, Mamat Khalid's Zombi Kampung Pisang (Banana Village Zombie) - which is hilarious / ridiculous, deliberately low-budget, and worth watching. Currently the genre can also be seen on public transport, teaching us social etiquette!
I've tried to do a bit more cursory research on Malaysia's comedy-horror and zombie flicks, but most articles / clips come up in Malay, which I only have a rudimentary grasp of! Here are a couple more tasters anyway (including additions from Khalid). Tbf an excellent grasp of the dialogue is prob not required!
Zombi Kilang Biskut (Biscuit Factory Zombies) a follow up to Zombi Kampung Pisang
KL24: Zombies Malaysians with American accents (?!) in this B-movie
Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah (Ghost Sister Lime Comes Home?!)
PS The Pontianak and other Asian female ghosts
These movies also feature a local folkloric ghoul: the Pontianak (a female vampire/zombie). The Pontianak is supposed to be a vengeful spirit who suffered a stillbirth, was stillborn, or died in childbirth. The Pontianak can take on the guise of animals, or a beautiful woman to trick innocent men (those dastardly beautiful women, all evil spirits I tell you!) Oddly - or, probably, not so oddly as I suspect there's a historical link! - traditional female ghosts across East / South East Asia have similarities, and look the same: with the long-hair/white-dress thing going on. (See also types of Japanese Yūrei made famous in The Ring and other classic films.)
Also on this blog:
Wednesday 16 May 2018
How to BOGOF in SE Asia
FYI, I recently went for cocktails with a friend in Singapore. And obviously we picked a bar with a deal on. In this case, the deal was "1 for 1 Cocktails". Which sounds like a normal sale to me: you get one when you pay for one. But in Singapore, it actually means you get TWO when you pay for one. Hmmm...
In Britain, the same deal would usually be expressed as 2 for 1. Or Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF).
I guess maybe the Singaporean phrase implies 'like for like'? Or is a version of an ambiguous Western one I'd never heard of: Buy One, Get One (?)
Meanwhile, over in Malaysia, the same deal is expressed by the grammatically mysterious - but actually easier to understand - BOFO: Buy One Free One. Which is reminiscent of some diplomatic trade of political prisoners. (Also variations: Buy One Free Two; Buy Two Free One, etc, depending on how lucky you are.)
Anyway, hope that's cleared things up for some of you global shoppers out there. Probably time to blog off. Tarrah.
PS In the UK, the term "bog-off!" is slang meaning "very strongly GO AWAY". It should not be used if talking to a boss. And has nothing to do with bargains.
In Britain, the same deal would usually be expressed as 2 for 1. Or Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF).
I guess maybe the Singaporean phrase implies 'like for like'? Or is a version of an ambiguous Western one I'd never heard of: Buy One, Get One (?)
Meanwhile, over in Malaysia, the same deal is expressed by the grammatically mysterious - but actually easier to understand - BOFO: Buy One Free One. Which is reminiscent of some diplomatic trade of political prisoners. (Also variations: Buy One Free Two; Buy Two Free One, etc, depending on how lucky you are.)
Anyway, hope that's cleared things up for some of you global shoppers out there. Probably time to blog off. Tarrah.
PS In the UK, the term "bog-off!" is slang meaning "very strongly GO AWAY". It should not be used if talking to a boss. And has nothing to do with bargains.
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