Book: An Artist of the Floating World

An Artist of the Floating World
Kazuo Ishiguro
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From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day

In the face of the misery in his homeland, the artist Masuji Ono was unwilling to devote his art solely to the celebration of physical beauty. Instead, he put his work in the service of the imperialist movement that led Japan into World War II.

Now, as the mature Ono struggles through the aftermath of that war, his memories of his youth and of the "floating world"—the nocturnal world of pleasure, entertainment, and drink—offer him both escape and redemption, even as they punish him for betraying his early promise. Indicted by society for its defeat and reviled for his past aesthetics, he relives the passage through his personal history that makes him both a hero and a coward but, above all, a human being.

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I remember having read a review saying that this book was very good, profound, and inspiring. Maybe there is a deeper meaning to all that, but I couldn't grasp that myself.

While I agree with many of Ono's thoughts and stances (such as that of honor and pride), as a story I didn't really follow the details.

Like the confusion in the first part of the book (marriage negotiations), and later when the daughter says she never persuaded Ono to get his history sorted out. Is there any reason for this confusion? (Which led me to think this was going towards the "hero gets Alzheimer's" line, but no, that wasn't the case.)

The grandson was utterly annoying, perhaps that's how kids behave at that age, but I just felt like throwing the book somewhere when the kid was involved.

That was overall a good read, as I've always maintained I like the way Ishiguro writes, the English is very pleasant to my eyes. However, I think I'll take a break from Ishiguro for now as his not-really-sorted-out-endings sort of annoy me. (hehe)

Tattoo?

On a whim, I decided to forge ahead and do what I promised myself I would do when I turned 30. And that's to get a tattoo.
While at the same time I do understand that tattoos are immensely personal, it's gonna stay there forever unless I do removal stuff (laser?) and that it hurts like sh*t, so I never got around doing it, coz I couldn't find something that I really wanted to have.

What prompted it was... Since I'm going to Seoul in December, a couple friends mentioned at Seoul Tattoo parlours are very good, good artists, good many things. But of course, outrageous prices (they say, I don't even know the going rate).

Anyway, after much mulling about... I didn't want to get a tattoo while traveling. Who knows what if I get some kind of allergic reaction during the trip?

So I decided it's gonna be in town. And then I've had an idea floating for a while already, and I've actually mulled it for 2 years already. And in these 2 years, I couldn't think of anything else. So I've decided. That's what I'm going to get.

Nope. Not telling yet. I'm going to say it's simply a quote tattoo, but placement and what quote, I'll reveal later.

I've found a tattoo parlor in Macau that has pretty good reviews. Their designs are really pretty too. But then I'm just getting a quote, virtually no design on their part. I did say font/print/lettering up to them though. They've returned a quotation for me and booked me in for a pre-tattoo consultation on Sunday. So I'm going to see them Sunday. Maybe they're going to give me an overview of what will happen, what to do with after care, etc etc.

whheee!