They call these '相思豆' (Xiāng sī Dòu) in mandarin, which directly translates to 'lovesick bean' from the poem '红豆生南国,春来发几枝,愿君多采撷,此物最相思', to be used in the context where a boy and a girl are in love. Hence, these red saga seeds have been coined in English as 'love seeds'. I guess part of the reason why it is called ' Xiāng sī dòu ' in mandarin, apart from being poetic since this is really a seed from the Saga Tree, is to distinguish this seed from the red bean (totally different plants) as the word '豆' (Dòu)= bean (more of a bean which is also the reproductive seed of a bean plant), and '种子' (Zhǒng zǐ) = seed, more of a mouthful(two syllable) to sound poetic. Also, perhaps both beans and the saga seeds are encased in pods, so it was okay to use 'bean' instead of 'seed' in naming the saga seed in mandarin. Finding this tree in the Neighbourhood has put a smile on my face whilst picking.
This has brought me back to when I was seven. Then, locating these saga seeds after a downpour would be one of my favourite pastimes apart from Cycling and locating animals in the hood). I only collected them, but I knew of some elderly relatives who would use them in pillows for newborns- well they used anything from rice(expensive), beans(cheaper) to saga seeds(free!) Anyway, if you happen to be in Singapore, here's a map of saga trees in Singapore created by a nice guy https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?dg=feature&ie=UTF8&om=1&msa=0&hl=en&mid=zOTWU4mMt9vo.kT0zyWnM-OKc Tested the ¥108 router from Daiso (purchased this at Daiso Harajuku, JP) last year. It's not as powerful as I'd like but it's great for small projects and soft wood material. This mini router also comes with compatible parts. This is a mini drill bit (2.34mm diameter) which I prefer to the actual router part. My advice- drill then rout.
Anyway, this mini router is also available here in Singapore. Get it while it lasts! Good news : collected my glazed and fired cups from a couple of weeks ago. Bad news : forgot how to make them and will need more sessions. Come on, muscle memory! I've finally plucked up the courage to start working on the actual 凳子 (Dèngzǐ = Stool). To prepare it for the routing process, I had to draw an outline for the shape to be routed. This helps me to be more accurate and be in more control of routing (although I must say that there are other factors that may sabotage the situation.).
Received this lovely cloth bound package today in the mail! It's a compilation of stories (hand bound, self published, I've got copy *37/150) told by Yuun titled 'She left with nothing on her back'. The writings are accompanied by illustrations by local artists to and opens with this quote 'the earth does not discriminate between urine and perfume.the earth absorbs everything and turns them into perfume.' Blatant and I like it. Have your copy now by writing to [email protected] or check out this site for a preview: Yuun.weebly.com/personal-writing /she-left-with-nothing-on-her-back
On a side note, I really miss receiving snail mail, writing them too. This package doesn't really count as it was left outside the door and placed on my bike. |
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