The latest creation by Japanese fashion designer Tae Ashida is truly out of this world — a blue cardigan and short pants outfit she made for her country’s astronaut Naoko Yamazaki.
The US space shuttle Discovery blasted off with Yamazaki and two other female crew on board, bound for the International Space Station (ISS) on a historic mission that put more women in orbit than ever before.
Ahead of her departure, Yamazaki, 39, asked Ashida, daughter of Japanese fashion guru Jun Ashida, to design her work clothes for the 13-day space mission and she came up with a slim knit cardigan in light blue with navy blue shorts.
“As a female designer, I chose a design and color with a sense of grace ... so that she can feel at ease as she carries out a tough mission in a male-dominated, bleak atmosphere,” Ashida said.
“It’s like a dream come true to see my clothes worn in space,” said Ashida. “I’m looking forward to seeing her wear my design.”
Yamazaki also brought a miniature version of the traditional Japanese harp, known as a koto, to the station to play an ensemble with her countryman Soichi Noguchi, who has carried his Japanese flute to the station.
Yamazaki asked a Japanese musical instrument factory to make a miniature version of the koto, which usually measures about 1.8m, to meet the size limit for her space shuttle cabin luggage.
“The sound is quite different from that of an authentic one, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing her play the koto in space,” said instrument maker Kenzo Ogawa, who produced the mini harp.(AFP)
日本時裝設計師蘆田多惠的作品,果真只應天上有─她為自己的同胞,女太空人山崎直子,設計藍色羊毛衫加短褲的太空工作服。
美國發現號太空梭這次升空,是搭載山崎直子和另兩名女性太空人上國際太空站,成為史上將最多女性送上外太空的任務。
升空之前,三十九歲的山崎便商請服裝設計大師蘆田淳的女兒蘆田多惠,幫她設計這十三天太空任務要穿的工作服,於是蘆田多惠便想出這一套淡藍色針織羊毛衫與海軍藍短褲。
蘆田多惠說:「身為女性設計師,我選擇優雅的設計和顏色…讓她在以男性為主又陰暗的工作環境中,能感到舒適自在。」
蘆田多惠表示:「看到有人在外太空穿我設計的衣服,就像美夢成真似的。我期待看她穿我設計的衣服。」
山崎直子也帶了小型的日本傳統十三弦古箏上太空,準備與另一位帶著日本笛上太空的同胞野口聰一來一段合奏。
山崎直子特別商請樂器工廠替她打造這小型古箏,以便帶進太空梭。正常的十三弦古箏長度大約有一.八公尺。
製造這個迷你古箏的樂器師傅大川健三說:「這把古箏的聲音與正常古箏的聲音很不一樣,但我非常期待看到她在外太空彈奏這琴。」(法新社╱翻譯:吳岱璟)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but