# ADA You-Tube links



## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Underplanted and odd fish selection for the 2007 world's best aquascape IMHO.

No sour grapes, of course! I placed 775th...

Others -


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

gf225 said:


> No sour grapes, of course! I placed 775th...


Uh...I don't think many(esp western) people know what this phrase means. It is a Chinese phrase that basically means don't be jealous or red-eyed because of other people's accomplishments.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I am going to have to be very honest with you:

I don't know if I am especially crabby today, but all of the tanks in all of those videos are very disappointing to me. Looks like an assembly line of robotic crap with no emotional value. Very unimpressive to me, especially this year's winner.

Whatever.


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## ed seeley (Dec 1, 2006)

Paul Higashikawa said:


> Uh...I don't think many(esp western) people know what this phrase means. It is a Chinese phrase that basically means don't be jealous or red-eyed because of other people's accomplishments.


It's pretty common phrase over here, Chinese or not...


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

Did she slap that tank


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

DonaldmBoyer said:


> I am going to have to be very honest with you:
> 
> I don't know if I am especially crabby today, but all of the tanks in all of those videos are very disappointing to me. Looks like an assembly line of robotic crap with no emotional value. Very unimpressive to me, especially this year's winner.
> 
> Whatever.


hahah.. it's a planted tank.. It's not a Picasso.
I do agree that there's a lull and the hobby is a little stagnant when it comes to arranging.

and we have the same expression, 'sour grapes', here in the States too although it doesn't mean jealousy... It's more like a party pooper?

ps.. it's cool the hobby get to be on the news over there.... We don't have that much interest here.


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## Snow Prince (Jul 22, 2007)

That's pretty funny. One phrase having 2 totally different meanings 
In his context, though, i think he does mean jealousy as that is a fairly common phrase in Chinese community especially when applied to competitions.


Speaking of those tanks, might I add that perhaps they are not that appealing is partially due to the fact that we have already seen too many similar layouts. In a way, we are spoiled. However, those tanks were set up not to wow people like us who have seen more than an average folk's share of nature aquarium tanks. Try to remember those times when we first come across Amano's tanks back in......however many eons ago it was, and how it impressed us back then. The tanks in the Gallery is what they are: To show everyone(as in everybody who might not have planted tanks) what this hobby is about and in particular, the nature aquarium style. 

But if one was to refer to people like us who have already been exposed to nature aquarium style, then yeah, they are not that special


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

In the west, "sour grapes" derives from Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes. A fox worked hard to reach a tempting bunch of grapes that were out of his reach. He finally left, tired and a bit bruised from his attempts and told himself "they were sour grapes anyway." The moral of the story is that it is easy to despise what you cannot get.

Aesop's fables are some 2500 years old. It's very possible that the saying in the west and in the east derived from the same source.

I think the aquascapes in the ADA Gallery look pretty much like they did when I first saw their photographs a few years ago. Some are larger. That's about it for major differences. If you want to see some more variety then you need to look somewhere else. Amano is pretty likely to stay with the style that got him where he is.


Roger Miller


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## puttyman70 (Aug 7, 2007)

gotcheaprice said:


> Did she slap that tank


LOL. What is she saying when she slaps the tank?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

"sour grapes" meaning
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/328500.html

it's not quite jealousy.


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## Snow Prince (Jul 22, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> "sour grapes" meaning
> http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/328500.html
> 
> it's not quite jealousy.


That's quite fascinating, but again I can assure you it has a totally different meaning in Chinese. I do not personally know how long this phrase has been around in China but it is a pretty common one(Aesop was from 2000+ years ago and China has 4000+ history). I guess it's just one of those cultural coincidences. Another interesting again would be the surname 'Lee'.

I suspect anyone would think Bruce Lee and Robert E. Lee as having the same ancestor


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Snow Prince said:


> I suspect anyone would think Bruce Lee and Robert E. Lee as having the same ancestor


Aren't they? 

and were there grapes 4000 years ago in china?


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Not sure if there were grapse but I know there were rice. So why not sour rice 


Still wouldn't mind stopping by the Gallery one day if I ever get the chance(or fund). Seeing them on photos or videos is one thing but being able to see the tanks in 3 dimension will sure broaden the perspective! Heck, being able to talk to the owner would be even better in understanding the why's and how's as well as his philosophy.


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

Cool discussion about grapes...


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## twilothunder (Sep 18, 2005)

ed seeley said:


> It's pretty common phrase over here, Chinese or not...


It's common here too (u.s.)


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## gotcheaprice (Sep 4, 2007)

puttyman70 said:


> LOL. What is she saying when she slaps the tank?


Dunno, they're speaking in Cantonese. Can only understand slow Mandarin anyways -_-


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## Snow Prince (Jul 22, 2007)

Haha, I agree; we have digressed. But at least it's better than some heated debate with foul languages


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

When she slapped the tank, my gut-reaction was wondering where her mother was to tell her "NO! BAD!"

haha


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## GWU (Jul 23, 2004)

ha! ha! what an interesting topic, I cannot explain the meaning of sour grapes but I would explain why she slapped the tank! The reporter did surprise that why the tetra always schooling on our aquascape, we tell her some tactic is to make the fish stress and scare including slight slap the tank. When the camera roll, the director and camera man like to emphasis the result to demostrate this technique, she slapped the tank harder and then the camera zoom out want to catch up the fish schooling moment! That is the answer.

I think all of you may overlook something! The TV news are on July after announcement, which is two months after the closing, Dave still keep his tank in a very good shape, and I can say it is more mature than the shot that we take at early May. As all may aware, for fast growing plant, even a month can be a big different, Dave still spending his time to maintain it in such good condition, Dave, Well done!


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

I thought it was merely another figure of speech but she really did slap the tank LOL

And yet another good lesson learned, at least for me. Now I know to get that schooling effect, just lightly tap the tank Good analogy with the movie and the director getting the emphasis, Gary!


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