Why bad English is cute!

On a journey through Japan, you will have that situation when you look at a sign and stop for a moment. You will read the letters on the sign again, and it will still say the same thing, to your surprise. There is the "Preped Card" for your phone or the sentence "why to use this sensible notbook!" sentence on your stationary.

Let's fun!

It's those little wrong English words, that really brighten up my day.
I am not the high-baron of English usage, I still make my mistakes, and you will probably have picked up on some of them already if you have read this blog or watched my videos. I still cannot distinguish when to use save or safe, and after a month away from the UK my German "W" accent comes through. However, seeing wrong English printed officially on signposts, leaflets and maps, always surprises me a little. It's that certain innocent usage of wrong English in an official way that makes it so cute in my eyes. I'd rather have a wrong English signpost than one who doesn't even bother trying.

My favourite one was in a game center in Shinjuku. On the top floor, where the Purikura photo sticker machines are, there used to be a sign stating: 

"The man who is not taking the women,

cannot enter by this floor"

What it actually needed to say was, that men are not allowed on the Purikura floor, unless they are accompanying a lady. This was invented to avoid awkward chat ups in a "firls only" area. Boyfriends or friends of girls however are allowed to be there. Unfortunately that sign wasn't there anymore when I went to check for it this year.

Now some of these wrong English usages sometimes make you question your own sanity for a second before you re-read the message and go "no wait that's wrong". 

My absolute favourite this year was the automatic "SOUP dispenser".

I read the sign, stopped, looked at the picture. No, that cannot be for soup. It clearly states a hand. I've seen those things in the ladies loo. Did I read that right? But maybe they made a  clever invention and created a dispenser for soup?

Checking closer, the Japanese also clearly states that it's a hand soap dispenser.

How awesome a typo is that? 

I am not really making fun of the wrong usage, I really think it's sweet.

I rather have people trying to speak another language than not bothering! Making the first step is important, no matter if it's wrong. My Japanese/English was terrible when I started speaking it.

However, that company should probably have gotten a proofreader or double checked their translators before printing the packaging.

But then, what do I know?

Maybe tomorrow someone will invent the first hand-washing soup dispenser!

And I will be gutted because I had the inspiration, but didn't invent it myself.

Now go invent something awesome kids!

Thanks for reading this sensible blooog!

x

Cat

Canudoitcosplaygirl, CanudoitCat, Cathy Kitty - Names and their story

Thanks to the merge with Google+ I've had to make some name changes,
and I'd like to take this spot today to quickly explain the backgrounds.

Canudoitcosplaygirl

I always wanted to do a youtube channel, but I also wanted to make it more fun an entertaining than just talking to the camera. I have been doing cosplay for absolute YEARS so I decided to put my passion into practice, and apply myself in the UK. That's how Canyoudoitcosplaygirl was founded. Mainly starting with cosplay I tried to do random challenges from dropping an egg without breaking it (surprisingly popular video) to my favorite type of challenge - including people from conventions! I love how nice people at conventions in the UK are, no matter how crazy my request, they are always great fun and I made lovely new friends that way.
Fun fact: The words "Can you do it Cosplaygirl - Yes I can" were never said in any of my videos. I don't know why, I think it would just have sounded a little false or rehearsed, I guess. Instead, "Challenge START" and "Challenge SUCCESSFUL" are much more natural and fun and feel more like "me".



It was around that time when I slowly branched into Lolita and Harajuku street fashion. I had already liked Lolita fashion and bought dresses, however I had never found a great opportunity to wear my pretty frills outside. My friend Gina told me that there was actually a community where I could wear the frills and meet other lolis -  but Gosh was I surprised  how large the community in the UK was!!
I've been to other meets before, but the day I shot my first Canudoitcosplaygirl video was also the day I met Carol and Joanne, and all the other girls who then gradually became my new community.

The problem that Lolita fashion has, is that it often gets mistaken for cosplay, and some girls can be really upset about that fact. I was and am aware that of the difference but I still like doing both, however I understand that some strict Lolitas might not appreciate that kind of name in connection.
If I had chosen a "person" name, I might not have had that issue, but then again, how could I have known how my life would pan out? There was no way foreseeing it all :)



As name Canudoitcosplaygirl is kind of long, and spelling it out to people, I always got many "what" faces. In some of my bloopers from the early stages of my channel, I actually struggle with my own channel name. Clever cookie. Furthermore, it often was hard to fit the whole name into a video title or on a handout. It was too long for twitter, amongst other platforms. I kept stumbling over the long word I had created.

So once Google plus forced the name change on us, I had to make a choice.

I know most Lolitas give themselves names like "Chocolate, Sweet, Sugar, Cake, Biscuit, Princess" etc, but I kind of felt it wasn't quite me. And after all, I still do other things apart from Lolita. Furthermore, Chococat is already a famous sanrio character, so my favourite type of sweet was taken up by a real kitty :) Meoow!

I asked my friends and subbies for name ideas, and it was actually my friend Carol (who is known for brilliant ideas) who suggested Canudoitcat!
Fantastic! Why did I not think of it before?! It took Carol's cleverness to point out the obvious combination of my real name and my channel. You won't even guess how long I had already been pondering about a fitting name. (Thank you so much Carol!)

I've asked subbies and friends on Facebook too, and even though some people like Cathy Kitty and the old name, the vast amount liked Canudoitcat.
But this name change, doesn't mean that things are going to change at my channel. I still love my old name and I will honor it, and for a while I intend to leave it in brackets next to my new name.

I will still do cosplay, japanese fashion, challenges and all inbetween and I will continue to do my very best to make people smile, communicate and share information with you.

Thank you all for being with me on my journey.
Please stick with me through my future adventures too!!

Because after all:
Canudoitcosplaygirl, Canudoitcat, Cathy Kitty, they are all just one person.
But thanks to you, that one person has become who she is today.

Love
x
Cat

GOOGLE+ IS SLEEPING IN MY BED

Youtubers VS Google+
... was going to be the title, which then changed into "Google+  is sniffing my panties."
My, probably most controversial video so far, is now up on youtube.
If you haven't seen it yet, let me show you first, before I go on:

Now I rarely get political in my videos, and I've said that before, but I felt strongly enough about this topic that I created another video this week about it

A lot of people are really, I mean REALLY upset about the youtube comment changes now.

I've had private messages of viewers saying they find it just too confusing and until they understand it all they won' t comment. I am sure some others will stop using it and maybe switch to Vimeo or other video services.

Social interaction was the strong point of Youtube, and our social interaction has now become a kind of 'property' on Google+ to be shared constantly. If we wanted to share, we would have done it voluntarily, on our OTHER social networks.

But there is the other 'reason' for this. Google+ will now write great numbers in sharing and 'active users', but that is because we are forced to use it. That looks good on Google+, and they can finally claim to rival Facebook. That pulls in investors, commercial, more money. Also, the box for 'share on google plus' is always ticked, instead of giving us an option to opt in = more traffic for G+

Google+: Can I read your search history?

My friend Carol compared Google+ to the unpopular kid who will try everything to just play with the big guys like Facebook etc and now has really annoyed the whole crowd.

What we are told is that Google+ commenting has been implemented to keep abusive comments out.

What happens is that many many people post even more abusive comments and ascii art all over the walls. 

It's like a troll bonfire, with flame wars and fireworks, and all trolls dancing around. And they are right. Why? People are annoyed and with all those comments and inappropriate pictures, they are only showing the big guys that 'real names' are not stopping people from trolling. The trolls are angry and they are celebrating their anger. It's troll bonfire night.

GOOD thing that can happen: Google re-thinks its idea. I doubt we will get the old comment system back, but we will get an update, that we won't like either, but that might do things a liiiittle bit better.

BAD thing that could happen: we all need to supply our passport data, to verify our real name is 'really real'. Which means Google owns your most vulnerable, important data, alongside all the other information from your search history. That's intimate information, so you pretty much have to let Google+ into your bed. 

Google+ does not take a NO from it's users

Now there is to see, IF there will be a change over the next weeks.

Question is, what will kick off the change? 

Will the -daily growing- petition by Change.org convince Google to overthink their decision, or will the troll fire of abusive comments, ascii obscenities and scare links actually convice?

Google+ has so much power right now. And it will maybe first ask us nicely, but in the future might just decide to go in a 'my way on the highway' attitude, like it has now.

We can only wonder, if Google+ will ever take its users NO for an answer or just proceed to get cozy in our bed.

That's it for now on the topic guys.

Please stay in touch and don't loose faith in youtube just yet.

Why it feels like Google is sniffing my pants...

Youtubers going wild, hordes of abuse and even one of the early youtube founders hurling abuse at the new system: Youtube has integrated with Google + now 

Some people have managed to miss the whole darmalama, mainly because they already have a Google plus account, OR were asked to get one when they signed up for youtube.

I had to let Google + into my life yesterday, and the whole thing has upset me quite a bit, so let's make a little interview with my forced new housemate:

 

Cathy Kitty alias CanudoitCosplaygirl/Cat

Google+ the new unwanted housemate

 

CAT: WHY the change?

GOOGLE+: Weeeell, Youtube comments have been full of homophobia, racism, misogyny and the abyss of the human mind. Integrating it with Google Plus means that you are supposed to now comment with your "real" name and that is supposed to keep you from the trooololooools. 

CAT: Does Google + work and keep the trolls away? Because it seems to turn normal users away

It looks like it really doesn't help against trolls either. The change did set of hordes of abuse and flame walling, no matter what name you comment with - real or not.

Why do I have to live with Google plus as Youtuber? 

GOOGLE+: You have to use Google + because you want to answer your viewers. Even if you don't need another social platform. It looks like you've been given a choice, but you kind of haven't really.

CAT: Right. I've decided I will only take what I need from it and use it for youtube comments ONLY. Apart from that, I find the interface so confusing, that I don't even want to engage more in it. I mean circles? Aren't plus signs and circles from the game Noughts and Crosses? 

GOOGLE+: Cat, can I read your private letters?

 

Cat: There's always the issue of letting Google take all your information. Even though they claim they are big on internet security, you should NEVER forget that they own google maps, news, youtube, other services AND your search history. Joining Google plus, they will also have your private messages to friends and other people.

GOOGLE+: Cat, can I lie in your bed? Can I sniff your pants?

CAT: This brings Google to a level of closeness, that some people are obviously not comfortable with, and I totally understand that. If some people opt out of starting the system, I don't blame them. I just hope they will still in touch with my channel in their own way.

Why people you so upset again?

I'm personally upset because:

- We can't reply to comments older than the day of the change. They're classed as unactive, untouchable, un-replyable. I wasn't told that when I signed up.

- Some NEW comments I still can't reply to, and I don't see any reason for that

- comments are now placed in a random order of relevance, that I find condescending, and not at all "relevant" or "meaningful" like google advertised them to be

- I have now 3 names on my channel, because Google plus messed up. There's Canudoitcosplaygirl in all my video, but there's Cathy Kitty Cat on my recommendations and Canudoitcat on my channel page. That's confusing. I hope people know how to find me again.

- This will turn some people away from youtube. Fact. Social interaction was youtube's strongest point and those who don't want Google shoved down their throats, will turn away from it.

- It has't stopped the trolls really. It actually feels like getting trolled.

More about this will be up on my video in a few hours (unless it gets banned or taken down because it could be seen as offensive?)

Maybe it will all work out great, and maybe google plus is not storing all our data, and maybe I will actually have a day when I enjoy their set up and understand what it is REALLY good for, but I haven't reached that day yet. That doesn't mean I can't be convinced. But right now, I don't like my new housemate. Why?

It feels  more like you have to do things for Google+ than the other way around.

Here's a link to what the Guardian wrote about the topic.

There's also a Petition on Change.org which is growing by the minute.

Love and Peace
x
Cat