Wednesday 30 January 2008

International Sweets and Biscuits Fair Part 2...The Fair

The Super Tuesday- Visit to the ISM, Cologne
What a double treat that my pasalubongs from
Padova of tocino and langgonisa plus the polvorons
from my mother would give me a free ticket to this
fair of sweets and biscuits held annually in the city
of Cologne. Thanks to Felinda and Enrico of Del Conte
Cioccolato sublime from Villa del Conte, Italy for the
treat and for bringing me the sweets pasalubong from
Anggie and Cecil of Padova plus the polvoron brought
by Irene from her holiday in the Philippines.
How about these tempting names of fingergoodies to
add to your favorite things:
Sesame Halva from Bolero
Cocoa Wafer Sticks
Marschmallows from Don Juan
Amaretti
Morbidi alla frutta
Neole d'Abruzzo
Marmelade for cheese and meat
Ice Cream without Freezing
Panecillos Tostados
Marzipan
Drogistendrop from Holland
Honey bars
Magic Fruits Beauty Snack
Candy Floss
and hundreds and hundreds of temptations





I discovered the booths of Philippine goods dealing with
chocolate chip cookies, fita spread, boas or
toasted lady fingers, apas-thin biscuits,
camachile-crunchy cookies double
cream sandwich cookies called Smileys, galletas
or egg craclets. Brought home a handful of
samples but my heart was longing for the
broas but they are strictly for display!
Lucena here I come!













Friday 25 January 2008

Sweet Life: International Sweets and Biscuits Fair


Fair Cologne
ISM
27-30 January, 2008
International Sweets and Biscuits Fair

I thought Cologne has only Anuga for its international
exhibition on food until I got this sweet information
from my girlfriend Cecille who lives in the land of
pasta, pope and red wine.

She would like to send me some of my Italian
favorite fingergoodies like... Tocino and langgonisa through an Italian exhibitor...not exhibitionist who would call and
inform me where to get my pasalubongs.
As I did not find pinay/pinoy sounding names in my search for
for possible dealers of hopyas, otaps, dried mangoes, I am posting
photo of these pasalubongs from Marilou and Emma as
an alternative to buying an expensive day ticket to experience
that sweet life in my city.
For further info, please click the site of Fair Cologne
www.ism-cologne.com
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Monday 21 January 2008

Lust, Caution...Keeping the Hobby on Sunday

 
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(photo taken from wikipedia)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Lee

Drizzling and grey this last Sunday and what to do on such
dreary and cold day in Germany? Two options are always left to
us, me and hubby on such days when things i.e. like papers
to be sorted out, reports to be submitted and I particularly
not in the mood as usual to do great cooking - go to the city
and dine and see films or stay at home, dine and see tv films.
This time we found a new cosy and elegant Italian Restaurant
where I tasted this red wine from Sicily...a sort of Nero d'
Avola from Pietra Sacra (sacred rock) which I quickly and
secretly scribbled for googling later to get original source
and not the pricey bottles from Italian restaurants.

Lust and Caution!

Then we found this film of Ang Lee Lust, Caution
Macht und Begierde in German. Let me insert here the
info taken from Wikipedia about Ang Lee and his
NC-17 rated but much awarded film. NC-17 means No Child below 17.

The story is mostly set in 1942 Shanghai under Japanese
occupation. It depicts a group of patriotic Chinese students
plotting to kill a member of the Japanese collaborationist
government of Wang Jingwei, using a young woman as a lure.
"Mrs. Mak" (played by Tang Wei -- a sophisticated and
well-to-do woman -- sits, remembering in a café, how her story
began several years earlier, in war-torn 1938 China. A shy student
-- Wong Chia Chi -- has been left behind by her father, who has
escaped to England. While in her freshman year at her university,
a male student named Kuang Yu Min (Wang Leehom) makes her acquaintance.
Kuang has started a dramatic theatre group, in which Chia
Chi becomes leading lady, moving and inspiring both her audience
and her new-found friend Kuang.

It is Kuang who devises a daring plan to assassinate Mr. Yee
(Tony Leung)a high-ranking Kuomintang official with overt ties to
the collaborationist government headed by Wang Jingwei who was
widely denounced as a national traitor -Hanjian. Chia Chi, already
the star performer in the theatre group, is chosen to penetrate the
police security surrounding the Yee family. In the guise of Mrs.
Mak, she insinuates herself in the social circle of Mrs. Yee
(Joan Chen). She catches the eye of Mr. Yee and tries to lure
him into a location where he can be assassinated. In preparation
for a possible affair with Yee, Chia Chi sacrifices her virginity
to a fellow conspirator. The plot goes awry, and Wong flees,
following an unexpected fatality.

In Shanghai three years later she again encounters Kuang, who --
now part of an organised underground resistance group seeking to
overturn the Japanese occupation -- enlists her into a renewed
conspiracy to kill Yee. By this time, Mr. Yee has become the head
of the Chinese secret-police working for the occupation to hunt
down Chinese resistance agents.

Eventually, Chia Chi becomes the mistress of Mr. Yee. After
several clandestine sexual encounters, Mr. Yee gives her a sealed
envelope to deliver to a jewellery store. She believes the letter to
be a covert message for the secret police. When she arrives at the
shop,she is surprised to find that the message is his expression of
his feelings towards her - he had purchased an enormous 6ct
diamond for her.

In a meeting with her superior officer in the Chinese resistance, the
officer states that they want to delay the assassination in order to
get more information from Yee. Chia Chi vehemently objects,
explaining her emotional turmoil due to the long months of
masquerading as Mrs.Mak and her real-world relationship with
Yee(as opposed to the un-realized feelings between her and Kuang).

In order to place Mr. Yee in a location where the Chinese
resistance agents can kill him, Chia Chi asks to return to the
jewellery store to look at the completed diamond ring. When they
enter the shop,she notices the resistance agents awaiting to spring
the trap. As Mr. Yee was unaware of his danger, Chia Chi finds
herself in a situation in which even her identity itself is pushed
to breaking point. She makes a split-second decision to expose the
plot to Mr. Yee and let him escape before being killed.

By the end of the day, most of the resistance group including
Kuang and Chia Chi herself, are captured. Mr. Yee signs their death
warrants and the group members are executed that night.

Personal Note: I admire Ang Lee and have seen his films.
Setting and shots of films are really wonderful...this is Chinese
professionalism in film-making or simply Ang Lee's genuis.
But I really was keeping my eyes closed in some scenes...too
bloody and brutal. Many viewers were saying...aaah, nein, No!
It was simply horrible! Atrocious!
Then came the love/sex scenes...silence...not a word from the
horrified audience. But I simply can not bear to watch the
two lovers grappling each other. I found something
funny in the scenes...not anymore erotic but just two bodies
perspiring and groaning like human pretzels.
Adding to it, the main actor-his face reminds me of a cross
between a friend who teaches in a university and the young
face of a once dictator in Asia.
(Siguro kung kasama ko ang mga kaibigan babae, baka
naghagikgikan kami lang
during the scenes except for the
scene when this collaborator was raping her...it was
just brutal).

No, Ang Lee...I can't help but remember the words of
another film director...anything more than torrid
kissing will simply turn any sex scene to a comedy!
Will google who said these words and if you know,
then let me know. Thanks.
And of course, the source for not so pricey but
lustfully tasting red wine from Sicily. Cheers!

Thursday 10 January 2008

Cultural Calendar

The first ever asian hot shots berlin
is taking place from the 16th to the
22nd January 2008 in the festival
cinemas babylon berlin:mitte
and Z-Bar.


16-12. January 2008
Berlin offers first time eclectic insight
into young Asian cinema.
Asian hot shots berlin
Country Focus is Philippines featuring
Kidlat Tahimik
Nick Deocampo
Ishmael Bernal

Other feature of the festival is
a book presentation of KINO-SINE:
Philippine-German Cinema Relations
on Friday, January 18, 2008
in Babylon Mitte, Berlin.
Book is published by the
Goethe-Institute Manila 2007.
For more info and download of the book, please
click or contact goethe manila


or simply email me and will send you a file
of the ebook:
pinayskaleidoscope@gmail.com

Wednesday 9 January 2008

One is not born a woman...

 

For the 100th Birthday Anniversary of Simone de Beauvoir,
I am posting some famous quotations from her:

"One is not born a woman, one becomes one."

"On the day when it will be possible for women to love not
in her weakness but in strength, not to escape herself
but to find herself, not to abase herself but to assert
herself- on that day love will become for her, as for man,
a source of life..."

"Sex pleasure in woman is a kind of magic spell, it
demands a complete abandon; if words or movements
oppose the magic of caresses, the spell is broken."
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Sunday 6 January 2008

20*C+M+B*08 Christus mansionem benedicat



Wir kommen daher aus dem Morgenland,
Wir kommen geführt von Gottes Hand,
Wir wünschen Euch ein fröliches Jahr,
Caspar, Melchior und Baltasar.

This is not that sort of trick or treat thing we
know but a serious project launched every year
on Epiphany, January 6 by the German Catholic Youth and
Kindermissionswerk `Die Sternsinger`. Dressed as the
Three Wise Men, these kids go from house to house
singing `We come from the Orient
led by the hand of God
We wish you a happy year
Caspar, Melchior and Baltasar`
and collecting donation for projects like
training and education for youth and children,
medication for children who are suffering from Aids
and children who are mal or undernourished.
Hey, kids how about women who are malnourished
stuffing themselves with chocolates, cassava cake
and langgonisa with red wine?

Day of the Three Queens and Befana Day

 

Passing it on to the Wise Women in Your Life

Do you know what would have happened if it had been
Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men?

They would have asked for directions,
arrived on time
helped deliver the baby
cleared the stable,
made a casserole,
and brought practical gifts!

I got this again rotating for this especial day...if you have
not received it yet, enjoy the message and pass it on to women
who mean so much to you.

Meanwhile in Italy, Bifana Day, the day when this good witch
comes down on Epiphany bringing sweets and gifts for
well-behaved kids and charcoal for the mischief-makers
including slovenly mothers.

Cheers to the New Year!
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