Hello! How are you? I’m back, or better, I should be back from the beginning of next year.
I’ve been so busy with my job and private life that I nearly forgotten about this Blog but I should have more free time from next year and I’d like to update you all on the topics we all love.
PS – few changes are planned for this Blog in 2019, stay tuned.
Please donate…
An Inaccurate Memoir, YANG Shupeng, action-western, China 2012, Italian Premiere
Beijing Flickers, ZHANG Yuan, drama, China 2012, Italian Premiere
Design of Death, GUAN Hu, black-comedy, China 2012, European Premiere
Feng Shui, WANG Jing, drama, China 2012, European Premiere
Finding Mr. Right, XUE Xiaolu, romance, HK/China 2013, International Festival Premiere
The Last Supper, LU Chuan, historical drama, China 2012, Italian Premiere
Lethal Hostage, CHENG Er, noirish drama, China 2012, Italian Premiere (in collaboration with Asian Film Festival, Reggio Emilia)
Lost in Thailand, XU Zheng, comedy, China 2012, European Premiere (in collaboration with CinemAsia Film Festival, Amsterdam)
Million Dollar Crocodile, LIN Lisheng, creature movie, China 2012, European Premiere
Painted Skin: The Resurrection, Wuershan, fantasy, China 2012, Italian Premiere (in collaboration with Future Film Festival, Bologna).
The Bullet Vanishes, LO Chi-leung, detective thriller, HK 2012, European Premiere
Cold War, Longman LEUNG, Sunny LUK, police action, HK 2012, European Premiere
The Guillotines, Andrew LAU, period-action, HK 2012, European Premiere
Ip Man – The Final Fight, Herman YAU, kung fu biopic, HK 2013, European Premiere
My Sassy Hubby, James YUEN, comedy-romance, HK 2012, International Festival Premiere
Saving General Yang, Ronny YU, period-action-thriller, HK 2013, European Premiere
The Way We Dance, Adam Wong, hip-hop dance romance, HK 2013, International Festival Premiere
Shackled, Upi, psycho-horror, Indonesia 2012, Italian Premiere
Angel Home, TSUTSUMI Yukihiko, drama, Japan 2013, World Premiere
The Complex, NAKATA Hideo, horror, Japan 2013, Italian Premiere
The Floating Castle, INUDO Isshin, HIGUCHI Shinji, epic-action, Japan 2013, European Premiere
G’mor Evian!, YAMAMOTO Toru, punk family drama, Japan 2012, European Premiere
Girls for Keeps, FUKAGAWA Yoshihiro, comedy-drama, Japan 2012, European Premiere
I Have to Buy New Shoes, KITAGAWA Eriko, romance, Japan 2012, European Premiere
It’s Me, It’s Me, MIKI Satoshi, surrealistic-comedy, Japan 2013, World Premiere
Key of Life, UCHIDA Kenji, black comedy, Japan 2012, Italian Premiere
Maruyama, The Middle Schooler, KUDO Kankuro, self fellatio-comedy, Japan 2013, World Premiere
Rurouni Kenshin, OTOMO Keishi, period action-fantasy, Japan 2012, Italian Premiere
See You Tomorrow, Everyone, NAKAMURA Yoshihiro, coming-of-age drama, Japan 2013, International Festival Premiere
A Story of Yonosuke, OKITA Shuichi, nostalgic-drama, Japan 2013, International Festival Premiere
Istanbul Here I Come, Bernard CHAULY, romance, Malaysia 2012, European Premiere
Comrade Kim Goes Flying, KIM Gwang-hun, Nicholas BONNER, Anja DAELEMANS, comedy-drama, BELGIUM-UK-NORTH KOREA 2012, Italian Premiere
I Do Bidoo Bidoo, Chris MARTINEZ, musical, The Philippines 2012, European Premiere
Mariposa in the Cage of the Night, Richard V. SOMES, thriller, The Philippines 2012, International Festival Premiere
The Strangers, Lawrence A. FAJARDO, horror, The Philippines 2012, International Festival Premiere
Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles, Erik MATTI, action-horror, The Philippines 2012, International Festival Premiere
All About My Wife, MIN Kyu-dong, comedy-romance, SK 2012, Italian Premiere
The Berlin File, RYOO Seung-wan, spy-action, SK 2013, European Premiere
EunGyo, JUNG Ji-woo, drama, SK 2012, European Premiere
Ghost Sweepers, SHIN Jung-won, ghost-comedy-horror, SK 2012, International Festival Premiere
How To Use Guys With Secret Tips, LEE Won-suk, gangnam style-comedy-romance, SK 2013, International Festival Premiere
Jury, KIM Dong-ho, funny apologue, SK 2013
Juvenile Offender, KANG Yi-kwan, youth-drama, SK 2012, Italian Premiere
National Security, CHUNG Ji-young, human rights drama, SK 2012, Italian Premiere
New World, PARK Hoon-jung, gangster epic, SK 2013, Italian Premiere
The Thieves, CHOI Dong-hoon, heist-action, SK 2012, Italian Premiere
A Werewolf Boy, JO Sung-hee, fantasy-romance, SK 2012, European Premiere
The Winter of the Year Was Warm, David CHO, drama, SK 2012, International Festival Premiere
Apolitical Romance, HSIEH Chun-yi, contemporary romantic comedy, Taiwan 2013, International Festival Premiere
GF*BF, YANG Ya-che, drama-romance, Taiwan 2012, Italian Premiere (in collaboration with Asian Film Festival, Reggio Emilia)
Forever Love, SHIAO Li-shiou, KITAMURA Toyoharu, comedy-romance, Taiwan 2013, European Premiere
Touch of the Light, CHANG Jung-chi, drama, Taiwan 2012, Italian Premiere
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, Arvin CHEN, romance, Taiwan 2013, Italian Premiere (in collaboration with Torino GLBT Film Festival)
9-9-81, AAVV, horror, Thailandia 2012, International Festival Premiere
Countdown, Nattawut “Baz” POONPIRIYA, psycho-horror-thriller, Thailandia 2012 International Festival Premiere
The Gangster, Kongkiat KHOMSIRI, action-drama, Thailandia 2012, European Premiere
Home, Chookiat “Matthew” SAKVEERAKUL, romance-drama, Thailandia 2012, European Premiere
Long Weekend, Taweewat WANTHA, horror, Thailandia 2013, 2012 International Festival Premiere
My Lucky Star, HO Meng-hua, comedy, HK 1963
Raining in the Mountain, King HU, period-action, Taiwan/HK 1979
A Touch Of Zen, King HU, period-action, Taiwan 1971
Demons, Mario O’Hara, The Philippines 2000
Before Friday, Enoch CHENG
Dong, Li Yushan
Flowers With Aphasia, Happyheart LI
God Bless All Parents, LAU Wing-tai
Heartbeat 48, Leo LAM
Such A Girl Like Me, MAN Uen-ching
In the winter, Phitsanulok locals like to eat “grilled field rats.” The prices of cooked rats then increase to 250 THB per kg. Popular rat dishes include fried field rats, curry field rat, and fried field rats with garlic. Residents believe that eating rats warms the body
PHITSANULOK – January 24, 2013 [PDN]; on a winter’s day, a reporter driving in Phitsanulok province noticed a big poster on the side of the road, which said “Grilled Rats.” The sign was on the roadside along the route going from Sukhothai to Pitsanulok in Tambon Phaikhordorn, about 10 km from Phitsanulok.
The reporter stopped and talked to the rat-selling owner, Mrs. Somboon Yuyen, age 50, who lives on Tharmmul road, Amphur Meuang, Chainart province.
She said that selling grilled rats is a business that provides revenues to many families in the area. In winter, many local people like to eat grilled rats and come to buy her rats. Sometimes there are so many customers, she runs out of grilled rats to sell.
Mrs. Somboon has been selling grilled field rats for about 7 years. In the decade before that, she used to mainly catch the field rats to sell to the grilled rat shops. Back then the price would be 30 THB per kg. Her revenue would total only 200 THB per day.
Then the wholesale rat prices increased to 80-100 THB per kg. However, the grilled rats had a higher price of 150 THB per kg. So Ms. Somboon and her husband began to catch the field rats to grill and sell themselves.
The rat-grilling business was going well, with a steadily increasing number of consumers. So Mrs. Somboon began to go to other provinces to buy more field rats in the lower northern and central Thailand areas.
She bought field rats from rice field owners that fetched high prices according to the demands of the sellers. Prices would average 100 THB per kg of rats, but sometimes reached 150 THB per kg. Mrs. Somboon would freeze the rats and store them, to be grilled later for hungry customers.
Mrs. Somboon said there seems to be more demand for grilled rats than in the past. So she has been traveling around and selling her rats in many lower north provinces, including Chainart province, Pijit province and Pitsanulok province. Business has been good in Phitsanulok, where she has been selling rats for five months, so she has no immediate plans to move.
The prices for her rats vary according to size. For the small size rats, the price is 200 THB per kg; the medium size rats sell for 220 THB per kg; and big rats sell for 250 THB per kg.
Although she considers the prices of rats to be expensive, the people who like to eat rats consider it a cheap price to pay. For people who want to grill their rats at home, her frozen field rats are priced at 180 THB per kg.
Some customers buy 3-5 kg of frozen rats each time to store in their refrigerators, and also buy rats for their relatives and friends. Most of her customers are local people, and some are drivers passing by who notice her shop.
Selling grilled field rats is an occupation that Mrs. Somboon is proud of, and can generate revenues up to 1 million THB a year. Mrs. Somboon averages more than 2,000-3,000 THB daily in sales. During the festivals, she can earn more than 10,000 THB daily.
Mrs. Somboon now enjoys a better financial status because of her business. She bought a pickup truck to buy more rats in many places, and can now build her own house from the money she made selling rats.
I recently read a book on Thai prostitutes and found their stories and views on their job very interesting.
Bee, 31 years old.
‘I was 25 years old. I was not a virgin. I was not stupid. In Thailand I made 8,000 baht a month working in a shopping mall. As a call girl (in England) I could make 8,000 baht a day. What would you do?’
It makes me wonder what people would do if they could get in a day what they make in a month. Would you work as prostitute? I doubt I would but I suppose in certain cases it could be the best option.
For a fresh start…
When written in the following format 12.12.2012 vs 20.12.2012 I think the latter is visually more appealing.
Yesterday while I was reading a book I had bought few weeks ago I found few interesting paragraphs..
‘In sex, the comedy of misunderstanding between East and West is what arouses Wester men so much. But most fantasies are about strangers, not the people we live with. As tales, they are cruel, detached, anonymous; they revolve around submission, degradation, and symbolic rape.’……
‘Intentionally or otherwise, however, the East-West encounter is nearly always redeemed by being slightly comical, but it’s not a comedy which has any vicious intent. The Western man is not being mocked, nor is the Eastern woman. It is a difficult waltz to describe, but it could be called a quick, knowing dance of perfectly intentional ignorance. It’s a way of making sex innocent again’.
I’ve been thinking about my encounters with Eastern women…
I’m confused.
After having spent few hours going through the free themes available for WordPress users I shortlisted Able, Ascetica, Publish and Runo Lite. At present I’m not sure if to use Ascetica or Publish but I think I’ll try Ascetica and if not fully satisfied I’ll change again in the next few days.
What do you think?
Hi there,
I think the time to give this Blog a new look has arrived. In the next few hours/days I’ll try to find something better than this, a theme with more white and less black. Any suggestions?
I rather see people with children paying more money but for the rest I completely agree with those who would pay more to flight without having annoying children on the plane.
Read on..
A third of Britons would happily pay more for their flights if there were no children on board.
A survey of more than 2,000 Britons carried out by travel site TripAdvisor has revealed that badly behaved children are one of the biggest causes of frustration when flying. Some 37 per cent of those questioned said they were so irritated by noisy children that they would be willing to fork out more money to go on a flight without them.
Having a child kick the back of their seat was the biggest annoyance for 22 per cent of the respondents, while another 22 per cent said parents not controlling their children was their biggest frustration.
A TripAdvisor spokeswoman, Emma Shaw, said that even on a short-haul trip, a stressful flight could have a severely negative impact on the overall travel experience. “Any disturbance when flying is annoying but it seems that unruly children are among the biggest causes of frustration for some passengers,” she said.
The No 1 irritation for travellers, according to 29 per cent of those surveyed, was inconsiderate seat recliners. But opinions were divided over whether young children should be allowed to fly in first-class or business-class areas – 34 per cent said they should be excluded while 36 per cent felt they should not. The rest were undecided. Ms Shaw said: “It’s clearly a topic that fiercely divides opinion.”
Article taken from The Independent.
Have you eaten? Would you eat?
Bugs and insects aren’t too bad and are good for your health. Read the article and let me know what you think.
Thailand – Bugs have been on the menu in Thailand for ages but only recently have they migrated from the forests to commercial farms and factories.
“The crickets you see on sale in Thailand are mostly from farms,” said Yupa Hanboonsong, assistant professor in entomology at Khon Kaen University. “We have around 20,000 cricket farmers in the north-east.”
Yupa and fellow entomologist Tasanee Jamjanya began introducing cricket-raising techniques as an alternative source of income and protein for farmers in north-eastern Thailand about 15 years ago. For some, the tiny insects have turned into a substantial source of revenue.
“If we are running at full capacity, we can make a profit of 200,000 baht (6,450 dollars) in one month,” said Pranee Hackl, a cricket entrepreneur in Khon Kaen province’s Nonthon district, 330 kilometres north-east of Bangkok.
Pranee, 47, and her Austrian husband, Oswald, 61, qualify as large-scale farmers in Thailand’s cricket industry.
Her farm boasts 150 concrete cricket pens, where the insects are hatched, fed and raised for about six weeks until they are big enough to be sold.
The venture has not been without challenges. Like other commercially raised animals, crickets are vulnerable to diseases and weather changes, but unlike chickens and cattle, little is known about crickets.
“There are no real experts on cricket raising,” Pranee said. “This is a new profession, so you have to learn by experimenting.”
Pranee, for instance, went from raising the insects 12 months to six months a year because she found they were too vulnerable to fungi and viruses during Thailand’s rainy season.
The market is also unpredictable.
Since she started up seven years ago, the price of crickets has fallen from 180 to 100 baht per kilogram, evidence of growing competition.
Thailand’s bug business is relatively well-established with impressive market logistics in place nationwide.
There are three wholesale hubs for insects, including Long Klua in Sa Keow province on the Thai-Cambodian border, Kalasin town in north-east Thailand and Talad Thai in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok.
Some bugs are now travelling from farms in north-eastern Thailand as far afield as the Middle East.
“We have a customer who is sending insects to Israel to sell to Thais working there,” said Keowjai Danook, 36, an insect wholesaler at Talad Thai.
Most of Thailand’s overseas labourers hail from the north-eastern region of Isaan, the country’s most impoverished, where insects have always been part of the daily diet.
Isaan natives living in Bangkok comprise the capital’s largest market for insects, but they have also become popular snacks at tourist spots, such as Khao Sarn Road, a backpackers hangout.
Crickets are generally sold on carts on Bangkok’ streets along with other delicacies such as water bugs and silk larvae. Upcountry, they are sold in stalls along the highway.
The most popular method of preparation is to deep-fry crickets in oil and then sprinkle them with lemongrass slivers and chillies. They are crunchy and taste like fried shrimp.
While demand for edible insects persists in north-eastern and northern Thailand, the growing market in Bangkok has been driven by middle men and steady supplies now that the bugs are coming from farms rather than forests, vendors said.
“You get a good profit on insects,” said Jarunee Rodpai, 59, owner of the Pha Da insect shop at Talad Thai. “We never have problems with supply, and insects are small and inexpensive to keep in a refrigerator.”
New forms of packaging are also emerging.
The Kuntamala Frozen Foods Co two years ago set up a factory to produce frozen meals of bamboo caterpillars, silk worm pupa and crickets in Bangkok, depending on supplies from the northern city of Chiang Mai.
Thailand is not unique in its tradition of entomophagy, but it is a leader in the region in terms of farming insects and processing them, said Yupa, who is helping the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on a project to introduce insect farming to neighbouring Laos.
The UN agency has been promoting insects as an alternative source of food for both people and livestock for the past decade. Experts see their greatest commercial potential in the feed-meal sector.
“The feed sector is the most imminent, particularly for providing protein in fish and chicken rations,” said Paul Vantomme, senior forestry officer for the FAO in Rome.
“We raise a huge amount of cattle, chicken, fish, so where are we going to get the protein to feed them?” Vantomme said. “There isn’t much forest left to deforest, and there’s not much fish left in the ocean, so we need to look at all alternatives, including insects.”
Article taken from Chingrai Times.
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BANGKOK, 16 May 2012 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is set to host the ‘Miracle of Thai Food and Fruit Festival 2012’ with over 40 booths selling products from across the country in order to stimulate the country’s tourism and economy.
The Miracle of Thai Food and Fruit Festival 2012 will feature Thai food from four regions, popular Thai food among locals and foreigners, as well as seasonal fruit. CNNGo has previously ranked Thai food among the 50 most delicious dishes in the world, with Massaman Curry topping the list at number 1, followed by Tom Yum Goong at number 8, Nam Tok Moo at 19 and Som Tam at number 46. Thus, the TAT will help Thai entrepreneurs in boosting the economy by promoting food which are well-known among foreigners. The TAT expects that the organization of this event will also stimulate the country’s tourism as well as the economy. The overall spending by the event’s visitors last year stood at 30 billion baht. Meanwhile, a 10% growth has been estimated for this year. The Miracle of Thai Food and Fruit Festival 2012 will be held during 25-27 May at Central World. |
According to Traveler’s Digest
10. Full Moon Parties, Koh Phangan Island,Thailand
Bungalows range from $2 to $20, but who wants to sleep when over 10,000 tourists flock to Haad Rin Beach, where drinks are free-pouring and DJs are spinning the best in hip-hop, techno, rap, and reggae. For show (i.e. when you are drunk and delirious by the beach), jugglers and fire-eaters entertain the crowd.
9. Monaco
If you really want to live like a true player, then visit this grandiose and charming principality in Europe that many call the continent’s most fascinating vacation spot. Get ready to abuse the checkbook though. Did you really think royalty cuts corners?
8. Ios, Greece
How could you omit the Greek Islands? Where generally sane, well-mannered folks congregate only to go crazy, get drunk, dance on tables and deprive themselves of sleep and all other things pure?
7. Gold Cost, Australia
Surf’s up! Sex and alcohol blend in a wonderful orgy of vices. The Gold Coast also offers the tourists the first topless car wash alongside the Best Beauty Down Under Contest. Imagine that; beautiful girls put coins in parking meters so you can party more — it’s only fair at $13 a car wash.
6. Goa, India (November and February)
New age enlightenment for the twenty-something crowd. Flights could fetch as much as $1000, but at $8 per room, you will have enough spending money to fly like a kite. A stay here will give new meaning to decadence. You thought Aerosmith was reckless in the 1970s? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
5. Gatecrasher, England
Very few music festivals match the energy, adrenaline and debauchery levels shown in the Sheffield area Festival at the monstrous and epic Gatecrasher; where Trance meets Techno meets Electronica (meets sweat, drugs and alcohol). If you have ever had the fortune of visiting this event, you know what we’re talking about.
4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
You have to hand it to the Dutch. As hard as it might be to believe, some locals felt that the Red Light District was not organized or structured enough to greet the World’s Best. So lo and behold comes the annual Cannabis Cup in mid-November. For the recoveringtourists, visit the Seksmuseum.
3. Las Vegas, Nevada
Okay, the original sin city has disrupted marriages before they even began, torn families apart, and probably ended a few lives ominously. What else could you possibly ask for? Oh and it’s also the setting of many a great movie about partying hardy.
2. New Orleans, Louisiana
The city’s spicy food is great, its historic blues music is even better, its lax (more like nonexistent) drinking laws are a lifesaver as bars are open 24 hours a day. This sin city has rapidly dislodged and out-Vegased Las Vegas… no small feat. Of course, it helps to have a Mardi Gras, a.k.a show your boobs for my beads event in the streets.
1. Pattaya, Thailand
Government officials refer to their city as the “Sexual Disneyland”; the mantra is “if you can suck it, use it, eat it, feel it, taste it or abuse it, Pattaya never sleeps and it is the best resort for you.” Three million visitors flock here every year to partake in casual sex and sexual freedom in the city’s 275 hotels and 35,000 rooms (which range between $10 to $80 a night).
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