last night was a touch ugly. a little too much partying and fun was had by tim and i. oh well though, you only live once, gotta have fun when you can. we started by going to this italian restaurant, its name slips my mind. it was some pretty good grub. after that we headed back to that bar from the first night. we had a few beers in there. what i didn't know is that i was watching the final game for xavier nady in a pirates uniform. after there we went took a stroll down the street trying to find a different place. after a passing a few places we decided on the boston billiards club. this place had a cool atmosphere going for it; something like twenty-five pool tables and a little library looking spot in the back. we just took up some spaces on the bar and had a few more frosty beverages there as well. all these drinks caught up with us this morning; we didn't get started until about 3:00.

so i will skip the details of rolling around in bed for a few hours and get to the trip stuff! when we finally became mobile, we walked to the prudential center. this is a fifty or so story building with an observatory at the top. took a few pics in there as well as learning some interesting things about the city through this little audio device. after that we grabbed some lunch in a food court. at the base of this building is a high end mall. makes for a weird mix of people walking around.

after this we started back for the hostel. on our way we found a cool comic book shop as well as some other places. at this point i can honestly say that this city is seriously starting to grow on me. the residential areas all seem to be pretty nice, and the subway is very easy to grab to get anywhere in town. from the comic shop tim and i split for a while. he had no interest in witnessing the chaos that was yankees versus red sox at fenway park. i, however, had to see this; and it did not disappoint.

i have been to my fair share of sporting events, this pretty well trumped them all but the winter classic. people are everywhere, literally. its organized chaos. every bar outside of fenway had no less than one hundred people in line waiting to get in. every block had a scalper actually looking for tickets. this was a first for me; i've never been anywhere that a scalper didn't have tickets outside. i didn't stay long, they close the side streets unless you have tickets to the game. in that short time, though, i saw enough to know that boston fans love their teams. i may hate their fans, but i have a new respect for them. about ninety percent of the people i saw had some sort of red sox gear on. usually that number is somewhere around fifty to seventy-five percent. i will definitely have to get back here for a game... just not the yankees. i love baseball, just not enough to pay near to two hundred bucks for one ticket!

after this excitement i returned to the hostel. after a little down time i talked tim into going to harvard tonight. so we hopped on the green t, switched to red and were soon at the ivy league school. going at night had its benefits and drawbacks. starting the drawbacks; pictures pretty much suck at night. also, we just made it into the store before it closed. and with it a lot of the little shops were closed as well. what was cool about it at night is just the experience. harvard is exactly what i expected it to be like, its what i expected most colleges to be like actually. students studying inside, and excitement outside. there was no less that four or five musicians performing outside, with people all around. and then while walking, there was a group of about twenty or so people watching the sox game from a television in a store front. complete with lawn chairs! it was good to experience it a night, as i bet its a bit different by day.

after all this we hop back on the train and head for our impromptu home. we were hoping our french roommate, florian, would be back. he was not though. he seems like a pretty cool dude. he has been taking busses from nyc to california and back again; staying at hostels and such along the way. he just graduated college over there and has been doing this since; for about 2 months. i hope i get the chance to do that in europe at some point in my life. has to be an amazing experience.

so with florian not being in, we just went to get a little dinner ourselves. and still boston sports amaze me. i yankees game in the middle of the season, and the bars look like a sabres playoff game just let out! including still lengthy lines to get into places. so after some grub we decided to lay low tonight and try to get an earlier start on our last full day is boston.

Ich weiss gar nicht mehr was ich zuletzt geschrieben hab. Also falls ich es noch nicht erzaehlt habe: Ich habe einen zweiten Job! In einem piekfeinen Cafe in der Naehe von Prada, Armani etc. Also dort arbeite ich als Kellnerin und es gibt gut Geld. Werde dann versuchen Baeckerei und Cafe unter einen Hut zu bringen und beides als Teilzeitjob zu machen. Werde ja sehen ob es funktioniert.

Gestern waren wir mal Party machen - eigentlich so richtig das erste Mal - in einem Backpackerclub am Arsch der Welt. Ja doch, war schon ganz lustig.

Heute Nacht hat ein Ire in meinem Zimmer mit gewohnt, der noch zwei Kumpels hat und die schrecklich lustig sind. Leider reisen die am Montag schon wieder ab, weil die schon ein Jahr in Australien waren. Aber wir wollen morgen (Sonntag) zum Bondi Beach gehen, er will surfen - und ich glaube es mir beibringen - und wir gucken uns den Strand an. Freu mich, weil dann bin ich mal mit jemandem mit Plan unterwegs.

Naja, heute faengt mein Baecker-Job an - glaube ich. 15.30 Uhr muss ich dort sein, werd sehen, was es wird. Muss dann auch mal schauen, wie das in dem neuen Hostel mit Internet ist .. wird schon, wird schon.

So there they are the new Couchsurfing Stories.

My third experience to be a host is now 3 months ago...it was one of the best experiences.

I had two french girls in my flat - beautiful, intelligent, funny and always smiling.

So we had a lot fun together, i showed them the City and all of the great signs in Berlin.

The last day we went out together, as always with my couchsurfers i get really drunk - they to, so we decided to party the whole night together.

At 9 o'clock in the morning we went back to my flat.

In this night 5 people asked me for drugs, 2 want to sell me drugs, 3 people started to make love in the middle of a club and the rest was drunk like hell and dancing and dancing...
Techno...did you ever danced the latin way to techno music?
No?

You should do this its GREAT. Ok actually its shit, but its funny like hell...

Ok stay tuned

The next stories will come soon.

Thomas

(Mince, on est déjà à la moitié du film.)

Bon, ça partait bien, ce petit Hostel. Assez bonne présentation des personnages. Ils sont plutôt bien brossés et on s'intéresse assez à eux. Juste, ça dure un peu longtemps, cette intro. Pas grave, on se dit qu'une fois lancé, ça va décoller. Las ! le cœur de l'histoire ne tient pas sur grand-chose. Peu de rebondissements, une histoire un chouïa prévisible. On se dit qu'on va avoir droit à une bonne dose d'horreur pour compenser... Même pas.

Faut dire que j'ai abordé ce métrage en connaissant sa réputation sulfureuse rapport aux scènes de torture insoutenables. Horreur, donc ? Même pas, disais-je. Bon, si, un peu. Si on ne sait pas sur quoi on va tomber, peut-être. Je dois l'avouer, je suis peut-être un peu blasé. Cela dit, je ne crois pas que je voulais en voir plus, parce que même si je peux supporter les pires sévices (heu... pas les endurer moi-même, les regarder... enfin, pas du vrai, du cinéma), il faut que le reste suive. Là, donc, un peu de gore extrême mais pas tant que ça, et de toute manière c'était parfois un peu ridicule (cf. l'œil de la Japonaise) et ces quelques scènes ne m'ont pas emballé plus que ça. A part un moment flippant, le reste est très attendu (et par exemple la fuite finale n'a rien de très excitant).

Pour un truc vraiment insoutenable, allez voir "Imprint", l'épisode de Masters of Horror réalisé par Takashi Miike (qui fait d'ailleurs une petite apparition dans notre film d'auberge).

Bref, je suis un peu resté sur ma faim, quel que soit ce que je pouvais en attendre.

En fait, je crois que je n'ai pas réussi à rentrer dans le film. La faute à qui ? Moi ou le réalisateur ? Je sais pas. J'avais deux heures à tuer en fin d'après-midi et je me suis dit : "Tiens, je vais me faire un film." Mais je crois qu'Eli Roth n'est pas franchement très bon dans sa réalisation. Aucune tension, aucune émotion.

Maintenant, je devrais peut-être étudier ce film sous l'angle de la critique capitaliste et tout le tintouin, mais ça va user mon cerveau.

Mon avis : 2/5

otherwise known as boston day one. well, more night one in all truth. the drive up was about what i expected; trees, hills, and road. however the rain was a bit insane at points. as was following some lady in a toyota scion td... especially when she ended up getting off at the same rest stop as we did. aside from that though, the ride up was pretty uneventful. finally getting into boston though, was quite hectic.

first off, i need a garmin! its way better than missing turns, getting lost and having to navigate by map, though it is cool when you find where supposed to be on your own. the hostel, h. i. fenway, is about what i expected; basically a three bed dorm room. but you really cant beat the price, and i can see fenway park from my balcony. we haven't meet the third roommate yet, were trying to guess where he might be from. my original bet was a guy from europe, as he has a hiking backpack and a "u.s.a. guide" on his bed. however after reuturning from dinner, we find some things that make me think me may be a bit older. we will soon see i suppose.

 first impression of boston itself, feels very "homey," like a successful buffalo. walking around the afore mentioned fenway park was a touch magical for me. it looks nothing like a ball park if you don't look up; it could easily be a brick factory. we ate dinner at the cask & barrel or some such. i was surprised that the prices were pretty reasonable for food. beer however was five bucks a pint. you win some you lose some i guess. after that we went to the lucky strike lanes. its basically a nightclub and bowling alley rolled into one. pretty insane and pretty fun! we only bowled one game as it was like five bucks a game; but i just had to bowl at least one

as for right now, were chilling in the room. its amazing how tired you get just from driving. tomorrow will either be sam adams or historical walk. either way i am glad i brought sneakers!

thursday, july 24th, 6:01pm

boston day two... well more like the first half of day two. to restate the point from above, i'm really glad i have my sneakers; tons of walking today. started the day around 12:30 by moving the car to some free parking. the free parking is right off m.i.t. campus. that school is seriously impressive to see. after that we took quite the interesting cab ride. i had wanted to visit the sam adams brewery, but the cabbie had no clue where he was going. he was asking us. i mean isn't it his job to know where to go? twenty-five bucks later we just left the cab and ventured out on foot. this ended up being a great idea.

we left the cab right in front of the boston commons park. so we just decided to do the freedom trail and such today. after walking through the park itself we randomly found cheers. after having a beer there we finally found the afore mentioned trail. we followed it pretty religiously until quincy market.

after eating some lunch there, we walked a bit further to td banknorth garden. there may have not been a game but at least i can say i've been there now. after that we hopped the "t" train back to the hostel.

after being to nyc last year, i can definitely say boston is cleaner. however nyc is much, much easier to get around in. their grid system is easy for anyone to grasp. boston also feels like it would be a better place to live. like i said it just feels like home.  more to come later, stay tuned.

O site http://www.twizi.com é incrível, pois busca os hostels que custam menos de 25 dólares a diaria.

Facilitando nossas vidas, é claro.

Even on a student traveler budget, you can stay in some very swanky places. The castle in this photo right here is just one of them, but not a bad one to start with. Carbisdale Castle in Scotland has the usual bunk beds and dining area, but it also has a collection of fine art, a statue gallery, and some rooms that may be a wee bit haunted. If that interests you, ask to stay in The Spook Room.

Also in Scotland is Loch Lomond Castle in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and Rua Reidh Lighthouse (which is a lighthouse and not a castle, but still very cool and only £10 for a hostel bed).

If you're sticking to the continent, no problem. Germany, Italy, and Switzerland have castle hostels as well, all affordable prices. Jugendherberge Burg Stahleck in Germany (pictured here) is located above the wine-grower's town of Bacharach in the Loreley Valley and beds start at £17.40 a night. For more German castles, visit this page and do a search using the handy "Castles" checkbox option.

For castle hostels in the Netherlands, start with Kasteel Westhove. And if you're more of a chalet person, then the Chalet Martin in the Swiss Alps is for you. Beds start at £12 a night and you can't beat the view.

The only downside to castle living is that after staying at one, you're going to want to leave your usual dorm-style accommodation to the commoners.

I'll keep posting snapshots and things here, and eventually some nice polished things I've been working on.

If anyone knows anyone in DF who needs a room mate be sure to internet me an email or a comment.

Also, watch my friend Daniel talk about emos on internet television.

So, you made your splash (looking at the above image from Pulp Fiction, I'd say a splash of blood and semen), and then you started getting the big money. You rested on your laurels and put out rehashed unoriginal crap, culminating with Kill Bill. Its "originality" consisted of over-emphasized violence, tempered with big-budget effects used to make it stand out as something other than a rehash of literally hundreds of kick chop suey Hong Kong kung fu films.

But, there was a far more insidious scripted undercurrent to that film wasn't there: this twisted divisive version of feminism pushing the message that women can empower themselves by being more ruthless and more violent than men.

"Violence is one of the most fun things to watch."
--Quentin Tarantino

So, you've got a few perversions. You're probably a bit of a masochist, and I imagine you may enjoy having women walk on your testicles or something. Fine. Knock yourself out. Go ahead, indulge yourself. Really!

Unless your choices start impacting my life, I honestly couldn't care less what you do. For the moment, I only have two questions for you, one of which I'll save for later. Question #1: Just where, along the way, did you sell your soul?

As I've previously stated, I don't believe in the devil. But, I do believe that the process of selling one's soul, refers to the price that "celebrities" pay for fame and fortune. While there is no "devil" to speak of, there is the small group of ruling power elites degenerates that have complete control of all the media outlets.

Aside: Based on personal observation, I think a few out there will resort to the Pavlovian media-embedded "[player-]hater" phrase to dismiss anyone criticizing someone perceived as "successful." Just this past weekend, some young woman threw this accusation at me while I was discussing a related idea to her friend. Is a response even worthy of the precious space in this "aside?"

So, you want to be a "rock star?" You don't have any talent or skills? Well come kneel down before me for a few minutes (and let me gaze down on your the top of your pretty little head). We'll promote you. After you've spent some time on your knees, we'll make sure you get lots of screen-time and lots of air-play. Don't worry about "the public." They're so dumbed-down now, they don't even know what the word taste means anymore. We dictate their tastes to them.

But there's two ways to please the devil aren't there? {*2). Looking at you Quentin (you're no Tom Cruise), so I'm gonna guess the devil didn't ask you to fuck suck [Bill Hick's on topic]. But, they did ask you to be their servant, didn't they? Push our agendas on the minds of the ignorant and you'll be rewarded. You'll get laid all the time. You'll have wealth beyond your imagination (which is actually possible, considering how little imagination goes into most Hollywood films these days). The beast will be served:

• Manhunt after 'Tarantino-style' murder of students

And you're doing it all too willingly now aren't you? No longer making movies with references to torture. Now, you're making movies in which torture is the plot. And, here is the point where your "choices" run the risk of impacting my life.

I made the mistake of watching Hostel, and other than noting its referenced indirect effect on the public mind through subconscious imitation, I probably wouldn't have bothered writing this. That is, had I not watched Hostel II.

So, the difference between the second movie and the first, is that instead of three college-age white males in Europe, you have three college-age white females in Europe. Wow, that's like a whole new movie there! I got a free idea you're welcome to steal: three college-age black girls in Europe (Hostel III: Torture in da Hizzy).

But, let's not give ALL the credit for this piece-of-shit predictive programming exercise to Tarantino, without failing to recognize the other name so prominently displayed on the jackets, director Eli Roth. Having spent some time researching synchronisities in films, I'm arriving at the conclusion that the real power to shape, control, and implant symbols in films lies with the executive producer. Still, looking at Eli Roth's rap-sheet does produce some interesting items:

• "His father, Sheldon Roth, is a world renowned psychiatrist/psychoanalyst and a professor at the Harvard University medical school."
• "Is an expert on the relatively unknown scientist Nikola Tesla. Roth owns copies of every known letter Tesla ever wrote, including rare letters to Tesla's family and to financiers when his projects fell apart."
• "One of his favorite movies is The Wicker Man (1973)"
• "Gave an expert commentary on Troma's DVD release of The Incredible Torture Show"

The name "Roth," of course, implies Ashkenazi descent, and I'm sure would surprise no one to find yet another in Hollywood. Oddly, his father has written about "three types of trauma" (external, developmental and intrapsychic), was featured in book about "shadows of the holocaust", and said some "interesting" things about the impact of sonny's film. Whether or not the first image of Eli syncs with Ariel Toaff's Blood Passover: The Jews of Europe and Ritual Murder (book unavailable anywhere online, hence another perspective) is up to the reader.

The second image was found here ("Eli Roth has a big Devil-dick") and syncs with the theme of this article, along with another I wrote on torture and Satan (before I really understood synchromysticism). Though his phallus is prosthetic (click on the "serious" image at your own risk), I'm forced to wonder if it's somehow symbolic of young Eli subconsciously resenting the day his parents forcibly snipped his manhood? Wouldn't it have been much simpler to just buy a Porsche?

As for Toaff's work, there is much dispute over it. Looking at the utterly suspect wikipedia entry ("truth by consensus and political correctness"), does produce some revealing "truths." We see academia (i.e., the same group of useless accredited numskulls that preach Darwin's evolution, solid earth, and ahem, "fossil" fuels) lambasting the author. A couple of notes:

• The nefarious Greek character mentioned, "Mavrogonato," would literally translate to "black knee[s]."
• "A week after its publication, Ariel Toaff withdrew the book from circulation, in order to 're-edit the passages which comprised the basis of the distortions and falsehoods that have been published in the media.'"
• Most-telling: "A revised, second edition of his work appeared in February, 2008. Toaff now claims that the accusations of ritual murder, as a common jewish practice, were entirely Christian fabrications."

I have yet to read the book, and can assume that finding a copy would be quite a challenge, but I could deduce that Toaff was forced to recant after "friendly" intimidation by the ADL/JDL mafia (much like ["self-loathing"] Jewish Auschwitz researcher David Cole, but forget common sense). Am I going to start connecting Zionism to the idea of "Hostels?" No. Just, yet again, when you find clue after clue under every rock you turn over, you have to wonder if they've been planted there.

Back to the movie, if you want to call it that. Aside from the Eli/El sync, one of the villains in the movie is named axeLLe: a mirrored El sygil, combined with "John the Baptist" sync (said character's head is chopped of with an ax). That's about all the syncs you'll get out of me, watching this movie once was more than enough.

Is there revealing? The scene where an older aristocrat woman bathes in the blood of one of the "heroines" was doubtlessly inspired by Erzsébet Báthory. Is it real? Allegedly, it is "based on a true account of a Web site from Thailand that, for a price, offered to let a person shoot someone else in the head." I'm thinking yes. But, whether there is such a network, or the movie [intentionally or by chance] is disinformation to draw suspicions away from Talmudic Ashkenazis, the Black Nobility of Venice and Genoa, or the Merovingian bloodline, I can't say.

One has to wonder where the alleged 3000 children reported missing daily end up (or, if those numbers are a scare tactic, to instill fear into parents, so they'll keep their children from playing outside, locked up safe in front of the television). Less heard about are the alleged 3000 children lost by the Florida pedophile network known as the Department of Children and Families. {*3} Even less, about the model wanna-be's that get carted off to Saudi Arabia (regularly). And finally, a lot known, but very little done, about the 1000's of poor young women (usually from Eastern Europe) kidnapped by government sanctioned groups like Dyncorp and peddled as sex slaves in Tel Aviv (among other places).

But, Hostel's point wasn't to "expose" these things, was it? No, it's got an entirely different agenda. The rest is pure predictive programming. Aside from pushing the torture meme further into the psyche, it's also got to push material wealth as the great divider of status. In the beginning of the movie, the protagonist of the former Hostel, the average middle class American kid has to die (the torture network finds and beheads this "commoner").

The "protagonist" of this second film (and I say that begrudgingly, because of all the characters in this excuse for a movie, she was the one I was hoping would be offed soonest). She turns the tables on her torturer. The "network" catches her and she tries to buy her way out spewing out shite about how she could "buy and sell them ten times over" (people I've heard say things such as this, are usually the most pathetic of programmed robots posing as individuals ever encountered):

“No, motherfucker. It’s my money ... I have accounts in Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the Isle of Man.”

Ah, she's rich. OK then. She can live. But, she has to kill her torturer (whom she was already beginning to torture before they interrupted her) as a condition. Another agenda is embedded, that of divisive feminist propaganda. The kind that's reduced courting to a combat strategy. {*4} He [predictably] goads her: “You’re a stupid fucking cunt!” She grabs his penis and cuts it off [vividly displayed, even with close-ups], ripping out the remaining flesh and meat her scissors missed.

“Let him bleed to death,” she quips, throws his penis to the dogs, and sashays out the door. And I do mean "sashays." Head held high. The torturers stepping back to let her pass, all staring at her with dumbstruck awe. Teenage mind-fuck cumplete!

Aside: For any naive enough to believe the MPAA was ever created to "protect" one's children, instead of as a tool to stop political incorrectness or truth-telling [a worthwhile research topic], I ask you this: Why is that should you show a woman kissing or fondling a penis, you get an X-rating (as has been the case in some serious European art films that come over here and get edited down), but you graphically show one being held (for the purpose of emasculation), cut and ripped out of its living screaming victim, you get a friendly "R?"

Now, this "meme," which I think we can call it that, thanks to the media force feeding the [appropriately named] John Wayne Bobbitt story to us several years ago. Through a few other symbolic mediums (e.g., an end goal of women's lib movement being symbolic emasculation), the theme has been repeated [see Fight Club Revisited]. Kudos to another mind-fuck film (Beast with a Billion Backs), for depicting act in a clever and less graphic manner [see Crafty Tentacles of Love]:

I won't share Mr. Roth's depiction as it is far too graphic. [Arguably, Tarantino's. The latter seems so fascinated with the topic, he depicts himself losing his own genitalia in the movie Grindhouse.] But the Hostel scene, should one contemplate its potential for subliminal (arguably, superliminal) impact on the vacuous mind of the average brainwashed teenage [target audience] girl (who's media-programmed raison d'être is mindless mimicry) is disturbing to say the least.

The only thing missing from this scene was a chorus of black girls snapping their fingers and shouting "you go girl." It was like watching Molly Ringwald in Sixteen Candles (or Pretty in Pink, take your pick), after she tells off the "bad" guy and everybody starts clapping for her, having gained new respect for this "nobody."

Looking back on the "teen genre" of those days (with new eyes), I would be a fool not to consider whether we were being programmed also. It's incremental. You could not have put this penis removal out [in the mainstream] back then. Just looking at the posters for the two aforementioned Ringwald "coming of age" films, it should be pretty obvious what we were being sold. Though, it was disguised in the package of poor girl/ugly girl rises above. We were being sold one thing: sex.

Isn't she "pretty in" PINK? She is all in pink. Her virginal vagina is pink. Wouldn't it be PRETTY IN [pretty nice to be in] her soft wet pink spot? "We're in the pink!" Two lovers kiss over sixteen candles, all taking place inside her heart vagina. Oh, how many more ways can you sell us nubile underage women?

These "innocent" coming of age films, were far from it. She's ALL THAT? All what? Ah, all those personalities (three shadow alters behind her). Hm, her dad was a delusional traumatized Vietnam (¿Project Phoenix?) veteran. Even Not Another Teen Movie had to make fun of the premise a girl could go from ugly duckling to prom queen just by taking off her ponytail and glasses. That's because, Freddie (her "Disney" PrinZe Charming) was her trigger to switch personalities as well.

The Last American Virgin movie was at least a little more honest about what its "coming of age" film was about (though again, the poster is a little more direct). V as in Vagina. [¿V for Vendetta: confusing sex with violence?] V as in Virgin. V as in Vulva. "Don't you want some teenage pussy?" No, we didn't say that. What we meant was: "Boys and girls grow up and learn about life."

Aside: My research indicates Hollywood has always been, and was arguably, created for the purpose of social engineering. I'd surmise we must be approaching some dystopia (i.e, not utopia), as the ratio of "entertainment" to programming has gone form 80/20 to 20/80. To the credit of these older films, at least there was some creativity in them, (the reason for the decline of I've detailed before).

At least the below remake seems a little more honest about what they're selling us (albeit, an alternate "hole"). The original Fast Times just showed you the breaking of the virginity seal, built around an amusing story about stoners.

But, we've come a long way since those days of feigned innocence haven't we? Today's films are an all-out assault on the psyche. "Sex and violence," shout morally bankrupt do-gooders like Tipper Gore (trust me, their proposed rating system, like the MPAA, won't target Disney's superliminals). All the meanwhile, the real agenda is to further blur the line between sex and violence. That topic probably deserves a blog of its own, but the above (and below) images say plenty.

The first film may as well say "Tarantino" on the cover (whether they were inspired by him, or put the movie out before he could steal the idea, is anyone's guess). The middle image (a) should force one to ask why emphasize the breasts in the poster and (b) syncs with a great article from Pseudo-Occult Media, "Britney Losing her Mind Trapped inside an Elevator" (incidentally, read same day I found the pic).

The last image is from the Saw series of trauma-based mass-mind control (or social engineering). I "saw" the first two, but couldn't stomach my way through the latter two. I tried to make en effort as part of my "embedded cinema" research, but had to turn them both off. A case could be made the penis resonant "i" and the vagina resonant "v" combined with violence adhere to the agenda I mentioned above.

Back to influencing today's teens, let's look at everyone's favourite new innocent movie sweetheart, Ellen Page. Again, the eLLe sygil. Again, brainwashing agendas posing as "slice of life" or "good girl takes on bad guy" stories. I will argue that Hard Candy and Juno, are basically the same movie. As the images below demonstrate, should one watch them with their eyes "open," it's hard to see the line where one ends and the other begins:

In the former movie, she entraps and drugs a suspected pedophile, then coldly prepares him for castration (safe to assume she's had no surgical training). But, then she has a change of heart and instead talks him into suicide. While the film feigns noble purpose, shouldn't a rational mind find the thought of some bubble headed MTV-viewing gender-confused emotionally-unstable 14 year old girl declaring herself judge, jury and executioner more than "a little" disturbing?

INLINE FEEDBACK: If this movie were "really" an anti-pedophilia statement, than why not have the alleged victim's family seek retribution? Think critically dammit! Why have some disconnected underage girl strip, fondle and "torture" the guy? Because it's wanking material for pedophiles, masochists and submissives. Ugh!

Despite all the hoopla (and its hard-to-resist charm and cutting-edge soundtrack), the Juno film only continues the Hard Candy theme with a back-pack full of additional social engineering agendas. A teenager (whose mental age is far from being anywhere near the intellectual level and depth of her scripted words), gets herself pregnant by some guy who can barely tie his own shoes together, and somehow seduces an older man by proving herself to be more of his intellectual and spriritual equivalent than his pathetic materialistic feminist wife.

Is anyone with a functioning brain actually supposed to digest the script? Alas, she "chooses" the mental equivalent of an eight year old. At least, in the 80's teen film Lucas (a reverse about a 16yo boy with body of an 8yo, but a mature mind), the "the girl," while breaking Lucas' heart, remained true to herself. The feminist, starts her own life, with her new baby, and no useless man around.

Note: If this "Juno" character is so "smart," what is she doing feeding her baby a toxic chemical stew of junk food and Coca-Cola? Cause she's a clueless consumer!

The only true "rebel" in the whole film, the one trying to get off the hamster-wheel, rediscover his soul and turn his back on media-programmed societal mores (i.e., be a good corporate robot slave, become indentured to the banks for a lifestyle you can't afford, live with a soulless woman who doesn't even care to know who "you" are), while guilty of bad judgment (were we to believe the impossible dialogue) is demonized and [symbolically] castrated. This film should only be shown on airplanes, where a vomit bag is readily available. [¡Note undies color and wait!]

On the positive side, those who tenuously hang-on to the notion the Oscars are rewards for some kind of artistic endeavor ... between Juno winning "Best Original Screenplay" and Al Gore's last bowel movement, An Inconvenient Truth, winning "Best Documentary" ... will have to confront reality; the Oscars are given to the best propaganda pieces of their time and the most convincing social engineering roles. The hidden masters know what worthless baubles to reward their minions with (on occasion, the recipients confess what made them so deserving).

Others have written on the topic of Ellen Page syncs. I'd recommend the following:

• Following Hugh Jackman Through the Atlantean Stargate (The Blob)
• Juno It's all in the Stars (Atlantean Times)

Worth a note (not necessarily a full read) are two subconscious mainstream syncs:

• In Ellen Page is the next Molly Ringwald. And the next Johnny Depp, too she's quoted, “I was obsessive about getting this role." Yes, that's how mind controlled people feel after they're programming is "triggered."
• I am the Octopus: Ellen Page on “The Breakfast Club” says "Juno is stylized realism." "Real" because Teen Vogue said [above]? Where's that vomit bag?

The images below [+ the above two] say plenty about themes discussed within this article. Little red riding hood: references to the clitoris and the Virgin Mary. {*5} Temptation combined with danger warnings. Hints at duality (the stripes) combined with the red bow (arguably, the hymen, ready to be broken [unraveled] and bleed). Pink covered with swirls of red and white? [¡Ew!] More blood and semen. Heath Ledger! Finally: androgyny (¿doesn't it look like her lower torso's been reversed?).

Debatably, paedophilia and androgyny go hand in hand. Sensible psychological evaluations of pedophiles are concluding their desires are rooted in repressed homosexuality. Reading Nabokov's Lolita (instead of allowing some director's modernized vision or some talking head's interpretation form your opinion) one could infer that what attracts these wolves is the lack of feminine, combined with suppressed masculine features (e.g., look at the Catholic Church's biggest recurring [and rerecurring] problem). Coincidentally, her next film is entitled Peacock (syncs with two previous musings: "From the Mouths of Dolls" and "Mo[o]re Cock").

Now I've done it, here I am deep in the rabbit hole, a journey I previously tried to avoid. This article wasn't meant to be about 80's movies, teenage she-males, or priests buggering young boys. It is about emasculation (a theme with which Ellen strongly resonates, forcing a reverse symbolic sync with another Ellen [Barkin] in the gender blending Switch) and its presenter de jour: Quentin Tarantino. He is obviously trying really really hard to endear himself to the powers that be:

Ah, a little trauma based reminder of the Church's Christian Crucifixion of the Savior theme. Could you guys have included perhaps a few more hammers [triggers] in the scene? {*6} Speaking of which, I had not grasped the [deep] impact of the Crucifixion meme on the minds of [previously innocent] children until I dropped in on some Christian neighbors watching the Gibson snuff-film extraordinaire The Passion. The mother came to the door guffawing and sobbing uncontrollably.

I nearly panicked. "What's wrong? Are the children OK?" Oh, never mind. They were gathered around the television watching Mel Gibson's tale of inspiration and hope. Since that night, I've grown speculative of the "Gibson versus the Jews" narrative. Whether little Eli or Quentin staged the above scene seems moot. Executive producers ultimately decide what gets added to or stays in ANY film.

So, Question #2 for you Tarantino is, have you endeared yourself to your masters after all your hard work? Did you get invited to the Davos Conference alongside rock stars Al Gore and Bono? Didn't think so. While a useful tool, you're still not allowed to sit at the big table. Per chance, have you bothered looking at [real] history to learn what happens to master's faithful servants once his agenda succeeds?

Since you've been kind enough to show me what mankind's future may hold (after the predictive programming effects of your movies start to shape the public mind, leading to all sorts of intentional and unintended consequences), I'll return the favor. Let me be kind enough to show you yours:

But, what do I know? All I do is look at patterns, especially recurring ones, meanwhile casting off all the programming (false history and identity, as dictated by television, movies, and indoctrination disguised as education). What's certain is that those who help put corrupt regimes into power, are ALWAYS expendable and ALWAYS considered a liability (they know too much). The Night of the Long Knives and the Bolshevik [bull-shit-vik] Purges are but two examples.

Some [¿perhaps you?] may argue that I'm overreacting, or perhaps just turned off by the "horror" genre, and they'd be wrong on both counts. There are masters of the genre, who films use "horror and gore" as a cover for social commentary. John Carpenter comes to mind (to a certain extent). The term "master" could definitely be applied to George Romero, someone I plan to devote serious blog space to.

Note: Perhaps, sooner. I'd recommend his latest, "Diary of the Dead;" one of the most honest and illuminating films put out over the last few years. Do need to start refocusing on the positive after the last three forays. There's good in exposing, but I don't wish to get mired in reactive mode. Plus, I'm really tired of crawling through rabbit holes filled with shite.

But, this crap? Trauma-based social engineering disguised as gross-out teenage horror. This is just pathetic. If the MPAA wasn't so agenda-driven, this latest Hostel film would have received the only rating appropriate: "This film shouldn't be viewed by anyone."

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*1: Reservoir Dogs is arguably a remake of City on Fire. Tarantino's trail of bread crumbs leads to the French New Wave is a very gentle treatment of his "homage" and "borrowing." But, even going so far, with all the scripts out there, to steal your latest from students seeking your help? "I steal from every movie ever made," you say? What about those yet to be made? [LB]

*2: I didn't want to side-track, but as I've been discussing recently, there is one other path to stardom. Being born into it (not that it will save you from the knee-pads if you're cute). But, as others and I are surmising as of late, they likely fall under Fritz Springmeier's Formula for Creating an Undetectable Mind-Control Slave. For the uninitiated: an excellent mind-control primer.

Of recent news Corey Haim (of Lucas, mentioned herein) and co-megastar of the time Corey Feldman. Both Jewish (see "4" below). This linked article, like most media who know nothing of mind control, fails to make the obvious link that Corey's "assistant" was likely his "handler." [LB]

*3: I think I've uncovered another strange, yet revealing sync. Googling "3000" plus your pick of telling phrase reveals just the tip of a massive synchromystic ice-berg: [LB]

• 3000 children go missing daily in USA.
• Florida DCF loses 3000 children in its care.
• Hawaii puts out a press release looking for 3000 children.
• Local Marines say 3000 dead [is] 'price of freedom'
• 3000 children become addicted to tobacco every day.
• 3000 children in Africa die from malaria every day.
• Moses [Akhenaton] sacrificing 3000 Israelites after the [ahem] exodus.
• Mystery Theater 3000: The Final Sacrifice
• 3000 migrants dead: Does anyone care?
• How can 3000 goats be sacrificed in a temple??

*4: A relative has a bizarre fascination for watching Lifetime, WE, and Oxygen. Spend just a little time watching those channels, and see men portrayed as one-dimensional rapists, con-artists and [god-forbid] cheaters! Rather then look at complex interpersonal arrangements and programmed unrealistic expectations, we get divisive bullshit, and the resulting effects on our [and, even my] sex lives. Probably worthy of an entire article.

*5: OK, wasn't even looking for this. Wondered if Ellen Page was Jewish. Yes, she is. Molly Ringwald is also, obviously. So, a little research later, turns out Rachel Leigh Cook and Jennifer Jason Leigh are too. So's Ally Sheedy (exemplary 80's teen movie queen mentioned in one of the fluff articles). Is every single one of the female leads from every single teen movie discussed in this article Jewish? What are the odds of that? [I'm beginning to surmise 100%."] The only one left, is Beth Franklin (from LAV). I would guess so. Seeing that most Jews in the world are Ashkenazi, we could surmise that too. Lift a rock. Find a Jew. Lift a rock. Find a Jew. [LB]

*6: It must be hammer-time. Let me share with you a little sync-filled day in the life with yours truly. As I'm sitting on the lap-top, my sister comes by asking what I'm doing (I showed her the referenced picture). "That's weird," she says, "my ex was just telling me a story about some guy in his town who killed all these people with a hammer." A few hours later, some neighbor stopped by the house to ask if he could "borrow a hammer." Back at my house, getting ready to retire for the night, was spending some time watching that propaganda-filled materialistic piece of crap film called "21," and caught a scene where someone [Tarantino's made-man, SamuEL EL Jackson] threatens the lead, that they'll "crush his cheekbone with a little ball-pin hammer."

A friend mentioned the "The Hebrew Hammer" cartoon character and wondered was it yet another subliminal little "fuck you" directed at Christians? Maybe Sarah Silverman can enlighten us? I had touched on the "character" in a prior blog, but failed to make the connection. Probably, because it wasn't "hammer-time" yet. :-)

Afterthoughts: the Soviet hammer [and sickle] used to suppress Christianity, meanwhile wiping out between 20 to 80 million Christians (linked article is on the low side, but an honest admission from a Jewish source) during its reign of terror. If you listened to the included Bill Hicks rant, one of Satan's "suckers" was, in fact, MC Hammer. [LB]

Then yesterday I arrived in Lugano, which has so far been ône of the most relaxing of my stops.  The hostel has a pool (!) and the lake here is beautiful.  There`s not much to do, especially when it`s so hot, but now that pool is certainly looking inviting again (and I`m still paying hostel prices!).  On the border of Switzerland and Italy, Lugano is `subtropical`, meaning warm, sunny, and filled with palm trees.  Still, it`s wildly expensive, and obviously caters to a wealthier crowd.  Still, it`s good for a wander.  I also met a kind older gentleman at the hostel, who obviously travels alot and was eager to share his knowledge of Venice (churches to visit and so on), so now I have a better idea of what to hit up in my two days there.   

Tomorrow I head on to Italy, and I get to see Leslie in a couple days!  I`m excited for her to show me the real Firenze, and to hike the Cinque Terre together. :)

Well, it is one of the figure that I still remember after such a long time, yes until today!. I remember it because of the uniqueness of the number, 44.4 acres.

44.4 acres (or 17.97 ha) - of course it was the acres I remember - as it was in acres that was shown in the 1970 Sulamanian magazine. It was the very first experience reading about your own school (1970 - I was in Form One - 1B1). That interest later takes me to read the older issues of Sulaimanian kept by my elder siblings (mentioned in Met Mr. Nava in Bali) all had their secondary education at SS (including my younger brother too).

Back to the school land area, it was from the layout plan (click on the image above) of the school on page 19 drawn by our Mr. Dennis Boudville, industrial arts teacher.

The 1970 issue was the only one that I can recall having the layout of the school (besides a sketchy one in the cross-country route in the 1960 Sulaimanian). The same issue also has a lot of school buildings photos such as administrative block, school hall, specialist block (next to the boys' hostel), both hostels, vocational block, a newly completed Form Three Block (the first building on the left as we entered the school gate), staff quarters and a view of Block A, school canteen and science garden (remember Saloma the monkey?).

The drawing also show the Scout's Den. A small old building next to the girls' hostel. It is a place where I would be at very regularly during weekends throughout my schooling days not for "skodeng" but for my scout activities. The building was originally part of the Istana (part of the school was actually within the istana compound - donated by the Sultan). The school moved from "atap and kajang" building at present SS Primary 1 to newly built Block A and Block B plus the Administrative block in 1956.

Earlier this month, Eli Roth posted this entry to his MySpace blog, highlighting new regulations that went into effect in Germany on June 10th. The uncut DVD of his Hostel Part II, along with many other films, were declared illegal. The picture he paints of video stores being raided and DVDs being removed from shelves is as deeply disturbing for a genre that celebrates transgression as it is hauntingly familiar to fans with long memories.

In the 1980s it was Great Britain that turned on its own citizens, raided video shops and threw their video sellers into chokey for no better reason than that they rented or sold any of more than 70 movies to another member of the public. Here are some of those sins against cinema that could've driven you bankrupt if you were unlucky enough to be a video store owner at the time:

• Fulci's The Beyond
• The Evil Dead
• The Funhouse (!!!)
• Dario Argento's Inferno

Sure, there were also some pretty disturbing films that were also targeted, but it's all rather beside the point. (Search out a copy of See No Evil by David Kerekes & David Slater for an excellent look at this period of British history.)

Setting aside all of the usual arguments against censorship (including the observation that the intelligence of decisions is inversely proportional to the number of people involved in making them, e.g. governments), there remains one very large one. And it has nothing to do with the right to see stage blood.

Societies that restrict expression, both individual and in the arts, almost always stagnate - they stop moving forward, stop innovating. This is as true of the societies that breed terrorists who aim to create a utopian society crushed beneath a single religious ideal as it was of the Germany of the 1930s, and onwards back into history.

No, horror films do not guarantee social growth. But transgressive art and ideas keep the minds of their audience questioning, fertile. Take a look at the headlines, at the quotes from warring factions that seem to float over one another without ever maturing beyond simple schoolyard tuants, and tell me the answer to it all is to allow yet more minds to go fallow for want of challenge and use.

Nachdem ich im Bangkoker Flughafen festgestellt hatte, dass die Thailaender keinen Kaffee kochen koennen (widerlich bitter), habe ich mich nach gefuehlten 50 Stunden Aufenthalt und dem Wechsel zwischen Klo und Raucherraum auf zum Gate gemacht. Ja und urploetzlich wurde mir unheimlich schlecht. Und ich weiss gar nicht warum. Das hoerte nicht mehr auf und war echt unangenehm. Noch dazu hatte ich seit ewigen Stunden keine Frischluft mehr eingeatmet - konnt ja aus dem Flughafen nicht raus. Naja und dann redet man sich noch mehr ein und es wird nur noch schlimmer.

An Bord ging das dann zum Glueck und diesmal hatte ich auch nettere Nachbarn - ein junges Paerchen. Die Filmauswahl war bei Thai Airways wieder die gleiche, das Essen war anders und zumindest das Abendbrot auch recht lecker. Wenn auch nicht viel, konnte ich zwischendurch ein wenig schlafen. Doch nach 20 Stunden Flug findet man mit der Zeit partout keine bequeme Position mehr. Aus dem Fenster sehen konnte man auch nicht, da alles schwarz war. Naja, bis dann ca. 100 km vor Sydney doch mal Leben in die Bude kam: Turbulenzen. Die Crew hat es sich einfach gemacht und einfach mal gar nichts dazu gesagt. Ich fand es jetzt nicht so schlimm, ein wenig wie in der Achterbahn, aber die ersten Leute haben schon angefangen zu kreischen. Doch nach 10 min war es vorbei und wir sahen die ersten Lichter von Australien.

Nach einer wirklich sehr, sehr sanften Landung - Achtung, das ist keine Ironie! - sind wir dann im 6 Grad kalten Sydney angekommen. Rucksack organisiert, im Hostel angerufen, durch den Zoll und ab an die frische Luft. Das war extrem notwendig und laengst ueberfluessig. Hab dann auch gleich meinen Busstieg gefunden und wurde mit ein paar anderen Work and Travellern ins Hostel gefahren. Bei diesen ersten Eindruecken aus dem Bus kam mir Sydney sehr, sehr dreckig vor. Doch jetzt im Nachhinein geht es eigentlich.

Doch nur weil ich im Hostel war, konnte ich nicht unter die heiss ersehnte Dusche huepfen. Warten hiess es bis wir einchecken koennen. Schliesslich war es ja gerade erstmal 7 Uhr morgens und ab 12 Uhr mittags sollte das Einchecken stattfinden. Da half es auch nichts, dass ich seit gefuehlten 50 Tagen nicht mehr unter der Dusche stand. Zum Glueck stand ein Raum bereit, in welchen wir unsere grossen Rucksaecke packen konnten um die Stadt zu erkunden. Just habe ich mir dann fuenf Jungs geangelt - oder sie eher mich, mit denen ich dann gleich mal losgezogen bin. Bei immerhin schon 9 Grad, aber nach stundenlangem Laufen ist auch das einfach nur noch kalt. Also sind wir runter Richtung Hafen, unter der Harbour Bridge durch, vorbei am Opera House und quer durch die Stadt. Apropos Stadt: Also so wirklich gefaellt mir Sydney ja nun nicht. Die Hochhaeuser sehen aus wie mal eben schnell hingepappt und alles ist krumm und schief, ohne Raster und Ordnung. Naja, jedem das seine und trotzdem sieht jede Ecke gleich aus.

Ja und von eben jener Erkundungstour sind wir gerade zurueck gekehrt und warten immernoch darauf, dass wir einchecken koennen. Da es allerdings inzwischen 12.10 Uhr ist, wird das hoffentlich gleich losgehen, damit ich endlich mal heiss duschen kann. Bis dahin werde ich noch schnell Mails checken.

Was sonst geplant ist? Nach der Dusche? Mal schauen. Eventuell werde ich gleich solche unangenehmen, wenn auch wichtigen Wege erledigen wie Vodafone, Westpac, Steuernummer und .. oehm ... das Vierte vergess ich immer. Irgendwas war noch ...

Sounds like 'Rock-law', right? Wrong. It's pronounced 'Frots-swoff'. Yeah, that took us a little while too. Although I think that Rocklaw is a little more fitting. Especially the rocking part. I fell in love with this city. There's so much to discover here. We spent four days in Wroclaw and I doubt that we even saw an eighth of the city. Not that it's all that big, but every nook and cranny of the place has something cool for you to check out. When I asked a couple of Polish girls at our hostel in Krakow where we should go next, they both said Wroclaw and I can see why.

I think what I like most about Wroclaw is it's eccentricities. The Polish people are extremely reserved in public (probably due to years under communism) and therefore it was unsual to read about the crazy character of this place. First up would be the gnomes that are scattered throughout the city. I didn't take a picture of any of them, but you can see them at the artist's site and then click on 'realisations'. These little guys are symbols of the anti-communist movement, Alternative Orange. This group exercised the free speech they wanted by staging ludicrous protests that made the police look foolish for arresting them. What protests you ask? How about taking to the streets and demanding the release of Santa Claus? Or singing communist songs to the chimpanzees at the local zoo? Creativity and rebellion:) How glorious. Other eccentricities include allowing one of the city's beloved eccentric artists to rent a flat from the state for the equivalent of half a penny per month. Or the ugly communist block apartment buildings in which owners paint their balconies to give it a more homey touch.

Obviously Wroclaw has a lot of history to share with its visitors, but even if you were to ignore the history completely, you'd still be in awe just by looking around. The most obvious would be the beautiful market square that is surrounded by candy colored buildings. This is definitely a time when a picture is worth a thousand words.

So, so, so, gorgeous. Like living in a postcard. If I could have taken a picture from a helicopter you would have been able to see that Wroclaw also has a hundred bridges and a handful of tiny islands that are filled with parks in which Wroclawers spend their weekend recreation time. Now I know Rhonda is saying to herself, there's no way that they could like a place so much unless they found a lot of really good food. Right you are, Rhonda.

Did I mention that Wroclaw is a college town? And college town = cheap food. Cheap and good. Our first dish of divine cookery was a little treasure called pyzy. Since we can't pronounce them, we'll just call them Gage Eggs. These little suckers are round dumplings made of potato flour and filled with juicy meat, topped with the sauce of your choice. Though my personal indulgences are usually toward the sweet variety, I have to say that my favorite treasure was discovering pirogie ruski at the market hall for only $1.50. Of course the pirogie stand in the market hall may have been directly across from the Wawel chocolate stand, but that was only a bonus. Honest.

But I think the greatest thing that Wroclaw did for us was to put life in perspective. We keep running around Europe and trying to see and do all that we can. Well, a life of constant tourism is more like a job than a joy and we quit our jobs so it's time to start indulging in more joy. We finally made time to do what we really love (yes, besides eating). In fact I have photographic proof that Gage is finally starting to draw again. And I whipped through two books in a week. Now if only we could get free worldwide gym memberships.

Wroclaw Suggestions:
- If you're a chocolate lover go to Esencja Cafe or Caffeina and order one of their hot chocolates made by Antica Cioccolateria. It's more like liquid fudge in a cup. I recommend not ordering any food with it. You won't have room.
- Our hostel was the cheapest in Wroclaw and it showed. Spend a little extra and stay at Nathan's Villa. Everyone we talked to who stayed there had rave reviews.
- If you're looking for cheap food near the market square, head to STP where the service is cafeteria style and the menu is always changing. If you went there everyday you'd always be trying something new. When you walk through the square, look for the sad souls dressed as big silver forks. They hand out 10% off coupons to STP.
- If you want practice the art of self-catering, head to the Market Hall (Hala Targowa) at 17 Piaskowa St where you can buy just about any food item from loose leaf teas, to produce, to fresh meats, to cake toppers, or just grab a cheap meal and eat there.

All the best;

Luis from Spain

Dessa vez,partimos de Valencia, e claro, fomos pela Alsa! A passagem custou 23,67 euros (eles são estranhos,nunca arredondam os valores..hehe)! A viagem é um pouquinho longa,mas a paisagem vale a pena e os ônibus são muito confortáveis (pra minha alegria, tocava música dos anos 80 na rádio! ehehe)!

Chegamos na cidade de noite, e a primeira coisa que notei foi o trânsito caótico! Sou daquele tipo de pessoas que não têm paciência nenhuma para engarrafamentos, então foi um grande ponto negativo pra mim! Nos hospedamos, mais uma vez, no albergue do hihostel. Quando vimos o site,ficamos apaixonadas pelo 4o albergue do site acima,mas como não tinha vaga pro dia que queríamos, reservamos no Rambles Center, o segundo que o site mostra. O albergue era muito bem localizado, ao lado da Rambla principal, em frente a uma estação do metrô e ao lado do famosíssimo Mercado de San José..o mercado de la boquería!

Nos receberam muito bem no albergue, ao contrário de Valencia, e como Barcelona tem mais brasileiros que no Brasil, encontramos 3 famílias brasileiras no albergue..quase não se ouvia espanhol lá! hehe..ficamos num quarto pra 6 pessoas e, dessa vez, dividimos com uma chinesa e duas holandesas ótimas que fizeram os vizinhos italianos calarem a boca (eheh)! Uma coisa que não gostei no albergue foi o fato de ser proibido fumar e beber no albergue não ser cumprido. Um grupo mal amado de italianos fumava, bebia e fazia um barulho infernal no refeitório e no quarto deles, ao lado do nosso..ouviam rádio e gritavam até 3,4 da manhã! E ninguém do albergue fazia nada.. =/ Enfim..tirando isso, o café da manhã era bom..estilo americano, diferente dos albergues da Andaluzia!

Barcelona é uma cidade super fácil de se andar, afinal, ela é quadrada, com exceção do bairro onde estávamos,mas mesmo assim,andamos como se fossemos de lá! Por isso, vou dividir os posts de Barcelona em 2: a parte da cidade que fizemos a pé e onde foi necessário usar o metrô!

Nosso super guia foi o Google Maps (em detalhe,está a Carrer de l´hospital, que é onde estava o albergue), que nos informava as estações do metrô, o nome das ruas,lojas,restaurantes..muito tranquilo!

Como estávamos no centro turístico de Barcelona, as Ramblas, exploramos tudo que era possível..e fomos a pé!

Descemos e fomos até o famoso Monumento a Colón e logo depois chegamos no Porto de Barcelona. O Porto é lindo, tem uma plataforma no meio do mar cheia de banquinhos..as pessoas sentam ali e jogam pão pros peixinhos..uma graça! Além disso, tem o calçadão também, e aos domingos, uma feira de antiguidades para colecionadores! Nos divertimos muito vendo objetos, dinheiro, selos, discos, jóias, chaveiros, tudo bem antigo..comprei algumas coisinhas com preço para universitários brasileiros! hahaha

A Rambla principal é bem legal de se caminhar,também..tem vários artistas de rua, barraquinhas com lembranças de Barcelona, restaurantes, turistas e tudo que se possa imaginar! É um lugar muito agradável!

Na parte de cima da Rambla está o Mercado de la Boquería! Famoso e lotado! Todos dizem que vale a pena conhecer,mas como estava impossível entrar lá de tanta gente,continuamos andando..

Fomos até a Ronda de Sant Pere, e viramos à direita, rumo a Via Laietana. Chegando lá, descemos até encontrar o Palau de la Musica Catalana. Pagamos 10 euros pela visita guiada por um cara super simpático. O Palau, pra mim, foi surpreendente. Dentro é maravilhoso..ele é todo feito de ferro e vidro..pena não poder tirar foto lá dentro,mas valeu cada centavo gasto lá!

Seguimos reto e fomos até a Casa de l'Ardiaca. Simples..bonita! Me chamou mais a atenção as duas senhoras que tocavam címbalo na frente! Nunca tinha visto ou sequer escutado um címbalo..foi emocionante!

Bom, grudado na Casa de l'Ardiaca está a Catedral de Barcelona..pra mim, a menor e mais simples que vi na Espanha.  O que valeu a pena foi descansar um pouco nas escadarias do lado de fora ouvindo uma banda caribenha tocar salsa e bolero enquanto muita gente dançava e se divertia! O clima em Barcelona é totalmente de festa! Amei ver isso! hihi

Da catedral pode-se andar até a Calle de la Princesa. Lá tem muitos prédios bonitos e tive meu melhor almoço na rua, e o mais barato também! De lá, passamos pelo Museu Textil, Museo de la Xocolata (é caro e não tem muita coisa!), e o Mercado Santa Caterina (o mais lindo dele é o teto, visto de cima!).

Andando-se mais um pouquinho, se chega ao Parc de la Ciutadella, que eu ADOREI! Ele é enorme, aí pessoas alugam um quadriciclo pra passear..fomos numa tarde de domingo,então as famílias estavam lá jogando bola, fazendo pic-nic..deitamos na grama e ficamos vendo o sol se por! Dentro do parque existem vários museus e esculturas de animais espalhadas..bem bacana!

Na entrada do parque, está o Arco do Triunfo (Arc de Triomf)..não estamos na França,mas vale a pena conferir..é muito bonito!

Fomo até aí andando pela direita.

À esquerda da Ronda de Sant Pere, fomos pela Carrer dels Tallers, onde tinham várias lojas com roupas e sapatos..aproveitamos e gastamos! De lá, subimos um pouquinho até a Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes, que é a principal avenida de Barcelona (acho eu..), um lugar com lojas de marca,super chique! Vimos também, a Universidade de Barcelona..muito bonita!

Na volta, passamos pela Plaça de Catalunya, onde vimos vááários artistas de rua muito bons!

Creio que, basicamente seja isso!

Aqui vai um vídeo meu com as fotos de Barcelona: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUyKhRVPg0E

Depois postarei os vídeos mesmo!

Beijos e comentem!

Just five minutes walk from the rail station, the YHA at Cambridge can host around 95 people.

Bed 95 in room 25 at the top most corner of the building was home for two nights in July 2008. Why is it that I always end up at the top of these building in the furthermost room and on the top bunk? Is it because I need the exercise?

The six room dorm had a sink, but no secure storage lockers, mostly because there wouldn't have been any space.

The YHA here has a slightly untidy and grubby looking reception, but the rest of the hostel is clean and well looked after. Sitting on one of the two lounges in deep comfortable sofas was bliss after a day walking the streets of Cambridge. Evening meals in the restaurant were good, although the only veggie option here was an omlette and chips. The YHA are behind the curve here surely, as many members must be interested in non-meat and fish dishes.

Staff were friendly and helpful and this YHA comes with A Brit Visits recommendation.

A BRIT VISITED: 20 & 21 July 2008

SCORE: 7/10

George & Lesley (China)

Travel off-peak and weather wise.
 If you're not constrained by school holidays, kids or any work issues, traveling during off-peak periods can save you a lot of money. Flights, accommodation and attractions all drop in price during off peak times. Do your research though - some destinations have low seasons and religious holidays can mean everything's closed once you get there.

Won’t Haggle!?!
 The price you are quoted for your flights isn't what you have to pay; it's what they think they can get you to pay. Play hardball. Also whilst on the street trying to buy some souvenirs or catch a cyclo down a few blocks, don’t pay the first offer. However in retrospect don’t expect to pay the same as locals. Be generous, but not a sucker.

Le Tour.
Not all tours are bad. If you have limited time and expenses, picking a reputable tour company can normally ensure you see a lot of the sights in your available time frame. You'll also meet plenty of like-minded people, and this is great if you plan to travel alone. You do get what you paid for though, ask other travelers what they have seen and what tours they have been on to get some feedback.

Take some tunes.
Take a MP3 player, walkman, or gramaphone. You may not be absorbing the cultural atmosphere, but sometimes 30 people crammed in a bus for 20 hours screaming in languages you can’t understand is something you might not wish to absorb. I find it’s also good to listen to new albums so when you return home and listen to the same album you associate it with your trip.

No Reservations?
It can be pouring rain, pitch black at night or a searing hot day. Either way you probably want to spend little time bouncing from hotel to hostel to hotel trying to find some vacant accommodation. Book ahead, call ahead and send an email to make sure there a room when you get there.

Know how to order a coffee in 10 different languages?
You should always know how to ask “Do you speak English?” in the native language of the country you’re in. Not to mention a few pleasantries. Good morning, Hello, Please and Thank you will go a long way and most cultures will be pleased you are making an effort to embrace their life.

Post stuff home

So you have gone shopping and have half a dozen tailor made suits. Unfortunately these are the kind of things you don’t want to roll into your back pack or lug around for the rest of your trip. Find the local post office and send it home. You will find that after paying the postage you will still come out way a head for the prices you would pay back home.

Caution

Take all the travelers cautions you can before your trip. Register with your native embassy at the country you are traveling so they are aware you are there, how long for and how you can be contacted whist there. This can be done online, or through a phone call. If there is a flood or riot you’re family will be thankful when they contact the embassy and find you left 2 days ago. Also photocopy your flight dates and times, passport, credit cards and insurance details so you family has a copy and you can get any info via them if you have items stolen.

Feel free to add your own in the comments

The Machine Girl

Genre: Action, Gore, Horror

Synopsis: A Japanese schoolgirl, Ami, continues to move forward as she supports her younger brother, Yu.  Despite the death of their parents, this young tomboy seems to be content with her life.  After another death in the family, Ami seeks revenge and fights through everything to get it.

Review: The story of Job tells us a story about a man who loses everything in his life and still has faith in God.  Now, if Job was a Japanese schoolgirl who turns to Death and kills everyone responsible for the deaths of her family then that's pretty much the story of Ami.  To give you a more accurate picture, Robert Rodriguez gave us Planet Terror while Noboro Iguchi gave us The Machine Girl sharing a lot of similarities.  If you've watched Planet Terror, I'm sure you didn't care about the acting, the realism, or the storyline as long as the action kept rising to higher and ridiculous levels.  That is what The Machine Girl brings to the table but with Japanese culture brought into the mix.  This movie has the look of a film student creating a low budget movie but has a unique heart of something I'm going to call fantastic fakeness.  By no means is this movie a realistic gorefest like Hostel.  The props used in this movie look like they've been stolen from an old Mighty Morphin Power Rangers storage facility and added tremendous amount of fake blood and guts.  The acting is horrible!!!  During some long ass scenes this movie has moments resembling a horrible train wreck you can't look away from.  All of it adds to the fantastic fakeness only the Japanese can provide (eg. - Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Gameshow).  This is a movie you either get or you don't.  If you enjoy getting your asian cinema fix once in a while then you might like this movie.  If not, then stay away.  I like some Asian movies but this was a mixed bag for me.  This is a movie I could have fallen asleep to but I enjoyed the absurdity of it.

RomTalk Movie Rating - 6/10

Links -IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes

It's pronounced Crack-off. Or Crack-ov. Honestly I still can't reach a consensus on how to pronounce most of the words in Polish. If there's one thing you get tired of during traveling it's trying to speak another country's language with any amount of accuracy. We spend at least 4 days in every city we visit, though we've met a ton of people who consider 3 days to be a long stay. I have no idea how these travelers have the time to learn Hello and Thank You. It's easy to get lazy about learning languages, though, especially when half of the world has taken the trouble to learn how to speak English. Of course if they've taken the trouble to learn our entire language, the least we can do is learn how to say thank you in theirs.

Well however you pronounce Krakow, I have to admit that it's wonderful. The city is a wonderful mix of ancient and modern. Relatively intact after the second world war, all of Krakow's rich history is still there to witness and enjoy. Gage and I started our tour of Krakow with Wawel Hill where the some of Poland's first kings set up residence. It's kind of a crazy mish-mash of different buildings and landscaping, but the view you can get of Krakow is priceless. We ran up there early Monday morning to get free tickets to the State Rooms and then bought some tickets to the Dragon's Den, which was truly awesome. Legend has it that it used to hold a dragon which King Cracus slayed, and the tunnels are fantasy-inducing enough that I'm inclined to believe it.

Krakow is pretty well known for having a huge market square and I have to say that it's pretty impressive, though it doesn't hold a lot of magic for the budget traveler. As you can imagine, a hot tourist destination is not interested in offering low prices (although anyone who actually had a job would find the restaurant prices to be about half what they are in the USA). What all of Poland does offer is the glorious Milk Bar. The milk bars used to be subsidized by the communist government so that workers had an inexpensive place to eat. Basically they are glorified cafeterias for the working class. There aren't as many as their used to be, but those that still exist are still cheap and, more importantly, still delicious. I finally realized how deep my Polish roots were when I ordered some pirogies and they came out as pasta dumplings filled with berries and topped with cream. And this dish was on the dinner menu! See mom and dad, dessert can be dinner. Poland says so.

I might be facing divorce if I don't mention Gage's favorite aspect of Krakow, Planty. A little background information is necessary here. After seeing a strip from my favorite comic Get Fuzzy in which Satchel, the dog, reveals to his owner that he names every inanimate object in the house by adding a 'y' to their name, Gage and I started doing the same. So when we sat down on our couch we were 'sitting on couch-y' or 'Gage was working on Mac-y'. So imagine our elation when we found out that lamp stores in Poland are called 'Lampy' and hot dog stands have signs that say 'Hot Dogi' and computer stores often say 'Komputery'. Well what finally did it for Gage was learning that Krakow had filled in the moat that formerly surrounded the city and turned it into a gigantic park that circled the city and they named it...wait for it...Planty. Poland is our kinda country.

Krakow Suggestions:

- The hostel that we stayed at was incredible. I can't recommend Deco Hostel enough. Though I have to say that Krakow is apparently changing the hostel game because most people have given glowing reviews of their Krakow hostels. Either way, I don't think you can beat Deco Hostel's amenities for the price. It's a 10 minute walk to Old Town and it's on a busy road which means you should bring ear plugs, but at least you have something to look forward to when you walk home.
- Krakow is full of museums, many of which are free on certain days. Guidebooks often get those days wrong so check the museums' websites for details of free days before making the trip.
- If you want to get some of the free tickets to Wawel's State Rooms available on Mondays, be sure to arrive at the ticket office before 10am. There is a sign board with a count down for the amount of tickets remaining right next to the ticket window. Whether or not you get the free tickets, it's worth the few dollars to buy a ticket to the Dragon's Den, Wawel's underground tunnel system.
- You can find milk bars by looking for restaurants with the words bar mleczny on the sign or window. If you want to be safe order the pirogie ruskie which is potato and cheese. If you want to have fun point to something on the menu board and cross your fingers.
- The clock ceremony in Collegium Maius isn't quite as exciting as you may be led to believe. See previous post.

Em Mendoza ficamos num apartamento aconchegante e espaçoso (se comparado com um quarto de hotel). Deve ter uns 50 metros quadrados. Fica na rua San Juan, número 1251, próximo da Peatonal Sarmiento e da Av. San Martin, bem no centrinho da cidade.

Tem cozinha equipada com fogão de duas bocas, microondas e frigobar. Na sala, uma mesa de jantar pra 6 pessoas, duas poltronas, um sofá de dois lugares, uma TV e três camas de solteiro. Parece estranho cama na sala, mas a sala é bem grande e tem espaço pra isso. Além das três camas, o apê conta com mais um quarto com cama de casal e um banheiro para todos compartirem. Ah, e tem uma ampla sacada virada pra rua com mesinha pra quatro. A sacada pega bastante sol, então penso que no verão esse apartamento seja um pouco quente, mas a sala tem ar condicionado.

Nós pagamos $ 120 pesos o casal, uma semana antes da alta temporada de inverno. Para cinco pessoas, nessa época, saía $150 pesos, mas tudo depende da cara do cliente. Tem que chorar um pouquinho. Fale com o Juan, o dono do prédio (ou o Kito, funcionário dele, super gente boa). Telefone 0054-9-261-5272084 ou pelo e-mail reservamendoza@gmail.com Tem também o site: http://www.complejolastinajas.com

ATENÇÃO: O apê a que me refiro é o 3A. Existem outros apartamentos nesse mesmo prédio que são menores e mais baratos.

HOTEL PROVIDÊNCIA

Para casal, penso que na alta temporada talvez seja mais vantajoso ficar no hotel/apartamento Providencia. Ficamos uma noite lá. Essa hospedagem não é do Juan, dono do prédio que falei acima, mas fica na mesma rua, do outro lado da calçada, no quarteirão anterior. É tipo um hotel com recepção 24 horas. No Providencia o quarto é um pouco maior que o de um hotel simples e tem uma cozinha pequena, com um fogareiro de uma boca e frigobar. Custa $ 120 pesos também, mas tem café da manhã servido no quarto. O café é medialuna com chá ou leite em pó com café solúvel. Daí eles te dão um isqueiro e você ferve a água no próprio quarto. As chaleiras dos q