interesting article about hair removal through history for both men and women.

this is one of the best restaurants i went to in portland. i had Sugo of Pork, Porcini Mushrooms & Spicy Peppers over Crispy Polenta and it was so delicious that i ate the whole thing! the bartender girl was so nice (i sat at the bar) and worked with my pickiness to help me choose the perfect wine which i completely forgot what it was except that it was a red blend of syrah. and at the end she gave me a taste of the latest muscat sparkly wine they started serving and my solo dinner evening was complete with this. i have to go and do this again, next time i am bringing chris with me.

i recommend this movie highly. as much as i like his previous movies and their universal themes i find this one to be the most human and personal movie he's made. the story is more dark but there is much depth to it. i interpreted it as a story of a young woman who discovers her shadow and a young man who discovers his light. both needed each other in order to make these discoveries. and they both needed to embrace different aspects of themselves in order to get some ground on reality. at the same time, i saw all the characters in this movie as different aspects of the same person. i think this makes a lot of sense given we carry our parents in us and all sorts of other people who make profound impact on our lives. madame sulliman perhaps represents our authentic self that is the source of most powerful sorcery but is also subject to the rule of other people we carry in us.

i also loved the art and the music and the voice of christian bale :)

Quoted: HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE reviews from the nation's top critics and audiences. Also includes movie info, trailer, poster, photos, news, articles, and forum. Also known as Hauru no ugoku shiro.

this is a fantastic read. i love how he tied a silly music contest with the european politics :)

Quoted: The Eurovision Song Contest offers an unexpected glimpse of how ordinary Europeans perceive one another.

for the dancing fans.

Quoted: The top 10 dancing holidays

i was wondering who made the first cake and it looks like the egyptians were the first bakers...

Quoted: Food Timeline: cake history notes

click to play

Quoted: Michael McDonald plays Apple founder Steve Jobs and introduces Apple's latest product the "iRack."

nice read about gilgamesh myth.

Quoted: A summary of the Old Babylonian heroic poem, Gilgamesh, which describes the legendary story of Gilgamesh, King of Uruk.