31 July 2017
Dive n. 754: Hot Rocks, Bima Bay, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
Grazie all'equipaggio del Dewi Nusantara.
26 July 2017
Drone videos, Komodo islands, Indonesia
25 July 2017
Komodo National Park, Indonesia, dive cruise July 2017
Mission report from a great trip on the best liveaboard!
The video below is by my dive buddy Luca, published with his kind permission.
01 July 2017
Sesquicentennial of Canadian independence 1867 - 2017
Everything is red and white, with many flags flying the distinctive maple 🍁 leaf. Bruce is proud of his flag because it is distinctive of its country, flags should be unique and immediately associated with the idea of the country they represent, a symbol. I agree, Italy's red white green is the same trio of colors used by many countries, kind of boring.
PM Justin Trudeau makes a bilingual speech.
My main takeaway is that Canada is not a melting pot like it big southern neighbor. Each culture of its constituent peoples remains distinct, each Canadian keep his or her identity which being part of the national society.
Yesterday we celebrated with our Ottawan friends, who organized a great garden party for the occasion. A whole pig on the spit, good wines and croquet for all in a lush garden. What a civilized way to celebrate!
27 June 2017
Visit to Stratus Vineyards, Ontario, Canada
Jf and Marco at Stratus |
2013 Stratus White, 13.8%abv
37% chard, 34% sauvignon, 26% sémillon, 3% viognier
Composition can change from year to year, increase chard if want more roundness, more Sauvignon if need more acidity
gold yellow, complex, vanilla. Ready
Score 92, CAD 38
2014 Stratus Chardonnay, 13.5%abv
246 days in French oak (63% new)
deep straw yellow, balanced
two thirds left on lees in bottle, can filter if needed before drinking
Score 90 CAD 48
2013 Stratus Red, 13.5%abv
30% Merlot, 27% cab sauv, 25% cab franc, 11 syrah, 3% sangiovese
deep ruby red, black fruits, leather, smoky
good acidity and tannins
needs 2-3 years at least
score 88 CAD44
2013 Stratus Cabernet Franc, 13.5%abv
552 days in French oak (23% new)
cab franc most planted red in Canada
deep ruby red, black cherries, , ready
score 93 CAD 38
2013 Stratus Sangiovese, 13.6%abv
the only sangiovese 100% in Niagara
garnet red, well balanced, moderate length
Score 88, CAD 42
2016 Stratus Riesling Icewine, 12.9%abv
54% viognier, 46% sémillon
light straw yellow, consistent
more aromatic than in Germany
need more alcohol to balance higher residual sugar
35 brix, 250 grams of sugar
Score 92 CAD 40 (200ml bottle)
2016 Stratus icewine red,
40% petit verdot, 40% cab sauv, 30% cab franc
light cherry color, rhubarb, cassis
pair with chocolate advised, they soak choc beans with lees of wine!
score 88, CAD 40 (200ml bottle)
06 June 2017
Boisdale Mayfair whisky and cheese
Illegal production in XVIII century, moved distillery to highlands away from taxman, got away with it for a while.
2. Speyside 15yrs old French oak reserve
darker sweet spicy
Devon cow and goat milk cheese smooth soft
3. Speyside cask strength 1822 1st time UK king visited Scotland George IV. liked women drink esp French wine. Wanted to try illegal whisky
first they denied then a local judge agreed because it was the king. George IV lowered taxes to encourage distillery to go legal.
Many distillery called themselves glenlivets until 1980 s
4. cheese pecorino, soft
oloroso sherry cask glenlivets whisky
very rich smooth dark amber color
800 USD for a cask, expensive
whisky companies pay coopers and bodegas in Spain to make sherry even if little demand for sherry. so sherry now so cheap because made to produce casks and to age whisky in
These days average consumers drink fruity speyside
Glenlivet company
Chivas régal 25 yo
first every luxury scotch whisky
created for America early Xx century
favorite of Frank sinatra made it famous
dark amber
Paired with Cornish cheese, sweet smooth soft
Recensione libro: Tramonto alle Maldive (1993) by Anne Weale, ***
Le Maldive: spiagge bianche profumate d'Oriente... Pur conoscendo per motivi professionali tutti i possibili inconvenienti tecnici di una crociera alle Maldive, l'accompagnatrice turistica Charlotte non può certo accettare di condividere la stessa cabina con un uomo, anche se l'affascinante Dean sarebbe un ottimo compagno di stanza per le sue vacanze. E infatti, qualche giorno dopo...
Recensione
Il romanzo è ambientato alle Maldive, ma potrebbe essere anche altrove. Mare tropicale, caldo, sensualità e un triangolo amoroso sono gli elementi principali della storia che si snoda piacevolmente tra spiagge, barche e noci di cocco. Il lettore che non sia mai stato alle Maldive viene portato per mano per le isole e può assaporare qualche assaggio dell'atmosfera locale. La storia in se stessa è un po' prevedibile, ed il finale quasi scontato, ma ciononostante mi ha fatto piacere leggerla. Alcuni dei personaggi sono dipinti a colori vividi e realistici.
25 May 2017
Book review: Living in Italy: The Real Deal - How to Survive the Good Life - an expat guide (2017) by Stef Smulders, ***
Stef is a Dutch expat who moved to Italy in 2008, accompanied by his husband and dog, to start their bed and breakfast Villa I Due Padroni in the Oltrepò Pavese wine region, just 50 km (30 miles) south of Milan. In 2014 Stef published his first book (in Dutch) about their life in Italy. This is the English translation that is available since November 2016.
Review
The author sent me the book asking to review it, and I am grateful for that. It is at times interesting reading, though so many foreigners have come to Italy to renovate a quaint property that one hardly finds anything new: bureaucratic complications, delays, Italians who have funny habits and don't know what they are doing but are so charming.
Though I do not doubt they sincerely love Italy I feel the authors do not really think highly of Italians. Once Barzini, the great journalist, said "Italians respect Germans but don't like them. Germans like Italians but don't respect them". I feel the Dutch couple in the oltrepò pavese feels the same.
Also I don't understand why the text is interspersed with Italian words. Yes, sometimes there is no obvious translation, but why write "architetta" instead of the English "architect"? It does not add much at all.
More broadly, the book's title is a bit misleading. It is not a book about life in Italy, but about the couple's renovation project, which takes virtually all of the book.
"How to survive the good life" kind of gives it away: it seems to suggest Italy has a lot to offer except they make so difficult for you... if only it could be run by Dutchmen...
10 April 2017
Film review: You and Me (2013) by Zhang Yimou, ****
Golden-globe winning Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has staged his first Peking opera at the NCPA, spectacularly fusing the traditional and modern together for his production of You and Me. This production is an overwhelming feast for the senses. Lavish and colorful costumes, unique music composed and conducted by Zhu Shaoyu, and a world class ensemble that features the greatest stars of the Peking opera, including Meng Guanglu, Shi Yihong, and Li Mingyan, turn You and Me into an unforgettable experience. You and Me is based on the age-old tale from the Zuo legend, Lord Zheng defeats Duan in Yan, which is a story about deceit and the power of filial love. Zhang Yimou recounts the story using the stylistic elements of the Peking opera, which in turn he makes accessible for an entirely new audience. This release also includes Tradition versus Modernity, a documentary about Peking opera and the making of You and Me.
It can be a bit difficult to follow for a Western audience, even with the help of subtitles. We are not used to Chinese music's tonalities and rhythm, but I would encourage the listener to try and be patient and they.
"You and Me" is based on the age-old tale from the Zuo legend “Lord Zheng defeats Duan in Yan” – a story about deceit and the power of filial love. Zhang Yimou recounts the story using the stylistic elements of the Peking Opera, which in turn he makes accessible for an entirely new audience.
The production of "You and Me" attaches great importance to tradition. It follows the aesthetic principle of paying tribute to the Peking opera tradition while adding a new approach to its traditional props of “one desk and two chairs”. Says Zhang Yimou: “My concern was to produce a unique Peking opera, not a unique genre, but a unique way of putting it across.” (from IMZ)
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