Dec 27, 2008

What do gay people have to do with Crunchy nuts???

I mean... yes I know.. I'm supposed to write about Gina, Elaine, Xmas and all that.. but it was a bad day... Mamma mia ( the musical ) didn't go down that well and ice skating in Somerset house is a stupid idea... so... I was reading the blogs... Despite... I'm not supposed to stay on the computer.. and blablabla... ( said computer now also has a missing key, due to attack of rage the other night... fuelled by Gina)
Gina also met M. she loved her... if only she knew.. anyway... she even said.. la Cina e' vicina! she even taught her how to put eyeshadow properly for her shape of eyes..
Done the Xmas mass too which included Mike with saddled shorts and cycling shoes, humming snow machine ( yes in the church) and all that..

Anyway.... reading the blogs I learnt that our dear Pope hates gay.. ( or abnormal people as Gina calls us... well you ... ) so I googled it.. to find.. this bizarre book and the comparison between gay and crunchy nuts...

Merry Xmas

Hideous pictures of usual hideous presents from Gina and her friend will follow... they even managed a black Santa candlestick holder ( but that's fashionable this year!)

Anyway on a different note... why do people want kids ( well.. and here many of you can answer that question.. so please do )

Dec 10, 2008

Dec 5, 2008

Dutch people have a spanish tall pirate as Santa Claus

I discovered today that Dutch people believe in Black Peter, which comes by steam boat to bring presents to dutch kids.
Magic mushrooms must have been popular far before we imagine!



Before elves and eight tiny reindeer, St. Nicholas had a much more menacing assistant. Named Black Peter, this companion was the physical opposite of St. Nicholas. Tall and gaunt with a dark beard and hair, Black Peter was associated with the punitive side of Christmas. Traditionally St. Nicholas would hand out presents to good children, while it fell to Black Peter to dole out coal (and sometimes knocks on the head) to children who misbehaved.

Black Peter, or Zwarte Piet in Dutch, began in Holland in the 15th century. His dark appearance is supposed to suggest a Spaniard, a reflection of Spain's occupation of the Netherlands at the time. Black Peter was also associated with pirates, a common threat to naughty Dutch children was that he would take them to a pirate's hide out and beat them. He was often represented holding a large stick for this purpose. The large bag that he held was rumored to be used for stuffing children in for the trip back to Spain. At the time "Black Peter" was a euphemism for the devil, and it was thought that St. Nicholas, being a representative of God, had beaten the devil and made him his servant. Thus it fell to Black Peter to hand out the punishments, while St. Nicholas dealt with the more pleasant sides of Christmas.

While the Dutch St. Nicholas has always been represented in much the same way, similar to the original saint in long robes with a staff, tall mitre hat, and white beard, Black Peter has been depicted in many different ways. Originally a stereotypical Spaniard in pirate garb, due to the political situation in Holland at the time, his later incarnations would also reflect popular politics. In the nineteenth century, at the height of imperialism, he was alternately portrayed as an Indian and an African in traditional dress. Rather than the devil that had been made a servant of St. Nicholas, Black Peter was now thought to be a slave who had become the willing servant of St. Nicholas. Many of the illustrations took on racist symbolism, often showing Black Peter in shackles and tattered garments. Peter's job was to remove the hay and carrots from the shoes that had been left by children underneath their chimneys, and to drop candy and gifts in their place. If the children had been bad, Peter wouldn't remove the hay and would leave a rod in place of a gift.

In parts of central Europe like Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, the character of Black Peter was a more like a monster, with horns, long hair, and a red tongue. He was known by a variety of names: Klaubauf, Krampus, Grampus, Bartel. St. Nicholas sent naughty children to him to be beaten.

Nowadays there is still not one universal image of Black Peter, but he has lost his large stick and is usually dressed in a Renaissance page style costume with short pants, stockings, and a cap with a large feather. He has not lost his connection to Africa; he is still always portrayed by a person in blackface, and often wears gold earrings.

The character gained popularity in the twentieth century and St. Nicholas's and Black Peter's annual arrival in Holland became more elaborate. During World War II, it was thought that the tradition would be suspended, until Canadian soldiers offered some of their tanks to use for the purpose. It didn't seem to make sense to have more than one St. Nicholas. So on one of the tanks rode St. Nicholas and one Black Peter, while multiple Black Peters rode on the other tanks. The tanks, with Canadian soldiers at the helm and Black Peter sitting on the back, traversed the countryside, handing out candy and gifts to children who waited by the roadside. The practice of more than one Black Peter stuck and has continued since then.

Today the negative associations have left Black Peter and he has become more of an elf-like figure, an assistant to an overloaded St. Nicholas who helps to hand out gifts every December 5th, St. Nicholas Day in Holland. The Dutch continue to stage elaborate arrivals of Santa Claus and Black Peter. In the weeks before the feast, Santa and Black Peter arrive by boat, supposedly from Spain, and are greeted by ever increasing crowds of excited children and adults.

Dec 4, 2008

F.U.C.K.

It's not a swear word. It's not rude, it's just obeying to monarchy. It comes from the expression

Fornicate
Under the
Command of the
King

Dec 3, 2008

Credit crunch is affecting blogging

well not all blogging which has increased exponentially, but my group of friends' blogging.

Well all of us have been working harder than any other time, traveled more than any other year and after all that... a wall. Solid wall.

The strange thing is that instead of being sucked by the various systems, politics, people and so on, we could all use our talent to suck the world. Still don't understand why we don't, but there are many things that my mind can't justify.

BTW next time anybody mentions the Mafia in relations to my motherland, I won't refrain to mention Wall Street.

The only positive thing about the credit crunch is that eventually dining out has been replaced by dinner with friends.
Food is 10 times better, you can stand up and walk around while waiting between courses.
You can sip different wines and drink 10 bottle of prosecco at the price of one.. ( because you know you get 40% off at the off license). Nice no?

ah cool.. see writing a blog.. it's good. Made me found the only positive note in my life at the moment... apart from getting spot on view on the latest market view ( but that's boring for you).

Went to one of those dinners last night... Wonderful...

Welcome drink:

Passion fruit & champagne cocktail

Starter:

Scallops with chilly sause on a bed of spinach leaves

Main:

Duck filled with asparagus, heavenly mash & rocket

Dessert:
Merengue with strawberry foam.
& dessert wine.

10 bottles of prosecco
3 white wine
6 red wine

And the host tests gadgets.. So.. it was heaven for me.
The night ended with vibrating massage device session, to spot what was the best.
Other funny moments included travel electronic skipping ropes...and running up and down stairs with walkie takie.


Now.. tell me if that is possible in Nobu?

Anyway she rocks..

Meredith : The Dollar Dominatrix ( the market is at her feet)

"Listen, people. I know you all think Citi is on its last leg, about to be cast into the scrap heap of corporate history. However, I received some intel this morning which leads me to believe your worrying is for naught ("intel" = New York Post article). Meredith Whitney gave an exclusive interview to the paper in which she, not surprisingly, tore open Citi's rectum via her 8-inch spiked heel (this time not at their request). " ( from dealbreaker)

And... shall we want to compare animals here....