Holiday Food Fail

Picture by: dunno source. Submitted by: Hans Gruber via Fail Uploader

Taken in St Ives, Cornwall. Sign put up by local Council

Obama signs a guest book in the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is no longer forbidden territory anymore. And we should be grateful for that. Why? If you have had the honor to visit this extraordinary place, you will understand.

This stunning complex of imperial buildings, right in the heart of the Chinese capital, is one of the most magical sights in the world. It’s so overwhelming that once you’ve been there, you’ll keep talking about it whenever you have the opportunity.

Let’s look at some facts.

The Forbidden City is the former palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties. It was planned and built from 1407 to 1420, and for its design and layout principles of Feng Shui were used. An estimated 200,000 workers helped to construct it.

The numbers explain why so many people were needed: there are 800 buildings with a total of 8,886 rooms. The word ‘city’ is not misused as it measures 961 meters from north to south and 753 meters from east to west.

A 52-meter wide moat (6 meters deep) and an 8-meter high wall around the complex kept intruders (and ordinary people!) away until the fall of the Empire in 1912.

Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the buildings are used as a museum.

Again, the numbers are impressive. The Palace Museum holds no less than 340,000 pieces of ceramics and porcelain as well as 50,000 items of paintings. I regret to say that once you’re there, you won’t have time to see everything, but even a quick review can make you speechless.

The sheer size of the complex is impressive, but a problem at the same time. How can you make the most out of your visit?

If you go there on a guided tour, the guide will likely follow the middle path to save time. In two hours time you’ll see the most important parts of the city, but since there’s so much to pay attention to, you will hardly have time to stop.

If you go there alone, use a full day and come early. Don’t plan to visit any other sights on that day, just the Forbidden City. If you take your time and enjoy what you see, you can spend half a day and still only see half of it.

Another good idea is renting the audio guide at the entrance.

Don’t be intimidated by the crowd at the entrance. Yes, it’s very touristy and it can take a while before you are in, but once people have got their ticket the crowd splits up in several groups.

Take a rest in the imperial gardens. Jingshan Park, with an artifical hill, is the most famous. You’ll feel an emperor for a second when you sit there!

Finally, if you want to get into the mood, you could watch The Last Emperor, the first Hollywood movie for which the government of China allowed to film inside the complex.

The Forbidden City is right in the heart of the city, so it’s easy to reach from the place you’re staying. For the best deals on hotels in Beijing, check out http://www.hotelscombined.com/City/Beijing.htm?a_aid=4d780272

Roya was an afghan student I met at Jamia Milia Islamia in 2007 at a screening of Osama(2003). She told me over cups of tea about doing Women’s Studies in India, of her family which wants her to be educated and a Taliban regime that doesn’t. Unfortunately I lost touch with her, but she is in my thoughts.

Dear Roya…

What is it like?

To wake up every morning to a shattered world…

To know that your life is caged.

Within the twisted lies,

men -make

of God’s truth.

How does it feel? …

To peer through the darkness of a blue shroud

and  find the entire sky,

opening up inside of you.

What do you think…?

When alien ideas turn like keys inside your head.

Tell me,

Do you sometimes stand and stare at the light…

shining behind forbidden doors?

She looked up as the door opened again, expecting another couple to exit with their farewells.  To her surprise, he emerged, holding two steaming mugs, attempting to wrestle the door closed with minimal spillage.  She watched for a few moments, waiting, then he sighed and held out a mug without looking at her.  She took it without a word, drinking as he pulled the door shut and sat on the stoop beside her, nursing his own beverage.

They sat in silence for a few moments, then he broke it.  ”Too dull indoors, or do you just enjoy frostbite?”

She looked down, realizing slowly that she couldn’t feel her toes any longer.  ”I forgot that I wasn’t wearing shoes.”

He nodded, taking another sip, and waited.

She sighed.  ”You need to promise to relax and not run screaming.”

He looked surprised.  ”As long as you don’t pull out a rusty knife, I think we’re good.”

She took a deep breath, then it all came spilling out, words tumbling over others in a rush to emerge into the real world.  ”I… can’t be serious around you.  It’s not that I don’t want to be, but simply that it is a very bad idea.  In fact, I need to avoid you.”  She waited, watching him from the corner of her eye for any sign of a reaction.

He took another drink, then looked down at his mug.  ”Well, when you finished our conversation then practically ran from the room, I figured something was up.”

This was it.  Now or never.  She set down her mug and angled her body to face him slightly.  ”You are a Good Man.  You’re witty and smart and wickedly funny, and I see the deeper, more serious parts that you try to hide, too.  I feel drawn to your soul, almost compelled to be near you, and that scares me more than a little bit, especially given–” she waved her hand, alluding to their earlier exchange, “everything.  It’s not a good idea for me to talk to you, yet when we do I find myself truly enjoying the banter.  You keep me on my toes, which is rare among my acquaintances,” she finished with a laugh.

He still stared down at his drink, his mouth unmoving, but his eyes crinkled for a moment.

She shrugged.  ”Don’t say anything, don’t try to make me feel better because I don’t feel sad or embarrassed or awkward.  I only wanted to tell you because I can only dance around for so long.”  She waited a beat.  ”And I might’ve overindulged on the egg nog.”   Another beat.  ”And I told myself that if by some miracle you came out here, I’d be honest with you whether you wanted to hear it or not.”

He finally looked at her, face impassive.  ”Well.  Thanks for your honesty.”

She grinned.  ”Hey, who doesn’t want to hear that they’re compelling?  Even though it’s a dead end road,” she finished quietly.

Something flashed across his face, faster than she could identify.  ”Dead end?  Are you sure you don’t have that knife around here?”

She laughed out loud and bumped his shoulder with her own.  ”You know what I mean.”

He finally grinned in return.

She stood, brushing off invisible dirt.  ”Well.  I need to go drink a lot more.  I promised Jessica that I would keep up with her, and she’s really slamming them back.”

He stood, and picked up their empty mugs.  ”Oh, one quick thing.”

She looked up at him, realizing suddenly that he stood so close she could feel his body heat, and she forced her automatic hum of approval into a question.  ”Mmm?”

“I agree.”  His voice sounded gravelly.  ”We should stay far apart and keep the banter shallow and witty.”  Was he leaning closer?

She swallowed.  ”Of course, shallow and witty is my natural state, so that won’t be too difficult for me.”  He was telling her to keep away from him.  She curled her fingers into fists to keep from reaching out to touch him.

His mouth quirked up in a grin, then suddenly he asked quietly, “Why are you with him?”

She blinked at his sudden desire to confront the elephant in the room.  ”Uhm.  What?”

He made an impatient gesture, his eyes intent.  ”If we’re not going to have a serious conversation after this, then I’m going to ask my deep burning questions now.”

“Well…”  she shrugged.  ”He loves me.  He knows me.  He’ll be a good father, good husband.  If I don’t have the fireworks and the fiery passionate craziness, that just means I’m a grown-up now, right?”  She looked down at her fingers, twisting and clenching over one another.

“So he’s safe.”  His voice was flat, a low monotone.

Her head snapped up, eyes angry.  ”And?”

“And it’s a copout and you know it!  You’re choosing the safe, steady path because you’re too afraid to risk anything, but the whole point of loving someone is that you risk everything, every day, all for that person who makes you so crazy with love and fear and anger that you’re dizzy every time you look at them, and they’re so irresistible to you that you’re practically ‘compelled’ to seek them out using the flimsiest of excuses just so you can be near them for a few blessed hours before parting ways again until the next time.”  His voice had steadily risen until he was shouting, hands stabbing the air to make his point.

Her mouth hung open in shock.  ”How dare you!”

He suddenly dropped the mugs on the lawn, grabbed her upper arms and yanked her to him, kissing her hard on the mouth and releasing her just as suddenly.  ”Stay away from me!” he shouted, and turned to go inside.

She reached out to pull him back, whether to shake him or slap him was undecided, but he turned back and slid his arms around her just as she flung her arms around his neck, and their mouths fused in a desperate kiss, full of anger and longing and frustration and pent-up desire.

When he finally released her, there were tears on her cheeks.  He gently touched her jaw with the back of his hand, and said quietly, “Go back inside, you’ll freeze out here.”

Her lips parted for a moment, and she hesitated, about to speak.  But he bent down to pick up the forgotten mugs, and she relented, stumbling back inside the house, head whirling.

A Forbidden Time is one of the first Shotacon anime’s I ever downloaded from the internet, and it is one of my favorites! All together, their are 7 episodes in this mini-series, and I have not found any information regarding the continuation of the anime. It has never been brought over to America (for obvious reasons) and I have not been able to find any of the episodes with English subtitles.

From what I know about this anime, it is a story about a high school girl (Saki) who is hired to babysit three young junior high school boys (I don’t know their names). Little does she know about the sexual debauchery and humiliation that will come once she is left alone with the three curious and lust-filled boys.

What makes this one of the best Shotacon anime’s out there, is the fact that, for once, the boys are not the ones being taken advantage of. The tables in this anime have turned, and it is now the older woman that must be forced into submission by these three horny boys. It is a classic example that refutes the claim that all Shotacon and Lolicon are about the sexual abuse of children!

The quality of the anime is fairly good, though it was made some years ago (it aired in Japan between 2000 and 2002). The downloaded version that I was able to get my hands on had good sound quality and picture (I downloaded it from an anime bit-torrent). I was happy to discover that most of the episodes were uncensored, and though the orgasm seens were a bit lacking in luster, any appendages shown were ok in artistic replication.

Anyone who is interested in, or wanting to get into, Shotacon and Shotacon related anime should DEFINITELY download this anime and watch it. Unless you speak Japanese fluently, or have found an English version (tell me if/when you do) you won’t be able to understand the dialog of the show. However, the sex scenes are really enjoyable, and you will probably get a kick out of all the ways those three boys torture their babysitter! ^///^

P.S. Feel free to leave a comment or question!

it hurts my feeling..its really do..to read his msg, we were not saying goodbye, but, this feels worse than that..it breakes me into pieces..to know whether he’s fine/not..he ate/not..he had money to buy food/not..how did he lives..i was tired, but still i do worries about him..i want to release him when he has enough strength to fly..maybe the best way for him is just let him to find his own path..even its a hard path..on the contrary,i try to offer the way that can be accepted by all people,but he refuses it..

it feels like im going to help him again,but on the other side,i want him to be able to fly,i guess ill just let him try to learn fly by himself..then i remember at what my friend had said,”do you love him/not?”at that time i cant answer it,now i do but i cant let it be that way..and then i asked my self,what do you looking for as a man’s character?do you want a man like you or such as the way now?its a hard question tough,but i prefer he must be loving,kind and caring like just like now,but he needs to hardwork&consider also.it makes me sick,why do we have to live bring what other peoples hope on us..i guess,it will take a longtime before i cant continue to other lovelifestage.

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New image in the typography art photoshop contest

This was completely done in photoshop CS4. Tools used: text tool, Free transform, Move tool & paint bucket for the background. My work depicts the …
Adam,Eve & The Forbidden Fruit photoshop picture

I cannot believe all that both of us have put up with from each other over the years.  (Yes, I gave you a lot of pain.  There’s no way I’m going to deny that.  I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.)

I’ve known you for nearly half my life (off and on) and I think I’ve earned the right to be able to call your crap.  You were my best friend.  At one point, you were even my other half.  You knew me upside down and inside out.  And I’m fed up with your bullshit.  (well, I was a while ago, but only thought to write this now.)

Let’s face it: we’re still going to keep running into each other due to various family connections and church and such (or because fate likes to make you her bitch), so hey guess what, we’re going to hash this out.

A) I contacted you again because I missed you.  You were, at one time, the one person who knew me best, and I don’t believe in just tossing that aside lightly.  I never learned the concept of “letting go.”  and I never thought I would have to, when it came to you.  However, you can relax.  I did not want to ‘pick things up again’ because of several reasons, not the least of which was our personalities and the way we meshed.  Bad idea all the way around.  So stop acting so jumpy.  I thought I’d made that clear, but I guess I should’ve set it in stone.

(And, to my surprise, contacting you worked!  I loved being able to talk to you, to share, to have a small part of that old, pre-disaster connection.  It was good, it was fun, it was “us” again.  then… wtf.)

B)  Like you said, I’ve changed.  Grown-up me doesn’t believe in holding back, or pretending.  Life is too short for games.  There is a part of me that still loves you, (not in the ‘hey let’s date’ way, or the ‘unrequited’ way, but the ‘old friends who shared a lot’ affectionate way), and I probably always will.  I’m not going to pretend that you didn’t mean a lot to me, or that you didn’t have a lot of influence in my life.  (Not all of it was positive, but we’re human and that’s life.)

C)  Good things about you: the way you are able to be attentive to the little things.  don’t change that.

D)  Bad things about you:  never ever ever EVER tell a girl what is wrong with her physical appearance.  We know.  I still can’t believe I put up with it from you, or that you would have the sheer jackassery to even say it.  It still makes me wish I had just outright punched you in the face.

E)  Grown-ups say “hey, I’m seeing somebody, so peace.”  or whatever excuse you want to use.  (Even that is rude, but whatever.)  Dropping off the face of the planet is the most cowardly of all possible recourses you could’ve used.  And that’s sad.  Even for you.  I know you take ‘non-confrontation’ to new levels of ridiculous, but really.  Man up.   Even the unspoken one had the fortitude to call me, and he was the scum of the earth.

F)  Along those lines, yes, the bf and I are together.  I guess it’s not surprising to a lot of people, but it’s something that really never occurred to me before.  I guess I win that age-old question of whether he loves you more than he loves me.

G)  If you’re happy, then great.  Really.  I hope the east coast is amazing for you.  If I ever see you again, I’ll smile and be nice, because like I said, life is too short for pretending.  I just didn’t want to leave anything unsaid.

I’ll be honest, I’ve wished that I could just banish you forever.  I know you said that it’s hard for you to ignore me, and that you wanted to see if I’d “reconnect the threads” or something.  The truth is, I don’t think those ‘threads’ will ever fully break.  And it frustrates me.  A lot.  You’ve said before that I was the one person you could count on for the rest of your life.  Well… I’m holding that end of the bargain.  Yes, our love has changed (drastically) from what it was.  Perhaps, in your case, it’s faded entirely.

I give up.  I’m putting all my cards on the table, because I’m at a place where it’s okay for me to completely humiliate myself in front of people who have demonstrated that they could care less whether I take a flying leap into the lake or whatever nonsense phrase you’d like to use.  (It helps, I suppose, to know that I have someone who loves me and has never treated me half as badly as you did at one point.)

Let’s review, okay?

no more crap…  I missed you, not in love with you, there’s a big difference… ummm… good and bad…  other people…. oh yes.  one last thing.

I have bigger balls than you.

Have a nice life.

New image in the famous monuments photography contest

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Beijing, The Forbidden City photography picture

The latest Rammstein album, “Liebe ist Fuer Alle Da” will not be displayed in stores, because it promotes sado-masochistic practices, according to a decision taken by the German authorities.

The German officials were disturbed by the lyrics of the song entitled “Ich tue Dir Weh / I Want to Hurt You”, and also by the album’s cover, in which on guitarist’s Richard Kruspe knees is sitting a naked woman wearing only a mask.

German distributors opinions are divided about banning the album, which will take effect by tomorrow. Some of them require a total ban on the album, others believe that the material will be sold under the counter, and sales will be driven by the advertising created by this decision.

Since the launch of the band in 1994, Rammstein has caused many controversies whit its albums, which attacked taboo topics such as sado-masochistic practices, homosexuality, incest, rape, necrophilia, pyromania, cannibalism and sexual violence.

there are a few sorts of forbidden fruits

those who contain too much sugar (grapes, water melon) that may ruin my diet. those who are too hard to old peoples teeth(fresh apples, nuts). those  who are raised  in Israel and some people rather not  buy them for humanitarian reasons they believe in (any kind of fruit that is exported from Israel). those who may seduce me from loving only him (extremely red apples, passion fruit , chocolate and cherries who were drowned in alcohol. and yes . you are too sort of a  forbidden fruit.

I thought of the many reasons of why they are forbidden, and which reason makes sense and whether I can  argue with  that sense. it sums up with the amount or consumption method that makes the different. not much philosophy but still important to make clear. I found that cautious consumption of any of the fruits will prevent hard consequences and killing the diet. baking the apples or shredding the nuts and mixing them with some milk will revive old skin . dates that were raised in the west bank are still geography wise considered Israel or at list not  yet another country and will support Palestinian farmers.  very red apples I don’t  like anyway . they re nice to watch.

Its only you I’m not aloud to consume. not even a tiny bite. not even one kiss.

[category pyongyang 2008, north korea 2009]

Here are some pictures you don’t find on the internet often… I’ve forgotten, what that particular metro station was called, but here are some pictures of it. It was very dark, since there were only a few energy-saving light-
bulbs to lit the entire station. At the end, you could see another mural of Kim-Il-Sung. The trains seemed to be old metro coaches from Berlin. Inside, it was very crowded, very hot, no ventilation, dark and the train went very very slowly through the tunnels.
ABOVE: What they want you to see…
BELOW: What they don’t want you to see.