Happy Halloween!

Family of the Year- Hero

I heard this song for the first time while watching the film Boyhood. I liked the film not only because of the way it was filmed, over twelve years with the same cast , but also because in the simple story of a boy's childhood the director shows us many of the truths of life.Both Patricia Arquette (I still miss Medium)and Ethan Hawke are great in the film and of course Ellar Coltrane who plays the part of the boy who we actually see grow before our own eyes .

Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella: Review

Is this YA dystopia? Well, it certainly meets all the requirements to be a dystopian novel :

* A society which has undergone a terrible crisis.

* Complete corporate control.

* No freedom whatsoever.

* Constant surveillance by superiors and peers.

* Your life is valuable as long as you can contribute with endless hours of work. When you are unable to do so, you are no longer needed.


* Fear of the outside world.

However , Nicole Ciacchella has done a fine job describing a futuristic society which resembles today's business world, and it's really frightening.I had a really hard time reading this book , I enjoyed it and disliked it at the same time. I usually read to have a good time but it made me think of a toxic workplace .

Dara, the main character, reminds me of a young girl on her first day at work, unaware of backstabbing colleagues and office politics. Her supervisor behaves just like a control freak narcissistic psychopath who enjoys making people suffer.
The good thing is that there is a group of people who is against this unfair situation and wants to change things. If only a similar group existed nowadays (and I don't mean a biased trade union) and peacefully made our everyday life easier.

Not a Christmas advertisement by K-mart

Is it me?, or does X-mas start sooner every year?To my surprise ,the local supermarket where I usually shop has already started selling chocolate advent calendars and X-mas sweets.

For those of you who dread Christmas and everything that it involves :endless family reunions with relatives you haven't seen in the last twelve months, noisy children who seem to have grown out of nowhere, and overeating to the point of considering joining a gym by the end of the holiday; here comes a non-Christmas advertisement which won't make you any happier, but it is indeed original.

Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon used to be the capital of the French colony of Conchinchina (funny name) from 1955 until 1975.Nowadays the city boasts beautiful buildings , a war museum that I didn't have the courage to visit , heavy traffic, mostly motorcycles ,and a nice downtown area with good hotels and restaurants.

By PB.

Continental Hotel

Downtown 

The Central Post Office

The Municipal Theatre

Caravelle Hotel

Crowded streets

 Ben Thanh market is a popular destination for locals and tourists. However I must say that without the help of a nice policeman whose job is to walk with tourists and  cross the road to get to the market I would have never seen it.No matter how young and fit you are you think more than twice before risking your life in such a chaotic traffic.

Ben Thanh Market

Tue Thanh meeting house ,the Reunification Palace and  the church of Notre Dame are interesting landmarks in this city.

Tue Thanh in Chinatown

The Reunification Palace

Notre Dame