April 25th 2013
Recently...
Recently Bought
I came across these incredible balls of chocolate treats at a recent arts event in Shanghai. The brand: Fefa’s Brazilian Treats. Essentially these are handmade balls of chocolate (in a variety of flavours and toppings) which are traditionally known as Brigadeiros – a must have at any Brazilian birthday celebration. In our box of four (RMB 60) we had dark chocolate with sprinkles and a Bailey’s fusion with coconut flakes. Delicious!
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Recently Watched
Although Season 2 has just started in Canada, we are still getting through the first season. Taking place during World War II in the 1940s, the setting is a Canadian bomb-making factory. Working on the floor are the women who, in a sexist era, are doing the job men are supposed to be doing. Inevitably, the ladies lives are interwoven in a variety of sub-stories and drama.
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Recently Bought
Shanghai is an imported food paradise with many of leading Western products available. However, when it comes to more obscure or specialist food, finding it can be tough. Plantain has yet to hit these shores but an Ecuadorian entrepreneur is now importing KIWA chips. I picked up a pack of Chifles (plantain chips) at an Olé store at just RMB 15.5 for an 85g bag. Proud to be eating something healthy from Ecuador!
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Recently Received
I got given this book as a birthday present from one of my students. Written by Daniel Kahneman (Nobel Memorial Prize winner) it looks at how we process thoughts. He divides it into ‘System 1’ (fast and automatic) and ‘System 2’ (slow and calculating). The book is one big research into the results of both styles and ultimately gives the reader a chance to adopt some of those key principles in their own decision-making situations.
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April 18th 2013
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Recently Read
The current US edition of GQ has not one, not two but three different covers to choose from fronted by Bruno Mars (photo), presenter Jimmy Falon and Hollywood actor Jason Bateman. This special issue also holds the publication’s second annual style bible (I particularly liked their feature on fading-up with bold colours). The Reunion Island article on shark attacks is a candid look at when nature turns on man.
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Recently Spotted
City Shop is a chain of small-to-medium sized supermarkets found all over Shanghai. Their speciality is focusing on imported goods from all over the world. Not the most cost-effective place to shop and this was reiterated when I found a box of Yorkshire Tea (80 bags) still with its UK wrapped of £2.49 but marked up to RMB 76.8 (£7.70). I know Chinese customs can be pricey, but at least the original price could have been covered up somehow.
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Recently Watched
Written by comedy duo Ricky Gervais and Stephen Marchant, this mockumentary follows the life of Warwick Davis who unashamedly brandishes himself as the world’s leading dwarf actor. As with series ‘Extras’, cameo appearances practically take place in each episode including Steve Carell, Johnny Depp, Sting and the cherry on the top – Right Said Fred. British dry sense of humour abounds.
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Recently Bought
My Sony laptop charger which I bought in Malaysia fell apart. So, going down to Metro City – one of Shanghai’s electronics markets – I got a quote from the official Sony store of RMB 800 (£80) for a new one. Going up a few floors, I found an independent seller who was willing to sell me a –look-alike one (i.e. fake) for a fraction of the cost at just RMB 100 (£10). And it works! (Photo: left is real, right is fake.)
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April 11th 2013
Recently...
Recently Tried
We received this lovely box of stuffed dates from a friend of a friend. Saudi Arabian confectionary company Bateel pride themselves on combining “natural Arabian dates with the fine art of European chocolate making”. Definitely one for the fine food market with each of the fourteen dates inside the box individually wrapped and tied up in quality ribbon. Each had a very sweet taste which, according to the makers, is all natural sugar from the date itself.
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Recently Watched
After all the hype surrounding this movie, not to mention Best Pictures at the Oscars, we got to finally witness Ben Affleck’s little masterpiece. Set in 1970s/1980s Iran, six Americans find themselves in hiding at the Canadian Ambassador’s residence. The CIA is put in charge of getting their fellow American citizens out of the country as an Islamic revolution spreads like wild fire outside. The unorthodox rescue method makes this a compelling suspenseful story.
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Recently Watched
Corporate
America is the unlikely setting for an award-winning sitcom. Created by Mike
White and Laura Dern, the show picked up a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a
TV series which Dern herself also portrays. In season one Amy Jellicoe has
breakdown and loses her job, only to find herself on a retreat in Hawaii. The
second season picks up where Amy’s determined to bring down her company with
some underhanded tactics. You can’t help but feel sorry for her, at times,
pathetic character.
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Recently wAtched
Catching up on some of our unwatched back catalogue flicks, we catch Justin Timberlake starring alongside Amanda Seyfried in a sci-fi action movie where time is the new currency. Without it, you die (or ‘time out’). With touches of Biblical ‘mark of the beast’ makings and futuristic vehicles, JT is fixed on helping the less-fortunate in his hood by giving out freely, you guessed it, time whilst on the run from gangsters and the police (or ‘time keepers’).
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April 3rd 2013
Recently...
Recently Visited
Owned by a Japanese entrepreneur, Flow is a small Shanghai based-business specialising in essential oils, soaps and skin creams. The products draw on natural healing elements found in plants and the knowledge behind Chinese medicine practises. The owner was on hand to serve at her Tian Zi Fang store where she effortlessly switched between Japanese, English and Chinese. We picked up a mini wooden palette for our soap.
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Recently Watched
A very moving piece of film-work done documentary style focusing on the plight of Uganda’s LGBT community. ‘Kuchu’ is a term used to describe a homosexual. Here, the state, the Church and the pro-gay movement all come to a boiling point as an Anti-Homosexuality Bill is threatened to pass as law. Human Rights verses strong Biblical beliefs make this a very emotional ride with all sides passionate about their cause.
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Recently Bought
Wandering down a tiny lane in Shanghai’s Dapuqiao area, I came across a man called ‘Xu’. He had fixed three shells to an outdoor bare brick wall which was his store. Using disregarded used coke cans, he skilfully moulded and painted different strips into tiny little figurines. There were traditional bridges, animals and pagodas. As if to prove the point, he showed me his right hand which was obviously covered in hard skin and calluses from his constant grafting.
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Recently Watched
Director Seth Gordon tackles a problem that is on the increase worldwide. He does so with a dash of comedy and a good old fashioned road trip across some US states. Actors Jason Bateman (who plays Sandy, the victim) and Melissa McCarthy (Diana, the fraudster) come face-to-face as Sandy is determined to restore the goodness of his name and claim back his stolen identity. By far, McCarthy steals the show on laughability.
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