Food in Berlin

Posted on 2014-09-24 by gigi

Tuna sandwich and cappuccino at CaffÃ¨ e Gelato in Potsdamer Platz.
Weird combination, specially for a place with good ice cream, but it really hit the spot.
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Ramen soup and sake cocktail at Cocolo Ramen in X-Berg.
This is as good as the hype makes it. Superb food.
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Pulled pork and brisket at Markt Halle Neun in X-berg.
Ana and Paulo took me there once and I love it. Every time I remember (and they are open, which is at very specific times) we give it another go. Meat done perfectly.
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Sausage with mash and sauerkraut at Maximilians in Mitte.
Default German food craving restaurant for lunch with Telmo. Delicious traditional food.
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Crisp knuckle of pork with Bavarian cabbage at Augustiner in Mitte.
Eating this two pound piece of meat was like playing “Operation” but in a delicious way. Another default German food restaurant. Delicious!
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Designpanoptikum

Posted on 2014-09-19 by gigi

Designpanoptikum – Surreales Museum fÃ¼r industrielle Objekte.

This unusual Berlin museum is a private collection open to the public by a film photographer who stopped photographing after photography went digital, and now dedicates his time collecting industrial objects he finds, turning them into surreal and improbable sculptures.

I visited mid August with my friend G. and we both had a nice time trying to figure out what the objects had been used for originally, while pestering the guide for answers.

Designpanoptikum

American Hustle [2013]

Posted on 2014-09-18 by gigi

American Hustle poster

Last evening we had the pleasure of watching American Hustle.
I loved it. It was fun, pretty to look at, had an amazing performance by all actors and was written beautifully.
If you didn’t watch it yet, go do it now. (Of course you probably watched it already because it came out last year so good job!)

Fantastic! Fantastic, I tell you.

Here’s the trailer:

News

Posted on 2014-09-15 by gigi

So…
Here we are…
How have you been since August? Good? Good…

So, I’ve been busy. I’ve released a book and I’ve re-made my good old namesake site to include all my work areas in one place.

Go check it out:

The book is called Naked In His Bed and you can buy it in Kindle format or Paperback here.
And the site is appropriately named GiselaFrancisco.com and you can visit by clicking here. That site has a blog now so if you enjoy reading this one you might like that one tooâ€”so be sure you subscribe to the RSS feed.

Cheers!

Is this a trend in romcoms?

Posted on 2014-08-19 by gigi

I was home alone for a few days so I got the opportunity to watch some romcoms that I refuse to cram down my husband’s throat–you are welcome babycakes!.

I ended up watching Take This Waltz [2011] and Blue Valentine [2010], which have respectively 77% and 87% on Rotten.

If you don’t want spoilers stop reading now.

I liked the performances (mostly). To be honest I think Seth Rogen, whom I usually love, did a poor job on Take This Waltz but it’s okay. My problem was not with the actors, or the writing, or the photography of each movie; It was with the bland endings.

I don’t particularly like romcoms. Some are fun (few), some are just relaxing to watch when I’m alone, but both these movies had a dark underline of pseudo-realism that made me think.
I don’t need characters that always end up stupidly happy but to end in miserable relationships is too uncomfortable. Too boring. More boring than Happily Ever After. I don’t watch romcoms to reflect on life’s cruel/ironic streak. Bloody hell…

(Now for real spoilers:)

In Take This Waltz, Michelle Williams’ character chooses to go with her gut and ends up regretting it and looking back onto her previous relationship with remorse.

In Blue Valentine, Ryan Gosling’s character is a good guy. A VERY good guy. Yet–you guessed it–Michelle Williams’ character grows to hate him despite him being a good guy, and longs for the BAD BAD GUY that left her pregnant and alone.

I know that in reality good guys that raise someone else’s child don’t rank high in the attractiveness scale but COME ON! Since when have we become so jaded that this is what we like to watch in our free time?

Is this what kids think romance is? A distorted look into the hardships of relationships? Yes, relationships are hard but do we have to strip all the complexity out of a story and present the naked ugliness of what remains? As if presenting “truth”? Bullshit.

I guess that the fact that the female characters in both movies were played by Michelle Williams, and the fact that they have the same sort of visual feel to them, left me disturbed with the whole concept. Is this a thing now?

Hometown 2014

Posted on 2014-08-18 by gigi

2014-08-04 at 21-05-57

Popped down to Portugal for a few pleasant days with my family in the beginning of August. I love the smell of that ocean.

Good Will Hunting [1997]

Posted on 2014-08-14 by gigi

Good Will Hunting poster

Finally saw this one on account of Robin Williams’ death. I was perusing his movies and noticing the fact that although he stared in one of my favourite flicks as a teen–Dead Poets Society–I didn’t really watched that many of his movies. Basically because I’m not into movies with funny men doing voices. No hating, it’s just not my preference.

Apart from Dead Poets Society, I remember loving Good Morning, Vietnam. I also remember a couple of movies I really disliked. I guess I have mixed reviews about his choice in scripts but hey! Not everyone is into what I write either and that is all right. As long as you are happy doing what you do, good for you.

So, yeah, I saw Good Will Hunting yesterday and it was all right. I didn’t love it but I understand these movies are a bit dated, or at least done for a specific audience. I don’t know how Dead Poets Society would fare in my eyes have I just seen it yesterday… The age and time in your life when you watch or read a piece of work is very important.

Did I cry? Yes. I don’t know if this is something you guys know about me but I’m a sucker for a good cry. Sad things, happy things, true things, injustice, justice, puppies, you name it: If I’m Alone I Will Be Crying My Eyes Out.
If I’m with someone, I’m more like: This Doesn’t Bother Me, Pfff… (while letting the tears just tumble down my face and hope nobody notices).

Yeah…

So I cried but I didn’t feel the connection. Probably because I should have seen this in my twenties, when it came out.

I did like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s performance (so young!) and think the rougher scenes added plenty to the colour of the whole movie.