Figure Skating World Championships 2008 Göteborg... Mao Asada

World championships figure skating at Göteborg, Sweden.

The free program for the ladies was skated on thursday night and what can you say about it. I guess there is just one thing to say!!! Absolutely stunning! How exciting and breathtaking it was! To see the final you have to posess very strong nerves cause it was really really nervebreaking!!
It started with Carlonina Kostner, the Italian woman who skated okay but not brilliantly.... Yu Na Kim who feel in the short program was 5 points behind and skated fantastic!! I think it was the best program of all ladies but it just wasn't enough.... She had a very special comeback but in the end she lacked 0.6 points. Well, she is only 17 and in my eyes she really is the very best in the world so next year she will have another chance to reign.

But it wasn't over at all after Yu Na Kim. Mao Asada was only 0.18 behind after the short program. She started and in her way to make her first jump she fell, she fell really hard. The audience was shocked and Asada seemed to be out for title candidat. One way or another she gave her all after her faal and everything was perfect! It's was so beautiful to watch, so dramatic and exciting I don't blame people for closing their eyes. Everyone had a hard time watching something so exciting and brilliant. Waiting for her points, the suspense was unbearable.... and.... Yes she won by one point! Mao Asada is the new world champion. Congratulations so much!
After Asada Yukari Nakano skated really wonderful and was given to little by the judges. She ended in fourth position.

What happened to former World champion Miki Ando? She started but injured herself. Sadness filled my heart when a single tear flew over her cheek. I hope the injury won't be too bad.

Asada, Koster, Yu Na Kim and Nakano... you really made this night a very special one! Thank you very much!

Farewell my concubine

A few weeks ago I finally got the opportunity to buy 'Farewell my concubine' on dvd in the Netherlands. My expectations of it were very high and after I finished it they survived. What makes this movie of such and outstanding class?

The director 'Chen Kaige' is famous for this movie, 'Emperor and the
Assasanin and Yellow Earth. Why he made something like 'the promise' is not really understandable because it doesn't reach the impact of his other movies.

Let's go back to farewell my concubine. The story deals completely about the opera, or rather said the 'Peking operea'. During the first scenes of this movie you will see how young children where trained to become an opera-star. Soon we will just follow two friends who become famous, one plays the emperor and one the concubine. It's completely normal for a boy to play a female character.

Because this boy (Leslie cheung) always plays as he woman he sort of gets into an personalitycrisis. He puts even make-up on when he is just walking the street, he totally becomes his character and falls in love with his friend (Zhang Fengyi). His friend starts a relationship with a girl (fantastic acting of Gong Li) and trouble starts in a fantastic love-triangle. Nothing like you would assume it would go!

On the background of this story we say the crazy times China is going through. Think of the rise of the Kwo Min Tang, the Japanese occupation and the cultural revolution.

The acting is very very strong and the costumes are beautifully made. I guess you have to get used to the music, cause most westerns don't really know Peking opera but after a while you will get absorped by it.

It's not the most funny or fast movie but just open your senses and enjoy this very special one.

Figure skating 2007/2008

Well the figure skating season has begun! Last saturday I watched an exhibition gala from Ingolstadt, Germany on television. What will it be this year...will Yu Na Kim this year take the gold in the world championships or wil Miki Ando strike again? We will know it in March when the world championships will be held from 16 till 23 March at Göteborg, Sweden! I hope it will be a great season!!

The first real matches were this weekend at quebec city Canada. Brian Joubert won the golden medal in men, van der Parre was second..very good my neighbour Belgium! In the women race Mao Asada took the gold in front of Yukari Nakano! The gold medal in pair skating went to Savchenko/Szolkowy. Silver medalist were Dube/Davison!

A beautiful picture of high favourite and winner Mao Asada


Next week the GP of China at Harbin!

Curse of the golden flower

Tonight I have seen Zhang Yimou's Curse of the golden flower! After 'Hero' and 'House of flying daggers' Zhang Yimou wanted to complete his trilogy of films which take place in three different dynasties. It's like a Shakespearian story situated in the forbidden city of China. It's full of love, intruige, sorrow and power. This movie overwhelmed me completely, the scenes are so perfectly beautiful the music is outstanding and the story is so exciting that before you know it this movie is over.
The acting of Gong Li (I have to say she seems to act brilliant in every movie she plays, from 'Red Sorghum' to 'curse of the golden flower', she is in my eyes one of the best actresses of the last few decades) is just wonderful, she caps every emotion in the perfect way. Chow Yun Fat plays the emperor, well I think it's almost the same like Gong Li, he seems to play wonderful always too.

I was drowned into the beauty of the forbidden çity, in the madness of the emperor and the sad story which really gets a hrip on your heart. How is it possible that only Chinese directors seem to be able to catch this magic feeling, to show these magic camerawork? I am not sure but I am just happy they know how to portrait the beauty you long for.
If this is a little glimpse in Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony for the Olympic games in Beijing, I guess it will be magnificent, even beyond imagination.

Kiss of dawn - HIM

It's happening!! On the 18th of September the new album 'Venus Doom' of HIM will be released. Already there is a new single that is called 'Kiss of dawn'. It's got the typical HIM sound which is a bit dark and gloomy.

'I'm reaching for your shadow, drowning in the kiss of dawn'

In the bottom part of my blog you can find this new video!

Discovery of ancient porcelain of South Korea

Well... because I am an archaeologist I just have to mention this find of porcelain in a South Korean shipwreck. It makes my world a little more brighter hehe.

"Ancient Korean porcelain from a shipwreck is seen in this undated handout released by the National Maritime Museum in Mokpo, South Korea. The collection includes hundreds of well preserved celadon cups, bowls, plates and other works that Yun said were for the noble class and government officials in the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled from 918-1392 and was known for its porcelain."

Field of hope, filled with sorrow

I see you there
wandering through this field filled with wild flowers
Staring at the far horizon
becoming one with your surrounding

I see you there
delicate and graceful, accompanied by the swirling wind
Trying to take you with it to the everlasting sky
saddened that it only gets grip of your hair



I can't move, I can't breath
My hand, it's reaching for you
reaching into thin air
a gesture filled with sadness and sorrow

I can't see your face,
scared of what will happen
I can't turn away anymore,
have to face my deepest fear

I see you there,
taking one single step away from me,
I lost you,
there are only flowers left.

Pictures of Zhang Ziyi and ethnic celebration

Just a picture of Zhang Ziyi during the celebration of 10th year anniversary of Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. I think her dress is really wonderful!

Picture taken during the opening ceremony of Kaili Original Ethnic Culture & Arts Festival in Kaili, Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 23, 2007. There are 47 nationalities, such as the Miao, Dong, and Buyi, in Qiandongnan, making it the prefecture with the largest number and highest proportion of the ethnic-minority population in China

The banquet in Tokyo's cinema

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi (L) and movie director Feng Xiaogang at the premiere of The Banquet (Ye Yan) in Tokyo, Japan.

Working towards the olympics!!

With only 446 days to go to the opening of the olympic games at Beijing a gymnast practices in his training session at China's General Administration of Sport in Beijing.

Sympathy for lady vengeance

The third and last film in Park Chan Wook's revenge trilogy.
It deals aboutr a woman who is released from prison after 13 years, by flashbacks you will know why she was put in jail. It's because of the kidnapping and killing of a little boy.



But did she really committed this great crime? She wants to take revenge on the people who put her in this position. This evolves in a rather dark movie, with very dark humour. She also searches for her child which she gave away for adoption. The main character 'Lee Geum-ja' is pretty good casted. Beautiful, elegant and a very coldhearted person! The acting of Lee Young-ae and Choi Min-sik is really great and the art direction and camera work is also very beautiful. The musical score of this movie is really fantastic with it's classical themes.

Rare solar halo in Liu Panshui

Pictures of a rare solar halo in downtown Liu Panshui, southwest China's Guizhou Province (China).

Dolls - Takeshi Kitano

Wowww , that is what I can say about Takeshi Kitano's movie: Dolls.
A story about three different kinds of love between people. One guy loves a girl but is forced to marry another for his career. The girl he leaves tries to commit suicide and becomes mentally ill. He looks for her and they walk through the Japanese seasons bound my a red cord.



The second story is about a Yakuza (Japanese maffia) leader who loved a girl when he was young, they always sat at the same spot on saturday in the park. When he is old he looks for her and finds her still sitting in the same park. The third story is about an idol and her fans. Who is the biggest fan and how can he show his devotion to her.



These are all very tragic stories about undying love. It's inspired by the Japanese Bunraku doll theatre. Kitano is also inspired by famous writer 'Chikamatsu Monzaemon' (1653-1724). He is like the Japanese Shakespeare.



You will be blown away by it's gorgeous imagery. The brilliant costumes are the work of famous Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. For those who wanna see pure beauty and aren't afraid of something new...you have to see this one!

Keira Knightley quits acting?

Rumours become louder and louder that Keira Kneightley would quit her acting career. Let's hope she only will take a rest and return in the cinema's to star in beautiful movies again. Bend it like Beckham and the brilliant 'Pride and prejudice' are among my favourites so I really hope she will be back again. We haven't seen enough of her movies yet!!

Fallen angels (duo luo tian shi) - Wong Kar Wai

What can be said about Wong Kar Wai's 'Fallen angels'? I don't know it really. It is a very strange and hypnotic movie. A movie about weird people in our even society. People don't talk very much with eachother, direct meeting leads to misunderstanding.
A killer tries to be strict and only keeps his relation to his partner in crime in a business way, not easy when she is 'Michelle Reis' though. Another men who became mute after eating a can of expired pineaple breaks in people's businesses and forces them to by his products.
It's not a very clear story, the viewer has to fill in the plot really.



One of the most beautiful scenes is when Michelle is listening to the jukebox in a bar, some mystical music by Lauri Anderson (Speak my language) is played. This scene is dark though interesting.
A rather strange, hypnotical and interesting movie about detachment that people feel to the real world.