events

MH17 tragedy how did we get here?

A bizarre week with high rising temperatures, a short heatwave colliding with temperaments and horrific event of plane crash MH17.

Nightmarish headlines;Remains of the bodies, crashed parts of the plane, still burning engines – that was the dramatic and gruesome picture that local residents saw when the Malaysian plane crashed in the sky over Donetsk Region in eastern Ukraine.” Source: RT.Com News 

After visiting our elderly ailing mother who’s health has rapidly declined after suffering severe brain stroke and tia’s (transient ischemic attack a.k.a. mini-stroke). She has a hard time accepting her disabilities which add to a depression of being confined in her own mind and body.

Leaving her nursing/convalescent home I find myself in an odd place of juxtaposition, writing two cards with wishes, one celebrating the birth of a newborn and one for condolences were words just fall short to express my feelings. Sadness for the survivors and pain for the loss of loved ones.

Life, love, alive in stark contrasts, in the background live salsa music while I am crying on the inside for lost dreams and stilted conversations. Colleagues, friends and strangers were literally blown out of the sky while flying high above Ukrainian airspace. People beneath suffering there own domestic fights, but that one action had a global impact forever changing lives of more communities than theirs alone.

Tearing up international relations, communications, organisations and families. Words just fall short to phantom a moment, fleeting time and broken relationships unable to connect or to meet again. Futures altered due to an event far away or close to home, memories is all that’s left, casting a shadow of what could have been. Frustration is mounting, a diplomatic disaster is imminent.

The Crimean crisis is no longer a civil dispute nor just a conspiracy theory, facts and evidence clearly incriminate Ukrainian, Russian and separatist rebels for international ramifications but where does that leave the victims of flight MH17 and their mourning families in this senseless tragedy.

MH17 tragedy how did we get here? The worst part is that I just can not shake the gruesome thought enforced after reading this headline; “MH17: For Bankers, Every Crisis and Tragedy is an Opportunity to Manufacture Profits” (source: www.zerohedge.com http://bit.ly/1rsGavi) leaving a creeping feeling along the spine.

For the love of life, is this it what it has come to, the price of a human life or the benefits of a civil war?! My bile is just creeping up at the back of my throat to lash out for justice to these pawns in the dark, but sanctions will hurt populations first not the antagonists.

Let’s hope that an investigation will indeed probe further to bring truth from this hell of lawlessness actions. People with names, faces and lives, Victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, July 19, 2014, The NewYork Times is trying to write up stories behind every passenger and inviting to share recollections.

Victims Flight MH17 – Always remembered ♥

Shingen-ko Samurai Festival travel to Japan

Every year, the Shingen-ko Festival celebrates the legacy of Yamanashi’s famous warlord, Takeda Shingen, with the roars of samurai and folks people, delicious food and materials at stands around the station and the castle park with cherry blossoms in full bloom, and a variety of stage shows and performances!

Unrivalled view of the past, before Shingen’s army, headed off to battle more than 1,600 infantrymen from all over his domain would gather and march through the streets of Kofu. If you have travel plans or searching for information for your itinerary, bookmark this event to visit during Spring time in combination with many other Cherry Blossom events.

Shingen-ko Samurai Festival Photo credit: Yamanashi-kankou

Shingen-ko Samurai Festival
Source courtesy and Photo credit: Yamanashi-kankou

This year’s festival will be held from April 4th to 6th. The main highlight is the Koshu Battalion Deployment, which is World’s largest re-enactment of warriors. Around 1,600 locals dress in traditional samurai and commence on a march around Kofu.

For more information visit the official Tourism website of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi prefecture “Home of Mt. Fuji”; sightseeing website, information on festivals, culture & Resorts Hot Spring resorts.

Map photo credits: www.mustlovejapan.com

Map photo credits: www.mustlovejapan.com

 

Tripadvisor NL 300x600

This is by far the most popular samurai festival in Japan. The participants spend the entire year practising for their roles in this event that imitate the battle of Kawanakajima. The armour was worn and the equipment carried is spectacular and accurate. This event would probably be the most recommended event to witness, especially for anyone interested in Japanese samurai culture and Takeda Shingen. The festival is held by Takeda Shrine. To help plan your itinerary and ideas for sightseeing, places to visit, things-to-do visit the video travel guide to Japan; Watch Japan in Motion by Must Love Japan.

To get more ideas for suggested itineraries try Japan the official guide as another source to help to find your destinations or just for more insights all mentioned websites are in English. Visiting Japanese Onsen is a relaxing must and absolute worth to consider and plan as a destination,  Japan the official guide has a listed overview of all Hot Springs here.

Cinemasia Film Festival

Woohoo!! 7th CinemAsia Film festibal is coming at De Balie, Amsterdam, for online purchase click here.

The 7th edition of the CinemAsia film festival will take place on April 1st until 6th at De Balie in Amsterdam. CinemAsia is the gateway to Asian cinema in The Netherlands with films from China, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Philippines and more. The eclectic festival programming runs from the large Asian blockbusters, independent films to inspiring documentaries that have never been seen before in the Netherlands. CinemAsia also acts as a media platform promoting visibility of Asians in film, television and media in The Netherlands.

Cinemasia Who are they?

CinemAsia Film Festival was started in 2003 to stimulate Asian cinema within the Dutch film industry and to offer a creative platform for Asian-Dutch residents and media professionals in the field. CinemAsia focuses on independent Asian diaspora films exploring the multi-facted culture and identities. Through our programming, we try to make Asian immigrants in the film industry more visible in order to resist stereotypical images in the media. CinemAsia is the only festival in the Netherlands and in Europe that works with Asian programmers, employees, volunteers, interns, and filmmakers with a goal to promote Dutch-Asians in leadership and creative positions in the media, film, and television industry.

CinemAsia Mission?

Visibility of Asian diaspora:
In the media as well as in the political realm, Asian immigrants are invisible. And when Asians are visible, they mostly have a stereotypical role. You can think of ‘the Asian nerd’, the Chinese takeaway, et cetera. Through its programming, CinemAsia tries to make Asian immigrants in the film industry more visible in order to resist stereotypical images in the media.

CinemAsia also tries to support filmmakers with an Asian origin in the Netherlands. CinemAsia is the only festival in the Netherlands and in Europe that works with Asian programmers, employees, volunteers, interns and film- makers with a goal to promote Dutch-Asians in leadership and creative positions in the media, film and television industry.

Pan-Asian platform:
CinemAsia is the only pan-Asian festival in the Nether- lands that has as a goal to bring different Asian com- munities together by searching for connections outside the ethnic origin. CinemAsia has developed positive connections with different Asian communities and aims to bring these relationships together through the festival. With this platform CinemAsia offers new networking op- portunities and partnerships for Dutch-Asians and media professionals.

CinemAsia Film Program & Tickets:

Film Program will be available on-line mid-march, ticket sales starts on 20 March 2014 at De Balie or online click here.

This edition CinemAsia opens with the national premiere of the Korean blockbuster SNOWPIERCER (2013) by Bong-Joon Ho, the Korean masterpiece that resembles the growth of Asian cinema on the global arena.

“Save this eccentric masterpiece from Hollywood! It’s the train movie to end all train movies, a dystopic vision full of vivid characters, dark humour, awe-inspiring revelations and surreal imagery” – The Telegraph
“A rare high-end sci-fi/fantasy pic!” – Variety
“Avert your gaze from Hollywood and look to Korea for Snowpiercer!” – Grolsch Filmworks