Ikea's Form and Function

IKEA, a leading furniture retailer, has teamed up once again with Carl Kleiner for their newest campaign. Who knew that kitchen wares could be as beautiful as these? Something seemingly boring as forks, spoons, napkins, and knives come alive visually by the use of Evelina Bratell's intricate styling! Dinner tables have never looked so delightful and interesting!

Seafood Capital of The Philippines

These were some of the delectable dishes that I tried when I visited Roxas City, the seafood capital of the Philippines:

 

NO TO SOPA AND PIPA

We personally believe, as bloggers, that internet is a medium that has redefined and revolutionized the idea of free information. Human beings are supposed to be granted with rights to gain access information freely without being hounded by large companies that dictate punishment on copyright infringement. This is precisely why the Internet became one of the greatest tools in the 21st century. The limited nature that SOPA and PIPA pushes for is "stopping online piracy" by completely eliminating the many uses of websites such as Google, Twitter, YouTube and can even go as far as Facebook. The bill proposes that any image, video, song or property that is not yours cannot be shared, linked to, and retweeted on the Internet solely because the companies are fighting for 100 percent ownership of these. We are against the passing of SOPA and PIPA law primarily because this bill is made purely because of power and money-hungry companies who want to make money off of their "properties" for public consumption. Imagine having to buy every song, every video, every link, and every image on the Internet. These will ultimately defeat the purpose of the internet. This censorship of sharing contents on the internet is a great limitation to the uses of the internet! 

NO TO SOPA AND PIPA! NO TO CENSORSHIP!

Educate yourself by watching the video above by Ted Talks and take an informed stand regarding this issue. Do your part, share this video, link this, retweet, post it, and like it!

Mad Mark's Man Sandwich + Frozen D

DIY: Grilled Steak

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

If you think you've seen it all, then you're probably wrong. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a Mexican who received a degree in Physical Chemistry in Concordia University located in Montreal, Canada. The most exemplary trait of his works are how he continually pushes the boundaries of both art to make it a science, and vice versa. His installations have been widely acclaimed causing him to be the twice recipient of the prestigious BAFTA British Academy awards. Rafael convenes the complexities of technology to produce an art form that is unlike any other. He is an electronic artist who conjures provoking devices that sparks participation from his viewers, and involves their thinking process in the equation. If it's hard to imagine what I'm talking about, then you should watch these videos which will definitely take your breath away.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Amazing, isn't it? :) Let us know what you think! :)

The Joy of Books

I personally believe that once a bookstore closes down, each of its stories truly come alive at night. Canadian couple, Sean and Lisa Ohlenkamp, recreates the magic of books through this amazingly crafted stop-motion animation video. This was done with such painstakingly hard work that usually occur at the wee hours of the morning. This quaint, little bookshop in Toronto, Canada named Type became a magical ground of convening the art of literature, and video all in one. For a book and video enthusiast, this will give your eyes something to behold! Just imagine the hours that went into conceptualizing, and finishing a video of this magnitude. The most trivial details were perfected which gives it a million thumbs up! 


Ever wonder what goes on after dark, when the bookshop's lights are out? We can only imagine! Watch this video! :)

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Once you hear Kanye West, one of the first things that will cross your mind is, "ultimate swag". Truthfully though, Kanye West didn't have this much swag in his older albums but when My Beautiful Dark Fantasy came out, we knew he was out to finally make himself. Older albums such as Late Registration, Graduation, and 808's & Heartbreak only had a few selected solid tracks. My Beautiful Dark Fantasy is what immortalizes Kanye West as a true blue, legit rapper and artist. All 13 tracks are songs you can listen to on repeat without getting a hint of monotony due to its varied musical style. What Kanye West lacked to do in his past albums, he made up a thousand fold in My Beautiful Dark Fantasy by combining all the powerful elements in his previous albums such as soul, hip-hop and electro. What's most stunning and admirable of Kanye West is that he does not only pursue the craftsmanship of being a singer, but West has now become a full blown artist. From writing, to producing, to singing and conceptualizing, West's genius mind has done it all. Rarely do rappers offer an insightful content in lyrics but with Kanye you get lines like,

"America was a bastard the illegitimate daughter of the mother country whose legs were then spread around the world 

and a rapist known as freedom, free doom. 

Democracy, liberty, and justice were revolutionary code names"

Who Will Survive in America

"hey, teacher, teacher tell me how do you respawn the students?

and refresh the page and restart the memory?

respark the soul and rebuild the energy?

we stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies"

Dark Fantasy

and it reflects how Kanye West has gotten out of the usual stereotype of what a rapper should be. The album is a beautiful treat to your ears, and I suggest you download it! My personal favorites are Lost in the World featuring Bon Iver and All of the Lights which pretty much defines the feel and vibe of the entire album.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Have you ever wondered what exactly our beloved house pets are thinking and feeling? A man’s best friend has the ability to seemingly feel exactly what their human owners feel, without so much as a word to explain it. The bond between man and dog has been so great, that dogs have been considered not only as a pet but part of a family. Garth Stein captures vividly the thoughts of Enzo, a family dog owned by Denny Swift, a race car driver. Enzo proves to be one of Denny’s greatest source of strength as he faces an ugly battle of custody over his own child, Zoe, against his in-laws shortly after the death of his wife. Balancing both the life of becoming a race car driver and gaining custody of Zoe, Denny is caught in a whirlwind of human tragedies that Enzo witnesses as he grows up. Enzo becomes the compassionate dog who was able to familiarize himself well with the complex human conditions of pain, suffering and yes, even joy. The startling resemblance of Enzo to anybody’s family dog makes this novel an enjoyable and heart wrenching read. You will find yourself at home with the family of Denny, Zoe and the lovable Enzo. Garth Stein was able to draw the reader from the outside of the book into the world of Denny and Enzo where lies all the familiar things we know about humans and their tragedies and triumphs. Quoted from the book, Enzo says, 

"Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves." 

And leaves us with the one of the great lessons the book can impart to you, which is something you will have to discover once you read it.

Barcino Wine Resto Bar

Barcino is a place for good selections of wine, alcohol, and tapas. It offers a Spanish atmosphere by the Spanish music playing and the interiors of the restaurant which is tastefully designed to mimic those in Spanish restaurants. The branch that we visited was in Powerplant Mall located in Rockwell. Once we stepped in, we were delighted by the ambiance of the place.

These are the wide selections of wine that you can choose from. They also have a small, walk-in chiller that stores more options of wine that you will be able to find in their menu.

This beer is called the Estrella Galicia, a Spanish beer, that reminded us of our local beer and even tasted like it, the San Mig Super Dry. The taste was exactly the way we wanted it, which wasn't too strong. It was a good selection of beer that could last a whole night's conversation.

For the exciting part, we ordered a glass of Viñas del Vero which is a Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Vintage year 2009. It is included under the category of their house wines. For a Php 250+ wine, the serving was generous and filled more than half of their wine goblet. The medium-bodied red wine had a strong kick to it because of its high tannin content.

CV Tip: Tannin-a compound that determines the measurement of how strong the wine is. White wines are usually  low in tannin content which explains why they are lighter as compared to red wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon-red wine

Sauvignon Blanc-white wine

The Viñas del Vero is pretty strong so make sure to pace yourself!

This is their complementary bread with tomato salsa. The bread had a good texture to it because it was crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside. It looks like a simple, sliced baguette but tasted really good. The tomato salsa contained chopped tomatoes and lemon juice which gave it a fresh flavor.

The Patatas Bravas in Aioli and Salsa Brava is a dish that is composed of simple deep-fried potato taters. The sauce is the Aioli sauce which is made up of garlic, olive oil and egg. Salsa Brava, on the other hand, can be likened to a red pepper sauce. When combined with the patatas bravas, the salsa brava had the perfect kick of spice and tasted just right.

Patatas Bravas + Estrella Galicia=thumbs up!

Patatas Bravas + Viñas del Vero=thumbs down! It isn't a good pair with wine because of how strong the wine is.

The Chorizo Picante Sandwich was made up of the famous Spanish Chorizo. The chorizo itself was perfection and tasted really good! It was a legitimate taste of Spanish chorizos that are shipped here from Spain.

CV Tip:When you order this dish, there's no need to order the Patatas Bravas since it's already a side dish served with the chorizo picante sandwich.

Chorizo Picante Sandwich + Estrella Galicia=Just right but better without the bread, and just the chorizo itself

Chorizo Picante Sandwich + Viñas del Vero=Thumbs up!

Overall, we definitely enjoyed our Barcino experience and will be coming back to try other selections of wines, liquor, and Spanish food. If you have anything to share from your own Barcino experience, or wine-tasting and pairing in general, leave us a message :)

Adios and happy reading! By the way, a happy new year to all our readers. We're bringing in the new year with better adventures, more posts, and more Culture Vulture. 2012 is the year we're seriously taking flight, so hop in and join us. :)