Author Archives: Robert K Stephen (CSW)

RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)

ON A GROUP TOUR: WHO IS LEADING THE TROOPS Group tours are guided by an itinerary designed by the tour company. A schedule of activities is in the itinerary and a timeframe for execution. This is not to say every minute is planned. There are often slots of free time to pursue your own activities.Continue reading “RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)”

RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)

ON A GROUP TOUR: IN THE ARMY NOW Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia in four days. 8 flights in 14 days. All this is an ambitious undertaking. In joining a tour group you lose a great deal of independence. You are a prisoner of an itinerary. Up at 4:30 a.m. to catch that ferry. AContinue reading “RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)”

RKS 2025 Film: “Meet, Greet & Bye”: Feel Happy, Feel Sad and Finish with a Smile

The feature Filipino movie “Meet, Greet & Bye” commences a North American theatrical release 14November2025. It has its happy lighthearted moments, nose dives into sadness and pulls up the throttle to the land of smiles. Baby Lopez Facunda (Maricel Soriano), a dynamo Filipina mother and grandmother reveling in her family life and feeding them facesContinue reading “RKS 2025 Film: “Meet, Greet & Bye”: Feel Happy, Feel Sad and Finish with a Smile”

RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)

WHY THESE DESTINATIONS? Being a dedicated Europhile feeling most at home particularly in Portugal and Greece I have been willingly absconded to Southeast Asia by a “significant birthday” present and no I am not referring to 65…God no! Being an “Ugly Canadian” but not along the 1958 novel “The Ugly American” it is not theContinue reading “RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)”

RKS 2025 Wine: Intimidated by German Spätburgunder? It’s Pinot Noir!

Strange that there is no mention on the label of this German “Pinot Noir” of its German name Spätburgunder. Fear of intimidating the Canadian market thinking they might be imbibing some bizarre concoction? Aroma: Not one of those dainty Pinot Noirs with delicate raspberry and strawberry instead exhibiting some aggressive and deep black cherry, blueberryContinue reading “RKS 2025 Wine: Intimidated by German Spätburgunder? It’s Pinot Noir!”

RKS 2025 Film: “Diva Futura”: Artistic Pornography with Morals?

Riccardo Schicchi and Ilona “Cicciolina” Staller formed Italy’s first porno studio and talent agency Diva Futura in 1980’s Rome with a goal of changing Italy’s conservative sexual morality. Schicchi’s Girl Friday, Debora Attanasio office manager and publicist, wrote about Diva Futura, her book, the foundation for this Italian film. A fascinating recounting of Diva FuturaContinue reading “RKS 2025 Film: “Diva Futura”: Artistic Pornography with Morals?”

RKS Literature: Australian Blackbirder Slavers (Pat Barker)

“He’d started as a “blackbirder” as so many of the older traders had, kidnapping natives to work on the Queensland plantations, and he was frank about his methods too. Make friends with them, invite them on board ship, get them drunk and Bob’s your uncle, By the time they come around they’re out at seaContinue reading “RKS Literature: Australian Blackbirder Slavers (Pat Barker)”

RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)

GETTING THERE Not brimming with excitement facing a 15 ½ hour flight from Toronto to Hong Kong with a two-hour layover waiting for a 3 ½ hour flight to Singapore. The outboard flight and connecting flights to Singapore on Cathay Pacific one of the three best airlines in world as awarded in by Skytrax inContinue reading “RKS 2025 Travel: Destination Southeast Asia (Short Attention Span Version)”

RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “Dream Eater”: Bereft of Terror

Poor Alex (Alex Lee Williams) is suffering from parasomnia clear at the beginning of the film he is a danger to himself and as the movie progresses a danger to his sweetheart, unsuccessful documentary filmmaker Mallory (Mallory Drumm). As appropriate, given his self destructive bent he is receiving medical care. Off Mallory and Alex travelContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “Dream Eater”: Bereft of Terror”