Jessica Zafra's Blog, page 93

Lady Killers: 1 in 6 serial killers is a woman

Aileen Wuornos, who murdered seven men in 1989 and 1990, is sometimes referred to, mistakenly, as America’s first female serial killer. “She’s likely to be in her twenties or thirties, middle-class, probably married, probably Christian, probably average intelligence,” Harrison said. “I just described, you know, your next-door neighbor.” (Something similar is true of male serial […]

The ex-most beautiful cafe in the world: Caffe Florian in Venice

Venice is atrociously overpriced, crowded and touristy and we still love it. It has extracted our pound of flesh (which we have gained back plus plus). The second we board the vaporetto from Tronchetto (the car park) we feel weirdly happy, knowing full well that we will be gouged, swarmed and our senses assaulted with […]

Notes on Avengers: Age of Ultron

Marvel, must all your posters look the same? Had a good time at the cinema, but not as much fun as watching the first Avengers movie. (Warning: Spoilers.) 1. Not enough wisecracks, clever ripostes or general drollery. In fact we cannot remember a single line from the movie. In the first there was a quotable […]

Is the New York Cafe in Budapest the most beautiful cafe in the world?

While wandering around the city, we heard that the New York Cafe in Budapest is the most beautiful cafe in the world. We don’t know who gives out these titles, but after hearing it many times we were intrigued enough to go. It’s one of the stops on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour we took […]

Sleeping cat in Venetian store window

This is one of exactly two cats we’ve seen on the whole trip. One was inside a carrier at the Market Hall in Budapest. This one was in a store window in Venice, around Castello. The sleeping cat looks like Saffy. (Saffy: That was me. I bilocated.) Next to the cat, a sign telling people […]

Manny Vs Money: The “Fight of the Century”?

Manny (Pacquiao) himself has always seemed generous and open-hearted, just happy to be where he is. It’s a long way from living on the streets after your drunken father ate your dog. During the stare-off with his opponent he could not stop smiling. Addressing his fans, he told them not to worry because he was […]

You and I remember Budapest very differently.

Glum Sunday. You know all that eyeball-rolling stuff about “may puso” and “pusong Pinoy”? It’s true in Manny Pacquiao’s case. He really went after his opponent and tried to make it a fight (at least according to commentators. I woke up at 7am here and it was over). His opponent stood there calculating his profits, […]

Mazel tov, Your Highness

The second we checked into Budapest, the BBC reported that England’s new royal baby has arrived and she’s a girl. Mazel tov! Given the timing of the birth–breaking into the latest non-news on the upcoming Pacquiao-Mayweather match–and given that Manny Pacquiao named his daughter “Queen Elizabeth”, Kate and Wills should call their baby “Dionesia”.

What we think about when we look at conceptual art

A bunch of boxes by Robert Rauschenberg at MUMOK, the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna. Everybody recite Art Criticism by Noel Orosa with us: Kaya ko rin yan Ba’t di mo ginawa? Kaya ko rin yan Ba’t di mo ginawa? I can do that, too Then why didn’t you? I can do that, too […]

Beat him, Pac-Man.

Photo from BBC Sport We don’t like boxing, and generally what a Manny Pacquiao bout means to us is that road traffic will be very light on the Sunday morning (Manila time) it’s on. We think Manny Pacquiao entering politics is a daffy idea. We’re not interested in his affairs or the romantic life of […]