Blast from the Past 1: Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon wasn't the first anime I've ever seen in my life. As a child I have seen Heidi made by Fuji Television but it never registered as being made in Japan for me.

My first run in with Sailor Moon was on the Turkish network. Back then we had access to it and I was just blown away about this magical girl while I couldn't understand a thing, my knowledge of the Turkish language is non-existent. Later on it was broadcasted on RTLplus in German, a language I could understand and I was hooked.

A lot of the super heroes in my youth were men, Batman & Superman. Oh yea, you did have Batgirl and Wonderwoman but they didn't have their own series. At least not on my television channels. And here you have these regular school girls turning into magical superheroes and kicking ass. I loved it! Eagerly I waited for the next episode and if I couldn't see it I begged my dad to tape it for me. 

Sailor Moon hit a lot of subjects that were very controversial back then. You had a same-sex couple and the Sailor Starlights whom were men in the human world but transformed to women to fight evil. Even the antagonists had a same-sex couple. Sadly the USA version took out all of this, because poor little kiddies can't handle the truth. So if you want to see the real stuff, check out the Japanese version. 

Sailor Neptune & Uranus

My favourite Soldiers are Sailor Mercury and Jupiter. While Sailor Mercury is the quite one with the brains and takes good care of her friends, Sailor Jupiter was the tall tomboyish one who just kicked ass. 

Sailor Mercury & Jupiter

Some of the episodes were brutal as you were confronted with death, deception, cruelty and loss of friendship. But no matter how bleak the future looked, the Sailor Soldiers never stopped fighting. 

Death of Sailor Venus

When it finally came out on the Dutch network, I had already become a bit of a snob when it comes to cartoons and anime and preferred watching it in the original language. Even the German voices sounded better than the Dutch dubbed version. I was 21 by then so they were just a bit too late with it.

I still have a soft spot in my heart for Sailor Moon, I still collect the merchandise. It's not bad to have a bit of a magical girl in you. ;)

Indonesian Brown Bean soup with Babi Ketjap

This is a simple dish full with nutrition, filled with vitamin B, calcium and iron. It is also good food for when you are sick, easy digestible and still gives you the vitamins you need. Every week my mother would bring over a pot of soup for my aunt who had terminal cancer.

While the ingredients are pretty straight forward, it tastes the best when you slow cook it. Because it is hard to get brown beans in the UK/Ireland and red kidney beans not a good alternative you can use borlotti beans. I prefer using the dried beans and leave them to soak for 8 hours but you can use the canned ones too.

Brown Bean Soup:

• 250 grams of brown beans (borlotti beans)
• 1,5 liters of water
• 3 beef stock cubes (vegan substitute: vegetable stock cubes)
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 leek, cut in thin rings
• olive oil

If you have dried beans, soak them overnight for at least 8 hours. First you cut your onion in half and slice it in thin rings and finely chop your garlic cloves. Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a big pot and fry the onion rings and garlic over medium heat and set them aside when they are done.

Remove beans from the soak water and refresh it with 1,5 litres of cold water and put it to a boil adding the stock cubes. When the water boils, turn it on medium heat for an hour while gently stirring it every 15 minutes. After an hour, turn to low heat and add the fried onions and garlic and cook it for another hour or two. Add water if needed. During the last 30 minutes add the thinly sliced leek. 

Babi Ketjap:

• pork belly slices
• 5 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (can be found at the Asian supermarket)
• olive oil

Cut the pork belly slices in thin strips, about half a centimetre wide. Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add the pork belly. When the pink is no longer visible on the meat you will drizzle 5 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce over it and gentle turn the meat in the soy sauce. Turn your heat on low because soy sauce has the tendency to burn and let it stew for two hours. Keep checking it and add a little water when you notice the juices getting low. It will turn from light brown to dark brown while stewing in the soy sauce.

Vegan alternative: marinaded tofu

Serve it with either white rice or yellow rice. Yellow rice is a posh version of rice with cardamom and turmeric often eaten during celebrations. Top it with crispy fried onions and you are good to go. The crispy fried onions can be bought anywhere, Lidl, Tesco, Asda and Ikea have it but I prefer buying mine in the bulk at the Asian supermarket. They have kilo bags. ;) Also tasty on hot dogs and fried rice.

You will notice that I do not add salt. Indonesian food depends on the flavours of the ingredients and spices. I once had the horrible experience of making Soto Ayam (Indonesian chicken soup) and people adding salt to it. Blasphemy! 

Road Trip - Tollymore Forest Park: County Down

I love Tollymore Forest Park, I just wished I lived closer to it. Would be nice living in it too. ;)

Belfast has Cavehill County Park and Divis Mountain close by. County Down has the Mourne Mountains. C.S. Lewis was from Belfast and he loved the Mourne Mountains, and I have to admit I love the Mourne Mountains too. When reading the Chronicles of Narnia, you get the feel of the Mourne Mountains from them. He wrote "I have seen landscapes ... which, under a particular light, make me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge."

Tollymore has a special place in my heart, I do admit I haven't been to Silent Valley yet so I am completely biased at this moment. You can have couple of fantastic walks through Tollymore, I've only done the River Walk for now because I love the stepping stones and I am not fit enough to do the Mountain Trail. But one day I will conquer that one too. Game of Thrones-fans: they filmed part of the series here. ;)

Instead of writing more about the beauty of this park, I'll give you the photos my dad took this time. And if you are coming over to visit me, I gladly take you to this forest park. It is such a punishment living so close to nature. XD

Vote with your heart - End the Veto

Just a few more days and the people of Northern Ireland are able to vote again, but I am hoping they are willing to chose for a better option than just sticking to your own groups like everyone always does because you don't care about the 'other side'.

Let me put it in another way.

For some the day they get married is one of the happiest in their lives. Some even dream about it when they are a child. But in Northern Ireland you are only allowed to marry if you are heterosexual. Now that is a slap in the face for homosexuals. No happiest day in your life for you because some people think you are an abomination. 

To be honest I don't mind religion if it gives you as a person guidance, comfort and peace in your life. But if you are trying to dictate life for others in the name of said religion, you have a problem with me. Because I believe all men are equal no matter what race or sexual orientation.

You don't have to worry, same sex couples won't invite you to their wedding night or have sex in the parks to shock your little wee ones. If you are disgusted with them showing openly affection then all affection no matter of your sexual preference should be abolished like holding hands or kissing in public. If one group can't have it, no one should. Have you thought about that?

The petition of concern was called into life to protect the rights of minorities but the DUP abuses this right by using the loophole to throw the rights of our homosexual friends out of the window. And for me that is abuse of power, which is not good if you claim to be a just government. One of the reasons why I think they are doing it, is to block Sinn Féin. Because we don't want to work together, even though the Good Friday agreement tells us too. So we are going to oppose them or any other political party every step of the way. To me they sound like a bunch of pre-school kids fighting over who gets the biggest piece of cake...so pathetic. In gamer terms it would be who has the biggest E-penis and they are waving it in everyone's face to show theirs is the biggest E-dick on earth.

I've heard their excuses over why they keep vetoing it.

It mocks the sanctity of the marriage. 

Divorce and adultery also mocks the sanctity of the marriage if you want to follow the Bible to the letter. But that happens, and no one has strung up their spouse at the town hall and stoned them to death now have they? You didn't go out and burn Robinson's wife on a stake when she was having a bit of fun time with her young leaf, now did you?

We are not the only political party that is against it.

No, that is correct but you are the political party who is abusing the veto, which came in power to protect minorities which you now use to discriminate against minorities. That is so unchristian in my book. Because you promote exclusion and discrimination and if there is a thing like heaven you won't get in it.

Other countries don't allow it.

But we aren't other countries, we are Northern Ireland, part of the continent Europe. Other countries allow girls to be wed at 12 or stone people for adultery. You want to be like them? Other heavily religious countries allow same sex marriages, because they saw that they had to move with the times and couldn't keep excluding part of their population. Making them feel alienated.

I was taught not to hate people, even if they don't share my views. But I am ashamed for the state this country is in, with people hiding behind ancient texts just so they can deny other people their happiness. Because that is what it is all about, happiness. Don't you want a person to be happy on their special day? It could be your daughter, son or relative that is denied the right to be happy and form the bond with their partner just like you were able to.

Have compassion and end the veto.