An Old but Highly Acclaimed Movie-The Pianist

I was just browsing for old but highly acclaimed movies and I happened to watch The Pianist. It was worth my time since I love classical piano pieces by Chopin. I highly recommend it if you do not mind watching the Germans maltreating the Jews (Holocaust)during World War II in Poland. It is one of the top ten movies I had watched in the last decades.

The Pianist is a 2002 historical drama film co-produced and directed by Roman Polanski, scripted by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist, a World War II memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman. The film was a co-production between France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland.

The Pianist met with significant critical praise and received multiple awards and nominations. It was awarded the Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. At the 75th Academy Awards, The Pianist won Oscars for Best Director (Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harwood), and Best Actor (Brody), and was also nominated for four other awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and BAFTA Award for Best Direction in 2003 and seven French Césars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brody.

Cooking My First Lobster Tails-Baking

I always wanted to cook lobster tails. However, I am scared I will ruin it and since lobster tails are expensive, I never had the courage to buy this delicious seafood. However today there is special sale at our local Food Mart. The price is only $12.49 per lb, regular price is $16.99. I purchase 3 medium size tails for only $9.99, indeed a good buy. I searched in the Internet for a Recipe and here is what attracted my attention:*

Directions:

Make sure lobster tails are thawed completely before cooking for best results.

To prepare the lobster tail for baking or broiling:

Grab a pair of kitchen shears and grab the lobster tail in your hand. Begin cutting down one side of the lobster tail as close to the side as you can. Repeat the cut down the other side of the lobster tail. Cut the shell across the middle at the base of the tail. Grab the top of the shell and peel back. Take a knife and cut around the lobster meat so when it's finished cooking, it's easy to remove.

Lay each lobster tail on individual sheets of foil. Prepare lobster marinade of 3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and clarified butter, with a pinch of paprika, white pepper, garlic powder and sea salt. Drizzle lobster marinade over lobster.

Fold up the ends of the foil so your lobster tail is completely sealed. Bake lobster tail according to the chart below in a 450° F. preheated oven.

2 oz. - 12 minutes....................4 oz. - 18 minutes

6 oz. - 22 minutes....................8 oz. - 26 minutes

12 oz. - 30 minutes................14 oz. or more - 35 minutes

Once the lobster is cooked, unwrap the tail, dunk in butter and enjoy!

*From: http://festivalfoods.net/cooking/5188/Baking_Lobster_Tails

Tired of City Living? Visit Marinduque on your next Vacation

I wrote this article six years ago, But I feel it still applies today. It was my first blog post and first attempt to advertise Chateau Du Mer in the Internet. The cover photo was also my first photo of the coral reefs of the Amoingon Coast of Western Marinduque.

Sunset at Low Tide as viewed from the Balcony of the Beach House

There are hundreds of tourist destinations in the Philippines. However, my favorite destination is Marinduque Island, a sleepy, unspoiled and scenic island, south of Manila. It is not world renown as Boracay Island, Aklan. However, the island has white beaches, underground caves, hot and sulfur springs, waterfalls and Mt Malindig as well as several diving sites and numerous snorkeling sites around the island.

One of my friends in US, a retiree like myself calls the island "A Heaven on Earth", where you could live like a king for less than $1000 US dollars a month complete with a driver and a maid and an abundance of fresh seafood everyday if you wish. I called it my island paradise, because there is no pollution and not much traffic except on Easter Week, when tourists from Manila and other parts of the world attend the Moriones Festival. But that is only one week out of 52 weeks. The rest of the year, you could relax, enjoy the sun and live like a king or queen, again with less than $1000(US)a month.

Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center,formerly a private resort and retirement property is now open to the public. For details visit the website. www.chateaudumer.com

For information about Marinduque, visit the provincial website, www.marinduque.gov.ph

For travel blogs on the island, visit, http://eazytraveler.blogsspot.com/2008/04/marinduque

or Moriones Festival 2007 @clicktheCity.com.travel or guides.clickthecity.com/travel

or http://instaurareperomniachristo.blogspot.com/2008/04/marinduque

Enjoying Season 4 of the Americans TV Spy Drama

Just recently, I found another TV drama besides Game of Thrones and Outlander that I enjoyed very much. It is Season 4 of the The Americans at the FX networks every WED at 10PM.

The Americans is an American television period drama series created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg. The series premiered in the United States on January 30, 2013 on the cable network FX.

Set in the early 1980s during the Cold War, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple living in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with their unsuspecting children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) and their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent working in counterintelligence.

The series' fourth season premiered on March 16, 2016. On May 25, 2016, FX set an end date for the series by renewing it for a fifth and sixth season. The 13-episode fifth season will air in 2017, followed by a 10-episode sixth and final season in 2018. For a review of Season 3 read the following:

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/features/is-the-americans-tvs-best-drama-20150311

New Drug for the Treatment of Parkinson's Psychosis

As a former FDA employee in the Center of New Drugs and a primary caretaker for a love one with Parkinson, the above news attracted my attention. The new drug is Nuplazid or Pimavanserin manufactured by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Pimavanserin was approved by the FDA just recently specifically for the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis.
It works in a different way than other antipsychotics: it does not block dopamine. It is a selective serotonin inverse agonist, meaning it targets serotonin receptors. This makes it a safer choice when treating people with PD that are experiencing psychoses, because it can reduce hallucinations without affecting motor performance.

NUPLAZID™ (pimavanserin) is the first and only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

According to the National Parkinson Foundation, about one million people in the United States and from four to six million people worldwide suffer from Parkinson’s disease. An estimated 40 percent of these patients have Parkinson’s disease psychosis, a debilitating condition that is characterized by hallucinations and delusions, is associated with significant caregiver burden, and is a major reason for nursing home placement among Parkinson’s patients.

The following information is from the insert published by Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:

Important Safety Information and Indication for NUPLAZID™ (pimavanserin) tablets

WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. NUPLAZID is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis unrelated to the hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE
NUPLAZID is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis.

QT Interval Prolongation: NUPLAZID prolongs the QT interval. The use of NUPLAZID should be avoided in patients with known QT prolongation or in combination with other drugs known to prolong QT interval including Class 1A antiarrhythmics or Class 3 antiarrhythmics, certain antipsychotic medications, and certain antibiotics. NUPLAZID should also be avoided in patients with a history of cardiac arrhythmias, as well as other circumstances that may increase the risk of the occurrence of torsade de pointes and/or sudden death, including symptomatic bradycardia, hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia, and presence of congenital prolongation of the QT interval.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (≥2% for NUPLAZID and greater than placebo) were peripheral edema (7% vs 2%), nausea (7% vs 4%), confusional state (6% vs 3%), hallucination (5% vs 3%), constipation (4% vs 3%), and gait disturbance (2% vs <1%). Drug Interactions: Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (eg, ketoconazole) increase NUPLAZID concentrations. Reduce the NUPLAZID dose by one-half. Strong CYP3A4 inducers may reduce NUPLAZID exposure, monitor for reduced efficacy. Increase in NUPLAZID dosage may be needed. Renal Impairment: No dosage adjustment for NUPLAZID is needed in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment. Use of NUPLAZID is not recommended in patients with severe renal impairment. Hepatic Impairment: Use of NUPLAZID is not recommended in patients with hepatic impairment. NUPLAZID has not been evaluated in this patient population. Pediatric Use: Safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients. Dosage and Administration: Recommended dose: 34 mg per day, taken orally as two 17 mg tablets once daily, without titration. For details on the balancing act of treatment between motor symptoms and psychosis read the following: http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/non-motor-symptoms/Psychosis/What-are-the-Treatment-Options-for-Psychosis

My Pineapple Guava Shrub-Feijoa ( Acca)Sellowiana

One of my Favorite Plant in My Yard
There is one shrub in my yard that has attractive flowers but also edible fruits that I enjoy eating very much. The fruit is an excellent source for Vitamin C. It is my Pineapple Guava shrub, known also as Feijoa( Acca) sellowiana( see photo above). The following is a short video for additional information on this plant for your landscaping needs.



There are six reasons why pineapple guava should be in your landscaping list as follows:

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/13877/5-or-6-reasons-to-grow-pineapple-guava

Pineapple Guava Flower

A Red Crape Myrtle Tree for My Yard

The Dynamite Red Crape Myrtle that blooms light red the first year and then get deeper each year.

For the last 4 weeks, I had been searching for a flowering shade tree to replace the maple tree that died in my front yard this year. After reading the Internet and talking to the neighbors, I decided to buy a crape myrtle which blooms during summer to late Fall.

I purchased a 15-gal tree that is about 6 ft tall from our local Lowe's Nursery. I paid $69.99. I have my gardener picked it up in his truck. He planted the tree immediately and charged me another $100.

According to the Nursery brochure this variety is pest and disease resistant as well as highly drought tolerant. It will bloom during summer and last until late Fall. The mature height varies from 20 to 25 ft and the mature width from 10 to 20 ft. The botanical name is lagerstroemia indica. For more information on flowering shade trees see:

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/CrapeMyrtles.htm?gclid=CIfj6q6e6cwCFQ2QaQodLzIIWw