Archives for November, 2009
Posted on Nov 30, 2009 under Health |
It might very well be true that if we learn how to relax the mind, then the body will follow. But the reverse of this is also certainly true, and sometimes the fastest way to calm down emotionally is to engage in some kind of physical activity. It’s said that we can’t think ourselves into right action, but we can act our way into right thinking. Some of the best wisdom of the ages recommends that we do something, take an action, when things are overwhelming, or when we realize that we are not feeling like ourselves any longer. Sometimes the best action to take is to relax.
Most people don’t think of relaxation as an action at all, but a lack of action. This can sometimes result in a whole culture finding itself unable to relax, because no one can remember how, because we’ve forgotten that it most certainly is an action. There are short cuts to relaxation, and some of them are even very healthy, with massage, hot tubs, spas, or other therapies that can help the body to stop moving with the worried mind, and start to respond to the moment. The body is usually more honest than the brain, anyway, because it doesn’t have to prove that it exists, and sees things as they are right now.
Action in contemporary times is often translated to any kind of strenuous activity. Somehow we’ve mixed strenuous into everything, and action and activity don’t need strain. Some of the best things that have ever happened to us have come at moments when there was no trying, no effort, and certainly no strain. We know this, and we can see it in the ancient wisdom, where the notion that we can do without doing, and this is the best way to get things done. The notion of equating work with difficult effort comes from an old argument that has haunted philosophers over the ages, where there is a dualism between the mind and the body. At our best moments, there is no separation, and the fastest way to get back to the feeling of oneness is to make the effort to relax, and to take the action to relax, and to let ourselves have permission, to finally, relax!
Posted on Nov 25, 2009 under Travel |
Our surroundings in Barcelona are so comfortable that we slept in again, although, it won’t matter as we planned to be a bit later in catching the train, because we have clothes being washed by one of the best Barcelona boutique hotels we’ve ever stayed at. We’ve timed breakfast to be over by the time the hotel brings back our clothes.
With our two-day Metro pass, we headed off to the railway station, but we ran into a problem when the pass would not let us through the stile into the station platform. There was no one around to ask, so we assumed that what we had purchased yesterday was not a two-day pass, but something valid for only a day. We ended up purchasing a one way ticket to get us into the city and walk between the attractions we have on our list of things to see.
The train service on Sunday is excellent. There was a train every 20 minutes, meaning we didn’t have to wait long. The sun was shining, it was a gorgeous day to walk after the train ride. Our first stop was the La Sagrada Familia. It took us about a half an hour to get there. It seems that apart from the temple, there’s not a lot elses in the area for tourists to see. We could tell we were almost there when we saw a few ‘hop-on hop-off’ buses that circuit the city highlights. The Temple was designed by Gaudi who had futuristic visions back in 1882. The building had been under construction ever since and it’s still not finished!
While we were waiting in a lengthy queue to get inside, a band of drummers with people dressed up in Star Wars Troopers outfits went by with a whole host of other people following them. All of us in queue couldn’t figure out what that was all about. But, at least we were thoroughly entertained for about 10 minutes. Before we knew it, we were at the entrance. There was a large sign upon entering the temple thanking us for paying the entry fee. Stating that the fees will be used to complete the construction by 2030!
Posted on Nov 24, 2009 under Travel |
There are many reasons to travel to New York, although there was only one thing on Tony’s mind when he arrived in this great American city. He wanted good pizza and was sure he was going to find it here. Tony had only been to the city once before in his life and this was quite a while ago when he was just a child. He vaguely remembers coming here with his parents and visiting the Statue of Liberty. This time, he would enjoy viewing her from a distance but unless he found out there was an incredible pizza parlor out on Ellis Island, he would likely remain were he was.
That first morning when Joe woke up in his room in one of the New York City best hotels he took a quick shower and hit the streets. He wasn’t looking for pizza for breakfast mind you, although he did love it. His first goal was to get a great donut and a cup of coffee. While he was out he would look for the perfect place to have his lunch. At this point in the story it may seem as though Joe was single or simple minded. This could not be further from the truth. However, he could become somewhat obsessed with ideas and interests, and for the last two years he had been seeking the greatest pizza in the world.
Joe passed by Adrienne’s Pizza Bar. This looked interesting and he thought he might as well begin his trials here. However, he kept walking and soon enough found Famous Joe’s Pizza. He felt this must be destiny or at least he was willing to give it a try in honor of the establishment’s name alone. On his way back to the hotel Joe walked by Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizza. This drew his attention and immediately on his first day in New York he found he was running into quite a challenge. He had no idea how he was going to conquer all of New York’s Pizzerias, but he was certainly going to give it a shot. He decided that he would begin by having one slice in each of the places he had found interest in at that point. That evening he would do the same and continue in this pattern throughout the week. Joe was certain he would find a winner.
Posted on Nov 23, 2009 under Home |
When one sets out to rehab a historic building there are many things to consider. The construction, the paint, the windows…most of the time when a building has been recognized by a city’s historic society as such, there are regulations applied to any new construction. It must keep with the original design, even down the window coverings. The city of Rockville, Maryland is steep in history and as such has many buildings throughout the city that make the list at the Historic Preservation Office.
Window coverings in various designs and colors, such as blinds and shades, are found at Next Day Blinds. Rockeville historic and cultural buildings are held to these high standards. There are two local historic districts, those that are single sites, and those which are called multi-resource. The districts that are designated as single-site are held to very high standards as with these sites there is just one aspect that bears the weight of all of the cultural, the historical, the archaeological, and anthropological significance of that area. Whereas the multi-site areas share that constructional responsibility for the history and the over all personality and character that is being preserved or recreated.
Some of the many other historical buildings are on the Register, even though they are not located in these specific districts. These sites are not required to be renovated unless they can receive the federal permits and the funding for such upkeep as the painting, the construction, the re-habbing of appliances and window treatments such as those found at Next Day Blinds. Rockville, Maryland has changed over the years, but the city officials and the commissioners remain dedicated to preserving that rich history through the conservation of the buildings and the structures that so illustrate that history today. This is what many cities are doing throughout the country, and in a world that was so quick to just tear down the old and build new, modern architecture, the preservation of these buildings add a charm and a character that many cities are lacking today.
Posted on Nov 23, 2009 under Travel |
Last summer Kelly and Renee were finally able to take a vacation together. They have done this before and it used to be their annual habit, however for the last three years one thing or another got in their way and prevented them from actually going anywhere. So, this summer was going to be special. And they could actually say that they had been looking forward to it for years. They decided to spend a week in San Antonio, Texas primarily due to their interest in the Alamo, which both had been wanting to visit since their teen years. Renee booked their room in one of the best San Antonio hotels and they were off.
Once they arrived in San Antonio they were struck by the beauty of the city. Until that moment they had just associated it with the Alamo and were both incredibly impressed with the city itself. They quickly went down to the resort lobby and gathered literature on everything there was to do there and within an hour they had forgotten all about the Alamo. Instead they decided to spend that afternoon at SeaWorld San Antonio. Kelly had a strong attraction to dolphins and had even greatly considered studying marine biology in school, though ultimately he succumbed to family pressure to go into business administration. He looked forward to Dolphin Discovery tour and also wanted to get into the water with the Beluga white whales.
The next morning they woke up early so they could spend a leisurely day walking along some of the historic San Antonio streets. They read about the King Williams Streets area and wanted to visit the Steve’s Homestead Museum. They also wanted to visit the San Fernando Cathedral, which they found to be incredible in design and absolutely beautiful. That evening over their steak and barbeque dinner, Renee wondered what they should do the following day. They were having a wonderful time and talked about some of the other attractions they had read about. Suddenly Kelly’s eyes opened wide and he looked at his wife and said, “Oh shucks, Renee, remember the Alamo!”
Posted on Nov 17, 2009 under Travel |
As wide and varied as any continent, Asia has a dizzying number of cultures and languages, and any place you travel here offers a magnificent complexity. Getting to know another country is something that takes time and energy, but of course, being here is a great way to begin. Savvy world travelers also understand that it doesn’t matter how many times you see a place, it’s always a beginning, and there’s always so much more to know than there is already known. In places where there is constant movement and constant energy, it’s a great idea to plan your time there centered in one of their finest luxury hotels. Although every place on earth is in the middle of enormous changes, some of the larger cities in Asia have seen a number of fascinating and complicated revolutions in recent years.
Whether these revolutions have been in the political structure or in the cultural scene, there is something fascinating to discover here. Repeat visitors always find out that things have changed since the last time, and this can be the cause of celebration or sometimes a great sentimentality. But the most sentimental sentiments have found a home in art, and some of the best art in the world concerns the passage of time. Some art is caught in the passage of time, riding a current that carries it from here to there, and then to now. Xiang Jing is part of a new wave of artists coming from China, marking a remarkable new body of work that is becoming enormously influential on the global art scene.
In the past decade, new Chinese art has become a focal point for many art critics and scholars, looking at the rise in value in the local Chinese art market. This is in large part due to the economic strength of the country, and a willingness among its citizens to patronize galleries and buy works of art. Beijing sculptor Xiang Jing is in this generation, and her sculptures are amazing works that interrogate the classical depiction of the female form, and are remarkable works that speak to multiple audiences. Her work is shown all over the world, but it is a splendid thing to take the opportunity to see her work here, as an introduction to what some of the best work being done today looks like in all of its contexts and dimensions.
Posted on Nov 16, 2009 under Travel |
While in Hong Kong, I enjoyed a mostly relaxing time catching up with ‘Survivor’ clips, the latest DVD release of ‘House of Fury’ and eating mango cakes with yogurt. A typhoon is approaching Hong Kong and all the red danger flags have risen. Not a great time to be in Hong Kong, but I do get a chance to catch up on my favorite shows. My travel partner thought this typhoon was perfect, he’s body surfing at Big Wave Bay. Crazy guy.
We were staying at one of the best 5 star hotels Hong Kong has to offer, so I’m sure they didn’t appreciate him tromping through the lobby all dripping wet. He was still dripping wet when he entered our room! I told him to dry off. He told me that the intermittent rain pounded him as the wind whipped up the waves. He caught a few good waves then headed back to the hotel. After he cleaned up we went out for ice cream. He said there’s nothing better than ice cream after body surfing. Crazy guy.
While eating ice cream he reminisced about climbing K2 and a few other 8,000 meter peaks. I on the other hand can not reminisce, I get altitude sickness right at 7500 meters. No matter how much physical shape I’m in, my body refuses to go any higher. Maybe that’s why I like to watch ‘Survivor’ so much, I like to see other people accomplish something. My travel partner was here in Hong Kong on official business and that was over with yesterday, so he’s heading back to Martha’s Vineyard. While I want to stay here one more week.
My business visa was rejected due to the fact that I don’t have a sponsor. So, I quickly applied for another tourist visa. I hope to hook-up with him at Martha’s Vineyard, but who’s to say if I’ll ever see him again. As you know, he’s a crazy guy.
Posted on Nov 09, 2009 under Travel |
After a 14 hour flight from Brisbane, we arrived in Dubai. It was already 32 degrees at 6am! We quickly cleared customs and the heat wave that hit us as we walked out of the airport was staggering. We then took a taxi to our 4 star hotel Dubai where we met up with Winona and Josh, who have been in Dubai for a week.
Because of the heat, we decided to spent the day at the Wild Wadi Water Park. Besides, most of the markets and shops aren’t open till 4pm. The park was fantastic! There was body boarding, which we did over and over again. We kept trying to get up on our knees; I was successful only once. The highlight of the park is the speed slide, I’ve never slid so fast in my life; ended up with some pretty good wedgies by the time I hit the bottom. My bathing suit turned into a G-string.
After we exhausted ourselves at the water-park, we headed over to Deira City Center Mall. It’s this massive place with hundreds of shops. Plenty of cheap electronics, which is great because Dubai is tax free. We only spend an hour, we were so overwhelmed that it exhausted us the same as the water-park. But, we just had to take a taxi to the Gold Souk. We arrived around 6pm and the heat was nearly 40 degrees. We both didn’t like what most of the Gold Souk’s had to offer in the way of jewellery, just wasn’t our taste, but I did buy this extremely nice white gold ring with a small beautiful diamond set in it, and I got this smoking deal! 60 percent off! I was so happy with my very first purchase of Dubai gold.
We were so tired from all our travelling, body boarding, shopping that we ended up going back to our hotel room without dinner and fell fast asleep. It was only 8pm! But, we wanted to be very rested for our adventure tomorrow. We’ll be riding in 4 x 4’s through the sand dunes!
Posted on Nov 03, 2009 under Travel |
I am looking forward to a crazy time in Chicago. My friend and I are going to visit our friend Christopher, not Chris, Christopher, as he would quickly correct you if called him by a shortened version of his name.
It has been a while since we all have been able to spend any time together, Christopher moved up to Chicago about two year ago now and we have not seen each other since.
Sounds like every thing has been going very well for Christopher since his moved to Chicago. He has met a really nice guy and settled down, they live in a really nice high rise and sounds as if this guy is taking care of Christopher well.
Naturally we were excited to see Christopher and meet his new friend. I mean isn’t it required that good friends give their seal of approval before the relationship goes too far?
We have our flights booked and reserved our rooms at luxury hotels Chicago for a relaxing vacation. I know we will be spending a lot of time partying in Chicago’s night clubs, after all that was our specialty when would hang out before he moved away. So as a surprise for Christopher my friend and I have scheduled the three of us for massages, mineral soaks and facials in the hotel spa during our stay.
The Friday night we are there Christopher will be donning his Christyfur attire and performing his act as a female impersonator. That should be a lot of fun. He use to do some drag when he lived here nothing too serious, just playing around, for Halloween, that kind of stuff, not as a regular performer. Apparently he has really begun to develop a career of his female impersonation and performance.
Catching up on old times, night clubbing, shopping, enjoying some time on Lake Michigan and meeting and getting to know Christopher’s new partner will make for a full itinerary and keep us busy while there.
Posted on Nov 02, 2009 under Travel |
When choosing from the five star hotels in Hyderabad, consider your own personal taste and style. This is one of the many cities in India where the old meets the new. There are the charming and historical hotels, and the modern and the innovative. Your accommodations will set the mood for your travels and explorations throughout the city. The city has much to explore, be it ancient mosques and palaces or the high rise landscape, nothing will every be boring. Wonderful sights await those heading out for the first, or the twenty-first, time in the city of Hyderabad. The charm of this city has led it to become ranked as the fifth most metropolitan cities of the country.
Tourism is booming at a time when most people can not afford to travel, and the city of Hyderabad is stepping up to the plate. Increasing the number of precincts with entertainment venues, tourist attractions and recreational opportunities has been the focus of the Government, in an attempt to provide what it is people are seeking. They are planning before doing, and specifically placing areas of interest, in locations that are convenient and easily accessible.
Among these attractions are the shopping markets. And the most spectacular of the markets is the General Bazaar. The General Bazaar is becoming well known to tourists, but the locals are already aware of the opportunities for bargains, of the social aspect. When entering this market you will be filled with the beautiful chaos of color and business, of people selling their wares or their produce, their flowers or their toys or their shoes, that they have grown or crafted by hand. Located close to the market are many Hindu temples as well as the incredible Tamil Church. This district is the heart of the city, and will most definitely remain to keep on beating.