TravelCent

The Scholar Maid

Every September and October Singapore hosts its annual International Cantonese Opera Festival. The Chinese Theatre Circle, which had its start in 1981, developed and organizes this cultural event. Traditional Cantonese opera is a standard element in Singapore’s society and is also extremely attractive to tourists who are staying in one of the best Singapore hotels. In addition to hosting the annual festival, the Chinese Theatre Circle is also the busiest opera company in Singapore. It gained its non-profit status in 1995 and has been offering an abundance of excellent productions since then.

There is a spectacular display of symbolic and colorful costumes in Chinese Opera, and while a tourist may wonder at their beauty, their social significance is a central component of their design. This is true also for the many graceful and harmonious movements that are incorporated into the dance. Most often the stories and plots of these operas relate to traditional Chinese themes and are based on the ancient classics. This is manifested not only in the movements and costumes but also in the set designs. Every aspect of the opera is stylized and employs an economy of gesture. A moral lesson is often incorporated into the theme and so are elements of patriotism, loyalty and honor.

One of the more popular productions that was produced by the Chinese Theatre Circle was the 2007 performance of The Scholar Maid. Hong Kong playwright, Mr. Tang Di Sheng, wrote the original script, and CTC’s Mr. Leslie Wong condensed it into a tour hour production. The story depicts a well known academic, Tang Bo Hu of the Ming Dynasty, who falls in love with a woman he met a court, Jui Xiang. He disguises himself as a servant in the home of the Prime Minister to win her heart. The Scholar Maid is a comedy, and as such includes many obstacles and situations that get in the way of Hu’s pursuit. Ultimately though, his plans succeed and true to its genre, the opera has a happy ending. One of the songs from this opera, Meeting at the Temple, continues to be a hit with Cantonese opera lovers.

Beaches

Ibiza is one of the beautiful Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the second smallest of the four major islands, though it is definitely not short on cultural heritage, scenic wonders or entertainment. As with the other islands, it is known for its spectacular beaches that offer plenty of opportunity to enjoy one of a number of water sports. Some of the more common sports include boating, swimming and scuba diving. Each of the island’s beaches has interesting aspects, unique views and natural attractions. And with all of them, the beaches are extremely popular. Two of the more popular beaches on Ibiza are the Talamanca Beach and the Playa d’en Bossa Beach. Tourists staying in the best Ibiza hotels have no problem gaining access to these sandy parks.

The Talamanca Beach is located very near to Ibiza Town, and is frequented by locals as well as tourists. It is an elongated curved beach that borders the Talamanca Bay. It has extremely soft sand that leads into the water and is ideal for sunbathing. There is also a wooden boardwalk that covers the length of the beach and is an excellent way to stroll along as one finds their perfect spot. There are plenty of nearby restaurants and many of these are open all year. Some of the hotels are open year round as well, which makes it a perfect spot for a winter vacation. There are showers along the beach for swimmers to wash off after a dip in the Sea.

The Playa d’en Bossa Beach is also extremely popular and has the longest stretch of sand on the island. This beach becomes even busier when the south wind blows, as it is a popular place for windsurfing. This beach has plenty of bars and restaurants along it, and there is a style and taste for everyone. Beach parties are common with house music pulsating with the waves. For families and individuals who prefer a quieter time, it is recommended they wander over to the far end of the beach. One of the secrets of the beach is a hidden bay at the beach’s end. Few people are aware of this and it is usually quiet and secluded.

Dancing in the Streets

Street Dance is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolve outside of dance studios. Competitive street dancing started in the early 1970s among the New York City gangs, such as the Zulu Kings and the Rock Steady Crew. The street dance movement know as ‘King Tut’ uses the head and arm movements of the Egyptians dance style depicted in the hieroglyphic of Egypt. Break Dancing, dancers spin the body on the head, back, hands and performing aerial dives and complicated fast footwork, started in the Bronx and grew out of the graffiti art and rapping culture. The aims of break dancing which developed control and coordination of acrobatics and athletic feats either solo, with a partner or in a group to demonstrate the superiority over rival gangs. Break Dancing exploded on to the world market not to long after the late 70’s and became popular among non-gang members and any American traveler could witness this phenomena being performed on the train platforms in India all the way to witnessing break dancer as young as eight perform right outside one of Singapore Luxury Hotels to earn a living.

Break Dancing evolved to what is called ‘Body Popping‘ with terms like The Turtle and The Beetle Crawl. Body Popping consist of a jerky articulation of isolated parts of the body creating a chain of movements which appear to ripple. A mechanical effect is created by tensing the muscles in a stiff body; the exacting movements are small and sharp. Today’s street dancing is commonly used specifically for the many hip-hop dances and funk dances and are no longer considered gang related. The popularity among the younger generations have taken street dance to a whole new level. There is now an American television show almost dedicated to the street dancer called ‘So You Think You Can Dance?‘.  Which has brought legitimacy to the once gangster related activity and is now being taught in the better known dancing schools and studios.

Red Panda

India has many natural wonders and beautiful scenic aspects. As with every country’s geography, there is a natural habitat that is included in the cultural orientation. The Red Panda of India is one of those features. Tourists staying in a five star hotel India may wish to explore the country’s geographic elements as well as its major cities and urban landmarks. While the Red Panda is known as a beautiful animal original to the Himalayas it is also indigenous to Pakistan, Laos, Burma, Nepal and of course India.

The small mammal is commonly known as the Firefox or Lesser Panda, with the Red Panda being its Western name. The term Red Panda most likely originates from the Nepali word ponya. This became the standard Western name for it in 1821 when Thomas Hardwicke introduced it to Europe. It is also known as the Wah due to its unique cry. It is also called a Cat Bear because it resembles a small bear though it washes itself much like a cat. The panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat, which contributes to the association. It is classified as a vulnerable species due to continual declines in its population because of habitat fragmentation. Its diet is mostly composed of bamboo and it is primarily considered to be an herbivore.

These endearingly charming creatures are most active at dusk and dawn, making them crepuscular. During most of the day they are sedentary and can be found lounging in the trees. They only increase their activity in the early evening and early morning. They are extremely skilled acrobats and spend most of their time in the trees. They are generally solitude animals and rarely, if ever, live in groups with another. The pandas begin their day with a washing ritual of licking their paws and using them to massage their backs, stomachs and faces. The next item on their agenda is to patrol their territory and ensure their boundary markings. They spend their evenings searching for food. This is one of the rare times they come to the ground, though they don’t stay long.

The Intention of Healing

When I was in my twenties and participating in a weekend workshop for actors being held at a Singapore Boutique Hotel, I learned about Script Analysis. In that workshop they taught us about how to dissect a script and find our characters intentions. We had to do this for every line in the script our characters had. This was my first time having to understand what an intention was. Being young and not too worldly, concepts came slow to me, but learning about how not only my character has ‘intentions’, but how I have intentions. This was a powerful moment for me.

Now, twenty years later, I’m seeing all kinds of books and movies being made concerning intentions, like ‘What the Bleep’ which is all about scientific studies on how powerful thoughts and intentions really are in our lives. The power of intentions is based on the principle of ‘like attracts like.’ Whatever we focus our minds on, we will draw to us.  for example, if we have fearful thoughts, we will attract fearful situations and people to us, or if we have thoughts of peace and have inner balance we will attract peaceful situations and peace balanced people. It’s because our thoughts have a powerful effect in the physical world.

All of us have this power, but for some reason as children we were conditioned, educated about our limitations, about the skepticism of us having our own powers. Because of this conditioning we forgot about our innate abilities to manifest what we want; we were taught that all power is outside of us. But, there are now documented studies proving that our thoughts, our intentions do have power.  In one study, half of the participants that actually exercised were able to achieve a 30% increase in strength. The other half who just imagined themselves exercising achieved and astonishing 16% increase. Showing that virtual workouts can give the same effects as actually working out.  There are now journal after journal documenting such experiments. Seeing all this material being produced makes me wonder if when I learned about my character having intentions that I created an intention to be ready for the next phase of the true power behind intentions.

The Long Sit

I’ve been practicing a particular type of meditation Vipassana, Insight meditation. Seeing things as they really are; India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It’s a non-sectarian technique taught by Gotama Buddha as a universal remedy for universal ills over 2600 years ago. I found out about this Vipassana Meditation technique when a good friend of mine told me that she just finished doing a 10-day sit recommended to her by one of her spa clients. She was all excited and told me that this meditation technique is life changing and amazing. She said there’s tons of Vipassana Meditation Centers around the world and there free. The centers do not charge to attend a 10-day sit. They even give you room and board.

I could tell in her voice that she was a changed person. She was more alive and calmer at the same time. I arranged a time to meet up with her a one of Singapore Best Spas, my favorite way to meet up with friends for a day, when we meet up I could ’see’ the change in her. I couldn’t wait for her to tell me all about what she learned. She and I have been meditation buddies for years, going from one spiritual center to another, learning how to meditate. There are so many techniques and so many ways to meditate, all promising a peace within. Some techniques require chanting a mantra, another is to visualize a deity and some focus on the breath, counting how many breaths you take. All of which my friend and I found lacking. Yes, after practicing these meditation techniques we did feel peaceful and happy, but it didn’t last.

She proceed to tell me that what she learned in those 10-days is a technique aimed for the total eradication of mental impurities and the results of the ultimate happiness of becoming fully liberated. This got my interest. She continued saying Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self observation of the mind and body interconnection. This definitely sounded like something I’ve never tried before. But, seeing how she glows, and it’s been a month since her 10-day sit, and how much joy is in her life, I decided to try it myself. To date, I’ve been to four 10-day sits and all I can say is that this Vipassana Meditation Technique is truly transforming and life changing.

The Frogs in New York City

There is a new exhibit that opened recently at the American Museum of Natural History,  located downtown conveniently close to many of the four star New York hotels. The curator of the exhibit is the herpetologist, Christopher J. Raxworthy.  His focus has been on the amphibians and the reptiles of the old world, with particular attention paid to the Chameleon species.  He has worked in Madagascar, Morocco, Senegal and Vietnam, just to name a few.  He has helped with the conservation and the protection of the different species and has been responsible for the discovery of more than one hundred and fifty amphibian species.  He has published his findings and has significantly contributed to the literature published.  He received his education at University of London, and at the Open University in Keynes, and has been lecturing at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar.  He joined the team in New York in 2000.

The exhibit at the museum includes specimens of the many different frogs, most are more brilliantly colored than the most spectacular birds on the planet.  The frogs in New York are from all reaches of the earth, as they adapt to the various climates and thrive in almost any terrain.  Their strategies for survival are examined in the exhibit, many tactics for survival in the species range from incredible to down right bizarre.  For more than one hundred years, the researchers at the museum have been collecting data and performing research with the hopes of preservation and the conservation of the more endangered of the species.  This has become important as of late, as the conditions created by humans and the development of the previous natural habitats is causing many of the species to just simply disappear.  The museum offers many shows and exhibits throughout the summer of 2009,  and oddly enough, these frogs are just fascinating.

Rahim Murge Pe Mat Ro

When traveling in Bombay, hotel accommodations are very high on the list of priorities.   In the midst of one of the largest cities in the world, there needs to be at least one place of respite, somewhere that luxury and comfort can be counted on.  Whether the trip is for relaxation, where the hotel will be the place most seen, or for adventure, where the hotel is a place to sleep, comfort is key to rejuvenation of the body, mind, and spirit.  Mumbai is one of the most dazzling places on earth, where the vibrant urban scene is dotted by one memorable event after another.  The locals are fascinating studies of humanity, and it’s really no wonder that this is also one of the film capitals of the world.  There is always so much visual stimuli, it takes the hands of a very skilled artist to bring the energy into some kind of focus.

Rajat Nagpal and Devashish Makhija, Bombay artists, collaborated efforts to make a series of short films.  Begun with the intention of making three works that were based on shifting points of view, they put their directing and writing talents together to make experimental video to go along with a visual arts show in Bombay.  Almost as an afterthought, they made an extremely short work, barely over one minute long, about the death of a rooster, that has brought them an awful lot of attention.

Titled “Rahim Murge Pe Mat Ro,” the film has been listed on some prominent lists as one of the 10 favorite films of the year.  It has also been shortlisted from 2500 hundred films in the Filmminute: International One-Minute Film Festival.  Although the content is a bit disturbing on multiple levels, the pace and style are absolutely brilliantly funny.  These artists achieve a kind of beautiful unity of art in a very short time, and push the limits of the film form.  Their impressive qualifications and experience suggest that there is more to come from these artists, and hopefully at times they will be able to collaborate again, but the document they’ve left behind is a splendid work of brief cinema, and another notch in the artistic identity of Bombay.