Archive for December, 2009

• Singapore UFO Catcher

  Monday, December 28th, 2009

  Being in Singapore is always an unreal experience.  There’s always a sense that all the cultures in the world are going to come crashing into each other at once, and it’s not a bad feeling at all.  In fact, it feels exactly right, that this is the most interesting place in the world to be right now.  There are many tourists who come here for the usual tourist attractions, looking to get lost in an exotic place and have some quiet adventures in their hotels, and at the shopping malls.  This isn’t a bad way to spend your time at all, since there’s a lot of the world represented in these places, giving a glimpse into new fashions, and new trends in hospitality and relaxation.  There are also a host of other entertainments, and lots of live shows that show off local talent, as well as bringing in excellent acts from all over the world.

  There are also many people who come here for the food, and this is very reasonable, because the restaurants in Singapore are some of the very best in the world.  There are so many different things to try, and all types of cuisines, and it’s a kind of world tour in itself to taste everything that’s offered here.  The street stalls can also have some very scrumptious meals, but the restaurants are where you can see the city in action, because they really do it up right at dinner time!  My favorite thing here, though, is the local kids culture, and the way it expresses itself in the streets, or really, in the arcades.  There are many good places to go to have a fun arcade experience, places like East Coast Park, with tons of cool games.

  Arcade culture here is very intense, and very exciting.  It’s not just about the games, where new technology meets the science fiction obsessions of the people,  but that’s certainly part of the fun.  It’s also interesting to see what kinds of prizes they have, and UFO Catcher has some of the best gifts around.  There are even some sites that are devoted to selling the prizes from this game.  It’s a good example of how arcades work here, because some people play it just for fun, for the chance at grabbing the toy with the claw.  But there are some who take it very seriously, and share secrets and hints online so that you can learn all the good techniques for working the controls exactly right.  But what’s most fun is to be in the arcade and watch the people, and see how this side of Singapore works.  It’s a great way to meet people, and learn about another way of looking at the world.

• Nestled Snow Chalet

  Monday, December 28th, 2009

  xWay up in the wonderful Switzerland Alps lies a nestled snow chalet in a town called Saas Fee. It is like stepping back in time as you approach the village. Winding your way up the  mountain through the endless valleys of glacier and snow you can’t help but get that smiling tickle of excitement in you belly. Then the it really kicks in when you have to leave your car in the car park. As you enter in it just opens up into a place out of some older time. Yes, this old mountain farming town is now a splendid resort town. Filled with activities to keep visitors busy all year round.

  In the summer, visitors check into the Saas Fee hotels and prepare for mountain top adventures. There are some spectacular hikes to take. Mountain climbing is at its best here. Others like to bring their mountain bikes and take in as much of the mountain as they can pedal. Then there are the amazing festivals that go on all summer long. There is a film festival usually in July for a couple of days. They show the films that have won awards in the international film festivals. Then there is the food festival that goes on in August. It is a food, wine and light hike in the mountain thing. The cable cars and gondolas are open year round and they start you on the journey with the cable cars and then you hike along a trail that has little food and wine stops along the way.

  In the winter this town and it’s neighboring resort towns come alive with the snow. Now you have some real competition coming around. The Ice Climbing World Cup is going to be held their this year in January 2010. It takes place in the glacier village. They build a 30 meter high wall of ice and then enclose most of the area so that they can have stands for people to watch. Then you can get out into the fresh mountain air and see the snow boarders compete in the Style Session. The create a half-pipe and slope to do their competition on which happens in April

• Celebrating Edgar Allen Poe’s Birthday in Baltimore

  Monday, December 28th, 2009

  Edgar Allen Poe is a cultural icon.  Not only do his stories and his poems resonate with a sadness and a mystery, they continue to influence young writers of today.  He was a master of the macabre, a man that is described as one of the first in the American Romantic Movement.  He was one of the fathers of the short story and has been widely recognized as the writer who invented the detective novel and the science fiction genre.

  He was one of the first American writers to earn their living from their writings alone.  Some of his early writings gave him no credit, simply signed by “a Bostonian”.  He made money on the side writing literary criticisms for magazines and journals, and his style was noted even in those editorials.  He moved around quite a bit, and finally settled in Baltimore following his marriage to Virginia Clem in 1835.  Ten years later he published the much admired poem, “The Raven“.  Poe only lived to be forty years old.  He was found on the streets of Baltimore, wandering in a daze and in great distress.  There have been many conjectures, but to this day no exact cause of death has been determined.  His death is the kind of mystery that only feeds his popularity, for just as the last word of Orson Well’s in “Citizen Kane” was “Rosebud”, Poe’s last word was “Reynolds”.  No one knew then, and no one knows now, to whom or to what he was referring.

  In just a few days, any Baltimore restaurant or pub will be celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of his birthday.  The Admiral Fell Inn is honoring their past resident with dinner specials and cocktail parties.   Poe was not a son of Baltimore by birth, but he became one in his life, and many celebrations occur throughout the year at his home, or at the Westminster Church Cemetery where he is buried.  This would be a fabulous time to visit Baltimore, the 12th of November is when it all happens, and should one be in the mood of the macabre, it will be a night of remembrance and celebration.

• Creating Christmas Ambiance

  Monday, December 21st, 2009

  It’s Christmas time, and you are inviting people to your home.  Friends and family and coworkers.  You want to create the perfect feel, the most perfect ambiance and there are many ways in which to do this.  Lighting plays a huge role in the creation of a mood.  Overhead or fluorescent lighting?  Not so much.  Small lamps with soft light bulbs will serve to take away the harsh bright light, as well as candles placed throughout your house.  The warm glow of natural light is unsurpassed when you are attempting to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in your home.  Fireplace light…what can be more inviting?  The warmth of the evenly heated room, combined with the dance and flicker of the flame will set your guests at ease, making them feel right at home.  The Christmas glow will be all around.  Music is another element which will play a large role in creating a special feel.

  Some Christmas songs, such as those piped into department stores, can be a bit grating on the nerves, so choose your music with care, and keep the volume low, so that the music is in the background, and the conversation and the connection of your guests is in the foreground.  Many people find that cool jazz tunes, or slow moving classical tunes will most often times do the trick.  Christmas lights…well my father liked to set the blinking of the lights to the beat of the music.  While this was endearing, it was a bit distracting.  Simple white, non-blinking lights will usually provide a calmer and more welcoming feel.   The goal is to create an inviting atmosphere, and one which allows everyone to really connect and to feel the real spirit of the holiday season.  Creating a mood is a subtle talent, and one that your guest will appreciate, and one that you will as well.

• Red Devil in Malgrat

  Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

  I couldn’t remember her name long enough to speak it at the most important moments, and not because I couldn’t forget her, but because she talked so fast.  She would be speaking for only ten minutes, but there was information about the time she tried to follow the Neal Cassady trail on the train tracks, apparently she only got to three hundred, the weigh of an albatross, literally, she knew, and then something about the price of marzipan in southern Mexico.  That’s the moment when she would suddenly stop and ask me to remember her name, and I just couldn’t because my head was spinning.  She had that effect on a lot of people, and she certainly had it on me.

  Whatever it was, it was some kind of strange magic, and I don’t know how I lost track of her.  The last time we were together, we were in Malgrat de Mar.  Hotels were everywhere, and we found the most charming place, not too far off the path, but far enough that we were on our own.  It was a great way to catch up on all the lost conversation, and I do remember one particular night when she woke up speaking.  She may have been dreaming, and may have caught herself in the act of talking in her sleep, but she kept going, and it eventually started to make sense.  When she asked if I remembered her name, like she always did, I was ready.  It was right there on my forearm, we’d been to Red Devil to get my first tattoo in Spain.

  These stories always end sadly, and I don’t know if they need to end any other way, sad is sort of perfect.  She was sort of sad, really, and I’d like to say, one morning, I woke up, and she was gone.  I’d like to say she left a note that went on for twenty pages about the relationship between Johnny Appleseed and real estate, and how that was the beginning of the end, or at least an excuse about going to Red Devil Tattoo herself, but nothing as good as that.  It was more simple, where we both woke up one morning, and the weather had turned to autumn, and we both knew it was over.  Nothing more, nothing less romantic than that.

• Reflecting Ponds and Hot Tubs

  Monday, December 14th, 2009

  It’s always a good day when there’s a little time left at the end to reflect over all the things that happen during the course of 24 hours.  Our lives are busy, there’s no question about that, and one of the things that’s really missing these days is that moment of calm reflection.  Philosophers and poets have known for centuries that this is one of the most important things we have as human beings.  Reflection helps us to see things clearly, to make rational decisions, but it also helps us to see the subtle poetry in a life.

  Hot tubs are a perfect excuse for reflection.  Most people think of relaxation, or hanging out with friends over a great meal and some drinks, when they think of the attraction to hot tubs.  But there’s more to it than that.  It could be all academic, and maybe it doesn’t really matter, but when you work with a company as splendid as choosehottubsdirect.com, there’s an ease to the whole selection process, that allow you a worry-free experience.  This means that you can start to consider all the fantastic uses for your hot tub.

  The reflecting pond has been an important part of the inner life of people throughout history.  Having a place to go to meditate, and think about all the lofty issues of the day, or even to go over the small problems that add up when you don’t have time to relax.  Having your own personal spa can be like having a reflecting pond at your own disposal, for your own personal uses, for all the hours in the day.  Plus, they offer so much more.  And if you feel like reflecting another time, and just want to let your mind wander freely, your hot tub can certainly accommodate that, too.

• Cochem and the Lorelei

  Monday, December 14th, 2009

  It’s always a love story when there’s a castle involved.  I’ve known this since I was just a kid, and because of that, I avoided castles for as long as I could.  When I decided to ignore the advice of a fortune-teller last summer, and went off in pursuit of a woman who reminded me of someone else, just to get over someone else before that, I knew I’d made the right decision.  Now I even think that the fortune-teller knew I would ignore the advice, that this was also in the cards.  But her name was…her name was…in this story, we’ll call her Lorelei.

  We’d met about a month before I became entranced, and nearly crazy, but when we met, it was one of those stories that sounds even sweeter in retrospect, and at the time, it was also something that I knew would change the way I experience heat and flame.  She found me in a cafe, I was wet and no longer interested in the usual things that please other people in the world.  She must have had a soft spot for gloom, because she was sitting next to me and talking about places like Cochem, hotels close to castles where you could hear stories written on the whispers of the Rhine, and she also told me some secrets about how to transcribe music from the beyond.

  She was so charming, and so spooky, that I fell under a spell.  At the time it was almost like drowning, but now I see it as the feeling you get before you wake up.  There were moments in there that turned into nights, and after a rain storm passed, she said she was passing through, too, and I didn’t know what she meant.  A month later, I was trying not to sleep because every time I closed my eyes I would dream about her.  She said that somewhere between the south of Slovenia and the narrow part of the Rhine I would meet her double, her shadow, that might know the gesture to unlock my heart.  One night, at the edge of near madness, I whispered her name to myself one last time, Lorelei, and I’m still too melancholic to know for sure if the river answered.

• Eighty-one Miles from Greensboro

  Monday, December 14th, 2009

  The truth is that I haven’t spent that much time in the South.  A little time in Florida, a few nights in Louisiana, a few days in Alabama, and we’re done.  However, I have spent some time studying North Carolina and its cities, particularly Greensboro and Asheville, because I’m interested in film and film-making, and North Carolina is a state generous to film-makers, attracting attention from anyone who wants to contribute to the art of cinema.

  Greensboro itself, is the third largest city in North Carolina, with an estimated population of about two hundred and sixty thousand and lies where the I-85 and I-40 meet in central part of the state in the region of Piedmont (literally, the “foot of the mountains”).

  If you were to check in today to one of the hotels Greensboro offers, you would find the city has combined with Winston-Salem and High Point to create the Triad, an area containing about a million people, filled with history and parks.  The city gets its name from a Major General, Nathanael Greene, who commanded the American forces in 1781 at the Battle of Guilford Court House.  Americans lost that particular battle but because of the casualties dealt to the British, Lord Cornwallis pulled his armies out of North Carolina and thus allowed American and French Troops to defeat him in Yorktown, Virginia.  Twenty days of siege later and the American Revolution was finally over.

  It’s points of history like these that make me realize I need to investigate places like Greensboro more.  After all, as a citizen of the West Coast, and someone who didn’t travel East of the Mississippi until a quarter century of my life had passed, all I really knew about North Carolina I learned from 1960s television and The Andy Griffith Show, in which the fictional town of Mayberry was located about thirty miles or so from Raleigh, North Carolina, which, in turn, is located about eighty-one miles from Greensboro.

• Caribbean Tip of Sand

  Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

  As the ships come into the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea they will pass Cancun. If they are smart they will stop and spend a little time unwinding from the sway on the light white sandy beaches. They can find a Cancun hotel right on the beachfront and relax.

  This area is as old as it gets. It is known as the Mayan Coast as it sits on the Peninsula of Yucatan. Of course the name comes from its previous inhabitants the Mayans who had settlements from Brava to Punta Allen. They were people who were very advanced in their knowledge of the earth and the sky. They have built what seemed to be the unbuildable for their time and they predicted things that only time will tell if its true. The Spaniards came to the area in 1519 and they have built this area up to what it is today. The country of Mexico finally realized that tourism was a very important ingredient to keeping their economy strong so they slated  Cancun as a great place to invest. They have been pulling in investment dollars since around 1967. This helped them fund the addition of entertainment and accommodations to the area.

  Visitors should spend time both sides of the area. The north side is were all the tourist resorts are with their amazing developments. This is were you can find all the party, shopping, planned trips and accommodations. The south side is where the small little quaint villages are surrounded by untouched beaches. The second largest reef in the world, the Gran Arrecife Maya, can be accessed from the south side. This is also the area to explore many deep sea caverns, caves and under water rivers. Better get your Padi scuba divers license. Then grab a knowledgable guide to get the right gear and take you out into the wonders of the local seas or forest. There is so much nature here in Cancun Mexico to take in.

• Four Trips to San Francisco

  Monday, December 7th, 2009

  The first time I saw San Francisco, I was about five years old, with my parents, visiting for the day from Sacramento, California.  Even then, I knew this city was one of the world’s great cities — the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay, Fisherman’s Wharf — all of it formed an immediate impression on me, but it wasn’t until twelve years later, that I went again.  The second time, I was actually in a traveling church choir, where we had stopped in San Francisco literally for the afternoon, enabling us just to spend some time exploring Chinatown.  I remember going into a downstairs Chinese restaurant, where the food was served family style, dishes brought out for the entire, large rounded table.  I remember hearing a funeral procession pass by, and then, perhaps oddly, because I now associate this more with New Orleans funerals than anything on the West Coast, the funeral music seemed to abruptly change from a dirge to something jazzy and joyful.  The third and my last time there, was nearly fourteen years ago.  I had moved away from home and lived now in the city of Los Angeles and had flown into the Bay Area to see old friends, now living in San Jose, Redwood City, and in the City itself.  Taking in the sights of San Francisco as an adult, rather than as a teenager or child, made for a completely different experience, but one no less impressive.

  We traveled easily by BART into the Market District, we crossed over to Haight-Ashbury or The Haight to walk the campus at UC Berkeley.   We rode cable cars and I ate again in Chinatown, walked the hills, and simply explored.  But that trip, too, lasted only a day or two.  Since those first two trips, I’ve been to other great cities of the world — Paris, London, even Moscow — and San Francisco is at the top of the list for me.  I have a friend now, who wants to make a quick two day trip from Los Angeles to the City, and I can’t see spending that small amount of time there.  Instead, I’d rather find a San Francisco cheap hotel, and, for a change, linger in this terrfic place for as long as I possibly can.  I’ve been there three times to date, but maybe maybe the fourth time will be the charm and I’ll stay.

• Rebuilding Rockville, One Step at a Time

  Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

  The Watts Branch Creek in Rockville, Maryland, is being restored through the help of volunteers and the Community Stream Walk.  Three of the water ways that lead into this branch are the Watts Branch, the Rock Creek and Cabin John Creek.  The city of has been restoring the land and the buildings and the history, through the community programs, and through help from various companies such as Next Day Blinds.  Rockville history runs long and it runs deep, and throughout the years the city has seen its ups and downs.  But this city always bounces back.

  Through private residents taking it upon themselves to rehab and reconstruct older living quarters to the museums and the historic sites that are constantly being rebuilt, repainted, and rejuvenated.  The main commercial center of down town suffered tremendously during the 1960′s and on through to the 1990′s, however the charm and the beauty of this part of the United States brings out a caring and a sense of responsibility.  To bring back a bit of the history, through the architecture, the monuments, the door mountings and the window coverings, as those which are found at Next Day Blinds.  Rockville was not a town I ever thought that I would end living in, but circumstances and times, create opportunities that are hard to imagine.

  By moving to this city, I have found a great sense of appreciation for the stories and the lives of the Americans who passed before my time, and I’m am greatly that circumstances brought me here.  Now though, it is time for me to rehab my own building, and to get on with the new life that has been presented, all the while holding on to a bit of the past as well.  For in Rockville, one really can not exist without the other.

• Exchanging ideas in Bali

  Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

  I don’t quite understand all of the Balinese thinking, but whatever it is they’re doing and the way that they are living, it’s clear to me that it’s working. Everything the Balinese do is intentional and with as purpose. Every symbol has a meaning and every meaning has a story to go along with it. The details in their temples reveal a culture that is true to its beliefs and strong in their traditions.

  Megwi is also know for its ancestral shrines for the former ruling Megwi family. Did I mention that Bali has shrines galore? There are so many shrines in Bali that if I took a picture of each one we’d have to stop every half block and we’d never get anywhere fast.

  So, on to Tanah Lot. This was our must see landmark. It’s been written about extensively and is heavily promoted as a tourist destination. I knew this, but I was still unprepared for what I saw. First, after paying to park, we headed in the direction the signs pointed us in, they moved us down several narrow streets that had all kinds of souvenirs and goods on both sides. It was chaos to the extreme. It felt like a flee market. There were hoards of hawkers, tourists, shops and trash all messing up a stunning area. I realize the locals rely on this destination for income, but they are ruthless in trying to pry every last dollar from your pocket. It was totally draining.

  The temple sits on a small island and offers an incredible sight at sunset. We waited for the sun to dip and what a spectacular show! There seemed to be many professional photographers taking photos of the sunset. We now can see why, there’s no other place like it.

  After we saw Tanah Lot, our drive started us toward where we had booked a hotel in Bali Indonesia, we had him first make a stop at a money exchangers, and we’re not sure if it was the area, but the gal behind the exchanger window looked at our $100 USD and she wouldn’t take them. She asked if we had others, and then she examined them very carefully and then reject almost all the bills we had. We asked her why and she said they were too old and that her bank doesn’t like to get older bills and they get less money for them. For your information if coming to Bali, don’t exchange $20 USD because the exchange rate is much lower, you get less money for them. Bring the $100 USD, just don’t stop at that exchange place we did.

• The Globe Theatre in London

  Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

  Michael and his sister Louise took a trip to London together last spring and it was definitely one of the best trips of their lives. They had been planning it for over a year and in part it was intended to be college graduation celebration for Louise though it was much more than that. Louise had never been to London before and Michael had only been once. Almost from the moment they stepped foot off the airplane the adventures began. They arrived at their hotel in London and before they even had a chance to settle in they headed back out to explore the city.

  The first thing they did was find a comfortable local pub and have a nice plate of fish and chips. That might sound like an entirely tourist oriented thing to do, but as it turns out they both loved fish and chips and would take the opportunity to enjoy a plate any chance they got. They had to agree though, that these tasted particularly good. After their meal they took the Tube over to Piccadilly Square where they were fascinated by the crowds and the sights. Most of their trip had that whirlwind quality to it though they both made efforts to savor the moments. While they were there they visited the London Zoo, St. Paul’s and of course Westminster and the Tower of London. So many stories and such and incredibly history was written on the walls in that historic institution.

  They also were able to enjoy a performance at the Globe Theatre down by the river. Louise had taken a few Shakespeare classes at school and had studied Romeo and Juliet, which is the play they saw. Both of them were impressed with the skill of the actors and the quality of the production. They enjoyed what Louise referred to as the dumb show, before the play. And while the Globe had been recently rebuilt, it also contained a wondrous sense of history that thrilled and enticed the brother and sister who were visiting this great world city. They enjoyed their trip so much that they decided to take a vacation together at least once a year, and at least until they had families of their own.

• Gilbert and Sullivan at Knoxville Opera

  Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

  There is simply no instrument like the oboe. That was Sally’s honest belief for over twenty years. She had first begun playing the oboe when she was ten years old. She had already played the clarinet for a year in her school’s orchestra, but when she was ten she visited an uncle who lived in Denver and he happened to play the oboe. While they were there her mother asked her uncle Steve to bring out his oboe and play it for Sally. Her intention was simply to demonstrate how good you could actually become when you practiced your instrument. Not surprisingly, Sally had been having issues committing to clarinet practice. But it was almost as if the ten-year-old had a life-changing event once Steve brought it out and began playing.

  Sally thought the instrument was interesting though similar looking to the clarinet, they didn’t have one in her small school, but once she heard it being played she knew without a doubt that it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Her mother immediately suspected her of trying to use her interest in the oboe as a way of getting out of practicing the clarinet, but Sally continued to persist and finally her mother brought this up to her instructor at school. The instructor immediately welcomed the idea and Sally became the first oboe player at her elementary school.

  She remembered these early experiences while she sat in her room in one of the hotels Knoxville. In addition to loving the oboe she also loved the opera and had always preferred playing with opera companies to symphony orchestras though she frequently did both. And now she was in Knoxville making her final preparations for her audition with the Knoxville Opera. She had always been impressed with this company and would love begin working with them prior to the beginning of the New Year. They have both the Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan and The Barber of Seville by Rossini on the schedule for early 2010. They begin the year with tragic Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti. The soprano part in the mad scene always brings Sally to tears.