Travel Possibility

Thornton Wilder’s classic play Our Town is continuing its run at the Off Broadway venue Barrow Street Theatre, also known as Greenwich House Theatre. This intimate, and really, what else would work for this play, production opened in late February of this year and is scheduled for an open run. Many people are familiar with the quaint collection of characters from Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire and there is almost a collective feeling of coming home with the audiences who are in attendance. Of course, there are also those who have never seen, read or even heard of this theatre classic, and they are sure to be charmed and touched as the stories unfold. Guests staying in a New York cheap hotel are frequently choosing the economy of accommodations, so they may spend the bulk of their money on great shows, fine dining and maybe even shop shopping.

Our Town is a three act play, which is particularly uncommon to today’s stage. Most theatres and theatre goers prefer the clean and trim two act version, which is the most common structure of scripts found on the contemporary stage. The play is set within the context of a play and is narrated by the Stage Manger. This metatheatrical structure has been used in various theatrical genres and commonly associated with William Shakespeare. Two popular examples are found in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Our Town uses this device to tell the history of the fictitious town in which it is set, as well as the life stories of the characters it contains. It takes place in the early 20 century between the years 1901 and 1913. It’s first New York production opened in February of 1938 at the Henry Miller’s Theatre. It won Wilder the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Its premiere production occurred in Princeton, New Jersey at the McCarter Theatre.

The end of summer is always a time of mixed emotions.  The heat is finally settling down, and cool weather is on the way.  People start to think about the winter coming, indoor celebrations and nestling inside with a nice book.  It’s a nice time to take advantage of the sales, and to start planning for next summer.  Our bbq grills on sale can be the perfect way to realize you don’t have to wait a whole year, but could start cooking outdoors all year round.

Cooking with your new outdoor kitchen could be the perfect way to bring in the fall – or any season at that – because the smell will make the whole neighborhood happier.  Something about grilling suggests hospitality, and the act of cooking outdoors might make you feel suddenly more deeply ingrained in your own neighborhood, and a good way to celebrate this feeling is with an end-of-Summer Block Party .  It doesn’t have to be Summer, of course, but a Summer block party has a certain connotation that means a shared experience.

There are all sort of accessories and ideas for things you could do at your Summer block party, from the choices of music to the kinds of themes you could have.  Getting the other neighbors involved in the planning will help to make this a lovely event.  It doesn’t have to be overplanned, and the more spontaneous, sometimes, the better.  You could have a wide range of activities for kids, so that the adults are free to have long, wandering conversations that make a community turn into home.  However the planning turns, you’ll want to put the outdoor kitchen in the center of the celebration.  With the smells of delicious morsels being carefully prepared, and with great precision, it’s impossible for the food not to take center stage.

“Let’s check this out, you won’t believe it,” I told Mary. “But there is a beer making tour, right here in Johannesburg. And guess what you get at the end of the tour. Guess.” I was giddy at the thought of seeing beer being brewed. Mary sipped her orange juice. “Let me think, you get a beer at the end of it?” “Right!” I said, “So we’re going, it’s right in the way from the Park Station, we can walk.” Mary laughed. “You know you can get a beer at many of the fine hotels Johannesburg has, in fact this one has a bar, we were there last night. You do remember.” Remember, well that was where I found out about the tour, as Mary had gone off to bed upstairs on the eighth floor and I stayed for one last round and started to talk to a chap from Australia, Melbourne as I recall, who was much into beer and described the tour he had taken the day before. It seems the tour covers the earliest beer making from the cradle of civilization on the Euphrates River, how it spread to Europe and Africa (no mention of Milwaukee , presumably), then a walk through a real, full on brew house, and the best part, the no not the fermentation explanation or detailed accounts of the activity of yeast, but a fresh cold glass of beer, brewedbefore your eyes. I was smitten, and had to go, and I knew Mary would go for it, she was up for most anything. So we went to the Park Station and had a bit of lunch before our tour, and went to sushirestaurant for a quick bite, holding off on the sake in anticipation of our beer extravaganza. Here the sushi came down on a conveyor belt and the grilled salmon was delicious.

Much of the architecture and building designs in Singapore are reflective of certain cultural elements and historical aspects. This is an intriguing part of any city’s aspects for tourists and is a significant part of its society. The Chinese art and geomancy of feng shui is considered in many of the Singapore hotels designs as well as with the construction of major building complexes such as the Suntex City Mall down by the Marina Bay. This ancient perspective on design and lifestyle is an essential aspect in many cultures, and likely contributes to a guests overall enjoyment and satisfaction with their stay whether they are aware of it or not.

Feng shui is based on a recognition of the contributing elements of astronomy and geography in human life. A balance and respect for these forces is a central component of this aesthetic system. In English, the phrase translates literally as wind – water. There are many levels of feng shui practice and it has become common in Western countries to apply elements of this belief system into home interior design, as well as business office design. However, traditional Chinese practice of the art requires strict recognition of its laws and the use of an exceptionally accurate compass called the luo pan.

The lua pan is used to measure and determine the exact direction and coordinates of any desired sector or energy flow of a specific location. Some of the main components and philosophical considerations of feng shui include Qi, which is a positive or negative life energy force. Polarity is another major component and relates to the idea of yin and yang or on a scientific level to the bipolar magnetic field. The Bagua, or eight trigrams is another structural component and forms the basis for feng shui chart design elements.

The hotel is the place where you lay your hat and rest your head, and our Kuala Lumpur hotels offer a sense of respite that will leave you refreshed and ready to enjoy your new adventures here.  Our accommodations are carefully selected to provide a wide range of options to suit a wide range of tastes, but they are all chosen because of their excellence in service, comfort, and style.  Kuala Lumpur is a splendid blend of cultures, languages, styles and fashions, and this stunning city will impress the savviest of travelers.  There are so many things to see and do in the city, and there are many choices for visitors of all ages.  Our hotels offer a special haven, where you can return at the end of the day and reflect on your experiences in comfort.

After another good night’s sleep, and a fantastic meal prepared by world-class chefs, you will be ready for more adventure.  In Kuala Lumpur, there is a wide range of activities that can fill your days with magic that is uniquely Malaysia.  There is excellent shopping here, with a stunning array of malls, that will put you in touch with the latest fashions and designs.  There are also excellent sight-seeing tours, and the hotel staff can help make recommendations to suit your time-frame and budget.  For those travelers on an extremely limited time-frame, there was the excellent 59 Second Video Festival hosted at the local Galeri Petronas.

This festival, featuring dozens of films from all over the world, with heavy representation by the UK and the US, tours many cities on the international art circuit, and is a fantastic way to catch some of the great contemporary trends in video art.  It is by no means all that Galeri Petronas has to offer, but is a fine way of introducing their agenda to international visitors.  Located at the base of one of KL’s most distinctive features, Galeri Petronas is an extremely flexible space that can host exhibitions, performances, lectures, and of course film festivals.  It features art from all over the world, but specializes in local work, and has some excellent programs that reach out to the community at large.

Southwest Singapore is relatively hilly terrain. Nothing to get excited about or shout out in terms of height above sea-level, but as the University students and staff will tell you, there’s a reason why it’s called Kent Ridge. As a Pasir Panjang Guide , I was delighted to read that the bridges linking the Southern Ridges have been officially opened. Now, we, including not only the University, but the Singapore spa hotel, has an almost unobstructed access to the various parks in southwest Singapore thanks to the bridges which span Alexandra Road and the Henderson Road respectively.

I like to start my walk from Kent Ridge Park to Harbour Front. If you’d like to know a good meeting point which is accessible by public transportation, there is a bus route that stops right outside the National Community Leadership Institute. The easier way is to just take a cab and tell the cabbie, South Buona Vista Road and look out for the brown signboard indicating Kent Ridge Park. As for how long the walk will take, it’s hard for me to say, I have a very good rough guess to be about 4 to 5 kilometers. On flat ground, that would be about an hour. But it’s hilly, not strenuous, so I’d give it about 2 to 2 and a half hours. After all, you will want to walk slowly, admire the view and breath in the fresh air, oh and take photographs.

I can get quiet complicated to get from one point to another, I’ve had friends get lost and had to cut short their walk. I find if you cut out the West Coast-Clementi Woods, you’ll find the walk less complicated. Kent Ridge Park to Harbour Front is mostly under NParks, and they’ve got everything really well sign posted. So, just go out there and enjoy! It really is the freshest air in all of Singapore.

We have some splendid offerings in five-star Amsterdam hotels, not only providing luxury accommodations that meet the highest standards in the insdustry, but also offering a wide array of extra features that will remind you that you are close to heaven.  With a fantastic blend of innovation and tradition, our hotels have all the latest technologies to keep you connected and entertained, but we also maintain a graceful and elegant ambience, so that you can escape from the world here and simply relax.  With restaurants that serve world-class international cuisines prepared by master chefs, and exercise facilities that balance the mind and the body, our goal is your rejuvenation so that you can enjoy the city.

Amsterdam is one of the most attractive cities in the Netherlands, drawing a large number of artists, musicians, and intellectuals every year.  A port city, it has a long history of trade, and is very friendly and accepting of cultures, traditions, and lifestyles.  There are attractions here, such as galleries, museums, and sightseeing tours, this will please everyone, and there is a night life that is truly spectacular.  One can hear all kinds of music, but one of the specialties in Amsterdam is hardstyle.

Hardstyle is an electronic music that runs between 140-160 beats per minute, generally, and is characterized by the reverse basslines that give it a heavy pulse, and often contains a melody that really kicks in toward the middle of the song.  The effect is mesmerizing, and some of the hottest clubs specialize in hardstyle.  For real fans, you can travel 30 minutes from Amsterdam to Almere for the Defqon Festival, attracting thousands of techno lovers to this live hardstyle show on the shore.  This is a spectacular event, and attracts some of the worlds hottest djs, like Headhunterz and Nosferatu vs. Endymion, making Defqon an event that even Amsterdam can’t contain.  If you’re visiting Amsterdam, and are a fan of electronic music, by all means try to get to this festival; if you’re wondering what the fuss is all about, look into one of the hardstyle shows.  It’s an adventure in sound and color!

Documented acconts of Singapore’s early history are sketchy at best. The country was referred to under a variety of names in the third century. The Chinese called Singapore Pu-luo-chung or thranslated into English the “island at the end of the peninsula’. Around 320 the Mongol empire sent a delegation to somewhere called Long Yamen (Dragon’s Tooth Strait) to get some elephants. More than likely this was Keppel Harbor. Around 1330  a Chinese visitor Wang Dayuan called it Pancur and reported that there were Chinese already living there. In the Javanese Nagarakretagama’ of 1365 one of the earliest reference to Singapore as Temasek or Sea Town was made. Vietnamese sources also make reference to this name in the 14th century. By the end of the 14th century the name Singapura (Lion City) came into common use. Control over the Maylay Peninsula was caught up in struggles between Siam and the Majapahit Empire dunning this time. The records of the Sejarah Melayu indicate Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack. Iskandar Shah a prince of Palembang, later killed the local chieftain and appointed himself as the island’s new ruler. Not long after he fled north to the Siamese or Javanese forces. There he founded the Malacca Sultanate. Singapore remained and important part of the Sultanate for many years. This history is all around in Singapore. The mixture of cultures and the all night markets the best hotels in Singapore offer information on it all. Singapore draws people from all over the world due to its location. Today Singapore is a modern city sitting in its antique roots. Ancient architecture sits next to modern glass and steel building. Singapore is a unique place in all the world. The British influence over the area began in the 18th century beginning a dark period of foreign control over the region from the Dutch oppression that began many years earlier.

I came to South Africa to check out a vibrational healing technique that originated here. It’s called Antaneea and it’s steadily gaining recognition in the United Kingdom  . I made arrangement to meet with one of the practitioner in the lobby of one of the luxury hotels South Africa has, so I can then take him to lunch where we can discuss if this is something I need to add as another healing technique for my clients to choose from at my clinic back in the States.

South Africa is a country well known for the spiritual energy emanating from the land, which attracts many world renowned spiritual teachers. The many techniques and processes s being created here are very effective and have quite a powerful impact, and yet, they are very simple in there grace and execution. Such one gentle technique is the new and profound Antaneea. The technique recognizes that the body is like a huge computer, which stores and records all of our negative emotional ordeals and experiences.

When I met with the practitioner in the lobby of my hotel, I asked him to explain just how this technique works with our negative energies  . As we walked across the street to a wonderful little cafe, he explained that those of us who are unable to deal with the original emotions at the time we first experience them, then we will most likely repress the pain as it turns into a recorded memory. However, the body retains the chemical and energetic memory patterns of this particular experience and over time we’ll find that we will attract people or circumstances to ourselves that will aid in replaying the original trauma. So, Antaneea, this unconscious repetition is known as a time gateway.

He went into detail of just how this technique is applied and just how well it releases the old negative energy habits that attract more negative energies to us. I thought this was marvelous, so I asked if he’d teach me the technique, and he said he’d be happy to.

The South East Asian city of Myanmar has long been ranked as the most corrupt nation in the world, with the African city of Somalia coming in a close second and the country of Iraq in third place.  The deterring agencies of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering are not in place as strongly in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and Somalia as they are in some other countries, and this is one of the causes for the massive cases in the the political realm, the business realm and the social realm.

And the leaders of a corrupt regime or government will get away with as much as they are allowed to get away with.  The watchdog group for the world, is Transparency International,  and they put out a report each year called the Corruption Perceptions Index.  This is a ranking systems of all the countries, based on the known cases from the prior year.  One hundred and eighty countries are ranked, as they investigate the perception that the public has of their own country, as well as take into the consideration the perceptions of the politicians and the officials.

Corruption breed not only social apathy, but repression and poverty (http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Burma-Myanmar-POVERTY-AND-WEALTH.html)as well, and Myanmar is the text book case of a region in such a state of disarray and sadness.  Throughout history, apathy in the people has eventually turned into an explosion of human initiative.  People get pushed to such a state, that they just simply take matters into their own hands, in an attempt to make the changes necessary for their continued existence and the survival of their society.

Not many years ago, public protest was illustrated when the monks of Myanmar led marches against the government for eight days.  This was once once considered to be one of the jewels of the country, and is now the most miserable place in the world.  Much is blamed on the seizing of power by the Junta of the country in 1988, for since then it has been a reign of mismanagement, repression and corruption.