WTVS News

Archive for November, 2009

Mick and Rupholt were visiting Singapore for a work related business trip. They were engineers with the same firm and while they respected each other’s work, they didn’t particularly know each other, nor had they established any sort of work friendship. This was the first trip they had taken together and they were the only ones from the company that went. On their first evening in Singapore, Rupholt was feeling particularly hungry and interested in investigating the city. And since he knew no one else in the city he invited Rupholt to go with him to find a good restaurant Singapore. Mick eagerly accepted and the two of them went out to explore the dining scene.

Along the way they discovered many interesting attractions that became possibilities for the next day’s visits. They passed a few theatres that advertised Cantonese Opera productions, which intrigued both of them. In addition, they noticed that there was an open aired out door cinema in Fort Canning Park. This seemed like an interesting experience to enjoy while in Singapore and they put it on their list of potential follow-ups.

On their journey both men discovered many interesting dinging options. They realized that Singapore had an excellent cuisine offering and they were able to find restaurants that served food from around the globe. Finally, hunger and fatigue overtook them both and they decided that without hesitating they would stop at the next place they found. And it just so happened they walked right up to the Mad Jack Café immediately after they made their decision. They were a little surprised when they found out it was Australian food and they were very interested in the menu. Mick decided on the fish and chips with the apple peach salad and Rupholt had the blue mountain burger and chips. Both of the men loved their dinner and each had a dessert. Mick had the mad and rich dessert and an oz brownie. They enjoyed the meal and the restaurant’s atmosphere so much they wanted to come back the next day.

Joe was certain he wanted to structure his life around his love for acting. This was not an attractive decision for his parents or for many of his friends. Joe, however, could not be swayed. And when his mother tried to warn him of the competition, the stress, struggle and level of odds against his actually carving out a career in film in Los Angeles, Joe quickly interrupted her and told her that was actually planning a career on the stage and wanted to move to Chicago or New York. Well, this news struck Joe’s mother even worse than the initial declaration that he was an actor. At least there was money in film. And while both fields were incredibly competitive and nearly impossible to have a career in, at least if it were attained money was to be made in film.

Joe dismissed his mother’s concerns and reminded her that he was not doing it for the money, which he stated no one should, and that it was simply his life passion and his heart’s desire. How could any mother argue against that when it came from a rational adult, though he was still her child. So, Joe’s mother determined that she wanted to investigate the stage scene in both cities that Joe mentioned and suggested that they begin with a visit to New York. Somewhat stunned by his mother’s sudden, though sincere sounding support, Joe quickly agreed and made the arrangements for them to stay in one of the top hotels New York.

While they were in the city they made plans to see two Broadway productions, The Phantom of the Opera and Hamlet and also decided to choose some Off and Off Off Broadway options. Joe stated he was willing to do almost any role that was available and offered to him though he did have a natural affinity for new work and the more edgy experimental scene. This is what the bulk of his experience up to that point was in. So, Joe and his mother visited Greenwich Village, and Joe immediately fell in love with the neighborhood. His mother was sure that she saw Uma Thurman walking along the street. They made plans to see the Off Off Broadway productions Red Noir at the Living Theatre and No Exit at Turtle’s Shell Theater at the Times Square Arts Center. By the time Joe and his mother left New York, he was certain that was the theatre town for him.

Back in Goa! The most active place and one that is very addictive. Addictive beaches, climate, restaurants, hotels, colorful markets and the most friendliest people around.

After spending 2 nights on the train from Gujarat to Mumbai and then to Goa, I landed in Candolim. This is where I did yoga last year. It was great to drive back to a familiar area and recognize people and places. On my way to Candolim from the train station, my taxi driver kept saying ‘shirt’. I told him I don’t need a shirt. I’m figuring he wanted to take me to a shop where he’d receive a commission. But, I insisted that he take me to my Goa India hotel. I didn’t need a shirt, I needed a hot shower, bad. He kept insisting, so finally, he drove up to his home and got an extra shirt! He was cold, I was sweating.

Goa is such a friendly place. It’s so easy here and so different from Gujarat. Don’t get me wrong, Gujarat was great and way more Indian and friendly too, but I had such a huge communication barrier there. Everyone here, in Goa, speaks English and they don’t stare at you as much as they did in Gujarat. I guess they weren’t used to Westerners. Both places, Goa and Gujarat are equally charming and I’m glad that I get to experience both places.

After I got my hot shower, I walked to places I knew and ran into a yoga student with who I met last year. It felt so good to see someone I knew. He took me to his apartment, which he told me he was lucky to find because it’s getting closer to Christmas and most places are booked for the holiday. His apartment was clean and colorful – Yellow and Green. He has a fully equipped kitchen, a yoga room and a bathroom. There was even a little patio in the front where we both sat while he waited for the bread man to show up. Warm bread for only 2.5 rupees. He told me that the bread man comes by many times in a day, so he can get all the fresh bread he wants. Yum!

His place was very close to the yoga shala and to the beach. So his life was relaxed and quiet. He did yoga in the morning, breakfast at his apartment, shower, then off to the beach. Then off to the colorful market nearby and buy vegetables, fruits and anything else he wants for that nights dinner. What a way to live I thought and I asked him is there’s another apartment available here. He said there will be one available next week and that it’s very cheap.

Since I plan to stay here another month, I might as well put an inquiry with the apartment owner and move here. I might just stay for the whole season this time.

Areas of Manilla are recovering from a Typhoon the locals called Ondoy. The world knows this Typhoon as Ketsana. September is the season for major tropical storms and people here are used to them. This time the storm was extremely intense and changed lives across the city. They were caught off guard, never expecting such a swell of water to take their home.

The Marikina River broke the banks and washed away the street and everything on its path. It destroyed many homes and businesses. The water has receded back to its main path but it left a pile of cars, trees and buildings all tumbled on top of each other. Those who have taken assessment of the damage could see how high the water got with the evidence of debris handing from the cable lines. The bridge that goes over that same river was definitely  under water. Saint Mary’s Street also left with mud and debris as well. The barriers that are supposed to protect the street were compromised as the water damaged the concrete.

People in the near by damaged neighborhoods are scrambling through the mud trying to save what ever they can from their homes and business. It was estimated that about 60,000 people were now displaced from their lives. The focus of the Defence Secretary, Gilbert Teodoro, is focusing now on relief efforts. They are trying to make sure that people get rescued. Certainly they are making sure there is enough food, water, clothing and shelter. If visitors were planning a trip to this area there are rooms available in local hotels. Manila Philippines needs your help to keep the city going. So don’t cancel. The storm is over. If your up to it, dive in and lend a hand. Have a humanitarian style vacation. It does the soul good.

Cathy could not wait to get out of town. She lived in rural Oklahoma and just about had enough of small town gossip. This was due to her recent break up with her boyfriend of six years and the town’s interest in the reasons behind it and also the fact that it occurred. Normally, Cathy was considered to be on the front line of social news and genuinely loved the small town she was born in and had lived in for the majority of her life. She spent three years in Omaha, Nebraska and yes, this was a bid odd for an Okie, but still she lived there for that time.

And now she was back in Oklahoma and desperately needing to get out. So, when her good friend Candice happened to win a pair of round trip tickets to Tampa, Florida in a local raffle Cathy practically begged her to take her along. And if it wasn’t actually begging, it might be more of a threat, but we’ll leave it at considering it a request. And it worked, Candice was actually happy to have the decision made for her Cathy offered to pay for their room in one of the best hotels in Tampa so it was settled.

On their first morning there they slept in and then enjoyed a nice late, make that very late, breakfast of homemade tiramisu, almond cake and coffee at Bella’s Italian Café. They loved the atmosphere of this SoHo establishment and decided to return for lunch or dinner. After their desserts, I mean breakfasts, they headed down to the bay and enjoyed a walk and some shopping along the waterfront. Cathy felt great being away and not having to think about her ex, except of course when she kept insisting on talking about him to Candice. Still, though, the friends completely enjoyed themselves and their time in Tampa. For Candice her favorite time was probably spent at the Florida Aquarium. And Cathy loved the nightclubs. Both of the women were refreshed and ready to take on the town when they returned home.

The use of water for healing is a practice that has been used throughout history.  Cultures from the beginning have settled around bodies of water, be they lakes, rivers or oceans, and many religious rituals and ideologies are based on the ways in which water provides restoration, rebirth, and renewal.  Asian cultures have used various treatments for methods of healing, and the Greek doctors, such as Hippocrates where widely recognized for the results they produced when treating patients with hot seawater soaks for energy and health benefits.

For some years, the procedures were considered pagan in nature, and declined in use with the birth of Christianity.  However, in 1578, Ambroise Pare, considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern medicine, recommended that his patients take regular baths in the sea.  The water had astringent properties, which healed and hydrated the body.  Today, tribesman can still be seen bathing in the Dead Sea, completely clothed.  And now throughout Europe, one of the major industries in tourism, is made up of people traveling to natural baths and spas for the specific reason of soaking in the healing waters.  And in many cases, this form of therapy is covered under the medical services and insurance those countries provide for their citizens.

The heat and the water are detoxifying, cleaning all the cells of the body at one time.  Many people are choosing to detoxify their lives, in the foods that they eat, the cars that they drive, and the use of hot tubs and portable spas in their own homes.  These toxins can be removed from the body through saunas, and sweating.  This is directly transcended from the Roman bath and steam houses, the Native American sweat lodges and the Russian Banya, to name just a few.  This has been helping people throughout the ages, and is becoming more widely used not only in the medical world, but in our homes as well.

It’s a wonderful experience to get lost in a country as wide and various as Malaysia.  There are a dizzying number of cultures and traditions here, and there is also a very cosmopolitan sensibility in some of the larger cities.  Travelers can get a sense of the old and the new at the same time, making it a wonderful place for adventure.  There are some fantastic urban scenes here, offering new works of art and music, presented with a sense of style that is exquisite.  There are also plenty of magnificent natural areas, spaces to get lost in your own solitude, and recover a sense of balance, and even romance.  It’s a spectacular place for luxury.  Malaysia hotels offer a perfect balance between the old and the new, with spectacular hospitality and all the contemporary conveniences of home.

A luxury hotel can make planning much easier, since you can consult with the concierge about the attractions that would be the most suitable for you and your guests, and it’s easy to have spontaneous fun, without having to bring a lot of maps.  But it’s also a terrific place to come with some plans, to have an idea of some of the things you’d like to see.  There are plenty of things to do that are off the beaten path, and because it is such a lively culture, there are always new entertainments that pop up suddenly, before they can be written about in travel guides.  New musical acts, and new works of art are created every day by the artists and musicians who live here, and it’s nice to see something very fresh, where the local audiences haven’t had time to formulate an opinion.  You just might catch the beginning of the next Flop Poppy.

By now, Flop Poppy is one of the most famous alternative bands from Malaysia.  It’s still headed by Andy, who’s been the band’s mainstay since their beginnings in 1989.  He’s joined by Cha’a on lead guitar, Megat playing rhythm, Mie on Drums, and Egat keeping the pulse on bass.  They had an initial boost to fame with their first singles compilation album, Circle of Friends, in 1991, then soon afterwards split up.  Andy went on to recreate the group as a solo act, and since then has acquired the line-up that seems to be a winning combination.  Their concerts are lively spectacles, and an excellent way to get to know the local culture here.

Dubai has risen like a comet in recent years, enjoying a popularity rarely seen in a city of any size.  It has become a hot spot for celebrity culture from all over the world, drawn in by Dubai’s spectacular beaches, the mysterious desert, and the great social scene here.  Night life is spectacular, offering new clubs that play some of the hottest world music, and some of the best parties in the world.  It also has some outrageously wonderful shopping malls, with amazing entertainments that no one would have suspected could be held in a place where people gather to buy lots of new things.  Fashion is terrific here, with new designers coming to get ideas about what might be hot a few seasons from now.  There are also great art galleries, and a host of things that are waiting for you to discover them.

It’s also a great place to find a luxury hotel.  Dubai likes to show off its spectacular sense of hospitality, and its demonstrated in the accommodations industries in a way that no other can compare, and you’ll enjoy waking up to the new sense of refreshment that time in a new city can bring.  There are so many things to do here, and if you do have a taste for art, or would like to, it’s impossible to look into any galleries here without hearing about Art Dubai.  This is one of the city’s greatest attractions, at least as far as the art world is concerned, and it’s one of the most spectacular displays on earth.  Galleries and artists from all over the globe come here during this incredible event.

You can see work as fascinating as the charcoal sculptures of Bahk Seon Ghi, Korean artist who is part of a South Asia focus in 2009.  Balh Seon Ghi‘s work is jaw-dropping. It’s hard to convey the sense of the raw power his objects have, and often the sculptures are objects in the act of disappearing, and he works in black or white.  The effect is startling, with a first glance that speaks to the everyday, but somehow, something has gone wrong, and the second look is the one that you can’t stop.  The more you look at the work, the more you realize that you’ve been caught in the web of a master artist, making you question the way you see.  It’s a splendid perspective with which to see Dubai.

Yes, I’m alive! I didn’t get going till 1pm though, I fell asleep on the ferry. But, that was a good thing, because when I woke up, we were 10 minutes outside of Mallorca. Back in Barcelona, I bought my ticket and caught the ‘futbol group special’, it had to be a return ticket to get the deal, but it was still cheaper than a regular ticket.

We I got off the bus, I noticed it was an overcast day, but is was so very hot! I really can’t imagine what how hot is would’ve been if it wasn’t overcast. I walked around for quite a bit, with my very heavy backpack, and found that the hostels I stopped off at where all booked full. Must be the futbol thing. I ended up at one of the 4 star hotels Mallorca offers the non-hostel’s, but with the money I saved with my bus ticket, I could afford the room for one night. I’m glad this happened. It was so nice to have a room to myself, take a shower, and nice long hot shower and sleep in a very comfortable bed. The free breakfast was good too.

I made my way back outside all refreshed and ready to take on the heat. This middle aged woman approached me and gave me a rose. I said ‘thanks’ and kept on walking. She started to yell at me ‘One peseta, Hey, one peseta’. She clung to me until I stopped. ‘One peseta‘ she said, I thought that was a fair price, so I took out my wallet and pulled out the smallest denomination, which is a 5 peseta piece, so I gave that to her. She stuck her hand in my wallet and grabbed the 500 peseta piece. I stopped her from doing that and I ripped her hand away, which messed up her roses and she threw them on the ground. I just walked away, because she at least got a 5 from me.

I couldn’t believe how many tourist there are here, I can’t imagine what the temperature must be like in July and August. I noticed that most of the tourist were old, and well off. Most seems from England and from America. I was expecting to see a bunch of brutish futbol players, but they must be sleeping off their hangovers. Since I’m here, I thought I’d check out one of the futbol games, but there were no tickets to be had. It was time to catch another bus, next stop Ibiza.

It’s been a very long week of walking in New York. The days were hot and humid, I’ve never been in a more humid place than here, especially in Central Park. It seem that the humidity is thicker. A hotel Central Park is known for, let me stay in the lobby to cool down. I really appreciated that, I thought they’d kick my out for loitering, but the staff was really pleasant and they told me I should consider staying with them next time I’m in town. I wish a had, their rates were better than where I was presently staying.

So, where to begin. My trip is all but over here in New York and then I’m off to Las Vegas for a weekends stay. I found 5th Avenue polarizing. I hated it and loved it all at the same time; so full of commercialism and materialism, but I buy into all the commercialism and materialism, it’s just that I wish I didn’t. My favorite place was the Village. I bought the most clothes there and one fine art piece. I could’ve spent all of my day there easily. So much cheaper than 5th Ave where a pair of sunglasses cost $500 if one must have Prada. Fortunately, I don’t need to wear Prada, plus, I can’t afford it, and if I could, I still wouldn’t need Prada.

My most memorable time was meeting Rupert at the HELLO DELI, you know, that guy on David Letterman. I got my photo taken with him and had him sign my New York t-shirt so I can mail it to my Dad who is a huge David Letterman fan. I’m hoping to post all my pics once I get back home to Texas from Las Vegas.  Until then, I hope all is well in my home town and with all my loved ones. Take Care. Oh, and if you can, at least once in your life time, visit New York! It’s fantastic.