Oct
28
Soon, many cultures around the world will be celebrating the festival known as Diwali. This is one festival that is practiced in many countries of the world, but remains relatively unknown in the United States. During this time, the cities of India, Trinidad, Nepal and Fiji will be celebrating with much merriment, and many fireworks. This is associated with gambling, but not in the traditional sense, it means taking a huge risk on the chance to welcome into their lives the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi.
The word itself is translated from Sanskrit to mean the rows of light. There are several differing myths surrounding the festivals depending upon which city you are celebrating in, the main myth in the Indian city of Goa is just the triumph of good over evil, the light over the dark. I chose to spend a few weeks surrounding this festival in one of the city’s four star hotels. Goa history fascinates as well as their love of and support of the arts, so I thought this would be a fine choice to experience this celebration for the first time.
In Goa, Krishna is also celebrated during the parties and the feasts and the dancing. This is one of the most joyous of the Hindu traditions and the people await the Diwali festival all year long. People light the town with thousands of candles and lanterns and the night just fills with the beauty of the vibe, and the magic of the lights. The feeling of this particular time is similar to the celebrating that occurs during New Year’s Eve or Christmas. Diwali is also a time of renewal, houses are cleaned and painted fresh, and again as in the tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions, people vow to begin new lives. Lights of bright colors are draped over the houses and the stores, the fireworks light the skies, and a new time will be born. I will miss this celebration this year, but perhaps the opportunity will arise again before too long to make it back to Goa.
Oct
27
I was on my way to Barcelona and made a quick jaunt to the Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudi, to get a few photos. I had reservations a one of the five star Barcelona hotels and I found it to be very nice. I had dinner at the hotels restaurant after I got all settled in my room. After dinner, I headed into central Barcelona for a walking tour. I fully agreed with my walking tour guide that this tour is definitely much better in the evening. Very haunting and beautiful, the history of the city is staggering. I didn’t to bring my camera with me because I headed to a couple of bars, and I didn’t relish the idea of losing my very expensive camera due to inebriation.
The first bar I stopped off at was cute, called “Fairy Bar.” It was pretty small and my tour guide described how he thinks the decor happened. A fairy threw up all over the building, covering it with fairy lights and greens of every shade. This bar has the ‘free pour’, which is so much better than those English pub control pour. Here the bartenders don’t even measure the shots! That’s the best way to keep customers as far as I’m concerned. The only thing lacking at this bar was the music. They really need a DJ. I ended up meeting these great Italian guys, they were so much fun! They ended up hanging out with our walking tour group all night, which only made me laugh the entire time. It was great to meet people who like to party as much as I do!
The second bar, was a club, which was a blast, I ended up dancing all most every song. I was being hit on by every Spaniard guy, it seems tourists are like a drug for them. I mostly just danced with the walking tour group, to play it safe. The club, though, really needs to clean their restrooms more often. Pretty disgusting.
Needless to say, I slept in that morning! I must say, by all means, take a walking tour in the evening! It’s so much fun!
Oct
26
Brisbane is one of Australia’s largest cities, and enjoys an enviable position, being both a rich center for urban culture, but also having easy access to gorgeous natural areas, with the Barrier Reef, vinelands, and outback in close proximity. Being one of the great metropolitan centers, there is a wide range of five star Brisbane hotels to keep you in the very lap of luxury while you’re visiting. Seeing the city from such spectacular lodgings gives it another layer of polish that makes it very compelling. Not that it needs more polish. Brisbane is one of the most exciting places in the world, and is one of the really great music capitals.
The Brisbane alternative music scene is influenced today by its rich punk rock roots. It was one of the great centers in the world, very likely up there right next to New York City and London, for the immense creative output by the local music groups, along with the history of youth culture here that was very outspoken and active, and caught the attention of the local police. There was an awful lot of great music that came out the first and subsequent waves of punk rock from Brisbane, like the Leftovers and the Survivors, and then there’s the Saints, who are still considered to be one of the main forces behind this music in the world.
The second wave, riding on the gravitational pull of the first, was also a fantastic time to be living here. Most of the bands were socially rebellious, and interrogated the culture at large with large doses of wit and sarcasm. This was followed, in the mid-80s, by a more hardcore punk scene, like in the U.S. and the U.K., and gothic elements started to play a more central role. In some recountings, this is where the scene ended. It would be easy to make a case that it hasn’t really ended, and there is a fresh energy to the music right now that is just as vital and exciting, as evidenced by groups such as Escape from Toytown, whose career lasted from 1997-2004, with a sound that carries some of the best edge and grit from the second wave, with a technical precision that speaks to contemporary tastes. If music is your thing, there’s plenty to see here and see how history plays out as the musicians continue to rise out of the ashes of the previous generation.
Oct
26
Leaving Mysore on another overnight train and heading to Cochin in Kerala. I’m not sure why, but the train was full of Swamis, they’re the Hindu religious version of a coach full of inebriated men. Almost like university supporters. For example, one Swami would shout “Swamiye” and another Swami would shout ‘Awooga’. This repeated all through out the evening. I found it very amusing to see a religion being more like a sport. They even wore the same colored clothes! It would’ve been so funny if when we arrived at a station and a rival Swami group came aboard wearing different color clothes.
My first impression of Kerala was that it was more touristy than I thought it would be, but Kerala is one of the richest states in India and has had tourists travelling here for centuries, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. I can’t even tell that the Tsunami. ever hit here, which is a testimony to how the people here love Cochin. Before I came here, I was warned very strongly that the place is in ruins. But, I found no evidence of this.
I found Cochin to be a wonderful varied town with many cultural sights. I went to see a Kathakali after I checked into one of the best hotels Kerala offers her travellers. Kathakali is a distinctly Keralan form of theater that performs ancient Hindu stories without ever using a word! They use intricate sign-language, facial expressions and musical rhythms to tell the tale. The one I went to lasted into the wee hours of the morning, I didn’t know about that part. After it was over is when I found they offer an abridged version for the tourists, which only lasts three hours. But, I’m actually glad I attended the full version, because I was so enthralled with all the detail and care that went into this production, this art-form.
So, I’ll have to change my plans for tomorrow, I mean today. I need some sleep, long sleep.
Oct
21
I’m not doing so bad after a 10 hour flight from Honolulu to Sydney. The city reminds me of Vancouver, just a little. Sydney has a varied mix of older buildings and a lot of architecturally interesting skyscrapers. It’s also gorgeously set on a bay with a winding coastline. When I step out of the airport, the weather was perfect! Sunny and 70 degrees! But, I didn’t expect all kinds of flies to land on my face! Must be some kind of descendants of thirsty Outback insects.
I only had a brief time in Sydney, so I wandered about all the primary points of interest, like the Circular Quay. Ferries come and go from here, serving all the outlying areas. The Quay itself is an historic area with lots of 19th century structures that have restaurants and shops. Across the way is the famous opera house and the huge Royal Botanical Garden. This was definitely a very touristy day for me, and it was very nicely done. There was no tackiness about.
I really appreciated the public transportation system, very impressive and very effective. The ride is quiet and comfortable and the stations all appeared to be clean. Service seems to be about every 15 minutes for all the main routes. Sydney also has a bus and monorail system, but I didn’t get a chance to check them out.
The sophistication and scale of the accommodations here is staggering. I spent the night at one of the five star hotels in Sydney and it’s right in the center of town. I really enjoyed the restaurant and pool, oh and the sauna. The price was unbelievably reasonable for the location. I’ll have to recommend this to all my travelling friends. Most prefer to backpack it and stay at hostels, but I bet for this kind of luxury, one night would not be a bad thing.
Oct
21
So, you have done was is necessary as far as years of preparation before even applying to the law school of your choice. Now what? Now how do you find a way to pay for this degree? A friend of mine attempted to work part time during her first year in the College of Law at Arizona State University, however, she almost crashed and burned. We didn’t have the Internet back then and information was not at our fingertips.
Now it is very simple to look up questions and find quick answers. She did not know that the first year of law school would prove to be the most demanding, not only of her time, but her effort as well. The next year she quit her part time job and started to look into other ways of funding her education, that would free up the time she required to continue on with her studies. Depending on which school you choose the range of tuition costs varies quite a bit.
And any college student becomes aware very quickly that not only is tuition an expense to be considered, so to is food, housing, books and just all around living expenses. Solutions to this problem are also varied. While work study is an option is generally advised to this only further along in your years of study. Grants are often a pain to apply for, a lot of paperwork, however this is money that you will not be required to pay back.
So to are scholarship applications daunting to fill out, however again, there is nothing better than graduating free of debt and ready to begin your life in anyone of the law offices throughout the country? So if neither of these apply, grants are based on need and scholarships are based on academic achievement the next and very viable option is the taking out of student loans. In the case of loans, it is best to have a financial advisor offer advice, as the interest rates may vary and in the end you may end up paying close to twice as much as your original loan.
Oct
20
My friend worked for a while in a shoe store as a salesman. It was one of the more expensive stores, the kind that sells Gucci and Versace on a regular basis. He lasted there a while too because he took the things he had learned in his previous job as a sales manager in at a software company , and applied them to his job at the shoe store. It was an odd switch for him, but he like so many other people in this economic downturn, lost his job and took what he could get. He actually likes his new job. His wife however, probably loves it even more because it affords her the opportunity for better shoes and at better prices. Though some of them are still pretty steep, at two-hundred dollars.
Although sales managers in smaller companies cannot afford the pricey sales management training most top companies employ to help maintain great managers in their sales division, there are still things from those programs that are applicable to the smallest companies, from shoe stores to scrapbooking stores, from family owned businesses to small chains of restaurants. One of the things he took from his training in sales and other kinds of corporate team building sessions was the ability to adapt to change. That is the single most important quality to have in business, or so he says. He must be right, because he’s already had two promotions at his current job. You also cannot get more changeable than a software salesman to a shoe salesman.
Perhaps the other most important quality a salesman must have is the ability to inspire trust in people. This quality has become even more important due to his current job. He’s touching women’s feet all day, and there might not be anything more intimate than that. He has to earn their trust and keep it. He had to learn to act a little differently (at his last job, he could be more abrupt), but that was all a part of transforming to fit the job. So far, he has enjoyed the challenge, and appreciates the training his last job afforded him, as it is something he can take with him to any job he applies for now.
Oct
19
Located between East 7th Street and East 10th Street, and between the Avenues A and B, in the Alphabet City neighborhood of Manhattan sits Tompkins Square Park. This is just one of the many neighborhood parks located throughout the city, and offers the communities that live here respite from a hectic lifestyle, a place to walk the dogs or let the children play, and provides a collective meeting ground for celebrations, concerts, outdoor movie nights and festivals. Most of the parks are either surrounded by or include within them some of the best restaurants New York City has to offer.
While Tompkins Square is not a large park, covering just over ten acres, it has quite a history and has become one of the nicer parks in the city over the last few years of gentrification. The neighborhood surrounding the park has always been a mix of eclectic cultures, everyone from fashion divas, to rock musicians, radicals, artists and poets. Many who live near this area have stayed here for many years, just because of this simple fact that the energy and the creative buzz is overwhelming and inspiring.
Some of the festivals that happen in the Square throughout the year include one that is honor of author Allen Ginsberg called the Howl Festival. Wigstock, the outdoor drag celebration has always been popular as is the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. But even when the special events are not taking place, there is still so much to witness and to experience.
The Farmer’s Market takes place each and every Saturday, as well as many other open art artist markets. And there is always someone performing, and they are good too, not just hacks out there with broken guitars, but string quartets, and groups of drummers accompanying break dancers. It is truly a great way to experience the vibe and the artistry that has been cultivated throughout the many years of those who have lived here at one time, or who are continuing to do so today.
Oct
14
Damian became a vegetarian in the late 1980s. At the time he and some friends were studying at The University of Arizona and would have some cheap lunch when they got out of class. Their habit was to eat a greasy hamburger and fries and they would usually find themselves with greatly upset stomachs for the rest of the day. It was something of a coincidence that Damian and his friend Michael both decided on the same day to become vegetarians.
While making the decision and beginning the new lifestyle dietary choice was easier once they realized they would be doing it together, it was still 1988 and their were no companies such as Morningstar or Boca to help them along. Damian remembers clearly the afternoon he and Michael tried sat down at a new healthy café and saw the Garden burger on the menu. It sounded strange but they were both tempted to try it and instantly loved it. Most of the time when they were out, they would have to settle for ordering a salad or vegetable plate or some minor collection of side dishes. Also, they were both constantly asking if chicken or beef broth had been added to a dish and were often disappointed to find out that it was.
Those early vegetarian college days were difficult but both students were solid and committed to their choice. Michael moved out of state when they graduated and eventually they lost touch. They both went on with their careers and lives. However, last year, Michael was in Tucson visiting his family and went to pick up some soy ham slices. Surprisingly he ran into Damian at the market and they were extremely happy to see each other and catch up. Without giving it a thought, Damian asked if Michael wanted to have lunch at the local vegetarian restaurant and Michael eagerly agreed. After all that time and all they had independently been through, both men were still vegetarians and finally had restaurants and companies that catered specifically to them.
Oct
12
Fall is fast approaching and as the weather begins to cool down our thoughts quickly turn to the holiday festivities. But don’t forget about your house. I’m not just talking about hanging some Christmas lights and setting out some cute lawn ornaments; there are several things you can do now to help get your house ready for those cold winter months.
One of the first things to check is the roof. Whether you are expecting rain or snow, it is always a good idea to check the roof for missing shingles or leaks. Most leaks, if caught early, can easily be repaired with some extra shingles and tar; however, if it has gone on too long you may need to call out a contractor for some more serious repair work. While you are on the roof, you can also check the gutters and make sure that they are clear of any debris. It is best to get that done now, as it is typically not a good idea to be climbing on ladders or the roof during the winter months because of the greater risk of injury. If you live in an area that gets particularly cold and icy, you will want to insult your pipes. Wrapping your pipes in insulation now is much easier than waiting till it gets colder or repairing one that’s broken.
Having stored all lawn and deck furniture for the winter, inspect the deck. If you have not treated it in awhile, now would be a good time. This is a fairly simple procedure that involves pressure washing the surface, letting it dry thoroughly and then coating it with water sealer. This will not only improve the appearance of your deck or patio but also add years to its life.
The last thing to check is the windows. Not only will you want to clean and check the windows themselves but also the seals. A good seal will help keep the warm air in and electric bill down. You can also use this time to check your blinds. Many companies like Next Day Blinds offer repair services. Next Day Blinds services will be much higher if you call them now, rather than the middle of a snow storm.
Preparing your house for the colder months is a lot of work; however, it is worth it to have a warm, uneventful winter.
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