Surfing The Channel

Archive for November, 2009

Many people are choosing to update the look of their homes, by discarding old and drab drapery, with more fashionable and sleek designs offered at Next Day Blinds.  These are the most common kinds of window coverings, which provide privacy for your home, and the protection during the day from the bright sunlight.  But they are much more than just functional, they can offer a boost to your interior design, and can create a whole new look for you home.

Slatted blinds are usually made with either metal or vinyl, the slats run horizontally and are available in a variety of color options.  They are easy to adjust and are perfect for allowing in minimal, or maximum sunlight.  Mini-blinds were very popular for a long time, and these are inexpensive, but take care with the thin metal slats as they take a bit more time to clean, and are not as sturdy as blinds constructed with wider slats.  Vertical slatted blind are now becoming quite popular, and are too made of either metal, vinyl, plastic or wood.

They range as far as the width of the slats, but the vertical blinds tend to be made with the wider slats, giving them a bit more of a contemporary look, as well as being a bit more sturdy.  Shades are sometimes preferable, as the variety not only involves colors, but sense they are made out of fabric, you have a wide selection of interesting patterns as well, and have the opportunity to add other bits of that pattern in with throw pillows and couch coverings.

Honey comb shades too, are made out of fabric, and the more the cells of the honeycomb pattern there are, the more insulation you will have in keeping out the cold and the hot temperatures of the environment.   Concerns regarding the installation, can be answered by calling the staff at Next Day Blinds.  Problems you may have when installing them on your own, will be easily resolved by talking to the knowledgeable staff.  Choosing to go with new window treatments will give your home the decorative face-lift that you may need to create a more homey environment for you and your family.

Our first trip away from China since moving here last summer was to Hong Kong! Although, it was a short and official trip, I was still very excited to finally see Hong Kong outside the airport. I’ve been to Hong Kong before, but every time I was just passing through on my way to other destinations.

We took the ferry from Shunde port to Hong Kong. That took us 2 hours and I was surprised to find familiar inscriptions on the windows of the ferry. Obviously, there were no interesting sights during the ferry boat ride, or otherwise I’d come up with something better than familiar inscriptions. Arriving at the Kowloon harbour was just like the movies. Our first stop was to check into our hotel located on Nathan Road. Hubby proceeded on to his official purpose for the trip. I was happy to find out that our hotel was located on the very expensive shopping street of Kowloon.

Hubby got back in time for lunch, so we checked out where some of the best Hong Kong restaurants were and managed to find one that would serve me what I miss since moving to Asia. Chicken Caesar salad and hubby ordered his favorite pasta! We missed this food terribly. After lunch, we decided to walk to the Avenue of Stars, which is also not for from where we were. The Avenue is a very famous spot in Hong Kong located at the Kowloon harbour. We took some photos of the ‘stars’ dedicated to the superstars of Hong Kong show business.

For dinner, we decided on Asian food this time. We found a restaurant serving Hainanese chicken rice that was next to our hotel. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that good. We’re spoiled by the restaurant in Victoria, Australia, they have the best Hainanese chicken rice, no one seems to compare, as of yet.

I have a love for metro systems: trains, trams, subway cars, all of it to me speaks of travel without the need of polluting cars, where a passenger can board, take a book from a pocket, and relax and read along the way.  I’ve been on metros in many major cities of the world, including London, Moscow, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Paris, but I’ve yet to go to Australia.  One day, I hope to find myself in Sydney, who, like Los Angeles, once had a tram system, then lost it, and is only now seeing that system return.  In fact, Sydney once had the largest system of trams in all of Australia, only to have it completely vanish.  However, about twelve years ago, a new system came online, a light rail service that ran originally from Central Station to Ultimo and Darling Harbour.

If I were to find myself today in Sydney five star hotels, I think I might brush off the fine dining and elegant clubs and seek out instead the Sydney Tramway Museum, in order to learn what happened to these trams.

The first tram in Sydney (as well as Australia) was a drawn by horse in 1861, and traveled from the Railway Station to Circular Quay.  The idea was not simply to satisfy the needs of passengers but also business, moving freight from the railway wagons.  The line was closed, though, when people realized that the track necessary for the tram destroyed the wheels of carts upon crossing them.  This first experiment lasted only five years, closing in 1966.  Twelve years later, a steam tramway was introduced, with success.  The lines were electrified near the end of the century in 1898, converting most of the systems by 1910.  In the 1930s, the trams linked the station with the city and the Circular Quay.  At its height, Sydney’s system of trams was its largest in 1933, with trams traveling over 290 kilometers of track.  With the introduction of other types of transport, and due to the fact that the system was built in sections, it became easy for the tracks to close down, one part at a time, until, on a night in 1957, the Sydney tramway system was gone completely.

Whenever I’m in a city with a metro system, I find my way to their transport museums, and Sydney would certainly be no exception.  There, you’ll be able to see this past come alive — able to view a number of tram types, and even an example of a grass burning car, as well as a prison tram.

Sam was 17 and felt that he was old enough to stay home alone while his parents and his sister Tamara went on vacation. The family had taken summer vacations together for as long as Sam could remember, except for the year Tammy was born. However, by the time she was one she was on the road with the rest of them. Traditionally Sam has enjoyed this familial aspect though in recent years he had begun to feel like he was plenty old enough to stay home alone and maybe even take a summer trip with his friends. He definitely did not want to go with them when they visited San Antonio, Texas last summer.

It was too late though. His father Mike had already made reservations in one of the luxury hotels San Antonio and Sam was getting his own room this year so he had to go. The argument wouldn’t have stood if Sam was adamant about being able to cancel it, but he was intrigued by the fact that he was getting his own room and thought that might be a step in the right direction. On top of that he would be 18 the following year and could definitely do what he wanted to at that point. So, Sam and his family headed to San Antonio, Texas for what might have been their final family vacation.

On their first day in San Antonio Sam’s mother Marianne suggested they go to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. While Sam suspected that he may be too old for a theme park he had to admit it sounded interesting. And he couldn’t have been further from the mark in thinking he was too old. Immediately after arriving he came to life and started suggesting attractions and rides. Only he and Tammy had the courage to try the Superman: Krypton Coaster and even Sam was a little hesitant as he was buckled in. It was absolutely incredible though and Tammy wanted to get back on right away. Sam however, who had fully gotten into the flow of things, suggested they take a ride on Bug’s White Water Rapids, which was something even their parents could do. Sam and his family ended up having a great time that day and the rest of their trip. It was definitely one of his all time favorite family vacations.

Starting with a room at one of the best hotels Majorca Spain has to offer, visitors can get out into the area and find history that dates back thousands and thousands of year. There have been so many conquerors, settlers and tourists who have come to this wonderful island of Spain. All the human activity that has come upon this island has left a rich and vital history for those who come in the future to enjoy. The island itself was formed some time around 150 million years ago. Majorca used to be joined to the peninsula under water. All you had for millions of year, at least from what archaeologist can find, were the plants and animals.

The first human inhabitants of the island go back to 1300 and 1000 BC. This shows up in mostly common simple life style tools such as for hunting, gathering and cooking. Very primitive. The quality of arms went up when the Catalans took the island over from the Moors some time in the 13 century. Then the ships showed up and the Balearic islands became a steady stop along the trading routes. Majorca was a minor role in the shipping trade but it still was visited by the ships. There is evidence of the Carthaginians being fought off by the Mallorcan Honderos, aka stone slingers, back in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The activity of the Mediterranean Sea continues to grow over the centuries. Then you have the Romans mulling about. They got tired of the theft along the Baleares so they decided to conquer Majorca to help their strategic policing of the area. Quinto Cecillo Metelo was the leader of the pack and conquered the island in 123 BC. The Romans then held onto the area for five and a half centuries. The evidence of their contribution can be seen in bits all around the island.

All the legendary warmth and magic of Spain comes together in the spectacular city of Sevilla.  It’s one of the most historically interesting places in the world, and it’s contemporary identity is no less magnetic and fascinating.  There is that certain, impeccable style here that characterizes Spanish culture in general, and with some enormously splendid local twists.  It’s a sumptuous combination of tradition with absolutely modern sensibilities, putting it always at the forefront of culture.  The same combination can be found in the best Sevilla, Spain hotels,where the local is at the center, with a marvelous flair for the best of international sensibilities.

A spirit of luxury pervades in the accommodations, to allow you the opportunity to refresh your body, while the city takes care of energizing the spirit.  Lovely rests, with fantastic meals, are the best way to take a break from all the sight-seeing, and leaves you the space to allow for new ideas and thoughts about the city to form.  Sevilla is endlessly inspiring, and it continues to inspire artists today as much as it did during the golden age of Spain.  If you’re interested in seeing what’s happened here in the last and present century, be sure to give an afternoon over to exploring the magnificent Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporaneo.

The center opened in 1990, with the intention of promoting and exhibiting new and exciting works from artists working in this region, as well as showing some of the 20th century masters from Andalusia, like Luis Gordillo and Pablo Palazuelo, and other international practitioners who have spent significant time in Spain, like Louise Bourgeois and Rebecca Horn.  It’s in a fantastic building that used to be a monastery, the Monastereo de la Cartuja de Santa Maria de las Cuevas de Sevilla, and the history goes back 8 centuries.  You can see all kinds of fantastic work here, from the plastic arts to video installation, and there’s a strong mission to build dialogue in the community, so it’s not the traditional museum sensibility.  It’s quite splendid.

Curtis was an actor standing in front of a theatre in New York City. Acting was the first thing he cold recall ever wanting to do as a child and as he stood there at age fifty six getting ready to open the door and audition for Death of a Salesman he hoped that it would be the last thing he wanted to do with his life. This was in part, or perhaps fully due to the fact that he never pursued acting past his high school production of the same play that he was about to audition for again after fifty years off stage.

Before Curtis entered the theatre that was located next to one of the five star hotels New York City he thought back about that theatrical experience had in high school so many years ago. At the time he was acknowledged as having an emotional depth that went far beyond his years and he was predicted to be the most likely to become famous in his high school year book. Somehow, however, his early love of acting and dreams for a live onstage slipped past him as he let year after year disappear in front of a computer screen.

And now there he was all these years later, not trying to suddenly fulfill the high school year book prediction so many years later, but perhaps trying to recapture a bit of who he was back then. In many ways his life felt a lot like the character of Willy Loman’s and he thought it felt a bit ironic to him that he was standing there feeling almost desperate to play a role that had come so naturally and easily to him so many years before. Perhaps because back then he really felt he had nothing to lose, and now it seemed as his nervous hand pulled open the door that everything depended on the outcome of this audition. He handed his resume and headshot to the assistant and tried to muster a bit of sincere smile. Curtis stepped out onto the stage and looked out into dark theatre. Facing the casting crew and facing his fears Curtis spoke the words, am I in the light?

We’re back in Mumbai. It was surprising just how many Indians don’t like the name Mumbai and always corrected us to say Bombay. It rained in Goa this morning, the first time since we’ve been there, 10 days. We’ve been watching the weather channel and it’s been raining in Mumbai all week and as well in our home town of Sydney. We pulled out our umbrellas, but haven’t had to use them our whole journey so far.

When we were leaving Panaji, Goa, we hired a taxi to take us to Loutulim to visit the Big Foot Cultural Center, before taking us to the airport. On the way, we asked the taxi driver why they always put on a white shirt before driving us anywhere. He said it was a government requirement, but that’s all he would tell us. Apparently, they would lose their licence if they were caught transporting tourists without wearing a white shirt.

The Big Foot complex, which cost up only 50 rupees to enter and 10 rupees for a disposable camera or 20 rupees for a video. We were disappointed with the village. Mostly it was because of the figures they had to represent local people. The village did have some interesting information about the type of agriculture and plants in Goa. The complex was named because a this holy man who stood on one leg upon a rock for years while meditating. When this man was noticed by God, finally, God asked him what he was up to, and the holy man said he just wanted a place to meditate. So God took him to heaven. There is an imprint of a foot in the rock exactly where the holy man stood for many, many years. The village has put a shrine around it and went visiting the shrine, one should put their foot into the imprint for good luck.

We ran out of time to explore the place any further, we had a plane to catch to Mumbai and register at one of the five star hotels Mumbai offers all its visitor and tourists.

Phillip woke up early on his first morning in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He looked outside and noticed the beautiful sunrise coming over the beach and filled with a sense of awe and wonder. However, this came across to him in something of a bitter sweet fashion as he desperately wished that his ex girlfriend Tina was with him. The couple had been together for two years and had just broke up a month before. He was still having a difficult time with this and really wasn’t sure he would ever get over her. However, he did believe time healed all wounds, or at least made one forget about them so he took some time and reserved a room for himself in one of the luxury hotels Fort Lauderdale. He believed that beautiful beaches and fresh scenery and faces would help him through the breakup process.

Well, this seemed like a great idea, aside from the incredible beauty of the sunrise, which Phillip suspected would come back to strike him in the gut again in the evening. Fort Lauderdale Beach really was an amazing place and he forced himself out into the world to try and enjoy it. By noon of that day, the beach was packed. Though he was tempted to feel lonely, or the clichéd alone in a crowd, the exuberance of the people laughing and playing on the beach around him prevented him from doing it. He had feel a sense of their excitement and even got into the water for a dip. Later he decided to get some fresh food and maybe even take in a performance. Phillip visited the International Swimming Hall of Fame, which he found to be incredibly interesting and took his mind off of Tina. He was also inspired move on and do something challenging, like the great names he found in the museum. Later that night he couldn’t help but notice a beautiful woman dancing alone on the crowded dancefloor of a beach nightclub. He wanted to ask her name, but was happy enough just noticing that he was attracted to her. By the time he landed in his soft bed that night, he realized that he had completely missed the sunset and while he thought this might be a relief, he was actually disappointed and looked forward to the beauty of the moringing sun glittering across the water and sand.

Virginia is one of the oldest states in the country and was also a significant part of colonial America. It has had an interesting and prominent role in the country’s development and also in its creation. It is logical that one of its nicknames is the Old Dominion. It is also known as being the mother of presidents because eight of the men who have served as Presidents of the United States were born in Virginia. This is a higher number than any other state in the Union, though perhaps it has an unfair advantage being one of the oldest. This is an interesting fact that doesn’t excape many tourists staying in the best Virginia hotels.

George Washington was the nation’s first president and also, and sensibly, the first of the presidents to have been born in Virginia. He rose in political ranks during the Revolutionary War in which he served as the commander of the Continental Army. He also played a significant role in the development of the country and is often referred to as the father of the nation. He also presided over the Philadelphia Convention and the drafting of the original Constitution of the United States. He has been honored by many memorials and monuments across the country with one of the largest and most well known being Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

Another great personality that is represented in the Mount Rushmore sculpture is Thomas Jefferson who also happens to be one of the presidents that was born in Virginia. He was the third president of the United States and is well known for being the author of the Declaration of Independence. He is also credited with being a significant part of the development of the country is considered to be one of the founding fathers. Two of the major political events that occurred during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase and the Louis and Clark expedition. He was philosophical in his approach to politics and was one of the Enlightenment thinkers.