Hip Young Things

I made an appointment with the spa of one of the Thailand luxury hotels I’m staying at which my business booked for me. I wanted to get a Thai massage. I’ve heard so much about them from everyone I know, so I decided to check it out and see if what they are all raving about is true.

I arrived at the spa and was lead to the massage room. I am in a corner of a plain room full of about a dozen thin mattresses, surrounded by the tuneful singsong conversations of masseuses, punctuated by the occasional yelps of pain or relief. It was a relief for me to simply escape the suffocating humidity of Bangkok that wilted even the most hardy of people and lay down in an air-conditioned room. My masseuse introduced herself and handed me a loose-fitting cotton outfit which kind of resembled a hospital fare, told me to put it on and asked how long I would like the session to last. I told her an hour would be fine.

After I changed clothes, she led me to our mattress, her hands explored my back with the assurance of a back surgeon, her elbow eased into a knot in my shoulders which brought a very sharp shot of pain followed by a sense of relief. She stretched my arm backwards into a unnatural position, but it loosened all the tension from my stiffened body. Then she laid me down and started on my legs, working from the feet, stretching, prodding and probing every joint. She stretched each toe and expertly applied pressure to points on my calves and hamstrings with a rocking, gentle motion. Her hands, elbows, knees and feet are all utilised as she methodically works her way up and down my back and neck. It’s as if she exploring for the solution to a complex puzzle. Not one inch of my body was left untended. The therapy continued down my arms, then she gentle rolled me over and the massage starts again from the legs.

What I found most fascinating, besides the Thai massage itself, was that my masseuse is blind. Apparently, there’s an understanding or a belief that Thai massage is better performed by the blind. It seems their sense of touch is better attuned to locating the slightest irregularity in the body. I was so impressed and at awe with my masseuse, especially, with broken English, she commented about the state of my lower back, she was aware of my mild pain and discomfort, so this is where she focused most of her attention.

I think all my friends were wrong about the Thai massage, it not only the best, it’s healing and everyone should experience it.

Newmarket is an English town located in the region of Suffolk. It is approximately 65 miles, or 105 kilometers, north of London, which makes a day trip to the city an extremely accessible adventure. This also works in reverse. Many Londoners enjoy a nice afternoon or weekend away from the city and drive to this market town to stay in a cozy bed and breakfast or fine Newmarket hotel. This is a particularly popular journey on racing days as the city is well known for its horse racing scene. Interestingly enough, Newmarket is a sister city to Lexington, Kentucky in the United States, which is also well known as a horse racing center.

For tourists and locals who chose to make the trip into the city of London, there is an endless supply of attractions and entertainments to enjoy. This ancient city and capital of England continues to retain the city boundaries that were established during the medieval period. Another feature of the city that was presented during this time era is the Tower of London. This historic fortress is one of the four official World Heritage Sites in the city. This major city landmark is located along the River Thames in the center of the city, and stands tall and strong for people to wonder at and appreciate from a distant view.

This incredible complex has an extremely interesting and at times controversial history. It has houses some of England’s most famous criminals and residents, including royalty. Queen Elizabeth spent som e time here as well as did Henry the VI, who also met his end there. The Tudor King was murdered in May of 1471, and the anniversary of his death is celebrated every year in the location of the murder. Both roses and lilies are placed on the altar in the tower where he died. Anne Boleyn and Sir Walter Raleigh are two other major names from the list of tower prisoners that at times seems to be endless. Raleigh spent thirteen years in the tower and while he was there he wrote his famous work The History of the World.

I’m a happy person, always have been. I’m very fortunate to have parents that lived a life of simplicity and modesty, even though they were quite rich. Living in Singapore,  it’s hard, when one chooses a lifestyle not in keeping with the modern world. But, that’s exactly what my parents did and their choice made them a very happy couple. So, is my happiness genetic? Or, is it a habit? That’s what I plan to find out as I attend a happiness seminar being held at one of the Singapore four star hotels.

The brochure I received went into a little detail about what the Happiness seminar will discuss. It states that happy people enjoy countless benefits, not just the feeling good part, but they enhance productivity and creativity, they have more fulfilling relationships. I can attest to that, my relationship with my wife of 15 years has only been a joy. The brochure continues saying that happy people have superior physical health, and live longer. Until now, many doctors and scientists were pessimistic about the very idea that happiness can be lastingly increased. The brochure claims happiness is heritable and very stable over the life course and happy people have a remarkable capacity to adapt to changes in their lives. I find that last part to be true, I’ve had many unexpected occurrences in my life, but none of them depressed me, I just went with the flow.

The seminar will show a the pessimism about happiness not being inherited is unwarranted. They will show how to measure and understand my genetic happiness set point and then they’ll describe how this set point determines about 50 percent of happiness, while approximately 10 percent can be attributed to differences in people’s life circumstances. 40 percent, surprisingly, of my capacity of happiness is withing my power to change. They will show me how to work with intentional activities, or mindful actions that I can practice on a regular basis. They give examples of intentional activities such as committing acts of kindness or expressing gratitude. I already do these things, I guess it come with being a happy person, but if I can optimize my happiness, then wow, I really can’t imagine what I’ll be capable of, maybe, just maybe, I can make my doctor, who I hardly see, because I am a healthy person, finally believe that happiness is inherited.

Delhi, India is an historic city and holds a very prominent place in the country’s cultural heritage and social significance. As with most places in India, the major religion is Hindu and much of the architecture, as well as various cultural aspects, is reflective of this. Tourists who stay in a five star hotel Delhi are more often than not interested in visiting some of the many Hindu temples found in this great city. And due to this, it is extremely helpful for them to be familiar with some of Hindu’s sacred texts, as scenes and stories from these are often depicted in art in the temples. Texts such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana date back centuries and were written by ancient sages in Sanksrit.

Sanksrit remains one of the 22 official languages of India, and dates back as far as 1500 BCE. This makes it one of the oldest recorded languages, and its influence on Indian and Nepal languages and culture is similar to that of the Greek and Latin languages in the West. The Rigveda is the oldest version of the language to date. The pre-classical form of the language is the Vedic. This was the period when during its later phase, the famous Upanishads were written. As was mentioned earlier, the classic Hindu texts the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were also written in this ancient language in ancient times.

Sanskrit continues to be used in India, primarily as a ceremonial language. There are various revival attempts to position this language in a more prominent use context and possibly reintegrate it into the mainstream society. As census conducted in 1991 indicated that there were over 49,000 fluent speakers of Sanskrit in India, though almost all of these were of the priestly caste. Since then, greater efforts have been made to revive the language and place it in a more common context. The Central Board of Secondary Education has officially recognized it as a third language and it has been included as one of the language options for students in grades five through eight. Click for Mumbai hotels

Johannesburg, South Africa is one of the country’s leading cultural centers. It is well known for its art scene, and has produced some of South Africa’s greatest writers, performers and painters. Even the artists that are not from or born in Johannesburg will eventually wind up there as part of their journey or career development. Playwrights such as Athol Fugard have been produced on the Johannesburg stage in the early stages of their careers. Of course with a writer as great as Fugard, he will continue to be produced in Johannesburg as well as most of the rest of the world. Tourists staying in one of the hotels Johannesburg are very likely to take in a staged play after a great dinner as part of their vacation experience.

Fugard was born in Middleburg on June 11, of 1932. His mother was of African descent and operated by a general store and boarding house. His father was of a combined Irish and French descent and had been a jazz musician before becoming disabled. He studied for a period of time at the University of Cape Town but left before graduating and traveled to North Africa. It was during his time there and his work on a steam ship in the Far East that began his writing. In 1958 he moved to Johannesburg, where he became keenly aware of the effects of apartheid. Much of his work in the future would be political and demonstrate a strong anti-apartheid argument and sentiment.For information about spa resorts click here

While he was in school he met a fellow student Sheila Meiring who was in the drama department. He would later marry her and she also is a writer, and is well known for her poetry and novels. Fugard is an adjunct faculty member at UC San Diego, where he teaches playwrighting. He and his wife life part of the year in South Africa and part of the year in California. Some of his best known plays include Master Harold and the Boys, My Children! My Africa!, Blood Knot and Boesman and Lisa.

Delhi, India is an ancient city located along the banks of the Yamuna River. It is one of the rare places in the world that is believed to have been continually inhabited from the sixth century BCE or earlier. It is now the largest metropolis in land area in the country and it is the second largest city in terms of population. It is the primary cultural, political and commercial centers of the country. Tourists who visit India often choose Delhi as their primary destination. This is largely due to the ancient aspect of the city and also its prominent place in Indian culture. The architecture in Delhi is representative of the various epochs and eras throughout history, and much of it is centered on religious expression and traditional forms of worship. There are many temples in India, and some of them are ancient. These beautiful building are often one of the main attractions for guests in the Delhi best hotels.

A familiarity with Indian sacred texts is extremely helpful when visiting one of the temples. It also greatly enriches the experience as often times scenes and stories form them are depicted within the temple. The Ramayana is a great example of one of the two ancient Sanskrit texts that much of the Hindu religion is based on. It depicts relationship standards and can be considered to be a lesson in how to be the best of a particular archetypal role, such as brother, wife, father, daughter, etc.  Find more hotels here

The epic is comprised of seven books containing 24,000 verses, which tell the story of Rama’s journey to recover his wife. Rama is an incarnation of the god Vishnu and it is his wife Sita who is abducted by Rakshasa, the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Thematically the poetic text deals with the concept of dharma and its application to life and relationships. This work and the Mahabharata are sacred not just do to their subject matter but because they were told by the ancient sages are considered to be form the fundamental source of wisdom.

A property tax case that is about ten years old, could cost the people of Los Angeles county, the tax payers, forty five million dollars.  Just this past June, LA County which is just north of Orange County, lawyers were preparing for what may be some of the largest payouts regarding the class action law suit regarding that tax of one hundred and seventy two million dollars.  This was a tax on utilities that was an illegal tax, imposed in 1991, without ever having been placed on a voting ballot.

Changes in taxes is required by law, to be up for a vote.  LA County was in the process of cutting budgets and tightening the belt on spending in response to the continued poor state of the economy, and this settlement is now going to cost them millions and millions.  The suit was filed on behalf of those taxpayers, including a new suit filed a couple weeks ago, will result in the amount of payouts will far exceed the total amount paid out in the previous year. 

Taxes had been charged illegally to almost four hundred thousand Los Angeles residents and unincorporated business owners.  These people had been paying these taxes for many years.  And just last week, more talks were in the works regarding another illegal tax, this one that was charged to more than one hundred thousand property and home owners.  The bill for these payouts, or paybacks rather plus interest, will reach up to forty five million dollars. 

Attorneys state that these are to cases that are rare, in that they are extremely large.  Lawyers for the county of Los Angeles take on more than fifteen hundred different cases each year, accident, injury and liability cases. In total they result only forty five million dollars in settlements and most involve just a few people.  This tax case for the illegal utility taxes has been the only one to reach settlement in 2009.

I had no idea Malaga was home to Pablo Picasso! But before we went to the essentially Pablo Picasso museum we found ourselves easily walking up to what is left of a Moorish palace called Alcazaba past citrus trees and bougainvillea and look out over the city. It’s not far from the middle of the city and the hotels Malaga Spain offers that look so beautiful in the Costa del Sol light. The fortress was built in the ninth century. We walked through the wonderful parks with name plates on the plants. There are giant palms and small cafes and places to have a picnic lunch. Once the sea was almost right up to the Alcazaba but the land was drained and now we’re standing in the park in what used to be the Mediterranean.

We strolled all over the beautiful grounds, light streaming in to the birds of paradise plants and through the jacaranda trees with their purple flowers. This is a short walk up the Plaza de Aduana and as we go through a gate we see a fountains and terraces where we can easily see the town. Just below this entrance is an ancient (of course!) Roman amphitheater being restored, dating back to the second century.

Just then in our Mediterranean revelry we remembered we had a lunch date at Adolpho for lunch. We’d have to come back to Alcabaza another time. We found ourselves seated at a very nice table and tucked into lovely pasta with sausage and some light white wine. It was verycomfortable and the service was great, with all kinds of seafood available. We noted the dessert menu and promised ourselves we would come back for a our farewell dinner and one or more of their seafood dishes. We popped out of the restaurant just in time for the slow afternoon for a siesta and back to the hotel for a nap, especially after the white wine.

If you have ever put your home on the market or been to an open house, you know the difference between an open and inviting home and one that feels like a cave. Heck, everyone knows the difference; even little kids know when a home feels, well less than homey. And if you have been trying to sell your house and are just not having any luck you should consider changing a few things to try and give your home more appeal. Here are some secrets of staging your home.

Give it some color: Okay this may not seem like it would make your home more marketable but it totally does. Adding color creatively to your space can help give it a bit of personality that will make potential buyers remember it. Now, you should take into consideration that this can be a bit of a gamble, but if it works it could totally pay off.  And since painting is the easiest and the cheapest way to bring instant personality to your home, it won’t break the bank.

Bring in a little bit of the outdoor energy:  There is nothing like an amazing plant or beautiful flowers to catch your eye. You don’t even have to for expensive floral arrangements; you can find things that are in your yard to compliment your house.  Also, do arrangements that are seasonal and don’t make them too grand, you want them to feel effortless, like they are totally supposed to be there.

Window treatments: These are a great way to add some instant glamour to a home and to bring in an overall finished feeling. Next Day Blinds is a great website to check out for ideas and products.  Next Day Blinds offers a comprehensive website for any type of budget or taste. Next Day Blinds, or services like it are available across the United States.

Windsor, England is full of geographical beauty and great natural vistas. It is also incredibly rich in history and partially famous for the Windsor Castle located within it. However, the Windsor family itself is one of the England’s most famous and is certainly popular and relevant to today’s society. Tourists staying in one of the Windsor hotels is extremely likely to visit the castle, and equally likely to try and get a glimpse of one of the royal family members.

The English monarchy has always been an intriguing and fascinating aspect of English life. They have grown into elements of popular culture and have gained the interest of international admirers, which likely began with the reign of Queen Victoria though it has steadily increased through the 20th century. With events like the marriage between Prince Charles and Lady and subsequent and tragic death of Princess Diana the family has gained steady attention from royalty watchers. In addition, Princess Diana was a beautiful woman, both inside and out, and quickly raised the level of royal interest when she entered the family.

In addition, the couple had two sons, Prince William who is third in line to the throne, and Prince Henry, also known as Harry. Princes William and Harry were ushered into something of a spotlight at birth and the world watched as their bright faces reflected back at their mother. However, the paparazzi agreed to leave the boys alone and not chase or photograph them during their early development. The second major images the world saw of the two were from the funeral of their mother, which was an extremely sad event. Since the two have come into their own as adults and William has graduated from school, they are now fair game in the camera and world’s eye and there are plenty of people captivated by the two princes.