Talking About Health, Mental Health & Recovery

September 2009Monthly Archives

Casinos are for Tourists in Katmandu

Katmandu, Nepal is an incredible city and one of the country’s major attractions for its own residents. Many South Asians plan a yearly visit to Katmandu to enjoy the commodities, entertainment and even some gambling at some of its casinos. International tourists staying at one of the Nepal hotels are also more than likely to enjoy an evening, afternoon, or possibly even an entire trip in a casino. Some of the more popular casinos in Katmandu are Casino Anna, Shangri La, Casino Royale and Casino Venus. And these are just to name a portion of them.

Different forms of gambling have actually played a role in Indian and Nepali culture and society for centuries. It is interesting to note, however, that these casinos are not open to the Napli population, but are there for tourists and business travelers. This is why international poker tournament stars rarely stem from Indian states and cities. However, it does not prevent the interest and also the support for tourist satisfaction in Katmandu. And of course, if poker or gambling isn’t your taste or preferred activity, Katmandu and the surrounding region have many other attractions, options, entertainments and great geographical scenery to enjoy.

Contemporary gambling and various card games including poker have made many transitions and have been perceived in various social contexts throughout the 20th century. In recent decades, the game of poker specifically has increased tremendously in popularity and also in social acceptance. In most countries and cultures, it has usually been played in dark private clubs and secret game rooms with shady characters in and around it. Today, the top poker stars are also household names and international personalities. In addition, the enormous popularity online gambling and poker sites have made it even more common for tourists visiting Katmandu to be extremely attracted to the casinos.

Lisa
September 15, 2009
Travel
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Abstract Art of Vighyasagar Upadhyay

Jaipur is one of the most splendid cities in the world.  Nicknamed the Pink City for the color of the facades, painted in the 19th century to welcome the Prince of Wales, Jaipur has a lively urban center as well as access to spectacular natural surroundings.  There is a sense of calm and mystery here as well, coming from its fantastic design, where the center of the city is built on a grid that’s based on a mandala.  This offers a sense of peace and prosperity here, and our Jaipur luxury hotels are another piece of the puzzle that will make your stay here a perfect vacation.  We’ve selected our hotels based on their consistent levels of excellence that meet the highest standards in the industry, but also for their unique flair that will add another layer of sumptuousness to your lodging experience.

A delicious night’s sleep in our gorgeously furnished rooms, and a magnificent meal prepared by our world class chefs, and you’ll be ready to explore Jaipur and begin your new adventure.  Jaipur has a host of attractions that will appeal to visitors of all ages.  There is a buzzing cultural scene here, with a very active night life, so that lovers of performance and live music will have plenty of things to choose from.  There is also a stunning array of visual art here, as well as artists, and it’s always a thrill to be browsing a gallery that the painter might visit.  One of Jaipur’s most favorite sons working in the realm of abstract art is Vighyasagar Upadhyay.

Upadhyay has a very illustrious past, and a very auspicious future in the international art world.  He holds both an M.A. and a PhD in painting, and has exhibited all over India, as well as France, the U.K., Japan, and Australia.  He has an impressive list of credentials, with books and articles written by and about him, along with lectures and workshops.  His work is a continuation of the Jaipur fresco and Rajput miniature traditions, creating works that are non-figurative and extremely bold and emotional.  Generous blasts of color fill the canvas, with a splendid balance between passion and restraint.  His work is an excellent way to begin looking at this amazing city.

Lisa
September 14, 2009
Travel
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Motorcycles and Cows in Chennai

I think before I begin to describe my experience in India, I need to say that it was the toughest country to try to make sense. India is so huge and complex, so unfamiliar that spending five days here is truly inadequate for my attempts at understanding. I was constantly reminded that I’m in a developing country. To use only one word to describe India would be the word: challenging.

I headed out to explore Chennai. The weather was hot and muggy. I made my way through the security checkpoints coming off my ship, and as I entered the main street, I was overwhelmed with the huge amount of people, everywhere. There was nowhere where there wasn’t people. I didn’t make if far before I was hit with offers for an autorickshaw or bicycle. I found myself feading down the road going along with the chaotic and hectic traffic heading to the hotel Chennai India where I had reservations. Scooters, bicycles, motorcycles, oxen drawn wagons, cars, taxis and busses all shared the roads all at the same time. Traffic signs and lights are seen as a suggestion and lanes are ignored. A few minutes into my ride, I looked to the left and saw an old man sitting sideways as a passenger on the back of a motorcycle. He only had a loin cloth and his dark skin contrasted with his long white beard. He was carrying a small bag with the Hindu god Vishnu drawn on it. He was starring happily into the traffic. I actually found driving around in an autorickshaw in India was my favorite thing to do. I liked how all the locals could just zoom in and about with their motorcycles and watching groups of women and men walking together, and I really liked the occasional cow in the road.

Lisa
September 10, 2009
Travel
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Butterflies in Bali

“Hey, check this out,” I told Nikki as we sat in our hotel in Bali Indonesia, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.” “That’s nice. Who said that?” “Me,” I said. “Yeah, right,” Nikki teased. “Who was it really, Churchill?” Nikki was fun to chat with as we sat finishing our coffee, watching the surf of Bali and the blue ocean shining in the morning light. “Close,” I said, “It was Mark Twain. Good guess with Churchill though.” I put down my coffee cup. “What do you say we go to Wanasari? Wanasari has a park for butterflies, what say we rent motorcycles and…” Nikki did not give me a chance to finish. “I do not think old Mark Twain meant driving around Bali on motorcycles as sailing from the safe harbor. Let’s get a Jeep.” She is wise, so I agreed and we set off for the butterflies. the sun was just over the horizon, so we got a move on, thinking butterflies liked the morning. It was not that far from where we were staying in Tabanan. It was an easy drive and I wished silently that we had gone by motorcycle. Oh well, what would Twain have said? There were hundreds of butterflies, quite actively floating about. I particularly like the blue ones, with a kind of cobalt electric colored wings, and one landed right on my nose and seemed to stay there for several seconds, til it took off in a flutter that tickled my face. Everyone here seemed to be from away, we saw no locals visiting, so we shared the sights of hundreds of butterflies with people from all over the world.

Lisa
September 9, 2009
Travel
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HAIR Revival in New York

HAIR is an American rock musical written by Galt MacDermot, with James Rado and Gerome Ragni who wrote the lyrics and book. It has been an incredible success and worked its way into mainstream popularity with songs like Age of Aquarius. The musical debuted in New York at the Off Broadway theatre Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre, now simply known as the Public. It first performed there in October of 1967 before opening on Broadway the following year. It’s a major achievement to have a show produced Off Broadway, and even bigger to have it transfer to Broadway, but to create a show that becomes such a success as HAIR is certainly the stuff that dreams are made on. Tourists staying in a luxury New York USA hotel are frequently visiting the city to experience one of Broadway’s newest productions.

When the musical was first produced, audiences and sometimes critics alike were shocked by the show’s content and consequently, it was created something of a controversy and many people opposed it. There was a now infamous nude scene that many found objectionable, as well as its irreverence for the American flag, and its depiction of drug use and seeming glorification of the perceived lewd and lascivious hippie lifestyle. It was certainly a product of the 1960s and its social and sexual revolutionary aspects. Interestingly, somehow despite the initial controversy the show went on to achieve a few top ten popular hits and also changed the face of the American musical. It is often considered to be responsible for creating the genre of rock musical, which has become one of Broadway’s most favorite musical styles. A feature film adaptation of the musical was created in 1979, and a Broadway revival was produced earlier this year. The production, which opened in March won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for best revival of a musical.

Lisa
September 8, 2009
Travel
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Brightening Up the Room with Next Day Blinds

The concept of decorative window coverings and treatments was an incredible decorative consideration. Windows are found in most office spaces and in all homes, and given the amount of time one spends looking out them, it makes sense that they can sometimes even become the focal point of a room. Be they bay windows with breakfast nooks, or picture windows overlooking mountain, seaside or city views, the framing and decorating with shades from Next Day Blinds,  create works of art and design surrounding any window or sliding glass door.

There are either the simple mini blinds or the multi-layered Venetian blinds, each creating symmetry and harmony and color in rooms throughout one’s house. Decorating in this way allows one to have a different look or style for each section of the house, or one that flows together seamlessly. For those wishing to decorate on a budget, the windows are the best place to start, as many of the options are inexpensive and will create a new look with relatively little money and time spent.

The materials used to make the Venetian blinds are virtually limitless at Next Day Blinds, coming in a wide variety of solids and prints. This makes it easy to coordinate the materials and the patterns on other accessories throughout the house such as pillows, rugs or even shower curtains. Just as dark colors on the walls of small rooms can make one feel closed in, so too can dark and drab old curtains and draperies.

It is amazing the a new outlook on one’s living space is created, when one is looking out a bright and stylishly, framed window. The blinds also serve the purpose of offering privacy, as well as shade from the sun and the heat during the hotter winter months and insulation from the cold during the winter. Creativity with a purpose is what the blinds and the treatments provide, for a reasonable price and minimal time commitment.

Lisa
September 8, 2009
Home
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Have a Tampa Cigar

For visitors looking for the best that Florida can offer, our luxury Tampa hotels are a sumptuous mix of innovation with tradition. You’ll have access to the latest technologies to keep you connected to the world at large, but also experience our unique hospitality that will leave you refreshed. We have carefully selected our hotels for their consistency in meeting high standards of excellence in both service and style. You will enjoy being pampered in an atmosphere that is both local and international, reflecting the best of contemporary tastes. Tampa has a very rich blend of cultures, with a long and fascinating history, and our hotels are a splendid vantage point from which to experience this exciting city.

There are always exciting things to do here, every day of the week, and visitors of all ages will be pleased with what Tampa has to offer. From museums to nightclubs, there is a wide array of choices. For cigar lovers, there is Ybor City, home to some of the oldest factories in the United States. The rolling industry here has faded in the past years, but there are still a number of excellent tobacco shops, and you can buy hand-rolled cigars at street fairs and other public events. The city’s connection to the cigar speaks to its diversity, and Ybor City in Tampa has a significant Afro-Cuban population. It grew at the end of the 19th century with the rise of tobacco here, and the history of this is fascinating and speaks to contemporary Tampa. Today this area is still largely composed of Americans with Cuban, Italian, and Spanish lineage.

Cigars in Tampa have a way of linking the present to the past, and in the tobacco leaf one can trace the history of human cultures in the process of migration. There is a fascinating nostalgia here for the earlier days, although the earlier days suggest enormously difficult labor. The workers in cigar factories would spend hours meticulously rolling the leaves together, in hot warehouses and on hard wooden chairs. At the same time, the workers were also read to during their workday, and this suggests an attempt to maintain and improve the interior intellectual life. It’s a complicated past, and one certainly worth exploring while you’re here, and you don’t have to light a cigar to enjoy the myths and histories.

Lisa
September 8, 2009
Travel
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Correspondence about Singapore

I wrote a question on the Internet saying that I’m coming from Mumbai and before flying to Hong Kong, I’ll have a whole 30 hour layover, a Saturday and a Sunday in Singapore and that I have a few questions in order to make the most of my short stay. I asked what’s the most convenient area to get a luxury hotel because I want to stay as close to main attractions and features as possible. I asked if there are any interesting half day tours and would they be worth it. I don’t mind walking, so is it possible to get to see most of the city this way, just stopping by from time to time to visit the temples and interesting buildings or parks?  As for shopping, art the markets and malls open during the weekends? What will be the most interesting ones for buying Singapore handcrafted items, music, electronics and software? Are fakes also sold in Singapore?

The response I got was overwhelming, so I had to weed out a lot, but the best response I got from all my questions was that since I’m coming from Mumbai, I should stay right in the mix of Singapore, they recommend I stay at one the the Singapore luxury hotels that are located in the thriving part of Singapore. As for walking, I would really like the Clarke Quay and stroll the river all the way to the mouth and hop on a night cruise, if I can’t make that then I should try the Bugis, a great area for night life. They also recommended I take the China town and Little India tours. They said I’d be able to fit one in each day. They wished me luck and told me to enjoy my trip. Loaded with all this information, I know I’ll have a great trip. Isn’t the Internet wonderful?

Lisa
September 3, 2009
Travel
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Monica Gazzo in Florence

When looking for your perfect Italian hotel, Florence should be on the list as one of the perfect spots to take a vacation and escape from the world.  Our hotels are specially selected to help you get away from all of your responsibilities in perfect Italian style and luxury.  We offer a splendid combination of the old and new world in our hotels, where modern convenience meets hospitality and graciousness.  There is a remarkable sense of design here, where all the myths and legends of the Italian’s exquisite taste and style turn out to be true.  The cuisine offered here is, of course, splendid, and has to be sampled to be believed, but the delicious aroma will make it impossible to avoid.  There is something to offer here that will please every member of the family, and let you begin your adventure with class.
Florence is of course one of the great art capitals of the world, having lived at the cutting edges of innovation for centuries.  Some of the great movements in visual art started here, and you can see some of the truly great masterpieces of world art right here.  The reputation is extremely solid, and very well-founded, and there are new artists coming from Florence all the time, born here or schooled here.  Monica Gazzo is one working artist doing fascinating work today with roots in Florence.  She was born in Buenos Aires, and came to Florence to study.  
She did a considerable amount of new works of experimental theatre and performance art here, including a collaboration with Peter Schuman’s San Franscisco-based Bread and Puppet Theatre.  She later moved to San Francisco and Los Angeles to continue her work and education.  She maintained strong ties with Italy during all the subsequent phases of her career, and today is working as a filmmaker, videographer, and teacher.  She has an incredibly impressive list of credentials, having worked with many other interesting artists, such as the famous vocal performenr Joan La Barbara.  The work of Monica Gazzo is very lyrical and simultaneously challenges preconceived notions of race and gender.   It is fascinating to find her footprints in Florence, and trace her trajectory between the then and the now.

Lisa
September 3, 2009
Travel
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Intentional Chocolate in New York

I got to participate in an experiment dealing with chocolate in New York City. I didn’t know what the experiment was until it was over, but I sure did like having to eat chocolate twice a day, everyday for a week. I was so pleased after eating the chocolate that I got New York Broadway tickets for a play which I never do. I even enjoyed the play, which I don’t like theater.

When I found out what the experiment was, I was amazed and stunned. It was a double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized experiment investigating whether chocolate exposed to good-intentional thoughts would enhance mood more than unexposed chocolate. Individuals, like me, were assigned to one of four groups and we were asked to record our moods each day for a week. We had to use the Profile of Mood States, we couldn’t just write down anything we wanted. So, for three, four and five, each person consumed a half-ounce of chocolate twice a day at a certain time of day. Three groups blindly received chocolate that had been intentionally treated by three different thought techniques. The intention in each case was for the people who ate the chocolate would experience a more enhanced sense of vigor, energy and well being.  The fourth group blindly received the untreated chocolates as the placebo control.

The hypothesis was that our recorded moods during the three days of eating chocolate would improve more with the intentional groups than in the control group. I was told most participants lived in the same geographical region also. The results on the third day of the experiment was that the moods had improved significantly with the group that received the intentional chocolates than in the
the non-intentional groups. I was informed, after the experiment that I was in the group that received the intentional chocolates. All I can say, is I really did feel so much better during this experiment, but I don’t know if it was because I could eat chocolate twice a day or if it was due to the intention.

Lisa
September 2, 2009
Health, Travel
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