Chocolate Rave

I really hadn’t thought about the years that had passed, at least not in terms of the distance between the adult version of me and my childhood.  I was aware of many other things, because I do consider my life to be well-examined, and sometimes perhaps a little too examined.  I do like to reflect over every change, small and large, at the moment that it’s happening.  It’s a reflect that kicks in very fast for me, and sometimes it might even keep me from being in the moment.  But then there are times when I’m engaged in extremely mundane and reflective activities, when the reflex kicks in and is very helpful, and even a little useful.  This was the case when I found myself washing my parent’s windows.

It was a bigger job than I thought, and I tried not to act like a sullen kid when I started to get into the work, but I was grumbling inside.  When I discovered that my mother had changed out the old green curtains, however, for new Next Day Blinds, complaints fell away very quickly.  They’re awfully lovely, and I admired the materials and the craftsmanship.  I’d like to say I get this from my father’s side, just to sound more in line with the gender roles of the day, but in truth, I get it from my mother.  She’s always appreciated things that are well-made, and although they’ve never been wealthy people, they have nice things.  I do like to think they get their taste from me, however.

Whatever reservations I had about the effort went away as well, when I realized it was near freezing outside, and the work was helping me to keep warm.  This was something they wanted before the holiday season, because they’d recently started to have parties in their house for all their friends.  I wanted it to be nice, because some of those friends were my friend’s parents, who’d seen me causing trouble in their own houses over the years, and I wanted them to see that I’d changed, too.  I don’t know how my ego got so involved, but it was quick, and very deep, too.  Some of this dust was from yesterday, sure, but some of it must have been a couple decades old.  This is who I was, and who I used to be.  But when I caught a glimpse of the Next Day Blinds from the other side of the window, I had to laugh.  Things had changed, and new memories were on their way.

As a fan of old movie theaters and movie palaces built throughout the United States, I’d like nothing more than to one day travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to experience “The Showplace of the Carolinas,” the Carolina Theatre, which began life in 1927 on Halloween, openings its 2,200 seats to vaudeville performances.  Known as the best theater between Atlanta and Washington D.C., the theater boasted chandeliers of sparkling crystal, classical statues, and marbled columns.  This building, designed to look like a Greek temple and the auditorium ceiling had clouds projected onto its blue paint; that effect, along with columns and draperies, made the theater look like a a Greek amphitheater.  At the time, the cost of a ticket was seventy-five cents for adults and fifty cents for children.  The early days of the theater featured live acts, an orchestra, a newsreel, audience sing-a-longs, and a silent film.

In the middle seventies, the building was set to be demolished, but rescued by the United Arts Council; over the years, more than five million was raised to help expand the cultural center on Davie Street as well as to begin the next renovation at the Carolina.  The Carolina Theatre is now in its 83rd year of operation and acts as a fully operational performing arts facility.  Over the years, a number of entertainers have performed on the Carolina Theatre stage, including the following: Amos and Andy, Miles Davis, Vincent Price, Tonny Bennet, Emmy Lou Harris, Garrsion Keillor, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot and Gregory Hines.

If you come to town and stay in one of the hotels Greensboro provides for its travelers, you may join the 75,000 people the Carolina Theatre serves on an annual basis.  Coming up within the next few months (January through March of 2010), you’ll find a great variety of performances continuing in this landmark building, including the University of North Carolina Clef Hangers, the Ciompi Quartet, the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, Ronnie Milsap, and productions of Menopause the Musical and 60 Years of Broadway.

New times always come with new standards of excellence, and we certainly live in an era that is unlike any other we’ve ever known.  Of course, every generation is convinced that they are living through an original experience, and wants to find ways of defining its own uniqueness.  In this time of so much specialization, however, it is obvious that there are more experts from multiple generations who are commenting on the things that make this moment more spectacular than any other.  It could very well be that we are simply reliving some of the most important cycles of history at a faster rate.  That is to say, perhaps the wheel is turning more quickly these days.

Whatever the reasons, we are also coming to find ways of making very quick assessments of our contemporary situation.  We look at the things that please us the most, and place them in a swift rank system so that we can judge them according to what seems to us to be an objective system.  It seems very likely that the systems we’re currently using are less objective than previous generations, and that our judgements are based on very temporary criteria.

It is a culture of the moment, and excellence is determined by comparisons to a very short list of successes.  But because we tell ourselves that time is short, and we’re always running out of that commodity, we need to think more quickly and respond more quickly.  This leads to some very quick judgements that, in a few years’ time, will probably demonstrate very little actual clear judgement.  But by then it won’t matter, because time will become even more scarce by then, and the wheel will continue to spin.  This would suggest that those who are willing to step out of the cycles of time will perhaps be the wisest of their generation, and it may be very true that it has always been this way.

With its rich urban culture, and fantastically inviting tropical setting, Singapore is the place to be.  It’s one of the most exciting hotspots in the world, attracting travelers from all over.  There is a spectacular mix of Eastern and Western traditions here, so visitors can feel right at home, or worlds away, depending on the kind of experience you’re looking for.  There are many different layers to this unique city state, and certainly something for everyone.  It’s possible to visit multiple times and still be completely surprised and delighted by what you find here.

The rich mix of cultures is one of the legacies of its complex and fascinating history, and its position as a major world port also helps to increase its appeal as a very cosmopolitan place.  As a result, there are some magnificent places to eat, and it’s very likely to find any kind of food you happen to be hungry for at the moment.  It’s also likely that you’ll find many splendid examples of the kinds of cuisine you really like, and you’ll get to sample some new and exciting taste combinations.  Vegetarian restaurants are very easy to find, and the places that specialize in meatless cuisines will doubtlessly offer splendid examples of how good food can be.  Most places will also have plenty of vegetarian options, since many of the cultures have some vegetarian traditions.

There will be plenty of things to explore after a delightful meal as well, and for those who want to know more about the history of Singapore, a visit to Bukit Chandu is definitely recommended.  This place marks the spot where the 1st and 2nd Battallion Malay Regiment defended Singapore from Japanese invasion in 1942.  The spot is not only a historical landmark, with a museum, but also plays host to many educational activities, such as the Operation Maths Defense Trails, where children can learn about history while honing their math skills.

Cartography is the Greek word used to define the science of drawing charts or carts, and maps.  Ptolemy made a distinction between Chorography and Geography, which was later revised by the Renaissance writers.  Chorography is the term used to describe the making of maps, be they maps of the entire areas, or a road map, of towns, cities and counties.  And Geography refers to the mapping of entire countries.

The father of the atlas or the world globe, was a businessman, a map collector and a cartographer during the late 1500’s, Abraham Ortelius.  He published the book Theatrum Orbis Terrarum during 1570 in Antwerp, which has been translated over the many years into various different languages.  He had the view that geography was the eye of World History, and that only would one understand all of history, through the understanding of geography.

In his book was a series of maps, which he created to be not only maps of regions and countries, but they were the stages of the theatres of the world.  For many people during this time, it was fashionable to hang a world map in their home, a whole collection of them if they could find them.  This was then, as the modern day version of the coffee table book is today.  Many people today, do not have the money to hang say…a collection of Picasso works, or Gustav Klimt originals, but they can go to their local bookstore and find books with reproductions, and spend hours looking through the works of such master painters.  World history through art is found.

This is what Ortelius wanted, a book for people that would provide them with a convenient means to view the history of the world, the theatre of the world.  Many people during his time, did have a collection of maps, but due to lack of space they were kept rolled up and tucked away.  He expanded the knowledge of the world, at the same time he condensed it into a book that people could carry around with them, bring the world to their hands so to speak.  This is what a map does today, it brings everywhere into right here, it puts the world into the palms of your hands.

Where you can you combine a love of film, of beach, and carnival in a single city?  You might suggest Cannes, but I’m thinking farther south.  How about Sitges in Spain?  This little city a few miles south or southwest of Barcelona is known for all these things, including its night life as well as its history.  The artistic reputation goes back to the late 19th Century, when Santiago Rusinol, a Catalan painter began living there.  Much later, in the 1960s, it became known as “Ibiza in miniature,” and today, it’s known for tourism, specifically the more than four thousand five hundred hotels Sitges offers to its travelers, with more than half of these with four stars.  It’s a city for companies and seminars, but also for alternative lifestyles, particularly in the last two months of summer.  Nearly a third of the twenty-six thousand residents come from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and France.  The city also features seventeen different beaches.

Over the last couple of centuries there have been a number of interesting events in this destination spot: 1853 saw the first time the Festa Major was held, which is an annual festival on August 23 and 24.  In 1923, the Spanish Grand Prix was held at the Sitges Terramar; in 1958, the city saw the first Barcelona-Sitges Antique Car Rally.  In 1967, Sitges saw the start of the Fesetival de Cine de Sitges (which is now known as the International Film Festival of Catalonia); In 1995, the Barcelona-Sitges Veteran Motorbike Rally was begun; in 2000, we had the first broadcast of TV3, the Catalonian TV Station.

But, like New Orleans, perhaps the most interesting time to be in Sitges is coming up, in the months of February and March, depending on what time Lent falls in 2010.  Each year, Sitges has celebrated without a break the Carnival (or Carnestoltes).  The Carnival begins on Fat Thursday (as opposed to Fat Tuesday in other regions) — Dijous Gras — as the King Carnestoltes arrives.  Once this figure appears until a sardine is buried (that’s right) on Ash Wednesday, Sitges comes alive.  During this time there will be plenty of folk dances and traditional salads and two main parades, the Rua de la Disbauxa (which translates to the Debaurchery Parade) and the Rua de l’Extermini (the Extermination Parade).  Usually, there’s more than two thousand people involved with about forty floats.  It’s a perfect time to visit Sitges.

In the distant past, the Iron Age was that era in which humankind’s weapons and tools were made out of iron or steel.  During the same time period, we saw other changes in the world, a birth of varying practices in agriculture, beliefs in religion, and styles in art.  It’s the last period of the three ages that we use to classify the pre-historic worlds, making the following progression: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age.  The Iron Age began and ended variously in many parts of the world: In the Near East, India, and Iran, it’s supposed to have started around the 12th Century BC, but over in Europe, there was a much later start, arriving in around the 8th and 6th Century BC.  Clearly, it took a long time for technology to pass from one part of the world to another.  Even longer, before all this iron was put into good use by transforming the fireplace into the cast iron stove — because these stoves, some claim, were invented in America  (although others will argue that their origin lies a little earlier somewhere in France).

In the 19th Century, cast iron, it seems, was the metal of choice for stoves before steel took the title in the 20th Century.  What is cast iron?  It’s iron that contains a small per cent of carbon (three to four per cent) and less than six per cent of silica.  You can cast this mixture into molds and treat it with heat.  This transforms the carbon into graphite, making the cast iron strong, enabling it to handle really high temps without affecting or melting the metal.

Before the cast iron stoves, there were ceramic stoves. And these are associated with masterpieces, adorned beautifully with intricate structures; the cast iron stoves, though, made through mass production in foundries, were not nearly as interesting, but they proliferated quickly, filling houses throughout Europe with fireplaces and cast iron stoves.  Later, stove manufacturers began to introduce more ornate stoves, detailed designs and patterns, adorning the iron with additional materials.  Cooper, nickel, brass, and the like.

Since the cast iron stoves were made in foundries on such a big scale, they’re pretty abundant today.  Even so, collectors of antiques place them in high demand, and now fireplaces and a solitary antique stove of cast iron can cost anywhere from two to three thousand dollars.   It’s a long way from the Iron Age to the 19th Century; it feels almost just as long from the 19th to the 21st, but iron, in the form of these stoves, is very much a part of our daily lives.

This is my last night in Singapore. I’ve been here for 2 months and I want to come back here again as soon as I can. However, there is only one thing I could do without and leave behind, it’s the humidity! I’m constantly sweating no matter where I am. You’d think after two months that I’d get used to being constantly wet, but I’m not.

Yesterday, I pulled out my trainers, which I haven’t worn since I arrived in Singapore because I was told I wouldn’t be able to enter in all the 5 star hotels with sandals. But, I was given incorrect information, because it turned out that there were a lot of sandal wearers in the hotels I visited. See I like to have drinks in the posh hotel bars, even though they’re expensive, I prefer the crowds that hang around the better hotels. Even though my Singapore boutique hotel had a nice bar, I still wanted to check out other bars and meet new people.

I met a guy who lived in Singapore all his life and I spent a few hours listening to him tell my all about Singapore. He told me about how Singapore requires everyone to do at least 2 years in the National Service. I thought this was sad, I mean, I couldn’t imagine being forced to spend 2 years being told what to do. This made me really appreciated living in the United Kingdom. After my few hour education on Singapore, we went to watch England get knocked out from the World Cup because of a few penalties. That really sucked. But, what I could tell from the crowd is that most people in Singapore like England’s Football, because it used to be a British colony.

I figured out that I must give off some kind of vibe that makes taxi’s not want to stop for me. I can actually get a taxi to pull up to me, but then once they take a look at me, they pull off. It finally took me to ask someone to flag a taxi for me, I half expected the taxi to take off again before I got into the back seat. I really don’t know what was going on there, weird. I had him take me back to my hotel, tomorrow I need to catch a flight to Perth at 6am! I guess now I have two things I can leave behind in Singapore, my second one is taxi’s!

How does one choose between the Forte Dei Marmi hotels in Italy. On one hand you have the perfect stream line of white sandy beach to find a great hotel where you can just wonder out in your flip flops and bikini and take in the sun. On the other hand you have the fascinating historical and cultural history to be rediscovered in the charming villages that are nestled above the city in the Apuan Alps. What a perfect combinations of mountain and sea. They built this city to work Pwell with the natural environment and views. The buildings are not to crammed together and not to tall to block the mountain view.

The sea side of the city offers wonderful day adventures. There are many boat standing by waiting to take visitors out to some of the near by ports and islands like Cinque Terra, Portofino, Capralia Islands and Elba Island. Portofino is a beautiful green port and is the host of the largest flower collection in the Mediterranean. This of course bring many birds to the area as well. If you go snorkeling from here you have a chance to see the whole range of Tyrrenic Sea plants and fish. This area is a perfect blend of natural and human contribution.

The Apuan Alps are very majestic. It is known for its precious marbles and building stones. It has many little villages and old mills. The mountain side has a mesmerizing view of the Tyrrhenian Sea below. Climbing is a major sport for the mountains here. There are 750 km of hiking trails with lots of history to explore. The oldest hut still around dates back to around 1902. The Grotta del Vento which means cave of the wind is a wonderful natural structure to see. They have found nearly 200 caves in the whole range. The peaks are really quite rough terrain. If your not up to the big hike, then you can head up the historical road called Via Vandelli. It was built by the abbot Domenico Vandelli between 1738 and 1751.

Employee morale is the subject of many corporate training programs these days.  Companies and organizations are tossing ideas back and forth about how to keep people motivated and successfully producing during the subject that is hanging over everyone’s heads at the moment, and that is the recession.  Due to many layoffs over the last few years, the employees that did manage to hold on to their jobs, are taking on more off a work load, all the while feeling the weight of long time co-workers and friends who were not so lucky.  Management teams are figuring out the best ways to keep their staff focused and engaged.  They have called upon traditional and time tested ways, but they are also being required to come up with creative and innovative ways of not only improving morale, but keeping staff productive and business moving forward.

Keeping employees in the loop, is one way to ensure that they remain involved and invested in the future of the business.  By keeping things hidden, trust begins to fail.  And while incentive programs are often in the manuals regarding the policies and procedures of a company, they and their importance is often overlooked.  When people are working hard, it’s simple…just tell them so.  Finding alternative ways to cut costs, without cutting jobs, will further employee loyalty, for one day things will turn around.  This is a way to take care of your business, while you are taking care of the individuals that allow your business to continue in a successful manner.  People are afraid, the economic situation and effects that it is having on people is real, and with leadership training the managers will find ways to come up with solutions that benefit everyone in the company.  While people are remaining productive in their jobs for fear of losing them, a more healthy productive is one that is based in positive experiences, rather than the fear of the negative ones.