Fight Club
Posted by Admin | Filed under Fun
These high-adrenalin activities are perfect for Type-A personalities looking to let off steam:
Gladiator: if Maximus, the macho lead character in Ridley Scott’s acclaimed movie Gladiator, is your role model, then sign up at Scuola Gladiatori Roma (’Gladiator School of Rome), located near The Colosseum. Train to fight with authentic weapons of ancient Rome and once you’ve mastered the techniques, you can opt for a gladiatorial tournament. Courses range from a day to two months. For more information you can visit: www.gsr-roma.com/english/gladiatori/htm/scuola.htm
Muay Thai: if you enjoy the The Contender reality TV series, head to a Muaythai Fairtex camp (various branches in Thailand, US and Japan). Pro-style training, typically beginning at 6am, includes jogging and gym work, numerous rounds of one-on-one Thai Pad training in the boxing ring, some rounds of heavy bag training and light sparring (for those interested in fight training), and a few rounds of abdominal and muscular conditioning. You can do half-day, full-day or even weeks-long training programmes. For more information you can visit: www.fairtex.com
Kotor by the bay - South Europe
Posted by Admin | Filed under Vacation
You may not have heard of the sea-side city of Kotor in Montenegro yet, but it won’t be this way for long. In 2005, Montenegro, in south Europe, was identified by the World Travel and Tourism Council as the “fastest growing travel and tourism economy in the world” and since then, it’s been cropping up on quite a few lists of hot destinations.
Kotor, located along one of Montenegro’s most beautiful bays, Boka Kotorska, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which recognizes cultural and natural heritage of outstanding value.
Surrounded by towering mountains, Kotor’s natural beauty is breathtaking. But the city itself, with its well-preserved Old Town, will not disappoint either.
Built between the 12th and 14th century, the Old Town is a labyrinth of streets, and is home to cathedrals and other buildings that are testament to the city’s rich heritage. Much of the architecture is of Venetian origin, featuring distinctive doors and balconies, while others, such as St Tryphon’s Cathedral, one of the city’s most recognizable symbols, have a definite Roman flavor.
After a day of exploring, sit back and enjoy a drink at one of its bars and restaurants for an experience that brings together the best of both worlds: the old and the new.
Start the Day Right
Posted by Admin | Filed under Health
Remember when your mother used to tell you every morning before you headed for school? That’s right - eat your breakfast.
Now the Park Hyatt Dubai is telling its business guests the same thing. According to General Manager Stuart Deeson, this program was developed because they noticed that business travelers were skipping their breakfast to attend meetings.
The Hyatt Corporation is teaming up with well-known Brazilian nutritionist Patricia Teixeira, who has worked with top European soccer clubs such as Real Madrid, to address this issue. Together, they have launched a healthy living breakfast program that features juices developed to fight jetlag, cellulite and stress, aid digestion as well as strengthen the immune system.
The insider story of Barcelona
Posted by Admin | Filed under Vacation
This story was told by Shopkeeper Rosa Baneres, who was born in Barcelona and grew up there. Here she shares her treasured spots in the city.
Favorite spot: The Romanesque church and cloisters of Sant Pau del Camp at the end of Carrer Sant pau off Las Ramblas. You can tell by the stone carvings over the main door that this is one of Barcelona’s oldest churches.
Best meal: Flas-flas (La Granada del Penedes) which hasn’t changed since it opened in 1970s. They’re known for their tortillas, but I love their hamburgers, especially the Cadillac - beef with layers of bacon, crapers, and cheese.
Hidden treasure: The Eixample Dreta - the part of this 19th-century area that lies to the right of Passeig de Gracia on the map. There’s so much to see in the buildings here - stained glass-enclosed balconies, cornices and carvings. When the great doors are open, you can see elaborate lamps and polished marble where the carriages used to be.
Best music: jazz Si club for Flamenco on Friday nights. They start at 8.30pm but by 8pm, you can’t even get in. The stage is tiny, but really powerful bailaor (dancer) can leave you in tears.
View: Go up the hill to Tibidabo on the funicular which goes to the amusement park. The whole city is at your feet.
Must have experience: A stroll starting from Jaume I, down the narrow lanes leading to Correos, the main Post Office, passing through Placa Sant Just nad Lledo. There are abandoned places, grand houses, an old shop that still doesn’t seem to have electricity, carpenter’s shops and a Roman tower inhabited by stray cats.
Quiet Spot: The laribal gardens on Montjuic - full of shady corners where you can feel quite removed from the world.
Market: The mercat Sant Antoni. Going to the indoor food market as a child with my grandmother, I used to have my own little basket and stallholders would put one of everything in it, one fish, one peach, one tomato… The encants (street market) were magical, the stalls selling clothes, shoes and toys, and they’re the same today as they were then.
This Summer Read (Part 2)
Posted by Admin | Filed under Readings
7) The Time Machine (H.H. Wells / 1895)
A Victorian scientist propels himself into the year AD 802,701 and finds himself among the Eloi, an elfin species that appears to live in a world free of suffering, but in tunnels beneath their paradise lurk the sinister Morlocks. When the scientist’s time machine vanishes, he knows what he has to do to return to his era.
8.) Doctor Who?: Revenge of the Juddon (Terrance Dicks / 2008)
A modern take on the same theme, time-traveller Doctor Who visits a castle in Scotland. The castle disappears, leaving just a hole in the ground. The Doctor realizes it is the work of the Juddon, ruthless intergalactic mercenary space police plotting to take over the world. The Doctor Who books are a tie-in with the very popular British TV series of the same name.
9) Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie / 1934)
Detective Hercule Poirot’s little grey cells whirr away as he untangles the mystery of an American tycoon found dead in his train compartment with a dozen stab wounds.
10) A quite belief in Angels (R.J.Ellory / 2007)
Joseph Vaughan is a teenager when a string of girls from his community are murdered. Ten years later, one of his neighbours is found dead, with articles taken from the dead girls. The killings resume. Who is the real killer? A bestseller on Amazon, it is this summer’s crime title smash hit.
11) The Alexander Trilogy: Fire from heaven; The Persian Boy; Funeral Games (Mary Renault / 1969 / 1972/1981)
Alexander the Great said, “It is a lovely thing to live the courage, and die leaving an everlasting fame.” Mary Renault’s trilogy is a superb fictional account of the man who spoke those words. It takes the reader on a real-life adventures story that moves from the rugged mountains of Macedonia, via Persia and Egypt, to the Indus. Along the way, we meet many intriguing characters, not least of whom is Alexander’s formidable mother, Olympias.
12) The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory / 2002)
Nothing can come between sisters like a kingdom. Mary Boleyn becomes the mistress of King Henry VIII. When he tires of her, she sets out to school her sister, Anne, to take her place. A novel of high drama, politics and passion, It won the Parker Romantic Novel of the Year award (2002) and was recently made into a movie starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Philippa Gregory’s other Tudor titles include The Queen’s Fool, The Virgin’s Lover, The Boleyn inheritance, and the Other Queen (to be published this august).
This Summer Read
Posted by Admin | Filed under Readings
A holiday means time to indulge in a good book. But how to choose wisely as you pack, so that your luggage does not go into excess weight? Which books will satisfy your literary soul? Below are some suggestions:
1) The Golden Notebook (Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing / 1962)
Middle-aged Anna keeps four notebooks, chronicling stages in her life. The fifth notebook - the golden one - is her attempt to pull it all together. A novel that has left its mark on the ideas and feelings of three generations of women.
2) Life of Pi (Yann Martel / 2002)
Tipped to win the man Booker Prize’s 40th anniversary Best of the Booker award this July, this is the tale of Pi, an Indian boy, the only human survivor of a shipwreck, who spends 221 days on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, and orangutan and a Bengal tiger. The novel combines a boy’s own adventure with a meditation on faith and survival.
3) Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen / 1813)
This romantic comedy continues to draw readers to this day. Heroine meets rich hero but it’s loathe first sight. She fails for a less-than-ideal choice, who causes a family crisis. The hero saves the day. This nuanced tale underscores the issues of, yes, pride and prejudice, and love’s eventual triumph.
4) An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Jill Mansell / 2008)
Jill Mansell is the best selling queen of chick lit and in her latest book, the heroine, Lola, is offered a payoff of 10,000 pounds by the snobbish mum of her boyfriend Dougine, to break up with her son. Is it true love or will money talk?
5) Frankenstein (Mary Shelley / 1818)
Forget blockbusters featuring square-jawed actors with bolts through their necks. Obsessed with creating life, a scientist called Frankenstein plunders graveyards for material to fashion a new being, which he brings to life. This creature sets out to destroy his maker. Some consider this the classic that shocked the sci-fi genre into existence.
6) Twilight (Stephenie Meyer / 2005)
Bella is the new girl in town who feels a strange attraction to a youth, who rebuffs her and then saves her life. The reason for his coldness? He is a vampire. Meyer, a cross-over young adult/adult novel sensation, has been touted as the new J.K.Rowling. Twilight, the movie, will out this December.
Learn Language is Easy
Posted by Admin | Filed under Education
Speaking a foreign language is a huge asset in the global economy these days but if time is an issue, you can learn the language of your choice online at liveMocha (www.livemocha.com), a social networking website that brings language learners and native speakers together.
Launched in September last year, the website has since brought together more than 130,000 registered users from 212 countries and territories. It currently offers lessons in English, Chinese, French, German, Hindi and Spanish.
What makes it different from conventional online language lessons is that instead of simply learning to and regurgitating what you hear, you can practice what you’ve learnt with online tutors and native speakers and get feedback in real time on your progress.
Bangkok: 5 Must Dos
Posted by Admin | Filed under Vacation
If you happen to visit Bangkok, then you must do at least 5 things to feel the real Bangkok:
1) Old Kingdom
A walk around the glittering Grand Palace (Na Phra Lan Road, Old City) provides a true feel for the glory of the ancient Thai Kingdom. Much of the sprawling complex is closed to the public but you can visit the outer court with two throne halls. Thai come here to worship at the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the emerald Buddha), with its 18-inch (45.7cm) Buddha (carved from green jadeite, actually). Outside its walls is Wat Po, famous for its 46m by 15m gold leaf-covered reclining Buddha.
Cross the road to the Tha Tha Chang pier for a ride along the khlongs (canals) in a long-tail boat (opt for the smaller and slower but quiter wooden boats). Glide past homes, shops, temples and orchid gardens in the Thonburi area. Boats can be hired privately at several piers, including alongside the famed hotel, The Oriental.
2) New Kingdom
Ascend the 61 floors of the Banyan Tree Bangkok hotel to its post Vertigo Grill and Moon Bar from 5pm to 1am for cocktails with a panoramic view of Bangkok. Then head across town to the ultra-modern and hip Bed Supperclub, which has been described as a merging restaurant, club, art gallery and theatre. Enjoy a four-course set meal of Thai fusion food on weekends and Chef specials on weeknights, served while you lounge on a bed. Then dance to sounds by imported DJs at the bar next door.
3) Thai Dishes with a View
Cross the Chao Phraya river, the main artery of the city’s famed life along the water, on a 1930s-style boat to Supatra River House’s restaurant by the water. The menu is traditional Thai Cuisine and comes with great views of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and Khon Mask dancing, which takes place every Saturday night. The restaurant is located next door to the Patravadi Theatre where its modern dance troupe premieres on Friday nights and its annual Fringe Festival of Dance showcases contemporary pieces in January and February.
4) Shopping Novelties
In between the unique shopping experiences of the weekend Chatuchak market (take the skytrain to Mochit Station) and the Suan Lum Night Bazaar (take the skytrain to Saladaeng station), seek out bargains at the Bon Marche Market (Thetsaban Sangkaro Road near Wat Samiennaree) with its local foods and lifestyle wares. Then ponder the exquisite silk products at the legendary Jim Thompson House, the historic teak home of this American former military officer who revived Thailand’s silk industry.
5) Menu of Rejuvenation
Many locals and travelers seek out the opulent serenity and one-stop menu of rejuvenation and medical treatments at the S Medical Spa. Signature offerings include an aquatic message in a heated pool, synchronized messaging by two therapist, Tom Yum firming massage, non-surgical facelifts, laser procedures and genetic screening. They also have a gym, a jet lag program and rooms for celebrities. Prices start from US$100.
Trust me; you’ll enjoy the exotic Bangkok to the fullest.
Peranakan Museum at Singapore
Posted by Admin | Filed under Culture
The recently opened Peranakan Museum showcases the culture and heritage of Straits-born Chinese, descendants of traders from China who settled in South-east Asia as early as the 14th century and married local women. Peranakan culture is essentially a blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European influences.
The Museum is said to house the world’s most comprehensive and finest collection of Peranakan artifacts, with its 10 galleries featuring more than 1,200 items, including porcelain, silver, jewelry, textiles and special-occasion finery.
Highlights include the largest Peranakan beadwork tablecloth in existence, painstakingly had-embroidered with more than one million beads; a gilded wedding bed from Penang, Malaysia, and a re-creation of a Peranakan wedding street procession.
Expect vibrant colors’, rich displays and an opportunity to learn about this unique culture through interactive experiences, food, sampling and shopping.
Salt of the earth - a health theraphy
Posted by Admin | Filed under Health
According to time.com, sitting in a natural or man-made salt cave and breathing in the air is the latest alternative healing therapy. This regimen, known as speleotherapy, has long been used in Eastern Europe, where natural salt mines are found, and is said to relieve allergies, asthma, eczema, hypertension, ulcers and stress.
Try it at the following places which replicate the experience of being in a real salt cave:
- Megi’s Spa and Breathing Salt Spa, Park Ridge, Illinois, US
- La Casa Day Spa’s Salt Sauna, New York, US
- Pravasolnajasknya Spa, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Solna Jeskyne in Pregue, Czech Republic
Have a wonderful salt therapy.