Monthly Archives: August 2009

Travelling Through Singapore

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My journey to Auroville began in October. I flew out of Los Angeles around 1:30pm, via Singapore Airlines, and arrived in Taiwan about 12 hours later. After a three hour layover, I re-boarded my plane and flew to Singapore which took about 6 hours. While at Singapore airport, I had about 8 hours to rest, shower and dine. I decided that was enough time to take a little tour or just walk around the city. I reserved a room at one of the Singapore Hotels in case I got tired of wandering around. I did get a little tired, so it was nice to take a nap in my hotel room.

Then I took another plane to Chennai, about a 4 hour flight. Chennai was formerly called Madras. Upon arriving in Chennai, I travelled approximately 250 kilometers to Aurovilli via a taxi. I arrived at the Verite’ Community on Wednesday, October 16, around  4am. I will be staying in Auroville for two weeks. It was a long flight from my home in Los Angeles to Auroville, so I want to take the time while I’m here to discover if this is the community I’ve been looking for. I’ve spent a lot of time searching on the Auroville website preparing myself for my journey. The fist thing which impressed me was the fact that the founding of Auroville in 1968 was officially sponsored by both India and UNESCO. UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was started on November 16, 1945. This specialized UN agency builds classrooms in devastated countries and restores world heritage sites and publishes scientific breakthroughs. Yes, this sounds like the right place for me. To help build education, social and natural science, culture and communication are the means to build a far more ambitious goal: to build peace of mind in men.

The Importance of Managerial Insight

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Through a proper management training program, future managers are trained in the skills of insight.  For what is more important to one’s team, than the ability to choose the best players for that team.  One not studied in the ways of human nature, may find themselves hiring a staff of inadequate qualifications, skills and talent.  For these characteristics are not ones that can be fixed later on in the midst of a project or a business transaction, sales training must have already occurred. 

Only that which is already present can be drawn out and expanded upon.  This is one of the steps that some managers over look, the very first and perhaps one of the most important steps in developing a team.  This is not to say that people can not grow and develop, but that desire for growth and development must be there to begin with.  Skills can be enhanced and increased, but as stated, those skills must already be there.  A great manager will always provide the opportunities for development for their staff, through coaching seminars and training sessions.  They learn how to compensate for or to navigate well around the weaknesses of each individual team member. 

It is similar to fitting pieces of a puzzle together.  One person’s weakness does not mean necessary that they would be incapable of performing, the good manager knows the strengths and weaknesses and gives the right jobs to the right people.  That is one reason why a diverse team is a great team.  A diverse team serves to do a few things.  First, in a good team, the weaknesses are not as noticeable as those who have strength in the various aspects are able to shine and perform, and secondly the team capitalizes on the strengths. 

This is necessary especially in the current economic situation of the world, as with each day a weaker, less thoughtfully run business really does not stand a chance.  Those who are paying attention, who are working with knowledge and insight will remain successful, now and far into the future.

Energy Healing South Africa

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Seems more and more I hear about about energy healing all kinds of schools and modalities and then the combinations there of. Some are ancient some more recent but based on ancient practices. The traditional Chinese Medicine system is based on Chi or sometimes written as Qi. This is a universal energy that flows through all things and connects all things together. This chi when flowing properly through the body creates a harmonious body. When the chi’s flow is interrupted in some way then problems occur, tumors grow, swelling occurs, disease takes hold etc. This imbalance in chi can also  create mental and emotional problems for people. Confusion, depression, anxiety, anger and melancholy. It is said that the basis for all disease and problems can be traces to the energetic origins. Sometimes other interventions are necessary along with doing energy work. One of the oldest modes of energy work is acupuncture, needles are placed into energy centers or points in the body thus effecting the flow of chi. The needles are used to increase, decrease and sometimes block the flow of the chi in order to create correct flow in the end. From acupuncture there came acupressure the same principles are applied but need;es are not used, instead fingers are used to apply pressure to the same points needs would be inserted into. Other forms include Riki. A school of energy work from Japan where the practitioner works with their hands to transmit energy to the client. Energy is sent from one hand into the body and received by the other hand. This connecting energy flow between the hands in the body aids in balancing the chi thus creating harmony and health. Many other schools exist where hands are placed on the body, clients are hypnotized, visualization etc. There are schools all over the world and teachers travel from best hotels South Africa to the heights of the Colorado Rockies to transmit their knowledge to willing students. Some people learn shamanic healing, core star, Riki, Tibetan, Thai, Chinese and more. The use of energy and traditional medicines is becoming more accepted. Sometimes the exact reasons for the improvement cannot be identified scientifically but it is cleat the client feels better and sometimes rashes have cleared up, tumors gone away and swelling gone down. It is all mysterious but certainly intriguing and worth a look into.

The Honiton Artisans

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In the English county of East Devon, along the Otter River is the town of Honiton.  Honiton is filled with history as are many of the towns that were settled along Fosse Way.  Fosse Way is an old road that is a historical route that has been traveled for hundreds of years.  The road was built by the Romans during the time they occupied the region, which connects the other towns Lincoln and Exeter.  Honiton became a significant resting point along that route.  During the Elizabethan time era immigrants introduced the art of lace making.

Honiton became well known for the skill and the beauty of the lace, and for many years people have traveled, checked in to one of the Honiton hotels, and set out to the market to find the lace.  Beginning in the seventeenth century many people were making the lace in their houses by hand, and just as well, much of the townspeople made their living in this manner.  Two hundred years later, they gained even more attention when Queen Victoria’s wedding dress was designed and made of the lace the Honiton artisans produced.  Pottery is another artistic venture for which the town is known, with many open air markets offering the best of the pottery and ceramics.

During the middle of the eighteenth century a large portion of the village was destroyed by a fire that swept through.  The town was rebuilt however and between the years of the late 1960′s through 2005, the town had doubled in population and size.  Many local customs are enjoyable activities to attend when on vacation in the region.  One such festival takes place in the middle of July each year, the Ceremony of Hot Pennies.  This is a tradition that stems from the thirteenth century.   This involved pennies being thrown to the public, with the hopes of drawing travelers to the area for a local fair that proceeding the coin tossing.  Along with the ceremonies, there are many opportunities for shopping along High Street,  where one may find along one street, a delicatessen, a bicycle shop, antique clothing stores and jewelry stores.

Victorian Pitlochry

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Pitlochry, Scotland is well known for its theatre, ballet and also its beautiful natural scenery and association to Victorian culture. The Victorian influence is evident in many of the stone based buildings and houses that were constructed during this area. It is also the time period in which Pitlochry found an increase in outside attention and tourist activity. Many of the guests staying in the Pitlochry hotels
enjoy a nice hike outside the town as part of their stay. There are many beautiful hills and walking paths that are well known for their great scenery that contributes amazingly to the fun of a heart friendly hike or walk.

Queen Victoria ruled longer than any other monarch in Britain’s history. During this time, major developments in fashion, architecture, furniture and other design aspects occurred. It is an extremely identifiable period, and the Victorian appeal is still popular today. The aesthetic aspect of this period dominated all aspects of society and culture. It was also a period of extremely conservative moral attitudes and there was a strong focus on social status and the importance of demonstrating the correct Victorian manners.

The Victorian influence in Pitlochry is primarily limited to the remaining architecture. While some people continue to embrace the interior design, even extending to plate ware and silverware, and fashion aspects of the period, few people adhere to the strict social structure and moral conservatism of the period. Parties and social gatherings were also extremely popular, and while this hasn’t particularly changed, the nature of the events has, if only to a certain degree. It is still common for people to wish to be seen in the right place at the right time, with the right person and wearing the right outfit. Of course having the right financial status and the right career is also important.

The Harbour Town of Peterhead, Scotland

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Peterhead is a city located at the most eastern point of the country of Scotland.  Most of the city, the houses, businesses and Peterhead hotels are located on the peninsula, bordered on one side by the Ugie River, and on the other side by the Bay of Peterhead.  This town has throughout four hundred years, has been greatly influenced by the ocean.  In the early days of the town’s founding, this was a small fishing town.  At that time most of the fifty residents lived on the island of Keith Inch, which is still a section of the town in modern times.  Most of the activity along the port took place between the Island and the mainland, through travel on the channel that lay sheltered between the two bodies of land.  During the mid 1700′s a bridge was built which connected the island to the mainland.  Two harbours were built, one in 1770 by John Smeaton, and the North Harbour was built by Thomas Telford in the 1820′s.

Once the first harbour was constructed the town became a fancy spa and resort town.  There are mineral springs located throughout the village, and many traveled from other parts of Europe to relax.  And while the business of tourism was thriving, and many visitors often built houses in Peterhead once they had visited the town, the industry that really changed life for the residents was that of the whaling industry.  Due to the ports, the town became of the most successful ports in all of Great Britain.  This boom lasted for just over sixty years, but the changes in the oil industry, led to the end of the whaling industry in Peterhead by 1892.  However the city is still a fishing town, and by the mid 1970′s was the largest port bringing in whitefish, the largest now not only of Great Britain, but throughout the rest of Europe as well.

Walking Corby

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I’m out of shape and my doctors told me I really need to take up walking. So, when I read in my local  newspaper that in the town next to me, Corby, that there will be a 3 day Walking Festival starting tomorrow, I called my doctor and asked if she thought I was physically capable to participate in the walk, my Doctor was so delighted and told me to not push it, and I’ll be able to do all 3 days. She even told me that I might just bump into her on the walk because she too will be not only a participant, but one of the Doctor’s on call at the Festival.

I called up one of the Corby Hotels to see if they had a room available for the weekend, and they did. I packed all of what I had that I thought would be suitable for a 3 day walk and headed off to Corby. When I arrived, the town was all busy with gearing up for the event. I picked up a local newspaper which had an article about tomorrows Walk Festival. The Mayor of Corby, Cllr Peter McEwan and Phil Hope MP officially will open the brand new 34 mile circular route called the ‘Around Corby’. The starting leg will be 16 miles! I hope I’m up for the task. The most I’ve ever walked a was 2 miles. But, if my Doctor says I’m up for the challenge, then I guess I’m up for the challenge.

I read on and found out that the new route is was created by a local avid rambler. It will cover some beautiful countryside withing Corby and then the surrounding villages, including Gretton, Rockingham and Stanion. The ‘Around Corby’ does offer shorter walks which will be lead by other guides. The shorter walks sound more reasonable to me, so I think I’ll participate in those first. The walks are all aimed to get the community up off there butts and get in shape. There’s something planned for all age groups and for all out of shape and in shape people. This really sounds like it will be a lot of fun. What a better way to start getting in shape then to walk my way to it.