DJ Trava

Archive for September, 2009

Dubai is a magnet for celebrities and party-goers, looking to enjoy the next big night out that will hit all the international papers.  It’s a fantastic place to watch the stars, in the sky and on the streets, and its reputation hasn’t dimmed a bit in the past few years.  If anything, Dubai is bigger than it was before, and the complex city grows more complex and attractive as a tourist destination with each passing day.  There’s more to see here than parties, of course, and in a 5 star Dubai hotel, you’ll catch a taste of the splendid luxury that the place offers.  Hospitality is a tradition and an art form here, and after a great night’s sleep, you’ll understand the attraction.

Our hotels are selected from the cream of the crop, so that you can be sure to get accommodations that provide a sumptuous comfort along with all the contemporary amenities to keep you connected to the world at large.  Dubai is a place where big dreams are rewarded, so whether your idea is pleasure or business, you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for.  The city has amazing shopping malls, beaches that are magnificent, and a very lively cultural scene that’s just beginning to come into its own.  The visual art scene here is one of the most exciting in the world, and just beginning to find an identity.  The promise is extremely high, with galleries like the Third Line.

The Third Line is one of many galleries specializing in contemporary art by established and emerging artists, and the aesthetic here is very cool.  They participate in all the fairs, including Art Dubai, and feature art by contemporaries such as Rana Begum.  Her work is a fascinating iconography of graphic design, with an exquisite use of color in the style of Rothko, and contains quite brilliant traces that refer to her childhood in Bangladesh.  Currently working in London, and showing widely there, this Muslim woman explores her identity in multiple cultures in her pristine yet potent work.

For many people, opening  small engine repair manuals and getting to work fixing their own car is a satisfying and rewarding experience.  They will become more familiar not only with the ways in which vehicles operate, but with their own car in particular.  Working on your own car at home has many benefits.  For one, it is sometimes difficult to find the perfect and trustworthy mechanic.  While living in Los Angeles, I found the perfect mechanic, many miles away in South Pasadena.  But the drive, and one time the tow, was worth it to me as my car was in their hands, and they were recommended, and reputable.  Secondly, in fixing your own car, the monetary benefits are great.

How many times does one look at the receipt, the part may have cost $42 dollars, but the labor was $380?  When one can open a car or motorcycle manual, and fix some of the engine problems themselves, they gain a certain independence and become a bit more self reliant.  One will need to build up their auto repair tool kit which should eventually contain the following items.  A basic tool kit with screws, pliers, fuses, and wrenches is a must.  As well as the proper safety equipment which will contain among other items, a flashlight and a first aid kit.  A hydraulic jack and fuel injection testers are a must.  The jack will allow you access to the under-body of your vehicle, and this is a must.

Whether you are simply changing a tire or working on the undercarriage a hydraulic jack will make things much easier.  The injector testers may be a bit more expensive than the other items you will be collecting but they are great for diagnosing the problems that may be occurring.  One item one may not think of are suction cups.  These are items that are very inexpensive, and very helpful.  They give you a second pair of hands so to speak, making it possible to keep up a window while repair the door.

For the battery, a charger is good to have around the garage, as well as terminal cables.  These too, are not very expensive and are good to have on hand.  One of the systems that is most essential to have working properly on you vehicle, is the braking system.  Your home automotive repair tool kit should include brake bleeders.  Home brake jobs are not very difficult, and the bleeders will make the repair go much quicker and much easier.  And then of course, with a compressive set of manuals, one is ready to begin the first day in their home garage, which will lead to hours of satisfaction, and miles of driving in a car that is in tip top shape.

New car sales are plummeting, including sports cars, but sports cars for sale sales are climbing. Considering the somewhat impractical nature of the sports car, some wonder if the high-performance of these vehicles add to the high cost of fuels, and the short answer is no, not really. Sports cars, unlike the big SUV’s, which is due to extinction due to poor gas mileage and recent hikes in gas prices, fill an entirely different role, one of being different from the pack, a freedom to move about easier, and they are faster and safer than the SUV. Plus, most sports cars now have fuel-saving technologies, which includes direct injection, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation.

With sports cars for sale, the younger crowd, those who haven’t started a family yet, allows the fun to begin and the imaginations run wild. The sports cars function is to serve, to make the owner look like James Bond, to fulfill a desire to appear to be cavalier and care free. Buying a sports car is like buying a new you for a day, a week, or even a month. Beware though, you might develop an emotional attachment to your sports car. It’s wise to stick with your budget and not over-indulge, but then again, wouldn’t be nice to take it for a spin around downtown, or to the countryside and speed along those curvy roads like they do in those commercials?

Even though times are tight for the auto-making industry, sports minded drivers can still save a bit, because not all sports cars are gas-guzzlers and if you want, consider the advantages to owning a sports car. Combined with lower gas cost and durability, the prestige and attention that comes from owning a sports car is unlike any other experience.

Manufactures of cars and trucks have been cutting down the weight of the vehicles that they are turning out these days, even down to the weight of custom car wheels. Usually the 20 rims had been made from steel, but now many are being constructed with aluminum and chrome.  These are much lighter and tend to have more shine, and are just generally more attractive than those made from steel.

However, these chrome rims are more easily oxidized and should be cleaned regularly in order to prevent damage to them, or to the tires.  When oxidation is allowed to build up, the rims may become disconnected from the wheel of the car.  The rims are very easy to clean, and this should be each time the tire is removed.  There is an inexpensive machine that spins the rim while you polish it with a die grinder.  The oxidation and the grime basically gets sanded off the surface.

It is best to let the disc spin a few times just to ensure that you do not miss a spot.  You should go all around the outer edges of the rim, as well as flipping it over and sanding down the other side before putting them back onto the car tires.  Oxidation causes bubbles to form on the under the surface of the chrome, but with proper maintenance this is easy to avoid.

Chrome will not tarnish however, which is one of the good aspects of choosing to go with rims made of this metal.  Chrome rims may chip over time, and while this can not be avoided, once a chip reaches the depth of the metal underneath the chrome plate, there is not much that can be done to fix it.  However smaller scratches and chips can easily be buffed out using special creams one may find at any auto supply store.

When we think about overcoming an addiction, we often think of drug addiction; however, alcohol addiction is just as dangerous and even more rampant.   It touches every age group from young teens, adults, and even the elderly.  No one sets out to become an alcoholic, just as no one sets out to be an drug addict, but consist use over an extended period of time eventually conditions the brain to need the alcohol.  There are several early -warning factors that can help you recognize if you could be at risk.

One of the first, most common factors is genetics.  If your parent or grandparent or other members of your family are alcoholics, there is a good chance you could become one also.  There are genetic factors that can make you more vulnerable to alcoholism than someone outside of your family

Your emotional state can also affect your likelihood of alcohol abuse.   If you rely on alcohol during stressful or high emotional situations, that can create dependence in those circumstances.  Also, physiological factors such as low self-esteem or depression can lead to excessive drinking; especially in a group setting.

Peer pressure is a leading factor for young people to drink excessively. Through games and competitions, teens and young adults are often encouraged to keep increase the amount of alcohol they are consuming.

There are several signs that you, or someone you love, may be abusing alcohol.  Drinking alone or in secret, loss of interest in family or hobbies, increasing the amount consumed, blacking out, and irritability are just a few of the symptoms associated with alcoholism.

If you or someone you love is abusing alcohol than the important thing to do is encourage them to seek help, perhaps even through an alcohol drug intervention.  Whether they only require addiction treatment or the more involved dual diagnosis treatment, help is out there.

Hot tubs are full of health benefit potentials in addition to the great fun and entrainment possibilities they offer.  Choosehottubsdirect.com is an excellent resource for information on the health associations with hot tub activities and features. Hydrotherapy is just one of the common uses for hot tubs that actively affect one’s health and well being. It has actually been in use for centuries and in various cultures.

Hydrotherapy has been recorded in association with ancient Egyptian culture and is also acknowledged as having been used by the Greek and Roman societies. This was most common in the Roman public baths that are well known in today’s society. Bathing in spring water was also considered to be an early form of disease cure and was used by the Romans as well as other cultures. Water has long been associated with certain health aspects one of its historical healing traditions is specifically with muscle, tendon and skeletal issues and disorders.

Today the practice has many treatment associations and is commonly used with various forms of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. It is also frequently used for treating partial paralysis conditions and spinal cord injuries. Prior to World War Two, water therapy was sometimes used for alcohol treatment. It is a common aspect of certain holistic and alternative medicinal approaches and therapies and while all of its alternative uses have not been scientifically proven, its uses are definitely supported by scientific research. When used in conjunction with sports training it can increase performance, endurance and strength as well as to relax and sooth sore, tired muscles. On a personal level, the benefits of hydrotherapy can be as simple as a providing a reliable and pleasing way to relax after a stressful day. They can also be more elaborate and employ the assistance or consultation of holistic care services.

The hottub can be the new centerpiece of the home.  It’s a place of refuge, that delightful idea you might have when you’re at work and the day is more stressful than you’d like, where you start to daydream about relaxing in the hottub when your work is done.  It can also be the magnet that draws friends over for those lovely evenings where a barbecue and a soak is the order of the day.  It helps to create new and fantastic memories, there’s no doubt about it, and has benefits that can’t be underestimated.  The healing powers of hottubs are spoken of all over the world, and here you have it at your disposal.  The benefits of water on the body are numerous, from regaining a sense of equilibrium, the sheer comforts of relaxation, and not to forget increased circulation.  There are also benefits of relaxing in the sun.

Interestingly enough, there have been many new studies that suggest that moderate exposure to the sun can be quite healthy, and the risks are very much outweighed by the benefits.  Of course, some common sense is necessary here, to remember that prolonged exposure can certainly damage the skin and open up the possibility of health problems.  And burning can put you at risk for sure.  It’s even been demonstrated that age might have something to do with it, where burning during the adolescent years can create problems later.  Ironically, the adolescent years are often the time when people are most likely to spend time out in the sun, for recreation and also because of the beauty myths of the dark tan.  As long as the extremes are avoided, the benefits of the sun can really start to play a role in your hottub experience.

The health benefits of the sun have to do with one of the more necessary chemicals the body needs, Vitamin D.  The only sure way to get Vitamin D is by exposure to sunlight, and in moderation it can produce profound effects on physical as well as mental health.  It counteracts the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder, as well as produces serotonin, which balances out the mood in a profound way.  So take some necessary precautions, don’t overdo it, but go ahead and get outside and enjoy your hottub during the daylight.  It does wonderful things to the body and the mind.

I forgot my three prong plug adapter and almost plugged my Mac into a wall outlet, sure to be a shocking experience. Since the World Cup will be played here in South Africa, best to get both adaptors and reservations to any of the Johannesburg boutique hotels and to get a few Rand, the currency of the South Africa nation. We thought we would see something different and after asking around mainly at the bar outside our hotel for leads on what to do from the locals a big cheer went up for the Gold Reef City. “A theme park?” I asked in incredulity. Somehow, I wanted to go see lions at the Rhino and Lion Nature Preserve. Somehow roller coasters seemed less than the top of the tourist list, but I was beginning to be won over by this rag tag collection of South Africans who were hooting to a rugby match on the video above the bar. Just once I would like to go into a bar in the States or here that  does not have a ding dang television blaring. Anyway, off the soap box and after a couple beers this Gold Reef City was starting to sound like a good idea. they have a theme park, plus they have a casino. who does not have a casino these days. I remember when the only gambling you could do was in Las Vegas, and it was kind of forbidden and exclusive. Now it is in your backyard half the time and and just seems, well, blase, at least to me. As for Gold Reef City though, it is also is considered a historical theme park. It seems, said the bearded bloke explaining to me excitedly, you go down a into a mine shaft, like way way down into the earth, and see how they used to mine for gold. He says it is pretty cool, to be way down there.

The Mumbai Dabbawallas deliver food to workplaces, homes and hotels in Mumbai , plus they do it all day long. There’s no high technology involved, no intricate process is necessary and no structure. The Dabbawallas were even studied by Harvard University and were called or renown for being a six sigma organization, which means they have less defects per million sales, implying that out of every million lunches delivered from their home to their destinations, offices, homes, hotel rooms, etc., at the most, three could miss reaching the right desk, home or room at the right time. That’s pretty impressive.

When dealing with lunch, lets say, it needs to be understood that they must reach before lunch time, and Mumbai traffic, weather or anything else that might arise will not be an acceptable excuse for any delay whatsoever. I’m not sure why more companies don’t emulate the Mumbai Dabbawallas for their service and reliability. Plus, they don’t advertise, they color code the lunch boxes to ensure the information necessary for a successful delivery can be understood by illiterate people, all Dabbawallas are shareholders, and a majority of them are senior employees, but there is no hierarchy. Each Dabbawalla only gets to do 35 deliveries. They have not been on strike and all of them come from a single sect from a remote villages from around Mumbai.

There’s a lot more efficiencies, but I think you get the point. It’s a well run organization, which seem to have the appearance that it could be a complete disaster, but has been in existence for well over hundreds of years. This is interesting: one huge shipping company from Europe actually came to study this process. They travelled in the local train from Virar to Churchgate station in order to experience the Dabbawallas in action. In doing so, they finally had to ask themselves, how is it with all the technology at our disposal do we lose so many shipments, but here in Mumbai, with virtually no technology, the Dabbawallas have achieved a six-sigma status?

Ok, so you are off to Asia, Southeast Asia, Singapore to be exact. Are you wondering what to expect? If you’ve never been there, of course you are wondering. This tiny island is situated between Malaysia and Indonesia and has become one of the major seaports in the world. The weather is usually hot and humid as would be expected since it’s a tropical climate here. If you were expecting four seasons, you would be wrong. You can expect pretty much the same weather year round so you can easily plan around that. There are many little known facts about Singapore, unless of course you live there or visit frequently. Singapore has one of the highest standards of living and proudly boasts the highest level of home ownership in the world. That’s pretty impressive I would say. And tipping is generally not done so don’t worry about it.

Singapore is absolutely the easiest city in all of Asia to get around in. With great progressive insight and planning, the Mass Rapid Transit system is state of the art. There are also city buses, tour buses and taxis to get you around, but there are very, very few private vehicles here. Nightlife is plentiful, entertaining and exciting. Check out the 1 Nite Stand Comedy Club, or visit the Alley Bar or the Altivo and Glass Bar, just to name a couple fun places. And of course you will want to check into a Singapore spa hotel and let yourself be pampered during your stay. With the many amenities offered and the friendly staff, you will be spoiled, but that’s ok. And their is the food, the delicious, mouthwatering cuisine found here. Treat yourself to an elegant dining experience in one of the finest restaurants or dig in at one of the many roadside stands. It is all savory delicious. So, are you still wondering what to expect?