DJ Trava

Archive for December, 2009

Singapore is a land of great innovations.  This unique island city state is one of the most fascinating places to visit, and bears repeated visits.   The lively urban culture is very sophisticated and always changing, so that there are always new things to see, experience, and enjoy here.  It’s one of the remarkable facts of travel that one can never enter the same metaphorical river twice, so that any city once seen will never be the same again.  This is even more true here, where the speed of change and innovation is very fast.  This is due in large part to the eclectic cultural milieu here that simply can’t exist anywhere else.  It’s history as a major world port, as well as its geographical location, means that it is made up of many cultures.

Chinese, Indian, and Malay cultures play a large part in the life of the city, not only in its population, but in the influences in food and culture.  This makes it particularly easy to find a good restaurant in Singapore, and there are many that pass good and move right into excellent.  The traditional chefs have access to an amazing variety of ingredients, so that dishes can be prepared with extreme precision, according to very old recipes, and there is also plenty of room for a wide variety of innovations.  The spirit of innovation is everywhere here, as exemplified by one of the National University of Singapore undergrads, Donovan Lee.

He graduated with superb grades, and his SAT scores were also very high, but he didn’t get into the ivy league schools he was hoping for.  In one of those rare occasions where desperation meets an equal amount of determination, he decided to start making 10-minute videos of himself solving complicated math problems on a white board in a room at his parent’s house.  The remarkable ability of Lee was noted by some top math scholars from around the world, and his video went viral.  He is reapplying again, after having achieved no small degree of fame and success from his decision to match technology with talent to prove his abilities to the world.

Mike couldn’t wait to go to Florida for the summer with his best friend Todd and their family. He had recently been watching some late night reruns of the 1980s television series Miami Vice and was absolutely excited to visit that city. His fascination with both the city and the series began immediately after he and Todd saw the film Miami Vice. Todd wasn’t impressed with the film as much as was Mike, who loved it. He was a major Colin Farrell fan and talked Todd into seeing it with him. And while Todd didn’t enjoy the film he did enjoy Jamie Foxx’s performance and became a fan of his, for which he credits the film. And when he told Mike that his family was going to Florida that summer Mike begged him to ask his parents to take him along.

Of course Todd was happy to have his friend come along and it wouldn’t have taken Mike’s begging to get him to ask his parents, however he realized he could work the whole thing to his advantage and made a deal that he would be willing to let Mike join his family for the trip if Mike gave him his snack money for a week. Mike instantly made the deal and Todd collected and extra twenty-five dollars for his summer vacation. Of course he couldn’t wait that long and ended up spending most of it on two cds, one from Beyonce and one from Green Day.

However, when summer finally arrived and it was time to relax in one of the luxury hotels Florida as sometimes happens, Todd and Mike were not getting along. This made both of them uncomfortable during the long road trip though it provided plenty of fun for Todd’s younger sister Tracie who continually taunted them. However, by their first afternoon in the beautiful Miami sun they wore off most of their animosity at the beach. They ended up having a great time in Florida and it became a trip to remember.

My best friend lives in North Carolina.  When I stayed with her last summer, we looked into all of the options offered by the hotels Carolina, North and South, have to offer.  Her favorite band is The Toadies, and I traveled there with the intention of not only spending time with her, but seeing the show as well.  They are a group of punk rock musicians, that are appealing in part due to the fact that they too, are in their 40’s.  It is punk rock and roll, that speaks across generational time zones.

The live music scene in Chapel Hill rivals Austin, Manhattan and Los Angeles.  One of the best areas to visit is Franklin Street.  The local dive bars have much to offer in the tunes, such as the Cave and the Local 506.  Many of the local indie groups as well as the jazz trios play in both of these locations.  While the young and up and comers play in both of these bars, the oldies but goodies often come back to play.   Both locations are close to the Carrboro Arts Center, which gives you the makings of a great night out on the town.

For not only does the center provide a great live music venue, theatre and dance performances also are regularly scheduled.  When I was there, we went to a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet, and then hit the Local 506 for a night of pool playing and the jukebox.  A strange combination that left my mind reeling for a few days.

I just missed the fiftieth anniversary of the Alvin Ailey company, which was set to the jazz of legendary Ornette Coleman. I will be back though, to Chapel Hill.  The rolling gardens, the bridges and the trees are not something I see in my Southwest desert town, as well as the fact that I no longer see my best friend in my town.  Her town in North Carolina is much more fun…and in visiting her, I always find myself one more time, at the exact moment that that is necessary.

Black smudges on the roofs of caves suggest hints about the first use of fires by early humans, scattered across Africa and Europe.  As the world progressed, fire obtained through hits of lightning transformed into man-made fires in stone hearths, which eventually led to clay and ceramic ovens.  Over the centuries, as humans developed irrigation techniques for agriculture, they simultaneously developed their control of fire.  What’s the history of fireplaces and stoves?  How far have we come over the centuries?  Here’s a quick look.

The first recorded instance of a stove was in 1490, in Alsace, France.  Everything about it, including the flue, was made of bricks and tiles.  Later, a couple of centuries later, cast iron stoves came into play.  In 1728, a lot of these stoves were made.  The first ones were designed in Germany and known as five-plate stoves or Jamb stoves.  A bit later, Benjamin Franklin created the Franklin stove, an iron furnace stove, marking a huge leap forward in stove technology.  Even later, a man named Frans Wilhelm Lindquist came up with the kerosene stove, which was sootless.  In 1833, one Jordon Mott invented the Base Burner, a stove which contained ventilation in order to let the coal burn better.  It was considered the first practical coal stove.  Only a few years earlier, James Sharp had invented a gas stove, and this particular stove was the first successful one in the marketplace.  In a further move away from fire, a company known as the Carpenter Electric Heating Manufacturing Company is credited as inventing in 1891 the electric stove and then, only five years later, William Hadaway picked up the patent for said stove.  Fourteen years later, in 1910, Hadaway  invented a toaster for Westinghouse, a kind of toaster-cooker, a forerunner, if you will of the modern toaster oven.

In the 20th Century, coal stoves and gas stoves proliferated, with top burners and interior ovens.  In the late 20s and 30s, electric stoves competed with the gas stoves, despite the fact that the electric stoves had been around since the 1890s.  Finally, in 1946, Dr. Percy Spencer created an incredible advancement, the microwave stove.  It would be years before people everywhere had one in their homes.

Finally, today, over the last twenty years or more, the fireplace and home stoves have changed again, with the more efficient gas inserts and wood inserts.  More recently, we’ve seen the evolution of the fire place and stove expand even further, with the ventless gas fireplace.  Over time, we’ve seen fire move out of the cave, harnessed by stone, clay, iron and steel, eventually moving to the point where a fireplace may literally hang on the wall, without the need of a chimney or a flue.  It’ll be fascinating to see where humans will take their use of fire next.

Many people these days are enjoying the convenience of gas fueled fireplaces.  It is either propane or natural gas which is used to light the fire of gas fireplaces, which give off a cleaner burn than wood stoves, eliminate the mess of the ashes, and the buying or chopping of wood.  And should you already have a traditional wood burning fireplace, converting it into a gas fireplace is quick, easy, and inexpensive.

Some people in the past have shied away from gas fireplaces, because of the logs.  Years ago, well they just looked fake, so fabricated.  Much has changed over the years however, and the new designs, the new textures make it sometimes impossible to tell the difference.  Choices are even available regarding the kinds of wood you would like to see in your fireplace, from pine to birch to oak and fruitwood.  You can also choose whether you want a split wood look or a full log, the options are really just endless.

The logs are made with ceramic, and along with looking realistic, they produce an even and efficient warmth that is very cost effective.  One thing you will notice, is that because of the way a fireplace more evenly heats a home, as opposed to a forced air heating system.  Another thing is that you will have a fire blazing in no time, with just a flip of a switch.

No more fanning the flames or frustrating minutes trying to get the fire started.  Some of the models even come with a remote control, so now it is not even necessary to get up from the couch in order to light the fire, complete with a thermostat and temperature control.  This is not something that you can get with a wood burning stove or fireplace.  It is something to consider these days, when finding ways to lower your monthly bills, while still enjoying a fine quality of life.

Travis played the piano and like many other young musicians, actors, singers and artists he found his way to New York City and wanted to forge out a career there. He sang and wrote his own songs and ultimately wanted to make his own albums and have a solid solo performance career he wanted to play in some Broadway productions as well as a few of New York’s famous piano bars. He loved the musical theatre and he figures the experience of playing for a few Broadway shows would further his ultimate intentions of following in the iconic footsteps of his hero and main inspiration, Elton John. Travis believed that one day the tourists who visited the city and stayed in one of the New York luxury hotels would one day be there to watch him perform.

Like most of the other young hopefuls Travis arrived into town with very little money and no connections or job prospects. He has a nice baby grand piano back at his home in Massachusetts, but he could only bring his keyboards when he moved as he had no way of moving his piano or anywhere to put it. So, armed with only his keyboard he began to search the want ads looking for calls for pianists in both clubs and shows. As it turned out there was a little Italian restaurant near his small studio apartment that had a piano in it. Travis noticed this as he stopped in to ask for an application to wait tables there. He returned that night to check out the piano player and was told that their latest musician became sick and returned to his home upstate.

Travis wasted no time telling the owner of the place that he could play the piano and offered to perform that night for free as a sort of audition. The little old man who still ran the register and greeted guests agreed to this trial run and it was actually the beginning of a positive relationship. Travis was good and he quickly gained some local following who would frequent the restaurant and order dinner and or appetizers and drinks on the nights Travis played. He in turn received a regular, though small, income and had the perfect opportunity to try out new songs and material. He played there at that restaurant for the first two years he was in the City.

Congratulations upon making the decision to get engaged. In Singapore, they understand how it feels when your special someone proposes and just how you’ll want to make your engagement ceremony memorable by making a point to gift your special someone with a mesmerizing diamond engagement ring. Singapore has observed that the language of love is the same with all societies.
But, the way of expressing your love will vary slightly from person to person. Every engagement ring has its own importance and colors. A diamonds engagement ring is the best way to express your love to your special someone. It’s important when purchasing an engagement ring to have knowledge about diamonds, and with wedding jewelry Singapore has the answers.

The most important piece of metal during the course of the courtship and marriage is not the engagement ring. The engagement ring is second to the wedding band. The wedding band represents the strength of a partnership that will soon be sanctified in marriage. This will mean that, somehow, your wedding bands will bet special attention on your wedding day. There is a tradition in most cultures for both the bride and groom to wear the wedding band, but in today’s diverse communities, what was accepted by a group may be disturbing to another, so it’s generally expected that the couple will wear similar designed wedding bands. However, it is also acceptable in some traditions for either partner to not wear the ring, even after the wedding. In some highly developed countries, it is the norm to see a married man without his wedding band.

Wedding bands are symbolic of the unbreakable bond between two people. A bond forged in the strength of the diamond in the engagement ring and in the beauty of the gold in the wedding band. Engagement and wedding rings represent to the outside world just how committed the couple is to making their union a statement to each other that their love is undying.

I hadn’t expected that I was visiting Singapore during the rainy season, so I spent some of my time dodging monsoon rainstorms. I was delighted though, because I found the food Hawkers area of town and a coffee shop that had shelter. The food that the hawkers sell is cheap, plentiful and delicious. There was so much to choose from, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Korean, Japanese, India and Western! I tried the stir fried dishes, like the curries that came with flaky filled flat-breads. Mine was filled with chicken, but I could have had mutton. Then I had to try a dessert called Cendol, this is made with coconut milk, and green colored noodles, red beans, palm sugar, rice, grass jelly, corn and shaved ice! very scrumptious, weird and it went down in seconds. In fact I had to have seconds!

After indulging myself, I took a walk around Clarke Quay and then to Boat Quay. These areas are very nice with a good array of trendy bars and restaurants. I did get to see the Merlion statue that spouts water into the Bay! There was a huge crowd around it, so I didn’t have a chance to thoroughly check it out. There was a Movie complex nearby, the Esplanade Theatre, outside there was a free jazz show, so I stayed and listened to that for a while. I walked into a bar and walked right back out, the drinks were far too expensive. So I ended back at the food hawkers area and had a nice cold beer, an affordable beer before heading back to my Singapore boutique hotel for the night. Singapore is all skyscrapers, bridges and colonial buildings so my walk back to my hotel was a stunning site of a lit up city. Especially all the added Christmas lights. They were really spectacular and everywhere, I mean everywhere. I had no idea Singapore was big on Christmas.

There is a ridiculous amount of shopping malls here, especially on Orchard Road, which, of course, I had to explore thoroughly. The malls stay open until 10pm, just in case you have the urge to buy something late at night. Most of the restaurants and cafes are open 24 hours. It was refreshing to go into the nice air-conditioned shops, even though it’s monsoon season, the heat is 35 degrees and the humidity is off the charts.

I found 4 days too short of time to be in Singapore, but at least I did get to see the Botanic Gardens, the Night Zoo, Sentosa Island, Little India and ride the Singapore Flyer!

For months now, I have been wanting to renovate and revitalize my small guesthouse.  When I moved in three years ago, all I brought with me from Chicago was my dog, my wooden chair, and a well used wooden easel.  There were no shades or curtains on the windows, so at that time, I did stop in to Next Day Blinds.  The sales people were extremely helpful, but I just was not sure of what I wanted.

Now, years later, my small space became filled with too much stuff, and not enough design elements, so I decided that it is finally time.  I started by cleaning out all the clutter.  I decided in front of which window my now three easels would be set in front of, and took down my notes that I would bring with me on my next visit to Next Day Blinds Virginia. Criticisms about light were running through my head and I knew that the staff there would have solutions to provide me with.  At some point I will put in a skylight as I have no windows on the North side of my house, and was needing a solution for poor lighting to paint under.  I went to the “mistake” paint shelves at Home Depot and found some great colors at very inexpensive prices.  I put a few strokes of that paint down on some old drawing notebook to bring with me as well.

I had been want to cover my windows for some time, as my landlords living in the front house often threw outdoor parties, and I wanted the privacy that drawn blinds or shades would provide.  So I took my questions, and my homemade swatches of paint, and went back to Next Day Blinds.  The same man that had helped me three years earlier was still working there and was surprised that he actually remembered my name.  He answered my questions, and we looked through the various colors, and I found my solutions to my lighting issues.  Even though it took a few years, the make-over was a success and my experience at Next Day Blinds will be repeated to all my friends needing to update their living spaces as well.

The Chicago Bulls have been a solid NBA basketball team that has driven fear and respect into the hearts of its competitors. As with most of the professional teams, it has been through phases of great seasons and team structures as well as has seen some difficult and challenging years. Residents remain true to their team and are hard core Bulls fans. Tourists who stay in the luxury hotels Chicago may be interested in seeing a game at the United Center, though they may fall into the category of fear and respect as the Bulls are likely to beat their home team if they are in Chicago for a game.

One of their most successful periods occurred during the 1990s when players like Michael Jordan played with them. He was one of their greatest all time stars as well as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Players like Scottie Pippin, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, Bill Cartwright and Horace Grant where also some of the major players during the 1990s. This dynasty, as it was known during the period of the Bull’s reign gained them six championships in eight years. During the 1995 and 96 season they won and NBA record with 72 wins during the regular season. They are the only NBA team to win at least 70 games in a season.

Michael Jordan is now retired but remains one of the icons of this American sport. He was born in 1963 in Brooklyn, New York and went to school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also had an amazing career. He joined the Bulls in 1984 and almost immediately emerged as one of the league’s major stars. His ability to score points and his incredibly ability to make slam dunks from the free throw lined earned him the nickname of Air Jordan. He retired from the game in 2003 and will always be one of the Chicago Bulls’ greatest heroes.