Kiss Java

Archive for December, 2009

It’s easy to imagine someone having a great time in Singapore.  It really doesn’t matter who, because this place has something fascinating, exciting, or simply splendid, for anyone, of all ages, from all backgrounds.  It is an enormously interesting city state with a plethora of activities and attractions, and it never seems to run out of new things to see and do.  It’s probably because the diversity of the population adds extra creative sparks and energy to everything that happens here, and the openness to other nations and cultures is reflected in the art, science, and commerce.  It’s long history as a major world port certainly helps to contribute to its global sensibility.  After splendid just a bit of time here, however, might make you start to wonder if Singapore is the place that gave the definition to global sensibility.

There’s certainly a lot to find here, and a lot of things are possible here that simply aren’t possible anywhere else.  Outside of India, this may be the best place in the world for Indian cuisine, and sometimes it even rivals its place of origin.  It’s very easy to find an excellent Indian restaurant, there’s no question about it, and there’s a very large population here that’s descended from India.  This is a fantastic place to get to know Singapore, but also a great place to get to know about India’s contributions to world culture.  Many people might know about European influences on astronomy, but in the so-called western world it may be less understood how much Indian astronomers have influenced the  way we all look at the starts today.

The Astronomical Society of Singapore is a wonderful place to learn about astronomy in general, but it’s also a great way to learn about the history of this fascinating science.  They are dedicated to promoting interest in astronomy, particularly observational astronomy, for all levels of scholarship.  They are a very lively and active group, and their work helps to bridge the gaps between culture and science, and introduce ways of learning about the skies that we all share.

The Balearic Islands are located off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. There are four main islands and these include the largest of them Majorca, which is also the most heavily populated and receives the greatest number of tourists every year. The second largest island is its near by neighbor, which is appropriately called Minorca. Ibiza is the third largest of these main Balearic Islands and is also popular with tourists. Formentera is the smallest of the islands and used to only be accessed by ferry. It is easily reached from Ibiza and it is extremely common for the guests staying in one of the hotels Ibiza to take a day’s visit to Formentera as part of their stay.

Each of the islands is unique in its atmosphere and specific social and cultural offerings. The islands enjoy a particular and distinct orientation to tourist exploration and while Majorca receives the greatest number of tourists, its population of visitors is also the most diverse. The reasons people visit this island and its capital city of Palma vary greatly and some of the guests are interested in beach activities while others are more interested in the cultural aspects of the island.

Ibiza is the third largest of the islands though it is second in tourist visitation popularity. It is known throughout the world for its tremendous club scene and the two main towns on the island, Ibiza Town and San Antonio have some of the greatest dance and party clubs in the international scene. It is not uncommon for celebrities to be seen in some of these clubs and on the beautiful beaches and some famous personalities even own houses and villas on Ibiza. The cultural atmosphere of the island is laid back and inviting and while the clubs and night life are definite tourist attractions, the geographic wonders and historic landmarks and relics are also attractive and to a larger population of visitors.

It certainly is a different world, one that our grandparents couldn’t have dreamed of.  Television was supposed to be the big technological advance of our time, so that information could be transmitted at great speeds, much like the automobile helped us to move faster in space.  The space age fanaticism in the 1950s over computers seemed to be overzealous, but here we are. The visionaries of those times were correct, of course, and the things we’ve seen in our generation make the speed of thought faster than we could have ever dared imagine.  The changes of our times have affected everything, changing how we think, how we communicate, and how we conduct business.

There are so many possibilities that have opened up as well.  Something as elementary as moving is suddenly much, much easier.  Computers can’t help load boxes into vans, but they seem to be able to do just about everything else.  With companies like TransGlobe Property Management on the web, it’s possible to move from one side of the country to the other without many of the hassles of moving that we’ll probably have forgotten by the time the next generation comes of age.  In our lifetime, most of us can remember, it simply wasn’t possible to move to a new place, knowing as much as we can know now.  Youtube videos can show us many excellent choices for a move, and give us a three-dimensional look at the spaces, the buildings, and even the neighborhoods.

It used to be that we would have to depend on friends or distant relatives to scope out a new location for us, and they could give us a lot of great information, but we certainly didn’t know what would happen before we got there.  But now, with TransGlobe Property Management sending out information on new buildings through twitter, we can move to places where we may not know anyone, and feel some degree of certainty that this will be a great place to raise kids, or start a business.   Some of the old-fashioned values like good customer service will never go out of style, but a lot of the stressful details are now a thing of the past, as the world keeps getting smaller, and infinitely more interesting.

These days it is the heating stoves and fireplaces that are used for warmth in peoples homes. There are lights that can be turned on at a flick of a switch to illuminate the hallway. Candles used to be a multi-purpose device that took care of some of those needs. Now it is a beautiful way to add romance to your home. Of course you can go out and find all sorts of candles that are already made. They come in many colors, sizes and have lots of pleasant smells. How about making your own candles. It is a fun project to do with your kids to get them into the holiday spirit. How to you do it?

There are some tools you will need to get started. You will need a melting pot, thermometer, pour pot, scale and a hammer. A double broiler pot is a superior way to melt the wax. It is the safest way and the slowest. You want to slowly melt your wax because it can catch on fire if it reaches its flash point. So you don’t want to get hotter than 290 degrees to be safe. The Presto Kitchen Kettle is a great low cost pot that works great for you candle making. Get the one with the temperature gauge. The temperature needs to be exact. Not just low, med or high. In fact you will still need a thermometer to put in the wax so you are even more exact.

The pour pot is used to pour your melted wax into molds. You can use your glass measuring cup if you want. Then you will need a scale that can weigh up to 10 pounds. You are going to weigh the wax cold then break it up with the hammer into pieces, and then put them into the pot. You can decide how much you want to melt at a time. You should find a great premium candle wax which will give you the best results. Then add some wax coloring or dye, fragrance oil, the mold you want to shape it into and then the wick. Make sure the wick is the right size. Wow! There’s a lot to it but it will be fun. I am sure with a little practice you will get it down and make some great gifts.

Geography.  It is common knowledge for the most part.  People live in a world that they know.  The know the layout of their hometown, and they know the layout of the hometowns of their friends and loved ones. The world globe is printed on t-shirts and postcards.  We know where we are are in the universe now.  Or do we?  History has shown, that there is always so much more to learn.   Take it back a couple of hundred years ago.  Philosophers, scientists, astronomers…they were looking for our place in this universe, and while they did find relevant and meaningful discoveries, they were always off, just a bit.  So perhaps too, we may be off just a bit.

Consider sailing out into the ocean, when the maps of the time showed that once you reach a certain point, you would fall off the edge of the earth.  But you went anyway.  A road map of sorts, that basically illustrated the end of your journey, but…the journey did not end.  Ptolemy wrote, a lot…and he created maps of geography, which depicted that of the world that was known.  At that time.  This really makes me wish that he was alive today.  To witness the intuitive thoughts and theories he had, in this new world.  So far from his own.  It wasn’t long after his death that his works were translated, and even in that short amount of time, the world became a much larger place than he could have ever imagined.

But as the Renaissance cartographers knew then, and what we know now, he was right on given what he had to go with.  It is the history of wonder.  It was a time when people were questioning the world map of their lives, and wondering where they fit on that map.  Not just physically, but spiritually and existentially as well.  I don’t think that times have changed much.  Sure, we have easier ways to find out where we need to be, but now hundreds of years later, people are still just trying to figure out where they are going.  But if we take a look at Michelangelo’s work, we can see that our fingers can almost touch…through time and history, and through today and yesterday.  And we can in fact, get to where we are going, get to where we want to be.

One of the aspects of utmost importance when it comes to setting up a painting studio, is to find the best possible way to utilize as much natural light as you can.  Working without light, well, it just goes without saying that in order to paint a painting, you must be able to see your canvas and your palette.  The most attractive situation would be a large window on the North side of the studio, along with a skylight if possible, equipped with shades from Next Day Blinds for the times of day when the sun is directly overhead.

High ceilings are a must if you will be setting up a model stand or if you tend to work on larger sized canvases.  This will also create the wide open space that is so conducive to creativity and freedom of thought.  One of the many things that an artist will deal with throughout their careers, is their studio space.  Unfortunately, fashion in real estate has made the days of the warehouse lifestyle too expensive for artists, and creating a space to work in when that space is limited will involve planning and creative use of space.  Many artists, myself included, have long ago gotten rid of things like the television, or the comfortable couches.  Must make room for the canvases.

Painting at night requires very good lights.  Artificial lighting is not as great to work under as the natural sunlight.  So even if the space is small one must make certain that there will be plenty of that natural light coming in throughout the daytime.  With sufficient blinds from one of Next Day Blinds Virginia showrooms, issues regarding light and shadows from windows on the east or west sides will disappear, the shades will provide the ability to control that sunlight, creating less shadows across the canvas.  In all, a very large studio is every artists’ dream, but small spaces can be organized and be functioning studios until that time comes when they find the perfect space for working.

One should never take one of the well designed Napoleon Fireplaces for granted. It has taken centuries of lighting fires to perfect the modern fireplace. Just like what you may read in a novel of ancient times, lighting a fire was not as easy as one two three. Way back in the day it was all about ones talents with flint and steel. A quick sharp crash of flint and steel would hopefully spark up and flash a fire onto some flammable substance. Some people would say that making fire happen the old way is not that easy.

It can be hard to find the right flammable substance. There isn’t a cheroot laying around just anywhere. Even finding dry grass, moss or wood can be hard to light. When I think of flammable dry wood or grass is the first thing I would think of besides maybe paper. But if your out on a hike or camping you don’t always have the New York Times in your pack ready to light up. Although that might be on my packing list now. But that  is with the flint and steel approach. Now that we have matches to light these dry substances became easier to burn.

Another primitive way of starting a fire is with charred cloth. But that is a homemade sort of thing. I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time to cook cloth long enough to get all the color out. If you ever decide to  go old school better find a good recipe for charring cloth. If you char the cloth correctly then a spark from your flint and steel should hit the fabric and make a read spot. The red spot will grow into a glowing ring which would be impossible to blow out. If you have it in the wind be careful it will make it work even better. Anyway, my vote is a new fireplace or stove.

People some times come up with some pretty inventive ideas when trying to save money on their electrical bills.  One of the things that has been happening in Phoenix, well, for years, is the putting up of either tin foil, or cardboard boxes to block out the sun and provide a bit of relief from the heat.  When I lived in Chicago, many people duct taped plastic wrap, entirely around their windows, sealing themselves in and attempting to cut down on the cold Chicago wind that seems to find its way in.  Now, these may save a bit of money, but at nextdayblinds.com reviews are heard regularly regarding the simple fact that not only are these attempts not incredibly successful, they just do not look all that nice.

In fact, take it from me, they look pretty awful.  So, head over to Next Day Blinds and take a look at what they have offer in the way of insulated blinds.  They do the job of keeping out the heat, and keeping out the cold, so much better than foil and the plastic, and they just look great.  They will give you not only the satisfaction of beauty and design and of lower your electric bills, you will know that you too are doing your part to help protect the environment.  Window shades and blinds are great too for protecting your privacy and keeping you safe.

The different colors and styles available are virtually limitless.  Now at Next Day Blinds, reviews are made in jest at the fact that there just appears to be too many choices to choose from.  But the staff is warm and caring, and with their years of experience they will be able to help you make the choices and ensure that you are satisfied with that choice.  So really, take down the tin foil and the plastic wrap, and dress up your windows with insulated shades and blinds.

M is for Miami, M is also for marvelous, Marvelous Miami, Florida. What do you know about Miami? It’s the county seat for Miami Dade County. Because of its vast role in international trade, entertainment, finance, the arts, the media and commerce, it is considered a major global city. Have you heard about the skyline here? Better yet, have you seen the skyline here? A recent study rated Miami as being third in the US for the most fabulous skyline, behind New York City and Chicago. It has 13 out of the 14 tallest skyscrapers in Florida with the Four Seasons Hotel and Tower being the tallest. Miami has also won the distinction of being the cleanest city and also the richest city. These are both pretty impressive claims. Another distinction is that Miami is the only major city that was founded by a woman. A local citrus grower, Julia Tuttle worked tirelessly for the good of Miami, pushing for growth and recognition for the town.

The weather here is tropical, very warm and humid in the summer, then fall and winter cool off and dry out. That’s when the winter visitors come. And they do come, from far and wide and up north. When there is snow and bitter wind back home, there is warm sun and clear blue skies here. And you don’t have to shovel the sun. Miami Florida hotels are some of the finest in the country. Miami sets the bar high and delivers with the richness and class you expect. The amenities are first class as well. Enjoy.

Performing Arts are a major aspect of Miami with the numerous theatres, such as the Gusman Center for Performing Arts, Coconut Grove Playhouse, and the Jackie Gleason Theatre. There are the operas, concert halls, ballets, museums, gardens, the fabulous restaurants, the zoo; and the list goes on and on. M is for Miami, M is also for memories.