Coffee Cup Stain

The second case study is slightly different from the first case study where a student developed unexplained bruising. It is about a student who worked at a Singapore private bank. Through the practice of Qigong, she was being pulled out of her own inner sense of truth and committed a terrible mistake of choosing a wrong path. A path that cut her off from the very source of nourishment she seriously needed in her life. Her realization, which painful as it might have seemed, I sensed a real clarity of coming to her true sensibility.

Walking alone, she may able to hear her own voice more clearly. I have observed, often, so many intermediate Qigong students quitting just at the moment when they truly begin to have a deep transformation concerning their health, their awakening and insight. Most cases, as with my second case study, stated the the light seemed to be too bright and they contracted away from it, they literally ran away from it.

I cited this case to caution and warn other fellow Qigong students to beware of the fundamentalist Qigong master and any system that excludes all other practices and will only hold their own system and their teachers as the supreme deity that surpass both Buddha and the sages. In my school, I encourage all my students to learn and study with other teachers. This will enrich their Qigong vocabulary. I myself had studied with more that a dozen masters and teachers, and so far, if I am lucky, will be able to study with other great teachers as well.

In my second case study, she had cut the ties to her root teacher to pursue the Falun Gong because of the influence of her boyfriend. Very unfortunate, really, because once the root is cut to one’s root teacher, the lineage is broken.

“I always thought King Fernando and Queen Isabella were fictional characters, like Winston Churchill, or Talleyrand.” I said, fingering my map of Granada. Espana. I liked saying that. Es-pa-na. “No, you idiot, they’re right here, at least their tombs. Winston Churchill? You dork.” My brother Andy pulled no punches but when he really got something in mind he really gets focused and I was spoiling his fun. We avoided all luxury hotels Granada or otherwise and half compromised, me the cheap skate wanting to stay in hostels, he wanting to stay in proper hotels. We didn’t know what we going to do in Granada, no reservations, no worries, we’d find something. We only had to sleep outside once, in Munich, when we could find anything during Oktoberfest. It was OK, we weren’t the only ones sleeping out that night and managed to avoid getting arrested. “C’mon, man, I like tombs and all, but let’s go to the Alhambra,” I said.

Well off we went to see the enormous Alhambra, some people’s top pick for all sites in Spain (I need more sample time to make up my mind on that one, but still. If you like Moorish architecture, and I do.) Maybe better though, from my point of view, was the Generalife gardens, and since I am an arborist I like to look at plants. That may strike some a bus man’s holiday so to speak, framed by the Sierra Nevada Mountains (not those Sierra Nevadas in Cali). Well, what I saw was just too fancy, manicured like a blue ribbon poodle, maybe a bit too tight for me, but lovely none the less. And as for the mighty Alhambra itself, it is a big and old fortress, largely empty and with nice views and incredible towers. A fort.

When it comes to five-star hotels, Mauritius is a dream come true.  An island off of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is a blend of cultures on an island paradise, a place to get away from it all, and a place to learn about an unusual paradise with an unusual history.  Our hotels here have the finest amenities that meet the highest standards in the industry.  You can expect the royal treatment from our well-informed staff, who can answer your questions about local attractions, restaurant recommendations, and Mauritius’ history.  We serve amazingly succulent cuisine, created by world-class chefs who are extremely well-trained in the nuances of contemporary cooking.  There are also superb exercise facilities that have an impressive array of equipment with many extras designed to balance the body and spirit.

All of these specialties in accommodation are designed to ground you in your stay in this magnificent place, and Mauritius really is a tropical heaven.  Culturally and linguistically, it is French, English, Creole, and Indian, with a number of others in the mix, making it a very diverse and interesting place.  As one might expect, there are some fantastic art forms that come from this mix, and one local favorite is the rock band Crossbreed Supersoul.  They have been playing together since 2004, and in that time have quickly become one of the hottest rock bands in Mauritius.  They play straight-up rock, with no frills, focusing on rhythm and intensity of the playing, and emotion in the undertone.

With two albums under their belts, and a third in the works, Crossbreed Supersoul is busy.  They are constantly touring, playing, recording, and trying new things out in their music.  One of the most exciting presences on the island, they are always trying to offer something new to their substantial fan base.  With mixtures of solid classic rock, hints of stadium, and a sprinkle of progressive, their work speaks to a large cross-section of Mauritian culture, and would offer something essential to travelers here as well.

In this modern world we often follow the crowd, do what is expected by or parents, teachers, clergy, spouse, partner or peers. Frequently we have listened to all this external advise and taken on these external expectations to find ourselves lost and wondering who we really are and what it is we want to really accomplish in this life. We can take on these expectation to our own detriment. Too many people today seem to be wishing for it to be another day, waiting for the weekend, thanking god for Friday, gratefully it is hump day. How have we come to be a society that wants to which our days away into weekends, wish our weeks away into vacations and wish our years away into retirement. I have to ask what is so wrong with today? Right now? What is so wrong that we want one day to be another? My feeling is we are not living out true purpose. If the job you did was your true life’s purpose there would be no concern about wanting to get out of today for tomorrow. The reward of fulfilling your life’s would be enough, thus fulfilling the moment and no need to wish it was the future. Also the wishing for retirement and waiting to ‘live’ when one no longer has to work but is retired. Retired is a concept I do not understand. Life is work, to be here is to accomplish, I don’t see that there is an age when that is done. Certainly I can see wanting to retire from a job that isn’t rewarding or fulfilling. I just can’t see doing something like that long enough to get a retirement. Today is what I have and all I have to work with. Wishing it to be another day simply ignores the beauty and possibilities that today holds for you. I suggest that we examine what we do and why we are doing it. Is it fulfilling to you, does it feed your soul, is it your life’s purpose? If te answer to these questions is no, perhaps it is time for change. Change can be hard and take a lot of courage, however I can say with certinty that changes based on your life’s purpose will all be worth it and rewarding. What if right now you could be doing what you want to do? If you could create your income from a cabin in the woods, from a place with a breath taking view, from a quaint villa in Italy or a best Cape Town hotels. How would you feel to be liberated from a 9 to 5 your not loving. How wold this effect your life and your relationships?

For travelers looking for perfect five-star Cape Town hotels, our accommodations offer a splendid array of amenities that can make your exciting stay here a heavenly one as well.  Our lodgings meet or exceed the highest standards in the industry, giving you world-class treatment in a world-class setting.  The design and style here are impeccable, carefully crafted and prepared by some of the most skillful designers in the field, and provide a luxurious ambience throughout your stay.  Meals here are likewise exceedingly good, prepared by some of the finest chefs in South Africa.  There are also a host of extras that will distinguish your visit here, ensuring that you experience a replenishment of body and spirit.

Cape Town itself is one of the planet’s most interesting cities.  It has a complex and difficult history, and there are a number of tours and sights that will be of enormous interest to the whole family.  There is a vibrant mix of cultures and languages, and the city regularly offers festivals and special events to celebrate the diversity of Cape Town.  For art, the city has been on the cutting edge for quite some time, drawing on the talents of its citizens to give vision to the multiple worlds here.  The City Varsity School of Media and Creative Arts continues its visionary scope by offering a new program in Animation for Film, Television, and New Media.

City Varsity is currently offering both one-year and two-year degrees in an accredited program designed to turn young people with creative talent into career professionals.  They offer classes in television and film production, animation, and multimedia design, among other subjects, and the focus is on developing students’ ability to work across disciplines.  This means that a new generation of professionals will be equipped with the skills and passion to create new work that reflects local and global sensibilities, using the latest technologies.  They study under established names such as Gary Kachelhoffer, Elke Knabel, Archie Birch, and Richard Ramsbottom, developing their technique along with contributing to the cultural landscape of Cape Town.

or visitors traveling to Cape Town, South Africa, hotels are abundant, and there’s no shortage of choices for accommodations.  Our hotels, however, offer luxury with a difference.  With extreme attention to detail, guests will find themselves living in the lap of luxury, enjoying all the finest things that world-class hotels can possibly offer.  The rooms are spacious and exquisite, and the hotels themselves are extremely diverse in terms of architectural styles and design.  Hotel dining has never been finer, with fare offered up under the direction of top chefs, serving national and international cuisines.  There is also a heady combination of hospitality and connectivity, to keep you comfortable and well-connected to the world at large.  It is a perfect way to spend a getaway, enjoying all that South Africa has to offer, in a setting that is rejuvenating and enriching.

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, as well as one of the most culturally vibrant.  The long and complicated history of the place draws artists and intellectuals from all over the world, coming to make connections and works of art in the heart of South Africa.  One place with its share of history is the Baxter Theatre Center.  As part of the University of Cape Town, the Baxter has had academic freedom to show innovative and intriguing works of live performance since the 1977, and is a long-standing tradition for the culturally-inclined citizens.  Under the apartheid era, it was one of the unique places in Cape Town where works of political performance could be seen, discussing the more difficult issues of the day.

Today the Baxter Theatre continues to offer excellent works of live performance, from theatre to music.  There is still the same interest and dedication to challenging works of alternative theatre, but one can also see performances of live classical music, African music, children’s theatre, works of opera and dance, and also participate in workshops for young people.  The Baxter has three distinct buildings, and is one of the most visible venues in Cape Town.  Their mission at the inception, and one that continues to this day, is to showcase excellence in South Africa’s performing arts, focusing on presenting the diversity of its people as reflected in artistic languages.

Australia is a perfect vacation spot with the perfect boutique hotel.  Melbourne is one of Australia’s most fascinating cities, as the cultural hub of the continent, offering an endless array of daytime diversions and nighttime entertainments. A stay in our boutique hotels here will be endlessly decadent and refreshing, offering amenities that no other hotel could possibly offer.  Boutique hotels here will have the same hospitality and convenience as other hotels, but also offer a remarkably distinctive sense of style and design, and also very unique extras.  Dining with cuisine offered by world-class chefs, excellent exercise facilities, and technological connectivity are all here.  But there is much, much more, and it really has to be experienced to be believed.  Guests will find themselves relaxed and refreshed, and ready to enjoy the great city here.

Melbourne has plenty to offer for every member of the family.  Museums and galleries, attractions and exhibits, and sight seeing tours are just part of what’s in store.  There is also excellent shopping, fantastic restaurants, and a superb nightlife that will make Melbourne shine in your memory for years to come.  There are also a number of local celebrities, whose legacies are found in the local art scene, and one celebrity is the cyber-genius Stelarc.  A performance artist whose work is unparalleled, Stelarc has achieved international fame in digital, academic, and artistic circles, based on his innovation and also his eccentricities.  Stelarc’s work revolves around the idea of a post-biological post-human, posing that we are living in a hyper-technological age.

Some of his early experiments were based on pushing physical limits to the extreme, suspending himself from hooks for over 25 different performances, and testing himself in other endurance actions.  He is more famous, however, for different experiments in body modification.  Most recently, Stelarc has had an ear implanted in his forearm, with a bluetooth microphone insterted.  These kinds of alterations are certainly interesting news, but his more revolutionary work comes from pressing the limits of the distance between viewer and performer.  In one action, he had himself connected to a machine that could control his movements, and allowed his online audience to connect virtually and operate the machine.  This meant that audiences could conceivably control his body at distances, blurring the line between art and life.

Small farms are known throughout the world for the diversity that is gained by the different areas of land being used specifically to grow produce and support livestock, that are most suitable for any given crop or animal.  They are organized biologically, and environmentally, they promote the traditional means of farming as well as utilizing new technology, and they create a social context in which the people in a given town are brought closer together, as everyone relies on each other.

Such is the case in the Scottish town of Gairloch, where this traditional form of small farming is called crofting.  This has been the case for years and years, with each farmer utilizing their own land in the best and most efficient possible way.  When one visits the village, there are many Gairloch hotels to chose from that are situated in such areas.  The benefits to the environment are immediately noticeable.  These include the most responsible uses of water and soil, and reduce the negative effects that are taken on the wildlife.

And the wildlife and bird species are plentiful in Gairloch.  This is one of the aspects of the charming town that many out door enthusiasts find most enjoyable, for long nature walks and afternoons spent bird watching.  This kind of farming has also served to bring the community of Gairloch together in a way that is noticeable at once to the first time visitor.  This is good for the farmers as well as the rest of the businesses located in the town, as the merchants rely on the farmers, who rely on the restaurants and so on.

It is a more equitable way in which to use the land.  These smaller farms are also less likely to rely on the kinds of actions necessary to sustain the larger and less diverse factory farms, such as chemical fertilizer.  Not only are they more likely to produce less harm to the environment, they are often times more production in relation to their size.  Per unit land yield is higher on most small farms.  This is just one of the aspects which makes Gairloch a pleasant destination for travel and exploration.

Southend is an area in Essex England that is incredibly attractive to tourists, and for good reason. There is a great deal to do and see in this historic area and it is full of historic landmarks, cultural attractions and beautiful scenery. Something that many tourists staying in a Southend hotel may not realize is that the region of Essex also played a major role in the witchcraft trials that occurred during the reign of Elizabeth the First.

Chelmsford Essex was where the first secular witch trial took place. This precedent created a series of secular trials to follow, both in Chelmsford and other areas in Essex as well as throughout England. Elizabeth Frances was the first of those accused to be tried. She was an easy target for suspicion due to her perceived status as a bizarre old lady. During the trial Frances confessed to using a cat as a familiar and told the court that she gave it to another woman, Agnes Waterhouse. This led to Waterhouse’s arrest. Frances received a year in prison for the offense, though Waterhouse was hung. Unfortunately for Frances, she would be accused again and this time she also would be hung.

Some interesting aspects of the witch trials in Essex also relate or correspond with witch panics in other areas. In the 1580s, approximately 13 percent of the trials brought to court were for witchcraft. There were 64 cases heard and of those 53 were found to be guilty. It was extremely common for accused witches to confess, this is partly due to the fact that punishment for persons who confess to the crime are usually lighter than those that profess their innocence. It is also standard to demand names of other witches from those accused and they often end up citing a long list of additional witches, who are then brought to trial and pressed to name others.

Beware the auto rickshaw drivers in Madras, now known officially as Chennai. Foreigners get fleeced by these buzzing buggy drivers, so ask a local how much the fare should be and agree to this with the driver. Of course, you can get an air conditioned car, but really. Try not to drive though, as no one pays much attention to road rules.

All that running around makes one hungry, so you’re likely to run into Saravan Bhavan, a well known chain of restaurants serving vegetarian cuisine. It’s best to avoid the street stalls and tap water. Another inexpensive chain is Murugan Idli Kadai, where they make idlis, accompaniments for those idlis, well all things idlis. Fortunately there was one location of the chain near the Hotel Madras where we discovered that idlis aren’t picked up and eaten, but used to absorb other foods like chutneys. The chutney, often coconut based, and is sort of mashed into the idli with the fingers where it picks up the chutney and is then eaten.

The city was founded by the British in 1639 by the East India Company and the spicy curries of the region became very popular with the British colonists there. Madras curry powder can contain cloves, turmeric, allspice, cumin, even cinnamon and cloves. Cool off these spices with yogurt raitas made with mint and or cucumber and sides like rice and naan bread.

St. Thomas the Apostle is thought to be buried here, and even if you’re not a pilgrim, the area is well known for its many temples. Try the Amaravathy restaurant when you get tired of temple viewing, known for its Chinese food and their tandoor oven. On the way, just watch that auto-rickshaw driver. And stick to bottled water.