The Youngest Country On Earth

Multi-cultural, diverse, stunning, pristine, young… These are just some of the words used to describe New Zealand. I have a lot of friends, former officemates, who have moved to New Zealand together with their families, to work and live there. They have described the country so beautifully that I begun to develop a romantic affinity over the place. According to them pictures could not even do justice to the beauty of its landscapes.

Dubbed as the youngest country on earth because it was the last land mass to be discovered, New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind.

In fact UNESCO has recognized 3 areas as world’s heritage sites which mean that these places (Tongariro National Park, Te Wahipounamu and the Subantarctic Islands) are considered and recognized as having outstanding natural and cultural value for everyone. Active volcanoes, ancient native forests, prehistoric glaciers, snow-covered Alps have been internationally recognized as irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

But New Zealand is not just all mountains and landscapes, it has bustling and modern cities as well, which are described as diverse, sophisticated, and multicultural. In fact New Zealand is one of the world’s most favorite travel destinations. There are 3 popular cities Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Auckland is New Zealand’s biggest city, while Wellington is the capital. On the other hand, Christchurch is known as “The Garden City” because of its well-established expansive parks and public gardens.

Auckland New Zealand

Traveling to New Zealand is made easier by online booking services. Cheaperthanhotels NZ makes it easier to look for Auckland Hotels, Wellington Hotels, and Christchurch Hotels. In fact it can provide listings of New Zealand hotels ranging from budget accommodations to luxury hotels. Here you can search and find prices on accommodation that are cheaper than hotels and offers last minute and year round discount accommodation throughout the country.

Photo Credits: Google Images

Antarctic Skies...

A rare and spectacular cloud formation appeared at the end of the polar night at Australia’s Mawson station in Antarctica. These so-called nacreous clouds were situated high in the stratosphere, some 20km above the ground, and indicate extremely cold temperatures in the rarefied atmosphere.

The weather balloon measured temperatures down to -87˚C in the vicinity of the cloud layer. That’s about as cold as the lowest temperatures ever recorded on the surface of the Earth. Amazingly, the winds at this height were blowing at nearly 230 kilometres per hour. Clouds this spectacular are seldom seen.

Our nearest star, the Sun, from a distance of 150,000,000 kilometres, provides us with light and warmth and from time to time a magnificent nighttime ‘laser light’ show. Well, not quite a laser light show, but something on a much grander scale. The Southern Aurora, Southern Lights or Aurora Australis are term used to describe the displays we see in out southern skies when the sun has had a particularly bad day!

Images from a frozen land...



Reference: This Tasmania

An Ancient Rock City

Are you someone who is fascinated by ancient cities? Here is one - Petra, Jordan

Petra, an ancient rock city in present-day Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi Musa because of the stream that flows through it, was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom until its defeat by the Romans in AD 106. It then became part of the Roman province of Arabia. After several centuries as a flourishing trade centre, it declined with the shifting of trade routes away from the city. It was captured by the Muslims in the 7th century.

Its ruins were rediscovered in 1812 by the Swiss traveler Johann L. Burckhardt. Excavations since the mid-20th century have revealed many rock-cut monuments, including tombs with elaborate facades carved in the rose, crimson, and purple sandstone of the surrounding hills.

A narrow winding pass between towering walls leads to the open plain upon which stood the ancient city, while the plain is surrounded by hills in which tombs have been carved in the pink sandstone. Throughout Petra every available rock surface has been worked into a vertical face and in many cases sculptured into the façade of a temple, shrine, palace, or dwelling. The site includes some 800 structures, the best known of which is the Khazneh el-Farun (or so-called Pharoah's Treasury), a mausoleum, monument, or temple with a two-story facade and Hellenistic split pediment.

Petra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Photo Credits: Google Images

Antartica: The White Desert (A Unique Experience)

Some men are excited by isolation and are fascinated by the wide expanse of snow covered land. That is why some men are fascinated by Antarctica, the seventh continent, dubbed as the White Desert. It is a landscape unlike anywhere else on the planet ­ so rarely visited, yet utterly beautiful.

White Desert is also a company, in fact the only company in the World that can take you into the interior of Antarctica in luxury and comfort. Wow! Never thought there is one travel offer like this. Anyway, if your trip is not lazing around in sparkling turquoise-colored warm beaches, maybe you will be interested in what White Desert can offer. It is a luxurious and highly ecological camp that offers not only superb food, but also breathtaking views and adrenalin pumping activities like kite-skiing over frozen horizon, climbing icy caves and virgin summits. But wait - the price? is a whooping 24,000 Euros/person. (Ugh!)

Reference: White Desert.com

What Inspires A Visit To Spain?

What inspires a visit to Spain? Take a look at 4 of its most visited cities…

Madrid is the capital of Spain, and its largest city. The one thing that is impressive about this city is that it has been able to preserve old world charm by maintaining its artistic heritage (the legacy of centuries of fascinating history), and blending them with the new urban infrastructures to become one of the world’s most vibrant modern cities and a popular travelers’ destination. It is also likely to be most people's starting point for a Spanish vacation (the other likely starting point being Barcelona).

Some of the famous landmarks:

Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, Plaza de Oriente, the Opera House and the modern Almudena Cathedral. This ensemble of monuments is completed by the Puerta del Sol, and the "Paseo del Arte", not forgetting the Bank of Spain building, the Palacio de las Telecomunicaciones (currently home to the Spanish Post Office) and the Cibeles and Neptuno fountains.

Visitors can also partake of gourmet experiences and exotic rituals that Spain is famous for, like "Going for tapas" which is an essential part of life in Spain. Tapas are little dishes of food that you have with a drink (beer, wine...). Another is Bullfighting which is certainly one of the best known Spanish popular customs.

To be able to truly enjoy Madrid, one should find an accommodation that is conveniently located and easily accessible. Check this online reservation service provider which can provide a good listing of (Spain) hotels that will suit anyone’s budget.

Sagrada Familia

Barcelona, on the other hand is the capital of Catalonia, and Spain’s second largest city. It is most famous for the architecture of Antonio Gaudi, whose building are scattered all around the centre of the city. However the most impressive of Gaudi´s works is arguably the Sagrada Familia, the huge, still unfinished temple. In addition the city has beautiful urban beaches, marinas, and seafront golf courses.

Aside from Madrid and Barcelona, there are two other cities worth visiting – Alicante and Benidorm.

La Explanada is the largest and most beautiful park in Alicante and its most visited site too. It is located just next to the sea promenade and is a very nice place for walking or enjoying the coastline view. There is another important tourist attraction, the Castillo de Santa Barbara (a castle built by the Arabs). Benidorm is famous for its Peacock Island and Playa Poniente.

La Explanada

To find good Barcelona hotels, Alicante hotels, and Benidorm hotels - check the site of this online reservations services for good deals. It offers last minute and year round accommodation at hotels, apartments and hostels in Spain at prices generally less than direct, with free inclusions.

Credits: Google Images

Rain Showers

Wishlist...

Create a new shower experience with these new trends in bathroom fixtures – the Rain Showers! Create a soothing symphony of color within the privacy of your own shower, and transform your bath into a stress relieving revitalizing ritual that soothes mind and body.

Signorini Shower Head

The Signorini Shower head has ultra slim metallic blocks, studded with rows of tiny nozzles, to create rain brilliant colored water. Two central lights illuminate the free flowing water with color choices in a warm yellow, passionate red, mellow blue or green earthy light.

Jaclo Dream Light

The futuristic design of the Dream Light rain canopy features a thin stainless steel sheet complete with LED lights, which illuminate the falling water. The lights can be programmed to turn on manually with the flip of a switch or they can be encoded to start automatically whenever the shower is turned on.

Credits: trendir.com

A Chilling Experience !

There is a hotel in Sweden that is built in winter, disassembled, and then reassembled again on the following year. The hotel when reassembled each year comes fresh with a different new design. The reason – it is totally made of ICE! Because of its gaining popularity, quite a number of rooms are made. It even boasts of an Absolut Bar, and a chapel! The Ice Hotel near the village of Jukkasjarvi, in Sweden, is the first and perhaps the most popular among the ice hotels. In tribute, some hotels in different cities of the world like London, Stockholm, and Tokyo have Absolut bars totally made of ice too.

For someone like me who has been born under hot sunny skies, a stay here is going to be one unique and novel experience. And if this experience is coupled with a view such as this one below. WOW! what a big Chill!

Photo credits: Google Images

Amanpulo Resort

Much has already been said about Boracay. And even if I am truly proud of my island home Cebu, I could not help but take notice of this resort which can rival even Bali and the whole of the Caribbean… just take a look…

"Amanpulo which means peaceful island, is situated in one of the world’s most idyllic island locations on the staggeringly beautiful Pamalican Island in the Phillipines. It is a private island, gifted with powder white beaches, sparkling turquoise-azure seas, and clear blue skies.

This romantically remote island caters for those who wish to ‘hammock’ and beach comb their days in paradise, and for those who seek an active agenda, involving a myriad of maritime adventures as well as tennis, an air-conditioned gym, as well as taking languid lengths in the resort’s 30m serene pool. The open-air Garden and Beach Salas are discreetly secluded for pleasurable holistic body treatments."

Source: aman resorts

Second Life (In a Virtual World)...

Probably people are already familiar with Second Life by now. Second Life, a three-dimensional virtual world, set up by Linden Lab of San Francisco and its CEO Philip Rosedale is one of the many so-called massive multiplayer online games that are steadily gaining in popularity these days (because thousands of people can play at the same time).

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its players or otherwise also called residents. I think the reason why this game is immensely popular is because the Residents can create an alter ego of themselves called avatars made according to their wishes and preferences (like if you are short and fat, you can make your avatar tall and slim and totally dreamy…). Second Life's technology also let people create objects like clothes or homes and buildings from scratch rather than simply pluck avatar outfits or ready-made buildings from a menu. This makes it possible for residents to create anything they can imagine, even create a different life from that of the real world and live in it. Furthermore “Residents" can even interact and can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade items (virtual property) and services from one another.

But wait, this life does not come for free. You have to pay to become a member. And even inside the virtual world Second Life residents have to pay with Linden Dollars for every transactions being made (in fact these Linden dollars have an equivalent value in real world money). Unbelievable as it may seem, because of the freedom and the capability to create a personal dream world many are enticed and willing to slug in a lot of money just to have a second life albeit in a virtual world. This phenomenon has stirred a lot of real-world big companies to sit up , notice, and analyze that like simulation, these virtual worlds can provide a new template for marketing strategies and product designs without the usual astronomical costs incurred in real life situation.

Debates raged on on its pros and cons, but personally (probably because I am not very much into online games), I could never fully comprehend why I may find the need to create a second life and spend so much for it. Is this a form of escapism from real life? Are real life socialization passé? Eventually no matter how perfect our virtual worlds will become, we still have to shake ourselves and get back to real life. End of game…

Image Courtesy: Businessweek.com magazine

Gardens and Special Corners

I used to blog for a garden site before and when it was finished, I decided not to delete some of the accumulated pictures related to it (in my PC), because I felt that I could not part with them just yet! They are shots of picture-perfect gardens and they have these special nooks you see, that make me feel like everything is serene and calm, and that nothing could ever go wrong while I am in there! I know of course that these gardens are probably done by professionals which would account for their clean sleek looks. But still, I think that perhaps many people would give anything just to have something like it adorning their homes.

However there are gardens which are actually labor of love by their owners. Just a warning though that gardening is, I think not for everyone. While a lot may have found success, many of us are not as lucky. What I can only say is that, if anyone believes that creating a garden can help achieve some kind of balance in their otherwise erratic lives, then there is definitely no reason for not going for it (success or no success). My personal advice …Start digging!

Video Conferences

Technological breakthroughs never fail to amaze me. Take for instance online meetings or video conferences – they have practically revolutionized the way corporate meetings are being conducted in the boardrooms right now! Companies appreciate the ease of setting up and the amount of control they can maintain in conducting their meetings. Video conferences are not only limited to company meetings but they are also being used to conduct company trainings. Its success has been attributed to the substantial savings in travel related costs that companies realized after resorting to it. Another big advantage - video conferences are able to promote an effective communication system by breaking down geographical barriers between branches of a big company located in different areas.

In the market today, if you go check out the different service providers for this type of product, MegaMeeting stands out as unique for providing the following:

• A browser based video conference software that practically requires no downloading, installing or configuring. It needs only an internet browser, a broadband internet connection and a web camera or digital video camera.
  
• Its software is flexible to accommodate Windows, Mac or Linux based systems to participate in a Web Conference.
  
• It can accommodate up to 16 participants at the same time, and the VOIP features make it possible for the participants to use standard microphones and headsets.
  
• And most important is, MegaMeeting.com offers high-end Video & Web Conferencing systems at a much more affordable or manageable price than their competitors.
  

Their website is also worth checking into – it offers a very professional look, comprehensive and detailed information, user friendly and quite easy to navigate.

Ode To Makati

I stumbled upon these pictures from WOW Philippines (http://www.wowphilippines.com.ph/), and I became nostalgic...you see, I used to work in Makati back in the late 80's). In fact fact one of the companies I worked with is located somewhere in the middle of this picture. This is almost exactly how it looked during that time...

Coming from a small city, it was overwhelming to be engulfed by skyscrapers and lots of people as you walk around... but when one is young it is kind of exciting.

During the nights, I would usually take a walk around the Ayala commercial center to avoid waiting lines or full buses and horrendous traffic. Sometimes my friends and I would dine out during paydays, as Makati denizens would usually do...

And the nights wow! (especially during Christmas), were surreal with its glittering lights...

However I moved back to Cebu in mid 90's. Came back to Makati only in the late 90's and early 2000 to attend some company sponsored trainings. There were probably a million changes taking place while I was not around...

Maybe when I come back once again, I will probably see a different place this time...But it will give me a chance to re-discover Makati. I would be glad to compare notes with those of an impressionable twenty year old.

From: An Ex-Makati girl

I am still mulling over this site...