Bob Travel

In the world of today, not only is there information to be found on the Internet, but there is the opportunity to put up one’s own site, to write one’s own interpretations and views on the world, on politics, on the practices of various companies and individuals. This is what is referred to user generated media , social sites such as My Space, Facebook, and Twitter. And the individual blogs that people create to express themselves. Reputation management is becoming a growing field that is meeting a growing need.

Businesses and individuals must be able to protect themselves from the reviews that are unwarranted about their company, or the slander that is unwarranted towards them personally. The kinds of sites have been proven to greatly influence the public decisions on with which companies to do business, and in some cases can seriously damage the reputation of a company with false information, from a disgruntled individual or group. This is when online reputation management steps in.

Companies that specialize in this come in to protect their clients from attacks of this nature. Once the damage is done, it is very difficult, not impossible, but difficult to “un-do”. Many businesses are hiring online management companies, before they actually need them. They take control before a situation occurs, by seeing what has or is being said or written about a business or a product, and manage the content of what appears on the first page of an Internet search, such as Google.

It does not take much for a company to have their reputation damaged, a few posts on Youtube or a few posts written on someone’s own personal blog may take years to rectify. By taking control before this happens a company will ensure that what they have written is what people will see when they search online. The unfavorable and slanderous comments will not have a chance to pass up their rankings, to override their authority. In this day and age, it is imperative that public figures, businesses and even private citizens monitor what is being posted online about them, and with the right online reputation management firm on your side, you will be one step ahead of everyone else.

There’s a spectacular sense of being dazzled that is particular to Singapore.  This unusual island city state is a fantastic location for tourists, offering the whole array of attractions that travelers expect in a world class city.  There are magnificent hotels, excellent shopping, and superb restaurants, from Japanese to Italian and so much more.  Its long history as a major trading port means that it has a great sense for hospitality, and an ability to treat guests to a wonderful time.  It is also one of the cities in the world where eastern and western culture mixes rather freely, and rather splendidly at times.  There is a great love of pop culture from all over the world, but of course, Asia in particular, and there is also a deep sense of high culture as well.

The port status is partially responsible for the cultural porosity, since it has been a place where cultures do come to meet.  Ingredients from all over the world are available here, which is one of the reasons why the food is so good.  There is also a sense of artistry that enters into the culinary world, as well as many other layers of society.  Chinese, Malay, and Indian influences are very apparent here, and there is also a very strong current of influences from Japanese society.  Some of the most splendid innovations in world pop culture come from the way Japanese pop is blended with Singapore sensibilities.  This is one of the reasons why cosplay in Singapore.

Cosplay is a contraction of costume play, and it refers to any public display of costume that is not specifically, or formally theatrical.  Nov Takahashi, of Studio Hard in Japan, is credited with coining the term, in 1984 at a science fiction convention.  Its close alliance with sci fi culture is still very strong, and most of the personas that people don come from Japanese manga.  It is sometimes seen as a frivolous activity, but it also seems to be extremely fun.  Kids who engage in cosplay talk about how they get to turn into superheros for awhile, and there is also a lot of gender reversal.  Generally speaking, it’s a way of making identity more fluid, and is absolutely fascinating to witness.  But more fun to participate.

Kelly could not wait to go to college. She had been sure what school she wanted to go to since she was twelve years old and her older cousin had mentioned what a great school the Colorado State University was and told story after story of the great times he was having in Fort Collins. It took on almost a mythological status to the young and impressionable Kelly and once that dream took hold she never let go of it. In fact, the Colorado State University was the only school she applied to being so sure that she was destined to go there.

Her parents, however, being of a much more practical nature, at least when it came to matters regarding their daughter did alternative school investigating on their own and after they were satisfied that Fort Collins offered a competitive program for Kelly the decided they would visit the city during the summer of her junior year of high school. They made reservations to stay in one of the hotels Fort Collins and though they planned to spend the majority of their time investigating the school they also hoped to tour the town and look at apartments for Kelly.

Immediately after arriving in the city both of Kelly’s parents not only thought it was beautiful but also had a great atmosphere. They toured the campus on their first day and they were all impressed. It was definitely going to be the paradise Kelly suspected. They also drove through some of the neighborhoods and even though it would be another year before she moved there Kelly’s parents wanted to get a feel for where she might be living. Kelly also loved the city itself and thought it had an interesting blend of its significant military history as well as a progress or energetic college feel. She thought she would be as happy there as her cousin had been before her.

Staying in a Santa Monica hotel in California will place you right next to one of the great places on Earth: The 100-year-old Santa Monica Pier and beach.  In post cards, you’ll see Pacific Park, the only amusement park on the West Coast actually on a pier — the place lit up at night, its Ferris wheel and roller coaster, all on a wooden pier jutting out into Santa Monica Bay.  A row of restaurants and video games.  Spots for fishermen, patiently waiting for their next catch off the far end.  The 1922 historic Carousel.  I’ve lived in Los Angeles for over fifteen years, just six miles away from this spot, and often go out of my way to find my way down to the pier, to walk the length of the wooden planks for exercise, and to watch the sun set over the bay.

The pier opened on September 9, 1909, bringing in thousands of tourists.  Entrepreneur Charles Loof, who built the first carousel for Coney Island in Brooklyn could see the Santa Monica Pier had potential.  In 1916, he build his own “pleasure pier.”  Loof’s Pier had a number of attractions, including a Hippodrome building with vintage merry-go-rounds, a wooden roller coaster, and a funhouse.  The Loof Pier did extremely well in the 1920s, but the 1930s things changed.  The Santa Monica Pier endured difficult weather, and the Blue Streak roller coaster was taken down.  By the 1970s, interest in the two piers had diminished so much that the Santa Monica City Council ordered them demolished; however, Santa Monica residents who recognize what the piers provided fought together to save the Santa Monica Pier.  By 1975, the Hippodrome building and carousel became a Los Angeles County historical landmark.

In 1988, after years of improvements to the Pier, the city council ordered a new substructure of concrete to be built, adding to the Pier’s stability, creating the Santa Monica Pier we see today, with a number of shops, restaurants and rides.

Whenever I entertain visitors from out of town, whether they stay at my place or a Los Angeles cheap hotel, I run through my head the usual list of places to take the tourists: Universal Theme Park at Universal City, downtown Hollywood and Grauman’s Chinese Theater, down to Anaheim for Disneyland and Downtown Disney, or out to Long Beach for a tour of the Queen Mary, or to the coast for a stop in Venice to see the beach.  And then… my head runs dry of ideas.  If I were more a little more adventurous, I could arrange for tours at the major studios themselves (almost every one of them offers private tours, but you have to know to call the studio and arrange for it), such as Paramount or Warner Brothers.  That’s seems to be most of what tourists want to see…  unless they’re into museums, and then we’re off to the Getty overlooking the Los Angeles Basin, or the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or up to Pasadena for the Norton Simon Museum, all of which offer some pretty amazing work: The Getty and Norton Simon both house impressive displays of impressionism, for instance.

Almost everyone who comes to L.A. wants to see stars, and if you know where to go in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, you may easily see any number of people.  Just by dining out on occasion, I’ve seen (over several years, mind you) Natalie Portman, Robert Duval, Leonardo di Caprio, Adam Sandler, and many, many others.  You can see some celebrities at The Ivy, an expensive restaurant on Robertson, although most of these people I’ve seen across the street in the more reasonably priced Newsroom, a cafe and bar.  There’s not stars every day (or you may not recognize them), but if the paparazzi are outside, you can bet someone’s inside.

One place I take people first seems like a major tourist attraction: The Farmer’s Market on Third and Fairfax, and the relatively recent addition of The Grove, now several years old, an outdoor mall designed like a town square.  But I don’t take people here for the movie theater or the restaurants.  Instead, I take them to the top of the eight-story parking lot, from which you can get an incredible view 360 degree view of Los Angeles.  It’s great for letting people know exactly where they are in the world.

Using wood for heat inside houses has a long and rich history.  From the early times of man, fire has protected people not only from the elements, but from predators as well.  Later on, many thousands of years later on, the people living in the Victorian era also used wood and fire to heat their homes, but this also became considered to be a classy addition to ones home and decor.  Everyone knows that sitting around a warm and crackling fire ads a coziness and a very homey feel.  A fireplace now added to the environment of one’s home in a different way.

Just as with everything, fireplaces have changed over time, the style and the technology have both made leaps and bounds to the way in which the fireplaces are used and designed and the way in which they function.  The various techniques of the casting of them, have given designers many more options, for many more styles and creative expressions.  The basic fireplace however still remains the same, which are the elements of the insert and the surround.  The insert is the place where the actual fire is burned, usually constructed with cast iron, and decorated with a variety of tiles…different colors and different patterns which will all add a personal touch to your home.

The surround is the part of the fireplace that as the same suggests, surrounds the insert.  This section is made with a variety of materials, the most common are iron, marble, wood or granite.  Both of these elements of the fireplace provide the homeowner with a myriad of options, and can be a great way to create a much more quaint and charming atmosphere in your kitchen, front room or dining room.  You can choose from the old fashioned style with a mantle, or a sleek design that runs flush with your stucco walls.  When you add a fireplace to the architecture of your home, you will feel the warmth, not only of the temperature, but of the vibe and the feel you will now be able to experience.

Welcome to Hong Kong! Home to over 7 million people; all packed in like sardines on a few small islands. After we disembarked the plane, completing a swine flu form and a fast passport check, we found ourselves in an very modern airport. Nice!

We didn’t even have to put a foot outside the airport to get to the city center. The airport express train virtually comes right into the arrivals hall! The train doors opened and we just hopped on. Hong Kong welcomes you with a sleight-of-hand, from the outside it appears to be Western with all the gleaming skyscrapers, a public transportation system that any city should envy, business people in expensive suits, clean streets, fashion conscious folk wearing the latest designer clothes, but in reality there lies a culture and tradition that could not be more Chinese.

Twenty-two minutes later we were standing in the central metro station, then we caught a subway ride to a stop where we thought we could find accommodations. We heard wonderful remarks about a Hong Kong hotel, so we were hoping to book a room and spend a week living in luxury. The first one we found was extremely accommodating and lived up to all five stars.

Over the following week, we saw Chinese herbalists dispensing  a variety of plant, animal and mineral extracts, shopkeepers still using the abacus, local Chinese haggling at the fish market, butchers carving pigs and other delights on the street, devotees at temples offering fruit to the Gods and scenes of several people practising Tai-Chi in the parks. In other cities, clashes can occur when East meets West, because western values often seem to undermine traditional Asian beliefs, but that’s not what I’m witnessing here in Hong Kong. It’s more like the two blend together and make a delight full mix.  For example, it’s not unusual for a shrewd business owner to hire a Feng Shui master to arrange his business in such a way the his business will prosper. Another example is for locals to give offering in a Taoist temple to ensure their shares on the stock exchange continue to grow! This is what makes Hong Kong one of the best modern cities in the world. They’ve manage to make both philosophies, East and West work.

Marcus was a country and western guitar player with quite a few years under his still somewhat young belt. He has worked as a studio musician and played with various well-known bands and solo singers. It can be a challenging life out on the road and he was well accustomed to some of the associated pit falls and difficulties. Eventually this freelance status began to get tiring and Marcus stated to consider various options. He knew he needed a break from touring with established bands and was also sure he didn’t want to form his own band.

He remembered that he had always wanted to spend a chunk of time in Texas and thoroughly explore the state. He had only been to Dallas and Austin, where he played at the Austin City Limits Music Festival once as a guest guitarist for a band that was booked there. Without giving it much thought, Marcus knew what he was going to do. He packed his bag into his Toyota Tacoma and headed for the great state of Texas. He had previous experience of playing on street corners and at farmers markets for tips, and Marcus decided he would tour Texas by doing just that.

Things were going well for Marcus and he met a lot of interesting people. When he pulled into San Antonio he had an odd sense of having been there before though he couldn’t remember having done so. He thought the city had a great energy and loved its sense of history. He toured the Alamo and sang improvised cowboy songs outside of it. He ended up meeting quite a few people in San Antonio that he considered to be friends and did well enough performing that he was able to stay in one of the luxury San Antonio hotels for three months. Finally he decided that he wanted to make the city his home and found a house with a barn that he could turn into a music studio. For the first time in his life Marcus felt that he was right where he needed and wanted to be.

Well we weren’t in Singapore for long, only 3 days, but we had a really great time. It’s a very nice city and out of everywhere I’ve been so far, this is probably the one place in which I thought would be a cool place to live. It was so easy and inexpensive to get from the airport to the boutique hotel in Singapore where we had reservations. We took the MRT and there was a stop only 5 minutes away from the hotel.

We took a walk to the shops, as Singapore is the mall capital of the world. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many shopping centers in one place. We ended up going to an art museum, I don’t really like modern art, I just don’t get it I guess, like one of the pieces of art was a black canvas with one black brush stroke. I mean, what’s up with that? Later that night we went to the cinema and watched ‘500 Days of Summer‘ and then got a bite to eat.

The next day we decided to do the Hippo tour, it’s an open top Double-Decker, like the ones in London. We saw a lot of the city that way. Saw almost everything on two routes and then we jumped off a couple of times to look at things close up. Singapore is split into quarters, almost like Paris is, so it was cool to see the India and Chinese quarters. Both were celebrating different festivals, so the streets were all decorated. We had a great tour guide who told us about the history of the city and his own thoughts on life. He was a very intriguing man. He even asked us a bit about ourselves and why we were here in Singapore. He then announced our upcoming wedding in Brisbane to the entire bus. Applause shewed forth and we were both embarrassed.

We just missed the Grand Prix, but we got the see a section of the road, which was still cordoned off because they were in the process of removing the barriers. It was time to head back to our hotel, but we kept that information to ourselves.