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Masitinib - a relief for arthritis patients ....
I know the sufferings of arthritis patients closely, (as my mother-in-law is having the problem) it makes patients' life miserable. Though there are a few drugs for the treatment, but are inadequate for patients suffering from active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) especially for those unresponsive to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), new and improved medication is need of the hour. In that aspect clinical trials of Mastineb, 4-[(4-Methyl-1-piperazinyl)methyl]-N-[4-methyl-3-[[4-(3-pyridinyl)-2-thiazolyl] amino] phenyl]benzamide carried out by Alain Moussey et. al., is of great importance.
The study evaluates the safety and efficacy of Masitinib, a potent and selective protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c-KIT, in the monotherapy treatment of DMARD-refractory RA.
We also know that, the orally bioavailable mesylate salt of masatinib, a multi-targeted protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potential antineoplastic activity selectively binds to and inhibits both the wild-type and mutated forms of the stem cell factor receptor (c-Kit; SCFR); platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR); fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3); and, to a lesser extent, focal adhesion kinase (FAK). As a consequence, tumor cell proliferation may be inhibited in cancer cell types that overexpress these receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), clinical trials also reported.
As per the conclusions by the authors, treatment with masitinib improved DMARD-refractory active RA. Following an initial high incidence of mostly mild to moderate side effects during the first 12 weeks of treatment, masitinib appears to be generally well tolerated. This, together with evidence of a sustainable efficacy response, suggests that masitinib is suitable for long-term treatment regimens. Since this was the first study of masitinib in a nononcologic pathology, the relatively high patient withdrawal rate observed can be partly attributed to a highly cautious response to adverse events. There is sufficient compelling evidence to warrant further placebo-controlled investigation. Congrats for the group...
Labels: Biotechnology, Drug Discovery
Antisense drug in combination with paclitaxel for prostate cancer..
I think when I was doing some reference work for my research in 1996, I read about this drug (taxol) [In 1994 the total synthesis has been achieved by Robert Holton of Florida University. He did spend 12 years to achieve the total synthesis because of the assymmtery involved in it [It was after 40 years' after the first exctract from the tree Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) has shown anticancer activity and the key ingrediant identified was taxiol]. A diterpenoid, with androgen (a male hormone) blockade chemotherapy has played important role in the treatment of cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men after skin cancer. It is estimated there will be 218,890 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. this year(2009). Around 1 in 6 men will develop prostate cancer, a third to a half of whom will recur after local treatment and risk progression to metastatic prostate cancer. Metastatic disease invariably progresses to hormone refractory or castrate resistantprostate cancer (CRPC) if given enough time.
Prostate tumours are initially androgen (male sex hormone) dependent, and can be treated with androgen ablation therapy, however once the disease progresses to its most dangerous and aggressive form, CRPC, treatment options are limited and prognosis is poor. Treatment options depend on disease severity and include radiation and chemotherapy, which are designed to induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) of tumour cells. There is a pressing need for the development of new treatment options.
More interesting and significant results have been achieved by an Australian company (Antisense Therapeutics). i.e., in combination with taxol, antisense drug ATL1101 has yielded good results. ATL1101 is a second generation antisense inhibitor of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) which as reported previously suppressed the growth of human prostate tumors in an animal model of prostate cancer, and slowed down transition to CRPC when used as a single agent.
The research is of great importance because of the fact that in cell culture experiments, the amount of Paclitaxel required to induce tumor cell apoptosis (cell death) was significantly reduced when used in combination with ATL1101. This ability to 'sensitize' tumor cells to the cytotoxic effects of Paclitaxel affirms ATL1101's potential as a chemo-sensitizing agent to be used in combination with existing prostate treatments to improve the outcomes for patients.
I did work for some of the intermediates (ologonucleotides) for ISIS (contract research) and am excited to see that this company has tie up with ISIS. In my opinion as ISIS , is an established company in this field of research, hope soon there will be relief for those patients for whom CRPC, treatment options are limited and prognosis is poor....
Ref: http://www.antisense.com.au/!upload_files%5Cattachment%5Casx%2009%2018%20June%202009_ATL1101.pdf
Labels: Antisense Drugs, Biotechnology
Exenatide for weight reduction !...
Exenatide, ( 39-amino-acid peptide an insulin secreta gogue with glucoregulatory effects) a compound belonging to "incretin mimetics" was approved for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in April, 2005, but not for type 1.
Exenatide is a synthetic version of exendin-4, a hormone found in the saliva of the Gila monster. It displays biological properties similar to human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a regulator of glucose metabolism and insulin secretion. According to the package insert, exenatide enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion by the pancreatic beta-cell, suppresses inappropriately elevated glucagon secretion, and slows gastric emptying, although the mechanism of action is still under study.
Recently it has been found that along with the treatment for type 2, the compound has been found to reduce the weight of non diabetic obese people.
Michael Trautmann, MD, a Principal Investigator with Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, recently reported that in combination with diet and exercise, the diabetes drug exenatide helped nondiabetic, obese individuals lose over three times more weight than those receiving a placebo, or dummy treatment, for 6 months. Drug therapy is considered important adjunctive treatment to diet and exercise in the successful management of obesity, Trautmann said. "To date, however, there are few effective drugs that help obese people lose weight", which is very important fact. and as the drug is already an established one, the only side effect like mild or moderate nausea and diarrhea are to be taken care off.
As per the claims of the authors : individuals who received exenatide lost more weight in 24 weeks than controls did. Those who received the medication lost an average of more than 11 pounds (5.06 kg), whereas the controls lost just 3.5 pounds (1.61 kg). This difference was statistically significant and noted as early as week 8. Only exenatide-treated subjects lost more than 10 percent of their body weight (seven of 73 subjects, or 9.6%). The plausible explaination for the action of this drug is "decreased food intake and increased feelings of fullness". Congrats Dr.Mikeand group....[these findings are being presented in the The Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., June 10 - 13th, 2009.]
Labels: Bio Tech, Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry
iNMR is software for Mac OS...
While reading a news article, I found this interesting info, as for the software providers' claim its the only software for Mac OS users. Its really nice, people who are using Mac OS, can visit the link and if interested can try...
Cisplatin doubles lung cancer survival time in mice !
When I was studying my M.Sc., (1992), we used to have a question regarding the anticancer activity of cisplatin and after that I could see lots of research in the field of anticancer activity. And so many new drugs have been established and are being used as drugs. Cisplatin works by crosslinking across DNA inter-strands, making it impossible for rapidly dividing cells to duplicate their DNA for cell division (mitosis). The damaged DNA sets off DNA repair mechanisms which fails to work, so in turn activate cell death processes (apoptosis). The trans isomer does not have this pharmacological effect.
After so many years, I could find this something interesting findings about cisplatin, by Patrizia Russo of Lung Cancer Unit of the National Cancer Research Institute in Genoa, Italy and colleagues from San Raffaele Pisana Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care (IRCCS), Catholic University.
In the study, the authors took the research a step further and showed that α-CbT could inhibit non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) growth and prolong life in non-obese/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice that had human NSCLC grafted to their lungs. This study attempted to mimic human cancer conditions more closely by delaying treatment until the tumors were well-established. In addition to control mice that were untreated, the researchers randomized one third of the mice to receive standard chemotherapy.
They found that NOD/SCID mice treated with the standard chemotherapy agent, cisplatin, had a 16 percent longer median survival time than untreated mice (p= 0.05). Mice treated with α-CbT, however, had an increased median survival time of 1.7-fold over the cisplatin-treated mice and 2.1-fold over the no-treatment controls (p=0.0005). Though the clinical trials to establish the claim and to to explore the widest range of possibilities of intervention on the α7-nAChRs. Congrats...
Ref :Inhibition of Nonneuronal 7-Nicotinic Receptor for Lung Cancer Treatment; Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Jun 2009; 179: 1141 - 1150
Labels: Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry
FDA's approval of Injectable ibuprofen
We did know about the oral form of ibuprofen, now FDA has approved the injectable form of ibuprofen. Injectable ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are promising pain management options said Dr. Bob Rappaport, Director, Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Rheumatology Drug Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. But until now (as for as my knowldge goes, diclofenac sodium is being used), there were only oral forms of most NSAIDs. An injectable ibuprofen product can provide patients with relief from pain and fever when they cannot take oral product.
In a clinical trial of 319 women who had undergone an elective abdominal hysterectomy, patients were less likely to request morphine for pain on an as-needed basis when administered Caldolor.
Caldolor should be used with caution in patients with congestive heart failure, kidney impairment, at risk of blood clots and those who have a prior history of ulcers or gastrointestinal bleeding. When used in such patients, attention to using the lowest effective dose for the shortest time period is important to reduce the risk of serious adverse events. The drug has also been associated with high blood pressure, serious skin reactions, and serious allergic reactions. Though the side effects like nausea, flatulence, vomiting, and headache are being noticed during clinical trials. Its a good move becoz., the dose by IP route will be less and definitely reduce the risk of the ulcerogenecity (a common problem due to NSAIDs).
Ref : http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm165971.htm
Silver nano particles as antiplatelet agent?
We know common side effects of anti-thrombotic agents [aspirin & Reo Pro (abciximab) ] like dangerous bleeding and ulcerogenecity (of aspirin) so there is an urgent need to have more safer antiplatelet agents. Now thanx to Debabrata Dash and colleagues of Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi for their innovative findings that is., now silver nano particles can be used as antiplatelet agent.
The scientists describe development and lab testing of silver nanoparticles that seem to keep platelets in an inactive state. Low levels of the nanosilver, injected into mice, reduced the ability of platelets to clump together by as much as 40 percent with no apparent harmful side effects. The nanoparticles "hold immense potential to be promoted as an antiplatelet agent," the researchers note. Nanosilver appears to possess dual significant properties critically helpful to the health of mankind — antibacterial and antiplatelet — which together can have unique utilities, for example in coronary stents. One more "Nano" to the drug discovery kitty. Congrats Dash and group for this achievement. More...
Labels: Drug Discovery
Telaprevir for Hepatitis C, soooon...
We did know that Telaprevir (VX-950), is a member of a class of antiviral drugs known as 'Protease Inhibitors' was an experimental treatment for Hepatitis and two companies Vertex and Johnson & Johnson jointly developed and phase II clinical trials were being done. Now thanx, to Dr. Ira M. Jacobson chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and the Vincent Astor Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, who has come up with the results of Phase IIb clinical trial.
Th results are really encouraging and as per the author, "the findings point the way to a new era in the treatment of hepatitis C". The most significant part of the research lies in the fact that, by adding Telaprevir the treatment was more effective and quicker and there by reducing the therapy to half (from 48 weeks to 24 weeks).
Results showed that 67 percent of patients taking telaprevir in combination with standard therapy for 12 weeks followed by standard therapy alone for 36 weeks were cured; and 61 percent of those taking telaprevir in combination with standard therapy for 12 weeks followed by standard therapy alone for 12 weeks were cured. This is compared to 41 percent cure rate in the 48-week control group. And more over the study also showed that the percentage of patients who relapsed in the 24-week and 48-week telaprevir-based groups (2 percent and 6 percent, respectively) was much lower than the control group (23 percent). Also the authors found that it can be used alongwith Ribavirin, for those with HIV & Hepatitis C. Congratulations for this achievement. Phase III clinical trials are currently underway at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and centers worldwide will attempt to confirm the results, potentially leading to FDA approval of telaprevir and hope there will be a relief to the sufferers very soooon......
Ref : http://news.med.cornell.edu/wcmc/wcmc_2009/06_04_09.shtml
Labels: Biotechnology, Drug Discovery, Medicinal Chemistry
Pazopanib for aggressive thyroid cancer.
There were lots of research groups involved in testing Pazopanib for diverse anticancer activity like "epithelial ovarian cancer, non small cell lung cancer and GSK was the key researcher and did try the phase III clinical trials in other cancer types, in Sept., 2008. Now thanx, Dr. Keith Bible, a medical oncologist and researcher who led the multicenter clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute, for this significant findings - cancer in about two-thirds of 37 patients with aggressive differentiated thyroid cancer treated with the drug pazopanib either stopped growing, or quickly shrank. And as per the conclusions : one-third of patients achieved sustained and dramatic benefit from pazopanib, while another one-third experienced stabilization of their cancer or some tumor shrinkage. The remaining one-third of patients did not benefit from the drug. The agent was also well tolerated by the majority of patients. Though further studies like - drug's effect on overall survival still to be established its a good beginning.
As per the authors conclusion majority of the patients with thyroid cancer respond well to surgery and to follow-up treatment with radioiodine; even if the cancer recurs and spreads, the disease progresses slowly in most patients. Many patients do well for a long time without the need of additional therapy. However, about 5 percent of these patients experience rapidly progressing life-threatening disease that is insensitive to radioiodine and other treatment approaches and for them this treatment will be a good one, the researchers claim. Congrats Dr. Bible and group..
Ref : http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2009-rst/5272.html
Glutamine for stomach ulcer ?
We know that Glutamine is the most abundant naturally occurring, non essential amino acid in the human body and one of the few amino acids which directly crosses the blood brain barrier. In the body it is found circulating in the blood as well as stored in the skeletal muscles. It becomes conditionally essential (requiring intake from food or supplements) in states of illness or injury.
Dietary sources of L-glutamine include beef, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, wheat, cabbage, beets, beans, spinach, and parsley. Small amounts of free L-glutamine are also found in vegetable juices and fermented foods, such as miso.
In one of my earlier blog, I did mention that broccoli, has been found useful against the H. pylori infection, now its the turn of Glutamine-that has been found useful against the infection. Dr. Susan Hagen, Associate Director of Research in the Department of Surgery at BIDMC and Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and group has found that extra glutamine in the diet could protect against gastric damage caused by H. pylori.
Gastric damage develops when the bacteria weakens the stomach's protective mucous coating, damages cells and elicits a robust immune response that is ineffective at ridding the infection. Eventually, she notes, years of infection result in a combination of persistent gastritis, cell damage and an environment conducive to cancer development. Dr. Hagen and her co-authors had previously shown that glutamine protects against cell death from H. pylori-produced ammonia. And further studies revealed that, the damaging effects of ammonia on gastric cells could be reversed completely by the administration of L-glutamine," explains Hagen. "The amino acid stimulated ammonia detoxification in the stomach - as it does in the liver - so that the effective concentration of ammonia was reduced, thereby blocking cell damage', which encouraged the group to hypothesize that a similar mechanism might be at work in the intact stomach infected with H. pylori.
The results are encouraging and are of great importance, because of the fact that the animals exhibited increased expression of three cytokines - interleukin 4, interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor-alpha mRNA. According to the authors these all play an important role in the stomach's ability to protect against damaging effects resulting from other responses to H. pylori infection. And more interestingly-glutamine supplementation may be an alternative therapy for reducing the severity of infection. Thus ptoviding a relief to the patients suffering from H.Pylori. H. pylori bacteria infect more than half of the world's population and were recently identified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the WHO. Hope this inexpensive, easy-to-use treatment could be used to modify the damaging effects of H. pylori infection inthe near future.
Congrats Dr. Susuan and group. ....
Ref : http://www.bidmc.org/News/InResearch/2009/May/StomachUlcers.aspx
Labels: Biotechnology, Drug Discovery, H. pylori infection, Peptic ulcer, Ulcerative colitis
Antiinflammatory activity of H2S gas !
Its something interesting, we knew that a gas which everybody hates and even lethal has been found to possess antiinflammatory activity by Dr. Matt Whiteman from the Peninsula Medical School. The research team investigated the role of H2S in endotoxic shock, which causes a fatal loss of blood pressure and extensive tissue inflammation.
They discovered that when H2S is delivered in a slow and sustained manner, a potent anti-inflammatory effect is produced. Cell signalling molecules that drive inflammation, such as TNFα, IL-1, IL-6 and prostaglandins, were reduced while levels of the body's own anti-inflammatory molecules (i.e. IL-10) were increased. We know the side effects of NSAIds and even the so called nonulcerogenic NSAIds have side effects (except for those with selectice inhibitors of 5-LO and CO), most of them have side effects. Hope the outcome of this research will lead to compounds which can overcome the side effects. Thus generating H2S in a controlled and sustained manner offers the potential for the development of a new group of anti-inflammatory drugs or lead to the modification of existing drugs so they also release H2S and hopefully come with less gastrointestinal side-effects.
Hope, using H2S donating molecules to control H2S delivery in the body could pave the way for the development of novel approaches to the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Congrats Dr. Matt Whiteman and his group for this interesting finding...
Labels: Drug Discovery, H2S
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance Explained !
We all know that the introduction of antibiotics as drugs in the treatment of bacterial infections in the post-WWII years was a revolutionized medicine, and dramatically improved the health condition on a global scale. 60 years later now, the growing antibiotic resistance among pathogens has heavily depleted the arsenal of entailed effective antibiotic drugs and especially in the case of TB, combination of 4 drugs is being used and don't know what happens ?. Now thanx to Prof. Måns Ehrenberg for his novel discovery i.e., inhibiting the "drug efflux pumps" in bacteria, which function as their defence mechanisms against antibiotics, can mask the effect of mutations that have led to resistance in the form of low-affinity drug binding to target molecules in the cell. This is shown by researchers at Uppsala University in a new study that can provide clues to how the development of resistance to antibiotics in bacteria can be delayed.
This new study, experimentally and theoretically explained how the inhibition of these drug efflux pumps can completely mask the resistance effect of mutations that reduce the affinity of antibiotics to their target molecules in the bacteria cell. The effect of the mutations is entirely hidden when the pumps are unable to remove the antibiotic sufficiently quickly in relation to the dilution of the antibiotic through cell growth and cell division.
A new way for drug discovery....
Ref : http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/04/30/0811514106.abstract?sid=4175ffe7-b04b-4fc3-9270-af9a9bd5d953
Auranofin an arthritis drug as new antibiotic?
Traces of mineral selenium is found in a number of proteins in both bacterial cells and human cells called selenoproteins. Associate Professor William Self's research shows that interrupting the way selenoproteins are made can halt the growth of the super bug Clostridium difficile and Treponema denticola, a major contributor to gum disease.
Infections of Clostridium difficile (C-diff) lead to a wide range of illnesses ranging from severe diarrhea to colitis, which can cause death. It's a life-threatening problem in hospitals and nursing homes worldwide, and the number of cases is on the rise. There are an estimated 500,000 cases per year in the US alone. Between 15,000 to 20,000 people die each year while infected with this superbug. Treponema denticola is one of leading causes of gum disease and costs individuals thousands of dollars in dental care each year.
The significance of the research lies in the fact that, the gold drug Auranofin used to treat arthritis, impacted selenium's metabolism process. The chemical reaction changes the selenium, which prevents bacteria from using it to grow. Auranofin is an FDA-approved gold salt compound that is used to control inflammation and is already known to inhibit the activity of certain selenoproteins. Since certain bacteria, such as C. difficile, require selenoproteins for energy metabolism, the drug acts as a potent antimicrobial halting the growth of the bacteria. The initial studies with C. difficile led to studies with T. denticola, known for several years to require selenium for growth. While testing the gold salt, Self's group also uncovered another surprise; the stannous salts found in many antimicrobial toothpastes in the form of stannous fluoride also inhibited the synthesis of selenoproteins. Previous independent research had already established that stannous salts are more effective at preventing tooth decay and inhibiting growth of T. denticola, but the mechanism of this inhibition of growth was not yet known. These findings could lead to new approaches to preventing gum disease. The out come of the research is really interesting because no one in the earlier days thought of this innovative idea, i.e., to block the metabolism of selenium before as a therapeutic approach. And also this may through some light how "gold salt works for arthritis". Congrats Prof. Self and co workers...
Ref :http://www.springerlink.com/content/g6725k414863446q/?p=1f9d7cac7a4e4867af336327382c16bd&pi=4
Antisense drug in combination with paclitaxel for ...


This lovely village of Vang Vieng is located just outside the main town. It took a few minutes to navigate the dirt roads and get to our center village.
Our home stay hosts were awaiting us. After some quick introductions we were whisked off to get settled in our rooms and meet our families where we were dressed in traditional clothes.
Back to the local lodge center for dinner which was more than amazing. I can honestly say most of the very excellent food on this trip was the local home made food and street food. A couple of restaurants served good food but not amazing like the home made 'right out of the kitchen' deliciousness from our host families.
The evening was spent in song and dance! Yes, there were about 100 children from this small village who sang and danced traditional dances for us. They even allowed us to participate and taught us a new dance.
The group purchased exercise books and pencils for the children, which made their day! Hopefully they will have a good use of them. We said good night and then made our way back to our home stay room for a good night's sleep.
Our host showed us how to drop the mosquito net around the bed and get the fan started so that we would have some good air circulation.
We had a wonderful sleep and awoke refreshed and ready for breakfast to be served in the center village room with the rest of the group. A great breakfast was followed with a quick bus boarding and off to our next location just 30 minutes away at the town of Vang Vieng.
Recommended for those who want an authentic home experience a home stay should be on your list but be ready for local living conditions as well.
Previous Post Ock PopTok Silk Factory in Luang Prabang and more food!


The majority of writing assessments we reviewed included CR items, which directly assess students' writing skills. Typically, CR assessments require examinees to compose an essay in response to a prompt or stimulus under controlled conditions; the texts produced are then evaluated, whether by human raters, automated writing evaluation systems, or some combination of the two. The CAAP essay, COMPASS e‐Write, CLA+ Performance Task, CUNY CATW, and the GRE Analytical Writing are all examples of CR tests. Many such assessments ask examinees to take a position and present a well‐developed argument using supporting evidence from one's own readings and experiences (e.g., CAAP essay, GRE issue task) or to critically analyze arguments or information presented in a text (e.g., CLA+, GRE argument task).
GRE Issue Task 1 GRE Issue Task 2 ..
[eBook] GRE WRITING Issue Task, 왜 마구잡이로 시작해 ..
Following is a sample Issue task that you might see on the test: ..
Register Now > Send only your best scores.
disagree with an opinion on a topic of general concern and to support their positions with reasons and examples (similar to GRE issue task).


See available 200 Leslie Towers condos for sale. Direct Intracoastal location in Hallandale Beach at 200 Leslie Drive spacious one to three bedroom condos. Towers of Oceanview Point Hallandale Beach What a great location. 200 Towers of Oceanview Hallandale condos feels like a private Island. 200 Leslie Drive condos located on a private secluded Three Island development in Hallandale Beach. Please Contact Us or give us a CALL 786-505-4786 if you have a question on 200 Leslie condos.
Direct Intracoastal Towers of Ocean View building with waterfront views and partial ocean views depending on the floor lever in what the owners of the condos in 200 Leslie Towers like about the complex. Condos for sale in 200 Leslie Drive Hallandale Towers feature spacious residences with the largest units being a two bedroom plus Den and two full bathrooms.
I love these 5 buildings they offer so much and are so easy to convert to open floor plans. And that is actually what a lot of owners have already done. Large spacious balconies great size condos. Condos for sale in 200 Leslie Drive Towers are a great choice for primary or a vacation place. Other buildings in the development include the 1000 Oceanview, 800 Oceanview, 400 Leslie Towers and 600 Oceanview. Give us a call 786-505-4786 for more info on the 200 Leslie Towers condos.
Advantages of living in 200 Leslie Drive condos. Located on the main road one way in and out and no through traffic. Great area for walking or bike riding. Direct Intracoastal location with expansive views all around. Very spacious residences ranging from one to three bedroom. Close proximity to shopping restaurants and entertainment. Serviced by public transportation all over Hallandale Beach.
Towers Of Oceanview Point Bldg.


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About the Founders
The Circularity Project
We are now accepting worn down and broken swimwear from any brand (yes any!) which you would have otherwise thrown out. Read on to find out why, and a special thank you from us for doing so.
350,000 tonnes, which is an estimated £140 million worth of used but still wearable clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year.
One study found the average Briton throws away about 3.1kg of textiles every year. With only 0.3kg of that being recycled and 0.4 kg sent to be reused.
The textiles that do end up in landfills can sit there for up to 200 years, and whilst decomposing, it emits methane - a greenhouse gas which is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
By doubling the life of your clothing from just one to two years, we can help reduce emissions from clothing production and disposal by as much as 24%.
What we're doing to help
We all need to do our bit for the planet, and as a growing sustainable brand, we know we have the power to do more. That's why, we will be accepting worn down and broken swimwear from any brand (yes any!) which you would have otherwise thrown out. And we alongside our factory will be sending them on to our recycling partner, to be recycled and repurposed into eco industrial products such as eco-carpet underlay. The idea is to keep precious materials that are no longer usable out of landfills and back in textile circulation.
Because together, we can make a bigger impact.
How to recycle your old swimwear
Make sure your broken/worn down swimwear is clean
Remove all metal and any other attachments from your swimwear (including zips, underwire, clips, buckles, etc)
Package your swimwear and use delivery address:
Stay Wild Swimwear Recycling
The Carrier Group
Westacott Road
EX32 8AW
Send off your swimwear and take a photo of your receipt
The bigger picture and long term goal
This is just one step in the bigger picture. As this is more than one brand's ethos - this is about the planet and our oceans. We know this is not enough, but it's a step in the right direction. Our long term goal is to eventually be fully circular, so in many years down the line you can send in your old Stay Wild pieces, once they've worn down, and we will be able to use this same material to create new Stay Wild designs. We are always making what we do better and more sustainable, as this is a journey and we are constantly evolving.
Read our blog posts for more ways to recycle correctly, look after your clothes, sustainable swaps and more.
Why just swimwear?
We have a small London based factory so we need to limit capacity for now. But as we look to grow, we are aiming to launch this project long term next year.
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Stay Wild Swim is a limited company registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 11299376.
Registered office: International House, 12 Constance Street, London E16 2D
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Delhi: J. P. Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India conferred the Florence Nightingale Awards to B K Rupa Upadhye, Chief of Nursing Services, J.W Global Hospital, Mount Abu.
Sister Rupa was instrumental in developing a clinical skill lab in the hospital. She is the first female nurse in India for High Altitude Medical Rescues Operations and had special training by Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force.She had rescued 5600 victims in hazardous conditions in hilly areas. She has participated in many health rallies and health awareness programmes. Her passion and selfless service in nursing and people of India are highly commendable. After leaving voluntarily the government service from Mumbai, she works as nursing officer for the past 26 years on honorary basis in the J.W Global Hospital, managed by Brahma Kumaris, for the past 26 years, in Mount Abu.
The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, was the Chief Guest at the International Nurses Day Celebrations organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at Rashtrapati Bhawan, here today. At the function, Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare conferred the Florence Nightingale Awards to 35 nurses from across the country in presence of Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Smt Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health).
Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda congratulated the award winners and appreciated their exemplary services. Acknowledging the strong caring and compassionate attitude of the nursing community, the Health Minister said that we are proud of all the winners and wish that they will be an inspiration for all the nursing personnel in the country and motivate them to provide quality nursing services and standards.
Also present at the award ceremony were, Shri Arun Singhal, Additional Secretary (Health), Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional Secretary (Health) and Dr RK Vats, AS & DG (CGHS) along with other senior officers and invitees.
Please find below the report (also attached), photo and video links of the Janki Foundation Annual Lecture held on 27 November 2017, 'Cultural Depression: A help or hindrance?' – With Prof Dinesh Bhugra and Sister Jayanti chaired by Neville Hodgkinson. Song by Karishma Patel and poem by Dr Sarah Eagger.
We received great feedback from the programme and many people requested the video link. Apologies for the delay in sending this out, we had some technical issues!
Please feel free to share this news with colleagues and friends who may be interested.
Cultural Identity and Depression: A help or hindrance?
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for The Janki Foundation was held earlier in the evening with around 60 people attending. The Foundation is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and so the Chairman's report included a presentation of the key milestones and achievements over the 20 years. Everyone who had contributed to the Foundation's success over the years was thanked by name, and a set of Compassion Blessings was given to everyone attending.
Annual Lecture: With more than 160 present and over 100 joining online, Neville Hodgkinson opened the evening by informing everyone that Dr Sarah Eagger had now taken on the role of Chair for the Janki Foundation. Neville also gave thanks to the contributions of many to The Janki Foundation and the inspirations of Dadi Janki: The foundation continues to fund Global Hospital, and continues to educate many who work in the health care profession across the world, in understanding healthcare from a spiritual perspective as well as helping people understand a deeper perspective of illness.
Neville introduced the annual lecture special guest and speaker for the evening: Professor Dinesh Bhugra, CBE. He has recently stepped down as president of World Psychiatric Association after a three-year term and has been elected as next president of the British Medical Association. 'He is very charming and humorous and we are going to enjoy his presentation tonight': Neville concluded with the question: Are there cultural influences in the way we understand depression?
Professor Bhugra gave a fascinating lecture using a presentation to pace through many aspects and symptoms of various levels of depressive illness as well as highlighting studies pointing to cultural factors affecting vulnerability. He emphasised the importance of seeing the patient holistically and asked, what are the circumstances that trigger depressive episodes and cause ill health to develop?
He said there is a need now to educate patients to understand what is happening. And that these days mental health is too important to be left just to the 'experts'. That we all need to get involved, understand and support. He passionately expressed how essential it is to give people more information so they can recognize depression and understand where to seek help, in their cultural context.
He also noted that depression is a universal experience, yet the language about it can differ and the meanings and symptoms can be very different according to individuals, culture and religious inclination. So management strategies need to be appropriate. There is also a wide spectrum of physical symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used widely but we should not expect one size to fit all.
Before entering into conversation with Professor Bhugra, Sister Jayanti noted how the development of the nuclear family and the breakdown of neighbourhoods has led many to feel isolated, creating situations that lead to depression. Culture, in this aspect, can make a major difference. Conditions in the world are also highly stressful for many, with much negativity, especially in societies that are very competitive. Both stress and depression are relatively new ailments of the human spirit, she said; there was not a term for either before the 20th century: the term 'stress' used to be applied to metal, not human beings.
While recognizing the need for psychiatry and other forms of professional support, she emphasised that spirituality can be a big factor in helping people with this condition. Understanding our own inner identity, coming to terms with that, and seeing what we are capable of, can lift people out of depression. She also noted that sometimes culture can be a hindrance…when through a strong cultural identity, there is a refusal to acknowledge mental illness.
· Part of the acculturation process is to learn to hide parts of ourselves so that we feel accepted.
· In today's world 'social capital' is highly regarded: how we are perceived by peers and the social group we identify with. We can see this in the use of social media and the obsessions people have with their profiles.
· Spirituality can contribute to this social capital….where there is a sense of purpose, belonging and being, such that even when we are living with uncomfortable thoughts, we are able to carry on.
· Cultures across the world are in transition…and human nature has a great capacity for adjustment.
· Spirituality can play a major role in helping people get out of the sense of 'entrapment' and the anguish associated with it. For example, a sense of entrapment 'as a woman' in a male-dominated society can be overcome when we realise we impose barriers on ourselves by identifying with the gender we inhabit. With spirituality, we look at our inner identity.
· In terms of society and culture there is often a dichotomy between the egocentric self and the collective self. In the west, it is egocentric dominance, while historically in the east the collective has been more dominant.
Egocentric societies tend to have higher rates of crime and other forms of social breakdown.
· The notion of social capital is important. Belonging to a group that has common values can protect us from depression and anxiety. Social rituals such as gathering and eating together as families reduce egocentric drives, and promote wellbeing. Many of these rituals are in dramatic decline, as more people move away from traditional religious practices, and adopt faster work schedules.
· There is however a rise in interest in spiritual ideas, as people feel an increasing sense of 'emptiness', and a disillusionment with globalization and the increased disparity it has brought between rich and poor. There is a need to find a balance between science and spirituality.
· We need a sense of belonging, to enjoy wellbeing. We need something to ground us, to be part of a community. Where this is absent, severe loneliness and depression are likely to result.
· The highest sense of belonging is to feel connected to the entire human family. When we are in touch with our spiritual identity and belong to a community of higher values and ideals, we recognize that we are not just part of one race or religion.
· Neediness often shows up in a depressive illness and we have to recognize where a patient is coming from – for example, what are the immediate contexts of kinship and social capital.
· Part of the tragedy of medicine has been to over-focus on diseased organs, rather than on people.
· Both spirituality and psychiatry can help by bringing social functioning back into focus. Spirituality, through its emphasis on identifying with the inner being, enables us to learn how to discipline and channel the mind in very useful ways.
· Within certain religious cultures it has been thought that depression is the 'wrath of God', yet guilt and shame put a big barrier to transforming thoughts and feelings and recovering from mental illnesses.
· Society is changing rapidly and we still don't quite understand the huge impact this is having on people's lives and our ability to function within this context.
· People are feeling less and less valued and as a consequence have lost touch with their innate worth.
· Many feel left behind in today's fast-moving technological world.
· There is also concern about an over-dependency on the drug industry. More work needs to be done on patient- focused interventions, as one size doesn't fit all.
· Housing problems and dietary deficiencies contribute to people's vulnerability to depression.
· It is time now to respect the contributions made by professionals to our wellbeing, and at the same time patients need to become professionals in helping themselves – and spirituality helps in this.
Reflecting on the evening, I watch what is going on in my mind….I realise that I have a choice….I can let my mind go into avenues of negativity ….things are difficult….so many challenges come our way every day and we meet difficult people every day…is that what I want to dwell on…..let me explore another path….to explore the original beauty of the self…..every soul has goodness…..every soul in its original pure state is filled with beauty, truth and love….and for a few minutes this is what I wish to explore….I allow myself to connect with that inner beauty in which I the soul truly reflect on the qualities of the Creator…I was created as the image of the Divine….peace….compassion…truth….belong to the soul….deep down within myself… I know that these exist and as I journey inwards, this is what I connect to. Becoming aware of who I truly am restores my value and confidence in myself….without ego…but with true dignity, keeping in my awareness my own original qualities….I come back to the awareness of here and now…and the things I need to do here, while connected with the inner being and the beauty and truth within.
Neville gave thanks for an evening full of insight and clarifications, with much wisdom shared by both speakers. Thanks were also given to Brahma Kumaris for hosting the event and the Janki Foundation team, who coordinated it.


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Why diamond is a precious stone?
Is diamond considered a precious stone?
Why diamond is so special?
Why Some stones are precious?
Why diamond is the most valuable mineral?
How precious is a diamond?
Which are the 9 precious stones?
What is diamond made of?
What is an interesting fact about diamonds?
What do diamonds symbolize?
What are the 7 gems?
Is gold a gem?
What is my birth gem?
Why diamond is so expensive?
Why diamond is expensive than gold?
Are diamonds Rocks?
Diamond, the most famed and fabled of all gemstones, is very unique in many ways. Renowned for being the hardest substance on earth, its sparkling fire, durability, and rarity make Diamond the most prized of all gems. … Most Diamonds used as gemstones are colorless or very faintly colored.
Precious stones are distinguished by their quality, their rarity and the beauty of their colours. There are only four precious stones: diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald. All other stones are therefore called semi-precious stones. … Only a diamond can scratch another diamond.
Diamonds are made of a single element—they are nearly 100% carbon. Under the extreme heat and pressure far below the earth's surface, the carbon atoms bond in a unique way that results in diamonds' beautiful and rare crystalline structure.
According to the German expert Max Bauer, precious stones are "the minerals which combine the highest degrees of beauty, hardness, durability and rarity". … In practice most 'precious' stones have received this label down to economics and aesthetics, rather than any mineral or chemical properties.
IT IS INTERESTING: What does a Teardrop Diamond mean?
Diamond is commercially the most popular mineral because of its eminent role in the world of jewelry trading. The average value of this prestigious, alluring mineral is approximately $55,000 per gram.
Diamonds are not particularly rare. In fact, compared to other gemstones, they're the most common precious stone found. Generally, the cost per carat (or weight of a gemstone) is based upon a stone's rarity; the rarer the stone, the more expensive.
The traditional setting and arrangement of these nine gems is shown in the illustration. A ruby (representing the Sun) is always in the center, surrounded (clockwise from the top) by a diamond, a natural pearl, red coral, hessonite, a blue sapphire, cat's eye, a yellow sapphire, and an emerald.
Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals.
A diamond can only be scratched by another diamond and they are the hardest natural substance ever known. Diamonds are nearly 100% carbon and are made up of a single element. The diamonds that we see today were formed due to immense heat and pressure below the earth's surface.
Traditionally seen as a symbol of faithfulness, love, purity, innocence and relationships filled with love, diamonds have been regarded over the centuries as a love-bearing crystal which are 'dependable in its virtues when received as a gift' – so it is no surprise that diamonds are used in our engagement rings and …
IT IS INTERESTING: Why are diamonds so expensive but water cheap?
Strictly speaking the precious stones are only seven in number—the diamond, the pearl, the ruby, the sapphire, the emerald, the oriental catseye, and the alexandrite; but to these are often added the so-called semi-precious stones—such as the amethyst, the topaz, the tourmaline, the aquamarine, the chrysoprase, the …
Precious metals include: gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Precious Gemstone – Only four gemstones in the world are classified as precious gemstones: emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds.
Modern Birthstones
U.S. 2013
March Bloodstone, Jasper Aquamarine, Bloodstone
April Diamond, Sapphire Diamond
May Emerald, Agate Emerald
June Cat's Eye, Turquoise, Agate Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite
Diamonds are expensive because they cost a lot to bring to market, there's a limited supply of fine quality gems, and people around the world want to buy them. It's simply supply and demand.
Since the value of gold is predictable and stable, gold has more value than diamonds. Natural diamonds are created when carbon is subjected to extreme pressure over millions of years. … Only a highly prized diamond, like a very large stone or an unusual color, will hold its value or become more valuable over time.
Diamond is only formed at high pressures. It is found in kimberlite, an ultrabasic volcanic rock formed very deep in the Earth's crust. The extreme pressures needed to form diamonds are only reached at depths greater than 150km.
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The Global Goddess
A single woman's journey
About The Goddess
Flight Review: Air Asia Brisbane to Bangkok
JUST like a dish you'd create in a Thai cooking class, travelling on the new Brisbane to Bangkok Air Asia route is a blend of the five ingredients essential to this nation's cuisine: sweet, spicy, salty, sour and bitter. Last week I flew this new route, which was launched mid year, to Thailand. I hadn't travelled with Air Asia for a decade, more by default, than design, the majority of its direct flights previously operating out of the Gold Coast rather than the Queensland capital. As a Brisbane resident, who has seen airlines soar and plummet out of BNE over the years, I really wanted to like this airline. It was like going on a first date, where you're secretly willing it to work. But, unfortunately, it fell short of the mark.
The Sweet
Check-in at Brisbane International Airport is prompt, polite and professional. On board, the all-Thai staff greet me in Thai, their hands poised in prayer position. Even better, I have an entire row to myself for this nine-hour direct leg. On both legs the Thai crew are super vigilant about safety, on take-off and landing walking through the cabin and checking and triple checking every safety detail such as fastened seat belts.
The Spicy
The cost of this return flight is extremely competitive, coming in at around $500 which is about half that of a full-service carrier. For an additional $400 from Brisbane you can upgrade to a Premium seat which reclines into a flat bed. For those who don't want to pay the extra $400, but want peace and quiet in economy, there's also a Quiet Zone towards the front of the plane, which costs an extra $15 and is well worth it.
The Salty
The word "salty" has crept into the Australian vernacular as a term you used when you are annoyed. On this flight this emotion arose from time-to-time. Inexplicably, on the day flight out of Brisbane, crew in the Quiet Zone insist that every passenger close their window shades for the entire flight, so that the cabin is plunged into darkness for nine hours. Even more bizarrely, on the midnight flight home, there is no such insistence, so several hours after take-off, once the sun starts rising in the southern hemisphere, the cabin is flooded with light as you try to sleep. More annoyingly, despite it being deemed a Quiet Zone, the crew did nothing to police the noise of the rowdy boys in the last row of the cabin who decided to share their entertainment device…without headphones. Speaking of entertainment devices, despite this airline being up and running for months now, there are still no devices, nor an entertainment App you can download on this route. I was advised to "bring a good book".
The Sour
An airline which makes its money from extras such as food and drinks but rapidly runs out of both? Unbelievable. There were only two drink and food runs on this nine-hour flight and while you can pre-book meals, many people don't. By the second run they were out of white wine plus numerous other meals including their signature hamburger dish they tout on the front of their menu. An ordinary-tasting Australian wine on this route costs $12. There are, strangely, no breakfast items on the menu and so, at 9am Brisbane time (6am local time) I am served a meal of roast chicken in black pepper sauce. Except it looks nothing like that which is presented on the menu. And no, you don't get real cutlery as the photo suggests either.
Roast chicken in black pepper sauce, according to the menu
Roast chicken in black pepper sauce, the reality
The Bitter
I am not an entitled passenger who moves seats without seeking permission from the cabin crew first. On this flight, there were copious rows available in the Quiet Zone for the midnight flight home, so I asked a member of the crew before take-off whether I could move specifically to the back row. She said yes. We took off, the seat belt sign went off, I put on my eye mask, covered myself with my cashmere wrap and proceeded to snatch some much-needed sleep after this work trip. A few minutes later I was being shaken awake by a member of the cabin crew. She told me this was now a "crew rest" area and I needed to move. She accused me of not asking permission to move to this seat. I assured her I had. She left, and was replaced by a second, and then third member of the cabin crew, who all tried to tell me this seat was now reserved for crew rest. Finally, the crew member who originally told me I could have the seat arrived. She admitted she had "made a mistake". Eventually she acquiesced and told me I could keep the seat. A colleague travelling in the same cabin commented that the crew took out another three entire rows for "rest" but barely used them. When I awoke in the morning I noticed the tray tables were filthy. So filthy I wondered whether this was dirt that was actually a stain which couldn't be removed. I tested the dirt with my make-up remover wipes. It was easily removed.
Brisbane travellers who are solely price driven may wish to consider this airline but take your own food, entertainment and some antibacterial wipes to clean the seat. For those flyers who want more Bangkok for their buck, this may not be the airline for you.
The Global Goddess travelled as a guest of Air Asia http://www.airasia.com She made several attempts to source basic information from the airline for this review but received no response.
In Search of Silver Linings
ON a sanguine Siam Sunday, in the month of monsoon madness, I am flying through a chunky carnival ride of clouds. I am travelling from Bangkok to Thailand's Trat region, lurching through the sky and big Buddha bellies of bursting water over thirsty rice paddies below. I am enroute to Koh Khood, the Thai island which is home to Peter Pan and Tinkerbell resorts, and beaches of the same nefarious names. But up in this scatty sky, I am wondering if this is where my fairy-tale ends. After one aborted landing, we eventually reach terra firma and I rapidly swap my terror for travel writing. Silver linings? This story is full of them.
I amble through the Thai Muslim/Hindu village of Ban Nam Chiew, past vibrant blue, aqua, orange and red timber fishing boats which contrast against the angry August sky. Ban Nam Chiew means "fast current" in Thai, and it's apt, as this is a village which is moving with the times. During the monsoon, there is little fishing to support this tiny population which has, instead, embraced tourism. For $41, visitors can buy a two day/one-night package which includes local food, a homestay with a village family, and craft making such as traditional farmer's hats. Ban Nam Chiew is also known for its sweet crackers crafted from coconut milk or cream, mixed with rice or tapioca and topped with brown sugar, shallots, coconut-diced carrot and sea salt.
And it's smart women such as Tourism Project leader Surattana Phumimanoch who are embracing this change.
"The purpose of the village is for tourists to have a look and see our way of living," she says.
"Fishermen can't work in the monsoon season so this project will make extra income.
"This village is unique in that the Muslims and Hindus have lived together for more than 200 years. A lot of the new generation live away from the village and come back and realise the potential."
Sated from this success story and a local seafood lunch, I board the boat for Koh Khood, the last island in the Gulf of Thailand before the Cambodian border, and what the Thai's call "paradise on earth".
Thailand's fourth biggest island after Phuket, Chang, and Samui, the lesser-known Khood has such high-quality pepper, it exports this spice to Europe. You'll also find superior seafood here. On this humid hour, I scramble onto the sticky seat of a "songtaw", a Thai truck with two long bench seats and bars, and rollick along the island.
Outside, the emerald countryside is as lush as a Sydney socialite, peppered with pointy Thai rooves, rich rice paddies, and locals in conical hats.
I am meant to be island-hopping, snorkelling what the postcards promise are pristine waters, but the weather has dampened that plan, so instead, the next day I hop back into the sweaty songtaw, and explore the island. There's a Thai's fisherman's village at Yai Bay, home to giant grouper, crab, lobster and pineapples, and a glistening golden Buddha statue. I feast on barbecued prawns for lunch at another seafood village and burst into the Gulf of Thailand ocean at Tinkerbell Beach, just as the sun explodes through the clouds for a few precious minutes.
I am staying at Cham's House, which pays homage to an ethnic group in south-east Asia which is believed to have originated in Borneo and who, during the cruel reign of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, suffered a disproportionate number of killings. Here, it's peaceful, where only the croaky night bushes have frogs in their throat. Outside my room, the ocean gushes peaceful platitudes at me, while inside, the geckos are goading me to write. But what? I am scratching for a story and a silver lining, knowing it's out there somewhere. But where?
It's a smooth flight back to Bangkok where I seek refuge at the Rembrandt, a glorious hotel surrounded by serene side streets or "sois". If you're looking for an Australian travel writer in bustling Bangkok, chances are you'll find them in the Rembrandt's Executive Lounge at 5.30pm, where the drinks poured are almost as tall as the tales told here. It's a comforting corner in this hectic city, in the tradition of foreign correspondent's clubs all over the world. If you squint, you can almost see the ghost of the world's great writers lurking in the corner. I repair to the hotel's Rang Mahal restaurant where I feast on this city's finest Indian fare. It's washed down with Granmonte shiraz, wine made by an award-winning female Thai wine maker who studied in Australia and whose vineyard I visited on a previous trip.
On my last day, I am a lazy lizard, floating in the pool, drinking beer with pizza, stretching out those tired travel muscles in a Thai massage and even having my hair washed and blow dried, before the flight home. While the hairdresser scratches my scalp, I keep mining my mind for the story. And as a travel writer, I should have realised, it is just this. Travel doesn't always go to plan. It will pour big Buddha bellies of rain and you'll be gasping for a snorkel that may never come. Travel, like flying, comes with unexpected turbulence and you will feel uncomfortable, even scared. But if you wait long enough on those sticky songtaw seats, there will be a breeze. Some seafood. A simple story about a fishing village turning to tourism. And even a break in the clouds. And you'll take your monkey mind and plunge into the ocean, and smile at that silver lining.
The Global Goddess travelled as a guest of Thai Airways http://www.thaiairways.com; Bangkok Airways http://www.bangkokair.com; and the Tourism Authority of Thailand https://au.tourismthailand.org
A Quick Pick Me Up
THOSE crazy funsters at STA Travel have released a new survey, which reveals some of the most popular pick-up lines among holidaymakers. A survey of more than 600 Aussies reveals we are not only well travelled, but we know a thing or two about romance while on the road. God, it's the entire modus operandi of The Global Goddess, so you can imagine my delight when this literary gold landed in my inbox late last week. In no particular order, here's the Top 10 travel pick-up lines (and my take on them).
1. Dubai
The only part of Dubai I've ever seen was the airport, and to be more precise, the hole-in-the-ground airport toilet where I dashed from the plane nearly 30 years ago, on not only my first international fight, but my first flight ever. Suffering from motion sickness and culture shock, I dashed past the men with machine guns at the airport in my mission to be violently ill. Thus guaranteeing no one would use this pick-up line on me.
2. Jamaica
While I've never been to Jamaica, I certainly feel like I have, as does any Australian traveller who has spent more than their fair share of time in Bali. The Indonesians love Bob Marley as much as they love their Bintang brew, and it's a dreadlock holiday every time you enter the country. No Woman, No Cry? Not an issue in Bali.
3. Vietnam
I have been fortunate to travel to Vietnam on a number of occasions. On my most recent trip, in which I found myself in Saigon, not only did a little girl become enamoured with me during my visit to the confronting War Remnants Museum, so did her aunty. Just my luck to have a middle-aged Vietnamese woman fall in love with me.
It pains me to say this, but I have been to Paris three times, and each time I have stood in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower just willing the love Gods to strike me down with that fabulous French magic by which other travellers swear. Has. Not. Happened. All I can see is a nation of chain smokers and some pretty nasty dog poo on the streets. I know, I know. Sacre bleu!
While I have been known to frequent the sunny shores of Thailand's famed beach destination on numerous locations, I have yet to find love among the long tail boats. This could have more to do with the fact that for years I have been mixing up the Thai terminology for "the weather is hot" (because I'm such a witty conversationalist), and instead telling every poor Thai man and woman upon whom I stumble that "I am hot" (as in sexy) right down to fanning my body. In retrospect, this does explain all the strange looks.
Ah, Rome, sweet Rome. Home of all those gladiator types, you'd think I'd be able to pick up. Hell, I couldn't even find the Spanish Steps. The fact I was sitting ON them, while looking for them, is somewhat concerning for a professional travel writer. I did, however, catch the eye of a young Roman girl on a public bus, who pointed at my then boyfriend at the time (yes, I ONCE had a boyfriend, miracles can happen), and asked in perfect English so that everyone could hear. "Is he your lover?" Had I known then that boyfriends would become such a rare commodity, I would have shouted "yes" from the rooftop, rather than pretending I was a German tourist who couldn't understand this crass child.
7. Amsterdam
Well, you've opened the floodgates with all this boyfriend talk and it was this very same European trip, with this very same boyfriend (did I mention I ONCE had a boyfriend?) that we travelled to Amsterdam. And being broke backpackers we decided to stay in some stranger's home for a very reasonable fee, long before not only was Airbnb not invented, but the entire bloody internet. We wondered for years how we managed to get this room so cheaply until it dawned on us that some nefarious Netherlanders who knew the Internet was just a decade or so away from becoming a reality probably captured our nether regions on some hidden camera.
8. Seoul
Despite being a massive, and rather tragic, child fan of the TV series MASH, Seoul has never been top of my travel list. But based on this pick-up line, perhaps it should? Move over Hotlips Hoolihan, The Global Goddess is in town. I wonder if Klinger would lend me a frock?
I'm flat out spelling this destination, let alone knowing where it sits on the US map. A quick check of Dr Google reveals it's in Nashville where I believe Australia's very own country singer Keith Urban lives. If things don't work out with Nicole…
10. Customs and Immigration
It would be fair to say if I added up all of my travelling, I have spent several years simply standing in customs and immigration queues around the world. So it stands to reason that I should have found love somewhere along the line. Given Australia is so far from anywhere else, the chances of me looking even half decent by the time I arrive in a foreign land, and have to clear customs, is reasonably remote. The hilarious line I like to use on immigration officers "I look much better in real life than my passport photo" hasn't jagged me a boyfriend yet either. But I had a boyfriend ONCE…did I mention that?
The Global Goddess is off to Fiji this week on assignment and is searching for some witty pick-up lines fearing "I'm feeling a bit Nadi, do you want to Fiji me?" may be lost in translation. All suggestions welcome…
Top 10 Travel Hot Spots (or not) To Find A Fella
1.Taiwan
Head straight to Long Shan Temple in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. Here, you can gamble on God, dice with Dharma and bet on Buddha all at once. In what is essentially a game of Taiwanese two-up, you first take a stick with a number on it. Then, in your head, you tell Buddha your name, where you are from, and what you are asking for (eg: the love of your life). Then you take two blocks of wood and toss them. If they both land face up, Buddha is still thinking about your request. If they both land face down, your request will not happen. If one lands face down and one lands face up, your request will come true. The good news is that one of mine landed face up and the other face down. The bad news is that I am still waiting to meet my "man of honour" that the wood promised. But if I do, I am told I must return to the temple with him.
2.Vietnam
In Saigon I managed to attract lots of love interest. Just none of it from members of the opposite sex. Rather, it was older Vietnamese women who appeared enamoured by me here, something which became apparent from my first night. While enjoying a Vietnamese omelette stuffed full of prawns, pork and spices, an old lady, who was at least 100, walked into the restaurant carrying a pile of books as high as her head. She pointed to Fifty Shades of Grey, asked, "You want to read" and then punched her first into the air, laughed and said "Boom, Boom!" In the beach resort town of Nha Trang I had a Vietnamese massage where my masseuse slathered me in oil and then proceeded to slap me hard on the buttocks. At one point I thought I'd entered the Red Room of Pain in Fifty Shades. Back in Saigon, I was befriended by a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who gave me a small doll as a gift, before telling me that her ageing aunt thought I was "beautiful".
3.Samoa
You can guarantee seduction in Samoa, at least by this Pacific island nation if nothing else. For this is a land of tsunamis, tragedy and triumph. Of man over Mother Nature. And it's also about tribal tattoos, tradition and testosterone. Head to the Samoan Tourism Association Cultural Village in the capital of Apia and you can witness local men partaking in the manhood-testing tradition of a tribal tattoo. I was reliably informed that the only part of a man's body from his middle back to his knees that is not tattooed is his penis. Curious types like me can go there hoping for a gentle breeze to lift a lava lava to prove this point. You'll fall in love with this country, which has survived its share of cyclones and a devastating tsunami in 2009 which claimed 189 lives in the South Pacific, many of them children. This is a land of loss, lore and love. And the men are handsome too.
4.Thailand
One of the greatest love stories of modern time, and which I've been furiously following, exists along the River Kwai, better known for its war history. Here, overlooking the emerald mountains of Kanchanburi exists a young man named Sam. Sam is a Mon man from the displaced Mon people, considered one of the earliest tribes to live in southeast Asia. Sam, 22, a tour guide at the River Kwai Jungle Rafts, is in love with a girl called Jaytarmon in a neighbouring village but he doesn't own a boat, so access isn't easy. And then there's a girl from his own village who is also keen on Sam. Yes, even in the jungle, love is complicated. While you may not find your own love story along the River Kwai and her floating raft hotels, you'll adore this bridge between the old and new worlds, and this enduring and evolving tale of the heart.
5.Indonesia
I'm reliably informed that Bali is a hunting ground for cougars but if you're a reformed cougar, like me, then all hope is not lost. I was once accosted by a Balinese waiter who asked from where I hailed, to which he replied: "Oh, Australia, kangaroo, kangaroo very sexy." When he saw my baffled expression at the thought of Skippy being a sex God, he proceeded to draw an invisible outline in the air of a curvy bottle of Coca Cola. He then pointed at me and said: "Coca Cola, very sexy." While my outrageous laughing may have put paid to any love interest, for the rest of my stay, if my girlfriend was looking for me in a crowded pool, she only needed to visualise a kangaroo drinking Coca Cola and up I'd pop. Or should that be hop?
6.Jordan
It took me all of five minutes upon arriving at Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan, to realise that Arab men are as sexy as their reputation. I don't believe I've floated through airport immigration anywhere in the world with such outrageous flirts. At my hotel every morning, three young waiters would actually argue over who got to bring me my morning coffee, and be rewarded with a smile. In the end, all three each brought me a cuppa, so it was more like a maniacal grin from me. Charm is everywhere here, with male shopkeepers saying things like "Your lips are like honey", or "I can see Sydney in your eyes" despite the fact you live in Brisbane.
7.Australia
Back on home soil I'd love to say I've cracked the code to attracting an awesome Aussie male, but that would be a lie. However last year I did go to the Whitsundays for the annual Airlie Beach Race Week. Think: 74 islands and 800 horny sailors in town. Unfortunately I didn't read the fine print, which states that old salts like their calamari young, so to speak, and I'm more of a barracuda. When not staring out at the horizon, I'm told sailors have quite the roving eye. Airlie Beach itself is a backpacker party town, so should you wish to meet a hot, young man you'll never see again, and are prepared to spend the night in a bunk bed, this is the place for you.
8.Fiji
Like her Samoan sister, Fiji is teeming with attractive people, including the women. Which is just as well, as a woman twice the size of both my mate and me dragged us both up onto the dance floor, and then watched our inherent lack of white girl rhythm as they played the funky music. A much better bet, and a lovely day trip, is out in the Sigatoka Valley and to Naihehe Cave. Here, you wade through cool water and pass through three chambers including a tight spot known as the pregnancy passage. If you get stuck, it means you are pregnant. Which makes for an interesting souvenir to take back home.
9.New Zealand
Every time I skip across the ditch to New Zealand something strange happens. Last year I went into a Wellington prison to interview six "lifers" who were involved in a Prison Gate to Plate cooking event. Yes, the only thing standing between me finding true love was the New Zealand parole office. The earth did move for me there, but that's only because there was also an earthquake. A few years prior I was in Queenstown researching what non-adventurous souls such as myself could do in the world's adventure capital. Adventure ended up finding me, and caught in a white out somewhere up on The Remarkables, I managed to enlist two kiwi men to actually carry me down the slippery mountain while I cried hysterically. Needless to say, there's nothing attractive about a woman with frozen ice tears on her face.
10.Europe
Think like Australia's own Princess Mary and snaffle yourself a Prince. Hey, if it's good enough for a real estate agent from Hobart…And there's a few single blokes on the market including Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark, who is actually based in New York and does look after Greece, whose economy isn't so hot right now. You could try Prince Sebastien Henri Marie Guillaume of Luxembour who, at 23, loves to travel and is a keen sportsman and apparently adept at climbing, skiing, swimming and rugby union. For my money, I recommend Prince Wenzeslaus of Liechtenstein. His family is considered the richest monarchy in Europe. Vince the Prince, or Vincent, as he prefers to be called, has never married, but has been known to date the odd Victoria Secret supermodel which makes him simply perfect for the average Aussie sheila.
Vince the Prince
This blog post is part of The Global Goddess' entry into the Virgin Australia Top Travel Tips ProBlogger competition. #pbevent @virginaustralia
"The sole cause of a man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room, Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel
IT'S almost mid-June and my itchy traveller's feet are already becoming tetchy, niggling to get back on that road, so soon after I've just stepped off the beaten track. After a big six months of travel, I'm taking a brief pause to recalibrate, but it's not a simple task for me. My body says stop, but my mind roars like those four Rolls Royce engines upon take-off, constantly conjuring up all the possibilities out there in the big, wide world awaiting me. But it's important to stop, however briefly, if nothing else but to breathe. To indulge in that most sinful of sins, sleeping in one's own bed.
I started the year with a few domestic trips, out west to Ipswich where I rode in a helicopter to a winery and took my first hot air balloon flight – both of which were pretty big deals for this travel writer who hates to fly. I explored Brisbane's southside and discovered a Buddhist temple and a whole new side of my pretty city I never knew existed. As Alain de Botton argues in his book The Art of Travel you don't even need to leave your own home to travel. Much of it is a state of mind.
Things became a little crazy in March with a big trip up to Papua New Guinea but what a delightful visit to this South Pacific frontier it was. I came home with armloads of stories and some beautiful new friends. I was home for three days, enough time to wash, dry and repack my clothes, before I headed off to Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, all in the space of a week. I was sick as a dog on that trip, but sometimes you don't get a choice to slow down, and it's amazing what you can do when you really need to.
A long weekend in Noosa, part work, part pleasure followed and I started to dream of the following weekend when I'd be back on the Sunshine Coast for Easter with my sister. But fate had other plans and torrential rain forced the cancellation of our Easter holiday on the Sunshine Coast, but determined to get away, we fled to Fiji instead, where one of our best Easters unfurled among coconut cocktails and South Pacific church services.
Shortly after that, I was in Cairns and Port Douglas, exploring the beautiful tropical north of my state. I hired a car for this trip, switched the radio to some superb 80s tunes, and sang my way along the Captain Cook Highway north. There was a moment of truth when, all alone on a remote beach eating my lunch I though "I'm all alone" with a tinge of fear and sadness. But that was rapidly replaced by jubilation: "I'm ALL alone," and I skipped back to my rainforest cottage with pure glee.
As fate would have it, I returned to Port Douglas a week or so later for another story. Funny how you don't go somewhere for 15 years, and then you return to that very destination within a short time frame. I wonder what Alain de Botton would make of that? It was a completely different trip which evoked vastly different feelings, proving it's the journey, not the destination, which makes the place. As de Botton would say: "Journeys are the midwives of thought. Few places are more conducive to internal conversations than moving planes, ships or trains."
I was on the Sunshine Coast a week later, at Rainbow Beach, a place I'd never been, scratching my head as to how I'd missed such a Queensland gem. I spent the night camping at Inskip Point right on the beach while the wind howled outside, and trying to imagine that a week later I'd be in Austria, covering Eurovision. I arrived in Vienna, a city I last visited 20 years before as a backpacker, and hardly recognised the place. It made me realise that while I was fitter two decades ago, I was also very young and, according to de Botton: "A danger of travel is that we see things at the wrong time, before we have had a chance to build up the necessary receptivity and when new information is therefore as useless and fugitive as necklace beads without a connecting chain." And so it was on my previous trip to the Austrian capital, but not so on this journey. I returned to Salzburg where seven years previously I had gone in search of the Sound of Music magic. I found it again on this trip, and more.
On the long journey home from Europe to Australia, I paused for 10 hours in Bangkok, one of my all-time favourite destinations. Due to the length of my layover I had just enough time to leave the airport, find a hotel, have a Thai massage and sit by the pool in the early evening humidity to eat a Thai curry washed down with a cold Singha. And even then, I found it alluring, tempting myself to stay on, trying to find a loophole to avoid getting on that midnight flight to Brisbane.
I've been home two weeks tomorrow and if I'm really honest, it took me about four days till I was climbing the walls. But it's a necessary climbing journey. I need to write, reset, catch up with friends, go to yoga, attend meditation and, if I'm lucky, go on a date or two. It's winter Down Under and it's time to pause and reflect, if just for a little bit. Oh, the trips are already mounting in the coming months, there's Noosa, the Whitsundays and Mount Isa, followed by Uluru and Canada. I hope to get to Sri Lanka. And that's just what I know now. And so I sit, write and regroup, but it's not without its challenges. As de Botton wrote: "And I wondered, with mounting anxiety, What am I supposed to do here? What am I supposed to think?"
River Kwai Delights
February 2, 2015 February 3, 2015 9 Comments
THE River Kwai is a jade jewel as late afternoon concedes languidly to dusk. The longtail boat in which I am travelling roars and sputters like an indigent politician up the infamous waterway towards the floating jungle rafts I have come to know and love so much. Travel writers don't particularly like returning to the same place – there's too much world to explore – but there are some destinations which become firmly etched into your psyche. And so entrenched in your soul you are unwittingly lured back. And for me, this is one of them, in part for its brutal war history involving the bravado of Australian soldiers and in part for its sheer natural beauty.
I penned these words a year ago on my fourth trip to the rustic and incredibly beautiful River Kwai region, pondering what it was that kept drawing me back to this part of the world. I still have no answers, but the pull to return there has emerged again, and this year, I'd love to take some of you with me. And so, I am delighted to announce I have launched a new tour River Kwai Travel Writing Delights with The Global Goddess. In early August, we will be meeting in Bangkok where we will spend two nights in a luxury five-star hotel, before we embark on our journey to the River Kwai. And along the way, we'll be observing, day dreaming and writing about our travels.
If we're lucky, we'll bump into my good friend Sam Season, about whom I have written before. I first met Sam Season several years ago, and over the years I have been speaking with him about the most salacious of all subjects: love. Regular readers of The Global Goddess will remember this 22-year-old tour guide, a Mon man from one of the earliest tribes to live in South East Asia. Considered neither Burmese, nor Thai, the Mon exist in a small slither of land along the River Kwai, not far from the Burmese border. The Mon number some 8.14 million people but I remain captivated by this one man. This man called Sam.
At night, he paints his face in traditional Mon markings but speaks with an English accent plucked out of a south London pub, with a smattering of Aussie twang – picked up solely from the tourists with which he works every day. He moved to this particular village when he was 9, and has been studying to finish High School since, in between working 6 days a week at the River Kwai Jungle Rafts. And Sam is in love with a girl called Jaytarmon with beautiful long black hair who lives in a neighbouring village down the river. But access to this girl, like internet, electricity and hot water, are elusive in these parts. And to complicate things more, Sam is being pursued by a girl in his own village, who cooks for him and washes his clothes.
Last time we parted ways, on the banks of that beautiful river, Sam had plans to spend the year perfecting his English, so he can gain a mechanics scholarship in Australia and work towards his dream of becoming a car mechanic along the Thai/Burmese border. His plans included professing his love for Jaytarmon and asking her to wait for him and his love. Those of you who know me personally, or have met me through my words alone, know that this will be a journey of humility, heart and humour – the three cornerstones I believe make a great writer, and good human being. Please come and join me in one of the most beautiful trips I have ever done. It will change your life.
For more details on my tour River Kwai Travel Writing Delights with The Global Goddess, please click on this link: https://theglobalgoddess.com/joinmythailandtour/
I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
where I sipped champagne on yacht, I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got. I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things that a woman ain't s'posed to see, I've been to paradise…Charlene (1977)
FOR me, Christmas is a time to reflect. It's when I briefly stop travelling, slow down and glance back on the year. It would be so easy in my job as a travel writer to stumble from destination to destination and chase the rush of the next story and adventure, discarding the last place I've visited as simply a fuzzy memory. Recently, while filing a piece to camera for my colleagues over at TravelThereNext, I was asked what I "collect" on my travels. And it's pretty simple. I collect characters. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in every corner of the planet. I try to capture them in my stories and in the quiet corners of my mind. Store them up for those rainy days when I need reminding that the world is truly a remarkable place. And so I present to you some of the great characters I've met of 2014.
First World White Girls, who performed at the Judith Wright Centre, reminded me of how fortunate I am.
I began my travelling year in Bali in January where I met Cekorda, 85, a respected medicine man. "How old are you?" he asks as I sit with my back against his knees, his wiry fingers probing my skull.
"43," I respond.
"Not so young," he mutters to himself, much to my amusement. He then asks me my problems.
"I have a broken heart," I reply.
I lay down on a mat and he presses between my toes with a stick. My third toe on my left foot hurts and I yelp.
"Your broken heart is healed. It is your mind. You have self doubt."
Cekorda then stands above me and traces his magical stick over my body to clear my aura, before announcing that I no longer have a problem.
He turns to an Western bystander who speaks Indonesian.
"Women are very complex," the bystander translates for Cekorda. I laugh all the way from Bali back to Brisbane.
Bali medicine man Cekorda
In February, I'm up in Thailand, where I return to the River Kwai and meet up with my young friend Sam Season, a traditional Mon Man who works on the River Kwai Jungle Rafts. Sam has two big dreams: to gain an apprenticeship as a mechanic in Australia and to marry the love of his life, Jaytarmon who lives in a neighbouring village. I ask him whether this mysterious girl with the long black hair is still beautiful. He doesn't hesitate. "Oh, awesome. I want to listen to her voice." He pulls out his iPhone until he finds a photo of her, laying dreamily on a bed with her hands in her chin. "I look at her photo every night before I go to bed. I have to make her believe in myself and trust in myself. When I finish my education I will be ready. I have to show her 'can you wait for me?' One day, when I have an education we will have a good life and then we will marry."
Sam Season
March finds me back in Brisbane, struck by the sadness of the drought which is consuming my country. My journey takes me a few suburbs away where I catch up with Tom Conley, 3, who was born just before the 2011 Brisbane floods and ironically now bakes for drought relief with his mum, Sally Gardner. "Tom gets involved in all the cooking adventures in our home. He especially loves baking and as soon as I get the utensils out he rushes over, climbs up and wants to measure ingredients, crack the eggs and lick the bowl, We talk about who we are helping or who we are baking for, he enjoys drawing pictures for the drought-affected families."
Tom Conley
In April I return to Bali, to spend Easter alone at a yoga retreat and to recover from yet another disappointing relationship. Purely by chance I select OneWorld Retreats Escape The World program in Ubud where, along with twice-daily yoga sessions, I am challenged to sit with myself for one glorious day of silence. Claude Chouinard, who runs the retreat with his partner Iyan Yaspriyana, reminds us that despite everyone around us seemingly being able to travel, we are only a small percentage of the world who is wealthy enough to do so. He encourages us to embrace our 24 hours of silence and see it for the gift that it is.
"For just one day you can consider this silence a form of torture or one of the greatest gifts you'll ever give yourself. What we know as time is in fact an illusion. For human beings, time is limited to the moment we are born, to the moment we leave this planet, a very short journey considering the age of the universe. Live every day by the minute and enjoy as much as you possibly can…the illusion goes by quickly."
Iyan Yaspriyana
May is chaotic and colourful as I spend nearly a month in Europe chasing a range of stories. And I meet a range of those fabulous characters I so treasure….A sultry Slovenian who compliments me on my "good English" when I reveal I'm Australian; Skanky from Mumbai who eats one gigantic meal a day as he doesn't wish to "get sick on German food"; Suzie, the Filipino Canadian whose love of Schnitzel knows no bounds; Calamity Jane from Chicago who wanders the streets of Berlin pointing at every single wall and asking our tour guide whether it is a piece of the Berlin Wall; and a jolly gay guy from Wales.
A bold Berliner
June is spent in Christchurch, which was devastated in February 2011 by an earthquake in which 187 people were killed and 1000 buildings destroyed. At the C1 Espresso café I speak with owner Sam Crofskey, 37, who not only lost his original café across the road in the quake, but his house as well. Sam was working in his high street café when the earthquake hit.
"I was a little bit confused. The coffee grinders fell off and landed on my legs and the power went off and then I could hardly stand. We needed to get rid of the customers, the staff and then ourselves. We had more than 100 people in the café at the time. Out on the street everyone was distraught and I thought everyone was over-reacting. I thought we'd come back tomorrow and clean everything up. It took a lot more for me to understand the city was actually gone. When you are here with no power or phone you have no idea what's going on. I was like, my business if fucked, my house is fucked…that's annoying."
Sam Crofskey
The mercury had plunged to minus 2 degrees out in Southern Queensland Country in July when I ventured to the Dalby Cattle Sales in search of myths and men. I spend two hours chasing cattle and cowboys around the cattle yards before I decide to leave. On the way back to the car, I hear a voice behind me. "So, have you got your story?" a cowboy says, following me quickly out of the cattle yards. "Yep. I don't have all morning to be chasing you boys around," I say defiantly. "Where are you staying tonight?" he directs this question at my breasts. "Chinchilla," I say. He stands and considers this for a moment, calculating whether I'm worth the hour drive to the next town. And just as I'm about to turn to leave he says: "Well, I guess I'll see you around then." The interaction keeps me entertained for several days and hundreds of kilometres later.
Dalby cowboys
I spend the most perfect August day with a close mate where we escape to the Sunshine Coast and the Eumundi Markets and Noosa. We stroll and laugh. Steal languid pauses to smell the roses, or in this case, the pungent soap on sale. Chat to a stallholder about his carnivorous plants. Try on eclectic outfits. Resist the seduction of sparkly jewellery. Wander through aisles of books. Observe the colourful characters. Pat a camel. We stumble across a "Willy Washer" and spend some time discussing its purpose. There's a male fairy guarding some jewellery that resembles the young man selling the silver, fashioned from old knives, forks and spoons. An ancient typewriter has been dismantled, somewhat to our dismay, and crafted into trinkets. Colourful hand-woven handbags remind us of our travels around the globe. We discover Noosa Reds – plump, juicy tomatoes bursting with the distinct flavours of this fertile region – deliciously packed in crunchy brown paper bags. A giant gecko mural hugs a pole. There's glass-blowing and some beaut ukes. And all the while, we keep winding through the marketplace, unravelling our lives.
A Eumundi Fairy
On a stunning September afternoon I find myself staring at boobs and Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, at a High Tea to launch Kim McCosker's cookbook Cook 4 a Cure to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and to celebrate the opening of Australia's newest resort brand ULTIQA Resorts. Guest speaker Mark Wood volunteers his time to speak about breast cancer after losing his wife Annie to the disease seven years ago, and says one in eight Australian women will be told they have breast cancer at some stage.
"Today, 37 women will be told they have breast cancer. To think that's happening to 37 people today and the day after is far too many. And seven people would have lost that battle today. My wife got a death sentence but my daughter, who was 12 at the time that Annie died, got a life sentence losing her mother so young. Twenty years ago, 37 per cent of women diagnosed with the disease died, but that's now been halved through awareness and education."
All of a sudden I feel tired and emotional, but as I furtively glance around the room, I find I am not alone. There's not a dry eye in the house.
Kim McCosker
October was spent in Fiji at the Australian Society of Travel Writers Awards where I won Best Food Travel Story for a piece I wrote about a group of six hardcore Wellington prisoners who were being rehabilitated through a cooking program "From Prison Gate to Plate". Talk about collecting characters. And the words of celebrity chef Martin Bosley, who runs the program, still ring in my head. "I didn't realise what a loss of freedom truly meant before I went in there. As a community we need to change our perceptions and be prepared that one day these men are getting out and we need to pick up where prisons leave off and reduce re-offending."
Fiji School Kids
I returned to Hawaii for the first time in 22 years in November, where there were characters galore including the mythical menehune. Sheraton Kona Cultural Tour Officer Lily Dudoit explains these little red men. "Everywhere in Hawaii we are known for our myths and legends. We have the little people who only come out at night to do their work. We call them Menehune and they are said to have reddish skin colour. There was a couple who had their wedding photo by this tree and when they had the photo developed there was a Menehune peeking out from behind the tree. They like to make trouble. Sometimes things go missing or they move something. You don't find them. They find you." I spend the rest of my time in this land of rainbows searching for possibly the most intriguing men I will meet all year.
Hawaiian Kids
Which brings me to December. While many leave Brisbane and Australia, this is the time of year where I sit on my back deck with a cold beer and warm memories. There's movies and coffees and catch ups with friends and family, the all-important support cast of characters in my life. Thank you to everyone I have met out there in the big wide world this year, to those who have come on the journey with me, and to those who continue to love and support me back at home. Sending you love and light this season and may we all experience peace on earth.
christine.retschlag@theglobalgoddess.com
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Cha Cha Char
Dr John Thomson
medical suites
Natalie Grono
National Portrait Gallery Art
New Inchcolm Hotel & Suites
Monday musings from where I'd rather be, by the beach in Bali. #gingerandjamu #nusalembongan #bali #explorebali #thebalibible #indovidgram #balidaily #balilife #thebaliguru #indozone #padang #thebaliguideline #balicili #exploreindonesia