Life Without Travel Is a Life Unlived

A Life Without Travel, is a Life Unlived ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page,’ said St Augustine. I’ve always had a love for travel, give me the resources and point me in a direction and I’m there. ? Just the other week, I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest cities in the world: Hong Kong. That opportunity came to me when I was on my way to work. I got phone call from a friend who just found out about a promo for Cebu Air Pacific for flights to Hong Kong. She asked me if I wanted in. Without any hesitation I said yes! Before even knowing when the dates are, I said yes.That was three months ago. I never had any regret for that decision . We left Baguio around midnight for the long trip to the Diosdado Macapagal Airport. We were excited, eager. We didn’t sleep the whole 4 and a half hour trip. Our flight was scheduled 9 am. We arrived 3 hours early. Yeah, were were excited. After that 3 hour wait and a two hour flight, touchdown Hong Kong! It’s funny that the travel from here to the airport was twice as long as compared to the time going to another country. After clearing customs and swooping our packs, the first thing we did was get something called an Octopus card.The octopus card is Hong Kong’s Universal way of paying for transportation fare. It’s very convenient. You just swipe your card and you can hop on anything. Buses, subways, ferries, trams, you name it. So with that we took a super efficient train right into the heart of Hong Kong. After a 30 minute ride and a few stops, We stepped off the air conditioned train and we were instantly awed by what we saw. There are thousands of people out on the streets shopping, eating and drinking and every street is lit up with electric signs and florescent lights with the classic Asian energy.Our first destination , even before dropping off our bags, was Ngong Ping village, the location of the Giant Buddha. The village is a culturally themed attraction with lots arts and music and you really get a feel for their traditions and culture. Visiting the Giant Buddha was the highlight of the experience that can only be reached by climbing up a 300 hundred step hill. The whole experience took the whole day. After that it was time to head into Hong Kong. The actual city of Hong Kong is built on a small island and for new development–the only place to go, is up.The entire city is covered with monster skyscrapers, huge hotels and super-malls. Transportation is super easy, everything is detailed in both Cantonese and English so it would be very hard to get lost. There’s plenty to see here: experiences of endless shopping, big-city nightlife and delicious dim sum are to be had. Visitors can find both colonial history and modern architecture. Its open society allows many different cultures to flourish and you would see a lot of nationalities there. You would not be surprised to see a lot of fellow kababayans walking around.The second day was spent in DisneyLand. Even though people say its one of the smaller Disneylands, I was still impressed. The first time I saw the Disney castle in the horizon I felt like a kid again. We got to ride all the rides, experience all the shows. It much better than I expected, lots to do there, it took up the whole day. The evening fireworks was unforgettable, with each explosion timed perfectly with the music. Everyone had their mouths open. I can say that, even if we’re grown up and all it still is a magical experience. The third day was for Ocean park.This was a fun filled day out and very good value for money! As well as the obvious scary rides. There was a ride there that when you were in strapped to the roller coaster the floor would disappear and have you ride around and around. Unforgettable. We were lucky enough to see the Pandas at feeding time and it was a wonderful experience to be so close to them. I loved the aquarium, where you can see and watch a whole eco system live in there, with thousands of fishes, sting rays, sharks and all kinds of sea life mingle with each other.With live dolphin shows, tons of stuff to see and do. I think this was my favorite place there. Day four was the day we had to go home. As we were leaving the skylines of Hong Kong, I cant shake of the feeling that it was all worth it. Between budgets and busy schedules, it is not always easy to set aside time and plan a getaway. But as Mark Twain has said, â€Å"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So come out of your comfort zone. Explore. Dream. Discover. †

Book Report #2 for Rabbi School Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Report #2 for Rabbi School - Research Paper Example It is through intelligent inquiry into the nature of reality that the phenomena begin to emerge as an important part of understanding the existence of man. In a section that he calls The Disparity of Soul and Reason, Heschel (1976) begins by suggesting that we are far more aware of what is unknown at an earlier time in life than aware of what is actually known. He makes emphatic statement that â€Å"Soul and reason are not the same† (Heschel, 1976, p. 7). This sets the stage for an understanding of how the unknown is such an important part of the acceptance of faith. In addition, he makes an argument for the idea of how it is so easy to lose track of a sense of amazement, sending reason over the wonder that evokes the sense of God within the soul. As he introduces his thoughts, he has created a sense of admonishment to those who would fail to see the world through the sense of wonder that comes from the grandeur of the essence of God. The author is adamant about the problem of human beings trying to use reason instead of depending on faith. Heschel (1976) turns the tables in terms of how companionship between man and God takes place, stating that God intends for man to have a place in companionship with Him. Eventually, he wrote that ‘God is unwilling to be alone, and man cannot forever remain impervious to what He wants to show† (Heschel, 1976, p. 91). He emphasizes the originality of each relationship that individuals create with God. It is through an inability to be able to understand God that brings us closer as the inconceivable ability of the existence of God becomes the basis on which to assert that He is real. There is a point where he goes back to discussing the concept of God and how man often constructed concepts of gods that were more human than divine. Heschel (1976) quotes Xenophones who wrote â€Å"Homer and Hesiod have ascribed to the gods all the things that are shame and a disgrace among mortals,

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Assignment - Essay Example The symbolic interaction theory â€Å"looks at how people interact with one another and communicate with symbols and gestures† (Strong, DeVault, and Cohen, 2007). A good example of symbolism in my family is the setting arrangement at our dinner table. My father who is considered as the head of the family sits at the head of the table, my mother sits at his right side while my eldest sibling sits on his left side. I consider this arrangement as very symbolic since this order defines the powers and influence that each members of my family has. Note that the most powerful figure in my family sets at the head of the table while the second most powerful and perhaps the most influential one which is my mother sits on the right side which denotes that she is second in command. My eldest sibling on the other hand has the privilege of sitting on the left side of my father which apparently made him third in command. Technically, this means that he has authority over me and my younger si ster. The symbolic distribution of power among members in my family defines the roles of each family member. As the head of the family, my father has the responsibility to provide for us while my mother who is second in command takes on the role of a homemaker. Our roles in the family often affects our interaction with society in the sense that our actions are guided by the extent and the limits of the powers that we have in the home. For instance, since my mother is the homemaker, she controls the family budget and she is often the one who gets to decide what things to buy for the house. Since she has control over the family budget, she has more purchasing power as compared to us. As it is, her interaction with the other members of society takes on a different dimension as compared to the other members of the family. When it comes to gestures, my family uses familiar expressions and gestures to convey

English teacher training in Sausi Arabia in light of the challenges of Research Proposal

English teacher training in Sausi Arabia in light of the challenges of reality and taking into account the requirements of the labor market - Research Proposal Example This may be caused by some of the reasons such as poor teach training, in-sufficient language learning settings, students’ immoderate attitudes, inappropriate materials or an amalgamation of all of the above mentioned causes (Al-Mohanna, 2008). Additionally, the educational system prevails over the use of the Arabic language, which is widely talked and understood throughout the academic world. Although this do not contribute the problems as much as the other factors, yet the English language finds a very less active response from the teachers involved in teaching English language. English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers have found the presence of sufficiently unqualified teachers in the Gulf region (Syed, 2003, p.337) and EFL teacher preparation programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be understood as inadequate and nonsystematic (Al-Hazmi, 2003, p.341). Within the last four decades, graduates from the faculties of arts and graduates of college and education affiliated with the Saudi universities have been enabled to provide the services for EFL teachers in the country (Al-Hazmi, 2003, p.341). These teachers are trained and are provided with the bachelor’s degrees and associate’s degrees in the literature and in the English language. Additionally, colleges of education serve the students by educating them in the educational aspects; on the other hand, colleges of arts enable students to become English-Arabic translation specialists or English specialist, which may not be necessarily to enthrone them on the required level of English teache rs. Furthermore, both colleges of arts and EFL graduates of colleges of education are required to undergo a 4-year program; in which they are polished by offering courses in English literature, English language skills, applied linguistics, translation and linguistics. In

Principles of Risk Transfer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Risk Transfer - Essay Example In assessing the captive insurance industry in Bermuda, there is a need to understand the nature and merits of considering Bermuda’s domicile. Bermuda’s Captive Domicile Bermuda is a leading offshore captive domicile globally. This is a result of onshore administrative burdens and the costs related to conducting business in a US-based or Lloyd’s-based captive in the mid 20th century. This forced Reiss to look out for authority that would permit the flourishing of the captive insurance. Bermuda was selected due to its unique geographical site, good image and status as a British sovereign boundary that disliked uncertainties and perils normally encountered by multinational corporations conducting their business in politically volatile and irresponsible nations. Besides, captives in Bermuda are majorly owned by huge US firms. It can be noted that the second biggest licensing authority in relation to the number of captives is the Cayman Islands (Duffy, 2004, p. 97). Vermont ranks second in connection to the assets owned by insurance firms and third in relation to licensing of the captives. Regulation of Bermudan is done by the Registrar of Companies and the Minister of Finance under the Insurance Act of 1978, the companies Act of 1981 and the Insurance Amendment Act of 1996 (Sierk, 2008, p. 51). Through the regulation a better flexibility is offered compared to other authorities, with the industry carrying the burden of self-regulation, which accounts for the great success of insurance in the state. Moreover, the insurance industry has frequent annual audits jointly with a certificate of solvency, which ensures transparency in the manner risks are managed. Furthermore, most of the captives are registered in two classes under the Insurance Act. Class 1 insurers are unit parent captives, which are not allowed to write any form of unconnected business, while class 2 are relational captives or multi-parent, which are allowed to write up to 20% unco nnected business (Sierk, 2008, p. 59). Class 1 insurers have a minimum solvency requirement of $ 120,000 during the time of writing while class 2 has a minimum solvency requirement of $ 250,000. However, there are other classes which insurers can register; one of them is class 3, which does not include insurers and reinsurers. This class has a minimum requirement of $ 1 million. Class 4 has a minimum requirement of $ 100 million, which includes insurers and reinsurers writing instant additional liability or asset catastrophe risks. In addition, Bermuda is the best domicile since it has no income, corporate or through withholding taxes for operation of the captive insurance. Besides, the initial cost of putting up an insurance company is approximately $ 10,000. The legislation also provisions for rent-a-captives and secured cell firms (DFA, 2007, p. 13). The insurance industry’s rent-a-captive projects permit unconnected participants to be involved in the process of profits un derwriting from the insured risks in the captive. It also allows them to place irrelevant perils via the captive. Securitization of debt is eventually enabled in the risk securitization. Protected cell firms permit a firm to have distinct departments or cells independent of the other cells in circumstances of liquidation. Apparently, the joint combination of secured cell regulation and the rent-a-captives gives

International Management paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Management paper - Essay Example On the other hand, during Jurgen Dormann's tenure, the company's key aims were rationalization, redesigning of the company, saving money, avoidance of non-core business and simplicity (Burham et al, 1998). ABB needs to formulate its organizational structure on account of its product lines, competition, market coverage and location. To remain a key player in the industry, ABB needs to, among other things, treat internationalization and global diversifications with care and not rush it, fill its leadership gaps and address its performance issues. Moreover, the company can do itself a favor by making use the East Asian financial crisis to their benefit, addressing its pension benefits issues, minimizing its asbestos-related liabilities and adapting to the changing global competition (Bergrenn, 1996). A complex organization structure is not healthy for a company since it could lead to a financial downfall that can end up affecting its global operations, growth and market value. It could also lead to corporate retrenchment, loss of market share and a negative image for the company (Bergrenn, 1996). If I were Fred, I would make an effort to learn more about the Japanese culture, their social life and how they relate to other people, especially foreigners. I would also try to get their perception of Americans and generally try to put them at ease by encouraging them to open up at give their views on opinions. I would encourage my wife to do the same and try making friends with them. What should have been done differently The company management should have given Fred more time to study and find more information about Japan. If possible, the company should have given them some tour of Japan to make them make informed decisions. The family, on its part, should not have had too many expectations about their new location, and instead have realistic ones, and the flexibility to adapt. Case 3: Avon in Global Markets in 2007 Avon's operations in global markets Avon lays its emphasis on managerial skills; as opposed to technical skills, multiple management perspectives, tolerance for ambiguity and ability to manage and work with others. The company also has several global management teams that consist of managers in several countries and regions, relying on group collaboration, aimed at achieving optimum success and attainment of the company's goals. Dealing with a culturally diverse workforce and a multicultural marketplace in the coming years Since 70 percent of Avon's revenues are generated outside the United States, the

Personal view of Health Promotion and the values that underpin it Essay

Personal view of Health Promotion and the values that underpin it - Essay Example lthier lifestyles.† As an academic writing, the structure of the essay shall be built on the Gibbs’ model of reflection whiles trying to make bare, how my ideas, thoughts and views have changed since studying health promotion; how the changes I have identified changed how I think about ethical dilemmas and health promotion and how the changes I have identified changed how my thinking about ethical issues related to health promotion in general up to this point in time. Diagrammatically, the structure of the essay shall look like this: Health promotion is undoubtedly one of the best ways and most dependable hopes for the attaining a universal healthy lifestyle for all (Koduah, 2009). Indeed Koduah is not far from right people health promotion concerns itself with preventive healthcare rather than curative health care (Forest, 2001) and as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Due to certain personal encounters I have had as far ill-health is concerned, I took keen interest in the course, Health Promotion. Sadly though, upon relating some of the models, methodologies, concepts and preventive health theories learnt in class to what pertains in some local communities I was privileged to have gone to offer volunteer health delivery to, I find that our local authorities really have long ways to go as far as health promotion and for that matter, preventive health is concerned. The local community does not embark on any health promotion policies and there is no education among the local people on how to preven t diseases (Cartesian Health Report, 2005). The very first feeling I have towards the described scenario is that there is being a great disparity in the health promotion policy among healthcare providers. If every head counts as is proverbially said, then none should enjoy good health service at the expense of the other (Terry, 2001). The Minnesota Department of Health has a Community Health Promotion that I feel should serve as a model and an ideal