Being on assignment here, in this crazy labyrinth called Singapore, where strange angels are haunting every doorway, reminding you of that delicate balance between the living and the dead, there’s always some questions.  Why would they choose me to write about this particular festival, and how do I find out the best Chinese restaurant in town without becoming larger than some of the statues of the Buddha?  The answer to both of these questions live somewhere in an ether that I’ve certainly never tried, and perhaps never will.  I understand that there are certain Nirvanas that are not accessible to just anyone, and my own record will stand as it is.

They wouldn’t let me in to most, I would imagine, although here, at the Hungry Ghost Festival, it’s looking like this might be a possibility.  This is the festival that happens every year, during the seventh lunar month, when all the ghosts that haven’t been remembered properly come to the surface of the earth.  It’s origins are Chinese, but just as important right here, where Chinese culture is a large part of the city-states’s identity.  The people have been here for a long time, and the ghosts, it seems, for much longer than that.  This is becoming my favorite holiday very quickly.

I understand why I’m drawn.  I’ve always liked the idea of feeding the dead, because it speaks to a metaphorical idea I have about history.  Here, however, there’s no metaphor at work.  The thing that you see happening is exactly what it is.  They place plates of food on the ground so that the ghosts can eat.  Good luck to you if you happen to walk on one of these plates accidentally, because although not everyone can see ghosts, they can certainly see us.  I would imagine that after a few more visits here, and a few more ghost festivals, I might even be able to start making out these forms in the air, because there are times that I certainly see something.

Ghost Reporter in Singapore is a post from: Status Wheel

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Coming into Boston, I’m realizing that I’m not remembering things correctly.  It’s all just a little bit off today.  That’s probably part of a larger agenda, on my part, because memory sometimes works in my favor to make things look better in different kinds of light.  The last time I was here, however, it wasn’t the usual kind of east coast trip, where I land and check into a lovely hotel and begin an assortment of obligations and pleasures, leading to a business lunch with someone who will try to tell me no a few times before we discover that we do meet eye to eye.

This time, I am here to meet with a publisher, and I’m convinced that it should certainly go well, but it will not.  This is not a good time to be making deals, and at the same time, I did a divination on myself before I left and discovered that this is not supposed to go well, in order to make room for what happens next, which is unknowable.  I’m used to these signs by now, so I don’t mind having to put in time on the ground even though I will not get what I want.  It’s not supposed to happen that way, and I already know it, so I can relax and enjoy the time here.  I might go to one of the districts where there are a number of old bookstores, because last time I remember coming across one that was particularly well-stocked with Masonic texts, and it might be interesting to see who turns up there.

The last time I was here, it was to meet a new contact in what many considered to be a sure deal.  All we had to do was meet at one of those rock and roll museum restaurants, where I would tell him about our plans to do a series of books on dragons by region, and it would go over well enough we were all sure and agreed.  At that particular meeting, however, halfway through a Ruben, he started to play with his glass in a way that I recognized, and he asked me to try to understand things a little more carefully and with more heart, until he disappeared, and all I was left with was an empty table and his reflection in the ice cubes.

Boston Wizard is a post from: Status Wheel

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Now that you have decided to stay in a Grand Prairie hotel, click here, and you have seen some of the interesting sights around town, you may want to take a bit of a drive. Not far along the Interstate 30 , to the west lies the big city of Dallas. There are a number of things to do in Dallas and if you are interested in politics and fame than you may want to visit the sixth floor of the Dealey Plaza Book Depository Building. This is where they have a museum that remembers the life and untimely death of President John F Kennedy. This is, of course, the building where Lee Harvey Oswald took the life of the well love President as he drove by, with is his wife Jacqueline in a motorcade.

Lee Harvey Oswald was quickly caught and accused but as they were hauling him off to jail, he was shot and killed by someone in the crowd. The assassination has had years of questioning that came with many conspiracy theories and alternate stories. There are still many people today who think that Mr. Oswald may have had a partner or two. Or that he was just the pawn and someone else actually killed President Kennedy. No one really knows if the facts given are the truth or if there is another story. If there is anther story will it ever be told to the public. The National Academy of Sciences has conducted some research on the matter and they do question the accuracy of the evidence as it relates to their finding four shots fired.

More than six million people have visited the museum since it opened on Presidents Day 1989. Visitors can stand were Oswald stood. They can walk the street with a listening guide to hear all the about the facts collected and from the outside park. There is a shop with books and souvenirs. It all is a bit eerie, sad and a must see.

Grand Prairie to Dallas is a post from: Status Wheel

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All was not well for champions and favorites currently playing at the Australian Open. Tennis. player shoe-ins perhaps felt it the hardest when they realized that their formerly favored position in the world wide ranking system of tennis got knocked around a bit during the next round of matches in Melbourne, where the current Open is being played out, along with all the drama it encompasses for tennis fans.
Ana Ivanovic had a tough year. Though she had it good in 2008 as a finalist, this go around at the Australian Open with Gisela Dulko cost her big time. She lost 6 to four during the 3rd set she played with her opponent. Ana was number last year, but unless her luck and game and Tennis Scores improves, she might lose that top seeding she held in 2008. Big time losses since her grand win at the French open do not bode well for her maintaining her stardom on the court.
It was quite sobering to see another young and hopeful champion rising through the seeding, a term that is often used interchangeably with ranking, have problems during play too. Marcos Baghdatis was a finalist during the year 2006 but David Ferrar, who was ranked as 17th worldwide in the world of professional tennis, won in their recent tennis match.
There have been over events that have made the career of Marcos in tennis a little less than stable and not perhaps the ever rising and evolving star that fans and coaches want him to be. He has had his ups and downs throughout the years, but hopefully he will stay on the up and up this year and make good on the mens singles title that other historic players such as the Ice Man have won throughout the years and made history with. Everyone wants the ball at the Australian Open Tennis games, but not everyone can have it as the trials and tribulations of these players demonstrate all too well.

Tennis Scores and Seeds at the Australian Open is a post from: Status Wheel

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Grand Rapids Michigan is a beautiful city along the Grand River and is only about 30 miles from Lake Michigan. It’s not a large city for the country but it is the second largest city in its state. It started of as that home of a few Native American tribes that inhabited the area for thousands of years. Then of the British came in do do some fur trading which was typical for that time. The first famous person to live in this area was I suppose the first settler to the area Isaac McCoy, Baptist minister, who arrived in 1825. Then there was Joseph and Madeline La Framboise who were the first to establish a trading post in the area.

Madeline La Framboise came from a fur trading family and stayed with the trade with the help of her husband. Joseph was murdered in 1806 so she was left to handle the business on her own. Of all the northwest territory, Madeline was the most successful fur trader. It was a hard and dangerous business to be in during those times. Most women were not subjected to such a difficult business. But Madeline took it on and became the most outstanding business women in the state.

Another modern women to be raised in Grand Rapids was actress Gillian Anderson. She was actually born in Chicago and spent the first part of her life living in different places. As an infant she lived in Puerto Rico and then in London until age eleven. That is when she moved to Grand Rapids with her family. Her father was a film maker and she took to acting a passion she discovered when she got a roll in the community play while in High School. She also had another love which was archeology and marine biology. It is funny or fitting that she ended up on the hit television series the X-Files in 1996. Which then put her on the map as the Sexiest Woman in the World according to FHM. There are plenty of rooms in the hotels Grand Rapids has available to come and see the beautiful area.

Grand Women is a post from: Status Wheel

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