Request

I have something of an update for those who still bother to check this blog though it has not been updated in over a year. No, I have not completely forgotten about it. I simply have had nothing to update with. Until now...

Soon, I will be going to visit relatives. However, to get there, I will need to fly---for the very first time.

I am asking for any advice you have to offer for a first time flier. Tips to remember in order to make the flight more comfortable, tricks to keep myself occupied, how to deal with other passengers, and whatever other advice you can offer to someone who has no clue as to what to expect.

Happy New Year

Hello, I have temporarily come back from the dead.

First things first, Happy New Year to everyone. May your 2011 be better than 2010.

Now, I have been looking at my list of places to visit in my lifetime and have come to the conclusion that there is no way that I will be able to go to all of them. So I have been trying to whittle them down to my top ten for now.

However, I have a question for anyone reading this and willing to comment. This may become a game in the future:

So, since I must cut down my list:

Shall I go to Kenya or Tanzania?

I would love to hear opinions, including pros and cons of each that you have encountered or heard about. If you do comment, make sure to check back for a response since I have yet to figure out how to successfully reply to comments (I know there are ways, they are just rather complicated).

Weather Preferences

It has come to my attention that I am somewhat of a strange individual to most people in my preference for cooler weather. For most, the ideal are hot and humid temperatures. I find this odd because you can only undress so much and even then, you could be quite uncomfortable. Also, hot and humid temperatures tend to bring out the sorts of insects which most people cannot stand, such as pests which invade your home and bite you, sucking your blood until you are anemic (not to mention the itching which results). And then there are those insects and other arthropods which simply make some people's skin crawl, such as tarantulas, which prefer hot climes. Therefore, I cannot understand why there are so many who prefer hot and humid temperatures. If there are so many problems associated with it, why search it out?


This week, there will be yet another poll; which type of climate do you prefer?
And if you do vote, do not hesitate to offer your comments on it on this post.

Back to Voluntourism...

Well, it has been a few weeks since I referred to voluntourism, but I have been researching it a bit. Last week, I found some new things about it which I had not considered before. For instance, I was somewhat surprised to find out that some people go for volunteer honeymoons, as described here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/20/helpful.honeymooners.abroad/index.html?hpt=Sbin . I must applaud these people for willingly arranging honeymoon trips to help others when they would typically be spending these trips alone with each other.

In reading the article (or shall I say, the comments), I found several other voluntourism websites which I had not encountered before. One of these lit up my day; http://childrenraisethevillage.com/ . This site highlights children who have gone on volunteering trips willingly and other family voluntourism trips which they may have taken unwillingly. To see that there are still children and teenagers who are willing to be separated from their technology and designer clothing to help others gives me hope that perhaps they can change the world for the better.

I have also found a specific blog which focuses on the voluntourism industry: http://voluntourismgal.wordpress.com/ . Though perhaps not as...shall we say 'fun', as some of the other sites I have come across, it nonetheless seems important to check on occasionally so that one can be aware of changes in official voluntourism and it's status.

And last, but not least, I have found yet another website which has mini-episodes highlighting the voluntourism experience here, as well as other traveling tips and other things about traveling: http://www.traveltelevision.org/shows/. These should come in handy for anyone interested in traveling in general.

Wildlife News

Seeing as I am at a bit of a loss as to what to post about, I think this will be a compilation of wildlife/environment news from around the world, as I a particularly enjoy the topic, even if the news about it does worry me.

Attempts at breeding Nepalese rhinos:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10983513

New species of monkey found in South America:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/13/red-bearded-monkey-discovered-but-risks-extinction/?hpt=Sbin

Pacific extinction of megafauna and humans:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10970082

The importance of bees:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/collections/p007rdq3

Human business and the animal kingdom:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/8919616.stm

The green wall in Africa:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2010/06/100618_greenwall1.shtml

I know it is not exactly thought-invoking, but I still consider them interesting. I am slightly disappointed that the last article is not exactly the one I saw, but it will have to do.

Comments?

Happiness

I am sure that many people have seen the lists of the world's happiest countries. I have also heard that, as people travel, they find that people in poorer nations seem happier than those in their own more wealthy nations. Many may find this puzzling. But I believe it has much to do with consumerism, disparity in wealth, and family ties, as well as ties to culture. In countries where the people are more separated from their own history, I believe that they are more likely to be unhappy. Consumerism also does not help the matter. In many westernized nations, material goods (especially technology, it seems), are valued more than family ties or social networks (this does not include such thing as internet networking sites). This is part of the reason as to why Costa Rica beat out the wealthier United States--they have more ties to their own cultures and community than Americans. It has been proven that people are healthier and happier as they age if they have a true community which they physically interact with.

Unfortunately, rather than help strengthen human ties, technology seems to weaken them. Parents pay more attention to their Blackberries and high-tech phones and laptops than they do their own children and then wonder why their children do not speak with them. Children know more about the workings of computers than they do about their own family history. This is only making the gaps between generations widen.

Therefore, parents and children should put aside their computers and phones and video games and spend a few hours (or even an entire weekend, imagine that!) with their families without interruption from these technologies to really get to know one another and find what's most important.

And so ends my semi-rant. Do not be surprised if the idea of happiness comes up in future posts. However, as something of a codicil, I do not intend to harm anyone's feelings, this is simply my stated opinion. What is yours?

Something a little different this time...

This post shall be relatively unusual...and brief.

I recently lost my Sims 3 game. Since I have yet to find it, I have been playing my Sims 2 game. I really miss the lost game quite often because there are some things lacking in the second game (though this is also the case vice versa). In doing so, I have decided that I will take a slightly different route should I find the Sims 3 game again. I would usually simply play through a basic legacy. However, if I am fortunate enough to find it, I will try and do something a bit more plot inclined. Thus, in the future, I will be making another blog to post those stories, when I can finally play again. No worries for those who could not care less about such a thing, I will not sully your eyes with such things on this blog-unless they are related to something else I post about regularly.

So, in addition to this blog, I am also posting a poll on the side. Do you prefer Sims 2 or Sims 3 (if you play)?