Time is of the Essence

The old adage, “Time waits on no one” is as true today as it was centuries ago. It seems that time is a scarce commodity in the twenty-first century. But is this really so?

There are still 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and so on. Time has not increased or decreased, therefore, one must conclude that the supply of time has remained constant; it is in no shorter supply today than it was yesterday.

So why are my friends constantly complaining about not having enough time? What is keeping them so busy? We never seem to find time to entertain one another and we don’t go on the occasional shopping sprees like we used to.

Remembering one of my grandmother’s popular sayings, “time is of the essence,” I have thought long and hard and searched and researched this matter for a solution. I have found an answer! Listen up gal pals. I have discovered a way to save at least 90 minutes each week. Just imagine – an hour and a half of extra time!

There is a certain procedure that I go through each week in order to replenish the kitchen cupboards. I am sure most of you go through a similar process. First, with note pad and pencil in hand, I inspect the pantry (cupboards) diligently, jotting down all items required. I check the refrigerator shelves, adding to my list eggs, milk and all required perishables. I check the vegetable baskets. Yuck! Staring at me are cucumbers, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes that have lost their colour and texture. Why oh why do I continue to purchase these fresh fruits and vegetables that I never seem to find the time to cook or eat? Naturally, I had good intentions to eat healthily.

After disposing of the rotten fruits and vegetables, I trudge upstairs to check the bathroom to see what requires replacement – toothpaste, tissue and soap are added to my list.

Finally, with a completed list of all grocery items needed, I drive a few kilometers to the supermarket. If another store has a good sale on, I may even visit two stores in a day. After circling the parking area for a while, I spot a shopper about to pull out and quickly position my car to slip into the spot. I barely make it before another shopper who had pulled up on the opposite side. Whew! If looks could kill! I search my purse frantically for a quarter, collect a buggy, and dash into the supermarket.

An hour and a half later, after scanning every food aisle and waiting in line at the cashier, I arrive home, tired and exhausted. But wait! The job is incomplete. Bags of groceries must now be unloaded from the car and the contents placed into appropriate places. Enough already, I say.

Lately, the procedure described above has been altered drastically. Now, I go through the first step of completing the grocery list, then I trek upstairs to my computer. I click onto wwwgrocerygateway.com (Canada) and voila! In 15 minutes I’ve ordered all items on my grocery list for the week. I have cyber shopped! By the next day, the groceries are delivered to my front door. The small $12 delivery fee is worth every penny of it. I’ve saved energy, gas and avoided the hustle and bustle in parking lots and waiting at cash registers. Most importantly, I have saved precious time. I figure that with an accumulation of 6 hours saved each month, my friends and I can once again go to a movie, a play, or do some of the fun things we used to do. So, get on the net my friends and cyber shop. Save some time and let’s party once more. Remember. “Time lost can never be regained.”

Playground of the Rich & Famous

Fabulous Villas

The Island of Anguilla, the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, is fast becoming a haven for the affluent and famous. Still a British overseas territory, the island is only about 26 km long and 5 km at its widest point. While it has no international airport, and does not allow the docking of cruise ships, the local airport is adequate for smaller airplanes. With only 26 miles of ocean separating Anguilla from St Maarten, it is a quick thirty minute ferry ride across.

But Anguilla is fairly unspoilt without the wall-to-wall waterfront hotels that most touristy islands tend to have. Instead spectacular villas tucked away in quiet bays and coves are the main tourist accommodation. Celebrities can come and go without fuss and interference and this include bestselling author Dan Brown (he actually bought a villa there) and Robert Di Nero.

The beaches are pristine with powdery white sand that slithers through your toes. It is said if you need to scuba, Anguilla is the place to so.

The Viceroy Hotel is fairly new, and one of the largest on the island. A regular

One-bedroom suite cost US $1,395 and up per night during the high season. While on a tour of this hotel in mid January, from its wide balcony, I looked out at the tranquil turquoise Caribbean Sea only to see the magnificent, $300 Million, 394 foot mega yacht known as “A” owned by Russian billionaire, Andrey Melnichenko glide into the bay. If there was any doubt about the caliber of visitors to the island, this certainly confirms that Anguilla is attracting wealthy visitors.

Billionaire's yacht arriving in Anguilla

http://www.topazvilla.com/2.html

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Vacation of a lifetine Part # 6 In Samoa Tatooing is Not a Fad

One of our charming tour guides

After a delightful visit to the exotic Island of Western Samoa, we continued our journey and arrived in Tutuila, known as American Samoa. This island is a territory of the USA and was a coaling repair station for the United States navy from 1878 to 1951.

A tsunami had hit the island nine days prior to our arrival. We were naturally leery about the visit, but our captain was assured it was safe to come ashore. Besides, the country now needed all the help it could get. Our purchases would help the economy. The authorities promised to make sure that we did not enter any devastated unsafe areas.

Within two hours after our boat weighed anchor at Pago Pago, the capital city, we piled into quaint buses that lacked air conditioning and headed out to tour parts of the island. Two beautiful female college students were our tour guides. They were determined to have us learn as much about their culture as we could during out limited time. They told us folktales and sang native songs. They encouraged all passengers to learn the words of one of the popular songs and to sing along.

Later as we walked about I noticed that many natives wore tattoos and asked about it. One student explained that tattooing in not a fad in Samoa; it is a part of the culture.
“I am daughter of a chief,” she said. “I have certain tattoos that my father ordered for me to have.” She stated that she had no say in the matter. Lifting her long skirt above her knees, she showed me a shapely leg covered in neat, uniformed tattoos.
“This is what I had to get,” she said.
While I don’t plan to indulge in this art form anytime soon, I now have an appreciation for the art of tattooing.http://tinyurl.com/y9ntuu8

Vacation of a lifetime Part 5

One of the better fales in Western Samoa

Arriving in Western Samoa

The islands of the South Pacific are all unique and wonderful and while they all have much in common, some things about each one stand out and remains indelible in my mind. I found two of the islands more fascinating than the rest; Western Samoa and Moorea.
Western Samoa: It could have been our tour guide on our excursion that made this island so interesting. He was the chief of his village, proud, very articulate and most willing to share information. “Everyone owns a plantation,” he explained. “We spend our time at the plantation and we share. The whole family is taken care of.” He explained that the land of Samoa cannot be sold. It is passed down to family members. If an outsider marries a Samoan woman, he will be allotted land but he will never own it and therefore cannot sell it.
Most Samoans live in fales; houses built on platforms, opened at the sides and supported by pillars. We passed many as we traveled through the country and noted that they rarely had any furniture. The residents sleep on mats that are rolled up and stored during the day. Curious about intimacy, after noting the lack of privacy, I asked our guide how a couple could be intimate under the circumstance. He had us cracking up when he said, “When I was a boy I asked my father the same question. He replied, ‘Why do you think your mother and I went to the plantation ten times a day? We were making babies!’”
I thought that answer was priceless.

Vacation of a lifetime Part 4

While this series of blogs will focus mainly on the exciting ports of call visited and unique objects, I would be remiss if I did not mention some events on board ship.

The equator, lines of longitude and lines of latitude have always been merely lines on a world map as far as I was concerned. I was on a course to learn about the significance of these ‘lines’ as our cruise ship proceeded southerly.

On October 2, 2009, as our ship headed toward Bora Bora, we crossed the imaginary line that divides the northern hemisphere from the south called the equator. But the crossing was not left to our imagination. The captain and crew held an “Equator-crossing” ceremony that was next to none! Hundreds of passengers gathered on the deck to witness the affair. Suddenly, sedate, dignified crew members and passengers transformed into wild party animals! From deck 14, a voluminous male crew member, dressed as King Neptune in a togo and head dress sashayed down the stairs to the Neptune’s Reef & Pool accompanied by a full entourage. Then began the most incredible ceremony as King Neptune passed sentence on many accused. Spaghetti and food colouring were plastered over many participants’ faces and they dived into the swimming pool to cool off. Some had to kiss large raw fish to obtain forgiveness. Our handsome captain strutted about in his lily-white sailor suit and cap with a necklace of colourful artificial fish around his neck. It was the wildest party on board so far.
A prize was given to the first person to spot the row of equatorial marker buoys in the ocean. Crossing the equator now has significance!

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Vacation of a lifetime Part 3

Church in Moorea, French Polynesia

As I toured the South Pacific Islands, I was impressed by not only the exquisite waterfalls in Hawaii, Samoa and Milford Sound, and by the exotic flowers seen at every turn, I was also fascinated by the churches. Besides the natives, the population of the South Pacific Islands includes Asian, Indians and Caucasian. With the immigration of these groups, came religions of all types. The islands are now dispersed with some of the most exquisite, quaint places of worship imaginable. One guide mentioned that the strongest, safest buildings on the islands are the churches. Take a look:

Catholic church in American Samoa

Church in Western Samoa

Temple in Maui

Vacation of a lifetime Part 2

Bird of Paradise, Hawaii

Poinciana, American

Samoa

When one thinks about the South Pacific Islands, one conjures up picturesque landscape, exotic fruits, beautiful women, buff men and azure waters. This is what I envisioned and the Islands did not disappoint. I am always fascinated with flowers, one of God's many fantastic creations. The flowers in the South Pacific Islands were healthy and sensational. Let me share some photos with you:

Bougainvillea, Hawaii