Dance Videos Blog

She looks 10 times better in this video than almost anywhere else. I always thought that was her real hair, but now I’m not 100% sure, so does anyone know if that IS her real hair, or a wig.

That’s her real hair. Not her natural hair color because she is a natural brunette, and she dyes her hair blonde.

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Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, is not a big island; indeed it only covers 21 square kilometers. It is situated in the Gulf of Thailand off the western seaboard coastline, and it only takes about one and half hours to get there by high speed catamaran from Chumpon.

The majority of turtles that the island was famous for have moved away, and now it is known as one of the major dive sites in Thailand.

There is only one major road on the island, straddling the eastern side of the island, connecting the northern communities with those in the south. Other than that, you will need to take care when traveling around as most of the other roads are dirt tracks.

I find that the best way to get there from Bangkok is by train to Chumpon and then the catamaran. All in, the one way cost is only about 1,200bt and you can buy both tickets at Hua Lampong railway station in Bangkok. Depending on the connections, it takes about twelve hours to get to the island from Bangkok

Recently I went there to meet up with my mate Shane and Sao, his lovely wife. Sao runs a business supporting the dive industry on the island, and concentrates on renting out DPVs. For the uninitiated, DPVs (Diver Propulsion Vehicles) are normally used for diving and snorkeling and can go to a depth of 30 meters

Shane has had a number of business ventures in the U.K. and Portugal. I wanted to find out from Sao what she had learnt from him, and also, what her experience was of running a business in Thailand mainly catering to foreigners.

Allan – Ok, Sao, just how much have your learnt from Shane in running a small business?

Sao -   Well, it was quite a novelty moving to such a small island, learning to dive and then starting the underwater scooter business. It has been an interesting learning curve, and I am lucky that generally all the people I have to deal with are all in all a friendly bunch.

Allan – What is the market like for DPVs on the island at the moment?

Sao – We are lucky that most of the dive schools on the island are happy to use our services, and frankly, diving with a DPV is great fun!!

Allan – What has been your most frustrating business moments on the island?

Sao – Getting parts for the Seadoo DPVs. Despite the fact that Seadoo is a household name in the water sports industry, we normally have more broken machines than working, and getting spare parts is a nightmare. At the moment 70% of our DPVs have broken down and we have waited nearly a year for spare parts. We are hoping that Seadoo can get their house in order and we can get back to offering the best service available.

Allan – And what is your favorite part of the job?

Sao - Getting out there and talking to people every day, and best of all hearing that our clients have had a great time with the DPVs

Allan – What advice would you give to someone starting a small business in Thailand?

Sao – If you plan to start a business offering goods or a service, make sure you can rely on your suppliers. The buck stops with you. !

As I have only been to Koh Tao a couple of times, I also thought that it would be good to get Shane’s ideas on what to see and do on the island.

Allan – I know that Koh Tao is famous as a dive site, so what else would you recommend to do and see during the day?

Shane—There is not a great deal to do on the island except water sports and chilling out, but we do have a mini golf and a bowling alley, paintball, rock climbing and of course water skiing, wakeboarding, and snorkeling.

A round the Island snorkeling trip makes a great day out, available with various companies for around 650bt, stopping in five different bays around the island, but do remember the sun block!!!

(MELT offers a round the Island trip for 650bt, including fins, mask, refreshments/soft drinks, tire riding and a boom net.

Allan – Anything interesting to buy on the island, e.g. to take home as presents?

Shane – Nothing much is produced in Koh Tao and most things come from the mainland, However, Avalon offer large range of aromatic and massage oils, toners and various natural beauty products not readily available everywhere. Free advice is available from Andrea (Avalon@suthep.com).There is also an up and coming U. K. clothes designer recently arrived on the island – Nikki Noodles can design and personally tailor clothes for ladies at a fraction of European prices.

Allan – Where would you recommend eating? 1. Tasty and not expensive. 2. Excellent and not too expansive?

Shane – There are lots of places on Koh Tao to eat and drink. Eating and drinking establishments on Koh Tao have been opening at an alarming rate in the last couple of years

For myself, I enjoy a relaxing drink after diving at the Safety Stop in Mae Haad, where Western and Thai food is available on the menu. Brian, the owner from South Africa, also makes a mean Biltong (dried beef.). South African style!!

Dirty Nellys, the Irish Pub in Mae Haad, offer a western menu and a tasty pint of Guinness with live music some evenings. Choppers, in Sairee Village, also have live music some evenings, have large screen TV’s and show most sports events. Opposite Choppers is ‘Morava’, an up-market restaurant offering their speciality of fondue. Just down the road is Papas Tapas, offering an extensive menu of very tasty tapas dishes. Portabello offers a range of main courses including pizza and pasta, and there is also Brother Restaurant which has fantastic steaks.

There are so many places on Koh Tao to eat drink and be merry, it is probably easiest just to list a few places to try.

Chopsticks, in Mae Haad, has authentic Chinese food and is also a nice change from Thai food. The house speciality is dim sum.

The Golden, which is between Mae Haad and Chalok Ban Khao, has an all you can eat Korean Barbeque for 139bt.

Safari – Mae Haad – Great Steaks and pizza and pasta also available.

La Matta – Mae Haad. Pizza & pasta, takeaway and delivery available

Caf̩ Del So l-Mae Haad Рgreat breakfast.

Zest – Mae Haad – for a great sandwich/baguette and delicious coffee; a perfect start to the day!!

Farangos – Mae Haad and Sairee Village – pizza and pasta.

Blue Wind Bakery - situated on the beach in Sairee – homemade bread and a very varied menu. It also has accommodation available at a very reasonable price just meters from the beach.

Shalimar Indian Restaurant – Sairee Village – authentic Indian cuisine in a walled garden surround. Reasonable prices with curries to die for.

Noori Indian Restaurant – Sairee Beach. Situated right on the beach next to the Lotus Bar, Indian food incorporating some of the best naan breads I have ever tasted.

Lotus Bar – Sairee Beach – if you are under 50, this is a ‘Must Go Place’ and a starting point for the night life; meters from the sea, and a place to warm up before going on to the late night dancing a little bit further down the beach.

Sun & Moon bar is a 1st floor bar in Mae Haad at the dockside, and a great evening place. It has a playstation 3 and free Wi-Fi is available for their customers, plus a balcony to relax on as you watch the sunset. A cocktail as you ‘watch the sun go down’. is what makes the holiday. A perfect place to just do it! Loads of information and advice on Koh Tao is also available. Just ask at the bar staff, and, if they cannot help, then ‘They Know Someone Who Can!’  – Simon on 0810789963

Allan – And how about where to go to party after dark?

Shane – After Dark Parties!!! There is always the beach, and most of the late night places are on the beach; sit on the sand enjoying a drink, or get up on that dance floor and show everyone what John Travolta didn’t do!!!  The late night places are all in the same area, and some are open whilst the others shut. There is Maya, In Touch, Moov, one of which is open every night. Then there is the Castle on the way to Chalok Ban Khao that has a party every couple of weeks; well worth the wait!!! But don’t expect to get much sleep. The party at the Castle is an event!!!!

Allan – Finally, what should you not do on the island?

Shane—Simply, Two Things.

1. Avoid drugs. The penalties are harsh. Whilst in Europe a marijuana joint is a minimal legal infraction, in Thailand, generally, the penalties are over the top, and a joint can cost you a couple of thousand US dollars.

Class ‘A’ drugs will definitely put you in prison for many years to come.

2. Do Not Use the front brake on your motorcycle . There is so much sand on the road that if you use the front brake, you will most likely lock the wheel and fall off.

Any damages to the rental bike and you have to pay over the odds for repairs, so be careful when renting a bike, and always check for previous damage!

Johnny from Chopsticks offers the ‘Rent A Wreck’ Rental service – ,john_stafford75@yahoo.co.uk – has older bikes which work well but may not look pretty. Cosmetic bike injury he tends not to charge for!

To the uninitiated Koh Tao is a wonderful Island to visit; relaxed, friendly and somewhere you have to visit before you die. !!!!!

With the question and answer session over we retired to Sairee Beach for a few well deserved beers. A big thanks you to Shane and Sao for a wonderful insight to life on Koh Tao!

Shane and Sao can be contacted on 085 791 4610 or 084 840 5997 if you are interested in hiring a DPV, or indeed want to know more about Koh Tao.

Need to book some dives, find accommodation? Give us a call and we can point you in the right direction.

And finally, as usual, a big hello to my friends at the Thailand Web Zone, www.thailandwebzone.com, which is a new Thai social networking and Thailand community site. Share information in Thai forums and Thailand articles, meet people, share photos, music and video, find & submit information on Thailand travel. Make new friends from all over the world! For those readers who have not visited TWZ, go have a look now!

asean_al

Allan C. Batten
http://www.articlesbase.com/exotic-locations-articles/a-visit-to-koh-tao-with-an-interview-in-mind-683956.html

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The new fitness gadget from Nintendo is selling like hot cake and anyone trying to buy it lately know how hard it is to buy Nintendo Wii Fit. The shelves destined for it in stores all over the US are empty and if you find one you might consider yourself very lucky.

So, what’s the buzz? This is not a product for kids but for grown-ups because it provides one of the best alternative to the gym.

To be more precise, the Nintendo Wii Fit is in fact a wireless fitness board, just a little larger than a regular bathroom scale that simply connects to your Wii console. You’ll just have to step on the board and it will tell you how much you weigh and your body mass index. But wait, there’s more. After some balance tests, it will also be able to tell your age.

Once you’ve established all the details you will be able to play some very interesting games: muscle, cardio and yoga and balance events. It will be like having your own instructor with you and he helps you overcome various difficulty levels.

For example he will teach you how to ski jump. You’ll learn how to bend your knees and lift your heels. You can also play hula hoop (great at parties) and even the jogging game. This latter is a little bit special because you’ll have to put your Wii remote in your pocket while running.

It’s fun and you’ll enjoy every single moment of aerobics, yoga and even muscle stretches. It makes fitness more relaxing and enjoyable.

Many girls amuse themselves watching each other trying different games and they don’t replace their Wii Fit in their schedule for nothing.

In addition to all that, you can check out your daily progress very easily. You’ll have to set up your personal profile and establish goals. You can also check your BMI (Body mass index) and see if you’ve earned enough fit credits.

The Wii Fit console is the perfect gadget for the entire family because it can store up to 8 personal profiles. Sometimes it might even be fun to try to compete among each other and see which one can win a certain game.

Another thing tat you probably didn’t know is that the US manufacturer Peekaboo is ready to announce on the market a pole dancing kit with the help of Carmen Electra. Their main purpose is to help millions of gamers worldwide to learn pole dance. For now this is only a concept but there’s a big chance that in the future they’ll release a Wii version that will include a pole dance video game and an extendable pole.

Most probably this game will challenge the Guitar Hero’s supremacy but that’s great because it means that gamers worldwide will have a new way to spend their free time away from monsters, campaigns and cars.

Ricky Lim
http://www.articlesbase.com/video-games-articles/nintendo-wii-fitness-board-cheap-nintendo-wii-fit-deals-644593.html

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Stress always goes hand in hand with health. Depending to the stress level of a person, the impact of stress in the body can range from minor sweaty palms right through to being fatal and causing death. In order to manage stress and health better, you must first be familiar with the severe effects of stress in the body.

*Physical & Behavioral Signs Of Stress*
Stressors can be either external or internal. External stressors involve situations in the workplace, death or illness in the family, or by simply becoming angry. On the other hand, most of the stress that people experience is self-generated or internal. A person usually creates his or her own stress but this indicates that the person has the choice or doing nothing or something about it.

Your major body systems are all affected by stress.
When a person feels stressed, there will be an increase in heart rate, and an elevation in the blood pressure levels. The continuous pressure in the heart can also make a person vulnerable to cardiac arrest and other cardiac-related problems.

The digestive system is also affected when you are stressed. Some people can experience diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, dryness of the mouth and the throat. Stress may also cause sleeping disorders, nausea and in some cases even a tightness of the chest, neck, jaw and the back muscles. You may also experience tooth grinding.

Often there are also changes in behavioral patterns noticeable in a person experiencing chronic levels of stress. Smokers normally experience an increase in smoking patterns. Aggressive behaviors and hostility towards others and even inanimate objects are sometimes linked to a person being easily startled. A person?s diet can also be affected by the irregular eating habits caused by stress.

Some people who cannot handle stress unfortunately resort to increased levels of alcohol and drug use. Additionally, unhealthy compulsive behavior, impatience and carelessness are also the behavioral effects of stress.

* Long Term Implications of poor stress management *
Long term stress in your life will badly affect your health and wellbeing overall. During stress the body produces hormones that enable the body to cope with the current situation. Short term effects of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and corticosteroids include tense muscles, queasiness and an in increase in breathing and heart rates.

The long term implications of these hormones include allergic reactions, digestive disorder, heart disease, fatigue headaches and migraine. Even some cases of impotence and premature ejaculation can occur in men or erratic menstrual cycles for some women. When the body continuously releases these hormones your sleeping patterns can also be affected and can sometimes lead to chronic insomnia. With severe cases of stress, it can cause eczema, ulcerative colitis, mouth and peptic ulcers and recurring muscular aches and pains.

* Healthy Lifestyle to reduce stress levels in your life *
How a person identifies stress is important to their overall health. When the stress becomes too much to handle, the damage to their physical and mental well-being can be irreversible. Living a healthy life can help a person cope with stress easily.

* Tips for Better Managing Your Stress *
Although a build up of stress can result in major risks, it can also be a positive catalyst for change in your life. Do not let stress accumulate without making the necessary lifestyle changes, otherwise the result can be fatal. By recognizing the stressors, you can put each of them in place and deal with them one by one. Remember that stress can be a healthy signal that you need to make some positive changes in your life, and that now is the best time to make decisions.

* Breathing And Relaxing to Control Stress *
Oxygen is obviously very important to the body. Taking a deep breath adds oxygen to the system, which can help you relax.

Take a short walk in some fresh air, go get a glass a glass of filtered water and do something that can change your focus onto something positive. Try smiling and take a short moment focusing on something else other than your problem. Watch some funny videos before you start your day or listen to comedy audio tapes when you drive in traffic. By the time you get back to your problem, it would not seem nearly as undefeatable.

* Enjoy The Good Things Of Life And Be Positive *
When you let stressful events build up, you can forget to enjoy the good things of life. Remember that life offers many more important things other than work. Reserve some time to actually recognize the good things in your life. Practice being grateful for what you have in your life.

* Know Yourself and Work on Your Limitations *
By recognizing your limitations, you can evade situations that can usually lead to the piling up of work. And you do not need to take responsibility for the work that some one else has left undone. Do not burden yourself with the problems of other people.

If you continuously beat yourself up with needless guilt, not only will you be unable to manage your stress but you will instead worsen the situation.

There are other several ways to help you manage your stress. If you are into self help books, sometimes taking time reading your favorite book can help you in putting the problem out of your mind, or help you to come up with creative solutions. Taking a warm bath and watching your favorite show on TV can also help you. Always remember that the keyword in better stress management is Relaxation.

* Strategies to Use for Avoiding Stress Build Up*
Stress build up can pose major health risks to you in the long term if you do not start to deal with it now. Often times, people who do not know how to handle stress find themselves in rehabilitation facilities that offer twelve-step programs that could help them recover. So have a policy that stress avoidance is always better than cure. Learn to avoid stress build up through simple strategies that you could practice in your free time.

* Learn To Have Fun *
Look into yourself and find something that you are into. There are bound to be some games or fun activities that you can enjoy by yourself or with friends and family. Find the things that you enjoy the most. Hobbies are helpful activities to enhance the overall relaxation process.

Drawing and gardening are great stress relievers but you are not limited to these two. You can practically put your hands on anything that you enjoy doing. Maybe start collecting something of interest as a hobby. Take some craft classes, or learn to dance. If there was a sport you enjoyed in school, you might be able to start getting back into shape with that interest again. Learn that it is fine to have a little fun after hard days of work.

* Taking Better Care Of Your Health *
If you have a predetermined health condition, stress can greatly aggravate that condition. Maintaining a healthy diet and physical activity levels can help you in avoiding the health risks from stress.

Healthy eating at home can help you lose some spare pounds around the stomach, since most people who are stressed-out tend to gain more weight than others. Planning ahead is an important step in eating healthy. Do your shopping for weekly groceries, and plan your home meals every week. Keep your cooking simple and fast to reduce your daily stress. Eating healthy does not mean that you need to prepare a four-course meal. A simple balanced meal with the combination of protein, fresh fruits, green vegetables, wholegrain bread and not too much fat is enough to get you going. You can even find healthy recipes online. Eating organic produce also helps to eliminate many of the toxins that can stress your body. Drink plenty of filtered water and reduce your caffeine and soda drinks.

Exercising can help you cope with stress easily. You can also enroll yourself in weekly gym classes or dance classes depending on how much free time you have. Through gentle and consistent exercise your body releases more of the endorphins that increase your feelings of wellbeing. It does not have to be overly strenuous, just enough to get a slight sweat and glow to your skin.

* Ask For Support When you Need it. *
Never blame yourself for the cause of stress as this will only worsen the stress that you are already feeling. Do not build a wall around you whenever you are feeling stressed and never let yourself feel helpless. Ask family or friends to assist you to cope. Stress is an enemy that you can triumph upon with the help of loved ones.

* You can use Spiritual Practices For Avoiding Stress *
Practicing meditation can help you clear you mind in stressful situations. Seniors use prayers as stress reliever. Prayers can also maintain emotional stability. Learn what you need to maintain your Mind, Body, Spirit Balance for your overall wellbeing.

Gen Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/master-the-skill-of-stress-management-to-improve-your-health-wellbeing-683766.html

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Whether you want to light up the walls, the ceiling, the floor or any part of the room to add night club décor, you can find disco lighting and disco light effects that will enable you to turn your club or even part of your home into a modern and swinging nightclub.

It is easier than ever to use nightclub design, when you use LED panels and DMX controlled lighting. You can get an LED equalizer panel for the walls, ceilings or floors that will not only save on energy, but will give you the state of the art special effects when it comes to disco design lighting. An LED dance floor will make everyone want to start dancing and it is easier to get than ever before.

LED lighting has made it more affordable and easier for anyone to light up a room. You can use this type of lighting along with DMX lighting to make a room literally come alive with light. There is even DMX software that you can use to control the images on the panels.

If you remember disco clubs of the past, you remember perhaps a lighted floor but not lighted walls or ceilings. And the lighted floor usually consisted of spots of color that bounced off of one another. Today, however, you can not only get more affordable disco lighting, but it is more energy efficient and the special effects are far superior to any night club lighting you have seen in the past. Best of all, because much of the lighting comes in LED lighting panels, it can be rented for an evening if you are having a party.

There are many ways to use nightclub lighting for your club or home. If you want to see some great lighting schemes such as the LED Disco Pane Bubble panel, you can take a look at clubs where this type of technology is already in full swing. The Watergate Club in Berlin is one that uses LED disco lighting. Another is the Spectrum Club in Manchester. Both of these clubs feature state of the art nightclub lighting complete with a DMX controlled LED ceiling, LED space panel, and LLED dance floor and an LED pixel ceiling – all of which is controlled with lighting control software.

You can also get nightclub furniture to make the look complete. Lounge décor can include a state of the art bar design, furniture and even a DJ stage. You can get high tech disco lighting that is just like the lighting that is used at the most famous disco clubs all over the world by just going online.

In addition to checking out the disco lights, you may also want to check out the DJ stage lighting in some clubs as well as those that have a video dance floor. You can find any type of lounge décor when you go online and discover an entire world that is open to you when it comes to night club décor lighting.

Ray Subs
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/how-to-use-new-nightclub-lighting-714319.html

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