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Hotel Guide in China - by John Mckenna
www.Travel-the-Real-China.com

When it comes to hotels within China, you just have to be a little careful.

•Hotel Travel Guide China - International Brand hotels, 4 and 5 Star

Mostly these types of 4 and 5 star hotels will be ok, generally they will be run by a western boss and have western heads of all the departments.

Training, etc, of the staff, consistency of the level service from an international brand hotel is important, so most will have enough English speakers around to make your stay welcome and hassle free.

The breakfast will be catered for both Chinese and Western appetites, with the hotel occupancy rate around 50 - 50 Chinese to Westerner.

•Hotel Travel Guide China - Chinese hotels, 4 and 5 stars within the Major Cities

Within the major cities, most will be as the International brands and the level of service just as good.

Within the restaurants and shops, the English should be at a level that you would get most things without too much bother.

If the clientele is Westerner and Chinese, the breakfast will be all the usual food that you will recognize.

•Hotel Travel Guide China - Chinese hotels, 4 and 5 star, Rural location

I lot of Chinese travel, for these hotels this is their major business, not westerners, the westerners are classed as an extra, which has come along over the last few years.

Some have not learnt to deal with this extra business yet.

These more out of the way Chinese 4 and 5 Star hotels are a little different; comparatively the fixtures and fitting will be the same standard as any 4 or 5 Star hotel, however sometimes the same care and attention in the maintenance and service to the customer will be different to what you will be used too.

Not necessarily worst or bad, just different.

Western and Chinese expectations in all areas of the China travel business are different, this is the why I set up Travel-the-Real-China .com.

The level of English generally will not be as good, so just take your time, they will find someone, or you will work, just keep your cool.

I have stayed at some great Chinese 4 and 5 star hotels, and been very happy, so do not be put off.

All I have visited have been clean tidy and for an overall statement: a pleasant stay was had by all.

The breakfast will be a Chinese breakfast and if it is a regular stop for Western travelers, some western food will be served.

If it is an out of the way place, you may not get the type of breakfast you expect, the Chinese eat different things for breakfast, so to get a simple cup of tea or coffee and some toast just will not happen.

There will be hot water, if you have to have your tea or coffee, bring your own.

The breakfast will have lots of food, just not, what you will be expecting.

•Hotel Travel Guide China - Chinese hotels, 3 star

These 3 star Chinese hotels usually gets very high traffic and occupancy… mostly Chinese, and now the westerners, especially with the major cities

For these hotels, maintenance is not high on there lists, so you may find a few things that will not work or have fallen of the wall.

If it is dangerous, most of the time, something will be done, otherwise no one will care.

Within the major cities most will be clean and tidy and offer some sort of western food for breakfast. Out in the remoter areas… not really.

The breakfast will have lots of food, just not, what you will be expecting.

Take some tea and coffee if you really need this there will always be hot water.

The level of English within the major cities will be, just enough for you to check in, and out in the remoter areas, checking in can take come time.

There is a high number of these hotels and it can be a great way to see the country, in Tibet the 3 star hotels are a little pricy, however within China most are good value and will be clean with showers in all the rooms.

You just need to be a where; its good value, clean and some small things maybe a little frustrating with it, however that’s China.

Go with the flow, its part of the adventure of China.

•Hotel Travel Guide China - Shanghai hotels - Special rates and location

I know of a few small and very good value inner city hotels within Shanghai.

These are Chinese hotels and will not be on anyone’s list to book, as they are new and classed as Chinese business hotels.

Please contact to author if you would like to know more details.

I hope this Hotel Travel Guide China gives you a good overview if you would like more info please let me know.

John Mckenna
www.Travel-the-Real-China.com
john@travel-the-real-china.com

About the Author

Hi I’m John Mckenna, I am from New Zealand and have lived in Shanghai China now for 3 years.

I own and operate www.Travel-the-Real-China.com my site provides experienced based Travel and Tour information on the wonders of Travel in China, the Real China, Ancient China, China at its very best.

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About a year ago, two Romanian backpackers launched www.spirit.ro (pronounced “The Spirit of Romania”), a travel guide with a twist, meant to show you that Romania means a bit more than Dracula or football. Well, tourism authorities and travelers from all over the world, watch out: the site’s summer-autumn 2005 version is alive and kicking for a couple of days now.

So, have you ever been to Romania?

If the answer is yes, then take a virtual trip to www.spirit.ro and lots of pleasant memories related to Romania will start flowing through your head. You’ll find there a place where you can brag with your travel experiences, whether they’re positive or negative, where you can share the pictures you took in Romania and last but not least, a discussion board where you can share your knowledge with travelers that are about to visit places you’ve just returned from.

If Romania was indeed one of your memorable travel experiences then the site will definitely grab you and turn you without even knowing it into a volunteer promoter of this country.

If you haven’t traveled to Romania so far, then www.spirit.ro will offer you a free test-drive of what Romania’s got to offer as a travel destination. You’ll have the opportunity to meet fellow travelers from all over the world, to express your doubts and ask for advices, to read catchy stories and travel logs and to waste lots of time watching alluring images signed by travelers like you.

And finally, if you haven’t traveled to Romania so far, nor you plan to do it in the near future, no problem, there’s room for you too. “The Spirit of Romania” will provide you with probably one of the best ways to get rid of the everyday boredom, to spend (or waste, as you wish) some quality time and will definitely make the traveler in you scream for freedom.

About the Author

PR Manager, The Spirit of Romania

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A security alarm system is an important part of your home security plan. In addition to your alarm, there are many things you should be aware of, that will help you to strengthen your safety campaign. Be cautious at all times and especially around the holidays, due to an increase in criminal activity.

* A quality deadbolt lock on all perimeter doors is always your first line of defense. A door is most often the point of entry for an intruder. If you don’t have a quality lock the perpetrator knows that a good blow will break the non-fortified wood that is holding the door lock cylinder in place. A quick entry and closing of the door hides the damage, as it will be on the inside.

* If you just moved in to your home or business, you should change the key cylinders on all locks, as you don’t know who has a copy of the key.

* Cut the cord handle off your electric garage door openers. It’s easy to push the top of your garage door in enough to put a wire hanger in and hook the release handle. By pulling on the handle, a burglar will override the screw or chain drive and be able to manually lift the overhead door. Once protected by the privacy of your garage, entry to the home is inevitable. Be sure to leave just enough cord so that you can use it from inside if needed, but not enough to reach the top of the overhead door!

* Burglars hate light. You should replace outside perimeter lighting with motion activated lamps. These are very inexpensive these days and readily available at most hardware and electronic stores. The protection they will provide coupled with the convenience of having a well lit area to come home to, make them a must have.

* Place timers on a few of your inside lights to give the appearance that someone is home. It is always smart to vary the time every few days so that a pattern is not realized, if you are being cased. X10 makes a variable timer that will change the timing for you automatically.

* If your last name is posted on your mailbox, a burglar can get your listed phone number from information. By ringing your phone with no answer, they would be able to assume that you are not home.

* Turn down the volume on your answering machine so that burglars can’t hear that no one’s home if the phone should ring.

* Don’t hide keys outside your home, as they will be found. Leave a spare with a trusted neighbor instead.

* Leaving ladders and tools outside your home can trigger a burglar’s impulse, even if that was not on the schedule today.

* When leaving your home for daily routine, be sure to vary times and direction of travel. Your repetitive actions are a gift to potential burglars who are always on the prowl for their next victim.

* Remove or place a light on shrubs that can easily conceal a waiting burglar from site.

* When you buy new appliances like televisions or stereo’s and computers be sure to hide or destroy the boxes. New valuables are an invitation to a burglar’s already distorted senses.

* Don’t ever tell a stranger that you are home alone.

* Install a peep hole viewer, if you do not have a convenient window to check who is at your door before opening it to a stranger.

* If someone asks to use your phone for an emergency take the information through closed doors and inform them that you will make the call for them.

* If you see signs of entry, DO NOT ENTER the house. Go to the neighbors, to call for help and be on the lookout for strange cars or people near your home.

* Always keep your cell phone in your bedroom with you. If the phone lines are cut you will need it to call for help.

* Don’t leave a purse, wallet or laptop on the counters that can be seen from a window. This will almost always trigger a forced entry.

* Security signs without corresponding security company stickers on the windows, may lead a passing burglar to believe that you don’t really have an alarm system installed.

* When traveling put your office address and cell phone numbers on your luggage tags. A baggage handler will know that you are not home.

* Remove all address information from your parked car at the airport. Anyone who breaks into your vehicle would know you are not home and have your address and garage door opener.

* Don’t leave notes on the door telling someone that you are not home and what time you will be back.

Matthew Francis Alarms@expertsknow.com

Matthew is a 22 year veteran of the alarm industry. He has Served as an installer, salesman, licensed alarm company owner, monitoring station designer, promotions and marketing director with one of the worlds largest security dealers. He now works as a consumer advocate, teaching consumers how to buy or get systems for free (without being taken). He is committed to being unbiased. His web site is http://www.expertsknow.com

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Spain has a super selection of hotels and you will surely
discover something to suit all tastes and pockets.

Whilst most visitors holidaying in Spain from abroad tend to
stick to the stereo-typed hotel chains for their vacations,
Paradores make a fantastic alternative. Quality accommodation
and food guarantee a stay that is remembered for comfort,
style and value for money. And, through them, you will gain a
better and deeper knowledge of Spain.

Right from their beginnings in 1928, the aim of the state
established Paradores Spain was to offer high standards, at
reasonable prices, in a noteworthy building or location, and
to help preserve the traditions of regional cooking, by serving
the best of local cuisine in the Parador restaurants.

Equally important objectives of the hotel chain were to help
preserve the country’s national and artistic heritage and to
promote tourism in areas which had been overlooked by the
private sector.

Today, Paradores can be found in converted castles, palaces,
fortresses, convents, monasteries and other traditional
buildings throughout the mainland and its islands. The group
has also built new hotels in unspoiled areas of the country in
magnificent locations.

The origins of Paradores go back to 1910, when the Spanish
Government assigned the Marquis de la Vega Incln the task
of creating a hotel infrastructure for vacations which would
house travellers and improve Spain’s image abroad.

In 1926, through the Royal Tourism Commission established in
1911, the Marquis de la Vega Incln initiated the establishment
of a hotel in the Gredos Mountains in Castilla La Mancha, making
the wonders of the area’s landscape accessible to tourism.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain was very enthusiastic about the idea
and he, personally, chose the location. Construction began in
August 1926 and was completed on the evening of 9 October 1928.
The hotel was inaugurated that same day and became the first
establishment of the future Paradores Spain network, the
Parador de Gredos.

After the opening of the Parador de Gredos, the Board of
Paradores and Inns was formed and efforts were channelled into
perfecting the original idea and into making use of selected
historical/artistic monuments and beautiful landscapes for the
establishment of new Paradores Spain.

So, why not consider making your stay in Spain rather unique
by picking a Parador?

About the Author

Linda Plummer is webmistress of
Top Tour of Spain
providing comprehensive information on Spain for travel, food,
language and living.

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The Norton Simon Museum sits on 9.5 acres, is housed in an 85,000 squrare foot structure and is located in the beautiful city of Pasadena, California at 411 W. Colorado Blvd. right across the street from where the television cameras are set up every year for the Rose Parade. Therefore millions of people view the front of the museum each year as they watch the Rose Parade. What most of these viewers do not know is that “The Norton Simon Museum of Art holds one of the world’s finest and most prestigious private collections of European, American and Asian art.”

The collection, which includes works by van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Rodin and Fragonard consists of over 1,000 works, including paintings, etchings (by Rembrandt, Goya, etc.), sculptures, photographs (Ansel Adams) and other mediums spanning a period of over 2,000 years. The museum also hosts lectures, gallery talks, family programs, musical performances, dance performances, films and tours.

The museum provides both private tours and monthly free public tours of their collection conducted by Museum Educators.

The museum’s store features a large selection of books on American, Asian and European art along with posters, prints, slides and stationery goods as well as books on photography, gardens and architecture.

The museum is closed on Tuesdays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s hours are 12:00 noon - 9:00pm on Fridays and 12:00 noon - 6:00pm all other days. Admission fees are adults $8.00, seniors $4.00 and patrons under 18 years of age, students with valid id and museum members free.

For more information about the city of Pasadena, California see http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Pasadena, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, churches, physicians, attorneys, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go, art galleries, service organizations, auto dealers, nursing homes, convalescent hospitals, antique dealers and more.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and is currently the publisher of several internet directories, including www.usacitydirectories.com a directory of national, state, county and city guides and directories listing local guides, directories, web sites and web pages providing resources, services and information about things to do and places to go.

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Having a good, refreshing night sleep is very important for those that travel a lot. It may not seem like a big thing, but business persons that are always travelling are often complaining about not being able to sleep enough because of their neighbors or because of the hotel staff. Here are some tips on how to make sure you will have the chance to get a good sleep overnight in order to be completely fresh for that morning meeting!

The first important travel tip is choosing the right hotel room. Make sure your room is not placed near an elevator or near the ice machine. It may not seem to be a big deal, but feeling the elevator’s vibration all night long will not help you sleep after a long tiring day of travel. Neither will help you sleep the sound of the hotels’ ice machine used by all the other persons on your floor. And, most important, always ask at the hotel’s reception if your room is placed near the disco club. Make sure you put at least 3 floors between your sleep and the hotel’s disco!

Another travel tip is to check if your hotel room has a Do Not Disturb sign. If it doesn’t, ask the reception to give you one, or even make one yourself. Otherwise, the hotels’ cleaning staff will wake you up for the usual changing the towels operation. And this is extremely annoying, especially when you are about to start another long day of travel.

In case there is a party carried out next door, don’t bother to complain to the hotels’ receptions staff. All they can do is to send the hotel security to ask the party animals to keep it down. Therefore you should ask the front desk staff to give you another room. Insist if they claim there are no more rooms. Do the same thing if there is a couple next door training for the world sex Olympics. And, early in the morning, before leaving the hotel, you can have your own little revenge by calling the loud room. They will be most likely sleeping!

And, a final piece of travel advice: always pack a pair of earplugs whenever sleep over night in hotels. They will stop you from hearing all the disturbing noises any hotels may be dealing with.

Enjoy a good night sleep on your travels!

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In France’s southeast corner, the Rhne-Alpes marries urban sophistication with alpine idyll. Its borders with Switzerland and Italy are guarded by Mont Blanc-at 15,571 feet, Europe’s highest peak. From late December until March, the countryside becomes a skier’s snowy paradise of downhill pistes and cross-country. Of course, the mountains are just as enticing for summertime ramblers.

Yet attractions don’t only revolve around fine dining and sporty activities. Think Roman ruins. Think lush valleys filled with orchards and golden-stone wine villages. Think ancient monasteries such as Chartreuse, whose monks concoct a fiery green liqueur that’s perfect for livening up an aprs-ski hot chocolate. Think world-class museums and distinctly wacky museums like Grenoble’s Musee des Automates - stuffed with “living dolls” and other mechanical figurines dating back to the 18th-century.

Grenoble is a small city surrounded by many smaller ski villages and not far from some big name resorts such as Trois Vallees, Val d’Isere and Chamonix; all in the Rhone-Alpes Grenoble is a city on two rivers, the Drac and the Isre. It’s more provincial than its big sister, Lyons, but has a pleasant, laid-back feel. Its status as a university town adds a good dose of student liveliness and the alpine setting is spectacular. Few other French cities can boast of having mountains at the end of every street. Grenoble’s population numbers around 160,000-or 424,000 if you include the entire region, which is growing all the time. Grenoble and its environs have become one of the main centers of France’s high-tech industry-a kind of French Silicon Valley.

Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympics, you won’t find anywhere more walkable. Despite being surrounded by peaks, it lays claim to being France’s flattest city and that’s excellent news for those who don’t much like clambering up hills. Not that you need to deprive yourself of the kind of views that usually require extreme muscular effort. In all months but January, a cable car traverses a rocky fortified outcrop called the Bastille. From here you get a jaw-dropping panorama of surrounding peaks and Grenoble’s red-tiled roofs below.

Although Grenoble’s historic core is tiny, it has plenty of quirky corners with stories to match. Place Grenette - complete with an old-fashioned carousel - was where heretics were once burnt at the stake. On returning from exile in Elba, Napoleon holed up in what is now the Auberge Napoleon (7 rue Montorge), Grenoble’s fanciest restaurant. Across the river is the appealingly scruffy area of St. Laurent, once the center of the town’s glove-making industry.

During the French Revolution, Grenoble was a hotbed of republican fervor. In fact, its citizens started on the revolutionary trail almost a year before the rest of France. Because Grenoble contains the word “noble” - most politically incorrect in those days - the revolutionaries decided they’d much rather live in Grelibre. (Libre in French means “free”.)

Those who live and work here have wonderful access to the mountains. And so do visitors. With Grenoble as your base, you can ski a plethora of different areas everyday…and still be back for dinner. For around $25, the local bus company offers special day packages that include a lift pass to a number of villages in the Grenoblois Alps. Chamrousse, Villars-de-Lans and Alpe d’Huez are three of the most popular. Or just go for lunch in the mountains: return fare to Villard-de-Lans is an equivalent $9.70. Prices quoted in this article were in effect during the ‘05-’06 winter season.

A place to stay? Htel de l’Europe claims the status of Grenoble’s oldest hotel, but the grandeur has faded over the centuries. Still, the location couldn’t be better- it’s located in the pedestrian zone on Place Grenette, the town’s main historic square.

Grenoble’s vicinity takes in a number of mountain areas: Belledonne, Chartreuse, Vercors, Oisan and the southern Dauphine. Each has its own clutch of resorts. An hour by bus from Grenoble, Villard-de-Lans is a traditional-style alpine village of around 4,000 people. (Many French ski resorts are purpose-built.) There are four points of access to the downhill slopes-the nearest is Le Balcon, served by free ski shuttles.

The downhill area takes in 78 miles of slopes, 29 ski runs and 27 ski lifts. Two-day lift passes for adults start at $50, but the longer you stay, the cheaper it works out. (A pass for the season costs $480.) There are reductions for the under those 16 and over 60, but visitors over the age of 72 get their lift passes for free.

Ski shuttles also serve Bois Barbu, a cross-country skiing area that opens onto over 100 miles of trails. If you’ve never tried ski nordique before, two-hour group lessons cost $21; individual lessons are $35 per hour. Equipment rental (skis, boots and poles) costs $15.60 per day or $79 for a week.

Several high speed trains (TGV) from SNCF link Paris to Grenoble every day, for a three-hour trip of 640 km. Full price is about 70 Euro for a one-way ticket. Getting around in Grenoble is easy as there are two tramway lines that cross the town every few minutes (every quarter of hour on Sundays) and a lot of buses (lot fewer on Sundays). Another way to get around is to rent a bicycle at the railway station As mentioned before, despite its proximity to mountains, Grenoble is flat, so you won’t experience steep slopes in the town. If you feel like it, you will find slopes in the near mountains. A nice and easy ride is to follow the two rivers that cross Grenoble. There is a cycle track along the Isre for several kilometers and again along the Drac. There is also an old bicycle track along the Isre river passing in front of the town centre and various dedicated lanes along the main boulevards.

The cable car is the easy way to see the town from upside and the trip in those plastic bubbles is impressive. You will get at the top of a fortress, called the Bastille (no link with Bastille Day), 300 m above the town. When you arrive at the top, you can visit the ruins of a fort, walk for some hours in the nature on the hill or simply enjoy the view of the town and the mountains, or have a break at the restaurant.

And finally, for the best local shopping, stop at Victor Hugo tramway station (tramway A or B). The tramway station is next to the Grenette place, which is the center of the town. This place and all streets around are reserved to pedestrians (and tramways). You will enjoy the small streets with lots of people in the shops and restaurants.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Europe Vacation

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Each year it’s the same story. Despite cycling to work, and an infrequent hill climb, each skiing season initiates with those torture some 1st couple of hikes during which one is forgotten in the wake of junior and fitter snowboarding pals. It’s enough to ruin my skiing holiday.

If you are out of shape while ski touring it is difficult, and can be very risky. Skiing down one needs to have some spare reserves. If you are a tired skier you are more than likely to have accidents and tiredness can be a contributory element to incidents, such as crashes and rock falls.

Surely there is a safer manner in which to begin the season, and a lately brought out 302 page guide by Vincent Burke appears to extend a solution. Though targeted at climbers the report is for the most part relevant to touring, with its strenuous ascents besides other games.

Cycling, practicing for top results is highly detailed and easy to read. It’s a acceptable comprehensive manual which gathers together some poignant research. You can evolve a precise exercise regime or tune your present one. Afforded that it’s aimed at climbers, thus a little of the report will be inapplicable for ski touring, it is certainly an account to acquire if you would like to do some of the long day or multiple day classic alpine routes.

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Words are very powerful. In fact, vocabulary has a remarkably high correlation with IQ scores. We use words to communicate our thoughts and feelings. Internally, we use words to think. For both reasons - thinking and communicating - having a strong vocabulary is valuable, and improving our vocabulary is a worthy self-improvement goal.

I’m not writing about a new, highly technical, or difficult word though. I’m writing about a word that most of us use everyday. And I’m writing to tell you we all under-use or misuse it.

The Holiday Season

I have always found it interesting to observe behaviors and listen to conversations about the Christmas season. If you listen to shoppers they’ll talk about long lines and out of stock items. They’ll talk about rude clerks and over-priced merchandise. They’ll talk about getting things shipped on time, finding the gift for Uncle I-Never-Know-What-To-Get-Him, stale fruitcakes, and nasty weather. They’ll talk about getting the wrapping and baking done, and the cards mailed. They’ll anguish over whether the decorations on their house look ok. They’ll grieve over the gift they bought before it was marked down 30%.

You’ve heard the tirades, the stories of woe. You may have even had them or told them yourself. Somewhere in that conversation you described someone or something as “awful”. Others in the conversation shook their heads in agreement.

The Christmas Season

During the same month as those complaints and frustrations something else happens too. People smile more. People who rarely talk all year, whether neighbors or people whose offices are opposite ends of the hallway stop, or even make a point, to say “Merry Christmas”. We even wish total strangers “Happy Holidays!” We listen to a whole different set of CDs and cassettes, and for a couple of weeks it seems the #1 Song in America is “Joy to the World”, or “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, and not the latest hit from a band no one will remember in two years. People are kinder on the freeways, making room for someone in their lane. People are more giving and forgiving. Even in the midst of the hustle and bustle, the shopping and wrapping, people still have the Christmas spirit.

When I think of these circumstances, of these positive changes in behavior, I am literally filled with awe - that we seem to automatically move into a mental space of being more kind, gentle and loving, simply because we turn our calendars to December.

The Word

About a week ago, I wrote down the phrase “awful vs. awe-filled” on a piece of paper and began ruminating on that as my thesis for an essay. I was going to talk about how a couple of additional letters could change a word - and our perspective a great deal.

I decided to check my book of word origins, looking up “awful” and “awe” to see what I could learn. I learned nothing. So I went to the Dictionary, and here is what I learned:

Aw-ful adj. [see awe and full]

1. inspiring awe; highly impressive

2. causing fear; terrifying

3. dreadful; appalling

4. full of awe; reverential 5 very bad, ugly, unpleasant, etc. [an awful joke] *

I would bet that no one reading this uses the word awful with its number one definition. Definitions 2, 3 and 5 - well that’s another story. Then I realized my Dictionary is old - with a 1988 copyright. Hmm… perhaps the meaning has changed, I thought. So I went to Dictionary.com, to get a more recent definition, and here is what I found:

Awful adj.

1. Extremely bad or unpleasant; terrible: had an awful day at the office.

2. Commanding awe: “this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath” (Herman Melville).

3. Filled with awe, especially:

a. Filled with or displaying great reverence.

b. Obsolete. Afraid.

4. Formidable in nature or extent: an awful burden; an awful risk.

The order of the definitions is different, but the message is the same. We are shortchanging the word awful! My earlier thesis about adding a few letters is out the window. Awful and awful, the same word with two very different meanings.
While awful isn’t the only word that has conflicting meanings, it is a powerful example precisely because of those meanings and how different they are. The words we use are powerful. They define our state of mind and our perspective. They help us explain the world around us.

Not Just in December

I picked December to make my point because while we all want to get into the spirit of the season, some seem to get there quicker and stay in that spirit longer. The people who succeed at “getting the spirit” are those the most reverent about why we celebrate and the wonderful things that can happen during that time of year. In other words, people choosing to see the awe in the season.

While I described a whole set of positive and negative behaviors that occur during the holidays, I could do it for any month and any situation. I could point out what people find to be unpleasant - awful - about that time or situation, or I could describe what is highly impressive - awful - about that situation. So while I write this essay in December, the message should be clear all year. We can make a choice which definition of this word we want to use, and which definition we want to look for.

The Challenge

I see people who seem to search for things to complain about; looking for things to confirm how awful things are. We find what we look for. If I am looking for “very bad, unpleasant” things around me, I will find them. However, if I am looking for things that “inspire awe”, I will find those awful things as well.

Which of those do I see during the holidays? Which do I seek the rest of the year? Recognizing that you have a choice in what you look for, which will you be looking for tomorrow?

I wish you an awful Christmas, and an awesome New Year.

Kevin Eikenberry is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (KevinEikenberry.com) and author of Vantagepoints on Learning and Life. To read more stories like the one above or order your copy of the book visit www.vantagepoints.net or contact Kevin at (317) 387-1424 or toll free 888.LEARNER.

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Walked into this restaurant, was moderately busy. There were 3 or 4 waitresses. They weren’t dressed in fine attire. However, that didn’t seem to matter. As soon as I walked in I was greeted from the door, a quick hi from across the room. Simple yet effective!

Lead to a table to sit down, they had televisions in the corners to watch. Of course, there was all the bussle on the streets to watch through the window as well. It was to be one of those quiet Monday’s watching others go by.

A waitress came back with a menu and a full pot of coffee ready to pour, didn’t even have to wait or ask, she was cheerful. They didn’t wear restaurant aprons or anything, just jeans and T-shirts. But there was something more to this restaurant.

So I ordered an egg’s benedict with my coffee, thinking perhaps it wouldn’t be so good. Had a paper to read, everything seemed to flow in the restaurant really well. People were chatting about their day, some had just finished a marathon run in the early AM.

The waitresses were friendly and seemed to watch over everything, without having to run around or customers waiting for things.

Breakfast came, it was good, traditional, excellant service and quality. As I continued to eat breakfast one of the waitresses seemed to be helping the others with little things.

Overheard a conversation, one of the waitresses was having a leisurely chat with a patron. It seemed more like a morning chat between friends, she was talking to them about their morning marathon run, which they mentioned.

Another patron jumped in and said she just completed the marathon as well.

It was cozy. It was Joe’s Restaurant on Davie Street in Vancouver and it seemed a little different than all the rest.

Mr. Des Marais has helped several businesses in the restaurant, retail, tourism and hospitality industries grow their business, generate team systems and increase sales.
http://www.usabusinessgrowth.com

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