In 1770, King Kahekili dove 63 feet from the cliffs to the water at Kaunolu Bay on the southern tip of Lanai island. He forced his warriors to follow suit, to demonstrate courage and to show loyalty. Hence forth, cliff diving has become a tradition in Hawaii. Today, at the Black Rock beach adjacent to Sheraton Hotel on Maui, we got to witness this tradition in a short ceremony. … [Read more...] about Hawaiian Cliff Diving: a test of courage and loyalty
culture
Shaolin Temple USA Blessing Ceremony
Exactly five years ago on February 3, 2008, Shaolin Temple officially opened it's first branch in Fremont, California. Since then, branches in San Francisco and Herndon (Virginia) have been established. More will follow in coming years. At the 5th anniversary, I got to witness a Buddhist blessing ceremony. While I couldn't comprehend everything, my understanding was that we … [Read more...] about Shaolin Temple USA Blessing Ceremony
Exploring China’s interior: Southwest 西南 Day 6: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Exploring China’s interior: Southwest 西南 // Day 6: Chengdu 成都, capital of Sichuan Province by WanderingChina Chengdu 天府之国, capital of Sichuan province has been on the agenda for the longest time. It has retained its original city name since its founding more than two millennia ago in 311BC, the same cannot be said of many other Chinese cities. A fan of the Three Kingdoms … [Read more...] about Exploring China’s interior: Southwest 西南 Day 6: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Supermodel Cameron Russell: “Image is Powerful” on TED
Image is indeed powerful. Following is a rare and frank talk, given by supermodel Cameron Russell, about her profession on TED. More importantly, she explains that 'beauty' in the West is a construct. As in any other society, beauty is often constructed to reflect attributes only attainable by the majority or dominant group. For those of us in the West not born with blond … [Read more...] about Supermodel Cameron Russell: “Image is Powerful” on TED
Exploring China’s peripheries: Southwest 西南 Day 5: Yuanyang, Yunnan province
Exploring China’s peripheries: Southwest 西南 // Day 5: Yuanyang county 元阳县, Honghe Hani and Yi Minority Autonomous Prefecture 红河哈尼族彝族自治州, Yunnan province by WanderingChina Done with Dali, it was a six-hour long sleeper bus journey from Dali's Changshan Erhai back to Kunming. Due to the nature of the region's terrain, the train ride would have taken far longer. I whined to … [Read more...] about Exploring China’s peripheries: Southwest 西南 Day 5: Yuanyang, Yunnan province